Do you think the Wolves going extra big is a good thing?

[minimus]

Let me ask you one thing: if Vando could hit open corner 3s like PJ Tucker does, how much of the problem would be for you to give him full time PF job?

In my opinion we never had an appropriate personel next Towns in front court to share some defensive load AND at the same time to maximize his offense. Imagine Jokic without Millsap (100 mil / 4 yrs), Grant and now without Gordon. Meanwhile Towns played with Dieng, Gibson, RoCo and now Vanderbilt. Jokic has been playing with PF who 100% fit next to him, Towns has to play with defensive minded players who at best are 50% compatible: they are not athletic to be rim runners, ie don't add vertical spacing, they are bad shooters ie dont add traditional spacing.

Another problem is overall lack of size which partially comes from being a very young team with many young players who are still developing their bodies and mental toughness. As many here already stated DLo-Beasley-Beverley-JMax-Nowell is kind of undersized backcourt with so many defensive liabilities. To compare with BOS who have White-Smart-Brown all over 200lbs, and tough as nails guards, or MIL with Holiday-Allen-Matthews etc.

But the biggest problem to me is commitment on defensive end, discipline. Our young players consistently missing rolling opponents, forget to box out, caught ball watching instead of fighting for position. This is very important because it is not only C or PF who are responsible for defensive rebound, it is whole team. NBA players are steadily increasing volume of 3pt attempts, increase shot distance and more rebounds are nowadays long rebounds. Bigs just cant clean boards alone like in old days. Moreover, having weak, undersized wings does not allow you to play any kind of functional switching or zone defense.

Now to sum up. Someone thinks that Gobert is the magical cure to ALL our problems, but I dont think so. It is the same type of thinking that Towns and Edwards alone can carry WHOLE offense. These are multiple different issues should be addressed and whole team should grow organically into new identity. Thats why I like new additions Moore, Kessler, Anderson. I like Prince resigning here, I like our flexibility moving forward with all future FRPs, a ton of cap space and young players. Gambling now on Gobert means taking shortcut without hard work. I don't believe in it. I also believe that if Gobert experiment fails here, it will burry any positive imagine of MIN for many years. Media and fans won't forget this, we (organization, coach, players) will be clowned every single day for eternity.

[seal]

Let me ask you one thing: if Vando could hit open corner 3s like PJ Tucker does, how much of the problem would be for you to give him full time PF job?

In my opinion we never had an appropriate personel next Towns in front court to share some defensive load AND at the same time to maximize his offense. Imagine Jokic without Millsap (100 mil / 4 yrs), Grant and now without Gordon. Meanwhile Towns played with Dieng, Gibson, RoCo and now Vanderbilt. If Jokic had been playing with PF who 100% fit next to him, Towns has to play with defensive minded players who at best are 50% compatible: they are not athletic to be rim runners, ie don't add vertical spacing, they are bad shooters ie dont add traditional spacing.

Another problem is overall lack of size which partially comes from being a very young team with many young players who are still developing their bodies and mental toughness. As many here already stated DLo-Beasley-Beverley-JMax-Nowell is kind of undersized backcourt with so many defensive liabilities. To compare with BOS who have White-Smart-Brown all over 200lbs, and tough as nails guards, or MIL with Holiday-Allen-Matthews etc.

But the biggest problem to me is commitment on defensive end, discipline. Our young players consistently missing rolling opponents, forget to box out, caught ball watching instead of fighting for position. This is very important because it is not only C or PF who are responsible for defensive rebound, it is whole team. NBA players are steadily increasing volume of 3pt attempts, increase shot distance and more rebounds are nowadays long rebounds. Bigs just cant clean boards alone like in old days. Moreover, having weak, undersized wings does not allow you to play any kind of functional switching or zone defense.

Now to sum up. Someone thinks that Gobert is the magical cure to ALL our problems, but I dont think so. It is the same type of thinking that Towns and Edwards alone can carry WHOLE offense. These are multiple different issues should be addressed and whole team should grow organically into new identity. Thats why I like new additions Moore, Kessler, Anderson. I like Prince resigning here, I like our flexibility moving forward with all future Fraps, a ton of cap space and young players. Gambling now on Gobert means taking shortcut without hard work. I don't believe in it. I also believe that if Gobert experiment fails here, it will burry any positive imagine of MIN for many years. Media and fans won't forget this, we (organization, coach, players) will be clowned every single day for eternity.

