CoolBreeze's 2 Things I haven't Liked About the Offseason Plus 1

[Coolbreeze44]

I think we need some life on the board here in the hot days of August, so let my try and get something jump started. Of course much has happened since we put the capper on another season of successful tanking. A lot of it has been good, and we certainly should be optimistic heading into the season. So here is the 2 + 1 for the offseason so far:

1) What's with the geriatric brigade? Does Flip really believe we can make the playoffs this season? I suppose individually and in a box, each of the grandfather moves could be considered all right. KG can still play a little bit. Miller provides a short term fix at an area of need. And Prince has always been a guy I liked, even though I have no idea what he has left. But collectively I'm just not seeing these moves. I'm not big into this "mentoring" aspect. I'm not totally dismissing it but how many wins does it really mean? I suppose if it helps some of these guys to become better pros, and be better people off the court I can see some value in it. Personally I think we are destined to take some lumps this year whether we have the brigade or not. What I don't want to see is some young players lose out on the minutes they need to develop.

2) I get most of what we have tried to do this summer, but what exactly is the plan at Power Forward. I realize KG is gong to start on the nights he's in the lineup, but then what? Payne, Bennett, Towns, Rudez, Dieng, Bjelica. I count 7 guys that could play time at the position, and I'm not sure any of them is the answer there. I know Flip has said he's going to let everybody compete in training camp and see what happens. The ole' throw a bunch of stuff at a wall and see what sticks method. Hopefully this whole thing gets figured in a positive way this season so we don't have the same questions heading into the following year. My prediction: Dieng and Towns play more center than PF, and Bjelica becomes a pleasant surprise and garners the most PF minutes.

Plus 1 - Like I said in the opening, an awful lot of positives to draw from. As mentioned I think Bjelica is going to really be a nice addition. But the Plus 1 for me so far this offseason is the anticipated improvement of Wiggins, Lavine, and Shabazz. I just have a feeling that all three of those guys are going to take a quantum leap forward this season. They all need to stay healthy this year and there is genuine reason to worry about Shabazz's ability to do so. But they are a trio of thoroughbreds who I can't wait to see run together. They all seem very driven and goal oriented. I think we all know that Wiggins is going to be a star, if one of the other two can join him - should be a lot of fun around here.

And that's CoolBreeze's 2 things I didn't like about the offseason plus 1.

[TAFKASP]

1. I don't think the mentoring is about wins this upcoming season at all. I think it's more about setting a tone in the minds of the kids as to what is required to be an NBA All Star.

[Lipoli390]

1. I don't think the mentoring is about wins this upcoming season at all. I think it's more about setting a tone in the minds of the kids as to what is required to be an NBA All Star.

SP -- Too bad only one of our three new geriatric mentors was actually selected to an NBA all-star team.

[Monster]

Cool what were you expecting or wanting to happen at PF?

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Thanks for the offseason 2+1, cool.

I know I come at the off-season moves differently than most on this board because I really do believe, as Flip does, that a healthy Wolves squad will challenge for a playoff spot this year. Heck, we know that Flip believed it at the start of last year...why else would he have traded a first rounder for one year of Thad Young if he didn't believe it? So after seeing his young players develop in last year's lost season and adding Town, KG and Bjelica while not losing anyone significant, he has to think again we will be in the hunt. So Flip largely made moves in the offseason designed to improve the team this year.

Geriatric brigade
The only concern about signing the over-the-hill gang that I share with you is if they take any meaningful minutes away from deserving youngsters, but I don't think they will. Flip suffered through a season last year where he very seldom had a veteran on the court, or even on the bench for that matter, and the results were predictably chaotic and unsuccessful. I believe he vowed to never be in that situation again, and took care of it by signing three guys that he knows he can count on to not embarrass him if they are called on.

And I don't think they are going to take away minutes from more deserving players. KG played very well at PF last year...certainly better than anyone in the clown car fighting for a starting PF role...and we should be grateful for any minutes Flip can get out of him. Back up PG has been a comedy and a tragedy the past three years, with leads disappearing or deficits expanding every time Ricky sat down. Miller will not provide many highlight reels, but since he has never relied on his athleticism to be successful, his age isn't much of a factor in his performance. And he never gets hurt. Flip knows he can call on him for 10-12 minutes of steady play every night, and that is something he hasn't had recently. And as for Prince, I expect him to be rocking a nice suit most nights, unless Wiggins or Shabazz gets hurt. But if the injury bug hits our SFs again, Flip knows he has a SF much more reliable than Michael Gelebale to turn to for limited minutes.

Any mentoring these guys provide is relatively inconsequential to me...I like these guys because they can play, albeit in a limited role not because they can mentor.

Power forward situation

If we can put the uncertainty of injuries aside, I think we largely agree that PF is by far the biggest uncertainty on this roster going forward. I find myself both puzzled and intrigued, because there is certainly talent there, but also a brief history of ineptitude. I'm comfortable that KG will start 60+ games and provide 20-22 minutes of KG passion and steadiness. But what about the other half of the games and the 20 games he doesn't play in? Here's what my wish would be, and it is dependent upon Pek returning to healthy 2013-4 form. This would allow Towns to become the primary back up at PF and C, a much more suitable role for a 19 year old rookie on a team that wants to make the playoffs than starting center. Bennett, Payne and Bjelica would battle it out for the minutes KG and Towns don't cover. But if Pek can't go and Towns is forced to play entirely at center, I don't know who is most likely to emerge behind KG at PF. My wish is that it would be AB, because his explosiveness makes him the most fun player to watch in the group. But his performance has been so inconsistent in his first 2 years, we just don't know if he will ever get it. We're just going to have to see who, if anyone, emerges in October.

