We have a glut of bigs

[Klomp]

I think Bates-Diop will spend a lot of time in Iowa

First I've heard of Iowa talk. Minimus sees this he will have a heart attack.

Already had

I'm just trying to be realistic.

Rosas has said multiple times that young guys out of the rotation will spend time playing games for Iowa rather than sitting in a suit on the bench. So the likelihood is that if he's not in the regular rotation, he'll probably see G League time. I even think Okogie Iowa time is possible.

[minimus]

I think he will have a shot to be in the rotation, but he has to earn it, specially if he takes (and makes) the open 3. If he becomes good at that, the could take playing time from other rotation players. If he does not, is likely he end ups in Iowa.

Agree, and yet if he reaches the 40% mark on 3s they might cut him.

I would say that if he isnt above 34% he is not in the roster next season.

I guess TOR should have waived Siakam then

[Killboard]

Agree, and yet if he reaches the 40% mark on 3s they might cut him.

I would say that if he isnt above 34% he is not in the roster next season.

I guess TOR should have waived Siakam then

If Siakam had not shown to be above average at anything in two years they could have.

[wolves_89]

If everyone's healthy there really isn't much opportunity for Bates-Diop. If you figure there are 144 minutes total between SG-SF-PF you have to expect that 110-120 minutes are going to Wiggins-Covington-Culver-Okogie. Layman is going to get minutes and there are going to be plenty of times where the team plays two bigs, which basically means the rotation minutes are accounted for. I would say that KBD is the next guy in line and will get his chance once guys start to miss time with injuries, but I could easily see him spending time in Iowa especially at the start of the year.

[Klomp]

I know everyone's paranoid about shooting, but I don't get why people believe Vonleh is more likely than Bell to have PF flexibility.

Just looking at the measurements from when they came into the league, Vonleh is taller (by an inch), longer (by over four inches) and heavier (by almost 25 lbs). Athletically, Bell tested better in the lane agility, shuttle, sprint and vertical drills.

Personally, those measurables tell me that Vonleh would be the better C, while Bell has the quickness and athleticism to be the better of the two on the perimeter. I don't think we want Towns defending on the perimeter, so whoever he's paired with will have to have that skill set so the defense doesn't get exposed.

[wildvikeswolves]

If it’s my choice, Gorgui’s chillin on the bench. I’d rather give minutes to Vonleh, Bell, Layman, and KBD. Especially Vonleh and Bell so we can see if they can touch there potential.

I know KAT can’t play all minutes at C, so go small and put Vonleh or Bell there to create minutes for Layman, KBD, RoCo and the other 3/4 possibilities. We know what Gorgui is at this point and it’s not the possible difference maker that Bell or Vonleh could be.

[KGdaBom]

If it’s my choice, Gorgui’s chillin on the bench. I’d rather give minutes to Vonleh, Bell, Layman, and KBD. Especially Vonleh and Bell so we can see if they can touch there potential.

I know KAT can’t play all minutes at C, so go small and put Vonleh or Bell there to create minutes for Layman, KBD, RoCo and the other 3/4 possibilities. We know what Gorgui is at this point and it’s not the possible difference maker that Bell or Vonleh could be.

Before Taj came Gorgui was playing at a very high level. Don't be certain he can't play at a high level once again.

[shangrila]

If it’s my choice, Gorgui’s chillin on the bench. I’d rather give minutes to Vonleh, Bell, Layman, and KBD. Especially Vonleh and Bell so we can see if they can touch there potential.

I know KAT can’t play all minutes at C, so go small and put Vonleh or Bell there to create minutes for Layman, KBD, RoCo and the other 3/4 possibilities. We know what Gorgui is at this point and it’s not the possible difference maker that Bell or Vonleh could be.

Before Taj came Gorgui was playing at a very high level. Don't be certain he can't play at a high level once again.

Offensively. Defensively the Dieng-Towns pairing was a trainwreck.

[TheZachAttack]

Just got an athletic subscription (it's worth $3/month) and came across an interesting tidbit to those questioning the idea of Covington playing the 4 or at least playing the 4 in anything other than small spurts:

"Covington also has experience as a stretch four. Early in his career, for a terrible, 10-72 Sixers team in 2015-16, he played 73 percent of his 1,903 minutes at power forward, jacked up 9.1 treys per 36 minutes while making 35.3 percent of them, and improved Philadelphia’s defense more than 3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court."