Good post. Gobert is a pretty blunt instrument to cure a problem that the Wolves might be able to address by just sizing up at the PF spot. The Wolves played much of last season with McDaniels at the 4 and Edwards at the 3 -- both out of position. Getting a legitimate PF - frankly, like Kyle Anderson - would allow McDaniels and Edwards to shift up and guard their natural positions. A lineup of Russell-Edwards-McDaniels-Anderson-Towns is not "small" by any means.

[Klomp]

I've talked myself into it.

The mold to follow is the 2011 Mavs.

KAT = Dirk - 7 FT Stretch PF with defensive limitations. The Mavs could better hide Dirk on defense because they had Tyson Chandler, who at the time, may have been the best defensive Center in the game. With Candler carrying the weight defensively, Dirk's offensive game reached new highs. That's what I see happening here. We need our Tyson Chandler.

This is the comparison I've been going back to as well. Since the draft, KAT was compared to guys like Patrick and Hakeem, but especially as he's developed his perimeter game I've started to see more Dirk, LaMarcus and Chris Bosh.

I don't think small-ball lineups are completely dead here though. There will be times where we will see Prince or McDaniels as the second-biggest player on the floor. That's what I like about adding more size, whether it was Walker originally in the draft or now Rudy...it gives Finchy options. We aren't forced to only play small or large lineups.

[winforlose]

V8 is 214 pounds. He couldn’t even guard Montrez Harrell one on one in the dunkers spot. His best assets are his long arms and quick feet, but he is better at guarding wings than true bigs. Add to that hands of stone and no mid range game. When V8 is on the floor it is 4 on 5 on offense. Adding a corner 3 doesn’t fix that.

KAT is not a true C. I don’t know how else to phrase it. He loves shooting 3s, attacking off the dribble, guarding at the perimeter (his best defensive year was in high wall.) and gets in foul trouble when defending in the low post. KAT is an oversized 4 and there is nothing wrong with that. He has been playing out of position, and is so God Damn talented that he could pull it off. But he will be better off playing his natural position.

If you cannot rebound, and you cannot defend the paint, you cannot win a title. Our team last year couldn’t do either. Our failed attempts to guard the paint by collapsing on the rolling big gave opponents wide open corner 3s and/or swing passes to open shooters elsewhere. You cannot fix this with Miles Turner. Miles Turner is not an excellent rebounder, and while he is a decent shot blocker, he isn’t even in the same defensive league as Gobert. The only thing Turner really does better is shoot from distance. Tuner is a career 34.9% 3 point shooter and last season shot 33.3% from deep. Turner was cheaper, but not a significant step forward. Ayton, Siakam, Bam, none of these guys is even close to the defensive juggernaut that is Gobert. None of them will rebound as well, or be as tough to guard in the paint while everyone else is busy dealing with KAT and Ant.

Cleveland started the year 20-16 with Rubio and Garland. Does anyone doubt that KAT and Gobert are better than Mobley and Allen? Does anyone doubt that Ant, Dlo, and MCD are better than Rubio, Garland, and Markkanen? Size may create defensive mismatches, but it also creates rebounding opportunities, offensive advantages, and more opportunities for deflections, blocks, and attacking passing lanes (longer arms.)

Lastly, does anyone think Finch cannot scheme to make this work? Look at how much he improved our defense last year. Did you ever expect Dlo or KAT to be that impactful on defense? A year older, a deeper, stronger, and longer lineup, and having tasted the playoffs. Does anyone really think this isn’t a team on the rise?

[Note30]

V8 is 214 pounds. He couldn’t even guard Montrez Harrell one on one in the dunkers spot. His best assets are his long arms and quick feet, but he is better at guarding wings than true bigs. Add to that hands of stone and no mid range game. When V8 is on the floor it is 4 on 5 on offense. Adding a corner 3 doesn’t fix that.

