Minnesota Sports Forum

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 5:34 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 4:04 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 4:00 pm

For the conspiracy theorists out there keep an eye on where Nico lands. Does Silver orchestrate an executive role for him in the League office? Then you KNOW it was all a fix!

Or he winds up with his buddy Pelinka in LA... (well that's not a league office conspiracy, but a Laker conspiracy!)

Yes!

I'm generally not a conspiracy theorist, but Dallas then subsequently getting the #1 pick in the lottery as compensation by Silver for making the Lakers relevant again added gasoline to the fire!

Of course where the conspiracy falls apart a bit is the fact our beloved Wolves in flyover country dismantled LeBron, Luka, and their media enablers in the first round of the playoffs! How awesome was that!?

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 3:58 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 11, 2025 10:35 am Check out the following report this morning. It was only a matter of time. Ownership never should have allowed that trade in the first place.

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is expected to be fired Tuesday morning during a 10 a.m. CT meeting scheduled with team governor Patrick Dumont, sources told ESPN.

Harrison has been under fire from Mavericks fans since he stunningly traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, months removed from the then-25-year-old five-time first-team All-NBA selection leading the franchise to an NBA Finals appearance.

In other news:

- Cade Cunningham is quickly establishing himself as a top League MVP contender this season - perhaps the #1 contender for his now 9-2 Pistons. Last night he had 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks and only 2 turnovers. In my view there is a tier of top NBA players slightly above Ant. Cade Cunningham is clearly in that tier along with Jokic, SGA and Luka.

- Speaking of the Pistons, they might be the second best team in the League after OKC. They’ve built brilliantly and patiently through the draft and now their front office skill and patience are paying off.

- The Suns are surprisingly good so far this season. They’re 6-5 and Jalen Green has played only 2 games. They’re doing much better than they did a year ago with Kevin Durant when they finished 10 games below .500.

- A hearty thanks to the Magic and Hawks for defeating the Blazers and Clippers respectively. Disappointed that the Hornets couldn’t pull off an upset against the Lakers at home.

- The Wolves are obviously looking better as they beat the lesser teams they should beat - unlike last season. As a result, we’re sitting in 6th place at 7-4 3 games behind the likely uncatchable Thunder but only a game behind the 3rd place Nuggets and 4th place Lakers. We just need to keep beating the lesser teams and knock off the better teams on our home court. Our team defense seems to be improving and that’s critical.

Not sure about the Pistons being the 2nd best team given the conference they play in and lack of a legit 2nd option that can carry a big load if Cade gets hurt. That being said, the Pistons' rise has been impressive and it's exactly how the lottery system is supposed to work assuming you have a GM that can hit on some picks. Jalen Duren has just gotten better and better every year with them as well.

The guy that didn't work out for them is Killian Hayes. I fear Dillingham may be our version of him!

KiwiMatt wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 2:17 pm The Clippers on paper looked like a juggernault, but the age profile of their roster has already caught up with them. 3 wins, 7 losses in their first 10 games (with a healthy Kawhai) and now Beal out for the season with a hip fracture (not that he was playing any good).

Likely a team that is about to hit the 'reset' button.

FNG wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 3:40 pm

KiwiMatt wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 2:17 pm The Clippers on paper looked like a juggernault, but the age profile of their roster has already caught up with them. 3 wins, 7 losses in their first 10 games (with a healthy Kawhai) and now Beal out for the season with a hip fracture (not that he was playing any good).

Likely a team that is about to hit the 'reset' button.

I thought they were going to be good too. Injuries have hurt them, but their biggest problem is overcoming that anti-LA bias .

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 9:25 pm Watching some of LAL and OKC....OKC basically has at least three Jaylen Clark-level or better wing defenders: Caruso, Dort (who isn't even playing in this game), and Cason Wallace. And then they have a whole bunch of others that are basically in the next category down of defenders, meaning really good but not elite. They are once again by far the best defense in the NBA and I really don't think they can be beaten in a half-court style game.

AussieWolf3 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 13, 2025 10:16 am

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Wed Nov 12, 2025 9:25 pm Watching some of LAL and OKC....OKC basically has at least three Jaylen Clark-level or better wing defenders: Caruso, Dort (who isn't even playing in this game), and Cason Wallace. And then they have a whole bunch of others that are basically in the next category down of defenders, meaning really good but not elite. They are once again by far the best defense in the NBA and I really don't think they can be beaten in a half-court style game.

Sobering analyses my friend.
I'm certainly concerned that one of the things that is driving the teams offensive success (besides their 3pt shooting) is that Ant, Julius and even McDaniels to some degree are showing significant improvement at playing from the middle of the floor and scoring or play making from that spot.
This is a critical development for Ant, and Julius is playing much faster out of this position- very little crab dribbling or back to basket plays- but it's concerning that this is exactly what OKC baits you into doing and then turns you over.

I'm no Xs and Os expert (not by a long shot), but I think the solution is three fold: transition offense, corner 3s and effective backside attacks off the middle of the floor actions. Ant being able to sustain his high level pull up 3s will also help I think.