Rotation for 21-22

[winforlose]

Here's another thought that I know shrink will enjoy...

Would he gain more value on the trade market if he were extended on a below-market contract than he does now entering restricted free agency? What would that contract look like? 3/30? 4/36?

Naz Reid seems to like being here. Remember, as an undrafted free agent, he picked US to sign a 2-way with when we had a couple of bigs including our franchise player in front of him. And oftentimes, players feel a sense of loyalty to the team that gave them a chance.

Haters will say they don't want him here another year or two. But two years from now, he'll still be a 24-year old big man locked in on a value deal with an offensive skillset that plays well in today's game.

Naz needs to learn to box out and he needs to be more consistent at the rim. That said, I do believe he is a rotation player on between 1/2 and 2/3rds of the teams in the league.

[winforlose]

Starting 5 must be Bev, Dlo, Ant, V8, KAT.

Second line is more interesting. Nowell has made a case for himself, but I doubt we take Beasley out. My guess is Dlo or Beverly play the PG with Nowell, Beasley, MCD, and Naz. Prince and Leo are probably out for a while.

[theGreatRC]

Jaylen has enough ball skills to run second unit PG.

I've noticed the actual "PG" role is not as important as it used to be; as long as you have people that can dribble & shoot, you should be fine on the offensive end. Defensively, Nowell can match up with the other PG just fine

[TaylorTag]

Russell is the PG with the second unit. Prior to Ant’s absence, he was regularly coming out 6 minutes into the quarter so that he could play significant minutes with the second unit.

As far as Nowell, his emergence has been great. Compared to others on this board, I think I underestimated the need for a shot creator to come off the bench… Beasely just isn’t that guy, notwithstanding his skill in other areas.

If the Wolves could give Nowell a Vando-like contract this off-season, I think we do it quick. Can’t think of a better luxury then having Vando and Nowell locked up on team friendly contracts..

[TheProdigy]

We're more than a 3rd of the way through the season, and so far it seems as though Beasley and Reid are the weakest players in our rotation. If we want to win games, the rotation should probably look like this:

KAT 35/ Knight 13
Vanderbilt 32/ McDaniels 16
Edwards 18/Okogie 16/ McDaniels 12
DLo 14/Edwards 18/Nowell 16
Beverley 28/DLo 20

Edwards 36
KAT 35
DLo 34
Vanderbilt 32
Beverley 28
McDaniels 28
Nowell 16
Okogie 16
Knight 13

This would effectively kill Beasley's trade value though, so it's not feasible from a long term perspective.

[Mamba4Goat]

We're more than a 3rd of the way through the season, and so far it seems as though Beasley and Reid are the weakest players in our rotation. If we want to win games, the rotation should probably look like this:

KAT 35/ Knight 13
Vanderbilt 32/ McDaniels 16
Edwards 18/Okogie 16/ McDaniels 12
DLo 14/Edwards 18/Nowell 16
Beverley 28/DLo 20

Edwards 36
KAT 35
DLo 34
Vanderbilt 32
Beverley 28
McDaniels 28
Nowell 16
Okogie 16
Knight 13

This would effectively kill Beasley's trade value though, so it's not feasible from a long term perspective.

Naz and Beasley are still two of the most talented players on the roster. It should be on Finch to find an adjustment to get them going. Pulling them from the rotation, especially for JO is not the move. I do think Knight getting backup PF minutes is the move though.

[TheProdigy]

We're more than a 3rd of the way through the season, and so far it seems as though Beasley and Reid are the weakest players in our rotation. If we want to win games, the rotation should probably look like this:

KAT 35/ Knight 13
Vanderbilt 32/ McDaniels 16
Edwards 18/Okogie 16/ McDaniels 12
DLo 14/Edwards 18/Nowell 16
Beverley 28/DLo 20

Edwards 36
KAT 35
DLo 34
Vanderbilt 32
Beverley 28
McDaniels 28
Nowell 16
Okogie 16
Knight 13

This would effectively kill Beasley's trade value though, so it's not feasible from a long term perspective.

Naz and Beasley are still two of the most talented players on the roster. It should be on Finch to find an adjustment to get them going. Pulling them from the rotation, especially for JO is not the move. I do think Knight getting backup PF minutes is the move though.

