NBA: T-wolves Current & Future Perspective (long)

[Jonecy]

I'm just curious what true T-wolves fans think about the team this year and how they'll develop in the future b/c they're a pretty young team and I think they've got some potential. I know it's hard for true T-wolves fans to get past the fact that KG is gone and is now an NBA Champ, but just try to look forward.......it's time to move on.

I've never been a big T-wolves fan, but I live in the twin cities now, so I'm trying to support all the teams up here and it's been particularly hard with the T-wolves since KG got traded (and even before that b/c they were usually a perrenial disappointment with the exception of the KG/Cassell/Sprewell/Hoiberg team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04).

I haven't been able to watch many games yet this year, but I know they lost 8 straight early (which a lot of those games were close) and I watched them beat the 76ers the other night, which was a pretty impressive W overall.

I grew up in South Dakota, so I've always been a Mike Miller fan and was really happy when they traded for him. I really think he'll surprise some people up here that may be skeptical.

Anyway, if there are any true T-wolves fans out there, let me know your thoughts about this team (stenghths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, etc.) so I can take these into consideration as the season goes on.....

[Jonecy]

Hmmm, no replies. There are some true T-wolves fans out there right?

I guess my post was either too long and unattractive or it really is still too painful for those true T-wolves fans to talk about life after KG. Hopefully they'll get a few more wins and the fans will come out of hiding again.

I'm gonna try to make the game on Wednesday vs. Pheonix to see Nash, Stoudemire and Shaq play too. Hopefully the wolves will give'em a game or pull out a W.

[clones_jer]

Originally Posted by Jonecy

KG/Cassell/Sprewell/Hoiberg team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04

only on Cyclonefanatic would you find the "/Hoiberg" in there

There are not many NBA fans on the board ... and the T-wolves are pretty bad, so you're probably not going to get a lot of chatter.

I did see they got a big win over the Philidelphia Iversons last night, after getting killed by KGs new team the night before. How's that trade for AI looking now????

[Steve]

While I also like Mike Miller, neither he nor Kevin Love justify giving up the 3rd pick in the draft. You need both super stars like KG and role players to win in the NBA. The T-wolves end up with one or the other, but not both at the same time. They have the role players now, but need at least 2 elite level players. Jefferson looks to be developing into one, but I'm not sure who else can be a go to guy.

[Jonecy]

Originally Posted by clones_jer

only on Cyclonefanatic would you find the "/Hoiberg" in there

There are not many NBA fans on the board ... and the T-wolves are pretty bad, so you're probably not going to get a lot of chatter.

I did see they got a big win over the Philidelphia Iversons last night, after getting killed by KGs new team the night before. How's that trade for AI looking now????

Alright!! Thanks for the reply clones_jer, even if it was out of pitty. :)

I figured I would have better luck getting some T-wolves info on here b/c it's the closest NBA team around, but oh well. I was also surprised with the beatdown they gave Detroit at home, but like I said in my first post - I do think this team has some potential if they continue to improve and mature.

[Clone9]

My take as a Wolves fan who lives in NC now and doesn't get to watch many games, but still follows them:

Jefferson is the real deal, and with the dearth of low-post scoring threats in the league, he is an extremely valuable asset and will be a perennial all-star once he breaks through.

Love could be a star, but I see him more as a better than average starter who could do all of the little things that puts a team over the top (similar to Tayshawn Prince...but different positions/styles).

Foye is a tossup. I had high hopes, but he doesn't seem to be able to take over games and really run the show. Hopefully he's still adjusting and learning after the late start due to injuries.

I don't like McCants....and I wish they would trade him. I know he can score, but I haven't seen much else.

Brewer has been a disappointment so far, but I hope he develops enough of an offensive game to not be a liability, and turns into the team's defensive stopper and a rebounding machine.....which he certainly could be due to his size and athletic ability.

Miller is a great outside shooter, but he shouldn't have to be a go-to guy. He should be out there for defense and 3pt shooting only, and not have to create his own shots.

