Nemanja Bjelica

[shangrila]

Think we will lose him due to cap squeeze but am enjoying watching him while we can.

Is underrated

Bjelica is probably the guy I am the biggest fan of, and who's stats I check first. I want to see him succeed.

Probably because of that, I've believed that the Wolves are going into the lux anyway, so of course they will bring back Bjelly.

Unfortunately, Bjelica is doing so well these days, that we probably can't afford to keep him. I agree that we should focus on offering him top bench money, maybe up to $12 mil/yr, but if he continues to do so well, a team may offer him starter money, aeound $18.

If that happens i don't think we would match, and pay lux taxes on top. Instead of losing him for nothing, it may be wise to at least listen to trade offers. I feel we need him now though, so I'm with Vindicator - sit back and enjoy the ride.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but there really isn't much money this offseason. Only 5 teams are projected to have capspace, according to RealGM, and few of them seem like they'd be interested in paying Bjelica big bucks if at all. Contracts will be much, much tighter this offseason than people seem to think.

Our main competition with Bjelly will come from other playoff teams looking to boost their bench using the MLE. So that's what it will likely come down to; do we match a 8mil (that's roughly the MLE, right?) contract for 4 years as Bjelica heads into his 30s or do we let him walk? I'd say they match given that scenario, partially because they don't have a lot of other ways to improve.

[MN7725]

Bjelica is probably the guy I am the biggest fan of, and who's stats I check first. I want to see him succeed.

Probably because of that, I've believed that the Wolves are going into the lux anyway, so of course they will bring back Bjelly.

Unfortunately, Bjelica is doing so well these days, that we probably can't afford to keep him. I agree that we should focus on offering him top bench money, maybe up to $12 mil/yr, but if he continues to do so well, a team may offer him starter money, aeound $18.

If that happens i don't think we would match, and pay lux taxes on top. Instead of losing him for nothing, it may be wise to at least listen to trade offers. I feel we need him now though, so I'm with Vindicator - sit back and enjoy the ride.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but there really isn't much money this offseason. Only 5 teams are projected to have capspace, according to RealGM, and few of them seem like they'd be interested in paying Bjelica big bucks if at all. Contracts will be much, much tighter this offseason than people seem to think.

Our main competition with Bjelly will come from other playoff teams looking to boost their bench using the MLE. So that's what it will likely come down to; do we match a 8mil (that's roughly the MLE, right?) contract for 4 years as Bjelica heads into his 30s or do we let him walk? I'd say they match given that scenario, partially because they don't have a lot of other ways to improve.

I've been banging that drum constantly too, I don't know what people are looking at
There just seems to be this continuing assumption that "some team" will be there to give a large contract to every player, must be hangover from 2016

This wasn't even true at the time of the Dieng extension in Nov 2016. I kept reading or hearing how the Wolves got a bargain extension and I'm like what?? Only 9-10 teams had the cap space to offer him that extension in 2017 RFA and none needed a C (no one does), but yet it was always defended as "some team" would have given Dieng 4 yr/$80 mil


Absolutely true it only takes one team that loves a player, buttttt

lets look at what happened in 2017 RFA, how many players even got an offer sheet?
Two- Porter and Hardaway Jr

what happened in 2016 RFA, biggest offseason in history
Three offer sheets- Delly, Crabbe, T Johnson

2015 RFA
two offer sheets- Kyle O'Quinn and Derrick Williams

Based on this history, why the concern for a 30 year RFA getting even an offer sheet?

[shangrila]

I feel like a broken record at this point, but there really isn't much money this offseason. Only 5 teams are projected to have capspace, according to RealGM, and few of them seem like they'd be interested in paying Bjelica big bucks if at all. Contracts will be much, much tighter this offseason than people seem to think.

Our main competition with Bjelly will come from other playoff teams looking to boost their bench using the MLE. So that's what it will likely come down to; do we match a 8mil (that's roughly the MLE, right?) contract for 4 years as Bjelica heads into his 30s or do we let him walk? I'd say they match given that scenario, partially because they don't have a lot of other ways to improve.

