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Post by Nick K on Oct 10, 2024 8:50:02 GMT -6
He has physical limitations (slow footed) that just can't change, but you have to admire the work he has put in to get himself in the best shape possible. His offensive game certainly can work as his rebounding, ability to score around the hoop, and ability to hit 3s are pillars of efficient offense. Obviously the concern is on defense. In the regular season, a backup center who's limited on D, but provides efficient O could be workable. Especially on a team that can play at least 3 good defensive players next to him. The Denver game you referenced is a good example of his limitations. He can't be a starter because of the D, but could he play 12 minutes if they came with units of say Ant, Donte, NAW, and Jaden in a 5 out lineup with defenders at every other position? I think both Garza and KBD are probably rotation players on other (worse) rosters in the league. Given a healthy year again for the Wolves, I wonder how many of the deeper bench guys Connelly will look to move for some 2nd round draft capital. My guess is you could get some decent mid 2nd round picks for each of those guys. I just wonder if Garza's defense will ever be passable enough to keep him in a rotation. The offense is for sure NBA caliber, but he's just not very intimidating on defense. Losing weight probably won't help him against burlier centers either. Where are they going to have room for KBD on the roster? I'd rather keep a guard like Skylar Mays or PJ Dozier. KBD just can't shoot the 3 and that's killing him sticking with teams.
Regarding Garza, his defense is not as bad as some make it out to be. Granted his lateral movement isn't great but that's the case for a lot of bigs. He brings many positives to the table. I'd love to see him get a fair shot on the 2nd unit.
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Post by Bonecrusher on Oct 10, 2024 8:53:37 GMT -6
Edwards was quick to praise DiVincenzo, the Wolves’ newest sharpshooter. Ant has been vocal about wanting to model certain parts of his game after Steph Curry, especially his movement without the ball. Watching Curry weave through defenses, never stopping, always finding open space—that’s something Ant knows he can add to his own game. And DiVincenzo? He’s the perfect guy to learn from. Edwards mentioned how impressed he is with Donte’s off-ball movement, and it’s easy to see how DiVincenzo’s three-point shooting could complement Ant’s dynamic drives to the basket. Just picture it—Ant breaking down a defense, kicking it out to DDV for a wide-open three. It’s a dream scenario for Wolves fans, especially after watching Minnesota’s offense stagnate at times during their playoff run. What’s encouraging is Ant’s maturity in recognizing his own areas of improvement. We know he can slash through defenses, and we know he’s a threat from deep, but he’s clearly focused on becoming more efficient without the ball. It’s another sign that this kid is evolving into a full-fledged superstar—he’s no longer just a highlight machine, but a more complete player who’s thinking about the bigger picture. This feels like something he picked up during his time with Team USA this summer, rubbing shoulders with guys like LeBron, KD, and Steph. It’s clear he soaked up as much knowledge as he could from those vets, and we’re going to see it play out on the court this season. www.canishoopus.com/2024/10/7/24264676/anthony-edwards-dishes-on-donte-dillingham-and-starting-5I'm wondering how many times they will have DiVincenzo and Ant in there at the same time and do a little small ball ignoring the SF position to get 2 sharpshooters out there. May need to come up with a nickname for Ant and DiVincenzo. |
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 10, 2024 10:02:03 GMT -6
I think both Garza and KBD are probably rotation players on other (worse) rosters in the league. Given a healthy year again for the Wolves, I wonder how many of the deeper bench guys Connelly will look to move for some 2nd round draft capital. My guess is you could get some decent mid 2nd round picks for each of those guys. I just wonder if Garza's defense will ever be passable enough to keep him in a rotation. The offense is for sure NBA caliber, but he's just not very intimidating on defense. Losing weight probably won't help him against burlier centers either. Where are they going to have room for KBD on the roster? I'd rather keep a guard like Skylar Mays or PJ Dozier. KBD just can't shoot the 3 and that's killing him sticking with teams.
Regarding Garza, his defense is not as bad as some make it out to be. Granted his lateral movement isn't great but that's the case for a lot of bigs. He brings many positives to the table. I'd love to see him get a fair shot on the 2nd unit.
