Minnesota Sports Forum

thedoper wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

thedoper wrote:Even if they turn this around this year Id be fine if they traded KAT in the offseason. He's insufferable, and I don't believe he thinks he's a bad defender which has made it impossible for him to improve. If they can get any sort of large deal for picks and talent Im all in. We start next year fresh with Ant's team and recoupe some draft assets from any team dumb enough to think Kat is a winner.

If this team doesn't make the playoffs this season, then everything should be on the table next summer. But if this team gets its act together as many on this Board think they will, finishes in the top six and advances out of the first round, then I think it would be a huge mistake to trade Towns. Is he a winner? Basketball is a team game. So the "winner" brand is properly applied to teams, not individual players. KAT is not MJ, Kobe, LeBron. He's not Embiid or Jokic, although he's not far below either of those two. But he's a perennial all-star who can do things that no other big man in the League can do.

My issue with Russell has always been consistency, not ability. In contrast, Towns has been one of the League's most consistent players. He's been consistently highly productive AND efficient as a scorer. He's also been one of the League's best rebounders. This season, he's raised his level of play as a passer. Defense remains a weakness for him, but he has clearly improved defensively from early in his career. As for winning, Towns was a winner last season when the team won 46 games and he was a winner in Butler's one season here. In other words, put some decent talent around Towns and he is, in fact, a winner even as he annoys us all with some of his antics.

If Ant becomes the superstar he's capable of becoming and DLO shows the sort of consistency he showed in his one all-star season with the Nets, then this team can be a winner and Towns will be a huge part of the team's winning.

I think you can win with Towns on your team. But if hes your 1a or b and you have to craft such a specific lineup to make up for his deficiencies I dont know what your ceiling is. Id rather him be a 3rd option and paid like it but no way is that happening in Minnesota. I think it could be worth looking at dealing him while he still has lots of legit value for all of the talent he has that you properly listed.

PorkChop wrote:Rudy has been the second best player on a handful of playoff teams and his numbers have stayed consistent here despite the change of scenery. We can argue if Kat can be a number two player on a perennial playoff team but Gobert has the resume to show he can. If before the season you were told He would get you 14 and 12 with his defense we would've assumed the team was meeting expectations. Kats illness before preseason and Rudy's extended play in Europe has played a factor in the teams cohesiveness. I really believe team chemistry will hit its stride after the Allstar break and the shooting will improve. Better to be playing your best ball in March.
Can't believe I've become the voice for patience and positivity on this board. Time to shut it down I guess

thedoper wrote:

PorkChop wrote:Rudy has been the second best player on a handful of playoff teams and his numbers have stayed consistent here despite the change of scenery. We can argue if Kat can be a number two player on a perennial playoff team but Gobert has the resume to show he can. If before the season you were told He would get you 14 and 12 with his defense we would've assumed the team was meeting expectations. Kats illness before preseason and Rudy's extended play in Europe has played a factor in the teams cohesiveness. I really believe team chemistry will hit its stride after the Allstar break and the shooting will improve. Better to be playing your best ball in March.
Can't believe I've become the voice for patience and positivity on this board. Time to shut it down I guess

I think we're all looking to you as the voice of reason Pork. Go Wolves!!

PorkChop wrote:

thedoper wrote:

PorkChop wrote:Rudy has been the second best player on a handful of playoff teams and his numbers have stayed consistent here despite the change of scenery. We can argue if Kat can be a number two player on a perennial playoff team but Gobert has the resume to show he can. If before the season you were told He would get you 14 and 12 with his defense we would've assumed the team was meeting expectations. Kats illness before preseason and Rudy's extended play in Europe has played a factor in the teams cohesiveness. I really believe team chemistry will hit its stride after the Allstar break and the shooting will improve. Better to be playing your best ball in March.
Can't believe I've become the voice for patience and positivity on this board. Time to shut it down I guess

I think we're all looking to you as the voice of reason Pork. Go Wolves!!

Whoa, I didn't claim to be the reasonable one. Just positive. Don't start rumors.

lipoli390 wrote:The Jazz beat the Suns last night. Vanderbilt had 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Beasley had 27 points on 7-13 shooting from behind the arc. Markkanen was great again and has become a bona fide NBA all-star. Amazing what we're seeing from the Jazz as they're starting to look like they're for real.

monsterpile wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:The Jazz beat the Suns last night. Vanderbilt had 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Beasley had 27 points on 7-13 shooting from behind the arc. Markkanen was great again and has become a bona fide NBA all-star. Amazing what we're seeing from the Jazz as they're starting to look like they're for real.

Im not surprised they are competitive.

Q-was-here wrote:Zach LaVine, who some here look back misty-eyed that we traded him away, got benched during crunch time in Chicago's loss last night and he was none too happy about it.

Zach is one of these players, for all his skills as a shooter and scorer, just doesn't make his team better. He's had a negative on/off rating (meaning his team plays better when he's on the bench) in 7 out of the 9 seasons he's played. His net rating while on the floor has been negative literally every single season. Plus/Minus is an imperfect stat, but when it tells you the same thing every....single....year....it's not just a product of the other starters, your backups, your coach, etc.

Unfortunately, DLO's track record is not too dissimilar from Zach's.