Minnesota Sports Forum

I want to thank flip for putting the wolves in this position that we are in. He got us 2 ROY, drafted gourgi, lavine and shabazz. Re-sign rubio. With his roster moves he put this team on this map where the wolves could pick any coach they wanted. We are finally in a position where there is actual hope and even if you don't love the coaching hire it feels like the wolves are being run right.

R.I.P Flip and thank you

kekgeek1 wrote:I want to thank flip for putting the wolves in this position that we are in. He got us 2 ROY, drafted gourgi, lavine and shabazz. Re-sign rubio. With his roster moves he put this team on this map where the wolves could pick any coach they wanted. We are finally in a position where there is actual hope and even if you don't love the coaching hire it feels like the wolves are being run right.

R.I.P Flip and thank you

Yes, Thanks Flip. I miss listening to him on the Funkadelic.

While he made some questionable moves here and there on the whole he was an overwhelming success. He is the reason top level coaches wanted this job desperately. It's too bad he wasn't allowed to see the fruit of his labor. He did an outstanding job.

No doubt Flip the POBO set things in motion. I wasn't much of a fan of his coaching, but his legacy as POBO continues to improve as we see some of his moves play out over time.

kekgeek1 wrote:I want to thank flip for putting the wolves in this position that we are in. He got us 2 ROY, drafted gourgi, lavine and shabazz. Re-sign rubio. With his roster moves he put this team on this map where the wolves could pick any coach they wanted. We are finally in a position where there is actual hope and even if you don't love the coaching hire it feels like the wolves are being run right.

R.I.P Flip and thank you

I'm a huge Flip fan and have been since the days he arrived in Williams Arena as Phil Saunders. One of my favorite local sports guys ever. And I agree that his POBO moves have left us in a position where the #1 coaching prospect out there knew we were the most attractive option...it's fun to be a Wolves fan now!

But, if I had to assign credit to his moves between "Flip" and "Good fortune", I would probably give 80% of the credit to good fortune. Take the 2 ROYs for example. Most of us loved the Wig/Love deal, but does anyone really think it happens without James orchestrating it? Also, it was Lady Luck that allowed us to get the #1 pick last year, and almost anyone would have used that pick to take KAT. (It would have been easier to evaluate Flip's drafting acumen if we had finished #2 in the lottery. Would he have taken Okafor or Russell, or been smart enough to take Porzingis?). I was a big fan of trading the pick 3 years ago to get Bazz and Gorgui, but I was wrong about CJ McCollum...you could make an argument that he would have been a better pick than what we ended up with. I do give him credit for the Rubio signing and the LaVine draft pick, but there are some that question those moves too...time will tell if they were brilliant moves or not.

Maybe this is quibbling a little too much, because what kekgeek says is true...this franchise is in the best position it has ever been in. And Flip presided over the reconstruction of this roster. But we could also list several Flip moves which have not panned out (Thad, Payne, Bud, etc.), and I don't think this is using hindsight because most of those moves were panned by the consensus here at the time. This franchise is in a great position to succeed, but don't you think we would be in better position if every move in the last 3 years had been made by the consensus of this board rather than Flip? We'd still have Kat and Wig, and maybe even LaVine. But we also would probably have a couple first round picks that would look awfully good right now. It would be interesting to reflect on what this roster (and our draft status) would look like today if this board had been in charge during the past three years!

I don't think there's been a successful franchise that hasn't received a bit of luck along the way.

The most successful are the ones that capitalize on it the most...

AbeVigodaLive wrote:I don't think there's been a successful franchise that hasn't received a bit of luck along the way.

The most successful are the ones that capitalize on it the most...

