[WarblingSpamalopeParticipant]

Flip Saunders needs to go back upstairs and hire a new coach. He has never really been successful getting guys to play defense. Last year was a joke. Layups or wide open threes for every opponent. 

A trend in baseball is signing young guys early to give them more security and the teams have been getting great deals. I just wonder with the volume of youngs guys the Wolves have if they could use this strategy a bit, especially  with the salary cap exploding. I know basketball limits how long contracts can be a lot more. I know guys like Towns’ and Wiggins’ agent would never let them do this, but Lavine, Baz, or Dieng may think about it. Who would you try to lock up first?

My other thought was who ends up strong enough to defend shooting guards first? Rubio or Lavine.. I think Rubio will end up defending shooting guards for Lavine, but god somebody needs to learn to get through picks defending point guards.

  

 

[SkalAndJamalParticipant]

 Flip has led some pretty good teams though… I would say he’s at least an above average coach. The team is built in the right way to start improving rapidly. They just got to stay healthy. They got the PG who makes everyone better, two cornerstones in Wiggins and Towns, LaVine and Shabazz battling for the other future starting wing spot, Dieng or Payne trying to improve to be a future rotation player or even starter for a contending team, and Tyus being the back-up. Not many better mentors they could have than KG, and Kevin Martin is a true professional that can show these young wings what it takes. 

They got the talent, the competition within the team, the guidance, to make it. Now hopefully the NBA can do a realignment and send this team to the weak east!

[SkalAndJamalParticipant]

 Flip has led some pretty good teams though… I would say he’s at least an above average coach. The team is built in the right way to start improving rapidly. They just got to stay healthy. They got the PG who makes everyone better, two cornerstones in Wiggins and Towns, LaVine and Shabazz battling for the other future starting wing spot, Dieng or Payne trying to improve to be a future rotation player or even starter for a contending team, and Tyus being the back-up. Not many better mentors they could have than KG, and Kevin Martin is a true professional that can show these young wings what it takes. 

They got the talent, the competition within the team, the guidance, to make it. Now hopefully the NBA can do a realignment and send this team to the weak east!

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

I think the Wolves should look to build an identity in terms of how they play as a team. They have some versatile pieces that will allow them to play fast, slow or anything in between. Having Rubio as a PG and Towns as a C would suggest playing a fast pace would suit them well. Not sure whether they have the outside shooters to complement that type of game though…

[Mr. HookShotParticipant]

I think the Wolves should look to build an identity in terms of how they play as a team. They have some versatile pieces that will allow them to play fast, slow or anything in between. Having Rubio as a PG and Towns as a C would suggest playing a fast pace would suit them well. Not sure whether they have the outside shooters to complement that type of game though…

[sitlbitoParticipant]

 I’m pretty sure Flip Saunders wants to hire a new coach after next season. It’s basically his team(most of the guys on the team are his guys/guys he wanted to sign) so he wanted to coach them in the first step of the rererererebuild. When this team will start getting competitive,I’m pretty sure he’ll look for a younger coach. Don’t know if he’s till a good coach,but he’s one hell of a GM,gotta give him credit for that.

[sitlbitoParticipant]

 I’m pretty sure Flip Saunders wants to hire a new coach after next season. It’s basically his team(most of the guys on the team are his guys/guys he wanted to sign) so he wanted to coach them in the first step of the rererererebuild. When this team will start getting competitive,I’m pretty sure he’ll look for a younger coach. Don’t know if he’s till a good coach,but he’s one hell of a GM,gotta give him credit for that.

[scarlson2345Participant]

I think they will use this year with some veterans to develop the young guys. It will be imporatant this year for them to determine weather Lavine is going to be Rubio’s replacement at the PG or if he is more natural at the SG. I think it is more than realistic to double their win total from 16 to 32. But that still puts them in the lottery so the rich get richer adding another talented young piece to this already talented roster.

They should legitamely be a playoff team in the 2016-17 season and their core will still all be 22 and under!

 

  

[scarlson2345Participant]

I think they will use this year with some veterans to develop the young guys. It will be imporatant this year for them to determine weather Lavine is going to be Rubio’s replacement at the PG or if he is more natural at the SG. I think it is more than realistic to double their win total from 16 to 32. But that still puts them in the lottery so the rich get richer adding another talented young piece to this already talented roster.

They should legitamely be a playoff team in the 2016-17 season and their core will still all be 22 and under!

 

  

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Hopefully we see plenty of minutes featuring a lineup of Rubio, Lavine, Wiggins, Dieng, and Towns.

Not even sure exactly how they would look but you have to find out as soon as possible.

To me, that is your core group, with Shabazz figuring to be more of a 6th man scorer off the bench type guy.

I am wondering if Towns and Dieng complement each other or just bring the same things to the table.  

Not sure wins should matter that much.  They won’t be the worst team in the league, but they probably won’t win 45 games either.  

Focus on building up that unit, then go after another piece in the 2016 draft.  I think they would need another big guy to pair with Towns — whichever kind of guy they need.  Maybe it is Skal if they get lucky in the lottery, or Sabonis or Poetl in the 5-15 range.  

