At one point, when the Minnesota Timberwolves had this starting lineup, they had the worst net rating in the NBA.
It just never worked.
Then, they replaced D'Angelo Russell with Mike Conley Jr.. After some time together, they grew into the Timberwolves’ first Conference Finals team since 2004.
They came back from 20 in Game 7 on the road to beat the Champs. That’s a real sentence.
Many of you are going to say “Naz Reid.” And you are correct. That’s facts.
But does Minnesota’s growth say ANYTHING about the only player who’s no longer in their starting lineup? – ClutchPoints
by ValuableAssociate8
32 Comments
What their team needed was a leader and a guy that can be an actual point guard. Dlo isn’t that and never will be. And at the end of the day that’s fine.
He certainly ain’t the solution.
He was A problem, not necessarily THE problem. Ant improved greatly as a player this year and Mike Conley is a much more steady had and less volatile than DLo. McDaniels is also improved and Naz Reid as well. I’m as anti-DLo as anyone, but he’s not the sole reason why they weren’t good before now
The Wolves needed a veteran presence among all those young guys and Conley did that, but saying it’s all Dlo’s fault totally dismisses Ant’s growth as a two way superstar as well as KAT being healthy this season.
>At one point, when the Minnesota Timberwolves had this starting lineup, they had the worst net rating in the NBA.
This statement is also just wrong. That starting lineup played 17 games together last season and they were a +3.6.
No. It’s stupid, reductionist, and unfair to pin all this on Dlo. Does everyone look around and blame Jerami Grant for the Nuggets not beating us in 2020? Teams need to learn and adjust and grow. Last year Gobert and Towns looked like an awful fit, but they figured it out. Edwards has developed exponentially this season, especially when you look at how he played in FIBA less than a year ago.
Dlo was responsible for our improved play compared to the RW build in a lot of ways and robbing him of that isn’t fair to Dlo.
Clearly Conley brings solid leadership and consistency and he fits the team well, but if Edwards, Towns, and Gobert don’t figure their shit out then whoever plays pg doesn’t matter.
Yes he was for them and for us. He’s not the only problem but he’s the biggest one. He’s a 2 way liability that is a red carpet into the paint in human form and is liable to disappear 80% of any series.
D’lo is not the solution but I do admit he is not entirely at fault. Lakers need to move away from the Reaves/D’Lo/Rui core.
Ant took a leap
Conley is a little better yes
Whole team had another season and time to gel and learn what works
KAT was healthy
They got rid of Dlo, Vando & Prince, replaced them with superior two-way players and became contenders. Getting rid of Vando allowed Jaden Mcdaniels to further develop and getting rid of Dlo gave the keys to the offense to Ant.
Mike Conley plays defense and is a lot more poised. DLO might have higher highs but Conley is so much more consistent he provides leadership, defense, playmaking, shooting, and can create his own shot if u need him too.
if Conley plays here and score 10 points a game this sub will go bananas, Wolves have players that play 2 ways, Ant can score and run back to play d. Outside of AD, there is no one else in the Lakers uniform that can do that.
Duh
He was definitely the weak link in the chain but there are multiple reason. After thinking about it more, DLO isn’t a starting level pg. He should be moved to a 6th man and come in to lead a second unit and get buckets.
THE problem is a bit too much, but he is A problem for sure.
Every team got better after replacing him with more effective players. In two seasons here he has contributed on offense in regular season, but his defense was a problem. In playoffs he always fades and has never able to reach his regular season averages for different teams, coaches and schemes.
Dlo is definitely not a starting caliber PG for a title contender, but he is adequate for a franchise not concerned about winning.
No. He was a problem. Not the problem
yes.
They beat the Nuggets, but this is counting the chickens before they hatch. They still gotta get through Kyrie, Luka, and the Mavs, and then they got Celtics/Pacers in the finals. If they don’t win a chip, then it’s all just noise. If they just make it to the WCF, it’s even worse. Lakers with DLo were in the WCF last year. Is it really all that different?
I think the main issue was the team last year had some problems. Remember last year Rudy punched Kyle Anderson and got himself suspended? That’s not a DLo problem. The Wolves got to play together more. KAT improved as a two way player. Anthony Edwards ascended into superstardom. Rudy isn’t the problem he was last year.
It’s his maturity. When I saw DLo pouting during the playoffs because he was benched after going scoreless, we all saw who he really was. He’s that same kid who posted that video of Nick Young.
DLo is a 6th man in this league. You can’t be a starting caliber player on a contending team and only bring one thing to the table. If DLo isn’t hitting shots he’s pretty much useless.
Mike Conley plays defense and is a great playmaker. He also has great shot selection which gives the team better looks and better chance to score.
DLo can go off but his defense is poor, his shot selection is poor and he’s a good but not great playmaker. He should eventually adjust to a 6th man role when he’s ready to come to grips with where he fits in the league.
The answer is yes and injuries were the other problem. Ant was already really good last year. Dlo just isn’t a guard that can perform in the playoffs at a high level
Every team has gaps. The great thing about team building is that you negate one negative with another positive. Lakers run a small backcourt with two minus defenders, so D’Lo gets exposed when he shot isn’t falling, but if your other guard was Caruso we probably have a different view of his game.
He is also a role player put into a 3rd star role sometimes. He makes as much as Rui, why would we expect him to score 20+ every night?
Nope rebounds is the problem
Yes he was
Sure, if we pretend health and organic growth doesn’t exist. We really pretending this the same ant, naz, McDaniels and NAW as last year?
Didn’t McDaniels miss the series vs Denver last year with a fractured hand? While kat missed almost the whole season.
D Lo was extremely disrespectful and condensending towards Rudy Gobert. Not to mention, before Rudy got there, D Lo was the reason why we lost to the Memphis Grizzlies (2022 Playoffs) he played poorly and couldn’t even come close to his regular season average in that playoff series. If D Lo isn’t shooting the ball well what else does he do on the court?
No, our problem was a shortage of tanky big men that focus on rebounds.
Yes. He’s just not a winning player.
Coaching was the problem. Good coaching would’ve covered up much more than D-Lo.
Ham is a nice guy, but he wasn’t good enough.
How about we give mike conley his flowers – he has done an amazing job leading that team and becoming that vet presence in that locker room
Dlo is always the problem. He’s one of those players that will never work on any team until he humbles himself and accepts a reduced role.
We blamed Westbrook and his contract the prior year. So, D Lo will be gone. Ham is already gone. Time to replace the front office.
Ham was responsible for at least 15 of their losses