Should we trade N.Pekovic after K.Love is gone ? (POLL)

[Nitroglycerin]

I want to see how a Dieng/Pek combo plays out for a full season before doing anything with Pek. If he STILL has injury issues while playing 80% of the minutes to last year, then sure, take a look at offers.

If you can find an offer of value you trade him, if not, you don't. A willingness of waiting shouldn't come into play...VALUE should.

I swear I read some tweets here (from Doogie maybe) that said that teams are scared of his big contract and not giving up any VALUE for Pek.

no. teams are just scared of him.period

[InfraRen]

I want to see how a Dieng/Pek combo plays out for a full season before doing anything with Pek. If he STILL has injury issues while playing 80% of the minutes to last year, then sure, take a look at offers.

If you can find an offer of value you trade him, if not, you don't. A willingness of waiting shouldn't come into play...VALUE should.

I swear I read some tweets here (from Doogie maybe) that said that teams are scared of his big contract and not giving up any VALUE for Pek.

Yeah, so trading isn't smart. Actually, not a bad deal to have two starter-worthy Centers, one being gifted offensively, the other defensively.

[Sugarless]

I understand. However KO can play at PF. With regard to veterans I guess Bass/Young/MoWill/Martin/Turiaf are solid core. They know how to play, behave. Also PHO played well under Hornacek with a lot of young players. PHI is completely different situation.

I don't think your idea is crazy at all, Bass and Olynyk are a nice package, but I think someone as unique as Pekovic (plus 'Bazz) should net us more of a difference maker in at least one area, instead of further strengthening our bench rotation.

Rubio, Williams, Martin, LaVine, Wiggins, Brewer, Bud, Bass, Young, Bennett (if there's a trade for Young and he's not included), Dieng, Olynyk... just too many guys that would demand a certain amount of minutes for different reasons.

I'm not 100% comfortable adding Thaddeus Young (even though I like him as a player) due to his limitations on defense/rebounding and the fact that he will surely opt-out next summer, but I'd prefer to keep Pek and ride something like this:

PG - Rubio / Mo-Will
SG - Martin / LaVine
SF - Wiggins / Brewer
PF - Young / Bennett
C - Pekovic / Dieng

Now, I think I said it once in this thread, but if we move Pek the trade that I would like the most would be something like this:

MIN IN: Millsap, Koufos
MIN OUT: Pekovic, Brewer, Muhammad

ATL IN: Pekovic, Brewer
ATL OUT: Millsap, Antic

MEM IN: Muhammad, Antic
MEM OUT: Koufos

- Why for MIN: we shed some long-term salary, add one of the best PFs in the league who can do a little bit of everything, and keep a strong C rotation with one of the best back-up centers you can find. We also free-up some minutes on the wing and clear one roster spot for GRIII.

- Why for ATL: they finally get a solid C who can bruise inside so they can move Horford to PF. They also have plenty of outside shooting already, so Brewer could play some SG for them, which they desperately need.

- Why for MEM: if someone says no it's probably them due to Koufos being such a nice piece for any team, but Antic would give them a different kind of big man and 'Bazz would add some much needed potential to their SF rotation.

Our rotation chart:

PG - Rubio / Mo-Will
SG - Martin / LaVine
SF - Wiggins / Bud
PF - Millsap / Bennett
C - Dieng / Koufos

That would give our youngsters plenty of minutes, including some for GRIII, while keeping enough veterans on the roster to keep the team competitive.

[minimus]

I don't want us to tank, I think Flip doesn't have to play for picks. Wiggins and Lavine are high upside rooks and if developed the right way can set us up nicely. By right way I mean playing to win games, not just jack up shots with no regards for wins & losses. We have Rubio who will sour on the organization quickly if we look in the rebuilding direction. Plus we have Dieng and maybe Bennett, we kind of set with enough number of young guys and should keep a good stable of quality veterans, that what all good teams do.

I don't like tanking idea as well. It's not the best way to develop rookies. I agree that we need veterans. I believe that we can follow PHO, CHA last year success. Young players, pair of good role players/veterans, good coach. It's all on Flip. It's all on coach.

[Maefteda]

Just a quick note on the Atlanta Hawks: They want players who can shoot.

The Hawks are trying to build their team after the Spurs model, with ball movement and shooting from all of their players. I highly doubt that they would want Pekovic, as he doesn't fit their criteria.

Pekovic IS a great fit with us though. He doesn't have to take the whole center burden here, as we have a great second center in Gorgui Dieng. Speaking of Dieng... being able to bang with Pekovic in training every day has to be really helpful for him. Dieng's only weakness towards the end of last season was being able to keep stronger centers out of the paint. What better teammate than Pekovic to teach him?

Keep Pek, see what you have at the trade deadline. We need some veterans here and productive players rarely stay in Minnesota, but we have our man in Pek.

[minimus]

I understand. However KO can play at PF. With regard to veterans I guess Bass/Young/MoWill/Martin/Turiaf are solid core. They know how to play, behave. Also PHO played well under Hornacek with a lot of young players. PHI is completely different situation.

