Bill Simmons NBA Trade Value: Wolves

[The J Rocka]

Ranking the NBA's Top 50 Assets: Part 1 http://es.pn/11FkXAl
Ranking the NBA's Top 50 Assets: Part 2 http://es.pn/10xxAAY

32. NIKOLA PEKOVIC

We're on a run of Nikolas! Pekovic becomes a restricted free agent this summer, which means anyone looking for a highly skilled offensive center/enforcer/General Zod henchman can structure an offer specifically designed to screw over the pathetic Timberwolves. For instance, let's say Cleveland comes in and offers him $50 million for four years, thinking (rightfully so) that it's overpaying a little to run delightfully unstoppable high screens with Pek and Kyrie Irving for the next four years. Let's have Fake Hubie Brown break the rest of this down for us. Continues...

22. RICKY RUBIO

It's like 1997 Jason Kidd had a baby with 2009 Rajon Rondo. You're right, that was disgusting. But he's a spectacular playmaker, an electric passer, a phenomenally unselfish teammate and an occasionally destructive defensive player. He sees everything about a split-second before everyone else does. He's wonderful to watch. There's nobody like him. Right now, he can't shoot even a lick. That's the only problem, and it's not a small one. Check out this Rubio shot chart that our friend Kirk Goldsberry made us. Continues...

20. KEVIN LOVE

Tough love for Love! He already lost the 2013 Mokeski to David Lee; now he's bungee-jumping 16 picks from last year's lofty no. 4 spot to this year's semi-insulting no. 20 position, which normally wouldn't happen to a 24-year-old franchise star unless he was arrested with two underage girls and three and a half pounds of molly. Just know that he didn't drop 16 spots because of that twice-broken hand. If we're measuring players by trade value, we're really measuring them by the probability that they'd ever be traded. And Kevin Love WILL be traded. It's inevitable. It might happen this summer, it might happen during next season, but it's going to happen.

Let's say Chicago calls Minnesota in June and offers them Boozer's contract with Butler, Mirotic AND the Charlotte pick. How could the T-Wolves turn that down? And if you're the Bulls, how would you turn down the chance to (a) dump Boozer's deal, and (b) upend a potential Miami dynasty with a nucleus of Rose, Noah, Love, Deng, Taj Gibson and Tom Thibodeau these next few years? You know, unless your owner was too cheap to make a real run at the Heat? (Cut to every Chicago fan grimacing.) Anyway, I'm dropping Love to 20 only because that Bulls trade made too much damned sense. It just did.

Didn't want to post everything. Plenty more to read, whether you agree with his takes or not. Figured it was something to discuss/share.

[The J Rocka]

[Tirion]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... raft-right

oh yeah, baby

dis gon b good

[Tirion]

The Timberwolves turned a potential Rubio/Curry/Lawson windfall into just Rubio (who didn't come to Minnesota for two extra years); two years of Flynn (played in Australia last year); backup guard Malcolm Lee; three injury-plagued years and more than $15 million of damaged goods (Webster and Roy); and nearly $6 million of Webster/Milicic buyouts. They also briefly had and lost Motiejunas (a promising rotation guy for Houston), Parsons (no. 48 on the trade value list), Mirotic (Chicago's best prospect overseas) and Cole (a rotation guy for a 66-win team); and they have Memphis's 2013 first-rounder (near the bottom of a dreadful draft) and Brooklyn's 2013 second-rounder to show for their troubles.

[Tirion]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/59362/you-realize-how-badly-the-t-wolves-screwed-up-the-2009-draft-right

oh yeah, baby

dis gon b good

read that **** and try to argue!

you're so much smarter than Simmons!

you know more than him!

bring up "we drafted Lawson for Denver" defense, like it actually works! (protip - it doesn't)

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!!!

[The J Rocka]

The Timberwolves turned a potential Rubio/Curry/Lawson windfall into just Rubio (who didn't come to Minnesota for two extra years); two years of Flynn (played in Australia last year); backup guard Malcolm Lee; three injury-plagued years and more than $15 million of damaged goods (Webster and Roy); and nearly $6 million of Webster/Milicic buyouts. They also briefly had and lost Motiejunas (a promising rotation guy for Houston), Parsons (no. 48 on the trade value list), Mirotic (Chicago's best prospect overseas) and Cole (a rotation guy for a 66-win team); and they have Memphis's 2013 first-rounder (near the bottom of a dreadful draft) and Brooklyn's 2013 second-rounder to show for their troubles.

Should've been the last of Kahn. He cheated us out of talent so he could get extra cash to pay off Rambis, which was his own mistake.

[Krapinsky]

Hmm I don't see how that Bulls trade makes much of any sense at all for us. Mirotic! Butler! Cap Space! 2016 finals here we come!

[The J Rocka]

Hmm I don't see how that Bulls trade makes much of any sense at all for us. Mirotic! Butler! Cap Space! 2016 finals here we come!

It doesn't one bit. He didn't even have the decency to at least include Gibson coming back. We would definitely kiss Rubio goodbye after that one.

[Tirion]

Hmm I don't see how that Bulls trade makes much of any sense at all for us. Mirotic! Butler! Cap Space! 2016 finals here we come!

It doesn't one bit. He didn't even have the decency to at least include Gibson coming back. We would definitely kiss Rubio goodbye after that one.

Mirotic, Butler and Charlotte's pick are legitimate assets.

It's a good return for Love on paper, but it requires something we don't have right now - patience, cause Charlotte's pick is unprotected in 2016 and Mirotic doesn't have a buy-out with Real till 2016.

