I love the team we have, and think we're solid from top to bottom, but i still have that feeling that we're one missing link away from being given the label "Team to Beat." What do you guys think we need, if anything at all? Obviously we have the best forward, and imo, player in the league, and one of the better PG in the league. Our swingmen are very versatile, and we have some really good shooters. And although I like Ervin Johnson, i think we need another big that can be a threat along side KG. Johnson and Madsen are real solid players, but their roles are very limited and neither of them are very versatile and only bring so much to the table. I think we're an Erick Dampier type player away from being labled the "Team to Beat." I think we need a player who can do about everything in the middle, from blocking shots, grabbing boards, and getting easy baskets close to the hoop who doesn't demand the ball to be effective, that way, people can't cheat and run over to KG all the time. Anyways, i'd like to see Dampier or a similar type player to play alongside KG. My second option would be a Ray Allen type player, who can do just about anything on the floor (slash, shoot, defend, pass, ballhandle). With that said, if we don't land any of these type of players, i still like our chances
Look at it from the perspective of another team: At the power-forward position is Garnett: You can assume that your PF isn't better than him, and that he will not be able to stop him, and that he is going to score very limited points. That's one of the worst lockouts a team is going to find. At point-guard is Sam Cassel: You can guess that your PG is going to have a hell of a time with him. Being one of the top 5 PGs in the league, he can play fair defense and can become a dynamic scoring threat. The position can be viewed as a fair fight at the best. At shooting-guard is Latrell Sprewell: He is above-average, but manageable by the best. Can be an easier area or a harder one, variable. This ian't a weak spot but is a more fairly-matched area. A highly skilled SG will be able to manage(variable) At small forward you can expect Wally Sczerbiak: This is a variable area in the fact that he can be a scoring threat and plays fair defense. This area can be dominated by a powerful and skill SF though, and will (about 50% f the time.) At center: Starting is usually Ervin Jonson. He is only about average and can be easily beaten by many centers. This lets the post be dominated by any skilled center. This is the weak spot in the Wolves roster. So an opposing team is going to focus a lot of their energy at scoring in the post. Though Garnett is very capable of sealing down the post, ha cannot do a centers and a power-forwards job 100% of the time and it will evntually weaken that spot too.
Of course I think the weak spot in our team has to be the center spot. Although that we have good players at all other positions in our starting lineup three of them being possible all stars. We have no big man last year we signed kandi to our mid level exception and he said he was gona be the biggest margen of the off season. What and how does he make that up with less than double digit points averaged and a horrible season for the wolves. We neeed a player from some team like a dampier or someone whop has proven he can play well and help us out on the boards. Problem is we have no real peaces we are willing to give up. We are not going to give up spreee, cassel, or KG. The highest scoring trio in the nba. We are not gona give up hassel to the nuggets or someone out west to further depthen there benches. We are hesitate on moving some of our vetern guys like ervin jonhson and a guy like mark madsen. Taking out madsen, ervin, hassel,ebi, hoiberg, KG, spree, cassel, and hudson since he was resigned and recommended by KG to stay on the team. The peaces you have to trade are wally and kandi. Not many teams in the nba are looking for a shooting guard right now. Then many teams think that kandi is a bust so there is really no way to make a decent trade.
Consider this: 04-05 Starting LIneup: PF-Garnett SF-Sczerbiak C-Olowokandi SG-Sprewell PG-Sam Cassel OK, i'm going to approach it like this: Garnett: averages 20 ppg Sczerbiak:8ppg Olowokandi:6ppg Sprewell: 15ppg Cassel: 15 ppg So that's 64 points( consider that is a vast understaement on the points and that those could all be easily doubled, I consider that an off-night) Bench Random Replacement: PF-Malone*8ppg SF-Hassel 8ppg C-Johnson 6ppg SG-Hoiberg 8ppg PG-Hudson 10ppg After the bench adds in points it will be 96 points. The bench points are give or take(more than likely take) But looking at it as a probability variable, you take 10 points from the bench,86, but add 20 from the starters, 106. If everyone has a good night the game is gonna be shut down and the Wolves are gonna have around 120 points. Cassel can score 40 points Sprewell can score 25 points Garnett can score 40 points And then Hoiberg, Hassel, Sczerbiak and especially Hudson ca have at least 15 point games, and if Hudson was toi get a lot of time on a good night he could bring in an easy 20. Notice I put Olowokandi in the starting line-up. My reasons are that I think that he is going to get a little bit better, and that it ould be better to start him and bench in Johnson, even if he isn't playing better that Johnson. If we obtain Karl Malone, he will be a great player to utilize off the bench. He would be a great replacement at PF, so arnett would be able to get a little more rest. Malone wouldn't be a starter due to his injuries, but if his minutes were rationed properly he would add even more deph to the bench and in a weaker area. If Garnett had someone who could replace him from the bench for a while , he would possibly perform better because he wouldn't have to play the whole game. Malone would still be able to make 10 points on a good night, would add even more rebounds, and would add some much needed power to the post. Malone could also sub in at center or small forward to team up with Garnett when extra post power is needed. Malone-Garnett and Olowokandi/Johnson is a pretty stable post, and would increase in the scoring. So overall, I think that MAlone would be a great addition to the team. After reviewing the above, it is clear that the Wolves are going to be a VERY capable team that can score immense amounts of points on a good night. Though the center spot is the weak area, I think that A) The Centers can step up and be better next year or it not even matter because the rest of the team is so good. Thoughts?
uhhh... average 106 points???? i highly doubt it... in today's nba, averaging 100 is a feat... 106 is pretty much out of the picture for a team like the wolves who focus their game on both ends of the court
I didn't say the team would average 106 points, i'm trying emphasize the current team's power and how it works.
Obviously the Wolves need a center. All they really need the center to do is to grab rebounds and defend. The only offense they need from their center is tip-ins and points off of offensive rebounds, maybe some points from being open if his man goes to help defense on Spree or something. But the Wolves can score enough points to win, what they need to do is make sure that they can get enough rebounds to feed their offensive machine and to keep the opposing teams big men from dominating. Dampier would be the perfect center probably, but someone like Theo Ratliff who is defensive minded instead of offensive minded would also put us on top as the favorites.
the missing piece is basiclly ..... the center they need to work on the centers relly hard other than that t-wolves should be all good, if they had a center then maybe KG would get more rebounds in such
Names that should be brought up when thinking of a championship: Sameul Dalembert Tyrone Hill Theo Ratliff IMO.
