2016-2017 Wolves season

[TheLeviathan]

 

Towns got snubbed for the all star team. I know stats aren't the only criteria, but he's averaging 22 and 12. 

 

West has a LOT of bigs.  I don't think he deserves it over any of those guys.

[bluechipper]

 

West has a LOT of bigs.  I don't think he deserves it over any of those guys.

I'd put him in over Deandre Jordan and Draymond Green. But yeah, it's close, so not a terrible snub.

[Pardon My Dinger]

"If anybody needs to use the glass it's Ricky Rubio...Right?"

 

- Jim Petersen

[bluechipper]

Tonight's game wasn't pretty in the 4th quarter, but Wiggins came up huge late and in overtime. Also 6 3's for Ricky tonight, so that was fun.

 

They're now 8-3 in their last 11 games.

[kab21]

The frustration of cheering for a young and talented team continues. 8-3 in their last 11 but still 19-29 due to the awful start. Nice to see them turning it around and I am hoping that Rubio continues to play good ball so people can see that he is an alright option as the 4th best starter in a lineup. They could do better at PG but they could do much, much worse and get a much worse fit for the rest of the team.

 

The starters continue to log big minutes in case anyone is watching.

 

Will Thibs force a win now move? I would certainly be fine picking up a moderately expensive veteran for 2nd rd picks. Kind of the reverse of the Corey Brewer trade from a couple of years ago. Preferably a little better player though.

[Pardon My Dinger]

I seriously doubt that the Wolves will make any moves other than dumping Rubio. That's just not smart. I certainly wouldn't trade away assets with upside for the unlikely privilege of getting reamed by the Warriors in a four game series. 

[kab21]

 

I seriously doubt that the Wolves will make any moves other than dumping Rubio. That's just not smart. I certainly wouldn't trade away assets with upside for the unlikely privilege of getting reamed by the Warriors in a four game series. 

You are worried about 2nd rd picks? I would look for role players that are slightly overpaid and would be around for another season or two.

 

I don't think Rubio will be dumped. Perhaps traded for something of value but not dumped.

[Pardon My Dinger]

 

You are worried about 2nd rd picks? I would look for role players that are slightly overpaid and would be around for another season or two.

No, I guess I don't care about 2nd round picks. I'm pretty indifferent towards those and also veteran place holders. 

 

Say we do we grab some overpaid veteran, what are the odds that Thibs is going to give him more than 8 minutes a game anyway?

[bluechipper]

 

Say we do we grab some overpaid veteran, what are the odds that Thibs is going to give him more than 8 minutes a game anyway?

Haha yeah, 3 players in the top 10 in minutes. With the Wolves bench though, I don't blame him.

[bluechipper]

There was a mention that the Wolves have checked in on P.J. Tucker. He's a free agent after this year, so I have no idea how much it would cost to get him.

[kab21]

 

No, I guess I don't care about 2nd round picks. I'm pretty indifferent towards those and also veteran place holders. 

 

Say we do we grab some overpaid veteran, what are the odds that Thibs is going to give him more than 8 minutes a game anyway?

Obviously it has to be a player worth playing to go after. The Wolves bench is awful. It shouldn't be hard to find 10-15 minutes for a solid role player.

[bluechipper]

ESPN put together a Top 25 Upside for 25 or Younger players. KAT is 3rd, Wiggins is 11th, and Lavine is 19th. Not too bad. http://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/page/nbarank_risingstarstop25/ranking-joel-embiid-kristaps-porzingis-25-best-nba-players-25

 

Kevin Pelton (the stats guy) had Wiggins ranked 21st on his list. One spot behind Cody Zeller. Really? Any model that shows Cody Zeller with higher UPSIDE than Andrew Wiggins should be thrown out.

[Mr. Brooks]

Levine out for the season.

[bluechipper]

What a bummer. Zach LaVine is a huge part of this team.

[TheLeviathan]

I wonder if LaVine being hurt might not help us figure out some things with this team.  Wasn't there some success this year when we played him on the second unit and not with Wiggins?

[kab21]

It will be interesting to see how Lavine's injury affects the Wolves recent hot streak (although 3 game losing streak). No doubt he is a good player but the fit isn't perfect with Wiggins. Of course, more Rush and Bazz isn't a great way to find out.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Wiggins to the 2-spot from now on, right? That would be the silver lining. 

