Thoughts with the Flagrant 2: What Will the TWolves Become…..
The Showman:
Watching a group of young talent come together and make a push for elite level status in the NBA is one of the more enjoyable aspects for the NBA Community, especially if that team is built from the ground up. The current crowd favorite is easily the Minnesota Timberwolves with Karl Anthony-Towns, Andrew Wiggins and a bunch of other fun young talent.
With the growth of KAT from 1st pick overall to borderline superstar, the questions needs to be asked. Will the Timberwolves become the next Warriors or are we destined for something more aligned with the Thunder.
legiNdary:
This is a team that is in it’s stardom infancy. Meaning they are primed for the big time, but they are just, well, babies. They have the right, hard-nosed coached in Tom Thibodeau. They have the playmakers. Do they have the cohesiveness to put it all together quickly though? The unfair thing is this: We all expect duos and trios to just gel instantly. We forget that some of the greatest groups took time to come together and put it all together. Durant and Westbrook. The Lakers when they brought GP and Malone in. The Rockets when they reached for Pippen and Barkley. Even the Lebron “Heatles” didn’t win right away. OK, so those last few were older and didn’t have much left in the tank (Barkley, Pippen) but you know what I mean.
There is no secret formula to transform your roster. But, the Wolves are starting to put it together. Andrew Wiggins has gone nuts of late, averaging just under 33 a game in his last 5 games, including a ridiculous 47 points against the hapless Lakers. Kris Dunn is still trying to find his game, and find health, but this team is stacked. So without further adieu, here are some predictions:
Ricky Rubio gets traded: He has two more years left after this, and he will make around 25 million total in those next two years. I actually love Rubio and I think he’s the guy who could potentially lead this team. But, he is so injury prone and his shooting just hasn’t improved. He is a great defender and an excellent passer, but it may be time to try and switch gears. At some point, you have to come to terms with what’s working and what is not, and Rubio as the starting Point guard of the Wolves has not worked.
Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star this year: Ok, so not a scorching hot take. But he is averaging almost 27 a game and he has become a highlight reel almost every night. He is also shooting a mind boggling 52.6 percent from the 3 point line. Even if he levels off to about 20 or 21 a game, that should be good enough to make the squad for the first time. If all goes well, there could be two Wolves in the ASG this year, which i’m sure delights Minnesota fans.
Karl Anthony Towns will be a hall of famer: I know KD already said this, but seriously, what can’t this guy do? He’s bringing back the big man. He’s making the Center position great again. He has a smooth outside touch and he genuinely likes banging on the boards and being a low post presence. He’s got some pretty sick handles, too. The sky is the limit for Towns, and if the Wolves are smart, they will sign him to many extensions well before it’s time to actually pay him (See: Boogie Cousins/Kings conundrum with one year left on his deal).
As the Flagrant 2 usually does, we sit down and provide some thoughts on what we think will be the final outcome for this young and uber talented team. We will now dive into some a little bit more outrageous takes.
The Showman:
I hope for the best, I really do but the cynic inside me wants nothing more to see this team become the next OKC Thunder. The ingredients are all there, they just need to let everything play out and we can be potentially looking at the new version of the Thunder. First and foremost, We have Andrew Wiggins in the Kevin Durant role, in that he was the first building block that gave hope to the franchise but as soon as he started to gain traction, Karl Anthony Towns comes to town in that position altering role à la Russell Westbrook to take the spotlight away from him. While Wiggins and Towns are clearly the go-to guys in terms of building for the future, you have Zach LaVine who is looking more and more like that lead guard stuck as the 3rd player who is waiting for his shot to blossom into a superstar much like James Harden did. Also, Kris Dunn is clearly the Serge Ibaka glue-guy who will learn to shoot corner 3s but then only shoot 3s and not rely on his athleticism.
Am I trying too hard to connect the dots? ABSOLUTELY but that is the fun of the NBA. This Timberwolves team has all the talent in the world, and they can definitely put together a great run through the West but I worry about the need for young players to have their time in the sun. It sounds crazy but I do think the most important thing that the Warriors had going was their ability to take away egos. It might not be that way now for that team, but the cohesiveness of the core guys from the start is something you don’t see that often with young talent.
So here is my outlandish and probably somewhat unreasonable predictions in terms of player value, trade scenarios and other ridiculous claims.
Zach LaVine is traded to what becomes the eventual Seattle SuperSonics, if that doesn’t happen then he still gets traded but heads to NYK or LA Clippers. LaVine is a guy who deserves the bright lights and big media potential. Good looking dude he is, have you seen that smile.
Wiggins is either traded for a similar superstar (Blake Griffin) or he leaves to sign with the Toronto Raptors which starts the Toronto Rebellion… which then brings Jamal Murray, Tristan Thompson, Trey Lyles and one day R.J. Barrett.
KAT becomes the icon we all think but he ultimately becomes the next Karl Malone. He puts up ridiculous numbers, but never actually wins a title. Would that be cool? I think so…..
legiNdary:
Future outlook: 2018 Playoffs: This will not be the season the Minnesota Timberwolves make the playoffs, unfortunately. However, if Zach Lavine and Kris Dunn continue to develop, their core will be absolutely downright scary. If they can add one or two veterans (think the Jared Dudley type), this team should be a perennial playoff team. To me, that starts next season. This current squad still needs to grow and develop, but that’s OK. Ricky Rubio will be one year closer to free agency, and you know he will be looking to tear up the league. Towns will be in all-star form, and hopefully Kris Dunn will be sharp like he showed in the summer league. The x factor here is Zach Lavine. Can he put it all together? Can he be a Russell Westbrook-lite? He needs to bulk up a bit and work on his jumper, but if he becomes a consistent scorer and facilitator, this will be a Top 5 or 6 team in the Western Conference for years to come, starting next season.