I don't disagree, and in all fairness this franchise has been on the wrong side of Lady Luck most of the time...for instance, never once moving up in the lottery, and for several years, always having pick X+1 in an X player draft. I was just providing a reality check on where this roster might be if this board had been the POBO instead of Flip. We wouldn't have Bazz and G, because that deal was never discussed here...but we might have McCollum and Gobert instead (I'm too lazy to go back and check who the favorite picks were back then, but I remember a lot of support for these two. We clearly would have KAT and Wig. I think Zach was the consensus board pick at 13, so we would have him too. And the board would have done what it takes to lock up Ricky. We probably would have reluctantly done the Pek deal, although we were certainly split on that...so possibly we may have let him go. I don't think we would have used a first round pick to get Bud, and I also know we wouldn't have used up first rounders to obtain Thad and AP, so that's three additional first round picks that we could have used to add talent. Even though the board was on balance in favor of the KG deal, it never would have happened without Flip...the board is probably split in retrospect on whether that deal was good or not. We wouldn't have done the Tyus deal, but instead would have drafted a PG at 23 (let's say Joe Young, although I can't remember who the board wanted at 23 with Portis gone), and still would have had our second rounders. We didn't want Zach to be playing PG, so we would have signed a veteran PG to back up Ricky (who?). We would have used the pick we gave up for Bud to draft a backup center (I don't know who).

So I would argue that if we had been in charge the past three years. our roster today would have looked something like this:

Gobert, draft pick, Pek
KAT, Belly
Wig, ?
LaVine, McCollum
Ricky, vet free agent, Young

Without doing the KG and other free agent deals that Flip did, there would have been plenty of cash available to get a backup SF and PG in free agency. And we would still have the two additional first rounders abd 2 second rounders that Flip gave up in deals we wouldn't have done.

I love where our roster stands right now, but the roster we would have built would have even been stronger...not even counting the 2 additional first rounders we could use. And this isn't hindsight...it's based on opinions we expressed at the time. It's all hypothetical, but we should take a bow!

longstrangetrip wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:I don't think there's been a successful franchise that hasn't received a bit of luck along the way.

The most successful are the ones that capitalize on it the most...

I don't disagree, and in all fairness this franchise has been on the wrong side of Lady Luck most of the time...for instance, never once moving up in the lottery, and for several years, always having pick X+1 in an X player draft. I was just providing a reality check on where this roster might be if this board had been the POBO instead of Flip. We wouldn't have Bazz and G, because that deal was never discussed here...but we might have McCollum and Gobert instead (I'm too lazy to go back and check who the favorite picks were back then, but I remember a lot of support for these two. We clearly would have KAT and Wig. I think Zach was the consensus board pick at 13, so we would have him too. And the board would have done what it takes to lock up Ricky. We probably would have reluctantly done the Pek deal, although we were certainly split on that...so possibly we may have let him go. I don't think we would have used a first round pick to get Bud, and I also know we wouldn't have used up first rounders to obtain Thad and AP, so that's three additional first round picks that we could have used to add talent. Even though the board was on balance in favor of the KG deal, it never would have happened without Flip...the board is probably split in retrospect on whether that deal was good or not. We wouldn't have done the Tyus deal, but instead would have drafted a PG at 23 (let's say Joe Young, although I can't remember who the board wanted at 23 with Portis gone), and still would have had our second rounders. We didn't want Zach to be playing PG, so we would have signed a veteran PG to back up Ricky (who?). We would have used the pick we gave up for Bud to draft a backup center (I don't know who).

So I would argue that if we had been in charge the past three years. our roster today would have looked something like this:

Gobert, draft pick, Pek
KAT, Belly
Wig, ?
LaVine, McCollum
Ricky, vet free agent, Young

Without doing the KG and other free agent deals that Flip did, there would have been plenty of cash available to get a backup SF and PG in free agency. And we would still have the two additional first rounders abd 2 second rounders that Flip gave up in deals we wouldn't have done.

I love where our roster stands right now, but the roster we would have built would have even been stronger...not even counting the 2 additional first rounders we could use. And this isn't hindsight...it's based on opinions we expressed at the time. It's all hypothetical, but we should take a bow!

To be fair, if the board was in charge... some combination of Cool vs. Camden or Cool and Doper vs. Me and Q would have resulted with Target Center burned to the ground...

longstrangetrip wrote:

kekgeek1 wrote:I want to thank flip for putting the wolves in this position that we are in. He got us 2 ROY, drafted gourgi, lavine and shabazz. Re-sign rubio. With his roster moves he put this team on this map where the wolves could pick any coach they wanted. We are finally in a position where there is actual hope and even if you don't love the coaching hire it feels like the wolves are being run right.

R.I.P Flip and thank you

I'm a huge Flip fan and have been since the days he arrived in Williams Arena as Phil Saunders. One of my favorite local sports guys ever. And I agree that his POBO moves have left us in a position where the #1 coaching prospect out there knew we were the most attractive option...it's fun to be a Wolves fan now!