KAT is not a true C. I don’t know how else to phrase it. He loves shooting 3s, attacking off the dribble, guarding at the perimeter (his best defensive year was in high wall.) and gets in foul trouble when defending in the low post. KAT is an oversized 4 and there is nothing wrong with that. He has been playing out of position, and is so God Damn talented that he could pull it off. But he will be better off playing his natural position.

If you cannot rebound, and you cannot defend the paint, you cannot win a title. Our team last year couldn’t do either. Our failed attempts to guard the paint by collapsing on the rolling big gave opponents wide open corner 3s and/or swing passes to open shooters elsewhere. You cannot fix this with Miles Turner. Miles Turner is not an excellent rebounder, and while he is a decent shot blocker, he isn’t even in the same defensive league as Gobert. The only thing Turner really does better is shoot from distance. Tuner is a career 34.9% 3 point shooter and last season shot 33.3% from deep. Turner was cheaper, but not a significant step forward. Ayton, Siakam, Bam, none of these guys is even close to the defensive juggernaut that is Gobert. None of them will rebound as well, or be as tough to guard in the paint while everyone else is busy dealing with KAT and Ant.

Cleveland started the year 20-16 with Rubio and Garland. Does anyone doubt that KAT and Gobert are better than Mobley and Allen? Does anyone doubt that Ant, Dlo, and MCD are better than Rubio, Garland, and Markkanen? Size may create defensive mismatches, but it also creates rebounding opportunities, offensive advantages, and more opportunities for deflections, blocks, and attacking passing lanes (longer arms.)

Lastly, does anyone think Finch cannot scheme to make this work? Look at how much he improved our defense last year. Did you ever expect Dlo or KAT to be that impactful on defense? A year older, a deeper, stronger, and longer lineup, and having tasted the playoffs. Does anyone really think this isn’t a team on the rise?

I don't think anyone thinks this isnt a team on the rise. A lot of the discourse is about the price we paid.

[winforlose]

V8 is 214 pounds. He couldn’t even guard Montrez Harrell one on one in the dunkers spot. His best assets are his long arms and quick feet, but he is better at guarding wings than true bigs. Add to that hands of stone and no mid range game. When V8 is on the floor it is 4 on 5 on offense. Adding a corner 3 doesn’t fix that.

KAT is not a true C. I don’t know how else to phrase it. He loves shooting 3s, attacking off the dribble, guarding at the perimeter (his best defensive year was in high wall.) and gets in foul trouble when defending in the low post. KAT is an oversized 4 and there is nothing wrong with that. He has been playing out of position, and is so God Damn talented that he could pull it off. But he will be better off playing his natural position.

If you cannot rebound, and you cannot defend the paint, you cannot win a title. Our team last year couldn’t do either. Our failed attempts to guard the paint by collapsing on the rolling big gave opponents wide open corner 3s and/or swing passes to open shooters elsewhere. You cannot fix this with Miles Turner. Miles Turner is not an excellent rebounder, and while he is a decent shot blocker, he isn’t even in the same defensive league as Gobert. The only thing Turner really does better is shoot from distance. Tuner is a career 34.9% 3 point shooter and last season shot 33.3% from deep. Turner was cheaper, but not a significant step forward. Ayton, Siakam, Bam, none of these guys is even close to the defensive juggernaut that is Gobert. None of them will rebound as well, or be as tough to guard in the paint while everyone else is busy dealing with KAT and Ant.

Cleveland started the year 20-16 with Rubio and Garland. Does anyone doubt that KAT and Gobert are better than Mobley and Allen? Does anyone doubt that Ant, Dlo, and MCD are better than Rubio, Garland, and Markkanen? Size may create defensive mismatches, but it also creates rebounding opportunities, offensive advantages, and more opportunities for deflections, blocks, and attacking passing lanes (longer arms.)

Lastly, does anyone think Finch cannot scheme to make this work? Look at how much he improved our defense last year. Did you ever expect Dlo or KAT to be that impactful on defense? A year older, a deeper, stronger, and longer lineup, and having tasted the playoffs. Does anyone really think this isn’t a team on the rise?

I don't think anyone thinks this isnt a team on the rise. A lot of the discourse is about the price we paid.

