This topic contains 18 replies, has 9 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar OverTimeCrunk 9 years, 6 months ago.

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  • #57976
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    Bajeebz
    Participant

    Hard to believe that training camp is just two weeks away. I’ve been thinking a lot about the Wolves’ rotation and depth chart. Everyone knows that they have a traffic jam on the wing, but still it’s pretty staggering when you consider all the players competing for time at the 2 or 3.

    If you take out Barea ‘cuz of the trade rumors, I still count 11 guys going into camp who can play the wing. In a ten-man rotation, there are probably only four wings that’ll play. This is how I have it scored going into camp:

    IN THE ROTATION
    Wiggins
    Martin
    Brewer

    BATTLING FOR THE LAST SPOT
    Muhammad–could also get minutes as an undersized 4
    Budinger

    LOOK FOR MINUTES ELSEWHERE
    Hummel (PF)
    Lavine (PG)
    Bennett (PF)
    Williams (PG)

    PROBABLY WON”T MAKE TEAM
    GRIII—D League?
    Heslip—He’d have to shoot lights out in camp

    Now that I do a little blogging I tend to share my hoop thoughts on both draft.net and on the blog. I’d be posting this anyway, but since I have a much more in depth version, I figure I’ll share that too:

    http://dunkingwithwolves.com/2014/09/16/wolves-training-camp-predictions/

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  • #949060
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    RUDEBOY_
    Participant

    Kudos to the front office for getting some great assets back in that trade.that doesnt happen too often when a team trades its star player…

    the battle i want to see is who starts at pf young or dieng? i hope dieng wins it..and they make young the 6th man…the twolves were among the bottom in defense and block shots last last dieng will help in those areas…but there could be some concerns about spacing when both pekovic and dieng are on the floor….

    i know it was the summer league,but lavine played well and looked like he might be ready to contribute to the rotation quicker then some thought….

    they owe pekovic and martin 70 million over the next 4 yrs,and with 2 promising players in dieng and lavine..1 or both of them could be traded…

    hopefully with a new coach,playing in a contract year and new teammates hopefully this will be the year rubio plays up to his potential….

     

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  • #948924
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    RUDEBOY_
    Participant

    Kudos to the front office for getting some great assets back in that trade.that doesnt happen too often when a team trades its star player…

    the battle i want to see is who starts at pf young or dieng? i hope dieng wins it..and they make young the 6th man…the twolves were among the bottom in defense and block shots last last dieng will help in those areas…but there could be some concerns about spacing when both pekovic and dieng are on the floor….

    i know it was the summer league,but lavine played well and looked like he might be ready to contribute to the rotation quicker then some thought….

    they owe pekovic and martin 70 million over the next 4 yrs,and with 2 promising players in dieng and lavine..1 or both of them could be traded…

    hopefully with a new coach,playing in a contract year and new teammates hopefully this will be the year rubio plays up to his potential….

     

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  • #949064
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    i’m jus so offended
    Participant

     Lavine is going to eventually be playing pretty big minutes as the year goes on I think

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  • #948928
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    i’m jus so offended
    Participant

     Lavine is going to eventually be playing pretty big minutes as the year goes on I think

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    • #949070
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      Bajeebz
      Participant

      Do you think he takes them from Mo Williams at the PG? or from whomever is backing up Martin at the SG?

      –We just signed GRIII to a guaranteed contract, btw…doesn’t mean he’ll play, but it’s something.

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    • #948934
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      Bajeebz
      Participant

      Do you think he takes them from Mo Williams at the PG? or from whomever is backing up Martin at the SG?

      –We just signed GRIII to a guaranteed contract, btw…doesn’t mean he’ll play, but it’s something.

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  • #949068
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    nill650
    Participant

     plenty of depth there for sure.

    I like the wolves better going forward than alot of other rosters.

    I see the key rotations 1/2 way through the season. (minutes per game subject to debate but each player is listed in order or most minutes to least minutes imo.)

