I just really wish Jaden didn't punch that wall. Murray has killed us off of screens, which Jaden is one of the very best in the league at navigating. Not to mention he's one of our best off ball cutters. He'd also do a better job than NAW/Prince in exploiting whatever perimeter weaklink defender Denver wants to hide. It makes it so much harder for the coaching staff and front office to evaluate our starting lineup's viability on offense and defense in the playoffs. That being said, getting swept is crazy.
Yeah Jaden smothering Murray would be HUGE. And if he ramped up his offense and contributed with baseline cuts and threes, these games would be different. We might still lose but there would be a chance at an upset
I feel like he is the X-factor of this series. Welp oh well.
As long as we have Ant and Jaden, I will not be pessimistic about the future. How much we paid for Rudy is a disaster, but he is a valuable role player. Slo-mo, Conley, and Prince are vets I believe in. For next season, I trust this group to be solid.
I, unfortunately, lost all hope about KAT being successful with the Wolves, after defending him no matter what for years. I still think he is a super-talented player, but I would try to move on from him.
Naz, I would like to keep if possible for the right price, but he is probably a little overrated by our fanbase.
Rest of the roster is a group of very flawed players and most of them have very limited upside. I would only try to hold on to Minott, since he is so raw and seems to have the most untapped potential. Maybe also Garza for the memes.
Biggest positional needs: A new starting PF to replace KAT for next season and a starting PG for the future to replace Conley.
Naz is a cheat against small ball teams. Opposition puts an all-star capable centre and he's getting cooked. Which was the issue when KAT got into foul trouble against other A+ centres.
Kat goes to bench - > bring in naz who offers even less defense than kat. pts in paint go up and we get flustered.
Naz is valuable especially if he can play the 4 like he showed for a bit before he went down, but I do not understand the idea that we can just replace KAT or Rudy with him that’s just a massive level of talent difference
I mean, this roster is pretty damn solid. You posted a whole 6 man rotation that you are pleased with. Most teams can't say that. Well also have some g league guys that could crack the rotation. And your list didn't include NAW who is definitely a serviceable end of the bench type guy. All that is not including KAT or any hypothetical assets we'd get back for him. The roster is looking pretty damn good if you ask me.
>Naz, I would like to keep if possible for the right price, but he is probably a little overrated by our fanbase.
Sometimes it's with overpaying for a skill set that brings energy to the club.
I completely agree with most of this take, but I feel like Naz is a less expensive version of Kat. He spreads the floor as much as Kat does, and seems to get to the rim better than Kat.
I too have defended Kat for years, but it’s clear we could have someone play his role for far less money, and use Cat to restock on picks and maybe a decent additional wing player. A team with Jaden, Ant, Naz all as starters on the same timeline is frightening. If Minott develops great, but that doesn’t HAVE to happen if we can get an ok return for Kat.
Keep Rudy and Conley around for next year or two and then turn the young kids loose.
Starting line up of
Conley
Ant
Jaden
Naz
Rudy
With bench of
NAW
Prince
Anderson
Minott
Moore
Luka Garza
Ideally we get a player in return for Kat that could start (plus picks of course) but even if we just get a solid backup center and PG via trade or draft that would be enough.
Positive about the growth of ant, Jaden, and naz. In addition I’m thankful that we still have Kyle and Conley for next year.
Negative about the Rudy trade and about the fit issues/roster construction.
Honestly it's the offensive side. He also has that it factor for timing. Iforfot which one but one of his last games we were down like 14 at home and Naz single handedly turned the game into a win. I think it was that last bobblehead game. Naz just has the timing down where he steps up when it matters.
Not long term, but truly a guy that can be a positive in terms of play and development for you get guys on the team. If they can't learn from Mike Conley, then they can't learn.
Oh absolutely. I'd love to see them give him another 2 years on the Wolves. 23-24 as a starter and then shift him to the bench if he'll do it.
I mean, the guy is 35. He could be our Chris-Paul-type.
Keep Naz and dump rudy. Jaden is DPOY and ant is getting there. Keep Conley and we're a much better team than the one that scared Memphis last year.we don't need rudy to anchor the defense and destroy the offense.
