...a really interesting, provocative post. A bit counter-intuitive from my standpoint, but all the more interesting for being so.

A couple of comments. You ask why not McCants at PG rather than Foye. For me it’s an intuitive thing, I can’t see McCants playing the point any more than I could see Carmelo Anthony or Ricky Davis playing it. (I mention these guys because McCants reminds me of them; I could be wrong.) He just doesn’t seem like that kind of player to me. Foye, on the other hand, does. Not that he’ll be some kind of magic man, but he seems to have more of a point guard mentality, I think, than McCants. For me, McCants is a 2 whose game tends toward the 3…while Foye is a 2 whose game tends toward the 1. I’m sure the FO is hoping he turns into Joe Dumars.

Also, re: Snow: I notice that you mention him at the very beginning of your post, then not again. Is this because he’d only be around for a year, when his salary would presumably come off the books? What about this year, do you see him fitting at all? I loved him with the Sixers, thought he was the perfect backcourt partner for Iverson, but not sure for the Wolves…plus he can’t have much left in the tank?

Anyways I hate to end on what for you must seem like a pessimistic note, but I can’t see it happening – the FO has basically gone all in with Foye I think (not so with McCants). This might change next summer if Foye has a terrible year, but not before, in my opinion.

Like the general idea although..

Deng seems to be close to a deal with Chicago. I don’t know the other guys on the list all to well. Turkoglu for instance (for some reason Orlando isn’t televised much on Belgian TV). Though his numbers look nice and he would be a true veteran while the young core is in its prime, I like that. Pacers aren’t really popular here either so haven’t really seen Granger play .. I hear he’s good. I just hope we don’t end up with cap space and no interesting players.

Gonna read the deathmatch later but I just don’t like Shaddy. I think Foye can play better defense (numbers don’t back me up here, I know) and when I saw Foye play paint in Summer League last year, it looked like he had found his way. He knew EXACTLy when to pass and when to shoot, he organised, I’m still thinking he didn’t get 100% comfortable being thrown in halfway through the season.

Why I don’t think Shaddy can play defense, point guard or is a good teammate? Because I think he’s not smart. It all comes down to that. His off the court troubles, his ego-I-wanna-be-a-starter-even-though-I’m-getting-lots-of-mintues, his hogging the ball … it all comes down to him not being an intelligent guy and an intelligent person. He’s the one guy I’m not assured of that he’s not gonna do something stupid. With Telfair on the team that’s saying something.

Apart from that, looks great, wouldn’t have thought of it.

Although I can imagine the talk radio hysteria this would generate. I think the Wolves would need at least a second rounder or something coming back.

One step the Wolves are probably going to need to take eventually is a willingness to cut bait on some of their younger players, either for ineffectual play and/or big-picture roster/cap considerations (essentially what Philly did with Carney). Maybe it’s an overreaction to the years of recklessly burning draft picks in trades (or not having picks at all), but suddenly it’s as though this team is run by Twins or Wild execs with the growing-from-within sound bites.

Don’t get me wrong. Building a team with young players is a VERY welcome change of pace around here. A real breath of fresh air. But not all-or even most-of these guys are going to pan out. And even some of the ones who do (Craig Smith) might make more sense to use as bait than hoarding them just to hoard them.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is something I’ll be watching for over the next couple years: will they take a big-picture approach (something they’ve almost never done) and evaluate who’s a good fit and who’s better to move (or just cut bait on), or will they sign McCants and Foye and Brewer to long-term deals just because they drafted them and let the death match continue indefinantly while other aspects of the roster suffer? We’ll see.

As for the 2009 class, Danny Granger would be a fantastic fit for this team, btw. A non-star decent perimeter defender/shooter with legit SF size. Deng is better but will likely be more expensive and isn’t as good an outside shooter. Although Indy will probably keep Granger in the fold.

Following up on Pliny’s post, how great would it be to have your PG rotation be Bassy and Snow? I mean, what would we average next year in ppg for our pg spot? 10 points? 8?

