KATs value

[salamander]

Can you even imagine the D if you went Gobert? I don't think Kat and KG would have been that great

Could you imagine a Gobert and KG defense. That would be so incredibly fun to watch.

[Beef Supreme]

A healthy Towns will be very valuable for the playoffs, if he can get there.

[HeHateMe]

No question the Wolves need him in order to go further.

[Beef Supreme]

[Beef Supreme]

Getting closer…

[weimy froob]

Dane Moore
@DaneMooreNBA
Asked Chris Finch how seamless he feels it will be to reintegrate Karl-Anthony Towns to the lineup:

"Certainly not without its hiccups, but I think that has more to do with the overall rotation and minutes and roles and the distribution of that stuff will change slightly, of course, way more than how we expect him to kinda come in and play. Obviously he's extremely talented. We need him to be a very good version of himself, but also I think there are certainly some things that we've figured out in the last couple weeks that we're going to need him to kinda lean into as well. It might be slightly different than the rhythm in which we were playing before he left. So there is a few things there, but we've already talked about some of that stuff. He's actually seen it before we even talked about it. He was the first to kinda bring it up, some of the things that he's noticed, which has been great. So yeah, that's one more reason we're excited and hopeful to have him out there soon. We can get to work on that."

Then, @brittrobson asked: What did you gain in that time KAT was out and how can you retain those gains when he comes back?

"I think one thing that we gained, a lot of credit to Anthony, because the pressure and the attention on him went up, and for the most part I thought he did a really good job of getting off the ball, using his gravity to create offense for his teammates. And now we have another person that draws that type of attention, and KAT's gotta really kinda lean into just making that easy, quick play. We've seen how teammates, everyone is benefiting from it and they're stepping up. And hopefully, Ant can benefit from the gravity of KAT, and vice a versa. And that we didn't always have during the regular season. So hopefully now we see it and we believe in it a little bit more."

[kindman]

This is a HUGE moment in Kats career. At this point he is a seasoned vet. He needs to step up in a big way to ever me mentioned with the big dogs again. He will prove his value one way or the other in this first series!

[kindman]

This is a HUGE moment in Kats career. At this point he is a seasoned vet. He needs to step up in a big way to ever me mentioned with the big dogs again. He will prove his value one way or the other in this first series!

[boxter432]

outside of obviously taking some 3s, he should drive exactly zero times to take the 3+ offensive foul turnovers out of the equation, post up more to get his own shot against smaller forwards or pass to our other 3pt shooters (naw, ant, the PGs, Naz if htere are minutes they play together), and attack every rebound.

[A$$MAN]

outside of obviously taking some 3s, he should drive exactly zero times to take the 3+ offensive foul turnovers out of the equation, post up more to get his own shot against smaller forwards or pass to our other 3pt shooters (naw, ant, the PGs, Naz if htere are minutes they play together), and attack every rebound.

I agree. Towns attempting to drive on smaller players is a recipe for disaster. Instead, simply post up ON THE BLOCK and use the one handed baby hook. This should be unstoppable when teams defend him with a guard.

[Beef Supreme]

outside of obviously taking some 3s, he should drive exactly zero times to take the 3+ offensive foul turnovers out of the equation, post up more to get his own shot against smaller forwards or pass to our other 3pt shooters (naw, ant, the PGs, Naz if htere are minutes they play together), and attack every rebound.

I agree. Towns attempting to drive on smaller players is a recipe for disaster. Instead, simply post up ON THE BLOCK and use the one handed baby hook. This should be unstoppable when teams defend him with a guard.

100%, but that’s not all on him.


This team spaces the post play poorly and can’t execute a post feed to save their lives. It’s a lost art in this area of perimeter dominated basketball. But a bad post feed pass ruins the post up. Guys fight hard to get their position and if you have to give it up to retrieve a bad pass, it ruins the possession.

But the philosophy is sound and we should do it more. Towns has the baby hook and little 6’ paint floater game.

[weimy froob]

i think we're getting to a consensus here. less bull in the china shop drives. more baby hooks and threes. don't be afraid to get in the corner and wait for the Ant feed either.

[HeHateMe]

i think we're getting to a consensus here. less bull in the china shop drives. more baby hooks and threes. don't be afraid to get in the corner and wait for the Ant feed either.

Bingo... he needs to be willing to go to the corner... that three against Atlanta was nice to see.. a clutch corner 3.

Do not drive on smaller players for gods sake... he did well at the driving when he was guarded by centers.. not wings.

[somuchyummy]

i think we're getting to a consensus here. less bull in the china shop drives. more baby hooks and threes. don't be afraid to get in the corner and wait for the Ant feed either.