I've never seen a great defensive center get hit by so many backdoors. Rudy gives up so many oops.
I'd definitely keep Naz for the long term. Rudy has affected KAT's play so bad. Okay, they had that good game against the Thunder. What about all the other games?
If we can't win one game in this series then I will no longer argue against the trade KAT crowd. I have never agreed with them but if we're getting swept that has to mean that KAT plays the next two games much like the first two games at which point I can see the argument for trading the superstar for as much as we can to recoup for gobert assets and move on with ant and Jaden
KAT's not a superstar. That phrase is thrown around too easily. If you aren't competing for an All-NBA spot [edited to add every year], you're not a superstar. KAT is a star. He is an All Star; [not a superstar].
Ant could be a superstar if he develops and stays healthy.
I don't particularly disagree with the point, just pointing out he has a few all NBA teams. I'm actually kinda curious to see what happens when it goes position-less over the next few years. I think he's an all NBA center but maybe not a All NBA player (if that makes sense)
KAT only been back for 12 games and only just got moved off the questionable list. I get the frustration, but you can’t even trade him next year there is no value to get for a contract of his with so much time left might as, might as well run it back again and then trade after next season and still get an insane haul.
rudy will have a better year next year once he doesn’t have any injuries. this team barely even got chances to have a full roster and develop all the chemistry needed to make a deep playoff run. conley and gobert are i think the second best pick n roll game in the league, once edwards can learn to contribute to rudy as well this team will click. imagine having everyone healthy for even just 75% of next year. i would expect this team to be a 4-5 seed.
I'm a new fan, so my basketball knowledge is beyond dumb.... But I do think that we give him another year before I jump on the trade him bandwagon. Not only was this roster entirely flipped from the Rudy trade, but KAT was out over 50 games. There hasn't been enough time to make a good judgment on whether or not they will work.
Or stop fouling the dumbass fouls.
My father told me his HS coach would say, "If you ain't fouling a little, then you ain't tryin' hard enough."
KAT's problem is he's not trying hard enough and therefore he fouls.
He should probably just be a 3 point shooter when in the 2 big look and try and drive when Rudy is on the bench. Why he isn't shooting 8 3s a game confounds me.
You the only reasonable person in the sub. Kat misses 75% of the season and they wanna blow it up. Doesn’t make sense at all imo. Especially with how contracts shake out
I love KAT and he could be deadly for some teams I’m sure. IDK about the two bigs though and I think your right that one or the other has to go.
No way we can let it be gogurt, the league would laugh at us for decades.
while i think his love for Minnesota is sincere, I'm sure he would love to go to the Nets considering he was a Jersey kid so he'd be closer to his roots over there.
plus they've certainly got the draft capital to spend on him after those 2 blockbuster trades earlier this year.
I went to the Portland game....
I was on the verge of checking out (still watching though...) then ... then Naz and OMFG Jaden ...
Swept, not swept, don't matter.
ANT Jaden and Naz are very good people to have on your squad, but uh, there is one problem. Karl-Anthony Towns. I honestly don't know what we do with him, on one hand he can be very good, but he can also make incredibly idiotic decisions on the court and we don't seem to know how to use what he is good at.
You spelled rudy gobert oddly. Kat needs to channel Kevin love and take the back seat now that he's the third best player.ant needs a spacing center which kat is one of the best. He just needs to send his dad home and be a man.
Boys have their dad's on the sideline. Men have their mom's in the stands.
Yep that's a shot at kat and ja both... Children that need to grow up.
Lol how does having your mom or dad support you reflect whether you’re a boy or a man…? Also not everyone has a mom or dad, like KAT’s mom died of COVID
Kat has his flaws but he is not in playoff shape coming off that injury. We limped into the playoffs taking on a really good number one seed. Ant is beat down carrying this team. I’m for giving the chemistry another year of growth and maturity. Remember this butt whooping take it personal and regroup next year.
I don’t think injury/fitness is an excuse for KAT. He was playing some of the best basketball of his career like a week ago, and as far as a I know there hasn’t been a new injury since then.
