Wolves Power Forward Position - What To Do?

[Lipoli390]

Taj Gibson's contract expires at the end of this upcoming Gorgui took a step back last season after getting a lucrative 4-year deal and he'll still have 2 years left on that deal after this season ends. Tolliver is a 33-year old role player on a 1-year deal. If Patton pans out, he would play the center position and KAT could easily slide over to PF. But Patton can't even get on the court and when he did he didn't even shine at the G-League level. So the bottom line is this. The Wolves should be fine this season at the PF position with Taj, Gorgui and Tolliver. But after this season, a capped out Wolves team will face a lot of uncertainty at the PF position. And a 34-year old Taj Gibson or Anthony Tolliver probably won't be a good answer to that uncertainty.

So what should the Wolves do? Unfortunately, the answer I had in mind is a ship that's already sailed. My answer was a sign-and-trade to acquire Julius Randle. Rigth now, I can't seen any potential trades to address the longer term issue at the PF position and we won't have any cap money to address it next summer either.

My answer for now is to move Gorgui back into the starting lineup. There is no question that Gorgui played better as a starter. He simply did not respond well to his role off the bench. Restoring his starting role will allow the team to get the most out of Gorgui next season. At the same time, bringing Taj off the bench should strengthen our second unit, which was the team's biggest weakness last season. So we get a double-benefit this upcoming season from starting Gorgui. We get a better Gorgui and we get a better second unit. But even more importantly, starting Gorgui and getting the most out of him will either (1) help develop him into a longer term answer at PF so he can actually earn his money in the remaining three years of his contract, or (2) enhance his trade value so we can deal him without having to also give away a valuable asset like a future first round pick.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

Im going to vote for amile. Im just not sure if thibs will give him a shot.

He is smart and has a nose for the ball. I think he is much better than dieng at occupying space without overcommitting or getting out of position by trying to chase blocks.

I get such a strong amir johnson vibe wherever i watch amile. I think hed be a good complementary guy that can fit next kat and help out immensely in pnr coverage.

Randle would have been my first choice as well, but that ship has sailed.

Im just not a fan of dieng anymore in any role.

[Monster]

This is a worthwhile consideration that LST kept bringing up while we were talking about the draft.

Randle's ship hasn't sailed. He has a player option for just over 9 million next year. I'm not holding my breath on him coming here but its still an option.

Ideally...alot of us hoped Belly would be good enough to step in as a starter even if that didn't mean 30 mpg giving the Wolves a very versatile player at that spot and obviously helping spacing. To me the new ideal is that KBD is that guy. Will it happen? idk but its a POSSIBLE option. Note Belly only signed for 1 year.

Another option is resigning Taj to another short term contract.

A free agent. You never know who may be available and might even sign a reasonable deal to come here especially if there is a giant hole with a starting position to be had.

Future draft pick. Yep sounds optimistic but you never know.

Trade Nothing comes to mind but there are likely some options.

To me I need to see Dieng do some positive stuff before I consider him an option as a starter again. Plus the fit now is even harder to see with the way the league has gone. Patton is the same way (in terms of needing to show something) except he is completely unproven and injured. Youth and upside plus the theory of him (versatile guy) if he can play makes more sense in the new NBA. Both are options and hopefully both show they are at least worthwhile players (Patton at least shows some promise) this season.

To me one thing about the PF position is that I'm not sure what direction the Wolves should go. I feel like that spot has a few different directions the ream could go even though they need to add shooting. If the Wolves actually take a step forward this year maybe it will be time to start looking at players that can match up against the best teams in the playoffs. That's very different than just getting a good player to help you win games in the regular season. To me that is what makes the case for KBD as a PF going forward if he is actually any good.

[foye2smith [enjin:6593248]]

I don't know why Randle is brought up as if we'd be any more than a stepping stone for him. Unless you dump Wiggins or Butler I don't see how he's feasible as anything but a rental. Randle wants to get big money that's why he signed the one year deal with New Orleans so he can re-enter a friendlier free agency next off-season. Between Towns, Butler, and Wiggins there's no big contract to give him.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Dieng just can't go back into the starting lineup. He and Towns just don't work defensively. The answer is most likely gonna be grabbing up someone with the taxpayers MLE or use cap space if Jimmy leaves. The longshot would be KBD. He certainly has the length and he appears to have the defensive prowess. He would seem to be a great defensive fit in a league going smaller rather than running out twin towers. He's a small ball 4 with long arms who defends the rim well. He may be the perfect fit next to Towns. Or he may play like most second round picks and not have much of an impact, but the potential is there. And the other longshot is Patton. I'm not putting my money on it, but I'm not completely writing it off either.

