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Speaker 1: What is up, Fellasikos. I'm Dan fa Valley. The twenty

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twenty five twenty twenty six NBA look Ahead train continues

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to roll on. We're up to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which

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means I have the distinct pleasure and I'm super excited

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to be joined by Kyle Tige of the Dane Moore

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NBA podcast does a fantastic job covering this team from

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all angles. Him and Dane and that whole crew of

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there do absolutely excellent work. Follow him on the social

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machines at Kyle tygie k y l E th h

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E I g E. It's on screen. Links to his

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stuff will be in the social media excuse me, the

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YouTube and podcast description Kyle, this is year three for you.

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Welcome back. I'm so happy to have you back. How

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the heck are you?

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Speaker 2: I'm doing well. As I said before, this is my

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third year doing this. This is my ninth year. I

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think covering the Timberwolves. Used to be a blog boy,

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now kind of transitioned into podcasting. I have a face

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for podcasting before it became video and on YouTube, So

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that's been an adjustment for me. If I had to

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shower more, but no one in the game, I do

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a lot of kind of you know, hop on a pod,

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support your friends. No one does better outlines than this

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guy next to me on the screen. So I appreciate

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you because sometimes people be like, hey, hop on the pod,

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and then it's just like the most awkward conversation like

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speed dating. So I appreciate that you sent me a

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ward doc that might have thirty five hundred words about

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most of the ean Baronjay and we'll get into him

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my new favorite player. But I'm excited. Man. The season

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always comes up. You get really bored in early August,

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and then all of a sudden, it's like you blink

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and it's mid October. You have no idea where the

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fall in, and like we're in it. So I'm excited

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to ramp up and kind of get back into it.

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Speaker 1: So am I, which is why these heads are great.

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Do you ever get that like existential paranoia though, where

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it's I think it's like the first maybe Thursday or

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like that first fourteen games late of the season comes

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and then you're kind of I'm like, I know you're

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covering the Wolves, but you're keeping tabs in the entire

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league every year. I'm like how did I do all this?

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Like that? What that first night where there's thirteen or

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fourteen games after like the two opening slates or whatever

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it ends up being. I always just get overcome with

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this feeling of existential dread each and every season.

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Speaker 2: I mean, I feel existential dread just on a daily basis.

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It has nothing to do with basketball, but I'm with you,

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it's kind of like the first night. I mean, the NBA,

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to their credit, has done a better job of like

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slow rolling it out and having just a couple of games.

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I in the past, it's felt like drinking from a

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fire hose where all of a sudden you're like, no

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basketball in the basketball. In the basketball, there's fourteen games

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on on Tuesday. And now in the new NBA sphere,

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it's like I got to make sure I have nine

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different streaming platforms to make sure I can watch them all.

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And is it blacked out on League Pass? I guess

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we'll get into that later, but no, I am. I

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got a couple of little time here to figure it out.

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But I know, at least for the team that I cover,

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I'm always just grateful because those first handful of years

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were really lean. When it's like I can't wait to

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cover a thirty and fifty two basketball team. The script

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has flipped a little bit. And now this team again

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for you know, going on maybe the fourth year should

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be a pretty good basketball team. And dare I say

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weird word? Coming a contender.

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Speaker 1: Consecutive conference finals appearances, and it doesn't feel like it

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gets talked about in the like the realm of when

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you're looking at contenders for next season. But before we

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kind of move there, what are you like? What are

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after what happens last season? Just up down? There's these

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metrics that paint them. Had they the top four net

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rating against top ten teams, but you saw some of

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their struggles at points late in games, how they closed

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out the playoffs. What did you make of seeing all that,

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watching all that, taking it in, and then what do

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you ultimately think about how they went about their offseason

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where it was just mostly talent reinvestment. Looks like some

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guys are going to be promoted to bigger roles and

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novel leaves just where you sort of at coming at

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this through the tail end of the offseason.

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Speaker 2: Well about eighteen months ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves, in thirty

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five seasons had made the Western Conference Finals once. So

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fast forward eighteen months today and they've made it twice

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in back to back seasons. That's not worthy of a

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banner in many buildings. For the Timberwolves. It might be

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because again, they have been basically one of the worst

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franchises in professional sports, not just the NBA, but yeah,

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it's kind of been. You know, they draft Ant in

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late twenty twenty, the COVID year, which was like the

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weirdest draft ever because you don't have a combine, you

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don't get to really know stuff. It seemed like every

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player draft analysts were down on. So the Ant acquisition

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as well as Jade McDaniels that year kind of was

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like the New Era. A couple of years later, you

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get Tim Connley, he makes the Rudy Gobert trade days

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into his new job, doesn't even get the new employee

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modules figured out, and then since then it's just kind

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of been this upward trajectory. So in one sense, you're disappointed,

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I think by how they lost to the Thunder, albeit

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the Thunder then go on to win the finals, you know,

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the Halbert injury and stuff, but pretty easily, but they

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didn't really put up much of a fight. I don't

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think against the thunder kind of gentlemen sweep five games

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or the MAVs back in twenty twenty four, or again

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it was like a gentleman's sweep five games. But on

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the flip side, I still, even though it's kind of

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a number that we just peg, like guys don't really

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win titles enter their prime till twenty six, twenty seven,

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it's worth noting that as of early August, Anthony Edwards

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just turned twenty four, and it's kind of already elevated

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this thing to again this weird word for all of

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us to comprehend, contender. So you can you can go

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either way with it, Dan, Like you can say, two

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years in a row, you didn't put much of a fight,

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But then as a Timberwolves fan or someone who covers

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the team, it's like, yeah, for two years they made

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the final four quote unquote, So expectations now are only

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going to get higher, and I think that's going to

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put more pressure on them, more pressure on Chris Finch

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new ownership, which finally after four years, was settled this summer.

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So you can kind of look at it in the

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perfect is it glass half full glass half empty and

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kind of figure it out. But when your best player's

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twenty four, it's hard to have anything but a glass

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half full view because he's already done so much, and

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it does seem like his stock continues to rise in

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the league.

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Speaker 1: It feels like anyone who looks at this through a

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glass half empty prism started following the Wolves in like

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twenty twenty two.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, or was just born in the state

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of Minnesota and knows that no men's team will ever

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win a title ever as long as we live. So

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that would be why your glass half empty?

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Speaker 1: So how do you feel about what they've done? And

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there might still be some odds and ends. They have

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another roster spot they could fill out as we're recording this,

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But how have you felt about their offseason overall? And

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I'll say this live because I've been reminding guests just

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so they know beforehand. I am time stamping. When I'm

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looking down, I'm not actually texting, so I am listening

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to you. I just wanted to give you a heads

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up for that because I feel super rude staring down

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and I did not give you a heads up about

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that system.

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Speaker 2: Dan was like, hey, make your answer Shorter, No, I please,

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I think, how do I look at this? So I

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mentioned Tim Connolly coming from Denver gets to Minnesota in

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the spring of twenty twenty two, and before you could blink,

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he makes one of the biggest trades in franchise history,

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maybe in the league history, to get Rudy Gobert. And

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for those that maybe don't follow the team as much,

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that first year was really tough, was really lean didn't

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work out. And then the second year so that after

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one off season of having Gobert, rather than do anything,

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they just leaned into the same roster. We kind of

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called it in Minnesota like the run it back Tour,

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and they leaned into continuity. And that team, without any

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major transactions, without winning a press conference in June or July,

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had the best season ever. They go on to make

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the Western Conference Finals. Then last year they kind of

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switch it up a little bit, right like, after two

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years of Carl and Rudy, they pivot off of Carl

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Dan the night before media day, right, and now they

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have brought in Dante DiVincenzo and Julius Randall and I'm

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sure we'll get into that, and they go away from

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continuity and then it took Chris Finch and these guys

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basically all season to kind of figure it out. Again.

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They do buy early April, you know, they just schalac

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the Lakers. I know all the Lakers were then hurt

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after that ironic timing. Then they play a hurt Golden

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State team that was not at full strength without Steph

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and they kind of cruised by and then, as I

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said earlier, kind of get waxed by the thunder. But

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this year again, it's like day one and day two

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back in elementary school, where some days you had gym,

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some days you had music. They've gone back to the

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continuity thing of no major transactions this summer. Their biggest

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transactions were just keeping their guys, specifically nas Read, specifically

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Julius Randall. They did lose Nikhil Alexander Walker, but they

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feel pretty confident that they can fill those minutes with

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a Terren strewnon junior a, Jalen Clark, more minutes for

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Rob Dillingham, kind of a fill it by uh, you know,

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everyone kind of pitching to fill those new Keel minutes.

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And Nikil was a huge thing, one of the best

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guys I think I've ever talked to cool guy, loves

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to read books, great locker room presence. But yeah, they're

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kind of going back to what they did two years ago,

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when when I thought it was the most successful season

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in franchise history, they broke all these records, they made

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the Western Conference Finals. They're leaning into we just want

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to marinate what we have more rather than get new ingredients.

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And it's worked for them the last time they tried that,

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and I think that will be their big theme as

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the enter training camp of we're going to go back

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to war with the same guys that got us there

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last year.

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Speaker 1: I found the reaction outside of Minnesota anyway to the

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Nasrie contract particularly interesting. Could they have negotiated harder, I

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mean five years with the player option, Yeah, maybe they

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should have, but it's never going to be fifteen percent

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of the salary cap. It runs through his age thirty season,

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and I think one of the biggest forms of criticism

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I saw is just, well, like, he can't be the

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primary big. That's not going to work defensively, And i'd

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probably as someone, as you know, I've been higher on

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Nasriy's defense overall. I think that a lot of other people.

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I think I could probably agree with that take. But

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if you're paying someone if he ever needs to start

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fifteen percent of the salary cap, you can go out

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and figure out a way to get the primary big,

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it should then. And I'm not saying this is the issue.

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The bigger issue would be, Oh, we're paying Julius Randall

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more than that, and he can't be the primary big

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because he can't play center. And I'm not even trying

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to pooh pooh Julius Randall. I just like, what did

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you make of that whole reaction to the nas Reid thing?

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And I think, where do you ultimately? I don't know

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if I've ever asked you land on the like nas

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Reed defensive discussion.

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Speaker 2: I think with in terms of the naz Reid contract,

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it did kind of remind me of like the Michael

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Porter Junior contract when Tim Conley gave it to him

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when he was in Denver, because that was another one

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where like, did you have to pay him that much money?

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I know you like him, and they're mean. Michael Porter

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Junior and nas Reed completely different players, as the Internet

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will tell you these this summer are completely different people.

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But that's enough about that. So I just think whether

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it be Tim Conley thinking from a basketball standpoint, new ownership,

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because at that point Mark Laurie and Alex Rodriguez had

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kind of this is really legal mumbo jumbo, but like

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had kind of one arbitration and it was clear that

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they were going to take over the team. But you

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sure as hell can't buy an asset like a like

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a a professional sports team and then just go get

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rid of maybe the second most liked player on the

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on the team. I mean, Anthony Edwards is kind of

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his own sphere, but dude, they got people have nas

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read tattoos on the inside of their lips in Minnesota,

244
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like everyone has the beach tiel, Like nas Reid is

245
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a movement of pet name out there too, right, Yeah,

246
00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:22,080
it's like you know, prints and then like naz Reid

247
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two words. So I didn't really understand. I always struggled

248
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Dan with like the new CBA, and we're all still

249
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trying to digest it. But also I think we all

250
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have to turn our minds more to like percentage of

251
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the cap rather than numbers, because we are what a

252
00:11:36,879 --> 00:11:41,200
couple years away from a player making eighty five million

253
00:11:41,799 --> 00:11:43,879
a year and it's gonna be like one million per game.

254
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Speaker 1: I actually think someone laid this out. I think was

255
00:11:46,919 --> 00:11:49,440
Brian Taporak. I actually work with him. A pleach report

256
00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,360
that Anthony Edwards is currently on a trajectory to be

257
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the first one hundred million dollars a year NBA player

258
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in the NBA.

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Speaker 2: If you that's gonna blow my mind. So with the

260
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Nas stuff, the number kind of made sense. You worded

261
00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:04,960
this really well. Could they have negotiated a little tighter?

262
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And that's what brings me back to the Michael Porter

263
00:12:06,639 --> 00:12:10,440
junior thing. Tim Conley typically just kind of if we're

264
00:12:10,519 --> 00:12:12,519
if we're close, I'll just give in, kind of give

265
00:12:12,519 --> 00:12:15,159
you a little more. He is a very pro player.

266
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I mean, he's really one of his strengths is just

267
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obviously networking, but also just player relations. So I also

268
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think nas Reid a couple of years ago when he

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decided to stay in Minnesota because this will now be

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you know, he was undrafted free agent, had those few

271
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years of making essentially nothing. Then he signed an extension

272
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a couple summers ago. But he did take and he

273
00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:36,039
said this at media Day, a little bit of a

274
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hometown discount. He's like, I love being here. So it

275
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almost was like they kind of paid him back for that.

276
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But I don't know, Like outside, I know people had

277
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weird thoughts and they tried to compet to like what

278
00:12:46,039 --> 00:12:49,480
Miles Turner maybe got in Milwaukee or whatever. But Nas

279
00:12:49,519 --> 00:12:52,080
reed is a huge part of what they do. I

280
00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:55,919
don't like big threes, but in this market, three of

281
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like the best friends are Nas Read, Jane McDaniels, and

282
00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,559
Anthony Edwards, and they're all like twenty four to twenty five,

283
00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,080
twenty six. So the Wolves never had an opportunity, if

284
00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:08,639
you remember the Jimmy Butler stuff, to build around their

285
00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:11,919
other kind of core big three of Conte Towns, Andrew

286
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:14,039
Wiggins and Zach Lavine. So this is kind of like

287
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,879
the second chance at building around those guys, and I

288
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think that's why Nas was able to kind of get

289
00:13:18,759 --> 00:13:22,559
the number he wanted. As for NAS's defense, it has

290
00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:24,399
to just get better, and I think he knows that

291
00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,360
more than anyone. He just needs to become a better defender.

292
00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,679
They're always going to have They're literally always going to

293
00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:33,919
have a seven foot two French guy next to Nas,

294
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,159
whether it be Rudy Gobert now or as I like

295
00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,799
to call him, you know, baby Bagette, Johan Baron Jay

296
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,679
down the road. But they're going to have someone to

297
00:13:41,799 --> 00:13:45,440
help Nas. But why would you doubt Nas read I

298
00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,759
guess is kind of the inverse of that, because that man,

299
00:13:48,279 --> 00:13:51,200
he'll joke that when he came into the league from LSU,

300
00:13:51,639 --> 00:13:54,600
he couldn't jump over the free throw line, not from it,

301
00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,039
like over it, and that's painted on the ground like

302
00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,279
he was not a good athlete. And he has shifted

303
00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:01,720
his body. He's one of the hardest working guys. He's

304
00:14:01,759 --> 00:14:03,879
like a guy that just lives in the gym in

305
00:14:03,919 --> 00:14:07,480
downtown Minneapolis. So he got paid. He doesn't have to

306
00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:09,759
worry about anymore kind of generational wealth. But I would

307
00:14:09,799 --> 00:14:13,000
imagine that his biggest improvement needs to be defense because

308
00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,919
this team's identity no matter who's on it. Rudy Gobert,

309
00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,240
Baron Jay whatever Ant and Jayden are like especially Jade

310
00:14:20,279 --> 00:14:22,759
mcdonnal's like they're good defenders and they have more defenders

311
00:14:22,799 --> 00:14:25,960
on this team. It's a defensive minded team, and Nas

312
00:14:26,039 --> 00:14:27,879
is gonna have to kind of buy into that more

313
00:14:27,919 --> 00:14:29,919
and be a better rebounder and be able to kind

314
00:14:29,919 --> 00:14:31,480
of defend multiple positions.

315
00:14:32,279 --> 00:14:36,919
Speaker 1: And that's fair too, because one of the bigger misconceptions

316
00:14:36,919 --> 00:14:39,200
about Rudy Gobert has always been if he gets played

317
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,000
off the floor, they pull him off the floor. It's like, oh,

318
00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,360
the defensive matchup is bad, and it's like, no, it's

319
00:14:43,399 --> 00:14:45,759
been the offense. It's been the offense since Utah. If

320
00:14:45,799 --> 00:14:48,320
you get yourself into that situation in the playoffs, you

321
00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:50,080
want to be able to have NOAs Reid slide into

322
00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:52,120
the five and feel good about what you're still doing defensively.

323
00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,720
Speaker 2: There, Yeah, exactly, and like there's you're gonna see it.

324
00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,399
I think this year they obviously kept Julius Randall and

325
00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,759
we can talk about him, and Rudy Gobert signed actually

326
00:15:01,159 --> 00:15:04,000
a kind of a team friendly discount or offer extension

327
00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:06,720
last October. So he's making less night, he's making like

328
00:15:06,799 --> 00:15:10,240
thirty million. Still a pretty good player. Playoff stuff, you know,

329
00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,320
is hit or miss. I'm sure people have a bad

330
00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,320
image of Rudy Gobert in the playoffs. Also, his best

331
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,279
game as a professional, at least in the NBA was

332
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,879
Game five against the Lakers when he just completely dominated

333
00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,519
them with like twenty four and twenty two. Yeah, yeah,

334
00:15:24,519 --> 00:15:26,799
and he got his revenge against Luca after Luca, you know,

335
00:15:26,919 --> 00:15:29,200
absolutely just crushed him on that step back three in

336
00:15:29,279 --> 00:15:31,799
Minnesota last year in the Western Conference Finals, which still

337
00:15:31,799 --> 00:15:34,679
haunts me. So yeah, nas is just going to have

338
00:15:34,799 --> 00:15:39,159
to play, you know, either big five sometimes alongside of

339
00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:42,039
Jade McDaniels, who is working out with Kawhi looks like

340
00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,600
he's grown. Makes me so happy because that's like the

341
00:15:44,679 --> 00:15:47,000
perfect comp for Jaden is can you be Kawhi Leonard?

342
00:15:47,039 --> 00:15:50,320
But he's going to have to play in situations against

343
00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,600
certain teams where he is the center and can you

344
00:15:53,799 --> 00:15:56,360
hold up, can you defend? Can you rebound? I think

345
00:15:56,399 --> 00:15:57,799
that's the one I keep coming back to, is like,

346
00:15:58,759 --> 00:16:00,480
if you're the big guy out there and you grab

347
00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,279
rebounds on a team that has notoriously been kind of

348
00:16:03,399 --> 00:16:05,440
below average on rebounding, it's why they lost to the

349
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,399
Grizzlies a handful of years ago. So he's got a

350
00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,440
lot of things to work on. For sure. You can

351
00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,159
point out all his flaws, but no player has had

352
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,919
a better developmental story in the thirty six years this

353
00:16:16,039 --> 00:16:17,679
franchise has existed than Nasri.

354
00:16:18,799 --> 00:16:20,320
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm going to ask you this question

355
00:16:20,559 --> 00:16:22,639
each and every year until the end of time. But

356
00:16:22,759 --> 00:16:25,399
so about one year later, because we recorded before the

357
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:28,399
Karl Anthony Towns trade last year. Where are you at

358
00:16:28,919 --> 00:16:32,039
with that deal? Which I think is like in five years,

359
00:16:32,039 --> 00:16:33,200
I still think we're going to look back on that

360
00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,440
as like one of the most fascinating trades in recent memory.

