OFFICIAL Minnesota T-Wolves Offseason thread

[RyGuy45]

Well we are now on our THIRD GM candidate to turn down the job

This organization

Another day, another job candidate says no to Minnesota Timberwolves

So much for those reports that the Timberwolves would hire Portland Trail Blazers assistant general manager Tom Penn as their new head of basketball operations before Tuesday's draft lottery.

ESPN reports that Penn pulled out of the running today after receiving an unspecified promotion from the Blazers.

"It was a real tough call on his part," Warren LeGarie, Penn's agent, told ESPN's Ric Bucher, "but he's found a home in Portland and a niche within the organization where he thought there was more to contribute to an eventual championship. The friendships and relationships there were a siren call to return."

Penn is the third candidate for the Wolves' job to withdraw from consideration.

San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey and former Miami Heat general manager Randy Pfund previously pulled out of the running.

Penn's withdrawal leaves former Indiana Pacers GM David Kahn as the only known outside candidate.

Wolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg and GM Jim Stack are the internal candidates.

 

[651akathepaul]

Frickin' McHale tainted the position in Minnesota. Bastard!

 

[651akathepaul]

What do you think is gonna happen here this offseason?

David Kahn is the new decision maker. It's a fresh start for the front office, but he has lots of work to do.

Fortunately the Wolves have 3 first round picks and a good amount of cap space to make something happen. I'm not sold on the talent in the draft, soI'm hoping Kahn can work some magic and pull in some players via free agency or trading some draft picks.

The building blocks are in place, and this offseason can very well set the stage for the next 10 years of this franchise...My fingers are crossed that thingshappen nicely for this team so we as fans don't have to stand idle come playoff time no more.

 

[jpzx]

2009 Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
Mike Bibby
Ben Gordon
Zydrunas Illgauskas
Jason Kidd
Rasheed Wallace
Jamal Crawford
Ron Artest
Lamar Odom
Kobe Bryant
Jermaine O'Neal
Shawn Marion
Carlos Boozer
Mehmet Okur

I'll give my thoughts later on Kahn and some other things. I'm going somewhere right now, but I wanted to quickly post the 2009 Unrestricted FAs to seeif you guys think we have a chance of reeling in any of them.

Also..should we re-sign any of our unrestricted FAs: Carney, Collins, Ollie, and Shelden Williams. And then our one restricted FA Bobby Brown.

I'll post my thoughts later.

 

[bangdak]

i've never seen this thread

this team has a great front court of love+al jeff, though i really doubt they'll be able to work together.
you guys need to pick up a veteran, + a better bench. miller+ryan gomes are good role players, but wont get you anywhere without a star.
i havent watched many wolves games, so dont flame me if i got everything wrong

edit: i say no to resigning those free agents. maybe carney for the low, but nah.
the wolves should attempt to go after bibby, kidd, artest, and lamar. maybe boozer and marion if you guys think al jeff is a black hole on offense. (granted hegets boards) or kevin love just because. those 3 first round draft picks may come in handy in a class thats supposeldy "rich" in PGs.

 

[651akathepaul]

They should keep Carney, the rest can go.




Those FA's don't really impress me either. I want more youth. I would definitely take Gordon though. That would be huge. Only other guy I'd beinterested in would be Boozer, but they need guards.

 

[i nasmatic i]

I read on the T'Wolves RealGM board about a rumor swapping the #6 pick for Kirk Hinrich.

 

[651akathepaul]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I

I read on the T'Wolves RealGM board about a rumor swapping the #6 pick for Kirk Hinrich.

Ick. He could help, but that's nothing that gets me too excited.

 

[bangdak]

boozer? what about al and love? and the last thing you would want is another chucker.
bad deal. why take hinrichs long contract? a no no for me.

 

[651akathepaul]

Originally Posted by BangDak

boozer? what about al and love? and the last thing you would want is another chucker.
bad deal. why take hinrichs long contract? a no no for me.

I understand, but that is the only name outside of Gordon from that last that interests me. They don't really need him though.

 

[bangdak]

^what about your PG needs? whose you're starting pg again (no pun intended...)

 

[651akathepaul]

^ Bassy...Sometimes Foye.

I want them to trade up for Rubio really.

 

[bangdak]

randy foye can be your backup PG if you guys get bibby or kidd.
its hard to tell whether or not you can trade up, since many others are trying to do the same.
hm, can you post up your team salary? from the sound of it, you guys have A LOT of cap saved for the 2010 free agency.