     

    pg; Rubio,Mo,Lavine.

    sg: Wiggins,Martin,GRIII.

    sf:,Young,Muhammad,Wiggins,etc.

    pf: Dieng,Bennett,Young,etc.

    c Pek,Turiaf,Dieng.

    others like brewer on the block 

    to start the season I give the starting nod to rubio,martin,young,dieng and pek.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • #948932
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    nill650
    Participant

     plenty of depth there for sure.

    I like the wolves better going forward than alot of other rosters.

    I see the key rotations 1/2 way through the season. (minutes per game subject to debate but each player is listed in order or most minutes to least minutes imo.)

     

    pg; Rubio,Mo,Lavine.

    sg: Wiggins,Martin,GRIII.

    sf:,Young,Muhammad,Wiggins,etc.

    pf: Dieng,Bennett,Young,etc.

    c Pek,Turiaf,Dieng.

    others like brewer on the block 

    to start the season I give the starting nod to rubio,martin,young,dieng and pek.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • #949074
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    Memphis Madness
    Participant

     That team might sell more road tickets than all the previous T Wolves teams COMBINED.

    Hopefully they roll out some Rubio, Lavine, Wiggins, Young/Bennett, and Dieng lineups.  That’s the future.

     

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  • #948938
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    Memphis Madness
    Participant

     That team might sell more road tickets than all the previous T Wolves teams COMBINED.

    Hopefully they roll out some Rubio, Lavine, Wiggins, Young/Bennett, and Dieng lineups.  That’s the future.

     

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  • #949080
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    baggin13
    Participant

    I think this will be the starting line up

    PG: Rubio
    SG: Martin
    SF: Wiggins
    PF: Young
    C: Pekovic

    This is a nice blend of defense(Rubio, Wiggins and Young) and offense (Martin, Pek). They will need MArtins ability to space the floor on the starting line up since Rubio hasn’t proved to be a threat and Wiggins is a wild card (although I think his shot is better than advertised). Pek will be able to troll the paint getting awesome potion like he does while Young floats around pulling out the defending 4 and also being an effective cutter without the ball.

    The biggest issue with the Wolves last year is the bench couldn’t score or stop anyone. But the Wolves have done a good job of addressing it. They added Mo Williams who is a solid 3 pt shooter, LaVine has a beautiful stroke, and moving Brewer to the bench helps the D and energy, Bennett is a mystery to me but he has a chance to blossom and show why he was #1 pick, Dieng has really improved his game on both sides of the ball since he came into MN. I don’t believe JJ will be on the roster come trading camp (trade or buyout) and I don’t see much of a chance for Turiaf, Bazz, Hummel and Robinson III to get minutes until players miss some games.

    Flip has an impossible task of spreading minutes between his draft picks and solid vets. I have no idea which way he will lean considering he is both coach and president of basketball operations. I can’t wait for the battle to begin!

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  • #948944
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    baggin13
    Participant

    I think this will be the starting line up

    PG: Rubio
    SG: Martin
    SF: Wiggins
    PF: Young
    C: Pekovic

    This is a nice blend of defense(Rubio, Wiggins and Young) and offense (Martin, Pek). They will need MArtins ability to space the floor on the starting line up since Rubio hasn’t proved to be a threat and Wiggins is a wild card (although I think his shot is better than advertised). Pek will be able to troll the paint getting awesome potion like he does while Young floats around pulling out the defending 4 and also being an effective cutter without the ball.

    The biggest issue with the Wolves last year is the bench couldn’t score or stop anyone. But the Wolves have done a good job of addressing it. They added Mo Williams who is a solid 3 pt shooter, LaVine has a beautiful stroke, and moving Brewer to the bench helps the D and energy, Bennett is a mystery to me but he has a chance to blossom and show why he was #1 pick, Dieng has really improved his game on both sides of the ball since he came into MN. I don’t believe JJ will be on the roster come trading camp (trade or buyout) and I don’t see much of a chance for Turiaf, Bazz, Hummel and Robinson III to get minutes until players miss some games.

    Flip has an impossible task of spreading minutes between his draft picks and solid vets. I have no idea which way he will lean considering he is both coach and president of basketball operations. I can’t wait for the battle to begin!

