I've got this poll up on the Laker and Grizz site, and I'm curious how well received it would be here. As a Wolves fan, I love this trade, but what say you?

This one is tricky since it's a three way, but there seems to be some smoke with all these players. Here is the trade:

Memphis Receives - PF Josh McRoberts, PG Steve Blake, Memphis' 2013 1st Round pick (this pick is currently owned by the Wolves and is lottery protected)

Lakers receive - F Michael Beasley, PG Jeremy Pargo

Wolves receive - SG OJ Mayo, Lakers 2012 2nd round pick

As a Wolves fan, how would you grade the trade for the Wolves?

I'm always annoyed at homer-istic trade ideas, so I like to test my trade hypothesis against the reaction of the other team's fans. This one is tricky since its a three way, but there seems to be some smoke with all these players. Here is the trade:

Memphis Receives - PF Josh McRoberts, PG Steve Blake, Memphis' 2013 1st Round pick (this pick is currently owned by the Wolves and is lottery protected)

Lakers receive - F Michael Beasley, PG Jeremy Pargo

Wolves receive - SG OJ Mayo, Lakers 2012 2nd round pick

As Grizzly fans, how would you grade this trade?

The last draft was fun, but now clipper-geddon is upon us.  As much as the Wolves improved talent and coach wise (presumably), the team is still more likely to collect ping-pong balls than wins next year while the new talent, coach and system gel.  Of course, all of those ping-pong balls will be handed over to the Clippers to complete the transaction for Marko Jaric.

One of the items being pushed for in the new CBA is to increase the number of years a player must spend in college (or europe or D-league) before being draft eligible.  If this goes into effect for the next season, the Clipper-geddon draft would look very different. 

Just using the Draft Express Mock, 6 of the top 10 players would not be eligible if the CBA goes to 2 years.  Without these players, the current top 5 would be - SF Harrison Barnes, PF Jared Sullinger, PF/C Perry Jones, C Patric Young, PF John Henson. 

I am personally intrigued by Barnes, but he doesn't strike me as a #1 overall pick talent.  I like Sullinger, but the Wolves have plenty of PF talent.  Perry Jones intrigues me since he's an athletic freak, but there are indications that the freak didn't stop with his body and infested his mind.  Young looks the part of a dominant center, but could only get 18 minutes, 3.4 points and 3.8 reb per game at Florida.  Hensen strikes me as a rotation/bench filler type talent. 

It might be too much to ask the basketball karma gods to implement a 2-year requirement in time to soften the clipper-geddon blow, but there is hope...

Actually it was Chris Wallace, but I experienced five minutes of fist pumping joy in 2009 when Memphis burned their second pick on Thabeet.  It meant players I liked (Rubio, Curry, Harden) were one step closer and a player I hated (not as a person, I'm sure he's lovely, but as a D-league talent) would not be taken by the Wolves due to some draft voodoo consensus that made it OK for him to go 2nd overall and thus 'foolish' not to take him 5th.  We dodged a bullet.

This joy lead me to develop my "Hasheem Thabeet Approach to the Draft" or HTAD.  The main twist in this approach is combining your own draft board with a list of HTAD players you hope to see taken by other teams  ahead of you in order to burn picks or prevent your own club from making that mistake.

So of course last year the Wolves take the 1st guy on my HTAD list - Wes Johnson.  I believed then that Wes was no more or less a prospect than several other wings (Xavier Henry, Paul George, Aminu, Hayward, etc) but the draft voodoo gods had given him their blessing to be taken top 5 rather than top 10-20 where I thought he belonged with the other wings.

This year picking second, there's not much room for HTAD, but there is some prospect of the Wolves moving down.  So just in case I present the top 5 HTAD picks of 2011 (Players that are projected at the top of the draft but I PRAY are taken before the Wolves pick):

HTAD 1 - Enes Kantor:  I don't believe he will be good enough to displace Darko for minutes, so not good.  Scares the hell out of me because we might take him.

HTAD 2 -  Brandon Knight:  Might be a good player, but who cares, Wolves don't need him and I don't buy the hype that he'll be better than Kyrie Irving some day.

HTAD 3 - Kawhi Leonard:  long and athletic but lacking BBIQ and BB skills.

HTAD 4 - The three other Euro's before the 10th pick - no to jonas, jan or Donatas this early.

HTAD 5 - Derrick Williams:  I think he'll pan out as a decent player, but I can't see him and Love co-existing.  I only like him as trade bait, not as a roster mate. 

I'm really hoping we walk away with Irving or Bismack.

==============

20th Pick HTAD

I'm convinced somebody I really like will fall this far, much like Lawson fell to 18 in 2009.  My hope is that one of Alec Burks, Jimmer, Jordan Hamilton or Bismack fall this far... but that's unlikely.  I also like Josh Selby or one Euro 3 - they aren't HTAD at 20.  I'm also ok with Marshon Brooks at this spot.

If you make my HTAD list at 20, I either think you'll clog the roster and get zero minutes, are a complete fraud, or would only consider the player with a 2nd round (non-guaranteed contract)  pick. 

HTAD PF - Faried, the Morris Twins, Tobias Harris, Tristan Thompson, Chris Singleton, Trey Thompkins, Nikola Mirotic.  I actually like some of these guys - such as the Morris twins, but I don't seen any of them getting any play on the MN roster.  Every time another team takes one of these guys, the Wolves will get closer to getting someone they need.

HTAD Frauds - Klay Thompson, Imam Shumpert, Tyler Honeycut, Kyle Singler.  I wouldn't spend a 2nd rounder on these guys, but they all make various 1st round mocks.

So the votes are in...

To review, Wolves fans and Griz fans were asked to grade the following trade for their respective teams:

To Minnesota:

G OJ Mayo

C Hasheem Thabeet

To Memphis:

PG Jonny Flynn

SF Wes Johnson

C  Pekovic or Koufos (Memphis pick)

And this trade was a winner for both fan bases.  On Canis Hoopus, 215 respondents gave this trade a favorable rating  of 56% to 21% and Griz fans supported the trade 69%-16%  (24 respondents).  Besides liking the trade more, Griz fans were far more enthusiastic about the trade with 41% giving the trade an A - whereas most Wolves fans fell in the B to B+ range. 

What this tells me is that the Wolves need not include Pek or Koufos (money still works without them) to get this trade done.  However, I would still pay the price as a Wolves fan simply from a team balance standpoint.  After you give Love his starting minutes, there are only 50 minutes left for the other bigs.  I think that is enough time for three players, but not four - and I think all of these players desperately need to play to develop their games.  So give me a rotation of Darko, Tolliver and Thabeet and let Pek go to Memphis and get minutes as Z-Bo's understudy. 

Congrats to both fan bases for putting forth a trade that works for everyone.  Now let's see if Kahn and Wallace can work something out in the next few days...

So the votes are in...