The title of this thread is asking if big ball is a good thing. That isn’t the same as the discussion of the trade in the Rudy trade thread. That is why I first addressed V8 and KAT’s true position. It is also true that we don’t know what the asking price would be for any other impact big. We assume Turner could be had for Beasley and a 1st or Beasley straight up. Indy gave up Sabonis, they want to win, I don’t know why people think Turner is for sale. Ayton would be expensive and a bad fit with Towns, (He is better than V8 but nowhere the impact of Gobert,) and with Towns extension I am not 100% sure we could have traded for him anyway (same problem as Ben Simmons.) Even if we found a cheaper big to “try the big ball experiment” Ant gets a year older and closer to his big money, as does Nowell, MCD, Naz, and we are then stuck dealing with the Dlo situation at the same time. Like it or not this is the ideal time and we took the risk. Cleveland proved big ball works, now we will show everyone how to do it right.

[Note30]

V8 is 214 pounds. He couldn’t even guard Montrez Harrell one on one in the dunkers spot. His best assets are his long arms and quick feet, but he is better at guarding wings than true bigs. Add to that hands of stone and no mid range game. When V8 is on the floor it is 4 on 5 on offense. Adding a corner 3 doesn’t fix that.

KAT is not a true C. I don’t know how else to phrase it. He loves shooting 3s, attacking off the dribble, guarding at the perimeter (his best defensive year was in high wall.) and gets in foul trouble when defending in the low post. KAT is an oversized 4 and there is nothing wrong with that. He has been playing out of position, and is so God Damn talented that he could pull it off. But he will be better off playing his natural position.

If you cannot rebound, and you cannot defend the paint, you cannot win a title. Our team last year couldn’t do either. Our failed attempts to guard the paint by collapsing on the rolling big gave opponents wide open corner 3s and/or swing passes to open shooters elsewhere. You cannot fix this with Miles Turner. Miles Turner is not an excellent rebounder, and while he is a decent shot blocker, he isn’t even in the same defensive league as Gobert. The only thing Turner really does better is shoot from distance. Tuner is a career 34.9% 3 point shooter and last season shot 33.3% from deep. Turner was cheaper, but not a significant step forward. Ayton, Siakam, Bam, none of these guys is even close to the defensive juggernaut that is Gobert. None of them will rebound as well, or be as tough to guard in the paint while everyone else is busy dealing with KAT and Ant.

Cleveland started the year 20-16 with Rubio and Garland. Does anyone doubt that KAT and Gobert are better than Mobley and Allen? Does anyone doubt that Ant, Dlo, and MCD are better than Rubio, Garland, and Markkanen? Size may create defensive mismatches, but it also creates rebounding opportunities, offensive advantages, and more opportunities for deflections, blocks, and attacking passing lanes (longer arms.)

Lastly, does anyone think Finch cannot scheme to make this work? Look at how much he improved our defense last year. Did you ever expect Dlo or KAT to be that impactful on defense? A year older, a deeper, stronger, and longer lineup, and having tasted the playoffs. Does anyone really think this isn’t a team on the rise?

I don't think anyone thinks this isnt a team on the rise. A lot of the discourse is about the price we paid.

The title of this thread is asking if big ball is a good thing. That isn’t the same as the discussion of the trade in the Rudy trade thread. That is why I first addressed V8 and KAT’s true position. It is also true that we don’t know what the asking price would be for any other impact big. We assume Turner could be had for Beasley and a 1st or Beasley straight up. Indy gave up Sabonis, they want to win, I don’t know why people think Turner is for sale. Ayton would be expensive and a bad fit with Towns, (He is better than V8 but nowhere the impact of Gobert,) and with Towns extension I am not 100% sure we could have traded for him anyway (same problem as Ben Simmons.) Even if we found a cheaper big to “try the big ball experiment” Ant gets a year older and closer to his big money, as does Nowell, MCD, Naz, and we are then stuck dealing with the Dlo situation at the same time. Like it or not this is the ideal time and we took the risk. Cleveland proved big ball works, now we will show everyone how to do it right.

Yeah I definitely agree with all of this. We have imo the best front court in the NBA, if we can't make it work that's just sad.