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    • #949092
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      ballislyfe25
      Participant

      Well said, baggin13. This is going to be very interesting to watch due to, as you said, spreading the minutes between draft picks and solid veterans. However, this Timberwolves team is certainly deeper and a bit more experienced than last year’s team. They will have a solid 10-man rotation, with a bench that is capable of winning some games. Based off baggin13’s starting lineup, the T’Wolves potential rotation:

      PG: Rubio/Williams

      SG: Martin/LaVine

      SF: Wiggins/Brewer

      PF: Young/Bennett

      C: Pekovic/Dieng

      Flip really can mix-and-match with these 10 players (not to mention Shabazz Muhammad but I wouldn’t count on him) to deploy a wide variety of different lineups. He can go traditional, up-tempo, big, small, defensive, perimeter shooting, etc. 

      Overall, I really like this team’s roster. I do not think they have a championship-level coach or any all-star/all-NBA players (yet) but they absolutely will be a tough out on certain nights. It may be fair to say, based on the veteran presences and their developing athletic/talented youth, that there may not be much of a drop off from last season. However, they could completely bottom out and get a top-5 pick. Regardless, their depth intrigues me and reminds me a bit of the Denver Nuggets teams of the post-Melo era; no superstar, but a rotation 10-12 deep with a variety of skill sets the players bring. Let’s see what these guys can do.

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    • #948956
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      ballislyfe25
      Participant

      Well said, baggin13. This is going to be very interesting to watch due to, as you said, spreading the minutes between draft picks and solid veterans. However, this Timberwolves team is certainly deeper and a bit more experienced than last year’s team. They will have a solid 10-man rotation, with a bench that is capable of winning some games. Based off baggin13’s starting lineup, the T’Wolves potential rotation:

      PG: Rubio/Williams

      SG: Martin/LaVine

      SF: Wiggins/Brewer

      PF: Young/Bennett

      C: Pekovic/Dieng

      Flip really can mix-and-match with these 10 players (not to mention Shabazz Muhammad but I wouldn’t count on him) to deploy a wide variety of different lineups. He can go traditional, up-tempo, big, small, defensive, perimeter shooting, etc. 

      Overall, I really like this team’s roster. I do not think they have a championship-level coach or any all-star/all-NBA players (yet) but they absolutely will be a tough out on certain nights. It may be fair to say, based on the veteran presences and their developing athletic/talented youth, that there may not be much of a drop off from last season. However, they could completely bottom out and get a top-5 pick. Regardless, their depth intrigues me and reminds me a bit of the Denver Nuggets teams of the post-Melo era; no superstar, but a rotation 10-12 deep with a variety of skill sets the players bring. Let’s see what these guys can do.

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  • #949089
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    aztwulf
    Participant

    Some kind of a trade, or buyout, has to happen now that GR3 was signed to a guaranteed contract. GR3 brings the roster to 16 players, of which 6 have SF as their best position (Wiggins, Brewer, Budinger, GR3, Bazz, and Hummel).

    I have a hard time trying to imagine Glen buying out Barea, as Glen seems pretty conscious about dollars and cents, and I can’t see Glen eating over 4 million dollars. I don’t know if the Wolves could give Barea away, and may have to add some kind of asset (a second rounder or one of their many SF’s) in order to get rid of him. If they do somehow get rid of Barea then that leaves PG rather thin in the event of a Rubio or Williams injury. LaVine played some PG during LVSL and looked OK, but that was summer league against backups/non-roster players, and not NBA level talent.

    If the Wolves move Barea maybe it would be in conjunction with one of our SF’s (Bud?, Brew?) with a backup PG coming back to Minnesota. That would give Minnesota the PG depth that I think it needs, and eliminate one of the 6 SF’s.