Looks like they should run pick and rolls with either big man.  Use both Rubio and Lavine to run the offense.

First option is basically Wiggins, then I would do Lavine or at least see if he is comfortable in that role.  My third option would be Karl Anthony Towns.  Let him rebound, defend, block shots, and run the floor.  On offense, find his spots in the post, and give him that jumper.  Don’t force feed him though.  To me, he projects as a very good 3rd option as a bigger Sam Perkins — a guy who can score, board, fit in, as well as hit the 3.  

I would tell Rubio, hey, get these guys great shots.  Get them dunks and easy looks.  Then on the other side defend and rebound.  On offense, drive for a layup.  If not, I would rather have Rubio taking a wide open 3 than a long 2.  Hit 25% of them.  Who cares?  Just don’t clog things up.

I would also experiment with Wiggins at the 2 and Lavine at the 1.  That would be a LOT of size to go with their freakish athleticism.  I think Wiggins can iso and hit the jumper.  He can probably defend either wing so that shouldn’t be a problem.  In this case, if these guys can work in the backcourt, you can obviously do well with Ben Simmons as a playmaking 3/4.  

If the T Wolves get stuck in that 5-10 range, then why not trade down and go after another big man to complement Towns AND a bigger 2 guard who can defend and shoot 3’s to pair with either Wiggins or Lavine in big lineups or small lineups.  

The T Wolves have a lot of young, fun, interesting players with potential but are we COMPLETELY sure what spots they play?  Is Wiggins a 3 or a 2 in the making?  Is Towns a 4 or 5?  A low post guy or a Stretch 4?  A 3 and D Stretch 5?  Is Lavine a 2, a 1, or a tweener combo guard?  Is Dieng a long term piece?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Hopefully we see plenty of minutes featuring a lineup of Rubio, Lavine, Wiggins, Dieng, and Towns.

Not even sure exactly how they would look but you have to find out as soon as possible.

To me, that is your core group, with Shabazz figuring to be more of a 6th man scorer off the bench type guy.

I am wondering if Towns and Dieng complement each other or just bring the same things to the table.  

Not sure wins should matter that much.  They won’t be the worst team in the league, but they probably won’t win 45 games either.  

Focus on building up that unit, then go after another piece in the 2016 draft.  I think they would need another big guy to pair with Towns — whichever kind of guy they need.  Maybe it is Skal if they get lucky in the lottery, or Sabonis or Poetl in the 5-15 range.  

Looks like they should run pick and rolls with either big man.  Use both Rubio and Lavine to run the offense.

First option is basically Wiggins, then I would do Lavine or at least see if he is comfortable in that role.  My third option would be Karl Anthony Towns.  Let him rebound, defend, block shots, and run the floor.  On offense, find his spots in the post, and give him that jumper.  Don’t force feed him though.  To me, he projects as a very good 3rd option as a bigger Sam Perkins — a guy who can score, board, fit in, as well as hit the 3.  

I would tell Rubio, hey, get these guys great shots.  Get them dunks and easy looks.  Then on the other side defend and rebound.  On offense, drive for a layup.  If not, I would rather have Rubio taking a wide open 3 than a long 2.  Hit 25% of them.  Who cares?  Just don’t clog things up.

I would also experiment with Wiggins at the 2 and Lavine at the 1.  That would be a LOT of size to go with their freakish athleticism.  I think Wiggins can iso and hit the jumper.  He can probably defend either wing so that shouldn’t be a problem.  In this case, if these guys can work in the backcourt, you can obviously do well with Ben Simmons as a playmaking 3/4.  

If the T Wolves get stuck in that 5-10 range, then why not trade down and go after another big man to complement Towns AND a bigger 2 guard who can defend and shoot 3’s to pair with either Wiggins or Lavine in big lineups or small lineups.  

The T Wolves have a lot of young, fun, interesting players with potential but are we COMPLETELY sure what spots they play?  Is Wiggins a 3 or a 2 in the making?  Is Towns a 4 or 5?  A low post guy or a Stretch 4?  A 3 and D Stretch 5?  Is Lavine a 2, a 1, or a tweener combo guard?  Is Dieng a long term piece?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wonzi_bellsParticipant]

 Basketball is different than baseball. They only sign young players early to avoid free agency since they have no salary cap and it’s easier to entice players to sign early since they’ve never been presented with large amounts of money before. In the NBA, young players are restricted free agents after their first contracts, which are four years under contract for a first-round pick with the team having an option to exercise after the second season, which means the team has the first right to refusal to sign a player and can match whatever offer that is given. So if a team wants you, you pretty much have no choice but to sign or you could take a one-year qualifying offer, which is rarely done since it offers no security. 

As to who’s guarding shooting guards, Wiggins will guard who evers the better wing player, whether a shooting guard or small forward. Ricky Rubio is a better defensive option to LaVine though, so that would probably answer that. 

I’ve been looking at all the possible coaching candiates and it’s hard because if you’re a Timberwolves fan, you’ll know the "country club" mentality they have when it comes to management. It’s based on former players, hometown/"one of us" candiates and nepotism. All that makes it hard to find someone quality, given that the Wolves history has mostly been in mediocrity and the times that they were good was a decade ago and the league’s playing style has changed dramatically since then offensively and defensively with the rule changes in hand-checking and the illegal defense. 

