Why The Wolves Have Struggled

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The Wolves have dropped eight of the last nine games after being at .500 at 8-8. The Wolves now find themselves at 9-16 a few games over the quarter mark of the season. The last eight losses have come to the Clippers and Nuggets twice each, Magic, Blazers, Suns, and Knicks. The lone win was against the Lakers in overtime. All the losses were winnable games where the biggest margin of loss was 12, the rest all within 10 points. Some games were games the Wolves held strong leads and lost them. Other games the Wolves found ways to fight back into them and get semi-close towards the end.

A couple things we want to do is examine what has changed after starting 8-8. We wanted to answer, what isn’t working? What are the problems? What can we point out? There is a heavy emphasis on plus/ minus in these game stats. We do this because we want to see the difference a player is making on the court vs their opponents. Lineups are important to this, but plus/ minus seems to be a good way to analyze what that player has done while on the floor.

  • Starters not competing: The Wolves starting lineup is not competing with other teams. The Net +/- in every loss has been massively negative. The starts have a Net average +/- of -24.875 in the eight losses, while the bench has an average of -2.625. The bench is surprisingly keeping the Wolves in the game, mostly thanks to the strong play of LaVine and Dieng. In the one win, the Wolves starters demolished the Lakers starters. I would like to believe this would be a simple change of moving LaVine into the starting lineup.
  • Wiggins’ Net +/- : it’s -59 in the eight losses the Wolves have suffered recently, which is the worst on the team. He has also had a negative +/- in each of the last 9 games. Wiggins needs to work on getting his teammates involved so that the overall team does better when he is on the floor. To Wiggins’ defense he has one of the highest usages on the team (LaVine has surpassed him) and logs the most minutes so it’s hard to keep these numbers respectable when he is in the game when the Wolves lose most of their leads. Outside of that, Wiggins is going to have to start finishing around the basket at the same rate as he was before all of the losses.
  • Bjelica is struggling: Bjelica was a big reason why the Wolves’ bench was one of the best in the league. He was consistently coming in to the game and nailing threes. In the eight losses, Bjelica has averaged less than 4 points. His shot has struggled in this stretch of games: Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 12.56.01 PMAs you can see above, Bjelica is only scoring from the outside or near the basket. The shots outside the arc have not been falling for him. Ever since he went out with a knee injury, he hasn’t quite been the same.  With Bjelica not able to knock down as many threes, and quite honestly passing up on a lot of open ones, the spacing on the floor is bad. When the spacing is bad, more shots are contested. When more shots are contested, your field goal percentage dips. When your field goal percentage dips, you typically lose games. So if you are catching the drift here, a struggling Bjelica is not helping the cause.
  • Defense: The Wolves defense has assisted in the resurrection of careers for Randy Foye and Aaron Afflalo. The team is not defending by any stretch of the imagination. Teams are getting wide open looks from three. Ball movement collapses the Wolves on D almost exactly as it should. This is where Prince did help in the starting lineup almost where Martin has made the Wolves less reputable in that category. If the Wolves want to win, they have to defend. In the eight losses, the Wolves have allowed a higher FG% than they have shot in all but one game.
  • Kevin Martin: The replacement of Martin into the starting lineup has been the most obvious thing that has changed. The Wolves won 3 straight after they put Martin in the starting lineup, but it could not be credited to Martin. The Wolves faced the winless Sixers, Cousin-less Kings, and a Hawks team that should’ve been a loss. Martin has scored well, but has done it in a very inconsistent fashion. On three occasions, he has scored 2 points or less. He has struggled defensively, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. It probably doesn’t help either that trade rumors are swirling around him. Main point is, he probably should be in the starting lineup let alone on the roster at this point.
  • Prince less, Bazz more: In the eight losses, Shabazz Muhammad has had a net +/- of 1, where Prince has a -34. Yet, Bazz is only averaging less than two minutes more a game than Prince. Prince is not the player he once was at all. In this stretch of games he has averaged 1 point and a little over a rebound a game. His now average, if not below average, defense is not worth his poor effort on offense. The Wolves should see Shabazz in games more than Prince period. This is the influence behind all of our #FreeShabazz tweets.

The Wolves are approaching an inflection point, similar to previous years. We enter the year thinking we can compete and then we realize, ‘dang, we aren’t that good.’ Mitchell has mentioned that playing the veterans more would help the team win an 8th seed, and I have to respectfully disagree. The veterans on this team should continue to be used more so as mentors than rotation players.

