**The Official Karl-Anthony Towns Thread**

[yojimbo]

It is interesting how voter perceptions are affected by team success, and how they can overlook a player's lack of durability. A very quick look at advanced stats for these 4 guys shows Embiid last in all but one. Jokic was pretty clearly the best this year in terms of his all-around production. Whether you rank KAT or Gobert higher depends on your choice of estimator and how you judge their respective situations. For a given game, there is a 20 -25% chance Embiid won't play, so I would have left him off the All-NBA teams and ranked the others Jokic/Towns/Gobert.

[Mattya]

I just find it funny that the media will use the team record as an excuse not to vote for Towns, but Kemba's team has 3 more wins in the East and will vote him in.

[King Malta]

I feel for KAT, but from a selfish standpoint that extra cash would've made things even harder for us.

[theGreatRC]

Shrink, or anyone that knows, how much does this help the Wolves cap wise by KAT not making supermax?

[Domejandro]

Shrink, or anyone that knows, how much does this help the Wolves cap wise by KAT not making supermax?

Around six million a year, pretty huge, actually. Instead of getting a 30% max, he is now getting a 25% one.

[shrink]

Shrink, or anyone that knows, how much does this help the Wolves cap wise by KAT not making supermax?

Around six million a year, pretty huge, actually. Instead of getting a 30% max, he is now getting a 25% one.

Yep. If you mean this summer, it gives us an extra $5.5 mil under the lux, so we’ll have a little less than $19 mil to fill 5-6 spots.

[life_saver]

Finally some good news....glad KAT didn't make the All-NBA teams

[Domejandro]

From a financial standpoint, it is good for the team, but I can't help but feel bad for the dude. He played his ass off this season and was staggeringly good, but Jimmy Butler + injuries screwed him out of thirty million dollars (before tax). Just a lame situation for him, but hopefully he makes the best of it and it ends up motivating him this off-season.

[vagelis]

From a financial standpoint, it is good for the team, but I can't help but feel bad for the dude. He played his ass off this season and was staggeringly good, but Jimmy Butler + injuries screwed him out of thirty million dollars (before tax). Just a lame situation for him, but hopefully he makes the best of it and it ends up motivating him this off-season.

I cannot feel bad for his salary for a person who gets paid 30 million/year.
He will find a way to get over the fact that he missed 5 million/year.
That was good for the Wolves they will have extra salary to build the team

[Foye]

From a financial standpoint, it is good for the team, but I can't help but feel bad for the dude. He played his ass off this season and was staggeringly good, but Jimmy Butler + injuries screwed him out of thirty million dollars (before tax). Just a lame situation for him, but hopefully he makes the best of it and it ends up motivating him this off-season.

I cannot feel bad for his salary for a person who gets paid 30 million/year.
He will find a way to get over the fact that he missed 5 million/year.
That was good for the Wolves they will have extra salary to build the team

Yeah, he will not be starving. No reason to feel bad about him losing 30 mil.

[minimus]

From a financial standpoint, it is good for the team, but I can't help but feel bad for the dude. He played his ass off this season and was staggeringly good, but Jimmy Butler + injuries screwed him out of thirty million dollars (before tax). Just a lame situation for him, but hopefully he makes the best of it and it ends up motivating him this off-season.

I cannot feel bad for his salary for a person who gets paid 30 million/year.
He will find a way to get over the fact that he missed 5 million/year.
That was good for the Wolves they will have extra salary to build the team

Also some extra motivation for KAT to improve his defense. I wonder whether he could be into 3rd team if he could beat Embiid that games. He averaged 17ppg, 5rpg, 2apg.

[Crazy-Canuck]

From a financial standpoint, it is good for the team, but I can't help but feel bad for the dude. He played his ass off this season and was staggeringly good, but Jimmy Butler + injuries screwed him out of thirty million dollars (before tax). Just a lame situation for him, but hopefully he makes the best of it and it ends up motivating him this off-season.