 

[651akathepaul]

Originally Posted by BangDak

randy foye can be your backup PG if you guys get bibby or kidd.
its hard to tell whether or not you can trade up, since many others are trying to do the same.
hm, can you post up your team salary? from the sound of it, you guys have A LOT of cap saved for the 2010 free agency.

Minnesota Timberwolves Projected Cap Space: $7.8 million The T-Wolves actually look like they're turning things around. They have an up-and-coming big man (Al Jefferson) and they hit in the draft, finding an efficient, heady power forward (Kevin Love). If I'm running this team - and I'm more qualified than Bill Simmons, who is campaigning for the position - I'd move Randy Foye to off guard and tell him to shoot 200-250 three-pointers per day this summer. Then I'd use my cap space to steal Ramon Sessions away from the Bucks. Mike Miller could play small forward for another season, so I'd use my draft pick on the best player available, preferably a shooting guard who could join Sessions and Foye in a three-guard rotation. Josh Childress and/or Marvin Williams would be a great fit, and might be had for the mid-level (or use the cap space on Childress/Williams and sign Sessions to the mid-level). I'd end up with a core of Sessions, Foye, Childress/Williams, Love and Jefferson - all under the age of 26. Like a fine wine, I'd wait a couple of years for this group to age, and add a piece here or there to complement this core. We'd be in the playoffs by 2011, I'm telling you…
Interesting article I found. So they have around $7.8 Million in space, but I like where this guys head is at...Ramon Sessions and Marvin Williamswould be a beautiful fit with this team all the while keeping the team young.

 

[bangdak]

team would decent, but theres no way they would be coming up top on the west.
warriors/clippers for example are def. going to be a big improvement with monta coming back, and griffin there.
what this team needs to work on is their bench, tweak a few things with their starting lineup (for ex. veteran pg).
im done here, this is your team, you would know better then me. no need to clutter your team's thread with my

 

[651akathepaul]

^ While it isn't a team that will win the Western Conference, what it does is makes the team relevant in competing for the playoffs, opening the door forattracting the one or two big names via free agency that can push them into the upper echelon of the conference.

At this point patience is key, which is why it is important they do things right. If they can construct a team by getting Sessions and Williams then once theybecome part of the picture, and receive a big name free agent that only improves their bench by moving some these guys lower on the depth chart.

It's a slow process, but it can work.

You're always welcome BangDak, Wolves fans is probably like 5 deep on this board so it can get pretty quiet.

The more the merrier.

 

[i nasmatic i]

Almost forgot, did anyone read Bill Simmons' trade proposal with the Spurs?

Randy Foye, Brian Cardinal and #6 for Tony Parker

.

 

[rsdplaya]

Originally Posted by JPZx

2009 Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
Mike Bibby
Ben Gordon
Zydrunas Illgauskas
Jason Kidd
Rasheed Wallace
Jamal Crawford
Ron Artest
Lamar Odom
Kobe Bryant
Jermaine O'Neal
Shawn Marion
Carlos Boozer
Mehmet Okur

I'll give my thoughts later on Kahn and some other things. I'm going somewhere right now, but I wanted to quickly post the 2009 Unrestricted FAs to see if you guys think we have a chance of reeling in any of them.

Also..should we re-sign any of our unrestricted FAs: Carney, Collins, Ollie, and Shelden Williams. And then our one restricted FA Bobby Brown.

I'll post my thoughts later.

been a while since i've been in S&T...wats up boys?

if anybody, ONLY carney and not to be a starter.

gettin pumped for this draft...

 

[bangdak]

Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I


Almost forgot, did anyone read Bill Simmons' trade proposal with the Spurs?

Randy Foye, Brian Cardinal and #6 for Tony Parker

.

oh boy.
marvin williams and sessions is kinda eh though.
it'll make your team solid. still dont know if that would even make the playoffs though...
hearing a lot of talks about love being traded, one being to memphis. imo, bad trade.
rudy gay is just another black hole on offense, while love and al jeff do not work well dominating the paint, as seen pre al injury.
btw 651, i am in no means a wolves fan. just giving opinions on how i feel

 

[651akathepaul]

Sessions and Williams won't get them over the hump, but they are the exact type of role players that would fit perfect with the team Minny has now on topof what they could get through the draft, and most importantly by bringing in a big time via FA a la a Ben Gordon and then in 2010 with all the talent thatwill be FA's.

 

[jpzx]

All that Love to Memphis talk is nothing to get excited about yet...right now at least it's just rumors I believe.

