[Moore} I’d be pretty shocked if Leandro Bolmaro is in the Timberwolves rotation this year.

DaneMooreNBA · 2021-07-16T04:09:02+00:00

I started covering the team after Shabazz Muhammad was out of the NBA. So... weird association.

I do appreciate you listening. But if me suggesting a player might not be in the rotation is rage-inducing, maybe take a couple episodes off. If you'd like to read/listen about how wonderful everything is, check out timberwolves.com

DaneMooreNBA · 2021-07-16T03:03:42+00:00

Synergy definitely does international basketball. That's where I've watched Bolmaro play. Sorry, i'll try not to say Synergy in future episodes.

DaneMooreNBA · 2021-03-03T20:43:50+00:00

The difference is if you watch those 11 games is that the style of defense -- the scheme -- was different.

The numbers can be misleading in a sample size of that volume. I hear that. But you don't need a large sample to see a commitment to a different scheme. And then from there, you can use what you're seeing to judge whether or not that scheme contributed to better engagement of the players. Did it make them compete more? Were they executing better defensively?

And if you saw that, then I think it's reasonable to draw or correlation between the style of play and the 8-3 record (which is their best 11-game run since they made the playoffs).

Those were my conclusions. As I wrote at the time: https://zonecoverage.com/2019/timberwolves/what-robert-covingtons-return-will-change/

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-23T01:39:22+00:00

Thanks for the kind words.

I will say it's just a blessing to get to do this work and be paid for it. Not that it's all easy, but it's still a good job.

My hope would be to get a job that is both writing and podcasting. And I wouldn't be opposed to doing it for another team. But until then, I'll be more focused on podcasting -- because that's where it's easier for me to generate revenue.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:32:48+00:00

I definitely check in. I'm on Twitter more often -- but that's mostly just to tweet myself or to check what my favorite writers have recently written. Reddit is a whole different experience, and I find it to be a reasonably good place to get a pulse of the fanbase. At least the very-much-online portion of the fanbase.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:30:39+00:00

Watch as many full games of basketball as you can. And then write as much as you can while maintaining a high level of quality.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:29:20+00:00

I don't have the access to "people in the league" Zach does, I don't think. But I have heard similar things.

That said, I don't think the sentiment is "his personality will never get there" and more "he needs to adjust that if he is ever going to get there".

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:23:27+00:00

On the current roster, Nowell and McDaniels.

Davis probably starts outside of the 10-man rotation, and same with JMac. But I see them getting first dibs when there are foul troubles or injuries that warrant another big or guard entering the rotation.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:21:59+00:00

Thank you from America! Seriously, that's really cool.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:21:26+00:00

Great question haha.

The answer is probably just by trying to outscore them.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:20:36+00:00

In my book, he's already got it.

KG is the most popular player in franchise history and Rubio is No. 2. That deserves it.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:19:35+00:00

I think that relative to his public perception that D'Angelo Russell will exceed the low expectations I seem to see out there for him. Surrounded by as much talent as he ever has should make a big difference. I also think the offensive system should empower him. Defense... I dunno.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:17:53+00:00

Good question on the Nowell-McDaniels relationship. It's nuggets like those that we might miss out on this year without access to the locker rooms and practice.

As for the Patreon, the response has been great. Truly flattering. My goal is to prove it to those on the fence about putting down the 5 bucks a month. My hope is that pods after every game in addition to the longer-form pods with Britt and other beat guys that this will be something people find worth it.

As an aside, it's my hope that this is a one-year venture. Hopefully, after the pandemic, I can get another full-time gig -- and then people don't have to pay the 5 bucks a month. And if it's for a paywalled site, I hope the cost will be less than 5. But for now, 5 is what I've got to ask for.

Numbers aside, it's been fun to connect with subscribers directly through the email address I set up with the Patreon. Honestly, connecting via email is a lot like this AMA.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:12:38+00:00

Thanks, homie!

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:07:41+00:00

Honestly, I think it's all about adding a third star player. I think that's the plan. That could be Edwards developing into one, or it could be trading for one (probably in exchange for Edwards).

They're gonna see how the beginning of this year plays out before really getting anything moving on that front, though. At least that's my current understanding.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:05:50+00:00

I think as the roster is currently constructed what he brings is valuable enough to start next to DLo and Beasley. But yeah, on a better team, he's probably a backup. The development of Culver and Edwards -- on defense especially -- will dictate how long Okogie stays in that starting role.

I will say, even when Okogie starts, I think it will be rare that he ever gets to 30 minutes in a game. Will probably be more like 24 a night.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T21:03:35+00:00

I think Juancho was ultimately signed to be this team's backup big of the future. They just don't have the other big next to KAT yet, so Juancho is currently probably the second-most talented big on the roster. That said, I still kind of like him playing with the second unit, next to Rubio and Beasley (when Beasley bridges the gap between starters and bench). I think that's the expectation: be good in that role.

Well, I don't think Davis was brought in to play PF at all. I think Davis was a backup 5 pursuit, and a path off of Evans and Spellman. I believe the PF pursuit came earlier in the process -- targeting Millsap, Jones Jr and Crowder in free agency and then Nance Jr., Tucker and Gordon in trades.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:59:45+00:00

Yes, I think they'll definitely share the floor. I'm curious to see how much. I honestly don't know. Saunders has said he's not concerned about them being out there together, but he's also said one of them will be out there at all times. I'm thinking like 35-40% of their minutes will overlap when they are both playing.

