Around the NBA (Part Two)

TimberKat · Post #901 » by **TimberKat** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 4:52 am

Klomp wrote:
TimberKat wrote:HOU beat MIL, they won so many close games this year. Still hoping MEM beat PHX . If PHX lose, I think we will basically in the play-in

Took a while to figure out what you were trying to say....yes, I feel very confident that the team will finish within the Top 10 of the West

I am not as confident as you, Wolves are just one game in the losing column ahead of the #10 team SAC. PHX is not too far behind with a difficult schedule.

Post #902 » by **Klomp** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 5:53 am

TimberKat wrote:
Klomp wrote:
TimberKat wrote:HOU beat MIL, they won so many close games this year. Still hoping MEM beat PHX . If PHX lose, I think we will basically in the play-in

Took a while to figure out what you were trying to say....yes, I feel very confident that the team will finish within the Top 10 of the West

I am not as confident as you, Wolves are just one game in the losing column ahead of the #10 team SAC. PHX is not too far behind with a difficult schedule.

I will admit, the loss column is scary. However, Golden State is currently the only tiebreaker from 3 through 13 that we absolutely will not have at this point. The rest range from very much in play to likely to all but guaranteed.

TimberKat · Post #903 » by **TimberKat** » Fri Feb 28, 2025 2:31 am

Curry had an incredible shooting night vs ORL. 12-19 from 3s and 54+ pts. An amazing end of 1st half 3/4 court shoot. However, still take zebra help to win. Wolves could drop a spot in the standings after tonight.

shrink · Post #904 » by **shrink** » Fri Feb 28, 2025 3:15 pm

I took a look at the standings today, and it looks like it will be a battle for the sixth seed. HOU and LAL are #4-5, 10.5 Games Back.

#6 15.0 GB LAC
#7 15.5 GB GSW
#8 16.0 GB MIN
#9 16.0 GB DAL
#10 17.0 GB SAC

#11 20.5 GB PHX. PUX has lost 3 straight, and are 2-8 in their last 10. They’re done.

Can MIN get the sixth seed, and avoid the play in? Yes, and they could be the most likely team to do it. Of the five closely packed teams, they have the highest DIFF at +2.8, and they have the second easiest remaining schedule in the whole NBA. Here’s how easy the SOS is for the five teams

#2 MIN
#10 GSW
#18 DAL
#26 LAC
#29 SAC

Now, we’ve seen MIN struggle with bad teams for the last three years, but remember, at this point of the season, these teams are intentionally tanking for a good spot in the talented 2025 draft.

I like our odds.

shrink · Post #905 » by **shrink** » Fri Feb 28, 2025 3:44 pm

I saw the news that DAL offered us Luka Doncic for Ant, before trading him to the Lakers. We declined, but it shows how valuable Edwards is. I wrote the following

shrink wrote: Doncic is the better player and while Ant still has so much untapped potential, it is very possible he never reaches Luka’s high bar. But this was still the right choice for MIN.

The key thing for the Wolves is that Ant wants to be there. When he signed his 5-year extension, he didn’t ask for the typical player option the final year. Obviously if he asked, the Wolves wouldn’t have said no.

This is a big deal for a franchise like MIN. Until the last couple years, the best free agents didn’t want to come to MIN, and MIN often had to overpay even mediocre FA’s to come. Attitudes sometimes suffered here. Players leaving for nothing at the end of their contracts was always a threat. Recently though we have seen a change. Naz Reid avoided free agency to extend, and took a team friendly deal. Gobert declined a rich player option to extend for less. NAW took an under-market deal. Ant and Jaden McDaniels extended for the full five years, no PO.

The problem with the Luka offer was that Nico Harrison refused to let teams talk to Doncic to see if he wanted to stay, because he was afraid of the news of a trade getting out. According to ESPN, the original offer included both Laker picks, LAL agreed but wanted to talk to Luka first to see if he wanted to be a Laker. When Nico refused, LAL said we need to keep a pick for protection.

The Timberwolves franchise is not the glamour franchise that the Lakers are. Trading away five years of a locked up, happy Ant for 1.5 of Luka with the desperate hope he would want to stay was too great a risk. The downside would be a franchise-killing move, so they had to decline.

cmoss84 · Post #906 » by **cmoss84** » Sun Mar 2, 2025 11:21 pm

Avdija is officially a star, and we officially need a win tonight vs Ant's future teammate.

TimberKat · Post #907 » by **TimberKat** » Sun Mar 2, 2025 11:38 pm

cmoss84 wrote::wink: Avdija is officially a star, and we officially need a win tonight vs Ant's future teammate.

