Canis Pulsus - Vol. 2 Results

Preseason begins in less than a week, but doesn’t it feel like the offseason just ended? Well that’s because it did. In less than a month, the Minnesota Timberwolves have jumped through the draft, free agency, and now are diving head first into training camp. Whew. With the roster now (mostly) set, let’s get to the important stuff.

What did the Canis hivemind think?

(Note: Canis Pulsus Vol. 2 was published right after the Ed Davis trade)

---

What grade would you give the draft process of using the 1st pick on Anthony Edwards?

B+ (24.5%)

Average: Between B ~ B+

I was surprised to see the vote land between a B to B+. In Canis Pulsus Vol. 1, only 24% of CH wanted to draft Anthony Edwards with the first overall pick in the draft. With that in mind, 85% of voters gave this a grade within the A or B ranges. Perhaps this result was impacted by the next question…

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the draft process of trading the 17th pick & James Johnson, for Ricky Rubio, 25th pick, and 28th pick?

A+ (40.4%)

Average: Between A ~ A-

Why Ball when you can Rubioop? The prodigal son returns! Who wouldn’t be excited for the return of our savior (and two additional late 1st rounders)? Well, 3% of voters voted lower than a B range. I’ll refrain from shaming the voter who graded this a D-, but maybe they have a point depending on how you viewed the #17 pick. Regardless, you love to see this.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the draft process of trading the 25th pick & 33rd pick, for the 23rd pick?

C- (15.1%)

Average: C+

Oof. CH did not like this deal and it’s hard to disagree. Even without considering the player which the Timberwolves moved up for, trading the both the 25th and 33rd pick just to move up 2 spots is horrible value. The kicker? It was the fellow bottom-feeding franchise, the New York Knicks, who took us for this ride. 58% of voters went with a grade of C+ or lower, earning the lowest scores of all moves in this volume of Canis Pulsus.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the draft process of using the 23rd pick on Leandro Bolmaro?

B (22.6%)

Average: B-

Despite the poor decision to move up, drafting Leandro Bolmaro was bit more defensible. Although many of us were left wondering “Who the hell is Leandro Bolmaro,” it was clear that keeping a roster space open without bringing a potentially third rookie into this season was important to Gersson Rosas. Some pundits considered Bolmaro to be the 2nd best European prospect, but it was still questionable whether or not he was the right pick at 23 considering many options that were still the board, earning this the second lowest score of the draft day decisions.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the process of using the 28th pick on Jaden McDaniels?

B+ (22.8%)

Average: B

The tantalizing potential of Jaden McDaniels most likely helped him earn higher scores than the drafting of Bolmaro. In a draft class many have labeled as weak, taking a big swing on a young, toolsy prospect was probably a good idea. In fact, 53% of CH graded this selection with a B range grade. Though not likely to get much playing time this year, it will be fun to track how Justin Patton Jaden McDaniels grows in the G-league this season.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the draft process of signing Ashton Hagans to a two-way contract?

B (23.1%)

Average: Between B ~ B-

Right as the second round of the draft concluded, Rosas and Co. quickly made an offer out to two athletic point guards, Devon Dotson and Ashtons Hagans. Although the former chose Chicago, the latter was the guard I was more excited about due to his defensive chops. On a team starved for talent on that end of the court, it will be fun to see if Hagans can develop the way that Naz Reid did under the tutelage of the Timberwolves player development staff. One thing is for sure, Hagans isn’t wasting any team acclimating himself to his new teammates.

Full voting results:

How would you grade the front office’s overall performance in the 2020 NBA draft?

B+ (24.5%)

Average: Between B+ ~ B

It seems that CH was happy with the Timberwolves’ overall performance. There were some highs and some lows, but they didn’t actively sabotage themselves (knock on wood) so that’s a win in my book! There was definitely an injection of talent whether through #1 pick, Anthony Edwards, or the reacquisition of our special Spanish Unicorn, Ricky Rubio.

Full voting results:

Which player did you most wish the Timberwolves drafted?

