Timberwolves 2021-22 Regular Season Discussion Thread

[Klomp]

Close out the last week before break strong!

at Sacramento (new squad, who dis?)
at Chicago (are guys healthy?)
at Indiana (new squad, who dis?)
vs. Charlotte (payback time)
vs. Toronto (avoid the pre-break snooze please)

A 10-game streak would be incredible!

[TaylorTag]

Can someone remind me the last time KAT single handedly carried this team to victory in a game where it looked like everyone else had laid an egg?

Dane Moore cited a stat the other week about how Ant has a better on-off rating when he is by himself compared to D'Lo and KAT when they are by themselves.. It's an interesting stat suggesting that Ant isn't just a second-year player with high upside... He is playing winning basketball now--before turning 21 years old..

Last night's game against the Pacers was text book example. Ant took over the game. KAT has taken over games this year. I can think of some match ups where we fed him down low a lot and he just demolished defenses, like that recent Nuggets game...

But when I think about those dominant KAT performances, they often come when the rest of the team is playing well, or when another player of the big 3 has a great game.

Ant really does seem like he has the potential to be a Luca, a one-man team with a bunch of role players that can still make a run in the playoffs.. KAT, for how great he is, has shown he cannot do that. A lot of it has to do with the positions they play and where the league has headed, being guard dominant and all...

But I am getting close to the point where if we don't get the 6th seed and we flame out in round one against like the GSW after scrapping our way to the playoffs, I won't call it a disappointing season, but I will question whether this big 3 is worth it...

If I am the Wolves, and as much as I love D'Lo, if we don't finish the year out strong, I am not extending his contract, which means he will become a UFA the following offseason. I don't say this because I blame D'Lo for our problems, but because I would want to signal to D'Lo and KAT that they have one more year to make this work. We will have the flexibility to improve our roster again this offseason. If we don't make noise in the playoffs again next year, then I think we blow it up and trade KAT and let D'Lo walk.

KAT will recoup a lot of assets for us. And Ant seems to have the reputation and personality that will allow us to attract free agents..

KAT's have a good year no doubt. He deserves his All Star appearance.. But I do wonder if already if Ant is the best player on this team. And if that's true, then we should be thinking about building around Ant -- and from that POV, the way we build out this roster changes things...

Again, a lot of this is moot if the team figures it out down the stretch and we show well in the playoffs. They don't even need to get out of round 1, but either avoid or get through the play in and then push a good West team to 6 or 7 games and I will be happy and think that we are well-suited to add one or two more guys to become a threat for a 3 or 4 seed.

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime. Again, if Ant rises up and proves he is 1A on this team, at his age and the quality of players he's with in our big 3, then we should be asking questions like, "Would Ant benefit from a big like Clint Capella, Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton? Guys that can protect the rim and shore up defensive issues..

I look at Dallas and how **** they are cap wise and roster wise in trying to build a team around Luca... The Wolves really are in the opposite situation... If we wanted to wipe the slate clean for Ant, we could do so pretty quickly. The question is when do we pull the trigger.

[Baseline81]

Read on Twitter

[life_saver]

Can someone remind me the last time KAT single handedly carried this team to victory in a game where it looked like everyone else had laid an egg?

Dane Moore cited a stat the other week about how Ant has a better on-off rating when he is by himself compared to D'Lo and KAT when they are by themselves.. It's an interesting stat suggesting that Ant isn't just a second-year player with high upside... He is playing winning basketball now--before turning 21 years old..

Last night's game against the Pacers was text book example. Ant took over the game. KAT has taken over games this year. I can think of some match ups where we fed him down low a lot and he just demolished defenses, like that recent Nuggets game...

But when I think about those dominant KAT performances, they often come when the rest of the team is playing well, or when another player of the big 3 has a great game.

Ant really does seem like he has the potential to be a Luca, a one-man team with a bunch of role players that can still make a run in the playoffs.. KAT, for how great he is, has shown he cannot do that. A lot of it has to do with the positions they play and where the league has headed, being guard dominant and all...

But I am getting close to the point where if we don't get the 6th seed and we flame out in round one against like the GSW after scrapping our way to the playoffs, I won't call it a disappointing season, but I will question whether this big 3 is worth it...

If I am the Wolves, and as much as I love D'Lo, if we don't finish the year out strong, I am not extending his contract, which means he will become a UFA the following offseason. I don't say this because I blame D'Lo for our problems, but because I would want to signal to D'Lo and KAT that they have one more year to make this work. We will have the flexibility to improve our roster again this offseason. If we don't make noise in the playoffs again next year, then I think we blow it up and trade KAT and let D'Lo walk.

KAT will recoup a lot of assets for us. And Ant seems to have the reputation and personality that will allow us to attract free agents..

