He took it because it included Karl-Anthony Towns. No amount of roster control was going to bring him to MIN without Towns. Towns is guaranteed to be there for 4 more years. And he has Wiggins as a bonus. So, yeah, we didn't lose him because he couldn't wait for us. He signed quickly because he didn't want anyone else taking that job, because of the players he was going to coach, and the draft picks he has to research.
I bet Thibs loves Pat Bev and KJ. Trade Bev and KJ for LaVine. LaVine will be the SG on offense with Harden basically being PG and LaVine defends the PGs. DO IT.
The Wolves were 12 games out of the 8th spot, in a year where the 8th seed had a crappy record in the west. Do the Wolves make the playoffs next year?
Why do people keep saying he is the GM. Just like Popovich, Thibs is Coach and President of Basketball Operations. RC Buford is the Spurs GM. Scott Layden is the MIN GM. He was GM of the Knicks for like 5 yrs, and most recently Spurs Asst GM to Buford. Seems they are copying the Spurs model.
They could compete for a playoff spot next year. Another year of experience for their talented young players, plus the #5 pick(or higher), plus caproom for a free agent or two, plus Thibs as their coach? That's a franchise heading in the right direction. It's no wonder he picked them over us. Front office control was just the icing on the cake.
When people think of a GM, they think of the person with final say on roster decisions. That applies to Pop and now Thibs. The sole person they answer to is the owner. All RC Buford does is legwork/gruntwork and make suggestions to Pop.
I feel like they need another year. But consider the Sonics/Thunder. They went from 23 wins to 50. That was Harden/Ibaka's rookie year, though neither player was amazing. I can't see that with the Wolves yet, but a 10-15 game improvement is a no brainer, and that would have them at 39-44 wins and right there in the thick of it. Another 10-15 win jump the next year could be possible thereafter.
Seroiusly - Minnesota has no place to go but up - even if they just add replacement level players, for a coach that is a great opportunity, almost as good as it gets. Rockets could go up. Could also go down. could also go sideways. Could go around in a circle. Or go to strip club. Or to bed. Who knows.
The Rockets' fortunes in 2016-17 are predicated entirely on free agency and coaching. If they let Dwight walk(assuming he opts out) and spend their cap space wisely(i.e. don't throw 20 mil/yr at Harrison Barnes!), they could bounce back quickly provided they hire the right coach. Harden is still one of the top players in the league. Capela could be a respectable starting center if he gets stronger and learns to shoot free throws at at least a 55% clip. McDaniels will presumably get all of Brewer's minutes once JB is no longer coaching. Maybe they'll even get some decent production out of Harrell and Dekker. It all comes down to who they can sign to play the 4, how they fill out that bench, and most importantly, who's hired to coach the team. We're a few years away from contending for anything. But they can be way better than 41-41 next season. And far more fun to actually watch.
I agree that Thibs and Pop can veto any trade or signing, and Les does that wrt the star players (and Lin). Just saying the Spurs way works, and Buford (and I'm sure Layden) do more than gruntwork. Seeking out trades, negotiating them and same with free agency, working the scouting team to support that and the draft, etc. Might be more accurate to say all Pops does is give his blessings, or pick from the options. It's more teamwork than it sounds. Like a GM with check and balances of having to prove the value to the Head Coach, and also understand the Coach's philosophy. Curious, was Layden the GM of the Knicks when Thibs was there?
People have been saying that for years. Love and Rubio never could do it. It's becoming a joke. That said, with two excellent #1s, and one of them being Towns, there really should be no excuse for failing to make the playoffs in two years. I'd consider it a failure if they don't...equivalent to NOLA's failure this year.
Layden and Bufford answer to their head coaches, not the other way around. I don't know that it is exactly copying the Spurs model, it is what the premiere free agent coaches have gotten the last few years. Stan Van Gundy, Doc Rivers and Thibs all have token GM's that answer to them. Budenholzer in Atlanta has done the same, taking control of the Hawks.
Buford isn't a token GM. It's too early to say that about Layden. Danny Ferry was fired for his racial comments; otherwise, Budenholzer wouldn't have been promoted....it would have remained a Ferry and young Coach model, like Ainge and Stevens. I do agree that with top coaches you need to give them more say and veto power over trades, FAs and drafts, etc. But they need good GMs, too. not token ones. Layden is coming from being asst GM of the Spurs...and was JVG/Thibs GM before with the Knicks, so they have history...maybe Thibs even picked him for their history together. I don't think "answers to the head coach" explains the Spurs method of teamwork between Pops and Buford. I don't trust that Rivers and SVG are doing it right.
"You need to have five-man defense in all aspects. If one guy’s not doing his job, the group is going to look bad.” We needed him to tell Harden that. JVG is our only hope.
