Author: sheefo13

And After All That? KAT Traded to the Knicks.

sheefo13 16-17 Season , , , , , , , , ,

Wow.

I spent at least five minutes in shock and denial when the trade was announced. My friends erupted with anger; I couldn’t fathom what had just happened. Did we really trade KAT for Julius Randle???

This was not what anyone expected, especially just three days before media day for a team that had just reached the Western Conference Finals. KAT had arrived only a couple of days ago to start practicing.

I’ve been pretty critical of KAT over the last few years. Like many, I was frustrated with how he vanished and got into foul trouble too often during the playoffs. I couldn’t stand that, while he spent summers at every fashion event and island imaginable, he didn’t seem to be working on improving his game. I hated that opposing teams could put a smaller defender on him and he didn’t punish them for it. I also found it frustrating how he complained after every foul call.

These were all issues I had with KAT for one reason: he is one of the most talented and skilled big men I’ve ever watched. He has a unique ability to shoot the ball incredibly well and do so many other things. However, he was often plagued by the reasons I mentioned above. After the series with Denver this year and how he carried himself into this offseason, it felt like this upcoming season would be different. KAT’s loyalty to the organization through an absolute rollercoaster of nine seasons (check out a summary of those years in our brief history of the Wolves since KG left here) earned him the opportunity to be on a team that could potentially bring a championship to Minnesota. He was amazing in the community and has been through so much as a person here; the organization deserved to reciprocate that loyalty, or at least inform him differently about the trade.

That said, the trade is done. Personally, I love the trade for the Knicks. KAT is the perfect fit alongside Brunson, Bridges, Hart, and OG. He fills every gap they had after acquiring Mikal Bridges and losing Hartenstein. The Knicks have very little rim protection and rebounding now with Mitchell Robinson hurt, but their perimeter defense and having an amazing guard rebounder in Hart should serve as a stopgap.

“After all that” (in KAT’s voice), KAT will go down as the third-best Timberwolf of all time. The nine years he spent here are truly “what movies are made of!”

Okay, I’ll stop. But there aren’t enough words to express how much we, as a fan base, will miss Karl-Anthony Towns and everything he did for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So, what did we get back for KAT? Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a heavily protected first-round pick from the Pistons. It sounds like we also got Keita Bates-Diop, which I’ll take.

Before discussing what we received, I think the trade was influenced by what we already had. First, the luxury tax situation was about to become problematic. We were on the verge of exceeding the second apron, and with an ownership dispute already in play, who knows who would be willing to pay the additional money to keep KAT? Secondly, Julius Randle’s contract will come off the books at the same time as Rudy Gobert’s. Couple that with Mike Conley’s expiring contract, and the Wolves will be in a position to potentially attract a significant free agent while Ant is just entering his prime at 26 years old. Thirdly, if you thought Naz Reid had a friendly contract, Donte DiVincenzo’s deal is even longer and friendlier. For a player who is a volume three-point shooter and relentless on defense, having him on a contract of around $11 million for the next three years is incredible.

Naz Reid’s emergence last season was something remarkable. His offensive skills are impressive, allowing him to stretch the floor almost as well as KAT but with arguably better moves going to the basket. I wouldn’t be surprised if, by the end of the year, Naz is the starter simply due to his ability to space the floor with Rudy Gobert. Naz is also due for a payday, and the Wolves essentially had to choose between KAT and Naz long-term. This trade would never have happened if Naz Reid were not on the roster.

The piece I’m most excited about from this trade is Donte DiVincenzo. I was hoping he would drop to the Wolves in the 2018 draft, but he went a few picks earlier to the Bucks, and we ended up with Josh Okogie. What’s underrated about Donte is that he won a championship in college with Villanova and in the NBA with the Bucks. He is an accurate high-volume three-point shooter who shot over 40% from beyond the arc last year on nearly nine attempts per game. His release is incredibly fast, too. If that weren’t enough, he is a relentless defender who is as tough as anyone in the league. Not to mention, he stepped up his game more than anyone in the playoffs. Everyone remembers this:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8RxneYn/

Adding Donte to the roster is also crucial for Mike Conley. The biggest reason the Wolves brought in Monte Morris last year was to give Mike some breaks and provide a decent backup point guard. The Morris experiment didn’t work out. While the Wolves did add Rob Dillingham this summer, Rob is likely best utilized as a scoring spark off the bench. This also alleviates the pressure on Dilly to come in and facilitate an NBA offense right away and to play defense from the get-go. As it pertains to Mike Conley, he can now safely rest during back-to-backs and be healthy for the playoffs. I look forward to seeing situations where Conley can rest, and the backcourt rotates through Ant, Donte, NAW, and Dilly.

DiVincenzo can either slide into the starting lineup or provide a spark off the bench. The Wolves are now likely the deepest team in the NBA, allowing for a variety of interesting lineups. For instance, Donte gives the Wolves one of the best 3-and-D lineups in the league with Donte, Ant, NAW, Jaden, and Naz all on the floor together. He allows Ant to be the primary ball handler while spotting up for open threes if anyone helps on penetration.

