Minnesota Sports Forum

Following tonight's 10-point loss to the Orlando Magic, coming on heels of the Wolves loss to the Grizzlies, I hereby declare the rest of the Wolves season tank time.

If the season were to end today, the Wolves would have the 11th position in the lottery, which would give us a 2% chance of getting the top pick, a 2.2% chance of the 2nd pick, a 2.4% chance of landing the 3rd pick and a 2.8% chance of ending up with the 4th pick. The most likely outcome by far would be the 11th pick. We are only a half game better than Detroit and 1.5 games better than New Orleans. So we're definitely within striking distance of the 9th position in the lottery, which enhances or chances of getting a top 4 pick and at least likely bumps us up a couple spots in the draft. I don't see us finishing with a worse record than Memphis, but I think we have an outside shot at passing Orlando for the 8th spot in the lottery.

Did I mention we have no realistic chance of making the playoffs, and even if we did we'd end up with an 8th seed and an early first round exit? OK. Now I've mentioned it. Did I mention that we won't have any cap room to sign anything close to a top free agent? Well, I just did. Finally, did I mention we don't have the assets that would bring in an elite player in his prime via trade to pair with KAT? OK, I think I've mentioned all that needs mentioning.

So it's time to turn our attention to enhancing our chances of landing an elite talent in the 2019 draft because that's our only chance of getting the sort of top player this team absolutely has to have alongside KAT to be a contender. And that means tanking. I know it's an ugly word to many, but it's a beautiful word to those of us who recognize there's no hope in winning games during the final third of this season. Tanking is just another word for maximizing your assets. Or maybe it's another word for hope. In any case, it's imperative that this team tank from this point forward. Oh, and if we do, we won't be the only team doing it.

I'm not talking about a hard tank -- you know, the sort of tank has your end-of-bench power forward who can shoot taking a bunch of 3-point shots. I'm talking about a respectable soft tank. What's that? It's spreading minutes around more generously throughout the roster, reducing KAT's minutes to save wear and tear on his body. It's extending injury recovery periods of the team's better players into the offseason. It's playing young players who probably aren't NBA-ready yet like KBD and Terrell. Oh, and it probably means maximizing Wiggins' minutes. :)

I know this much. I'm not going to feel particularly good about the Wolves when this season is over. But I'll feel a lot better if we have the 9th worst record than I'll feel if we have the 12th, 13th or 14th. So let the tanking begin!

I'm calling shotty.

Well, look at it this way. If the Wolves did manage to sneak into the playoffs, it will only be due to them flipping a switch to start playing phenomenal basketball. And if they are playing phenomenal basketball, then a Denver or Warriors series might be entertaining after all.

The way things are going right now, no "soft tanking" is needed. They are losing just fine as is!

I'm not sure I would call it tanking, but there definitely is an opportunity to lay the groundwork for next season. One thing they could do, as has been mentioned here by others, is start Saric and use Taj as KAT's backup C. Heck, I'm not even sure this wouldn't be an overall upgrade given Dieng's uneven play.

Start Saric play Onogie at least 20mpg even whe we get healthy. Give KBD some minutes he doesn't have to play a ton but get him in there. I don't know how many of Terrell's 45 days are left but he should get some playing time here and there till he can be up with the club with no restrictions.

The vets can still play but maybe sit them on alternate nights once we get healthy. I highly doubt Tolliver is gonna come back but maybe Deng would resign. I'd probably hold onto Taj if he wants to stay.

Next sign some sort of younger moderately promising player in hopes we can find something worthwhile. Might as well be a wing. It can be a G-league guy a young waived vet or whatever. C.J. Williams doesn't need to see the floor unless emergency or supreme garbage time (which there might be a lot of).

Meanwhile let Ryan go bonkers doing some unique things at times. Try some stuff out.

Like Tim-Doug said the Wolves don't need help right taking they are losing already. Let's play for the future even if it's pointless.

A mixed bag but generally good news tonight for the Wolves from a tanking perspective. The good news is that we lost to New Orleans, which leaves us only a half game better than the Pelicans in the standings. More good news -- the Kings won tonight as they continue to pull away from the Wolves in the standings. Yet more good news - the Pistons won, putting them a half-game ahead of the Wolves. The bad news is that the Mavs lost, but they remain ahead of the Wolves in the standings.

If the season ended today, the Wolves would be #10 in the lottery order, likely to end up with the 10th pick. If AD stays healthy and plays the rest of the season, I see the Pelicans passing the Wolves in standings. So the Wolves have a good shot at ending up with the 9th pick. And I'm not beginning to think the Wolves might fall beyond the Wizards or Magic, maybe both. So a 7th slot in the lottery isn't out of the question.

However, I'm concerned about the Mavs and Clippers. Both teams made forward-looking trades at the deadline. Those trades weaken them down the stretch this season while better positioning them for next season and beyond. Oh how good it would be to have smart, strategic minds running the Wolves organization. But alas... Back to my theme. The Wolves should just continue doing what they've been doing. While that might not be bad enough to lose to the Clippers Monday night, it should secure a bottom 10 finish and, consequently, the 10th pick in the draft or slightly better with an outside chance at a top 4 pick.

I continue to pull for Ryan Saunders. But I'm not impressed by his coaching. Sadly, he's part of my tanking strategy. :(

I know I've piled on Saunders a lot some of it in jest but i'm so sick of losing. 15 fucking years and we have had 1 fun year and the players hated each other.

I'm so sick of Taylor. Telling Layden (who I don't trust), the goal is the playoffs when the writing was on the wall. So we kept Taj/tolliver/rose/Bayless/Deng and got no future assets out of them just to watch them walk away in free agency.