361
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,080
Speaker 2: I think that's there's no better way to put it, right,

362
00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,519
Like it is one of the most fascinating trades. At

363
00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:42,399
the time it happened. I remember it was like it

364
00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:44,600
was a late Friday night. I had had a third

365
00:16:44,679 --> 00:16:47,440
espresso martini because as as you said, like it was

366
00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,360
that weekend before mediating, like all right, everyone's cool. No

367
00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:52,960
one makes trades at this point, and then they make

368
00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,639
this trade, and I was on an.

369
00:16:55,679 --> 00:16:58,600
Speaker 1: Edible trying to do like salary cap implication stuff, and

370
00:16:59,279 --> 00:17:01,720
that was it. It was.

371
00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:05,640
Speaker 2: So in Carl. It's not just the trade, right, but

372
00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,279
it's also Conthee Towns was one of the most well respected.

373
00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,720
He was drafted here, he liked being here. He wore

374
00:17:12,799 --> 00:17:15,240
the retro merch and if you're a team that struggled

375
00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,079
to be successful, you kind of do like the guys

376
00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,440
that liked to stay here rather than demand to go

377
00:17:20,519 --> 00:17:22,880
to the coast or the big markets whatever. So it

378
00:17:23,039 --> 00:17:27,799
completely in my mind just put toxicity into the whole season,

379
00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:29,599
Like it was just hard for the fans to kind

380
00:17:29,599 --> 00:17:31,799
of get around to it, and I totally acknowledged that.

381
00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:35,440
Plus they started slow and kind of stumbled. But then

382
00:17:35,519 --> 00:17:39,200
Julius Randall had this injury kind of to start the year,

383
00:17:39,319 --> 00:17:41,960
like twenty twenty five. It was in early January, and

384
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,960
he was always so vocal about that. Injury allowed him

385
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:46,960
to kind of step back and just watch and he

386
00:17:47,079 --> 00:17:50,480
learned a lot. Some guys became more comfortable. Jane McDaniels

387
00:17:50,599 --> 00:17:53,000
had his best two months of his career in January

388
00:17:53,039 --> 00:17:55,480
and February, and then when Julius came back, they started

389
00:17:55,559 --> 00:17:59,400
humming again. And to answer your question, a year removed,

390
00:17:59,799 --> 00:18:03,079
it really helped that both teams made the conference finals, right,

391
00:18:03,079 --> 00:18:04,920
because if the Wolves would have made the Western Conference

392
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,400
Finals and then Knicks would have gotten bounced in around one,

393
00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:08,880
I think Knicks fans would have been like, we missed

394
00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,039
Julius Wes, we missed Dante. So it worked out well

395
00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:14,839
so far. How is it gonna work in year two?

396
00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:18,079
I don't know. But the one thing that Wolves fans

397
00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:21,039
are kind of coming around to is that Dante Devencenzo

398
00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:23,480
has been really fun. He's played a lot of different

399
00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,480
positions for this team, like with Mike Conley's age, sometimes

400
00:18:26,519 --> 00:18:29,119
Donte had to play backup point guard. I don't love that.

401
00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,279
I don't think he loves that, but he's still a flamethrower.

402
00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,400
Juwis Randall really came into his own was great, was

403
00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,640
borderline terrible against the thunder. Everyone else on the team

404
00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:40,839
was also kind of terrible, except for Aunt. But they

405
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,160
did get the sixteenth pick or the seventeenth pick, and

406
00:18:43,759 --> 00:18:46,480
at the time it was the Pistons, and you're like, well,

407
00:18:46,519 --> 00:18:48,759
I don't know about the Pistons. I became a diehard

408
00:18:48,799 --> 00:18:51,880
Pistons fan. I watched probably all eighty two and then

409
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,559
when they made the playoffs, they end up getting this pick.

410
00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,400
Now that at the time there was concerns of like,

411
00:18:58,480 --> 00:18:59,880
is it ever gonna show up or is it gonna

412
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,319
be like that whole it converts to two seconds.

413
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,359
Speaker 1: The Washington pick that's about to turn into two seconds exactly.

414
00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:07,599
Speaker 2: And so then fast forward to this late June and

415
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:09,960
you go out and you get what I think is

416
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:12,559
I don't know if he's going to be Derek Lively

417
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,160
for Aunt, like Derek G. Lively was for Luca, but

418
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:16,480
you go out and kind of get the center of

419
00:19:16,559 --> 00:19:19,720
the future. This Baron Jay kid, who only started playing

420
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,559
basketball three or four years ago. I want to talk

421
00:19:22,559 --> 00:19:26,519
about him more. But he does tie into the Carl

422
00:19:26,559 --> 00:19:28,799
for Julius and Dante trade because he was the other

423
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,559
big asset on a team that I guess nationally, Dan,

424
00:19:32,599 --> 00:19:34,680
a lot of people always say, well, they traded all

425
00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,920
their picks for Gobert and they're all in. Well, then,

426
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,200
since then, they've been able to add young players like

427
00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:43,200
Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Junior and now Joan Baron

428
00:19:43,279 --> 00:19:46,000
Jay through the draft just by being I don't know,

429
00:19:46,279 --> 00:19:50,720
smarter than other teams. So I think both sides. I'm

430
00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,279
sure the Knicks love having Carl and he's a great dude.

431
00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,319
I do think the Wolves and the fan base have

432
00:19:56,559 --> 00:19:58,880
warmed to the idea of how this all works now.

433
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,640
They're more flexible, perfect way to organize the outline, Dan,

434
00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:06,039
because they probably don't keep nas Reid and pay him

435
00:20:06,079 --> 00:20:08,359
five one twenty five if Carl's still on the roster.

436
00:20:08,839 --> 00:20:10,960
It did give them some flexibility and under this new

437
00:20:11,079 --> 00:20:14,440
second apron CBA stuff like you do kind of have

438
00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:17,079
to find ways to cut costs, even though fans hate it,

439
00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,799
because you cannot consistently be in the second apron without

440
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,640
literally just damaging your ability to add any sort of

441
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:25,119
talent around your team.

442
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:27,599
Speaker 1: I've tried to look at the trade and I've kind

443
00:20:27,599 --> 00:20:29,519
of warmed up to it. I killed them when they

444
00:20:29,559 --> 00:20:31,599
made the trade at the time, like I was perfect

445
00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:33,839
example prisoner of the moment. I just went absolutely in

446
00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:35,599
on them. It's like, you just made the Conference finals.

447
00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,920
This is a disaster. Obviously what they did as throughout

448
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,400
the course last year helped, but the idea that they

449
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:44,480
wouldn't have had both nas Reed and Rudy on this

450
00:20:44,599 --> 00:20:47,160
roster as they kept Towns. But that also now you

451
00:20:47,279 --> 00:20:50,319
have Baron Jay, you have Julius Randall, you have Dante DiVincenzo.

452
00:20:50,319 --> 00:20:52,599
So it's not the perfect analog of oh, Karl Anthony,

453
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,799
Towns became like three or four guys for them, But

454
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,440
in some ways he did because they wouldn't have kept

455
00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,359
everybody because his salary was just so massive. And that's

456
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,920
the because he was there for so long. Because they

457
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:04,839
just made the Commerce finals, it's still tough and the

458
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:08,000
Wolves haven't won anything either, And like Julius Randall, you

459
00:21:08,039 --> 00:21:10,200
know had some bad moments in the playoffs last year.

460
00:21:10,279 --> 00:21:13,400
That was his best postseason performance, just like why or

461
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,599
wire of his career. So I've definitely warmed up to

462
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,920
it for them. And I'm not typically a person that's like, oh,

463
00:21:19,039 --> 00:21:21,599
like when you're at a certain level, I'm just pay

464
00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:23,880
to keep the team together. That's where I thought the

465
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:26,519
Wolves are at. But a year removed, you understand the

466
00:21:26,599 --> 00:21:28,480
vision and now when you kind of understand the weight

467
00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,720
of like how different the roster could have looked, because

468
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:33,680
even if they kept let's say they kept Conthie Towns,

469
00:21:33,799 --> 00:21:36,079
Rualdy Gobert, Like what is the depth? Like you're not

470
00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:41,160
dealing with Okay, Conothy Town's replaces Randall and de Vincenzo,

471
00:21:41,279 --> 00:21:44,599
Like Barnjay's there right now? Is Nikil Alexander Walker? Evens

472
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,519
is he gone too? So there's there's just so many

473
00:21:47,599 --> 00:21:49,079
layers to it, and I think we're gonna continue to

474
00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:50,720
revisit it over the years to come as well.

475
00:21:51,319 --> 00:21:53,759
Speaker 2: That's probably the smartest way to answer the question is

476
00:21:53,799 --> 00:21:56,079
that if one of the teams, the Knicks of the Wolves,

477
00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:57,839
have a really good season in year two of the

478
00:21:57,880 --> 00:21:59,960
trade and the other one doesn't, will then go back

479
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:02,839
to saying that that team won the trade, but for Minnesota,

480
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,839
and I think this is like the only time I

481
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,640
feel smart about like covering the league at large. It

482
00:22:07,799 --> 00:22:11,400
does seem we were talking off Mike. I'm now in

483
00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,240
my new house. I've had this house for about a year,

484
00:22:13,319 --> 00:22:15,480
and the first thing we bought Dan was a sectional.

485
00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,240
But it's a multi piece sectional, which makes it easier

486
00:22:19,279 --> 00:22:21,319
to move up and down the stairs, kind of connect it.

487
00:22:21,799 --> 00:22:23,720
I think that's like an analogy for how you build

488
00:22:23,799 --> 00:22:26,240
rosters in the NBA. Now. You don't get a one

489
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,640
piece sectional that is an absolute b word to move

490
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,880
up and down the stairs. You break it into pieces.

491
00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,200
And I think for Tim Conley, he's like, let's take

492
00:22:34,279 --> 00:22:36,680
all that money we pay Carl and break it into pieces,

493
00:22:36,799 --> 00:22:40,240
and let's have thirty million for Julius and twelve million

494
00:22:40,319 --> 00:22:44,000
for Dante, which is a really good value contract, and

495
00:22:44,279 --> 00:22:48,039
let's go get possibly a starting center a year from

496
00:22:48,079 --> 00:22:50,519
now that makes like four and a half million dollars

497
00:22:50,559 --> 00:22:51,960
for three to four years, and we have them on

498
00:22:52,039 --> 00:22:54,920
team control for almost nine. So I think that was

499
00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,599
the logic going in. It was a hell of a

500
00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,400
risk for a team that's never won anything. Finally had

501
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:02,440
a good year and then they traded their second best player,

502
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,799
probably third best player of all time. That's what Tim

503
00:23:05,839 --> 00:23:08,559
Conley does. He is kind of a fearless GM and

504
00:23:09,079 --> 00:23:11,559
it's worked most of the time. Sometimes it hasn't paid off,

505
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,319
but they find themselves now in a window where they're

506
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,440
as good as they were with Carl and probably with

507
00:23:17,599 --> 00:23:19,640
more flexibility and maybe a little higher ceiling.

508
00:23:20,519 --> 00:23:22,039
Speaker 1: How important do you think it is as kind of

509
00:23:22,079 --> 00:23:23,640
like a two layer question that now we get to

510
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,359
see assuming Devincenzo's healthy, but we know Randal gets to

511
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:29,519
go through an actual training camp with the Wolves, like

512
00:23:29,559 --> 00:23:33,079
without having his life interrupted, but also after watching him

513
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,359
last year, is there anything you're sort of like want

514
00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:37,799
to see differently for them using him on offense or

515
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,279
just that you're tracking headed into his year two tenure

516
00:23:40,319 --> 00:23:40,880
in Minnesota.

517
00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:45,440
Speaker 2: I would throw Dante into this because Dante was more vocal.

518
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,559
Two Knicks guys that essentially showed up the morning of

519
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,160
training camp in media day, but the timing of the

520
00:23:52,319 --> 00:23:55,559
trade hurt the Wolves a lot, and Carl just did

521
00:23:55,599 --> 00:23:59,200
a good job of acclimating quicker. But Dante was talking about,

522
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,559
like in January that it took him a while to

523
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,039
just feel comfortable, and I think Julius was the same way.

524
00:24:04,079 --> 00:24:06,359
I mean, Julius Randall, I'm not sure he was one

525
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,559
hundred percent healthy when he was acquired last September. He'd

526
00:24:09,599 --> 00:24:12,279
come off that shoulder surgery. I don't think he played

527
00:24:12,319 --> 00:24:15,160
for the Knicks in that past playoff run, so both

528
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,960
of them were at weird stages. And again with Dante,

529
00:24:18,039 --> 00:24:21,200
it was just more time with his teammates, getting to

530
00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:25,240
know his guys and also playing multiple positions. For Julius,

531
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:27,640
it was what I said earlier that when he finally

532
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,440
couldn't play, and you hear this a lot from veteran players,

533
00:24:30,519 --> 00:24:32,559
like when they're sidelined with an injury, that's when they

534
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,119
pick up the most. He said he learned the most

535
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,000
about his guys when he just had to watch him play,

536
00:24:38,039 --> 00:24:39,759
and then when he came back he kind of shifted

537
00:24:39,839 --> 00:24:43,359
more into that not by any means comparing him to

538
00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,359
Lebron James, but kind of that point forward thing where

539
00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,559
he was on a lot of situations their best playmaker

540
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,680
like throw it into Julius cut moves at a back

541
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,039
pick and then like get open and he'll find you.

542
00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:58,279
And the best games for this team, and I think

543
00:24:58,319 --> 00:25:01,200
the best games for Julius when he had like eighteen

544
00:25:01,559 --> 00:25:04,160
eight and seven, Like they didn't need him to have

545
00:25:04,279 --> 00:25:06,319
thirty points, they needed him to kind of facilitate get

546
00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:10,079
some rebounds. So everyone on this team now, as we

547
00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,279
just kind of highlight it, has gotten paid. And that

548
00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:14,720
was another theme last year. When you're in the locker room,

549
00:25:14,759 --> 00:25:17,640
it's like Nas is thinking about his next bag, Nikhil's

550
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,640
thinking about his bag, like Rudy just got paid. But

551
00:25:20,799 --> 00:25:24,119
Julius is thinking the same thing. Everyone on this team

552
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,599
now is financially secure or a really young guy who

553
00:25:27,799 --> 00:25:30,680
just wants to get minutes. And I think again, continuity,

554
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,160
whatever you want to call it, I think Julius now

555
00:25:33,319 --> 00:25:35,759
is comfortable in his own skin. He loves playing for

556
00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,519
Chris Finch. They had their time in New Orleans together.

557
00:25:39,039 --> 00:25:41,799
But I think he's gonna continue to do whatever Finch

558
00:25:41,880 --> 00:25:44,640
says or asks because they kind of need him to

559
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,480
be like a Swiss army knife. Some of the best

560
00:25:46,519 --> 00:25:49,160
basketball under Chris Finch in Minnesota was when they had

561
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,920
Kyle Anderson. Kyle Anderson and Julius Randall are completely different players,

562
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:55,920
but they're also very similar. And I think what Finch

563
00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:58,799
would love from Julius is to just be that playmaking

564
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:02,200
big you know, hit some tough shots, space a little more,

565
00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,400
be more confident taking threes. But just his bully mentality

566
00:26:06,519 --> 00:26:09,599
has really kind of worn on Ant or like grown

567
00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,319
on ant, and I think he's also kind of a

568
00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:16,559
Conthey Towns and Julius Randall are mentally two different people,

569
00:26:17,359 --> 00:26:20,240
two wonderful guys, but they are completely look at life differently.

570
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,279
And I think Julius's mentality has been really good for

571
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:25,640
Aunt as he continues to grow from a really good

572
00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,279
young player into like, you know, the quote unquote face

573
00:26:28,319 --> 00:26:29,039
of the league stuff.

574
00:26:29,839 --> 00:26:32,559
Speaker 1: I will say, if they played the Lakers like forty

575
00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:34,920
times a year, I think Julius Randall might make all defense.

576
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:36,759
I'm pretty sure. I don't know he's got something out

577
00:26:36,799 --> 00:26:38,680
for that franchise he have.

578
00:26:38,799 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 2: You you were a basketball junkie, Like, do you remember

579
00:26:41,759 --> 00:26:44,599
ever seeing someone want to go at Lebron and again

580
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,160
shout out to Lebron. He's in his forties. The stuff

581
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,160
he's doing is crazy. But Julius Randall had a look

582
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:51,680
in his eye. I was at all of those games

583
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:53,319
in La Minnesota, and he had a look in his

584
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,680
eye when he would either defend Lebron or go out

585
00:26:56,799 --> 00:26:59,839
Lebron and it was, like you said, it didn't end

586
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,839
well in Oklahoma City, but it was Julius is Randall's

587
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,400
best scratch of playoff basketball he's ever had. So that's

588
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,079
another thing to put a pinion of, Like can we

589
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,359
take that and grow it a little bit with just

590
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,839
more continuity and an off season to kind of season it?

591
00:27:13,079 --> 00:27:14,920
Speaker 1: So can we talk about why Auntie Edwards wants to

592
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,240
leave Minnesota because he made less than Bradley Beal at

593
00:27:17,279 --> 00:27:18,640
one point? Is that is it about that time?

594
00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:21,160
Speaker 2: Let me let me call it Dane quick, because I

595
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,160
think Dane went at Kendrick Perkins.

596
00:27:23,519 --> 00:27:24,640
Speaker 1: I'm actually referable that.

597
00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:26,839
Speaker 2: He was so mad.

598
00:27:27,279 --> 00:27:28,920
Speaker 1: I was so in my silo I didn't even know

599
00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,440
that was said. So I think I sometimes too disconnected

600
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:33,160
from where I see people are just like saying, like

601
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,480
who says that? And then it's apparently it's not ESPN.

602
00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:39,400
But so Edwards last year the three point volume inefficiency

603
00:27:39,559 --> 00:27:42,119
was insane and it got the most coverage. Was there

604
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:44,319
anything else though that you thought watching him about a

605
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,960
season that you thought flew under the radar aside from

606
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:48,920
everyone zeroing in on that outside stuff.

607
00:27:50,039 --> 00:27:51,400
Speaker 2: I mean, you could do an hour on the three

608
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,720
point shooting thing, because again I'm biased, but also the

609
00:27:54,799 --> 00:27:57,720
only draft I've ever covered is during that COVID year

610
00:27:57,720 --> 00:27:59,200
when we had nothing else to do, so I knew

611
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:02,880
every prospect in their strengths and weaknesses. Nanthony Edwards wasn't

612
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,000
a good shooter. He could make shots, but he wasn't

613
00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:08,400
a good shooter. Also, his mechanics from when he was

614
00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,359
in Georgia Tores now have completely changed. His body's changed

615
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,240
all that stuff. So I don't know, man Like just

616
00:28:14,319 --> 00:28:16,359
kind of waking up one day and Anthony Edwards is

617
00:28:16,519 --> 00:28:19,440
the best three point shooter in the league was a

618
00:28:19,599 --> 00:28:22,200
crazy thing to kind of wrap your head around. Obviously,

619
00:28:22,279 --> 00:28:25,079
it's still Steph and like his his crown, but for

620
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:26,799
aunt to do what he did in that one year

621
00:28:26,839 --> 00:28:28,680
and just be like, that's a part of my game

622
00:28:28,759 --> 00:28:30,839
that I need to improve, and he did improved it

623
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:34,640
to that level is crazy. I think it also hurt

624
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,559
some things. He didn't finish around the basket as well.

625
00:28:38,039 --> 00:28:40,599
He never truly developed what I like to call like

626
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:45,119
a spot. He would just still take really tough threes.

627
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,839
Sikos that listen to this can remember he had like

628
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:51,079
a side step three in Houston to win the game.

