Why I love this team

[thedoper]

Now that all the GM banter has been fully exhausted, I am going to go on an overly optimistic take on the franchise based on some of the on court aspects I hope to see this year. For basketball reasons alone for a two year window, I really like what Connelly has done with this roster. I sincerely believe this is the most talented Timberwolves team we have ever had. I loved 2004, but I think this team beats it out already.

1. Lineup versatility - This is the biggest asset going for us this year. I am imagining Finch pulling Dlo and Gobert early in the first and coming back with a powerhouse 2nd unit of DLo, Nowell, Prince, Anderson, and Gobert. There are so many ways to mix and match these players to go small or big.

2. Depth - Related to the first point absolutely. I found our depth last year to be redundant, take your pick of Nowell, Prince, Beasley. Basically we were looking for one of them to get hot without regard for the rest of the unit (minus Prince who seemed to be a bit more of a team player). I think Anderson was a great pick up for us. We can play a variety of unique sets with him, maybe some corner sets with Naz spreading out. I feel we are legit 9/10 deep now without redundancy. I also feel we can weather an injury to one of our top guys and maintain momentum, which I don't think I have ever believed on a Wolves team.

3. No more excuses - This is mainly on Kat, but we have infused a mature voice onto this roster. KAT can no longer infer he is the only one playing D inside, which seemed to be his mantra for a while. The whole team saw the edge they needed when we lost to the Grizzlies in the playoffs, its on all of them to keep that edge. It's go time, this team needs the pressure. Dlo and Jaden are going to have multiple opportunities to be huge factors with so much attention on the rest of the roster. The table is set for everyone to step up.

Ultimately we gave up a lot of assets (the consensus seems to be too many assets) and the short term window is small to capitalize on Gobert's potential impact. But man this year is going to be fun. I can't see how we are going blame our bench for shitting the bed or vice versa. We've got the pieces. In retrospect, I would do 2004 over and over again in spite of the downfall that came after. Worst case scenario we took a legit shot here and we are going to watch a competent deep team that should be expected to win or be in every single game they play.

[Q-is-here]

I agree it's a more talented roster than 2004 in totality, but I think the rest of the NBA has more overall raw talent. I'm not sure Detroit's Ben Wallace/Chauncey Billups-led team could win a title in this era and may not even be able to get out of the East.

As for the Wolves, I think your points #1 and #2 really help ensure this team has a high floor. I just think we have such a nice combination of depth, experience, and talent that it will be hard to play .500 or less unless we are really hit badly with injuries. The question is how far can this team go? There are good arguments to suggest Top 4 in the West and other good arguments to say more like top 6 or 7.

[Monster]

I thought I would just put this here.

Dane Moore had tweeted a few days ago about Naz saying he was down in the 230's for weight. Wasn't sure if that was real but here is a tweet with what looks like some recent video. I think Naz being slimmer likely leans into his strengths/positives. One of the realities is that last season he was a guy that got legit minutes most nights. There might be games he doesn't even play this year. The depth is real.

https://twitter.com/thedailywolves/status/1563650475890683904?s=21