But, if I had to assign credit to his moves between "Flip" and "Good fortune", I would probably give 80% of the credit to good fortune. Take the 2 ROYs for example. Most of us loved the Wig/Love deal, but does anyone really think it happens without James orchestrating it? Also, it was Lady Luck that allowed us to get the #1 pick last year, and almost anyone would have used that pick to take KAT. (It would have been easier to evaluate Flip's drafting acumen if we had finished #2 in the lottery. Would he have taken Okafor or Russell, or been smart enough to take Porzingis?). I was a big fan of trading the pick 3 years ago to get Bazz and Gorgui, but I was wrong about CJ McCollum...you could make an argument that he would have been a better pick than what we ended up with. I do give him credit for the Rubio signing and the LaVine draft pick, but there are some that question those moves too...time will tell if they were brilliant moves or not.

Maybe this is quibbling a little too much, because what kekgeek says is true...this franchise is in the best position it has ever been in. And Flip presided over the reconstruction of this roster. But we could also list several Flip moves which have not panned out (Thad, Payne, Bud, etc.), and I don't think this is using hindsight because most of those moves were panned by the consensus here at the time. This franchise is in a great position to succeed, but don't you think we would be in better position if every move in the last 3 years had been made by the consensus of this board rather than Flip? We'd still have Kat and Wig, and maybe even LaVine. But we also would probably have a couple first round picks that would look awfully good right now. It would be interesting to reflect on what this roster (and our draft status) would look like today if this board had been in charge during the past three years!

Yes LeBron made the Wiggins trade happen, but Flip's patience in that trade also made it possible. Many were freaking out saying the deal had to be made before the draft. Flip took his time and made the right deal.

There was definitely luck involved and some flubs here and there, but the overall picture is great.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

longstrangetrip wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:I don't think there's been a successful franchise that hasn't received a bit of luck along the way.

The most successful are the ones that capitalize on it the most...

I don't disagree, and in all fairness this franchise has been on the wrong side of Lady Luck most of the time...for instance, never once moving up in the lottery, and for several years, always having pick X+1 in an X player draft. I was just providing a reality check on where this roster might be if this board had been the POBO instead of Flip. We wouldn't have Bazz and G, because that deal was never discussed here...but we might have McCollum and Gobert instead (I'm too lazy to go back and check who the favorite picks were back then, but I remember a lot of support for these two. We clearly would have KAT and Wig. I think Zach was the consensus board pick at 13, so we would have him too. And the board would have done what it takes to lock up Ricky. We probably would have reluctantly done the Pek deal, although we were certainly split on that...so possibly we may have let him go. I don't think we would have used a first round pick to get Bud, and I also know we wouldn't have used up first rounders to obtain Thad and AP, so that's three additional first round picks that we could have used to add talent. Even though the board was on balance in favor of the KG deal, it never would have happened without Flip...the board is probably split in retrospect on whether that deal was good or not. We wouldn't have done the Tyus deal, but instead would have drafted a PG at 23 (let's say Joe Young, although I can't remember who the board wanted at 23 with Portis gone), and still would have had our second rounders. We didn't want Zach to be playing PG, so we would have signed a veteran PG to back up Ricky (who?). We would have used the pick we gave up for Bud to draft a backup center (I don't know who).

So I would argue that if we had been in charge the past three years. our roster today would have looked something like this:

Gobert, draft pick, Pek
KAT, Belly
Wig, ?
LaVine, McCollum
Ricky, vet free agent, Young

Without doing the KG and other free agent deals that Flip did, there would have been plenty of cash available to get a backup SF and PG in free agency. And we would still have the two additional first rounders abd 2 second rounders that Flip gave up in deals we wouldn't have done.

I love where our roster stands right now, but the roster we would have built would have even been stronger...not even counting the 2 additional first rounders we could use. And this isn't hindsight...it's based on opinions we expressed at the time. It's all hypothetical, but we should take a bow!

To be fair, if the board was in charge... some combination of Cool vs. Camden or Cool and Doper vs. Me and Q would have resulted with Target Center burned to the ground...

Haha yes. It would have been over that multi-year extension Q offered to Robbie Hummel.