629
00:28:51,559 --> 00:28:53,440
That was one of those no no no oh it

630
00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:56,559
went in shots. But I think the biggest thing going

631
00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,039
back to the trade with Julius and Carl is that

632
00:28:59,839 --> 00:29:02,480
just fit Carl's flaws or whatever people thought of him nationally.

633
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:04,640
He was still a big voice in that locker room

634
00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:08,160
and he was, you know, the older brother to Aunt

635
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,240
on the team. And when Ant lost him, Ant was

636
00:29:11,319 --> 00:29:13,960
forced again like he was kind of in his childhood

637
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,400
quick plug for the Ant book written by our friend Krityne,

638
00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:20,039
who did an amazing job of getting to know the

639
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,160
story of Anthony Edwards from when he was a baby

640
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:23,920
to kind of how he got to the league. But

641
00:29:24,079 --> 00:29:26,039
Ant was kind of thrust in again at twenty three

642
00:29:26,079 --> 00:29:29,839
of like, hey, this three point six three point seven

643
00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,400
billion dollar asset. Now this franchise is pro sports team.

644
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:34,319
It all rests on your shoulders. And he had to

645
00:29:34,359 --> 00:29:36,880
do a lot of leadership stuff, and I think for

646
00:29:37,039 --> 00:29:39,200
me being around him, being in the locker room, it

647
00:29:39,319 --> 00:29:41,880
was more of what he would say behind closed doors.

648
00:29:42,319 --> 00:29:43,839
There was a lot of times where he just said

649
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,440
what needed to be said, even if it was uncomfortable

650
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,480
and his teammates really listened to that, and I think

651
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,480
that's really cheesy, and people listening to this could scoff.

652
00:29:52,599 --> 00:29:55,119
But I also have learned by doing this you know

653
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,400
this too. It's actually some of the most important shit,

654
00:29:57,599 --> 00:30:01,440
Like you have to be able to and kind of

655
00:30:01,839 --> 00:30:04,559
back up your words, and he did that. He hates

656
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:06,680
taking time off. He'd never miss his games, you know,

657
00:30:06,759 --> 00:30:08,720
knock on wood, but he's put a lot of time

658
00:30:08,759 --> 00:30:10,880
into his body so that when he tells you to

659
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,960
you know, show up early, stay late, he's one of

660
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,640
the guys doing it. So three point shooting was incredible.

661
00:30:16,039 --> 00:30:18,559
I would imagine this summer. It's a lot of mid

662
00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,960
range stuff, which might drive Chris Finch crazy a little bit,

663
00:30:22,039 --> 00:30:25,640
but he still needs to develop late in game. When

664
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:28,160
he watched Shade do it, it's like, okay, the thunderneath

665
00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,039
bucket here, what's Shay gonna do? You could almost pick

666
00:30:30,079 --> 00:30:31,640
in your brain. He's either gonna go to that corner

667
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:33,880
or he's gonna go to that elbow. Ant needs to

668
00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:36,920
develop that of like, okay, tie game. I play for

669
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:40,279
a team that historically was so bad in clutch time

670
00:30:40,319 --> 00:30:42,759
and late game execution. If you give me the ball.

671
00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:44,599
Where are my two spots? I want to get to that.

672
00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:46,519
I know I'm gonna make a bucket, and I think

673
00:30:46,559 --> 00:30:48,319
that'll be something he has to work on this summer.

674
00:30:49,119 --> 00:30:51,240
Speaker 1: He's one of those players where they're two different caliber

675
00:30:51,279 --> 00:30:53,960
of players. But I just recently saw this where you

676
00:30:54,039 --> 00:30:56,000
have Anthiaward saying he's gonna work on something. You just

677
00:30:56,039 --> 00:30:57,640
assume that it's gonna work out where it's if it's

678
00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,599
someone else that's you approach it with that, like Mitchell

679
00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,960
Robinson working on his free throws right now, and that

680
00:31:02,119 --> 00:31:04,119
just makes me terrified because it it means, oh, are

681
00:31:04,119 --> 00:31:06,880
they gonna play him more where he's valuable? But is

682
00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,240
that the right call? You and Dane had a fascinating

683
00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:11,480
discussion about the mid rain shot though, where even I'm

684
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:13,400
I'm sure I'm guilty of this as well as you

685
00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:16,160
look at the percentages or like having it as a counter.

686
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:18,279
But what you two really talked about that I found

687
00:31:18,319 --> 00:31:21,279
fascinating was it's not just about him being able to

688
00:31:21,319 --> 00:31:23,599
make those shots as a higher clip. It's about reading

689
00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:25,480
the room. And I think the word he used was

690
00:31:25,519 --> 00:31:27,559
delineating between well, when does it make sense to take

691
00:31:27,599 --> 00:31:29,519
those shots? How do I make sure this doesn't come

692
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,960
at the expense of good three point shots or even

693
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,799
more importantly, for him looks at the rim. Is that

694
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,000
like his next front tier then as a player that

695
00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:39,759
like in your.

696
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,279
Speaker 2: Review, I think so, And you know me well enough.

697
00:31:43,319 --> 00:31:45,599
I just really dumb stuff down because that's how my

698
00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,799
smooth brain works. But I think that when Ant, when

699
00:31:48,799 --> 00:31:50,799
you think of Anthony Edwards at a national level, or

700
00:31:50,799 --> 00:31:52,319
if you're a fan of another team and he's coming

701
00:31:52,319 --> 00:31:54,880
to town, it's like he led the league in threes,

702
00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,279
and he also can dunk really well. So if I can,

703
00:31:57,680 --> 00:31:59,039
if I can get him to pump fake from the

704
00:31:59,079 --> 00:32:01,200
line from three point line, I know that he's going

705
00:32:01,279 --> 00:32:02,839
to go directly to the rim. So it kind of

706
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,160
makes that whatever twenty five feet an easier proposition is

707
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:07,519
I go if he's not gonna shoot the three, he's

708
00:32:07,559 --> 00:32:09,519
going to go straight to the rim. So I think

709
00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,200
we always talk about three level scorers, but for Ant

710
00:32:12,279 --> 00:32:15,400
to just even have the threat of Okay, if if

711
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:16,920
I pump at the three point line, I get you

712
00:32:17,039 --> 00:32:18,559
up in the air. I might not just go to

713
00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,319
the rim. I might just go to sixteen feet. He

714
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,680
has no floater whatsoever. And again, if I could jump

715
00:32:24,799 --> 00:32:26,799
like him, why would you ever take a floater when

716
00:32:26,799 --> 00:32:28,880
you could just go yam on someone. But I think

717
00:32:29,039 --> 00:32:32,880
just having more tools in his arsenal or will just

718
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,680
make it so hard to defend him, right, because I

719
00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:37,400
don't want to give him that sixteen foot if I

720
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:39,960
know he spent all summer working on it. I don't

721
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:41,440
want to get too close to the rim because he's

722
00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:43,960
gonna absolutely posterize me like he's done to so many guys.

723
00:32:44,279 --> 00:32:47,440
But also I can't give him space, you know, at

724
00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:50,039
the top, because he in twenty four to twenty five

725
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,839
led the league in three pointers, So I think that

726
00:32:53,359 --> 00:32:55,839
ability is going to be offensively. That'll probably be the

727
00:32:55,920 --> 00:32:58,039
thing he works on the most. I think his finishing

728
00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,519
was just maybe they asked him to do too much.

729
00:33:00,559 --> 00:33:03,559
Maybe it was a fatigue thing. He has continued, like

730
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:06,880
everyone gotten in better shape in the offseason. But you

731
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,000
look at the Wolves photos they tweet out like he

732
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,039
is a different looking specimen than he was coming out

733
00:33:12,039 --> 00:33:14,359
of Georgia's. So I'm not worried about the rim stuff.

734
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,240
The three point shot is kind of money, but yeah,

735
00:33:17,279 --> 00:33:19,960
if he can find that fourteen sixteen footer to just

736
00:33:20,039 --> 00:33:21,920
make it that no matter where you are defending me,

737
00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,319
you have to be fearful that I'm going to pull up.

738
00:33:24,559 --> 00:33:26,880
I think that'd be big for him and for this team.

739
00:33:27,759 --> 00:33:29,279
Speaker 1: How much of the room stuff do you think could

740
00:33:29,319 --> 00:33:32,920
be attributed to there was just rough, like especially to

741
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:34,839
start the year, like the offense looks rough, and then

742
00:33:34,839 --> 00:33:37,319
you're dealing with a different spacing ecosystem when you go

743
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:42,200
from Karnthy Towns to Julius Randall and some of your corene.

744
00:33:41,359 --> 00:33:43,880
Speaker 2: Well, and you know when we were talking about Nas

745
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,799
playing center, sometimes the most fearless Anthony Edwards is when

746
00:33:47,839 --> 00:33:51,039
it's like a Jaden Nas and a couple of shooters

747
00:33:51,079 --> 00:33:53,119
out there, and you know, how does that team defend?

748
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:54,920
How do they rebound? A lot of question marks? But

749
00:33:55,359 --> 00:33:57,839
it's spaced out five guys and there's no one in

750
00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,160
the paint and has to worry about. He has done

751
00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,359
in my mind, and I'm very pro ant, but a

752
00:34:03,519 --> 00:34:06,200
very good job of somehow navigating still getting to the

753
00:34:06,279 --> 00:34:10,079
rim with Gobert, who's oftentimes in the dunker spot. But yeah,

754
00:34:10,519 --> 00:34:12,480
this year, more than any year that he's been here,

755
00:34:12,519 --> 00:34:15,480
it's like I got Julius camped out ten feet away,

756
00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:17,639
calling for the ball, Rudy's right under the rim, He's

757
00:34:17,679 --> 00:34:19,639
got his hands up and I'm trying to dunk. I'm

758
00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:22,000
shooting into yeah, and Jaden's in a corner shooting twelve

759
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,199
percent from three like this is a nightmare. So I

760
00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,119
think his ability again to kind of hit those mid

761
00:34:27,239 --> 00:34:30,760
ranges should maybe ironically free up some more space for

762
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:33,440
him to get to the rim. But if you listen

763
00:34:33,519 --> 00:34:35,960
to Chris Finch speak about Aunt at all since the

764
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:40,679
season ended, and Finch's borderline sometimes like a father figure

765
00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:43,760
to him, and how he is critical and Aunt takes

766
00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:47,119
it well. He said, he's like Anthony's finishing at the

767
00:34:47,159 --> 00:34:48,679
rim was not good enough and it's something that he

768
00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:50,519
has to improve on. And again, when you're built like

769
00:34:50,559 --> 00:34:53,280
that and you're that athletic, you know the mid range

770
00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:55,639
stuff needs to come Dan. But also, why isn't Anthony

771
00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:58,800
Edwards in that group of guys that get ten to

772
00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,039
twelve free throws a game? Right like some of its

773
00:35:01,079 --> 00:35:04,639
Ant's faults because he just yells oh all the time

774
00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:07,760
and thinks everything's a foul. But he's also physical enough

775
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:10,199
that's like if shaken gets you twelve free throws a game,

776
00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:11,960
Like why can't ant get ten, and a lot of

777
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,199
that will come from just putting more pressure on the rim,

778
00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:16,559
putting more pressure on the officials to call to call

779
00:35:16,639 --> 00:35:19,360
the foul. But getting back to the rim and not

780
00:35:19,559 --> 00:35:22,280
just being so three point happy is something I definitely

781
00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:23,800
think Chris Finch is in his ear about.

782
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:26,480
Speaker 1: I also think this would be a conspiracy theory of mine,

783
00:35:26,519 --> 00:35:28,400
but I think there's more favorable whistles at this point.

784
00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:30,199
I don't even want to say more favorable, but I

785
00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,159
think there's more like value assigned to contact when it's

786
00:35:33,199 --> 00:35:35,320
coming from someone who's playing with a change of cadence

787
00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:38,119
or more herky jerkiness than someone who's using like this

788
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,679
raw explosive ability. It feels like we expect, oh yeah,

789
00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:43,480
guys are supposed to bounce off him, like were he

790
00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:45,280
supposed to bounce off guys like that. I feel like

791
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:46,559
a lot of the time we write it off.

792
00:35:47,199 --> 00:35:50,039
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm full into football mode. I'm just gonna be

793
00:35:50,039 --> 00:35:52,039
honest with you. I'm literally doing a fantasy draft right

794
00:35:52,119 --> 00:35:54,719
here as we speak. I feel like Dereck Henry just

795
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:56,320
doesn't get a lot of calls because he's one of

796
00:35:56,360 --> 00:35:59,519
the biggest, baddest, you know, mfors on the field, and

797
00:35:59,559 --> 00:36:02,159
I think with Aunt too, he's just when you rank

798
00:36:02,239 --> 00:36:04,199
the shooting guards, he's built different than a lot of

799
00:36:04,199 --> 00:36:07,039
the other shooting guards. He's not He's not And this

800
00:36:07,199 --> 00:36:09,159
might be something they talked about in kind of exit

801
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:12,000
interviews after the season. Maybe he does need to kind

802
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,159
of get back into that gaming the system thing. I

803
00:36:15,199 --> 00:36:18,599
don't think he wants to do that, but the league,

804
00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:21,239
at least this last season, has shown that they'll give

805
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,880
you that if you master the ability to kind of

806
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:27,119
outsmart the refs. So there's a fine line there. I

807
00:36:27,119 --> 00:36:29,199
don't want Aunt to be hunting. I don't want to

808
00:36:29,199 --> 00:36:30,519
be a foul merchant, right, I don't want to be

809
00:36:30,599 --> 00:36:33,239
hunting free throws. But I do think it's a part

810
00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:35,280
of his game that he could lean into a little

811
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:38,280
more because he just is so fearless and physical that

812
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:40,880
I think sometimes he doesn't get the benefit of the

813
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,760
doubt that other physical players, but other guys that are

814
00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:45,639
a little smarter have a little more experienced Git.

815
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:48,719
Speaker 1: When Matt Carlthy trade first goes down, and as I

816
00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:50,679
told you, I hated it when I tried to rationalize

817
00:36:50,679 --> 00:36:53,480
you looked at it from the perspective of Julius Randall

818
00:36:53,639 --> 00:36:56,639
as a secondary creator in ball handler Mike Commy's getting older.

819
00:36:57,159 --> 00:36:59,119
I found Rob Dillingham to be last year one of

820
00:36:59,119 --> 00:37:01,039
the most fascinating plays in the NBA because of what

821
00:37:01,079 --> 00:37:03,760
they gave up to get him. I'm even more maybe

822
00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,199
it's morbidly intrigued by him now because of I know

823
00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:07,960
he dealt with I think it was ankle stuff last

824
00:37:08,039 --> 00:37:10,719
year or whatever. But I'm even more intrigued by him

825
00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,679
now because of what his role was not last year.

826
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:15,440
Because I do still look at this team and think

827
00:37:15,639 --> 00:37:17,719
Anthey Edwards overall, I do believe is improved as a

828
00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,599
decision maker when he's getting blitzed facing all those doubles

829
00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:23,360
like whatever, But like it still feels like there's a

830
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:25,559
lack of throw the ball to someone else to make

831
00:37:25,559 --> 00:37:27,400
it's him and it's Julius ran Like I don't trust

832
00:37:27,639 --> 00:37:30,280
Jane McDaniels necessarily in that role. I don't trust Jallen Clark.

833
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,320
Maybe Terren Shannon Junior can do some of that stuff,

834
00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:35,360
but Rob Dillingham is supposed to be that guy, right,

835
00:37:35,519 --> 00:37:37,519
like the guy who could play off of Fante Edwards

836
00:37:37,559 --> 00:37:39,000
can do stuff with the ball, get off the ball,

837
00:37:39,079 --> 00:37:42,400
super quickly. What are the This is such a dump.

838
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:45,000
It's a simplified question, like what are the stakes with

839
00:37:45,159 --> 00:37:47,360
him this year? Given how last year went?

840
00:37:48,599 --> 00:37:52,920
Speaker 2: Like everything like in a weird way. I've always joked

841
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,679
that this roster has a ton of talent and there's

842
00:37:55,719 --> 00:37:57,840
no define denying that they still don't have a lot

843
00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,320
of guys that can dribble, which is like a pretty

844
00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:02,960
big thing to do in the league. So everything you

845
00:38:03,079 --> 00:38:06,679
said from like thirty thousand foot view is actually spot on,

846
00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:10,360
Like you're not expecting offensive shock creation from Jane McDaniels.

847
00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:12,800
Dons Reed has a really good handle for a big guy,

848
00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:16,519
but he's not necessarily initiating sets getting the ball moving.

849
00:38:16,599 --> 00:38:19,880
He's kind of more of a finisher. Rudy Gobert no

850
00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,599
no game other than that fadeaway jumper he hit in

851
00:38:25,679 --> 00:38:28,239
Game seven against Yoki's just no no game. And then yeah,

852
00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:30,239
so if it's no Aunt and Julius and you can

853
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:32,599
kind of signal in on those guys, who else. Mike

854
00:38:32,679 --> 00:38:36,400
Conley is thirty eight now, he's still a big part.

855
00:38:36,519 --> 00:38:39,639
He's a safety blanket for Chris Finch. It's kind of

856
00:38:39,679 --> 00:38:43,760
a lightning rod in this community because people do love

857
00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:47,000
Rob and you you used future draft capital to move

858
00:38:47,119 --> 00:38:50,519
up last summer to get him. So there is if

859
00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:52,400
if you're a Vikings fan listening to this or a

860
00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:55,480
Minnesota sports fan, there is like a tie between what

861
00:38:55,559 --> 00:38:57,800
the Vikings and all the pieces they have, but they

862
00:38:57,920 --> 00:39:00,519
need their quarterback JJ McCarthy to kind of hit in

863
00:39:00,639 --> 00:39:03,079
year two. It's kind of the same thing with Rob

864
00:39:03,159 --> 00:39:05,840
Dillingham of the Timberwolves are still going to be really good.

865
00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:07,840
I mean, they made the Western Conference Finals last year

866
00:39:08,119 --> 00:39:11,320
pretty much without Rob Dillingham ever doing anything. Yeah, but

867
00:39:11,519 --> 00:39:15,199
they need as you saw against the Thunder when the

868
00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:18,079
Thunder could just throw triples at Ant and be like,

869
00:39:18,199 --> 00:39:20,880
we're not worried about Julius, We'll make everyone go to

870
00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:22,840
you and and had no one to just get off

871
00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:25,400
the ball, kind of like Shaye would do in times

872
00:39:25,599 --> 00:39:27,679
with jadab right, like let me just throw it to him,

873
00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:29,639
get the pressure off me, maybe I'll get it back.

874
00:39:30,159 --> 00:39:33,440
So there's a ton of pressure. Rob Dillingham is only twenty,

875
00:39:33,639 --> 00:39:36,920
I believe still, but he's gonna have to kind of

876
00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,840
be thrown into the deep end more this season, even

877
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,639
if Mike Conley still starts, which is my expectation, I

878
00:39:42,679 --> 00:39:45,239
don't imagine he's gonna play. I think Mike Conley somehow

879
00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:48,360
at thirty seven played like seventy north of seventy games

880
00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:51,280
last year. That can't be the formula this year. It

881
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:53,360
should be closer to sixty. And when he's not out

882
00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:57,280
there again, who's going to start alongside Ant? I prefer

883
00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,679
Dante to kind of stick more to I call it

884
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,159
them leak Beasley roll. I don't know legally Dan, if

885
00:40:02,159 --> 00:40:04,159
we can even mention that name on this pod right now,

886
00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:09,079
but I want your rent, okay, okay. So they're gonna

887
00:40:09,119 --> 00:40:10,760
they're gonna need a lot from him. And last year

888
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:13,599
I kept calling for a gap year of like, let's

889
00:40:13,639 --> 00:40:16,320
just let the young kids swim and see what happens.

