All Things Minnesota Timberwolves 2022-2023 In-Season Thread

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jamiche said:
The "it" factor is very hard to define. Edwards has "it," though his "itness" hurts ball movement. As much as I love watching him play, his hero ball can be tough to watch.

What is easy to see is that KAT has cleaned up his act considerably since he returned from injury.
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A lot of Edwards hero ball is because we have no one else who can put the ball on the floor. No one can break down the defense.

That's the biggest need on this team, an athletic wing who can break people down and defend.
 

Holy crap. Heard an interesting stat while listening to a podcast this morning.

10 players in the NBA played all 82 games this season.

116 players in the NHL played all 82 games this season.
 

Ogee Ogilthorpe said:
Holy crap. Heard an interesting stat while listening to a podcast this morning.

10 players in the NBA played all 82 games this season.

116 players in the NHL played all 82 games this season.
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Hockey has 4 lines to run out there. Huge difference.
 

Ogee Ogilthorpe said:
Holy crap. Heard an interesting stat while listening to a podcast this morning.

10 players in the NBA played all 82 games this season.

116 players in the NHL played all 82 games this season.
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Interesting, but not really surprising.

NBA has 360 players on the active rosters (30 X 12). Any given game 2-3 suit up but don't even get on the court.
NHL has 576 skaters on an active roster (32 X 18), and 99.9% that suit up take at least 1 shift.

NBA Starters are playing well over 50% of each game.
NHL Skaters are playing generally 20-30% (forwards) or 30-40% (defensemen).

I wonder before "load management" became a thing in the NBA how many players played all 82? 60-70 maybe? 2 per team on average. That would be closer to the NHL but still roughly half the total number.
 




Bob_Loblaw said:
Something like Jaylon Brown and Marcus Smart for KAT and filler could work and then you slide McDaniels to the 4.

Boston has some redundancy at PG with guys who are good but a little overpriced with Smart and White (and Brogdon who is good) and then Brown and Tatum are also really similar.
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I doubt that Boston would trade Brown for Kat unless we added picks (which we don't have).
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
So many teams in the league are looking for that star second player (Portland, Dallas, etc.), if you move on from KAT it needs to be for a very good player - not an assortment of draft picks and decent players. I get that we aren't in a great position moving forward, but I don't think the best way we build around Edwards is by adding more small pieces instead of KAT.
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The problem is you're considering KAT a 2nd star player when he has proven for 8 years that he is not that on a winning team. His value is not as high as you believe. He is just another Wiggins or Love, with a significantly worse contract.

Last night he was -7 over 36 minutes. The only other two players who were negative were McLaughlin and Nowell, and they played 3 minutes. Teams interested in trading for him will treat him as a 3rd or 4th player on a good team, because that's what he is.

The best way to rebuild around Ant is to dump KAT and his salary for whatever you can get for him, and re-sign McDaniels and Reid. Then they can continue to add more players via trades and a better cap situation going forward.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The problem is you're considering KAT a 2nd star player when he has proven for 8 years that he is not that on a winning team. His value is not as high as you believe. He is just another Wiggins or Love, with a significantly worse contract.

Last night he was -7 over 36 minutes. The only other two players who were negative were McLaughlin and Nowell, and they played 3 minutes. Teams interested in trading for him will treat him as a 3rd or 4th player on a good team, because that's what he is.

The best way to rebuild around Ant is to dump KAT and his salary for whatever you can get for him, and re-sign McDaniels and Reid. Then they can continue to add more players via trades and a better cap situation going forward.
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This is the way.
 



GopherWeatherGuy said:
The problem is you're considering KAT a 2nd star player when he has proven for 8 years that he is not that on a winning team. His value is not as high as you believe. He is just another Wiggins or Love, with a significantly worse contract.

Last night he was -7 over 36 minutes. The only other two players who were negative were McLaughlin and Nowell, and they played 3 minutes. Teams interested in trading for him will treat him as a 3rd or 4th player on a good team, because that's what he is.

The best way to rebuild around Ant is to dump KAT and his salary for whatever you can get for him, and re-sign McDaniels and Reid. Then they can continue to add more players via trades and a better cap situation going forward.
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One good player (example: Anunoby from Toronto).

Two who care players: Salary fillers in other words.

Three picks (two need to be unprotected)

That would be a realistic return imo.
 

Timberwolves big three? It's become Anthony Edwards and his supporting cast​


The Wolves' Big Three — Edwards, Towns and Gobert — played well for the second straight game.

But the Big Three is really, now, Edwards and his supporting cast.

While Gobert and Alexander-Walker were interviewed on the court after the game, Edwards exited, with a towel over his head. There was no chance of him avoiding attention. The noise level in the arena rose dramatically. Garnett can relate.

