Minnesota Timberwolves Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: Ricky Rubio/Tyus Jones
SG: Andrew Wiggins
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Gorgui Dieng/Nemanja Bjelica
C: Karl Towns/Cole Aldrich

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
F Omri Casspi
C Adreian Payne
G Brandon Rush

Restricted
F Shabazz Muhammad

Who They Drafted
1-16 Justin Patton, C Creighton
After trading the number 7 pick in a package to get Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves took Justin Patton, a high upside center that doesn't fit too well on their roster. The issue is that Patton, even if he reaches his potential, is a straight center which means he'd either have to play behind Karl Towns for 10-15 a night, or play beside him which would make Towns much less valuable. Patton, though not a super athlete, moves well and has a lot of nice tools, good hands and feet, as well as tremendous speed running the floor. When given the ball in a good spot he is a close to automatic finisher and has flashed a bit of range on his jumper. Defensively, he moves pretty well for a big guy and has great length, which he's used to block shots at a decent rate, though he's not elite in this area. As a rebounder, Patton leaves a lot to be desired, grabbing 13.8% of available rebounds, a bad number for a center. If he reaches his upside, Patton could be average on both ends of the court which doesn't seem like much but is a solid NBA player.

What They Need Going Forward
Shooting, shooting, shooting. With Butler now on the team the Wolves need to find better shooters at point guard and power forward. Ricky Rubio, as good of a player as he is, doesn't fit their current team needs and will likely be flipped for a better fit (Thad Young makes sense) or dumped for cap space so they can pursue Kyle Lowry, George Hill, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Patrick Patterson, or others.

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Chicago Bulls Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: Kris Dunn/Rajon Rondo/Cameron Payne/Jerian Grant/Isaiah Canaan
SG: Dwyane Wade/Zach LaVine/Denzel Valentine
SF: Paul Zipser
PF: Lauri Markkanen/Bobby Portis
C: Robin Lopez

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
G Anthony Morrow

Restricted
G Michael Carter-Williams
C Cristiano Felicio
F Nikola Mirotic
F Joffrey Lauvergne

Who They Drafted
1-7 Lauri Markkanen, PF/C Arizona
The Bulls used the pick they acquired in the Jimmy Butler swindle to draft a Lauri Markkanen, who finally seems like a player Fred Hoiberg might want to coach, unlike the previous players their front office has acquired. And he's not 23 years old! All kidding aside, and if you can get the bad taste of the Butler trade out of your mouth, Markkanen is the type of player you can get excited about in the (hypothetical) pace-and-space offense Hoiberg wants to run. At 7 feet tall, Markkanen will be one of the best shooters in the NBA from day one. He isn't just a spot-up guy either, Markkanen can even be run off of screens and will certainly be a pick-and-pop weapon from day one. Due to Kris Dunn's shooting woes, giving him the gravity of Markkanen to get just the extra bit of space will be huge, as will his ability to draw rim protectors out of the paint. It is quite uncertain whether or not Dunn can be anything but a defensive specialist at the next level but giving him space to operate and get to the rim will be critical. Defense is the question with Markkanen, and while I don't know if he'll be as bad as some think (he is a fairly mobile, fluid mover) but he'll certainly need to improve. Ideally, Markkanen would have a shot blocking big man that can cover a lot of ground defensively beside him, someone in the Nerlens Noel style of defender (or Jordan Bell...) but I'm not sure that Robin Lopez is that kind of player. Markkanen is a pick for the future however, and down the line they'll want to find a better fit.

What They Need Going Forward
Besides a new front office, the Bulls mostly need to get rid of the old, dead weight on their roster. It will cost them but Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade shouldn't be on the team by the time the season starts. As long as it doesn't cost them too much, Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio should be brought back, but Michael Carter-Williams would be beyond redundant at this point. Both Mirotic and Felicio are younger players that would fit the Bulls rebuild timeline better than some other free agents. All their other efforts should be spent trying to find long term talent and acquiring assets, even if it requires taking on a bad contract, it won't matter because they'll be off the books by the time the Bulls are ready to contend again. In the short term, unless Felicio comes back they'll need a center, while they also only have one true small forward on the roster, Paul Zipser. There are some younger forwards that they could look to sign cheaply, like KJ McDaniels, James Young, or Jerami Grant.

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He's back!

The buzz after last night's Bulls-Knicks game was all about Derrick Rose. Playing in his first game at home in over a year, Rose struggled for much of the night, but hit the game winner in dramatic fashion. However, there was another return last night, the return to form of Tyson Chandler. After winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2011-2012, Chandler battled through a debilitating bulging disk injury, missed 16 games, lost weight and wasn't nearly the defensive force he had been in previous years. New York was actually better on defense with Chandler off the court last season (.513 eFG on to .502 off) while in his DPOY season, he and the team were much better on that end (.480 on, .493 off). However, in the Knicks opening night game against the Bucks, and even more so against the Bulls, Chandler looked back to elite defensive form, almost always in the right spot, making life particularly tough for Rose who had to contend with his long arms and massive frame all night. Chandler blocked four shots, but hasn't put up the huge block numbers you expect from a top defensive center, never averaging more than 1.8 blocks a game. Instead, Chandler protects the rim with size and elite positioning. Another benefit of this is it keeps his fouls down while allowing him to draw more offensive fouls on opponents. Also, so far this season he has looked like his old self defending pick-and-rolls, which is crucial in today's NBA that uses that as its bread and butter. At least so far, the Knicks offense doesn't look as potent as last years, which means they may have to lean more on a their defense, to which Chandler is crucial. Chandler is almost a lock to miss some games with injury, he's played 80 games exactly once in twelve seasons and has averaged 63 games the last five.* What matters is that he is healthy enough to play at a high level when he does plays and can play at that level in the playoffs. The Knicks, who have floundered in the playoffs the last two seasons, are resting their hopes on it.

