RealGM

Rank the Wolves Off-season.

Did they do what you hoped, or avoided doing what you feared? Do you agree with the direction? How well was that carried out?

Traded #11 and Saric for #6 and a TPE
Drafted Jarrett Culver #6
Drafted Jaylen Nowell #43
Signed Naz Reid to a two-way contract
Signed Jake Layman
Signed Noah Vonleh
Acquired Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham and cash
Claimed Tyrone Wallace
Didn’t match Tyus Jones

OUT: Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver, Derrick Rose.

We are rocking the SL and probably without one new NBA player on the team. Maybe we have installed a great system.

B
Loved it, definitely better than expected. I like our FAs, although team options and additional years would have made me give an A-.

Can't judge Culver yet, but I really like we moved the expiring Saric for a higher pick.

If Tyus was signed for cheap the A- would have been an A.

An A or A+ should have been getting a high profile playmaker and giving them a shot to a 6th seed or better.
A B+ should have been playing .500+ ball while getting 2 high impact rookies in the draft or a huge boost upside overall to the roster.
A B should have been playing .500+ ball, not lose flexibility, but giving a good boost to upside long term.
A B- should have been playing sub .500 ball, not lose flexibility, but giving a good boost to upside long term.
A C+ should have been playing sub .500 ball, not lose flexibility, but not giving a boost to upside long term.

I think the wolves got 3 or 4 players with upside (Vonleh, Bell and Napier) who are going to test the market next season. While this are low risk moves also the reward is lower.

I like Culver and Layman, but we lost two solid NBA players on Saric and Jones. While Tyus and Jones arent needle movers they gave you NBA depth and the team had some kind of control over them. Layman could give them a rotation player contract locked but IMO wasn't as good as the other two just yet, and plays a position that currently the wolves have more options.

If Culver is a ROTY candidate and ends up being a borderline all-star I would give them an B- or even a B depending on how the systems works, but if they arent a .500 team and Culver is just another rookie of the bunch, then IMO is just a lost off-season were we are eating bad money on the roster. Not good, not bad, just cleaning. Kind of C+ off-season.

I am very surprised with overall process, not only results, but overall level of decision making. How Rosas gambled and proactively traded Saric, how we drafted Culver based on potential, how we got Reid and Nowell, how we formed our coaching staff, including small, but very important hirings such as medical chief, Culver development trainer, how our SL team performs and being guided. I like our coaching assistants: Vanterpool, Prigioni. It is a bit early to give votes for offseason, since we haven't seen Culver and Nowell yet, but all foundational pieces are here: FO, coaching staff, scouts, medical staff. Rosas gambles on development of Culver, Nowell, Reid, but it is exactly the way I wanted us to act. I like a lot Tyus contract that we offered, I wish we could keep him, but I'm okay with keeping financial flexibility for next offseason.

I gave the Wolves a C since they are likely a worse team than last season. A point guard rotation of Teague/Napier isn't going to inspire confidence or hopes for a playoff spot. On the bright side, the team hasn't made any terrible moves or hurt the future. The front office might be putting the team on the right long term track, but this is going to be another wasted season and I don't think we can lose many more years without KAT looking for a way out.

I gave the Wolves a B (minus), mainly because I like low risk - (hopefully) high reward moves so far. Would have preferred some team options on those deals though. I also think that FO is not done dealing, the Wolves‘ look at the PG position will probably change until fall. Looks like implementing a new game plan that consists of quick ball movement, 3pt shooting and creating space for players pulling to the basket will be fun to watch. We still need a good ballhandler. Creating financial flexibility for next season sounds like a plan. We won‘t be quite quite good next season but need to be ready for a deeper playoff run in 2020/21 and especially 2021/2022...

So far this offseason looks like setting the stage. Trading up in the draft was good, but for the most we haven’t done much. I’d give it a C+ or B-, hopefully setting the stage for bigger things in the future.

I'l say C. I give some credit for trying to make huge moves and they did manage to trade up in the draft but they didn't get their guy. I do like how they are looking to build a team up that fits their system. Decent job but it remains to be seen what kind of impact it will have. Some of these players could look like big steals or they could all be negligible help on a really bad team.

B-
So far they've done no harm so there's something to be said for that. I'm ok with with the Culver deal. Not sure how good he'll be but can be a positive 2 way player and his ceiling is higher than Saric's. Like the coaching/player development additions more than anything else.

B. I had Culver in my top 5. Like Saric but long term cost wasn't likely to work. Tyus is a great backup but think that was start of more flexibility. Didn't get another star but way we mortgaged the future two offseasons ago that wasn't likely and we didn't double down on short term improvements that wouldn't move needle significantly. Got some intriguing pieces that are the low risk high reward moves that show a long term vision and realistic approach. We are lacking on vet leadership which can hurt as I thought Gibson was the consummate professional, Tolliver was the Sam Mitchell/Terry Porter type that could've had same effect on KAT that they did on KG, and Rose was the crunch time guy we lack right now. That said I hope someone else taking the Rose role helps the long term development of one of the young guys needing to take that role even if they're not ready yet.

Solid B
Nothing too splashy but setting foundation for long term success.
Hurts missing out on D Lo
Love the draft day trade and drafting high upside 2 way player Culver
Nowell could be great off the bench and provide much needed shooting
FA signings were ok: maintain financial flexibility, high upside guys, some fit the emerging theme of switchability.