From a Cavs fan point of view it's Ty Jerome and the great mid season trade Hunter that are the stars :wink:

Ant to Phoenix in the office season? That better be Booker + picks. Don't want Beal on this team :wink:

Post #908 » by **Klomp** » Mon Mar 3, 2025 7:58 pm

Literally one loss separates No. 6 from No. 10 right now!

No. 6 Clippers are 32-28
No. 10 Mavericks are 32-29

BlacJacMac · Post #909 » by **BlacJacMac** » Tue Mar 4, 2025 5:01 pm

Read on Twitter

Dalvin · Post #910 » by **Dalvin** » Tue Mar 4, 2025 5:13 pm

Looks like Silver's plan of rewarding the Mavs with Flagg for trading Luka to the Lakers has started. Mavs will barely miss the play-in with both Davis and Irving out and win the draft lottery in May :lol:

TimberKat · Post #911 » by **TimberKat** » Tue Mar 4, 2025 6:27 pm

Dalvin wrote:Looks like Silver's plan of rewarding the Mavs with Flagg for trading Luka to the Lakers has started. Mavs will barely miss the play-in with both Davis and Irving out and win the draft lottery in May

Flagg is targeted to Suns for this summer's KD trade

BlacJacMac · Post #912 » by **BlacJacMac** » Tue Mar 4, 2025 6:30 pm

TimberKat wrote:
Dalvin wrote:Looks like Silver's plan of rewarding the Mavs with Flagg for trading Luka to the Lakers has started. Mavs will barely miss the play-in with both Davis and Irving out and win the draft lottery in May

Flagg is targeted to Suns for this summer's KD trade

Someone is going to trade Flagg for KD?

TimberKat · Post #913 » by **TimberKat** » Tue Mar 4, 2025 10:46 pm

BlacJacMac wrote:
TimberKat wrote:
Dalvin wrote:Looks like Silver's plan of rewarding the Mavs with Flagg for trading Luka to the Lakers has started. Mavs will barely miss the play-in with both Davis and Irving out and win the draft lottery in May

Flagg is targeted to Suns for this summer's KD trade

Someone is going to trade Flagg for KD?

Yes, Nico Harrison or Khan. Otherwise would be Suns get the #1 pick and the trade KD because KD doesn't fit their timeline.

shrink · Post #914 » by **shrink** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 12:18 am

I don’t know where to stick this, but I watched the first episode of “Running Point” on Netflix, where the daughter of an NBA owner (of a Lakers knockoff) takes over as President of the team, and apparently the GM. In the first episode, she’s told that the team is $2 mil over the salary cap (chuckle) and she makes a trade to get exactly $2 mil in cash. Later, she threatens a player that if he doesn’t shape up, she’ll trade him “somewhere cold .. like Minnesota.” I am so tired of the east and west coasts always treating us as a joke location, like we’re Antarctica.

I really want to like a show about an NBA GM, but I think this is going to be another ridiculous “Draft Day.”

(One more hour until Daredevil)

Post #915 » by **Domejandro** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 1:03 am

TimberKat wrote:
BlacJacMac wrote:
TimberKat wrote:Flagg is targeted to Suns for this summer's KD trade

Someone is going to trade Flagg for KD?

Yes, Nico Harrison or Khan. Otherwise would be Suns get the #1 pick and the trade KD because KD doesn't fit their timeline.

The Phoenix Suns do not own their Draft pick this season.

TimberKat · Post #916 » by **TimberKat** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 1:35 am

Domejandro wrote:
TimberKat wrote:
BlacJacMac wrote:
Someone is going to trade Flagg for KD?

Yes, Nico Harrison or Khan. Otherwise would be Suns get the #1 pick and the trade KD because KD doesn't fit their timeline.

The Phoenix Suns do not own their Draft pick this season.

That is too bad but Adam Silver will find a way

TimberKat · Post #917 » by **TimberKat** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 4:09 am

Rooting for the Suns against LAC but they really sucked. A Gobert for KD would be good for them. Zero interior defense.

cmoss84 · Post #918 » by **cmoss84** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 4:27 am

Would you feel more confident betting KAT and Knicks get to conference finals or us?

TimberKat · Post #919 » by **TimberKat** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 4:57 am

cmoss84 wrote:Would you feel more confident betting KAT and Knicks get to conference finals or us?

Us because Cavs are crazy good and Celtics may still have something left. For Wolves, if DDV, Naz, and JMcD plays like tonight (capability wise) and we get consistent pg play from Conley/Dilly, we have a reasonable chance.

TimberKat · Post #920 » by **TimberKat** » Wed Mar 5, 2025 5:46 am

TimberKat wrote:Rooting for the Suns against LAC but they really sucked. A Gobert for KD would be good for them. Zero interior defense.

Suns came back to win from 23 down (16 down starting 4th). Wolves now tie with Clippers on the losing column.