Mamba4Goat wrote:The Wolves are in such a weird spot (mostly due to KAT) where with like half of the centers in the league KAT can get them on the baseline and blow past them. This makes the need more of a 3+D 4 off the bench (think Boucher). But then in other cases KAT just isn’t enough as the center and they need a legit non-Vando anchor at the five (think Myles Turner) and to have KAT be more of a 4. Depending on the matchup one looks like way more of a need than the other and it changes game to game almost.
I am gonna edit this because I feel like I did a bad job articulating my position. What I should have said was that I don’t think KAT has ever truly been a 5. He gets a lot fouls trying to guard the bigger stronger 5s because even before the weight loss he lacked the height and muscle to truly guard them when they get physical. He has never truly thrived against physical opponents and seeks the help of the refs to keep the game less physical so he can really work in his comfort zone.
I do agree we need someone who can hit the 3. I strongly believe we must draw bigs out of the paint and we need someone who can create for themselves off the dribble as well as in be able to hit catch and shoot jumpers. I further believe we need someone who can draw similar levels of defensive focus as KAT. Now to be fair KAT is one of if not the best shooting bigs in the history of the NBA. The things he can do off the dribble or with the step back are guard level and that is freaking insane. That said, a big that demands a defender beyond the arc and is good enough off the dribble to prevent press ups is not that rare or unreasonable for us to target. A big that can create their own offense is also not that unreasonable. I truly believe Wood is our best bet, but there are others who can fill our needs.
One thing is certain, whoever we trade for must be able to keep our season alive when KAT misses games. Be it illness or injury, we are simply not equipped to be without him. I believe we will see just how ill equipped we are over the next several games. A legit backup will not get this done. We need a 15 and 10 guy who can drop 20 or 25 on a good night. A legit scorer who can make up for the offense we are not getting from Beasley and Prince but who can still play passable defense. Hard to find and expensive are both words I would use to describe this player, but these criteria are vital.
Edit to include: MUST also be solid on the glass.
