I don't care about the Cavs, rather I am more interested to see what the T-Wolves are going to do next. The T-Wolves' ownership group has to decide:
A) Whether to sit Butler and release him AFTER 1st March, so he could not be on any playoffs roster for next spring's playoffs, if no other trade offer comes along.
AND/OR
B) Whether to keep Thibodeau as team Prez. I think he has been performing quite poorly as an executive over the past year or so.
I don't think they have the guts to keep him on the roster, and make him stay away from the team the whole year (like the Knicks did with Joakim Noah). I mean, I get it, by March 1, then he won't come back to bite them in the ass this season. But the problem is, it'll become even a bigger league-wide distraction, which honestly, I don't think Glen Taylor wants any longer.
I suspect they will cave to the trade demand. It just depends who blinks first. Gonna be LAC or Miami.
I also think Taylor will fire Thibs as team Prez. But the problem is, if he does that, he has to basically get rid of him as coach too. Thibs' ego won't go for that. And Layden is just horrendous. So again, I think once the Butler mess is addressed, Taylor will fire Thibs AND Layden. Interim coach will be Flip Saunders' son, who is currently on the coaching staff.
I've been reading some different perspectives about the T-wolves conundrum. What most analysts say is that Thibbs is not willing to go through a rebuild process because he is a coach that likes to win. As much as that makes sense, that conflicts with his role as Prez because that one requires for him to think of the franchise long term.
Yep. Therein lies the conundrum. What I think Thibs is trying to do, is get the best of both worlds, by telling Jimmy to come play this year, and they'll work on something as the season goes along. What Thibs doesn't get, is that the two cornerstones of the team, as much as they are saying the right things publicly, DO NOT want Jimmy Butler back. And they both have close relationships with the team owner, Glen Taylor. That's why I think that ultimately, Butler will be gone, and so will Thibs and Layden. Taylor will step in.
So right now he is making everything in his power to keep Buttler for some time and try to convince him to stay, which is unreal, or get equal value in return, which is not going to happen now that Buttler's request is out in the open. Taylor said he would get involved and I was surprised to read that he was part of the talks with Miami. Evidently he is not so eager to get Buttler out of the team.
You meant that you were surprised to read that Taylor was NOT part of the talks with Miami, right? I was too, honestly. But remember, Taylor has probably told Thibs and Layden that he will have final say on this, and to come to him when a deal is in place. I am absolutely sure, that if the owner of the Heat calls Taylor this week, and Taylor finds out that Thibs is truely stonewalling, as opposed to making a deal to help the team long term, Taylor will step in and do it.
It's also quite possible that by letting Thibs and Layden sink on this, he's setting them both up to be axed. That way, there's no narrative about the owner meddling. Its more the owner trying to let people run the team, those people make mistakes, owner swoops in and cleans house.
I love my team, but man, this drama sucks.
Topic: NBA thread 2018-2019 v. Raptors are Champs (Read 79368 times)
