Is this supposed to make me happy... or sad?

[AbeVigodaLive]

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/1/27/23573183/anthony-edwards-minnesota-timberwolves

Summary: "Edwards has the potential to be super good... but he's a chucker... and it makes the Gobert trade seem even odder/worse if the team is truly building around the young guard."

[FNG]

I think far more happy than sad. The writer talks about Ant's enormous upside, but then laments his lack of chemistry with Rudy. But I've noticed that it seems like DLohas started to figure out in the past few games that Rudy is an elite screener, and that skill can make Russell a more effective offensive player...I thought he really played well off of Rudy last game. I think Ant will figure it out too, as well as correct some flaws in his game that are preventing him from becoming truly elite (taking the 26 foot jump shot just inside the line, turning the ball over by making the right pass, etc). His recent stats have been extraordinary.

Ant is known is an elite athlete with a fun personality, but he's also an excellent student of the game. This you tube video is the reason Ant became my obvious choice for the first pick (far ahead of the two other top three guys). I love his enthusiasm as he watches the video. I also love his recognition of what he did right and what he did wrong, and his acceptance of poor decisions he made...this is a guy who wants to learn and get better! This is a terrific video for those who want to understand Ant more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPa8o9mkhMo

[Jester1534]

I think far more happy than sad. The writer talks about Ant's enormous upside, but then laments his lack of chemistry with Rudy. But I've noticed that it seems like DLohas started to figure out in the past few games that Rudy is an elite screener, and that skill can make Russell a more effective offensive player...I thought he really played well off of Rudy last game. I think Ant will figure it out too, as well as correct some flaws in his game that are preventing him from becoming truly elite (taking the 26 foot jump shot just inside the line, turning the ball over by making the right pass, etc). His recent stats have been extraordinary.

Ant is known is an elite athlete with a fun personality, but he's also an excellent student of the game. This you tube video is the reason Ant became my obvious choice for the first pick (far ahead of the two other top three guys). I love his enthusiasm as he watches the video. I also love his recognition of what he did right and what he did wrong, and his acceptance of poor decisions he made...this is a guy who wants to learn and get better! This is a terrific video for those who want to understand Ant more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPa8o9mkhMo

I read this one as Ant needs to be smarter basketball player and it's ridculious that Rudy has gotten 8 shots on pick and rolls with him.

I'm pretty sure Spacing will be better the the 7 ft guy can stand in the corner or above the break from 3 pt line and someone has to guard him cause he's one of the best shooting big men of all time.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I think far more happy than sad. The writer talks about Ant's enormous upside, but then laments his lack of chemistry with Rudy. But I've noticed that it seems like DLohas started to figure out in the past few games that Rudy is an elite screener, and that skill can make Russell a more effective offensive player...I thought he really played well off of Rudy last game. I think Ant will figure it out too, as well as correct some flaws in his game that are preventing him from becoming truly elite (taking the 26 foot jump shot just inside the line, turning the ball over by making the right pass, etc). His recent stats have been extraordinary.

Ant is known is an elite athlete with a fun personality, but he's also an excellent student of the game. This you tube video is the reason Ant became my obvious choice for the first pick (far ahead of the two other top three guys). I love his enthusiasm as he watches the video. I also love his recognition of what he did right and what he did wrong, and his acceptance of poor decisions he made...this is a guy who wants to learn and get better! This is a terrific video for those who want to understand Ant more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPa8o9mkhMo

I read this one as Ant needs to be smarter basketball player and it's ridculious that Rudy has gotten 8 shots on pick and rolls with him.

I'm pretty sure Spacing will be better the the 7 ft guy can stand in the corner or above the break from 3 pt line and someone has to guard him cause he's one of the best shooting big men of all time.

Probably.

But does this sort reveal that (1) Connelly didn't really know Edwards the player... considering his two big acquisitions Gobert and Anderson screw up floor spacing, or (2) wants Edwards to be more than a guy who needs a ton of space to create for himself and others?

Doesn't really matter now. Very little about the kneejerk Gobert overpay makes much sense to me.

[Jester1534]

I think far more happy than sad. The writer talks about Ant's enormous upside, but then laments his lack of chemistry with Rudy. But I've noticed that it seems like DLohas started to figure out in the past few games that Rudy is an elite screener, and that skill can make Russell a more effective offensive player...I thought he really played well off of Rudy last game. I think Ant will figure it out too, as well as correct some flaws in his game that are preventing him from becoming truly elite (taking the 26 foot jump shot just inside the line, turning the ball over by making the right pass, etc). His recent stats have been extraordinary.

