Do the Clippers have more talent than us?

[thedoper]

I was listening to the Bill Simmons pod on the Clippers and it got me thinking. Do the Clippers have more talent than us? I'm not sure they do but they're making it work. They got a new owner who made the management and team culture a hiring priority and poof, they look like a legit franchise on the rise. So one more time, please sell the team Glen. The idea that he thinks he can right the ship for the Wolves is insane.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

They have better ownership, management, and coaching than we do and that's really the main part of it. The rest will figure itself out and that's why their record is what it is. I think we have a premium talent that they just don't have [yet] and some decent role players around them, but the Clippers have more pieces that work well together.

PS: That Chris Paul trade that seemed like "meh" value has turned out to be huge for them.

[thedoper]

They have better ownership, management, and coaching than we do and that's really the main part of it. The rest will figure itself out and that's why their record is what it is. I think we have a premium talent that they just don't have [yet] and some decent role players around them, but the Clippers have more pieces that work well together.

PS: That Chris Paul trade that seemed like "meh" value has turned out to be huge for them.

It's crazy. I mean I know there is only one Jerry West, but they were able to put Doc in check and on track by putting a legit basketball guy in the organization on the other side. That's why I don't fault Thibs 100% for our current state. I strongly feel that if we had an owner who would have seen that the joint role was the real problem and had stepped in and forced Thibs to chose a job, while having a legit counterbalance to him in the opposite role, we wouldn't be in the mess that we are in now.

[AbeVigodaLive]

The Clippers don't have the same top end talent (KAT).

But they most certainly have more legitimate or pretty good NBA players than the Timberwolves, almost across the board.

[Coolbreeze44]

They have better ownership, management, and coaching than we do and that's really the main part of it. The rest will figure itself out and that's why their record is what it is. I think we have a premium talent that they just don't have [yet] and some decent role players around them, but the Clippers have more pieces that work well together.

PS: That Chris Paul trade that seemed like "meh" value has turned out to be huge for them.

It's crazy. I mean I know there is only one Jerry West, but they were able to put Doc in check and on track by putting a legit basketball guy in the organization on the other side. That's why I don't fault Thibs 100% for our current state. I strongly feel that if we had an owner who would have seen that the joint role was the real problem and had stepped in and forced Thibs to chose a job, while having a legit counterbalance to him in the opposite role, we wouldn't be in the mess that we are in now.

The problem is Thibs can't get along with anyone. No matter what role he would have chosen, it would have been toxic between him and the other voice in charge.

[thedoper]

They have better ownership, management, and coaching than we do and that's really the main part of it. The rest will figure itself out and that's why their record is what it is. I think we have a premium talent that they just don't have [yet] and some decent role players around them, but the Clippers have more pieces that work well together.

PS: That Chris Paul trade that seemed like "meh" value has turned out to be huge for them.

It's crazy. I mean I know there is only one Jerry West, but they were able to put Doc in check and on track by putting a legit basketball guy in the organization on the other side. That's why I don't fault Thibs 100% for our current state. I strongly feel that if we had an owner who would have seen that the joint role was the real problem and had stepped in and forced Thibs to chose a job, while having a legit counterbalance to him in the opposite role, we wouldn't be in the mess that we are in now.

The problem is Thibs can't get along with anyone. No matter what role he would have chosen, it would have been toxic between him and the other voice in charge.

Even more reason not to give him unchecked power.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

The Clippers have more quality NBA players than we do. Whether that equates to more talent I don't think so. Wiggins has more talent than any player on their team, but his actual basketball skills are not better than most of their rotation. Towns has more talent and is better than any player on their team. They just have way more good rotation guys than we do and because they lack that top end demand the ball guy everyone can just play their role and run Doc's system rather than having to make sure certain guys get their touches and shots. Doc has done a good job coaching that team. They keep trading away their best players and not really feel the impact.

[kekgeek]

The clippers also have shooters while we have 3 of the worst shooters in the NBA in Tyus, okogie and Wiggins in our main rotation. Add on Gibson is no shooting threat, Covington hasn't played a game under Saunders and Teague and rose aren't knock down shooters

[Lipoli390]

They have better ownership, management, and coaching than we do and that's really the main part of it. The rest will figure itself out and that's why their record is what it is. I think we have a premium talent that they just don't have [yet] and some decent role players around them, but the Clippers have more pieces that work well together.

PS: That Chris Paul trade that seemed like "meh" value has turned out to be huge for them.

It's crazy. I mean I know there is only one Jerry West, but they were able to put Doc in check and on track by putting a legit basketball guy in the organization on the other side. That's why I don't fault Thibs 100% for our current state. I strongly feel that if we had an owner who would have seen that the joint role was the real problem and had stepped in and forced Thibs to chose a job, while having a legit counterbalance to him in the opposite role, we wouldn't be in the mess that we are in now.

The problem is Thibs can't get along with anyone. No matter what role he would have chosen, it would have been toxic between him and the other voice in charge.

Even more reason not to give him unchecked power.

Thibs was bad on both roles. Giving him both roles was twice as bad as giving him one role or the other. I thought he was the wrong choice for either role back then and I think it's clear that history has proven me right. He bad absolutely no experience even working in a front office before Glen Taylor gave him the top job in the Wolves front office. That, to me, was the dumbest move of all. I get the decision to hire him as head coach, even though I thought it was a bad idea at the time. He at least had a history as an NBA head coach - a pretty successful history.

Giving anyone both roles is a mistake - a view I expressed to Wolves management and directly to Flip when he assumed both roles. So giving Thibodeau both roles was a big mistake by Taylor in my view. But giving him either role was a mistake as well. Of course, this is the owner who hired Dave Kahn to run the team.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I've debated this in depth on this forum, but Tom Thibodeau was a pretty decent POBO despite all criticisms and even the handful of real mistakes he made. His good moves outweighed his bad ones when you view them through an objective lense. It's no real surprise that the most success this team has had since 2004 is with Thibodeau running things.

Was he perfect? No. Were there blunders along the way? Absolutely, yes. As a coach, was he able to scheme his team to an elite defense? Nope. But did he do a decent job given the circumstances? I think it's a yes -- emotions aside.