Now, about Julius Randle: No, he is not KAT. We go from having KAT, who stretches the floor and is consistently used for the pick-and-pop, to Randle, who can, politely speaking, knock down the three. There are concerns about spacing with Randle and Rudy on the floor together. Additionally, Randle’s attitude may bother fans just as much as KAT’s did.

What Randle does provide is toughness and scoring. He is a more traditional power forward who could balance the lineup differently than KAT did. He embodies “bully ball” and will finally punish teams for switching on picks with our guards. This is something KAT refused to do, and Rudy isn’t capable of because he often just gets fouled. Randle has solid post moves and a nice touch around the basket. While he remains unproven, I feel Randle’s toughness is something Ant will thrive on. I can’t wait to see Randle and Ant hype each other up. If anything, Randle will add value if he can help bring out the best in Ant, Jaden, and Naz from a toughness and competitiveness standpoint.

There isn’t much else to say about Julius Randle at this point. It’s unclear whether he will be a long-term solution or if another deal is in mind. All I know is that I absolutely hated the value we got back for D’Angelo Russell, but then it turned into a fleece of a deal. So, time will tell if Randle is an appropriate replacement for KAT.

Given the surprise factor of this trade, media day on Monday will be very interesting. We will all be curious to see how Anthony Edwards candidly responds to the trade. I know Ant and KAT were good friends, but they certainly didn’t feel like best friends, and their personalities often didn’t mesh. While their press conferences during the playoffs were extremely entertaining, it felt like Ant would call out KAT in front of the media to hold him accountable for his talent. I also can’t imagine this trade happens without Ant’s approval. While no one will likely confirm that, you have to assume Ant okayed this deal.

What a way to start the season. Thank you, KAT, for everything you were and everything you did. Now, let’s win a ring.

A brief 20-Year history recap of the Minnesota Timberwolves

sheefo13 16-17 Season

For many Timberwolves fan, the series sweep against the Phoenix Suns was as significant moment as any. Then watching the Wolves come from 20 points down in the 3rd quarter to win against the defending champion Denver Nuggets, on the road, in Game 7 was momentous. It is rare to see Minnesota sports see such success in the playoffs, we do have the longest championship drought of any other major city/ state with all four major sports. 

There are also Wolves fans who are, rightfully so, fair weathered. It has been 20 years since the Timberwolves have won a series. It’s hard to be interested in a team that is not good for that long. For those of us who remember when we made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2004 and have remained engaged since, we have been through a lot. 

I have spent many hours on internet forums (yes, these were a thing) defending ridiculous front office decisions, remaining hopelessly optimistic. Optimistic that every draft, our lottery pick would translate to what Anthony Edwards is today. That we would be lucky enough to make the ‘steal’ selection in the draft. That we would make the blockbuster trade to change the trajectory of our franchise.

That is why I wrote this brief history of what this franchise has been through for the last 20 years. I will break it down into eras, because 20 years is a long time. 

1. The Downfall Garnett Era (2004-2007):

   – Notable Draft Picks:

     – 2004: Ndudi Ebi (26th overall)

     – 2005: Rashad McCants (14th overall), Bracey Wright (47th overall)

     – 2006: Brandon Roy (6th overall, traded to Portland), Craig Smith (36th overall)

     – 2007: Corey Brewer (7th overall), Chris Richard (41st overall)

This era was meant to be a reload around Kevin Garnett after the Wolves made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2004. We were meant to develop the likes of Ndudi Ebi as a project straight out of High School. The Wolves would trade Sam Cassell to the Clippers for a younger, taller Marco Jaric. Latrell Sprewell would not resign because we didn’t offer enough to feed his kids. They also brought in players like Ricky Davis to potentially be the Robin for Kevin Garnett, but that never worked. There was hope that players like Rashad McCants or Randy Foye (who the Wolves acquired on draft night for Brandon Roy) would develop fast enough to help KG, but there just wasn’t enough there. 

Garnett’s championship clock was running out and the Wolves simply didn’t have the resources to build around him. This era would end by sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics in 2007 for Al Jefferson and a bunch of role players with potential they’d never meet. Of course Garnett would go on to win a championship with the Celtics after they built the first real super team. 

2. Post-Garnett Rebuilding (KAAAHHHHHN!) (2007-2013):

   – Notable Draft Picks:

     – 2008: Kevin Love (5th overall), Nikola Pekovic (31st overall)

     – 2009: Ricky Rubio (5th overall), Jonny Flynn (6th overall), Ty Lawson (traded to Denver, 18th overall), Wayne Ellington (28th overall), Henk Norel (47th overall)

     – 2010: Wesley Johnson (4th overall), Luke Babbitt (traded to Portland, 16th overall)

     – 2011: Derrick Williams (2nd overall), Donatas Motiejunas (traded to Houston, 20th overall)

     – 2012: No first-round pick, Robbie Hummel (58th overall)

     – 2013: Shabazz Muhammad (14th overall), Gorgui Dieng (21st overall)

Post-Garnett was meant to be a quick cycle rebuild around Al Jefferson. Jefferson would develop into a solid low post scorer but lacked quite a bit on the Defensive side. The Wolves also brought in Kevin Love who would develop nicely alongside Nikola Pekovic from the 2008 draft. The Wolves liked Love and Pekovic a bit more than Jefferson, so he was sent to Utah. 