Anthony Edwards (20.7%)

Of all players that CH wanted to see drafted to Minnesota, I was surprised to see Anthony Edwards was surprising in the top spot. Or perhaps I just expected to see more players higher on this list who were voted for in Canis Pulsus Vol. 1 such as: Onyeka Okongwu (Trade down scenario), LaMelo Ball (#1 overall), Patrick Williams (#17), and Tre Jones (#33). Maybe this was a pivot from CH to just embrace whoever we drafted. Maybe it was a sarcastic vote. Whatever the case is… ladies and gentleman, WE GOT ‘EM!

Full voting results:

Which Timberwolves rookie are you most excited to see play?

Anthony Edwards

Well... it was between the #1 overall pick, a Euro draft & stash, and the #28 overall pick. In a shocker, Edwards was the top answer here again. The results to this question would have probably been more exciting if Minnesota had pulled off a trade down from #1, a trade up from the #17, or even stayed pat at their original slots.

Full voting results:

Which Timberwolves rookie do you think will have the most successful NBA career?

Anthony Edwards

Similar to above, it was an obvious answer here. Whether that’s a compliment to Edwards or an indictment to Bolmaro or McDaniels is up to your interpretation. If you’re interested in getting to know more about what Edwards’ goals are for the year, check out his YouTube Q&A video.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the decision of re-signing Malik Beasley to a 4-year, $60M (TO) contract?

B (28.7%)

Average: Between B- ~ B

At first, Malik Beasley’s 4-year, $60 million deal was eye-popping for all the wrong reasons. The length, the money, and the additional off the court stuff that doesn’t need more rehashing – all of that was surprising. However, upon further review, it seemed much more reasonable when framed as a 3-year $43.5 million deal with a 4th-year $16.5 million team option, beginning at $13.3 million in year one. With just 4% of CH giving this a less than passing grade, we can all hold our collective breaths and hope Malik continues playing at his pre-COVID level.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the decision of re-signing Juancho Hernangomez to a 3-year, $21M (TO) contract?

B (20.2%);

Average: Between B ~ B-

The need for upgrades at the power forward position and on the defensive end of the court was obvious. The market for these stretch bigs was rich this offseason, but they began to fly off the board. RoCo to the Blazers. Jerami Grant to Pistons. JaMychal Green and Paul Millsap to the Nuggets.

Although there was some interest from the front office in a few of those players, it became apparent that the gig was Juancho’s to lose. What he offers in 3-point shooting, he gives up on the defensive end. So even without much of a market for him, Hernangomez was still offered a hefty contract similarly structured as his former Denver teammate, Malik Beasley. A 2-year $13.5 million deal with a 3rd-year $7.5 million team option, beginning at $6.5 million in year one isn’t too bad. 19% of CH gave this an A range grade, compared to the 7% Beasley received. With a puppet master like Rosas stringing together the roster, it’s very possible that both Hernangomez and Beasley’s deals could be combined for a 3rd star type contract.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the decision of rescinding Kelan Martin’s qualifying offer?

A (26.4%)

Average: Between B ~ B+

Despite being D’Angelo Russell’s other BFF on the team, Kelan Martin was let go by the Wolves. The feisty marksman never really found much consistency both with minutes nor from beyond the arc. In fact only 2% of voters gave this a non-passing grade of D. The front office deemed his roster spot more important to be used as future flexibility. Fortunately for Martin, he was able to catch on with the Indiana Pacers.

Full voting results:

What grade would you give the decision of trading Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans, & future 2nd for Ed Davis?

A (36.2%)

Average: A-

Although Ed Davis probably won’t be starting any games for the Timberwolves this season (Davis has only started 14% of his career games), his addition to the roster was extremely welcome. Among all questions in this volume, the decision to move future hall of famers Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans, and a future 2nd round pick for Ed Davis, earned the second highest approval rating from CH. 88% of votes earned a B+ grade or higher. His locker room presence and defensive skills will be welcome with open arms!

Full voting results:

How would you grade the front office’s performance in free agency 2020?