The thing I'm most excited for is a lineup of (Forbes or Nowell or Moore Jr or Slowmo), Ant, McD, Towns, Gobert with Towns running a P&R for Gobert.


Regardless, I still think we could have negotiated better deal for Gobert. It's not the player it's the fact that we couldn't have negotiated better.

[winforlose]

I don't think anyone thinks this isnt a team on the rise. A lot of the discourse is about the price we paid.

The title of this thread is asking if big ball is a good thing. That isn’t the same as the discussion of the trade in the Rudy trade thread. That is why I first addressed V8 and KAT’s true position. It is also true that we don’t know what the asking price would be for any other impact big. We assume Turner could be had for Beasley and a 1st or Beasley straight up. Indy gave up Sabonis, they want to win, I don’t know why people think Turner is for sale. Ayton would be expensive and a bad fit with Towns, (He is better than V8 but nowhere the impact of Gobert,) and with Towns extension I am not 100% sure we could have traded for him anyway (same problem as Ben Simmons.) Even if we found a cheaper big to “try the big ball experiment” Ant gets a year older and closer to his big money, as does Nowell, MCD, Naz, and we are then stuck dealing with the Dlo situation at the same time. Like it or not this is the ideal time and we took the risk. Cleveland proved big ball works, now we will show everyone how to do it right.

Yeah I definitely agree with all of this. We have imo the best front court in the NBA, if we can't make it work that's just sad.


The thing I'm most excited for is a lineup of (Forbes or Nowell or Moore Jr or Slowmo), Ant, McD, Towns, Gobert with Towns running a P&R for Gobert.


Regardless, I still think we could have negotiated better deal for Gobert. It's not the player it's the fact that we couldn't have negotiated better.

We are totally on the same page about that. We have both been saying it. I am just saying that isn’t really the question of this thread. This thread is whether big ball is a good idea. I think it is, and I think this time next year most people will.

[urinesane]

I was 100% wrong about ANT and Wiseman back at that draft, but what I was hoping they could do with Wiseman/KAT is what they are attempting now with a MUCH better player (Gobert).

I don't think smaller market teams will succeed consistently trying to copy the teams with way more resources and geographical advantages (both in weather and taxes). I don't know if it will work, but I love the idea of being an outlier and going counter to what the current norm is, that's the only way you get something different or special.

It's very apparent that Lore is putting his mark on this franchise and is using the mindset that made him successful in business and is applying similar principles. The outcome is what most will judge, but I think the most encouraging thing is the though process and the intention. If it fails, they can learn from it and adjust, but you never learn if you just try to copycat (besides learning that you can't do it as well).

[shangrila]

I was 100% wrong about ANT and Wiseman back at that draft, but what I was hoping they could do with Wiseman/KAT is what they are attempting now with a MUCH better player (Gobert).

I don't think smaller market teams will succeed consistently trying to copy the teams with way more resources and geographical advantages (both in weather and taxes). I don't know if it will work, but I love the idea of being an outlier and going counter to what the current norm is, that's the only way you get something different or special.

It's very apparent that Lore is putting his mark on this franchise and is using the mindset that made him successful in business and is applying similar principles. The outcome is what most will judge, but I think the most encouraging thing is the though process and the intention. If it fails, they can learn from it and adjust, but you never learn if you just try to copycat (besides learning that you can't do it as well).

I thought that was someone else?

[winforlose]

I was 100% wrong about ANT and Wiseman back at that draft, but what I was hoping they could do with Wiseman/KAT is what they are attempting now with a MUCH better player (Gobert).

I don't think smaller market teams will succeed consistently trying to copy the teams with way more resources and geographical advantages (both in weather and taxes). I don't know if it will work, but I love the idea of being an outlier and going counter to what the current norm is, that's the only way you get something different or special.

It's very apparent that Lore is putting his mark on this franchise and is using the mindset that made him successful in business and is applying similar principles. The outcome is what most will judge, but I think the most encouraging thing is the though process and the intention. If it fails, they can learn from it and adjust, but you never learn if you just try to copycat (besides learning that you can't do it as well).

I thought that was someone else?