That’s why I wanted the Wolves to get Hoiberg so badly since he fits their country club mentality while he style fits-in with the modern NBA. But Flip tried to hire Chauncey Billups to the staff after the Adleman left to groom him into being the head coach but he rebuffed the idea. Dave Joerger almost came to the Wolves, so that might always be a possiblity in the future if things don’t work out in Memphis. I don’t want Sam Mitchell and definately Terry Porter but again, country club mentality makes them choices since they’re already on the staff. Outside choices who could work is Scott Brooks, who coached a similarly young team in OKC and personally, I want Kenny Atkinson from the Hawks’ coaching staff to be the head coach and it would be cool since he’s the Dominican men’s national team’s head coach, which Towns plays for.

The future is very bright and I really do expect championship contention because I believe both Wiggins and Towns will be top ten players. Also, the fit is just so well and versatile with have a big man on the inside with Towns and the perimeter wing with Wiggins that are both two-way players. Also, because Wiggins can play either small forward or shooting guard and Towns can play center or power forward, they can literally take whoever in the draft next year. I know every team should always take the best player available but the Wolves are truly in a position where they can take the best player available regardless since those two are so versatile. Personally, I’d want an elite shooting point guard even though they have Rubio. I’m not one of those people who think he’s bad because outside of scoring, which is pretty much the most important thing in basketball, he’s elite everywhere else as a passer, rebounder and defender. It’s just you got the elite big man, you got the elite wing and the point guard who can shoot is the spot that’s missing and no, it’s not LaVine. The bad thing is that the 2016 NBA Draft is shallow on point guards. I haven’t watch the Jamal Murray Pan-Am game yet but if he can be point guard, I’d rate him very highly with the team going forward. Demetrius Jackson and Isaiah Briscoe are good too, I just don’t think Jackson score all that much and is missing an in-between game and Briscoe is a decent shooter but not elite.

[wonzi_bellsParticipant]

 Basketball is different than baseball. They only sign young players early to avoid free agency since they have no salary cap and it’s easier to entice players to sign early since they’ve never been presented with large amounts of money before. In the NBA, young players are restricted free agents after their first contracts, which are four years under contract for a first-round pick with the team having an option to exercise after the second season, which means the team has the first right to refusal to sign a player and can match whatever offer that is given. So if a team wants you, you pretty much have no choice but to sign or you could take a one-year qualifying offer, which is rarely done since it offers no security. 

As to who’s guarding shooting guards, Wiggins will guard who evers the better wing player, whether a shooting guard or small forward. Ricky Rubio is a better defensive option to LaVine though, so that would probably answer that. 

I’ve been looking at all the possible coaching candiates and it’s hard because if you’re a Timberwolves fan, you’ll know the "country club" mentality they have when it comes to management. It’s based on former players, hometown/"one of us" candiates and nepotism. All that makes it hard to find someone quality, given that the Wolves history has mostly been in mediocrity and the times that they were good was a decade ago and the league’s playing style has changed dramatically since then offensively and defensively with the rule changes in hand-checking and the illegal defense. 

That’s why I wanted the Wolves to get Hoiberg so badly since he fits their country club mentality while he style fits-in with the modern NBA. But Flip tried to hire Chauncey Billups to the staff after the Adleman left to groom him into being the head coach but he rebuffed the idea. Dave Joerger almost came to the Wolves, so that might always be a possiblity in the future if things don’t work out in Memphis. I don’t want Sam Mitchell and definately Terry Porter but again, country club mentality makes them choices since they’re already on the staff. Outside choices who could work is Scott Brooks, who coached a similarly young team in OKC and personally, I want Kenny Atkinson from the Hawks’ coaching staff to be the head coach and it would be cool since he’s the Dominican men’s national team’s head coach, which Towns plays for.

The future is very bright and I really do expect championship contention because I believe both Wiggins and Towns will be top ten players. Also, the fit is just so well and versatile with have a big man on the inside with Towns and the perimeter wing with Wiggins that are both two-way players. Also, because Wiggins can play either small forward or shooting guard and Towns can play center or power forward, they can literally take whoever in the draft next year. I know every team should always take the best player available but the Wolves are truly in a position where they can take the best player available regardless since those two are so versatile. Personally, I’d want an elite shooting point guard even though they have Rubio. I’m not one of those people who think he’s bad because outside of scoring, which is pretty much the most important thing in basketball, he’s elite everywhere else as a passer, rebounder and defender. It’s just you got the elite big man, you got the elite wing and the point guard who can shoot is the spot that’s missing and no, it’s not LaVine. The bad thing is that the 2016 NBA Draft is shallow on point guards. I haven’t watch the Jamal Murray Pan-Am game yet but if he can be point guard, I’d rate him very highly with the team going forward. Demetrius Jackson and Isaiah Briscoe are good too, I just don’t think Jackson score all that much and is missing an in-between game and Briscoe is a decent shooter but not elite.

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