To review, Wolves fans and Griz fans were asked to grade the following trade for their respective teams:

To Minnesota:

G OJ Mayo

C Hasheem Thabeet

To Memphis:

PG Jonny Flynn

SF Wes Johnson

C  Pekovic or Koufos (Memphis pick)

And this trade was a winner for both fan bases.  On Canis Hoopus, 215 respondents gave this trade a favorable rating  of 56% to 21% and Griz fans over at Straight outta Vancouver supported the trade 69%-16%  (only 24 respondents over there...).  Besides liking the trade more, Griz fans were far more enthusiastic about the trade with 41% giving the trade an A - whereas most Wolves fans fell in the B to B+ range. 

What this tells me is that the Wolves need not include Pek or Koufos (money still works without them) to get this trade done.  However, I would still pay the price simply from a team balance standpoint.  After you give Love his starting minutes, there are only 50 minutes left for the other bigs.  I think that is enough time for three players, but not four - and I think all of these players desperately need to play to develop their games.  So give me a rotation of Darko, Tolliver and Thabeet and let Pek go to Memphis and get minutes as Z-Bo's understudy. 

Congrats to both fan bases for putting forth a trade that works for everyone.  Now let's see if Kahn and Wallace can work something out in the next few days...

So this trade keeps popping up:

To Minnesota:

G OJ Mayo

C Hasheem Thabeet

To Memphis:

PG Jonny Flynn

SF Wes Johnson

C Kosta Koufos  or  C Nikola Pekovic (Memphis Choice)

I'm a Wolves fan who likes this trade, but I like to test the veracity with both fan bases to get an idea how realistic the trade is (surely Miami will take Darko for D-wade because they need rebounding and cap releif, right?;-)

I'm asking Minnesota fans the same question from their perspective over at Canis Hoopus - If Memphis made the above trade, how would you grade it for Memphis?  Don't worry about the Minnesota end - just focus on how this trade would impact your team.  At some point I'll re-post with the results from both fan bases.  Thanks for your help!

So this trade keeps popping up:

To Minnesota:

G OJ Mayo

C Hasheem Thabeet

To Memphis:

PG Jonny Flynn

SF Wes Johnson

C Kosta Koufos  or  C Nikola Pekovic (Memphis Choice)

I'm going to post a poll here and over at the Memphis site.  For the purpose of the poll here, please only consider the trade from a Minnesota point of view - don't worry whether Memphis will accept it or not.  Don't let the Koufos/Pekovic option trip you up - assume Memphis takes the player you value higher.  I'll follow up comparing the two fan base reactions.

At risk of spoiling the ballot, I'm going to admit liking this trade... a lot.

Of all 5 guys involved, I see only one who will be an above average NBA player - OJ Mayo.  I perceive the other four players as total crap shoots who will require some sort of break through to be anything more than mildly useful rotation players.  All of them are capable of such a breakthrough, but I predict none will.

Let's look closer at Mayo - when he came into the league he was paired with another high usage gunner in Rudy Gay.  Both Gay and Mayo had pretty high usage rates at 25.6% and 24.5% respectively.  Mayo played starting minutes as a rookie, averaged 38 minutes a game, took 15.6 shots a game (finished 12th in the league in FG attempted), and sported a solid TS% of .539 and among SG finished 18th with an eFG of .495 (just ahead of Kevin Martin and Joe Johnson).  

For Mayo's second year, the Griz radically changed their team by adding another high volume scorer in Z-Bo and witnessed a break out year for Marc Gasol and some improvement by Mike Conely.  Mayo the gunner transformed his game to involve his teammates.  While Mayo's minutes were the same, his Usg% dropped to 20.7, his FGA/game dropped by 1.2, and he managed to improve his TS% to .551 and his eFG% to .516 (7th among SG, just ahead of Manu, Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson). 

While Mayo was sacrificing shots and touches, his teammates were not:

PG - Conley's FGA/game went up 1.3

SF - Gay's FGA/game stayed steady - rising 0.1

PF - The combo of Z-Bo and Arthur out shot the previous combo of Warrick/Arthur by 6.9 shots a game!

C - Gasol took 1.3 more shots a game from the previous year.

Some of these increases can be explained by better rebounding by Gasol/Z-bo and more minutes by the starters - but what is clear to me is that everyone but Mayo 'got theirs' last year.  Mayo sacrificed for his team, talked about becoming more of a facilitator and point guard - and while his assists did not reflect his words, he did improve his turn over rate - improving 2% (from 13.8% to 11.9%) - this translated into 50 fewer turnovers his second year. 

Mayo showed maturity, played within himself, and showed improvement while at the same time accepting a smaller role in the offense. 

This year has a been a different story, but I think the fault lies with the team, not the player.  Memphis committed themselves to Gay with the max contract, and have basically told Mayo he won't get paid.  Mayo sacrificed for his team, only to have his team de-value his contributions.  Maybe this hits to close to home for me, but I know how he feels, and it helps explain the complete implosion that has occurred this year. 

Mayo strikes me as the perfect 'change of scenery' candidate.   In Minnesota, he would again be scoring option 1 or 2 with Beasley (as he was with Gay), and he would have the opportunity to play for a contract. 

In terms of scheme, I love the idea of Mayo paired with Beasley.  You have two guys who can shoot, handle the ball, and complement each other - Mayo is best firing from distance and Beasley is best using his strong body driving to the hole.  In the triangle, the one offense meant to completely downplay the importance of the PG, Mayo may be the ideal PG.  This also offers the Wolves a chance to choose a new strategy - forget fast... they could go big:

PG - Mayo  6'4 (big for a PG)

SG - Brewer 6'9 (tallest SG in league?)

SF - Beasley 6'8 (more big than tall, but still big for a SF)

PF - Love 6'10 (legit if not extraordinary size for a PF)

C - Darko 7'0 Thabeet 7'3 (two legit 7 footers)

Compare the big lineup to our 'fast' lineup

PG - Ridnour  (not fast... Rubio maybe, but not Ridnour)

SG - Wes Johnson (not slow... but not exactly fast.  Mostly big for the position)

SF - Beasley (again, more big than fast)

PF - Love (not fast)

C - Darko (not fast)

IMHO - a trade for Mayo makes the team better, gives it a second legitimate scoring option, and fits in the preferred scheme of the coach.  The cost for this is the GM's dream of speed  and two shining smiles.

I fully believe that the only way for the Wolves to compete in the NBA is to have a "System".  Waiting for lottery luck to furnish a can't miss savior is not a strategy.  Getting sufficient talent via free agency is a pipe dream - thanks to the salary cap we can't over-pay for legit talent and thanks to our climate we are a bottom 5 free-agent 'destination'. 

However, for System to be the answer, it must be significantly different than what other squads are doing.  Other teams need to feel squeamish and frustrated when faced with the Wolves system for it to be of any use.  And in basketball, this is quite rare.

The best examples of basketball system I can think of that genuinely disrupted more talented teams and allowed lesser talents to triumph:

The Pistons hard nosed defense - The beauty of this system is that most NBA players don't like defense.  Offense and scoring are fun - defense is work.  So most teams and coaches take the path of least resistance.  Detroit went to an extreme focus on defense that made them unique, gave them identity, and fully frustrated teams used to playing against blase defense - not defense with a purpose. 

