2020 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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tmvander said:
Ha yeah he's awesome...I just used this avatar in fantasy sports years ago when I joined GopherHole because my team name was based off The League...just carried over the avatar.
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If you don't watch "The Good Place" you will like his role in it.
 

Iceland12 said:
The Ringer's pluses and minuses on Edwards and Ball. Personally think they should roll the dice on Wiseman but hope they can trade out of #1 and get a starter and a later 1st Rounder out of it

Edwards:

PLUSES
  • Elite measurables with long arms and a strong frame. He runs the floor like a gazelle, and he explodes vertically when he has space to launch.
  • Active rebounder. He displays a high motor and great instincts tracking the trajectory of missed shots on the offensive glass.
  • His best offensive role is as a screener who rolls hard to the rim since he can finish lobs or with touch. But he can also mix in pops to generate shots from the perimeter and keep defenses honest.
  • Strong post-up potential. Displays a rare blend of power and finesse and does a nice job of sealing off his man. But he currently lacks advanced power moves, instead defaulting to fadeaways.
  • Shooting upside: He has good mechanics and soft touch. But he lacks range and doesn’t have a track record of success shooting from midrange and 3.
  • Athletic rim protector whose mere presence can deter opponents. He’s good at assessing what’s in front of him. If his positioning and court awareness improves, he has elite potential.
  • High-character person who works hard on and off the court. He’s intelligent, too; These are positive personality traits that could aid his development.
MINUSES
  • Poor shot selection in high school; he played like he thought he was the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki. In college, he played more to his strengths, which needs to continue at the NBA level; the context of his situation will be key to his success.
  • He’s an all-world athlete in an open gym, but he slows down in games when he has to read the floor. Simplifying his role will be vital early on.
  • He has a weak handle, which limits him off the dribble. And as a playmaker, he misses open cutters and delivers inaccurate passes. He’s best suited to finish rather than create.
  • Chases too many blocks and ends up falling for pump fakes. (edit:Shades of KAT)
  • Sluggish lateral movement on the perimeter due to a lack of quickness and shoddy footwork. Defenders blow by him too often. At this stage, he’s not switchable.
  • Shaky team defender who tends to find himself in the wrong position or a beat late when rotating. He reads the floor slowly, so his pick-and-roll defense is particularly underwhelming.
Ball:

PLUSES
  • Ambidextrous passer with pinpoint accuracy and omnidirectional vision. He sees everything on the court, creating opportunities for teammates that most players simply don’t see or can’t pull off thanks to his innate ability to manipulate defenders.
  • Excellent ball handler who uses hesitations to put defenders on skates. He uses advanced moves but always remains in control, dictating the pace like a drummer would a song’s tempo.
  • Elite touch. Though he attempts too many floaters and shys away from contact, his ability to score creatively with either hand suggests he could develop into a finisher at the rim.
  • Attentive off-ball player who cuts and adjusts to space well behind the arc.
  • Great rebounder for his position like his older brother Lonzo. His instincts pop up here when tracking down boards.
  • Versatile defender. He’s quick laterally and quite large for a point guard. He has the size to comfortably switch onto wings.
MINUSES
  • Ball is a great passer, but he can’t be classified as a great playmaker yet because of his decision-making. He jacks up poor shots early in the clock and settles far too often rather than attacking the rim.
  • Poor shooting mechanics: He has no consistency with his form, other than his low release. As a solid free throw shooter with good touch on floaters, he has obvious upside. But his form—much like his brother’s—must be overhauled.
  • Rarely initiates contact and avoids it around the rim.
  • He doesn’t stay in his defensive stance and often keeps his hands down when closing out—or as Mark Jackson would say: “Hand down, man down.”
  • Defensive discipline: He defaults to switching instead of fighting over screens and he falls out of position off-ball when chasing steals.

The Ringer's 2023 NBA Draft Guide

Who will go no. 1 in 2023? Breaking down Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, and more.
nbadraft.theringer.com nbadraft.theringer.com
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I'm with them: either shoot the moon with Wiseman or trade down.
 

