(Edited)
Avatar for One_Eyed_Jack
One thing I will never quite understand is the visceral dislike of KAT from some corners of the fan base. Fine, he made goofy comments or did boneheaded things on the court at times. But he is also a phenomenal player, a great teammate and loyal to Minnesota in ways that we always complain others aren’t.
He could have complained and asked out of here in situations where others would have. At several points it would have been reasonable for him to say that he needed a fresh start somewhere else. After years of playing for an incompetent dysfunctional franchise with a revolving door of players and coaches around him. After the Butler fiasco. After all the personal loss from COVID. After being asked to change positions when we acquired Rudy. But he never did.
So yeah, get it that’s it’s a cruel business and all that. But maybe give KAT his due instead of crapping on him on his way out the door.
Avatar for fuzzypickles1
Hell yes. Kat was fantastic and I'll always root for him. And the writing was on the wall that he probably was going to be shipped out. Both can be true!
But hell, Kat gave so much to this team and state. He deserves all the love
Avatar for just keep riding
Nuggets fan here, came over to check folks' reaction to this shocking trade.
Yeah, we understand that Minnesota was facing very difficult cap realities. Denver's been in this boat for a minute, too, and we've lost a couple of terrific players because of it. It really sucks, especially for you guys as KAT was a dude you actually drafted...
I'm replying to your comment since you address the thing that matters to me: matching up against Denver. Last season was a wakeup call for us, and it's clear that your ability to throw fresh bigs at Jokić game after game took a toll. Yeah, he played great, put up numbers, but it was clear that he was beat down by the end. Not an excuse! This was brilliant strategy by Minnesota. I'm not saying that KAT is some kind of a Jokić-stopper, but he's tall and he's strong and he was in a position most of the time to overplay and then get help. It was effective overall and just enough to win the series.
Losing KAT is something that you can overcome, I'm convinced. Randle is inefficient and not a terrific defender, but he definitely brings scoring punch. He'll be fine. DDV is a terrific addition. Like Denver, you have issues with bench scoring and he fits perfectly. So I think you guys will be more or less just as good this coming season.
But: here in Denver we recognized a team that was built to beat our Nuggets. And it worked, hats off. That's just no longer the case. What Wolves player will be tasked as primary defender against Jokić? Gobert? He's good in the low post (still gets burned sometimes, but at least he can be tall down there), but over a 7-game series, we know how that plays out. Jokić is too versatile, too deep of a bag. Naz Reid is amazing, but just not big enough. Randle is bbq chicken. And when Jokić is cooking, the whole team eats. That's the point of Nikola Jokić, that's why he's an all-timer. You guys had the answer, and now it's gone. I think Denver wins a playoff re-match if it happens (assuming relative health on both sides). Minnesota is still a top team and capable of great things this coming year. Just relatively weaker vs Denver. We're all pretty happy about it over here.
It was a very tough choice, sorry that it had to play out this way for you.
Avatar for Tonyto
That’s not true at all.
Having a guard shooting at the top of the key on the move brings a guard out. The paint is still protected.
Having a 7 footer parked at the top of the key means the paint is either open because their big is guarding, or your historically good 7 footer is getting a pseudo uncontested shot because a wing is guarding him. The Celtics just won a championship with this offense.
Stop trying to minimize and poo poo KAT.