SSOL - This is the exact opposite of The Pistons.  D'Antoni realizes that defense is work and no fun, so focus on just offense at a fast pace.  The beauty of this system is that EVERY player likes this pattern of play, so even opposing teams get sucked into the frenzied pace because it's fun.  But since the other team isn't used to the pace they quickly tire or aren't as sharp at that speed - whereas the SSOL team is playing in their comfort zone.  I would argue this system has been overly copied and is not longer significant competitive advantage.  Enough teams now employ some sort of high pace that encountering it isn't all that shocking or disruptive to the other team.  I would also argue that a number of teams half-ass SSOL by trying to 'balance' speed with something else - thus not creating a truly disruptive system.

Full Court Press - Nobody does this except in desperation, but it has worked, especially in college.

Princeton System - All those back door cuts.. again successful at the collegiate level.

Is the triangle a disruptive system?  I'd argue no.  When opposing teams face the triangle, it is not the triangle that confuses and confounds them - it is Jordan, Kobe and Shaq's individual talents that confound the other team.  The Phil Jackson triangle is little more than "Talent" masquerading as system.  I don't mean to be hard Phil - even superstar talent needs to be harnessed, but it seems that the issue is one of psychology - one of getting the superstar to involve, share and trust teammates - and the triangle 'system' is merely a means to that end.  I believe Phil is a great NBA coach - but based on psychology (and talent)  more than system.  Whereas I also believe Larry Brown is a great NBA coach - but based on system, and certainly not pyschology!

So where does that leave the Wolves?  It leaves them building a team around a system that isn't disruptive in a market that can't compete for high level talent.  Essentially, the wolves have a system that provides little or no competitive advantage while being one of the bottom 5 destinations for free agent talent.  This means lots of high draft picks, followed by teams improving to .500 or so, followed by massive free agent desertion, followed by high draft picks, lather, rinse, repeat.

At some point the 'savior' may come along during one of the 'high draft pick' stages - but again, this is not a strategy.

At the trade deadline I begged the Wolves to trade Big Al since there were 11 teams then that could forsee a need for a PF, and that after the draft (Favors, Monroe, Cousins and Davis) and free agency (Bosh, Amare, Booozer and Lee) it was likely only three teams would need a PF.

So here is the update after the draft...

NJ - took Favors and no longer have a NEED for a PF.  Might prefer a more developed one, but I think rumors of AlJeff+ for Favors are wishful thinking on our part.

TOR - took Ed Davis.  His stock has really sunk and I'm guessing the Raptors would gladly trade Hedo for AlJeff, but I'm not sure what else.  Meh.

NYK - They still have a huge need.  David Lee is likely gone.  If the Wolves want an expiring, I'm guessing they would trade Eddy Curry's expiring contract in a heartbeat.  Most likely one of the free agents ends up in NY.

Cleveland - They ended up trading for Antwan Jamison, so they no longer have a need.

Chicago - They still have a PF need, and clearly want Bosh.  If we moved early, the Wolves could probably still get Luol Deng, but don't you get the feeling we just drafted his clone (production wise)? 

Milwaukee - Drafted Larry Sanders and have Ilyasova.  Not saying they are world beaters, but now I'm not sure they'd send Micheal Redd's expiring our way for Al Jeff.  I'm saying their needs are fulfilled.

Detroit - The pistons didn't start on my list of PF need, but as time went on the more I realized I Charlie V is terrible.  Taking Monroe takes them off the list again.

Indiana - Yep, still on the list!

Orlando - There are rumblings that they might want Al.  Would they really want a third big man making $13M+?  Maybe...  but not officially on the PF need list. 

Miami - On the need list, but will certainly sign Amare or Boozer.

Washington - Are Javale McGee and Blatche a reasonable front court?  Add in Seraphin and they are probably all right.  Too bad we didn't take my advice at the deadline and trade Al for Mike Miller's expiring and Washington's lottery pick...

OKC - I don't see Jeff Green or Ibaka as true PF's... but then I don't see Presti offering much for AlJeff.  Not on the list.

Utah - Simply moves Milsap into Boozer's spot.  No need.

Golden State - They have PF in Randolph and Azbuike and now Ekpe Udoh... but with Nelly and company you never know...  but not on the PF need list.

Phoenix - They will lose Amare and have a PF need.  But Al on a running team?!?  They are more likely to go with Robin Lopez and Frye than lure Big Al.  Actually, doesn't David Lee seem like a perfect fit? 

Dallas - New to the list with Dirk opting out.  Probably re-sign him, but who knows!  Technically on the need list, but also add another free agent PF to the pool.  Basically a wash.

Houston - I've seen rumbling of Al to Houston, but what do we get?  Shane Battier?  No thanks.  Only if Houston is willing to end the Yao era do I deal with them.  And with Scola, Hill and 1st pick Patterson, not on the PF need list.

Memphis - Not on the need list... yet.  We'll have to wait and see if Zach Randolph is finally sent to his natural habitat... prison.

So the final score...

7 teams have a PF need with five free agents available.  Another 3  teams (GS, Memphis, Orlando) are in the special needs category - a deal could be done but mainly due to weird circumstances.

Of the 7 with a need, my guess is Dirk to Dallas, Bosh to Chicago, Amare/Boozer to NY/Miami, and Lee to Phoenix.  Leaving Toronto (who drafted Davis so aren't as desperate) and Indiana. 

So at the end of the day we are looking at Troy Murphy's expiring contract and a future 1st rounder for Al Jefferson.

When I watched the draft last year, all the best scenarios hinged on one thing - Memphis taking Thabeet.  For one, it would kill a pick in front of the Wolves with a player that wasn't coveted.  And second, it would prevent the wolves from doing anything stupid like actually drafting him, or even more depressing, being forced to draft him as the BPA according to the 'consensus' but knowing in your heart he was a D-leaguer.

Due to the Wolves specific needs and the buzz around certain players, I believe the Hasheem Thabeet Approach to the Draft (HTAD) could be useful in predicting and judging this year's draft.

Analyzing the 4th Pick-   This comes down to who goes 1, 2 and 3.  And oddly, John Wall is a good candidate for the HTAD.  Now don't get me wrong, I think Wall will be an excellent PG in the NBA, but the Wolves already own the rights to an excellent PG.  If Wall fell to 4, yes the Wolves take him and then have a hard choice - convert him to SG or trade him (or Rubio) at a discount since everyone knows you HAVE to trade him.  In effect, Washington is doing us a favor by taking Wall, burning a pick in front of us,  and making our situation less complicated.  Wall represents the upside of the HTAD theory (as opposed to the downside represented by ... keep reading).

Philly is tougher to figure out, but I can't see them taking Turner.  At the end of the day, every team drafts for need over BPA (this is why Wolves fans won't feel any pain when the Wiz take Wall, but all of us will curse when Evan Turner comes off the board).  Philly will not burn their pick on another wing when they have a front court of Brand, Speights and Hawes.  They will take a big, my guess is DMC, or more likely trade down to 4, 7 or 10.

NJ will take Turner if he's there.  I pray they fall in love with Favors - or better yet Wes Johnson, but a PF can be found with cap space and NJ has that.  There aren't too many wings available in free agency this year.

