Post#63 » by shrink » Sat Oct 1, 2016 8:05 pm
The issue I would have liked to have seen stressed in this thread was the deals that Thibs didn't do. Most of us understand that Thibs was the top coaching candidate this off-season, with his defensive prowess, Olympics experience, and ability to get the most from his talent. With a Timberwolves team geared for the future, few off-season acquisitions, player or coach, could help so many players on this team as Thibs as a coach. However, he also became the Wolves GM, and that was foreign ground.
Thibs made free agent offers to three vets to improve the team, Pau Gasol, Courtney Lee, and Luol Deng, but all three went elsewhere:
Gasol to SA (2 yrs, $33)
Lee to NYK (4 yrs, $48)
Deng to LAL (4 yrs, $72)
Lee will be 34 when his four year deal ends, Deng 35, and Pau is 36 already. Thibs offers were for only two years (Deng had a partial guarantee on a third).
Thibs is known as a win-now coach, but GM's often have to look at the longterm picture. I give him great credit for not matching or exceeding these offers as a GM (maybe there isn't even enough money to get Gasol to come!). Instead, in an off-season with giant contracts, he got Cole Aldrich on a great deal (3 years for $22 - last year a team option), and cheap, one year deals on Jordan Hill and Brandon Rush.
Next summer, with Garnett gone and Pekovic potentially medically retired, they could have $50 million in cap space. They have now added a respected coach to an incredibly talented young core, who will now have one more year more experience. They may even flirt with the playoffs this season. MIN has set itself up to be a far more attractive free agent destination than ever before. Thibs 2-year offers would have put the free agency push at 2018, but matching four year deals would have meant 2020, when several of their rookie scale youth would be on their first big contract. Many GM's would have matched or bid higher to win more games now, especially coach/gms, and this was a concern of mine.
Every team should improve each season. You get to add a draft pick. Some bad contracts expire. You may add players In free agency. However, in the dangerous summer of 2016, I think many teams didn't keep up - or even hurt their futures. I know it's hard to improve an off-season grade because of deals that didn't happen, but the Wolves front office seems to have done an excellent job improving the team now and in the future because of their restraint in matching some very long contracts on some older players.
Sign5 wrote:Yea not happening, I expected a better retort but what do I expect from realgm(ers) in 2025. Just quote and state things that lack context, then repeat the same thing over and over as if something new and profound was said. Just lol.