While Ricky Rubio was drafted in 2009 and would go on to be a fan favorite until this day, that draft would be known as the draft in which David Kahn passed on the best shooter in NBA History, twice. What made matters worse is that the Wolves took two point guards, the same position as Steph Curry. David Kahn would go on to miss on multiple drafts in 2010 (missed out on DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George), 2011 (Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler) and not having a draft pick in 2012. 

Still, the Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio duo would bring a slight amount of excitement back to the Target Center. That was until Ricky Rubio would tear his ACL and Kevin Love broke his hand doing ‘Knuckle Pushups’. Had those two injuries not occured, the Timberwolves would have potentially broken the Playoff-less streak they were on. Unfortunately though, this second rebuild would be a fail in this era. 

David Kahn would set the Timberwolves franchise back several years before Flip Saunders would make his return after a decade away. Until this day, many Timberwolves fans that followed the team in this era suffer PTSD from David Kahn. It is incredible that the drafts that David Kahn missed on still haunt the Timberwolves until this day being that many of the players that the Wolves missed out on are still the best players on several teams across the league while the players the Wolves selected are no longer in the league. Flip Saunders would begin to turn things positive 

3. Wiggins-KAT Era (2014-2016):

   – Notable Draft Picks:

     – 2014: Andrew Wiggins (1st overall, acquired in Kevin Love trade), Zach LaVine (13th overall), Glenn Robinson III (40th overall)

     – 2015: Karl-Anthony Towns (1st overall), Tyus Jones (24th overall)

This is a shorter era but a lot happened. The Wolves would eventually trade Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins. Zach LaVine was also an amazing draft pick by Flip where he would develop into an amazing offensive player and become a two-time Slam Dunk Contest winner. The Wolves would then be awarded their first ever number 1 pick in Karl-Anthony Towns. To add to all of this, Flip Saunders would bring Kevin Garnett back in a mid-season trade to finish out his career in Minnesota. 

Then of course, there was the tragic loss of Flip Saunders. It is unclear how the Wolves would be today had Flip not passed, but it was certainly trending upward. Given the momentum the Wolves were heading towards and the young talent on the roster, Glen Taylor would hire Tom Thibodeau as Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations. 

4. TimberBulls Era (2016-2019):

   – Notable Draft Picks:

     – 2016 Kris Dunn (5th Overall)

     – 2017: Justin Patton (16th overall)

     – 2018: Josh Okogie (20th overall), Keita Bates-Diop (48th overall)

     – 2019: Jarrett Culver (6th overall), Jaylen Nowell (43rd overall), Naz Reid (undrafted, signed as free agent)

The Thibs hire was huge for the Minnesota Timberwolves as a coach of that caliber generally would not want to come to Minnesota. But the amount of talent the Wolves had between Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns was undeniable. Of course in hindsight, Thibs was not ready to be the President of Basketball Operations. First, his draft picks unfortunately were all misses in 2016 and 2017. Although some redemption, Kris Dunn was traded as a part of the package with Zach LaVine to acquire Jimmy Butler. 

The Wolves would then build the ‘TimberBulls’ with the likes of adding players like Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose around Jimmy Butler. The team would make the playoffs and make a first-round exit. This was the end of the wolves 12 year playoff drought. Unfortunately though, Jimmy Butler would implode and demand a trade as he is known to do. That implosion would lead to the Wolves being awarded another #1 pick in 2020 at the end of this dramatic era. 

5. Anthony Edwards Era (2020 – present)

     – 2020: Anthony Edwards (1st overall), Leandro Bolmaro (23rd overall), Jaden McDaniels (28th overall)

     – 2021: no draft picks

     – 2022: Wendell Moore Jr (26th overall), Josh Minot. (45th overall)

     – 2023: Leonard Miller (33rd overall), Jaylen Clark (53rd Overall)

The Wolves success in this era has to be awarded slightly to Gerson Rosas. He selected Anthony Edwards in 2020 in a draft where they could’ve potentially moved down or made a different selection as the draft class looked weak. Then to get Jaden McDaniels in the same draft is unbelievable. Rosas then went against Glen Taylor to let go of Ryan Saunders and to hand pick Chris Finch. Rosas also managed to get a decent value in trade for Andrew Wiggins, who looked untradeable for a long time. 

After Rosas was fired for misconduct, Tim Connely put the finishing touches on the roster acquiring Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley in dramatic fashion. The rest is history, sort of. The season is not over, so history really depends on the outcome of the rest of the 2024 Playoffs.

—-

All in all, I aimed that this brief and abbreviated history could provide new Wolves fans, or Wolves fans just not old enough to remember what it was like in 2004, a feel for the dramatic downturn and multiple iterations of rebuilds that occurred. 

Here is to a Championship run we will all remember. Wolves Back. Yesssirrrrskiiii

It’s not you Ryan, it’s us.

sheefo13 16-17 Season

The Wolves have started the season 3-10. We currently sit dead last in the Western conference.