So this takes us to the Wolves... and if we take Wes Johnson, every team is smirking at their luck for not having to waste a high pick on a wing that may not be any better than the next 3-4 wings off the board.  Wes and this year's wing crop after Turner (Wes/Aminu/Henry/George/etc) are akin to last year's PG crop after Rubio (Flynn/Jennings/Lawson/Teague/Curry).  Good luck picking the best from that crop (with kudos to this site for picking Curry, but that certainly wasn't the 'national consensus'), but the price of guessing will vary greatly (a 4-6 pick for Wes and the 6th for Flynn vs. the 18th pick for Lawson).  

The best thing that could happen to the Wolves is for teams ahead of them to take Wall and Wes - thus HTAD applies to those players.

At 16, this gets trickier.  There are a number of players I would be happy with at 16, and who I'd want largely depends on who the 4th pick is.  But generally I'm happy if the Wolves have a shot at one of the following:

Cole Aldrich, Ekpe Udoh, Xavier Henry, and James Anderson.  I'll be sad every time one of these guys is taken off the board.

HTAD guys who I hope to see taken 5-15:

Aminu and Monroe - I like these players (upside HTAD) and they deserve to go high, but like Wall, cause complications for the Wolves.  It's best if these guys go elsewhere and burn picks.

Ed Davis, Luke Babbit, Paul George, Avery Bradley, Bradley Orton - If any of these guys last till 23, I would consider them, but the consensus has all of them going much higher.  My opinion is these guys are busts, but have enough value at 23 to take a flyer.  I'm just hoping other teams overpay for that flyer in the 5-15 range.

Patrick Patterson, Gordon Hayward, Damion James, Stanley Robinson, Gani Lawal, Craig Brackins, Larry Sanders - If any or many of these guys go 5-15 I'll be ecstatic.  I wouldn't consider any of them for the wolves before the 2nd round and the consensus is that all these guys are first rounders.  I hope and pray these guys burn draft picks 10-15.


At 23, the HTAD game breaks down a bit.  It becomes easier to say who I'd like to see left rather than eliminate guys who are projected in that range.  Basically every player taken after 20 is essentially a flyer.  I'm happy if these guys are still around:  James Anderson, Luke Babbit, Paul George, Solomon Alabi, Hassan Whiteside, Kevin Seraphin, Jordan Crawford, Dexter Pittman and Quincy Pondexter.

A couple of these guys should be long gone by 23, but considering the length of my list, I like a lot of guys who will be available in the 20's or early 2nd.  In fact, I'd love to trade 23 and a 2nd to Memphis for their 2 picks in the late 1st round to get two of these guys.

In the 2nd round, guys I'd like to see the Wolves target (in addition to anyone listed above who plummets on draft day):

Dexter Pittman - Can't hurt to have  man-mountain around.  Will need him to cover DMC, a fat Shaq and Big Baby.

Greivis Vazquez - sounds like he could be the backup PG for my all Spanish team, and I think he has game.

Lance Stephenson - ton of talent and a head case, but 2nd rounders don't get paid much or long term.  Very acceptable risk.

Jarvis Varnando - yeah he's small, but 5 blocked shots a game?!?  Maybe he's Ben Wallace small...

Darrington Hobson/Devin Ebanks - I think one of these guys will be a solid NBA starter.  I prefer Hobson.

Willie Warren - Has Jamal Crawford written all over him.  I'll burn a 2nd on him.

Alexey Shved - A Russian Rudy?  With the 56th pick, why not?

According to David Brauer over at MinnPost, that describes Canis Hoopus.  Check out the story here -

http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2010/06/15/18917/more_sports_sbnation_launches_minnesota_site_wednesday

This is what I basically got form the article - SBNation is a iberal conspiracy by Daily Kos to undermine and put newspapers out of business by scalping the most viewed and lucrative part of the newspaper - the sports section.  Based on previous comments, it appears that Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune has already waved the white flag and it's just a matter of time before Canis runs both Twin City newspapers into the ground.  With the papers out of the way, sports coverage will then be peppered with subliminal messages to sway the masses to a more progressive mindset.  Basketball sites will have a more aggressive message aimed specifically at our ball-loving commander-in-chief to displace his war policies in the middle east.

As a follow up to bad contracts, there are a number of over paid players who are now expiring contracts.  For the 2011 Free agency push, look for these names:

PHI - C Sam Dalembert - $12.9M

PHI - F Jason Kapono - $6.6M

MEM - G Marko Jaric - $7.6M

MEM - PF Zach Randolph - $17.3M

CHA - C Tyson Chandler - $13.2M

MIL - C Dan Gadzuric - $7.2M

MIL - G Michael Redd - $18.3M

NO - G Maurice Morris - $6.3M

NO - SF Peja Stojakavic - $14.3M

UTA - SF Andrei Kirilinko - $17.8M

NYK - C Eddy Curry - $11.3M

LAL - F Sasha Vujacic - $5.5M

ORL - SG Vince Carter - $17.5M

DEN - PF Kenyon Martin - $16.5M

DET - SF Tayshaun Prince - $11.1M

TOR - PG Marcus Banks - $4.8M

HOU - SF Jared Jefferies - $6.9M

SA - SF Richard Jefferson - $15.2M

PHO - SG Jason Richardson - $14.4M

Now that Marko Jaric is an expiring contract and Brian Cardinal is no longer synonymous with "overpaid 12th man" I thought I'd look at the worst contracts moving forward.  Since the Wolves have cap space and no hope of luring a free agent - absorbing one of these contracts could bring additional assets of high value. 

(ED NOTE: Jump added and article bumped.) 

Continue reading this post »

The idea was floated around last year - could or should the wolves try to recreate the most likely Spanish Olympic team as the starting 5?  Below is a somewhat plausible roadmap.

Step 1 - Convince Rubio to come to the NBA in 2011.

Step 2 - Get Pau Gasol.  Much easier said than done but here is one defensible scenario:

Toronto sends Bosh to the Lakers in a sign and trade.

Wolves send the #4 pick to the Lakers and Jefferson to Toronto

LA sends Gasol to Minny.

Do the Lakers break up a proven championship pairing to put Bynum with Bosh and Cousins (or Wes Johnson)?  Makes them younger and still competitive.  I would do it, but maybe the Lakers are more interested in surrounding Kobe with veterans who will roll over for him...

Does Toronto do this?  Only if forced to and Al Jefferson is the best replacement they can get.  In the end I see a Bosh/Dirk sign and trade between Dallas and Toronto.  But if Toronto gets the shaft, and this is quite feasible, this might be their best option.

Step 3 - Get Rudy Fernandez from Portland.  I'd offer pick #23.  If they don't budge I offer pick #16 for Rudy AND the rights to SF Victor Claver.

Does Portland do this?  Not if you ask their fans - they'd want the 4th pick.  But Rudy wants out and this might be the best way for Portland to get value instead of Rudy going back to Spain.