Ant is known is an elite athlete with a fun personality, but he's also an excellent student of the game. This you tube video is the reason Ant became my obvious choice for the first pick (far ahead of the two other top three guys). I love his enthusiasm as he watches the video. I also love his recognition of what he did right and what he did wrong, and his acceptance of poor decisions he made...this is a guy who wants to learn and get better! This is a terrific video for those who want to understand Ant more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPa8o9mkhMo

I read this one as Ant needs to be smarter basketball player and it's ridculious that Rudy has gotten 8 shots on pick and rolls with him.

I'm pretty sure Spacing will be better the the 7 ft guy can stand in the corner or above the break from 3 pt line and someone has to guard him cause he's one of the best shooting big men of all time.

Probably.

But does this sort reveal that (1) Connelly didn't really know Edwards the player... considering his two big acquisitions Gobert and Anderson screw up floor spacing, or (2) wants Edwards to be more than a guy who needs a ton of space to create for himself and others?

Doesn't really matter now. Very little about the kneejerk Gobert overpay makes much sense to me.

Yeah I agree with your premise. My whole thing about this year is we keep judging on if it's a success or not and we've seen 10-15 games when there fully healthy and also those games were there begging of the year when there was going to be growing pains.

This board literally has a thread to trade Gobert and we still don't even know if he can play with Towns or not.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yep.

It's a "lost season." Doesn't really matter if the Wolves make the play-in, playoffs or lottery. The Gobert trade was specifically made to improve a 46 - 36 team. Significantly.

We're year one into it and it hasn't happened. They are not better than last season. Now granted, there's still a chance the Wolves win a playoff round... since literally everything from that to finishing 13th in the West is on the table. But the odds of them claiming year 1 as a success is pretty damn low right now.

So we kick the can down the road some more. As Wolves fans, we're used to this approach. We've done it with prized draft pick after draft pick for years playing the "Promise of Hope" game until we realize we've lost hope and maybe even a bit of our soul in the process.

But we're nothing if not dutiful loyal fans. So, we'll still watch the games and comment on them here and hope that things will turn around. And maybe, just maybe they will.

Unfortunately, we won't know for about another year or so.

We won't know until 2024 whether Towns and Gobert have a legit future together.
We won't know until 2024 whether Gobert and Edwards have a legit future together.

So, let's keep those plates spinning folks and enjoy the moments and glimpses and small achievements and victories along the way as we basically just wait... and hope... and wait... and hope.

Once again.

[FNG]

Abe, I won't argue that your scenario isn't the most realistic...after all, these are the Wolves we're talking about. But...

-KAT could return in late February or March as the 40% 3-point shooter he has always been (rather than the 32.5% shooter he has been this season). The attention he draws beyond the arc opens up the lanes for Ant and DLo, and they both flourish with less defensive attention and utilizing Rudy's screening like Russell did against NO.

-the defensive lightbulb goes on for DLO like it did against NO, and he understands he has more value staying close to his man beyond the arc than "helping" Rudy in the paint.

-Prince and JMac also return, and suddenly our bench, which has been a problem recently, becomes an asset again.

-Injuries continue to plague NO and LAC, and the Kings revert to who we think they are.

-The Wolves finish in the top 4, and win at least a couple series with home court advantage.

As a long-suffering Wolves fan, do I believe more in this scenario or Abe's? I think we know the answer. But the events I list above are far from preposterous for a team that was the only team with 3 top 25 players in ESPN's pre-season rankings.

I'm keeping my hopes alive...

[thedoper]

I don't see how you can't be happy about Ant's progress this year. We could be "more happy", but he has shown huge strides with more usage and has created a new foundation to build on.

[Monster]

Jon K had a recent article with former Jazz players saying that it takes time to develop chemistry with Gobert and they think it will come for the Wolves. I'm not saying everything is fine or whatever but it was an interesting read.

[Lipoli390]

I don't see how you can't be happy about Ant's progress this year. We could be "more happy", but he has shown huge strides with more usage and has created a new foundation to build on.

I agree, Doper! He's averaging 24.5 points, 6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals on 46% FG shooting and nearly 37% three-point shooting. He's averaging 5.6 free throws per game even though he's not getting the calls he should be getting. He's played in all 50 games so far, averaging 36.5 minutes per game - iron man reliability. His 3rd season numbers so far are better than Kobe's 4th season numbers. Of course he makes mistakes and has more untapped upside. That's to be expected for ANY 3rd-year player who just turned 21 at the beginning of the season.

There are lots of things to be unhappy or at least concerned about with this Wolves team, including KAT's recent lack of resiliency, Taurean's career-long lack of resiliency, Gobert's fit, DLO's consistency and salary expectations. Thankfully, the one thing we don't have to worry about is Edwards - other than the worry that this franchise will wear him out physically or just drive him away with incompetent management.