A lot of excuses can be made. We had a 286-day gap between seasons. Karl-Anthony Towns has had injuries and COVID for most of the games. We don’t have a real starting power forward on the roster. Teams are stacked in the West. We aren’t even really that good.

I made this tweet on January 2nd after the Wolves fell to 2-3 after losing to the, then, winless Wizards without Westbrook (four W’s in a row? something the Wolves haven’t done in a while #wordplay)

The Wolves would go 1-6 in that span and now are 1-7. Many games, the Wolves played teams without their best players and would give up large leads. The losses were not due roster composition. The losses were due to poor game management, poor rotations, and seemingly being out-prepared.

I consistently come back to the extended offseason. The reason my sympathy-level for Coach Saunders has diminished is because he has had longer than nearly any other team to prepare and understand his personnel coming into this season, especially the guys who are still on the team. This includes KAT, D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Juancho, Layman, Culver, Reid, and Vanderbilt. Seeing that many of these guys look lost offensively, individually and collectively, tells me Saunders doesn’t know how to get these guys going. There are endless amounts of tape of what works to get any one of these guys a bucket. Even on previous teams. Watching the confidence drain out of every one of the young players on the team makes me almost miss Thibs… Almost. The reason I say that is because I can’t decide what is worse, seeing players exhausted or without confidence… Lets not go down this road. The Knicks are doing well though.

So why is Ryan still the coach? Because people like him. Why did he get the job? Because people like him. I don’t think people liking him will change. I still like him. His story is amazing and he is a likeable guy. But frankly, he can’t coach at an NBA-level. This is nothing against him. There are many great, likeable people, that can’t coach in the NBA. Mark Madsen is incredibly likeable for example, and he is not an NBA coach yet.

Coach Saunders to this point has just proven that he isn’t adding value that translates into wins. I also have to question his understanding of basketball in general. He has quotes that really make me worry that he may just be overwhelmed by his role and simply isn’t ready. The two below are the ones that make me really worried:

I will stop here. I just think him being a ‘players coach’ is translating into wins and is not the solution.

*Disclaimer: This is a rant and not well-thought through or analytical.

2019 Wolves ‘Cities’ Edition Jersey Reveal Event

sheefo13 19-20 Season

The Timberwolves organization invited many Wolves and city influencers (us being the least influential) to Mayo Clinic Square for a Sneak Peak of the new City Edition Jersey for this season.

The night included a tour of the Timberwolves office, the Practice Facility, and of course a presentation about the new Minneapolis- St.Paul theme city jersey after signing some Non-Disclosures. Here is a look at the Jersey:

The Jersey is the new version of the popular Prince-themed Jersey from last season. The Prince-theme was honestly going to be VERY hard to follow up. But the meaning behind the theme here is what I felt they were trying to push. This jersey will be worn 9 times throughout the season. Five times it will be worn at home on Friday night games, with the exception of the final game of the season which falls on a Wednesday. This jersey will be the only alternative Jersey the Wolves have as they don’t have a throwback since there isn’t an anniversary for them to celebrate and didn’t make the playoffs so they don’t get an ‘Earned’ variation Jersey.

The jersey will headline a Twin Cities theme where the logo above will be on the belt of the shorts which is an outline of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The theme will activate a lot of various local themes from being able to get merchandise from local designers, local food at home games, and viewing local artists’ work. The reason to focus on the Twin Cities is because the team is the only team representing two cities (this was mention but I think incorrect as Golden State represents SF and Oakland).

The Mississippi River is a huge component of the jersey as well. The ‘Element Blue’ color represents the river’s water and blue skies, with the white representing, well, snow. The stripe that runs down the one side of the jersey down through the shorts also represents the river.

Overall, I like the color combo because it definitely has a Minneapolis Lakers vibe that every Wolves fan is a little upset that it was stolen by LA. The theme will certainly enable a lot of unique content around the color-scheme but also a variety around the ‘Cities’ logo that is on the belt. I love the simplicity as well. The one stripe actually makes it look good.

That said, following up the Prince theme was going to be very tough. I didn’t like the font that was used last season with ‘Wolves’ on the City or Earned editions. The ‘MSP’ font is clean and a rarely used abbreviation in the cities unless you’re flying through our beautiful airport. It will be interesting to see how the Twin Cities do embrace this theme as it is very locally focused.

I do wish that next year the Timberwolves trees are somehow introduced again. The trees on the jerseys during KG-era were iconic. If there is anything I would love to see in the future, it is working that back in.

Thank you to the Timberwolves organization for inviting us out. The Wolves are moving in the right direction in building a relationship with those that are invested in them. They also have a beautiful office and Practice facility. We also saw where RoCo got that European Waffle thing too in their kitchen.

Overall – Excited for the new Cities jersey and all the merch that will come with it!

Live Stream of Wolves vs Pelicans tonight on Boothcast!

sheefo13 16-17 Season

We are live-streaming tonight on Boothcast. To join in and chat, down the app in the Apple AppStore. Looking forward to it!

Andrew Wiggins may have just played the best game of his career

sheefo13 18-19 Season , , , ,

It is games like these that don’t allow me to lose hope on Andrew Wiggins. He has had some memorable games in his career in Oklahoma City. The half-court game winner and earlier this season his 30 point performance with the game-deciding basket. All of those games, while were amazing, didn’t amount to last night’s win against Oklahoma City 119-117. Wiggins had 40 pts, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and shot 16/18 from the free throw line.