Step 4 - Get Victor Claver - see above.  Maybe give up pick #23

Step 5 - Get Marc Gasol from Memphis.  The Wolves offer up Kevin Love and Flynn.  Maybe add in Indy - send Flynn to the Pacers and have them give the 10th pick along with Love to the Griz.

I can only see Memphis doing this if they are A) ready to go all in on Thabeet and B) Zachary is going to prison for a long time.  Both things are plausible.

This gives the wolves a starting 5 next year of:   Sessions/Rudy/Brewer/Gasol/Gasol   with Peko/Darko/Hollins/Ellington and two second rounders on the bench.

In 2011 Rubio and Claver come over for a Rubio/Rudy/Claver/Gasol/Gasol lineup.  In 2012 this team wins the NBA championship in June and the Gold medal in September. 

At the very least, you gotta love the marketing potential - all the Spanish broadcast rights, the appeal to global companies such as Target, 3M and Best Buy, the soccer cross-over Adidas sponsorships, merchandise sales in Spain, Mexico and West St. Paul...  the possibilities are endless!

Here are the results from the following trade posted here and on the Detroit Bad Boy site:

To Minnesota:

Charlie Villanueva

Tayshaun Prince

DET 1st Round pick

To Detroit:

Al Jefferson

Jonny Flynn

Ryan Gomes

Canis readers roundly rejected the trade with 25% approving and 47% disapproving.  There were 154 respondents to the poll - so thank you for participating and providing a significant sample size.

The Detroit Bad Boys LOVED this trade approving it with 77% and only 9% disapproval.  Sadly, only 29 people participated in their poll and that is not a significant sample.  Strangely enough, the post drew more comments (30) than poll participants - but I think that is largely Canis regular Ebomb's contribution!

Some notes - I clearly gave away the farm with this trade and it basically comes down to Charlie Villanueva.  You hate Charlie, I hate Charlie, and Detroit hates Charlie.  So why (if I hate Charlie, and I do) do I include him?

Clearly the preference for Minny is a simpler trade - AlJeff for Prince and the pick.  The primary writer at Detroit Bad Boys insists the pick is off limits and the best package they would provide is Prince/Stuckey/Wilcox for Al Jeff and Sessions - (I'm going to poll that one here for fun - but I can guess:) 

I threw in Charlie to make DET think hard about giving up that pick and try to find some middle ground.  In my mind, burying Charlie on the MN bench is worth a shot at:  a) a small chance of another top 3 pick, or b) the perfect position to grab Aldrich, Wes Johnson, or Ed Davis, or c) packaging picks to move up a few spots to grab Favors or Cousins.

In my mind, any of those scenarios is worth eating CV's contract - and at $7M-ish, I think he could be moved at some point for a shorter contract.

The boys over at Detroit Bad Boys are talking about adding a PG.  They also have some bad salaries to shed and a lottery pick.  I've posted the following trade on their site and I'll report the results after we get enough results.

(Salaries are for next season but I had to use this year's salaries in ESPN's trade machine to make sure the salaries work.  Contract length represents years signed beyond this one - so 1/year means signed through next season.)

To Detroit:

PF/C  Al Jefferson  $13M 3/years

SF  Ryan Gomes  $4.2M  3/years (also has team option this year, so could be cut immediately for salary cap savings)

PG  Jonny Flynn  $3.2M 3/years

To Minnesota:

SF  Tayshaun Prince  $11.1M  1/year

PF  Charlie Villanueva  $7.0M  4/years

2010 1st Round Pick  (~$3M)

Quick analysis - Detroit sheds $21M in salary while adding $16.2M (or $20.4 if Gomes is kept) - so Detroit saves $1M or $5M.  On the talent side, AlJeff replaces CV and Flynn provides potential PG future.  Gomes is properly priced in my opinion, but may be a better fit elsewhere - but could split minutes with Daye at SF if need be.

Minnesota picks up another lottery pick, takes on CV's albatross contract with no role for him (buried on depth chart behind Love and Pekovic), clears up Minny's PF and team leader glut by removing AlJeff, and get a good expiring player at a need position in Prince at SF.  

I have an obsession - and it is getting Al Jefferson off the Timberwolves, and you guys are talking about a new PG.  I'm proposing this trade here and over at Canis Hoopus for the fans to consider.  Vote in the poll to let me know what you think of this trade for the Pistons.

(Salaries are for next season but I had to use this year's salaries in ESPN's trade machine to make sure the salaries work.  Contract length represents years signed beyond this one - so 1/year means signed through next season.)

To Detroit:

PF/C  Al Jefferson  $13M 3/years

SF  Ryan Gomes  $4.2M  3/years (also has team option this year, so could be cut immediately for salary cap savings)

PG  Jonny Flynn  $3.2M 3/years

To Minnesota:

SF  Tayshaun Prince  $11.1M  1/year

PF  Charlie Villanueva  $7.0M  4/years

2010 1st Round Pick  (~$3M)

Quick analysis - Detroit sheds $21M in salary while adding $16.2M (or $20.4 if Gomes is kept) - so Detroit saves $1M or $5M.  On the talent side, AlJeff replaces CV and Flynn provides potential PG future.  Gomes is properly priced in my opinion, but may be a better fit elsewhere - but could split minutes with Daye at SF if need be.

Minnesota picks up another lottery pick, takes on CV's albatross contract with no role for him (buried on depth chart behind Love and Pekovic), clears up Minny's PF and team leader glut by removing AlJeff, and get a good expiring player at a need position in Prince at SF.  

Is David Kahn a good GM?  I think the jury is still out but I wanted to take an opportunity to evaluate him on what he has done and look ahead at some unresolved issues.

Bad - Kahn was considered a crony, re-tread hire with little success.  This board was upset that a new up and coming stat guy along the lines of Pritchard and Presi wasn't hired.  This is more on Glen Taylor than Kahn, but his reputation coming in was not positive.

Good - Kahn traded Foye and Miller for the 5th overall pick.  I thought this was good on two fronts.  First, it set a tone by getting rid of two starters that did not live up to their expectations and started the 'strip it down to the studs' process that we saw unfold.  Second, the Wolves got Rubio.  That was lucky, but even before the draft I thought this was great.  I believed Griffen and Rubio were 1/2 - and that Harden, Tyreke, and Curry were real quality at 3/4/5.  With Hasheem likely to go in the top 4, I thought the Wolves were in a great position to grab two of the 3/4/5 guys.

Good - According to Kahn, he did everything he could to move up and grab Tyreke Evans.  I have to admit - he scared the hell out of me.  I'm not sure I would have taken him at 6, but if true - Kahn saw a superstar where many others saw a question mark.

Good - Kahn took Rubio at 5.  This was probably an easy decision at the time.  Rubio was one of the two players in a 'two man draft'.  It's hard to say whether or not the following drama was predicted at the time - but nonetheless, this was the right move.

