Bulpett: DEN makes offer for Love

[indeedproceed]

The only way, at this point, that I don't see us getting Love is if Saunders makes an absolutely stupid move like accepting the Denver offer in the hopes of parlaying it into a playoff appearance (absolutely futile with the current status quo in the West) and saving his job.

The right move, the only logical move, is a full rebuild. Trade Love, trade Pek, trade Martin if you can. Maybe gamble with Rubio long-term, but they need, more than anything, a reset. They screwed up building around love, try again.

If trading Love gets Minnesota into the playoffs, is that a stupid move, though? Maybe shortsighted. But it's been a long drought up north.

I was surprised to learn that Saunders has three titles with the Wolves: along with GM and coach, he's also part owner. I think he has job security there.

For me, when I hear about a GM assuming coaching duties, it is because they've been given a mandate from management to sleep in the bed they made. It's not the first time with Taylor either, he did the same thing with McHale before he was fired.

I imagine Kahn was given the same deal, but laughed and said, "No thanks. I've got this Nigerian Prince to help out and a bridge I'm buying in Brooklyn."

I hear you. With Saunders, though, I get the sense that he's riding in on the white horse for the franchise. No coach worth his salt will take a job without knowing whether Love is on the roster. He's got a long history with the franchise, and if there's going to be a hatchet man who sends Love out of town, he's willing to be the guy.

Glen Taylor is a guy who gives his guys a chance. He's shown great loyalty, and maybe Saunders has a guarantee that he'll remain on . It's not like the biggest screwup that led to the Wolves roster were his.

So maybe he stays on.

[colincb]

I've always thought at the end of the day we would likely be saying to ourselves that we had a better deal than the one the TWolves accepted. I've yet to hear a deal I would take for the T-Wolves take over what we can offer, BUT our objective is to win championships. 

I don't see that as Taylor's objective. Keep the team afloat until he sells it. That's the value of a major sports franchise in a smaller market. Not making profit per se, but selling for a big gain when you exit like Kohl did with the Bucks. I use to think of Jeremy Jacobs milking the Bruins like that for years until the fanbase got sick of it and he figured out he was killing the golden goose.

The DEN deal doesn't make sense if you want to contend some day, never mind win a championship. But if Taylor wanted to contend, he would never have structured Love's contract the way he did.

[saltlover]

How do they get Afflalo to send them? U can't sign and trade FA unless they were on ur team the last season.

Affalo isn't expiring. They'd acquire him from Orlando and ship him to Minny in this scenario. How they do that, and whether it's a 3-team trade or a separate deal for Afflalo then shipping him to Mijny is unknown.

Presumably it'd be a 3-team trade, since Afflalo can't be instantly retraded if his salary is aggregated to fit in Love's contract.  Presumably they'd send Orlando #11 overall for Afflalo.

[crimson_stallion]

Sorry to say,  but if I'm the Wolves I'd definately take that package over anything Boston can offer.

They get starting calibre PF with upside (Faried) to replace love,  and a capable 20ppg scorer (afflalo) to replace his scoring,  along with a solid role player in chandler.

That's more talent than a Sully+Olynyk*picks deal

[Who]

Sounds like a piece of crap. I don't see that offer getting any traction in Minnesota.

[byennie]

Awful for Minnesota. Not a single asset that will ever play in an All-Star game. Faried will be a RFA after 1 year, Afflalo can opt out after 1 year, Chandler has missed over 100 games in 3 years and makes $15M the next 2. They'd be left holding a big bag of nothing in no time, and maybe win just enough extra games in year 1 to screw up their draft pick.

[Celtics4ever]

Depends on what Love says too.   He may put the Kibosh on Denver.  The nuggets are hardly a winning team.

[chambers]

Sorry to say,  but if I'm the Wolves I'd definately take that package over anything Boston can offer.

They get starting calibre PF with upside (Faried) to replace love,  and a capable 20ppg scorer (afflalo) to replace his scoring,  along with a solid role player in chandler.