I think the case for KBD is that he's a wing/combo forward with size and length and in a vacuum that's the most valuable archetype. Being an NBA level player helps though too and I'm skeptical Dozier, KBD or Mays qualify in the first place. Dozier is an even worse shooter than KBD. Mays is a journeyman.
There's not much difference in my mind on that spot so I'm fine if they just want to go the route that saves them money. They'll save several million (salary plus tax) keeping KBD over Dozier given that KBD's contract is fully guaranteed. I think we should all be thankful that Taylor or LoRod are prepared to pay a huge tax bill this year already. Saving a few million on the 15th roster spot seems reasonable. If the Wolves really prefer Dozier, maybe they can find a team to take KBD into a trade exception.
You're probably right about Garza's D mostly because his reputation is that he's an awful defender. He's not that bad. He's just decidedly below average, but it hurts the team more given that he has to play at center, the most important defensive position.
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 10, 2024 10:03:34 GMT -6
May need to come up with a nickname for Ant and DiVincenzo. DAnte's Inferno? |
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Post by levine on Oct 10, 2024 10:04:35 GMT -6
Regarding Garza, his defense is not as bad as some make it out to be. Granted his lateral movement isn't great but that's the case for a lot of bigs. He brings many positives to the table. I'd love to see him get a fair shot on the 2nd unit. It really is that bad. He doesn't block or alter shots, he can't switch and he can't guard in space. He's 6'10 and supposedly down to 235 lbs, so doesn't have a lot of mass either. And you just can't get away with a non-defending center, because he's your last line of defense. It puts exceptional pressure on ther other 4 players to be perfect. Last year teams had an 3FG% of .569 when he was on the court and .514 when he was on the bench. His defensive BPM has been -2.7 and -2.6 the past 2 years. His minutes have been limited, but it appears all his value comes from if he's hitting 3s or not. His numbers (outside of shooting) are incredibly consistent year-to-year. 2021-22: 45/33/62, -0.5 OBMP 2022-23: 54/36/79, +2.2 OBMP 2023-24: 48/28/72, +0.6 OBMP He needs to score efficiently and provide some level of resistance on defense to be at all playable. |
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Post by tmirvin on Oct 10, 2024 16:43:21 GMT -6
Regarding Garza, his defense is not as bad as some make it out to be. Granted his lateral movement isn't great but that's the case for a lot of bigs. He brings many positives to the table. I'd love to see him get a fair shot on the 2nd unit. It really is that bad. He doesn't block or alter shots, he can't switch and he can't guard in space. He's 6'10 and supposedly down to 235 lbs, so doesn't have a lot of mass either. And you just can't get away with a non-defending center, because he's your last line of defense. It puts exceptional pressure on ther other 4 players to be perfect. Last year teams had an 3FG% of .569 when he was on the court and .514 when he was on the bench. His defensive BPM has been -2.7 and -2.6 the past 2 years. His minutes have been limited, but it appears all his value comes from if he's hitting 3s or not. His numbers (outside of shooting) are incredibly consistent year-to-year. 2021-22: 45/33/62, -0.5 OBMP 2022-23: 54/36/79, +2.2 OBMP 2023-24: 48/28/72, +0.6 OBMP He needs to score efficiently and provide some level of resistance on defense to be at all playable. Who's on the floor with him when he's playing? Is there a way to filter the data you're looking at to only include "meaningful" minutes? Last year, he was playing mop up duty, which is essentially a lay up line - you're not supposed to foul so the game can get over with. At the very least, what were his numbers for that Denver game because I watched the game and didn't think he was "awful" on defense. He works hard and and defensive effort is a big part of playing D - it's not like he a low bbiq. He'll never be great as his foot speed won't allow it, but he tries hard to play positional defense and get his arms straight up. He's offensively skilled enough and gets enough offensive rebounds to warrant a shot at playing time this year. If he can't hold his own on defense, then move on to someone else. But I think it's time to find out definitively. |
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Post by Nick K on Oct 10, 2024 18:47:34 GMT -6
Regarding Garza, his defense is not as bad as some make it out to be. Granted his lateral movement isn't great but that's the case for a lot of bigs. He brings many positives to the table. I'd love to see him get a fair shot on the 2nd unit. It really is that bad. He doesn't block or alter shots, he can't switch and he can't guard in space. He's 6'10 and supposedly down to 235 lbs, so doesn't have a lot of mass either. And you just can't get away with a non-defending center, because he's your last line of defense. It puts exceptional pressure on ther other 4 players to be perfect. Last year teams had an 3FG% of .569 when he was on the court and .514 when he was on the bench. His defensive BPM has been -2.7 and -2.6 the past 2 years. His minutes have been limited, but it appears all his value comes from if he's hitting 3s or not. His numbers (outside of shooting) are incredibly consistent year-to-year. 2021-22: 45/33/62, -0.5 OBMP 2022-23: 54/36/79, +2.2 OBMP 2023-24: 48/28/72, +0.6 OBMP He needs to score efficiently and provide some level of resistance on defense to be at all playable. We've had this argument for 20 years David on stats. You can cherry pick them to support any argument you want to make. I've got some stats for you. Last year per 36 minutes he avg 29 pts, 9 rebs and 1.2 asts. For his 3 year NBA career per 36 his numbers are 22 pts 9 rebs and 2 asts.
