Camden wrote:Apparently, the Wolves made a pitch to Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency. He's a fine player, but how many wings does this team need? Is there a conclusion to take away from the interest? Minnesota might not think too highly of Josh Okogie or Jarrett Culver at this moment in time.
I have no clue about Derrick Jones. But on your Okogie/Culver comment....These two guys played more games and minutes than any other Wolf last year. They were the constants between Wolves 1.0 and 2.0 last year.
You simply cannot have two of your main wing guys shoot 30% or less from three. And while both were good defensively, I don't consider either elite in that category yet.
Both are still young obviously and seem like great guys, but their playing time should be up for grabs.
Camden wrote:Apparently, the Wolves made a pitch to Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency. He's a fine player, but how many wings does this team need? Is there a conclusion to take away from the interest? Minnesota might not think too highly of Josh Okogie or Jarrett Culver at this moment in time.
I have no clue about Derrick Jones. But on your Okogie/Culver comment....These two guys played more games and minutes than any other Wolf last year. They were the constants between Wolves 1.0 and 2.0 last year.
You simply cannot have two of your main wing guys shoot 30% or less from three. And while both were good defensively, I don't consider either elite in that category yet.
Both are still young obviously and seem like great guys, but their playing time should be up for grabs.
I agree with you here, Q. Neither player has made themselves an absolute lock to see the floor every night, but I'm surprised to see this team load up, or try to, at the wings.
This front office didn't draft Josh Okogie so they may feel like they have no ties there, but with Jarrett Culver that's very different. That's a guy they wound up trading up and selecting, whether he was their main target or not. We heard that he was available in trade talks in efforts to move up in this year's draft. I just don't think they're including him in their future at all right now, which is insane considering where he is in his career development. Gersson Rosas is borderline giving up on his sixth pick overall and Culver hasn't even played a full season of games yet. That's just wild to me.
Camden wrote:Apparently, the Wolves made a pitch to Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency. He's a fine player, but how many wings does this team need? Is there a conclusion to take away from the interest? Minnesota might not think too highly of Josh Okogie or Jarrett Culver at this moment in time.
I have no clue about Derrick Jones. But on your Okogie/Culver comment....These two guys played more games and minutes than any other Wolf last year. They were the constants between Wolves 1.0 and 2.0 last year.
You simply cannot have two of your main wing guys shoot 30% or less from three. And while both were good defensively, I don't consider either elite in that category yet.
Both are still young obviously and seem like great guys, but their playing time should be up for grabs.
Were the Wolves thinking of Derrick Jones Jr as a small ball 4? I could see it I suppose. What kind of offer did they offer? He still may have some upside. He is ridiculously athletic and seemed to make some real progress in Miami.
Camden wrote:Apparently, the Wolves made a pitch to Derrick Jones Jr. in free agency. He's a fine player, but how many wings does this team need? Is there a conclusion to take away from the interest? Minnesota might not think too highly of Josh Okogie or Jarrett Culver at this moment in time.
I have no clue about Derrick Jones. But on your Okogie/Culver comment....These two guys played more games and minutes than any other Wolf last year. They were the constants between Wolves 1.0 and 2.0 last year.
You simply cannot have two of your main wing guys shoot 30% or less from three. And while both were good defensively, I don't consider either elite in that category yet.
Both are still young obviously and seem like great guys, but their playing time should be up for grabs.
Were the Wolves thinking of Derrick Jones Jr as a small ball 4? I could see it I suppose. What kind of offer did they offer? He still may have some upside. He is ridiculously athletic and seemed to make some real progress in Miami.
I really hope not considering Jones Jr. is close to 200-pounds. These super smart executives are going to learn the hard way -- ie. getting fired and embarrassed -- that you can't push all your chips in on small ball. It takes incredibly versatile players that are targeted by every front office in the league. The demand simply exceeds the supply for the players that can play this style at the 3/4. As a result, there are going to be players forced into this style of play that can't handle it and end up hurting their team and piling up losses. We saw a GREAT role player in Robert Covington lose a lot of his effectiveness by being played out of position in favor of small ball. It's not fun to see nor is it going to lead to success.
So, if Gersson Rosas did envision Jones Jr. -- or comparable -- as the small ball four next to Towns, then it's only a matter of time before the nucleus of this team is dealt for pieces in a rebuild and the front office fired and replaced.
Any thoughts on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson? I think there could be legitimate playing time for him on this roster. Actually, I could form an argument that he'd be the best four on the roster and should be starting.
If I'm being honest, I'd be in favor waiving Jaylen Nowell before his salary is guaranteed for 2020-21 to open up a roster spot for Hollis-Jefferson. The opportunity just won't be there for Nowell to develop in Minnesota considering the number of wings -- young wings -- that this franchise has invested in.