[nicksaviking]

 

Wiggins to the 2-spot from now on, right? That would be the silver lining. 

 

Hopefully, but ugh, last year's biggest weakness once again shows up with everyone wondering if this team will hit a 3 again.

 

Brandon Rush and Tyus Jones are now the best outside shooters? Assuming Muhammad's current pace is not likely to continue, I'd guess those two would have to see a significant increase in minutes.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Apparently, Rubio is our best outside shooter. 

[ALessKosherScott]

I wonder if there's a decent small forward who can be picked up before the deadline.

[ALessKosherScott]

Yes!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz3wvCNnF98

[kab21]

The Wolves were really starting to find their rhythm (beating teams that are bad, winning some against okay teams and playing well against good teams) before Lavine got hurt. Since he got hurt they have been inconsistent but Wiggins and Towns have had some monster games.

Is it possible that Lavine and Wiggins really aren't a good combo together (as has been suggested)? How can the Wolves solve this issue since Lavine is definitely one of their 5 most talented players?

Could Lance become a 24 min/game starter (not better than Lavine) that minimizes the amount of time Lavine and Wiggins play together?

[TheLeviathan]

 

The Wolves were really starting to find their rhythm (beating teams that are bad, winning some against okay teams and playing well against good teams) before Lavine got hurt. Since he got hurt they have been inconsistent but Wiggins and Towns have had some monster games.

Is it possible that Lavine and Wiggins really aren't a good combo together (as has been suggested)? How can the Wolves solve this issue since Lavine is definitely one of their 5 most talented players?

Could Lance become a 24 min/game starter (not better than Lavine) that minimizes the amount of time Lavine and Wiggins play together?

 

I think the truth is that we'll have to trade Wiggins or Lavine this offseason.  But Thibs seems to LOVE Lavine, so I'm not sure how this works out.

 

Maybe we find a way to make that Butler deal happen after all?

[bluechipper]

I think the truth is that we'll have to trade Wiggins or Lavine this offseason.  But Thibs seems to LOVE Lavine, so I'm not sure how this works out.

 

Maybe we find a way to make that Butler deal happen after all?

I think adding through free agency is a better plan than trading one of those two. The core should be good enough to be a playoff team, but they just need to be surrounded by better players.

[Taildragger8791]

 

I think adding through free agency is a better plan than trading one of those two. The core should be good enough to be a playoff team, but they just need to be surrounded by better players.

 

Wiggins is a 2 masquerading as a 3 right now and I don't know if he'll ever put on the 20-30 lbs he needs to muscle up against the league's best small forwards. That means he and LaVine can't be on the floor together for extended stretches of time, and I don't know if a max contract LaVine coming off the bench can work financially or chemistry-wise.

[TheLeviathan]

 

I think adding through free agency is a better plan than trading one of those two. The core should be good enough to be a playoff team, but they just need to be surrounded by better players.

 

Taildragger took most of what I was going to say, but I'm moving Lavine because he and Wiggins don't co-exist well at all.  Butler and Wiggins could be dynamic, however.

[kab21]

Of course if you can get a haul for Lavine then it is great to trade him but I see him as a dynamite 24+ min/game sixth man. Yes, there will be payroll concerns someday when everyone starts getting PAID! but that won't be an issue for awhile and he will still have really good value in a trade.

[nicksaviking]

So what are people's thoughts on the Wolves' interest in Derrek Rose? Speculation is that Rubio could be shipped out which makes sense considering the position redundancy.

 

Rose would be a rental, so basically he'd be acquired to try to get the Wolves in position to get trounced by the Warriors in round one of the playoffs. On the other hand he has an expiring contract which is positive if the team wants to bid on a good free agent next year.

 

If Rubio and Rose are both gone next year, are we cool giving Dunn the keys to the car?

[TheLeviathan]

Thibs really doesn't like Rubio for some reason?  Is that a safe conclusion?

[nicksaviking]

That's the rumors we're hearing, but I think the Rubio for Rose stuff is just speculation and not at all based on anything the front office has been saying.

 

For what it's worth, Rubio is playing as many minutes now as he ever has despite the fact that Thib's supposed PG of the future is already on the team. There's a lot of smoke so I believe the talk that Rubio has fallen out of favor, but at this point without more evidence I'm still taking it with a grain of salt.