Some future Timberwolves questions to answe

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

1. Can you afford to keep Love on a team with so many big contracts?

Love will no doubt opt out this year. I just don't see him going to the Lakers, Love isn't dumb and anyone could see the Lakers have no real plan for the future and wouldn't get along with current Kobe. Wolves have to give him the 5 year max but does anyone know how much the Wolves would be in the luxury tax giving Love the max with everybody else's big deals?

2. Whose the next coach for the Wolves?

It looks all but certain that this is Adelmans last year. The plan was to have Porter take over but based on the games he coached last year I think it would be terrible. Ideally if the Mavs tank I would love Carlile if he left there.

3. What kind of contract will Ricky command?

While Ricky has been very good and clearly a fan favorite, I don't think he's a max player. I'm hoping he would take a contract similar to Ty Lawson.

4. Does Flip have and plan for the future?

It looks like that this years Wolves squad will be better then any Khan has had. Problem is that it looks like Flip has maxed out this team in terms of salary cap. I liked how Khan kept us with some flexibility with the cap to maybe make a deal to become an elite team.. Problem was some luck and some that he never made that deal. Flip has opened this teams window, if they aren't elite, then that window is going to shut quickly.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

1. I believe we don't need to make a move on Love's next contract for at least two more seasons (including this one). Lots can happen between now and then.

2. Why is this Adelman's last year?

3. I agree that Ricky should command no more than Ty Lawson money. However, if his shooting really does improve this year, I will gladly pay him more. If he continues to shoot sub 40% from the field and sub-35% from 3, he simply is not in the upper tier of PGs, no matter how many assists and steals he gets.

4. For Flip, the future is now. We are pretty much locked into the guys we have. We need to start making some playoff noise this year if we hope to keep this squad together much longer. Khan may have kept some salary cap flexibility, but his miserable draft record forced us to use it on mediocre veterans.

[TAFKASP]

1. If Love has the kind of year he looks to based upon his pre-season performance Glen has no choice but to swallow hard on that contract.
2. If the team excels I wouldn't be surprised to see Adelman coach for another year or two. I agree on Porter, but then he didn't have much to work with either.
3. Whatever it takes, Rubio is more important to the team long term than Love. His value to the Wolves far exceeds his value relative to other players in the league.
4. Khan kept flexibility early when fan expectations allowed for it. He would be in the same win now position as Flip were he to have been retained. Flip inherited the core pieces of a very good team, he'll make his mark in how well he supplements that core with limited resources. The situation while similar to the KG years is far better in that they have Love, Pek, and Rubio as a relatively young core vs having KG's contract and not much else.

There is only one Miami in the league, it is unfair to expect any team to put in place a team that can be guaranteed to compete with them. The best you can do is put together pieces that if they stay healthy and perform at their peak for an entire season then maybe they make a great run. It is far easier to do when like OKC you luck into to top ten players, the rest of the league has to be happy with one and hope to find the right combination of supporting cast.

If they stay healthy the Wolves are going to be a lot of fun to watch, and it has been a long time since that has been so.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

1. Love is locked in for 2 years. Don't know why we would trade him at all this year unless this core clearly shows that they can't win together by the All-Star break this and even then you don't have to make a move until the offseason when we could get a high pick out of someone that would be valuable. At the end of the day, the role players are expendable next year and can be used to bring in another big fish. Taylor will go into the luxury tax if we put a contender on the floor.

2. I would be interested in George Karl. Ricky, JJ, Brewer, Shved, Bazz and Bud all like to run and with Love throwing outlet passes, Karl's fast paced offense could be a good fit. I'd also look at Stan Van Gundy. We do similar things offensively to how his teams played with Dwight in terms of 4 players on the perimeter with a bruiser in the post. We wouldn't fit with him defensively, but I think he has the chops to help us get better defensively.

3. Ricky makes the max unless he gives us the Rondo hometown discount which I don't see happening if he has a halfway smart agent. Half the teams in the league would give him the max for the simple fact that he puts people in the seats because of his passing alone. All it takes to get a max deal is one team willing to give it to him which multiple would so the only way he doesn't get the max will be a mistake by either him or his agent.

