minimus wrote:I wonder whether it was the same GM who built current DEN team that is all about chemistry AND traded for Gobert and now we have little chemistry in MIN... I prefer to think that Connelly first trade was change of direction from offensive minded team to defensive minded, and all following moves such as Anderson signing and Conley trade were steps in this direction, so our chemistry both in offense and defense will grow
https://dunkingwithwolves.com/2023/05/28/mike-malone-reveals-tim-connelly-almost-ruined-nuggets/
You can read that article different ways. You can be pessimistic (like the title implies) and act as if Tim Connelly almost made a bad move and was saved by a smarter head coach. Or you can choose to look at it as a strength, Connelly floated an idea and was wise enough to listen to those around him (the Head Coach being an important one) and take their advice.
Some of the best decisions are the moves you choose not to make, which is sort of what the Wolves are faced with this offseason.
I thought they started to build decent chemistry all things considered by the end of the year. It's tough to build chemistry with so many key pieces to the starting units/bench missing time throughout the year AND trying to adapt to a style that is not the norm (players and people are creatures of habit).
That being said, sure we could have kept some chemistry in the short term by keeping Vando, Beas, and PatBev... but had we run it back I think we'd have the same questions this offseason that we had last offseason.
Is Vando someone we can pair with KAT due to the fact that teams will double KAT due to Vando's lack of lob threat/offensive game?
Is PatBev getting too old to make a major impact on the floor?
Is Beasley worth having as a volume shooter on the bench when he has such long streaks of cold shooting AND plays no defense?
So had we kept them, we would have delayed the inevitable imo, and still would have had to make some moves this offseason (especially if they had missed the playoffs without KAT, which I think is likely without Gobert/Anderson).
I think what the trade was meant was looking at longterm chemistry and mostly making sure that the floor on this team was high enough that our future (Ant/Jaden) played in as many meaningful games as possible early in their careers.
Also, keep in mind that KAT was coming off an All-NBA season and probably his best year ever as a pro last offseason, so there was also an incentive to raise that floor to take advantage of KAT's prime (and reward him for his patience over the years with a franchise that lacked any stability).
If they don't make any massive KAT/Gobert moves this offseason, I think next year's team is going to look much more in sync with one another and will come out of the gates with a chip on their shoulder. 4 of our 5 starters were either sh*t on constantly this last season or snubbed (Ant should have made the All-Star game without being a replacement, and Jaden should have been All-Defense). With 4 of the 5 starters having something to prove (and the other starter being a Pro among Pros) I look forward to a revenge season from this Wolves roster.