Sign Hollis-Jefferson using the remainder of the Mid-Level Exception and re-sign Jordan McLaughlin as previously expected. Both players should be inexpensive and capable of being signed under the luxury tax line. The team objectively gets better in doing so. The frontcourt would be far from ideal, but I'd feel much more confident in Minnesota's options there.
You could also attempt to bring Nowell back as the second two-way player so he could continue to develop in the G-League, but I imagine he would pursue better options.
Camden0916 wrote:Any thoughts on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson? I think there could be legitimate playing time for him on this roster. Actually, I could form an argument that he'd be the best four on the roster and should be starting.
If I'm being honest, I'd be in favor waiving Jaylen Nowell before his salary is guaranteed for 2020-21 to open up a roster spot for Hollis-Jefferson. The opportunity just won't be there for Nowell to develop in Minnesota considering the number of wings -- young wings -- that this franchise has invested in.
Sign Hollis-Jefferson using the remainder of the Mid-Level Exception and re-sign Jordan McLaughlin as previously expected. Both players should be inexpensive and capable of being signed under the luxury tax line. The team objectively gets better in doing so. The frontcourt would be far from ideal, but I'd feel much more confident in Minnesota's options there.
You could also attempt to bring Nowell back as the second two-way player so he could continue to develop in the G-League, but I imagine he would pursue better options.
You must have seen the Wolfson thread on Twitter? I'd be in favor of RHJ and I agree that he'd be a much better fit in the starting lineup than Juancho.
The only issue I'd see from this is that we'd have about 13 players on the roster that I'd feel deserve minutes. That's a lot of mouths to feed.
But RHJ would be a really nice defensive weapon to have either in the starting lineup or on the bench, plus he'd be benifeted by playing with Rubio.
I never felt to strongly about Nowell but I know some here are pretty high in him
Camden0916 wrote:Any thoughts on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson? I think there could be legitimate playing time for him on this roster. Actually, I could form an argument that he'd be the best four on the roster and should be starting.
If I'm being honest, I'd be in favor waiving Jaylen Nowell before his salary is guaranteed for 2020-21 to open up a roster spot for Hollis-Jefferson. The opportunity just won't be there for Nowell to develop in Minnesota considering the number of wings -- young wings -- that this franchise has invested in.
Sign Hollis-Jefferson using the remainder of the Mid-Level Exception and re-sign Jordan McLaughlin as previously expected. Both players should be inexpensive and capable of being signed under the luxury tax line. The team objectively gets better in doing so. The frontcourt would be far from ideal, but I'd feel much more confident in Minnesota's options there.
You could also attempt to bring Nowell back as the second two-way player so he could continue to develop in the G-League, but I imagine he would pursue better options.
You must have seen the Wolfson thread on Twitter? I'd be in favor of RHJ and I agree that he'd be a much better fit in the starting lineup than Juancho.
The only issue I'd see from this is that we'd have about 13 players on the roster that I'd feel deserve minutes. That's a lot of mouths to feed.
But RHJ would be a really nice defensive weapon to have either in the starting lineup or on the bench, plus he'd be benifeted by playing with Rubio.
I never felt to strongly about Nowell but I know some here are pretty high in him
I like RHJ and think he would help the Wolves win games. My only issue i think any lineup he shares the floor with Okogie and possibly Culver is almost impossible.
Camden0916 wrote:Any thoughts on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson? I think there could be legitimate playing time for him on this roster. Actually, I could form an argument that he'd be the best four on the roster and should be starting.
If I'm being honest, I'd be in favor waiving Jaylen Nowell before his salary is guaranteed for 2020-21 to open up a roster spot for Hollis-Jefferson. The opportunity just won't be there for Nowell to develop in Minnesota considering the number of wings -- young wings -- that this franchise has invested in.
Sign Hollis-Jefferson using the remainder of the Mid-Level Exception and re-sign Jordan McLaughlin as previously expected. Both players should be inexpensive and capable of being signed under the luxury tax line. The team objectively gets better in doing so. The frontcourt would be far from ideal, but I'd feel much more confident in Minnesota's options there.
You could also attempt to bring Nowell back as the second two-way player so he could continue to develop in the G-League, but I imagine he would pursue better options.
You must have seen the Wolfson thread on Twitter? I'd be in favor of RHJ and I agree that he'd be a much better fit in the starting lineup than Juancho.
The only issue I'd see from this is that we'd have about 13 players on the roster that I'd feel deserve minutes. That's a lot of mouths to feed.
But RHJ would be a really nice defensive weapon to have either in the starting lineup or on the bench, plus he'd be benifeted by playing with Rubio.
I never felt to strongly about Nowell but I know some here are pretty high in him
I like RHJ and think he would help the Wolves win games. My only issue i think any lineup he shares the floor with Okogie and possibly Culver is almost impossible.
