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Starting at Center, Number 16, Pau Gaasoollllll!?

December 6, 2012 by

Surprise surprise, rumors are swirling again that the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to move starting PF Pau Gasol. The 32 year old Spaniard is again the victim of the Lakers early season struggles. This season for the Lakers has been one of big dreams and mass blame. Early on it was Mike Brown, who in reality should never have been chosen over Rick Adelman in the first place. Brown got the quick axe and now it looks to be the once loved Lakers big man who is getting the LA “Death Stare”.

Thus far Gasol has registered a career low 12.6 PPG while shooting .420 percent from the floor. The rest of his game seems to be around his career average with 8.8 RPG and a respectable 3.5 APG. But with the unsatisfactory drop from his Laker average 18.4PPG, it is easy to put a target on the 7’0” big man. Unfortunately for Pau, his surroundings seem to be his downfall. He is on one of the most covered and decorated sports franchises of all time, playing with one of the greatest NBA players of all time and is once again paired with a post player who is taking Pau’s touches , looks, and space in the paint. Granted Pau can hit it from anywhere within 18 feet, he needs to be fed the ball down low. I don’t know if the Lakers forgot, but Pau Gasol has one of the best jump hooks in the league today, and not to mention he can do it with either hand! But so can Dwight Howard right………..?

To be honest, I’m shocked the pairing of Dwight and Pau has not worked yet. It seems like they would be a perfect fit, Dwight the freakishly athletic defensive center, and Pau the offensively versatile power forward who can spread the floor and pass with the best of them. To my disbelief, and the entire leagues, it’s not working. Even now with the offensive genius Mike D’Antoni calling the shots, the Lakers still aren’t producing. In my mind, waiting for Point Guard Steve Nash to come back and run the show would be a better idea than sending Pau packing. He was proven to be a top power forward in this league and he could (against popular belief) be effective with Nash running the D’Antoni’s system. Between the constant ridicule from the media, the call outs by Kobe and what seems to be a loss in confidence, maybe new scenery is what Pau needs to resuscitate his offense.

If any of you remember, last season there were trade rumors floating around the Timberpups were looking to acquire the Spanish big man. The Pups were said to have offered rookie Derrick Williams and Center Nikola Pekovic for Gasol. Last year, I would be all over this, pairing Pau with fellow countrymen Ricky Rubio! But with the impressive inside presence of PEK, and D Will starting to build an all-around game…no thanks. As much as Pau and Love could flourish together, they would be a soft interior defense. Pekovic and Williams are both young (at 26 and 21 respectively) and like the Lakers we are waiting for our flashy passing point guard to return form injury to lead the pack. Right now the chemistry on this team is the best I have seen in years from the Wolves. The Wolves have had their struggles early one, but between adapting to new players and the plethora of injuries we are looking to make a push. Although Pau seems to be a compatible with the Wolves, I would take Pekovic over Gasol all day. And seriously, would you want to be the person who had to tell Nikola Pekovic, the strongest man in the NBA, pack your bags.

I would be surprised to see this become anything more than a common NBA trade rumor. Both teams are feeling the pressure to win now, LA because they have created another trending super team, and the Wolves from the fear that All Star Power Forward Kevin Love will bolt once his contract has expired. Regardless, it’s going to be a chore for the Lakers to move Pau with $19 Million due this year and next year. All I can say is, KAAAHHNNNN NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

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Derrick Williams Trade Proposals

November 17, 2012 by

As you can see, even Crunch is willing to drive Derrick Williams out of town at this point.  As the Pups enter a four day stretch without a game, we wanted to tackle the most polarizing player on the roster right now.  In fact, this topic might get so heated that Big Al asks me to stop writing for the site.  We are on opposite ends of the spectrum on this one and I’ll start the conversation with a number of trade proposals that I would at least consider if I were running the Wolves.

Personally, I do not feel like Derrick Williams has a role on this team if/when the Wolves finally get healthy.  When Kevin Love returns, that gives DWill no more than 15 mpg at the PF spot, which includes moving Love over to play C at times.  DWill’s weaker position, SF, is currently loaded on the roster with AK47, Cunningham, and now Josh Howard.  The former two players in that list have outplayed DWill to this point in the season and I don’t think that can be argued.

Therefore, it is time to think hard about shipping him to another team before he gets stuck at the end of the bench and his value continues to decline.  I do believe that DWill can and will be a decent pro.  However, there aren’t many teams that are a worse fit for him.  Who could have predicted this when he was drafted?  (Raises hand, along with hundreds of others)

All of the following work within the salary cap and trade limitations according to ESPN’s trade machine.  I’ve tried to not be too much of a homer on these deals and have provided perspective on each.  In looking at potential moves, I’ve tried to find SG’s or players that can play multiple positions, given Brandon Roy’s injury and the need for another rotational SG for the team.  I’m not high on Malcolm Lee at all, so in my opinion, our only current option is Shved.  OK, enough prefacing this write-up, let’s get into the trades themselves.