I'm opposed to trading Love, based on an information we have right now, but if I wasn't, that's as good of a haul as you're gonna get. The real deal for Love (if it happens) won't be (nearly) as good.

[Wolf_Cry]

Is Simmons drunk? That Bulls trade is awful as f uck. I just find it annoying as hell that the media makes up so much **** about Love wanting to leave that eventually it just becomes true because fans believe it, players believe it, and soon the FO believes it. Bull **** as hell.

I'm not saying KLove doesn't want to be traded, but until he publicly becomes a media douchebag like Howard, he ain't going anywhere. And if he did demand a trade, that CHI is too garbage. But anyways, I also had no idea Bulls owned CHA's pick. NOW, if it was next year and it was the #1 pick and Wiggins declared, now we can talk.

[Krapinsky]

Hmm I don't see how that Bulls trade makes much of any sense at all for us. Mirotic! Butler! Cap Space! 2016 finals here we come!

It doesn't one bit. He didn't even have the decency to at least include Gibson coming back. We would definitely kiss Rubio goodbye after that one.

Mirotic, Butler and Charlotte's pick are legitimate assets.

It's a good return for Love on paper, but it requires something we don't have right now - patience, cause Charlotte's pick is unprotected in 2016 and Mirotic doesn't have a buy-out with Real till 2016.

I'm opposed to trading Love, based on an information we have right now, but if I wasn't, that's as good of a haul as you're gonna get. The real deal for Love (if it happens) won't be (nearly) as good.

None of those assets gives us anything close to a star player in return. If you think Wolves fan's can entertain another prolonged rebuilding process, then you're high. Might as well move the team to Seattle at that point because the Target Center would be a ghost town.

[Tirion]

Mirotic, Butler and Charlotte's pick are legitimate assets.

It's a good return for Love on paper, but it requires something we don't have right now - patience, cause Charlotte's pick is unprotected in 2016 and Mirotic doesn't have a buy-out with Real till 2016.

I'm opposed to trading Love, based on an information we have right now, but if I wasn't, that's as good of a haul as you're gonna get. The real deal for Love (if it happens) won't be (nearly) as good.

None of those assets gives us anything close to a star player in return. If you think Wolves fan's can entertain another prolonged rebuilding process, then you're high. Might as well move the team to Seattle at that point because the Target Center would be a ghost town.

Somehow you missed the part where I stated that Wolves don't have patience needed for that trade right now.

It's all good tho. I know that reading is hard.

[Krapinsky]

Mirotic, Butler and Charlotte's pick are legitimate assets.

It's a good return for Love on paper, but it requires something we don't have right now - patience, cause Charlotte's pick is unprotected in 2016 and Mirotic doesn't have a buy-out with Real till 2016.

I'm opposed to trading Love, based on an information we have right now, but if I wasn't, that's as good of a haul as you're gonna get. The real deal for Love (if it happens) won't be (nearly) as good.

None of those assets gives us anything close to a star player in return. If you think Wolves fan's can entertain another prolonged rebuilding process, then you're high. Might as well move the team to Seattle at that point because the Target Center would be a ghost town.

Somehow you missed the part where I stated that Wolves don't have patience needed for that trade right now.

It's all good tho. I know that reading is hard.

Yeah, today it is... been a rough day. Aroooooooooooooooo.

[Calinks]

Articles like this come with the territory. As long as we have Kahn we will take crap like this. Laughing stock until proven otherwise.

[Tirion]

Watching the Curry-Lawson shootout. What could've been...

But no mater what... You're gonna love Jonny Flynn!

[cpfsf]

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/59362/you-realize-how-badly-the-t-wolves-screwed-up-the-2009-draft-right

oh yeah, baby

dis gon b good

The Timberwolves turned a potential Rubio/Curry/Lawson windfall into just Rubio (who didn't come to Minnesota for two extra years); two years of Flynn (played in Australia last year); backup guard Malcolm Lee; three injury-plagued years and more than $15 million of damaged goods (Webster and Roy); and nearly $6 million of Webster/Milicic buyouts. They also briefly had and lost Motiejunas (a promising rotation guy for Houston), Parsons (no. 48 on the trade value list), Mirotic (Chicago's best prospect overseas) and Cole (a rotation guy for a 66-win team); and they have Memphis's 2013 first-rounder (near the bottom of a dreadful draft) and Brooklyn's 2013 second-rounder to show for their troubles.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/59362/you-realize-how-badly-the-t-wolves-screwed-up-the-2009-draft-right

oh yeah, baby

dis gon b good

read that **** and try to argue!

you're so much smarter than Simmons!

you know more than him!

bring up "we drafted Lawson for Denver" defense, like it actually works! (protip - it doesn't)

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!!!

oh sure, i get a warning from basti for post padding, but when tirion does it...

[C.lupus]

Tirion does it with venom. You gotta step up yo game cpfsf.

[LordBaldric]

Yeah, I read those articles yesterday. Painful, but mostly true. We could wrangle a better deal for Love though I think.

[Devilzsidewalk]

in some alternative Universe, Don Nelson is currently nellyballing a Lawson/Rubio/Curry perimeter w/ Love at center to 60 wins and David Kahn is an evil genius. Basketball has been redefined to where all small forwards and power forwards are now just called "tweeners"

[C.lupus]

I like how Simmons rips Kahn over Kahn's mistakes then in his next breath proposes a trade that would ensure:
A) The best (and only HOF-caliber) coach this franchise has ever known will retire,
B) Kirilenko will opt out,
C) The Wolves will suffer through another 25-30 win season, and
D) Rubio starts planning his exit strategy