ConstableGeneva wrote:[tweet]https://twitter.com/VJL_bball/status/631906106755821568[/tweet]
That MIN pick is not looking good, you guys. Not that there was a great chance for it to be in the 1st rd to begin with.
Not a good chance, but you've got to look at likely rotation, not just the roster.
LaVine/Bennett/Payne - arguably 3 of the 10 worst players in the league last year - were playing key roles for the T-Wolves last year. LaVine's probably going to be on the fringe of the rotation this year, and Payne and Bennett probably won't sniff more than 400 minutes combined.
The guys that are lined up to replace these guys in the rotation - Rubio and KG - are D-RPM studs. That exchange alone will make a huge difference. The other factor to consider is Wiggins - his D-RPM sucked as a rook, but he's got fantastic defensive tools, he'll be a year more seasoned, and he'll have a far lesser offensive burden if Rubio/Martin stay healthy and Bjelica doesn't take too long to adjust to the NBA. Dieng is also a solid, if limited, defensive contributor. Martin and Muhammad are garbage in D-RPM, but at least they contribute offensively.
Also Tayshaun might be toast, but he also played for 3 different teams, two of them in the midst of collapses when he was traded to them. In 13/14 he was still a modest positive in D-RPM and starting for a top 10 defense - I think he's got some game left as a defensive roleplayer. Miller is the same story, though at his age, it's more likely he's just toast.
Overall, I think Rubio-Wiggins-Prince-KG-Dieng gives Minnesota a very solid defensive core, though it will be diluted substantially by the reliance on Martin/Bjelica/Shabazz for scoring, the need to play Towns/Jones/Lavine developmental minutes and age and health issues.
