Canis Pulsus - Vol. XX Results

What an offseason it’s been so far. Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez, and Tim Connelly have opted to cash in (nearly) all of their chips to take leaps, not steps, forward by zagging when the league is zigging. The Minnesota Timberwolves are either wildly foolish or fearlessly confident.

How is the 2022-2023 team shaping up in the eyes of the comments section?

(Note: Results were tallied prior to the Austin Rivers and A.J. Lawson additions)

---

Trading pick 19 for picks 22 & 29

Very Satisfied (68%)

Many of the favorite Canis Hoopus prospects were drafted leading up to pick number 19 (Minus EJ Liddell), as expected. Mark Williams at 15. Tari Eason at 17. Dalen Terry at 18. Instead, Tim Connelly decided to turn one swing into two, moving down three picks to select the prospect he wanted while also gaining pick number 29. Solid value!

Full voting results:

---

Drafting Walker Kessler with the 22nd pick

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Slightly Satisfied (49%)

Like much of Wolves Twitter, I was not particularly excited about the Walker Kessler pick. Using your best first round pick on a seemingly one-dimensional player at a position not of need? However, much like many others, I also tried to talk myself into the idea of a big shot blocking center who could theoretically play spot minutes next to KAT. Hm...

Full voting results:

---

Trading pick 29 & two future second-round picks for pick 26

Slightly Satisfied (37%)

It became apparent that Connelly’s guy in this draft would not be available come pick 29. Perhaps a miscalculation? Maybe. That said, the cost of readjusting was (just) two future seconds. Not great value to move up three spots at the end of the first round, but time will tell if the guy selected was worth it.

Full voting results:

---

Drafting Wendell Moore Jr. with the 26th pick

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Slightly Satisfied (48%)

Tim Connelly was apparently ecstatic to get Wendell Moore Jr. Moore is in the mold of a Gary Harris, Will Barton, Bones Hyland archetype and though he hasn’t had a spectacular summer league performance, there’s certainly belief in him from the front office.

Full voting results:

---

Trading pick 40 for pick 45 & future second-round pick

Very Satisfied (41%)

Another solid move by the Wolves front office, moving down five picks and picking up a future second after having shipped out a few in the move to get Moore. Hard to object here.

Full voting results:

---

Drafting Josh Minott with the 45th pick

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

Very Satisfied (54%)

Josh Minott, who’s number one fan is John Hollinger, was scooped up by Connelly in the middle of the second round. If Connelly’s draft history indicates anything, this means Minott will be a back-to-back MVP in a few years. All jokes aside, his breakout performances in summer league has already earned him a “Gupta Special,” agreeing a four-year contract over the weekend. I’d call this pick a success already.

Full voting results:

---

Trading pick 48 for future second-round pick & cash

Unsure (34%)

It appeared that Connelly’s team was satisfied with drafting four players instead of five. Once again, he opted to move number 48 for another future second to rebalance what was lost in the move up to get Moore. This move garnered the most skepticism from voters.

Full voting results:

---

Drafting Matteo Spagnolo with the 50th pick

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

Slightly Satisfied (35%)

You could do worse with a second round draft and stash. However, it’s hard to do better than drafting the “Italian Ricky Rubio.” The 19-year-old will likely play overseas next season, but at least we have someone to take the place of Leandro Bolmaro as our international prospect in the oven.

Full voting results:

---

Signing Taurean Prince to a two-year $16M deal

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Very Satisfied (64%)

Bringing back the bench leader from the previous season was clearly a priority for the front office. After earning $13 million the previous year, TP took the pay cut down to just under $8 million a year as the 28-year-old enters into his prime.

Full voting results:

---

Declining to extend Josh Okogie his $5.8M qualifying offer

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Very Satisfied (53%)

The longest tenured Timberwolf outside of KAT has finally been set free. Josh Okogie, a long-time emotional leader for the Wolves, will be missed for his contributions from the bench. Unfortunately, his on-court production stagnated years ago. In his four years with Minnesota, he was never able to crack the .300 3P% mark or even a .480 eFG% mark. Nonstop was always a fun character, a positive influence in the community, and someone I always rooted for, but it was more than fair to let him walk. We’ll always have this moment.

Full voting results:

---

Signing Kyle Anderson to a two-year $18M deal

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Very Satisfied (92%)

Canis Hoopus finally gets their guy! The 28-year-old adds layers of nuance to an increasing intriguing team. He’s a defensive ace who marches to the beat of his own drum on offense, usually for the better. The versatility that he brings on the court is something that many of us have been waiting to see ever since the 2014 NBA draft.

Full voting results:

---

Signing Nathan Knight to a two-way deal

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

Slightly Satisfied (48%)

The “Knight King” is back. The two-way star showed enough to gain one of the 60 available two-way spots in the NBA. It feels like Knight is the brink of earning a full-time contract and hopefully he can show enough to make the jump soon. That said, he’ll be hard-pressed to find playing time behind Towns, Gobert, and Naz Reid.

Full voting results:

---

Trading Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, four future first-round picks, & a pick swap for Rudy Gobert

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Very Satisfied (58%)

Looks like CH are fans of adding the best player in a trade! Parting with beloved fan favorites in Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt likely hurts, but not when they are part of a deal to bring in a likely future Hall of Fame player in his prime. There’s plenty more reactions to this move later.

Full voting results:

---

Signing Bryn Forbes to a veteran minimum deal

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Very Satisfied (62%)

In the first Gobert-era move, Connelly signed the seven-year veteran sharpshooter to a cheap contract. The career 41.3% three point shooter may only play spot minutes, but he’ll still offer perimeter gravity that could usurp what Malik Beasley had.

Full voting results:

---

How worried are you about the lack of future first-round picks?

Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images

Slightly Worried (45%)

I was surprised to see the majority vote teeter towards the “Not worried at all” end of the spectrum. Could it be because of the quality of player the Wolves received in return, making those picks much less valuable? Or was this a reflection of our belief in Tim Connelly & Co. to draft MVPs in the second round?

Full voting results:

---

How excited are you about the Gobert & Towns front-court pairing?

Credit: ClutchPoints

Extremely Excited (81%)

A Very Nice amount of voters can’t wait for the unveiling of the Twin Towers. The Bad Mood Bros. The science experiment that pairs KAT’s offensive yin with Gobert’s defensive yang is one that is hard not to be excited about, whether or not you think it’ll be successful. We zaggin’, baby!

Full voting results:

---

What do you envision Russell/Edwards/McDaniels/Towns/Gobert core achieving in the 2022-2023 season?

Extended Postseason Run (61%)

In the Timberwolves 24 year history, they have only advanced past the first round of the playoffs once. Not great. However, it appears that the Nouveau Wolves™ have inspired faith to begin a new era of postseason success.

Full voting results:

---

With the new roster changes, my feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are...

Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix

Very Optimistic (86%)

Previous grade: Very optimistic (76.5%)

Optimism is king at CH! Karl-Anthony Towns, in his prime and fresh off an All-NBA season campaign. Anthony Edwards, hitting Hollywood stardom and an impressive postseason performance to boot. D’Angelo Russell, entering a contract season with everything to prove. Rudy Gobert, finally given a fresh start on a team that will appreciate him. Jaden McDaniels, a blossoming young two-way monster who is just scratching his surface. Let’s go!!!

Full voting results:

Link to the full results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wow1iw5JBCehf69m-m1chEwkPkG-jeWx4Lj3K3vP7qU/edit?usp=sharing