At this point....

[thedoper]

Why keep any veterans? I think a fire sale for anyone not named Rubio, Wiggins, or Shabazz is fine by me at this point. And even Rubio should/could be had for the right price in my mind at this point.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

So Shabazz has more value in your eyes than Rubio? You said Rubio, Wiggins and Muhammad as untouchables, but basically said Rubio shouldn't be untouchable. The hell?

We have five chips (our future core) that need to be kept: Rubio, LaVine, Wiggins, Muhammad and Dieng. After that, sure, wheel and deal away.

Guys I'd be actively shopping: Pekovic, Williams, Brewer, Budinger. It'd be tremendous, in my opinion, if Flip 'flipped' these players for beneficial assets at the deadline.

Guys I'm OK with trading, but the return should be much nicer than the previous tear of players: Kevin Martin, Thaddeus Young, Anthony Bennett.

[thedoper]

Rubio may have some high value in some team's eyes where Shabazz would land us nothing. No one is untouchable outside of Wiggins to me. I do agree that the best young core is the 5 you listed but if Dieng or Lavine is the missing piece in a great deal I say move them.

[kekgeek]

Rubio is untouchable in my eyes look at us without him

[thedoper]

Rubio is untouchable in my eyes look at us without him

With him we were just under .500. I think we should evaluate everything if this merits a player being untouchable.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I'd add Bennett to the list of young guys we shouldn't consider trading. He has been solid this year and at worst it looks like he can get you buckets off the bench, rebound and play decent defense. Given the improvement he's shown from his rookie year to now, I think we have to see what he can do after one more offseason to see if he can take another step forward. If he can add 3 point range to his jumper this offseason, I think he could become a very valuable piece moving forward given the lack of overall shooting ability on this roster.

[AbeVigodaLive]

This is a 60+ loss team again.

Bennett untouchable?
Muhammad?
LaVine?

None of them even has a true NBA position. None of them have proven to be "can't miss" guys. All are expendable. Problem is, outside or this message board, what's their value? It's probably better rolling the dice with them. But let's be honest here... each is on this pitiful team for a reason. And this team is pitiful for many reasons, including their performances.

Nobody is untouchable... if the price is right.

The much-ballyhooed #1 pick phenom, Wiggins? Dig his athleticism, but will it translate? It will be fun to find out, and considering landing him bought Saunders at least 2 years of extra rebuilding, the team has to see where this is going.

Rubio? I fear backlash if I don't verbally fellate him with every post, but the truth is that he's still hasn't proven to more than average PG. The team was 2 - 3 with him. That MIGHT be too small of a sample size. The guy still has serious flaws to his game... while being exceptional at other things. Combine them and you have an average starting PG at a position that's absolutely stocked right now in the NBA.

He gets bonus points for being a fan favorite who can create so much goodwill, seemingly no matter what. So, he's still close to untouchable. But we still don't know what he can become. Sure, the first 4 games looked promising. But, that sample size... I also don't think he'll be back to full health this season. And the Wolves will be cautious with him. I'm already chalking this up to another lost season for him.

We'll have to rave about his potential for another 10 months before we find out for sure (hopefully) next season.

Everybody else? Expendable. This team is in full-fledged rebuild mode. Again.

[bleedspeed]

If the trade makes the team better over the next 3-5 years I make the trade. Nobody would be off limits.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

What a horrible loss last night. Why is AB not playing at all? Is he falling apart ala Derrick Williams?

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Abe, my usual take is the same as yours...if you're a losing team like the Wolves, nobody should be considered untouchable. Any trade that makes your team a little better is one that needs to be considered.

But my normal take assumes that a GM is dealing from a position of knowledge...that he really knows what he currently has and can accurately evaluate the impact a trade will have on the franchise. Our team, when healthy, is so different from any we have had before...enormously athletic, too young to likely compete consistently, and unfamiliar with playing together. Flip doesn't really know what he has yet in Wiggins, Bennett, LaVine, Dieng and Muhammad, and frankly, even in Ricky. So I waiver from my usual position, and hope Flip doesn't make any moves involving those 6. Everyone else is on the table, even if the effect is negative short-term.

While I agree that the first 4 1/2 games of the season is not a sufficient sample size to draw any final conclusions, I liked what I saw and use different words to describe them. You say the Wolves were 2-3 in that stretch and that is factually accurate. But I would describe it differently. I would say that the Wolves were 2-2 when Ricky went down and clearly on their way to 3-2 since they won both quarters in which he played (and subsequently lost the 3rd and 4th quarters and overtime). And I would add that Detroit was the only pushover that we faced in that series of games, because even the Nets are .500 at home. And the only teams we lost to, Memphis and Chicago, are 18-3 at home and on the road, respectively...and yet still we took both powerhouses down to the final buzzer. Small sample size, yes...but reducing those five games to "2-3" tells an incomplete story. I saw enough to tell me that the post-Love era was going to be pretty good.

We're going to struggle to win any games until Ricky returns, and I admit I share some of your fears that he may be out or ineffective the rest of the year. If so, we might end up closer to 10 wins than 15. But there's no question in my mind that he adds a lot when he plays...both passion and talent...and I still see 30+ wins if he and Martin both returns in a month. I think Flip needs to sit tight with the losses, continue to coach his young future studs up, start planning the top five draft pick he is going to add to the roster, and wait for our catalyst and our best shooter and scorer to return. Yeah, it sounds like the same old song, but when you lose three top starters, it's the reality of the situation.