16 games left... Time to look to the Offseason.
by Patsfanatic83 on Mar 10, 2011 7:55 PM CST
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Stick with me here, this is my first major post on CH, love the site, and I have been a huge Wolves fan since the days before KG's name was called with the 5th overall pick in 1995.
Been hearing lots of draft talk around the CH water cooler lately, but not much on the free agents available in the summer of 2011...
So this is where Pats steps in for some fun info/ possible targets for this upcoming off-season.
Team Free Agents
Not much here, we are set to lose Sebastian Telfair and his shoot first, shoot second and "whats a pass?" attitude, as an unrestricted free agent.
More Expensive Names on the Market
Unrestricted name players out there include Glen Davis (Boston), Caron Butler (Dallas), Kenyon Martin (Denver), Tracy McGrady and Tayshaun Prince (Detroit), Yao Ming (Houston), T.J. Ford (Indiana), Zach Randolph (Memphis), Michael Redd (Milwaukee), Jason Richardson (Orlando), Grant Hill (Phoenix), Samuel Dalembert (Sacramento), AK47 (Utah), and Josh Howard (Washington).
2011 is looking to be a very weak unrestricted free agent market, and to the Timberpuppies none of the above look like additions that would fit into the current mold. Unless of course Michael Redd takes a lower contract for a season or two to prove his health. A couple of interesting UFA's include Carl Landry (NO), Kris Humphries (NJ), Ike Diogu (LAC) and JR Smith (Denver).
Restricted Free Agents on the Market
The restricted free agent market is where things get mighty interesting... Tons of young talent that would be fitting to this team, however there are a couple that stick out as better fits then others.
Greg Oden (Portland) - Injury prone and hyper talented, a true man among men if he can stay healthy. Played only 21 games in 09-10 but averaged 11.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.3 bpg in only 23.9 minutes per game. If healthy could be dominating, would be a huge risk, and could be available because of his health issues.
Arron Afflalo (Denver)- Defensive stopper, averaging 12.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg in 34.7 mpg with a 50.1 fg% and shooting 42.9 % from 3. A CH poster favorite, he has picked it up in his last 10 games with 15.9/5.5/2.6 line. Wold likely take a rather large offer to peel from the Nugs.
DeAndre Jordan (LAC)- Another RFA thrown around CH alot, averages 6.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 1.7 bpg in 25.8 mpg. Still very raw on the offensive end, very solid on the glass and a good defender, he has shown improvement in each of his 3 seasons in the NBA.
Marc Gasol (Memphis)- Younger brother of Pau, another strong center on the RFA market, having a small regression in 10-11 with 11.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg with 52.1 fg% in 32.5 mpg, compared to 09-10 where he posted 14.6/9.3/58.1% in 35.8 mpg. Unlikely that Memphis would not match a contract offer on Gasol.
Aaron Brooks (Phoenix)- Very fast, solid scorer has had attitude issues and a down year in 10-11. Averages 10.9 ppg, 3.7 asg, 35.5 fg% and 29.3% from 3 in 22.5 mpg. In 09-10, had an All-star caliber season with a 19.6/5.3/43.2%/39.8% line in 35.6 mpg. Risky signing due to attitude issues, and which Brooks would the Wolves be getting?
Nick Young (Washington)- Scorer, but not much else. Not necessarily a lack of defense, just a lack of want to play defense. Averages 17.9 ppg with 44.7 fg% and 40.1% from 3 in 32.1 mpg. Would fill a high usage scorer role, but gives up points by the boatload to opposition.
The Wolves could definitely use a high usage scoring 2 guard and a defensive minded center. Alot of moves ride on the plan of Ricky Rubio, where we land in the draft and any possible trades in the offseason. All those moves aside, who would you like to see is those sweet black Minnesota unis next season? And how much much would you be willing to sign these player for?
