Dear Timberwolves fans,
I read a piece from the Pioneer Press with a quote from Thibs.
Here’s a snippet:
(Click on picture to read the entire piece).
You see the quote that I highlighted? Listen to the message from Thibs carefully.
He is truthful about a few things:
- Thibs still has some money to spend.
- They will be looking at young players in the market with potential.
He also said he has enough capital ‘ that [the front office] feel[s] … can attract very good player.’
That part of the statement is partially correct, but ultimately inaccurate.
Here’s why: Thibs hasn’t been attracting shooters on the open market with his $4,328,000 Room Exception.
[ Related: THIBS, AS THE TIMBERWOLVES POBO, CONSIDER THESE SHOOTERS FOR OUR BENCH]
Take a look at some of the free agents, who are guards, who signed with other teams:
Euro star point guard Milo Teodosic has agreed to a two-year, $12.3M deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2017
Free agent guard Justin Holiday has agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal with the Chicago Bulls, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2017
Free agent guard Shelvin Mack is finalizing a two-year, $12M deal with the Orlando Magic, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 7, 2017
What do you notice about these guards?
One, they’re reserves.
Two, they have some sort of potential to come off the bench.
(Milo may be a Euro star PG, but he hasn’t proven himself in the NBA yet)
Three, the price: they all signed for costs that are above $4,328,000, our $4,328,000 Room Exception.
So what does that say about the free agent market for guards—shooters, whatever you want to call it—right now?
Two things:
- Players, after lowering their prices, are signing with teams that could afford them.
- Some of them are being incentivized to join teams on one-year deals with player options (like Milo)
So what does that mean for Thibs and the Timberwolves?
Two things:
- The front office is being outbid by their competitors by a few million dollars.
- Thibs may not be comfortable including player options for reserves.
With those ideas in mind, do you really believe Thibs will add ‘a very good player’ on a shoestring budget?
Very unlikely.
So when Thibs said his front office could attract ‘a very good player,’ it could have been wishful thinking (which is my point)
(Again, if I’m wrong Thibs, please let me know)
And by the way, considering what you know about Thibs (as a secretive person), the next time you’re trying to interpret what he is saying, don’t just take his words at face value.
[Related: THIBS IS SECRETIVE FOR A REASON. A REALLY GOOD REASON ]
Read what he says line by line.
Think about them (carefully).
Put together the puzzle pieces.
And finally, draw your conclusions.
Often times, or not—who really knows—Thibs could be telling you the opposite of what he (really) wants to say.
—DP
Go Timberwolves! Get your howl on.
Follow us on Twitter @howlintwolf & @Twolvesblog.
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