Anybody that can rebound like that is an asset. Plus he's a great offensive rebounder. He's proved to me that he can play. Now he just needs some minutes with quality players which he can get this year. Lastly, there is a reason the Wolves keep having him make the roster. They think he can play. Has that occured to you?
Granted he has some weaknesses but he deserves an extended look with better players. If he shows me he can't play I'll acknowledge that.
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Post by darko on Oct 11, 2024 11:10:31 GMT -6
Wolves have a fun schedule to start the year, only one stinker (Raps) to begin the year.
@ Lakers
@ Kings
vs Raptors
vs Mavs
vs Nuggets
@ Spurs
vs Hornets
@ Bulls
Then three of the next four are Portland miraculously, with the Heat being the other game. Should be a nice group to get a feel for what this team can be, though the hope is they are playing well back half of the year.
Some rumblings Randle may not be 1 hundo to start the year, we'll see what that means/looks like. Pretty exciting Ant vs Wemby is a matchup we get four times a year for the foreseeable future.
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Post by levine on Oct 11, 2024 11:43:14 GMT -6
It really is that bad. He doesn't block or alter shots, he can't switch and he can't guard in space. He's 6'10 and supposedly down to 235 lbs, so doesn't have a lot of mass either. And you just can't get away with a non-defending center, because he's your last line of defense. It puts exceptional pressure on ther other 4 players to be perfect. Last year teams had an 3FG% of .569 when he was on the court and .514 when he was on the bench. His defensive BPM has been -2.7 and -2.6 the past 2 years. His minutes have been limited, but it appears all his value comes from if he's hitting 3s or not. His numbers (outside of shooting) are incredibly consistent year-to-year. 2021-22: 45/33/62, -0.5 OBMP 2022-23: 54/36/79, +2.2 OBMP 2023-24: 48/28/72, +0.6 OBMP He needs to score efficiently and provide some level of resistance on defense to be at all playable. We've had this argument for 20 years David on stats. You can cherry pick them to support any argument you want to make. I've got some stats for you. Last year per 36 minutes he avg 29 pts, 9 rebs and 1.2 asts. For his 3 year NBA career per 36 his numbers are 22 pts 9 rebs and 2 asts.
Anybody that can rebound like that is an asset. Plus he's a great offensive rebounder. He's proved to me that he can play. Now he just needs some minutes with quality players which he can get this year. Lastly, there is a reason the Wolves keep having him make the roster. They think he can play. Has that occured to you?
Granted he has some weaknesses but he deserves an extended look with better players. If he shows me he can't play I'll acknowledge that.
Or maybe its because he's incredibly cheap, very well liked by his teammates and doesn't complain about not playing. We can ignore the stats and just talk about his play. I like Luka a lot, but he misses so many defensive rotations. Its a constant scramble drill on defense when he's out there. Now, maybe that can get better because he's never been asked to do anything but clog the paint before getting to the NBA, so its all foreign concepts to him. You can't "hide" a big on defense - especially with a system like we run. As far as what he's proven? He'd proven that he's too good for the G League, but has not yet proven he's a rotational player on a good team. |
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Post by darko on Oct 11, 2024 13:43:17 GMT -6
The best team for Luka would be a version of the Knicks. Or like if you think of a bench unit in a similar mold.
