AK47's a 3, not a 4 or a 5.

We got a backup 5 - yay: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/81...eal-agent-says

Roy played in what appeared to be a pickup game today and looked good, for whatever that's worth. If he's healthy (big IF), we have a nice end of game option that can get & make his own shot. He a damn good ball handler too.

People who have watched Shved play are optimistic about his game. He's skinny and his defense has been questioned, but it sounds like he has some good quickness, and if he applies himself to playing D he'll be pretty good. His upside is probably something like Ginobli, which would be awesome.

We can still get someone like AK47, or at least R Brewer, and either of those would improve our perimeter defense a lot. This could be the best offseason since we got Cassell & Spewell, maybe even better if everything goes right.

What? Did I miss some kind of good signing or something? I'm not even sure we've improved over last year's team (losing Beasely remember)

I think you've missed the fact that you're low on Pek, high on Wes, and generally seem to disagree with just about everybody itt.

also losing Beasley is a pretty large positive for this team


A good write up on Shved: http://thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/

We aren't. The only thing we've officially done is add Budinger. We've subtracted Darko, Webster, and Beasley; Miller, Randolph and Tolliver. So, at the moment we are worse off than last year.

And... Even if we add (an unproven NBA rookie in) Shved, (a question mark in) Roy and (a w/e backup in) Stiemsma, it might not be that big of an improvement.

Plus, we are all assuming that Love will dominate like last year, Pek will be a top 5 C and Ricky will come back healthy and be a super stud. All of which are question marks.

I'm low on Pek only compared to this board which insanely overvalues Pek. I like Pek. I guess I'm high on Wes in that I think he's a terrible player but still have faint hope that he might develop some useful skill and become a serviceable NBA player. Faint hope.

But what that have to do with this offseason? This has been a terribly disappointing offseason and I don't at all see how you can say it's been the best offseason in 10 years. It's been like the worst in 10 years. I was hoping we would add something huge (Pau, Iggy) or at least sign someone like OJ Mayo. We've added Budinger (who counts as our first round pick, remember), Roy (who has no cartilage in either knee), and Stiemsma (a competent backup defensive center).

I mean, you only have to go back to last year's adding Williams and Barea for a better offseason.

I agree with all of this except I don't know how Love's domination is in question.

Well, I mean it in the sense that Love could have a season where he regresses from super-duper star to just being a superstar, if that makes sense. We rely on him sooooo much, that if he were to have less of a season than he had last season, it could cost us a win or two or five.

I actually think Love will get even better.

Last year if we stay healthy I think we're a 42-44 win team over an 82 game season. IF Rubio comes back to what he was last year and we stay relatively healthy I don't see how we're not slightly improved from that. Even if the players we're playing at the 2 and 3 are only average players that will be a huge improvement from last year. And the players we have returning should almost all be improved because they are still young players. To think DW won't be improved is pretty silly IMO. He'll still get some minutes at the 4 when Love is out, play some 3 w/Love, and also play some 4 when we go a little smaller and put Love at the 5.

edit: and Love can still improve a lot on defense too

Getting neutral to positive production from positions that were hugely negative last season will be huge imo. We dumped significant dead weight and are replacing it with productive players. Roy is a huge question mark. Shved could be a decent bench player or maybe a good starter. Budinger will contribute positive minutes. Steamer will do what he does - be a good defensive backup C. Speaking of which, this is pretty interesting: http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celti...ad-news-for-cs We still need another wing - I'm hoping for AK47 and will be satisfied with R Brewer. If we're done after that, I'll be very happy.

If we find a sucker to take Wes or Ellington for anything of value, that would be a bonus. It still sounds like we're going to trade Ellington for Cunningham, which is good imo.

If we trade DW for something of significant value, that'd be fine with me too - I have low expectations for him.

I'm very excited to see what a healthy PEK can do for a full season. If Love can be as good as he was last year, and if Rubio can get healthy soon, I'll be happy.

We currently have great depth + Rubio at PG, great potential at SG, have improved at SF (we need another good 2 or 3 still), have the best PF in the league and have top 5 C. And we have a future hall of fame coach.