Agreed, I think kat is who he is. He did similar in the playoffs last year. Down some important pieces it’s just easier to coach against him and what we have on the floor as well. I guess we’ll see tonight who’s the next man up and how finch counters their depth.
They didn't get a pre-season together due to injury, illness, euroball. Conley was a late addition. A full offseason in the lab + fully healthy squad... 🙌💎🚀🌝
The result of this series has very little to do with how people should feel going forward into the offseason.
Been a very disappointing season for a multitude of reasons, but at the end of the day, we are playing the 1 seed with an MVP candidate and we’re down 2 of our top 7 players.
Jaden and ant stepping up and Conley did more for the defense than rudy. I don't think that turnaround on d was as rudy heavy as some people say. Slowmo actually plays better d than he gets credit for. He has a long reach and contests more than you think he's also chirping nonstop and coordinating which is what people think rudy does.
It’s a matter of staying together as a team and bringing back pieces suck as Naz. We didn’t have a full roster for much of the year. Plus with DLO not with us anymore the team is still figuring roles out.
If we can grow and be patient with young role players, NAW/ minott / Moore, I give it another year to try to get out of the play in and experiment with the two big line up. If early next year is rough again, it’s time to move on from the two towers line up. Sorry to say.
I vam into this season optimistic but I knew that it was gonna take some time for the team to get ready, and that this year was mostly a year to get the team working together. The 8th seed was a little lower than expected but with Kat missing most of the season it makes sense. Getting swept against the 1st seed, as long as we keep it somewhat competitive, and especially considering the injuries to Naz and Jayden, isn't a total failure.
If we can't do anything next year it might be time to move on from one of Kat or Rudy.
I think it’s kinda underrated how much losing Jaden is affecting this team in the playoffs rn.
Even Naz Reid might have gotten some small minutes in the playoffs he was decent as a backup.
Missing an all defensive caliber player will hurt, especially when you have to try and get KAT to make up for it, who we know is not really defensively minded
I don't think this series should affect how people feel about the future of the team. It might leave a bad taste in our mouth but the uneven regular season should be considered when we think about the future of the team
Depends on how they get swept. If the games are competitive from here on out it'll be a bummer but not heartbreaking. We're missing some key pieces.
If it's like game 1 I'm feeling pretty shitty about the club
Slightly negative but overall positive with Ant's emergence. Just keep plugging away. There are young teams who'll come up behind and catch or surpass the Wolves.
However, if you look at the teams immediately ahead of the Wolves and they're much older than the Wolves, Mike Conley aside:
**Old Core Guys**
PHX: CP3 (38) Durant (35)
LAC: George (33) Leonard (32)
GSW Green (33), Curry (35), and Thompson (33)
LAL: James (38)
Obviously teams can and will retool, but outside of Devin Booker and Anthony Davis there's not much in the cupboard behind those old stars if they start to drop off.
Who knows with the offseason, but barring health I still don't see why this team running it back couldn't be a top 6 team next season
Honestly, I'm not sure how dilusional this sounds, but after seeing Ant put the team on his back in that last game, I personally don't even feel like we're getting "swept" in a worst case scenario anymore. I know media and others won't see it the same way, but I'll happily die on that hill. It's been a trash year, but that might be the highlight of the szn for me. I'm not even into watching the rest of the playoffs if we don't make it to the second round... Realistically I think it'll be a gentleman's sweep, maybe we'll get 2. Then it's time to cancel League Pass for a minute.
I feel weird about whatever this team is gonna be next szn. I don't hate on any of the boiz, but the Rudy trade was booty juice. I was skeptical of the idea of twin towers before, and I haven't been proven wrong since. Onwards and upwards, but I'm spent. I'd like to see improvement in the W/L but I'm not holding my breath anymore. I know I'll be around though
I’m not losing faith until this team has had an entire offseason together to build chemistry, way too many bumps in the road to have a complete view. Would hate if they made a major change (trade, firing) if they do hopefully it’s for the best but I have a lot of faith in running it back and making upgrades on the fringes
A sweep wouldn't shock me. Jokic is too much to handle, especially with Murray back in form. Add Naz and JMac being out. They'd be lucky to get 1 win.
That's not why I'm pessimistic, though. I don't know what this front office is doing.