Atlanta: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ajhtam2

DWill for Kyle Korver

Why the Pups make this deal: Korver was rumored to be joining the Wolves this past offseason and it never came to fruition.  Perhaps Kahn has kept this as an option for his club.  Korver would fill in nicely to the Wolves backcourt and seems like another good locker room guy.

Why the Hawks make this deal: You’ll see this rationale a lot, but Williams still has the potential.  If they move Horford back to the C spot, that could be a good 1-2 punch for them.  There continue to be rumors about Josh Smith being sent elsewhere as well, so this could help them push a button on that front as well.

Charlotte: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cocabcs

DWill and Amundson for Gerald Henderson and Bismack Biyombo

Why the Pups make this deal: This might be the best deal I came up with from the Wolves side of things, which means I’m probably off my rocker thinking that this could happen.  The Wolves get a solid SG and a backup C that would make for a nice defensive replacement for Pek.

Why the Bobcats make this deal: As discussed earlier in the week, the Bobcats have a ton of talent in the backcourt but very little up front (despite Byron Mullens performance in Minnesota).  Biyombo is playing very little for the team right now, so there is a chance they could be down on him a bit.  Would a pick from Minnesota be enough to sweeten this deal?

Milwaukee: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=d7bugp7

DWill (and Lee) for Mike Dunleavy (and Doron Lamb)

Why the Pups make this deal: A deal for Dunleavy for DWill doesn’t seem too appealing, does it?  But what if you included Lee and Lamb in the swap?  I think that is one you have to at least consider and tell Milwaukee’s front office to hold on for a few hours while you frantically make a few more calls to find a better deal.

Why the Bucks make this deal: They would get DWill’s potential to play next to Ilyasova, while not giving up a starter in the process.  Doron Lamb is not getting any playing time in Milwaukee.

Orlando: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cm4tl9c

DWill and Lee for JJ Reddick

Why the Pups make this deal: I’ll probably be in the minority here, but I actually really like this deal for the Wolves.  They get another veteran presence and a very good outside shooter that can fill in at both G positions.

Why the Magic make this deal: In case you didn’t know, the Magic are rebuilding.  Is there a quicker way to get more potential on the team than last year’s second overall pick?  This deal works with and without Malcolm Lee, so the Magic can take their pick on whether or not it makes sense for his inclusion.  If anyone has a contact in the Magic front office, tell them to call David Kahn please.

Philadelphia: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=c86mdd3

DWill for Evan Turner

Why the Pups make this deal: Potential for potential with each team getting a better overall fit for what they are trying to do.  Evan Turner could see heavy minutes as a SG on the Wolves.

Why the Sixers make this deal: This would allow DWill to play heavy minutes at the PF spot next to Thaddeus Young and evens out their rotation a little bit.  They also pick up another year on the rookie contract scale by getting the #2 overall pick in the ’11 draft vs. the ’10 draft.  That’s a selling point for some owners.

Dallas: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=c5z2rjq

DWill and Lee for Vince Carter and Brandan Wright

Why the Pups make this deal: This deal more or less throws away all future potential for a chance to win the title within the next two seasons.  I’ve never been a fan of ‘Wince’ so I don’t necessarily like this deal at all.  However, it is something worth considering as the GM of the team.  Not only do we have a few players that only have a year or two left in the tank, but the owner and head coach are also not going to be around for five more years.

Why the Mavs make this deal: Dirk is not getting any younger and can slide over to the C spot on many nights.  This gives the Mavs more productive depth in the short term and potential in the long term.

Denver: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bwl8y8s

DWill and Barea (or Ridnour) for Danilo Gallinari

Why the Pups make this deal: I had to throw this one in there even though there is no chance of it happening.  Who blinks first in this deal?  The Wolves pull this off and figure out the minutes and rotation later between Love, AK47, and Gallinari.

Why the Nuggets make this deal: They would need to believe in the potential of DWill as a player than can play both F positions and another backup PG for added depth.  If money were an issue at all, they would be able to get out of Gallinari’s contract – particularly if they took back Ridnour, who has an expiring contract.

Phoenix: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=cdr8dhj

DWill for Jared Dudley

Why the Pups make this deal: Dudley would provide some much needed depth at the SG position if Roy is going to struggle all season long.  This is another deal that could/should be on the table while Kahn calls around to find any last minute deals that would qualify as “better”, but then sign off on it before DWill is riding the pine upon Love’s return.