What we saw was a Wiggins that was motivated. He was motivated to win the game for Ryan Saunders’ first career game as head coach. And up until this point, the culprit to Wiggins reaching his potential was ultimately his motivation. He never seemed assertive enough to lead a team to victory. After the game, Wiggins mentioned that the win was important to get for Ryan Saunders because he was the only coach that was still around since his rookie year. And since after his rookie year, he has been coached by Sam Mitchell and Tom Thibodeau, who both ultimately struggled in connected with him on a personal level but also leveraging him correctly on the court.

Wiggins was motivated but he was also used in many ways that Flip Saunders used him in his rookie year. Ryan Saunders involved him in the offense early and often. Pre-game, Wiggins said he would look to get out in transition and attack more, and he did exactly that early on. Wiggins got to the line, and made his free throws, like he did early in his career as well. Wiggins made 16 of 18 free throws on the road, which is extremely impressive.

Saunders also let Wiggins handle the ball, something that helped him get his offense going in the second half, where he can often get lost after having a productive first half. He also set him up in post-up sets and in give and go’s with KAT late in the game. Once it seemed as if Wiggins was planning to score at any opportunity, he would dish it out to someone for an open shot. This came up huge in the final minute of the game where he created an open 3-pointer for the rookie Okogie.

While bringing back all of these things that made Wiggins successful in the past, Wiggins included things that he has worked on over the years as well. Wiggins added 2 threes and showcased him improved ball handling by getting to the basket against a difficult OKC defense. He hit some amazing moving jumpers late in the first half that he has also added recently to his repertoire.

The reason this game was so impressive though for Wiggins is that he did this while having to carry the offense without much support. Derrick Rose was out in this game, KAT was in foul trouble and Teague was ejected in the second half. This allowed the highly-ranked OKC defense to focus on Wiggins. He often had one of the league’s best defenders in Paul George guarding him and one of the better rim protectors in the league in Steven Adams protecting the paint.

He also had to carry a major defensive load in the game. Robert Covington was out so Wiggins was asked to guard Paul George (who shot 37.5% from the field) for most of the game. Josh Okogie was guarding Russell Westbrook so it didn’t allow for much rest on the defensive end.

Being that Wiggins had a double-double, he clearly was hustling for rebounds, as he is mostly criticized for not doing. He showed heart and energy in a game that needed every ounce of it. It was beautiful to see Wiggins be the first to congratulate Ryan Saunders on the win when he entered the locker room. It finally feels like Wiggins found a coach that he wants to play hard and win for.

Post Jimmy Butler Trade Thoughts

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On this day, November 10th of 2018, the Wolves traded disgruntled star Jimmy “General Soreness” Butler and Justin “We should’ve taken OG” Patton to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Robert “Lord” Covington, Dario Saric, Jared Bayless and a 2022 2nd round pick. The Wolves lose 5 straight games on the road to give them a 4-9 start to the season.

Wanted to get some immediate thoughts down for Wolves fans to digest.

  • Goodbye Jimmy!

Man, what a distraction. Glad that is over. Easily one of the worst experiences in Wolves history. The dark cloud can now move away. Jimmy Butler will return to Minneapolis to play the Wolves in March 30th, pending he chooses to sit due to general soreness. Looking forward to Boos, fights, and all that is in between. Not sure why Wolves fans were cheering for him in the first place.

  • Thank God Markelle Fultz wasn’t involved in the trade

Fultz has dealt with injuries and an ever-evolving shooting form. One of the weirdest stories that is outside of Minnesota. He could develop into a good player but I don’t think Minnesota is the place for him. Plus, with Derrick Rose playing the way that he is, no need to bring in a 4th point guard.

  • Not taking back a guard means belief in, or at least more minutes for Josh Okogie and a bigger role for Derrick Rose

Compared to other trade packages, the Wolves brought back two forwards instead of receiving a high-caliber guard to replace Jimmy Butler’s production. Whether that be Josh Richardson or Eric Gordon, this opens up minutes at the 2-guard dramatically. Once Jeff Teague is healthy, Derrick Rose could move to the bench again or as the starting shooting guard. Judging by defensive needs though, this could mean Josh Okogie is the long-term starter at shooting guard this season. This is great news for his development. Okogie will have to learn to be patient on the offensive end while bringing the same energy (‘same energy’ is the best thing that came out of the Butler feud btw) on the defensive end. If Wiggins and Teague have ongoing injury concerns though, the Wolves look really lite at guard now.

  • Teague, Gibson, Dieng and Jones should be made available

Specifically for Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson, they were Jimmy Butler guys. With him here no longer, the Wolves need to assess their value. Gibson is an interesting trade piece as a $14M expiring contract. Jeff Teague has a player option for $19M this summer that he would be dumb to decline. That said, a team looking to add depth and/ or veterans (hello Lakers) might find value in either guy. Dieng and Jones are more opportunistic thoughts. Dieng is in a terrible contract but provides decent minutes. Jones will be a free agent and will likely lose minutes to Rose at the PG long term.

