tsherkin wrote:One_and_Done wrote:Not all, but enough. The 2002 Wolves team for instance looks as good or better than the average support cast Duncan had in 01 to 03.
Average D, top 4 O. Major offensive contribution from Wally Z, who was an efficient high-teens scorer while he was with Minny. Terrell Brandon for like 30 games. Chauncey all year, Rasho, Joe Smith. Anthony Peeler.
That isn't a bad team. It isn't amazing for going up against peak Timmy, the Lakers, Kings or the Blazers of the time, of course. But it isn't a BAD supporting cast. They had the third-best 3P% in the league that year, though they underutilized it even relative to the time, and the 2nd-best FT%. 7th-best 2FG%. Minny made shots.
Later on, more once they started missing the playoffs after the 04 run, there is a different conversation to be had, but it wasn't quite as bad as some make it out to be from 00-04.
As above ...
This is probably, at a glance the 2nd best cast after 2004 (and in both instances the 2nd guy is injured in or before the playoffs). This year they get a full slate from Wally. This year they get a developing Billups. This year they get a decent developing/developed Rasho, i.e. a serviceable center. Smith and Trent have their flaws (can't pass, weak on D) but they're solid, productive rotation players, Smith having a peak year across most box-composites (though how good they think that is differs). Consequently there aren't really any skeletons in the core rotation (except one could argue that whilst there isn't one individual with 1000 minutes or whatever cumulatively Lopez, Avery and Pack, the guys trialed at point amount to a bad rotation player).
Before they get more Brandon, which is great. They get healthy (though less good) Wally. They get a box slightly below average Chauncey then before that no Chauncey. They get replacement-ish level production Rasho. They get no Smith and weaker Smith and no Trent. They get teams that at a glance are circa -5 with him off the court. After 2002 they get no Brandon (1 genuinely notable year from Cassell in the acknowledged reinforced year), Wally missing significant time, one improved year of Rasho and then a clown car rotation at center ...
It depends on what people argue and what you think they argue. Garnett's box productions stalls at circa 2000 levels for the next 2 years. The first glance impact stuff (on-off) is good but not at it's apex so if people were pitching him consistently at 2004 levels that would be wrong. If everyone is imagining everything being as bad as the Hudson-Hassell years that's wrong. But at the same time the teams were consistently bad with him off the floor, it's consistent that he's an impact standout (and no other T-Wolf is), so it's not just well it's strong starters and weak bench ... it's "
his" units that work and when he's not out there they are bad (consistently lifting them on both ends). And as covered 2002 looks like a high water mark in terms of supporting talent to that point. And I recall looking at T-Wolves minutes leaders 2000-2007 before Reference searches went behind a paywall and it was pretty ugly (though this probably tilts toward the back end).
