Wolves in on D'Angelo Russell?

[j2j]

I liked White at our pick, believe I specifically mentioned that prior to the lottery and before he started moving up the mocks. I wouldn't have been excited about trading up for him.

[Oriole81]

Most of everyone here, including myself would have preferred Garland but taken White without issue. But the Wolves worked him out.....they clearly didn't love all that they saw....and on top of that, if Dlo is real, then drafting a future PG isn't a need. If we land Dlo, the pick is awesome....if we don't, and Culver shows out, it's fine. If he sucks and no Dlo, than it looks bad. It's that simple.

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

[jodaman01]

Most of everyone here, including myself would have preferred Garland but taken White without issue. But the Wolves worked him out.....they clearly didn't love all that they saw....and on top of that, if Dlo is real, then drafting a future PG isn't a need. If we land Dlo, the pick is awesome....if we don't, and Culver shows out, it's fine. If he sucks and no Dlo, than it looks bad. It's that simple.

After the top 3 picks in this draft, who knows who the “best of the rest” are? Chicago was more than thrilled to get White at 7 - filled a need and didn’t have to give up anything to do it. Wolves should have picked him and told Chicago they wanted Culver and made some type of deal to try and recoup what they had given up to get to #6. Everybody knew Chicago was going PG and I bet more Teams would have trade to trade up for him than did for Culver after they drafted him....PG’s were a premium in that draft.

This is why the stories of Rosas drafting Culver make no sense. Cleveland wanted him (supposedly) so it seems Rosas thought his pathway to Garland was still there and grabbed Culver to try and make they deal with Cleveland to swap and get the guy he coveted in Garland (it’s clear he coveted Garland). There is no way Rosas had Garland and Culver in the same Tier as the top 3 players that got drafted.....just no way.....nobody else in the world did. IMO his story on the Culver pick is exactly that.......a story.

He made one move to get to 6 that cost the Wolves a solid starter in Saric. That move now has created a need to make an even bigger and more costly move to try and fix something he could have addressed with his first move.

If they don’t get Russell now, and they end up dumping Wiggins for nothing....what is the point of even holding onto Towns (I can’t imagine him even wanting to be here after that). As others here suggest.....a to the studs rebuild is becoming just as likely if Rosas fails on his next big move this Summer.

[Oriole81]

This is why they should have just took Coby White. He would have been an upgrade at PG, and the entire fanbase would be hacked up right now for the change.

Nobody really believes that Russell is worth giving up every last resource we have or giving away Wiggins for absolutely nothing.....and it still likely won’t be enough because other teams have more to offer. Once the players left on the team find out they were in a failed offer - good luck getting them to give a rat’s ass next season until you are able to trade them (just think Lakers failing to get Davis)

Hopefully has a “Plan B” besides Russell that he can realistically close the deal on.

GO WOLVES!!

I actually agree with this.

I do hate thought of mortgaging everything out, giving up a future picks(when next years draft is better than this years and stocked w pgs), losing Okie or Culver. Or worse yet RoCo(which I doubt or we go get #4).

Same with Wiggins, yes worst contract in the league and disappointed with how he hasnt nor ever will be a superstar or even a star. But he still is a talented volume scorer. Dont want to give him away for nothing or give assests to lose him. Which likely would happen with such a negative contract. He still has use and on some teams like the Kings should actually have value as just a microwave scorer.

Dlo is a good player nd young could get better. But not sold he is the answer or will catapult us into a top 5 in west team. Especially considering having to gut our team just for a chance.

I do believe that Rosas will be careful and wait a couple days into FA as he would have to or the other teams who lose out on FAs would be willing to do our trades, but would have a deal in place or agreed upon prior to the gutting of our team.

I dont require Rosas to fix our team in 2 months into the job. Yes would like improvement, yes want to see growth, es want KAT to not just want to leave the moment he can, so yes we need to be playoff bound sooner than later, but I am rational enough to believe in a process. It unrealist to nelieve magic will happen all at once.

Really 1 more good tank year could do wonders going forward.

for what it's worth, having Okogie included in the proposed trade by Canis was under the presumption that Russell would be taking a higher salary that we'd have to account for, so if we could convince Russell to take less so that we wouldn't have to use Okogie to salary match, we could theoretically offer the 3rd team less in assets, so perhaps just a protected first or multiple 2nds.