I've been banging that drum constantly too, I don't know what people are looking at
There just seems to be this continuing assumption that "some team" will be there to give a large contract to every player, must be hangover from 2016

This wasn't even true at the time of the Dieng extension in Nov 2016. I kept reading or hearing how the Wolves got a bargain extension and I'm like what?? Only 9-10 teams had the cap space to offer him that extension in 2017 RFA and none needed a C (no one does), but yet it was always defended as "some team" would have given Dieng 4 yr/$80 mil


Absolutely true it only takes one team that loves a player, buttttt

lets look at what happened in 2017 RFA, how many players even got an offer sheet?
Two- Porter and Hardaway Jr

what happened in 2016 RFA, biggest offseason in history
Three offer sheets- Delly, Crabbe, T Johnson

2015 RFA
two offer sheets- Kyle O'Quinn and Derrick Williams

Based on this history, why the concern for a 30 year RFA getting even an offer sheet?

Pessimism comes with being a Wolves fan.

[Crazy-Canuck]

I'm ready to move on from bjelly if the rumors are true that he is taking his time because he is upset about his playing time.

[Klomp]

I'm ready to move on from bjelly if the rumors are true that he is taking his time because he is upset about his playing time.

Another thing that I think has been blown out of proportion, just like Crawford's being "upset" about minutes.

I don't know that he's upset about his minutes, but that his lower minutes are why he's waiting until he's more ready to play. At least that's my interpretation.

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[minimus]

Bjelica is slow to recover. Nothing new. And I am okay with. Just another thing to consider when new contract is negotiated.

[shrink]

I feel like a broken record at this point, but there really isn't much money this offseason. Only 5 teams are projected to have capspace, according to RealGM, and few of them seem like they'd be interested in paying Bjelica big bucks if at all. Contracts will be much, much tighter this offseason than people seem to think.

Our main competition with Bjelly will come from other playoff teams looking to boost their bench using the MLE. So that's what it will likely come down to; do we match a 8mil (that's roughly the MLE, right?) contract for 4 years as Bjelica heads into his 30s or do we let him walk? I'd say they match given that scenario, partially because they don't have a lot of other ways to improve.

I've been banging that drum constantly too, I don't know what people are looking at
There just seems to be this continuing assumption that "some team" will be there to give a large contract to every player, must be hangover from 2016.

Have you guys run the numbers?

We are at $115 mil with 9 players, if we let Aldrich expire. Let's get up to a functional roster size.

We keep the OKC pick ($2 mil), the tax-payer MLE ($5.5), the BAE ($3.5), 2 vet min ($0.8) = 14 players

That's $127.6. The lux threshold is $120.8. That puts our tax bill at $11 mil, so a total salary of $138.6


Ok, now let's look at Bjelica. If we are "only" going to match an offer of $8.8 for the tax-payer MLE, how much does that cost us? ($5.25 + $12.5) of lux taxes + $8.8 of salary = $26.5 mil.

Do you think that Bjelica will be worth an extra $26.5 mil off the bench?

Do you think Taylor will want to go from $139 to $165 to keep Bjelica?

[shangrila]

I feel like a broken record at this point, but there really isn't much money this offseason. Only 5 teams are projected to have capspace, according to RealGM, and few of them seem like they'd be interested in paying Bjelica big bucks if at all. Contracts will be much, much tighter this offseason than people seem to think.

Our main competition with Bjelly will come from other playoff teams looking to boost their bench using the MLE. So that's what it will likely come down to; do we match a 8mil (that's roughly the MLE, right?) contract for 4 years as Bjelica heads into his 30s or do we let him walk? I'd say they match given that scenario, partially because they don't have a lot of other ways to improve.

I've been banging that drum constantly too, I don't know what people are looking at
There just seems to be this continuing assumption that "some team" will be there to give a large contract to every player, must be hangover from 2016.

Have you guys run the numbers?