Why the Suns make this deal: Sarver clearly wants to be the southern version of the Wolves, so why not take another tweener from its franchise?  Phoenix would take on DWill’s potential and hope that he can make it while playing next to or with Scola.  At the same time, as it is always important to Sarver, this gets his payroll down one year earlier, as Dudley’s contract goes longer than DWill’s rookie deal.

Sacramento: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bq4t53v

DWill (and Lee) for Tyreke Evans

Why the Pups make this deal: Simply put, Tyreke makes more sense on a healthy Wolves team than DWill.  He can play minutes at both G positions and help limit Roy’s time on the floor.  There’s still some potential here for Evans as well, even though things clearly have not worked out in Sacramento.

Why the Kings make this deal: Plain and simple, the Kings are a mess.  DWill would have to play more minutes at SF on this team as well, given their current roster.  However, it is very clear that Evans isn’t working out for them.  You have to at least consider the potential of DWill here.

Utah: http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=bcwk3o7

DWill and Lee for Alec Burks and Earl Watson

Why the Pups make this deal: Alec Burks has really, really struggled this season and is now playing behind Hayward and Foye.  However, if you believe in his potential, he plays a position of greater need for the team right now.  The Pups would also upgrade their back, back-up PG position with Watson over Lee.  Would a pick from the Jazz be enough to make this appealing for you, because I’m sure it isn’t looking too good at first glance?

Why the Jazz make this deal: When you have an opportunity to add a 6th or 7th tweener forward, you have to take it right?  The Jazz have so many forwards on the team, but this deal could be the first domino to fall and a few more could follow.

So what do you think?  What is your favorite and least favorite move for Derrick Williams or do you have one of your own that isn’t covered above?  Let us know in the comments below.  If you don’t hear from me after this post, just assume Big Al has banned my account …

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Timberwolves Rumors: Love Still Irritated Over 4-Year Deal?

October 15, 2012 by

Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio have begun to cement themselves as one of the NBA’s top PG-PF combinations.

Last season to the surprise of many folks around the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves were indeed able to come to terms with franchise cornerstone Kevin Love on a 4-year maximum contract extension, despite the team’s ability to offer Love a five-year deal. Love and his agent “reluctantly” agreed to the shortened contract offer, and K-Love was certainly peeved off at the organization for not dishing him the maximum possible offer. Ia an interview provided by the Associated Press, Love elaborated on his frustrations with last winters’ negotiations:

“That’s because I wanted to be here,” Love said, slapping his hand on the arm of a chair to stress the point. “I wanted them to say, ‘When people think Minnesota Timberwolves, they think Kevin Love.’ And I felt with my contract we didn’t really do that.”

Owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn wanted to keep maximum flexibility with the payroll. So they were hesitant to offer the five-year maximum to Love or any other player, for that matter.

“There’s a lot of stuff behind the scenes that people didn’t know about and they will never know about,” Love said. “A lot of people looked at me and said, ‘Oh, he doesn’t want a four-year deal?’ No. I wanted to be the guy. I wanted to be THEIR guy. The fact that I worked as hard as I possibly could and made my mark in many different ways, even after last season, I felt I was a little bit slighted. At this point I’m past that now.”

Despite stating that he is past the whole situation, it is clear that Love will be playing with a chip on his shoulder from this point on. Perhaps an angry Love isn’t the worst thing in the world (as long as Luis Scola isn’t around), given that it will probably only make him play harder in attempt to prove the entire upper management and ownership that they made a mistake by not signing him to a 5-year deal.

I was one of few who completely supported signing Love to a four-year deal as opposed to the five-year maximum, as it can be argued that saving the 5-year deal for Ricky was a better course of action. At the time of Love’s contract negotiations, Rubio was at the peak of his tremendous – although shortened – rookie campaign and with a long-term perspective in mind, by maintaining the flexibility of being able to potentially offer Tricky Ricky a 5-year deal the Timberwolves would be in the best shape to truly have sustained success in the coming years.

I am as big of a Kevin Love fan as anyone, but it was extremely clear this season who the most important player to the team was in terms of winning games. With Rubio on the floor, the Timberpups wer 21-20 and possessed the number 8 seed in the Western conference. After La Pistola went down with the dreaded ACL tear, the Pups finished the season 5-20. Now, K-Love ended up missing time with injury as well as Pekovic, Ridnour, and Barea, but the impact of having Rubio on the floor as opposed to after he went down was night and day. Rubio’s elite defense and incredible passing proved to be worth all the hype he had been criticized for the previous two years, and he returned optimism and confidence back to Minnesota Timberwolves fans. The intangibles he brings to the floor night-in and night-out proved to be the missing piece to David Kahn’s puzzle he has been trying to solve. It’s no secret that Rubio either used to or still prefers the big-city life and could potentially look at New York, Boston, or LA when it comes time for free agency, but now the Timberwolves have an upper edge on their upcoming competition in free agency: they can offer Rubio a five-year maximum deal while the rest can only offer a 4-year deal. Locking up Rubio with Love already under contract could cement a dominant future point guard-power forward combination for many years to come.

