Next 4 Games Will Make or Break the Season!

[witljon]

Wolves are 4-8

Wolves are now 9-9 with only one less win than the 4 seed Dallas

[LordNu]

Season made.

[Beef Supreme]

11-10.


I'll take it and certainly didn't see it coming at 4-9.

[Bob Wiley]

Can the Wolves win 42 this year?

[Moses Scurry]

Kevin Love's 40-win season in reach?

[flexbuffchest]

Has he still lost all good will from last year??

Maybe Unfadeable should learn to not be so knee jerk.

[thinktank]

That Wizards squad is weak.

We should wallop these punks.

[SKOLMN]

That Wizards squad is weak.

We should wallop these punks.

Not if the flu bug keeps making the rounds in the locker room

[somuchyummy]

what's going on with Beal this year? last year he was virtually unstoppable - and this year he's about 8 ppg less. 22.9 ppg.

[thinktank]

what's going on with Beal this year? last year he was virtually unstoppable - and this year he's about 8 ppg less. 22.9 ppg.

More depth and ball movement.

[UnFadeable21]

what's going on with Beal this year? last year he was virtually unstoppable - and this year he's about 8 ppg less. 22.9 ppg.

Last year he got to Chuck all he wanted

This year, they have a ton more talent on the team to share the load and they have a better record.

[somuchyummy]

well, they are definitely reaping the benefits in the standings.

[Beef Supreme]

Not sure where to our this so I’ll put it here:


From Punch-Drunk Wolves
Last year D’Angelo Russell’s defensive rating was 116.8; unconscionably bad and the worst on a really bad defensive team.

This year?

96.8, unbelievably good and a hair behind Okogie for best on the league’s 7th-best defensive team.

I’d say “Make it make sense” but you can’t.

[digitalwolf]

Not sure where to our this so I’ll put it here:


From Punch-Drunk Wolves
Last year D’Angelo Russell’s defensive rating was 116.8; unconscionably bad and the worst on a really bad defensive team.

This year?

96.8, unbelievably good and a hair behind Okogie for best on the league’s 7th-best defensive team.

I’d say “Make it make sense” but you can’t.

Dlo is a very big PG, it all comes down to effort from him....just like KAT. They have the tools to be great at all of basketball, not just scoring. I've said since this offseason this is the best team we've ever assembled, and the numbers don't lie. We have better defense, our bench is dope, and our main cogs are very good. Dlo playing better defense is a result of that and an actual NBA level coach. He's never going to be lockdown, but he doesn't have to....he just has to try and we will look a lot better going forward.

[somuchyummy]

Not sure where to our this so I’ll put it here:


From Punch-Drunk Wolves
Last year D’Angelo Russell’s defensive rating was 116.8; unconscionably bad and the worst on a really bad defensive team.

This year?

96.8, unbelievably good and a hair behind Okogie for best on the league’s 7th-best defensive team.

I’d say “Make it make sense” but you can’t.

Dlo is a very big PG, it all comes down to effort from him....just like KAT. They have the tools to be great at all of basketball, not just scoring. I've said since this offseason this is the best team we've ever assembled, and the numbers don't lie. We have better defense, our bench is dope, and our main cogs are very good. Dlo playing better defense is a result of that and an actual NBA level coach. He's never going to be lockdown, but he doesn't have to....he just has to try and we will look a lot better going forward.

i'll agree to some extent - but i do think that when Dlo puts in the effort, he has a better chance of being good than when KAT does. he's quicker and lighter on his feet, able to change directions on a dime, plus - as you said - he's got good size for a PG. i think KAT gets in trouble when he has to react - he's a step behind, he overcommits, he gets his balance and weight distribution all out of whack - so, even when he's trying, he often fails. and maybe that's why he only tries hard for awhile before slipping back into old habits. he doesn't see the payoff like Dlo does. doesn't excuse it - but i do think KAT's athleticism is greatly overestimated on the defensive side of the ball. he's got great tools and savvy on O, not so much on D.

[Beef Supreme]

Not sure where to our this so I’ll put it here:


From Punch-Drunk Wolves
Last year D’Angelo Russell’s defensive rating was 116.8; unconscionably bad and the worst on a really bad defensive team.

This year?

96.8, unbelievably good and a hair behind Okogie for best on the league’s 7th-best defensive team.

I’d say “Make it make sense” but you can’t.

Dlo is a very big PG, it all comes down to effort from him....just like KAT. They have the tools to be great at all of basketball, not just scoring. I've said since this offseason this is the best team we've ever assembled, and the numbers don't lie. We have better defense, our bench is dope, and our main cogs are very good. Dlo playing better defense is a result of that and an actual NBA level coach. He's never going to be lockdown, but he doesn't have to....he just has to try and we will look a lot better going forward.

i'll agree to some extent - but i do think that when Dlo puts in the effort, he has a better chance of being good than when KAT does. he's quicker and lighter on his feet, able to change directions on a dime, plus - as you said - he's got good size for a PG. i think KAT gets in trouble when he has to react - he's a step behind, he overcommits, he gets his balance and weight distribution all out of whack - so, even when he's trying, he often fails. and maybe that's why he only tries hard for awhile before slipping back into old habits. he doesn't see the payoff like Dlo does. doesn't excuse it - but i do think KAT's athleticism is greatly overestimated on the defensive side of the ball. he's got great tools and savvy on O, not so much on D.

Well, what's interesting to me is that 21 games isn't a career, but it's a bit long for it to be a fluke or a string of soft assignments.