We are at $115 mil with 9 players, if we let Aldrich expire. Let's get up to a functional roster size.

We keep the OKC pick ($2 mil), the tax-payer MLE ($5.5), the BAE ($3.5), 2 vet min ($0.8) = 14 players

That's $127.6. The lux threshold is $120.8. That puts our tax bill at $11 mil, so a total salary of $138.6


Ok, now let's look at Bjelica. If we are "only" going to match an offer of $8.8 for the tax-payer MLE, how much does that cost us? ($5.25 + $12.5) of lux taxes + $8.8 of salary = $26.5 mil.

Do you think that Bjelica will be worth an extra $26.5 mil off the bench?

Do you think Taylor will want to go from $139 to $165 to keep Bjelica?

Maybe, maybe not. But that wasn't the point.

The point is he's not getting a 12mil contract, let alone 18mil, as you suggested. And funnily enough, you seemed to think the team should match up to 12mil. What happened to that?

[shrink]

This is spinning off into two different issues, and it's my fault for not being clearer.

First, in that post, I was trying to talk about the difference in a team's specific utility for a player. A top back up might be worth $12 mil, while a starter might be worth $18. As much as I like Bjelica, Thibs will keep Taj starting, and Bjelica will have lesser bench minutes. Other teams can justofy paying more for Bjelica than us.

Do I think we should offer $12 with our luxury tax issues? No, unless we can get out of the lux. He can give us $12 mil worth of production off the bench. If we make no moves and are in the lux, he can't give us $26.5 mil in production, even matching an $8.8 mil offer.

Your question is more interesting, about the overall money available for free agents in the NBA. As we saw last year, there is a pot of money for free agents. Top free agents get auctioned to the highest bidder and they get paid. This happens until the money runs out, and if you are a player on the wrong side when that happens, you get scraps. In 2016" the pot was huge and everyone got over that tipping point. In 2017, some players, like Shabazz, fell on the wrong side when the money ran out. Several players better than Bazz waited, like Patterson, George Hill, and ended up getting scraps.

You are 100% correct that 2019 free agency doesn't look like it will have as much cap space as 2018. However, I've jealously watched for years the ways that teams that are more imaginative than the Wolves are able to generate cap space. For example, one reason I think the overall cap space is being under-estimated by the pundits is because I expect a number of those bad 2016 free agent contracts to be bought out and stretched. With only two years remaining on those deals, I think now they can be more managably swallowed to create more cap space.

[Narf]

I wonder if Dieng and Wiggins for Cousins and a wing makes sense. New Orleans takes a risk on Wiggins improving with Davis, we pour our money into a C that boxes out as well as anyone. Taj/Bjelica off the bench, maybe going big with Bjelly at SF.

Still need a 3&D SF but I feel like Butler/Wiggins is the wrong fit.

[MN7725]

I feel like a broken record at this point, but there really isn't much money this offseason. Only 5 teams are projected to have capspace, according to RealGM, and few of them seem like they'd be interested in paying Bjelica big bucks if at all. Contracts will be much, much tighter this offseason than people seem to think.

Our main competition with Bjelly will come from other playoff teams looking to boost their bench using the MLE. So that's what it will likely come down to; do we match a 8mil (that's roughly the MLE, right?) contract for 4 years as Bjelica heads into his 30s or do we let him walk? I'd say they match given that scenario, partially because they don't have a lot of other ways to improve.

I've been banging that drum constantly too, I don't know what people are looking at
There just seems to be this continuing assumption that "some team" will be there to give a large contract to every player, must be hangover from 2016.

Have you guys run the numbers?

We are at $115 mil with 9 players, if we let Aldrich expire. Let's get up to a functional roster size.

We keep the OKC pick ($2 mil), the tax-payer MLE ($5.5), the BAE ($3.5), 2 vet min ($0.8) = 14 players

That's $127.6. The lux threshold is $120.8. That puts our tax bill at $11 mil, so a total salary of $138.6


Ok, now let's look at Bjelica. If we are "only" going to match an offer of $8.8 for the tax-payer MLE, how much does that cost us? ($5.25 + $12.5) of lux taxes + $8.8 of salary = $26.5 mil.

