Minnesota Sports Forum

Angela(Virginia) [via mobile]



Should the Cavs trade Kevin Love ? If so, who would they go after to replace him?

Chad Ford (1:11 PM)



No. Not after they traded Andrew Wiggins to get him. They'd get pennies on the dollar for him. Love isn't the problem. The problem is that he's being used in a way that doesn't really play to his strengths. This is a coaching/personnel issue for Cleveland. They've made a couple of trades to hopeful fix the personnel issues. If JR Smith is going to hit shots, if Mosgov will protect the rim and if Shumpert, when he's healthy, can be an elite perimeter defender, things will get better for Love and everyone else. However, I'm with David Thorpe. I don't know in what world JR Smith, Timofey Mosgov and Iman Shumpert are the guys that turn a .500 team into a championship one. I think it's just a matter of time until David Blatt is sent packing. It's not his fault. He was a rookie coach in an impossible situation. But what's going on in Cleveland right now isn't working.



Alan (Minneapolis)



Wiggins looks promising, and Muhammad is no longer a bust. What's your opinion on the upside for them, Rubio, Dieng, Lavine (and Bennett?) plus a couple more high lottery picks? Who would help them the most from the 2015 class? And can the Wolves get anything for Young, Martin, Pekovic or Budinger besides shedding salary? Thanks.

Chad Ford (1:14 PM)



I think this team is going to be really good in a couple of years. I think everyone gets better once Rubio is back on the floor. Now that we see Kevin Love floundering a bit without an elite point guard who knows how to get him the ball in the right spots, I think there's a new found appreciation for what Rubio brought to the table. I think he'll improve everyone's game when he returns. Wiggins is now averaging 20 ppg over his last 10 and is starting to look like the superstar we all thought he could be. Muhammed looks like the guy that was ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the country coming out of high school. Deing and LaVine also have bright futures. And the Wolves will add a very high draft pick to this squad. IF that's Jahlil Okafor or Karl Towns or Kristaps Porzingis (I'm guessing they'll go big) they'll have another stud in the line-up. It's a bright, bright future in Minnesota.



Ben (ny) [via mobile]



True or false, wiggins will be a better player than love by the end of his second year

Chad Ford (1:14 PM)



False. But by his third year? I'm taking Wiggins



BigCitySid (Harlem, NY)



Based on the information available now, please rank which of the following teams have the best chance of "turning it around" by 2016-17: Knicks, Celtics, Lakers, Sixers, or Nets.

Chad Ford (1:30 PM)



Gotta answer a question from a user named "BigCitySid" -- especially if you are from Harlem. Here's my answer of the current bad teams in rebuilding mode right now. I've added a few:1. Wolves2. Jazz3. Celtics4. Sixers5. Lakers6. Knicks7. Nets




Ant Cleveland [via mobile]



Is the Jahlil Okafor stock sinking a bit?

Chad Ford (1:36 PM)



No. Not at all. He's putting up some historic numbers as a freshman. Kevin Pelton and I will break it all down tomorrow. But he's more than lived up to the hype and if the draft were being held today, I think he'd be a lock for the No. 1 pick. However it's January, and there's still a lot of time for others to step up. The biggest worry for Okafor is his defense. It's mediocre at best. But offensively? He's very, very special.


stonecutter (Texas) [via mobile]



Which bigs (if any) in the 15 draft can protect the rim AND stretch the floor at the NBA level?

Chad Ford (1:38 PM)



Karl-Anthony Towns. Kristaps Porzingis. Myles Turner. Those three for sure. I'd also put Frank Kaminsky in that group. He can clearly stretch the floor, but he's also averaging 2 blocks per game. There are some very good options for that in this draft.



Brendan (Chicago)



Who is the first non-international/non-freshman taken in the draft, and what pick?

Chad Ford (1:51 PM)



Willie Cauley-Stein. Probably in the 6 to 10 range. It's very possible he might be the only one in the lottery if all the top freshmen and international players declare.



Rudy (George Mason)



If Okafor, Towns, Embiid, and Noel were all healthy and in the same draft, how would you rank them based on their freshman seasons and potential?

Chad Ford (1:55 PM)



1. Embiid 2. Okafor 3. Towns 4. Noel

Thanks for that. Chad Ford finally likes us. Interesting now that Love has a real spotlight on him that no one is calling for him to be saved from his small market team. There is some poetic justice in this season even though we are playing some historically bad ball and have all of our veterans injured.

+1 Mr. Ford. I agree with everything..

Embiid. I still think he will fight wiggins for the best pick in last years draft once he comes back.

That was a fun read. Nice to see someone with a recognized name talk about our potential, which I think is very high and going to get higher this summer. He sees what I see with Okafor. Low post animal. I just think he's never going to be a plus defender, and I would like to have that from a big.

Towns is still my guy for us. I wish someone would have asked him about Mudiay and if he liked the fit here or not.

thedoper wrote:Thanks for that. Chad Ford finally likes us. Interesting now that Love has a real spotlight on him that no one is calling for him to be saved from his small market team. There is some poetic justice in this season even though we are playing some historically bad ball and have all of our veterans injured.

There is justice somewhere, but I'm not sure I can find it. Each season there is a huge reminder the best/favorite players on our team will get injured for long stretches, while the incompetent ones are promoted by default to play big minutes. If there is any justice at all, it's that two of the most promising and most-liked players on the team, Wiggins and Dieng, haven't fallen prey to the injury goblin and continue to get better every game. *knocks on wood*

While I love the things Ford is saying about Wiggins (and the Wolves), I'm attributing the positive sentiments to his recent uptick in play. When Wiggins wasn't performing as well at the beginning there was more negativity and doubt. The media has a short memory, is fickle and moody. If he slumps again before proving some long-term consistency, you'll hear the doomsday reports again.

I'm really liking Towns right now though, and if he's able to stretch the floor and protect the rim consistently... that'd be perfect for what we need.

Didn't really understand how Ford said we'd be adding a "stud" if we added Porzingas but said he wouldn't be picked before WCS. Did he forget about him?

How many Porzingis fans do we have here?

I'm definitely intrigued by Porzingas.

Camden wrote:How many Porzingis fans do we have here?

I am intrigued as well. I wonder if he will get to workout with Towns. I hope we are scouting him.

Camden wrote:How many Porzingis fans do we have here?

I don't know if I would call myself a fan. I am intrigued. But I would prefer to go with what we know. The good shooting/bad rebounding Euro big seems to end up being a bust more often than a boom. Even though European scouting has greatly improved I still get the feeling these guys are harder to translate into NBA talent. I want more of a banger who can do the dirty work. I take Okafor or either of the Kentucky 2 before him. But if he dropped significantly and Flip can work some mid-late 1st round draft magic I would take a flyer on him for sure.