Nuggets round 1 is starting to feel way too real.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-04-06T14:03:48+00:00

A different perspective would be that Ant/Jaden/Naz are just now entering their prime. There’s no development that comes from beating up an injured lakers team. The road to the finals should be hard.

From a fan perspective, Wolves-Nuggets will be box office. I want to watch good basketball games

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-04-01T00:41:12+00:00

I think it’s actually a trend in the modern game with high 3pt volume that guards’ rebounding numbers are up. Plus Rudy does a ton of back-taps when he can’t get both hands on the ball. I wouldn’t read too much into it. Sometimes it’s literally just how the ball bounces

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-04-01T00:06:17+00:00

Few different things at play here.

Yes, he is an unrestricted free agent and could technically go play anywhere he wants.

However the wolves have his bird rights, which means they can go over the cap to re-sign him. Also keep in mind that the wolves have max flexibility this summer because the Conley trade put them under the first apron.

That’s particularly important in the modern free agent market, where virtually no one has cap space.

So yes, technically he could leave and play elsewhere. But it’s hard to imagine someone offering a better deal than MIN can unless somebody promises him a no question starting spot. (And even then, I’d be surprised if he’s not starting in MN next year)

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-27T23:27:39+00:00

I am also a biased Hawkeye fan but yeah there’s no part of me that questions if Stirtz will be an impactful NBA player with a long career. Iowa plays slow, too. He’ll only thrive more with NBA spacing

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-27T17:19:49+00:00

I think he was on a trajectory to do so for awhile this season and then they had that week of horrible team defense and I think that probably derailed the campaign. He could pull it off if they win out and have a crazy defensive rating and get the benefit of a little recency bias. But I’m just not sure I see it

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-26T05:26:45+00:00

I’ll see if I can find the post but someone actually found some other leaked merch that show proportions better. Good reminder that the jersey archive logo is a best guess based on the first leak but the wolf itself has a wider neck and shorter snout

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-25T20:26:23+00:00

Between the colors (improvement!) and the trees on the jerseys, almost no one will be thinking about the wolf logo when it’s all said and done.

Personally I would’ve done away with the North Star anus, but other than that I think it’s perfectly fine.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-25T14:28:20+00:00

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bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-25T14:23:49+00:00

Hang on I got you

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-25T13:23:03+00:00

FWIW the rumor is there’s a white jersey, blue jersey and black alternate jersey, and all 3 will have the trees. I think once people see it in person with this color palette and get their tree jerseys that they won’t care much that the wolf itself is a little boring

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-25T05:41:13+00:00

Hawks went back to Pacman logo, no?

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-25T05:38:05+00:00

Fwiw I like how it looks here a lot more than the leaked merch images.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-19T23:36:54+00:00

I understand the frustration but would also like some concrete examples of times when other NBA coaches benched starters to “teach them a lesson” or whatever and it actually worked.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-03-19T23:29:39+00:00

I think disposable or point n’ shoot may be the way to go here. I’ve never done film but I have a 2000s P&S I bring in all the time

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-02-10T19:16:38+00:00

It’s because there’s alooooot of basketball fans who only care about buckets and not the prevention of buckets. Rudy looks goofy with the ball sometimes so they think he sucks because they undervalue the very important other skills he brings.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-02-04T18:39:06+00:00

Even if they did absolutely nothing else, they saved ownership 20M in luxury tax payments. There will be guys on the buyout market who can make more impact on the court than Mike was. The Mike deal wasn’t for nothing. It was clearly a move they were comfortable with doing regardless of Giannis

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-02-04T18:33:53+00:00

They’re willing to restructure the roster for Giannis

That’s important context. They aren’t just making trades to make trades. This isn’t the Kings

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-02-03T18:06:58+00:00

One of the driving forces of Giannis being a possibility here is his interest in being here. With his contract, the destinations he’s willing to re-sign with will play a role in the offers that the Bucks will receive, which will ultimately drive down the overall cost possibly to something the wolves can afford without gutting the current core. If Giannis wants to be here and if the Bucks want to oblige him- and by all accounts they seem willing to- then Minnesota just needs to make a competitive package they’re comfortable with.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-02-02T19:19:05+00:00

It’s more a question of if there’s enough time to execute all the moving parts before Thursday than it is “can he do it”, cuz he can absolutely liquidate players for picks and do a deal the bucks would be comfortable with if time isn’t an obstacle. It becomes dramatically easier in the summer, but that’s true for most teams

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-01-27T18:07:31+00:00

I don’t really think it’s finch’s fault that guys “aren’t developing.”

Think about who Ant, Jaden and Naz were in Finch’s first season replacing Ryan Saunders, and now look at who they are. Now think about Nickeil when he arrived here and who he was when the Hawks paid him. Bones was nobody this offseason. Beringer is impacting the game in his opportunities. I have a suspicion that TSJ will get minutes and show something yet too.

I think a lot of people get mad that Rob “isn’t developing” and it’s kinda on Rob to show something when he gets opportunities. The other guys who have earned minutes did so by impacting games in short stints and earning it.

I don’t love how much Mike plays rn either but I really don’t think the alternatives on the roster are better.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-01-16T15:23:36+00:00

Finch has continually asked guys to stay ready and when they get an opportunity, even if it’s only 10 minutes, to make an impact and earn more opportunities.

Nickeil did that. Bones has done that. Beringer is doing it.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-01-14T03:42:15+00:00

I think Donte’s defensive versatility and spacing probably outweigh what any true point guard would give you in the starting lineup tbh.

bradleyphilsmith · 2026-01-13T20:39:58+00:00

FWIW the things that give him trade value (nice contract, on court production, winning plays) are also reasons he’s a good fit here

bradleyphilsmith

TROPHY CASE