First off, I want to shout out all of my loyal readers that have been with me since day 1, as well as all the new readers that continue to find Birdman's Blog! WELCOME! I created this blog and started writing completely for fun and have continued to do so because it brings me joy. I understand that not all of my sports opinions align with everyone else's, but that's what makes sports exciting! Being an athlete myself, I provide a unique view on sports when considering how the intagibiles (along with analytics) play a huge role in player and team success. Enjoy and go Wolves!
Now that we are a week away from the blockbuster trade that shook the NBA world, lets dive a little deeper into how it changes the outlook for each party involved. What does this trade mean for the Timberwolves? What does this trade mean for the Knickerbockers? Is there potentially another trade coming...?? Lastly, Anthony Edwards is a SUPERSTAR. Feel free to drop a comment at the bottom, on Twitter, or on Facebook. I love hearing other people's thoughts and opinions on the topics I write about!
What does this mean for the Timberwolves?
The Minnesota Timberwolves massively improved their roster with this trade, along with our other offseason moves.
We will be essentially the same on defense as we were in 2023; one of the league's top units, again. KAT has a 109 defensive rating, while Randle and DiVincenzo are each rated at 110. Don't get this mistaken, this top ranked defense starts with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. They set the tone. As long as those guys are here, our defense will continue to be punishing.
3-point shooting will be way better. Donte DiVincenzo (we have never had a 3-point shooter as good as DDV), Mike Conley, Naz Reid, and Joe Ingles are all absolute knockdown 3-point shooters. Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Julius Randle, and Rob Dillingham are more streaky 3-point shooters that can all get hot at any moment. The Timberwolves were one of the most efficient 3-point shooting teams in the league last season, but we were below average when it came to volume. GM Tim Connelly just fixed the roster making the Wolves an even higher volume 3-point shooting team, while keeping the efficiency at one of the league's best.
Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Rob Dillingham all play with a similar style. They are primarily slashers and drivers, getting to the rim, pulling up for 2, and CREATING for others. This will lead to an increased number of open 3-point opportunities being kicked out to all the names I listed above. In fact, Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Conley, and Naz Reid all finished in the top 10 last year in wide open 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA. This will be a problem for opponents. It will be a pick-your-poison. If teams defend the drives with help defense, our shooting will make them pay. If teams decide to guard the 3-point shooters with less help defense, Edwards and Randle will feast at the rim. Win-win for the Wolves.
We are going to see a much improved offensive Wolves team. The Wolves were the top ranked defensive team last season, but finished as only the 19th ranked team on offense. I would expect the defense to stay in the top 3 and the offensive rating to finish closer to top 10 in 2024.
Randle and his poor performance in the playoffs? Let's think realllllllly hard as to why Randle hasn't always performed well in the playoffs. Hmmmm...this shouldn't be difficult to figure out. Coach Thibs coached him in New York (playing him over 35 minutes per game!) and Thibs has a LONG history of completely overworking his players every regular season. By the time playoffs come around, his teams consistently fizzle out because they are exhausted and/or injured. Good Head Coaches and GMs understand how hard to push players in the regular season. Chris Finch and Tim Connelly are going to have a great plan for Randle with the depth of this team. Expect Randle's minutes to decrease from 35 minutes, to something more like 28-29 minutes per game with the Wolves. I guarantee Randle will perform better in the playoffs.
Chris Finch coached Julius Randle in New Orleans about 6 years ago. Randle loves Finch so much that he campaigned to have the Knicks hire Finch to join him in New York. Thankfully for Minnesota, that didn't happen!
Post-trade, the Wolves have the 6th best odds to win the NBA Finals. I think this is too low.
I believe the Wolves will win 60+ games, earn either the 1 or 2 seed in the West, and eventually win the 2024-25 NBA Championship. Yeah, I said it.
What does this mean for the Knickerbockers?
On paper, the Knicks starting 5 looks great, but they don't have much of a bench. Their starters include Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl Anthony Towns. The bench is basically just Miles McBride, Precious Achiuwa, and Mitchell Robinson (who's already injured and expected to miss the first half of the season).
Coach Thibs does coach very hard and his teams are usually very solid.
