2015-16 Wolves thread

[DaveW]

I'd bed the over on the T Pups and I would bet the farm on the Knicks

[Willihammer]

 

Your link is from 2014.  I don't gamble but I would invest my entire life savings on the under 41 for the Knicks.

Oh snap it is (wouldn've gone 3/4 tho).

Here is an actual working link to 2015-2016 over/under win odds. It is a month old already.

http://espn.go.com/chalk/story/_/id/13772067/nba-westgate-las-vegas-superbook-releases-2015-16-season-win-totals

 

[Vanimal46]

 

Bad link?

Woofies are 26.5 according to a 10/10 line here: https://www.sportsinsights.com/blog/2014-15-nba-win-totals/

Further from the mean (41) than any other team. Easiest bet on the board really (over).

See sig

edit: looking again, the Spurs, Cavs, and OKC are further. I would bet on those four to regress to the mean.

 

Yeah not sure what happened with that link from Business Insider.... This link shows the Timberpups at 25.5 wins.. I'd still probably bet the under giving the circumstances with the team....

 

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/154964596/nba-win-total-2015-16-vegas-sportsbook-thunder

 

 

[Shane Wahl]

34 wins this year. The team has legit ballers up and down. Pekovic and Rubio being healthy is assumed here (at least 60 games of them). For now, Dieng is damn nice to have around.

 

Bjelica is a huge improvement over Robbie Hummel!

 

 

[kab21]

Tayshaun Prince starting over Lavine or Martin?  That doesn't make any sense.

 

Nice to see Bjelica get 23 minutes and rather predictably take 2/3 of his shots from beyond the arc.

[TheLeviathan]

Amazing what happens when you put Lavine and Rubio on the court at the same time.  Let's do that more often.

[bluechipper]

 

Tayshaun Prince starting over Lavine or Martin?  That doesn't make any sense.

 

Nice to see Bjelica get 23 minutes and rather predictably take 2/3 of his shots from beyond the arc.

I think the main reason for that is to add a solid defender to start and it lets Wiggins go up against 2s, which he seems to do better against. I don't know what he was doing on offense last night though.

[Mike Sixel]

Not really much of a fan, but if Rubio shoots like that, that would make this team quite good.

[drjim]

Tayshaun Prince starting over Lavine or Martin? That doesn't make any sense.

 

Nice to see Bjelica get 23 minutes and rather predictably take 2/3 of his shots from beyond the arc.

I like it. Always space for Wiggins to get going early, establishes a defensive tempo, and matches up Martin and Lavine against a weaker second team.

[ALessKosherScott]

Post game tweet:

 

The Wolves are shooting 49.5% with Ricky Rubio on the floor. And 32.7% when he's sitting.

[DaveW]

So uh, this team looks good, Rubio looks so much better and Towns is an instant stud.

 

Western is tough as nails, but I'd like to think the Wolves can make a run at the seed

[TheLeviathan]

Yeah, Towns is even better than any of us could have hoped. His offensive game has serious polish and he is clicking with Rubio.

[DaveW]

Yeah, Towns is even better than any of us could have hoped. His offensive game has serious polish and he is clicking with Rubio.

Overall it's just another reason to be pumped as a Minnesota fan.

Twins on the rise

Vikes on the rise

Wild solid as hell and on the rise IMO

T Pups on the rise

 

Gophers? Meh who cares

[biggentleben]

Overall it's just another reason to be pumped as a Minnesota fan.

Twins on the rise

Vikes on the rise

Wild solid as hell and on the rise IMO

T Pups on the rise

 

Gophers? Meh who cares

You were so close to me "liking" your post, then that last bit! Garble, garble!

[Hrbowski]

 

Overall it's just another reason to be pumped as a Minnesota fan.
Twins on the rise
Vikes on the rise
Wild solid as hell and on the rise IMO
T Pups on the rise

Gophers? Meh who cares

Nebraska?

[DaveW]

You were so close to me "liking" your post, then that last bit! Garble, garble!

ha, I mean, I never went to UM or have any family who did either, I will "root" for them but don't really care when they inevitably fail. I have been a Nebraska fan my whole life and an OU fan since 2003 when I went to college there, perhaps it's not coincidence that they are 0-3 in national championships since I became a fan of them (I was at all three, yuck)

[kab21]

 

Yeah, Towns is even better than any of us could have hoped. His offensive game has serious polish and he is clicking with Rubio.

 

This is almost the right team for Rubio to run.  They still need to figure out how the rest of the parts around Rubio, Wiggins and Towns go together but Bjelica keeps getting a lot of minutes.

[TheLeviathan]

 

This is almost the right team for Rubio to run.  They still need to figure out how the rest of the parts around Rubio, Wiggins and Towns go together but Bjelica keeps getting a lot of minutes.

 

Do you think that other piece is another slasher at SF/SG?  (I'd like to see Rubio and Lavine playing more together for that reason)

 

Prince just doesn't seem to bring much to the table at this point.

