The Dane Moore NBA Podcast

After Joel Embiid got to the free throw line 18 times against the KAT-less Timberwolves on Friday night, I felt today's pod was a good time to take stock of how Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have ascended over the past year while KAT has largely been sidelined. How Embiid and Jokic have optimized their games and how KAT's optimization still remains somewhat ambiguous. We also get into how the Wolves defense has a growing propensity to crater in second halves. D'Angelo Russell commented on the Wolves' lack of defense after Friday's (audio included), so we get into why Russell is right about the Wolves never really playing any good defense. Also some conversation on how Ricky Rubio has turned in three consecutive stinkers over the past week, and why he just isn't fitting in to the Wolves' offensive scheme. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Britt Robson of The Athletic joins the pod following consecutive losses to Andrew Wiggins and the Golden State Warriors. We discuss the shine Wiggins has gathered this season -- both what is deserved and what still remains questionable. From there, we discuss the optics of the Wiggins-for-DLo trade, now ten days before it's one-year anniversary. The second half of the show moves on from Wiggins (so skip ahead if you can't stand another minute of him) and into Anthony Edwards. Why the Zach LaVine comparison does and does not work for Edwards. We also discuss how the Timberwolves ideological process is beginning to crumble both in roster construction and in terms of system in KAT's absence, noting Josh Okogie as a key example. We also do some Naz Reid praise and ask if he is this roster's best forward even without ever having played the position. And close with the question of if this is the worst team the Wolves have ever had from a watchability standpoint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's pod we get right into where the Timberwolves broke down in the second half on national TV. There was a specific run in the third quarter that made Josh Okogie unplayable. And with Okogie out the defense became untenable. We dig into the Wolves conundrum with Okogie's shooting. On a brighter note, we highlight how Naz Reid has thrived since moving into the starting lineup for Karl-Anthony Towns. Why Naz is the physical embodiment of the Timberwolves' offensive game plan. Can Naz and KAT share the floor once Towns returns? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Let's take stock of the Andrew Wiggins-D'Angelo Russell trade and regrade it one year after it came together. On today's pod, we go into the details of that deal, including: the draft pick compensation; Wiggins' fit in Golden State; DLo's fit in Minnesota; the Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans luxury tax wrinkle. What was the overall cost to swap out Wiggins for Russell. We also get into a few observations from the loss in Golden State, including: how both Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman are now both coming off of the bench; the impact on the Wolves' offense of not having Rubio being an at-rim scorer; why Jordan McLaughlin might not be the Timberwolves' best point guard but why he fits the Timberwolves system best. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Without KAT, DLo and, I guess, Juancho, the Timberwolves defeat the Pelicans. Jack Borman (Canis Hoopus) joins me at Target Center to discuss how exactly the Wolves pulled off a win without their two best players. We get into why this felt like "The Rubio Game" and how Rubio's success on Saturday night almost complicates things going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Another blowout Timberwolves against the Hawks loss got me thinking about how crazy it is that Tom Thibodeau is having more success with the Knicks than the Wolves are having without him, despite New York having a far cheaper payroll. So on today's pod, we get into how the Wolves are just not living up to what there payroll suggests they should be. We also get into what it would look like if Ryan Saunders only played eight players. Who would be in the 8-man rotation? We discuss Anthony Edwards' continued cold streak. And we touch on Ricky Rubio and how his return to Minnesota has thus far been fraught. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Britt Robson (The Athletic) joins the pod to discuss a myriad of topics, including where blame falls on a Timberwolves team that just blew another fourth quarter lead to Orlando and currently sits at 3-10 -- with no real end in sight. Why it feels as if everything is coming to a head. And what decisions might need to be made. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Timberwolves and Hawks have gone all-in on building around young stars who are elite offensively and have serious question marks defensively. On today's pod, Glen Willis (SB Nation - PeachTreeHoops), who covers the Atlanta Hawks, joins to discuss the parallels and differences between how the two franchises are building their teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's pod, we discuss if this is the end of the road for Ryan Saunders. Where Saunders could have called timeouts down the stretch to potentially shift the balance of the game. The similarities between this breakdown and the breakdown in the Jersey Tuck Game in Oklahoma City. Why that game against the Thunder might have impacted Saunders' decision to not call a timeout. We also discuss what I saw transpire at the end of the game in the stadium that was not on the television broadcast. I also get into why it's hard, as a journalist, to be objective when it comes to a coach potentially getting fired. And I share a Ryan Saunders story to explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's pod, we get into another Timberwolves game without KAT. How they lost to an underwhelming Hawks team and where the breakdowns happened around DLo (who balled out again). It's also time for a Jarrett Culver Conversation, so we go through how Culver has compared to the other picks from the 2019 Draft Class. How many players would be selected over him if we re-drafted? We also talk about both first round picks, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, getting real run in the same game. How the new JMac and the old JMac are both in the rotation now, replacing Juancho and Rubio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.