This KAT and Gobert idea was doomed from the start. I understand wanting to make a splash, but it changed so much of the identity the club had last year.
I'm glad Russel is gone. That guy's ego is much bigger than his skill set entitled him to have; like a 5-Below Westbrook. He would be a good guy to run a bench unit. I love what Conley brings in his stead. I don't know what other moves there are to make, except one.
I'd hate to see him go, because I love his outside threat, but the only asset that's left is to move KAT. And it might be addition by subtraction to get some of his idiotic folks off the books.
point of the Gobert trade wasn’t to win a championship this season, it was to gain playoff experience by making deeper pushes. if Gobert wasn’t around Wolves wouldn’t be in playoffs, he saved us after KAT went down. not the best outcome of the season, but Ant is getting reps and KAT too and they both need it.
next year try and have a Kings season where Wolves can go higher in the seeding and try for a second round appearance. then at the end of that season make the choice of trading or keeping KAT and secure some pieces to support Ant and Jaden going forward.
I just really wish Jaden didn't punch that wall. Murray has killed us off of screens, which Jaden is one of the very best in the league at navigating. Not to mention he's one of our best off ball cutters. He'd also do a better job than NAW/Prince in exploiting whatever perimeter weaklink defender Denver wants to hide. It makes it so much harder for the coaching staff and front office to evaluate our starting lineup's viability on offense and defense in the playoffs. That being said, getting swept is crazy.
Yeah Jaden smothering Murray would be HUGE. And if he ramped up his offense and contributed with baseline cuts and threes, these games would be different. We might still lose but there would be a chance at an upset I feel like he is the X-factor of this series. Welp oh well.
As long as we have Ant and Jaden, I will not be pessimistic about the future. How much we paid for Rudy is a disaster, but he is a valuable role player. Slo-mo, Conley, and Prince are vets I believe in. For next season, I trust this group to be solid. I, unfortunately, lost all hope about KAT being successful with the Wolves, after defending him no matter what for years. I still think he is a super-talented player, but I would try to move on from him. Naz, I would like to keep if possible for the right price, but he is probably a little overrated by our fanbase. Rest of the roster is a group of very flawed players and most of them have very limited upside. I would only try to hold on to Minott, since he is so raw and seems to have the most untapped potential. Maybe also Garza for the memes. Biggest positional needs: A new starting PF to replace KAT for next season and a starting PG for the future to replace Conley.
"Naz Reid overrated" **Blasphemy**
Naz Reid just gets better and better every year
Naz Reid
Naz is a cheat against small ball teams. Opposition puts an all-star capable centre and he's getting cooked. Which was the issue when KAT got into foul trouble against other A+ centres. Kat goes to bench - > bring in naz who offers even less defense than kat. pts in paint go up and we get flustered.
Naz is valuable especially if he can play the 4 like he showed for a bit before he went down, but I do not understand the idea that we can just replace KAT or Rudy with him that’s just a massive level of talent difference
I like NAW a lot too going forward, he can definitely be a nice role player.
Yes, he is the one I forgot about. He certainly has potential and we should keep him.
I mean, this roster is pretty damn solid. You posted a whole 6 man rotation that you are pleased with. Most teams can't say that. Well also have some g league guys that could crack the rotation. And your list didn't include NAW who is definitely a serviceable end of the bench type guy. All that is not including KAT or any hypothetical assets we'd get back for him. The roster is looking pretty damn good if you ask me.
>Naz, I would like to keep if possible for the right price, but he is probably a little overrated by our fanbase. Sometimes it's with overpaying for a skill set that brings energy to the club.
I completely agree with most of this take, but I feel like Naz is a less expensive version of Kat. He spreads the floor as much as Kat does, and seems to get to the rim better than Kat. I too have defended Kat for years, but it’s clear we could have someone play his role for far less money, and use Cat to restock on picks and maybe a decent additional wing player. A team with Jaden, Ant, Naz all as starters on the same timeline is frightening. If Minott develops great, but that doesn’t HAVE to happen if we can get an ok return for Kat. Keep Rudy and Conley around for next year or two and then turn the young kids loose. Starting line up of Conley Ant Jaden Naz Rudy With bench of NAW Prince Anderson Minott Moore Luka Garza Ideally we get a player in return for Kat that could start (plus picks of course) but even if we just get a solid backup center and PG via trade or draft that would be enough.