Awful - Taking Flynn with the 6th pick.  It was bad then, it is worse now.  Applying hindsight it is clear that Flynn is not as good as 5 PG's taken after him - Curry, Jennings, Lawson, Collison and maybe Holiday.  But even at the time this pick was terrible.  1) Curry was right there!  How do you pass up on a shooter with good PG size?  He and Rubio would have made much more sense as a backcourt on offense and defense.  This was an OBVIOUS pick, except 2) Flynn's biggest basketball skill was his interview, and Kahn was seduced.  "oh, but he's a leader!"  Yeah, but his game is ... ordinary.  3)  We know 5 PG's are better now.  But even then I had him behind Curry, Lawson and Jennings.  My fear - this pick does as much damage as the Ray Allen for Steph Marbury trade.  Awful.

Bad - Kahn traded the 18th pick - Ty Lawson - for the protected Charlotte pick.  I had Lawson in my top 10.  Others did too, and time has shown this judgment to be largely correct.  My view at the time is that Kahn traded a top-10 talent for a top 12 protected pick next year - or top-10 protected the year after...  I asked myself - 'Why are the Wolves delaying gratification for a pick that may not come, may come later in the draft than 18, and may not provide a top-10 talent?"  Now full judgment can't be passed until the Charlotte picked is used or traded - and I'll address that later, but this was a dumb move.

Bad - Kahn selling 2nd round pick Nick Calathes.  It seems to me that 2nd round picks are an excellent way to cheaply fill out roster spots 11-15, or stash Euros for further evaluation.  Calathes could have been either.

Good - Kahn signing Ramon Sessions.  Yes, there are a ton of PG's on this team but Sessions was a good deal and should bring back a useful asset or be a super-sub PG.

Good/Bad -Kahn signing Ryan Hollins.  At the time I thought it was a good move, but the guy really stinks and is being paid for 2 more seasons.  It was the right idea, but wrong player.  I'm very forgiving of this move.

Good - Kahn trading Smith, Telfair, et al.  This continued the 'strip it down to the studs' movement which I believe was critical to change the culture and start over.  The acquisition of larger expiring contracts such as Blount's were potentially more useful near the trade deadline.

Good - Kahn telling Blount to stay away.  Set the tone - we won't tolerate lazy head cases.

Good - Kahn hiring Rambis.  I liked the move at the time.  Good pedigree, coming from Phil Jackson's school of coaching, ran the defense, seemed like a good pick.  Maybe if he'd been hired before the draft, the triangle would have demanded taking Curry.... and as time goes by Rambis is doing some questionable things, but we'll address those later.  At the time, this was a good move.

Good - Kahn trading for Darko.  Not a major move, but a nice one.  The team gets a look at a real center and they can butter up the Euros.

Bad - Kahn made no other deadline moves.  This was very frustrating.  Surely he could have plucked another lottery pick or SOMEthing.

Open questions

How will Kahn resolve the Jefferson/Love death match?  He inherited this mess, true.  But he does need to resolve it.  He is clearly trying to get max value for Jefferson, but the guy has to go.  Clearly Love hates playing behind him or with him.  So long as this is Al's team, we are doomed as fans.

Is Rambis the right coach?  Does the triangle make sense for a PG talent heavy team (depends on future personnel)?  Can he teach defense(not without a shot blocker)?  Can he keep the players motivated and pursuing their proper roles(so far so good)?  Can the man put together a rotation that makes any sense(uhhhh, no)?  Can Rambis develop young talent (signs point to yes)?  Clearly more time is needed before judging Rambis, but he has lost esteem since his hiring.

-Gomes - stay or go?  I vote for cap space!

-3 first round draft picks - who does Kahn take or how does he use these to get significant players.

-Use of cap space - same deal.  This off season is critical for Kahn. If he screws it up he should be fired after next season.  If he gets it right the Wolves could have a wonderful 20-teens.

-Henk and Pekovic - What will Kahn do with the Euros?  Will he get good or any value out of them?

In the early morning hours following the 2008 draft I sat exhausted and confused after screaming at my TV for telling me that Mario Chalmers had been traded for cash and OJ Mayo traded for Kevin Love and cap space.  After I calmed down I assessed the situation and came to the conclusion that this trade wasn't necessarily a disaster (I had a low opinion of Love at the time, he's proved me wrong).  Why, with the addition of Love, McHale must have another move involving Jefferson.  So I sat refreshing ESPN waiting for that other shoe to drop.  And I waited, and waited, and waited...

Since that 2008 draft day trade I've been on "trade Big Al" bandwagon.  My initial rational of team balance has been bolstered by Al's non-existent defense, black hole offense, and seeming inability to adapt to an offense that didn't highlight his low left post moves.

For the last week I've been frustrated that Big Al survived the trade deadline as a Wolf and by his plummeting numbers (along with his draft value).  I tried to console myself - maybe he's hurting and just needs a few weeks off.  Maybe Bill Simmons will get hired as GM for the Nets by the Russian Mark Cuban and think he's fleecing Kahn when he offers up Brook Lopez for his favorite power forward.

But now I feel the other shoe has dropped.  Dropped like a rock - and the Wolves will be lucky to get an expiring contract for their big man. 

So far I've been impressed by Kahn.  I think he's made more good decsions than bad.  But holding on to Big Al too long... that decision goes right below not taking Curry 6th on the naughty list. 

And here's why -  Right now there are 11 teams who have now or will have a significant need for a PF this summer.

There are 4 decent PF's available in Free Agency this summer  (Bosh, Amare, Boozer, Lee) and 4 decent PF prospects in the draft (Favors, Cousins, Davis, Monroe).  These 8 players will effectively satisfy the PF need of the 8 most desperate teams for at least a year.   There are some other PF's in the draft that might fit the need at PF (Aminu, Patterson, a few others).   At least one of these guys will hit.

Which means that this summer only 2 teams will be remotely interested in trading for a PF.  Right now there are 11 teams with PF being an open question mark and team need.

And of course I'm in the camp that doesn't believe Al is a building block, retards the team's development and is redundant with Pekovic.

Kahn should make these 5 offers right now and accept the first that responds:

Indiana:  Granger for AlJeff  (highly unlikely)

Charlotte:  Gerald Wallace (and filler) for AlJeff  (somewhat unlikely)

NJ:  Simmons expiring contract and NJ's 1st pick for AlJeff (unlikely)

Bulls:  Noah + bad contract (salmons or Hinrich) for AlJeff  (feasible)

Wash:  Miller's expiring contract and Wash 1st pick for AlJeff  (feasible)

If no one bites, there is a little time to get creative with other offers.  But I can't see Al bringing back anything near this value in the Summer. 

I'm a T-wolves fan who would love to pry Rudy Fernandez away from you guys and put him in a starting role with Ricky in Minnesota.  In that light I've dreamed up the follwing trade idea and would love to get your input on the trade:

Knicks Get:

Blount (MIN)  and his expiring $7.9M contract

Juwan Howard (PORT) (I'm also going to say they buy out his $825K contract so he can go back to Portland)

Travis Outlaw (PORT)  and his $3.6M expiring contract and he's out for the year

Wolves get:

Jeffries (NYK) and his 2 year $6.4M deal (cuts next year's cap space in half for Wolves)

Rudy Fernandez (PORT)

Portland gets:

PF David Lee  (NYK) and his expiring $7.0M contract.  Fills a glaring, though temporary, need in the front court for playoff push this year.