B (29.8%)

Average: B

It’s hard to top the draft grade considering we picked up FIBA MVP, Ricky Rubio, but a solid 82% of CH gave the Timberwolves a B range grade or higher in their free agency performance. Now they didn’t go out and add a big-time contributor, but they also didn’t hand out free money to unknowns. Essentially, Gersson Rosas has literally put his (well, Glen Taylor’s) money on the guys he acquired ten months ago. Time will soon tell if that was a worthy wager, but Rosas made a few minor additions around the edges (Davis and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – the latter who was signed to an unguaranteed contract after this piece was published) that should bode nicely for the locker room.

Full voting results:

Which new acquisition will have the best impact on the team?

Ricky Rubio (86.2%)

Have I mentioned that we added a MVP to our roster yet? Who wouldn’t expect this caliber of a player to have the biggest impact on the team? Ricky Rubio is no longer the young, floppy haired, 21-year-old whose game was filled with flair. Rick, as coined by D’Angelo Russell, is now a grizzled, man-bun sporting, 30-year-old father whose a 36% 3-point shooter among many other things. Rubio will no doubt be crucial to Minnesota’s journey towards 72-0.

Full voting results:

Select 2 of the offseason moves which were your favorite.

1) Trading the #17 & James Johnson for Ricky Rubio, #25, & #28 (95.7%)

2) Drafting Anthony Edwards with the 1st pick (39.4%)

Unsurprisingly, we once again see the acquisition of Ricky Rubio earn the top vote. However, it was a bit surprising to see the Anthony Edwards selection as the runner-up. Perhaps there was the same logic as described in question #8 above. One thing is for certain though, CH loves their Ricard/Ricky/Rick Rubio. All but 4 out of the 94 voters selected trading for Ricky Rubio as one of their favorite moves.

Full voting results:

Select 2 of the offseason moves which were your least favorite.

1) Trading the #25 & #33 pick for the #23 (65.6%)

2) Drafting Leandro Bolmaro with the #23 pick (33.3%)

In true CH fashion, there were more varying opinions on what they didn’t like from this offseason. CH voiced their concerns with these moves in the results of questions 3 and 4 so it was not surprising to see them pop-up once again. Perhaps the most interesting part of this result was that 2 voters did not like the Ricky Rubio move, and 1 voter did not like the Ed Davis move. Perhaps they were big fans of the Omari Spellman/Jacob Evans era.

Full voting results:

Now that the draft and free agency are over, my feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are:

Slightly optimistic (57.5%)

Canis Hoopus? Slightly optimistic??? Color me impressed. 81% of voters felt either slightly or very optimistic about the team’s direction. Is it the fact that we’re coming off a nearly 9-month layoff? Is it the typical offseason championship mentality that’s still settling in? Or maybe it’s that rainbow trail of magic that we just re-acquired? Either way, this may be the most positive CH has been since the summer of 2017!

Full voting results:

If there is one more realistic roster move left, what do you hope it is?

1) Upgrade at the PF position (39.1%)

2) Retain Jordan McLaughlin (37.7%)

So what’s next? CH wanted an upgrade at the PF position. Does a non-guaranteed contract to RHJ count? Maybe not. Retain Jordan McLaughlin. Um… yikes. However you can rest assured that Gersson, in typical fashion, will leave no stone unturned, as we witnessed last season. A roster shakeup can happen at any point through March 25, 2021, when the NBA is planning to set the trade deadline. However, my personal favorite 3 answers to this question were:

3) Do whatever it takes to nurture and make Anthony Edwards happy. If you have to use the MLE to acquire the hottest hooker money can buy, do it. You’re welcome!

2) Giving Ricky Rubio a lifetime contract and also my phone number (for friendship texts and post-covid pickup game scheduling)

1) Rubio beats Lakers by batting eyelashes at LeBron, causing backbreaking turnover at buzzer.

Full voting results:

There we have it, Canis Pulsus Vol. 2 in the books. Thank you all who participated and be on the lookout for ­Canis Pulsus Vol .3 – Season Kickoff Edition!