Garza
Reid
McD
Ant
Donte
Have we landed in if Minott’s a 3, 4, or new fangled 4 in the shape of a 3?
Is Naz a starting 3, 4, 5? Or back up 4?
If the idea is he is 80% Kat (I think is based solely on shooting percentage), and btw that gap matters against playoff d, but if that’s what we opt for on his current money, does that still hold true after an extension at maybe starter money?
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Post by darko on Oct 11, 2024 15:25:44 GMT -6
Also while I think it's true our offensive rating will improve, there is not that much different than where the Wolves were and top ten, and I have zero question another couch would have got our roster there. It's about how we're trying to play, versus basketball basics.
The other thing I would add is Pacers were two, or near the top in offensive rating, I don't think anyone was mistaking them for contenders. Clips were also up there. To me it's far easier to tick up offense with last years crew, than revamp this whole thing just to play faster. I'm sure some nights it looks gangbusters, but we're still back at the same issue we always are, which is what is our offense against playoff d. I feel like there's more pressure on Ant to carry the load now.
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Post by darko on Oct 12, 2024 11:29:12 GMT -6
Our starting lineup of Gob, Randle, McDaniels, Ant and Conley is most similar to Utah's 2017-18 team, my favorite Rubio team. This was the last year of good basketball. Two bigs inside the paint. This is what's so fascinating about O across the league.
Rubio, Mitchell, Crowder, Favors, Gob. Core four Rubio, Mitchell, Favors, Gob = offensive engine. What would we say is this Wolves team's engine? Bread and butter, go to against good d? I feel like we're still talking spread pick and roll for Ant Man, no? Unless we're starting that with Rob.
Most guards can't get around guys on their own, that's the myth of FOM. CP and the Rockets is on record, and most people thought he was the best PG in the league during his Suns time. A lot of context there.
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Post by kingsxman on Oct 13, 2024 10:03:53 GMT -6
Honest to god, if we played a drinking game where we had to take a shot every time Darko typed "FOM" we'd never be sober.
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Post by Nick K on Oct 13, 2024 20:53:41 GMT -6
Honest to god, if we played a drinking game where we had to take a shot every time Darko typed "FOM" we'd never be sober.  |
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Post by darko on Oct 13, 2024 20:59:02 GMT -6
It’s the sole reason regular season basketball was the rec ball shi no one liked, and it seems like we might have it corrected finally. Although I will never not hate the NBA for killing basketball for six and a half years to prop up iso scoring and bs free throws.
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Post by levine on Oct 18, 2024 13:06:31 GMT -6
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 20, 2024 8:57:16 GMT -6
Trading a loyal player of KAT's stature was a really hard thing to do and Connelly had the guts to not only make the move but handle it the right way. We have to keep this guy which seems to mean we need LoRod to win the arbitration that's fast approaching. Having a good decision maker in place is the key to everything. No front office is perfect, but Connelly has proven to be a really good one. The Rudy trade has been and will continue to be discussed. One thing that Connelly brought up with that deal is that it put Ant in high leverage situations right away. Critiques were that it happened before Ant was ready. While it's true that Ant isn't yet in his prime and that will happen when Rudy is no longer a dominant player, the importance of Connelly's point is harder to quantify. We can't measure how important it is for Ant's development that he is forced to address playoff weaknesses at such a young age. He's learning just how hard it is to win and those winning habits will help him immensely. Connelly may have overpaid for Rudy, but at this point it's hard to not see that trade as a win. We'll see on Dillingham, but the Conley/NAW deal was a huge win and the KAT deal looks like a great deal as far as creating a path to sustainability. If a guy like Minott hits, then it's just another feather in Connelly's hat. |
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Post by kingsxman on Oct 20, 2024 10:44:30 GMT -6