890
00:40:16,599 --> 00:40:18,519
Chris Finch is here to win games, and that's kind of,

891
00:40:18,599 --> 00:40:21,000
I guess what your goal should be. So they might

892
00:40:21,039 --> 00:40:23,800
have lost some developmental opportunities. But then when you saw

893
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:26,800
Rob in summer League, or Jalen Clark or terrenstowin junior,

894
00:40:27,159 --> 00:40:28,840
he did look like a guy who was a little bigger,

895
00:40:29,199 --> 00:40:31,880
a little more seasoned, a little more patient and calm.

896
00:40:32,159 --> 00:40:35,239
I think the game was really fast for Rob Delingham

897
00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:37,960
in year one as it is for many rookie point guards.

898
00:40:38,039 --> 00:40:41,079
But yeah, man, there's a lot to like about this team,

899
00:40:41,159 --> 00:40:42,719
and they're you know, they're gonna have a high wind,

900
00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:45,599
total projection and all that stuff. But I mean you

901
00:40:45,679 --> 00:40:47,400
could really say that, like for them to get over

902
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,840
to the next hump, it is specifically about what you're

903
00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:53,800
gonna get from Rob Dillingham, because if he's good, this

904
00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:57,159
thing could be great. And if he's not good, it's

905
00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:59,880
harder for me to see how they break through the

906
00:41:00,199 --> 00:41:02,760
ceiling that they've had of being a Final four team

907
00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:05,199
that can maybe win one game in the Western Conference Finals.

908
00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:08,760
Speaker 1: What type of stomach do you think they have this

909
00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,480
year to maybe let him go through some of the emotions.

910
00:41:11,519 --> 00:41:13,519
Though I'm not saying he doesn't need to earn playing time,

911
00:41:13,559 --> 00:41:15,440
but like you're still talking about, you said, he's twenty,

912
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:17,880
someone who's gonna be up against this steep learning curve.

913
00:41:18,159 --> 00:41:20,320
But there are these tempt they're not even just temptations

914
00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:22,320
to where it's we need to take this veteran club

915
00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:24,960
out of the coach's bag. No, like Dante DiVincenzo is

916
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:27,800
just better right now, or you might prefer Jalen Clark's

917
00:41:27,840 --> 00:41:31,039
defensive intensity, throw Tarren Shannon Junior out there. Because they

918
00:41:31,119 --> 00:41:35,039
have so many either better or more proven alternatives. How

919
00:41:35,119 --> 00:41:37,239
hard does it make it for them to stomach where

920
00:41:37,519 --> 00:41:39,719
you have to assume they'll be a fairly good amount

921
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,920
of not so great moments at the But you know

922
00:41:43,039 --> 00:41:45,280
you're doing this in service of well, I'm a big

923
00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:47,480
believer in getting the real game reps. Like, Okay, Summer

924
00:41:47,519 --> 00:41:49,480
League is cool. G League is fine. I get they're

925
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:52,039
also operating on an immediate window. But you looked at

926
00:41:52,079 --> 00:41:54,639
this kid, you said he was worth control of your

927
00:41:54,639 --> 00:41:56,920
twenty thirty and twenty thirty one draft picks. Like, at

928
00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,480
some point it seems like you need to like take

929
00:42:00,559 --> 00:42:02,960
off the kid gloves, so to speak, and like give him,

930
00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:05,679
whether it's a fifteen or twenty game stretch to start

931
00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:09,360
the season, to show you that he either is ready,

932
00:42:09,719 --> 00:42:11,840
isn't ready, is on track to be ready, or something,

933
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,239
because he to me, he's still such a mystery box.

934
00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:16,440
Like I like a lot of the aesthetics of his game,

935
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:19,079
but like I still don't necessarily understand how well they're

936
00:42:19,119 --> 00:42:20,679
going to translate to the way the Wolves want to

937
00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:22,480
play to even the NBA at large.

938
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:27,199
Speaker 2: Last year in hindsight, he didn't have to play because

939
00:42:27,199 --> 00:42:29,280
he was nineteen. Yes, he was a lottery pick. That

940
00:42:30,119 --> 00:42:32,039
a lottery pick on a good team doesn't always matter

941
00:42:32,079 --> 00:42:34,000
as much, like you can maybe season them for a year.

942
00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:36,039
I kind of call it the Jordan love thing, like

943
00:42:36,199 --> 00:42:38,320
you can sit behind him for a year if Rob

944
00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:41,440
Doingham doesn't play this year all of a sudden summer

945
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:43,159
of twenty twenty six. I mean he's like in that,

946
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:47,039
you know, Trey Burke, Dante Exum, like his career now

947
00:42:47,199 --> 00:42:49,239
is like over and can he be a seligible like

948
00:42:50,079 --> 00:42:53,760
bench player. So I think there's a ton of pressure

949
00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,000
on Chris Finch and it's probably one of the biggest

950
00:42:56,039 --> 00:42:59,119
things he's facing. You know, he's well liked by by

951
00:42:59,199 --> 00:43:01,000
Tim Conley and and the new ownership group, so I

952
00:43:01,039 --> 00:43:02,679
don't think I don't think he's on a hot seat,

953
00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:06,119
but he's going to have to find a way. I mean,

954
00:43:06,199 --> 00:43:08,679
Chris Finch doesn't like when you make mistakes, nor do

955
00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:11,480
many coaches, right, and this is the team that wins

956
00:43:11,519 --> 00:43:14,800
a lot of games and ant gets to make, you know,

957
00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:16,679
more mistakes than others. But that's kind of he's the

958
00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:18,400
best player and he fills a lot of other gaps

959
00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:21,400
with Rob. I think Chris Finch, who I am maybe

960
00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:23,719
one of the biggest fans of, is going to kind

961
00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:25,320
of have to let his guard down a little bit

962
00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:29,760
and give Rob the ability to make mistakes while still

963
00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:33,760
playing in a system that has proven to be very successful. Again,

964
00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:36,079
I could we could talk about anyone, but the Rob

965
00:43:36,159 --> 00:43:39,400
Dillingham thing is for me, going into training camp coming up,

966
00:43:39,519 --> 00:43:41,840
it'll be the number one question of how much more

967
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:44,559
prepared to see this training camp than he was last

968
00:43:44,599 --> 00:43:47,960
training camp. Has he just figured out life in the NBA,

969
00:43:48,239 --> 00:43:49,840
you know, all these different things. He's had a great

970
00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,440
mentor his locker is next to Mike Conley's in the

971
00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:55,440
locker room, which I don't think is not planned out.

972
00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:58,039
But he's going to be a huge deal. And if

973
00:43:58,119 --> 00:44:00,599
he if he can even just give them him like

974
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:02,679
average point guard stuff, I think they're gonna be really

975
00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:05,599
good because they don't need him to be a primary scorer.

976
00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:07,280
They don't. They do need him to be a primary

977
00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:09,800
ballhander at points, but you know Ant can bring the

978
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:13,119
ball up Dante like they still have other guys. But yeah,

979
00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:15,039
it's like, to me, it's something I think about at

980
00:44:15,039 --> 00:44:18,639
an unhealthy level of If this kid's not good, that's

981
00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:21,000
gonna be a massive red flag because of what you

982
00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:24,920
invested in him. And if he is really good, that

983
00:44:25,199 --> 00:44:27,760
kind of gives you more hope that they can they're

984
00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:29,840
a contender, but there may be a Tier two contender,

985
00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:31,960
that they can be a Tier one level contender and

986
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:34,840
actually compete with the Thunder rather than just show up

987
00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:36,599
to Oklahoma City for two or three games and then

988
00:44:36,679 --> 00:44:37,280
get bounced.

989
00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:42,440
Speaker 1: Jade McDaniels has another fascinating season last year. My question

990
00:44:42,559 --> 00:44:45,599
about him to boil it down is twofold. What was

991
00:44:45,639 --> 00:44:47,719
the primary catalyst for him sort of flipping the switch.

992
00:44:47,719 --> 00:44:49,599
You talk about the two month stretch, but the efficiency

993
00:44:49,679 --> 00:44:51,280
holds up for a good amount almost through the end

994
00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:53,880
of the season. What was the primary catalyst between him

995
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:55,719
kind of flipping that switch and when you look at

996
00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:59,039
his offensive ceiling in general, how much of it is

997
00:44:59,079 --> 00:45:01,559
tied to carving out an adequate number of minutes for

998
00:45:01,679 --> 00:45:03,480
him at the four spot moving forward.

999
00:45:03,599 --> 00:45:06,360
Speaker 2: Oh, I'm not trying to slurp, but like that you

1000
00:45:06,519 --> 00:45:07,960
are really good at this And I don't know how

1001
00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:10,280
you know so much about all thirty teams because my

1002
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:13,239
big thing is I've told this before like Jane McDaniel's

1003
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:16,400
is my favorite player. He was the stock I was

1004
00:45:16,519 --> 00:45:19,480
most right about coming out of twenty and twenty. I've

1005
00:45:19,519 --> 00:45:21,000
lost a lot of money on a lot of stocks,

1006
00:45:21,039 --> 00:45:23,800
but Jane McDaniels stock has paid me pretty well. And

1007
00:45:24,119 --> 00:45:27,639
everyone thinks he's a three and d wing. I've come

1008
00:45:27,719 --> 00:45:29,800
around to more that he's like a he's a four,

1009
00:45:30,079 --> 00:45:32,840
Like he's a big guy. I reference that he's been

1010
00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:35,559
working out with Kawhi Leonard a little bit. He's like

1011
00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,920
three full inches taller than Kawhi Leonard and for us

1012
00:45:38,960 --> 00:45:40,079
in Minnesota early.

1013
00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:42,280
Speaker 1: On right right, I got how big he is.

1014
00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:44,599
Speaker 2: We kind of thought like, oh, if he could be Kawhi,

1015
00:45:44,679 --> 00:45:46,000
that'd be great, because he did have a lot of

1016
00:45:46,039 --> 00:45:48,239
offensive game. I watched him when he was in Washington

1017
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,760
out here like he he was an offensive player, and

1018
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:53,239
then he quickly pivoted to be a really good defensive player.

1019
00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:56,800
He should be in consideration for an All defensive team

1020
00:45:57,039 --> 00:46:00,280
every year. But I think going back to like this

1021
00:46:00,800 --> 00:46:02,920
log jam at the four and five with Rudy and

1022
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,039
Julius and now a freshly minted paid nas Reid, I

1023
00:46:06,119 --> 00:46:09,559
think his best minutes were at the four in January

1024
00:46:09,599 --> 00:46:12,000
and February when Julius Randall was out with that injury,

1025
00:46:12,159 --> 00:46:15,480
So that's when he kind of discovered other parts of

1026
00:46:15,559 --> 00:46:20,000
the court that weren't the corner. He he's a competitive dude.

1027
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:22,679
He punched that wall that one time and broke his hand.

1028
00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,400
But I think he should be as scared of the

1029
00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:27,880
corner sometimes as he was about that wall, because he's just,

1030
00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:30,800
for whatever reason, not a good three point shooter from

1031
00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:32,639
the corners, but he does so many other things well.

1032
00:46:32,679 --> 00:46:35,880
He's really hard to guard in transition. He's so herky

1033
00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:38,239
jerky it. I mean, he is like the size of

1034
00:46:38,320 --> 00:46:41,119
Kevin Durant, right, he does not have Kevin Durant's game,

1035
00:46:41,199 --> 00:46:43,760
but he can. He's not gonna get a shot blocked

1036
00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:45,039
no matter where he takes it off. So if he

1037
00:46:45,079 --> 00:46:47,960
has a twelve footer kind of rocking chair leans back,

1038
00:46:48,199 --> 00:46:51,159
it's always going to go in. So I think that's

1039
00:46:51,199 --> 00:46:53,239
another thing Chris Finch has to find a way of

1040
00:46:53,719 --> 00:46:55,559
They just gave like two hundred They gave like a

1041
00:46:55,679 --> 00:46:58,400
quarter of a billion dollars to Julius Randall and nas

1042
00:46:58,480 --> 00:47:01,800
Reed and they have Rudy go but maybe their second

1043
00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:05,000
most important player on the team kind of the running mate.

1044
00:47:05,079 --> 00:47:07,159
You know that we joke like the Scottie Pippen to

1045
00:47:07,199 --> 00:47:10,639
Ant's MJ is Jade McDaniels. And are you continuing to

1046
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:13,800
pigeonhole him into a three or can you find more

1047
00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:15,800
ways to have him play at the four where maybe

1048
00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:18,840
he's just in this new modern NBA that continues to

1049
00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:20,800
change in front of our eyes, that might be more

1050
00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:22,360
of his comfortable natural position.

1051
00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:25,039
Speaker 1: Do you have, like who is the big you want

1052
00:47:25,119 --> 00:47:26,920
him on the floor with most when he's playing the four?

1053
00:47:26,920 --> 00:47:28,800
I think last year, if I'm remembering correctly, it was

1054
00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:31,440
nas Reed was probably on the floor for most minutes.

1055
00:47:31,559 --> 00:47:33,559
Is that the end? Like the minutes with him at

1056
00:47:33,599 --> 00:47:34,800
the four are all over the place, but they have

1057
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:36,440
a lot of lineup noise in there. I'm just curious

1058
00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:38,119
what big would you like to see him.

1059
00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:40,440
Speaker 2: On the floor with if he's there for I think

1060
00:47:40,559 --> 00:47:44,320
Nas they are like legitimately the best of friends, not

1061
00:47:44,519 --> 00:47:49,119
just like teammates, like those guys are like elementary school type.

1062
00:47:49,400 --> 00:47:51,320
I've known that guy for thirty years. They haven't like

1063
00:47:51,400 --> 00:47:52,760
they are best of friends, so I think they have

1064
00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:55,239
a good chemistry with each other. I would like to

1065
00:47:55,360 --> 00:47:59,400
see Jaden Moore with Julius because I think Julius, as

1066
00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:01,559
he gets to know his team for another year, like

1067
00:48:02,199 --> 00:48:05,440
could get Jayden in better spot to produce and score.

1068
00:48:06,119 --> 00:48:09,639
I've never loved like Jayden at the four quote unquote,

1069
00:48:09,639 --> 00:48:11,559
and then Rudy because I just think they are two

1070
00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:15,960
very not spacing players, even though obviously Jayden can hit threes.

1071
00:48:16,039 --> 00:48:18,519
But so yeah, I think Nas would be one. I mean, hell,

1072
00:48:18,920 --> 00:48:21,440
let's just move the chess pieces around and now Jaden's

1073
00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:23,920
playing the center. I just want to see him in

1074
00:48:24,039 --> 00:48:26,719
more of a up tempo and I think maybe we'll

1075
00:48:26,719 --> 00:48:28,320
get into this because there's a guy on this team

1076
00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:30,599
that is all up tempo, but more of an up

1077
00:48:30,639 --> 00:48:34,840
tempo team that plays smaller spaces the floor more and

1078
00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:37,119
then gives Jaden more opportunities to either be in the

1079
00:48:37,199 --> 00:48:39,679
dunker spot or to get those kind of ten foot

1080
00:48:39,719 --> 00:48:42,800
me He really is comfortable in the mid range. So yeah,

1081
00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:45,239
Nas and Jayden would be great. A little more Julius

1082
00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:48,280
and Jade would be great. But overall, what Jayden did

1083
00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:51,519
last year, even if it was, you know, with an asterisk,

1084
00:48:51,519 --> 00:48:54,719
because Julius was on the bench, they needed that growth

1085
00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:57,360
because they had just paid him last October and they

1086
00:48:57,440 --> 00:49:00,400
needed to kind of see like, hey, you know, are

1087
00:49:00,480 --> 00:49:03,480
you are you eligible to kind of level up and

1088
00:49:04,119 --> 00:49:07,119
match An's trajectory. And I think last year he showed

1089
00:49:07,199 --> 00:49:09,920
some really strong improvements. It's like, Okay, we can continue,

1090
00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:12,400
as Finch always says, to kind of build blocks on

1091
00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:15,760
top of that. So, uh, he's another one. Not that

1092
00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,480
everyone on this team has a major season coming up,

1093
00:49:18,559 --> 00:49:21,480
but behind Rob Dillingham, it's like, okay, is Jade McDaniels

1094
00:49:22,079 --> 00:49:25,599
the January February Jayden or is it like the November

1095
00:49:25,679 --> 00:49:28,079
December Jayden that was frustrating a lot of fans.

1096
00:49:29,199 --> 00:49:30,840
Speaker 1: Can I ask you about some of the other quote

1097
00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:32,159
unquote kids on this team?

1098
00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:33,360
Speaker 2: Yeah, the young Cubs.

1099
00:49:35,079 --> 00:49:37,519
Speaker 1: I was recording a Hidden Gems podcast, guys who we

1100
00:49:37,559 --> 00:49:39,519
think deserve more attention. It could have bigger roles with

1101
00:49:39,639 --> 00:49:42,559
basketball poetries Mike Sheer. A couple of weeks ago, he

1102
00:49:42,639 --> 00:49:44,559
pointed out to me because we both picked Timberwolves. He

1103
00:49:44,599 --> 00:49:48,440
picked Jalen Clark. I picked Tarren Shannon Junior, and I

1104
00:49:48,599 --> 00:49:50,719
did not realize this. It's there. I should have known

1105
00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:52,960
this that Jalen Clark had logged more minutes than Tarren

1106
00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:55,199
Shannon Junior. But I come in thinking, well, part of

1107
00:49:55,239 --> 00:49:57,039
the reason they were okay with New York he Alexander

1108
00:49:57,079 --> 00:49:59,639
Walker leaving is they just have Arren Shannon Junior right there.

1109
00:50:00,400 --> 00:50:02,079
I want to know what your overall thoughts on him,

1110
00:50:02,119 --> 00:50:04,760
but I still view him as like immediately to this team.

1111
00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:07,320
I think he'll have a bigger role than Jaell and

1112
00:50:07,360 --> 00:50:09,719
Clark this year. Is that an accurate read of the

1113
00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:11,599
situation though, Yes.

1114
00:50:12,199 --> 00:50:15,440
Speaker 2: I think Terrence Shannon Junior could Nasried will still probably

1115
00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:17,480
come off the bench, but I think Terren Shannon Junior

1116
00:50:17,559 --> 00:50:20,440
could will be like the seventh most played guy. I

1117
00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:23,920
think Terrence Shennon Junior will get more minutes than Rob Dillingham.

1118
00:50:23,960 --> 00:50:26,239
I know, I just spewed a bunch of words about

1119
00:50:26,239 --> 00:50:29,519
how important Rob is, but Terren Shannon Junior was drafted

1120
00:50:29,559 --> 00:50:33,519
as like already, Terren Shannon Junior is older than Anthony Edwards,

1121
00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:36,920
like tern Shennon Junior is ready to play right now.

