I haven't been THIS excited for next season..

[packforfreedom]

Not sure why guys are so in love with A Gordon. This guy would kill our spacing. I'm not willing to compromise our super uberstar Towns so the NBA roleplayer Aaron Gordon can be put to his best use. I'd rather put a guy like Sabonis next to Towns, and keep Dieng for a 3 man rotation. (Or add in your own choice @ PF who can rebound and shoot with range).

This post shows that you haven't actually watched Gordon play all that much. Gordon has more range than Dieng and Sabonis yet he is somehow going to get in the way of Towns? Gordon is just scratching the surface of what he can do and his work ethic is incredible so you can count on him to get a lot better. Any talk about Gordon is a moot point though because the magic aren't trading.

ehm. what range? 44% of his shots are at the rim (Dieng: 38%) and while he's efficent there (Dieng's still better) his midrange game is just bad compared to Dieng's. He's chucking some threes at below average efficiency but that's not what I'd call range.

[Mattya]

Sabonis can spread the floor some, but it being overstated in comparison to Gordon's defense. Gordon has the defense to potentially guard 3 maybe 4 positions. A bunch of people here give Ricky a pass because of everything else he brings to the court. Gordon has very similar potential to bring production in a lot of areas other than shooting. He defends, rebounds, can push the ball on the break some, and pass for a PF. If he can improve his mid range jumper he could be very good. Do we need to improve our shooting? Yes. But we also need defense, and probably even more than we need shooting.

[sipclip]

Not sure why guys are so in love with A Gordon. This guy would kill our spacing. I'm not willing to compromise our super uberstar Towns so the NBA roleplayer Aaron Gordon can be put to his best use. I'd rather put a guy like Sabonis next to Towns, and keep Dieng for a 3 man rotation. (Or add in your own choice @ PF who can rebound and shoot with range).

This post shows that you haven't actually watched Gordon play all that much. Gordon has more range than Dieng and Sabonis yet he is somehow going to get in the way of Towns? Gordon is just scratching the surface of what he can do and his work ethic is incredible so you can count on him to get a lot better. Any talk about Gordon is a moot point though because the magic aren't trading.

ehm. what range? 44% of his shots are at the rim (Dieng: 38%) and while he's efficent there (Dieng's still better) his midrange game is just bad compared to Dieng's. He's chucking some threes at below average efficiency but that's not what I'd call range.

Gordon shoots well enough from 3 that he needs to be covered out there. That alone stretches the floor more than Dieng. There is also no doubt in my mind that he is going to continue to improve his shooting. The kid is only 20yrs old and has so much room for improvement.

[packforfreedom]

I actually don't see a reason why this S5 can't be very good defensive team. Rubio is already very good, the rest has all the tools but is lacking knowledge, commitment and rotations. The only concerns I'd have are Gorgui's quickness against strech 4's and KAT's ability to wrestle against guys like Brook Lopez or DeAndre Jordan.

[minimus]

I like Gordon skillset, it is just price Orlando is asking for him is too much. Also if this core can win more games next season so we will be able to attract FA, I think it makes more sense than trading valuable pieces for short term fix.

[vagelis]

Just so I got this straight. You want to start Dunn over Rubio? And you think a 30 year old maxed our Horford will be a good fit on this team? Beal is the only one that makes sense and even then you're hogging shots from Towns and Wiggins. And you're going to lose LaVine ASAP, because he's definitely the type to have an ego. These are all terrible trade/draft ideas. Also J.Brown looks like a bust.

Dunn is quicker, stronger, better scorer, drives to the rim better, has better shoot, plays better defense. Why is he no better than Rubio?
Horford will be a free agent this year. There are not many good free agents. Ok if we can get Durant I will be also happy. Beal is also a better palyer than Horford but he is a difficult case.
Who would you like from the free agents?

Tell me who DRPM says is best defensive point guard in the NBA?

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/1

By xRAPM, Ricky ranks as the best defensive point guard since 1991. And arguably, considering how much defense has improved in NBA history..the greatest defensive point guard in the history of the NBA.

So if you think Dunn is better at defense than Ricky, you are basically saying that Dunn is going to be the best defensive point guard in history.

Do you believe in these stats?
Some stats like these said that Wiggins will be the next James Posey. There is an article about this.
I believe in what I am seeing and my opinion is that Dunn will be a better defender than Rubio from day one. Explossive first step and 6.9 wingspan means he will be one of the best in steals maybe the best. Strong,quick foots and direction change ability means that Dunn will be a very good 1vs1 defender.
He is not as impressive as prime Derrick Rose or D.Wade were but he is close to them(especially to Wade) and he is good in all aspects of the game. He has not any disadvantage.