Covington has not only played the stretch 4 role before, but he averaged 21 minutes a game as a stretch 4 (and another 7-8 minutes as a 3) for the Sixers in 2015-16. I think that is a baseline for what we can expect Covington's playing time to look like for the Wolves at the 4 position.

[Klomp]

Just got an athletic subscription (it's worth $3/month) and came across an interesting tidbit to those questioning the idea of Covington playing the 4 or at least playing the 4 in anything other than small spurts:

"Covington also has experience as a stretch four. Early in his career, for a terrible, 10-72 Sixers team in 2015-16, he played 73 percent of his 1,903 minutes at power forward, jacked up 9.1 treys per 36 minutes while making 35.3 percent of them, and improved Philadelphia’s defense more than 3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court."

Covington has not only played the stretch 4 role before, but he averaged 21 minutes a game as a stretch 4 (and another 7-8 minutes as a 3) for the Sixers in 2015-16. I think that is a baseline for what we can expect Covington's playing time to look like for the Wolves at the 4 position.

I struggle with just looking up those numbers (and I'm a big fan of Basketball Reference, where the stat came from). These guys don't actually know how to classify many of these tweener types. For example, I think Covington played a lot next to Jerami Grant that year. Judging by how the percentages break down, BBR probably classified Grant as the SF and Covington at PF when that happened. I don't know that I'd agree with those designations.

Don't get me wrong, I know he played the position. I just don't think he did as often as they're saying.

Watch on YouTube

[TheZachAttack]

Just got an athletic subscription (it's worth $3/month) and came across an interesting tidbit to those questioning the idea of Covington playing the 4 or at least playing the 4 in anything other than small spurts:

"Covington also has experience as a stretch four. Early in his career, for a terrible, 10-72 Sixers team in 2015-16, he played 73 percent of his 1,903 minutes at power forward, jacked up 9.1 treys per 36 minutes while making 35.3 percent of them, and improved Philadelphia’s defense more than 3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court."

Covington has not only played the stretch 4 role before, but he averaged 21 minutes a game as a stretch 4 (and another 7-8 minutes as a 3) for the Sixers in 2015-16. I think that is a baseline for what we can expect Covington's playing time to look like for the Wolves at the 4 position.

I struggle with just looking up those numbers (and I'm a big fan of Basketball Reference, where the stat came from). These guys don't actually know how to classify many of these tweener types. For example, I think Covington played a lot next to Jerami Grant that year. Judging by how the percentages break down, BBR probably classified Grant as the SF and Covington at PF when that happened. I don't know that I'd agree with those designations.

Don't get me wrong, I know he played the position. I just don't think he did as often as they're saying.

Watch on YouTube

Thanks for that context. That's interesting and could be true. I was going off and trusting that analysis that I read. That casts some doubt ultimately into my previous post.

[old school 34]

Just got an athletic subscription (it's worth $3/month) and came across an interesting tidbit to those questioning the idea of Covington playing the 4 or at least playing the 4 in anything other than small spurts:

"Covington also has experience as a stretch four. Early in his career, for a terrible, 10-72 Sixers team in 2015-16, he played 73 percent of his 1,903 minutes at power forward, jacked up 9.1 treys per 36 minutes while making 35.3 percent of them, and improved Philadelphia’s defense more than 3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court."

Covington has not only played the stretch 4 role before, but he averaged 21 minutes a game as a stretch 4 (and another 7-8 minutes as a 3) for the Sixers in 2015-16. I think that is a baseline for what we can expect Covington's playing time to look like for the Wolves at the 4 position.

I struggle with just looking up those numbers (and I'm a big fan of Basketball Reference, where the stat came from). These guys don't actually know how to classify many of these tweener types. For example, I think Covington played a lot next to Jerami Grant that year. Judging by how the percentages break down, BBR probably classified Grant as the SF and Covington at PF when that happened. I don't know that I'd agree with those designations.

Don't get me wrong, I know he played the position. I just don't think he did as often as they're saying.

Watch on YouTube

Thanks for that context. That's interesting and could be true. I was going off and trusting that analysis that I read. That casts some doubt ultimately into my previous post.

