Minnesota Sports Forum

We're still waiting for Thibs to fill his final three roster spots. Looking at the remaining NBA free agents, I've put together a list of those I'd definitely consider bringing here if I were in Thibs' shoes. So here's my list. The quesiton is the following: Which three from this list would you most want the Wolves to fill the Wolves final three open roster spots? (Vote for your top 3 choices)

Nice topic. Shabazz is at the top of my list. I'd like another pg so I took brooks and Tony Allen would be a sweet final spot. That being said I am skeptical we can get any of them.

My top 3 guys in terms of talent would be.

Allen
Bazz
Deron

Personally I think it would be difficult to get both Allen and Bazz because one of those guys wouldn't be playing much. Deron is big enough to play at SG but what kind of role is he looking for? What if Tyus outplays him (wouldn't surprise me) for the backup PG spot? I'd like to vote for Dante because I think he would be a steal for the min. I'm not sure where he would play here so would think there would be some others team that would give him more of a role but maybe not.

So if I was voting realistically I would probably pick Bazz, another wing that can shoot and make 3's and a backup PG.

Slim pickins', that's for sure. And I don't think Tony Allen is even a realistic option.

From that list, I picked Tony Allen, Anthony Morrow, and Dante Cunningham. I could argue those are the three best NBA players on that list.

However, I don't think we'll add Allen or Cunningham. I think Morrow could be a possibility as well as bringing Rush back. Rumors are that Minnesota, and Jamal Crawford on Twitter, are trying to convince Muhammad to come back on the minimum -- that's all the Wolves can really offer him.

I also don't think we need Deron Williams. I think Tyus Jones is a more effective option right this second and he's a younger, better fit for this team with his ability to orchestrate an offense at a high level -- check out his A/TO ratio for crying out loud.

At the end of the day, though, these last couple roster spots won't really impact the Wolves upcoming season, aside from maybe a Tony Allen addition. I think the biggest questions are can Crawford find the fountain of youth and can the starting unit stay collectively healthy and mesh together seamlessly.

Counting down the days 'til the season opener! I'm stoked for this campaign.

Camden wrote:From that list, I picked Tony Allen, Anthony Morrow, and Dante Cunningham. I could argue those are the three best NBA players on that list.

However, I don't think we'll add Allen or Cunningham. I think Morrow could be a possibility as well as bringing Rush back. Rumors are that Minnesota, and Jamal Crawford on Twitter, are trying to convince Muhammad to come back on the minimum -- that's all the Wolves can really offer him.

I also don't think we need Deron Williams. I think Tyus Jones is a more effective option right this second and he's a younger, better fit for this team with his ability to orchestrate an offense at a high level -- check out his A/TO ratio for crying out loud.

At the end of the day, though, these last couple roster spots won't really impact the Wolves upcoming season, aside from maybe a Tony Allen addition. I think the biggest questions are can Crawford find the fountain of youth and can the starting unit stay collectively healthy and mesh together seamlessly.

Counting down the days 'til the season opener! I'm stoked for this campaign.

Good to hear from you Cam!

I agree that the biggest questions are Crawford finding the fountain of youth and the starting unit (I'd include Belly) staying healthy and meshing together. But history tells us that Butler's probably going to miss 10-15 games and I don't want to count on a fountain of youth for the 37-year old Crawford. That's why I'd like to see us re-sign Bazz. I also agree with you on Deron Williams and Tyus, but I'd like to sign both Morrow and Brooks to improve our 3-point shooting off the bench. If I could only sign one of those three, I'd sign Bazz because I see him as a guy who can step in as a temporary starter for a string of 10-15 games at one of the wing positions as well as providing instant offense off the bench as part of a second unit.

Realistically, I'm not sure we can get any of those guys. I like Cunningham and I think he'd likely come here.

I chose Muhammad, Brooks and Rush as believe all three are obtainable provided Bazz is willing to resign for the minimum.

Teague / Jones / Brooks
Wiggins / Crawford / Georges-Hunt
Butler / Muhammad / Rush / Brown
Dieng / Bjelica / Patton
Towns / Gibson / Aldrich

In regards to Crawford staying healthy, he's only missed three games in the last two season. Pretty impressive for a 37 year old.

KiwiMatt wrote:In regards to Crawford staying healthy, he's only missed three games in the last two season. Pretty impressive for a 37 year old.

It helps that he is a pretty lengthy combo guard with his ball handling skills. Off the bench he will be longer than a lot of the guys he will be playing.

One thing I found interesting looking at his 3 point shots from last year was he took the fewest corner 3's (in terms of percent of his 3 point takes) than he has for a few years. So he took more 3's from the longer distance and so that means his 36% from 3 last year is actually better than it looks at first glance. His percentage of assisted 3's was also the lowest of his career.

monsterpile wrote:

KiwiMatt wrote:In regards to Crawford staying healthy, he's only missed three games in the last two season. Pretty impressive for a 37 year old.

It helps that he is a pretty lengthy combo guard with his ball handling skills. Off the bench he will be longer than a lot of the guys he will be playing.

One thing I found interesting looking at his 3 point shots from last year was he took the fewest corner 3's (in terms of percent of his 3 point takes) than he has for a few years. So he took more 3's from the longer distance and so that means his 36% from 3 last year is actually better than it looks at first glance. His percentage of assisted 3's was also the lowest of his career.

Yeah, Crawford is not ideal, especially his terrible defense, but he brings some important things to the table:

[list]
[*] He has DEEP range on his 3s and can pull up and hit them off the dribble so he doesn't need to be set up, which helps him stretch the floor
[*] He can handle the ball pretty well and can play point for stretches in a pinch
[*] He's a mature guy with a lot of playoff experience, and the stability and poise that comes with that is something we've sorely lacked
[/list]