Telfair is coming around, but he's not the permanent answer at PG. He could be an excellent backup though....and I really do mean excellent.

Gomes could be more than a role player, but I sort of doubt it. Smith and Carney will never be much more than solid subs. (I love Craig Smith, but he can only do so much)

Overall I think they could be a playoff team in 2 years with just the talent they have now, as long as they develop according to plan. They will not be a championship contender though without a stud at either the 1, 2 or, 3 position. They will need an all-star at one of those positions to complement Jefferson to really develop into a powerhouse again. I don't trust McHale to find that player and I wish they would give Freddy the keys and see what he can do.

[Jonecy]

Originally Posted by Steve

While I also like Mike Miller, neither he nor Kevin Love justify giving up the 3rd pick in the draft. You need both super stars like KG and role players to win in the NBA. The T-wolves end up with one or the other, but not both at the same time. They have the role players now, but need at least 2 elite level players. Jefferson looks to be developing into one, but I'm not sure who else can be a go to guy.

With what I've heard from other fans up here and what happened with KG, I agree with your post too. A lot of fans are disappointed with the ownership/management b/c they couldn't put a good/deep roster together to support KG. The closest they came to this was when they acquired Cassell & Sprewell, but then after making a great playoff run, management wasn't willing to renegotiate their contracts in order to keep them around - so they played with less desire for a year and jumped ship.

With all of that said, I can see Foye and Miller being go to guys in the future that can step it up like Cassell and Sprewell did - they just need to mature and be more consistent. Jefferson is beast in the paint too....hopefully he continues to improve.

[Tpups21]

My solution to all the T-Wolves' problems is to get rid of McCants!

[mplscyclone]

Here's my view as a REAL T-Wolves fan. The front office is making bad personell moves. Almost every draft, we've drafted the wrong guy or drafted the right guy and traded him.

Look at OJ Mayo this year. I'd rather have him than Kevin Love + Mike Miller.

Look at Brandon Roy. We drafted him and traded him for Randy Foye, and Roy won the rookie of the year... Why??? Foye has been a dissapointment and injury prone. He's a dissapointment even when he's not injured.

Then, look at some of the trades we've done. The Celtics have been one of the worst teams of the past few years (dating prior to the KG trade). We pretty much trade our whole team to the Celtics for their whole team. Look at the Sczerbiak trade and then of course the KG trade...

We have Al Jefferson which is good, but you need more pieces. You need a game changing point guard (which is why we should've drafted Mayo), and ideally another guy that can put up 15-20 points per game. You also need one more guy down low to play D, get rebounds and block shots, which isn't what Love is and the Wolves currently do not have.

Back to above, the Wolves have never had good draft picks minus KG. I mean they had Marbury but traded Ray Allen for him. For a franchise in rebuilding mode, you have that franchise-type player in Big AL. Now they need to draft better to get the other pieces. I don't believe that's possible, but I hope I'm wrong...

I've been a fan of this franchise my whole life, and I even went to their first ever win in franchise history... It has been frustrating being a fan of them, as they had many windows to grow and blew them all....

[Jonecy]

Originally Posted by Clone9

My take as a Wolves fan who lives in NC now and doesn't get to watch many games, but still follows them:

Jefferson is the real deal, and with the dearth of low-post scoring threats in the league, he is an extremely valuable asset and will be a perennial all-star once he breaks through.

Love could be a star, but I see him more as a better than average starter who could do all of the little things that puts a team over the top (similar to Tayshawn Prince...but different positions/styles).

Foye is a tossup. I had high hopes, but he doesn't seem to be able to take over games and really run the show. Hopefully he's still adjusting and learning after the late start due to injuries.

I don't like McCants....and I wish they would trade him. I know he can score, but I haven't seen much else.

Brewer has been a disappointment so far, but I hope he develops enough of an offensive game to not be a liability, and turns into the team's defensive stopper and a rebounding machine.....which he certainly could be due to his size and athletic ability.