  • Convington and Saric are solid additions

I actually really like Robert Covington and Dario Saric. I think Covington provides great defense, shooting and size. He will provide good looks as a stretch 4 alongside Towns for stretches. Expecting him to do more than provide 3s and Defense on the court will be a mistake. He is 27 and signed through 2022 to a reasonable contract.

Dario Saric is one of the most undervalued players in the league. He shoots the 3 ball well and can rebound. He provides a good option on offense. He is only 24 and is on his rookie contract through the end of the 2020 season. The Wolves will get a good look at him until they decide to extend him. It will be interesting to see is Saric starts over Gibson at some point this season or not. Saric’s offense could truly benefit the bench.

  • Sigh for Keita Bates-Diop

This trade is likely the worst thing that can happen for KBD. I think if he got minutes at PF over Anthony Tolliver at some point this season, he could provide some value. Unfortunately, Covington and Saric are going to be hard to take minutes from now or in the future. Not sure what this means for the long-term future for KBD here, but it can’t be that good.

  • Long jam at forward now, something else needs to happen

The above two points means that the Wolves have Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver, Keita Bates-Diop, and Luol Deng all capable of logging minutes at power forward. Tolliver is likely the one to fall out of the rotation immediately.

  • The season is unfortunately still lost. Don’t hope for the playoffs

We’ve seen this stuff before. The Wolves didn’t make this trade to improve their roster, they made this trade to salvage their locker room. That rarely means a roster improvement. At the end of the day Jimmy Butler on this roster gave the Wolves the best chance to win and now they will be forced to try to pick up the pieces and move forward. Being that the Wolves are in the competitive Western Conference, are young and don’t really have a true-defined leader in the locker room, this transition will likely be difficult. The team also has lost all trust in Tom Thibodeau and him still being employed seems to be Glen Taylor looking to simply save money. The Wolves would need to go 37-32 JUST to be .500. I don’t see this Wolves team doing that at all.

 

This is the worst Timberwolves offseason in history.

sheefo13 17-18 Season, NBA Offseason

Rant ahead. You’ve been warned.

Remember when the offseason was fun? Sometimes, more so than the regular season? Especially if you’re a Wolves fan? There was nothing like tracking the progress of rookies over the summer, even though their careers never panned out. I miss getting excited about signing a player that was not concerned about location or winning, but getting paid and maybe even extending their career.

Don’t believe huh? Remember when the Wolves signed Cole Aldrich? Wolves fans were going crazy! He had toughness. Size. Rim protecting ability. And was from Minnesota!

Lets take it back further. Remember when we drafted Tyus Jones? Wolves fandom was split on rooting for the hometown kid and if he would be productive. We followed him into the Summer League and eventually him earning MVP.

Back even further huh? Wolves fans were at one point excited when we traded for Martell Webster. A pioneer of the 3 and D. Yeah, he couldn’t stay healthy and we weren’t competitive, but there was a glimmer of hope.

I could go on and on. I used to love the offseason. Fast forward to the summer of 2018. The Wolves make decent in the draft by getting Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop. I love both guys and think they fit well. We re-sign Derrick Rose to the minimum. Not mad. We replace Bjelica with Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver may actually fit this team a little better than Belly and was actually a better 3-pt shooter. We sign guys like CJ Williams and James Nunnally to fill out the roster. Guys who provide some nice wing depth. Williams is on a two-way contract even though he started a few games for the Clippers. Nunnally seems like a hungry player who can shoot the ball. We add this to a team that made the playoffs last season. Doesn’t seem like regression, right?

Last season left a bad taste in most Wolves fans’ mouth. We thought making the playoffs would taste much better after 14 years. Instead, it was a second half of the season that included a lot of regression. Dropping from the 3rd seed to making the playoffs with the 8th seed and a scary win in game 82.

So why is this the worst offseason ever?

Because every single push notification I have received this summer has been about someone in the Wolves organization making a fuss about nothing. And instead of intellectual discourse amongst Wolves fans about advanced stats and roster gaps, fans have argued back and forth about what and who to believe and which rumor. It feels like a really bad sports drama on Netflix.

It starts with Glen Taylor shutting out the media and refusing to talk about Wolves related topics. Then Jamal Crawford declining his player option and saying there are huge issues in the locker room. Then there is the drama with Wiggins not wanting to be a 3rd option. KAT saying he has things to say or that there are things to talk about but never talks about anything. Then queue Jimmy Butler and every possible rumor from wanting to play for any NBA team essentially and that he doesn’t like to lead others. Or something. I understand Jimmy declining the extension. He did the right thing. But KAT has a max extension on the table and for better or worse, is holding out on signing while his peers are getting paid.

This offseason has not been about basketball. At all. Tom Thibodeau has terrible PR skills. Mix that with a bunch of disgruntled millennials who are paid millions and love attention. And you get the Wolves 2018 offseason. I probably took that last statement too far, but whatever.