That's more talent than a Sully+Olynyk*picks deal

That package doesn't give them anything but role players.
They still don't make the playoffs.
Rubio
Afflalo
Chandler
Faried
Pekovic

gets hosed by the Suns, who finished 8th last year.
The West is brutal. While it's brutal, build a team and mold it the way you want. You've got Rubio and Dieng. Take a bounty of picks and pick the best players you can get and go from there.
Depends if Taylor can put up with another rebuild, and more importantly if Minny fans can stand yet another rebuild. Minny fans have put up with this crap so long, what's another 3 or 4 years?

[cman88]

The latest from Ford is on the front page. says that the wolves are playing games right now. telling some teams they want to rebuild and want picks and future assets, other teams that they want to win now and established players. its all in their game to see what the best offer out there is.

Ford also believes that the Celtics ultimately will have the best offer out there.

this is pretty much what I figured, they are going to play games up until the draft

[GreenWarrior]

It's smart of Minn. to do that but ultimately if they don't realize ours is the best offer they'll just keep going around in circles and remain in the cellar.

the only way this team is getting a star in return is if some team gets crazy. and if that's what that organization is hoping for and planning their future with then they're in trouble.

the best player I've heard offered thus far is Mirotic, and the dude has yet to play a game in the NBA. he's no better than any draft pick.

Felger said it best "these other teams are trading ponies for a horse". it's true, Minn. should look at it this way with all those draft picks they could get from us could potentially be a "horse". none of the players offered have a chance at being a "horse".

[KGs Knee]

The only way, at this point, that I don't see us getting Love is if Saunders makes an absolutely stupid move like accepting the Denver offer in the hopes of parlaying it into a playoff appearance (absolutely futile with the current status quo in the West) and saving his job.

The right move, the only logical move, is a full rebuild. Trade Love, trade Pek, trade Martin if you can. Maybe gamble with Rubio long-term, but they need, more than anything, a reset. They screwed up building around love, try again.

You know, for being someone who absolutely abhors 'tanking' and finds it to be of the utmost disrespect to the 'spirit of competition', I absolutely agree here.  Minnesota would be just plain stupid to take any deal like this proposed deal by Denver, or any other deal that rings back nothing more than role players (even if they might be high-level role players).

The dumbest thing a team in a position like Minny can do is delude themselves into thinking a possible weak playoff run or two will lead anywhere.  Again, even as someone who hates the whole "bottom out' mentality, in this case it's the only logical option.  Acquire as many picks as you can, and hope some of them turn out to be really good to great player you can build around.  Minny isn't attracting any free agents, so there really is no other way to get a stud than through the draft or trade.

[Kane3387]

Read that the warriors were in Chicago watching staukas and McDermott. They have no pick. Leads me to think a deal of love and 13 for lee, Barnes, and Thompson is out there being discussed. Hope not.

Chad Ford: Kings, Nuggets, Wolves, Warriors all watched Doug McDermott and Nik Staukas workout in Chicago yesterday Twitter @chadfordinsider

See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.1QlSeAZt.dpuf

[hpantazo]

The warriors deal sounds a legit possibility, but the Denver deal does not. Love would not resign in Denver , so I don't see them offering enough to get him for one season. It's a smokescreen and a poor one.

[cman88]

here is what ford said in regards to all the rumors on keith olbermanns show

[Fafnir]

Read that the warriors were in Chicago watching staukas and McDermott. They have no pick. Leads me to think a deal of love and 13 for lee, Barnes, and Thompson is out there being discussed. Hope not.

Chad Ford: Kings, Nuggets, Wolves, Warriors all watched Doug McDermott and Nik Staukas workout in Chicago yesterday Twitter @chadfordinsider

See more at: http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm#sthash.1QlSeAZt.dpuf

You think the Wolves are giving up Love and a lottery pick? No way, just no way. You don't trade an all-nba player and also send out a lottery pick.

The Warriors could very well be looking at trading Barnes/Thompson for a pick just on their own. Everything we've heard out of GSW is that they're going to be very aggressive to upgrade their roster.