"He's got that special quality we've talked about," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "He's not afraid of those moments."

Edwards reached 30 points for a third consecutive game. According to the Wolves, he has made 38 three-pointers through his first 10 playoff games, second only to Steph Curry's 39.

"I can't get swept," Edwards said. "My team counts on me to pick them up, and that's just what I do. I feel like it's those moments when I come alive."

www.startribune.com

Edwards is the best thing to happen to the Wolves since Kevin Garnett

After a stellar second half and overtime, one thing is clear: The Timberwolves live and die by Edwards and his skills. Now, if the team could just learn to close out games.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Nickeil Alexander-Walker proves he could be valuable long-term piece for Timberwolves

Timberwolves veterans lamented so many things throughout this series as Minnesota dug itself a giant hole against the top-seeded Nuggets. Habits — or the lack thereof — were discussed. Habits like hitting the glass, making sacrificial cuts on offense and simply knowing your defensive assignments and rotations.

Those are all things Minnesota lacks as a team, and it’s why such a talented team is not currently at the level of a squad such as Denver. But one player who has not come up short in those all-important areas is midseason acquisition Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The 24-year-old wing has carved out a sizable role with the Timberwolves since he was dealt to Minnesota in mid-February. Part of that is due to the injury of Jaden McDaniels, but another reason is Alexander-Walker’s professional, relentless approach.

That approach has allowed Alexander-Walker to acclimate to the playoffs, where attention to detail and preparedness are prerequisites for success. In a series full of disappointments, Alexander-Walker has at least been a steadying defensive force for the Wolves, serving as the team’s best answer for Jamal Murray.

“It’s just about getting the job done, doing the best I can and making it tough. I mean, if he’s gonna make tough shots for however many games it’s gonna be, then he’s gonna make tough shots. I mean, that’s why they paid him, that’s why he’s the player he is today,” Alexander-Walker said of the Nuggets guard. “So it’s just about making it tough.”

Alexander-Walker believes in process over results. And his process is sound. He puts in the work, both mentally and physically.

“He’s one of the hardest-working guys I know,” Wolves veteran guard Mike Conley said. “Honestly doesn’t leave the gym.”

Which is why Alexander-Walker was ready the instant Minnesota coach Chris Finch decided to lean more heavily upon him. He has started games in this first-round series, and consistently proved up to the task.

“One thing I learned in life is the small things you want to do, you want to be more focused, you want to be more disciplined, those just come from little things,” Alexander-Walker said. “So if I stay focused or I stay engaged in a game, if I treat every game importantly, every matchup importantly, guys that I’m guarding, if I study the film the right way, I don’t have to worry that when the game comes I have to up my level. So if I’m already there, I’m just prepared. The longer I can be there, the more prepared and the more I can be ready for my competition.”

www.twincities.com

Nickeil Alexander-Walker proves he could be valuable long-term piece for Timberwolves

Amid a series full of disappointments, he has at least been a steadying defensive force for the Wolves.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The problem is you're considering KAT a 2nd star player when he has proven for 8 years that he is not that on a winning team. His value is not as high as you believe. He is just another Wiggins or Love, with a significantly worse contract.

Last night he was -7 over 36 minutes. The only other two players who were negative were McLaughlin and Nowell, and they played 3 minutes. Teams interested in trading for him will treat him as a 3rd or 4th player on a good team, because that's what he is.

The best way to rebuild around Ant is to dump KAT and his salary for whatever you can get for him, and re-sign McDaniels and Reid. Then they can continue to add more players via trades and a better cap situation going forward.
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He's not a Wiggins but he might be a Kevin Love. You can't compare the value of those two players. We had to give up a first round pick to get rid of Wiggins. We got the first overall pick for Kevin Love. Those two players have nowhere near similar values.

As to your plus/minus argument, yep and KAT had the highest +/- on the entire team for the season (except AJ Lawson who played 2 total minutes). He had a higher +/- than Edwards, Reid and McDaniels combined.

I know exactly what KAT is. He is a good offensive player who is a bad fit on our current team. However, he is pretty clearly one of our top players right now. Trading him for a pupu platter would be insane (to me). We wouldn't have the kind of cap flexibility to sign anyone new. We would be adding a handful of late firsts.
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
He's not a Wiggins but he might be a Kevin Love. You can't compare the value of those two players. We had to give up a first round pick to get rid of Wiggins. We got the first overall pick for Kevin Love. Those two players have nowhere near similar values.

As to your plus/minus argument, yep and KAT had the highest +/- on the entire team for the season (except AJ Lawson who played 2 total minutes). He had a higher +/- than Edwards, Reid and McDaniels combined.