Some more thoughts on Bulls-Knicks:

While he isn't as crucial of a player as Chandler, Taj Gibson also looked like he was back in top form after battling a knee injury and missing 17 games last year. Gibson frequently closes out games for the Bulls because he is an elite defender at the power forward position. A healthy Gibson means a lot to the Chicago bench and crunch-time lineups. 

Rose really struggled from the field, but he was getting where he wanted for the most part, he just needs to get everything back in rhythm as he regains his elite finishing ability. It will also help when he starts drawing more fouls, the referees were letting quite a bit of contact go uncalled for some reason. If Rose looks this way in game 40, I might worry. In game 2, he is in good shape.

I liked the posting up of Jimmy Butler the Bulls were doing, at 6-7, 220 he has a distinct size advantage over most two guards. Chicago should get some easy buckets this way, whether though Butler in the post or action off of it.

It was nice to see Andrei Bargnani his some shots, if he can regain his stroke (but mostly his confidence) it should help the Knicks offense, his defense and rebounding are still a worry but that is another reason why Chandler is so important to New York.

*Not including the lockout-shortened season in which he played all 62 games.

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NBA Award Predictions + All-NBA, Defense, Rookie Team

Coach of the Year: Mark Jackson, Golden State Warriors
This award generally goes to the coach of a team that has a big jump in wins, or battles injuries, both of which are a possibility for the Warriors this season. Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry could miss games, yet the addition of Andre Igoudala and some steps forward by Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes could lead to 50-plus wins (they won 47 last season). Mark Jackson did what seemed impossible a couple of years ago and turned Golden State into an above average defensive and rebounding team, and they could be even better this year. Kevin McHale, Rick Carlisle, and Frank Vogel are other possibilities, though this award is hard to predict. 

Most Improved Player: Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls

The last five players to win this award all won it in their third or fourth season, and all but Danny Granger had a big jump in minutes as well. Using that criteria, there are several candidates such as a pair of Jazz players in Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors, as well as Suns guard Eric Bledsoe. Kanter has a chance to step into Al Jefferson's role and put up big numbers, while Favors could lead the league in rebounding, and Bledsoe is a stat-sheet stuffer and highlight factory. Still, I think Butler is the choice. Not only will he get a boast in minutes, up from 26 into the 30s, but he should provide an overall game of offense and defense. Perhaps most importantly he will be a key player on a very good team with national exposure.

Sixth Man of the Year: Andrei Kirilenko, Brooklyn Nets

This award frequently goes to high scoring guards, but I think Andrei Kirilenko will break that trend this season because of just how crucial he will be to Brooklyn during the regular season. As the Nets try to spare Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for the playoffs, Kirilenko will play a ton of minutes at both spots and fill up the box score while also being the teams wing stopper. Reggie Jackson, Jamal Crawford, Lance Stephenson, Harrison Barnes, and Manu Ginobili will be the primary scorers off the bench for good teams and in the running for this award.

Rookie of the Year: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic

This is a wide open race for Rookie of the Year as there are no sure-fire performers in big roles this season. Victor Oladipo is the favorite because of his ability to make so many impact plays and put up points, rebounds, assists, steals, and even blocks. He is far from a lock though because he isn't a starter and any number of other rookies could be in the running for this award, it is just a matter of who is able to take ahold of a role and run with it.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets

The winner of this award is almost always a big man and a key part of a top defense, which is why despite his potential merit I am not sure Dwight Howard will win this award, the Rockets defense just won't be good enough for voters to consider him. That said, when healthy he is the best defensive player in the league and should win this award every year. The usual suspects of Marc Gasol, Tyson Chandler, Tony Allen, LeBron James, Joakim Noah, and Roy Hibbert are also potential condidares for the award.

Most Valuable Player: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

LeBron will likely be most deserving of this, but voter fatigue is a real thing and Durant is getting better every season. He has become a much improved playmaker, and should have a boost in scoring average as well with Russell Westbrook out to start the season. Derrick Rose is another possibility, as is James Harden and Chris Paul, but most likely this will come down to Durant vs. LeBron.

First Team All-NBA

G: Chris Paul, Clippers

G: James Harden, Rockets

F: LeBron James, Heat

F: Kevin Durant, Thunder

C: Dwight Howard, Rockets

Second Team All-NBA

G: Derrick Rose, Bulls

G: Tony Parker, Spurs

F: Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

F: Kevin Love, Timberwolves

C: Marc Gasol, Grizzlies 

Third Team All-NBA

G: Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers

G: Dwyane Wade, Heat

F: Paul George, Pacers

F: Anthony Davis, Pelicans

C: Al Horford, Hawks

First Team All-Rookie
G: Victor Oladipo, Magic
G: Ben McLemore, Kings
G: Michael Carter-Williams, Sixers
F: Anthony Bennett, Cleveland
C: Cody Zeller, Bobcats

Second Team All-Rookie
G: Dennis Schroder, Atlanta
G: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Pistons
F: Otto Porter, Wizards
F: Kelly Olynyk, Celtics
C: Steven Adams, Thunder

First Team All-Defense
G: Mike Conely Jr, Grizzlies
G: Tony Allen, Grizzlies
F: LeBron James, Heat
F: Tim Duncan, Spurs
C: Dwight Howard, Rockets

Second Team All-Defense
G: Chris Paul, Clippers
G: Eric Bledsoe, Suns
F: Paul George, Pacers
F: Kawhi Leonard, Spurs
C: Joakim Noah, Bulls