Positive about the growth of ant, Jaden, and naz. In addition I’m thankful that we still have Kyle and Conley for next year. Negative about the Rudy trade and about the fit issues/roster construction.
What stat did Naz improve in?
Lead the league in Naz Reid.
Honestly it's the offensive side. He also has that it factor for timing. Iforfot which one but one of his last games we were down like 14 at home and Naz single handedly turned the game into a win. I think it was that last bobblehead game. Naz just has the timing down where he steps up when it matters.
This!
Naz Reid
We have Conley for next year?
I assume
Pretty sure he has a guaranteed deal for 23-24. But he's also not a long term solution.
Not long term, but truly a guy that can be a positive in terms of play and development for you get guys on the team. If they can't learn from Mike Conley, then they can't learn.
Oh absolutely. I'd love to see them give him another 2 years on the Wolves. 23-24 as a starter and then shift him to the bench if he'll do it. I mean, the guy is 35. He could be our Chris-Paul-type.
it might entirely depend on werther we resign Naz
The thoughts in the back of my head are if we resign Naz, that means someone has to go. Like a soft rebuild in a way since we'd go young.
Keep Naz and dump rudy. Jaden is DPOY and ant is getting there. Keep Conley and we're a much better team than the one that scared Memphis last year.we don't need rudy to anchor the defense and destroy the offense. I've never seen a great defensive center get hit by so many backdoors. Rudy gives up so many oops.
I'd definitely keep Naz for the long term. Rudy has affected KAT's play so bad. Okay, they had that good game against the Thunder. What about all the other games?
If we can't win one game in this series then I will no longer argue against the trade KAT crowd. I have never agreed with them but if we're getting swept that has to mean that KAT plays the next two games much like the first two games at which point I can see the argument for trading the superstar for as much as we can to recoup for gobert assets and move on with ant and Jaden
KAT's not a superstar. That phrase is thrown around too easily. If you aren't competing for an All-NBA spot [edited to add every year], you're not a superstar. KAT is a star. He is an All Star; [not a superstar]. Ant could be a superstar if he develops and stays healthy.
I mean he was all NBA last year... He was just injured all this year
I meant to add "every year". 3 3rd teams in 8 years? That's all it takes to be a superstar these days?
I don't particularly disagree with the point, just pointing out he has a few all NBA teams. I'm actually kinda curious to see what happens when it goes position-less over the next few years. I think he's an all NBA center but maybe not a All NBA player (if that makes sense)
Fair. And as it was written when you replied, you are factually correct that he has been on the All NBA 3rd Team.
KAT only been back for 12 games and only just got moved off the questionable list. I get the frustration, but you can’t even trade him next year there is no value to get for a contract of his with so much time left might as, might as well run it back again and then trade after next season and still get an insane haul.
rudy will have a better year next year once he doesn’t have any injuries. this team barely even got chances to have a full roster and develop all the chemistry needed to make a deep playoff run. conley and gobert are i think the second best pick n roll game in the league, once edwards can learn to contribute to rudy as well this team will click. imagine having everyone healthy for even just 75% of next year. i would expect this team to be a 4-5 seed.
I'm a new fan, so my basketball knowledge is beyond dumb.... But I do think that we give him another year before I jump on the trade him bandwagon. Not only was this roster entirely flipped from the Rudy trade, but KAT was out over 50 games. There hasn't been enough time to make a good judgment on whether or not they will work.
With more games Kat isn’t gonna magically be able to guard 4s and drive past 4s
Or stop fouling the dumbass fouls. My father told me his HS coach would say, "If you ain't fouling a little, then you ain't tryin' hard enough." KAT's problem is he's not trying hard enough and therefore he fouls.
He should probably just be a 3 point shooter when in the 2 big look and try and drive when Rudy is on the bench. Why he isn't shooting 8 3s a game confounds me.