What say you?

Would you be willing for the Wolves to sacrifice their cap space for one year to land SG Rudy Fernandez?  You know, the guy stuck behind Brandon Roy in Portland who Ricky Rubio considers a mentor and friend?  I'm going to float this trade over at Blazer's Edge (pray for me), but I also want your take on it.  I assume the Knicks will do anything to dump Jeffries contract and this deal only hurts their current (paltry) playoff chances.  Here is the deal  (the ESPN trade machine says the salaries work).

Knicks Get:

Blount (MIN)  and his expiring $7.9M contract

Juwan Howard (PORT) (I'm also going to say they buy out his $825K contract so he can go back to Portland)

Travis Outlaw (PORT)  and his $3.6M expiring contract and he's out for the year

Wolves get:

Jeffries (NYK) and his 2 year $6.4M deal (cuts next year's cap space in half)

Rudy Fernandez (PORT)

Portland gets:

PF David Lee  (NYK) and his expiring $7.0M contract.  Also fills a glaring, though temporary, need in the front court for their playoff push this year. 

I see we have a post on Wes Johnson from Syracuse, so I thought I'd discuss Cole Aldrich and Xavier Henry who played a little later last night when KU whooped up on Missouri.

Aldrich had a monster game game.  Bobby Knight couldn't stop gushing about him.  Aldrich was very disruptive on defense with 7 blocks - one of which was a recovery on a blown rotation.  He pulled in 16 rebounds (2 offensive) - his most impressive being a tip in on a missed free throw from behind a Missouri player who according to Knight, didn't "get his butt in Aldrich." 

Aldrich wasn't much on the offensive end, but he was efficient scoring 12 points on 4-5 shooting (4-6 from the line).  He was only credited with 2 assists, but this surprises me.  Four plays at the end of the 2nd half come to mind. 

1 - Aldrich got triple teamed down low, he pivoted and fired a pass across the key for a wide open 3pt attempt that went in.

2 - After a defensive rebound Cole turned and fired a pass to a teammate (Markieff Morris) past the half court line who then beat Missouri to the rim for a layup.

3 - Missouri tried to press, Cole came up late from half court to save the inbounds pass, turned and fired a bounce pass to a streaking teammate at half court who was fouled at the rim. 

4 - Saw this many times after his 14 rebounds - turned and fired a sharp pass to a teammate.  His passes were in stark contrast to his teammate's passes after defensive rebounds.  Cole would secure, survey and snap off the pass in quick succession while his teammates generally let the pressure fade before handing or lobbing the ball to the PG.

A couple of other notes - one positive one negative.  Positive:  the announcers were discussing how they were disappointed in Aldrich's play in an earlier season game and brought up a foot injury he was suffering.  If Aldrich continues this level of healthy play in conference, he will return to top 5 in most draft boards. 

Negative:  Missouri trotted out a lineup with one guy at 6'9" and 2 guys at 6'8".  Considering how college players tend to shrink when not measured by the Team Program editors, Aldrich enjoyed a significant size advantage he won't find in the NBA. 

Xavier Henry had a very quiet game.  He shot 3-7 from 3 point land and had only one other shot attempt with no free throws.  He basically disappeared for long stretches of the game.  He had two steals and a block, but I must admit I had trouble telling him from KU's other wings on defense so I can't really judge him, though he had 2 steals and a block. 

After seeing this game, I have to believe Aldrich is a top 5 pick.  For the Wolves, I put him behind Wall and Turner (way behind those two), but I'd take him over Wes Johnson.  He needs a few more games like this, but he would be a nice fit in the Wolves rotation.  I'm not sure how I'd rate him against the top PFs in the draft or how those PFs would fit on this Wolves team.

Henry didn't do much for me.  I can't see him as a top 10 pick.  If he's there at the Charlotte or Utah pick (18 to 22), he's  a good gamble.

Hey Griz fans, over at the T-Wolves site they are pondering this trade:

Wolves Trade:

PG  J. Flynn

PF  K. Love

Memphis trades:

C  M. Gasol

SF R. Gay

Wolves fans are reluctant to give up Love, but think Gasol and Al Jefferson would be a better pair.  Minny also needs help on the wing, so there is some love for Gay in MN.

What do you guys think of this trade for Memphis?  (Don't worry if the Wolves would do it or not, how would you grade Memphis if they did it?)

If the Wolves do in fact trade Al Jefferson as I've been promoting they do, it's hard to get around the fact that a future front court of Love and Pekovic desperately needs some help.  A low minute big man could probably be added to the rotation via the draft, but the free agent market for Centers is also more promising than I first thought.

Brad Miller  (probably a bad fit)

Shaq and Z (both seem likely to retire)

Kwame Brown (someone will give him a contract)

Marcus Camby  (old, but the right kind of center)

Udonis Haslem

Jermaine O'Neal

Brendan Haywood

Erik Damphier (he will almost certainly be traded and waived for cap reasons next year, and he seems like a decent fit)

Unlikely ETO's

Tyson Chandler  (we could wait till 2011, right?)

Yao Ming (not at all likely)

Some of these guys aren't worth any price, but with the salary cap shrinking, the Wolves should be in a good position to add one of these guys for a 1 or 2 year deal that is no where near 8 figures.  But a few of them would fit well with a Love/Pekovic back court - with a later draft pick developing behind them.  If the Wolves can't get a young center like Gortat, I would be satisfied with a Damphier, Haywood or Camby.  One of them will surely slip through the cracks.

All the talk about Wall and Evan Turner has me excited.  What if the Wolves could get both guys?  But how?

Here's one possibility

Wolves trade:

PF/C  Al Jefferson  $12M

New Jersey trades:

SF Bobby Simmons   $11.2M expiring

PG Keyon Dooling  $3.5M  two years

Net's 2010 first round pick

(trade machine approved)

Why NJ makes the trade - because they turn Bobby Simmons into Al Jefferson, clear $3.5M more in cap space for 2010, and can court (and pay) LeBron with PG Devin Harris, and a front court of Al Jeff and Lopez. 

Why MN makes the trade - while NJ may win more games with this lineup and thus shed ping pong balls, it is unlikely that NJ will catch #3 Golden State who has an 8 game lead.  The longer the Wolves hold off on this trade, the less likely NJ catches GS.  Now the Wolves will lose more without Big Al, and their own pick will likely have the most ping pong balls - with the NJ pick falling between 2 and 5.  So the Wolves would essentially guarantee themselves 2 of the top 5 picks.  So long as the Wolves get the first pick, they can package Rubio with the other pick to move up 1 or 2 spots to get Turner.  Should the Wolves get real lucky and land Wall and Turner with their picks - Rubio becomes an awesome trade chip.

They also have Bobby Simmons reducing the cap hit by $11M when he expires at season's end to go along with all that other expiring money - so the wolves could add 2 max free agents (or bring them on through a trade). 

Please vote in the poll below - remember, just evaluate it for the Wolves.  If anyone knows of an SB Nation Nets site - let me know and I'll post the poll to Net's fans and report how they like this trade.