Miller is a great outside shooter, but he shouldn't have to be a go-to guy. He should be out there for defense and 3pt shooting only, and not have to create his own shots.

Telfair is coming around, but he's not the permanent answer at PG. He could be an excellent backup though....and I really do mean excellent.

Gomes could be more than a role player, but I sort of doubt it. Smith and Carney will never be much more than solid subs. (I love Craig Smith, but he can only do so much)

Overall I think they could be a playoff team in 2 years with just the talent they have now, as long as they develop according to plan. They will not be a championship contender though without a stud at either the 1, 2 or, 3 position. They will need an all-star at one of those positions to complement Jefferson to really develop into a powerhouse again. I don't trust McHale to find that player and I wish they would give Freddy the keys and see what he can do.

Another good post, thanks for your input.

I agree with everything you laid out, but 3 things in particular that I wanted to comment on.....

-As for McCants, I don't like the guy either and haven't since he played in college. I think a big part of this impression came from the way he acted in the ISU vs. UNC NCAA tourney game in 2005. Don't get me wrong, the guys got talent, but he just rubs me the wrong way.

-I also think M. Miller could be a go-to guy and I also think he's got the most well-rounded game and most experience from anyone on the team. I'll admit that I'm biased towards him, but there's not many things he can't do on the court.

-McHale seems to rub a lot of fans the wrong way too, which seems weird b/c he's originally from MN and Minnesotans usually support their own whole-heartedly. I think that Fred has gotten more responsibility each year since his retirement and I think that's starting to show itself with better, younger talent (besides KG obviously). Hopefully he does get the keys some day.

[Jonecy]

Originally Posted by mplscyclone

Here's my view as a REAL T-Wolves fan. The front office is making bad personell moves. Almost every draft, we've drafted the wrong guy or drafted the right guy and traded him.

Look at OJ Mayo this year. I'd rather have him than Kevin Love + Mike Miller.

Look at Brandon Roy. We drafted him and traded him for Randy Foye, and Roy won the rookie of the year... Why??? Foye has been a dissapointment and injury prone. He's a dissapointment even when he's not injured.

Then, look at some of the trades we've done. The Celtics have been one of the worst teams of the past few years (dating prior to the KG trade). We pretty much trade our whole team to the Celtics for their whole team. Look at the Sczerbiak trade and then of course the KG trade...

We have Al Jefferson which is good, but you need more pieces. You need a game changing point guard (which is why we should've drafted Mayo), and ideally another guy that can put up 15-20 points per game. You also need one more guy down low to play D, get rebounds and block shots, which isn't what Love is and the Wolves currently do not have.

Back to above, the Wolves have never had good draft picks minus KG. I mean they had Marbury but traded Ray Allen for him. For a franchise in rebuilding mode, you have that franchise-type player in Big AL. Now they need to draft better to get the other pieces. I don't believe that's possible, but I hope I'm wrong...

I've been a fan of this franchise my whole life, and I even went to their first ever win in franchise history... It has been frustrating being a fan of them, as they had many windows to grow and blew them all....

Thanks for the post and perspective mplscyclone. I think your first paragraph states it pretty well - "front office is making bad personell moves."

Very good point on the Brandon Roy draft & trade b/c that guy is a stud. Marbury has always had loads of talent, but has never been able to convince me that he's on a team and not a 1-man show; therefore, that might have been the right move IMO.

To be honest, I wasn't sold on keeping the O.J. Mayo draft and thought that the trade for K. Love & M. Miller was a good one, but I guess only time will tell. For the most part, I do agree with your point that a great team needs a great point guard, but then I think about Rondo on the Celtics and I kind of question that. He is a solid player, but I didn't consider him to stand out as "great." Then again, when you have Allen, Pierce and KG on the sane team - it's not really an apples to apples comparison with the T-wolves this year.

Thanks again for the comments - Hopefully things will improve in the future and some of their players will surprise us.