Besides shooting the ball, is there anything Beasley does at an above average level? He is one dimensional, and when the shot isn't falling (like right now), he's a huge negative on the floor. I feel pretty similarly about Naz, but at least he is able create his own shots a bit. Neither one of them offer anything on defense and their general BB IQ is well below average for an NBA quality player.

[wolves_89]

One thing I've learned over the past few games is that I want to see Knight in the rotation. I think Vanderbilt/Knight should combine to get pretty much all the PF minutes (I never want to see Okogie, Prince, or Layman play another minute at PF). That would have the side benefit of keeping McDaniels at SF, which is by far his best position.

When everyone is available, I'd love to see the rotation:

Beverley/Nowell
Russell/Beasley
Edwards/McDaniels
Vanderbilt/Knight
Towns/Reid

With McLaughlin, Okogie, Prince, and Monroe (signed for the rest of the year) providing spot minutes as needed.

[winforlose]

One thing I've learned over the past few games is that I want to see Knight in the rotation. I think Vanderbilt/Knight should combine to get pretty much all the PF minutes (I never want to see Okogie, Prince, or Layman play another minute at PF). That would have the side benefit of keeping McDaniels at SF, which is by far his best position.

When everyone is available, I'd love to see the rotation:

Beverley/Nowell
Russell/Beasley
Edwards/McDaniels
Vanderbilt/Knight
Towns/Reid

With McLaughlin, Okogie, Prince, and Monroe (signed for the rest of the year) providing spot minutes as needed.

I like where you head is at. That said, we need to move Beasley and Prince and push Knight to the third unit. You saw tonight how Monroe’s size can make a huge impact. We are just too small with the rotations you suggest. KAT is not a functional center if he cannot rebound against other Centers. His weight loss, change in defensive positioning, cross matching on defense, and his foul trouble, have all combined to hinder his rebounding. You saw how Utah dominated us in the paint. Naz is a PF and so is Knight. Monroe is our only true center, and he isn’t even a free agent acquisition so much as a G league fill in.

[minimus]

What are rules for contracts signed during omicron outbreak? For instance, if we sign Monroe for vetmin, will it count against our salary cap and hence push us over tax?

[Foye]

Nowell > Beasley

[winforlose]

What are rules for contracts signed during omicron outbreak? For instance, if we sign Monroe for vetmin, will it count against our salary cap and hence push us over tax?

Based on initial tweets (and I believe you can find them in the Covid thread,) the answer is the 10 days do not count toward the cap. In fact they are mandatory to keep roster sizes high enough to allow games to be completed. We have a roster spot open and can convert Monroe if we want to, or we could convert Knight and possibly (not 100% sure about the rules for two ways,) make Monroe a two way player.

[minimus]

What are rules for contracts signed during omicron outbreak? For instance, if we sign Monroe for vetmin, will it count against our salary cap and hence push us over tax?

Based on initial tweets (and I believe you can find them in the Covid thread,) the answer is the 10 days do not count toward the cap. In fact they are mandatory to keep roster sizes high enough to allow games to be completed. We have a roster spot open and can convert Monroe if we want to, or we could convert Knight and possibly (not 100% sure about the rules for two ways,) make Monroe a two way player.

Thank you! Yeah, I understand this part about 10 days contracts. I mean if we sign Monroe for standard vetmin for the rest of season, will it push us over tax line?

[TheProdigy]

Here are the updated RAPTOR/WAR stats after last night's game. RAPTOR is an efficiency stat so it is susceptible to small sample sizes. WAR smooths out the curve a bit by taking playing time into account.

1. Russell: 5.0 RAPTOR / 3.5 WAR
2. Vanderbilt: 4.8 RAPTOR / 2.8 WAR
3. Beverley: 5.4 RAPTOR / 2.4 WAR
4. Edwards: 0.9 RAPTOR / 1.9 WAR
5. Towns: 0.7 RAPTOR / 1.8 WAR
6. Okogie: 3.1 RAPTOR / 0.9 WAR
7. Knight: 6.7 RAPTOR / 0.5 WAR
8. Nowell: 0.6 RAPTOR / 0.4 WAR
9. McDaniels: -1.9 RAPTOR / 0.3 WAR
10. Monroe: 15.1 RAPTOR / 0.2 WAR
11. Layman: -4.1 RAPTOR / -0.1 WAR
12. Silva: -37.5 RAPTOR / -0.1 WAR
13. Wright: -26.7 RAPTOR / -0.1 WAR
14. Bolmaro: -4.7 RAPTOR / -0.2 WAR
15. McLaughlin: -5.9 RAPTOR / -0.4 WAR
16. Prince: -6.0 RAPTOR / -0.6 WAR
17. Reid: -6.2 RAPTOR / -0.9 WAR
18. Beasley: -5.2 RAPTOR / -1.1 WAR

[TwolvesFanRome]

Do you think Nowell and Knight deserve more space in the future even with the full roster?

