希望拉塞尔能证明一下自己吧
为自己也为我狼🤷‍♂️

I would like a little breakdown on Finch. What areas do you see he needs growth (or his own self-improvement plan)? My only concerns are what things did he take away from playoffs? The way he and players talk is like he basically lets them do what they want. I’m hoping there’s a little more structure, especially for when they’re facing big runs. It can’t be who can take the longest distance 3-point shot between D-Lo, KAT and Ant. Kind of nitpicking stuff, but I think pressure is more on Finch this year because the talent is probably better than any T’Wolves roster ever. — Christopher P.

How does Finch compare to other coaches in the league in terms of offensive creativity and which aspects make his coaching stand out? — Luis D.

Finch has no doubt gone through a period of evaluation for the entire staff to see where they can improve for this season. He’s 52 and has a deep resume of head coaching experience overseas and in the G League, but he still has coached only one full season in the NBA. So it is natural that he doesn’t have everything mastered at this point.

I will say that overall, his combination of X’s and O’s chops and the way he moves within the organization — with players, coaches, executives, ownership, business side, all the stakeholders — is incredibly strong. He has really connected with the team in an important way, one that is unique. It may sound funny, but after seeing coaches come and go here for almost 20 years, I really think that is a key indicator of success.
As for calling timeouts and game management, there are going to be mistakes here and there. Every coach has them. You raise an interesting point about “letting players do what they want.” Finch likes to say that puts up left and right bumpers and give players room to operate within those bumpers. I think that philosophy will continue this season. That’s what he believes works best for him. So far, he has every reason to believe he’s on the right track with the results produced on the floor.

There may need to be a little more structure in end-of-game scenarios (don’t forget some of the beautiful in-bounds plays he drew up to beat teams in the regular season). But there will also have to be maturation from the players executing whatever he draws up in the huddle. They go hand-in-hand.
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大师虽然拥有丰富的海外跟发展联盟经验、但说到底，他只执教了一个完整的赛季而已。很自然的自然不能做到完美。大师在球队内外都建立了紧密的联系，jon认为这是成功的关键。

。。。。。。这也太低标准了

多次过首轮并只要一次西决吧
要是过两次首轮就是提前维稳的话术了

Do you think the Twin Towers experiment will work, and do you think that reverses the small-ball tide in the NBA? — Wolf

Dedicated readers of this mailbag (including one coming up next) will know that I have always been more bullish on Towns than some. I believe the amount of turnover in the leadership positions, the lack of talent around him and all the dysfunction he has seen in seven years has to be accounted for when evaluating his career. He absolutely has things to improve upon as well, but the organization in general has been a mess ever since he arrived.

Now there appears to be stability in the front office and coaching staff, energy in the ownership ranks and talent around him. And what I believe about the Northern Heights lineup is that it can absolutely work because of who is at the four and who is at the five. The reason the Warriors are the Warriors is not because they decided to ride shooting, it’s because they have Hall of Famers doing the shooting and a Hall of Fame defender to tie it together on the other end. If they would have tried to replicate the approach with lesser players, it probably wouldn’t have been as revolutionary.

The Wolves aren’t running out a two-big lineup consisting of Andre Drummond and Clint Capela. They’re using two of the four best centers in the league, including the best shooting center of all time and one of the very best defensive centers of all time. KAT and Gobert are All-NBA players in their primes. Talent wins. That’s why I think this will work.

Does that mean multiple championships and the next great dynasty? No, not necessarily. But we’re seeing teams go bigger with success elsewhere (Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, the Lakers’ bubble title, just to name a few). The Wolves may be leaning in a little harder than other teams, but it’s not completely out of the blue.
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众所周知，我jon是唐斯的舔狗，一直比你们一些人更看好唐斯。在你们评价唐斯的时候也该考虑他所处的人环境。球团人员更迭，身边缺少助手，以及他这七年所遇到的困境。他是有需要改进的地方、但不否认他来到这里之后，这里一直是一团糟。
现在管理层跟教练组都很稳定，身边充满天赋。我认为双塔绝对可行。勇士之所以为勇士，是他们有两个名人堂球员相互配合。
康贼还不屑用什么卡佩拉之流，直接用联盟最好的四个中锋中的两个。有史以来最强的投射型中锋跟有史以来防守最强的中锋之一，这就是我认为会成功的原因。

If Towns cannot defend the four against quicker players, his offensive production drops at the four to, say, 18 points per game, and the team improves but still doesn’t get past the first round two years down the road, doesn’t Towns go on the trading block to recoup some of the future the Gobert trade took from the Wolves? Gobert will be a less valuable trade asset at age 32, and the Wolves have now signaled they believe the team will be stuck in place or even lose ground against the West with Towns at center. In other words, if the Gobert trade fails, doesn’t Towns have to be moved? — Lonard G.