Bingo... he needs to be willing to go to the corner... that three against Atlanta was nice to see.. a clutch corner 3.

Do not drive on smaller players for gods sake... he did well at the driving when he was guarded by centers.. not wings.

i, unfortunately, think the bull in china shop drives will continue. They seem so unfruitful - even when he scores, he's often splayed out somewhere in the photographers row - and the other team runs out on a 5 on 4. But i think the drives will continue. Didn't Finch say just about a month that Karl is really good when he puts the ball on the floor? Maybe it was just blather - or maybe Finch just has a completely different view about it than most of us here.

[A$$MAN]

i think we're getting to a consensus here. less bull in the china shop drives. more baby hooks and threes. don't be afraid to get in the corner and wait for the Ant feed either.

Bingo... he needs to be willing to go to the corner... that three against Atlanta was nice to see.. a clutch corner 3.

Do not drive on smaller players for gods sake... he did well at the driving when he was guarded by centers.. not wings.

i, unfortunately, think the bull in china shop drives will continue. They seem so unfruitful - even when he scores, he's often splayed out somewhere in the photographers row - and the other team runs out on a 5 on 4. But i think the drives will continue. Didn't Finch say just about a month that Karl is really good when he puts the ball on the floor? Maybe it was just blather - or maybe Finch just has a completely different view about it than most of us here.

This is probably accurate. Like someone already mentioned, these drives work better against bigger players but are mostly ineffective vs. smaller players. I guess I don't understand if he's unwilling to actually post up, or we simply cannot figure out how to throw an effective entry pass, then why not just methodical back the smaller player down?

[Hornets]

I think these playoffs is a great opportunity for Connelly and Co. to determine if KAT should have a future here. The Pups played decently this year during that long stretch when KAT was out and to me that showed that his value to the squad is not sky high. If the Pups falter during the playoffs AND KAT poops his pants, then you absolutely have to explore a move during the off season, getting the best deal possible for Mr. Towns. It's now or never for him imo....

[Clubhouseleader]

Kat is a loser.

[aztimberwolves]

Kat is a loser.

lol 19 and 7 in 26 minutes with 5-8 shooting. what a loser!!!!

[witljon]

I think these playoffs is a great opportunity for Connelly and Co. to determine if KAT should have a future here. The Pups played decently this year during that long stretch when KAT was out and to me that showed that his value to the squad is not sky high. If the Pups falter during the playoffs AND KAT poops his pants, then you absolutely have to explore a move during the off season, getting the best deal possible for Mr. Towns. It's now or never for him imo....

We have a good team that I want to keep together, while so many here want trades.

[aztimberwolves]

I think these playoffs is a great opportunity for Connelly and Co. to determine if KAT should have a future here. The Pups played decently this year during that long stretch when KAT was out and to me that showed that his value to the squad is not sky high. If the Pups falter during the playoffs AND KAT poops his pants, then you absolutely have to explore a move during the off season, getting the best deal possible for Mr. Towns. It's now or never for him imo....

We have a good team that I want to keep together, while so many here want trades.

Amen. Right with you.

[Dan33185]

I think these playoffs is a great opportunity for Connelly and Co. to determine if KAT should have a future here. The Pups played decently this year during that long stretch when KAT was out and to me that showed that his value to the squad is not sky high. If the Pups falter during the playoffs AND KAT poops his pants, then you absolutely have to explore a move during the off season, getting the best deal possible for Mr. Towns. It's now or never for him imo....

We have a good team that I want to keep together, while so many here want trades.

I don't think many want trades, but a trade will be necessary at some point because of salaries. It's just the reality of it.

[aztimberwolves]

I think these playoffs is a great opportunity for Connelly and Co. to determine if KAT should have a future here. The Pups played decently this year during that long stretch when KAT was out and to me that showed that his value to the squad is not sky high. If the Pups falter during the playoffs AND KAT poops his pants, then you absolutely have to explore a move during the off season, getting the best deal possible for Mr. Towns. It's now or never for him imo....

We have a good team that I want to keep together, while so many here want trades.

I don't think many want trades, but a trade will be necessary at some point because of salaries. It's just the reality of it.

It isn’t if the ownership group is willing to pay the luxury tax.

[HeHateMe]

We have a good team that I want to keep together, while so many here want trades.

I don't think many want trades, but a trade will be necessary at some point because of salaries. It's just the reality of it.

It isn’t if the ownership group is willing to pay the luxury tax.

Ownership needs to pay luxury tax to keep the core together... but money might be better spent on other things for 50 mil than KAT next year... what do you pay Naz a year from now? Is he OK with a bench role still even if you pay him whatever he wants? I want Naz and NAW here with Jaden and Ant longterm.