I know exactly what KAT is. He is a good offensive player who is a bad fit on our current team. However, he is pretty clearly one of our top players right now. Trading him for a pupu platter would be insane (to me). We wouldn't have the kind of cap flexibility to sign anyone new. We would be adding a handful of late firsts.
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Love was only in his 6th year in the league, considered a top 5 player in the NBA, on the last year of his deal, and considered the missing link to pair with LeBron and Kyrie to win a NBA championship, which they did. It turns out this article overrated him, but that was the consensus around the league at that time, which is very different than Towns today. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/grade-the-trade-the-kevin-love-andrew-wiggins-blockbuster/

Towns is none of those things, he has 5 years left on his contract, and after he's paid 36 million next year, that'll bump up to 50, 54, 58, and 62 million per year for the final four years. Even if we took back a shorter term max deal, it would give the Wolves significantly more cap flexibility than that atrocity.

Towns is a good offensive player, but that's it. He's not a superstar, and he's not a missing link to an NBA title contender, although he could be a nice role player on one. If they are able to move him, the return they get will be closer to what they got for Wiggins than it was for Love, and it would be worth it.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Love was only in his 6th year in the league, considered a top 5 player in the NBA, on the last year of his deal, and considered the missing link to pair with LeBron and Kyrie to win a NBA championship, which they did. It turns out this article overrated him, but that was the consensus around the league at that time, which is very different than Towns today. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/grade-the-trade-the-kevin-love-andrew-wiggins-blockbuster/

Towns is none of those things, he has 5 years left on his contract, and after he's paid 36 million next year, that'll bump up to 50, 54, 58, and 62 million per year for the final four years. Even if we took back a shorter term max deal, it would give the Wolves significantly more cap flexibility than that atrocity.

Towns is a good offensive player, but that's it. He's not a superstar, and he's not a missing link to an NBA title contender, although he could be a nice role player on one. If they are able to move him, the return they get will be closer to what they got for Wiggins than it was for Love, and it would be worth it.
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You're the one who lumped him in with Andrew Wiggins, not me. I understand that Kevin Love had a lot of value.

They won't be close at all to what they got for Wiggins. We had to burn a 1st round pick to get rick of Wiggins. He had negative value. Even the suggestions on here of OG Anonuby and first round picks is worth WAY more than what the Wolves got for Wiggins.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
You're the one who lumped him in with Andrew Wiggins, not me. I understand that Kevin Love had a lot of value.

They won't be close at all to what they got for Wiggins. We had to burn a 1st round pick to get rick of Wiggins. He had negative value. Even the suggestions on here of OG Anonuby and first round picks is worth WAY more than what the Wolves got for Wiggins.
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I would take that proposed OG Anonuby trade in a second, but DLo was still a better player than him. And I don't think Toronto would give up that many picks with him, so I don't think it is very realistic.

I'm not saying the Wolves would have to give up a pick to trade Towns, but his contract, injury history, and age for a big man, makes him closer to a negative value than a positive value to many other teams.
 



From the Parkinglot said:
Jimmy butler has it.
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giphy.gif
 



Nax5 said:
Heat showing that a #8 seed can win a series against the #1.

Timberwolves in the inverse scenario. But there's still a chance.
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Giannis being out most of the series would be like Jokic being out most of the series. The wolves would be up 3-1 minimum in that scenario.
 

kg21 said:
Giannis being out most of the series would be like Jokic being out most of the series. The wolves would be up 3-1 minimum in that scenario.
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That might be a bit of a stretch. Remember Miami lost Herro too, so that would be equivalent to the wolves being without KAT.
 



kg21 said:
Giannis being out would be the same as Jokic being out is no stretch at all.
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I was referring to your statement that if Jokic was out the wolves would be up 3-1. This wolves team has proven they can lose to anyone. If they had not they would be the 6 seed or maybe even the 5 seed.
 

From the Parkinglot said:
I was referring to your statement that if Jokic was out the wolves would be up 3-1. This wolves team has proven they can lose to anyone. If they had not they would be the 6 seed or maybe even the 5 seed.
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True, but this is the playoffs, not the regular season.

They are at least trying now.

No Jokic, now your target is Murray. He be double teamed all day and all night.
 

Massive hill to climb even with Kyle Anderson, but without him (not that he's been great this series, but the thin bench is down to nothing)? Sure be nice if McDummy didn't punch a wall.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Massive hill to climb even with Kyle Anderson, but without him (not that he's been great this series, but the thin bench is down to nothing)? Sure be nice if McDummy didn't punch a wall.
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Play Minnot, and play him a lot
 

Yes, no Reid, McDaniels or Anderson. So when they lose tonight, blame Towns?;)
 
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