[Monster]

Just looking through some teams some options that are interesting maybe somewhat realistic that haven't been mentioned yet.

Either of the Morris Twins. Both will be FAs after this season. I don't think they will be a package deal this time.

Thad Young. Pacers have basically Dipo and rookie contracts on the books and Myles Turner will be up for a new deal so they could pay him or go a variety of directions.

Young players to take a flyer on. Skal and Vonleh. I'm not sure either guy is a PF (maybe anymore than Patton if healthy) but both guys have some interesting qualities.

Ultimately we need to see if Towns takes a step forward defensively. If he does and looks liek he really can be a center on a solid to good defensive team that would be big. If he just gets better but not enough where you feel like he may still need a defenders around him...

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Lip, go outside.

[Lipoli390]

This is a worthwhile consideration that LST kept bringing up while we were talking about the draft.

Randle's ship hasn't sailed. He has a player option for just over 9 million next year. I'm not holding my breath on him coming here but its still an option.

Ideally...alot of us hoped Belly would be good enough to step in as a starter even if that didn't mean 30 mpg giving the Wolves a very versatile player at that spot and obviously helping spacing. To me the new ideal is that KBD is that guy. Will it happen? idk but its a POSSIBLE option. Note Belly only signed for 1 year.

Another option is resigning Taj to another short term contract.

A free agent. You never know who may be available and might even sign a reasonable deal to come here especially if there is a giant hole with a starting position to be had.

Future draft pick. Yep sounds optimistic but you never know.

Trade Nothing comes to mind but there are likely some options.

To me I need to see Dieng do some positive stuff before I consider him an option as a starter again. Plus the fit now is even harder to see with the way the league has gone. Patton is the same way (in terms of needing to show something) except he is completely unproven and injured. Youth and upside plus the theory of him (versatile guy) if he can play makes more sense in the new NBA. Both are options and hopefully both show they are at least worthwhile players (Patton at least shows some promise) this season.

To me one thing about the PF position is that I'm not sure what direction the Wolves should go. I feel like that spot has a few different directions the ream could go even though they need to add shooting. If the Wolves actually take a step forward this year maybe it will be time to start looking at players that can match up against the best teams in the playoffs. That's very different than just getting a good player to help you win games in the regular season. To me that is what makes the case for KBD as a PF going forward if he is actually any good.

Ideally, KDB would emerge as the heir to Taj as our starting PF. But as you noted, that's a long shot right now. Perhaps a future pick or free agent option will emerge, but we can't strategize around that possibility since we can't control or count on it. Signing Taj to another short-term deal is also a possibility, but it's another think beyond the Wolves control. The possible emergence of Patton is a huge long shot given that we can't even know if and when he'll be fully recovered and able to play. Moreover, nothing in his G-League play suggests he's remotely close to being a rotation player in the NBA much less a future starter for the Wolves.

What is within our control is what we do with our current personnel. One option within our control will be giving KDB every chance to suceed with ample playing time and enough rope to make mistakes. I hope Thibs does that. Another option within the team's control is my suggestion to restore Dieng to the starting lineup. I think it's pretty clear he plays better as a starter. If we start him for an initial stretch of games and he doesn't do well, then we can always put him back on the bench. But the only way to know is to try it, already knowing that he faired better as starter two years ago. It's become popular to dump on Gorgui, but he's not terrible. The potential double benefit of getting more out of Gorgui and a stronger bench with Taj as part of the second unit makes it a good short-term strategy, while Gorgui's potential further development and enhanced market value from starting makes it a smart long-term strategy. As for his skill set, yes he's not an ideal fit for the modern PF position. But he has be developing a pretty decent corner 3 and before last season had a highly reliable mid-range shot. So he's not strictly a paint player.

[worldK]

Hoping kbd or patton emerge and be good enough to start is a stretch. It is the best cass scenario for us but unlikely to be next season. Im not as high on dieng as lip is.

Best scenario might be resigning taj to a short 1 yr deal or using the midlevel money.

1 name I will target is jordan bell of the warriors. Good defender and rebounder. Score efficiently and warriors are cap out and facing a klay thomson, kevin durant and cousins free agency.

[Monster]

This is a worthwhile consideration that LST kept bringing up while we were talking about the draft.

Randle's ship hasn't sailed. He has a player option for just over 9 million next year. I'm not holding my breath on him coming here but its still an option.