Last season we had 163 minutes per game of below avg production (Wes, Beasley, Darko, etc.) and were in the 8th seed position in the standings when Rubio went down. We have upgraded those positions to where they should be at least average now. Getting rid of the crap from the roster is going to help a lot.

Now think where this team was a 16 months ago. If you stuck with the Wolves through Rambis, how can you not be excited about where this is going?

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap...With_Kirilenko

Kevin Love says:

The six that left: Beasley, Darko, Randolph, Webster, Tolliver, Miller.
Miller and Tolliver seemed alright. The other 4 are suspects!

Timberwolves Prepare World's Greatest 'Addition By Subtraction' Experiment

People are saying that the Nets owner is going to try to pull some under the table **** here. If he becomes a Net, dont be surprised if AK47 ends up owning a nickle mine or something like that after he retires.

fyp

Miller & Tolliver were definitely not locker room problems - they are both glue guys. The rest were. Hearing that Webster was a locker room problem surprised me - he's a very nice guy in person and I've read about him going out of his way to be nice to kids & disadvantaged people. He signed an autograph for my daughter a couple years ago - instead of just signing his name like everyone else was doing, he asked her name and wrote it to her. The other three are obviously losers - Darko with no heart, AR without a brain, and Beasley something in between.

A couple years ago, I (embarrassingly) had way higher hopes for Darko than just a solid defensive big. I didnt realize how lazy he is. He has way more talent than Steamer. Steamer is the anti-darko - not talented, but works hard and plays hurt.

This article ignore a few things:
Shved
Budinger
??? whoever else we wind up getting before the season starts

I dislike KAHN! a much as anyone, but its hard to rip much of what has happened so far this off season. Some things could have been done better, but most things exceed what I hoped for. I think the reason why is because team Adelman is pulling most of the strings.

like they did with that other European who agreed to the mid level exception and then all of sudden he agreed to the mini mid level exception? who the **** turns down more money?

I wasnt aware of that - got a link to a story?

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/7/4...-dwight-howard

Brewer signed with the Knicks.

they got him cheap too. It sounds like we made a half assed offer & he chose the Knicks.


We traded Ellington for D Cunningham: http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/163608156.html

Good deal for us imo. Tolliver is no longer necessary - I'll miss him a little. Cunningham is about the same size, but more of an inside player offensively. He can guard 3s and 4s.


I'm hearing second hand tweets saying we're trying to make a trade for one of the following:
Deng
R Gay
Curry
Tyreke Evans
No idea what it would take for any of those guys. Gay is good, but overpaid - I'd much rather have Iggy. Deng would be awesome. Too bad we whiffed once on Curry in the draft & he was hurt most of last year - I'm not liking his ankle issue. T Evans - meh.


Also, Doogie tweeted this: A source said they continue to maintain daily dialogue with agent Mark Bartelstein, who represents unrestricted free agents Dominic McGuire and Carl Landry and restricted free agent Brandon Rush. It’s not known if the Wolves are more focused on one of those players over the others.

Another source said they have now initiated contact through text messaging with free-agent guard Jodie Meeks’ camp. The Wolves did not reach out to them through the first three weeks of free agency — another indication they are moving on to Plans C, D, E and beyond.
I'd like us to get Rush.


W Green is another possibility.


AK47 says now:
- he plans to play in the NBA this season
- it wont be with the Nets
- the Wolves have had no contact with his agent yet

Lebron's inbox: http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0724...nbox2_1152.jpg

this is full of gems , lol

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap...th_Suns_Wolves

Hornets/Suns/Wolves close to trade involving Wes and a 1st

No idea who we'd get?

The trade would clear cap space for Minnesota as they pursue Andrei Kirilenko.

We might be trading Wes plus a #1 for nothing (give up a mid/late probably protected #1 to get Wes & his $4.5 mil off our books). Good trade for us in a vacuum imo, but it becomes a great deal if that means we end up with Kirilenko.

Man, I swear that last sentence wasn't in the article when I first read it haha.