I was wrong too. I didn’t see Wiseman as this injury prone. I also didn’t see Ant as being as good as he might be. During the knee injury we saw the Ant who isn’t a star. This season we need to see the healthy Ant who can take over games (like he did in the playoffs but better.) Ant seems to have a higher ceiling than I thought, but he still needs to get there.

[_AIJ_]

I also think I am gonna lose lot of interest and enthusiasm I had on Wolves future if their plan is trade Gobert and pair with KAT.

Lost it already?

[urinesane]

I also think I am gonna lose lot of interest and enthusiasm I had on Wolves future if their plan is trade Gobert and pair with KAT.

The future and hope have been all we've had to count on before last season... why the hell would you care about that when the NOW is going to be so exciting?

Who cares about the future, if they make this work now, it changes everything. If they end up stinking again after a solid run of success and contention, can we REALLY expect more out of this franchise? That would be greatly overachieving compared to basically their entire existence.

[King Malta]

I've been following the Wolves for 20-odd years, and most of that time has been spent absolutely hoping against all logic that the team would be competitive 'soon'.

It's beyond exciting that we have a team who is now expected to not only compete for but lock in home court in the West. We've seen this once before in our history. It's all good and well to fret about what's going to happen in 5 years, but we've been doing that for the most part of over 3 decades and it's gotten us absolutely nowhere.

The team is rolling the dice on being super competitive NOW. I for one and am really excited about what we're going to see over the next few seasons.

[KGdaBom]

I've been following the Wolves for 20-odd years, and most of that time has been spent absolutely hoping against all logic that the team would be competitive 'soon'.

It's beyond exciting that we have a team who is now expected to not only compete for but lock in home court in the West. We've seen this once before in our history. It's all good and well to fret about what's going to happen in 5 years, but we've been doing that for the most part of over 3 decades and it's gotten us absolutely nowhere.

The team is rolling the dice on being super competitive NOW. I for one and am really excited about what we're going to see over the next few seasons.

I say screw the future. I want to win now.

[Grubie024]

Offensively I expect we'll be very efficient. Our shooters will need to continue to hit as they did last year, but having Gobert plus moving Towns to more of a Dirk-like 4 should result in very efficient scoring.

Defensively I worry a bit about our 1-4's playing tough perimeter defense. We saw what happened to Gobert when the Jazz perimeter guys went lazy. If we can chase down shooters on the perimeter, fight through screens and continue to deflect passes like we did last year, then add in the best defender in the league.... that's a tough team to beat right there.

[winforlose]

Offensively I expect we'll be very efficient. Our shooters will need to continue to hit as they did last year, but having Gobert plus moving Towns to more of a Dirk-like 4 should result in very efficient scoring.

Defensively I worry a bit about our 1-4's playing tough perimeter defense. We saw what happened to Gobert when the Jazz perimeter guys went lazy. If we can chase down shooters on the perimeter, fight through screens and continue to deflect passes like we did last year, then add in the best defender in the league.... that's a tough team to beat right there.

I guess the first question is how much did we gain or lose switching V8 with KA? Second, how does Nowell perform on defense when given regular minutes? He seemed fine in man coverage but lost in scheme. Third, how much better on defense is Prince when guarding his natural position, (SF,) and can he switch and contain wings? Finally, will Moore be ready at some point to enter the rotation and defend at a high level (assuming he spends at least 3-4 months in Iowa.)

[D1SGRUNTL3D]

I've been following the Wolves for 20-odd years, and most of that time has been spent absolutely hoping against all logic that the team would be competitive 'soon'.

It's beyond exciting that we have a team who is now expected to not only compete for but lock in home court in the West. We've seen this once before in our history. It's all good and well to fret about what's going to happen in 5 years, but we've been doing that for the most part of over 3 decades and it's gotten us absolutely nowhere.

The team is rolling the dice on being super competitive NOW. I for one and am really excited about what we're going to see over the next few seasons.

Bingo.

[Grubie024]

Offensively I expect we'll be very efficient. Our shooters will need to continue to hit as they did last year, but having Gobert plus moving Towns to more of a Dirk-like 4 should result in very efficient scoring.