If all this extra drama was not involved, I would be crazy about this offseason. I think chemistry is the single most important thing on a basketball court. If it is non-existent, the team will suck. Analytics at its finest. The Wolves had the opportunity to build off of a tremendous season in terms of accomplishments. They could carry forward a team that is mostly the same but with a year of experience together. Continuity. Something that KAT and Wiggins haven’t really seen since high school really. It could potentially make all the difference for an even more stacked Western Conference. Instead we have spent the summer imploding.

How awkward are the training camp photos going to be this season? There is obvious beef. No one seems to want to be the bigger man.

I could be wrong. I hope I am wrong. KAT, Wiggins and Butler could love each other. Butler could be trolling the world. That said, it is not fun from a Wolves fan perspective. And horrible for a team that is betting on player development and team continuity as the way they improve from one season to the next.

/ end rant

First Round Preview: Rockets vs Timberwolves

sheefo13 17-18 Season, NBA PLAYOFFS , , ,

For the first time ever, we have ourselves a Playoff Preview! It is weird to do this, that is for certain. Your Minnesota Timberwolves, the 8th seed, will take on the Houston Rockets, who had the best record in the NBA finishing 65-17. They didn’t lose often. The Wolves have an uphill task trying to contain James Harden, the guy who should be this season’s MVP. Before we start talking about Harden, lets look at the schedule.

Game 1: MIN @ HOU Sun 4/15 8:00pm CT

Game 2: MIN @ HOU Wed 4/18 8:30pm CT

Game 3: HOU.@ MIN Sat 4/21 6:30pm CT

Game 4: HOU @ MIN Mon 4/23 7:00pm CT

*Game 5: MIN @ HOU Wes 4/25 – TBD

*Game 6: HOU @ MIN Fri 4/27 – TBD

*Game 7: MIN @ HOU Sun 4/29 – TBD

A quick refresher on the playoff format, since it has been 14 years. First team to win four games proceeds to the next round. The * above indicates if necessary.

So first, the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are led by James Harden and an aging Chris Paul. They are filled with a bunch of shooters along the perimeter and a great defensive center in Clint Capela. They are led by coach Mike D’Antoni, who is known for being the Mastermind behind the high-powered Suns offense back when the Wolves used to be competitive. This Rockets team has ultra-adapted to the modern NBA by shooting a ton of 3s. They are the first team ever in NBA history to attempt and make more 3pt field goals than 2pt field goals. Let that sink in. They shoot and make a lot of 3 pointers to keep things simple. If the Wolves want any chance in this series, it will be to take the 3 pointer away. No one has really figured out how to do that quite yet.

How have the Wolves performed against the Rockets this season?

Game 1: 1/8/18 L Wolves 98 @ 116 Rockets

Game 2: 2/13/18 L Rockets 126 @ Wolves 108

Game 3: 2/23/18 L Wolves 102 @ 120 Rockets

Game 4: 3/18/18 L Rockets 129 @ 120 Wolves

Wolves have lost all 4 games against the Rockets this season, the only team in the Western Conference they were unable to beat this season. Many people remember the 3rd Game as the game Jimmy Butler was injured in. The 4th game the Wolves played without Jimmy Butler and were down by over 20 points before making a late comeback in the 4th only to fall short.

How do the teams match up?

Well for starters, the Rockets lead the league in 3pt attempts with 42.3 attempts per game and the Wolves attempt the least in the league at 22.5. The Rockets average making 15.2 a game while the Wolves average 8 made 3’s. That puts the Wolves at a 21-point deficit just from a 3-pointers made differential. This is the biggest matchup gap for the two teams and it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Great teams typically do something great, and for the Rockets it is their 3-point shooting.

The interesting thing to watch will be pace and transition. In the regular season the Rockets were 14th in pace while the Wolves were 22nd, despite their youth. The Rockets, while not necessarily known for their defense, do have four players who average over a steal a game, with Harden and Paul averaging 1.8 and 1.7, respectively. The Rockets are a middle of the pack transition team though, so they won’t mind slowing things down and meeting the Wolves pace. Luckily for the Wolves, they are amongst the best in terms of turnovers committed and will need to keep them down to win.

For the Wolves, their 47 win season came in part of Jimmy butler missing 28 games this season, so they aren’t a traditional 8 seed. While many expect the Rockets to sweep the Wolves, I do expect the Wolves to put up the fight of a 4 or 5 seed. The Wolves don’t lack experience outside of Towns and Wiggins. Even in the experience of the young pack leaders, they gained a lot of on the job experience playing for their playoff lives over the last few months.

If the Wolves want a chance in this series, they will have to push the pace. Pushing the pace will help expose the Rockets poor defense and forces the Rockets to speed up the pace, in turn potentially lowering the number of 3-point attempts and potentially getting the Rockets out of their groove. The Wolves defense will have to step up in a big way as well. Thibodeau’s defensive genius will have to come out in this series to give the Wolves a chance. Throwing out different looks each game and not being predictable will be huge. Switching on screens and containing penetration will be something the Wolves will need to get comfortable doing quickly.