[jodaman01]

Most of everyone here, including myself would have preferred Garland but taken White without issue. But the Wolves worked him out.....they clearly didn't love all that they saw....and on top of that, if Dlo is real, then drafting a future PG isn't a need. If we land Dlo, the pick is awesome....if we don't, and Culver shows out, it's fine. If he sucks and no Dlo, than it looks bad. It's that simple.

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

[flexbuffchest]

Most of everyone here, including myself would have preferred Garland but taken White without issue. But the Wolves worked him out.....they clearly didn't love all that they saw....and on top of that, if Dlo is real, then drafting a future PG isn't a need. If we land Dlo, the pick is awesome....if we don't, and Culver shows out, it's fine. If he sucks and no Dlo, than it looks bad. It's that simple.

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

People talk about maximizing assets and yet think that the difference between Garland and Culver was worth giving up Covington over Saric to move up one spot. That would have been a much worse way to use our assets.

[digitalwolf]

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

People talk about maximizing assets and yet think that the difference between Garland and Culver was worth giving up Covington over Saric to move up one spot. That would have been a much worse way to use our assets.

Yeah....exactly. Giving up Covington to obtain Garland was too much. I like Garland, but it's simply too rich. I do contend that Oki could easily turn into Covington giving his make up, but value of his contract and what he brings to the table right now...I wouldn't have gave that much for the 4th. I liked White though, so it wouldn't have bothered me going with him.

[kilkenny]

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

People talk about maximizing assets and yet think that the difference between Garland and Culver was worth giving up Covington over Saric to move up one spot. That would have been a much worse way to use our assets.

You're right. Covington is locked up on a good deal and he's a quality starter. Saric is due a contract next year and he's a questionable starter. We need guys that move the needle more than guys that are so-so. Heck, Saric even said he didn't fit here very well and was happy to go to Phoenix. It was a great move by us to get up into that next tier of talent.

[Oriole81]

Most of everyone here, including myself would have preferred Garland but taken White without issue. But the Wolves worked him out.....they clearly didn't love all that they saw....and on top of that, if Dlo is real, then drafting a future PG isn't a need. If we land Dlo, the pick is awesome....if we don't, and Culver shows out, it's fine. If he sucks and no Dlo, than it looks bad. It's that simple.

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

well the actions of passing on White after having brought the guy in for a workout speak volumes about what they thought of him as a prospect.

Regarding Russell, he's also not the end all be all for solving the PG problem, I think it's just a unique opportunity because it's not often that we get considered as an attractive destination for a decent player like him so you have to at least entertain it. But if you decide the cost is too much, then you still have next year's draft to address the hole.It wasn't White, Russell, or bust.

And we're not giving up everything else for Russell, the trade proposal I've been talking about is just Teague and Okogie. Teague has very little value to us, so it's actually a very palatable trade for us IF we decide we really need Russell. We still have multiple assets after this, as well as no future obligations hanging over our head.

[jffl_commish]

I think people forget how good Covington really was here. Easily the second best player on the floor for the Wolves when he was available. Add in a great contract and you can't just give him away.

[OliverMiller]

I actually agree with this.

I do hate thought of mortgaging everything out, giving up a future picks(when next years draft is better than this years and stocked w pgs), losing Okie or Culver. Or worse yet RoCo(which I doubt or we go get #4).

Same with Wiggins, yes worst contract in the league and disappointed with how he hasnt nor ever will be a superstar or even a star. But he still is a talented volume scorer. Dont want to give him away for nothing or give assests to lose him. Which likely would happen with such a negative contract. He still has use and on some teams like the Kings should actually have value as just a microwave scorer.

Dlo is a good player nd young could get better. But not sold he is the answer or will catapult us into a top 5 in west team. Especially considering having to gut our team just for a chance.

I do believe that Rosas will be careful and wait a couple days into FA as he would have to or the other teams who lose out on FAs would be willing to do our trades, but would have a deal in place or agreed upon prior to the gutting of our team.

I dont require Rosas to fix our team in 2 months into the job. Yes would like improvement, yes want to see growth, es want KAT to not just want to leave the moment he can, so yes we need to be playoff bound sooner than later, but I am rational enough to believe in a process. It unrealist to nelieve magic will happen all at once.

Really 1 more good tank year could do wonders going forward.

Towns and parts are too good to tank. This is a 35 win roster as is. I assume it'll be tweaked and 40 wins is doable easily.

40 wins is NBA purgatory. Not good enough to make the playoffs. Not bad enough to get a decent pick.

