RealGM

Love, Beasley, Randolph, Williams, Wes. Pretty much all of our good or potentially good players, and they're all forwards.

Kahn seems to want to keep them all (except Randolph isn't guaranteed to stay I don't think). Anyone else see this as an issue?

Nope. I still think Wes can be a SG, and I think Randolph can play C on most nights.

The Wolves aren't going to the championship this year. Let's see who improves and ultimately pans out.

I don't see any issue. Wes will get most his play at the sg. AR can play the center spot and some back up power forward. Both Beasley and Williams can play at the 3 and 4. Love can also be a multi postion guy in certain line ups playing the 4 or 5. They are all able to play multiple positions so I don't see the problem. The people whose minutes will get reduced or taken away would be pekovic and darko.

Wes will play most of his mins at the 2, Beasley and Williams at the 3, Love, Randolph and some Williams at the 4 plus probably some Love and Randolph at the 5.

MNRunLeft wrote:Wes will play most of his mins at the 2, Beasley and Williams at the 3, Love, Randolph and some Williams at the 4 plus probably some Love and Randolph at the 5.

I don't like guys playing out of position. Wes' skillset and play last years tells me he is most definitely not a 2. Love/Randolph are not 5s, though I guess our center options aren't much better.

I don't think Wes is really playing out of position though...I think he'll grow into a Ray Allen role on the Wolves. He can defend SGs...that's the important part.

I think Randolph is the only real stretch if they start him at C...I think everyone else will work out. They just need a decent defensive system and time to learn it.

phonzadellika wrote:Nope. I still think Wes can be a SG, and I think Randolph can play C on most nights.

The Wolves aren't going to the championship this year. Let's see who improves and ultimately pans out.

You don't develop guys by constructing a roster devoid of experience with most of the players playing out of position.

Randolph is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 5.
Love is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 5.
Williams is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 3.
Beasley is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 3.
Johnson is a 3, and could see significant minutes at the 2.

What exactly are you trying to develop doing this?

Buckeye-NBAFan wrote:

phonzadellika wrote:Nope. I still think Wes can be a SG, and I think Randolph can play C on most nights.

The Wolves aren't going to the championship this year. Let's see who improves and ultimately pans out.

You don't develop guys by constructing a roster devoid of experience with most of the players playing out of position.

Randolph is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 5.
Love is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 5.
Williams is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 3.
Beasley is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 3.
Johnson is a 3, and could see significant minutes at the 2.

What exactly are you trying to develop doing this?

These are all high potential players, so you don't want to give up on them too early. We're just hoping a couple of them emerge as players. I don't think this team works long-term but it's fine for now.

Johnson is 2/3 and played 4 at Syracuse
Beasley is a 3/4 and showed last year that he can keep up, speed-wise, with 3s
Love is a 4, and plays 4 on offense and often plays 5 on defense because he can guard many Cs
We don't know what Williams is yet

Johnson, Beasley, and Williams are great athletes. Randolph is an athletic freak.

They're all young guys who will grow into the positions that they will play by working on their few weaknesses at those positions. I don't really view this roster so much as players playing out of position; I believe it's probably closer that we're constructing a roster of players who can play minutes at multiple positions, they just don't have any experience doing it yet.

The right coach can make it work. If someone spends all their time saying 'Williams isn't a 3' instead of 'what can we try to make this work' then it won't work. Thankfully, the Wolves have a lot of time to figure out what will work and what won't since everyone in MN will be happy with .500 ball for a year or two.

They can always trade their excess forwards for assets later if it doesn't go well. No one outside MN expects a lot out of the Wolves...they're the Wolves after all.

Maybe I'm being a homer drinking the kool-aid, but I think that a starting lineup of Rubio, Johnson, Beasley, Williams, and Love could actually be average on defense and way above average on offense with the right coaching.

Maybe I'm being a homer drinking the kool-aid, but I think that a starting lineup of Rubio, Johnson, Beasley, Williams, and Love could actually be average on defense and way above average on offense with the right coaching.

It's ok to drink the kool-aid, that's what it's there for.

Ronzone thinks Wes is a NBA SG. He's been working on his handles with Kobe and he'll have a ball handling. pass-first PG and new coach this year. I want to see what he can do at the 2 this year. I think he will be fine.

SG = Wes (30) /Ellington (18) / Lee ?
SF = Beasley (32) / Williams (16)
PF = Love (26) / Williams (16) / Randolph (6)
C = Randolph (20) / Darko (20) / Love (8)

Should be plenty of minutes for those guys. Losers imo are Tolliver, Webster, and Pekovic.

Why would Ellington get minutes over Webster? I'd think Lee should get minutes before Ellington too.

Your probably right, I just don't see Webster as a 2. I think they might go for a vet SG to fill those minutes anyway.

Rubio Beasley
Williams Love
Randolph

Wes off bench

Buckeye-NBAFan wrote:

phonzadellika wrote:Nope. I still think Wes can be a SG, and I think Randolph can play C on most nights.

The Wolves aren't going to the championship this year. Let's see who improves and ultimately pans out.

You don't develop guys by constructing a roster devoid of experience with most of the players playing out of position.

Randolph is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 5.
Love is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 5.
Williams is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 3.
Beasley is a 4, and could see significant minutes at the 3.
Johnson is a 3, and could see significant minutes at the 2.

What exactly are you trying to develop doing this?

Beasley can't defend either position and doesn't like to work inside, he's still a tweener but more of a SF at this point. Wes can defend SG's just fine. Plus he's working out this offseason with Kobe who thinks his future is at the two. Bryant knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed as a shooting guard. The big issue is improving his handle. Even then, with Rubio at the PG, Wes won't be handling the ball much anyway.

Williams and Love is the most significant overlap but the identity the FO is developing is a running team. It makes sense that Love will see more minutes at center as a result. When we play small ball our front line will probably be Love-Williams with one of Johnson/Randolph/Beas/Webster at SF and either Johnson/Webster/Lee at SG and Rubio at PG.

What would it take draft pick wise to get Beasley?

Harrison Barnes pick next year.

Geaux Wiz wrote:What would it take draft pick wise to get Beasley?

Beasley isn't available for draft picks.

We have too many PFs in that Love, Tolliver and Williams are all PFs. Randolph is anywhere from a 3-5 and the plan is to get him more oriented toward the 5. Beas is fine at the 3 and Wes is fine at the 2. Webster is also a 3 (and we had him playing the 2), but drafting Lee means that Web should be able to stay at the 3 and Lee can back up Wes at the 2.

This problem is overblown. Tolliver gets a little left out, but I have great confidence in his character.

eyeteeth wrote:Tolliver gets a little left out, but I have great confidence in his character.

The new Mark Madsen.