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A pair of games with MIN before a rough stretch of games.

VCfor3 wrote:A pair of games with MIN before a rough stretch of games.

A couple losses here could be healthy for the tank & the GS 2024.

Win/Win

Whole Truth wrote:

VCfor3 wrote:A pair of games with MIN before a rough stretch of games.

A couple losses here could be healthy for the tank & the GS 2024.

Win/Win

I'm not sure our tank is doing to hot in general ha. Would have been nice for BKN to have had their starters when they played us or for the Cavs to have had Sexton.

Our guys played within themselves, played hard, never gave up, and pulled out a win. Jenkins also made some good adjustments this game.

VCfor3 wrote:Our guys played within themselves, played hard, never gave up, and pulled out a win. Jenkins also made some good adjustments this game.

Loving Tillman ...

You see Jonas hedging 4th Q, he's capable. (24/16). Minnesota were 2-11 in that stretch. If Kat is the Superstar that's worth multiple picks ... How are they getting worked by a team missing 3 starters ?.

Grizz got hammered on the FT line, again. Dillon had an off shooting night, yet won comfortably.

Allen was better offensively but someone needs to teach him how to box out on rebounds.

Did the #1 pick play in this game !!!! ??

Whole Truth wrote:

VCfor3 wrote:Our guys played within themselves, played hard, never gave up, and pulled out a win. Jenkins also made some good adjustments this game.

Loving Tillman ...

You see Jonas hedging 4th Q, he's capable. (24/16). Minnesota were 2-11 in that stretch. If Kat is the Superstar that's worth multiple picks ... How are they getting worked by a team missing 3 starters ?.

Grizz got hammered on the FT line, again. Dillon had an off shooting night, yet won comfortably.

Allen was better offensively but someone needs to teach him how to box out on rebounds.

Did the #1 pick play in this game !!!! ??

Yeah Edwards has been in a bit of slump. KAT also can't handle bigger physical centers so JV per usual worked him pretty well in the paint. I love Brooks looking to facilitate when his shot isn't hitting instead of purely trying to shoot himself out of any slump in a single game.

MIN's biggest problem was Rubio trying his best to avoid shooting in the second half especially when Dlo and Beas started to cool off. They tried to have KAT play one vs five half the time and he took a beating.

On the Grizz challenge, even the Minnesota announcers knew that went out on Towns. Why was it a jump ball..

Minnesota 24 FT's to 13 for Memphis... seems to be an early trend. Best believe they were trying to find a way to get Minnesota the ball back on that Challenge.

VCfor3 wrote: Yeah Edwards has been in a bit of slump. KAT also can't handle bigger physical centers so JV per usual worked him pretty well in the paint. I love Brooks looking to facilitate when his shot isn't hitting instead of purely trying to shoot himself out of any slump in a single game.

MIN's biggest problem was Rubio trying his best to avoid shooting in the second half especially when Dlo and Beas started to cool off. They tried to have KAT play one vs five half the time and he took a beating.

Minnesota's biggest problem is they're trying to build around Kat.

Whole Truth wrote:

VCfor3 wrote: Yeah Edwards has been in a bit of slump. KAT also can't handle bigger physical centers so JV per usual worked him pretty well in the paint. I love Brooks looking to facilitate when his shot isn't hitting instead of purely trying to shoot himself out of any slump in a single game.

MIN's biggest problem was Rubio trying his best to avoid shooting in the second half especially when Dlo and Beas started to cool off. They tried to have KAT play one vs five half the time and he took a beating.

Minnesota's biggest problem is they're trying to build around Kat.

KAT is as close to the marquee player they can build around. That's a huge problem. KAT lacks a killer instinct to dominate the game in a way the alpha players usually dominate the game. Dlo doesn't have the killer instinct as well. Between these two players, they are great complimentary players in great need of an alpha player to take the lead and guide the team towards becoming a contender. In the meantime, the Wolves also need to address their ranked to last defense, a better bench, and perhaps leadership. If they don't I look for both Dlo and KAT to force a trade in a couple of seasons. Give or take.

SD2042 wrote:

Whole Truth wrote:

VCfor3 wrote: Yeah Edwards has been in a bit of slump. KAT also can't handle bigger physical centers so JV per usual worked him pretty well in the paint. I love Brooks looking to facilitate when his shot isn't hitting instead of purely trying to shoot himself out of any slump in a single game.

MIN's biggest problem was Rubio trying his best to avoid shooting in the second half especially when Dlo and Beas started to cool off. They tried to have KAT play one vs five half the time and he took a beating.

Minnesota's biggest problem is they're trying to build around Kat.

KAT is as close to the marquee player they can build around. That's a huge problem. KAT lacks a killer instinct to dominate the game in a way the alpha players usually dominate the game. Dlo doesn't have the killer instinct as well. Between these two players, they are great complimentary players in great need of an alpha player to take the lead and guide the team towards becoming a contender. In the meantime, the Wolves also need to address their ranked to last defense, a better bench, and perhaps leadership. If they don't I look for both Dlo and KAT to force a trade in a couple of seasons. Give or take.

I think you hit the nail on the head SD. No surprise they had their most successful season with Butler but it should have sounded the alarm when Butler criticized & cut bait.

Trading a valuable pick for a friend to appease Kat, is a losing strategy. DLo is more offense than defense, which is not what Minnesota needed to compliment Kat's game. They look like they're about to convey a top 5-10 pick to GS & in turn, **** up our 2024 pick, as they're going to give GS a 2yr rebuild head start while attempting to contend.

I watched Raptors try to unsuccessfully build around Bosh for 7 yrs. Minnesota is heading down a darker path. IMO, Bosh being the better player to attempt to build around. He wanted to be the man in TO but walked to Miami as a 3rd "defensive" option behind 2 top 5 wings/leaders to find his success, as you state, leaving TO high & dry.

Proving, in all their attempts to build a winner with Bosh, all TO had to do was land not one but 2, top 5 wings. This is a guards league.. Even a dominant Shaq needed a dominant Kobe & Wade to be a champion. Where Kat, needed a dominant Butler to just make the playoffs & a first round exit ..

People talk about Kat being elite offensively to justify his lack of defense & to justify building around him, as they call him a superstar worth multiple picks ... To put some perspective on that, If a bad/losing team gave Jonas 19 FGA's per game, he'd average over 20pts per game on 60% eFG too but he's considered an expiring throw away in trade because he was averaging 8 FGA's on a contender, with his poor pnr defense .. Currently, in 2 & a half seasons with a rebuilding Memphis, Jonas is averaging 15 pts per game on 10 FGA's 60% eFG, an uptick from 8, which has bolstered his WS & outlook but he's basically the same player that was traded by a contender, just on higher usage.

I think Toronto could/would have won with Kawhi over Derozan, without having to trade Jonas but there's no way to prove that belief. Gasol is the better defender but he almost cost them the Philly series offensively, where Raptors with Jonas dominated that team all season because they cannot stretch the floor or Jonas like Cavs/Love used too.. Same with Orlando/Bucks. Raptors lost the first 2 games to the Bucks then turned Giannis into a 3pt shooter to win 4 straight where Gasol struggled mightily the first 2 games. Year 2, without Kawhi. Boston used the corner 3 to stretch the **** out of Gasol & eliminate the Raptors 2nd round leaving no doubt in my mind that the slower footed Gasol would not have been the answer to a Lebron/Love front court either, especially, if he was playing with Derozan, not Kawhi.