Just frustrated that we have a dinosaur as our owner. That doesn't have a forward thinking bone in his body. Who is obsessed with his country club (haven't won a game since Whitman has been back).

Can't wait until NBA Coach Failure Hoiberg is our coach next year. Woooo, country club. Come on 4%, give me that 2 outer in poker, give me zion.

Kekgeek - I share your frustration. But I bring you tidings of tanking joy. The Wolves are closing in on locking down a top 10 lottery pick. More good news I forgot to mention is that the Heat lost tonight. They're barely hanging on the to the 8th spot in the East. If Detroit passes them in the standings and Miami finishes 9th in the East, then the Wolves will likely have the 39th or 40th pick in the draft since the Wolves own Miami's second round pick for 2019. So I'm thinking 10th and 40th with an outside shot of getting a top 4 pick to go with Miami's second rounder. Now of course, there's the little problem we all recognize as an incompetent Wolves organization. So we can't expect the Wolves to make good use of those picks. But maybe we'll just get lucky.

lipoli390 wrote:Kekgeek - I share your frustration. But I bring you tidings of tanking joy. The Wolves are closing in on locking down a top 10 lottery pick. More good news I forgot to mention is that the Heat lost tonight. They're barely hanging on the to the 8th spot in the East. If Detroit passes them in the standings and Miami finishes 9th in the East, then the Wolves will likely have the 39th or 40th pick in the draft since the Wolves own Miami's second round pick for 2019. So I'm thinking 10th and 40th with an outside shot of getting a top 4 pick to go with Miami's second rounder. Now of course, there's the little problem we all recognize as an incompetent Wolves organization. So we can't expect the Wolves to make good use of those picks. But maybe we'll just get lucky.

Haha. I get it, the soft tank is a smart move. I'm just frustrated we got nothing for any of our expiring vets.

I wish we had a better owner. To another year hoping we hit the lottery or draft a sleeper. Not saying it can't happen it just sucks we are relying on 4% to not piss away another franchise player time with the wolves away again.

Also realize I have been a dumb asshole with the thibs/Saunders stuff these last couple of weeks. Just realize I am doing it just to vent, i'm not an idiot fan. I really enjoy this board and it just sucks we never get nice things. I'm just venting my frustrations of another rebuild coming.

kekgeek1 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Kekgeek - I share your frustration. But I bring you tidings of tanking joy. The Wolves are closing in on locking down a top 10 lottery pick. More good news I forgot to mention is that the Heat lost tonight. They're barely hanging on the to the 8th spot in the East. If Detroit passes them in the standings and Miami finishes 9th in the East, then the Wolves will likely have the 39th or 40th pick in the draft since the Wolves own Miami's second round pick for 2019. So I'm thinking 10th and 40th with an outside shot of getting a top 4 pick to go with Miami's second rounder. Now of course, there's the little problem we all recognize as an incompetent Wolves organization. So we can't expect the Wolves to make good use of those picks. But maybe we'll just get lucky.

Haha. I get it, the soft tank is a smart move. I'm just frustrated we got nothing for any of our expiring vets.

I wish we had a better owner. To another year hoping we hit the lottery or draft a sleeper. Not saying it can't happen it just sucks we are relying on 4% to not piss away another franchise player time with the wolves away again.

Also realize I have been a dumb asshole with the thibs/Saunders stuff these last couple of weeks. Just realize I am doing it just to vent, i'm not an idiot fan. I really enjoy this board and it just sucks we never get nice things. I'm just venting my frustrations of another rebuild coming.

I totally get it, kekgeek. I started this thread primarily to vent my own frustration. Not dealing Andy of our expiring vets by the deadline was ridiculous. It's just another example of how poorly run this organization is. Any good organization has (1) a clear goal of where it wants to go, (2) an equally clear chance of where it is in relation to that goal. A good organization will then develop a strategy intended to achieve that goal and based on an understanding of where the organization is at. Any good NBA organization's primary goal should be title contetion.

Organizations like the Dallas Mavs and LA Clippers know who they are in relation to their goal of contending for a title. Accordingly, they both make deals this week that take them a step back in order to take multiple steps forward. The Mavs organization knew they had only one budding young star, Luka Doncic. So they traded a very good young PG prospect for a potentially elite big man, Porzingis and cap relief to possibly sign another elite player in the offseason. And by trading for Porzingis, who won't be able to play this season, they effectively soft-tank their way to a top 5 pick, which they will be able to keep. The Clippers traded their best and only allstar caliber player, Tobias Harris, for future 1st round picks and cap space they can use to go after one or even two superstars in free agency. Meanwhile, the deal will also cause them to slide in the standings and enhance their own 2019 draft position.

These deals may or may not work out for these two teams. But that's not the point. The point is that both organizations executed a plan clearly aimed at eventually making them title contenders. And importantly, their plans reflect a realistic understanding of where they are today relative to that goal. I understand the Wolves Rose, Tolliver and Gibson weren't going to garner anything close to the same sort of return the Mavs and Clippers received for the assets they traded. But again, that's not the point. The point is to use the assets you have to move your franchise forward towards the goal of becoming a contender. Given where the Wolves are at, there was absolutely no reason to hang on to Tolliver, Rose or even Gibson. All three should have be dealt to contending teams for the best possible future picks in return -- even if only mid second round picks. Or perhaps the Wolves should have been bolder and swapped Saric in combination with other assets for something more. Perhaps they could have swapped Wiggins for a shorter, smaller contract without giving up picks. The Wolves organization either doesn't have a realistic sense of where the team is at or it has no sense of how to devise and execute a strategy to become a contending team.