uuhhh, Wolves interested in Tolliver

[Dill Gatez]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/07/26/a...-to-cleveland/


http://twitter.com/christomasson/status/19618718741

[Z0r]

Don't know much about Tolliver, looks like he put up ok numbers last season.

[Kestrel]

This is almost McHale-esque, isn't it? Marko Jaric shows decently against us, so we overvalue him.

Tolliver went off ridiculously against the Wolves a week before the end of the season. That was Nellie's Top of the Heap All Time win. Tolliver had 34 points against the vaunted Minnesota defense.

[boognish]

Originally Posted by Kestrel

This is almost McHale-esque, isn't it? Marko Jaric shows decently against us, so we overvalue him.

Tolliver went off ridiculously against the Wolves a week before the end of the season. That was Nellie's Top of the Heap All Time win. Tolliver had 34 points against the vaunted Minnesota defense.

I don't know, it looks like Tolliver put up quite a few good games last season, in limited time:
(points, rebounds, blocks)

04/14/10 @ POR 19, 15, 1
04/13/10 UTA 15, 9, 1
04/11/10 OKC 14, 13, 2
04/10/10 @ LAC 10, 10, 0
04/07/10 @ MIN 34, 8, 0
03/31/10 @ UTA 17, 7, 1
03/28/10 @ LAC 19, 6, 2
03/27/10 DAL 10, 21, 0
03/22/10 PHO 25, 12, 2
03/20/10 @ MEM 12, 11, 1
03/17/10 NO 30, 6, 1
03/05/10 @ ATL 20, 7, 1
02/10/10 LAC 29, 3, 0
02/08/10 DAL 14, 11, 2
01/23/10 @ PHO 19, 11, 1

January 9, 2010
Rarely a three-point shooter in college, Anthony Tolliver has become somewhat of a specialist in his time between the NBA and NBADL the past two seasons. A very long PF/C without great height and with just decent athleticism, Tolliver provides his worth by being an efficient scorer, good rebounder, and a very smart player, having good passing skills and fundamentals for a big man.

After a very strong first game here in Boise, Tolliver didn't have the greatest of second games, shooting 5-of-18 from the field, but still managing to post 19 points and 14 rebounds. On the season, Tolliver is taking about half of his attempts from behind the three-point arc, where he is a very reliable spot-up shooter and can even pull up a bit in space.

As for the rest of his offense, Tolliver shows flashes of post and face-up game, but he's not particularly consistent with either, and these aren't segments of his games that project to be very reliable in the NBA.

Defensively, Tolliver is pretty attentive, making most of the rotations, putting in the effort, and playing smart overall defense, but he doesn't appear suited to defend power forwards on the perimeter, being fairly slow-footed. He's a solid post defender and very good on the defensive boards, however.

Tolliver was already called up to the Portland Trail Blazers for a few days this season, and spent part of last season with the Spurs, so it won't be surprising to see him get another shot before this season is over, if not more than one. He has a pretty clearly defined skillset, providing value mainly through three-point shooting and the defensive glass, as well as by being an extremely high character individual, so if a team is looking for those attributes and is capable of masking some of his deficiencies, he could provide a good fit somewhere as a 12th man or even a little more if the team is battling injuries.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/...#ixzz0uu7TRAnm
http://www.draftexpress.com

[NoelTheMole]

If this happens then I'm positive that Beasley is our starting SF.

[StretchArmstrong]

I'd have to agree with Noel on this. If we sign him, it is for one purpose only- depth at PF. Which means the Wolves really are keen on Beasley at SF and Johnson at SG.
That line up was hinted at by Love during an interview.

So PF would look something like:
Love, Tolliver, Pekovic

C would be:
Darko
Pekovic
Koufas(if he stays)


Rob

[BIG BAD WOLF]

Originally Posted by StretchArmstrong

I'd have to agree with Noel on this. If we sign him, it is for one purpose only- depth at PF. Which means the Wolves really are keen on Beasley at SF and Johnson at SG.
That line up was hinted at by Love during an interview.

So PF would look something like:
Love, Tolliver, Pekovic

C would be:
Darko
Pekovic
Koufas(if he stays)


Rob

I think they would keep the Brewer at SG experiment and go with Beasley/Johnson at the SF. Not saying that it is right, just that Rambis is likely to keep the mascarade going on.

[StretchArmstrong]

I just gave the line up that Love hinted at:

Flynn
Johnson
Beasley
Love
Darko.

Of course now Flynn is injured so we will have Hinrich at PG for the season.


R

[LA_33]

Originally Posted by StretchArmstrong

I just gave the line up that Love hinted at:

Flynn
Johnson
Beasley
Love
Darko.

Of course now Flynn is injured so we will have Hinrich at PG for the season.


R

Or Ridnour, maybe?

[pagliatti]

Tolliver is a glue guy but not in the common sense. He allows Beasley to slip to SF and Love to lend a hand at smallball C. With a guy like this you can cover about any injury from SG to C (Wes, Martell and Corey can slip to SG, SF is an absolute surplus anyway, PF would be decently covered and Love could play C if Darko or Pek go down or just stink). He definitely should make a difference in depth.