[HeHateMe]

I think these playoffs is a great opportunity for Connelly and Co. to determine if KAT should have a future here. The Pups played decently this year during that long stretch when KAT was out and to me that showed that his value to the squad is not sky high. If the Pups falter during the playoffs AND KAT poops his pants, then you absolutely have to explore a move during the off season, getting the best deal possible for Mr. Towns. It's now or never for him imo....

No question the pressure is on for him to produce... that high salary next year comes with HIGH HIGH HIGH expectations.. let's see what happens in the playoffs!

[PurpleValhalla]

Towns still needs to improve his decision making. Its being masked right now because of the blowouts, but in a close game we will be burned by KAT's terrible fouls and turnovers

[shuttlesworth]

Probably no one wants to talk about this right now, but assuming the Wolves get bounced by Denver in the second round or OKC/Dallas in the WCF, I wonder if the Suns would be open to a Durant-Towns trade. That trade makes the Suns way more coherent as a team: they turn a likely 1-year window with Durant (he's probably gone after next year) into a four-year window with Booker, Towns, and Beal, all of whom are around the same age and are in the prime of their careers (and Booker and Towns are good friends off the court and have often talked about playing together). They also add much needed size in the frontcourt and get rid of a lot of the duplication on the perimeter between Booker, Durant, and Beal, while preserving the ability to play five-out. At bottom, getting Towns ensures that Phoenix avoids a worst-case scenario: watching Durant leave for nothing, getting a trade demand from Booker, and bottoming out while owning zero of their own picks. With a Towns/Booker core, the Suns should at least be competitive for the next 4 years. And while Towns' contract might scare some teams, Suns owner Matt Isbhia is the most lavish spender in the league and probably wouldn't care about those numbers as much as most other owners.

Getting Durant also makes the Wolves more coherent, both in terms of roster and overall timeline. Durant fits like a glove at the 4 next to Rudy or Naz (and you could even run out some Durant/Anderson frontcourt minutes, assuming the Wolves can re-sign Kyle); he doesn't suffer from the same occasional positional awkwardness there that Towns does. Offensively, he can continue transitioning into a late-career role as an elite second option (as he has done with Booker this year). Defensively, he'll be able to save his legs by letting McDaniels, NAW, and Edwards check the opposing team's best player (while still playing elite positional and off-ball defense). The Wolves could probably rest Durant for significant portions of the regular season to save him for the playoffs (they did just fine this year without Towns, whom Durant would be replacing.) Also, Durant happens to be Edwards's favorite player of all time and could be a great mentor as Edwards navigates the leap to superstardom.

Durant's contract expires also after next season, which actually fits pretty well with the Wolves' timeline: NAW, Naz, and Rudy also expire after that year (Naz has a player option that he'll almost certainly decline, and Rudy has a player option that he might decline in favor of getting one last long-term deal), which means that the current iteration of the Wolves will probably end after next year. (Not saying the team will stop contending after next season, but it might look a lot different after that -- in fact, the Wolves could pretty easily clear max cap room after next season and rebuild/retool around an Edwards/McDaniels duo). Given Durant's age, he's probably interested in contending for a title next season, and the Wolves are probably an inner-circle contender with Durant.

Phoenix might want some sort of sweetener in the deal (maybe Leonard Miller), but even at that price, I would do this deal as Minnesota, assuming they get bounced in the second round or WCF.

[A$$MAN]

Probably no one wants to talk about this right now, but assuming the Wolves get bounced by Denver in the second round or OKC/Dallas in the WCF, I wonder if the Suns would be open to a Durant-Towns trade. That trade makes the Suns way more coherent as a team: they turn a likely 1-year window with Durant (he's probably gone after next year) into a four-year window with Booker, Towns, and Beal, all of whom are around the same age and are in the prime of their careers (and Booker and Towns are good friends off the court and have often talked about playing together). They also add much needed size in the frontcourt and get rid of a lot of the duplication on the perimeter between Booker, Durant, and Beal, while preserving the ability to play five-out. At bottom, getting Towns ensures that Phoenix avoids a worst-case scenario: watching Durant leave for nothing, getting a trade demand from Booker, and bottoming out while owning zero of their own picks. With a Towns/Booker core, the Suns should at least be competitive for the next 4 years. And while Towns' contract might scare some teams, Suns owner Matt Isbhia is the most lavish spender in the league and probably wouldn't care about those numbers as much as most other owners.

