Are the Wolves Too Nice?

[Lipoli390]

I like nice guys. But I've always thought the Wolves have had too many nice guys and not nearly enough mental toughness or nastiness on their roster over the years. Last season seemed like a turning point in that regard. Adding Pat Beverley changed the culture with his in-your-face aggressive style and nasty edge. His attitude was infectious. And I also thought Vando and Beasley had some nastiness in their games as well. But all three are now gone.

Connelly seems like a really nice guy and it seems to me he's shaping the roster in his own image as he attempts to forge a team culture - something he values highly. But as I look at this roster now, I wonder if once again this team is gong to be too nice and lack the requisite mental toughness and nasty edge I believe championship caliber NBA teams need. We know KAT is soft or certainly not mentally tough or nasty. DLO isn't as soft as KAT but I don't consider him mentally tough or nasty. I think Edwards is mentally tough, but I don't see any nasty in his game and I don't think, as our best player, that he should be responsible for providing what I'm talking about.

So who on this team will provide the mental toughness a championship caliber NBA team needs? Who will provide that degree of nasty that's often necessary?

Thoughts?

[Coolbreeze44]

Lip, this is a valid concern in my opinion. I'm not going to miss Beverly one iota, but the loss of Vando's toughness is a problem. We still have Prince so the cupboard isn't completely bare, but can Rudy provide anything in this area?

I always thought when Vando was on the floor, no one was going to push us around. Beverly provided a kind of false toughness that quickly evaporated when he was challenged, kind of like KG. We could use a PJ Tucker or Bobby Portis type for sure. Can Matt Barnes be brought out of retirement?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I don't think you get to the level of generational defensive player and multiple time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award without having some nasty, some mental toughness ingrained in your game. Rudy Gobert isn't getting enough credit there and I think Patrick Beverley is getting far too much. I liked the chippy energy Beverley brought to the team last season, but I don't think it was always necessary and at times I felt like it contributed to more bad than good. Part of Minnesota's demise, I thought, was that they were too emotional and that partly led to big leads being shrunk somewhat consistently.

Frankly, I think Gobert's more composed energy -- and elite production -- far outweighs anything Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and/or Malik Beasley could provide. That rah-rah shit is fun and can be electric in spurts, but I don't think it's as important as one might suspect.

[Monster]

I like nice guys. But I've always thought the Wolves have had too many nice guys and not nearly enough mental toughness or nastiness on their roster over the years. Last season seemed like a turning point in that regard. Adding Pat Beverley changed the culture with his in-your-face aggressive style and nasty edge. His attitude was infectious. And I also thought Vando and Beasley had some nastiness in their games as well. But all three are now gone.

Connelly seems like a really nice guy and it seems to me he's shaping the roster in his own image as he attempts to forge a team culture - something he values highly. But as I look at this roster now, I wonder if once again this team is gong to be too nice and lack the requisite mental toughness and nasty edge I believe championship caliber NBA teams need. We know KAT is soft or certainly not mentally tough or nasty. DLO isn't as soft as KAT but I don't consider him mentally tough or nasty. I think Edwards is mentally tough, but I don't see any nasty in his game and I don't think, as our best player, that he should be responsible for providing what I'm talking about.

So who on this team will provide the mental toughness a championship caliber NBA team needs? Who will provide that degree of nasty that's often necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Gobert is a nice guy but he isn't one on the court.

Austin Rivers ain't a happy go lucky dude.

Knight plays with an edge.

McDaniels has some edge too him.

One of the ways for the Wolves to get more tough and nasty is that they have upped at every position except PG by adding Gobert and pushing players up a position.

[Coolbreeze44]

I like nice guys. But I've always thought the Wolves have had too many nice guys and not nearly enough mental toughness or nastiness on their roster over the years. Last season seemed like a turning point in that regard. Adding Pat Beverley changed the culture with his in-your-face aggressive style and nasty edge. His attitude was infectious. And I also thought Vando and Beasley had some nastiness in their games as well. But all three are now gone.

Connelly seems like a really nice guy and it seems to me he's shaping the roster in his own image as he attempts to forge a team culture - something he values highly. But as I look at this roster now, I wonder if once again this team is gong to be too nice and lack the requisite mental toughness and nasty edge I believe championship caliber NBA teams need. We know KAT is soft or certainly not mentally tough or nasty. DLO isn't as soft as KAT but I don't consider him mentally tough or nasty. I think Edwards is mentally tough, but I don't see any nasty in his game and I don't think, as our best player, that he should be responsible for providing what I'm talking about.

So who on this team will provide the mental toughness a championship caliber NBA team needs? Who will provide that degree of nasty that's often necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Gobert is a nice guy but he isn't one on the court.

Austin Rivers ain't a happy go lucky dude.

Knight plays with an edge.

McDaniels has some edge too him.

One of the ways for the Wolves to get more tough and nasty is that they have upped at every position except PG by adding Gobert and pushing players up a position.

Knight plays with an edge? I guess you think Bambi and the Pillsbury doh-boy have one too. Knight is the prototypical Wolves nice guy.

[Monster]

I like nice guys. But I've always thought the Wolves have had too many nice guys and not nearly enough mental toughness or nastiness on their roster over the years. Last season seemed like a turning point in that regard. Adding Pat Beverley changed the culture with his in-your-face aggressive style and nasty edge. His attitude was infectious. And I also thought Vando and Beasley had some nastiness in their games as well. But all three are now gone.