Not that i’m knocking the idea. I think it’s an interesting strategy, with a couple of points:
1. I agree with everyone who points out that just because the wolves will have a lot of cap room in 2010 that they can be a player. Why is anyone going to want to come here unless they show real improvement in the next couple of years. Either way, they are going to have to overpay to get people here. So positioning yourself for 2009 is probably a good strategy.
2. However, you have to be convinced you can get the right player at the right position. And you’re probably going to have to overpay for him, because the PG rotation this year would lead you to something like 25-30 wins. Looks like Deng will be off the market. I’m guessing Smith will be too (though wouldn’t he be a great fit with an undersized 4 and 5?), so that leaves Granger and HT (of your list). Maybe you overpay for Granger, because hes young and has a lot left. HT, i’m not so sure.
3. Particularly given the PG rotation above, i think McCants is the likely choice to get traded, if someone is traded. Snow has NOTHING left. Without getting ito the Foye v. McCants thing (i vote “neither”) at least Foye has played the combo guard role.
4. On top of #3, we still have the fact that Foye is the Guy Who Got Traded for Brandon Roy. So I just don’t see the FO have the stones to dump him (remember, this isn’t a case like Donyell where they could blame the prior regime). Imagine the headlines if they traded him for an expiring contract. Better get something else included if you deal Foye.
5. Along the lines of #4, it’s a helluva lot easier to sell the “We traded McCants because he was a headcase and not a team player and oh by the way he and wasn’t part of our plans anyway” to the local populace.
6. Don’t forget that we’re not paying Bassy starting PG money. The front office clearly plans to start Foye at the PG, and I don’t think they will deal him before seeing that Bassy is the actual PG of the future. Which won’t happen until midseason at least (if at all). So this, to me, is much more of a trade deadline deal rather than an offseason deal. Unless it includes Mccants.

In short, if a deal like this happens, i think it happens with Shaddy. I think i’m in the camp of letting the deathmatch continue through midseason and then pull off a deal at the deadline. Maybe that destroys the trade value of whoever loses the deathmatch, but at least you get to see if one or the other benefits significantly from the addition of Love and Miller.

I’m not as pessimistic about the possibility of attracting FAs as most seem to be. I think it all depends on what happens here in the next 2 years: if Jefferson, Love and Foye (or whoever) pan out, and the Wolves are looking like a strong young team, wouldn’t talented players want to come here for the chance to win? Maybe I’m wrong, but Toronto and Detroit are also pretty cold, seen as undesirable by some, and they seem to be doing fine with attracting players (e.g. Toronto was able to sign Kapono and Delfino, Calderon re-signed without even testing the waters, O’Neal is happy to be going there because he feels like they’ll win).

—but is Foye’s value really this low, that you’re just hoping to package him with a deadweight contract and get an expiring deal back? Just to unjam a roster a bit?

I think Foye still has a good reputation for being a talented youngster in the league, and could at LEAST get a 1st round pick, maybe a few, or even an equally good but different type of youngster that the Wolves need more of.

I don’t think Foye is great, but he’s GOOD, and even if he is duplicated by McCants, he’s gotta have more value than this.

Is there something about him I’m missing? Is he a jerk?

McCants attitude and size for a SG seems to be the bigger problems to me, but what do I know. Maybe McCants can become a playmaker, but he seems like a pure scorer all the way, not able to be concerned with getting an offense going or getting his teammates involved. I think he thinks he is a star, where he is just Rashad McCants.

I’m glad you think highly enough of Bassy to make this sort of move, because I always hoped he’d find a home with a team that believed in him and let him grow, but I gotta think this is waaaay less value than you could get for Foye.

I dunno the front office’s opinion on this, it’s just my point of view.

Mortimer

...as much as I am acknowledging that Cardinal has a hard deal to move.

to a far away place. Even though I would do your MDM trade, I think we could at least get something/someone of use back in the trade.

Also IMO Stephen Curry’s game isn’t going to translate well the to the NBA. He’s a 6’0” SG.