The Positivity Thread

[Klomp]

Read on Twitter

At this rate, this Timberwolves season is going to go down as a major success. Why? Because the KAT trade was about betting on flexibility and young players. What have we seen?

Naz Reid is who we thought

McDaniels is back on track

Dillingham had tons of upside

Jaylen Clark and TSJ are real NBA guys

The Ant future is where it needs to be

[shrink]

Not only does MIN have the fifth easiest schedule remaining (and likely one of the easiest after next week), but this is a great time to have an easy schedule. Later in the season, many of our opponents will be intentionally trying to lose so they can move up higher in the Cooper Flagg draft. It’s better to play bad teams at the end of the season, instead of the start.

[FrenchMinnyFan]

I agree. We have to make a run and try to be as high as possible at least until game 72.. after that depends where we are , we have to be smart to way we
Manage ANT Rudy Mike and others to make sure we go for a run with 100% energy !
Don’t wanna see player push until game 82 and run out of gas like we did last year .

[winforlose]

I am seeing little flaws in multiple Wolves offensive games. If the development staff helps them with it, (Jaden pace play on the drive, dilly wasted motion off the bounce, ect…,) then, we could see real growth out of multiple players next season. Sustained improvement will be key to developing the Ant window.

[Klomp]

Read on Twitter

[FrenchMinnyFan]

We win a game quite miraculously ( OKC couldn't hit a bucket a the 4th) and social media serve their usual b..... Yes the young play well tonight but how many games did we win because of Rudy defense last 2 years ?
Consistency has a meaning.

[Klomp]

We win a game quite miraculously ( OKC couldn't hit a bucket a the 4th) and social media serve their usual b..... Yes the young play well tonight but how many games did we win because of Rudy defense last 2 years ?
Consistency has a meaning.

I agree. That's why I don't make grandiose statements about the team after each game. My confidence in the team really hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, regardless of game results.

[FrenchMinnyFan]

We win a game quite miraculously ( OKC couldn't hit a bucket a the 4th) and social media serve their usual b..... Yes the young play well tonight but how many games did we win because of Rudy defense last 2 years ?
Consistency has a meaning.

I agree. That's why I don't make grandiose statements about the team after each game. My confidence in the team really hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, regardless of game results.

For me the lesson Finch should learn tonight is that you play hot guys, not necessary guys who are your starters when they have a night off. Mike play fairly well tonight but Rob and TSJ were so great that it would have been a big mistake to put them out. ANT was not good at shooting but came to help at the end with a decisive block. Tonight we learn that ANT does not have to get hero ball each game at clutch time. Hope he remember this when we will make a run.
This is all about coaching and IQ. Jaden is the perfect example for me. For months, he try mostly to shoot 3 ( with average result at best). Since few weeks, he change his game and his rebounding, mid rang shoot have been awesome.

[winforlose]

We win a game quite miraculously ( OKC couldn't hit a bucket a the 4th) and social media serve their usual b..... Yes the young play well tonight but how many games did we win because of Rudy defense last 2 years ?
Consistency has a meaning.

I agree. That's why I don't make grandiose statements about the team after each game. My confidence in the team really hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, regardless of game results.

For me the lesson Finch should learn tonight is that you play hot guys, not necessary guys who are your starters when they have a night off. Mike play fairly well tonight but Rob and TSJ were so great that it would have been a big mistake to put them out. ANT was not good at shooting but came to help at the end with a decisive block. Tonight we learn that ANT does not have to get hero ball each game at clutch time. Hope he remember this when we will make a run.
This is all about coaching and IQ. Jaden is the perfect example for me. For months, he try mostly to shoot 3 ( with average result at best). Since few weeks, he change his game and his rebounding, mid rang shoot have been awesome.

For me here are the keys:

1. Jaden attempted no 3s. He shot 9 of 16 which is 1.68 points per shot. He got 9 free throws and made them all. This is the future of Jaden McDaniels. This is the player he should be developed into. A 27/10 game for Jaden while also playing great defense and playing 42:25 tonight after 39:39 last night. The level of heart and guts and want to is off the charts.

