We Interrupt This Program ...
This is a test of the Timberwolves Emergency Broadcast System. The media of your area in voluntary cooperation with the Federal, State and local authorities have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of a Timberwolves trade rumor. If this had been an actual trade, this warning would have been followed by official information, news or instructions. This concludes this test of the Timberwolves Emergency Broadcast System.
It's been awhile since there has been a real, full-fledged, Timberwolves trade rumor our there so this morning's news that Al Jefferson may have been offered to Indiana for Danny Granger was big news.
Despite objections from David Kahn saying that no such trade was discussed and that none of the Wolves main pieces will be going anywhere until at least the offseason, it's hard to know for sure what actually happened.
“Predictable move to run and get David Kahn denial, but Minny GM initiated Al Jefferson-Danny Granger trade idea with Indiana. That’s fact,” claimed Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on his Twitter account.
Whether or not the specific trade was actually discussed, it marks a good time to go over some key points in potentially trading Big Al.
1. Can Jefferson and Kevin Love form a championship starting frontcourt?
I sincerely believe that they can. They are two immensely-talented players that bring different skill-sets to the table and complement each other well on the offensive end. I understand that they don't work as well on defense, but in that case it's more about matchups and flexibility. There are certain teams in the league that the Wolves struggle with because they lack size and length up front, but that can be solved by making sure you have the perfect backup big man to complement both Love and Jefferson. You need somebody that can rebound and play defense and matchup with teams like Portland and the Lakers. If a player like Joel Przybilla were available who could do these two things while not complaining about a bench role it would be perfect for the Wolves. They could then matchup with any type of frontcourt and in almost all cases have an advantage.
2. If Jefferson and Love can't work together, do we need to make a move now?
Absolutely not. If the problem is that we need an athletic, defensive center ... the answer is not trading away Jefferson unless we receive an athletic, defensive center in return. Sure, there are other areas of weakness on this team (there have to be since they only have eight victories) but clogging one hole will only open up a new one. And I think that almost everybody can agree that it's much more difficult to find a good center than it is to find a good wing player.
3. The Wolves really need a star wing player, you're not going to get somebody as good as Danny Granger without giving up a player like Al Jefferson.
That's just not true. The Wolves will have multiple opportunities to acquire a starting wing player over the next year. The most obvious option will be in free agency, where Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson will be available. If neither of them are willing to sign here, the Wolves will have expiring contracts and young prospects (see Rubio, Ricky) available to trade. And if they can't swing a trade, they'll have another top-10 draft pick when Evan Turner, Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry will all be available.
I really like Danny Granger and would love to have him on the Wolves, but if I had to choose between having a glaring hole at SF or having one at C ... I'd gladly choose SF.
You can count on one hand how many athletic, defensive centers in this league are starting quality and also young enough to fit with our current core (25 and under): Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez, Joakim Noah, Andrew Bynum and Kendrick Perkins. You might be able to look at Greg Oden or Andris Biedrins, but then you're facing major questions about health or lack of offensive talent. Of those seven players I would argue that only Howard is a better player than Jefferson, and I know some people that would disagree with me even on that point. The Nets have made Lopez untouchable and Bynum is overvalued by LA. That leaves you with Noah and Perkins.
If somebody can show me an example of how we could acquire either of those players without using Jefferson, then I may be swayed on this argument, but until then it's just not worth filling one hole by opening up another that will be much harder to fill.
It's been awhile since there has been a real, full-fledged, Timberwolves trade rumor our there so this morning's news that Al Jefferson may have been offered to Indiana for Danny Granger was big news.
Despite objections from David Kahn saying that no such trade was discussed and that none of the Wolves main pieces will be going anywhere until at least the offseason, it's hard to know for sure what actually happened.
“Predictable move to run and get David Kahn denial, but Minny GM initiated Al Jefferson-Danny Granger trade idea with Indiana. That’s fact,” claimed Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on his Twitter account.
Whether or not the specific trade was actually discussed, it marks a good time to go over some key points in potentially trading Big Al.
1. Can Jefferson and Kevin Love form a championship starting frontcourt?
I sincerely believe that they can. They are two immensely-talented players that bring different skill-sets to the table and complement each other well on the offensive end. I understand that they don't work as well on defense, but in that case it's more about matchups and flexibility. There are certain teams in the league that the Wolves struggle with because they lack size and length up front, but that can be solved by making sure you have the perfect backup big man to complement both Love and Jefferson. You need somebody that can rebound and play defense and matchup with teams like Portland and the Lakers. If a player like Joel Przybilla were available who could do these two things while not complaining about a bench role it would be perfect for the Wolves. They could then matchup with any type of frontcourt and in almost all cases have an advantage.
2. If Jefferson and Love can't work together, do we need to make a move now?
Absolutely not. If the problem is that we need an athletic, defensive center ... the answer is not trading away Jefferson unless we receive an athletic, defensive center in return. Sure, there are other areas of weakness on this team (there have to be since they only have eight victories) but clogging one hole will only open up a new one. And I think that almost everybody can agree that it's much more difficult to find a good center than it is to find a good wing player.
3. The Wolves really need a star wing player, you're not going to get somebody as good as Danny Granger without giving up a player like Al Jefferson.
That's just not true. The Wolves will have multiple opportunities to acquire a starting wing player over the next year. The most obvious option will be in free agency, where Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson will be available. If neither of them are willing to sign here, the Wolves will have expiring contracts and young prospects (see Rubio, Ricky) available to trade. And if they can't swing a trade, they'll have another top-10 draft pick when Evan Turner, Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry will all be available.
I really like Danny Granger and would love to have him on the Wolves, but if I had to choose between having a glaring hole at SF or having one at C ... I'd gladly choose SF.
You can count on one hand how many athletic, defensive centers in this league are starting quality and also young enough to fit with our current core (25 and under): Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez, Joakim Noah, Andrew Bynum and Kendrick Perkins. You might be able to look at Greg Oden or Andris Biedrins, but then you're facing major questions about health or lack of offensive talent. Of those seven players I would argue that only Howard is a better player than Jefferson, and I know some people that would disagree with me even on that point. The Nets have made Lopez untouchable and Bynum is overvalued by LA. That leaves you with Noah and Perkins.
If somebody can show me an example of how we could acquire either of those players without using Jefferson, then I may be swayed on this argument, but until then it's just not worth filling one hole by opening up another that will be much harder to fill.
Tags: Al, Danny, Granger, Jefferson, Minnesota, Timberwolves
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