4. Flips plan for the future is pretty clear because he has basically locked this team in place for the next 2 years at least and probably the next 4 after Ricky and Love are signed. Unless he is willing to trade guys he just signed, we are pretty much stuck with what we got.

[Lipoli390]

1. Can we afford to keep Love?

We can't afford not to unless we're ready to start our next rebuilding process. When healthy, he's the best player on this team by far and the best in the League at his position. As others have pointed out, Love is locked in this season and next before he can opt out. I have no doubt that Taylor will not go into luxury tax territory. He led the smaller market owners in the fight for a more punitive luxury tax to stop teams from feeling compelled to overpay to be competitive. And he knows that the additional roster restrictions that go with exceeding the luxury tax threshold will seriously undermine the Wolves ability to compete. The problem, as this question presumes, is that Flip's decision to overpay bench players like Budinger and Brewer will make it very difficult to stay below the luxury tax threshold while keeping our core of Love, Rubio, Pekovic and Martin.

2. Who is the next Wolves head coach?

If the question is who SHOULD the Wolves next head coach be, I'd say Carlisle, George Karl, Van Gundy, or Elston Turner. But the question posed was asking for a prediction. I have no doubt the next Wolves head coach will be Flip Saunders. That's why Flip declined to hire Elston Turner to replace Bayno on our coaching staff. Turner would have been the logical successor to Adelman. That's also why Flip filled the Wolves GM position with his former colleague from the Wizards. Flip came back to the Wolves fully intending to replace a 66 yer old head coach -- Adelman -- who Flip knew was close to retirement and who might have retired before this season if his wife's health hadn't improved.

3. What kind of contract will Ricky command?

Kahns2k5 got it right. Ricky will get a max deal from someone if not the Wolves. He attracts talent because of his playing style. He attracts fans and an international following because of his personality and European background. Oh, and he's a very good PG -- probably the best pure passing PG in the League.

4. Does Flip have a plan for the future?

No. He has a plan for the present. When you sign two bench players -- Brewer and Budinger -- for three years guaranteed at a combined $10 million per year, you are not thinking of the future. However, I would argue that signing those two at that price was poor judgment even for the short term. That money would have been much better spent on a true starter like AK47 ( or trade for Ariza or other) and a cheap backup like DeMarre Carroll. But we'll have to see how things play out.

[Papalrep]

1. Can you afford to keep Love on a team with so many big contracts? Yes, he likes it here, 15M will do it - he will be extended and stay
2. Who is the next Wolves head coach? Whomever provides the most seamless transition from Adelman, a coach everyone likes. Will NOT be Carlisle or Van Gundy, Karl too old - Elston, hi there
3. What kind of contract will Ricky command? MAX - Love is the best player, Ricky the most important. Ricky sells tickets. He is Kirby - beloved - he's maxed.
4. Does Flip have a plan for the future? Yes, and as long as he doesn't coach, I am ok with it

[WildWolf2813]

To answer your questions


1. Yes would be the easy answer. The real answer is, Glen Taylor better. He's not opting out this season because he can't. If Glen is unwilling to spend the luxury tax, we won't attempt to win a title. Gotta spend to win, not just on Love but in any case.


2. The next coach? It could be Flip again, but I do hope it's a fresh face with bright ideas.

3. Ricky's possible deal? If he's as valuable as we know he can be, a max deal. He's the most important player on this team. I think if we are a playoff team, he'll be the biggest cause of it.


4. I think the team has lost so much that I think the plan is simply to get back to where we were. I don't think ownership has the competitiveness in them to try to go all out for a title. The losing has beat us all down to where we'll take one and dones again. The moves made now are to hopefully just sniff the postseason, and anything above that moving forward is gravy. I just think the team's operating to never have a drought like the one we're in ever again.

[AbeVigodaLive]

1. YES. If Love is deemed worthy of a max deal, the other contracts are the ones you ditch. NBA success is about superstar players -- not almost really good players. As for the current contract... I know, I know... it's rehashing things. But it might be the dumbest move the Wolves have made in dozens of them over the years. A star WANTS to stay and you make him "prove it" again? That doesn't work in today's NBA... for better or worse.

