Minnesota Sports Forum

Avery Johnson has come right out and said Rubio goes to the bench. Others are saying no way, or one of them gets moved. What say you?

I firmly believe Rubio will be moved no later than the trade deadline thus I picked Dunn. If I'm wrong, as if, then Rubio will start more games... unless he gets hurt. I just don't see any way that Dunn is the better player this season, if ever, but if he is we'll all have plenty to be happy about!

What SP said

I think Rubio gets moved.

Bold prediction I guess. Rubio and Dunn will be on the roster the whole season and we make the playoffs. Therefore my vote is Rubio starts more games.

Looks like the board consensus so far is that Avery Johnson is crazy...he was so matter-of-fact today in stating Rubio would be coming off the bench, but we have only 1 out of 11 voted with Avery.

The only downer for me with the Dunn pick is implications for Tyus Jones. He's a better shooter than both Ricky and Kris, and a better distributor than Kris. He has some obvious physical limitations, but this year's MVP isn't exactly a physical marvel! He's such a winner and accomplished offensive player, I was curious to see what the defensive miracle worker thibs could get out of him. But if Dunn keeps his turnovers down and both he and Ricky stay healthy, there won't be many minutes for Tyus.

monsterpile wrote:Bold prediction I guess. Rubio and Dunn will be on the roster the whole season and we make the playoffs. Therefore my vote is Rubio starts more games.

Not that bold, Monster. We played close to .500 ball after the allstar break last season. And that was before further off-season development by Towns, Wiggins, LaVine and Gorgui. That was before adding Dunn. That was before adding what will probably be a couple very solid free agents. And that was before replacing Sam Mitchell, who no team is interested in as a head coach, with Thibs, widely considered one of the best head coaches in the NBA.

Thibs will keep Rubio because Thibs values defense and unselfish players and he also understands the importance of having a smart PG who can run the team as a coach on the floor. He'll keep Rubio because he wants to make the playoffs this season and keeping Ricky offers the best chance to do that unless Ricky can be traded for another very good veteran PG.

Depending on Dunn's development, I can see the Wolves moving Ricky draft night next summer. But he'll be here this season and he'll start more games at PG than Dunn.

lipoli390 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:Bold prediction I guess. Rubio and Dunn will be on the roster the whole season and we make the playoffs. Therefore my vote is Rubio starts more games.

Not that bold, Monster. We played close to .500 ball after the allstar break last season. And that was before further off-season development by Towns, Wiggins, LaVine and Gorgui. That was before adding Dunn. That was before adding what will probably be a couple very solid free agents. And that was before replacing Sam Mitchell, who no team is interested in as a head coach, with Thibs, widely considered one of the best head coaches in the NBA.

Thibs will keep Rubio because Thibs values defense and unselfish players and he also. understands the importance of having a smart PG who can run the team as a coach on the floor. He'll keep Rubio because he wants to make the playoffs this season and keeping Ricky offers the best chance to do that unless Ricky can be traded for another very good veteran PG.

Depending on Dunn's development, I can see the Wolves moving Ricky draft night next summer. But he'll be here this season and he'll start more games at PG than Dunn.

Personally I don't think it's very bold either (I was being sort of sarcastic) so totally agree with everything you said. If you get a chance listen to that Vertical podcast Ricky did with Woj I linked to in the Ricky Rumor thread its really good stuff.

longstrangetrip wrote:Looks like the board consensus so far is that Avery Johnson is crazy...he was so matter-of-fact today in stating Rubio would be coming off the bench, but we have only 1 out of 11 voted with Avery.

The only downer for me with the Dunn pick is implications for Tyus Jones. He's a better shooter than both Ricky and Kris, and a better distributor than Kris. He has some obvious physical limitations, but this year's MVP isn't exactly a physical marvel! He's such a winner and accomplished offensive player, I was curious to see what the defensive miracle worker thibs could get out of him. But if Dunn keeps his turnovers down and both he and Ricky stay healthy, there won't be many minutes for Tyus.

I still think Tyus can have a spot on this team going forward in some way. I know there are likely not going to be minutes for him this year but that's ok. He is still so young and he can be a developmental guy. He was a rookie last year so the clock still has 3 years on his rookie deal which is plenty.

I've said before he compliments Dunn and Rubio because he is a different type of scorer and projects as a good 3 point shooter. He also seems like a guy Thibs would like. Smart takes care of the ball good passer and defensively Thibs talks about playing defense as a team. Tyus got solid marks as a team defender at Duke and you could see him having good instincts in that area last year.

Like Thibs has said they are looking to add as many good players as they can. After watching Cory Joseph this year be a really nice player it makes me think Tyus has a legit shot to become something pretty useful down the road. Look at all the PG/combo guards the Spurs have had on their rosters over the years. The Wolves now have 3 young options. Of course if you worry about such things having all those options sounds really good considering the Wolves history at that position. :p

I think Rubio starts more games this season. Thibs tends to go with vets who best help a team win until the younger guys have proven themselves. Dunn's more developed than some random freshman, and obviously Thibs likes him because he drafted him, but Dunn's not proven by any means. The logical expectation is that Rubio will start more games (barring injury).

Yeah, adding Dunn definitely raises some real questions about Tyus. At this point, I'd prefer to keep him and play him in the D League for stretches to keep his development coming. Usually, you want a third PG to be an old vet who doesn't mind sitting on the bench and doesn't need PT for development. But if Dunn develops quickly, Tyus could be the backup in case we do move Rubio in the next year.

If adding Tyus to a trade becomes necessary to make a deal to land another player who fits a need, I wouldn't be opposed to it. I like Tyus, but if things play out over the next year and if Rubio or Dunn accept being a backup to the other for the sake of winning, we might as well move the kid and go with the traditional vet as a third PG route. Tyus's probably still got a little value. It's possible, but I think doubtful, Dunn flames out. But if not, and [crosses fingers] if he becomes better than Rubio and Rubio accepts being a super-sub off the bench in a year or so, then yeah, Tyus is gone. I'd rather have Dunn and Rubio than Dunn and Tyus or Rubio and Tyus.