I am not a great Basketball mind.  I barely understand the 'pick n roll', and outside of the obvious isolation play, I couldn't identify an NBA offense watching it on TV.  

But now we have the triangle, and I wanted to look into it.  Here is my beginners novice guide.

1 - The name comes form the triangle shape made by three players on the ball side - (the post, the wing, and the corner)

2 - Emphasizes spacing between offensive players (15-20 feet) - but traditionally overloads the ball side of the offense (if the ball is on the left side of the floor - 4 of the offensive players will also be on that side.)  The Lakers run a slightly different version that doesn't overload the floor - I'm guessing these are Kobe rules to get him more isolation.

3 - The triangle does not have set plays, rather it is reactive to the defense.  Players are supposed to be constantly reading the D, then moving accordingly to exploit the situation.  This is where the complexity comes in - a player must constantly read and recognize the D and then know exactly how to respond based on their present position.  There are clearly thousands of permutations and thus the high learning curve. 

4 - The triangle offense seems to emphasize picks in the low post - generally to open up a player streaking the baseline to the corner for a 3, or clearing a passing lane to the other post player.

5 - The triangle emphasizes post player passing.  I'd argue the triangle hinges on this.  The motion of the triangle is all about getting the ball to the post player (high or low) who then must make the critical read of the defense and react.  If working properly, the triangle will feed the post player - who then make 'the' play - either scoring himself or getting the assist. 

6 - The triangle almost always leaves a guard at the top of the key for defensive purposes - this guard is there to provide some resistance to any break away. 

7 - The PG role seems limited to three important variables - hitting a corner 3, the athleticism to constantly run the baseline, and the intellect to absorb the complex defensive read/react scenarios.  The last two skill sets seem universal to all players in the triangle.  I would argue the triangle de-emphasizes the point guards need to dribble drive, ball handle, set up plays, and picks on top of the key or the wings. 

8 - As far as I can tell, the Lakers (Phil Jackson teams) and Wolves are the only teams that run the triangle - although wikipedia says the Nets and Pacers dabble in it. 

-------------------------

So the history of the triangle makes sense to me.  Phil Jackson implemented the triangle as a response to the "Jordan Rules" of the Pistons - this was a straightforward shut down Jordan approach.  The triangle was put in place to get Jordan to give up the ball, trust his team mates, and foil "Jordan Rules" defense.  Lo and behold, this also worked with Kobe.  After watching LeBron James the past few years, and all the frustration he's had with teammates and the need to dominate every possession, I think he would benefit from the triangle.  (I think this begs the question, is it the triangle philosophy or Phil Jackson's player psychology that gets the super-star to share and trust his teammates?)

I think it's fair to say that the Wolves do not have the Jordan/Kobe/LeBron problem. 

A - The wolves do have 3 very talented PG's who excel in the things that the triangle offense de-emphasizes (ball handling, high picks, dribble drive, play calling/making).  I'm guessing all 3 PG's have the mental capacity for the triangle, Flynn and Sessions have the athleticism (Rubio, not so much), but none of them have the 3-pt shot needed (although that could be developed).  The triangle seems to de-emphasize a major Wolves asset - emerging to elite PG play.

B - The Wolves big men are a triangle mixed bag.  Kevin Love would seem the perfect triangle post player.  Very smart, excellent passer, but might get knocked for athleticism.  Al Jefferson is the perfect anti-triangle player.  Can't pass out of a double team, doesn't make reads, and no athleticism.  I don't think any of the other big men on the roster have the talent or smarts to make significant contributions to the triangle offense (Cardinal is smart enough, but lacks the talent - Hollins has the Athleticism, but little else). 

C - It goes without saying that the Wolves wing talent doesn't measure up either.  There is no Jordan/Kobe/LeBron talent to harness to the team. However, the Wolves wing talent wouldn't work for any offense, let alone the triangle. 

I like Rambis, but the triangle seems the wrong way to go.  A PG like Steph Curry would have made much more sense than Flynn or Rubio (although you can argue the Rubio pick made sense in any scenario since he'll always have high trade value).  The triangle also alienates and diminishes our best player - Al Jeff.  I've been saying the Wolves should trade him since last year, but this pretty much demands he be traded and diminishes his perceived value.  I believe Love will be great in the triangle, but I believe Love will be great in any offense. 

My preference for this team was to emulate the Hornets.  Have a PG centric team surrounded by really athletic guys.  I think the roster is in better shape to support that offense with the bevy of PG's, Hollins and Brewer providing athleticism, and Love (while not athletic) providing outlet passes, smart plays and rebounding.  Surely Love could emulate and improve on David West's undersized PF role - and better yet, Love is not undersized at PF.  My vision would still leave Al Jeff out of the equation, but I'd make damn sure early on to play the 2 man game with him for the first two months to establish high trade value then ship him out. 

My conclusion- The triangle stinks, the Wolves should revert to a two man game, trade Al, then run the rest of the year.

I'm of the opinion that the Hornets are royaly hosed and at some point they will have to use their one asset - Chris Paul - to get out from under their bad contract (Peja) and grease their skids out town.  If that's the case, the bidding will be fierce and before the Eton Thomas trade - I could see this offer to the Hornets winning the day:

To the Wolves

PG Chris Paul - $13.76M

SF Peja Sojakovic - $13.92M

To the Hornets  (pre-thunder deal)

PG Ricky Rubio (assume just the rights, unsigned)

PF Pekovic  (unsigned rights)

C Eton Thomas $7.35M

SG Quentin Richardson $8.70M

PF Brian Cardinal  $6.50M

2010 Utah 1st round pick (protected)

2010 Charlotte 1st round pick (protected)

I think most teams would not have been able to match the wolves ability to provide 3 big expiring contracts - That also saved the Hornets $5M the day the trade is made (within the 125% + $100k trade rule).  The hornets could also save another $2M-$5M by buying out all 3 wolves.  The trade also provides a legitimate star replacement to Paul in Rubio, a nice cheap prospect in Pekovic and two #1 picks - granted they aren't lottery picks but the Wolves aren't allowed to give away their own pick till the Clips are out of the picture.  Being able to dump Peja would be huge for the Hornets since they could probably still get some value and savings trading Chandler straight up to another team. 

Before the Thunder deal, I had trouble coming up with something that didn't force the Wovles to dump a 1/3  of their roster on the Hornets - not ideal for either team.  Now after the Thunder deal, I'm back to that same problem... or am I?

To the Hornets Post Thunder deal

PG Ricky Rubio (assume just the rights, unsigned)

PF Pekovic  (unsigned rights)

SG Quentin Richardson $8.70M

PF Brian Cardinal  $6.50M

2010 Utah 1st round pick (protected)

2010 Charlotte 1st round pick (protected)

PG Chucky Atkins $3.5M  (only $760k guranteed)

SG Damien Wilkins $3.3M

So the deal is still in the 125% range, so still valid.  The Hornets save another $600k the moment the deal is made, and another $2.85M when they opt out of Chucky - and the number of players changing rosters is the same as the previous deal...

Is Kahn doing everything possible to save the Hornets as much as possilble to land Paul?