The Dane Moore NBA Podcast

On today's pod, we ask the question: Who is the Timberwolves power forward of the future? Why Jaden McDaniels is the most likely answer to that question currently on the roster. Might Larry Nance Jr. be another answer? The Wolves pursued Nance Jr. in the offseason. Might they re-engage in trade talks with Cleveland at the deadline now that the Cavs' roster has significantly changed after acquiring...

Today's pod is about Anthony Edwards' best game of the season. His 23-point, 5-board, 4-assist, 1-block, 1-steal and 0-turnover game against Cleveland. We get into how Edwards moving to the starting lineup has not only shifted who he is playing with but how he is being used. And also what Edwards' fit next to KAT might look like once he returns from the COVID list. We also note (again) how Malik B...

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 Wolve...

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 (s...

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-Anthon...

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 observ...

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 podca...

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...

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 Hos...

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/adc...

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...

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 b...

On today's pod, we unfortunately need to discuss how COVID has struck the Minnesota Timberwolves. Included is audio from Gersson Rosas' Friday evening press conference in which he describes the 36 hours leading up to Friday evening's game being postponed and how this is all the more troubling given Karl-Anthony Towns' involvement. After that, we get into how the roster is going to have to cope wit...

Britt Robson of The Athletic joins today's episode to discuss the current state of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Would a Gersson Rosas-led front office ever make the move Brooklyn did to acquire James Harden? We dig into the first real crossroads Rosas' Wolves have hit in the first season where cultivating a sustainable winner is actually about winning a little bit now. We talk lots about Karl-Antho...

The Timberwolves loss to the Grizzlies highlighted the Wolves Big 3 and exposed the rest of the roster. On today's episode, we get into how and where the Wolves need support beyond Towns, Russell and Beasley. We listen to KAT's postgame ramblings about defense, and question if that's all they need. Do they just need to score more? What is going on with the second unit? What can their identity beco...

Ten games into the NBA careers of Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman felt like a good time to dive into the film of the top-3 picks' early NBA impact. Will DeBerg (University of St. Thomas Men's Basketball Coach) joins the pod to review the film, and highlight what these former prospects have looked like at the NBA level. Submit your Blue Wire Hustle application here: http://bwhustle.c...

I start today's podcast with D'Angelo Russell's interesting way of addressing the attack on The Capitol in his postgame commentary. From there we get into the Timberwolves winning their first game of the season without KAT. How DLo was the answer to the Wolves' 4th quarter conundrum. What I think the rotation will be going forward. Why Malik Beasley's 4-year, $60M contract has looked like a good d...

On today's pod, Jack Borman (Canis Hoopus) joins me live from Target Center for an immediate reaction to the Timberwolves overtime loss to the Spurs. We discuss: The return of KAT; Late-game lack of execution; Having an idea of what this team will look like at full-strength; Discuss reasonable expectations. Submit your Blue Wire Hustle application here: http://bwhustle.com/join Learn more about yo...

The Timberwolves loss in Portland felt like a regression -- similar to the losses in Los Angeles. On today's pod, we discuss why being a standard deviation below "bad team" could be costly, and why it's time to right the ship. Ricky Rubio says: "We gotta get better and we gotta get better now." How the Lillard-Nurkic pick and roll led to 47-point second quarter. Why the defensi...

In advance of Blazers-Timberwolves, Steve Dewald of Blazer's Edge joins the pod. Steve and I discuss the similarities between what the Wolves are building and what the Blazers have built. What is the ceiling of a "good offense, bad defense" team? How has Robert Covington fit in Portland thus far? Could Minnesota have outbid Portland for Derrick Jones Jr.? Do the Blazers miss David Vanter...

Britt Robson (The Athletic) joins the pod to discuss a set of storylines from this season that were not anticipated at the year's onset. From Jarred Vanderbilt's boomlet to the machinations of the D'Angelo Russell and Ricky Rubio backcourt pairing, we hit on all things Timberwolves from the first seven game of the season. Submit your Blue Wire Hustle application here: http://bwhustle.com/join Lear...

Jarred Vanderbilt finally got his shot -- and he DID NOT disappoint. On today's pod, we discuss the Timberwolves second loss to the Denver Nuggets -- another game that fell apart in the 4th quarter. We get into the obstacles in the way of Vanderbilt permanently fitting into the rotation, and why it feels like Ryan Saunders has to make it happen. Juancho Hernangomez talks about "lettin' it fly...

D'Angelo Russell said after the Timberwolves fourth consecutive loss on Sunday to the Denver Nuggets that he doesn't think the Wolves are "ready to win yet" because they are "still figuring out how to lose". On today's pod, we playback Russell's postgame comments and talk about how this team does not look ready to win yet. We get into: How Ed Davis moving into the starting line...

On today's pod, Jack Borman (Canis Hoopus) joins me live from Target Center to pick apart the dismantling that was the Timberwolves 30-point loss to the Washington Wizards. We dig into why the D'Angelo Russell Experience has thus far been rough, and what needs to change. We also discuss what other adjustments need to be made for this Timberwolves team to remain somewhat competitive in Karl-Anthony...

On today's pod, Britt Robson (The Athletic) joins to discuss why what Karl-Anthony Towns showed in the first two games is more reason for optimism than the two blowout losses in Los Angeles are reason for pessimism. We unpack Britt's most recent column that acknowledges the devastating, albeit expected, losses but also praises KAT's best defense of his career and Ryan Saunders' ability to expand h...