Ideally...alot of us hoped Belly would be good enough to step in as a starter even if that didn't mean 30 mpg giving the Wolves a very versatile player at that spot and obviously helping spacing. To me the new ideal is that KBD is that guy. Will it happen? idk but its a POSSIBLE option. Note Belly only signed for 1 year.

Another option is resigning Taj to another short term contract.

A free agent. You never know who may be available and might even sign a reasonable deal to come here especially if there is a giant hole with a starting position to be had.

Future draft pick. Yep sounds optimistic but you never know.

Trade Nothing comes to mind but there are likely some options.

To me I need to see Dieng do some positive stuff before I consider him an option as a starter again. Plus the fit now is even harder to see with the way the league has gone. Patton is the same way (in terms of needing to show something) except he is completely unproven and injured. Youth and upside plus the theory of him (versatile guy) if he can play makes more sense in the new NBA. Both are options and hopefully both show they are at least worthwhile players (Patton at least shows some promise) this season.

To me one thing about the PF position is that I'm not sure what direction the Wolves should go. I feel like that spot has a few different directions the ream could go even though they need to add shooting. If the Wolves actually take a step forward this year maybe it will be time to start looking at players that can match up against the best teams in the playoffs. That's very different than just getting a good player to help you win games in the regular season. To me that is what makes the case for KBD as a PF going forward if he is actually any good.

Ideally, KDB would emerge as the heir to Taj as our starting PF. But as you noted, that's a long shot right now. Perhaps a future pick or free agent option will emerge, but we can't strategize around that possibility since we can't control or count on it. Signing Taj to another short-term deal is also a possibility, but it's another think beyond the Wolves control. The possible emergence of Patton is a huge long shot given that we can't even know if and when he'll be fully recovered and able to play. Moreover, nothing in his G-League play suggests he's remotely close to being a rotation player in the NBA much less a future starter for the Wolves.

What is within our control is what we do with our current personnel. One option within our control will be giving KDB every chance to suceed with ample playing time and enough rope to make mistakes. I hope Thibs does that. Another option within the team's control is my suggestion to restore Dieng to the starting lineup. I think it's pretty clear he plays better as a starter. If we start him for an initial stretch of games and he doesn't do well, then we can always put him back on the bench. But the only way to know is to try it, already knowing that he faired better as starter two years ago. It's become popular to dump on Gorgui, but he's not terrible. The potential double benefit of getting more out of Gorgui and a stronger bench with Taj as part of the second unit makes it a good short-term strategy, while Gorgui's potential further development and enhanced market value from starting makes it a smart long-term strategy. As for his skill set, yes he's not an ideal fit for the modern PF position. But he has be developing a pretty decent corner 3 and before last season had a highly reliable mid-range shot. So he's not strictly a paint player.

Lip Dieng has a resume as a player and as a person deserves to have you so firmly in his corner. It's only a couple relatively meaningless games but what i saw in Senegal was very concerning to me and I believe you know I'm a Dieng fan. I think it's perfectly rational to hope Dieng can find his game again and be a worthwhile rotation player. Putting him as a starter again just doesn't do it for me. Jim Peterson was and is as big of Dieng fan as you will find and he has said for a couple years Dieng is good 3rd backup big. I get your idea of I'm starting getting the most out of the players on the roster but idk if that's the best way to go.

Jon K thinks based on some of Thibs comments that he is actually looking to do more mixing and matching of players this year. I think that's a legit criticism of Thibs last year that he didn't experiment more. I wanted to see more of it. On the other hand you can have a coach tinkering way too much (go on other message boards and fans go bonkers complaining about that) and players have no idea what is coming. There is a balance. There are times I think Dieng would really benefit from being inserted in matchups that favor him instead of just thrown out there against guys he will likely struggle against. Dieng is basically a reclamation project. I hope for the best. My expectations are low which makes me sad.

One point I will make on Patton when it comes to his health timeline was Thibs said he would be out summer league summer etc and most of fall. What "fall" means could be up to interpretation. I think a lot of people (including myself initially) thought that meant going into retailer season games even. Thins outlined the ways to get better he outlines all the times and fall seemed to be workouts/training camp. We don't know what the timeline really will because injuries are tricky and obviously this one already has been BUT if Patton really can be full go to at least practice and play in the G-league when the season starts that's not ideal but not the worst outcome either. I'm guessing they will take it easy with him. Also maybe you mentioned something about this in the SL thread but did you see Patton interating with guys on the bench etc?