By the way:

Originally Posted by yungmatt

I just got off the phone with my homie. Hes out in Vegas with Bassy and Al Jeff. He said Al said Randy Foye will be outta Minnesota and they want Thabeet at 2. They want a future frontcourt of Al and Thabeet.

yungmatt wrote:

Originally Posted by JPZx

Uh...why should we believe this yungmatt?

Your boy kicks it with Sebastian and Al?...yeah right

I hope your joking

My man is Bassy cousin..+$$! am I get outta lying?

Impressing a bunch of men that I dont know or dont care to know over a message board?

....

Take that for what you will. Obviously, I don't know if the dude is telling the truth..I guess we'll find out on draft day.

Here are the guys I would be content with the T'Wolves taking at 6 (not including Griffin for obvious reason):
-Ricky Rubio
-Hasheem Thabeet
-James Harden
-Tyreke Evans
-Johnny Flynn

I do NOT NOT NOT want Stephen Curry. This dude's stock has risen so freaking much since workouts started and what is more important..? Workouts or how heperforms in actual games. From what we saw from him in the actual collegiate games, people were projecting him as a mid-late first round pick. Now...ever sincethe workouts have started, he's being looked at as high as 5 & 6? Ugh.

He might be a decent role player on a team...but why the hell any team would waste a Top 5 pick on this kid is beyond me

....

Then..this right here is from DraftExpress today..

-No GM in the NBA is apparently more active right now than Minnesota's David Kahn, as he's apparently set on "making a big splash in his first draft" according to one NBA executive, and is "talking to everyone" at the moment. One rumor that is making the rounds has Minnesota sending Memphis Kevin Love in exchange for the #2 pick (and filler). Minnesota would then draft Ricky Rubio, which could help them significantly with their ticket sales, and still have the #6 pick at their disposal, which they could use to take someone like Jordan Hill.
Link

Very, very interesting. I'm glad Kahn is being aggressive thus far..that's definitely what I wanted to see from whoever Taylor hired. So far, so good.

I wouldn't be against giving up Love because Jefferson could slide down to his natural spot at PF if we select Thabeet at #2. We also could take Rubiothere which would be a very good look as well...I'm not sure how I feel about Gay or Conley on this squad yet, and I'm not going to give an opinionuntil the talks get more serious. I would have somewhat mixed feelings about getting rid of Love though. He's a great rebounder and he'll be at the topof the league in rebounding for years to come, I guarantee it.

....

Anyway, I could say a lot more but I'll save it for later...
Like you said rsd, the draft is approaching very quickly and I'm getting pretty psyched up for it

...should be interesting to say the least.

 

[651akathepaul]

^ I'm with you on the no Curry thing. I really want either Rubio or Thabeet, but after that I wouldn't care.

 

[rsdplaya]

yungmatt is cool peoples...i take him on his word...frankly, i don't mind what he said either.

no curry is alright with me...should we start a sig (NO CURRY CLUB)

thabeet or rubio would be

 

[RyGuy45]

Im lovin this Kahn guy by the day. He's doing exactly what he was hired for. A fresh face to completely overhaul the roster. No one is untouchable.

You guys hear his comments last week? LOL the guy said the the Foye/Roy trade was "one of the worst of all time" and admitted on a contending team AlJeff is the 2nd best player. I love it.

I do not like Thabeet for our pick. I suppose if we stay at #6 (or drop lower even) he would be okay.....but I am not feeling good about any scenario that alsoinvolves "talking things away to fit Thabeet in." If hes there to take and u dont like any of the guards left then fine take him. But man I hope weland a guard. This draft though............uggh.

This roster is going to look completely different in one year's time.

The ONE thing I hope Kahn does not screw up is the salaries. And im talking "We have plenty of room and also have a location most FAs dont want to come toso im going to sign above average new players to $70 mil contracts." We see this constantly in this damn league. Please, please do not overspend.

 

[651akathepaul]

Ry - See, the only reason I say it could be a go for Thabeet is because of my assumption (I know it's bad to assume) that we can get a key role fillingplayer this year via FA and come next year spend big money on one of the bevy of top flight players that will be FA's. Thabeet I look at being nothing buta defensive specialist...A so called machine on the boards and blocking shots...That's all we'd really need him to do if Kahn plays his cards right.

Very unlikely the Wolves can get a superstar from this draft with how weak it is, so why not fill it with the consumate role players and bank on luring in (notsure how but with $$$) some FA's in the coming years?

Edit: Damn JPZ

Me and you are on the same page today with everything...I'm just a tad slower.