A million things could happen between now and Wednesday.
The Timberwolves could climb all the way up (technically) to the No. 4 seed. They could also miss the playoffs entirely. They could end up with two draft picks or no draft picks. The scenarios are finite, but feel endless.
I’ve posted my thoughts all season, and the stakes have gotten high. Everybody has questions at this point in the season, so I opened it up to Twitter.
We got enough questions to make this into two parts (thank you for that!). For part one, click here.
Here is part two:
I don’t see a scenario where Brown ends up back with the Wolves next year. He told Dane Moore that he likely wouldn’t do a two-way contract again next season; and while the Wolves will likely have a need at wing, the Wolves would have played him this year if they liked him.
I think it’s clear that Thibodeau likes Georges-Hunt, but I’m not sure how much.
Again, if Thibodeau liked him enough to retain him, there was ample time for Georges-Hunt to find his way into regular rotation minutes. That never happened.
With that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see what the wing depth looks like next season.
1. He’ll probably sign a point guard on a third-string type role. To answer question three, it could be Rose, although Rose has generally played a wing-like role this season.
2. I get the sense that Thibodeau likes “Bjeli” quite a bit. He mentioned in shootaround Monday that he was impressed with his versatility at both forward positions, his shooting and his passing. He used the word “valuable” when describing him. I don’t have any inside knowledge on the matter, but I get the sense that Thibs would like to see Bjelica back.
3. I was intrigued when Rose was the one benched following Butler’s return in Los Angeles. If that continues, it would suggest to me that his place in the rotation is pretty far down. If that’s the case, his odds of returning might be slim, but we’ll see.
Positivity is good, especially when the playoff race is this tight.
If I had to pick a rotation, it would vary game-to-game. The starting five, Bjelica, Jones and Crawford would be definite ins, with Dieng, Rose and even Georges-Hunt and Aldrich as potential spot guys if the situation calls for it.
Rotations generally shrink in the playoffs, while the ninth and 10th guys on the bench typically become situational players. I see that happening with the Wolves.
The stats are just as bad in one situation, but surprisingly good in another. Lineups with Jones-Rose-Crawford have a net rating of -26.4 in 39 minutes on the floor together.
Meanwhile, when you flip Jones with Teague — albeit in an equally low sample size of 29 minutes — the net rating is +23.2. The defensive rating is a staggering 86.4.
This doesn’t mean anything yet, and no matter how you twist it, both of those lineups are going to be bad defensively with more time on the floor together.
But again, Rose didn’t play in the second half against Los Angeles. Maybe that was just an in-game decision, or maybe it’s something bigger with Butler’s return.
I handed this one over to my partner in crime, Dane Moore:
One player I have my eye on — for various reasons — is Kentavius Caldwell-Pope. The former Piston and current Laker is an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing a one-year deal for just under $18 million in Los Angeles.
While the $18 million is jarring, and it is true that the Wolves do not have that much money to spend, the reality is that KCP will garner nowhere near that much money this offseason. His price tag will drop; not due to individual regression but because of the lack of teams with cap space this summer. Also, $18 million was an overpay, even in last summer’s market. KCP got paid big bucks because it was for one season and would allow him to fall off the Lakers’ books before they look to make a bigger move.
To land the services of Caldwell-Pope, the Wolves best offer will almost certainly be four-years and $36 million — the full mid-level exception. Will the 25-year-old take a cheaper rate for four years of security? Possibly. Though it can be expected that many teams will be hunting for wing depth — like KCP — with their MLE.
Caldwell-Pope has always profiled as a 3-and-D player. This season he is shooting a career-best 38.6 percent from 3.
Listen to Tim on Wolves Wired!