The Rockets run a smaller lineup with a SF usually playing PF so that they can stretch the floor. The Wolves will need to take advantage of this. Bjelica and Gibson will benefit from this situation since Belly struggles in guarding SF’s and Gibson is versatile enough to guard bigger SF’s. It will stretch the floor for the Rockets but also gives the Wolves an opportunity to play small as well, which is probably a bad idea. But due to lack of depth, Thibodeau has been seen playing a lot more 3-guard lineups which shouldn’t give the Wolves an advantage or a disadvantage against the Rockets, since they do the same usually. The main difference is when the Wolves have KAT and Gibson on the floor together in which it should be a good thing for the Wolves.

There is also a guy the Wolves need involved in order to succeed in this series…

Player Spotlights

Perfect Transition. Karl-Anthony Towns. Key to the Wolves success, whether it is the regular season or the playoffs. Not sure why this isn’t obvious either. Run the offense through KAT. Simple. Get him involved. As previously stated, they have an advantage inside. Capela is a great defender, but then that means a Small Forward like PJ Tucker will need to guard the crafty low-post vet in Taj Gibson. If the Wolves can establish offense through KAT, it will certainly open of the floor for Gibson and the wings.

It will be interesting to see how the Wiggins and Butler match up against Harden and Ariza. Wiggins has a good amount of length over Harden if the Rockets choose to but the longer Ariza on Butler. The Wolves will likely have both Wiggins and Butler guarding Harden throughout the series, but Harden will get his.

The Rockets bench is what will likely cause most of the problems for the Wolves. While Luc Mbah a Moute is out for the series, there is plenty of firepower (pun intended) off the Rockets bench that have killed the Wolves in the past. Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Gerald Green have all murdered the Wolves in the past. If the Wolves can try to play some defense and Thibs doesn’t have Jamal Crawford guarding Gerald Green and Derrick Rose guarding Ryan Anderson, we might be able to survive.

Final Thoughts

The Wolves are finally in the playoffs. Many of us are just happy to be here. That said, the Wolves are heavy underdogs coming into the series. It will be an uphill battle. The Wolves can’t afford to make mistakes and need to actually run something semi-sophisticated on offense. They will need to also throw different defensive looks at the Rockets. I don’t think either happen which is why I expect the Wolves to be happy if they can take one game from the Rockets. The experience will be paramount regardless for Towns and Wiggins. They need a taste of the playoffs. There will be some shock factor starting the playoffs but when nervous, just look at this recent photo of James Harden…

The Timber Rebuilder.

The Wolves make the playoffs: A reflection

sheefo13 17-18 Season

I sit here just an hour removed from attending arguably the most important game in Timberwolves franchise history. The Wolves spent the last 14 years outside of the playoffs. For many Wolves fans, it is fun to subtract 14 from their ages to help non-Wolves fans understand the struggle. We have seen a lot of nothing. And while it wasn’t pretty, it is crazy to think that the Wolves made it by the difference of 6 points in an Overtime game in Game 82 of the Season.

The purpose of writing this now is to try to capture the real emotions of a fan. To have it documented. The truth is, I am in shock. I am worn out from cheering. I can’t believe the Timberwolves hardwood is going to have a 2018 Playoffs logo on it. I can’t believe the Wolves went through two iterations of jerseys that never saw the playoffs.

I was in Los Angeles on Friday and got to see the Wolves play the Lakers and win. I was also fortunate enough to see tonight’s game. The game was summarized as I walked out with my wife and saw one of the Target Center hosts holding back tears of joy. It was quite the moment.

I saw 14 years flash by. I saw the multitude of missed draft picks, from Wes Johnson to Derrick Williams to Johnny Flynn. I saw the myriad of veterans ending their careers here, from Brad Miller to Tayshaun Prince to Brandon Roy to guys that I would have to question actually played here. I saw the glimmers of hope, from Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio to landing back to back number 1 picks. It all flashed before my eyes.

There were certainly good times though. The previous happiest moments in the last 14 years are captured beautifully by Kevin Garnett below.

https://twitter.com/KGArea21/status/984268738341101569

I remembered the happiness I had when the Wolves traded for KG. I remembered Flip. I remembered the 2004 playoffs and that amazing team.

I spent a lot of time watching highlights of KG in Game 7 of the 2004 Playoffs against the Kings. Thinking tonight would be similar. It did end up being just as dramatic.

The crazy part is that this blog is a product of the 14 year drought. The name comes from the years of rebuilding. The years of looking forward to the draft. The only thing we were really good at.

The season wasn’t pretty. Just like our offense and defense. But I am so happy Towns and Wiggins will finally get some playoff experience. I am happier Teague can continue his steak of always making the playoffs (sarcasm). The old Timberwolves fan in me is going to miss the draft pick we lost (joke with a little bit of truth). The hope is that regardless what happens, the Wolves get some playoff experience finally. And then gear up for the future. If I remember correctly, the playoffs are a different game (see what I did there).

I am rambling now – mainly because I am panicking at how early I have to wake up and how difficult it will be to focus on anything else tomorrow. I will sleep with a smile on my face for certain.

Congratulations to all of the Timberwolves fans who have stood by the team through thick and well, thick. The Timberwolves fanbase is an amazing one. It has been a pleasure sharing this experience and the last 14 years with you all. Looking forward to more meaningful basketball in the future, something we aren’t really used to.

Howl.

The Timber Rebuilder.