Kuminga Presser

[60WinTim]

We will not be putting Kuminga and LaMelo on the Wolves all-interview team... But I do rank him above LaMelo!

It feels a bit awkward knowing how much money he's left on the table with the decisions he has made. But for this one year, I am looking forward to having his contribution to the team, and then let the chips fall where they may next offseason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoTnl1JBzi4

[FNG]

Thanks for that, Tim. Yeah, not too much personality shines through. But I'll cut him some slack considering he's speaking in his 4th language! It might be a relief for him to be able to speak French with Rudy and Joan.

[Monster]

I had not really heard Kuminga in interview or anything but he definitely didn't come of like a smooth operator. At one point I was thinking let's say the narrative about the guy really is out of whack...I could see why his agent decided to speak publicly. It doesn't seem like Kuminga was gonna do it.

The other thing that continues to stick out to me is he chose to come here. He did give up other options for more money. He isn't chasing the money. I don't know if he ever was this off-season. It seems like he was looking for the opportunity. In GS he didn't get it or when he did it was a mixed bag but with the Wolves he is getting a great opportunity to play as a starter and with an excellent supporting cast with a really good PG. His comment about playing with Gobert as a true rim protector was something I was thinking about. Playing with Gobert is different than Draymond. Gobert still demands certain things but he is much more of a guy that you can funnel players to and he will protect the rim. It feels like maybe this will be a better spot for a few reasons.

Kuminga comes across to me as a guy that's not a star but a guy that could star in his role just in terms of watching this press conference. Soon we will get some sort of sense of what he can and can't do on this team. I'm getting more excited about it. The total price we paid for the chance for it to work out was pretty low.

[Lipoli390]

My take was similar to Monster’s. I’ll add that I found Kuminga very engaging in a quiet way and I got a really good vibe from him. Mello sounded and looked like he didn’t want to be there at his presser. But Kuminga looked very content to be on that stage answering questions. He strikes me as a really good guy who is very serious as well as happy and thankful to be here.

[Wolvesfan21]

I had not really heard Kuminga in interview or anything but he definitely didn't come of like a smooth operator. At one point I was thinking let's say the narrative about the guy really is out of whack...I could see why his agent decided to speak publicly. It doesn't seem like Kuminga was gonna do it.

The other thing that continues to stick out to me is he chose to come here. He did give up other options for more money. He isn't chasing the money. I don't know if he ever was this off-season. It seems like he was looking for the opportunity. In GS he didn't get it or when he did it was a mixed bag but with the Wolves he is getting a great opportunity to play as a starter and with an excellent supporting cast with a really good PG. His comment about playing with Gobert as a true rim protector was something I was thinking about. Playing with Gobert is different than Draymond. Gobert still demands certain things but he is much more of a guy that you can funnel players to and he will protect the rim. It feels like maybe this will be a better spot for a few reasons.

Kuminga comes across to me as a guy that's not a star but a guy that could star in his role just in terms of watching this press conference. Soon we will get some sort of sense of what he can and can't do on this team. I'm getting more excited about it. The total price we paid for the chance for it to work out was pretty low.

I think to be completely fair, ask me to do an interview in Spanish and I'll definitively not be smooth talker. I can follow and speak it a bit, and Kumingas English is better then my Spanish, but it's not his native language.

[FNG]

I had mixed feelings watching the presser. I also found JK relaxed, mature and likable. But like Tim, I felt some discomfort on his part as he talked about how he made his decision. How could he not be uncomfortable? It has to be embarrassing talking openly about a process where he left millions of dollars on the table! I still think it will work out for him...I think he will have a productive season and earn a contract larger than the one the Lakers were offering him. I agree that the fit for him here is really good, but he also would have fit in quite well at either forward position for the Lakers (in place of Grimes or Laravia). Oh well... being Wolves fans, it worked out really well for us.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Kind of a weird, sordid story with Kuminga over the past couple of years. At one point, it sure seemed like it was about the money. And now, it's become about the loss of said money.

None of it is really relevant for now. Neither are pressers like this. Meh.

All that matters is on the court. We'll find out soon enough whether Kuminga can fit in on a good team as a complementary player or not. Hopefully it works. Either way... I expect him to be here for this season only.

[Monster]

I had not really heard Kuminga in interview or anything but he definitely didn't come of like a smooth operator. At one point I was thinking let's say the narrative about the guy really is out of whack...I could see why his agent decided to speak publicly. It doesn't seem like Kuminga was gonna do it.

The other thing that continues to stick out to me is he chose to come here. He did give up other options for more money. He isn't chasing the money. I don't know if he ever was this off-season. It seems like he was looking for the opportunity. In GS he didn't get it or when he did it was a mixed bag but with the Wolves he is getting a great opportunity to play as a starter and with an excellent supporting cast with a really good PG. His comment about playing with Gobert as a true rim protector was something I was thinking about. Playing with Gobert is different than Draymond. Gobert still demands certain things but he is much more of a guy that you can funnel players to and he will protect the rim. It feels like maybe this will be a better spot for a few reasons.

Kuminga comes across to me as a guy that's not a star but a guy that could star in his role just in terms of watching this press conference. Soon we will get some sort of sense of what he can and can't do on this team. I'm getting more excited about it. The total price we paid for the chance for it to work out was pretty low.

I think to be completely fair, ask me to do an interview in Spanish and I'll definitively not be smooth talker. I can follow and speak it a bit, and Kumingas English is better then my Spanish, but it's not his native language.

That's all true and I'm not really knocking him just making an observation. The guy has been in the US since HS.

[Monster]

My take was similar to Monster’s. I’ll add that I found Kuminga very engaging in a quiet way and I got a really good vibe from him. Mello sounded and looked like he didn’t want to be there at his presser. But Kuminga looked very content to be on that stage answering questions. He strikes me as a really good guy who is very serious as well as happy and thankful to be here.

It's interesting we saw this differently while agreeing on a lot too. I didn't think he looked more comfortable than Ball. I thought it was fairly awkward. It was a little odd that they just started with questions no statement from him or Connelly. What was different was Ball was up there with a teammate in Green and at least was having a few laughs. It was a less familiar situation for Kuminga. I agree he seemed to genuinely looking to answer the questions but it didn't seem to be clear if he was getting out what he wanted to say.

I agree with Abe's take that these PCs only mean so much but my takeaway was that he doesn't seem like a guy that's outspoken. He seems more of a Jaden type personality than even Towns etc. That's not bad just an observation. Maybe he will open up get a lot more comfortable etc but he didn't seem like a wildly engaging guy in public. Honestly watching him up there I was kinda like...wait maybe I see why he hasn't put it all together. He is still a young dude turning 24 in what a few weeks? He also doesn't have to put it all together to be a good very worthwhile player. Heck Jaden hasn't put it all together and he is a very valuable NBA player.