Minnesota Sports Forum

My personal favorite is Green for Jalen Smith…

Coolbreeze44 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2026 9:09 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2026 8:20 pm I will say, Kuminga does things Randle could only dream of...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBg2u7YOPvo

I couldn't stop watching that. That is one strong man. I also like that he can get his own shot, can't have too many of those guys.

Yeah, I can’t say I’ve spent much time watching Kuminga’s game. He is way more athletic than I was giving him credit for! Our front court lob threat has grown by leaps and bounds with Beringer and now Kuminga.

If he can by in to what the Wolves are doing on both ends of the court, he will be a damn good addition!

Now that Kuminga is gonna be here there are some things to keep in mind.

1. He played for the G-league ignite team as his only games before the draft after HS. They only played 15 games due to the pandemic and he played in 13 games. He turned 19 October of his rookie year. The fact that even though he was a high draft pick he was a contributor his rookie year is kinda impressive.

2. Despite missing some games the past couple years he is a guy that's playing in over 300 career NBA games totaling over 7000 NBA minutes some of those games include some legit rotation minutes in the playoffs. Kuminga good and bad or whatever has played a lot of NBA basketball and it's all been for teams that have made the playoffs. He hasn't been playing for teams tanking. The worst team (record wise) he played for in his career was last year's Warriors

3. What is his physical profile now? Has he grown some? He looks taller than the reported 6'6.5" without shoes or whatever and who knows when those measurements were taken. It will be interesting to see him next to some other Wolves. Does he have a lengthier wingspan? It's pretty clear he has some well above athletic ability and he isn't super skinny.

4. The Wolves have a bit of reputation for keeping guys healthy now. Can they do so with Kuminga?

5. 3 point shooting he is pretty similar to Randle good and bad both in percentages and volume. He overall hasn't been good from the corners so that means he doesn't completely suck shooting from other spots from 3. If his career numbers are an indication of what we will see he isn't a floor stretching guy but he isn't a guy that just can't take and make them at all.

6. He gets to the FT line at a pretty good rate watching some highlights he seems to have a bit of a knack for it.

Character is probably the biggest concern some of us have in evaluating this acquisition. But I'm heartened reading about how much time TC and Finchy have spent with JK the past three weeks. I don't know of course, but it seems to me that TC values character, and would be reluctant to bring in a player who had questionable character. Some might say what about Julius. But I actually think Julius has exceptional integrity...especially compared to the typical NBA player. Yes, there was the "moodiness" factor with Ju, but I think that was compounded by playing with two other moody guys: Jaden and Naz. I loved Naz, but I think his mood swings were as much of a facto as Ju's. Anyway I'm getting off point...I like hearing that TC and Finchy really got to know JK this month.

We also can't overstate the role Ant played in this recruitment...apparently he was a big part of the effort. I get frustrated by Ant at times as much as anyone on this board...especially his defense. But his big personality and star power is a big asset for the Wolves. Guys want to play with him, and I think that was a big factor in beating the Lakers here.

Monster wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 7:44 am Now that Kuminga is gonna be here there are some things to keep in mind.

1. He played for the G-league ignite team as his only games before the draft after HS. They only played 15 games due to the pandemic and he played in 13 games. He turned 19 October of his rookie year. The fact that even though he was a high draft pick he was a contributor his rookie year is kinda impressive.

2. Despite missing some games the past couple years he is a guy that's playing in over 300 career NBA games totaling over 7000 NBA minutes some of those games include some legit rotation minutes in the playoffs. Kuminga good and bad or whatever has played a lot of NBA basketball and it's all been for teams that have made the playoffs. He hasn't been playing for teams tanking. The worst team (record wise) he played for in his career was last year's Warriors

3. What is his physical profile now? Has he grown some? He looks taller than the reported 6'6.5" without shoes or whatever and who knows when those measurements were taken. It will be interesting to see him next to some other Wolves. Does he have a lengthier wingspan? It's pretty clear he has some well above athletic ability and he isn't super skinny.

