Wolves 'paving the way' for draft-day deal

[Moranis]

I still think LA makes a lot of sense.  Pau (S/T), the rookie at 7, Sacre, and maybe Nash for Love, Brewer, Martin, Barea, and/or Budinger (any combination of those other guys).  Minnesota gets a high value rookie (though granted one drafted by L.A.), a very respectable PF and big name in Pau, and a ton of salary savings.  Pau gets a nice solid contract, gets to move back to PF next to a real center in Pekovic and gets his countryman dishing him the ball (which is why he might agree to said S/T).  L.A. gets Love and absorbs some pretty solid role players into all of their cap room to help round out the team around Kobe and Love. 

Now obviously Boston could beat that trade by shear volume of first round picks, but I wouldn't count L.A. out during the free agency period (which is the only time that trade can be made).

  I don't see how that makes any sense at all for the wolves. Pau's old and declining and isn't going to take the team anywhere but maybe out of the bottom few picks, and Minny gets very little young talent in the deal. It's the worst of both worlds.

Minnesota won 40 games with Love last year.  Add Pau and say Gordon, McDermott, Vonleh, etc. instead of Love and I don't think they are a worse team (if Pau stays healthy).  In fact, I think with Pau's defense they might actually be a better team, especially if they get more than 54 games from Pekovic and the continued growth of Dieng.

[Fafnir]

I still think LA makes a lot of sense.  Pau (S/T), the rookie at 7, Sacre, and maybe Nash for Love, Brewer, Martin, Barea, and/or Budinger (any combination of those other guys).  Minnesota gets a high value rookie (though granted one drafted by L.A.), a very respectable PF and big name in Pau, and a ton of salary savings.  Pau gets a nice solid contract, gets to move back to PF next to a real center in Pekovic and gets his countryman dishing him the ball (which is why he might agree to said S/T).  L.A. gets Love and absorbs some pretty solid role players into all of their cap room to help round out the team around Kobe and Love. 

Now obviously Boston could beat that trade by shear volume of first round picks, but I wouldn't count L.A. out during the free agency period (which is the only time that trade can be made).

  I don't see how that makes any sense at all for the wolves. Pau's old and declining and isn't going to take the team anywhere but maybe out of the bottom few picks, and Minny gets very little young talent in the deal. It's the worst of both worlds.

Minnesota won 40 games with Love last year.  Add Pau and say Gordon, McDermott, Vonleh, etc. instead of Love and I don't think they are a worse team (if Pau stays healthy).  In fact, I think with Pau's defense they might actually be a better team, especially if they get more than 54 games from Pekovic and the continued growth of Dieng.

Your proposed trade dumped a lot of the veterans on Minnesota though.

You really think Pau + a Rookie will make up for losing Love and the other players AND even add 10 wins?

I don't think LBJ as a rookie was that good, do you see a Tim Duncan type impact rookie with the 7th pick?

[BballTim]

I still think LA makes a lot of sense.  Pau (S/T), the rookie at 7, Sacre, and maybe Nash for Love, Brewer, Martin, Barea, and/or Budinger (any combination of those other guys).  Minnesota gets a high value rookie (though granted one drafted by L.A.), a very respectable PF and big name in Pau, and a ton of salary savings.  Pau gets a nice solid contract, gets to move back to PF next to a real center in Pekovic and gets his countryman dishing him the ball (which is why he might agree to said S/T).  L.A. gets Love and absorbs some pretty solid role players into all of their cap room to help round out the team around Kobe and Love. 

Now obviously Boston could beat that trade by shear volume of first round picks, but I wouldn't count L.A. out during the free agency period (which is the only time that trade can be made).

  I don't see how that makes any sense at all for the wolves. Pau's old and declining and isn't going to take the team anywhere but maybe out of the bottom few picks, and Minny gets very little young talent in the deal. It's the worst of both worlds.

Minnesota won 40 games with Love last year.  Add Pau and say Gordon, McDermott, Vonleh, etc. instead of Love and I don't think they are a worse team (if Pau stays healthy).  In fact, I think with Pau's defense they might actually be a better team, especially if they get more than 54 games from Pekovic and the continued growth of Dieng.

  Pau's heading into his mid 30s and missed a total of 55 games in the last 2 years. He's not getting any better. Even if the team does marginally better next year you're trading a better pick and 2-3 future firsts for a 1-2 season hurrah where you end up a 7 seed or so and flame out in the playoffs.

[Moranis]

I still think LA makes a lot of sense.  Pau (S/T), the rookie at 7, Sacre, and maybe Nash for Love, Brewer, Martin, Barea, and/or Budinger (any combination of those other guys).  Minnesota gets a high value rookie (though granted one drafted by L.A.), a very respectable PF and big name in Pau, and a ton of salary savings.  Pau gets a nice solid contract, gets to move back to PF next to a real center in Pekovic and gets his countryman dishing him the ball (which is why he might agree to said S/T).  L.A. gets Love and absorbs some pretty solid role players into all of their cap room to help round out the team around Kobe and Love. 

Now obviously Boston could beat that trade by shear volume of first round picks, but I wouldn't count L.A. out during the free agency period (which is the only time that trade can be made).