I don't think your idea is crazy at all, Bass and Olynyk are a nice package, but I think someone as unique as Pekovic (plus 'Bazz) should net us more of a difference maker in at least one area, instead of further strengthening our bench rotation.

My only concern about Pek is based on assumption that bursitis is chronic issue. If it is not, we should keep Serbian definitely. Just pair him with good stretch 4 as CHA did with Jefferson and McBob. If somebody could clarify bursitis issue, I'd be grateful.

[SO_MONEY]

I want to see how a Dieng/Pek combo plays out for a full season before doing anything with Pek. If he STILL has injury issues while playing 80% of the minutes to last year, then sure, take a look at offers.

If you can find an offer of value you trade him, if not, you don't. A willingness of waiting shouldn't come into play...VALUE should.

I swear I read some tweets here (from Doogie maybe) that said that teams are scared of his big contract and not giving up any VALUE for Pek.

Wouldn't surprise me at all. But being "stuck" with Pek is not a bad player to be stuck with.

[NewWolvesOrder]

If you can find an offer of value you trade him, if not, you don't. A willingness of waiting shouldn't come into play...VALUE should.

I swear I read some tweets here (from Doogie maybe) that said that teams are scared of his big contract and not giving up any VALUE for Pek.

Wouldn't surprise me at all. But being "stuck" with Pek is not a bad player to be stuck with.

Yes, we need a guy who can bitchslap dbags like Cousins or Perkins and tell them to behave. It's good for team morale as other than Ronny and maybe Mo our team is a little soft minded.

[Feilong]

So much sarcasm in one post... I prefer Hawes comparison when I speak about KO future. Last KO season stats (22yr old), Hawes (25yr old). Contracts: KO 3yr 7mil, Hawes 4 yr 22mil.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=hawessp01&y1=2014&p2=olynyke01&y2=2014
Can KO be better than Hawes? Yes, sure.
Bass played in 6 playoff, is known for work ethic. His contract expires next year. Bogans has non guaranteed contract.

P.S. I'm not impressed with Young + Bennett + Hummel as our PF rotation as well. I'd rather play traditional stretch 4 (Ilyasova, Andreson) + limited defensive PF (Ed Davis, John Henson) from the bench

Well we agree then.
Can KO be better than Hawes? Yes, sure. But who cares about Hawes? Hawes is a stretch-5.
As for Bass he is declining. His good days were in DAL and ORL.
Last year in 27mpg he had 5.7reb in a team without a center. All he does is shoot mid range jump-shoots. For me Dante is a better player than he is plus 5 times cheaper.

[Sugarless]

As for Bass he is declining. His good days were in DAL and ORL.
Last year in 27mpg he had 5.7reb in a team without a center. All he does is shoot mid range jump-shoots. For me Dante is a better player than he is plus 5 times cheaper.

Well Dante is certainly cheaper, but he's not the defender that Brandon Bass has become. He's been under the radar due to the Celtics being so unappealing and having such a poor record last season, but he's been great for the C's the last couple of years and he's grown into one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league according to advanced metrics. He's a very nice rotation guy, just not enough in exchange for Pekovic even when you add Olynyk and the fact that Pek's contract is far from great (and it's not gonna get better in the future).

[alexlgnd]

As for Bass he is declining. His good days were in DAL and ORL.
Last year in 27mpg he had 5.7reb in a team without a center. All he does is shoot mid range jump-shoots. For me Dante is a better player than he is plus 5 times cheaper.

Well Dante is certainly cheaper, but he's not the defender that Brandon Bass has become. He's been under the radar due to the Celtics being so unappealing and having such a poor record last season, but he's been great for the C's the last couple of years and he's grown into one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league according to advanced metrics. He's a very nice rotation guy, just not enough in exchange for Pekovic even when you add Olynyk and the fact that Pek's contract is far from great (and it's not gonna get better in the future).

Big men get paid. Find me the same production as Pek for cheaper. That's how the NBA works. You can't just keep getting younger without proven quantities if only for the contract. Peks contract is perfect for the type of player he is.

[Sugarless]

Just a quick note on the Atlanta Hawks: They want players who can shoot.

The Hawks are trying to build their team after the Spurs model, with ball movement and shooting from all of their players. I highly doubt that they would want Pekovic, as he doesn't fit their criteria.

You're right about the Hawks looking to add shooters, but they've been doing so for a while, and they're gonna need a strong presence inside if they ever want to make it past the first or second round. You also have to take into account that Horford was already a reliable jump-shooter before last season, and he showed some great improvement last year until he got injured (which takes us to another reason why it would be good for them: playing C year after year seems to be taking a toll on AH). There's no doubt he could develop a 3-point shot if he didn't have to battle inside time after time, and they still have Korver, Carroll, Payne, Martin and even Bud if they prefer him over Brewer.

If only Flip made a call to Danny Ferry...