[Worm Guts]

He won't be a better defender than Rubio day one. If you've watched the Wolves this season, you should know young players typically struggle defensively no matter how potential they have on that end.

[jinxed]

Dunn is quicker, stronger, better scorer, drives to the rim better, has better shoot, plays better defense. Why is he no better than Rubio?
Horford will be a free agent this year. There are not many good free agents. Ok if we can get Durant I will be also happy. Beal is also a better palyer than Horford but he is a difficult case.
Who would you like from the free agents?

Tell me who DRPM says is best defensive point guard in the NBA?

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/DRPM/position/1

By xRAPM, Ricky ranks as the best defensive point guard since 1991. And arguably, considering how much defense has improved in NBA history..the greatest defensive point guard in the history of the NBA.

So if you think Dunn is better at defense than Ricky, you are basically saying that Dunn is going to be the best defensive point guard in history.

Do you believe in these stats?
Some stats like these said that Wiggins will be the next James Posey. There is an article about this.
I believe in what I am seeing and my opinion is that Dunn will be a better defender than Rubio from day one. Explossive first step and 6.9 wingspan means he will be one of the best in steals maybe the best. Strong,quick foots and direction change ability means that Dunn will be a very good 1vs1 defender.
He is not as impressive as prime Derrick Rose or D.Wade were but he is close to them(especially to Wade) and he is good in all aspects of the game. He has not any disadvantage.

Yes, I believe these stats. So does every smart NBA front office/statistical guru. So do the tests which show the RPM is the best stat at predicting future outcomes. Dunn may have an explosive first step, but the most important thing in defense..is defensive IQ. See the all time leader in NBA steals by like 1,000 (Stockton).

Kris Dunn is 22 years old. When Derrick Rose was 22, he was the MVP of the NBA. Kris Dunn a red shirt junior is putting up stats similar to what DRose put up as a freshman. Worse on a per minute basis.

W/S per 48

Kris Dunn .166 (22 years old)
Derrick Rose .226 (19 years old)
Dwade .292 (20 years old)

NBA draft.net has Kris Dunn's comparison as Jordan Clarkson

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/kris-dunn

[Krapinsky]

Do you believe in these stats?
Some stats like these said that Wiggins will be the next James Posey. There is an article about this.
I believe in what I am seeing and my opinion is that Dunn will be a better defender than Rubio from day one. Explossive first step and 6.9 wingspan means he will be one of the best in steals maybe the best. Strong,quick foots and direction change ability means that Dunn will be a very good 1vs1 defender.
He is not as impressive as prime Derrick Rose or D.Wade were but he is close to them(especially to Wade) and he is good in all aspects of the game. He has not any disadvantage.

Have to chime in here. I believe that 538 article compared Wiggins to Posey. But there's a big difference between using those stats to project how a player will develop in the future (a very, very inexact science) and using those stats to determine how a player is playing in the present (basically, what the stats are supposed to be best at measuring).

[Murphs56]

The Playoffs need to be the goal from the outset next season. If Sam is the coach, I really don't want to hear the whole "We're so young" "when we grow up" "When we learn" quotes. Who cares about age. The Thunder went from 23 wins to 50. Goal should be playoffs. Nothing less.

[Dleavitt24]

I see no reason why this team can't be a liget playoff team next year. If you go to NBA.com and research team stats and filter starters and bench you will see a top 10 starting unit and a last place bench. Fix the bench, coaching and put in a good developmental summer and my expectations are high.
Let's go Milt!

[Klomp]

The Playoffs need to be the goal from the outset next season. If Sam is the coach, I really don't want to hear the whole "We're so young" "when we grow up" "When we learn" quotes. Who cares about age. The Thunder went from 23 wins to 50. Goal should be playoffs. Nothing less.

Even if we set the playoffs as a goal, I hope the team isn't so shortminded that they overreact if they barely miss out. It would take a catastrophe for me to blow things up. While age shouldn't be an excuse, it shouldn't be ignored either. We are young, that is a fact. Next season isn't playoffs or bust.

[Tirion]

The Playoffs need to be the goal from the outset next season. If Sam is the coach, I really don't want to hear the whole "We're so young" "when we grow up" "When we learn" quotes. Who cares about age. The Thunder went from 23 wins to 50. Goal should be playoffs. Nothing less.