4. The Wolves have a bit of reputation for keeping guys healthy now. Can they do so with Kuminga?

5. 3 point shooting he is pretty similar to Randle good and bad both in percentages and volume. He overall hasn't been good from the corners so that means he doesn't completely suck shooting from other spots from 3. If his career numbers are an indication of what we will see he isn't a floor stretching guy but he isn't a guy that just can't take and make them at all.

6. He gets to the FT line at a pretty good rate watching some highlights he seems to have a bit of a knack for it.

I also spent some time comparing his 2025-6 season to Ju's, monster. He's obviously not the playmaker Ju is and never will be, but now that we have Ball, we don't need our PF to be a playmaker. And I like that he shot the 3 better than Ju last season, and outrebounded him on a per 36 basis 8.6 to 7.3. And he is a far better defender than Ju. He may not be as strong as Ju, but unlike Randle, he has shown the ability to switch on defense and guard 1-4 well. TC has plugged an enormous hole with this acquisition IMO.

FNG wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 7:57 am Character is probably the biggest concern some of us have in evaluating this acquisition. But I'm heartened reading about how much time TC and Finchy have spent with JK the past three weeks. I don't know of course, but it seems to me that TC values character, and would be reluctant to bring in a player who had questionable character. Some might say what about Julius. But I actually think Julius has exceptional integrity...especially compared to the typical NBA player. Yes, there was the "moodiness" factor with Ju, but I think that was compounded by playing with two other moody guys: Jaden and Naz. I loved Naz, but I think his mood swings were as much of a facto as Ju's. Anyway I'm getting off point...I like hearing that TC and Finchy really got to know JK this month.

We also can't overstate the role Ant played in this recruitment...apparently he was a big part of the effort. I get frustrated by Ant at times as much as anyone on this board...especially his defense. But his big personality and star power is a big asset for the Wolves. Guys want to play with him, and I think that was a big factor in beating the Lakers here.

One of the downsides of the amount of political capital invested in getting Kuminga here is that it will be harder to change things up if he isn't following the game plan (b-ball IQ isn't his strength) than it would be for a typical taxpayer exception player.

I don't think he will be as untouchable as Randle was as far as minutes/usage, but he's going to be given a ton of rope since the sales pitch included a guaranteed starting role and the opportunity to land a much bigger contract next offseason.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 8:20 am

FNG wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 7:57 am Character is probably the biggest concern some of us have in evaluating this acquisition. But I'm heartened reading about how much time TC and Finchy have spent with JK the past three weeks. I don't know of course, but it seems to me that TC values character, and would be reluctant to bring in a player who had questionable character. Some might say what about Julius. But I actually think Julius has exceptional integrity...especially compared to the typical NBA player. Yes, there was the "moodiness" factor with Ju, but I think that was compounded by playing with two other moody guys: Jaden and Naz. I loved Naz, but I think his mood swings were as much of a facto as Ju's. Anyway I'm getting off point...I like hearing that TC and Finchy really got to know JK this month.

We also can't overstate the role Ant played in this recruitment...apparently he was a big part of the effort. I get frustrated by Ant at times as much as anyone on this board...especially his defense. But his big personality and star power is a big asset for the Wolves. Guys want to play with him, and I think that was a big factor in beating the Lakers here.

One of the downsides of the amount of political capital invested in getting Kuminga here is that it will be harder to change things up if he isn't following the game plan (b-ball IQ isn't his strength) than it would be for a typical taxpayer exception player.

I don't think he will be as untouchable as Randle was as far as minutes/usage, but he's going to be given a ton of rope since the sales pitch included a guaranteed starting role and the opportunity to land a much bigger contract next offseason.

Maybe, Q. I’m sure they promised him the starting PF spot and no doubt he’ll be our starting PF at the beginning of hte season. Given our current roster, he should absolutely be our default starting PF. But I don’t think he’ll have more rope than his play merits. We don’t know exactly what Finch and TC told Kuminga, but I’m certain they did NOT tell him he’ll remain the Wolves starting PF no matter what he does. I suspect they told him he’ll be our starting PF on day one and have a great opportunity to rebuild his brand playing his role - defending, rebounding, moving the ball and scoring opportunistically - on a championship contender. Kuminga has to know that his lack of appeal around the League relates to his attitude or perception of his attitude rather than his talent or ability to score.