KAT's have a good year no doubt. He deserves his All Star appearance.. But I do wonder if already if Ant is the best player on this team. And if that's true, then we should be thinking about building around Ant -- and from that POV, the way we build out this roster changes things...

Again, a lot of this is moot if the team figures it out down the stretch and we show well in the playoffs. They don't even need to get out of round 1, but either avoid or get through the play in and then push a good West team to 6 or 7 games and I will be happy and think that we are well-suited to add one or two more guys to become a threat for a 3 or 4 seed.

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime. Again, if Ant rises up and proves he is 1A on this team, at his age and the quality of players he's with in our big 3, then we should be asking questions like, "Would Ant benefit from a big like Clint Capella, Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton? Guys that can protect the rim and shore up defensive issues..

I look at Dallas and how **** they are cap wise and roster wise in trying to build a team around Luca... The Wolves really are in the opposite situation... If we wanted to wipe the slate clean for Ant, we could do so pretty quickly. The question is when do we pull the trigger.

Come on...there are lot of matches recently where KAT was the main reason Wolves won..KAT was flawless in the win against Nuggets..even in those Pistons games where Ant struggled, Wolves aren't winning without KAT..Ant did have a rough stretch recently and KAT carried lot of offensive load. Opposition teams still center their defensive plan mostly on how to stop KAT.

[m2002brian]

Can someone remind me the last time KAT single handedly carried this team to victory in a game where it looked like everyone else had laid an egg?

Dane Moore cited a stat the other week about how Ant has a better on-off rating when he is by himself compared to D'Lo and KAT when they are by themselves.. It's an interesting stat suggesting that Ant isn't just a second-year player with high upside... He is playing winning basketball now--before turning 21 years old..

Last night's game against the Pacers was text book example. Ant took over the game. KAT has taken over games this year. I can think of some match ups where we fed him down low a lot and he just demolished defenses, like that recent Nuggets game...

But when I think about those dominant KAT performances, they often come when the rest of the team is playing well, or when another player of the big 3 has a great game.

Ant really does seem like he has the potential to be a Luca, a one-man team with a bunch of role players that can still make a run in the playoffs.. KAT, for how great he is, has shown he cannot do that. A lot of it has to do with the positions they play and where the league has headed, being guard dominant and all...

But I am getting close to the point where if we don't get the 6th seed and we flame out in round one against like the GSW after scrapping our way to the playoffs, I won't call it a disappointing season, but I will question whether this big 3 is worth it...

If I am the Wolves, and as much as I love D'Lo, if we don't finish the year out strong, I am not extending his contract, which means he will become a UFA the following offseason. I don't say this because I blame D'Lo for our problems, but because I would want to signal to D'Lo and KAT that they have one more year to make this work. We will have the flexibility to improve our roster again this offseason. If we don't make noise in the playoffs again next year, then I think we blow it up and trade KAT and let D'Lo walk.

KAT will recoup a lot of assets for us. And Ant seems to have the reputation and personality that will allow us to attract free agents..

KAT's have a good year no doubt. He deserves his All Star appearance.. But I do wonder if already if Ant is the best player on this team. And if that's true, then we should be thinking about building around Ant -- and from that POV, the way we build out this roster changes things...

Again, a lot of this is moot if the team figures it out down the stretch and we show well in the playoffs. They don't even need to get out of round 1, but either avoid or get through the play in and then push a good West team to 6 or 7 games and I will be happy and think that we are well-suited to add one or two more guys to become a threat for a 3 or 4 seed.

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime. Again, if Ant rises up and proves he is 1A on this team, at his age and the quality of players he's with in our big 3, then we should be asking questions like, "Would Ant benefit from a big like Clint Capella, Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton? Guys that can protect the rim and shore up defensive issues..

I look at Dallas and how **** they are cap wise and roster wise in trying to build a team around Luca... The Wolves really are in the opposite situation... If we wanted to wipe the slate clean for Ant, we could do so pretty quickly. The question is when do we pull the trigger.

On point.
I’m hard on KAT. But I’m a tough lover.
He stale red and skilled, but he’s not the team carrier.
He not a go to in crack. He bbiq deficient. He’s the opposite of Joe Cool out there.
His negatives ALMOST (at times, a lot of times) cancel out his positives.

I don’t hate the man, but I don’t like his fit on a deep playoff team. Unless he’s ready to be Chris Bosh, he’s not ready.

[wolves_89]

I think the biggest thing the Wolves need to do over the all-star break is to figure out a secondary defensive scheme that isn't flat out awful. It's become apparent that the scramble defense that was successful for the first 40 games isn't sustainable and the team needs the ability to mix in alternative schemes that can at least be passable.

[shrink]

The Wolves have the No. 1 offense in the NBA since the start of January, narrowly edging the Suns in offensive efficiency, while their defense has slipped to 21st. It's added up to Minnesota posting the eighth-best net rating in the NBA since Jan. 1.