Connelly seems like a really nice guy and it seems to me he's shaping the roster in his own image as he attempts to forge a team culture - something he values highly. But as I look at this roster now, I wonder if once again this team is gong to be too nice and lack the requisite mental toughness and nasty edge I believe championship caliber NBA teams need. We know KAT is soft or certainly not mentally tough or nasty. DLO isn't as soft as KAT but I don't consider him mentally tough or nasty. I think Edwards is mentally tough, but I don't see any nasty in his game and I don't think, as our best player, that he should be responsible for providing what I'm talking about.

So who on this team will provide the mental toughness a championship caliber NBA team needs? Who will provide that degree of nasty that's often necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Gobert is a nice guy but he isn't one on the court.

Austin Rivers ain't a happy go lucky dude.

Knight plays with an edge.

McDaniels has some edge too him.

One of the ways for the Wolves to get more tough and nasty is that they have upped at every position except PG by adding Gobert and pushing players up a position.

Knight plays with an edge? I guess you think Bambi and the Pillsbury doh-boy have one too. Knight is the prototypical Wolves nice guy.

How does a guy like you describe draw 7-8 FTA per 36?

[Monster]

Lip you asked about nasty but in your post you also mentioned mental toughness. Kyle Anderson is going to be a big upgrade in making the right plays for this team when it matters.

[Coolbreeze44]

I like nice guys. But I've always thought the Wolves have had too many nice guys and not nearly enough mental toughness or nastiness on their roster over the years. Last season seemed like a turning point in that regard. Adding Pat Beverley changed the culture with his in-your-face aggressive style and nasty edge. His attitude was infectious. And I also thought Vando and Beasley had some nastiness in their games as well. But all three are now gone.

Connelly seems like a really nice guy and it seems to me he's shaping the roster in his own image as he attempts to forge a team culture - something he values highly. But as I look at this roster now, I wonder if once again this team is gong to be too nice and lack the requisite mental toughness and nasty edge I believe championship caliber NBA teams need. We know KAT is soft or certainly not mentally tough or nasty. DLO isn't as soft as KAT but I don't consider him mentally tough or nasty. I think Edwards is mentally tough, but I don't see any nasty in his game and I don't think, as our best player, that he should be responsible for providing what I'm talking about.

So who on this team will provide the mental toughness a championship caliber NBA team needs? Who will provide that degree of nasty that's often necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Gobert is a nice guy but he isn't one on the court.

Austin Rivers ain't a happy go lucky dude.

Knight plays with an edge.

McDaniels has some edge too him.

One of the ways for the Wolves to get more tough and nasty is that they have upped at every position except PG by adding Gobert and pushing players up a position.

Knight plays with an edge? I guess you think Bambi and the Pillsbury doh-boy have one too. Knight is the prototypical Wolves nice guy.

How does a guy like you describe draw 7-8 FTA per 36?

Causing 7-8 FTA per 36 would be more indicative of a guy who plays with an edge.

[Q-is-here]

I like nice guys. But I've always thought the Wolves have had too many nice guys and not nearly enough mental toughness or nastiness on their roster over the years. Last season seemed like a turning point in that regard. Adding Pat Beverley changed the culture with his in-your-face aggressive style and nasty edge. His attitude was infectious. And I also thought Vando and Beasley had some nastiness in their games as well. But all three are now gone.

Connelly seems like a really nice guy and it seems to me he's shaping the roster in his own image as he attempts to forge a team culture - something he values highly. But as I look at this roster now, I wonder if once again this team is gong to be too nice and lack the requisite mental toughness and nasty edge I believe championship caliber NBA teams need. We know KAT is soft or certainly not mentally tough or nasty. DLO isn't as soft as KAT but I don't consider him mentally tough or nasty. I think Edwards is mentally tough, but I don't see any nasty in his game and I don't think, as our best player, that he should be responsible for providing what I'm talking about.

So who on this team will provide the mental toughness a championship caliber NBA team needs? Who will provide that degree of nasty that's often necessary?

Thoughts?

I think Gobert is a nice guy but he isn't one on the court.

Austin Rivers ain't a happy go lucky dude.

Knight plays with an edge.

McDaniels has some edge too him.

One of the ways for the Wolves to get more tough and nasty is that they have upped at every position except PG by adding Gobert and pushing players up a position.

Knight plays with an edge? I guess you think Bambi and the Pillsbury doh-boy have one too. Knight is the prototypical Wolves nice guy.

How does a guy like you describe draw 7-8 FTA per 36?

Causing 7-8 FTA per 36 would be more indicative of a guy who plays with an edge.

He actually does that too. He led the team in foul rate and consistently put guys on the line. In fact, that might be one reason he hasn't leapfrogged into a regular NBA rotation - he fouls too damn much. He's also a ferocious dunker. I'm kinda neutral on the guy due to overall talent questions, but I certainly don't consider him soft.

[kekgeek]

Everything I have read is Gobert has a burning desire to win and that is all I really care about. Think guys like Rivers, Prince, Anderson, Ant, knight won't let this team get punked. Even guys like Jmac, Naz, knight and hopefully Minott have had to grind to get a NBA contract or get into a rotation. Guys like Rivers and Forbes are trying to keep their NBA careers alive.

I also think Kat gets a bad rap from time to time. It is super annoying how much he complains but he was grinding his ass off for rebounds and played really good defense and was one of 2 players who showed up in the 4th Q of playoff games (Jmac the other).

When the wolves had nice guy players the wolves were not good but I think more of that has to do with the nice players like Wes Johnson, Flynn, etc were not talent either.

I'm not worried about this team. Gobert is the ultimate do shit player