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Dear Kahn: Please Do Not Sign Andray Blatche

September 2, 2012 by

There have been way too many “positive” articles written about the Timberwolves signing Andray Blatche and we need to ensure that there is enough of a counterargument online to this type of move, just in case David Kahn is out there and listening.

After Darren Wolfson reported the Twolves interest on his Twitter feed I started to make comparisons for the players in which the team has been linked to – Blatche, Tolliver, Hassan Whiteside, and Mickael Pietrus – and who would be the best and worst matches.  Guess where Blatche lands – the very bottom of said list.
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Report: Timberwolves Turn Down Trade For Andrew Bynum

August 13, 2012 by

Earlier this week, the Orlando Magic put an end to the “Dwightmare” and finally sent star center Dwight Howard to Los Angeles after months of trade demands and tension between the player and organization. The finalized trade involved a total of four teams, the Magic, Lakers, 76ers, and Nuggets. The trade culminated in the Lakers receiving Howard, the 76ers nabbing All-Star center Andrew Bynum and G/F Jason Richardson, Denver taking back G/F Andre Igoudala, and Orlando bringing back the haul of SG Arron Afflalo, PF Al Harrington, 2012 first-round pick SF Moe Harkless, 2011 first-round pick C Nikola Vuvecic, and three protected future first-round picks from the other three teams. Orlando, clearly looking to shoot low this season to get as high of a first-round pick as possible, passed up the opportunity of bringing back potentially both Igoudala and Bynum.

One of the most interesting parts about this trade is that Minnesota was not involved, despite being engaged in trade talks for Pau Gasol dating back to last summer. However, as Twincities.com reported, the Wolves were approached by Los Angeles to be apart of the deal and were even offered Andrew Bynum in the proposed trade. It has not been released as to who Minnesota would have needed to give up in order to return the 24-year-old 7-footer, but it is likely that the Wolves were asked to part ways with either Kevin Love or Ricky Rubio. David Kahn has reiterated that both players are untouchable, and apparently he was not tempted by the idea of taking back the second best center in the NBA.
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Timberwolves: Implications of a Batum Signing

July 5, 2012 by

The Timberwolves began NBA free agency in frenzy as the clock struck midnight on July 1, commencing their quest for veteran additions to their current nucleus by scheduling meetings with SG-SF Nicolas Batum, C Greg Stiemsma, former Portland SG Brandon Roy, and PF-C Jordan Hill. The Timberpups also reached out to the likes of SG Jamal Crawford, SG OJ Mayo, while remaining extremely active in trade discussions with the Los Angeles Lakers in hopes of landing PF Pau Gasol.

It appears that the Pups are as dedicated as any team in the NBA to land multiple high-profile players NOW, greatly reflecting their urgency to “win now,” as Minnesota head coach Rick Adelman is 66 and is likely in the middle of his final contract of his life, while Pups owner Glen Taylor is 71 and wants to see how far his current core group of players can take him before he sells the team in a few years. Whatever the sole cause, it is very uncharacteristic of the Wolves to be so very active in free agency while placing such great importance on attracting marquee names to the land of 10,000 lakes, and the Minnesota front office and coaching staff deserves much credit for their persistent efforts thus far.

The Pups have been reported as to having offered contracts to Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, and international free agent Alexey Shved so far, with each player currently mulling multiple contract offers. Shved, most recently playing for CSKA Moscow, is a 6’5” combo guard who could potentially help out the Wolves at the 2-guard position. He is a good shooter from long range and is a fancy finisher around the hoop. As is with any international player, there is always a chance that the transition to the NBA would be too much for him. However, scouts are very high on Shved and believe that the 23-year-old could be a low-risk, high-reward signing. Shved is currently deciding between signing with the Wolves, Cleveland, or Memphis, and will make his decision based on which team he believes he will receive the most playing time. [Read more...]

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NBA Free Agency: Timberwolves Offseason Plans

July 1, 2012 by

A look into the Timberwolves offseason plans

Well here we are, it is July 1 and NBA free agency has just begun. The Timberpups decided to not extend qualifying offers to both Anthony Randolph and Michael Beasley, making the pair unrestricted free agents and meaning that they will most likely not be returning in Timberwolves uniforms next season. The club has also pushed back the team option deadlines on both Martell Webster and Brad Miller, as they look to include them in trades over the next few weeks. With potentially $20 million in cap space, Minnesota looks to be a major player in a strong free agent crop this summer.
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