I cannot feel bad for his salary for a person who gets paid 30 million/year.
He will find a way to get over the fact that he missed 5 million/year.
That was good for the Wolves they will have extra salary to build the team

Also some extra motivation for KAT to improve his defense. I wonder whether he could be into 3rd team if he could beat Embiidthat games. He averaged 17ppg, 5rpg, 2apg.

Yup it's all about the defense. I think Dane Moore mentioned something about that this is the 3rd coach in a row that kat had played for where our defense was better with him off the court than on.

[Streakers33]

Let’s chalk this up to motivation for next year.. we want a hungry towns!!

[KGdaBom]

Please nobody feed this troll.

[minimus]

One interesting thing I've just realized. We are heading into offseason with only two true bigs in roster KAT and Dieng. Reid is more prospect at this point. We traded Saric away and if dont sign another bigman, then it will be first season when KAT will play as the only bigman in lineup. Thibs always brought bigs to cover KAT defense (Dieng, Gibson), or backup bigs (Aldrich, Hill) that could not even play in modern NBA or a rookie big (Patton).

However despite KAT supreme offensive game, he must improve two things (that many fans here noticed) in order to be a true big.

1) set good screens. part of of problems with PnR offense is that KAT does not set good screens. Gobert, Jokic, Nurkic, Embiid, Gasol, they are all elite screeners.
2) limit silly fouls, be patient execute well, read offense, read defense. rely on better positioning, better angles and timing. dont bite on pump fakes.

I hope our coaching staff, primary Vanterpool will help KAT to improve his defensive awareness, because it is really on him now as we will play bigger, more important role in team defense.

[shrink]

I keep hearing people say that we need to keep KAT happy so he doesn’t demand to be traded. That should not be a worry.

While it feels that teams these days are beholden to the whims of their stars, I want people to remember that KAT is locked into a deal for five seasons. There isn’t even a player option on the end of the deal, like most max contracts. The reason stars have influence to get themselves traded is because they can threaten that if you don’t move me now, I’ll refuse to re-sign, and you’ll lose me for nothing. Towns’s 5-year contract gives him less leverage than nearly any player in NBA.

In addition, KAT has been nothing but a loyal soldier his entire time here. Even during the difficult Butler days, we never heard Towns go to the media and complain, even once.

It’s never a bad idea to get input from a star player to maintain good relations, but don’t listen when people say that we need to do X, Y, or Z so KAT doesn’t leave. Even if he asked, the Wolves would simply say, “no.”

[minimus]

I keep hearing people say that we need to keep KAT happy so he doesn’t demand to be traded. That should not be a worry. Even if he asked, the Wolves would simply say, “no.”

I wish it was so easy. It is a player league. Look at Ainge case. Nobody from FAs want to sign there. AD never considered BOS. Glad that Rosas understand the rules of the game: "keep KAT happy"

[shrink]

I keep hearing people say that we need to keep KAT happy so he doesn’t demand to be traded. That should not be a worry. Even if he asked, the Wolves would simply say, “no.”

I wish it was so easy. It is a player league. Look at Ainge case. Nobody from FAs want to sign there. AD never considered BOS. Glad that Rosas understand the rules of the game: "keep KAT happy"

Again, I said that KAT demanding a trade shouldn’t be a worry. It may be a player’s league, but KAT signed away all his player’s leverage, at least for the next few years.

If he had signed a 1+1, where next year was a player option, it would be a completely different story.

[minimus]

I keep hearing people say that we need to keep KAT happy so he doesn’t demand to be traded. That should not be a worry. Even if he asked, the Wolves would simply say, “no.”

I wish it was so easy. It is a player league. Look at Ainge case. Nobody from FAs want to sign there. AD never considered BOS. Glad that Rosas understand the rules of the game: "keep KAT happy"

Again, I said that KAT demanding a trade shouldn’t be a worry. It may be a player’s league, but KAT signed away all his player’s leverage, at least for the next few years.
If he had signed a 1+1, where next year was a player option, it would be a completely different story.

It is not that easy shrink. From financial standpoint you are right. But GMs preferr to trade disgruntled star rather than keep them.

[Klomp]

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