Getting Durant also makes the Wolves more coherent, both in terms of roster and overall timeline. Durant fits like a glove at the 4 next to Rudy or Naz (and you could even run out some Durant/Anderson frontcourt minutes, assuming the Wolves can re-sign Kyle); he doesn't suffer from the same occasional positional awkwardness there that Towns does. Offensively, he can continue transitioning into a late-career role as an elite second option (as he has done with Booker this year). Defensively, he'll be able to save his legs by letting McDaniels, NAW, and Edwards check the opposing team's best player (while still playing elite positional and off-ball defense). The Wolves could probably rest Durant for significant portions of the regular season to save him for the playoffs (they did just fine this year without Towns, whom Durant would be replacing.) Also, Durant happens to be Edwards's favorite player of all time and could be a great mentor as Edwards navigates the leap to superstardom.

Durant's contract expires also after next season, which actually fits pretty well with the Wolves' timeline: NAW, Naz, and Rudy also expire after that year (Naz has a player option that he'll almost certainly decline, and Rudy has a player option that he might decline in favor of getting one last long-term deal), which means that the current iteration of the Wolves will probably end after next year. (Not saying the team will stop contending after next season, but it might look a lot different after that -- in fact, the Wolves could pretty easily clear max cap room after next season and rebuild/retool around an Edwards/McDaniels duo). Given Durant's age, he's probably interested in contending for a title next season, and the Wolves are probably an inner-circle contender with Durant.

Phoenix might want some sort of sweetener in the deal (maybe Leonard Miller), but even at that price, I would do this deal as Minnesota, assuming they get bounced in the second round or WCF.

Let's just make sure we get past Phoenix before we start looking too far into the future...

[HeHateMe]

Probably no one wants to talk about this right now, but assuming the Wolves get bounced by Denver in the second round or OKC/Dallas in the WCF, I wonder if the Suns would be open to a Durant-Towns trade. That trade makes the Suns way more coherent as a team: they turn a likely 1-year window with Durant (he's probably gone after next year) into a four-year window with Booker, Towns, and Beal, all of whom are around the same age and are in the prime of their careers (and Booker and Towns are good friends off the court and have often talked about playing together). They also add much needed size in the frontcourt and get rid of a lot of the duplication on the perimeter between Booker, Durant, and Beal, while preserving the ability to play five-out. At bottom, getting Towns ensures that Phoenix avoids a worst-case scenario: watching Durant leave for nothing, getting a trade demand from Booker, and bottoming out while owning zero of their own picks. With a Towns/Booker core, the Suns should at least be competitive for the next 4 years. And while Towns' contract might scare some teams, Suns owner Matt Isbhia is the most lavish spender in the league and probably wouldn't care about those numbers as much as most other owners.

Getting Durant also makes the Wolves more coherent, both in terms of roster and overall timeline. Durant fits like a glove at the 4 next to Rudy or Naz (and you could even run out some Durant/Anderson frontcourt minutes, assuming the Wolves can re-sign Kyle); he doesn't suffer from the same occasional positional awkwardness there that Towns does. Offensively, he can continue transitioning into a late-career role as an elite second option (as he has done with Booker this year). Defensively, he'll be able to save his legs by letting McDaniels, NAW, and Edwards check the opposing team's best player (while still playing elite positional and off-ball defense). The Wolves could probably rest Durant for significant portions of the regular season to save him for the playoffs (they did just fine this year without Towns, whom Durant would be replacing.) Also, Durant happens to be Edwards's favorite player of all time and could be a great mentor as Edwards navigates the leap to superstardom.

Durant's contract expires also after next season, which actually fits pretty well with the Wolves' timeline: NAW, Naz, and Rudy also expire after that year (Naz has a player option that he'll almost certainly decline, and Rudy has a player option that he might decline in favor of getting one last long-term deal), which means that the current iteration of the Wolves will probably end after next year. (Not saying the team will stop contending after next season, but it might look a lot different after that -- in fact, the Wolves could pretty easily clear max cap room after next season and rebuild/retool around an Edwards/McDaniels duo). Given Durant's age, he's probably interested in contending for a title next season, and the Wolves are probably an inner-circle contender with Durant.

Phoenix might want some sort of sweetener in the deal (maybe Leonard Miller), but even at that price, I would do this deal as Minnesota, assuming they get bounced in the second round or WCF.

Let's just make sure we get past Phoenix before we start looking too far into the future...

This trade idea has come up amongst friends for sure. Phoenix is in a rough spot if they lose this series.

[kindman]

Durant is a great player and I would love to have him for all the reasons you sated BUT...a 1 year rental for KAT? I think we need to get an actual building block or picks for Kat

[Moses Scurry]

I only trade KAT for some long-term solution at PG. That's it.