[TheProdigy]

Here are the updated RAPTOR/WAR stats after last night's game against the Lakers.

1. Russell: 4.8 RAPTOR / 3.5 WAR
2. Vanderbilt: 4.4 RAPTOR / 2.8 WAR
3. Beverley: 4.3 RAPTOR / 2.4 WAR
4. Edwards: 0.7 RAPTOR / 1.9 WAR
5. Towns: 0.6 RAPTOR / 1.8 WAR
6. Okogie: 3.6 RAPTOR / 1.0 WAR
7. Knight: 4.7 RAPTOR / 0.6 WAR
8. McDaniels: -1.6 RAPTOR / 0.5 WAR
9. Nowell: 0.5 RAPTOR / 0.5 WAR
10. Monroe: 2.7 RAPTOR / 0.2 WAR
11. Bolmaro: -3.6 RAPTOR / -0.1 WAR
12. Layman: -4.3 RAPTOR / -0.1 WAR
13. Wright IV: -26.6 RAPTOR / -0.1 WAR
14. McLaughlin: -5.8 RAPTOR / -0.5 WAR
15. Prince: -5.7 RAPTOR / -0.6 WAR
16. Beasley: -4.6 RAPTOR / -0.9 WAR
17. Reid: -5.8 RAPTOR / -0.9 WAR

[minimus]

No "McDaniels is overrated, trade him immediately" chants lately?

[TheProdigy]

No "McDaniels is overrated, trade him immediately" chants lately?

There was a wide range of opinions of McDaniels going into this season. I'm not sure if I'd say McDaniels is overrated by the majority of people, but there were definitely a few people who were saying they wouldn't trade him straight up for Ben Simmons. In my opinion, those people were overrating McDaniels and/or underrating Simmons.

McDaniels' shooting percentages are down quite a bit from last season, but some of that could be due to the new ball or the fact he doesn't have Rubio spoon feeding him wide open shots anymore. He's still a great defender, and I hope going forward he really focuses on carving a niche for himself as a role player (i.e. being a superstar in his role). He doesn't need to be a ball handler/distributor for us, we just need him to continue getting stronger, becoming a better defender, and better shooter. If he can do those things, he's going to be one of the most impactful players in the league.

[minimus]

No "McDaniels is overrated, trade him immediately" chants lately?

There was a wide range of opinions of McDaniels going into this season. I'm not sure if I'd say McDaniels is overrated by the majority of people, but there were definitely a few people who were saying they wouldn't trade him straight up for Ben Simmons. In my opinion, those people were overrating McDaniels and/or underrating Simmons.

McDaniels' shooting percentages are down quite a bit from last season, but some of that could be due to the new ball or the fact he doesn't have Rubio spoon feeding him wide open shots anymore. He's still a great defender, and I hope going forward he really focuses on carving a niche for himself as a role player (i.e. being a superstar in his role). He doesn't need to be a ball handler/distributor for us, we just need him to continue getting stronger, becoming a better defender, and better shooter. If he can do those things, he's going to be one of the most impactful players in the league.

Well, I am the one who doesnt want to trade McDaniels for Simmons. And I am the one who thinks that Simmons might be an ideal PF for us. Give PHI all FRPs we have (three), but not McDaniels. In my opinion McDaniels has potential to be better than role player, because he has unique skillset, he can handle the ball, shoot off the dribble AND defend. As much as I like RoCo he is a role player, because he cant dribble nor pass. McDaniels main problem is not shooting, his main problem is fouling too much. I also believe that if we are able to pair McDaniels with solid two way comboforward it will unlock our team offense, transforming it into five-out.

[theGreatRC]

Mcdaniels really showed me a lot these past few weeks, especially the games with everyone out.

He's willing to guard the best player on defense & he's a quick decision maker on offense. Shoots if open, passes on drives & moves without the ball.

His ceiling to me is taller Mikal Bridges