2. Lack of Ant shows the benefit of ball movement. Not every shot was great late. Naz did his best Ant impression a few times. But outside of that the ball was moving, guys played unselfishly. Guys were very clearly engaged because they felt like they were part of the offense. Ant needs to learn from this.

3. We scored 62 points in the paint. That also lead to 14 free throw attempts in the 4th, 8 in OT, and 39 for the game. That attacking mindset is how we survived only hitting 9 of 32 from deep. You don’t often survive when your opponent hits 6 more 3s than you. The answer was hitting 34 of 39 from the line compared to their 23 of 29. A big part of that is rebounding and another is running. TSJ, Jaden, Ant, and NAW all getting to the line really made a huge impact.

4. I think Mike going out and forcing more Dilly moments is good for the long term health of the team. Dilly was mouthing off a few times. He was benched in OT and he was talking to DDV about it and looked salty. That confidence and swagger is going to serve him well. Games like tonight will help rebuild it.

[minimus]

Yeah, I remember getting laughed at for saying that MIN has a young core of players who still have a LOT of potential.

[winforlose]

Yeah, I remember getting laughed at for saying that MIN has a young core of players who still have a LOT of potential.

Why do you think I have been saying don’t trade for KD. Let’s develop these guys and see what we can do. Cheap contracts are huge for a team in our situation, and TSJ and Clark are looking like players.

[TimberKat]

Yeah, I remember getting laughed at for saying that MIN has a young core of players who still have a LOT of potential.

Why do you think I have been saying don’t trade for KD. Let’s develop these guys and see what we can do. Cheap contracts are huge for a team in our situation, and TSJ and Clark are looking like players.

Yes, JMcD, Clark, TSJ and NAW really sets the defensive tone and define this team.

[minimus]

Yeah, I remember getting laughed at for saying that MIN has a young core of players who still have a LOT of potential.

Why do you think I have been saying don’t trade for KD. Let’s develop these guys and see what we can do. Cheap contracts are huge for a team in our situation, and TSJ and Clark are looking like players.

I see it the other way around. It is because MIN has cheap contracts that TC MUST try to get KD. Let me explain. I will use NYK 2024 offseason as an example. NYK signed Brunson with discount, paid a lot to get Bridges on bargain contract, had big semi-expiring contract in Randle, and another two bargain contracts of McBride and DDV. Because of the combination of multiple bargain contracts (Brunson, Bridges, DDV and McBride) they knew they could afford Towns albatross contract. They monitored the situation and when Towns' price was at the minimum, they traded for him. Also big role in this played that Towns is from NY aka has ties, TC did him a favor by trading Karl in his hometown team with strong playoff aspirations.

Now I can easily see how TC would try to get KD, but first lets look at what we have:

DDV - bargain contract
Clark - two-way
Dilly, TJ - rookie deal
McDaniels - I would say good deal
Reid - expiring bargain contract, FA
Randle - expiring in 2025-26
DET pick (hopefully)
UTA pick
NAW - expiring bargain contract, FA
Gobert - upcoming 110/3 extension

I think this last stretch of games has shown that:

1) Reid can handle starting bigman duties, but MIN lacked backup С badly. Which gives some freedom to trade Gobert, Randle
2) Clark can defend PoA
3) TJ can provide scoring off the bench
4) McDaniels indeed can play PF
5) MIN has problems scoring in the clutch

1) PHO lost 5 of last 6 games, have highest payroll in NBA, 11th in West
2) DET keep winning
3) PHO messed up their locker room at trade deadline
4) KD has only one full season left on his contract
5) KD and Edwards are good friends
6) KD is a deadly mid-range shooter, Edwards is one of the worst mid-range shooters, their games complement each other.