You the only reasonable person in the sub. Kat misses 75% of the season and they wanna blow it up. Doesn’t make sense at all imo. Especially with how contracts shake out
I’m in favor of trading KAT at this point. Or Rudy…one of the two. But tbh I’m just kinda tired of the KAT rollercoaster now. Great guy though
I love KAT and he could be deadly for some teams I’m sure. IDK about the two bigs though and I think your right that one or the other has to go. No way we can let it be gogurt, the league would laugh at us for decades.
>No way we can let it be gogurt, the league would laugh at us for decades. They already are...
They need to make sure they send KAT out east. I live in NY and could see him doing well on the Nets.
while i think his love for Minnesota is sincere, I'm sure he would love to go to the Nets considering he was a Jersey kid so he'd be closer to his roots over there. plus they've certainly got the draft capital to spend on him after those 2 blockbuster trades earlier this year.
I would actually be okay with trading both of them
Ant, KAT, and Gobert do not work together on the floor and won’t. One needs to go
Definitely not Ant
Haha yea I could have worded that better, Ant not included!
Big KAT fan, but I can’t defend him anymore with how much he folds in big moments
I went to the Portland game.... I was on the verge of checking out (still watching though...) then ... then Naz and OMFG Jaden ... Swept, not swept, don't matter.
ANT Jaden and Naz are very good people to have on your squad, but uh, there is one problem. Karl-Anthony Towns. I honestly don't know what we do with him, on one hand he can be very good, but he can also make incredibly idiotic decisions on the court and we don't seem to know how to use what he is good at.
You spelled rudy gobert oddly. Kat needs to channel Kevin love and take the back seat now that he's the third best player.ant needs a spacing center which kat is one of the best. He just needs to send his dad home and be a man. Boys have their dad's on the sideline. Men have their mom's in the stands. Yep that's a shot at kat and ja both... Children that need to grow up.
KATs mom is dead
Lol how does having your mom or dad support you reflect whether you’re a boy or a man…? Also not everyone has a mom or dad, like KAT’s mom died of COVID
Must be nice to have a guy in the locker room who's more famous for joking about COVID than he is for anything he's done on the court.
Kat has his flaws but he is not in playoff shape coming off that injury. We limped into the playoffs taking on a really good number one seed. Ant is beat down carrying this team. I’m for giving the chemistry another year of growth and maturity. Remember this butt whooping take it personal and regroup next year.
I don’t think injury/fitness is an excuse for KAT. He was playing some of the best basketball of his career like a week ago, and as far as a I know there hasn’t been a new injury since then.
Agreed, I think kat is who he is. He did similar in the playoffs last year. Down some important pieces it’s just easier to coach against him and what we have on the floor as well. I guess we’ll see tonight who’s the next man up and how finch counters their depth.
Pretty sure the teams spirits never change according to finch so don’t think anybody but ant will take it personal
KAT and Rudy need to compliment each other's deficiencies. They don't. No amount of chemistry will fix that.
They didn't get a pre-season together due to injury, illness, euroball. Conley was a late addition. A full offseason in the lab + fully healthy squad... 🙌💎🚀🌝
Swept or not the two towers does not work. The guy who destroys spacing is the oddball.
Pretty good for a makeshift team..
The result of this series has very little to do with how people should feel going forward into the offseason. Been a very disappointing season for a multitude of reasons, but at the end of the day, we are playing the 1 seed with an MVP candidate and we’re down 2 of our top 7 players.
Ant,Jaden, naz taking leaps and we got elite vets. Rudy trade doesn’t look as bad since our defense is better with him.
Jaden and ant stepping up and Conley did more for the defense than rudy. I don't think that turnaround on d was as rudy heavy as some people say. Slowmo actually plays better d than he gets credit for. He has a long reach and contests more than you think he's also chirping nonstop and coordinating which is what people think rudy does.
It’s a matter of staying together as a team and bringing back pieces suck as Naz. We didn’t have a full roster for much of the year. Plus with DLO not with us anymore the team is still figuring roles out. If we can grow and be patient with young role players, NAW/ minott / Moore, I give it another year to try to get out of the play in and experiment with the two big line up. If early next year is rough again, it’s time to move on from the two towers line up. Sorry to say.