1122
00:50:37,119 --> 00:50:39,920
You saw it in Summer League when he gets in transition,

1123
00:50:40,679 --> 00:50:43,639
he's as good as it gets. And that's high praise,

1124
00:50:44,119 --> 00:50:46,400
not for me, but like from front office members from

1125
00:50:46,440 --> 00:50:48,360
the team that are like, he just gets the ball

1126
00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:50,719
and starts running like no one can stop him, and

1127
00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:54,480
you saw flashes of that later in last season. But yeah,

1128
00:50:54,519 --> 00:50:58,760
Jalen Clark originally won over Chris Finch, the Timberwolves head coach,

1129
00:50:58,880 --> 00:51:01,400
because he played US Pacific role. They needed a guy

1130
00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:03,960
to kind of three and D it. Although Jalen Clark's

1131
00:51:03,960 --> 00:51:06,840
shot is still a work in progress, but he just

1132
00:51:07,119 --> 00:51:09,679
kind of translates out to be an ideal three and

1133
00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:12,400
D guy. He was the best defender in college before

1134
00:51:12,440 --> 00:51:15,719
he tore his achilles. So yeah, I think I think

1135
00:51:15,840 --> 00:51:18,119
Jalen Clark will play. I think he'll be more of

1136
00:51:18,239 --> 00:51:22,159
the natural fit for Nikiel even though Nikila Alexander Walker.

1137
00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:24,360
I'm gonna miss him so much and I will be

1138
00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:25,920
curious to listen to the pod you do with someone

1139
00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:28,119
from Atlanta. He's gonna be a huge factor for them

1140
00:51:28,119 --> 00:51:31,639
because he's found a swagger. He's great defensively, he can playmake,

1141
00:51:31,760 --> 00:51:33,920
he can shoot. They're gonna miss a lot of that

1142
00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:37,280
and they're gonna get some defense from Jalen, But offensively,

1143
00:51:37,320 --> 00:51:39,280
they're gonna lean a lot into Terrence and I would

1144
00:51:39,320 --> 00:51:42,400
see I could imagine seeing you know, lineups where it's

1145
00:51:42,440 --> 00:51:46,280
like Aunt and TJ and Dante and Jade Nanas and

1146
00:51:46,320 --> 00:51:48,440
that team is just their whole identity is going to

1147
00:51:48,559 --> 00:51:51,360
be run and run and run, and I think that's

1148
00:51:51,400 --> 00:51:53,679
something This team was terrible last year, as you know,

1149
00:51:54,039 --> 00:51:57,880
in transition, like bottom five, bottom seven. Terren Sheennon Junior,

1150
00:51:57,920 --> 00:52:00,960
I think alone will fix that. But also so Rob

1151
00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:03,079
Dealingham needs to play because a year from now, if

1152
00:52:03,079 --> 00:52:06,159
he doesn't, he's gonna be labeled to bust. Terrence Sheinon

1153
00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:08,239
Junior needs to play because a couple of years from

1154
00:52:08,239 --> 00:52:10,719
now he's gonna be retired like he's an older guy,

1155
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:12,960
even though he's only in year two and he's built

1156
00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:14,559
to play now. He's got the body to play now.

1157
00:52:14,639 --> 00:52:16,960
And if he can space the floor, it's the only

1158
00:52:17,079 --> 00:52:19,639
question mark of every time he gets the ball. He

1159
00:52:19,760 --> 00:52:21,760
loves to go to the rim. He was fourth in

1160
00:52:21,880 --> 00:52:24,800
college his final year. I think free throw rate. He

1161
00:52:24,960 --> 00:52:27,639
needs to shoot more because again, as we just talked about,

1162
00:52:27,679 --> 00:52:31,039
the lane is pretty clogged with Jayden and Julius and Rudy.

1163
00:52:31,719 --> 00:52:34,000
If he can show and he did in Vegas a

1164
00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:35,440
little bit, if he can show that he can catch

1165
00:52:35,480 --> 00:52:38,119
and shoot so when Ant gets doubled he can trust.

1166
00:52:38,199 --> 00:52:41,039
TJ is one of his best friends. I think that'll

1167
00:52:41,079 --> 00:52:42,400
be big for him. But yeah, man, if I was

1168
00:52:42,440 --> 00:52:46,320
buying stock in anyone, maybe even in the league, Like

1169
00:52:46,960 --> 00:52:50,760
I'm gonna sniff around most improved player odds for Terrence

1170
00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:52,840
Shinon Junior once it comes to the season, because if

1171
00:52:52,840 --> 00:52:55,239
those things are like thirty to one, I might try

1172
00:52:55,280 --> 00:52:56,119
to pay the mortgage with that.

1173
00:52:56,800 --> 00:52:58,199
Speaker 1: The problem with it, yeah, I mean to take a

1174
00:52:58,239 --> 00:52:59,760
flyer on it. The problem with those ones are it

1175
00:52:59,800 --> 00:53:01,960
does seem to just go to the big name that

1176
00:53:02,119 --> 00:53:04,840
improved the most, and there's no consistency to it. It's

1177
00:53:04,880 --> 00:53:07,320
just so tough. But you mentioned the transition stuff with him.

1178
00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:10,559
I actually think more so sometimes than the secondary creation

1179
00:53:10,679 --> 00:53:13,639
or ball handling, whatever, the thing that might frustr frustrate

1180
00:53:13,679 --> 00:53:16,800
me both about specifically the past two years of Wolves basketball.

1181
00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:19,679
I just want them to play in transition, not even

1182
00:53:19,679 --> 00:53:21,960
a little bit more, but like a healthy amount more.

1183
00:53:22,440 --> 00:53:24,320
He seems like someone who could help with that. They

1184
00:53:24,400 --> 00:53:26,360
have guys, I know some of it is okay. Rudy

1185
00:53:26,400 --> 00:53:28,639
Gobert grabs a rebound like your offense is probably just

1186
00:53:28,679 --> 00:53:30,840
gonna be more set than him grabbing a rebound, throwing

1187
00:53:30,920 --> 00:53:32,960
like these outlet passes are getting off the ball quickly,

1188
00:53:33,400 --> 00:53:36,400
but don't they have the person, especially Julius Randall's like

1189
00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:38,480
a grab and go guy, Anthey Edwards gonna do it,

1190
00:53:38,519 --> 00:53:40,719
Dante Divincenz that they traded for two of those guys.

1191
00:53:41,360 --> 00:53:42,800
What am I missing here?

1192
00:53:44,719 --> 00:53:46,800
Speaker 2: I'm winn it. This is gonna be another really dumb answer.

1193
00:53:46,880 --> 00:53:48,719
But I think Anthey Edwards is one of the most

1194
00:53:48,719 --> 00:53:51,039
impressionable people ever and if you got to know his

1195
00:53:51,159 --> 00:53:53,440
childhood and everything you went through, you kind of would

1196
00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:55,960
get it. I just don't think anyone has gotten through

1197
00:53:55,960 --> 00:53:58,760
to him the value of it and like, and I

1198
00:53:58,840 --> 00:54:00,960
know that sounds so dumb, but I think when Anthonyowards

1199
00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:02,920
shows up to training camp or in the summer workouts

1200
00:54:03,159 --> 00:54:05,880
and he sees TJ get the ball and just hit

1201
00:54:05,920 --> 00:54:08,079
the X button, like hold it down, just sprint to

1202
00:54:08,119 --> 00:54:09,920
the other side, and it's gonna be like that, Shit's

1203
00:54:09,920 --> 00:54:12,320
really cool. I want to do that too. And again, ANTHONYO.

1204
00:54:12,320 --> 00:54:14,679
Wwards is kind of the older brother to Terrence on

1205
00:54:14,719 --> 00:54:17,360
the roster, but Terrence has had more birthdays. So I

1206
00:54:17,400 --> 00:54:19,599
think if if Ant's like, Yo, that guy's just doing that,

1207
00:54:19,840 --> 00:54:21,719
I'm gonna do it too. But I'm so with you

1208
00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:24,039
and a lot of the transition stuff that you just

1209
00:54:24,119 --> 00:54:27,719
highlighted does come back to ANT has just not wanted

1210
00:54:27,880 --> 00:54:31,360
to do it, or ANT hasn't learned the value of

1211
00:54:31,559 --> 00:54:34,639
just getting into you know, essentially an NHL like power

1212
00:54:34,719 --> 00:54:36,519
play off and if you get the ball and you

1213
00:54:36,599 --> 00:54:38,199
go three on two, it's just going to be so

1214
00:54:38,360 --> 00:54:41,440
much easier for you than those thunder grinds where it

1215
00:54:41,559 --> 00:54:44,840
was like everyone is looking at you. So in terms

1216
00:54:44,880 --> 00:54:47,880
of like offensive philosophy or what is the low hanging

1217
00:54:47,960 --> 00:54:50,840
fruit for this team from last year this year, the

1218
00:54:51,079 --> 00:54:52,920
number one thing on the whiteboard, toure just be can

1219
00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:55,360
we get in transition? More like maybe you won't be

1220
00:54:56,119 --> 00:54:59,039
a top five, top seven team in transition, but can

1221
00:54:59,079 --> 00:55:02,440
we be like top fifteen Because for the last couple

1222
00:55:02,440 --> 00:55:04,719
of years it's been a slog and they play slow.

1223
00:55:05,320 --> 00:55:07,239
Some of that's on Rudy, but like, I think Rudy's

1224
00:55:07,239 --> 00:55:09,199
gonna play a little less. I think they're gonna play smaller.

1225
00:55:09,559 --> 00:55:12,159
Maybe give Baron Jay a little time. So they should

1226
00:55:12,199 --> 00:55:14,519
get on transition as much as possible because they have

1227
00:55:14,599 --> 00:55:17,400
two guys in Ant and TJ and Rob too right

1228
00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:19,159
and Rob dealing is probably one of the fastest guys

1229
00:55:19,199 --> 00:55:21,480
in the league. Of can we get a stop? Our

1230
00:55:21,519 --> 00:55:23,320
identity is to get stops. But as soon as we

1231
00:55:23,360 --> 00:55:25,639
get that stop, can we just go rather than kind

1232
00:55:25,639 --> 00:55:28,079
of look around and really try to figure out what

1233
00:55:28,159 --> 00:55:29,920
the offer or of the defense is doing. Just go.

1234
00:55:30,599 --> 00:55:32,559
If they can see the value in that, it's gonna

1235
00:55:32,559 --> 00:55:33,880
be a massive thing for their offense.

1236
00:55:34,519 --> 00:55:37,840
Speaker 1: Bittersweet development of Anthy Edwards focuses on getting out in

1237
00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:39,760
transition more. But that's where some of his mid range

1238
00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:43,920
volumes come from, is pulling up at the free line. Right, So,

1239
00:55:44,400 --> 00:55:48,559
uh Jaalen Clark just maniagaal on defense? What is he

1240
00:55:48,719 --> 00:55:49,239
on offense?

1241
00:55:49,320 --> 00:55:54,400
Speaker 2: Though he's not much, but he he's a really smart

1242
00:55:55,199 --> 00:55:58,320
player who there's multiple times in Vegas where he just

1243
00:55:58,400 --> 00:55:59,880
went cold from three and then he would hit one

1244
00:56:00,119 --> 00:56:03,039
do the prayer hands emoji. I think that's he's not

1245
00:56:03,119 --> 00:56:06,239
gonna be asked to ever initiate offense. I mean Nikile

1246
00:56:06,239 --> 00:56:10,320
Alexander Walker. Spot started for Mike Conley when Mike was out.

1247
00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:13,480
They don't have that anymore. Obviously, they hope that Rob

1248
00:56:13,480 --> 00:56:16,159
will fill those those shoes. But for Jayalen Clark, I

1249
00:56:16,159 --> 00:56:18,719
think it's literally just can you be a three and

1250
00:56:18,840 --> 00:56:22,159
D guy? He kind of signed an interesting contract. He's

1251
00:56:22,199 --> 00:56:24,199
a really smart kid, by the way, But so he's

1252
00:56:24,239 --> 00:56:28,199
a restricted free agent next summer already, so he's got

1253
00:56:28,280 --> 00:56:29,840
like a payday coming up. And I think for him,

1254
00:56:29,880 --> 00:56:32,039
if he can just be I mean, I'm sure you

1255
00:56:32,079 --> 00:56:33,440
can think of guys off the top of your head,

1256
00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:35,840
but if he can just do what maybe Jayden can't,

1257
00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:39,599
can you just hit corner threes? Because defensively, he I

1258
00:56:39,800 --> 00:56:42,719
think is already like at a Nikile Alexander Walker level.

1259
00:56:42,719 --> 00:56:45,639
I mean, he is such a dog defensively, but you know,

1260
00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:47,800
like the Wolves had Josha Kogie back in the day,

1261
00:56:48,440 --> 00:56:51,159
who was a dog defensively. But if you can't score,

1262
00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:53,800
it's hard for a coach to play you more than

1263
00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:56,840
you know, four minute segments. So if he can continue

1264
00:56:56,880 --> 00:56:59,960
to refine his shot, he to me more than anyone

1265
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:03,199
and has completely changed this jumper. If he can just

1266
00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:06,519
be even like a league average three point shooter mixed

1267
00:57:06,599 --> 00:57:09,679
with that defense and maybe playing more shooters around him,

1268
00:57:10,119 --> 00:57:12,679
I think that'll be big for him. But yeah, I

1269
00:57:12,719 --> 00:57:16,280
think his ability to space the floor will determine if

1270
00:57:16,320 --> 00:57:18,440
he plays a lot or if he's kind of just

1271
00:57:19,280 --> 00:57:21,400
you know, a nickel cornerback that you play on third

1272
00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:24,119
down type stuff, and so.

1273
00:57:24,679 --> 00:57:27,920
Speaker 1: Johann Brenjay I saw a lot of him during Summer League.

1274
00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:30,719
I came away very impressed. I think everyone will harp

1275
00:57:30,760 --> 00:57:32,239
on what was at the game against the Suns he

1276
00:57:32,280 --> 00:57:35,159
had all those blocks, whatever game that was. Yep, there's

1277
00:57:35,159 --> 00:57:37,039
a lot of fouls. There's a lot of rawness there

1278
00:57:37,159 --> 00:57:39,079
I was impressed with. And there's a lot of rawness

1279
00:57:39,119 --> 00:57:41,639
on offense. But he can like really dunk and even

1280
00:57:41,719 --> 00:57:43,840
like at one point busted out a push shot. I

1281
00:57:43,920 --> 00:57:45,840
am officially I try not to read too much into

1282
00:57:45,880 --> 00:57:47,679
Summer League, but I watched entirely too much of it

1283
00:57:47,760 --> 00:57:50,000
this year for something I was working on. I am

1284
00:57:50,119 --> 00:57:54,039
hashtag intrigued by Johann Barjetsha. What are your and also

1285
00:57:54,119 --> 00:57:57,000
his last name kind of sounds like a brand of wine, right, yeah,

1286
00:57:57,039 --> 00:57:59,599
for sure to see if it comes out or if

1287
00:57:59,639 --> 00:58:02,480
it's all out. What are just your early impressions of him?

1288
00:58:03,199 --> 00:58:05,679
Speaker 2: He has no idea what he's doing, and it's the

1289
00:58:05,719 --> 00:58:09,400
biggest compliment you could give him. His story, as maybe

1290
00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:12,360
people heard during draftnet, was he only got into basketball

1291
00:58:12,360 --> 00:58:15,320
because he stopped fitting into soccer shoes. He's from France,

1292
00:58:15,960 --> 00:58:18,280
He's only been playing the game of basketball. I think

1293
00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:21,880
he's eighteen for four years. So when he came out

1294
00:58:22,079 --> 00:58:24,199
for that first game in Summer League, I think he

1295
00:58:24,679 --> 00:58:27,000
at the time before a weird stack correction, which why

1296
00:58:27,039 --> 00:58:30,039
are we doing stack corrections? In summer League, he tied

1297
00:58:30,199 --> 00:58:33,519
the record for most blocks in a game, and after

1298
00:58:33,599 --> 00:58:35,559
the game, talking to a member of the front office,

1299
00:58:35,840 --> 00:58:37,559
I was like, that was cool, and it was cool

1300
00:58:37,599 --> 00:58:39,519
because he didn't know what he was doing. It wasn't

1301
00:58:39,639 --> 00:58:44,400
like understanding defensive schemes or you don't scout your opponent

1302
00:58:44,480 --> 00:58:46,960
in summer league. You're more focused on just being in Vegas.

1303
00:58:47,079 --> 00:58:50,199
But like, once he just understands, and I think that

1304
00:58:50,239 --> 00:58:54,360
would be cool to be tutored by Rudy Gobert, who is,

1305
00:58:54,760 --> 00:58:56,840
you know, one of the most famous French centers that

1306
00:58:57,320 --> 00:58:59,519
the country's ever produced. So that'll be good for him.

1307
00:58:59,559 --> 00:59:02,079
But once he actually just learns the game, I think

1308
00:59:02,079 --> 00:59:06,000
it's gonna be fascinating because they love him because he

1309
00:59:06,159 --> 00:59:08,199
is a ball of clay. I mean, he's super athletic.

1310
00:59:08,360 --> 00:59:10,639
I kind of made the Derek Lively comp. I don't

1311
00:59:10,760 --> 00:59:12,960
like comps, but it's how my brain works. It's like, Okay,

1312
00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:15,960
can he just be this rim protecting rebounder. That's all

1313
00:59:16,000 --> 00:59:18,440
this team needs with all the offensive options they have.

1314
00:59:19,199 --> 00:59:23,679
But yeah, if he can just be molded into Rudy Gobert,

1315
00:59:24,079 --> 00:59:26,119
no one ever got in his ear about like could

1316
00:59:26,199 --> 00:59:28,599
you give us a push shot? And you know, ten

1317
00:59:28,639 --> 00:59:31,719
twelve years ago whenever, when Rudy got here, centers weren't

1318
00:59:31,760 --> 00:59:34,440
expected to maybe produce as much. But Rudy's just never

1319
00:59:34,519 --> 00:59:36,639
developed any sort of offensive game. Right, Maybe he can

1320
00:59:36,679 --> 00:59:38,159
catch on the roll and then kick it out to

1321
00:59:38,199 --> 00:59:41,800
a corner, but there's no offensive game, there's no post ups.

1322
00:59:41,800 --> 00:59:43,559
I think with Baron Jay, they're like, we can tell

1323
00:59:43,599 --> 00:59:45,599
this guy to do whatever, and he'll do it and

1324
00:59:45,679 --> 00:59:50,719
he'll learn it. And I don't expect I personally would

1325
00:59:50,719 --> 00:59:53,280
like red shirt him, Like I don't want to see

1326
00:59:53,360 --> 00:59:55,400
him play this year because again I go back to

1327
00:59:55,519 --> 00:59:59,400
like Jaden should get some more of those minutes. I

1328
00:59:59,559 --> 01:00:01,039
just think he's going to spend a lot of time

1329
01:00:01,079 --> 01:00:02,760
in the G League. He's gonna be developed a lot.

1330
01:00:02,920 --> 01:00:04,599
But I also don't think it's a hot take to

1331
01:00:04,679 --> 01:00:07,400
think that maybe next year, if you have me back

1332
01:00:07,440 --> 01:00:09,719
on this thing, that he's going to be projected as

1333
01:00:09,719 --> 01:00:12,840
the starting center. They are so high on the kid.

