FanPost

The 15th Man

I am a long time lurker, first time poster here at Canis Hoopus and a life-long wolves fan. There has been a lot of discussion about who people want to sign with the 15th roster spot. The discussion revolves around what each player could do on the court. I think the better question is what can the 15th player do for you when he's on the bench. My ideal 15 man roster would be composed of:

1-5 capable starters (Rubio-Martin-Budinger-Love-Pekovic)

6-10 capable backups to starters (Barea-Shved-Brewer-Williams-Turiaf) This bench is not ideal, due to questions about whether they are actually capable.

11-12 Versatile players who can play multiple positions based matchups and need (Cunningham- Johnson) It would be nice if one were a 2/3 instead of a 3/4 and 4/5.

13-14 Developmental guys, who will be relatively cheap for a few years and could help if injury presents an issue (Muhammad-Deng)

15-Towel waver, bench energy, mood stimulater, cheer leader, big personality. This could rub off on impressionable developmental guys, giving a 3 man cheer squad at the end of the bench. People tend to play better when confident and having fun. Also, big bench reactions are positive reinforcements to good plays. Can you imagine how much more often Wes would have gone to the rim if that action was reinforced by a triad of towel waving, screaming lunatics mirroring his smile instead of Anthony Randolph's sad face? Basically our bench seems to be too subdued at times. Shved, Deng, and Johnson seem relatively quiet. Shabazz doesn't seem like the cheering type. Dante and Barea are too serious (also needed to balance fun and urgency). Corey Brewer is a start, but won't be on the bench enough to lead cheers. Turiaf has some potential, but I'm afraid he's going to play too much. We need a Kent Bazemore or Robert Sacre. Basically, I think that the 15th man can help a team win by improving team chemistry. If that man is on the court for any extended period of time due to injury, the team is more than likely screwed anyway. I want a free agent that has trained at Patty Mills' towel waving academy this summer, not another quiet guy sitting one the end of the bench.