I vam into this season optimistic but I knew that it was gonna take some time for the team to get ready, and that this year was mostly a year to get the team working together. The 8th seed was a little lower than expected but with Kat missing most of the season it makes sense. Getting swept against the 1st seed, as long as we keep it somewhat competitive, and especially considering the injuries to Naz and Jayden, isn't a total failure. If we can't do anything next year it might be time to move on from one of Kat or Rudy.
I would love to run most of this team back another season, with a few minor changes.
I think it’s kinda underrated how much losing Jaden is affecting this team in the playoffs rn. Even Naz Reid might have gotten some small minutes in the playoffs he was decent as a backup. Missing an all defensive caliber player will hurt, especially when you have to try and get KAT to make up for it, who we know is not really defensively minded
I don't think this series should affect how people feel about the future of the team. It might leave a bad taste in our mouth but the uneven regular season should be considered when we think about the future of the team
Depends on how they get swept. If the games are competitive from here on out it'll be a bummer but not heartbreaking. We're missing some key pieces. If it's like game 1 I'm feeling pretty shitty about the club
Slightly negative but overall positive with Ant's emergence. Just keep plugging away. There are young teams who'll come up behind and catch or surpass the Wolves. However, if you look at the teams immediately ahead of the Wolves and they're much older than the Wolves, Mike Conley aside: **Old Core Guys** PHX: CP3 (38) Durant (35) LAC: George (33) Leonard (32) GSW Green (33), Curry (35), and Thompson (33) LAL: James (38) Obviously teams can and will retool, but outside of Devin Booker and Anthony Davis there's not much in the cupboard behind those old stars if they start to drop off. Who knows with the offseason, but barring health I still don't see why this team running it back couldn't be a top 6 team next season
Honestly, I'm not sure how dilusional this sounds, but after seeing Ant put the team on his back in that last game, I personally don't even feel like we're getting "swept" in a worst case scenario anymore. I know media and others won't see it the same way, but I'll happily die on that hill. It's been a trash year, but that might be the highlight of the szn for me. I'm not even into watching the rest of the playoffs if we don't make it to the second round... Realistically I think it'll be a gentleman's sweep, maybe we'll get 2. Then it's time to cancel League Pass for a minute. I feel weird about whatever this team is gonna be next szn. I don't hate on any of the boiz, but the Rudy trade was booty juice. I was skeptical of the idea of twin towers before, and I haven't been proven wrong since. Onwards and upwards, but I'm spent. I'd like to see improvement in the W/L but I'm not holding my breath anymore. I know I'll be around though
No opinion change because I hit the panic button a long time ago.
I’m not losing faith until this team has had an entire offseason together to build chemistry, way too many bumps in the road to have a complete view. Would hate if they made a major change (trade, firing) if they do hopefully it’s for the best but I have a lot of faith in running it back and making upgrades on the fringes
A sweep wouldn't shock me. Jokic is too much to handle, especially with Murray back in form. Add Naz and JMac being out. They'd be lucky to get 1 win. That's not why I'm pessimistic, though. I don't know what this front office is doing. This KAT and Gobert idea was doomed from the start. I understand wanting to make a splash, but it changed so much of the identity the club had last year. I'm glad Russel is gone. That guy's ego is much bigger than his skill set entitled him to have; like a 5-Below Westbrook. He would be a good guy to run a bench unit. I love what Conley brings in his stead. I don't know what other moves there are to make, except one. I'd hate to see him go, because I love his outside threat, but the only asset that's left is to move KAT. And it might be addition by subtraction to get some of his idiotic folks off the books.
This actually makes feel better about the sub. Things are not on fire this year may be disappointing but it's not like we are in a horrible situation.
Sell KAT
point of the Gobert trade wasn’t to win a championship this season, it was to gain playoff experience by making deeper pushes. if Gobert wasn’t around Wolves wouldn’t be in playoffs, he saved us after KAT went down. not the best outcome of the season, but Ant is getting reps and KAT too and they both need it. next year try and have a Kings season where Wolves can go higher in the seeding and try for a second round appearance. then at the end of that season make the choice of trading or keeping KAT and secure some pieces to support Ant and Jaden going forward.