daddyfatsax wrote: They were two separate moves. AK was an unrestricted free agent.

You're too smart to really think that Less J & the Memphis 1st was done without the AK deal.

Excellent acquisition! Kahn finally made a big move. And a damn fine one. It happened. I am officially optimistic again. What a crazy up and down offseason.

Love it. Losing the pick hurts. I get why it upsets people but it doesn't bother me nearly as much as other people who are practically hyperventilating about it. We still have an extra first in the quiver so by all means continue beating off to that.

I'm much happier about finally having a good, guaranteed playoff team for the first time since 2004 than some draft pick in the mid 20's. Even if the Wes trade for cap room was a big overpayment (which it totally was). Kahn had a huge sense of urgency. Whatever. Sunk cost. Bigger and better things to focus on rather than sulking about this team. Shouldn'y waste another day on negativity. Even if Kirlenko is injury prone (my only concern).

Consider a choice between door A: The events that transpired and door B: Keeping Wes and the pick. If anyone picks door B they should be shat on by six 400lb+ chicks post Buffalo Wild Wings.

a few more thoughts:
twolvesblog.com/201207263387/minnesota-t...ndrei-kirilenko.html

daddyfatsax wrote:
Correct. You have to link the moves in your mind. Obviously gifting Wes and a first for nothing is an awful, terrible move without context, and even still... a very inefficient way to create immediate cap room and probably an overpayment in desperate times.

That's as obvious as the identity of Rosie Larson's killer.

WallyWorld wrote:
I have nothing to add. You got it. In Flip Saunders' and Riley's proclaimed era of "positionless" basketball, AK works.

daddyfatsax wrote: True.

But it just seems to me that there are other easier ways to get cap space. Other teams seem to figure out how to do it.

I guess it just kills me that we had to trade a pick to get rid of the #4 overall pick in the entire draft. Terrible draft. Terrible allocation of assets. Terrible GM. What a greek tragedy.

So for those of us who aren't quite as basketball savvy, what all these moves amount to is that we have a pretty decent patchwork team with injury risks all over the court?

I AM glad that Kahn didn't sit on his hands all offseason, if we were grading him versus how he did all the other seasons, he'd almost have to get an A, maybe A+. But if we're grading on a reality scale of what Kahn does versus what another smart GMs would do, I think it's probably closer to B-, maybe B if I'm being generous. But that's light years ahead of the D- to F he typically gets.

The only problem will all this optimism is that our season is going to rely heavily on being lucky enough that we don't lose a few more players to injuries. And we all know how lucky the Wolves aren't.

Still, I'm a lot more positive about what's happened then I expected to feel.

croc wrote:
That is a very legitimate, rational concern. Rubio, Love, Pek, Andrei and Roy (the starting 5), all have significant injury concerns.

The difference between this year and last is:

1. Depth is light years better. There are other productive players who can step in (Luke/Barea/hopefully Shved, Cunningham, Stiemsma vs. Webster/Wayne, Tolliver, Darko). Right then.

2. Roles will now be defined months in advance and there will be a full training camp to learn the offense. I HATE this excuse when bad GM's use it. HATE it. But I really think it was a reasonable one for the way this past season ended, among other factors.

3. Let's not forget D-Will had surgery on his nose which will definitely lead to a breakout year. Plus it looks like he had the thing cosmetically tweaked a bit. It's smaller now. Should commit fewer charges as a result!

College Wolf wrote:
The fact that Wes Johnson was once the #4 pick is completely and utterly irrelevant. Only bad GM's like Kahn view former draft status as a part of a player's trade value after (x) years. He is a dreadful player. End of story.

The team option thing is reasonable, but Kahn would perhaps have been scathed harder that any GM in league history if he declined the #4 pick's option after one year. Plus Wes actually looked BETTER his rookie year than his second year. People still had hopes for him after 2010-2011.

This is nothing to get worked up for for very long. It's a minor annoyance and byproduct of an otherwise very solid pickup.

Sunk cost, Crazy Wolf...sunk cost. Irrelevant now.

Wally World is killing it the last 24 hours. Beating off to a pick in the 20's, getting pooped on by 6 400 lb chicks post Buffalo Wild Wings, D-Thrill getting fewer charges due to rhinoplasty, as obvious as Rosie Larson's killer (I don't even get that one and it's still funny)...your hyperbole is 2nd to none right now. HOWLs.

BonK wrote:
Thanks. You in particular would love the Rosie Larson explanation.

It is from the show The Killing which we discussed in another thread. The show is about tracking down the ID of a killer who murdered a teenager (Rosie). CW made at least 15-20 predictions during the life of the series as to who the killer was and then when it was revealed claimed it was "obvious from the very beginning" and that he had predicted it "a million miles away."

Oh, CW don't change.

WallyWorld wrote:
What is the legit injury concern with Love? His feelings? I don't get it...

One thing to remember, few times competing for the playoffs were so brand new as the Timberpuppies. The lockout mattered little for the Celtics, Spurs, Grizzle, cHeat, etc. Once they got going, they were fine. Training camp, preparation and the like actually matter for teams like the Clippers, Wolves, etc.

WallyWorld wrote:

daddyfatsax wrote:
Love has had a fluke thing happen the past three seasons where he has missed some games.

GP:
2010- 60/82
2011- 73/82
2012- 55/66

Nothing chronic, but always seems to get banged up somehow. That's all. Probably last on the list of concerns.

WallyWorld wrote: I knew who the killer was since the first episode of the show.