  I don't see how that makes any sense at all for the wolves. Pau's old and declining and isn't going to take the team anywhere but maybe out of the bottom few picks, and Minny gets very little young talent in the deal. It's the worst of both worlds.

Minnesota won 40 games with Love last year.  Add Pau and say Gordon, McDermott, Vonleh, etc. instead of Love and I don't think they are a worse team (if Pau stays healthy).  In fact, I think with Pau's defense they might actually be a better team, especially if they get more than 54 games from Pekovic and the continued growth of Dieng.

Your proposed trade dumped a lot of the veterans on Minnesota though.

You really think Pau + a Rookie will make up for losing Love and the other players AND even add 10 wins?

I don't think LBJ as a rookie was that good, do you see a Tim Duncan type impact rookie with the 7th pick?

Depends on how much they dump. I would think they would keep Martin or Brewer, but get rid of the other as well as Barea and Budinger (and maybe Shved).

No I don't see a Tim Duncan impact from a rookie (or LBJ who was good for an 18 win turnaround), but I think the rookie will be better than any of those guys that they would potentially be dumping on the Lakers.  I do think Pau, if he can stay healthy, can have a greater impact on wins and losses than Love though, at least next year.  Pau isn't as good as Love overall, but I think his game certainly could affect the win/loss column more than Love next year.  Minnesota really could use Pau's much better interior defense, especially next to a guy like Pekovic. 

I just think a lineup of say Rubio, Martin, Gordon, Gasol, and Pekovic with Dieng, Turiaf, Cunningham, Mbah a Moute, their own rookie (say Stauskas), Shabazz, and Shved (maybe Nash) is a pretty solid team.  Easily could see that team eclipsing the 40 wins they had last year if Pau stays healthy, they get more than 54 games from Pekovic, and their young guys continue to develop (i.e. Dieng, Shabazz, as well as the two lottery picks from this year).  I get that Pau isn't a picture of health, but then again neither is Love who has missed a lot of games throughout his career.  And for all the talk of 33 year old Pau Gasol being washed up, he still averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks in just 31.4 minutes in his 60 games for L.A. last year. 

[Smokeeye123]

If I'm giving up Sullinger I want to keep all the brooklyn picks. if I'm giving up a Brooklyn pick I want to keep Sullinger.

Alot of Twolves fans seem to love Olynyk > Sully for some reason.

[droopdog7]

If I'm giving up Sullinger I want to keep all the brooklyn picks. if I'm giving up a Brooklyn pick I want to keep Sullinger.

Alot of Twolves fans seem to love Olynyk > Sully for some reason.

I have no problem whatsoever giving up Sully.  Problem is, I don't he adds much value to the package in the eyes of Minn.

[Eddie20]

Alot of Twolves fans seem to love Olynyk > Sully for some reason.

I agree. Olynyk has legit height, no injury risks, and I think he has a higher ceiling.

[j804]

?In the end, however, Kevin Love says he wants to be with a contender. He mentioned Chicago, he mentioned Golden State. Boston simply doesn?t fall into that equation at this particular moment in time. It?€™s not something that I believe is plausible. ? The Boston Celtics at this juncture are in a rebuilding mode and simply not good enough. If Kevin Love wants to win, Boston is not the place to go right now.?

What makes the Celtics worthy suitors for Love is their bevy of draft picks over the next five years thanks in large part to their blockbuster trade that sent Paul Pierce and Garnett to the Nets last summer. However, Stephen A. Smith sees Love as worth no more than ?a first-round pick and a decent player or two on your roster.?

Love?s trip to Fenway on Sunday was capped off by a brief exchange with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. Acquiring Love to play with Rondo would undoubtedly make the Celtics a better team, but, according to Smith, not good enough to contend for a title.

?Rondo can?€™t shoot from the perimeter. He?€™s an elite point guard in terms of his ability to run the team, he?€™s definitely somebody worthy of having. I love his game with the exception of his ability to hit perimeter shots,? Smith said. ?Kevin Love can hit perimeter shots better than most, and we all know that. ? But at the same time, let?€™s take into account that even though he can do those things offensively, he?€™s somewhat of a defensive liability.

?So you combine the defensive liability that [Love] is along with Rondo?€™s inability to shoot perimeter shots, at some point in time or another one of those elements are going to let you down when it counts.?

Stephen A Smith sharing his two cents 

[colincb]

Alot of Twolves fans seem to love Olynyk > Sully for some reason.

I agree. Olynyk has legit height, no injury risks, and I think he has a higher ceiling.

I agree also. Might be wrong easily enough though as he has a lower floor given how little we've seen him play compared to Sully.

As far as T-Wolves fans warming up to KO vs Sully, the prevailing rumor among them is that Saunders when he traded down last draft was thinking he was going to be able to get KO with a mid-first. Then Danny snuck in at 13 via a trade up.

FWIW.

[mnshyn]

Love is great, there's no denying that, despite some shortfalls in defense.

Though I agree somewhat with some of the above posters that Love wouldn't automatically get us to talk about championships, i also don't think that he would be the last chip to fall.

I have a feeling Green won't be here for that much longer, for instance.  I like Green, but I see Danny using him and some picks to get somebody to help Rondo/Love and give some semblance of a big 3.