What I'm saying is that he's proving he can do it. Meaning that any significant regression is a choice. I'd expect there to be some regression, unless you honestly believe he's Gary Payton 2.0 all of a sudden. But if he goes all the way back, that means he doesn't give a fuck again.

[witljon]

what's going on with Beal this year? last year he was virtually unstoppable - and this year he's about 8 ppg less. 22.9 ppg.

Maybe he decided to get his teammates involved with team ball instead of hero ball.

[chris_numbers]

Nice run in the past 10.

They need to get rid of layman and bring in someone to help. This team can be a playoff team if they had a defensive center to help Kat.

[digitalwolf]

Nice run in the past 10.

They need to get rid of layman and bring in someone to help. This team can be a playoff team if they had a defensive center to help Kat.

Layman is expiring and bench fodder...he's not going to get us anything in return and he's not really hurting us in terms of space going forward. The only way you move him and get something back is attaching something with him. Prince or Bevs combined would give a team some space next year for those looking to maybe spend this offseason, but if you do that, you're clearly losing a rotational player. If you attach a future pick with him, then naturally, you're losing flexibility to find someone young and cheap. I honestly think our best move is to stay pat and see how this group continues to gel. We have another big body on the roster....Knight. There's no reason he can't get burn when KAT is in foul trouble and we're missing Vandy and Jaden.

You have to give something to get something, but right now, we're really coming together....I think we need to ride this wave as long as it goes.

[digitalwolf]

I will add....we're now entering the month that's going to make or break this season. Looking at the schedule, we might play only one non playoff team for a month. We see OKC in January, but outside Cleveland, who plays very well when Mobley isn't hurt, we're playing legit playoff teams for a month solid. If we are 500 by January, this team is absolutely real.

[chris_numbers]

I agree layman sucks. He counts 4 mil against the cap.

The wolves are just under the luxury tax. If they didnt have layman they couldve signed someone.

[Jimi_Thing]

I agree layman sucks. He counts 4 mil against the cap.

The wolves are just under the luxury tax. If they didnt have layman they couldve signed someone.

A player like James Johnson (former Wolf now Net) would be soo much more valuable than Layman and I believe he's earning the same amount.

[chris_numbers]

I agree layman sucks. He counts 4 mil against the cap.

The wolves are just under the luxury tax. If they didnt have layman they couldve signed someone.

A player like James Johnson (former Wolf now Net) would be soo much more valuable than Layman and I believe he's earning the same amount.

Exactly.

Awful move by Rosas to keep guys like Layman around and ignore major holes on the roster.

[somuchyummy]

Nice run in the past 10.

They need to get rid of layman and bring in someone to help. This team can be a playoff team if they had a defensive center to help Kat.

Layman is expiring and bench fodder...he's not going to get us anything in return and he's not really hurting us in terms of space going forward. The only way you move him and get something back is attaching something with him. Prince or Bevs combined would give a team some space next year for those looking to maybe spend this offseason, but if you do that, you're clearly losing a rotational player. If you attach a future pick with him, then naturally, you're losing flexibility to find someone young and cheap. I honestly think our best move is to stay pat and see how this group continues to gel. We have another big body on the roster....Knight. There's no reason he can't get burn when KAT is in foul trouble and we're missing Vandy and Jaden.

You have to give something to get something, but right now, we're really coming together....I think we need to ride this wave as long as it goes.

i think i agree. the team is coming together nicely - but that doesn't mean it's going to do any damage in the playoffs this year. we still could wind up being a lottery team too. i'd rather wait for bev, layman, prince and okogie all to expire at the end of the year (that's a little over $35M) and go shopping with that. and maybe we keep one or two of those guys. but we should have a little cash in free agency - plus a first and i think 3 seconds.

one trade that could happen - i'm not totally advocating it, i like him as do others here, but prepare yourself for it - is naz. he's got some value around the league now and one more year on his deal. after that he's going cost a bunch more - so maybe it's not the worst idea to shop him for a bigger, more defensively minded center behind KAT. that could shore up a lot of things. i wish we had more of a bearing on moises brown - but he's hardly playing a lick this year in dallas. last year for OKC he had some huge games that made you sit up and notice. he and naz make the same right now - but brown's contract goes out a year longer, which makes it attractive. last year, i would have done a straight brown for naz deal - this year, no. hard to tell with him getting such little PT - and that's IMO just a product of a bigs heavy roster - WCS, boban, zingis, powell, kleber, finney-smith - it's easy to get lost in that bunch. i would assume dallas would do that deal - naz is a far superior offensive player - and the commonality with most of their bigs is that they are D first guys, with little O to offer. so naz would certainly give them a different look.

and so that you get an idea of why brown could be appealing when he's only averaging 4 mpg in dallas this year. last year, in 42 games for the thunder, he averaged 9 ppg and 9 rpg with a block (55% from the field) in 21 mpg. the kid does have talent and huge, huge size.

[chris_numbers]

Go get myles turner or andre drummond.

[Philo Beddoe]

You guys are all suckers. No way I am buying into shit with this team. I need to see more... Until then... We suck and the season is over

Haha... How about now?

Can people finally wise up and stop buying into this team when they win a couple in a row?

[LordNu]

Season broken?

[T_J]

You guys are all suckers. No way I am buying into shit with this team. I need to see more... Until then... We suck and the season is over

Haha... How about now?

Can people finally wise up and stop buying into this team when they win a couple in a row?

Hanging their hat on a nice stretch each November before the wheels come completely off is a Wolves chat tradition.