[kab21]

I would definitely like to see what Lavine could do in that spot.  He has the skillset to do really well but more importantly I would want to see if he was a legit starter with this group this year or if the Wolves need to make an offseason move.

 

Dieng seems to be getting forgotten about and it might make sense to move him if they can get something of value back.

[bluechipper]

Tayshaun Prince needs to not play. Ever.

[ALessKosherScott]

 

Do you think that other piece is another slasher at SF/SG?  (I'd like to see Rubio and Lavine playing more together for that reason)

 

Prince just doesn't seem to bring much to the table at this point.

 

I like the thought of keeping Wiggins at SG and forcing the mismatch on him, then trying to find a good 3 and D at SF. If they could get the 2005 version of Prince, it would be the perfect piece. While we've got a time machine in that scenario, we might as well grab the 2002 version of KG too.

[bluechipper]

 

I like the thought of keeping Wiggins at SG and forcing the mismatch on him, then trying to find a good 3 and D at SF. If they could get the 2005 version of Prince, it would be the perfect piece. While we've got a time machine in that scenario, we might as well grab the 2002 version of KG too.

A Luol Deng type of free agent signing next offseason and this team is really going to be ready to compete.

[PseudoSABR]

Jesus this team is ruining its lottery chances already.

[kab21]

This team has some pieces that actually look really, really good together. 

 

Crazy scenario - the Wolves actually win enough games to lose their top 12 protected pick to the Celtics.  I think that scenario should be safe though but damn they have had some moments.

 

Looks like Bjelica is going to play a lot and so far the stat lines look good.  Perhaps he is putting up an empty stat line but he is at least spreading the floor.

[DaveW]

 

This team has some pieces that actually look really, really good together. 

 

Crazy scenario - the Wolves actually win enough games to lose their top 12 protected pick to the Celtics.  I think that scenario should be safe though but damn they have had some moments.

 

Looks like Bjelica is going to play a lot and so far the stat lines look good.  Perhaps he is putting up an empty stat line but he is at least spreading the floor.

Yeah they got a long ways to go, if they were in the East I think they make the 6 or 7 seed, in the West, they could have a very nice season and still finish 10th or so.

[bluechipper]

This team has some pieces that actually look really, really good together. 

 

Crazy scenario - the Wolves actually win enough games to lose their top 12 protected pick to the Celtics.  I think that scenario should be safe though but damn they have had some moments.

 

Looks like Bjelica is going to play a lot and so far the stat lines look good.  Perhaps he is putting up an empty stat line but he is at least spreading the floor.

Bjelica definitely looks like a player. He made some clutch shots late last night. Starting PF next year if he keeps playing like this and even gets better.

[ALessKosherScott]

For as much abuse as Prince is taking, the Rubio/Wiggins/Prince/Garnett/Towns unit is the best defensive squad the Wolves have had since Sprewell said $8 million wasn't enough to feed his kids. Bjelica is at the point where he's Kevin Love-lite. 

 

I wonder if the next step for the Wolves is to look to make a move for a youngster with 3 & D potential-- maybe Andre Roberson from Oky City. It has to be a better idea than bringing in an aging Deng or Corey Brewer. 

[kab21]

How disappointing?  the Wolves played against Jeremy Lin (and the Hornets) and the game was played on cable in Taiwan and Rubio and Wiggins were hurt and the offense looked awful. 

 

Towns looks amazing though.  He is crazy athletic and a defensive stopper. 

 

I think Bjelica fits in perfect with a Rubio/Towns team.  I am not sure if he has any offensive game other than standing behind the arc swinging the ball around or shooting it but that opens up the lane a lot for Rubio to create.  And Towns can compensate for the defensive shortcomings.

 

Payne looked like a serviceable big.  He gets by based on will instead of skill (one of Jalen Rose's recent conversations) but he does the necessary things well.

 

Dieng looks a bit invisible and I guess right now he is the one sort of valuable trade chip that the Wolves have.

 

I would still like to see what Lavine could do at wing with the first team but he might be the best option to run the 2nd team for 15 minutes/night.  Tyus Jones didn't look ready to play yet.  Like him still though. 

 

 

[ALessKosherScott]

Pretty good read.

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14172961/the-cruel-tutelage-kevin-garnett

 

[kab21]

It was almost scary to read that about KG but that is why he is one of the best ever.

 

Observations

Lavine is stuck at the backup PG spot because he is far better than either other option, correct?  How would he look playing with the 1st team instead of Prince?  Or do the Wolves have to look outside the org for a wing long term?

 

Payne looks like a solid blue collar 4 (15 min/g reserve).  I can understand playing KG and Prince (not as much) but shouldn't the team be focused on developing guys like Payne (back to the bench when Bjelica returns)?

 

After putting a completely different team around Rubio he looks like a vital piece for the future compared to what the board thought of him a year ago.  But who could have guessed that they would have found a #4 that only shoots 3's and a 5 that can hit outside shots.