The Wolves are in a tough spot. Wiseman does not want to play here. If they take Ball, you have to deal with his Dad and that is probably an ongoing nightmare, and Edwards has work ethic concerns.
 


Bad Gopher said:
I'm with them: either shoot the moon with Wiseman or trade down.
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Just to be clear they didn't say to take Wiseman. That was me. They want the Wolves to take Edwards. Unless they can get Charlotte to give them their #3 and something or someone else. Then the Wolves would take Wiseman and hope Edwards is available at #3.

The Ringer:

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
There’s still a possibility that the Timberwolves trade down with the Hornets, who would likely take James Wiseman with the first pick. If they did, the Wolves could still possibly select Edwards third. Regardless, Edwards is the top prospect who makes the most sense in Minnesota, as he’s the best positional fit next to D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota needs a defensive presence, and while Edwards is inconsistent, he has the massive frame and quickness to defend across positions if his fundamentals and focus improve. Offensively, his go-to scoring instincts complement Russell well in the backcourt; they’ll need a player who can attack the rim and draw fouls, which he should be able to do throughout his career. The question is what level Edwards reaches, and that will largely depend on how his perimeter shooting and decision-making evolve as he matures.
 


Bad Gopher said:
I'm with them: either shoot the moon with Wiseman or trade down.
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Worst case: They draft Wiseman hoping for a trade but one does not present itself. Now what?

Best Case: They draft Wiseman for another team and they get either Edwards or Ball and "other" pieces that will help.

Most likely: They draft Ball and keep him.
 

Report on Edwards where he says he's "Really not into basketball" would give up basketball in a heartbeat if he would get drafted into the NFL and is eager to start his rap career.


"I'm still not really into it," Edwards said. "I love basketball, yeah ... basketball is my heart, but football is where I started, so I'll never forget about that. But don't get me wrong, basketball is my No. 1 because I feel like it's going to get me through a lot of the stuff I need to get through."

Edwards elaborated, saying that he feels as though basketball is more of an occupation than a love.

"It's what I do. It's a job," Edwards added. "I feel like I'm working right now. I love it."

Run away, run far away.
 

Iceland12 said:
Just to be clear they didn't say to take Wiseman. That was me. They want the Wolves to take Edwards. Unless they can get Charlotte to give them their #3 and something or someone else. Then the Wolves would take Wiseman and hope Edwards is available at #3.

The Ringer:

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
There’s still a possibility that the Timberwolves trade down with the Hornets, who would likely take James Wiseman with the first pick. If they did, the Wolves could still possibly select Edwards third. Regardless, Edwards is the top prospect who makes the most sense in Minnesota, as he’s the best positional fit next to D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Minnesota needs a defensive presence, and while Edwards is inconsistent, he has the massive frame and quickness to defend across positions if his fundamentals and focus improve. Offensively, his go-to scoring instincts complement Russell well in the backcourt; they’ll need a player who can attack the rim and draw fouls, which he should be able to do throughout his career. The question is what level Edwards reaches, and that will largely depend on how his perimeter shooting and decision-making evolve as he matures.
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Oh, well, then I'm with YOU.
 

Souhan chimes in:

Anthony Edwards is best fit and safest pick at No. 1 for the Timberwolves

Edwards has the proverbial NBA body. He can score. He can punish smaller defenders. He, too, needs to improve his three-point shooting, but he is much less of a project in this regard than Ball.

He is willing and able to play defense, and his strength will be a major asset on defense in the NBA.

He would be an ideal fit in the Wolves’ offense and plays the same position as Malik Beasley, whose legal woes make him a difficult player in whom to invest big money.

Edwards might be the best player in the draft. He is easily the best fit for the Wolves. He’s also the safest pick they could make.

Barring the right kind of trade, the Wolves should take Edwards and enjoy fielding a team on which the No. 1 pick doesn’t have to face the pressure of being a savior.

Towns, Russell, Edwards.