1334
01:00:12,960 --> 01:00:15,039
They had flirted with maybe trying to move up in

1335
01:00:15,119 --> 01:00:17,679
the draft to get him. They were related when he

1336
01:00:17,760 --> 01:00:21,440
fell to them at seventeen, and he is, you know,

1337
01:00:21,599 --> 01:00:23,360
Rob is still the guy as I've said now one

1338
01:00:23,440 --> 01:00:26,599
hundred times like that they're really banking on. But Baron

1339
01:00:26,639 --> 01:00:30,400
Jay is the in their minds, the lively to ants Luca,

1340
01:00:30,639 --> 01:00:32,280
and they need him to be the center of the

1341
01:00:32,320 --> 01:00:34,800
future because not only he's on a cheap contract, he

1342
01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:38,519
has more offensive ceiling than Rudy Gobert's ever had. Defensively,

1343
01:00:38,559 --> 01:00:40,320
he has so long to go to win four defensive

1344
01:00:40,360 --> 01:00:44,280
players a year. But Dan, I don't think they drafted

1345
01:00:44,320 --> 01:00:47,480
Anthony Edwards. They drafted Conzai, town's first overall picks. But

1346
01:00:47,639 --> 01:00:50,039
he's about as exciting to me as like Zach Lavine

1347
01:00:50,239 --> 01:00:52,000
was in this market, where like I don't know what

1348
01:00:52,119 --> 01:00:54,880
he is. He's just super athletic and he seems like

1349
01:00:54,960 --> 01:00:58,280
a modern day player. So if they coach him upright

1350
01:00:58,400 --> 01:01:00,719
and they season it right, I think they got a

1351
01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:02,280
pretty good one in Baron Jay.

1352
01:01:03,039 --> 01:01:05,320
Speaker 1: People laugh because he was just the number seventeen pick

1353
01:01:05,400 --> 01:01:06,920
that you said you could see him starting. I'm sure

1354
01:01:06,960 --> 01:01:08,519
people would have laughed. If they would have said the

1355
01:01:08,639 --> 01:01:11,519
number twenty seven pick and Rudy Gobert would win four

1356
01:01:11,599 --> 01:01:15,159
defensive players and Tim Connley drafted him right and then

1357
01:01:15,320 --> 01:01:16,719
moved him. What was that? How did he end up

1358
01:01:16,719 --> 01:01:17,960
in Utah's That was the Rudy thing.

1359
01:01:18,039 --> 01:01:21,159
Speaker 2: Yeah, he drafted I think he drafted Gobert and then

1360
01:01:21,199 --> 01:01:25,119
traded him to Utah. Yeah, he does have a keen

1361
01:01:25,239 --> 01:01:29,000
eye for centers. So they're all different, right, Like Baron

1362
01:01:29,079 --> 01:01:31,800
Jay and Jokic and Gobert are kind of vastly different players,

1363
01:01:31,840 --> 01:01:35,000
but he does. They were so happy to be able

1364
01:01:35,119 --> 01:01:37,760
to get him. New ownership was in the room making

1365
01:01:37,800 --> 01:01:39,880
a call. I think Alex Rodriguez was on the phone

1366
01:01:39,920 --> 01:01:42,719
trying to say Baron Jay's name. So they're very excited

1367
01:01:42,760 --> 01:01:45,360
about him. But I also if you're a Timberwolves fan

1368
01:01:45,440 --> 01:01:48,320
listening to this, or just a casual NBA fan, I

1369
01:01:48,400 --> 01:01:51,320
would hope that unlike Rob Dillingham, who kind of needed

1370
01:01:51,360 --> 01:01:53,639
to play last year they needed some of his stuff,

1371
01:01:53,719 --> 01:01:56,119
they don't really need Baron Jay right now. They just

1372
01:01:56,199 --> 01:01:58,079
need him to learn the game and learn all the

1373
01:01:58,119 --> 01:02:00,880
different little intricacies that go into being a good defender,

1374
01:02:01,119 --> 01:02:03,599
because I think the offensive stuff will just naturally come

1375
01:02:03,840 --> 01:02:04,880
for him as he gets older.

1376
01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:07,400
Speaker 1: Did not include this in the outline I sent you.

1377
01:02:07,480 --> 01:02:09,119
But where are we at with Leonard Miller?

1378
01:02:09,159 --> 01:02:14,639
Speaker 2: Watch next question? I mean, you know they had another

1379
01:02:14,719 --> 01:02:16,679
slew of young guys. Josh Mine was kind of a

1380
01:02:16,760 --> 01:02:19,639
developmental second round guy that didn't get to play much

1381
01:02:19,960 --> 01:02:23,719
at Memphis. Good kid just never had a chance here,

1382
01:02:23,760 --> 01:02:27,079
and then he ended up in Boston alongside Luca Garza. Uh,

1383
01:02:27,679 --> 01:02:30,280
I don't I don't really know what's Leonard Miller. I

1384
01:02:30,440 --> 01:02:33,400
don't love this is like a Scoot Henderson take that

1385
01:02:33,480 --> 01:02:36,079
I have living out in Portland. I don't love the

1386
01:02:36,159 --> 01:02:38,199
G League guys sometimes because they just don't know if

1387
01:02:38,239 --> 01:02:41,440
they go through the system in the right way. Leonard

1388
01:02:41,480 --> 01:02:44,920
Miller was a G League guy. He's got a lot

1389
01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:47,360
of tools. He showed those he could just grab ten

1390
01:02:47,440 --> 01:02:50,400
rebounds with his eyes closed in Vegas. But offensively, what

1391
01:02:50,719 --> 01:02:53,840
is he He can shoot, but he doesn't make a

1392
01:02:53,840 --> 01:02:55,960
lot of them. So is he like a you know,

1393
01:02:56,119 --> 01:02:57,679
I was guilty of a couple years ago being like,

1394
01:02:57,760 --> 01:03:01,480
is that the next lamar odom? Know? But like, I

1395
01:03:01,599 --> 01:03:03,599
just don't know what he is. He'll probably be their

1396
01:03:03,639 --> 01:03:06,800
emergency big at times. But again going back to Finch,

1397
01:03:06,880 --> 01:03:08,960
the reason Jalen Clark got off the bench this year

1398
01:03:09,440 --> 01:03:12,239
was because Finch could say do that, and he trusted

1399
01:03:12,280 --> 01:03:14,559
him to do that. I don't know if Finch knows

1400
01:03:14,800 --> 01:03:17,639
what to tell Leonard Miller to do, and I certainly

1401
01:03:17,679 --> 01:03:20,079
don't know if Finch trusts Leonard Miller to do it.

1402
01:03:20,199 --> 01:03:22,920
So to me, he's like the bottom of the barrel.

1403
01:03:23,079 --> 01:03:25,079
Maybe he has a chance. He's still young, maybe he

1404
01:03:25,159 --> 01:03:29,159
needs a new team that doesn't have high expectations a

1405
01:03:29,239 --> 01:03:32,440
lot of tools though he's really matured, he's long. But

1406
01:03:33,400 --> 01:03:35,440
if you're trying to kind of carve out a rotation

1407
01:03:35,559 --> 01:03:37,280
for this team, I don't think Leonard Miller is going

1408
01:03:37,320 --> 01:03:37,639
to be in it.

1409
01:03:38,199 --> 01:03:39,719
Speaker 1: I think you just spent more time on him than

1410
01:03:39,760 --> 01:03:40,880
any other podcast there was.

1411
01:03:40,960 --> 01:03:42,440
Speaker 2: Yeah, it sucks that you should cut for you.

1412
01:03:44,000 --> 01:03:46,119
Speaker 1: Are you ready to enter the cookie cutter slash righting

1413
01:03:46,239 --> 01:03:46,679
round portion?

1414
01:03:47,039 --> 01:03:48,480
Speaker 2: Yes? Absolutely, this's my favorite part.

1415
01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:51,199
Speaker 1: So we've talked about a few of them. But when

1416
01:03:51,199 --> 01:03:53,239
you look at this roster, what do you think is

1417
01:03:53,360 --> 01:03:55,639
kind of their single biggest need right now?

1418
01:03:56,599 --> 01:03:59,119
Speaker 2: What I said earlier, guys that can dribble, Because if

1419
01:03:59,199 --> 01:04:03,079
Mike Conley's third eight way up here and Rob Dillingham

1420
01:04:03,199 --> 01:04:04,760
is twenty and down here, and one of them is

1421
01:04:04,800 --> 01:04:07,960
really experienced but slow and maybe injury prone. The other

1422
01:04:08,000 --> 01:04:11,239
one has no experience. If neither of those guys can work,

1423
01:04:11,920 --> 01:04:14,719
I think the fallback plan would be Dante to play

1424
01:04:14,719 --> 01:04:17,440
alongside Ant a lot in the backcourt. And I just

1425
01:04:17,559 --> 01:04:20,000
hate that, not because Dante can't do it, but I

1426
01:04:20,119 --> 01:04:24,199
just think Dante DiVincenzo is more comfortable flying around screens,

1427
01:04:24,280 --> 01:04:28,119
you know, taking thirty footers. The one thing I've really

1428
01:04:28,199 --> 01:04:29,960
learned from talking to like Mike and Nori is that

1429
01:04:30,519 --> 01:04:33,559
playing point guard, I mean you are doing the quarterback stuff,

1430
01:04:33,559 --> 01:04:36,039
even though people hate the analogic. You have to focus

1431
01:04:36,119 --> 01:04:38,599
on so many other things to just get guys involved,

1432
01:04:38,679 --> 01:04:40,960
make sure they're space, make sure you're running the right

1433
01:04:41,039 --> 01:04:44,119
play call from the bench. I don't think Dante wants

1434
01:04:44,199 --> 01:04:45,679
to do that, like I think he just wants to

1435
01:04:45,760 --> 01:04:48,840
kind of play free basketball. I mean he didn't have

1436
01:04:48,880 --> 01:04:50,199
to do a lot of that in New York. I

1437
01:04:50,239 --> 01:04:52,320
think that was Jalen Brunson's responsibility, or you know, even

1438
01:04:52,400 --> 01:04:55,559
Josh Hard or something. So yeah, the point guard position

1439
01:04:55,679 --> 01:04:58,880
in general will be the thing that opponents highlight any

1440
01:04:59,000 --> 01:05:01,440
night they play the chimberw of You know, is it

1441
01:05:01,480 --> 01:05:03,159
gonna be the old guy who we can get around

1442
01:05:03,239 --> 01:05:05,639
and can't really defend or the young guy who has

1443
01:05:05,679 --> 01:05:08,519
some juice but also can't really defend. So point guard,

1444
01:05:08,559 --> 01:05:10,239
point guard, point guard for this team, if they have

1445
01:05:10,960 --> 01:05:13,079
enough to get by, they'll be a really good team.

1446
01:05:13,519 --> 01:05:16,199
If they don't, they're gonna ask even more of Anthony Edwards,

1447
01:05:16,239 --> 01:05:18,679
and I think they already asked a lot from him,

1448
01:05:18,679 --> 01:05:20,960
even though he is projecting up to be a superstar.

1449
01:05:21,400 --> 01:05:23,719
There's only so much you want to ask of one player,

1450
01:05:24,199 --> 01:05:25,400
and I think that would be kind of the fine

1451
01:05:25,480 --> 01:05:26,119
line this season.

1452
01:05:26,960 --> 01:05:29,800
Speaker 1: Is there anything about this team, probably on a national level,

1453
01:05:29,920 --> 01:05:32,719
whether it's good, bad, a storyline, whatever, that is flying

1454
01:05:32,800 --> 01:05:33,840
under the radar right now.

1455
01:05:35,039 --> 01:05:39,239
Speaker 2: Oh that's a good one. I just think I think

1456
01:05:39,280 --> 01:05:41,440
the fact that they didn't do anything in the summer

1457
01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:43,280
other than kind of maintain their guys. I mean, you

1458
01:05:43,360 --> 01:05:46,639
saw what Houston did with a splash to get Kevin Durant.

1459
01:05:46,920 --> 01:05:49,199
The Wolves were in on that. I don't think the

1460
01:05:49,199 --> 01:05:51,519
Wolves were in on that at what the price was

1461
01:05:51,599 --> 01:05:54,239
being reported, but they were interested to bring him in

1462
01:05:55,280 --> 01:05:57,239
and then obviously Okay, so he's just going to get better.

1463
01:05:57,280 --> 01:05:59,880
And then Denver had maybe the best offseason, so the

1464
01:06:00,119 --> 01:06:02,960
top of the West probably got better while the Wolves

1465
01:06:03,079 --> 01:06:07,000
just leaned into continuity. But I don't know. They have

1466
01:06:07,360 --> 01:06:10,440
all the same players and then some of a team

1467
01:06:10,480 --> 01:06:13,440
that made the Western Conference finals last year, so I

1468
01:06:13,519 --> 01:06:16,519
think continuity is boring. I don't I don't know. Greeney

1469
01:06:16,599 --> 01:06:18,960
doesn't bring up continuity on first take a lot, but

1470
01:06:19,480 --> 01:06:22,079
it sometimes is the thing that leads you to being

1471
01:06:22,480 --> 01:06:27,719
a successful organization. And I think the Wolves probably prefer

1472
01:06:27,880 --> 01:06:30,360
to be a little under the radar and doubted because

1473
01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:34,840
they haven't shown a propensity to accept being, you know,

1474
01:06:34,960 --> 01:06:37,960
the favorites in a lot of situations. So they do

1475
01:06:38,119 --> 01:06:40,559
have more nationally televised games than they've ever had. I

1476
01:06:40,559 --> 01:06:42,840
think they're like top five, but I think they'll be

1477
01:06:42,960 --> 01:06:45,239
cool as we get into September and we start to

1478
01:06:45,239 --> 01:06:47,800
get to training camps in October. If people aren't talking

1479
01:06:47,840 --> 01:06:50,360
about them, I think they'll be a good like chip

1480
01:06:50,440 --> 01:06:53,159
on our shoulder team. And that's that's kind of how

1481
01:06:53,239 --> 01:06:54,000
Chris Finch likes it.

1482
01:06:56,320 --> 01:06:58,159
Speaker 1: This will date it because it all events, but like

1483
01:06:58,199 --> 01:07:00,920
they're just sitting on there. Any mid level and they

1484
01:07:01,000 --> 01:07:03,320
have the space beneath the second apron to use it.

1485
01:07:03,760 --> 01:07:05,679
I'm curious if just like I don't think they would

1486
01:07:05,679 --> 01:07:07,360
throw it at a Malcolm Brogden, at least not the

1487
01:07:07,519 --> 01:07:09,519
entire thing, but like if there's just like a surprise buyout,

1488
01:07:09,559 --> 01:07:11,920
because we're seeing more buyouts over the offseason now since

1489
01:07:12,280 --> 01:07:14,599
so many of these teams that guys who get bought

1490
01:07:14,599 --> 01:07:17,599
out want to play for legally cannot sign them in

1491
01:07:17,679 --> 01:07:19,280
the middle of the year. So it's just like, I

1492
01:07:19,320 --> 01:07:21,280
don't like if Chris Middleton broke her to buy out

1493
01:07:21,320 --> 01:07:23,239
with Washing just as an example, I don't think he'd

1494
01:07:23,280 --> 01:07:25,559
picked just the minutes of ailbum Minnesota probably wouldn't be there.

1495
01:07:25,840 --> 01:07:27,559
I'm just watching it just to see, like, well they

1496
01:07:27,639 --> 01:07:29,599
do something with it, Like they're clearly not trying to

1497
01:07:29,639 --> 01:07:32,960
spend like through the teeth, but there's still an expensive team,

1498
01:07:33,039 --> 01:07:35,880
and so far this ownership group is showing a willingness

1499
01:07:35,920 --> 01:07:37,519
for the most part to invest in the roster. So

1500
01:07:37,559 --> 01:07:39,519
I've just like put a little pin in that.

1501
01:07:40,360 --> 01:07:43,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, they this is kind of reported, but they had

1502
01:07:43,960 --> 01:07:47,519
good conversations with Damian Lillard before he ultimately signed where

1503
01:07:47,559 --> 01:07:49,519
he was supposed to sign, Like it's such a cool

1504
01:07:49,559 --> 01:07:51,360
story out here in the Portland market for Damian Lord

1505
01:07:51,440 --> 01:07:53,440
to come back and rehab for a year and maybe

1506
01:07:53,480 --> 01:07:55,840
try to bring the Blazers back. But that was an

1507
01:07:55,880 --> 01:07:58,880
option they tried to maybe sniff around of, like that

1508
01:07:58,960 --> 01:08:01,039
would solve all your point guard stuff down the road,

1509
01:08:01,199 --> 01:08:04,519
not in October, but yeah. One thing Tim Conley did

1510
01:08:04,599 --> 01:08:08,079
say Dan after the season was just as a as

1511
01:08:08,079 --> 01:08:10,360
someone who's building a roster, right or if you're shopping

1512
01:08:10,400 --> 01:08:12,519
for groceries, you do kind of want an unlimited budget

1513
01:08:12,679 --> 01:08:14,440
because then you can go get the best of the best.

1514
01:08:14,800 --> 01:08:17,560
Tim Conley was like, we understand this CBA enough now

1515
01:08:17,720 --> 01:08:21,600
that it is actually like a death nilled if you

1516
01:08:22,000 --> 01:08:24,000
are in the second April multiple seasons because of the

1517
01:08:24,079 --> 01:08:26,479
repeater at tacks and all that stuff. So I think

1518
01:08:27,000 --> 01:08:29,359
maybe if the right opportunity presents itself, I know Malcolm

1519
01:08:29,359 --> 01:08:32,000
Brogden's still out there. I was telling my Timberwolves fans like,

1520
01:08:32,039 --> 01:08:34,319
maybe he's out there for a reason, Like if he was,

1521
01:08:34,560 --> 01:08:36,239
you know, a needle mover, maybe he would have been

1522
01:08:36,279 --> 01:08:39,159
signed by now. But I think they're going to try

1523
01:08:39,199 --> 01:08:43,880
to keep financial flexibility for this season as best as possible,

1524
01:08:43,920 --> 01:08:46,760
so they don't have you know, player incentives and random

1525
01:08:46,760 --> 01:08:48,800
stuff happened that they go into the tax the second

1526
01:08:48,800 --> 01:08:52,439
apron again. So that next summer when I know, as

1527
01:08:52,479 --> 01:08:54,359
you saw Tim bond Tamps and those guys at ESPN

1528
01:08:54,479 --> 01:08:56,640
kind of put the Wolves in like this all in

1529
01:08:56,800 --> 01:08:59,520
window right now, we could be looking at next summer,

1530
01:08:59,720 --> 01:09:03,119
lose Mike Conley, losing Rudy Gobert, maybe you pivot off

1531
01:09:03,159 --> 01:09:04,760
a Julish Randall and all of a sudden, the Wolves

1532
01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:07,720
are one of the youngest average age teams in the

1533
01:09:07,800 --> 01:09:11,239
league with financial flexibilities, so I'd be shocked if they

1534
01:09:11,279 --> 01:09:15,800
did anything. I think Bones Highland eventually becomes a Timberwolf again.

1535
01:09:16,760 --> 01:09:18,720
Tim Conley loves to take care of his guys, but

1536
01:09:19,239 --> 01:09:20,920
I would be shocked if by the time they tip

1537
01:09:21,000 --> 01:09:23,560
off in October, if they if they made any more splashes.

1538
01:09:24,199 --> 01:09:26,239
And I say that as a guy, and like you

1539
01:09:26,319 --> 01:09:28,439
said a year ago, Tim Conley just said let's rip

1540
01:09:28,479 --> 01:09:30,159
the band aid off and make one of the biggest

1541
01:09:30,199 --> 01:09:33,159
trades in NBA history on a Friday, September twenty ninth.

1542
01:09:33,239 --> 01:09:36,279
So anything could happen with Tim Conley. But I think

1543
01:09:36,319 --> 01:09:38,039
this is going to be the roster in the rotation

1544
01:09:38,840 --> 01:09:40,760
in mid August that you're going to see in October.