They need to bottom out again, and hope they hit a home run in the draft. It's the only way. Butler ruined this squad. Blow the fucker up.

I don't know. The Pacers have been stuck in that purgatory for 2 decades and they've had one hell of a run

[Mplsfonz]

. Butler ruined this squad. Blow the fucker up.

As much as I dislike that prick, don't blame him, blame Thibs fat ass. Can't blow it up either. As fans, we have the short end of the stick. Maybe Rosas will shove it up someone elses ass for a change. Give him 3 years, because if KAT walks, I am done.

[Small Hands]

Towns and parts are too good to tank. This is a 35 win roster as is. I assume it'll be tweaked and 40 wins is doable easily.

40 wins is NBA purgatory. Not good enough to make the playoffs. Not bad enough to get a decent pick.

They need to bottom out again, and hope they hit a home run in the draft. It's the only way. Butler ruined this squad. Blow the fucker up.

I don't know. The Pacers have been stuck in that purgatory for 2 decades and they've had one hell of a run

The Pacers are in the East. The East was weak for much of those two decades. The West is stacked. 40 wins doesn't get you into the tournament.

[somuchyummy]

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

well the actions of passing on White after having brought the guy in for a workout speak volumes about what they thought of him as a prospect.

Regarding Russell, he's also not the end all be all for solving the PG problem, I think it's just a unique opportunity because it's not often that we get considered as an attractive destination for a decent player like him so you have to at least entertain it. But if you decide the cost is too much, then you still have next year's draft to address the hole.It wasn't White, Russell, or bust.

And we're not giving up everything else for Russell, the trade proposal I've been talking about is just Teague and Okogie. Teague has very little value to us, so it's actually a very palatable trade for us IF we decide we really need Russell. We still have multiple assets after this, as well as no future obligations hanging over our head.

i'm okay passing on white too. i know he's dynamic and gets to his spots and all - but it's not like he was a deadly shooter. pretty average from 3 - 35%. that's just a tick above wigs - and that's from college depth too. i don't think he's a sure thing at all in terms of being an nba sharpshooter.

[jodaman01]

I think people forget how good Covington really was here. Easily the second best player on the floor for the Wolves when he was available. Add in a great contract and you can't just give him away.

Not forgetting how good Covington was. At the same time not forgetting how hurt Covington was/is - they are targeting him to be healthy by training camp.

Now your going to take him (just off injury) and make him play out of the position where he had his success and cover bigger, heavier and stronger players at the 4 and make him bang and rebound inside with the big guys. He will have to be a primary rebounder inside now with Towns. I believe this will reduce his effectiveness on the court.

He has a history of being a bit fragile and missing games....put him in a position that will require even more physicality and it should be expected he will miss more games or get injured somehow.

[jodaman01]

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

well the actions of passing on White after having brought the guy in for a workout speak volumes about what they thought of him as a prospect.

Regarding Russell, he's also not the end all be all for solving the PG problem, I think it's just a unique opportunity because it's not often that we get considered as an attractive destination for a decent player like him so you have to at least entertain it. But if you decide the cost is too much, then you still have next year's draft to address the hole.It wasn't White, Russell, or bust.

And we're not giving up everything else for Russell, the trade proposal I've been talking about is just Teague and Okogie. Teague has very little value to us, so it's actually a very palatable trade for us IF we decide we really need Russell. We still have multiple assets after this, as well as no future obligations hanging over our head.

i'm okay passing on white too. i know he's dynamic and gets to his spots and all - but it's not like he was a deadly shooter. pretty average from 3 - 35%. that's just a tick above wigs - and that's from college depth too. i don't think he's a sure thing at all in terms of being an nba sharpshooter.

Culver’s # dropped to barely 30% last season....going down from his previous season. That’s the wrong trend to draft someone off of in my book - especially when you need threes.

[T_J]

40 wins is NBA purgatory. Not good enough to make the playoffs. Not bad enough to get a decent pick.

They need to bottom out again, and hope they hit a home run in the draft. It's the only way. Butler ruined this squad. Blow the fucker up.

I don't know. The Pacers have been stuck in that purgatory for 2 decades and they've had one hell of a run

The Pacers are in the East. The East was weak for much of those two decades. The West is stacked. 40 wins doesn't get you into the tournament.

Neither does tanking. So you're on board with trading Towns to tank it sounds like.

[jodaman01]

still very deep PG draft next year, so it's still not bad. we didn't have to find our guy this year.

