Timberwolves off-season vastly overrated

One trade was good, the other turned out to be a mistake

A friend of mine likes to point out that I’m a curmudgeon.

But he doesn’t call me that. Not yet. Maybe when I’m 85 years old and literally yelling at kids to get off my lawn.

In my rants about everything online, he likes to comment on my negativity with #RickPoopsOnEverything or #RPOE.

And he’s right. I do. Not literally. Not yet.

But with that, let this be my first official sitting on the throne.

In NBA circles, the general consensus with the offseason so far of the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves is that it’s been good (Bucks) to excellent (Timberwolves).

Quickly, about the Bucks (because I unofficially pooped on them the other day), not much was expected, after Greg Monroe opted in.

But reports that they were interested in Jamal Crawford and met with Derrick Rose made me want to stick a pencil in my eye. Or their eye. Who’s using pencils anymore?

Thankfully, the 37-year-old, George Costanza-chucking, former sixth-man award winner, Crawford, was traded to Atlanta. He could still be bought out, however, so I’ll have the pencil sharpened.

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As for Rose, here’s that pile.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, it’s harder to #POE but I will.

Saturday, texting a friend as reports were coming in, I thought, ‘Wow, Tom Thibodeau had this all planned out.”

Because, initially, I #P all over the Ricky Rubio trade. But, adding Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague — that’s a plan.

Of course, that didn’t happen, and Taj Gibson is not Paul Millsap, which makes trading Rubio for Teague a step backward or sideways.
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The Wolves did everything in the wrong order. First, get Millsap, then figure the rest out. And, if you’re not getting Millsap, then don’t trade Rubio.

Minnesota doesn’t need a scoring point guard. Pretty sure the other four guys on the court can score. But maybe Thibodeau, watching Rubio for a year, and knowing Jimmy Butler’s ability to dominate the ball and facilitate, led to the trade. 

Teague will sign for three years, $57 million. Rubio has two years, $28 million left on his deal.

The Teague deal isn’t awful, but he’s older, more expensive and not a better “point guard” than Rubio — a better shooter but not ridiculously so. Teague’s also 29. Rubio is 26.

Rubio, being the burden of trade rumors, maybe took its toll, with Minnesota, as well and change was needed. 

It just seems like, if the Timberwolves were going all in, then they should have went all in starting with Millsap, who’s 32.

Atlanta got a 2018, top-three protected first-round pick from the Clippers, which might actually be pretty good, but it also had take on the chucker (the aforementioned Crawford), who is due $28 million over the next two seasons.

The Timberwolves couldn’t top that?

This was the year Minnesota could spend money. Free agency next year will (now) be (only) about re-signing Andrew Wiggins. And after that Towns. Minnesota is done spending money. This was it.

Butler has two years left on his deal. Minnesota had one year to make a splash in free agency to make him happy and it made a lateral move at point guard, then signed Taj Gibson for $28 million over two years — a fine deal after everything else failed but he’s just another guy clogging the lane.

Maybe Gibson and Butler are friends. Maybe the Wolves should sign Rose, too, not the Bucks.

At least Minnesota didn’t sign Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic.

#RPOE