1545
01:09:41,600 --> 01:09:43,279
Speaker 1: This is one of my favorite exercise to go through

1546
01:09:43,319 --> 01:09:44,880
for me in evans of this season. Try to pin

1547
01:09:44,960 --> 01:09:48,199
down who will be the most ten played players if

1548
01:09:48,880 --> 01:09:50,359
it was fairly easy for me when I came to

1549
01:09:50,439 --> 01:09:51,800
the Wolves. So who do you see is like being

1550
01:09:51,840 --> 01:09:55,560
the top ten most used players here? Well, every year

1551
01:09:55,640 --> 01:09:57,680
covering a team, just like one team, you have a

1552
01:09:57,760 --> 01:10:00,800
specific theme or trend. Years ago, Dane Moore called it

1553
01:10:00,880 --> 01:10:03,560
like the weirdest team ever. Last year we all said

1554
01:10:03,640 --> 01:10:06,920
eight starters forever and it was like Mike Conley, Aunt,

1555
01:10:07,239 --> 01:10:11,560
Jaden Julius, Rudy, Nikhiel, Dante and nas its eight starters.

1556
01:10:11,600 --> 01:10:13,640
Eight starters and then fansy get pissed that the young

1557
01:10:13,680 --> 01:10:17,039
guys didn't play this year. You subtract Nikiel Alexander Walker,

1558
01:10:17,079 --> 01:10:21,880
which again I think all fall we will understate.

1559
01:10:21,199 --> 01:10:22,640
Speaker 2: How big of a loss that is. He was a

1560
01:10:22,720 --> 01:10:25,520
great guy. But you fill that Sonari, You're down to

1561
01:10:25,560 --> 01:10:29,119
seven starters, the same seven just listed plus Terrence Shannon Jr.

1562
01:10:29,399 --> 01:10:32,760
Plus Jalen Clark plus Rob Dillingham. I think, like in

1563
01:10:32,840 --> 01:10:35,359
a fantasy draft, there was a steep cliff at ten,

1564
01:10:35,960 --> 01:10:38,119
where I would be shocked if anyone else plays, Like

1565
01:10:38,159 --> 01:10:42,199
I said about Baron Jay, super exciting prospect, seventeenth overall pick,

1566
01:10:43,199 --> 01:10:44,960
I don't see any minutes for him right now. Joe

1567
01:10:45,079 --> 01:10:48,000
Ingles is just here and people laugh and occasionally inbound

1568
01:10:48,039 --> 01:10:50,319
the ball. He is their best inbounder, which again you're like,

1569
01:10:50,520 --> 01:10:52,319
how's this team of contender if they can't dribble and

1570
01:10:52,399 --> 01:10:56,159
throw the ball in. It's a great question, Dan Leonard Miller,

1571
01:10:56,920 --> 01:11:00,680
like Bones Island or whoever they get, they'll have those guys.

1572
01:11:01,199 --> 01:11:03,640
Chris Finch said after the season and the exit of

1573
01:11:03,720 --> 01:11:06,920
interviews that he's like, I need to expand the rotation.

1574
01:11:07,560 --> 01:11:10,399
He mentioned nine or ten. I don't know. I mean,

1575
01:11:10,439 --> 01:11:12,279
you you cover the league way better than I do.

1576
01:11:12,479 --> 01:11:15,640
It's hard to have a ten man rotation and keep

1577
01:11:15,720 --> 01:11:18,600
guys happy. Like, guys don't really want to play six

1578
01:11:18,680 --> 01:11:21,039
minutes a night, you know, they kind of sometimes want

1579
01:11:21,079 --> 01:11:24,319
to either DNP or get like twelve like two six

1580
01:11:24,359 --> 01:11:27,359
minutes stints first half, second half. So Chris Finch said,

1581
01:11:27,359 --> 01:11:29,319
it not me, but I'd be shocked if they get

1582
01:11:29,359 --> 01:11:31,680
to ten. But I also think they'll be pitchforks if

1583
01:11:31,680 --> 01:11:32,800
it's anything less than nine.

1584
01:11:33,720 --> 01:11:35,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think if you're gonna go that deep, it's

1585
01:11:35,920 --> 01:11:38,920
like the team has to be conditioned for it at

1586
01:11:39,000 --> 01:11:41,319
the top to where. I don't know how many like

1587
01:11:41,439 --> 01:11:43,359
minutes to Tyree's have like the Pacers to me or

1588
01:11:43,399 --> 01:11:45,520
the example or the Cavs are just so good it's

1589
01:11:45,560 --> 01:11:48,000
a bad one, but like the Pacers just and I

1590
01:11:48,079 --> 01:11:50,199
do think functional depth is more important than ever where

1591
01:11:50,199 --> 01:11:52,439
It's not just this party trick in the regular season.

1592
01:11:52,520 --> 01:11:53,960
It's yeah, no, you want to be able to tap

1593
01:11:54,000 --> 01:11:56,159
into it in the postseason. But yeah, I don't know who.

1594
01:11:56,479 --> 01:11:57,920
I had a question like, who do you think could

1595
01:11:58,359 --> 01:12:00,199
rise or fall in the rotation? The answers probab just

1596
01:12:00,239 --> 01:12:01,880
Rob dealing him to both is that I could see

1597
01:12:01,920 --> 01:12:03,680
him being squeezed out of it. I could see him Also,

1598
01:12:04,039 --> 01:12:05,479
is he starting by the end of the year. If

1599
01:12:05,479 --> 01:12:06,960
he told me that, it wouldn't shock me either.

1600
01:12:07,479 --> 01:12:09,760
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think he. I don't know if I'm just

1601
01:12:09,840 --> 01:12:13,079
so on this Terrencen Junior HiPE train. I think Rob

1602
01:12:13,199 --> 01:12:15,640
has a clear path to just minutes because again, like

1603
01:12:15,800 --> 01:12:17,720
you got to dial the minutes back from Mike. If

1604
01:12:17,720 --> 01:12:20,000
you think Mike Conley is still a playoff guy and

1605
01:12:20,119 --> 01:12:22,159
you're gonna rely on him, and you have to stop

1606
01:12:22,199 --> 01:12:24,239
playing him so much in the regular season, Like you

1607
01:12:24,319 --> 01:12:26,039
got to give Rob an opportunity, So Rob has a

1608
01:12:26,119 --> 01:12:29,479
clear chance to start, Terrence doesn't. But I think Terrence

1609
01:12:29,479 --> 01:12:31,920
also has a clear chance to be like possibly a

1610
01:12:32,000 --> 01:12:35,239
six man if things break out well. So yeah, those

1611
01:12:35,319 --> 01:12:37,479
two guys and again Jayleen Clark, plus like I said,

1612
01:12:37,560 --> 01:12:39,880
Dante after bench, they're gonna have nine or ten guys

1613
01:12:39,920 --> 01:12:44,720
that any night probably expect to play. And I don't

1614
01:12:45,000 --> 01:12:47,279
envy Chris Finch at all because I think that would

1615
01:12:47,319 --> 01:12:49,239
be one thing Chris Finch is really good at is

1616
01:12:49,359 --> 01:12:52,680
like explaining to guys. You talk to NBA players like

1617
01:12:52,720 --> 01:12:54,520
I like knowing even if I'm not gonna play, I

1618
01:12:54,720 --> 01:12:57,159
like knowing I'm not gonna play. They don't want to

1619
01:12:57,199 --> 01:12:59,640
be kind of tossed around, and Finchy does a good

1620
01:12:59,720 --> 01:13:02,640
job that. But for a guy that loved playing eight

1621
01:13:02,760 --> 01:13:04,840
guys to try to go to ten, I think it's

1622
01:13:04,880 --> 01:13:07,640
going to be a fascinating kind of story that we

1623
01:13:07,880 --> 01:13:11,920
follow in Minnesota all summer or all season, because for

1624
01:13:12,039 --> 01:13:13,399
better or worse than I don't believe him, Like I

1625
01:13:13,439 --> 01:13:14,840
don't think he's gonna be able to pull it off.

1626
01:13:14,960 --> 01:13:16,880
But we'll see because he does have he does have

1627
01:13:16,960 --> 01:13:18,520
the ingredients to kind of cook something up.

1628
01:13:19,000 --> 01:13:20,600
Speaker 1: We look, why don't they just win games by a

1629
01:13:20,640 --> 01:13:22,600
bunch of points that takes out like that's the easy

1630
01:13:22,640 --> 01:13:23,840
solution would be.

1631
01:13:24,399 --> 01:13:26,399
Speaker 2: That would be fun because that I would also eliminate

1632
01:13:26,479 --> 01:13:28,199
them from having two I think they were like one

1633
01:13:28,239 --> 01:13:30,840
of the three worst clutch time teams last year, and

1634
01:13:30,880 --> 01:13:32,119
the other two were like, I don't know, maybe the

1635
01:13:32,159 --> 01:13:34,039
Wizards and the Hornets. So it's like, how are you

1636
01:13:34,119 --> 01:13:36,399
a contender when you're in that group of games or

1637
01:13:36,520 --> 01:13:38,520
that group of teams. But yeah, if they could just

1638
01:13:38,560 --> 01:13:40,640
maybe blow teams out, it'd be a lot easier for

1639
01:13:40,680 --> 01:13:42,880
me to play my bench, I think.

1640
01:13:42,760 --> 01:13:45,720
Speaker 1: For this team especially, this question is some is to

1641
01:13:45,800 --> 01:13:47,760
some extent matchup dependent, But what do you view as

1642
01:13:47,800 --> 01:13:49,920
their go to closing unit. Do you think it's just

1643
01:13:50,000 --> 01:13:51,600
going to be the starters or are they really fuzing

1644
01:13:51,640 --> 01:13:53,399
and fiddling with one of those two spots there?

1645
01:13:55,079 --> 01:13:58,359
Speaker 2: Wow, I hadn't thought of that yet. I haven't gotten

1646
01:13:58,479 --> 01:14:02,479
my brain to that point. But I think the beauty

1647
01:14:02,560 --> 01:14:05,279
of it would be what you saw again to kind

1648
01:14:05,319 --> 01:14:09,079
of glaze over, like give the coach them props five

1649
01:14:09,159 --> 01:14:12,199
different guys at any night, Like I don't think I

1650
01:14:12,239 --> 01:14:13,960
don't think Rudy Gobert is at a level now in

1651
01:14:14,000 --> 01:14:16,680
his career where he has to close. And I think

1652
01:14:16,880 --> 01:14:19,439
when they acquired him in twenty twenty two, he was like,

1653
01:14:19,479 --> 01:14:21,239
you got to close with Rudy. I don't think you

1654
01:14:21,319 --> 01:14:23,800
have to close with Rudy anymore. Obviously, Ann will be

1655
01:14:23,840 --> 01:14:26,960
out there. I think even Jayden, despite maybe some of

1656
01:14:27,039 --> 01:14:29,760
the spacing issues that you could have with him, he

1657
01:14:29,880 --> 01:14:32,399
has to close because he is by far your best

1658
01:14:32,439 --> 01:14:36,279
defensive player. Finch trust Julius with a bullet, so he

1659
01:14:36,319 --> 01:14:38,760
would be out there. But yeah, some combo of Aunt,

1660
01:14:38,880 --> 01:14:41,600
Jayden and Julius and then matchup depending right, Like I

1661
01:14:41,680 --> 01:14:45,520
think you'll see Terrence Shannon Junior close more games. I

1662
01:14:45,640 --> 01:14:47,920
think he's Finch has shown an ability to close with

1663
01:14:48,079 --> 01:14:50,960
nas instead of Rudy. Can you rebound enough right? Like

1664
01:14:51,840 --> 01:14:54,079
one thing Finch has told me and others is like

1665
01:14:54,640 --> 01:14:57,920
the defense isn't about just like getting them to miss

1666
01:14:57,920 --> 01:14:59,560
a shot, it's can you get the rebound right? Because

1667
01:14:59,560 --> 01:15:01,239
if they are defensive, rebound the ball like they just

1668
01:15:01,279 --> 01:15:04,279
have another opportunity. Like defense actually is about getting the

1669
01:15:04,319 --> 01:15:06,439
ball and then going up your side of the court.

1670
01:15:06,560 --> 01:15:10,199
So without Rudy, this team has always struggled to rebound.

1671
01:15:11,119 --> 01:15:13,760
So I'll say, as I just filibuster, I would say

1672
01:15:13,920 --> 01:15:18,840
they probably close most nights the way they start, and

1673
01:15:18,960 --> 01:15:22,479
that would be with Finch's two most trusted players Julius Randall,

1674
01:15:22,600 --> 01:15:25,239
Mike Conley, his best player Anthony Edwards, and then his

1675
01:15:25,359 --> 01:15:28,039
two best defensive players, go Bert and Jane McDaniels.

1676
01:15:29,199 --> 01:15:31,479
Speaker 1: Is there a weirder lineup you want to see Chris

1677
01:15:31,560 --> 01:15:32,520
Finch try this season?

1678
01:15:33,279 --> 01:15:36,359
Speaker 2: Yeah, dude, Leonard Miller brings the ball up. He's spaced

1679
01:15:36,399 --> 01:15:39,800
by Joan Baron and Rudy Gobert and Jade McDaniels and

1680
01:15:39,920 --> 01:15:43,359
like nas reed like that, just like five basically yeah,

1681
01:15:43,439 --> 01:15:46,399
five centers. No, I actually think to go the other

1682
01:15:46,439 --> 01:15:50,600
way because we're starting to do like the two timelines conversation,

1683
01:15:50,680 --> 01:15:52,239
which I know if you're a Warriors strand you're like,

1684
01:15:52,239 --> 01:15:54,479
oh my god, don't go don't do that. But I

1685
01:15:54,560 --> 01:15:59,239
would say some combination of like I would, Okay, this

1686
01:15:59,359 --> 01:16:02,079
is my sickle lineup. I do really like Rob Dillingham.

1687
01:16:02,199 --> 01:16:05,479
I just trust Terren Shannon Junior more. But some five

1688
01:16:05,560 --> 01:16:09,359
man lineup of Terrence Shannon Junior, Anthony Edwards, Dante DiVincenzo,

1689
01:16:09,600 --> 01:16:13,159
nas Reed, and Jane McDaniels. That has a ton of spacing,

1690
01:16:13,279 --> 01:16:17,039
a ton of physicality, a ton of just lunatics, like

1691
01:16:17,159 --> 01:16:19,920
guys that are just like crazy people. They might fight you,

1692
01:16:20,479 --> 01:16:22,600
and that would be the most fun and probably the

1693
01:16:22,680 --> 01:16:24,439
best chance of them kind of getting out in transition.

1694
01:16:24,640 --> 01:16:27,079
So give me that five man lineup on like a cold,

1695
01:16:27,199 --> 01:16:30,000
dreary December night, and I'll text him be like, hey,

1696
01:16:30,520 --> 01:16:32,720
League pass right now, all.

1697
01:16:32,319 --> 01:16:35,560
Speaker 1: Me that alert. It's too close to what mine was.

1698
01:16:35,680 --> 01:16:38,119
I want Baron Jay surrounded by four shooters. So give

1699
01:16:38,159 --> 01:16:42,319
me Yes, Edwards, Devincenzo, and then I don't know who

1700
01:16:42,359 --> 01:16:44,560
should be the fourth guy Like Jane McDaniels are just

1701
01:16:44,640 --> 01:16:46,319
not I don't know if I trust him ennother like

1702
01:16:46,319 --> 01:16:48,880
maybe Arren Shannon Jr. I mean, Dillingham could be in there,

1703
01:16:48,920 --> 01:16:51,920
But then you're really small and on that quick.

1704
01:16:51,960 --> 01:16:53,359
Speaker 2: Just because I probably did a bad job of setting

1705
01:16:53,359 --> 01:16:56,039
this up, Baron Jay could play like he could if

1706
01:16:56,079 --> 01:16:58,760
he was drafted by the Hornets, right, he might be

1707
01:16:58,840 --> 01:16:59,760
their starting center.

1708
01:17:00,079 --> 01:17:02,439
Speaker 1: I always would be there, he would be there starting.

1709
01:17:02,880 --> 01:17:04,640
Speaker 2: I feel bad because one of my best buddies, Like

1710
01:17:04,640 --> 01:17:06,079
I shoot on the Hornets a lot, but they're just

1711
01:17:06,159 --> 01:17:08,199
a I think of them because what they've done with

1712
01:17:08,279 --> 01:17:10,920
LaMelo ball and not focusing on winning is like with

1713
01:17:11,000 --> 01:17:13,199
the like that when they got Ant in Minnesota, Like

1714
01:17:13,239 --> 01:17:15,319
we need to put him in winning positions every single

1715
01:17:15,439 --> 01:17:17,880
day to mature him quicker. And it's worked. But yeah,

1716
01:17:17,920 --> 01:17:20,079
Baron Jay could play. It's just they have the strength

1717
01:17:20,119 --> 01:17:22,159
of this team, and of this roster is still big guys.

1718
01:17:22,199 --> 01:17:25,039
They have four guys six ten or bigger who can

1719
01:17:25,119 --> 01:17:27,600
play and play real minutes. But yeah, man, like a

1720
01:17:27,720 --> 01:17:30,880
Baron Jay lineup with Nas at the four and an

1721
01:17:30,960 --> 01:17:33,960
Ant and hell you want more shooting like Dante and

1722
01:17:34,159 --> 01:17:36,600
TJ or Rob. I'm so with you. Like that team

1723
01:17:36,680 --> 01:17:38,319
could sprint up and down the floor.

1724
01:17:39,119 --> 01:17:42,279
Speaker 1: Ah, you're getting away to Stillingham would be a I

1725
01:17:42,359 --> 01:17:45,680
think because then you have your plus defender his Aunt

1726
01:17:45,760 --> 01:17:48,680
and sometimes Stevencenzo. Then you're hoping Baron Jay just doesn't

1727
01:17:48,720 --> 01:17:50,680
know what he's doing but block. His block percentage is

1728
01:17:50,760 --> 01:17:52,359
like twelve percent or something like that.

1729
01:17:53,079 --> 01:17:55,399
Speaker 2: Yeah, if you're listening to this and you're not a

1730
01:17:55,439 --> 01:17:57,760
timberlves fan, you've got to be wondering. So the team

1731
01:17:57,840 --> 01:18:00,520
can't dribble. And also, I don't know if I've ever

1732
01:18:00,600 --> 01:18:03,279
watched a team that doesn't know how to throw lobs

1733
01:18:03,840 --> 01:18:06,039
more than this team, Like, no one knows how to

1734
01:18:06,079 --> 01:18:09,119
throw a lob to Rudy. So Rob Dillingham, in my opinion,

1735
01:18:09,199 --> 01:18:11,600
is probably the best lob thrower. So I think, like

1736
01:18:11,680 --> 01:18:14,479
a Rob in baron Ja little two man game could

1737
01:18:14,479 --> 01:18:17,359
be really fun. But again, you're right, like I think

1738
01:18:17,479 --> 01:18:19,800
part of the reason they drafted another seven footer from

1739
01:18:19,840 --> 01:18:22,560
France is that they still do believe in Rob. And like,

1740
01:18:22,920 --> 01:18:25,079
if Rob Dillingham is the point guard of the future,

1741
01:18:25,159 --> 01:18:28,000
we need to have as many offensive options out there

1742
01:18:28,079 --> 01:18:31,199
to make his game easier, but also defensively because Rob's

1743
01:18:31,239 --> 01:18:33,520
never gonna get bigger. But you see young guys or

1744
01:18:33,600 --> 01:18:35,199
I should say small guys in the league that have

1745
01:18:35,319 --> 01:18:37,399
made it work, but they've only made it work because

1746
01:18:37,399 --> 01:18:39,039
they have other good defensive players around them.

