Why everyone has "lost it" due to free agency

[Worm Guts]

The draft and be patient philosophy hasn't been what has won championship, at least not without some homeruns later in the draft. Probably the last team to accumulate talent at the top of the draft and just wait for it to develop was maybe the first incarnation of the Spurs with Duncan, Robinson and Elliott.
Most championship teams since then have included significant trades, free agents, and/or a steal or two late in the draft.
The Thunder drafted 3 MVP caliber players in a row and were only able to turn that into 1 finals appearance.

[Klomp]

I am okay with the moves we made. However, the problem with the "win-now" approach against a near-unbeatable team is that you drive your team into the worst place to be - the middle.

I'd rather be in the middle than at the bottom.

Even if it gave you little chance of ever being on top?

Mediocrity is not a rest stop on the way to success - it's a detour. At least, in the NBA.

I believe going at the previous pace gave us little chance of being on top as well. I don't believe changing courses really helped or hurt that possibility by a significant enough margin to draw any conclusions about team-building practices. Five franchises account for 70 percent of the NBA titles. Ten franchises account for 87 percent of them.

And I don't view the moves the team made this summer as putting us on a track towards mediocrity. I don't see how adding a player who was considered among the 15 best in the league just last year is a move a team striving for mediocrity would make. Not winning a championship does not mean you're meddling in the middle. I don't view 29 teams in the league as mediocre at best. There are multiple franchises I would love the Wolves to emulate that I would not classify as mediocre, even though they haven't won a championship recently.

[shrink]

I'd rather be in the middle than at the bottom.

Even if it gave you little chance of ever being on top?

Mediocrity is not a rest stop on the way to success - it's a detour. At least, in the NBA.

I believe going at the previous pace gave us little chance of being on top as well. I don't believe changing courses really helped or hurt that possibility by a significant enough margin to draw any conclusions about team-building practices. Five franchises account for 70 percent of the NBA titles. Ten franchises account for 87 percent of them.

And I don't view the moves the team made this summer as putting us on a track towards mediocrity. I don't see how adding a player who was considered among the 15 best in the league just last year is a move a team striving for mediocrity would make. Not winning a championship does not mean you're meddling in the middle. I don't view 29 teams in the league as mediocre at best. There are multiple franchises I would love the Wolves to emulate that I would not classify as mediocre, even though they haven't won a championship recently.

I don't think that either, and never said or implied it. In fact, I've said the opposite, that I liked the Jimmy Butler trade, and it was good for us, regardless of a win now or win later philosophy.

I feel MIN should concentrate it's assets for when Towns and Wiggins are ready to explode, to make one big push to be competitive for a ring. I would prefer season win totals to look like this (32, 46, 48, 56, 64, 66, 46, 25), than this (32, 52, 54, 55, 56, 50, 45).