Defensively I worry a bit about our 1-4's playing tough perimeter defense. We saw what happened to Gobert when the Jazz perimeter guys went lazy. If we can chase down shooters on the perimeter, fight through screens and continue to deflect passes like we did last year, then add in the best defender in the league.... that's a tough team to beat right there.

I guess the first question is how much did we gain or lose switching V8 with KA? Second, how does Nowell perform on defense when given regular minutes? He seemed fine in man coverage but lost in scheme. Third, how much better on defense is Prince when guarding his natural position, (SF,) and can he switch and contain wings? Finally, will Moore be ready at some point to enter the rotation and defend at a high level (assuming he spends at least 3-4 months in Iowa.)

That first question is a great one - moving from V8 to KAT at PF. I think KAT will struggle pretty badly on defense some nights unfortunately, trying to defend a quicker wing/PF. Also, it seems a big wing is the blueprint on how to defend Towns, however, KAT may be more likely to just catch and shoot when we've got GoBear down low. Karl catching and shooting sounds just dandy to me. It seemed KAT's offensive struggles vs. wings came when he tried to put the ball on the floor or just hold it too long. KAT will need to play smart and maximize positioning on defense to overcome his quickness disadvantage. With some good coaching, replacing V8 with KAT at PF should be a net gain.

As for Nowell on defense... yeah that's gonna be ugly. Just need instant offense and mistake-free ball from him, which is very doable, and he'll be ok.

Again, if our perimeter defense can play at a respectable level during our big ball lineups, I think our rebounding and offensive efficiency advantage will lead to a very formidable squad.

[winforlose]

Offensively I expect we'll be very efficient. Our shooters will need to continue to hit as they did last year, but having Gobert plus moving Towns to more of a Dirk-like 4 should result in very efficient scoring.

Defensively I worry a bit about our 1-4's playing tough perimeter defense. We saw what happened to Gobert when the Jazz perimeter guys went lazy. If we can chase down shooters on the perimeter, fight through screens and continue to deflect passes like we did last year, then add in the best defender in the league.... that's a tough team to beat right there.

I guess the first question is how much did we gain or lose switching V8 with KA? Second, how does Nowell perform on defense when given regular minutes? He seemed fine in man coverage but lost in scheme. Third, how much better on defense is Prince when guarding his natural position, (SF,) and can he switch and contain wings? Finally, will Moore be ready at some point to enter the rotation and defend at a high level (assuming he spends at least 3-4 months in Iowa.)

That first question is a great one - moving from V8 to KAT at PF. I think KAT will struggle pretty badly on defense some nights unfortunately, trying to defend a quicker wing/PF. Also, it seems a big wing is the blueprint on how to defend Towns, however, KAT may be more likely to just catch and shoot when we've got GoBear down low. Karl catching and shooting sounds just dandy to me. It seemed KAT's offensive struggles vs. wings came when he tried to put the ball on the floor or just hold it too long. KAT will need to play smart and maximize positioning on defense to overcome his quickness disadvantage. With some good coaching, replacing V8 with KAT at PF should be a net gain.

As for Nowell on defense... yeah that's gonna be ugly. Just need instant offense and mistake-free ball from him, which is very doable, and he'll be ok.

Again, if our perimeter defense can play at a respectable level during our big ball lineups, I think our rebounding and offensive efficiency advantage will lead to a very formidable squad.

To be clear, when I typed KA it was for Kyle Anderson. Many people (myself included) think of Anderson as the V8 replacement. Remember V8 was not an original starter last season, but earned that right after the eventual collapse of Jaden McDaniels. In the early days of last year MCD was picking up fouls every couple of minutes and couldn’t stay on the floor. Add that to his shooting woes and he got demoted. Likewise, Beverly got promoted to starting after other combos failed.

I will grant you that KAT will start at PF, but his defensive credentials away from the basket were established last year. The biggest question is do you have Rudy guard the worst offensive player and just paint protect. If yes, then KAT might still get defensive 5 assignments in the high wall, just with the mother of all support players behind him.

Nowell in man defense was actually surprisingly good last year. He moved his feet and stayed in front. It was on the switching and scheme work that he looked lost. I think it is fixable, especially with regular minutes and maybe a little extra coaching.