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

well the actions of passing on White after having brought the guy in for a workout speak volumes about what they thought of him as a prospect.

Regarding Russell, he's also not the end all be all for solving the PG problem, I think it's just a unique opportunity because it's not often that we get considered as an attractive destination for a decent player like him so you have to at least entertain it. But if you decide the cost is too much, then you still have next year's draft to address the hole.It wasn't White, Russell, or bust.

And we're not giving up everything else for Russell, the trade proposal I've been talking about is just Teague and Okogie. Teague has very little value to us, so it's actually a very palatable trade for us IF we decide we really need Russell. We still have multiple assets after this, as well as no future obligations hanging over our head.

I guess I am not placing much faith in the decision making process at the moment.

They worked out White and didn’t draft him, and the didn’t work out Culver and did draft him. Chicago did work out White and did draft him at 7 though.

How much faith can any fan have in the Culver decision if they never even worked the guy out? They just talked to him from what I’ve gathered. They couldn’t possibly be basing it off watching him in the tournament here. It seems suspect at best.

[HeHateMe]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

[Beef Supreme]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

That’s pie-in-the-Sky optimism, but you have to shoot for something, right?


I mean, it’s a hell of a lot better than trading Towns and tanking in hopes that you get lucky in the draft and get a guy... like Towns...

[T_J]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

Sounds great. How are we getting Booker exactly?

[T_J]

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

well the actions of passing on White after having brought the guy in for a workout speak volumes about what they thought of him as a prospect.

Regarding Russell, he's also not the end all be all for solving the PG problem, I think it's just a unique opportunity because it's not often that we get considered as an attractive destination for a decent player like him so you have to at least entertain it. But if you decide the cost is too much, then you still have next year's draft to address the hole.It wasn't White, Russell, or bust.

And we're not giving up everything else for Russell, the trade proposal I've been talking about is just Teague and Okogie. Teague has very little value to us, so it's actually a very palatable trade for us IF we decide we really need Russell. We still have multiple assets after this, as well as no future obligations hanging over our head.

I guess I am not placing much faith in the decision making process at the moment.

They worked out White and didn’t draft him, and the didn’t work out Culver and did draft him. Chicago did work out White and did draft him at 7 though.

How much faith can any fan have in the Culver decision if they never even worked the guy out? They just talked to him from what I’ve gathered. They couldn’t possibly be basing it off watching him in the tournament here. It seems suspect at best.

Using Chicago as a barometer as to how we fucked up is fucked up in itself.

[HeHateMe]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

That’s pie-in-the-Sky optimism, but you have to shoot for something, right?


I mean, it’s a hell of a lot better than trading Towns and tanking in hopes that you get lucky in the draft and get a guy... like Towns...

Might as well try to build with/around Towns with his close buddies, right? Also, give up the assets to get Russell now and then start plotting for when Booker eventually asks out in 2-3 years from Phoenix.

[HeHateMe]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

Sounds great. How are we getting Booker exactly?

Don't know yet... maybe it's Culver and other pieces. Maybe it's a shit ton of picks.

[T_J]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

Sounds great. How are we getting Booker exactly?

Don't know yet... maybe it's Culver and other pieces. Maybe it's a shit ton of picks.

I guess I could see it in like 3 years if Phoenix is floundering and he's 75% into his extension. Maybe then they trade the farm to pair him with Towns and potentially Russell.

[mlhouse]

i think there's a bit of over reaction here. and i'm just as guilty as the rest. but i don't think we should do a rebuild - not with Karl in his, what, fifth season? just a couple months ago everyone was wondering who the sacrificial lamb was going to be as GSW waltzed to another title. it was nearly a "given" that they were going to repeat. yes, toronto got kahwi and that was of primary importance - and yes, GSW had some injuries - but they were going down before thompson blew his ACL. and kawhi's a 15th overall - you've seen the chart - nearly everybody on the raptors squad is an overachiever drafted a lot lower than how they've performed. you need a good coach, a good system and the right players - but they don't all need to be superstars out of the gate. hell, siakam and FVV were huge in that series. if i had told you two years ago that in the 2019 finals siakam and FVV were going to be very instrumental in beating golden state - you know how laughable that would have sounded?

so, no, i don't think anything's set in stone against us - and you don't sink the ship when you've got a player of KAT's caliber on board.