Trading a loyal player of KAT's stature was a really hard thing to do and Connelly had the guts to not only make the move but handle it the right way. We have to keep this guy which seems to mean we need LoRod to win the arbitration that's fast approaching. Having a good decision maker in place is the key to everything. No front office is perfect, but Connelly has proven to be a really good one. The Rudy trade has been and will continue to be discussed. One thing that Connelly brought up with that deal is that it put Ant in high leverage situations right away. Critiques were that it happened before Ant was ready. While it's true that Ant isn't yet in his prime and that will happen when Rudy is no longer a dominant player, the importance of Connelly's point is harder to quantify. We can't measure how important it is for Ant's development that he is forced to address playoff weaknesses at such a young age. He's learning just how hard it is to win and those winning habits will help him immensely. Connelly may have overpaid for Rudy, but at this point it's hard to not see that trade as a win. We'll see on Dillingham, but the Conley/NAW deal was a huge win and the KAT deal looks like a great deal as far as creating a path to sustainability. If a guy like Minott hits, then it's just another feather in Connelly's hat. We HAVE to keep Connelly. Everything changes if he bolts. litterally its the most important thing this franchise has ever done. Even more important than drafting KG or drafting Ant. Because having a guy like Connelly around means that you dont have to wait 25 years between generational picks. You do smart things and you can be in contention 75% of the time. |
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 21, 2024 8:47:40 GMT -6
My thought of the day is that the Wolves will go as far as Jaden and Naz can take them. The eye test on those two indicates players that have really nice skills that should impact winning hoops. Jaden is a great defensive player and has some nice offensive skills. He's not a great shooter by volume or % though, doesn't rebound well enough, and gets in foul trouble frequently. Naz is highly skilled offensively and can block some shots but he's also been underwhelming defensively and isn't a good rebounder. For as good as they look sometimes, their analytics by things like EPM haven't loved them. Last year, Conley and Rudy were really impactful on winning by EPM and they're getting older. If Jaden and Naz can translate their obvious skills into slightly more efficient play like grabbing just a few more rebounds, making a few more good decisions, etc. the Wolves will take that next leap.
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 22, 2024 8:41:35 GMT -6
Thought of the day is that Ant is going to disappoint this year. He's going to be VERY good, but I think the hype is a little out of control. Being an everyday impact top 5 player is a big jump for Ant. His playoff impact is so high because he can ramp up the D, but he's not proven to be able to sustain that for 82 games. He definitely could make a jump to be that guy, but it's more likely that he continues to make steady improvement which means he'll fall short of the lofty projections for him right now. People are taking it for granted that he's just arrived given the playoff performance and Olympic stuff along with the Netflix thing. I'm not sure he's quite there yet. Don't misunderstand that I'm down on Ant. Just saying he might not be an MVP candidate this year. Hopefully it's coming soon though!
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Post by cory on Oct 22, 2024 12:32:35 GMT -6
Thought of the day is that Ant is going to disappoint this year. He's going to be VERY good, but I think the hype is a little out of control. Being an everyday impact top 5 player is a big jump for Ant. His playoff impact is so high because he can ramp up the D, but he's not proven to be able to sustain that for 82 games. He definitely could make a jump to be that guy, but it's more likely that he continues to make steady improvement which means he'll fall short of the lofty projections for him right now. People are taking it for granted that he's just arrived given the playoff performance and Olympic stuff along with the Netflix thing. I'm not sure he's quite there yet. Don't misunderstand that I'm down on Ant. Just saying he might not be an MVP candidate this year. Hopefully it's coming soon though! I tend to agree, I just doubt he's seen as a top 5 player in the league at the end of the year though I don't know if I'd take 5 other players over him in the playoffs. Though I do think a team that has the ability to spread the court, and run the floor more like this year's version offers could be the key to him really unlocking offensive consistency. I think there will be more opportunities for him to get downhill every night this year and the one thing that drives unanimous top 5 players is getting 8-12 easy points a night at the line. That and hopefully the slow creep of referees respecting him and giving him more calls. KAT's absence/lack of whining may be a net benefit also. |
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Post by tmill720 on Oct 22, 2024 13:08:12 GMT -6