Could have a similar situation this season if say Layman & Roco share the floor together @ the 3&4.....in many cases, I'd imagine it becomes almost matchup based as to who's the 3 & who's the 4?

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[TaylorTag]

Going into this offseason, all we had was KAT/Dieng/Saric.

Fast forward to today, we have KAT/Dieng/Bell/Vonleh/Reid.

We also have indications the team will be pursuing a more small-ball lineup, which means these bigs will be competing for playing time at the 4 with the likes of Covington/Layman/Bates-Diop.

If the goal of this offseason was to rebuild the culture and ensure everyone was playing as a team, does anyone else have concerns we could have disgruntled players who are struggling to get playing time? I don't think Reid will be much a problem, considering he is likely grateful for signing a multi-year deal in the first place, but at the same time we have guys like Vonleh and Bell who have even said they chose to come here because they expected to get immediate playing time...

If the Wolves want to run a 2-big lineup like in years past, then I don't see much a problem... I think Vonleh/Bell are actually good complimentary players to KAT/Dieng... But as I mentioned, once we add a small-ball lineup to the mix, minutes start to become scarce and fast... I'm a little nervous someone like Bell will become upset if he struggles to see the floor. Same from Vonleh.. I know this might seem like I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but this franchise has seen, very recently, that we do not have the leadership (as far as the players) to handle locker room disfunction.

Was just wondering if this is on anyone else's radar.. I really like Vonleh and think he is on the path to becoming a good player, but I wonder if we may have been better off not signing him. For one, I don't think we will be able to re-sign him next year. Either he plays well and gets a huge deal we can't match from another team, or he plays poorly/lacks playing time, and he leaves to find greener pastors.. What was in it for us in signing him? An extra body? I get hindsight is 20/20, but if we don't have Vonleh, Reid would be in better position to get meaningful minutes. The future of the Wolves would be much better off if we could use this season to evaluate Reid and allow him to get better.

I am sure Reid will likely be playing in Iowa for much of the season, so maybe my concerns are meaningless, but I do fear we will get to a point where the fans will be crying for Reid and yet Vonleh, Bell, and Dieng are already upset about their minutes.

TL/DR: I am worried about the glut of bigs we have.. Think it can become more of a curse than a blessing.

Bump. This thread seems relevant given the way this season has gone. We have definitely embraced the small-ball lineup, and in return we have 2 our bigs (Bell and Diegn) who rarely see the floor. Is it possible we'd be able to move one of our bigs, probably Bell, for a guy who can contribute this season?

[Klomp]

I don't think Gorgui Dieng gets enough credit for what he's meant to the franchise over his career. I don't think people realize the longevity he's had and where that ranks him. He's one of only FIVE players who have spent seven or more seasons in Minnesota to this point. His 460 games played are the fourth-most in franchise history. He recently moved into the top 15 on the franchise scoring list.

I know a lot of people can't wait to get rid of him, but for me it's going to be a sad day when that happens. He's a model citizen on and off the court. The only thing he did wrong in his career in most fans' eyes is sign his name at the bottom of a contract extension that was presented to him.

Saunders talked a little bit about the post rotation today

Watch on YouTube

[shangrila]

Going into this offseason, all we had was KAT/Dieng/Saric.

Fast forward to today, we have KAT/Dieng/Bell/Vonleh/Reid.

We also have indications the team will be pursuing a more small-ball lineup, which means these bigs will be competing for playing time at the 4 with the likes of Covington/Layman/Bates-Diop.

If the goal of this offseason was to rebuild the culture and ensure everyone was playing as a team, does anyone else have concerns we could have disgruntled players who are struggling to get playing time? I don't think Reid will be much a problem, considering he is likely grateful for signing a multi-year deal in the first place, but at the same time we have guys like Vonleh and Bell who have even said they chose to come here because they expected to get immediate playing time...

If the Wolves want to run a 2-big lineup like in years past, then I don't see much a problem... I think Vonleh/Bell are actually good complimentary players to KAT/Dieng... But as I mentioned, once we add a small-ball lineup to the mix, minutes start to become scarce and fast... I'm a little nervous someone like Bell will become upset if he struggles to see the floor. Same from Vonleh.. I know this might seem like I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but this franchise has seen, very recently, that we do not have the leadership (as far as the players) to handle locker room disfunction.