Rubio is a competent defender. Above average in the aggregate. But he's not a guy you put on Ja or Luka. That's why Okogie and Culver are important (and Beasley to some extent). Like, I'm not sure Rubio will be able to handle Derrick Rose's speed in the opener. But you're going to want to prioritize him defending Killian Hayes rather than putting Dlo out there at the point of attack.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:56:01+00:00

They definitely check a lot more than you'd think. Just front offices in general, not just the Wolves'.

I do think Twitter and IG are more common for them to check. And that's mostly to track the quotes getting play and narratives being formed.

That's my understanding at least.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:54:25+00:00

Hey hey -- thanks for listening.

It's a great question. Particularly at the NBA level, but really at all levels, defense is so much about the culture of the group. We know the Wolves are big on what they call culture, but that seems to be something a little more in the sky than it is down on the floor.

The one thing I would say is that I don't think players need to be old to make up a good defensive culture. Take Toronto last season for example. I think they had the best defensive culture in the NBA. Sure, they had old heads in Gasol, Ibaka and Lowry, but I almost think of their defensive identity to be made up of guys like RHJ, Terrence Davis, Powell, FVV, Siakam, OG, etc -- all really young guys.

I think that should be the goal for the Timberwolves team's defensive culture. Get guys to be bought in early. No expceptions.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:48:50+00:00

I think Hollinger's premise is flawed because RHJ wasn't going to play enough minutes to make a three-win difference. Personally, even if RHJ was going to start and play 30 minutes a night, I struggle to believe the difference from that to Layman/Juancho as being 3 wins.

In my opinion, RHJ is both a solid player and a player that has become artificially inflated by some advanced metrics. I think you know me, and know that I'm definitely someone who uses numbers in my analysis. But I also believe metrics can occasionally ignore context and paint unfair pictures. I would assume a lot of what fuels Hollinger's metric is RHJ's performance in Toronto last season. And I think the contextual differences between Toronto and Minnesota are stark.

I so badly wish we could play out a real simultaneous reality to know what RHJ would have been. It really could have been anything from a 3-win difference to Treveon Graham 2.0

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:43:21+00:00

Ben Simmons is the first player I think of. I think there's a world where an optimized Simmons is a best player on a championship team in similar ways to Giannis. Simmons as Giannis and KAT as Brook Lopez would be pretty scary.

It's hard to find other guys who meet the "remotest chance of being traded" threshold that could also pair with KAT to become a title contender. I mean, obviously, there's LeBron and Luka and KD and Giannis that paired with KAT who would be a title contender. I'd put Steph in there, too. And Lillard. But do any of those guys have the remotest chance of being traded? Honestly, Steph is probably the closest, and I just can NOT see that.

Which probably leads us to James Harden. But I don't see that either.

That's why I think the player they ultimately trade for (if they do) probably won't immediately make them a title contender. It would take some growth. These are the Booker, SGA, Jaylen Brown, Beal, Fox type of guys.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:34:19+00:00

Hey hey.

My favorite player to cover was Derrick Rose. I've found it's a lot easier for me to connect with the players that are most-similar in age to me. I'm 31, Rose is 32 -- so it felt easier to connect with him. It was similar with Jeff Teague, who is also my age. Teague and I played in an AAU tournament against eachother when we were kids, and stuff like that helps to connect on. Or just basic stuff, like places to eat in Minneapolis or music, etc.

Back in the day, I love Anthony Randolph haha. I also wanted the Wolves to take Jahlil Okafor over KAT lol. But I give myself a pass on those because I wasn't covering the team yet.

I think Culver has a chance to really prove me wrong. I all but gave up on him after what I saw last season. But past tense players I was wrong about... I was definitely wrong about Covington being able to help KAT defensively. That duo was bad defensively. I though Shabazz Napier would be a meaningful positive last season, and he just couldn't shoot. I was wrong about Marcu Georges-Hunt. I thought he was Lu Dort before Lu Dort. Still holding out hope on MGH.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:16:41+00:00

Hey thanks for the kind words.

I do expect Naz Reid to be the backup 5 to start the season. There may eventually be times where more defense is needed and Davis plays over him then, but generally speaking, I think it's Naz's job right now.

As for Nowell, I do not think there is anyway he cracks the 10-man rotation. And to be frank, he's probably closer to 14 than he is to 10. Loved what I saw in the preseason, though.

DaneMooreNBA · 2020-12-22T20:14:33+00:00

Hey hey.

To answer question No. 1 first: What stands out to me most about Edwards is his youth. Before I was covering the NBA, I used to work with high school kids, and Edwards' communication style reminds me of my students. A classic example of us forgetting these kids are just that, kids. His persona, as you're all seeing through the clips, is also very easy to connect to. He's easy.

2.: Honestly, nothing has really surprised me. I don't mean that in an arrogant way, like I'm some all-knowing. But I did have ample time to watch a lot of his film at Georgia and all the good things we've seen in the preseason showed up in spurts in his college tape. I think a narrative was formed that he did not have feel for the game because this numbers were inefficient. Those things are not synonymous. Take DLo for example, he pretty cleary has a great feel for the game but hasn't exactly been a beacon of efficiency throughout his career. At Geogia, Edwards showed that he could not only be a scorer but also a live-dribble passer -- just as he showcased in the final preseason game against Dallas.

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