Yeah to maximize his effectiveness he'd almost have to start. But then you get into the "politics" of paying Juancho 7 mil to come off the bench but RHJ gets little more than the min to start
I saw Darren Wolfson posted a video of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson getting up shots in the gym and I envisioned him fitting nicely with the four other projected starters for the Wolves. He's not an ideal forward by any means, but he would be a positive defender that can also rebound and play a fast-paced game. He doesn't require any touches to make an impact and with the number of scorers this team has that'd be a good thing. He's another non-shooter on the team, but that can be mitigated somewhat by playing next to Karl-Anthony Towns or Naz Reid as both centers can stretch the floor.
Hollis-Jefferson also has the most proven history as a starter out of the alternative options in Minnesota. He's started 153 games in his career. In those games, he's averaged 11.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.6 BPG in 26.3 MPG on 44.8 FG%, 26.9 3P%, and 76.0 FT% shooting while mixing in starts at the three and the four. At first glance, the versatility sticks out, but the numbers aren't overwhelmingly good. They look more respectable when we extrapolate them to 36 minutes -- 15.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.8 BPG -- but I understand and agree with the shaky nature of relying on per-36 numbers. I do think those numbers are in the ballpark of what he's capable of considering his 2017-18 season in Brooklyn, though.
Frankly, his numbers are better than what Juan Hernangomez has put up in the 51 games he's started in his career, and that's without acknowledging that the Hollis-Jefferson is a superior defender. Hernangomez is the better perimeter shooter, but that's basically the only skill he can truly be relied on for.
Hollis-Jefferson would certainly have to be played with other floor-spacers, but his strengths are legitimate and fit the needs of this team. Can we trust Ryan Saunders to get the most out of him and utilize him the best possible way? I'd say no, but that has nothing to do with the player, unfortunately. Regardless of that, I think he's more than worthy of an NBA deal and a rotation spot, if not the starting job.
Camden0916 wrote:Any thoughts on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson? I think there could be legitimate playing time for him on this roster. Actually, I could form an argument that he'd be the best four on the roster and should be starting.
If I'm being honest, I'd be in favor waiving Jaylen Nowell before his salary is guaranteed for 2020-21 to open up a roster spot for Hollis-Jefferson. The opportunity just won't be there for Nowell to develop in Minnesota considering the number of wings -- young wings -- that this franchise has invested in.
Sign Hollis-Jefferson using the remainder of the Mid-Level Exception and re-sign Jordan McLaughlin as previously expected. Both players should be inexpensive and capable of being signed under the luxury tax line. The team objectively gets better in doing so. The frontcourt would be far from ideal, but I'd feel much more confident in Minnesota's options there.
You could also attempt to bring Nowell back as the second two-way player so he could continue to develop in the G-League, but I imagine he would pursue better options.
You must have seen the Wolfson thread on Twitter? I'd be in favor of RHJ and I agree that he'd be a much better fit in the starting lineup than Juancho.
The only issue I'd see from this is that we'd have about 13 players on the roster that I'd feel deserve minutes. That's a lot of mouths to feed.
But RHJ would be a really nice defensive weapon to have either in the starting lineup or on the bench, plus he'd be benifeted by playing with Rubio.
I never felt to strongly about Nowell but I know some here are pretty high in him
I like RHJ and think he would help the Wolves win games. My only issue i think any lineup he shares the floor with Okogie and possibly Culver is almost impossible.
Yeah to maximize his effectiveness he'd almost have to start. But then you get into the "politics" of paying Juancho 7 mil to come off the bench but RHJ gets little more than the min to start
I've been in favor of signing RHJ for a couple years now. First I want to know what is he gonna cost? He seems like a guy some good teams would want around. He was on a good team in Toronto a pretty decent team the Nets the previous year. I'm not suggesting he is gonna be expensive but I would want him pretty cheap.
Next you gotta decide who is gonna get left behind. I simply can't support the idea of dumping Nowell at this point. He has to have some sort of value asked on what he did in college and his G-league numbers. 3 years from now we may learn he was the best SG on the roster. Don't laugh this kind of thing has happened before. Players that are low draft picks undrafted nobody really prioritized in the league become very valuable. Seth Curry is just one example.
As a side note and speaking of undrafted guys...I think it's pretty obvious the Wolves are going to bring back McLaughlin It just depends on what the price And length of contract. Sure they signed Hagan but this team is clearly hoping to not suck so I don't think their plan for their 3rd PG is an undrafted rookie FA on a 2-way deal.
I think it would be nice to see the Wolves trade Nowell for a future 2nd round pick and sign RHJ for the minimum or some small amount over that and same sort of thing with McLaughlin but for at least a 3 year deal. Then get a forward or a combo big like Lawson Cam suggested on a 2-way deal and let's go.
Wolves have signed Ade Murkey a local kid to a exhibit 10 deal so he will be in training camp and then will be in Iowa assuming there is a season. I wonder who else eyeing Canyon Barry will be a holdover in Iowa. I LOVE Canyon Barry BTW. Not exactly a talent but the guy knows how to play. He is like the Robbie Hummel of the G-league. :)