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I think Wes Johnson can eventually
become our Affalo, so I didn’t vote for him. And while that isn’t exactly the peak performance you ultimately want from the #4 pick, well, we kinda knew that going in with Wes. Nevertheless, I do see him being able to match or come close to AA’s production and defense within the next couple of years.
So I voted for DeAndre Jordan. The guy knows what to do with the ball when he gets it around the hoop. If you start talking about a big rotation of Love, Jordan, Pekovic, Randolph, and Tolliver (I’m assuming Darko gets shipped out under this scenario…..), that becomes a real strength of our team.
I voted for DeAndre as well
If i didn’t have some reservations with Greg Oden’s Yao like health history… He would be far and away the guy I’d want to go after, when healthy he has been down right dominating in little minutes. A true 7 footer that can block ALOT of shots, I’d love to see him next to Love.
by Patsfanatic83 on Mar 10, 2011 8:34 PM CST up reply actions
What kind of contract do you think it would take to get Jordan?
I think he has the most overall appeal, but I also think it would cost too much. I would rather spend lightly on a higher risk player (Oden…. maybe 2 years, 7-10mil?). Plus, Jordan’s 40% from the foul line scares the hell out of me.
7-10M for Oden
isn’t exactly “spending lightly”, especially for a guy with his injury history. I’d much rather throw that money toward a still-developing and healthy Jordan. I don’t know how much he’d cost us once the new CBA is in place, but at some point we’re going to need to open up the check book to a degree in order to get the right players on this squad.
by Rascal Flatts on Mar 11, 2011 11:28 AM CST up reply actions
Oh, sorry
You meant 7-10M over the course of his 2-year deal, correct? Not per year…..That would seem like a reasonable risk to take with Oden. But I’m tired of reclamation projects. Jordan is a bird in the hand.
by Rascal Flatts on Mar 11, 2011 11:28 AM CST up reply actions
Yes, 2 years total
… 3-5mil/year… something similar to what Corey Brewer just got from DAL, but on a shorter contact..
It goes back to cost...
If Oden is 4mil/yr for 2 and Jordan is 7mil/yr for 2 or 3, I go for Jordan.
If Jordan wants 10+mil/yr or 5+years, I go with Oden.
Ya
I would expect Jordan to cost a ton. Some team, likely the Clips, is going to drool over what he is showing he could become. I like him, probably less than anthers though, but there is no doubt he has played himself out of our range.
Now, Oden is really interesting. I’m not so sure if I would do it because I feel like once a big man is injured they aren’t going to come back. But I wouldn’t be mad if the Wolves did decide to take a peek. Problem is, I think a lot of other teams will want to as well.
I reluctantly picked Oden.
I wouldn’t give him a great offer but this guy just seems to have so much upside. I’m not exactly sure how confident I’d be in him given his injury history. This is a pure upside vote.
Oden is done
Once big guys start getting hurt, they get much worse before they get better
Formerly thewild_viking_twins. Because my old profile was kidnapped by ninjas, and I was NOT a bad enough dude to rescue it...
by NorthernStar on Mar 10, 2011 9:41 PM CST up reply actions
The Obvious comparison here is Bowie
who actually played quite well once he got to the Nets after a similar injury history. Oden was better at a younger age. I’d throw the MLE at him if a doctor thought it was likely he had some 2000 minute seasons in his future.
Silly comparison
Bowie had a long and successful career, highlighted by the wonderful “Let’s Dance” and the timeless Mick Jagger duet “Dancing in the Street.”
The user formerly known as Bahlgren1
by BrettAhlgren on Mar 11, 2011 10:06 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, but
who can forget the horror of the “China Girl” era?
You are a little soul carrying a corpse. --Epictetus
by Cynical Jason on Mar 12, 2011 12:56 AM CST up reply actions
Every career has its low point.
Oden’s already had his “fun with photography.”
The user formerly known as Bahlgren1
by BrettAhlgren on Mar 12, 2011 4:47 PM CST up reply actions
Gasol...