No, this is a rebuild, but it is also not a tank. The reason it is a rebuild is that we have a new front office, a somewhat new coach, a rotation to almost completely rebuild, and a roster that is half empty.

The Front Office needs to recognize that we will not rebuild in a day. They also need to recognize that we will not rebuild if we follow the McHale-Kahn-Adelman-Thibodeau route of putting in quick fix place holders in the spots we need to rebuild the rotation on. I have been preaching this for years, and most Rubes insisted I was wrong, yet look at where we are. A 36 win team without any financial flexibility that has significant turmoil and is far out of current playoff contention.

The path to moving ahead lies in developing the Towns-Wiggins core. I get all of the WIggins detractors, and Towns has his issues too, but the fact is this is what we have. Everything the Wolves do needs to be designed to maximize the effectiveness of those players: roster and schemes. I think we have a couple of pieces in place that do this. Robert Covington is a very nice complemenatary player (he is probably a nice complementary player to any group of players in the NBA). I think Okogie is a good player to bring off the bench. I thought Dario Saric was a very good complementary player but he is gone. I do think, for all of my criticism, that Culver will be a decent NBA player.

That is only 5 players though. In 2019-20 the WOlves need to give young players every, EVERY, opportunity to develop and win rotational and future roster spots. One player to start with is KDB. Reynolds is another. THey need to find other young players like him, sign them to cheap, flexible deals, give them time on the court, figure out which ones cannot play and get rid of those, figure out the ones who can and keep them. '

After all of these years of futility, you would think teh Wolves would have one player on their roster they developed to at least a serviceable player that was not a lottery or at least a first round pick. One. THe Spurs, winning 60+ games a year developed player after player. The Wolves winning 30, not a single one.

[twolves31]

Who says any of those guys next year will be any better than Garland or White as prospects? Could have had Garland by giving up Covington instead of Saric. This problem would have already been addressed and we would not have to give up everything else we have to chase Russell.

well the actions of passing on White after having brought the guy in for a workout speak volumes about what they thought of him as a prospect.

Regarding Russell, he's also not the end all be all for solving the PG problem, I think it's just a unique opportunity because it's not often that we get considered as an attractive destination for a decent player like him so you have to at least entertain it. But if you decide the cost is too much, then you still have next year's draft to address the hole.It wasn't White, Russell, or bust.

And we're not giving up everything else for Russell, the trade proposal I've been talking about is just Teague and Okogie. Teague has very little value to us, so it's actually a very palatable trade for us IF we decide we really need Russell. We still have multiple assets after this, as well as no future obligations hanging over our head.

I guess I am not placing much faith in the decision making process at the moment.

They worked out White and didn’t draft him, and the didn’t work out Culver and did draft him. Chicago did work out White and did draft him at 7 though.

How much faith can any fan have in the Culver decision if they never even worked the guy out? They just talked to him from what I’ve gathered. They couldn’t possibly be basing it off watching him in the tournament here. It seems suspect at best.

Seemed to work out just fine for Golden State not having Curry in for a workout. 2 years is the minimum we should give the new regime, before we start doubting them. If in two years we haven't made any progress, go ahead with your get him out of town attitude that you had with Thibs for the past year or so.

[kilkenny]

Russell won't win a title for the Wolves but it's part of a plan to get Booker eventually too. If you have something like Russell/Culver/Booker/Covington/Towns ... maybe you have something eventually?

Maybe Phoenix is thinking the same thing. Get Russell and eventually try to get Towns after our continual failures drive him away? Booker and Towns are in similar positions with their teams right now. Best player with no help....each need to get that second banana that makes a difference in wins. We're in a precarious position right now with this team and need to make something happen to get proven talent.

[HeHateMe]

Sounds great. How are we getting Booker exactly?

Don't know yet... maybe it's Culver and other pieces. Maybe it's a shit ton of picks.

I guess I could see it in like 3 years if Phoenix is floundering and he's 75% into his extension. Maybe then they trade the farm to pair him with Towns and potentially Russell.

Right. We're all thinking /preparing Towns would eventually ask out if the Wolves aren't winning but if we get his two good buddies....

[Small Hands]

I don't know. The Pacers have been stuck in that purgatory for 2 decades and they've had one hell of a run

The Pacers are in the East. The East was weak for much of those two decades. The West is stacked. 40 wins doesn't get you into the tournament.

Neither does tanking. So you're on board with trading Towns to tank it sounds like.

You can tank without trading Towns. He's the only guy I care about on that team. The rest are JAGs.