1747
01:18:40,159 --> 01:18:42,000
Speaker 1: Before we wrap up with a couple of predictions, is

1748
01:18:42,039 --> 01:18:44,039
there anything that we haven't discussed? Do you think is

1749
01:18:44,680 --> 01:18:45,600
warrants a conversation?

1750
01:18:46,359 --> 01:18:50,439
Speaker 2: No, it's just if you are aware of the Minnesota Timberwls,

1751
01:18:50,479 --> 01:18:53,439
you follow them or whatever, Like it's been four years

1752
01:18:54,079 --> 01:18:57,720
of trying to get new ownership, and you've seen multiple

1753
01:18:57,760 --> 01:18:59,359
teams just like oh hey, I woke up on a

1754
01:18:59,399 --> 01:19:02,039
Tuesday and the Lakers were for sale, or like the

1755
01:19:02,119 --> 01:19:06,119
Celtics sold overnight. The Wolves did this layaway plan that

1756
01:19:06,239 --> 01:19:09,039
then got legal and all this stuff, and that's finally

1757
01:19:09,199 --> 01:19:13,159
behind them. Mark Laurie and Alex Rodriguez have become the

1758
01:19:13,239 --> 01:19:17,239
majority governors of the Timberwolves and the Lynx, So that's

1759
01:19:17,319 --> 01:19:19,680
been like a chapter that's closed and now they're kind

1760
01:19:19,680 --> 01:19:22,039
of getting their own people in there, but that some

1761
01:19:22,159 --> 01:19:24,640
of their own people are already in there, Tim Conley,

1762
01:19:24,720 --> 01:19:27,840
Matt Lloyd, kind of Chris Finch was before them. But

1763
01:19:28,439 --> 01:19:30,800
I think just that going away and there being even

1764
01:19:30,880 --> 01:19:33,960
less distractions. I talked about how pretty much everyone on

1765
01:19:34,039 --> 01:19:35,920
this team that we think is going to play has

1766
01:19:36,000 --> 01:19:39,159
been paid. This team has things to work on and

1767
01:19:39,279 --> 01:19:42,039
improve because they weren't close to the finals last year,

1768
01:19:42,119 --> 01:19:44,079
like it was a gap between them and the thunder

1769
01:19:44,359 --> 01:19:47,399
But they also have maybe the least amount of distractions

1770
01:19:47,439 --> 01:19:50,159
in the league like even the Thunder, Right, their distraction

1771
01:19:50,239 --> 01:19:52,399
will be that now they're defending champs and everyone's coming

1772
01:19:52,439 --> 01:19:55,640
from I think the Timberwolves have no distractions. A group

1773
01:19:55,680 --> 01:19:58,880
that wants to spend is willing to spend talking about

1774
01:19:58,920 --> 01:20:01,560
new arenas in this city now. So I think the

1775
01:20:01,680 --> 01:20:05,119
ownership thing is just worth mentioning because so far, so good.

1776
01:20:05,119 --> 01:20:07,760
I mean, new ownership syndrome is a thing. But when

1777
01:20:07,760 --> 01:20:09,439
it takes you four years to get the keys to

1778
01:20:09,520 --> 01:20:12,479
the house, Dan, sometimes you lose that desire to repaint

1779
01:20:12,560 --> 01:20:14,239
the walls. And I think Mark and Alex had done

1780
01:20:14,239 --> 01:20:16,600
a good job of being patient and not trying to

1781
01:20:16,680 --> 01:20:19,680
do what you know, like Matt Ishbia did. That's kind

1782
01:20:19,720 --> 01:20:22,239
of they're not new owners even though they've only technically

1783
01:20:22,279 --> 01:20:24,199
owned the team for I think like sixty five days.

1784
01:20:24,800 --> 01:20:26,600
Well yeah, And I wonder if it helped, like because

1785
01:20:26,640 --> 01:20:29,479
they were involved with like Tim Connelly stuff, maybe they

1786
01:20:29,520 --> 01:20:31,520
got it out of their system gradually, like that's they

1787
01:20:31,560 --> 01:20:33,600
basically rode. They had training wheels on the bike. You

1788
01:20:33,680 --> 01:20:36,439
mentioned that earlier. They couldn't just go two wheels, they

1789
01:20:36,479 --> 01:20:38,159
had to have four. And I think it allowed them

1790
01:20:38,199 --> 01:20:41,560
to learn the intricacies of owning a team and prevented

1791
01:20:41,640 --> 01:20:43,079
them from making, you know, like we're just going to

1792
01:20:43,119 --> 01:20:46,279
trade nine more picks for I don't know, another Rudy Gobert, So.

1793
01:20:46,920 --> 01:20:49,159
Speaker 1: I will say Bulls fans have to be hoping that

1794
01:20:49,359 --> 01:20:51,720
their flagship market team is the next one to say,

1795
01:20:51,800 --> 01:20:54,359
like the Lakers and Celtics just selled so close together,

1796
01:20:54,479 --> 01:20:56,000
or at least it came to terms on. If you're

1797
01:20:56,000 --> 01:20:57,880
a Bulls fan, you definitely want to get the Ryans

1798
01:20:57,920 --> 01:21:00,800
the worst out of there. I don't out there too.

1799
01:21:00,960 --> 01:21:03,279
Speaker 2: I think whoever you have on to cover the Bulls

1800
01:21:03,359 --> 01:21:05,159
might be the first. Like I'm more excited for that

1801
01:21:05,439 --> 01:21:08,560
season preview do than any other team because you don't know,

1802
01:21:08,600 --> 01:21:10,680
we both grew up like Michael Jordan have a lot

1803
01:21:10,720 --> 01:21:13,000
of Bulls gear as like a young kid. And I

1804
01:21:13,119 --> 01:21:15,479
can't think of a franchise that is in a weirder

1805
01:21:15,560 --> 01:21:17,000
direction right now than the Chicago Bowls.

1806
01:21:17,000 --> 01:21:19,359
Speaker 1: They're still coasting off of Jordan's titles, is basically what

1807
01:21:19,399 --> 01:21:23,000
they're doing. Yeah yeah, So how many games do you

1808
01:21:23,039 --> 01:21:24,920
see this team winning and where do you see them

1809
01:21:25,000 --> 01:21:27,800
stacking up in the regular season as a Western Conference seed.

1810
01:21:29,279 --> 01:21:31,359
Speaker 2: I I can't remember if I saw the over was

1811
01:21:31,399 --> 01:21:33,199
like fifty and a half, but I'm going to just

1812
01:21:33,279 --> 01:21:35,479
say like fifty two and thirty. It's just spend like

1813
01:21:35,520 --> 01:21:37,199
a number in my head, So I think they go

1814
01:21:37,399 --> 01:21:39,439
I think they go fifty two and thirty. Where does

1815
01:21:39,520 --> 01:21:42,159
that put them in the West. I think they're a

1816
01:21:42,279 --> 01:21:46,479
clear yeah, maybe in the play in I do think

1817
01:21:46,640 --> 01:21:49,039
they're going to be I think they're going to be

1818
01:21:49,119 --> 01:21:51,399
more of a regular season team because again of that

1819
01:21:51,520 --> 01:21:54,600
continuity so many like Houston is going to be awesome

1820
01:21:54,640 --> 01:21:56,800
to watch. But it's going to take them, I think

1821
01:21:56,880 --> 01:21:59,680
sometime to figure out adding a guy like Kevin Durant.

1822
01:21:59,680 --> 01:22:02,000
How does that, how does the hierarchy of that work?

1823
01:22:02,079 --> 01:22:04,399
So maybe they get out of the gates in November

1824
01:22:04,439 --> 01:22:06,159
December little slower. I think the Wolves are kind of

1825
01:22:06,239 --> 01:22:08,479
built to eat up innings and to win a lot

1826
01:22:08,520 --> 01:22:10,560
of regular season games. I mean, we just talked about

1827
01:22:10,600 --> 01:22:13,640
ten guys that we think all should and could play.

1828
01:22:14,199 --> 01:22:15,439
I don't know if that's the case for a lot

1829
01:22:15,439 --> 01:22:18,079
of other teams if they have ten NBA rotation players.

1830
01:22:18,520 --> 01:22:19,840
So I think they're gonna win a lot of regular

1831
01:22:19,880 --> 01:22:22,600
season games. Maybe it's like fifty five and whatever the

1832
01:22:22,680 --> 01:22:26,520
math is twenty seven, but playoff wise, it's going to

1833
01:22:26,560 --> 01:22:29,760
be really interesting because I was just probably super pro

1834
01:22:29,840 --> 01:22:32,760
Timberls for eighty minutes. I do think if this thing

1835
01:22:32,920 --> 01:22:36,680
doesn't work out in the postseason, you could look at

1836
01:22:36,680 --> 01:22:39,640
a team that faces some massive changes next summer. Again,

1837
01:22:39,800 --> 01:22:42,319
like you're aging out of one timeline and maybe you're

1838
01:22:42,319 --> 01:22:45,800
getting smaller, faster, more shooting in the next iteration of

1839
01:22:45,800 --> 01:22:49,079
Anthony Edwards career. But we're about one birthday away from

1840
01:22:49,119 --> 01:22:52,119
ant being you know, twenty five or whatever, in like

1841
01:22:52,199 --> 01:22:56,279
the prime of his career, right, So I think it'll

1842
01:22:56,279 --> 01:22:59,479
be an interesting season. But now there are real expectations.

1843
01:23:00,039 --> 01:23:02,199
And there was expectations last year, but there was no

1844
01:23:02,439 --> 01:23:06,199
like downside. I think this year there'll be expectations that

1845
01:23:06,279 --> 01:23:09,720
if they don't meet them, there will be some significant changes.

1846
01:23:09,800 --> 01:23:12,079
Because they always talk about in Minnesota like having bites

1847
01:23:12,119 --> 01:23:15,039
at the Apple. They know, I know you joked about

1848
01:23:15,079 --> 01:23:17,720
this roar with Kendrick Perkins, but Antheowards loves it here

1849
01:23:17,840 --> 01:23:20,239
and he just is totally happy. He doesn't demand a

1850
01:23:20,279 --> 01:23:22,960
bigger market, but he'll never be the type of mentality

1851
01:23:23,000 --> 01:23:24,840
that wants to be on a rebuilding team. So you

1852
01:23:24,960 --> 01:23:27,960
need to continue to have rosters and flexibility able to

1853
01:23:28,600 --> 01:23:31,520
take bites at the Apple, because if you can't, that's

1854
01:23:31,600 --> 01:23:33,479
when you start to get worried about the other teams.

1855
01:23:33,520 --> 01:23:35,479
Kind of circling coming for your best player.

1856
01:23:36,159 --> 01:23:38,520
Speaker 1: Non Thunder division. What do you find when you're looking

1857
01:23:38,520 --> 01:23:40,479
at a potential playoff matchup? As of right now, they

1858
01:23:40,479 --> 01:23:43,640
were so far away. What team in the West either

1859
01:23:43,760 --> 01:23:46,239
concerns you the most or you find particularly intriguing.

1860
01:23:47,119 --> 01:23:50,319
Speaker 2: The Wolves and Rockets pre Durant had just kind of

1861
01:23:50,359 --> 01:23:52,920
some fun, spicy games because I think em gets those

1862
01:23:52,960 --> 01:23:55,520
guys to play tough and it's a fun rivalry. I

1863
01:23:55,560 --> 01:23:59,680
also think the Wolves were pretty close. I mean, I

1864
01:23:59,680 --> 01:24:03,199
think they really wanted Durant and him just pretty vocally

1865
01:24:03,239 --> 01:24:05,199
been like I don't want to go there. Would make

1866
01:24:05,319 --> 01:24:09,840
for an awesome playoff series. Wolves Nuts is just the

1867
01:24:10,000 --> 01:24:12,159
history of some of this stuff. Tim Connley coming from there,

1868
01:24:12,239 --> 01:24:14,439
coming here, what happened in Game seven a couple of

1869
01:24:14,479 --> 01:24:16,359
years ago. I think that'd be a fun series. I'd

1870
01:24:16,399 --> 01:24:18,199
be frightened because I think that Denver team is like

1871
01:24:18,319 --> 01:24:20,880
my favorite to win the to win it all, or

1872
01:24:21,119 --> 01:24:23,920
just you know, can you can you play the Thunder

1873
01:24:24,079 --> 01:24:26,640
like can you do it right? Like can you put

1874
01:24:26,720 --> 01:24:29,439
your best against their best and beat them? Other teams

1875
01:24:29,479 --> 01:24:30,880
in the league, I don't, I don't know what you

1876
01:24:31,000 --> 01:24:34,279
think about like the Lakers, but I don't know. DeAndre

1877
01:24:34,319 --> 01:24:36,520
Ayton's not going to like scare me in a playoff series.

1878
01:24:36,600 --> 01:24:39,800
So those three teams Houston, Okay, see Denver would be

1879
01:24:39,880 --> 01:24:41,680
really fun and there I think above the Wolves, But

1880
01:24:41,760 --> 01:24:44,479
any team below them, I don't know. Man, Like I

1881
01:24:44,479 --> 01:24:47,720
should probably like a Homer, but I'm not scared of

1882
01:24:47,760 --> 01:24:50,239
any team below the Wolves. If you think even like

1883
01:24:50,279 --> 01:24:51,880
the Clippers, I'm not scared of any of those teams

1884
01:24:51,880 --> 01:24:53,960
because they don't think they have the size, the speed,

1885
01:24:54,000 --> 01:24:55,800
and the athleticism to kind of keep up with what

1886
01:24:55,880 --> 01:24:56,520
Minnesota has.

1887
01:24:57,119 --> 01:24:59,159
Speaker 1: I do think, if this is a compliment up to

1888
01:24:59,279 --> 01:25:01,880
me anyway, is that their floor just feels like six

1889
01:25:02,359 --> 01:25:04,199
in the West. Like I would be flabbergasted if that

1890
01:25:04,279 --> 01:25:07,920
team is in the plane. Finally, mister Kyle Tige of

1891
01:25:08,000 --> 01:25:10,960
the Day More NBA podcast, can I get another prediction

1892
01:25:11,119 --> 01:25:13,159
from you? You can take it in whatever direction you want,

1893
01:25:13,279 --> 01:25:15,359
but related to this Wolves team next season?

1894
01:25:17,359 --> 01:25:22,359
Speaker 2: Yeah? Oh man, I I like the Terrence Gentleman. You

1895
01:25:22,560 --> 01:25:23,960
kind of talked me off the ledge. I won't go

1896
01:25:24,039 --> 01:25:26,119
on the DraftKings and do a Terrence Enter Junior Most

1897
01:25:26,159 --> 01:25:30,319
Improved bet because he can't win it. I would say

1898
01:25:31,479 --> 01:25:35,439
that there's a there's a chance that they don't have

1899
01:25:35,640 --> 01:25:38,920
the same loaded front court at the trade deadline that

1900
01:25:39,039 --> 01:25:42,319
they have now. Like I think, Tim Conley just constantly

1901
01:25:42,479 --> 01:25:46,079
is trying to think one step ahead. And again it

1902
01:25:46,159 --> 01:25:47,920
was boring for a lot of fans because you like

1903
01:25:47,960 --> 01:25:49,840
to go out and make those big moves. But they

1904
01:25:49,960 --> 01:25:51,720
kept a lot of their guys, but they kept them

1905
01:25:51,760 --> 01:25:53,840
on what I think, and you know better than I do,

1906
01:25:54,359 --> 01:25:58,560
good reasonable contracts, Nasri, Julius Rendall, Rudy Gobert all make

1907
01:25:59,239 --> 01:26:02,119
solid amount of money that is very easily tradable. It's

1908
01:26:02,159 --> 01:26:05,680
not forty fifty million. And if this thing does stutter

1909
01:26:05,720 --> 01:26:07,760
a little bit and you're trying to continue to bite

1910
01:26:07,760 --> 01:26:10,079
at this proverbial apple and you have this kid in

1911
01:26:10,079 --> 01:26:12,560
Anthey Edwards, you're not going to sit around and wait

1912
01:26:12,600 --> 01:26:14,439
for it to fail multiple times. You might try to

1913
01:26:14,439 --> 01:26:16,359
get out in front of it before it fails. So

1914
01:26:17,159 --> 01:26:19,560
I could see them if it's you know, they're like

1915
01:26:19,640 --> 01:26:21,760
you said, their floor is six. If they are the

1916
01:26:21,880 --> 01:26:26,199
sixth seed come early February, maybe they make a big splash,

1917
01:26:26,479 --> 01:26:28,920
which would shock a lot of people. But Tim Conley

1918
01:26:29,000 --> 01:26:31,199
has shown you in like three years, he's made two

1919
01:26:31,239 --> 01:26:33,680
of the biggest trades in NBA history. I think he's

1920
01:26:33,720 --> 01:26:34,520
got another one coming.

1921
01:26:35,279 --> 01:26:37,800
Speaker 1: Wow, Kyle, this was great as always. Thank you for

1922
01:26:37,840 --> 01:26:39,880
giving me so much of your time or shiny minutes

1923
01:26:39,920 --> 01:26:41,840
of it. Are you just able to tell our audience

1924
01:26:41,880 --> 01:26:44,159
where they could find you and all the fantastic work

1925
01:26:44,199 --> 01:26:44,520
that you do.

1926
01:26:45,159 --> 01:26:48,239
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm on Twitter, slash x at Kyle' taigee, I'm

1927
01:26:48,239 --> 01:26:51,439
on LinkedIn. I'm not really on any other social platforms.

1928
01:26:51,479 --> 01:26:54,319
But and then over at the Danemore NBA podcast. Danemore

1929
01:26:54,359 --> 01:26:57,159
has a really cool story as like an independent journalist

1930
01:26:57,199 --> 01:26:58,880
who has built a pretty cool pod and has all

1931
01:26:58,920 --> 01:27:01,079
the Beat reporters on everyone week and we're kind of

1932
01:27:01,159 --> 01:27:03,640
growing that thing. So five days a week we're doing pods.

1933
01:27:03,680 --> 01:27:07,279
It's on YouTube, Apple, Spotify. It's just it's been fun, man.

1934
01:27:07,319 --> 01:27:08,800
It's a lot of fun to get to not only

1935
01:27:08,880 --> 01:27:11,920
cover a team that you grew up cheering for and watching,

1936
01:27:12,039 --> 01:27:14,399
but also stuff like this getting to know you and

1937
01:27:14,640 --> 01:27:17,439
all you do. So I'm online probably more than I

1938
01:27:17,479 --> 01:27:19,399
should be, but we're gonna be pumping out a lot

1939
01:27:19,479 --> 01:27:22,760
of content this year because again, for only the third

1940
01:27:22,840 --> 01:27:25,319
time in like my life, my favorite basketball team is

1941
01:27:25,359 --> 01:27:26,880
actually kind of respectable.

1942
01:27:27,039 --> 01:27:29,399
Speaker 1: So you guys are a behemoth over at the day

1943
01:27:29,439 --> 01:27:31,479
More nbaha one of my favorite podcasts. Like I said before,

1944
01:27:31,560 --> 01:27:33,000
the links to it will be in the podcast and

1945
01:27:33,039 --> 01:27:36,159
YouTube description. As you know by now, I'll be pestering

1946
01:27:36,159 --> 01:27:38,640
you again down the line, Kyle, and until next time.

1947
01:27:38,840 --> 01:27:40,479
We end, as always with the shout out to the one,

1948
01:27:40,680 --> 01:27:42,840
the only, mister frank I Lakina.