So if (and this is a big if considering all new CBA restrictions) all these dynamics cross in one point (lowest KD price, highest price of our assets), I can see TC immediately pulling the trigger and trading combination of our assets (Gobert, Randle, DDV, DET pick, Dillingham, NAW, Conley, TJ) for one year KD contract. Because MIN do indeed have redundancy in guards (NAW, DDV, TJ, Clark). But it requires A LOT of fine-tuning: in this case, TC needs to:

1) re-sign Reid
2) re-sign Clark
3) Find backup C

But I can see it happening. Getting KD is also a huge marketing move. It is a star league, and fans (myself included) WANT to see KD and Edwards playing together. But lets not start another conversation here. This is just my opinion.

[ILC]

Huge win last night to keep my 50 wins dream alive. 18-5 needed rest of the way.

[shrink]

We win a game quite miraculously ( OKC couldn't hit a bucket a the 4th) and social media serve their usual b..... Yes the young play well tonight but how many games did we win because of Rudy defense last 2 years ?
Consistency has a meaning.

I agree. That's why I don't make grandiose statements about the team after each game. My confidence in the team really hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, regardless of game results.

Yes, and I made a similar point last game. Without Rudy, we allowed 121 points in regulation last night, and 130 the night before. It’s great that our offense was humming, but I’m glad we have Gobert for the playoffs because giving up that many points is not going to consistently beat the quality teams we face in June.

[shrink]

Not only does MIN have the fifth easiest schedule remaining (and likely one of the easiest after next week), but this is a great time to have an easy schedule. Later in the season, many of our opponents will be intentionally trying to lose so they can move up higher in the Cooper Flagg draft. It’s better to play bad teams at the end of the season, instead of the start.

MIN now has the second easiest schedule left.

[life_saver]

We win a game quite miraculously ( OKC couldn't hit a bucket a the 4th) and social media serve their usual b..... Yes the young play well tonight but how many games did we win because of Rudy defense last 2 years ?
Consistency has a meaning.

I agree. That's why I don't make grandiose statements about the team after each game. My confidence in the team really hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, regardless of game results.

Yes, and I made a similar point last game. Without Rudy, we allowed 121 points in regulation last night, and 130 the night before. It’s great that our offense was humming, but I’m glad we have Gobert for the playoffs because giving up that many points is not going to consistently beat the quality teams we face in June.

Rudy is still quite impactful but I feel like opponent does matter in this comparison...those last 2 games were against best teams in the league. Yesterday Wolves gave up 130 pts but the game went to OT which meant lot more additional possessions. In terms of defensive rating, Wolves defense yesterday had a defensive rating of 110.7 which is inline with season average.

[minimus]

Not only does MIN have the fifth easiest schedule remaining (and likely one of the easiest after next week), but this is a great time to have an easy schedule. Later in the season, many of our opponents will be intentionally trying to lose so they can move up higher in the Cooper Flagg draft. It’s better to play bad teams at the end of the season, instead of the start.

MIN now has the second easiest schedule left.

In MIN case the second easiest schedule means second hardest

[winforlose]

I agree. That's why I don't make grandiose statements about the team after each game. My confidence in the team really hasn't changed much since the beginning of the season, regardless of game results.

Yes, and I made a similar point last game. Without Rudy, we allowed 121 points in regulation last night, and 130 the night before. It’s great that our offense was humming, but I’m glad we have Gobert for the playoffs because giving up that many points is not going to consistently beat the quality teams we face in June.

Rudy is still quite impactful but I feel like opponent does matter in this comparison...those last 2 games were against best teams in the league. Yesterday Wolves gave up 130 pts but the game went to OT which meant lot more additional possessions. In terms of defensive rating, Wolves defense yesterday had a defensive rating of 110.7 which is inline with season average.

They didn’t play Chet, they lost IHart, and we went down 25 before making a miracle comeback. They missed 9 shots in a row in the fourth to allow a 16-0 run. Our defense needs Rudy. Rudy’s the best in the NBA at rim defense and neverminds. BTW they scored 54 paint points, we just scored 62 thanks to Jaden and TSJ.