Was my vote… If we could get him for around 10 Mil a year, we should jump at the chance. We could trade Darko/Pek… whoever has more value. A rotation of Love, Gasol, Pek/Darko, and Randolph seems great to me… With Gasol and Love, we would have a top 5 frontcourt… If we could pick up a guy like Harrison Barnes in the draft (idk if he’ll enter), we could have a great nucleus…
PG: Rubio, Ridnour
SG: Barnes, Ellington
SF: Johnson, Tolliver
PF: Love, Randolph
C: Gasol, Pek/Darko
That doesn’t include Michael Beasley or Jonny Flynn… I love B-Easy but I think we should see what someone will give us for him. Flynn frankly doesn’t have a spot on this team when Rubio arrives. Idk if this is the best route to go, but it would have a pretty bright future, in my opinion.
Yea purdy dang solid
Only better situation I could see is catching the number one pick… (HA!) and drafting Kylie Irving.
Then I would try to package Rubio, B-Easy, other 1st round pick (16-20), and the utah pick to LAC for Eric Gordon, a sign and trade of DeAndre Jordan and our 1st rounder back. How do you think that would work out? Seems relatively realistic.
Then have a rotation of :
PG Rubio/ Ridnour
SG Gordon/ Ellington
SF Johnson/ Tolliver
PF Love/ Randolph
C Jordan/ Darko/ Pek
Keeping Darko cause the only way you get rid of him is buying him out, and he would be a solid backup 5, and Pek as well cause Jordan still has some developing to do.
by Patsfanatic83 on Mar 10, 2011 9:42 PM CST up reply actions
Errrrr ... My mistake Sub Kylie Irving for Rubio. =P
by Patsfanatic83 on Mar 10, 2011 9:45 PM CST up reply actions
I think
It would be easier to get Eric Gordon and our first back for the 1st overall (so they could get Kyrie Irving) and a later first like Memphis’… We’d keep Rubio then… But maybe we could work something around what you were saying… it would just take a little more from us I think…
I think Gasol is much better than Jordan, especially next to Kevin Love and potentially Ricky Rubio (they’ve played together)…
Darko isn’t that expensive, but I do agree with you, and we won’t buy him out. He’s a solid Center though, especially off the bench. Pek should be worth a lot in trade…
Well, Don't the Wolves have to pay the rest of the contract even if hes bought out?
and if not, Id still keep Darko around because Jordan isnt a 35-40 center jusssst yet.
by Patsfanatic83 on Mar 10, 2011 10:44 PM CST up reply actions
I'm guessing that we could buy out Darko for cheap
If Darko sees he won’t be starting, and if his attitude problems are partly due to not wanting to be in the USA, and he has an offer to play in Serbia or somewhere else friendly to him, and if he wants his wife & family to be in Europe someplace, then he might just take one year’s salary and head off to a place where he & his family would rather be.
Nice for a 1st post though! :)
Keep it up, nice and informative
Im tired of the obsession with Afflalo
Yes hes a decent SG and he gets 30-35 mpg nightly. He doesnt do anything that our current group of guards cant do. If Wes, Martell, or Wayne saw 30-35 guranteed minutes a night they would be falling into a grove and any one of those 3 would be outproducing Afflalo
Wolves fan in Ohio
If our group of guys
can do what AA does, than why aren’t they doing it? You know why? Because AA is clearly BETTER period. He can start on a very good team even a real contender, obviously none of our guys are that good.
I'd throw a lot of cash at DeAndre Jordan
Why didn’t McFail just draft this guy. What an asshole. He was a top 15 talent who slid to the 2nd round and McFail just sits on his hands and takes Chalmers and then trades him away for nothing. What a douche. Too bad he wasn’t the GM in 09, though. Curry would have loved him and he would be playing here right now. FML I hate this team. Alright, not really.
2011 Draft Targets: H. Barnes, K. Irving, P. Jones, Jonas V, A. Burks
Jordan was the obvious pick in 2008...
and McHale blew it.