[Coolbreeze44]

Cool what were you expecting or wanting to happen at PF?

Monster, I don't really have any expectations because the whole picture is so muddy at this point. In a perfect world we would be going into the season with a clear solution at that position, and be ready to roll from game 1. But instead we will be doing a lot of experimenting to see what works best. It's just not a scenario that a true playoff contender in the West should be under. I'm not saying it's not going to be fun to see how things shake out. Maybe someone really emerges and by midseason the situation is a strong one. We just don't know anything yet, especially when the health of KG is such a wild card.

[bleedspeed]

The PF spot is pretty messed up. In a perfect world it clicks for AB and he becomes PF. In a more realistic world Bjelica has some growing pains and then becomes a solid PF for us.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

The PF spot is pretty messed up. In a perfect world it clicks for AB and he becomes PF. In a more realistic world Bjelica has some growing pains and then becomes a solid PF for us.

Yeah, I think the range of options at PF is immense. Here's how I see it, from very good to very bad.

Dream scenario I: Pekovic's surgery is so successful that he is able to contribute like he did in the two seasons previous to last year (60 games, 30 MPG, 17PPG and 9RPG), allowing Flip to play Towns more at PF than C with Pek and Deing commanding most of the center minutes. KG plays 65 games at 20-22 MPG, Towns becomes a good inside/outside threat and off-the-ball shot blocker at PF, and one of Bjelica, Bennett and Payne becomes a very good third option at PF

Not quite as optimistic, but still a Dream Scenario Pek continues to have health issues, forcing Towns and Dieng to handle all the C minutes. KG plays 65 games at 20-22 MPG, and one or both of the following happens:
-AB rediscovers the confidence he showed in his one year in college, and becomes a quality back up to KG.
-Being a 27 year old pro veteran, Bjelica doesn't experience the usual difficult transition to the NBA, plays like a EuroLeague MVP, and becomes a quality back up to KG

[/More realistic scenariob] Pek misses significant time with injuries, Towns struggles a little in transition but generally contributes what a #1 pick contributes in his first year, KG needs some time off occasionally to rest his knee but still gives 60 games at 20MPG, the backup PFs (Bjelica, Payne and AB) show occasional flashes of spectacular play, but are mostly uneven in their 25+ MPG.

[/Nightmare Scenariob] Significant injuries happen again (most significantly to Pek and KG), Towns plays all season like he did in Summer League, Bjelica shows why the EuroLeague is not the same as the NBA, Payne plays out of control and rills his eyes frequently at Flip, AB continues to not look like the player he was in college).

That's a wide range. Assuming Ricky and Wiggins are healthy most of the year, I see the difference between the first dream scenario and the nightmare scenario as being the difference between 48 wins and 26 wins. I recognize that's a wide range, but while Ricky/Wiggins are the straws that stir the drink, we're still not going anywhere if Pek is hurt and we get nothing from the guys backing up KG at PF.

[Monster]

Cool what were you expecting or wanting to happen at PF?

Monster, I don't really have any expectations because the whole picture is so muddy at this point. In a perfect world we would be going into the season with a clear solution at that position, and be ready to roll from game 1. But instead we will be doing a lot of experimenting to see what works best. It's just not a scenario that a true playoff contender in the West should be under. I'm not saying it's not going to be fun to see how things shake out. Maybe someone really emerges and by midseason the situation is a strong one. We just don't know anything yet, especially when the health of KG is such a wild card.

I was thinking maybe you had something in mind for a solution this offseason.

I think one thing we tend to get caught up in is the idea that every starting player on a championship team has to be a star or all-star (or near enough for consideration) quality level player. We are obviously far from championship level but look at the guys that have played next to Duncan over the years. Mario Chalmers was nowhere near all-star level at PG for the Heat. We have Towns Wiggins Lavine Rubio and Bazz that are guys with legit upside (reasonable hope) to be stars or very good players so IF it happens we have all the other positions locked up with good players maybe we can live with a decent player as a PF and there may be a couple guys on the current roster that would get that job done and some have some potential to be at least average/unique starters in Bjelica and Dieng. Just something to consider.

Another consideration is the wolves have guys that could be moved at a later time to add a PF if it's needed. Of course just signing a FA next season could be an option also with the cap going up maybe we can sell someone solid on signing here. It always seems like there are guys available via trade that could be useful to a team that wants to get better. Pek's salary might even come into play down the line at some point to acquire an overpaid player like with the Gerald Wallace David Lee deal. It seems like Flip wants to keep Martin long term as a bench player but he could be a guy that helps them make a move also.

Right now we have too many guys to make any move for a PF unless it's a no brainer and I didn't see anything like that this offseason for the Wolves. The guy we need may be on the roster this season should shake some of that out particularly Bennett and Payne and possibly Dieng. Bjelica could show he is the guy but I am not getting my hopes up that high I just want him to be useful at least the 2nd half of the season. A big man rotation by committee could be another interesting option. Bojan Dubljevic an undersized space eater who shoots 3's could be fun to add to the mix especially if Towns turns out to be really good defensively. The PF position is unsure but the Wolves have some options. Part of this season is seeing what we have and what we don't have there.

Finally I will also add that overall chances are reasonably good we will have our first round pick next year so we may be able to add a promising young big in the draft.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

The PF clown car! Love it LST, can I use that?