As Timberwolves fans know, a team could do worse.

www.startribune.com

Anthony Edwards is best fit and safest pick at No. 1 for the Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards would be a better choice with the No. 1 overall pick than LaMelo Ball, who doesn't play defense.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 



Breakin' The Plane said:
Report on Edwards where he says he's "Really not into basketball" would give up basketball in a heartbeat if he would get drafted into the NFL and is eager to start his rap career.


"I'm still not really into it," Edwards said. "I love basketball, yeah ... basketball is my heart, but football is where I started, so I'll never forget about that. But don't get me wrong, basketball is my No. 1 because I feel like it's going to get me through a lot of the stuff I need to get through."

Edwards elaborated, saying that he feels as though basketball is more of an occupation than a love.

"It's what I do. It's a job," Edwards added. "I feel like I'm working right now. I love it."

Run away, run far away.
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He's so eager to quit basketbal ... that he's in the NBA draft.

Cmon. This is way overblown. No need to act like he's not going to play a single minute for a team. Rodman had what 12 solid years with teams?
 

MplsGopher said:
He's so eager to quit basketbal ... that he's in the NBA draft.

Cmon. This is way overblown. No need to act like he's not going to play a single minute for a team. Rodman had what 12 solid years with teams?
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He's in the draft because he knows he can make money, he said exactly that. It's just a job to him. If you don't think drive and desire to win and to make yourself better matters, I don't know what to tell you. As stated previously in this thread, Edwards has never been on a high school, AAU or college team that finished above .500.
 

Edwards likes the NFL more than the NBA. Big deal. Through the years plenty of successful MLB, NBA and NBA players have said that they like a sport they don't play better than the one they do. Many say that they were good at 2 or 3 sports and say that "yeah, I could have played in the ___".

Same thing with Entertainers. Ball players want to be actors or singers while many actors and/or singers say they really wanted to play ball.

There really is no right pick among the Top 3. Won't know who was the right pick until sometime next year.

That's why fate gave the Top Pick to the Wolves.
 

Iceland12 said:
Same thing with Entertainers. Ball players want to be actors or singers while many actors and/or singers say they really wanted to play ball.
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I wanted to be a gynecologist. I wonder how many gynos wanted to be what I do now?
 




Here are my thoughts about what will happen tonight and into the future.

The Wolves will take Ball at 1, then trade him to drop back somewhere between 3-5. There they will take Toppin if he's available, if not, they'll take Haliburton.

If they take Haliburton, they will trade Culver and 17 to move back into the lottery to take a PF.

Edwards will be a bust.

Wiseman and Toppin will be the best players to come out of this draft.
 

LakevilleBro said:
The Wolves are in a tough spot. Wiseman does not want to play here. If they take Ball, you have to deal with his Dad and that is probably an ongoing nightmare, and Edwards has work ethic concerns.
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I think that Wiseman is the obvious pick. Risky, yes. It's not as easy to hit on big men in the draft. Many flops have come and gone. Doesn't help that he played less than a full season of ball at Memphis. But if the Wolves are going to make a gamble.....go for the kind of guy that doesn't come around very often. Edwards scares me. Potential number one overall who still wasn't able to carry his team to an over .500 record. And it's not as though the Bulldogs didn't have talent on their team. Edwards came in with a recruiting class sporting another five star and three four star guys. Just don't want to see the Wolves draft a Bennett style bust with the number one overall.

I like the idea of Wiseman because once he puts on some weight, he could turn into a DOMINANT post player. Wolves have a horrible defensive team....Wiseman gives you a 7'1" rim protector. And having him down low would open up the game for KAT to do some different things.

Now I don't know what the Wolves thoughts are on this. Sounds like Wiseman doesn't want to play here (tough break) but I also haven't heard a whole lot about interest from the team. I'm not even sure that they brought him in for a workout. But if he's the best player, you take him. You don't pass on the best player in the draft because he doesn't want to play in Minnesota.