That said, he’s not as good of a fit with this team as he was with that crew that had Jefferson on it. On this team, we need a post scorer, and DeAndre would struggle with the higher usage he’d see in this offense (See Darko).
I’d rather gamble on Oden’s health. Throw the cash at whoever is in charge of the Suns’ training staff and try to get the guy’s legs working again.
It doesn't have to be that way
And it seems like Rambis is getting away from the triangle more and more. He’s relying more on his PG to make plays these days using the pick and roll. That would seem to allow for a more conventional low usage/high efficiency Center like Jordan. I think we need him for his defense and efficiency around the hoop. We need a guy that knows how to finish when in close, and Jordan does just that, not to mention the defensive presence he’d give us. I’d throw some coin his way for sure.
by Rascal Flatts on Mar 11, 2011 11:25 AM CST up reply actions
Greg Oden?
Maybe he’ll turn into Zydrunas Ilgauskas?
That's similar to what I was thining
I wonder if an alternate view of contracts would be appropriate here? For example, we offer Greg Oden a 5 year deal worth $5m guaranteed. The first year we give him the same, or similar, advice that Bill Walton has given him. Take a year off and get healthy. No rehab. An actual year away from the game. Go learn to surf and do heaps of yoga (or whatever, it’s just an example) with no pressure. Come back with a nice tan and either you’ll know that playing just isn’t in the cards (early termination with an agreed upon buyout), or we work you into the game plan per your comfort level and our training staff’s recommendations. The contract is set up so that every year (except the first) Oden could make up to…let’s say… $10m if he reaches a metric shit-ton of incentives, which are largely based on playing time.
I think a contract along these lines would be good for him, and likely the investor. However, there will be some team (probably the effing Balzers – he was their #1 pick after all) wiling offer him $7-10m for a year just to see if he can get healthy.
On a side note, if Oden does reach the free agent market, I’m wondering if Memphis makes a strong play for him. There was a huge deal made about how Oden and Conley would love to play on the same team together, like they had all through their formative years. And now that they’ve signed Conley to that re-damn-diculous contract, one would think they are ‘all in’ on him.
"You'd hate to have to choose between death and Kwame."
Draft Perry Jones and trade Rubio (plus #1's) to the Lakers for Kobe......
PG: Ridnour, Flynn,
SG: Kobe, Johnson, Ellington
SF: Beasley, P. Jones, Webster
PF: Love, Tolliver
C: Randolph, Pek , Darko
WORLD CHAMPIONS…………..
Kobe would try on the Wolves
as hard as Kahn tries to think before he says something.
Black Mambas don't like the cold
and I hate snakes. Not the animals…the human ones (see: Kahn, and Kobe.)
"You'd hate to have to choose between death and Kwame."
Though I would take Gasol my real plan is
convince Kim Kardashian to date (“a real Minnesota basketball player”) you have noticed how much better Humphries has been doing right? plus it would increase ticket sales if she came to all the games.
Seriously, Deandre seems pretty solid also. Possibly Perry might be better but that means we don’t draft a top guard and I really hope we do.
Here are my FA targets...
At center: Tyson Chandler, Deondre Jordan, Ronny Turiaf, and Marc Gasol
Wings: JR Smith, Andrei Kirilenko, and maybe Jamario Moon and Luc Mbah a Moute
PG/SG: Maybe (big maybe) Delonte West-not sure we could count on his head being on straight
If we could get Chandler or Jordan @ C the I would use assets to go after a wing.
That would give us:
C: Chandler or Jordan/AT/Pek/AR (later Darko)
PF: Love/AR/AT
SF:
SG:
PG: Rid/Rubio
SF and SG is where I would use the assets to get the best of whatever SF or SG we can and of course there will be leftover players.
Timberwolves' record: Undefeated (5-11, if you go by so-called "Advanced Stats")
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