Minnesota Sports Forum

60WinTim wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 11:10 am I am starting to cool on the "trade for a starting PG" idea. While still a work in progress, the ANT-at-PG transition is looking good. And Donte as ANT's wingman is pretty darn good because he is above average at almost everything. So unless you are giving up on ANT-at-PG, why trade for a starting PG and bump Donte out of the lineup?

Fast forward to the playoffs where an 8-man rotation is the norm: you have your starting 5 and NAZ, Mike and Clark off the bench. Who are you planning on bumping out of the 8-man rotation?

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 7:30 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 11:10 am I am starting to cool on the "trade for a starting PG" idea. While still a work in progress, the ANT-at-PG transition is looking good. And Donte as ANT's wingman is pretty darn good because he is above average at almost everything. So unless you are giving up on ANT-at-PG, why trade for a starting PG and bump Donte out of the lineup?

Fast forward to the playoffs where an 8-man rotation is the norm: you have your starting 5 and NAZ, Mike and Clark off the bench. Who are you planning on bumping out of the 8-man rotation?

Yeah, most of Ant's contemporaries that play "lead" guard - SGA, Doncic, Cunningham, Brunson, Maxey - are all essentially the starting point guards for their teams. It's pretty rare these days to have a high scoring/lead guard paired with a pure point guard that can also score and create offense. Donovan Mitchell is the one exception, as he has Garland in Cleveland and Conley in Utah.

You also have to look at the starting five performance so far. Of the 11 five-man units that have played 10 or more games and 100 or more minutes together, the Wolves starting 5 has the 2nd best net rating at +16.7 with only OKC's starting 5 ahead of them at +18.3. The Houston starting 5 is at +14.9, Detroit's at +12.1, and Denver's at +11.9.

This is not to absolve Ant of his mental lapses and tunnel vision. He can do better. But the fact our starting 5 is playing so well without "Daddy" Mike Conley having to be the brains of the outfit is encouraging.

DNatagal wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 8:58 pm

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 7:30 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 11:10 am I am starting to cool on the "trade for a starting PG" idea. While still a work in progress, the ANT-at-PG transition is looking good. And Donte as ANT's wingman is pretty darn good because he is above average at almost everything. So unless you are giving up on ANT-at-PG, why trade for a starting PG and bump Donte out of the lineup?

Fast forward to the playoffs where an 8-man rotation is the norm: you have your starting 5 and NAZ, Mike and Clark off the bench. Who are you planning on bumping out of the 8-man rotation?

Yeah, most of Ant's contemporaries that play "lead" guard - SGA, Doncic, Cunningham, Brunson, Maxey - are all essentially the starting point guards for their teams. It's pretty rare these days to have a high scoring/lead guard paired with a pure point guard that can also score and create offense. Donovan Mitchell is the one exception, as he has Garland in Cleveland and Conley in Utah.

You also have to look at the starting five performance so far. Of the 11 five-man units that have played 10 or more games and 100 or more minutes together, the Wolves starting 5 has the 2nd best net rating at +16.7 with only OKC's starting 5 ahead of them at +18.3. The Houston starting 5 is at +14.9, Detroit's at +12.1, and Denver's at +11.9.

This is not to absolve Ant of his mental lapses and tunnel vision. He can do better. But the fact our starting 5 is playing so well without "Daddy" Mike Conley having to be the brains of the outfit is encouraging.

If the Wolves move the ball on offense like they did in the 4th last night with Ant in the bench, do you think Ant can ever learn to actually be a point guard? Did he learn anything?? His hero ball makes the offense stop cold. I have been pushing for an actual set offense from Finch, and maybe they need it when Ant is on the court?

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Dec 03, 2025 5:08 pm Fire up your Giannis offers. The trickiest part about an in season move is roster imbalance. Would Rob and Joan and TJ be enough to offset a lack of firsts? Maybe if Giannis says he wants to go to Minnesota.

Rudy, Julius, Rob, Joan, and TJ

For Giannis, Portis, Trent and Cole Anthony


Or

Take out Portis and Rudy and put in Naz and Porter Jr.

KiwiMatt wrote: ↑Wed Dec 03, 2025 5:17 pm

Phenom wrote: ↑Wed Dec 03, 2025 5:08 pm Fire up your Giannis offers. The trickiest part about an in season move is roster imbalance. Would Rob and Joan and TJ be enough to offset a lack of firsts? Maybe if Giannis says he wants to go to Minnesota.

Rudy, Julius, Rob, Joan, and TJ

For Giannis, Portis, Trent and Cole Anthony


Or

Take out Portis and Rudy and put in Naz and Porter Jr.

Any trade for Giannis would need to involve McDaniels whether we like it or not.

Randle, McDaniels, Dillingham and two 2nd RP

For

Giannis, Thanasis and Cole Anthony

Depth chart

Edwards / Anthony / MC
DDV / Clarke / Hyland
Giannis / TSJ / Ingles
Reid / Miller / Thanasis
Gobert / Behringer