I think that it's more than likely that they trade down. Ball at #1 might be a bit of a stretch considering his shooting issues and the poor defensive play. But a PG in the body of SF is pretty unique. If he could develop....there's a good chance that he'll be the best player out of this draft class. Not to mention....that there are probably going to be a few land mines (busts) in the first several picks. Ball to me seems like a high floor kind of player with massive upside. If you can trade down a few picks and still scoop him up....I wouldn't hate that.

As for Lavar....Lonzo had a pretty noted break from Big Baller Brand around a year ago. LaMelo is also already signed with Puma. So who knows how involved Lavar will be....but it sure sounds like him and Lonzo had a falling out due to Lavar pushing his own interests....and costing Lonzo some big endorsement cash. I'd guess that LaMelo isn't going to let Lavar run his career after that crap. Most likely he'll just be that annoying idiot in the background.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Here are my thoughts about what will happen tonight and into the future.

The Wolves will take Ball at 1, then trade him to drop back somewhere between 3-5. There they will take Toppin if he's available, if not, they'll take Haliburton.

If they take Haliburton, they will trade Culver and 17 to move back into the lottery to take a PF.

Edwards will be a bust.

Wiseman and Toppin will be the best players to come out of this draft.
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Which is why if you actually end up making a pick with #1....you take Wiseman. Tough $hit if he doesn't want to play here. Sounds like there are a lot of teams interested in him. Pony up. Don't take a worse player and allow the best player to go to Golden State at number #2.
 

stocker08 said:
Which is why if you actually end up making a pick with #1....you take Wiseman. Tough $hit if he doesn't want to play here. Sounds like there are a lot of teams interested in him. Pony up. Don't take a worse player and allow the best player to go to Golden State at number #2.
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I don't disagree, but the Wolves don't want to run a system with two 7 footers starting. Most NBA teams don't in this era.

If they were to take Wiseman, that means they'd likely trade Towns. That's not going to happen after the acquisition of Russell.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I don't disagree, but the Wolves don't want to run a system with two 7 footers starting. Most NBA teams don't in this era.

If they were to take Wiseman, that means they'd likely trade Towns. That's not going to happen after the acquisition of Russell.
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That's true. But just because teams have gone the way of small ball...doesn't mean that you can't win with length. And yeah....I don't see them trading Towns. Just sounds like there is a lot of interest in Wiseman....as there should be. I'd say take him and then let potential suitors battle it out for him. Somebody will pony up.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I don't disagree, but the Wolves don't want to run a system with two 7 footers starting. Most NBA teams don't in this era.

If they were to take Wiseman, that means they'd likely trade Towns. That's not going to happen after the acquisition of Russell.
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I've stated this before, but I honestly don't care who is on your roster or who is running the show. Take the best player available. Rosas may be gone in a few years. Based on the carousel that has been Wolves GMs and coaches, it's highly likely both Saunders and Rosas will be gone in 3 years. If you're a team like the Warriors, you pick the best fit, because you are winning now. The Wolves are not winning now. They are accumulating talent. The NBA has such high turnover that I also wouldn't be too surprised if both Russell and Towns are gone in 3 years as well. This isn't the MLB where you likely have a high draft pick on your roster for 7 years.

If Wiseman is the best talent, take him. If he's a bust, then it works itself out. If he is good/great, you can either trade him and get pieces that fit, or you keep him and either make it work or trade Towns, who has high value.

I'm avoiding Edwards like the plague. With that said, history tells us the Wolves will draft him, pay him a bunch of money, and he'll be just good enough that you don't want to just cut him, but bad enough that his contract will turn into an albatross and he becomes untradeable.

As many have said, best case scenario is they trade down. Either way I'm not taking Edwards.
 

BleedGopher said:
Souhan chimes in:

Anthony Edwards is best fit and safest pick at No. 1 for the Timberwolves

Edwards has the proverbial NBA body. He can score. He can punish smaller defenders. He, too, needs to improve his three-point shooting, but he is much less of a project in this regard than Ball.

He is willing and able to play defense, and his strength will be a major asset on defense in the NBA.

He would be an ideal fit in the Wolves’ offense and plays the same position as Malik Beasley, whose legal woes make him a difficult player in whom to invest big money.