If Kuminga doesn’t meet Finchy’s standards, I don’t think Finch will hesitate to put Kuminga on the bench and ultimately reduce his role. If that happens, it will be on Kuminga, not the Wolves organization. Given Kuminga’s track record, no player or agent around the League will think less of the Wolves organization. They will all know it was just Kuminga being Kuminga. So I don’t see any reputational risk to the Wolves organization from holding Kuminga accountable. On the flip side, there is huge reputational and resulting financial risk to Kuminga if he fails to change his ways and play the role assigned to him.

We’ll see if Kuminga has had the sort of epiphany that changes his approach to the game. Players often improve their skills, conditioning and/or basketball IQ (to an extent), resulting in improved play that matches or comes close to their potential. But if players fail to live up to their potential because of their character - because of who they are at their core - they rarely improve. Yet, I think there are different types of character flaws and some are more problematic than others. The worst flaw and the one that always prevents players from matching their potential is a lack of competitive drive and love for the game. It’s a fatal flaw. Think Darko, Kandiman, Wes Johnson and Derrick Williams. Players like that NEVER amount to anything and ultimately play their way out of the League even if immensely talented. I don’t think Kuminga has that flaw. His flaw seems to stem from an inflated sense of self, which has led to selfish play and an unwillingness to follow directions. I don’t consider that flaw a fatal one. It’s the sort of flaw that can sometimes respond to a heavy dose of reality. Kuminga strikes me as a guy who loves the game and he seems highly competitive. So I’m cautiously optimistic that the heavy dose of reality he’s had over the past few years will jolt him into reining in his ego and excelling at his assigned roles within a team framework. If he does that, his talent will shine through and the Wolves will be a very, very good team next season.

60WinTim wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 6:05 am My personal favorite is Green for Jalen Smith…

That would be a home run

Phenom wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 9:26 am

60WinTim wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 6:05 am My personal favorite is Green for Jalen Smith…

That would be a home run

I was thinking the exact same thing. But the Bulls can’t be that daft. Perhaps a more realistic swap would be Green for Zach Collins.

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 8:20 am

FNG wrote: ↑Thu Aug 27, 2026 7:57 am Character is probably the biggest concern some of us have in evaluating this acquisition. But I'm heartened reading about how much time TC and Finchy have spent with JK the past three weeks. I don't know of course, but it seems to me that TC values character, and would be reluctant to bring in a player who had questionable character. Some might say what about Julius. But I actually think Julius has exceptional integrity...especially compared to the typical NBA player. Yes, there was the "moodiness" factor with Ju, but I think that was compounded by playing with two other moody guys: Jaden and Naz. I loved Naz, but I think his mood swings were as much of a facto as Ju's. Anyway I'm getting off point...I like hearing that TC and Finchy really got to know JK this month.

We also can't overstate the role Ant played in this recruitment...apparently he was a big part of the effort. I get frustrated by Ant at times as much as anyone on this board...especially his defense. But his big personality and star power is a big asset for the Wolves. Guys want to play with him, and I think that was a big factor in beating the Lakers here.

One of the downsides of the amount of political capital invested in getting Kuminga here is that it will be harder to change things up if he isn't following the game plan (b-ball IQ isn't his strength) than it would be for a typical taxpayer exception player.

I don't think he will be as untouchable as Randle was as far as minutes/usage, but he's going to be given a ton of rope since the sales pitch included a guaranteed starting role and the opportunity to land a much bigger contract next offseason.

You make a valid point. Kuminga is getting a legit role here and Finch has stuck with guys that have their spot in their rotation...until they really don't deserve it. If Kuminga really fumbles the opportunity he will get replaced one way or another especially if someone on the roster plays well enough to take that spot like Bones did last year taking over Dillingham's minutes because he was simply the better player.