PG is the biggest concern, but I expect Teague to bounce back, and we've got time to figure it out. We aren't competing this year anyway.

Solid below the radar off-season thus far.

I voted B but now that I think about it, I'd actually give them an A.

Because realistically our offseason includes the hiring of Rosas, Gupta, Gianlucci, Vanterpool and Prigioni. Losing out on Russell hurt but getting all that FO and coaching experience gives me optimism that they can actually achieve something here. Add that they made a good move in moving up in the draft, cashing in Saric before he got paid, then added some low risk moves with guys like Bell, Vonleh, Laymen and Wallace who all fit Towns' timeline and what they seem to want to do on the court. I was also fairly indifferent to Jones' situation so the fact they declined to match doesn't impact my thinking either, though I can understand why some people might hold that against them.

Basically, there's lots still in the air in terms of the future but given where they started I think they've done a fine job.

shangrila wrote:Because realistically our offseason includes the hiring of Rosas, Gupta, Gianlucci, Vanterpool and Prigioni.

Very critical point made here.

Pissed we don't have a new PG, but i'll be patient(I guess)

Like the Layman trade & Vonleh/Bell signing.

Liked the fact we didn't match Tyus to be a backup for that much.

Liking the hires Rosas has made around the FO

Liking the culture we are trying to build piece by piece.

We didn't make any crazy moves, but we are setting ourselves up nicely for the future. Hopefully KAT likes the moves, that's all that really matters

Solid B. Gave out best shot to bring in D-Lo and brought in a couple low-Risk solid upside guys in Bell/Layman/Vonleh. Love trading up to 6 for Culver and only having to give Saric.

A-/B+

We have a front office in place. All guys with a reputation of being involved with players on a personal level. Rosas understood our weaknesses in the coaching staff and went out to fix it. he got 2 great ast coaches to surround ryan to help ease the workload. Rosas also created a player development team to surround our young players to help grow from within. He knew that our 2 core guys (Kat and wiggs) have a certain personality that needs to be nurtured by certain type of coaches.

We also have a direction of how we want to play and chose the direction based on our roster.

He came in handcuffed from a cap perspective, but that that didnt stop him from looking for ways to improve the club. He swung for the fences a couple of times without costing us much.
He signed young upside guys on cheap contracts that fit what we need; defense, rebounding, and low usage guys.
He didnt overpay for guys like tyus or taj or some of the big fish on the market nor did he mortgage the future for any moves.

Ideally, I would have liked more shooting, but we werent getting defense and rebounding from guys that could shoot because everybody wants them, so they cost alot if you can get them.

I dont think this season will be about wins or losses, but about growth.

I do think we are going to make moves during the season, but I'm happy we didn't swing for the fences on any FA or trade. Rosas probably needs time to get more acclimated to the team and the inner workings before making major moves.

I'm all about small moves at the moment, we aren't in any position to fight in the West. We're probably the 10th seed at best, and I don't see us moving, without making smaller changes first. We need to pick up quality players for cheap and draft properly. So I love what Rosas is doing atm.

Team we're most likely better than:

Mavs (huge maybe if Porzingis comes back)
Phoenix
Grizzlies
OKC

Not a huge list.

shrink wrote:Rank the Wolves Off-season.

Did they do what you hoped, or avoided doing what you feared? Do you agree with the direction? How well was that carried out?

Traded #11 and Saric for #6 and a TPE
Drafted Jarrett Culver #6
Drafted Jaylen Nowell #43
Signed Naz Reid to a two-way contract
Signed Jake Layman
Signed Noah Vonleh
Acquired Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham and cash
Claimed Tyrone Wallace
Didn’t match Tyus Jones

OUT: Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver, Derrick Rose.

I gave them a solid B because I can't disagree with any of the above moves, and I can't point to anything I would realistically rather have done. They didn't move Wiggins or dump any contracts by attaching assets, which I think was the right move. Had they given up a ton of assets to pay Dangelo Russell the max, I would have given them an F.

I like how they found cheap young rotation players in Layman, Vonleh, and Napier.

Ask me again at the All-Star break, and it could range anywhere from a C- to an A depending on how Culver and Nowell pan out.

One thing I think hasn't been said enough though is that we really cleaned house of all the veterans. Gibson, Tolliver, Rose, Deng, Bayless. We might lose a few more than we should just because of the experience factor.
It's going to be on the coaching staff and young core to hold it together in crunch time.

shrink wrote:Rank the Wolves Off-season.

Did they do what you hoped, or avoided doing what you feared? Do you agree with the direction? How well was that carried out?

Traded #11 and Saric for #6 and a TPE
Drafted Jarrett Culver #6
Drafted Jaylen Nowell #43
Signed Naz Reid to a two-way contract
Signed Jake Layman
Signed Noah Vonleh
Acquired Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham and cash
Claimed Tyrone Wallace
Didn’t match Tyus Jones

OUT: Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver, Derrick Rose.

I said B.

I am on-board with the vision and long term approach. I think in a vacuum, each move made sense. I also think that in the aggregate, each move made sense.

Why not an A? I just wish they could have made a splashier move that would have moved the needle a little bit more this year and brought a little more excitement heading into the season. None of the new additions do that for me. I appreciate that it appears we tried but the right opportunity simply didn't present itself, or rather proved to be just out of reach.