Edwards might be the best player in the draft. He is easily the best fit for the Wolves. He’s also the safest pick they could make.

Barring the right kind of trade, the Wolves should take Edwards and enjoy fielding a team on which the No. 1 pick doesn’t have to face the pressure of being a savior.

Towns, Russell, Edwards.

As Timberwolves fans know, a team could do worse.

www.startribune.com

Anthony Edwards is best fit and safest pick at No. 1 for the Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards would be a better choice with the No. 1 overall pick than LaMelo Ball, who doesn't play defense.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
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The bolded stuff above: if Rosas doesn't end up working out, Souhan would be the perfect "fit" to replace him. He's definitely on board with the heritage and culture of the organization.
 

forever a gopher said:
I've stated this before, but I honestly don't care who is on your roster or who is running the show. Take the best player available. Rosas may be gone in a few years. Based on the carousel that has been Wolves GMs and coaches, it's highly likely both Saunders and Rosas will be gone in 3 years. If you're a team like the Warriors, you pick the best fit, because you are winning now. The Wolves are not winning now. They are accumulating talent. The NBA has such high turnover that I also wouldn't be too surprised if both Russell and Towns are gone in 3 years as well. This isn't the MLB where you likely have a high draft pick on your roster for 7 years.

If Wiseman is the best talent, take him. If he's a bust, then it works itself out. If he is good/great, you can either trade him and get pieces that fit, or you keep him and either make it work or trade Towns, who has high value.

I'm avoiding Edwards like the plague. With that said, history tells us the Wolves will draft him, pay him a bunch of money, and he'll be just good enough that you don't want to just cut him, but bad enough that his contract will turn into an albatross and he becomes untradeable.

As many have said, best case scenario is they trade down. Either way I'm not taking Edwards.
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And I don't disagree with you and Stocker on Wiseman, I've said all along he'll be the best player, but the Wolves FO won't take him with Towns on the roster. I also agree 100% on Edwards.

I do think the Wolves are closer to being competitive than people give them credit for. Towns and Russell are elite offensively, and are now in their mid 20s. However, they do need to start showing a pulse on D.

But if they can make the right pick tonight, and mix in another veteran or two who can play defense, I think they will compete for a playoff spot this season.
 

On Draft Day, Danny Green trades his OKC hat before he puts it on. :)

From ESPN:

The Philadelphia 76ers are trading Al Horford and a lightly-protected 2025 first-round pick and the 34th overall pick in Wednesday's NBA draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Danny Green, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski..

The Sixers will see substantial savings with the move. Green is on an expiring $15.4 million contract, while Horford has $81 million and three years left on his deal.

The trade cannot happen until the Los Angeles Lakers' deal to send Green to the Thunder for Dennis Schroder is completed, or it could become a three-way deal.
 

Iceland12 said:
Edwards likes the NFL more than the NBA. Big deal. Through the years plenty of successful MLB, NBA and NBA players have said that they like a sport they don't play better than the one they do. Many say that they were good at 2 or 3 sports and say that "yeah, I could have played in the ___".

Same thing with Entertainers. Ball players want to be actors or singers while many actors and/or singers say they really wanted to play ball.

There really is no right pick among the Top 3. Won't know who was the right pick until sometime next year.

That's why fate gave the Top Pick to the Wolves.
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Chris Carter wished he could have been a pro hooper instead of football FWIW.

I
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Chris Carter wished he could have been a pro hooper instead of football FWIW.

I
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Thanks. Justin Morneau another successful Minnesota player was a hockey player until he was 16. Said it was always his 1st love but he just wasn't good enough. On the run-up to the Draft tonight there were stories about how Kyler Murray still wants to play MLB.
 

Wolves first pick is in. It's Anthony Edwards
 



Iceland12 said:
Wolves first pick is in. It's Anthony Edwards
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I have a bad feeling that we just made the worst first overall pick since Anthony Bennett in 2013.

lol.....just took a 6'3" shooting guard that shot under 30% from three in his only year at Georgia. First overall.
 


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