Was just wondering if this is on anyone else's radar.. I really like Vonleh and think he is on the path to becoming a good player, but I wonder if we may have been better off not signing him. For one, I don't think we will be able to re-sign him next year. Either he plays well and gets a huge deal we can't match from another team, or he plays poorly/lacks playing time, and he leaves to find greener pastors.. What was in it for us in signing him? An extra body? I get hindsight is 20/20, but if we don't have Vonleh, Reid would be in better position to get meaningful minutes. The future of the Wolves would be much better off if we could use this season to evaluate Reid and allow him to get better.

I am sure Reid will likely be playing in Iowa for much of the season, so maybe my concerns are meaningless, but I do fear we will get to a point where the fans will be crying for Reid and yet Vonleh, Bell, and Dieng are already upset about their minutes.

TL/DR: I am worried about the glut of bigs we have.. Think it can become more of a curse than a blessing.

Bump. This thread seems relevant given the way this season has gone. We have definitely embraced the small-ball lineup, and in return we have 2 our bigs (Bell and Diegn) who rarely see the floor. Is it possible we'd be able to move one of our bigs, probably Bell, for a guy who can contribute this season?

Bell I think has been in and out with injuries so I'm not sure his lack of playing time is directly linked to our abundance of bigs.

As for a move I'd be surprised if they made any small moves. I think the team is decently balanced, aside from the lack of shooters, and I don't think anyone you'd get for Bell/Vonleh would be enough of an upgrade over what we already have.

[Mamba4Goat]

Going into this offseason, all we had was KAT/Dieng/Saric.

Fast forward to today, we have KAT/Dieng/Bell/Vonleh/Reid.

We also have indications the team will be pursuing a more small-ball lineup, which means these bigs will be competing for playing time at the 4 with the likes of Covington/Layman/Bates-Diop.

If the goal of this offseason was to rebuild the culture and ensure everyone was playing as a team, does anyone else have concerns we could have disgruntled players who are struggling to get playing time? I don't think Reid will be much a problem, considering he is likely grateful for signing a multi-year deal in the first place, but at the same time we have guys like Vonleh and Bell who have even said they chose to come here because they expected to get immediate playing time...

If the Wolves want to run a 2-big lineup like in years past, then I don't see much a problem... I think Vonleh/Bell are actually good complimentary players to KAT/Dieng... But as I mentioned, once we add a small-ball lineup to the mix, minutes start to become scarce and fast... I'm a little nervous someone like Bell will become upset if he struggles to see the floor. Same from Vonleh.. I know this might seem like I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but this franchise has seen, very recently, that we do not have the leadership (as far as the players) to handle locker room disfunction.

Was just wondering if this is on anyone else's radar.. I really like Vonleh and think he is on the path to becoming a good player, but I wonder if we may have been better off not signing him. For one, I don't think we will be able to re-sign him next year. Either he plays well and gets a huge deal we can't match from another team, or he plays poorly/lacks playing time, and he leaves to find greener pastors.. What was in it for us in signing him? An extra body? I get hindsight is 20/20, but if we don't have Vonleh, Reid would be in better position to get meaningful minutes. The future of the Wolves would be much better off if we could use this season to evaluate Reid and allow him to get better.

I am sure Reid will likely be playing in Iowa for much of the season, so maybe my concerns are meaningless, but I do fear we will get to a point where the fans will be crying for Reid and yet Vonleh, Bell, and Dieng are already upset about their minutes.

TL/DR: I am worried about the glut of bigs we have.. Think it can become more of a curse than a blessing.

Bump. This thread seems relevant given the way this season has gone. We have definitely embraced the small-ball lineup, and in return we have 2 our bigs (Bell and Diegn) who rarely see the floor. Is it possible we'd be able to move one of our bigs, probably Bell, for a guy who can contribute this season?

I'm sure there's a 2nd or 2 out there for Bell/Vonleh from a team like Portland if they lose their rotation spots in favor of small ball. (Not that that helps much)

If I'm the Wolves, I would target Jones Jr over in Miami. They need another big or two, add in a few 2nds maybe and try to sneakily grab him as a potential starter.