Let’s Not Underestimate DLO

[Monster]

Here's the latest from Glen Taylor on DLO:

Asked if he'd like to see D'Angelo Russell sign an extension before the season begins, Taylor said it might benefit both sides to hold off and see how the 2022/23 season goes. "(Finch) believes that with the new lineup, and with Russell in that lineup, that he'll have a much better year just because of the way we're going to play," Taylor said. "He says he thinks there's a big upside for Russell with this group of (players). That's to his advantage and to our advantage if it works out." - via Hoops Rumors

I wonder what Connelly and Gupta think of Taylor's publicly advising DLO on maximizing his negotiating leverage. Lol.

Just listened to the Wolfson's podcast the episode is just Glen and the interview is like 20 minutes and the first few minutes was about the Lynx. When Wolfson asked the question about Russell signing an extension Glen didn't say anything for a while. It was longer than the pause when Wolfson later asked Glen if h was involved with hiring a new play by play guy and Glen said happy of people were involved but yes he was involved in that. Not exactly a mind blowing interview but it also doesn't take long to listen to the whole thing.

[Lipoli390]

https://nbaanalysis.net/2022/08/10/nba-trade-rumors-minnesota-timberwolves-ben-simmons-brooklyn-nets-blockbuster-scenario/4/

This won't happen but I thought I'd post it anyway.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

https://nbaanalysis.net/2022/08/10/nba-trade-rumors-minnesota-timberwolves-ben-simmons-brooklyn-nets-blockbuster-scenario/4/

This won't happen but I thought I'd post it anyway.

I no longer think Ben Simmons is a good fit in Minnesota for basketball reasons -- floor spacing, positional fit, etc. And if there were concerns about the Timberwolves' future cap issues before, then those concerns would be much bigger when you consider Simmons' contract. I'd put the odds of this happening at less than one percent.

[Carlos Danger]

I'm fairly confident this thread represents the first mention of the word "dildo" in the history of this forum! I could be wrong.

Perhaps, but it isn't the first time a dildo has posted to the forum.

Alright. I mostly read vs. post these days, but that was pretty damn funny. Well played!

[Coolbreeze44]

I'm fairly confident this thread represents the first mention of the word "dildo" in the history of this forum! I could be wrong.

Perhaps, but it isn't the first time a dildo has posted to the forum.

Alright. I mostly read vs. post these days, but that was pretty damn funny. Well played!

You say enough stupid things and eventually you will hit on something. On a board mostly devoid of humor, I appreciate you finding it noteworthy.

[Coolbreeze44]

https://nbaanalysis.net/2022/08/10/nba-trade-rumors-minnesota-timberwolves-ben-simmons-brooklyn-nets-blockbuster-scenario/4/

This won't happen but I thought I'd post it anyway.

It won't happen, but I'd write a 4 figure check from my own account to bring it to reality. Simmons, Ant, Jaden, Towns, and Rudy? Plan the parade.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Jon Krawczynski's been a stud all off-season and the articles just keep coming. I encourage everyone able to read this to do so, and if you don't have a subscription I would recommend getting one. There were some very good tidbits, such as:

- The Wolves early expectation is to play Anthony Edwards with Karl-Anthony Towns, and D'Angelo Russell with Rudy Gobert when those pairings take the floor. The reason given, aside from wanting two of your four best players on the floor at all times, is that Edwards and Towns prefer to play two long shifts per half whereas Russell and Gobert like three shorter shifts per half. The timing, in theory, works out as does their complimentary skill-sets.

- Upon hearing the news that Gobert was acquired, Edwards said that he and Towns immediately thought of Russell and talked about how that was going to help his game. It's evident that even those two saw that Russell's game wasn't being maximized due to personnel. That changes now.

- From a different piece I read, apparently Patrick Beverley wanted more ball-handling responsibilities last year and was vocal about that with Chris Finch, especially towards the end of the season. It's fair to wonder if that was necessary or warranted given his abilities, and it could also be at least a small part of why Russell seemed in a particular funk down the stretch. Krawczynski said it best here. With Beverley being traded, this is D-Lo's offense now. He's not just a maestro -- he's THE maestro. He has the screen-setting, rim-rolling big in Gobert that should allow him to play better in the in-between areas of the floor. He also won't often be sharing the court with another veteran point guard wanting to expand his role. It's Russell's show now, unquestionably.

I don't know about you all, but I'm very excited for this season -- more so than any season that I've been a fan.

https://theathletic.com/3634650/2022/09/30/gobert-russell-timberwolves-duo/?source=user_shared_article

[Lipoli390]

I agree with Cam on Jon K. He's a fantastic sports reporter who's been churning out great stuff all summer. I also understand Cam's excitement about the season - something I think most Wolves fans share. Overall I'm optimistic about the season, but not quite as excited about the Wolves as Cam and others. Part of what tempers my enthusiasm is my perception of the Gobert deal as a value proposition long term and relative to other possibilities. But my perception of the deal doesn't change the fact that, on paper, the Wolves are a really good team that should compete for a top 4 seed in the West and possibly contend for a championship next season. So there's certainly reason be be excited.

The excitement over the DLO-Gobert pairing is interesting. I think the prevailing view, which I share, is that the key to the Wolves success will be the development of Edwards and to a lesser extent McDaniels. But if we're realistic, that view is more of a long term proposition. We need to be careful about expecting too much from a 21 year old one-and-done player in his third NBA season.

Gobert will be who he is next season - a defensive and rebounding stud. And hopefully, Edwards and McDaniels will both be at least incrementally better than they were last season. But ultimately in my view the real keys to next season will be DLO and KAT. Those are this team's two all-star caliber players just entering the prime years of their respective careers. Although I consider Edwards the most talented player on the team and the biggest long-term key to the success of the franchise, I see the Wolves success next season tied mainly to how well DLO and KAT perform and how well they mesh with Gobert. If DLO minimally matches his one all-star season in Brooklyn with lots of games like we saw from him in last season's play-in game and KAT minimally matches his performance last season with a little less whining and bad fouls, then the Wolves won't need a huge leap from Edwards and/or McDaniels to compete for a top 4 seed in the West. The all-star caliber version of DLO from Brooklyn should unlock more offensive production from Gobert than we saw in Utah. Meanwhile, Gobert should be able to cover for DLO's defensive weakness to an extent we haven't seen here in Minnesota since DLO arrived. And it will be fascinating to see what Gobert's presence can do to unlock even more offensive production from KAT.

Bottom line is that there is reason to be exciting about the Wolves next season in spite of any misgivings about the Gobert deal. And like it or not, the reason for excitement turns significantly on what this team gets from KAT and the enigmatic D'Angelo Russell.

[Porckchop]

DLO reminds me a bit of Kirk Cousin. The ability is there and when it's hitting on all cylinders they have the most positive contributions towards the outcome of games compared to any other player. The problem is the inconsistency from one game to the next. They disappear far to often when their play is so vital to team success.

[Q-is-here]

DLO reminds me a bit of Kirk Cousin. The ability is there and when it's hitting on all cylinders they have the most positive contributions towards the outcome of games compared to any other player. The problem is the inconsistency from one game to the next. They disappear far to often when their play is so vital to team success.

Fair analogy, although I'd argue Cousins' success (like all NFL QBs) is far more consequential to overall team success than DLO's success is for the Wolves THIS season. I would hope with the accumulation of talent, we can withstand more of those inconsistent DLO performances. Also, he shouldn't have to take as many shots this year or even play quite as many minutes.