Minnesota Sports Forum

One thing that most good teams have in common is they aren't weighed down by 4-5 million dollar bench players. We have 3 of those guys right now in Bud, LRMAM and JJ. My question is with Bud's knee injuries, is he really going to be that much more valuable than Hummel going into the future. He is a shooter who can cut to the basket and has the athleticism to finish at the rim, but he's no better defensively and Hummel is a better rebounder. Hummel can't really cut to the basket and finish well, but he still stretches the floor and he is the better rebounder which is something we need as we barely outrebound the other team on a consistent basis (we are only +0.9 per game on the year). Neither of them can create a shot off the dribble. I'm fine with seeing how Bud bounces back this year, but I think we are going to have to move one of the three this offseason for a backup big that can actually score the basketball and not just hit jumpers. At the end of the day, Hummel makes less than 500K this year and just over a million next year to play essentially the same role as Bud, just not quite as good. Is Bud going to be worth that extra 4.5 million or would we be better off dealing him to a team that needs shooting for a big that is somewhat competent at scoring in the paint?

Barea and Cunningham need to be shopped first before we even think about moving Bud.

Hummel is a 3rd string sf who can do a decent job as a back up. He is good to have as a 11-13th man on the team as he can collect a bunch of dnpcd's and still be ready to play when his number is called. Kind of like how ellington was in his 3 yrs here.

Robbie had a very good game today. Even if we trade bud, we would still need someone better than hummel ahead of him on the depth chart. I prefer to keep him as a cheap 3rd stringer who can play. Bud is the better player, whether he can justify his 5m/yr salary, its up to him to prove it once he got healthy.

I do agree that we have too many bench guys making 4-5m/yr.

Khans, I think you make some good points here. You're right, we do have too many overpaid bench guys, and Bud is clearly not worth $4.5 million more than Hummel. If Hummel continues to play like I believe he is capable, there is some redundancy between him and Bud, and I would be receptive to moving Bud if the right deal was out there.

Bud vs. Hummel is an interesting discussion. There's no question that Hummel was by far the more highly regarded player in college prior to his knee problems. The Pistons' analyst reminded listeners last night that Hummel was a certain lottery pick and a probable first team All-American if he hadn't suffered the knee injuries. But because he was healthy prior to his own knee problems, Bud became the more highly regarded NBA player as Hummel toiled away in Europe.

But now that Bud is equally as damaged physically as Hummel, both having had multiple knee problems, I would argue that Hummel is the better long-term answer for the Wolves. I watched him pre-game and at halftime at the two Staples Center I attended this year, and there is not a better practice 3-point shooter on the team...and that includes Love and Martin. Bud is often glorified as a long-range shooting solution for the Wolves, but the fact is he only shot 32% beyond the arc in 23 games last year, and there's no reason to expect better this year after he returns from another injury. And although Hummel is far from an elite athlete, he possesses a complete NBA game in terms of ballhandling, rebounding and even defense. I like Bud as a player, but his athleticism was the only aspect he had that was superior to Hummel, and I suspect that that will be diminished after his second knee surgery.

I have hypothesized before that, barring team injuries, it might be difficult for Bud to pick up significant minutes upon his return. If there was a deal out there for Bud, I would be supportive. But I don't think that his contract will make him a very desirable trade target. Better to just keep him and enjoy the depth he brings the team.

I remember the Bucks having interest. If Flip did decide to move him, which is unlikely, I wonder if we could get Mayo in return for Bud and something else.

Interesting question, so I went and looked at some top teams to see what they do. MIAMI has 6 players making 3.2 to 6.2 mil, 2 starters and 4 bench. CHICAGO has 3 making 3 to 7 mil, normally 1 starter but now 2 with Rose out. DENVER has 7 making 3 to 6.3 mil, with normally 2 starting but 4 now with injuries. INDY has 4 making 3 to 4.5 mil, only one starting and he jumps to 16 mil next yr (George). CLIPPERS have 4 making 3 to 6.5, with 2 starting. PORTLAND has 6 making 3 to 6.8 mil, with 3 starting. And MINNESOTA has 7 making 3 to 7.5 mil, with 3 starting.

My conclusion is that we have more invested in the 2nd unit than is normal, but not a ridiculous difference. More the problem in my mind is that we haven't gotten our money's worth from our second unit.

Camden wrote:I remember the Bucks having interest. If Flip did decide to move him, which is unlikely, I wonder if we could get Mayo in return for Bud and something else.

I didn't remember that the Bucks were interested, cam, but obviously Mayo off the bench is just what the Wolves need. Unfortunately, we don't have the assets to make them trade their highest scorer. So often, fans want to package a lot of trash to make a case for a trade, but I'm not seeing any possibilities here. Bud, Shved and JJ would not be enough to convince them to give up Mayo.

OMG. Robbie has one good 4th Qt scoring 10 points, And now he's just as good as BUD? lol...We need bud more then ever on our 2nd team why even think about trading him for trash and then pray hobbie pans out....... If i were the wolves i would be looking to package JJ,Danta and shved for a scoring pg/sg and a Pf with some size and low post game...

Squishypoo wrote:OMG. Robbie has one good 4th Qt scoring 10 points, And now he's just as good as BUD? lol...We need bud more then ever on our 2nd team why even think about trading him for trash and then pray hobbie pans out....... If i were the wolves i would be looking to package JJ,Danta and shved for a scoring pg/sg and a Pf with some low post game...

I don't know why it's so preposterous to say Hummel is as good as future Hall of Famer Chase Budinger! And no, I'm not basing my comparison on one quarter of basketball. Hummel was a certain lottery pick before his knee injuries, and fell to the second round only because of his two knee surgeries. I watched him for four years at Purdue, and he was an exceptional talent. Bud was a good basketball player before his two knee surgeries, but was the 44th pick in the draft because he didn't project to be a great NBA player. And before he injured his knee twice, he played about the way he was expected to in the NBA...good, but not great. He wasn't very good when he returned from his first knee surgery, shooting only 41% (32% on threes) with as many turnovers as assists, and there's no reason to expect more after his second surgery. Hummel, on the other hand, has had a few years since his last surgery and seems to be healthy.

There is a perception on this board that Bud is the savior who is going to turn the season around. I think Turiaf will have more of an impact upon his return. We have seen Bud's ceiling and he is what he is. I'm much happier giving the reserve small forward minutes to Hummel over Bud.

As for your suggestion that we package Dante, Shved and JJ for a PF, let me ask you a question. How excited would you be if a GM offered you a package of Dante, Shved and JJ?

Who would want Bud right now? We're stuck with him. He probably won't even play for at least a couple more weeks, and even then probably won't be effective. I suspect we'll never see him play a full season.