Do you think that Bjelica will be worth an extra $26.5 mil off the bench?

Do you think Taylor will want to go from $139 to $165 to keep Bjelica?

The rest of my post that you didn't quote is that I don't believe 30 yr old Bjelica will get an offer sheet, given the actual history of what has happened in RFA.

Every year there have been younger, more upside players that have accomplished more or been more consistent than what Bjelica has done in his NBA career than have not received offer sheets.

And that's not a rip at Bjelica, just the reality of how difficult it is to navigate RFA, and next year will be even more problematic given how few teams are projected to have any space at all (rebuilding teams at that), for UFA or RFA, and how many teams are looking at tax paying rosters.

I simply reject the assumption Bjelica will get an offer sheet, let alone one that would make the Wolves wince.

[MN7725]

I've been banging that drum constantly too, I don't know what people are looking at
There just seems to be this continuing assumption that "some team" will be there to give a large contract to every player, must be hangover from 2016.

Have you guys run the numbers?

We are at $115 mil with 9 players, if we let Aldrich expire. Let's get up to a functional roster size.

We keep the OKC pick ($2 mil), the tax-payer MLE ($5.5), the BAE ($3.5), 2 vet min ($0.8) = 14 players

That's $127.6. The lux threshold is $120.8. That puts our tax bill at $11 mil, so a total salary of $138.6


Ok, now let's look at Bjelica. If we are "only" going to match an offer of $8.8 for the tax-payer MLE, how much does that cost us? ($5.25 + $12.5) of lux taxes + $8.8 of salary = $26.5 mil.

Do you think that Bjelica will be worth an extra $26.5 mil off the bench?

Do you think Taylor will want to go from $139 to $165 to keep Bjelica?

The rest of my post that you didn't quote is that I don't believe 30 yr old Bjelica will get an offer sheet, given the actual history of what has happened in RFA.

Every year there have been younger, upside players that have accomplished more or been more consistent than what Bjelica has done in his NBA career than have not received offer sheets.

And that's not a rip at Bjelica, just the reality of how difficult it is to navigate RFA, and next year will be even more problematic given how few teams are projected to have any space at all (rebuilding teams at that), for UFA or RFA, and how many teams are looking at tax paying rosters.

I simply reject the assumption Bjelica will get an offer sheet, let alone one that would make the Wolves wince.

[MN7725]

Have you guys run the numbers?

We are at $115 mil with 9 players, if we let Aldrich expire. Let's get up to a functional roster size.

We keep the OKC pick ($2 mil), the tax-payer MLE ($5.5), the BAE ($3.5), 2 vet min ($0.8) = 14 players

That's $127.6. The lux threshold is $120.8. That puts our tax bill at $11 mil, so a total salary of $138.6


Ok, now let's look at Bjelica. If we are "only" going to match an offer of $8.8 for the tax-payer MLE, how much does that cost us? ($5.25 + $12.5) of lux taxes + $8.8 of salary = $26.5 mil.

Do you think that Bjelica will be worth an extra $26.5 mil off the bench?

Do you think Taylor will want to go from $139 to $165 to keep Bjelica?

The rest of my post that you didn't quote is that I don't believe 30 yr old Bjelica will get an offer sheet, given the actual history of what has happened in RFA.

Every year there have been younger, upside players that have accomplished more or been more consistent than what Bjelica has done in his NBA career than have not received offer sheets.

That's not a rip at Bjelica, just the reality of how difficult it is to navigate RFA, and next year will be even more problematic given how few teams are projected to have any space at all (rebuilding teams at that), for UFA or RFA, and how many teams are looking at tax paying rosters.

I simply reject the assumption Bjelica will get an offer sheet, let alone one that would make the Wolves wince.

[MN7725]

Have you guys run the numbers?