If the Wolves have any inkling Love is gone... don't wait. Trade him THIS season when there's still a chance to get closer to equal value. Waiting until he chooses his destination and makes it public is a disaster that cannot yield what he's worth in an open market. (this is what Utah did with Deron Williams)

2. I don't see Adelman having too many years left. Maybe this is his last... depends on his wife's health right? Anyway, look for retreads from the Saunders stable. Or, look at Saunders himself. Having the executive role AND the coaching role puts him in a pretty damn powerful position in this organization. Maybe it's the reason he hired Milt Newton as GM?

3. I don't see Rubio as a max player. I never have. That MIGHT change, but no player shooting below 40% (or, gasp 36% warrants anything near it). That's just the way it is. But he also doesn't seem greedy. If he and Pek and Love truly do have something here, does anything in this charismatic, unselfish PG's fiber scream "pay me the max or else?" Another reason the Love snub was so dumb.

4. I have no idea. I don't see the roster as a championship contender. Unless Rubio becomes a top 10 - 15 player. And, Love returns to Top 10 form. Martin's contract already seems like a bit of an albatross...

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I'll stick to the same format everyone else has used.

1. Kevin Love has to stay in Minnesota. Period. He's well worth the max contract and it's still ridiculous that Kahn didn't give it to him several years ago. I think with Kahn out and Flip in, Love will want to stick around, especially with the team that we have constructed right now. The only place I could see him wanting to go is maybe Houston OR somewhere he and Durant can team up since they seem pretty close. The key is Ricky Rubio, though. I think it's underrated and not talked about enough how much Rubio affects Love. Ricky makes people better. The negative people on this board can find me whatever stat they'd like to show me if I'm wrong, but people that watch the games see Ricky put people (including Love) in the best position to score. A power forward like Love wants good looks and good opportunities to score. Ricky is best for him.

2. I think Adelman has three years left in him, honestly. That's as long as his wife doesn't regress with her health. For more important reasons than basketball, I really hope Ms. Adelman stays healthy and doesn't have future problems. As long as Adelman is here, I feel really good about this team and the development of our players. Just think about the strides Love, Rubio and Pek have taken so far under his coaching. The next group that needs to develop is D-Will, Shved and Shabazz. Not to mention guys he already developed in Kevin Martin and Chase Budinger when they were in Houston (Martin when he was in SAC). Adelman's an extremely underrated coach in this league and we should feel lucky to have him. As for potential replacements, I could definitely see Flip taking over the team. I don't know how I'd feel about that. We'll deal with it when the time comes. I'd like to see established head coaches like Jeff Van Gundy or Stan Van Gundy. If neither are available, I'd be interested in guys like Nate McMillan, David Joerger or David Fizdale.

3. I think Rubio is worth a max contract, but I hope that we wouldn't have to pay him with one. If we do, then I'm fine with it, but I think a Ty Lawson contract would be great. Rubio is the most important player for the Wolves if they want to contend for anything more than just a playoff berth. Love is the best, most talented player on the team and I think his play combined with this roster can make the playoffs even if Sota had an average PG. If the Wolves really want to contend for anything more than that, though, Rubio is the key. Also, I think Kahn made that ignorant contract decision in regards to Love because he wanted to show how great of a pick Rubio was. After all his failures in the draft, he wanted us and everyone else to see how great Rubio was by saving the max for him. Pretty stupid if you ask me. I'm glad Kahn's gone. He would have handed Rubio the city of Minneapolis if he could.

4. Plan for the present: Make the playoffs and go from there. Plan for the future: Get better as a team internally and grow as players. We're banking on our current roster growing. If they do, why can't this team make noise in the playoffs? This is the NBA where anything can happen. As KG said when he won a ring in Boston, "Anything is possible!"

[Papalrep]

2. The next coach? It could be Flip again, but I do hope it's a fresh face with bright ideas

How bout Fred Hoiberg?