[minimus]

Well we agree then.
Can KO be better than Hawes? Yes, sure. But who cares about Hawes? Hawes is a stretch-5.
As for Bass he is declining. His good days were in DAL and ORL.
Last year in 27mpg he had 5.7reb in a team without a center. All he does is shoot mid range jump-shoots. For me Dante is a better player than he is plus 5 times cheaper.

Bass is way better mid range shooter. Solid, well seasoned veteran with playoff experience.
Dante was inconsistent performer in defense who lost his shooting touch. His off court issues are well documented. Sometimes he put no effort, sometimes he was our best defender, a few people on this board wrote that he was spending nights before practice/games hanging around. Good example for our young players. Who cares about Dante? Hummel is 2 times cheaper.

[guest81]

I swear I read some tweets here (from Doogie maybe) that said that teams are scared of his big contract and not giving up any VALUE for Pek.

Wouldn't surprise me at all. But being "stuck" with Pek is not a bad player to be stuck with.

Yes, we need a guy who can bitchslap dbags like Cousins or Perkins and tell them to behave. It's good for team morale as other than Ronny and maybe Mo our team is a little soft minded.

Pek is a gentle giant

[Sugarless]

Well Dante is certainly cheaper, but he's not the defender that Brandon Bass has become. He's been under the radar due to the Celtics being so unappealing and having such a poor record last season, but he's been great for the C's the last couple of years and he's grown into one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league according to advanced metrics. He's a very nice rotation guy, just not enough in exchange for Pekovic even when you add Olynyk and the fact that Pek's contract is far from great (and it's not gonna get better in the future).

Big men get paid. Find me the same production as Pek for cheaper. That's how the NBA works. You can't just keep getting younger without proven quantities if only for the contract. Peks contract is perfect for the type of player he is.

Well, you're talking about his production offensively, but what about on defense? He's a good fit in terms of how efficient he's on the low block and from a rebounding standpoint, but he's not the best fit there is. I would rather have Dieng start (cheaper, healthier, a much better passer and defender) and get a solid PF who could stretch the floor and complement Dieng on defense.

As for Pek's contract, if it was perfect there would be more suitors for him. The Timberwolves outbid themselves last summer (remember he didn't sign until mid-August, but he never received any other offers), and so far it doesn't seem like teams are lining in Flip's door asking for him. I'm not saying it's outrageous, but it's far from a bargain and it runs for 4 more years, which is what worries me the most along with his health.

[packforfreedom]

playing less minutes will do wonders to his health. something around 24-26 minutes would be perfect with the rest going to Dieng and Turiaf.

[guest81]

Well Dante is certainly cheaper, but he's not the defender that Brandon Bass has become. He's been under the radar due to the Celtics being so unappealing and having such a poor record last season, but he's been great for the C's the last couple of years and he's grown into one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league according to advanced metrics. He's a very nice rotation guy, just not enough in exchange for Pekovic even when you add Olynyk and the fact that Pek's contract is far from great (and it's not gonna get better in the future).

Big men get paid. Find me the same production as Pek for cheaper. That's how the NBA works. You can't just keep getting younger without proven quantities if only for the contract. Peks contract is perfect for the type of player he is.

Well, you're talking about his production offensively, but what about on defense? He's a good fit in terms of how efficient he's on the low block and from a rebounding standpoint, but he's not the best fit there is. I would rather have Dieng start (cheaper, healthier, a much better passer and defender) and get a solid PF who could stretch the floor and complement Dieng on defense.

As for Pek's contract, if it was perfect there would be more suitors for him. The Timberwolves outbid themselves last summer (remember he didn't sign until mid-August, but he never received any other offers), and so far it doesn't seem like teams are lining in Flip's door asking for him. I'm not saying it's outrageous, but it's far from a bargain and it runs for 4 more years, which is what worries me the most along with his health.

only one of those things are true.

[Sugarless]

cheaper, healthier, a much better passer and defender

only one of those things are true.

Care to elaborate? I'd like to know which three you think are false, and I really can't imagine how did you get to that conclussion, whatever it is in the end.

[Feilong]

I don't care about Dante. But if i had to choose between Bass and Dante i would choose Dante everytime.
Bass is way better mid ranger shooter? Bass 48%, Dante 46%, plus Dante was playing with Barea, i don't see how he is way better shooter.
I repeat 5.7reb for a starter without a center in his team is way way low for me.
Yes he is more experienced etc but is he worth 7M? No way.

[guest81]

cheaper, healthier, a much better passer and defender

only one of those things are true.

Care to elaborate? I'd like to know which three you think are false, and I really can't imagine how did you get to that conclussion, whatever it is in the end.

Dieng avg 0.7 assists a game. He's not a much better passer then anybody. The defensive numbers between when Pek was in and when Dieng was in didn't change at all. Pek is a much better one on one defender. Dieng wasn't a shot blocker last year either.

As far as injuries go, a half season of playing doesn't mean you'll be a healthy player. Dieng missed plenty of time in college