Game 38: Thunder @ Timberwolves, 8 pm

[Basti]

Most people complain about ugly wins - but I embrace them. One of the problems this team has had for a long time is they can’t win ugly. The game gets close, our players freak out, dribble the air out of the ball, miss shots, make turnovers, and send opponents to the foul line. We didn’t use to get ugly wins - if the game turned ugly, we got losses.

I like how, in the last two games, Finch has brought in Patrick Beverley to stop the bleeding, and get people to play hard.

Good teams beat the teams they are supposed to, even if it means an ugly game. That’s what we did tonight.

Finally I got around to watch a live Wolves game for the first time in ages but man am I in love with PatBev. That admiration for him has been put in place long before that while watching games way past the next morning after I had known the score. However, watching him live and not knowing the score his whole presence and demeanour has been an invaluable addition to this squad.

[winforlose]

Most people complain about ugly wins - but I embrace them. One of the problems this team has had for a long time is they can’t win ugly. The game gets close, our players freak out, dribble the air out of the ball, miss shots, make turnovers, and send opponents to the foul line. We didn’t use to get ugly wins - if the game turned ugly, we got losses.

I like how, in the last two games, Finch has brought in Patrick Beverley to stop the bleeding, and get people to play hard.

Good teams beat the teams they are supposed to, even if it means an ugly game. That’s what we did tonight.

Finally I got around to watch a live Wolves game for the first time in ages but man am I in love with PatBev. That admiration for him has been put in place long before that while watching games way past the next morning after I had known the score. However, watching him live and not knowing the score his whole presence and demeanour has been an invaluable addition to this squad.

The story on Bev is that everyone loves him when he is on their team. But they hate him and his antics/mind games when they are used against them. The hand holding thing last game, the Dlo shove and the hops before the flop. Our fans love it because it is fun and sneaky (in a mischievous kind of way,) but others find it taunting and annoying. I love Bev for the change he seems to have inspired in our young players. He and Finch got a group of guys known for not playing defense to in some cases value defense over offense.

[Basti]

Yeah, that's the consensus on PatBev. You love him when he's on your squad but you hate him when he's not.

I love him for the fact that he brought toughness, swagger and confidence to the squad. Those had clearly been lacking in years before.

[shrink]

Yeah, that's the consensus on PatBev. You love him when he's on your squad but you hate him when he's not.

I love him for the fact that he brought toughness, swagger and confidence to the squad. Those had clearly been lacking in years before.

Definitely.

If you haven’t seen it, Marlie’s in-depth profile shows on BSN are good, and I love the Beverley one. When you listen to him, he appreciates being here. He appreciates coach Finch allowing him to be more than a catch-and-shoot guy, like was asked to do on his previous teams. Beverley has actually been better running the screen-and-roll than DLo! He loves that Finch believes in him.

He also loves Minnesota. He wanted to come here, and he wanted to put a stamp on a team. He talked about when he was in New York for a game, how he couldn’t wait to get back here, where people are nice, where it’s beautiful and where there’s four seasons. I think he has many more years left, but I could see him joining the staff here when he chooses to retire. He already has more impact on the team than his actual production on the floor.

[thinktank]

Of course you don’t trade KAT because of this game. Much deeper than that.

How much are you willing to attach to Beasley to make him not negative and actually make a trade that improves the team?

We aren't trading KAT. I don't like him sometimes either, but he made some key plays down the stretch, mostly on defense. He was rusty shooting the ball but that's to be expected. If we trade him we go into yet another rebuild, it's not happening.

That isn’t the only option in trading Towns - going scorched earth.

Towns might be Wolves most valuable asset. He also could be on a ticking clock timeline. He also could not be perfect or even great fit with Edwards. That last point has been debated within many game threads.

Towns is also a center and a non-traditional one at that. Wolves have tried for 7 years building around such a player as Towns.

Add all that up and yes Towns should be trade candidate. Does the mean being shopped or on the block? Probably not. But not untouchable as they say.

Can Towns, arguably Wolves best asset, be used to build a better roster? If the answer is yes, start building. Find a equitable trade and pull the trigger when satisfied.

Why would you trade KAT when the Wolves are finally trending in the right direction for the first time, post-Butler?

We don’t know how good we can be.

Let’s be patient and balance out the roster first (get another big). Then that change needs time to be evaluated.

Trading KAT now seems shortsighted to me.

Let’s see how good we can be, especially with the West’s playoff seeds wide open.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yeah, that's the consensus on PatBev. You love him when he's on your squad but you hate him when he's not.

I love him for the fact that he brought toughness, swagger and confidence to the squad. Those had clearly been lacking in years before.

He's needed on this team. He makes the Wolves a better team. Definitely.

But I still loathe his gimmicky antics. I don't care if he plays for my favorite team or not... he's often a cringe-watch.