[Klomp]

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime.

He's 20 years old. Relax.

[TaylorTag]

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime.

He's 20 years old. Relax.

“Ant’s prime” doesn’t accurate explain what I was trying to convey (my fault obviously). Meant more like “Ant’s window as an All-Star caliber player while on a rookie deal.”

That’s really my biggest concern. But if Ant really is as good as Luca then it doesn’t really even matter because we can win without having to pay 3 guys max contracts

[winforlose]

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime.

He's 20 years old. Relax.

“Ant’s prime” doesn’t accurate explain what I was trying to convey (my fault obviously). Meant more like “Ant’s window as an All-Star caliber player while on a rookie deal.”

That’s really my biggest concern. But if Ant really is as good as Luca then it doesn’t really even matter because we can win without having to pay 3 guys max contracts

The biggest issue with a max is the scaling. Assuming KAT is all NBA and gets 35% and Ant will get 25% on his first max that is 60% of the cap. The way we build a contender is to convince Dlo to take somewhere between 25-28 per year and not have his contract scale with the cap. He talks about loving Minnesota and wanting to play with KAT. If Dlo sacrifices some of his earning power to help us get better than that window gets much wider. If Dlo demands the max and then is willing to leave, maybe then we consider a sign and trade and try to bring in someone who is a little more worth it or a package of assets that helps us win. Either way, 3 maxes is challenging.

[KGdaBom]

Can someone remind me the last time KAT single handedly carried this team to victory in a game where it looked like everyone else had laid an egg?

Dane Moore cited a stat the other week about how Ant has a better on-off rating when he is by himself compared to D'Lo and KAT when they are by themselves.. It's an interesting stat suggesting that Ant isn't just a second-year player with high upside... He is playing winning basketball now--before turning 21 years old..

Last night's game against the Pacers was text book example. Ant took over the game. KAT has taken over games this year. I can think of some match ups where we fed him down low a lot and he just demolished defenses, like that recent Nuggets game...

But when I think about those dominant KAT performances, they often come when the rest of the team is playing well, or when another player of the big 3 has a great game.

Ant really does seem like he has the potential to be a Luca, a one-man team with a bunch of role players that can still make a run in the playoffs.. KAT, for how great he is, has shown he cannot do that. A lot of it has to do with the positions they play and where the league has headed, being guard dominant and all...

But I am getting close to the point where if we don't get the 6th seed and we flame out in round one against like the GSW after scrapping our way to the playoffs, I won't call it a disappointing season, but I will question whether this big 3 is worth it...

If I am the Wolves, and as much as I love D'Lo, if we don't finish the year out strong, I am not extending his contract, which means he will become a UFA the following offseason. I don't say this because I blame D'Lo for our problems, but because I would want to signal to D'Lo and KAT that they have one more year to make this work. We will have the flexibility to improve our roster again this offseason. If we don't make noise in the playoffs again next year, then I think we blow it up and trade KAT and let D'Lo walk.

KAT will recoup a lot of assets for us. And Ant seems to have the reputation and personality that will allow us to attract free agents..

KAT's have a good year no doubt. He deserves his All Star appearance.. But I do wonder if already if Ant is the best player on this team. And if that's true, then we should be thinking about building around Ant -- and from that POV, the way we build out this roster changes things...

Again, a lot of this is moot if the team figures it out down the stretch and we show well in the playoffs. They don't even need to get out of round 1, but either avoid or get through the play in and then push a good West team to 6 or 7 games and I will be happy and think that we are well-suited to add one or two more guys to become a threat for a 3 or 4 seed.

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime. Again, if Ant rises up and proves he is 1A on this team, at his age and the quality of players he's with in our big 3, then we should be asking questions like, "Would Ant benefit from a big like Clint Capella, Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton? Guys that can protect the rim and shore up defensive issues..

I look at Dallas and how **** they are cap wise and roster wise in trying to build a team around Luca... The Wolves really are in the opposite situation... If we wanted to wipe the slate clean for Ant, we could do so pretty quickly. The question is when do we pull the trigger.

Correct answer is we shoudln't and we don't.

[KGdaBom]

Looks like the KAT haters have come out to play today.

[Slim Tubby]

Can someone remind me the last time KAT single handedly carried this team to victory in a game where it looked like everyone else had laid an egg?

Dane Moore cited a stat the other week about how Ant has a better on-off rating when he is by himself compared to D'Lo and KAT when they are by themselves.. It's an interesting stat suggesting that Ant isn't just a second-year player with high upside... He is playing winning basketball now--before turning 21 years old..

Last night's game against the Pacers was text book example. Ant took over the game. KAT has taken over games this year. I can think of some match ups where we fed him down low a lot and he just demolished defenses, like that recent Nuggets game...

But when I think about those dominant KAT performances, they often come when the rest of the team is playing well, or when another player of the big 3 has a great game.