If the worst happens (the Kat/Rudy pairing doesn’t produce elite offense or defense), what is the Wolves pivot? — Iain S.

Ah, a Lonard post hammering Towns. The season is upon us! As stated above, I do believe it can work. But, to the questions from Lonard and Iain, it certainly isn’t guaranteed. If this pairing falls flat and the Wolves do not take the leap that is expected, yes, I do think the natural reaction is to look to move Towns for a treasure trove of assets and reconfigure the roster.

Thankfully, the other 29 teams are not run by Lonard. So the Wolves could fetch a major haul for a highly productive and ultra-efficient center who is under 30 and under a contract that will get increasingly valuable as the cap rises and the new TV deal kicks in. In Lonard’s scenario, Gobert will be a little too old to get a huge batch of picks and/or players back, but KAT will still be firmly in his prime.

I don’t expect him to struggle like Lonard is anticipating. If he scores less and they win more, why make any changes? But if this all implodes the way things tend to do in Minnesota, moving Towns would represent the team’s best chance to get a windfall back and position itself for a new, Ant-centered roster.
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如果一切向最糟糕的情况发展，那可能是交易唐斯改立爱德华兹的契机。

华子勺子待遇稍微好点，上赛季就25+

Is this the year our best 3-point shooter leads the team in 3-point attempts per game? Or is KAT reticent to let it fly 10 times a game for some reason? — Matthew T.

Towns likes to be as efficient as possible. I do think he will shoot more 3s than we’ve seen him shoot in several years, but there is more to his game than just shooting so the Wolves definitely do not want him to just be a catch-and-shoot guy. I could see Edwards or Russell leading the team in attempts per game if Towns does not. But I would also expect that Towns will lead the team in percentage.

How Towns incorporates increased attempts from deep into his game while also applying pressure to the defense in other areas will be a big factor in the success of the Gobert-KAT partnership. Maybe he launches more when the two bigs are out there and maybe he uses his driving game, which really blossomed last season, when he is on the floor and Gobert is on the bench.
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唐斯的投篮将会比我们以往看到的更多，但他不仅仅只会投篮。球队也不会希望看到他只是一个接球投篮的人。如何将其他技能融入到比赛中给对手施压，也会是双塔组合能否成功的关键。

这是Jon神招牌的维稳套路，去年就说你狼可能进不去前10，把同一个广播里的最懂球整不会了

Hypothetical . . . what if D-Lo goes off this year (like he did in my NBA 2K season)? Would the Wolves actually go all-in with a huge extension for him and have three guys on massive contracts with the Edwards extension on the horizon? — John S.

If Jaden McDaniels has a good year, are the Wolves going to have to pick one between him or D-Lo to extend next summer? Will have KAT, Rudy and Ant on max deals (if Ant will sign). Unfortunately the Wolves can’t afford to go deep in the tax like the Warriors/Clippers.— Shawn M.

From the way I understand it, the Wolves basically have one more year to load up the books before potential extensions for Edwards and McDaniels would cause things to really swell. That means I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that they could sign D-Lo to a lucrative deal (not max, but lucrative) either because he plays great and fits in and they want to have him around long term or just to preserve the salary slot that brings added flexibility for other moves. Similar to what the Warriors did in the sign-and-trade for Durant.

Once the salary slot is gone, there’s no getting it back. So I think the Wolves will watch that very closely. Ultimately it may be too expensive. But that would be a good problem for the Wolves to have because that likely means that Russell has had a terrific season. And if Russell has a terrific season, they probably win a lot of games.
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因为有爱德华兹跟贾登的潜在续约需求。狼队不太可能给拉塞尔顶薪，数字不会低，但不是顶薪。
不然就是因为他打的很好适合球队，球队想长期持有。或者就是把他当成一个交易人头，就像勇士所做的那样。但是，如果拉塞尔续约要是很贵的话、意味着他会有一个精彩的赛季，而球队也会因他而赢得很多比赛。

除了内讧，还能到这么极端的情况吗……

比如唐斯31岁的时候想拿个戒指，这也没什么可以诟病的

这个套路在看着攻巨的筹码的时候，真的显得很搞笑

Realistically, what’s the expectation for D-Lo next season. Is he expected to just facilitate the offense in a similar role to Kyle Lowry? Last season, he averaged 7.1 assists, which left him 11th in the league. With Gobert as a roller, is it unrealistic to see D-Lo hover around the double-figures mark next year? — Jack S.