[Klomp]

Yeah, I remember getting laughed at for saying that MIN has a young core of players who still have a LOT of potential.

Why do you think I have been saying don’t trade for KD. Let’s develop these guys and see what we can do. Cheap contracts are huge for a team in our situation, and TSJ and Clark are looking like players.

I see it the other way around. It is because MIN has cheap contracts that TC MUST try to get KD. Let me explain. I will use NYK 2024 offseason as an example. NYK signed Brunson with discount, paid a lot to get Bridges on bargain contract, had big semi-expiring contract in Randle, and another two bargain contracts of McBride and DDV. Because of the combination of multiple bargain contracts (Brunson, Bridges, DDV and McBride) they knew they could afford Towns albatross contract. They monitored the situation and when Towns' price was at the minimum, they traded for him. Also big role in this played that Towns is from NY aka has ties, TC did him a favor by trading Karl in his hometown team with strong playoff aspirations.

Now I can easily see how TC would try to get KD, but first lets look at what we have:

DDV - bargain contract
Clark - two-way
Dilly, TJ - rookie deal
McDaniels - I would say good deal
Reid - expiring bargain contract, FA
Randle - expiring in 2025-26
DET pick (hopefully)
UTA pick
NAW - expiring bargain contract, FA
Gobert - upcoming 110/3 extension

I think this last stretch of games has shown that:

1) Reid can handle starting bigman duties, but MIN lacked backup С badly. Which gives some freedom to trade Gobert, Randle
2) Clark can defend PoA
3) TJ can provide scoring off the bench
4) McDaniels indeed can play PF
5) MIN has problems scoring in the clutch

1) PHO lost 5 of last 6 games, have highest payroll in NBA, 11th in West
2) DET keep winning
3) PHO messed up their locker room at trade deadline
4) KD has only one full season left on his contract
5) KD and Edwards are good friends
6) KD is a deadly mid-range shooter, Edwards is one of the worst mid-range shooters, their games complement each other.

So if (and this is a big if considering all new CBA restrictions) all these dynamics cross in one point (lowest KD price, highest price of our assets), I can see TC immediately pulling the trigger and trading combination of our assets (Gobert, Randle, DDV, DET pick, Dillingham, NAW, Conley, TJ) for one year KD contract. Because MIN do indeed have redundancy in guards (NAW, DDV, TJ, Clark). But it requires A LOT of fine-tuning: in this case, TC needs to:

1) re-sign Reid
2) re-sign Clark
3) Find backup C

But I can see it happening. Getting KD is also a huge marketing move. It is a star league, and fans (myself included) WANT to see KD and Edwards playing together. But lets not start another conversation here. This is just my opinion.

Agreed. People are so worried about stifling Jaden and Naz. But what are they really? Are they Giannis and LeBron? Unlikely. It's more likely that they top out around the level of a Brandon Ingram or dare I say Julius Randle or Karl-Anthony Towns. Which is still a very good player, but is it the caliber of player that will help Ant lead this franchise to an NBA title? What is their championship resume? You knock on Kevin Durant jumping from team to team in search of more trophies as a bad thing, but shouldn't that tell you something about his belief in this organization if he truly does want to come to Minnesota?

And let me be clear: I don't think the team would include Naz Reid in any offers for Kevin Durant. They might not include Jaden McDaniels either (that's the point in the negotiations like where in the Gobert trade Utah took an extra 1st because Minnesota was unwilling). I'm starting offers with Randle, DiVincenzo and Conley, along with maybe the DET pick and possibly a young guy or two. And another point of clarification, since I know the second apron will be brought up: I would trade Gobert in a trade to duck the apron before trading McDaniels in such a move. Is that enough to get Durant? It might not be. But I'm fine using that as a jumping off point in trade negotiations.