Ant really does seem like he has the potential to be a Luca, a one-man team with a bunch of role players that can still make a run in the playoffs.. KAT, for how great he is, has shown he cannot do that. A lot of it has to do with the positions they play and where the league has headed, being guard dominant and all...

But I am getting close to the point where if we don't get the 6th seed and we flame out in round one against like the GSW after scrapping our way to the playoffs, I won't call it a disappointing season, but I will question whether this big 3 is worth it...

If I am the Wolves, and as much as I love D'Lo, if we don't finish the year out strong, I am not extending his contract, which means he will become a UFA the following offseason. I don't say this because I blame D'Lo for our problems, but because I would want to signal to D'Lo and KAT that they have one more year to make this work. We will have the flexibility to improve our roster again this offseason. If we don't make noise in the playoffs again next year, then I think we blow it up and trade KAT and let D'Lo walk.

KAT will recoup a lot of assets for us. And Ant seems to have the reputation and personality that will allow us to attract free agents..

KAT's have a good year no doubt. He deserves his All Star appearance.. But I do wonder if already if Ant is the best player on this team. And if that's true, then we should be thinking about building around Ant -- and from that POV, the way we build out this roster changes things...

Again, a lot of this is moot if the team figures it out down the stretch and we show well in the playoffs. They don't even need to get out of round 1, but either avoid or get through the play in and then push a good West team to 6 or 7 games and I will be happy and think that we are well-suited to add one or two more guys to become a threat for a 3 or 4 seed.

Anything less than that, I wonder if this trajectory is worth it and if we are flirting with wasting Ant's prime. Again, if Ant rises up and proves he is 1A on this team, at his age and the quality of players he's with in our big 3, then we should be asking questions like, "Would Ant benefit from a big like Clint Capella, Rudy Gobert, DeAndre Ayton? Guys that can protect the rim and shore up defensive issues..

I look at Dallas and how **** they are cap wise and roster wise in trying to build a team around Luca... The Wolves really are in the opposite situation... If we wanted to wipe the slate clean for Ant, we could do so pretty quickly. The question is when do we pull the trigger.

Come on...there are lot of matches recently where KAT was the main reason Wolves won..KAT was flawless in the win against Nuggets..even in those Pistons games where Ant struggled, Wolves aren't winning without KAT..Ant did have a rough stretch recently and KAT carried lot of offensive load. Opposition teams still center their defensive plan mostly on how to stop KAT.

I think you missed his point. He wasn’t disrespecting KAT…he was stating that if we had to build around one player, the stats show it should be Ant. It’s a very intriguing concept.

If you let Russell walk after next year, that clears $30M in cap space…or you trade him at the deadline to a contender for expiring deals and assets. Then imagine the haul we’d get trading KAT…multiple picks and young valuable players.

I’d prefer to keep KAT, though…he has flaws but he’s incredibly gifted offensively.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TaylorTag]

Can someone remind me the last time KAT single handedly carried this team to victory in a game where it looked like everyone else had laid an egg?

Whelp

[life_saver]

ESPN's RPM is finally out for 21-22 season. Here are rankings of main rotation players of Timberwolves (out of 540 players) -

DLo - 18
KAT - 30
Ant - 44
Bev - 84
Vando - 112
Jaden - 200
Nowell - 210
Naz - 229
Beasley - 277
McLaughlin - 289
Prince - 309

[life_saver]

Beasley's 3 point shooting % is now upto 36.5% for the season and his career average is 38.3%.

[Klomp]

Beasley's 3 point shooting % is now upto 36.5% for the season and his career average is 38.3%.

Don't look now, but he's shooting 38.3% on 8.3 attempts per game over the last 41 games. I feel like some people owe him an apology.

[winforlose]

Beasley's 3 point shooting % is now upto 36.5% for the season and his career average is 38.3%.

Don't look now, but he's shooting 38.3% on 8.3 attempts per game over the last 41 games. I feel like some people owe him an apology.

If he keeps it up he will get one from me. But, and I cannot stress this enough, just focusing on his percentage is the wrong way to approach the conversation. Dane’s list had Curry, Robinson, Beasley, Bertans, and Clarkson. Curry is an MVP candidate who does everything. Clarkson we 6th man of the year last year and can score beyond just shooting 3s. Bertans when hot at least spaces the floor at 6’10 taking opposing bigs out of the paint. My point is when SGs like Beasley are one dimensional there value is either really good or really bad. When you bring something else to the table that value still exists on off nights.

[Biff Cooper]

Beasley looked very confident last night. Was calling for the ball and working a little harder than usual to get open knowing that he felt he was going to make everything he shot. Like to see it.

[Klomp]

We're in a stretch of 8/10 at Target Center. 4-2 so far.

Attendance (16,652) average during the stretch is up about 1k from the first 26 games