    I think the 10 guys that figure to get regular minutes, unless someone from this group is traded, are Pek, Dieng, Young, Bennett, Brewer, Wiggins, Martin, LaVine, Rubio, and Williams. I don’t think JJ is going to play a lot as long as Rubio and Williams stay healthy. Hummel and GR3 are going to ride the pine unless there are injuries. GR3, hopefully, puts in some time in the D-League. Bud may take minutes from LaVine if LaVine struggles. Bazz and Turiaf see limited minutes, and some DNP-CD’s, unless the injuries mount up.

    The Wolves are going to struggle rebounding the ball and are going to struggle shooting. The Wolves will be a highlight reel in the open court, and should be one of the more interesting teams to watch play. The team is pretty young and is likely at least a couple of years from sniffing the playoffs.

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  • #948954
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    aztwulf
    Participant

    Some kind of a trade, or buyout, has to happen now that GR3 was signed to a guaranteed contract. GR3 brings the roster to 16 players, of which 6 have SF as their best position (Wiggins, Brewer, Budinger, GR3, Bazz, and Hummel).

    I have a hard time trying to imagine Glen buying out Barea, as Glen seems pretty conscious about dollars and cents, and I can’t see Glen eating over 4 million dollars. I don’t know if the Wolves could give Barea away, and may have to add some kind of asset (a second rounder or one of their many SF’s) in order to get rid of him. If they do somehow get rid of Barea then that leaves PG rather thin in the event of a Rubio or Williams injury. LaVine played some PG during LVSL and looked OK, but that was summer league against backups/non-roster players, and not NBA level talent.

    If the Wolves move Barea maybe it would be in conjunction with one of our SF’s (Bud?, Brew?) with a backup PG coming back to Minnesota. That would give Minnesota the PG depth that I think it needs, and eliminate one of the 6 SF’s.

    I think the 10 guys that figure to get regular minutes, unless someone from this group is traded, are Pek, Dieng, Young, Bennett, Brewer, Wiggins, Martin, LaVine, Rubio, and Williams. I don’t think JJ is going to play a lot as long as Rubio and Williams stay healthy. Hummel and GR3 are going to ride the pine unless there are injuries. GR3, hopefully, puts in some time in the D-League. Bud may take minutes from LaVine if LaVine struggles. Bazz and Turiaf see limited minutes, and some DNP-CD’s, unless the injuries mount up.

    The Wolves are going to struggle rebounding the ball and are going to struggle shooting. The Wolves will be a highlight reel in the open court, and should be one of the more interesting teams to watch play. The team is pretty young and is likely at least a couple of years from sniffing the playoffs.

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  • #949103
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    OverTimeCrunk
    Participant

     Yeah, I really like this new Wolves team alot. It’s vary deep with potential. All the way up to the last player on the roster. And with that said… I wonder how Flips going to manage minutes too.

    I guess "if" I were the guy giving out minutes it would be tuff. I’d probably go with Rubio/Martin/Wiggins/Young/Pekovic and Williams/LaVine/Brewer/AB/Dieng. But at the same time I feel like Shabazz/Budinger/GRlll are players that need good to at least some minutes.

    I like Martin as a player and vet. I just wonder how he fits long term with the young guys further down the road. I think he could start and mentor for the first half of the season and maybe then be traded to a contender or something, so there’s more minutes for Shabazz/GRlll/Budinger on the team.

    But either way, this team with it’s athletics is going to be fun to see. Season is getting close.

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  • #948968
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    OverTimeCrunk
    Participant

     Yeah, I really like this new Wolves team alot. It’s vary deep with potential. All the way up to the last player on the roster. And with that said… I wonder how Flips going to manage minutes too.

    I guess "if" I were the guy giving out minutes it would be tuff. I’d probably go with Rubio/Martin/Wiggins/Young/Pekovic and Williams/LaVine/Brewer/AB/Dieng. But at the same time I feel like Shabazz/Budinger/GRlll are players that need good to at least some minutes.

    I like Martin as a player and vet. I just wonder how he fits long term with the young guys further down the road. I think he could start and mentor for the first half of the season and maybe then be traded to a contender or something, so there’s more minutes for Shabazz/GRlll/Budinger on the team.

    But either way, this team with it’s athletics is going to be fun to see. Season is getting close.

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