Thought of the day is that Ant is going to disappoint this year. He's going to be VERY good, but I think the hype is a little out of control. Being an everyday impact top 5 player is a big jump for Ant. His playoff impact is so high because he can ramp up the D, but he's not proven to be able to sustain that for 82 games. He definitely could make a jump to be that guy, but it's more likely that he continues to make steady improvement which means he'll fall short of the lofty projections for him right now. People are taking it for granted that he's just arrived given the playoff performance and Olympic stuff along with the Netflix thing. I'm not sure he's quite there yet. Don't misunderstand that I'm down on Ant. Just saying he might not be an MVP candidate this year. Hopefully it's coming soon though! I think he will match expectations, as he has a number of things going for him to be more of a consistent star. 1. Training with the All-NBA guys in the Olympics over the summer. He should have more of an idea as to what it takes to be great, where last year's FIBA team was still him just being more talented than everyone. 2. Being older, having a kid (or more lol). Should continue to mature and be more consistent. 3. Swapping out KAT and SloMo for Randle/Donte. That just seems like such a big personality shift - KAT can get so caught up in his numbers that it might have affected his ability to focus and grind it out night in and night out. SloMo also seemed like someone that would call people out for not being intense enough, but didn't necessarily bring that dog out on the court to make people bring their intensity up. Donte/Randle should do that for Ant. 4. Having a spread out, fast-paced style of play. Ant can get so bogged down when he's just standing around on defense, and then doesn't have driving lanes on offense while simultaneously having to carry the load. With KAT gone, Ant should crash the glass a little more while having Donte soak up more of the on-ball grind (both ways). I can see him getting out on a 1 man fast break a lot this year. 5. He saw what happened last year when he wasn't in good enough shape and wasn't prepared for the whole season. He learns something new every year. If this year his thing is being better off-ball, then his efficiency is going to go way up while having more energy for stocks and boards. 6. We steadily get more national TV games. 10 on ESPN/TNT last year, 18 this year... Ant always shows up for those big games. I don't think he necessarily needs to be better to match expectations, it's just the consistency in doing it night in and night out. The 2024-'25 Wolves seem much better positioned to provide that opportunity for him. |
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 22, 2024 19:57:12 GMT -6
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Post by XRaySpecs on Oct 24, 2024 12:54:01 GMT -6
Rudy taking a pay cut is pretty big as far as the Wolves having flexibility to bring back Naz and maybe even Nickeil depending on what happens with Randle.
NAW maybe limited in upside as far as having some ability to initiate, but he's pretty good at what he does. If he's who he was last year and in the first game, having that guy off the bench is valuable. Just depends on cost. I like that now at least can have a discussion on bringing him back provided the price isn't crazy.
On Rudy specifically, the one critique would be if we really had to do it now? It's definitely better for player relationships to do it now, but it's pretty unlikely that we couldn't have gotten the same terms after the season provided it went close to plan. What other team was going to pay mid 30M at his age? We could have gathered another year of data on how Rudy is aging an then done it next summer. I guess the comeback to that is that what if Rudy would get hurt or something and then opt in for next year at $47. That would totally blow up the cap. Rudy takes good care of his body so hopefully he ages well physically and continues to stay healthy. He's still going to be tall!
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Post by quinn on Oct 24, 2024 13:34:07 GMT -6
Rudy taking a pay cut is pretty big as far as the Wolves having flexibility to bring back Naz and maybe even Nickeil depending on what happens with Randle. NAW maybe limited in upside as far as having some ability to initiate, but he's pretty good at what he does. If he's who he was last year and in the first game, having that guy off the bench is valuable. Just depends on cost. I like that now at least can have a discussion on bringing him back provided the price isn't crazy. On Rudy specifically, the one critique would be if we really had to do it now? It's definitely better for player relationships to do it now, but it's pretty unlikely that we couldn't have gotten the same terms after the season provided it went close to plan. What other team was going to pay mid 30M at his age? We could have gathered another year of data on how Rudy is aging an then done it next summer. I guess the comeback to that is that what if Rudy would get hurt or something and then opt in for next year at $47. That would totally blow up the cap. Rudy takes good care of his body so hopefully he ages well physically and continues to stay healthy. He's still going to be tall! NAW and Rudy I think help raise the floor of the team immensely. They're really the tone setters on defense. In game 1, there just didn't seem to be that bite to the defense that we saw last year. If you're going to have the identity of the team be defense, I think being able to lock the DPOY up for multiple seasons as well as having the option to bring back the guard who's the teeth of the defense on the perimeter is great for maintaining that culture. |
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