Even if we set the playoffs as a goal, I hope the team isn't so shortminded that they overreact if they barely miss out. It would take a catastrophe for me to blow things up. While age shouldn't be an excuse, it shouldn't be ignored either. We are young, that is a fact. Next season isn't playoffs or bust.

I don't think Murphs56 was talking about blowing up the team, just holding the (next) coach accountable.

[phonzadellika]

The Playoffs need to be the goal from the outset next season. If Sam is the coach, I really don't want to hear the whole "We're so young" "when we grow up" "When we learn" quotes. Who cares about age. The Thunder went from 23 wins to 50. Goal should be playoffs. Nothing less.

Even if we set the playoffs as a goal, I hope the team isn't so shortminded that they overreact if they barely miss out. It would take a catastrophe for me to blow things up. While age shouldn't be an excuse, it shouldn't be ignored either. We are young, that is a fact. Next season isn't playoffs or bust.

I don't think Murphs56 was talking about blowing up the team, just holding the (next) coach accountable.

I think that Sam Mitchell is probably the next coach. Milt will probably be the next GM.

We just have to hope that the combined-future-greatness of KAT, Wiggins, Lavine, Rubio and Dieng is so potent that coaching becomes redundant.

I think KAT/Dieng is the future. In a couple of years there will be no stopping them.

[Klomp]

The Playoffs need to be the goal from the outset next season. If Sam is the coach, I really don't want to hear the whole "We're so young" "when we grow up" "When we learn" quotes. Who cares about age. The Thunder went from 23 wins to 50. Goal should be playoffs. Nothing less.

Even if we set the playoffs as a goal, I hope the team isn't so shortminded that they overreact if they barely miss out. It would take a catastrophe for me to blow things up. While age shouldn't be an excuse, it shouldn't be ignored either. We are young, that is a fact. Next season isn't playoffs or bust.

I don't think Murphs56 was talking about blowing up the team, just holding the (next) coach accountable.

Holding him accountable how? Firing him after one season? That would be an overreaction.

[Tirion]

Even if we set the playoffs as a goal, I hope the team isn't so shortminded that they overreact if they barely miss out. It would take a catastrophe for me to blow things up. While age shouldn't be an excuse, it shouldn't be ignored either. We are young, that is a fact. Next season isn't playoffs or bust.

I don't think Murphs56 was talking about blowing up the team, just holding the (next) coach accountable.

Holding him accountable how? Firing him after one season? That would be an overreaction.

Nah, barring significant injuries, this team should be in playoffs next year. And if not, the coach will fall. This is how things are in this league.

[King Malta]

I don't think Murphs56 was talking about blowing up the team, just holding the (next) coach accountable.

Holding him accountable how? Firing him after one season? That would be an overreaction.

Nah, barring significant injuries, this team should be in playoffs next year. And if not, the coach will fall. This is how things are in this league.

So let's say we get the best possible outcome and sign Thibs, you'd sack him if he missed the playoffs?

[C.lupus]

OKC won 45 games last season and missed the playoffs. It's going to take less this year but there's no guarantee next year will be weak. It's great to have the playoffs as the goal and expectation but if they improve from ~28 wins to ~42 wins and miss the post season, I don't know you can the coach.

[Sugarless]

I don't think Murphs56 was talking about blowing up the team, just holding the (next) coach accountable.

Holding him accountable how? Firing him after one season? That would be an overreaction.

Nah, barring significant injuries, this team should be in playoffs next year.

Haha. This is totally RealGM-Timberwolves-like, and it seems like this year it might be coming earlier than ever (C'mon guys, at least wait until summer league begins! ), so it's time to take the dust off an old thread:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1395557

Please keep that experience (and the wise words a few of us tried to share ) in mind at least until we know who's going to coach this team, and what kind of roster we'll have next season. Otherwise there's a good chance it won't be long before we start seeing threads like this one...

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1425541

Or this one...

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1421102

Probably this one...

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1423560

And most definitely a few like this one:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1420656

We have a bright future as a team... only if we make the right decisions.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves this time!

[cpfsf]

the last time i was REALLY excited was before the 12-13 season started. then the injuries piled up. still this is a much better situation. rookie contracts, decent cap space situation, one more draft pick, no more kevin love pouting, and everyone's healthy (pekovic is just a lost cause).

i also like listening to towns being interviewed.