We are at $115 mil with 9 players, if we let Aldrich expire. Let's get up to a functional roster size.

We keep the OKC pick ($2 mil), the tax-payer MLE ($5.5), the BAE ($3.5), 2 vet min ($0.8) = 14 players

That's $127.6. The lux threshold is $120.8. That puts our tax bill at $11 mil, so a total salary of $138.6


Ok, now let's look at Bjelica. If we are "only" going to match an offer of $8.8 for the tax-payer MLE, how much does that cost us? ($5.25 + $12.5) of lux taxes + $8.8 of salary = $26.5 mil.

Do you think that Bjelica will be worth an extra $26.5 mil off the bench?

Do you think Taylor will want to go from $139 to $165 to keep Bjelica?

The rest of my post that you didn't quote is that I don't believe 30 yr old Bjelica will get an offer sheet, given the actual history of what has happened in RFA.

Every year there have been younger, upside players that have accomplished more or been more consistent than what Bjelica has done in his NBA career than have not received offer sheets.

That's not a rip at Bjelica, just the reality of how difficult it is to navigate RFA, and next year will be even more problematic given how few teams are projected to have any space at all (rebuilding teams at that), for UFA or RFA, and how many teams are looking at tax paying rosters.

I simply reject the assumption Bjelica will get an offer sheet, let alone one that would make the Wolves wince.

[thinktank]

Bjelica is a prime trade candidate.

So is Dieng.

I would even say Wiggins is as well, or almost there.

[urinesane]

MN7725 (if that is your real name) please make sure to quote yourself a few more times in a row.

[mplsfonz23]

MN7725 (if that is your real name) please make sure to quote yourself a few more times in a row.

Pretty sure his mother named him that.

[walk with me]

I’m curious how belly is going to fit in when he plays again. I kind of believing the rumors about him tampering with the timing of his return because how convenient that he returns for the xmas game.

If he disturbs our current rhythm I’ll be pissed.

[minimus]

I’m curious how belly is going to fit in when he plays again. I kind of believing the rumors about him tampering with the timing of his return because how convenient that he returns for the xmas game.

If he disturbs our current rhythm I’ll be pissed.

Current rhythm? Common, there is no rhythm outside of Jimmy brilliance and Taj hard work. All other guys struggling one night and shining next one. Today we escaped against tanking team because Jimmy got support from Dieng and Jones who hit that 3s, defended and passed the ball. Bjelica brings this type of versatility that give us stability on both ends of the floor, because he does so many things well. Plus consistent 3point shooting. I can see him playing extremely well in lineup with Dieng, MGH, Crawford and Tyus. By the way Bjelica was the only one who looked to feed Shabazz in the post. Without Bjelica Shabazz disappeared.

[walk with me]

I’m curious how belly is going to fit in when he plays again. I kind of believing the rumors about him tampering with the timing of his return because how convenient that he returns for the xmas game.

If he disturbs our current rhythm I’ll be pissed.

Current rhythm? Common, there is no rhythm outside of Jimmy brilliance and Taj hard work. All other guys struggling one night and shining next one. Today we escaped against tanking team because Jimmy got support from Dieng and Jones who hit that 3s, defended and passed the ball. Bjelica brings this type of versatility that give us stability on both ends of the floor, because he does so many things well. Plus consistent 3point shooting. I can see him playing extremely well in lineup with Dieng, MGH, Crawford and Tyus. By the way Bjelica was the only one who looked to feed Shabazz in the post. Without Bjelica Shabazz disappeared.

That’s not the point I’m making

Jamal is playing perfectly off the bench right now
Gorgui is finally starting to figure out how to play off the bench and how he fits in with the unit he plays with
Tyus is solid regardless

I hope that belly doesn’t interrupt the progress Jamal and gorgy have made. That’s all I’m saying. Jamal has quietly become automatic. Gorgui can be better but he now has an identity with Jamal of the P&R. I hope that belly doesn’t ruin that.

Lmao feeding the post isn’t rocket science.