If and when they run into MORE injuries, it could be a very long season. Like I said above, Thibs loves to overplay his players in the regular season which leads to high levels of fatigue and injuries, come playoff time. They already have C Mitchell Robinson out for the start of the season. This is going to put a lot of stress on KAT, who comes in with an already shaky knee from last year.
If they get to the playoffs, they don't have a deep team. They are going to learn very quickly how KAT loves to foul out in big games. He earns some of the dumbest fouls I have ever seen and has never seemed to learn from them. Maybe he will get better calls playing in New York.
The New York media is a completely different animal compared to MN. If things don't go well for KAT and the Knicks, it's going to get REALLY ugly.
I want to be nice to KAT for a minute and quote the late Dr. Seuss to the Wolves fans that are still really upset he is gone, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." KAT had an incredible impact on our organization and our community while he was here. I know he will be missed by many of you. Truth is, he is never coming back and, honestly, he can keep his Yankees wearing hat fandom in New York. And quit with the "we need to retire KAT's number in the rafters" nonsense. Why would we do that? KG needs his number retired, but we have no reason to retire KAT's number. Sorry, I couldn't help it!
Post trade, the Knicks currently have the 3rd best odds to win the NBA Title. (I would recommend not taking this bet.)
I believe the Knicks will still win around 50 games, like they did last year, but finish 4th in the East, and eventually lose in the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs (depending on what injuries they are working with).
Is there potentially another trade coming?
This is all speculation by Birdman's Blog.
Will the Wolves try to eventually package Julius Randle and other assets to the Suns for Kevin Durant in return? I would not be surprised by a move like this later in the season. We are currently about 9-11 players deep, which is great for regular season success in the NBA. When it comes to the playoffs, the teams that succeed are usually 8-9 players deep with a heavier focus on STAR POWER. Kevin Durant would absolutely qualify as that piece, he is one of the greatest players of all time.
If this trade ends up happening, it would go down as an unbelievable job by GM Tim Connelly to first trade KAT to the Eastern Conference and still follow it up by getting Durant in the end. I mention this because I have seen some people say that if we wanted Durant, why wouldn't we have just made that trade in the first place (KAT for Durant)? For one, this way we avoid KAT staying in our conference. And second, we were able to get Donte DiVincenzo and a potential 1st round pick in the first deal. Never doubt Tim Connelly.
I personally don't think we will make another trade until closer to the trade deadline. Randle and DDV replacing KAT is a huge upgrade for the Wolves, even if you don't agree.
Anthony Edwards!
Let's talk about Minnesota's favorite player and the FACE OF THE NBA!
Anthony Edwards comes into the season as a top 10 player in the NBA. By the end of the 2024-25 season, Edwards will be a consensus top 5 player in the NBA.
Edwards is sneakily VERY good at catch and shoot 3-pointers. Adding Julius Randle and Rob Dillingham will help open up this part of his game even further.
ANT spoke with Sam Mitchell this offseason about how much his game grew playing for Team USA, being around the league's best players, and winning the Gold Medal over the summer. He mentioned that the biggest thing he learned was from Steph Curry and how to most effectively improve his off ball play. He is so dangerous with the ball in his hands...imagine if he becomes just as good off the ball!
If you haven't tuned in yet, Netflix just dropped a new NBA show called "Starting 5" featuring Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Domantas Sabonis, and Jayson Tatum. It follows the 5 All Stars through the 2023-24 season and Anthony Edwards is the undisputed STAR of the show. Give it a watch!
Anthony Edwards is about to have a generational season. Who will he posterize this year?! How many 40+, 50+, 60+ point games will he have this season?! Can you picture his million dollar smile holding up the Larry O'Brien Trophy?? I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEASON TO START... GET YOUR POPCORN READY!
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to drop a comment at the bottom, on Twitter, or on Facebook. I love hearing other people's thoughts and opinions on the topics I write about! Go Wolves!!!!
Also, if you are new or haven't checked out my other posts, take a moment to go through the FEATURED POSTS section. There you will find some of my favorite Positivity in Life, Sports and Comedy posts. I like to keep this blog balanced with a variety of material that can connect to everyone that comes across my site! Thanks again... I appreciate you all!
Timberwolves gonna win it all!!!!
I am excited for Wolves basketball, thanks for your insight. 🤓🏆🔥
TIMBERWOLVES ARE COMINNNNNN! 🐺