RealGM

Jason M. Williams wrote:

- Minnesota Timberwolves -

The Wolves shook the foundation of the league last summer by gift-wrapping the championship for Boston with the Kevin Garnett trade. Now, they have made some very wise moves and somehow find themselves with a decent amount of talent on the payroll. Give them a year or two, and we might even be talking playoffs in the Twin Cities.

NBA Draft Picks: Kevin Love (No. 5 – trade from Memphis), Nikola Pekovic (No. 31)

Key Additions: Mike Miller (trade – Memphis), Rodney Carney (trade – Philadelphia), Brian Cardinal (trade – Memphis), Calvin Booth (trade – Philadelphia), Jason Collins (trade – Memphis)

Key Losses: Marko Jaric (trade – Memphis), Antoine Walker (trade – Memphis), Michael Doleac (FA – unsigned)

The O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love trade was a great trade for Minnesota. They may have traded one of the best talents in this year’s Draft, but the best part of the deal was that they were able to jettison Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric all the while adding Mike Miller to the team. Sure, they had to take back Brian Cardinal, but having another big white man on the team is better than having a 52nd point guard (Jaric) doing nothing but having a stupidly hot fiancé. The Love and Jefferson frontcourt is going to be a joy to watch, and the T-Wolves landed a steal when they absorbed Rodney Carney from the Sixers for nothing but a little bit of cap relief (so Philly could steal Elton Brand from Los Angeles).

Burning Questions

- Will K-Love’s game translate to the pros?
- Will he pair with Al Jeff to become a great duo in the paint?
- Will Carney eat up all of last year’s pick Corey Brewer minutes on the depth chart?
- How much would you pay to watch Mark Madsen vs. Kevin Love in a practice scuffle?
- Did Ryan Gomes make the right decision by re-signing with the team?

Person on the Hot Seat: Corey Brewer

It’s got to be him. Brewer was their first pick last year and showed glimpses of being a great lockdown defender with a decent stroke from outside. But his game was very inconsistent, and his body proved to be too weak for this level. The addition of Rod-Carn makes things more difficult for C-Brew, and this could be the best match-up in camp as the Wolves try to evaluate their rotation.

Team Outlook

They have plenty of nice pieces, but the playoffs may be just out of reach this year for the rebuilding Wolves. But boy, they sure did parlay that third pick (O.J. Mayo) into a very sweet deal for the future of this franchise.

... gift-wrapping the championship for Boston with the Kevin Garnett trade

They may have traded one of the best talents in this year’s Draft, but the best part of the deal was that they were able to jettison Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric all the while adding Mike Miller to the team.

Sure, they had to take back Brian Cardinal, but having another big white man on the team is better than having a 52nd point guard (Jaric) doing nothing but having a stupidly hot fiancé.

.. Rod-Carn makes things more difficult for C-Brew ..

shrink wrote:

.. Rod-Carn makes things more difficult for C-Brew ..

This shows a level of awkward posing to be cool that is rivaled only by Jim Rome.

TrentTuckerForever wrote:I actually am more annoyed by this nicknaming trend than almost anything else in sports broadcasting (I also really dislike when NFL announcers call QBs by their first names, like they're buddies, "What a throw by Brett!"... but that's a topic for another forum.)

T-Mac, K-Mart are bad enough, but at least those guys are accomplished. I prefer nicknames that are both descriptive and creative - "The Big Ticket" is one of the best. "Diesel" is good. "The Glove." "Mamba" is just plain funny, but so much better than "K-Bry."

shrink wrote:http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Scouting-Reports,-Northwest-Division--Part-Four--3010/

Draft Express has some terrific player profiles.

Goes to the line at a good rate due to his willingness to throw his weight around.

A liability when attempting to defend power forwards, which forces his team to play him as an undersized center.