Russell has been very engaged this summer after the disappointing finish in the playoffs. He knows this is a huge season for him and the team. But equally important is the team knows how much it needs a big year from Russell. The motivations are on both sides of the equation.

They know that Russell’s passing last year was very good and that his vision and skill in that area is unique on this roster. Can he get to 10 assists per game? That’s a big number. I think he would be most effective by finding a balance between the pass and looking for his own shot. That’s a difficult spot to be in, but given Russell’s ability to score, that threat being a regular part of the Wolves’ attack would make them harder to guard than if he were to be a traditional, pass-first point guard. That just doesn’t suit him.

The key for Russell is being as consistent as possible. His shot can be streaky, so if he can lock in and remain engaged through the season, that will be very good for him and the Wolves.

OK, let’s go to the lightning round …
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在经历过一次令人失望的季后赛后，拉塞尔夏天非常投入、他知道这赛季对自己跟球队意味着什么。对于球队而言，他们也知道他们很需要拉塞尔。
拉塞尔的传球技巧跟视野在这支球队里是独一无二的，我认为他最有效的打法是在传球跟投篮找到平衡点、这非常难。但考虑到拉塞尔的得分能力，这将会使得球队更加难防、传统的传球第一的控卫，那不适合拉塞尔。
对于拉塞尔最关键的保持稳定，如果他的投篮能保持整赛季，对他对球队都是极好的。

Hi Jon. One of my concerns with the Rudy trade is the potential risk it has of upsetting the good vibes the Wolves had last season. Any reason for concern/optimism? — Alex T.

Reasonable question. The vibes, as the kids say, were immaculate last season. I think a lot of guys on this team are desperate to win, and that’s usually a good start. If this team goes 50 wins or more, that will be a big help.
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担心攻巨破坏球队的氛围是很合理的担忧，上赛季球队的气氛是完美的，这支球队的很多人都渴望赢球，如果能破50胜，那会是很大的帮助。（赢球自然没幺蛾子）

Coach Finch liked running a lineup that fostered shooting from all the positions in the crucial moments of a game. … Vanderbilt was not often on the floor in crucial moments. Since Gobert is effectively Vanderbilt’s replacement, how likely are we to see Gobert on the floor in crucial moments? — Andrew G.

Gobert is both a much better defender and a much better offensive player than Vanderbilt. So while he can’t shoot from the outside, he will be on the floor late in games, for sure.
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虽然大师喜欢在比赛的关键时刻派上有投篮键的球员，但攻巨不是范德比尔特、关键时刻他是肯定会在场上的。

The Mitchell trade is being overpraised while Wolves trade for Gobert continues to get trashed. It drives me nuts. —Jeffrey G.

Because the national media hates your team! Just kidding. Gobert is older and not a traditional bucket-getter. It’s just harder to quantify his impact. That is true in the eyes of players as well. If they win, that will all go away.
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楼里的心声。
因为全美都讨厌狼队（笑），攻巨年纪大了、也不是得分手，很多人都没法量化他的影响力。不用担心，只要赢球一切都会消失。

Who do you see stepping up into the leadership void Bev leaves? Is DLo taking a more active role? — Zack S.

I think Gobert, as a 30-year-old wanting so badly to get deep into the playoffs, is a great candidate. Kyle Anderson as well.
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攻巨将会接下黑贝留下的领导位置，安德森也是不错的选择。

What does a third-year leap from Ant look like to you? — Finn. R.

I think the leap makes him emerge as a more consistent star player on both ends. Better shooting, more constant attacking, an All-Star appearance with the sense that the next few summers could turn him into a player who could one day lead a team to a championship.
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jon眼里的第三年的爱德华兹，更好的投篮、更稳定的进攻以及登场全明星。接下来的几个夏天会让他成为一名可以带队争夺总冠军的球员。

Much media analysis has been directed at how Kat and Rudy fit together. Hasn’t this template already been created/proven by Rick Carlisle with Dirk and Tyson Chandler? — Steve K.

Certainly good examples out there, though those Mavs were so long ago now. I look at Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and other modern franchises who can play extra big for signs that this could work.
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联盟里其实有几支球队也在探索这种大个组合的玩法。