[TJ Styles]

Yeah, we seem to have a lot of depth at 2, 3, and 4 right now. Interesting that after we took 3 PG and signed another last off season, we only have 1 healthy player on the roster that can handle the ball (no, Telfair does not count).

I am still a little worried about the center position, and it is probably mostly because I have never seen Pekovic play. We really only have one center, and then a number of power forwards who can also play center. So, I am not sure I would call that "depth" at the center position. If Pekovic comes out and shows that he can hang with the other centers in the league, then I will say we have impressive depth there (if the 3rd-string center is a PF out of position that is ok, but we need a backup that can really play minutes at center and not be a liability), but until I see that I am concerned.

I don't know anything about Tolliver, but I am glad to see that we may have interest in him. There have been quite a few D-League success stories lately, and it is nice to know that we may actually be researching players in the D-League, even if it takes three other franchises to give the player a shot before we target them.

[BIG BAD WOLF]

Originally Posted by TJ Styles

Yeah, we seem to have a lot of depth at 2, 3, and 4 right now. Interesting that after we took 3 PG and signed another last off season, we only have 1 healthy player on the roster that can handle the ball (no, Telfair does not count).

I am still a little worried about the center position, and it is probably mostly because I have never seen Pekovic play. We really only have one center, and then a number of power forwards who can also play center. So, I am not sure I would call that "depth" at the center position. If Pekovic comes out and shows that he can hang with the other centers in the league, then I will say we have impressive depth there (if the 3rd-string center is a PF out of position that is ok, but we need a backup that can really play minutes at center and not be a liability), but until I see that I am concerned.

I don't know anything about Tolliver, but I am glad to see that we may have interest in him. There have been quite a few D-League success stories lately, and it is nice to know that we may actually be researching players in the D-League, even if it takes three other franchises to give the player a shot before we target them.

Do they have a lot of depth at 2? That is news to me. Other than Ellington, nobody in this team even carries a SG label.

At the SG spot they will be starting a player better suited to play SF AGAIN this year. It could be Brewer, Johnson or Webster, but all these guys are SF's.

[LA_33]

Originally Posted by BIG BAD WOLF

Do they have a lot of depth at 2? That is news to me. Other than Ellington, nobody in this team even carries a SG label.

At the SG spot they will be starting a player better suited to play SF AGAIN this year. It could be Brewer, Johnson or Webster, but all these guys are SF's.

The Wolves have consistently talked about Brewer as a 2, and he's been demonstrably better, at both ends, playing as a SG. He's a SG (who can play some SF in a pinch, but is better-suited to the position he's actualyl been playing; he's below-average at SG because he's not that good, not because he's playing out of position).

Webster also seems like an equal-opportunity 2/3, and has played SF so consistently in the past because of a guy named Brandon Roy (and when Roy's been out, Rudy Fernandez, while the Blazers didn't have anyone else at SF until Batum emerged after Webster's injury in 2009).

I agree that Johnson seems like more of a pure SF, and they have better depth at the 3, with Webster certainly capable of playing there, too, Lazar also likely a SF at the NBA level (although he may be a 2/3 swing guy, too) and Beasley capable of playing some minutes thereas well (he may even start at SF, even though I think he's better-suited to being a 3/4 combo guy as the 6th man).

But they do have multiple SG options, IMO.

[Smallz]

Originally Posted by BIG BAD WOLF

Do they have a lot of depth at 2? That is news to me. Other than Ellington, nobody in this team even carries a SG label.

At the SG spot they will be starting a player better suited to play SF AGAIN this year. It could be Brewer, Johnson or Webster, but all these guys are SF's.

I know you say this often, and the point I'm about to bring up seems to come up in response most every time, but you are aware that Cory's defensive stats have been much better while playing the 2, right? That would maybe lead me to believe that he is better suited playing the 2.

Webster was obviously brought in under the assumption that he could check two guards. If this is the case, why is he better suited to play the 3?

[boognish]

Originally Posted by LA_33

The Wolves have consistently talked about Brewer as a 2, and he's been demonstrably better, at both ends, playing as a SG. He's a SG (who can play some SF in a pinch, but is better-suited to the position he's actualyl been playing; he's below-average at SG because he's not that good, not because he's playing out of position).

Webster also seems like an equal-opportunity 2/3, and has played SF so consistently in the past because of a guy named Brandon Roy (and when Roy's been out, Rudy Fernandez, while the Blazers didn't have anyone else at SF until Batum emerged after Webster's injury in 2009).

I agree that Johnson seems like more of a pure SF, and they have better depth at the 3, with Webster certainly capable of playing there, too, Lazar also likely a SF at the NBA level (although he may be a 2/3 swing guy, too) and Beasley capable of playing some minutes thereas well (he may even start at SF, even though I think he's better-suited to being a 3/4 combo guy as the 6th man).

But they do have multiple SG options, IMO.

I totally agree. I think this team has good depth at all their positions this season, which certainly wasn't the case last year. Whether that they have the talent to actually be competitive is still up for debate, but I don't think finding bodies for the SG position will be a problem at all.