There is time to turn the season around if the Wolves can put the right players together. Sam Mitchell’s recent comments about playing veterans 28 minutes and that development doesn’t happen during the season are not encouraging. First step will be a starting lineup that competes and defends. I don’t think the Wolves have the personnel to do that though and would require some trades. The Wolves need to pursue a 3 and D guy to help on the perimeter and take Kevin Martin’s minutes. But the Wolves entered this slew of games with an amazing opportunity, a sequence of winnable games. They were able to measure themselves against teams with more or less similar records. Unfortunately, they’ve lost nearly all of them.

The Wolves are still figuring things out. They are still trying to understand how to incorporate Karl Towns into the offense. Ricky Rubio’s jump shot remains inconsistent. Sam Mitchell seems to always be defensive when approached by the media about his rotations. These things are season long issues and not necessarily the cause of the losses at this point. But above is what has changed over the last 9 games. The Wolves are no longer a great defensive team. Their starters seem to not be clicking. And members of their bench are not as reliable as they once were.

Wolves Week 7 T-Cap (Highlights)

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If you’ve been a Wolves fan for the last couple years, one of the more fun things to do is watch highlights of our individual prospects. Mainly because we love to see them perform well but also because the outcome of the game doesn’t seem to matter. Not to mention, Mondays and Youtube seem to be a wonderful mix. Its how you stay positive when your team is rebuilding. So I’ve decided moving forward, we will just highlight the Wolves results from the previous Monday through Sunday and any individual highlights you can rewatch here. It’ll be a weekly segment that we will call your T-cap. Enjoy!

Monday, December 7th: Clippers 110 Timberwolves 106 – L

Zach LaVine: 21 points

Karl-Anthony Towns: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

 

Wednesday, December 9th: Lakers 122 Timberwolves 123 OT – W

Karl-Anthony Towns: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks

Andrew Wiggins: 19 points

 

Friday, December 11th: Wolves 108 Nuggets 111 OT – L

Andrew Wiggins: 22 points

Karl-Anthony Towns: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks

 

Sunday, December 13th: Wolves 101, Suns 108 – L

Zach LaVine: 28 points

 

Wolves Record: 1-3 (9-14 Overall)

BONUS!

Tyus Jones: 27 points & 8 assists in NBDL Debut for the Idaho Stampede

Upcoming Schedule

Dec. 15th vs Nuggets

Dec. 16th @ Knicks

Dec. 18th vs Kings

Dec. 20th @ Nets

Recap: Overall, Wolves drop 3 of 4 games in the last week. They stay close in most games, taking two of them to overtime. Wolves are able to keep close but are not able to compete at this point. This week’s schedule looks light, but predicted a 2-2 split.

 

Is Wiggins Too Comfortable?

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When Andrew Wiggins was brought in as the main part of the Kevin Love-trade, he served as the official face of the Timberwolves’ new re-re-rebuilding phase (a major influence to the name of the blog). The first phase started with Al Jefferson first in the Kevin Garnett departure. Then Kevin Love and to a lesser extent Ricky Rubio served as the poster boys for the next phase when Jefferson was traded. With minimal pressure to win now, Wiggins finally got away from a lot of the pressure that has chased him around in his pre-NBA career. Wiggins came in with one expectation: develop.

Last year, by definition was a success as there were no set expectations to compete or win games necessarily. Wiggins was 2nd in the league in minutes played with 2969 minutes, just behind James Harden. He started and played in every game, maybe not by choice, but he got the experience needed to satisfy fans. He showed flashes of greatness and won Rookie of the Year, mainly because he got the playing time due to opportunity and injuries. The Wolves ended up being the worst team in the NBA due to their reliance on rookies like Wiggins, but it seemed to be something that would be beneficial for the development of the team.

Compared to last season, Wiggins has emerged as the vocal point of the offense this year. Mitchell runs the offense through Wiggins in which last season the game had to come to him most times. Wiggins is scoring more and has a higher usage % (22.6 to 28.5 this season) all while averaging one minute less a game. Wiggins is averaging 21 points this season while he averaged 16.9 last season. His assists and rebounds have also increased slightly, but not to where you would like for a player that has a 28.5% usage on the court. One thing that Wiggins has truly improved though has been his free throw shooting. Wiggins is currently 10th in the NBA with 7.6 free throw attempts. Although he could definitely be a better free throw shooter, he is attacking the basket more which opens up his game.

That said, his advanced stats have suffered even though the team’s performance has improved. Andrew’s Win Share has dropped from 2.1 last season to 1.1 this season and box plus/minus from -2.3 last to this -2.5 this season. Wiggins is constantly finding himself in the negative in the Plus/ Minus categories and you have to begin to wonder, should he be on the floor as much? It’s hard to face this reality when it comes to a franchise cornerstone. But the motivation to produce on the floor is important from the guy who spends the most time on the court for your team. But as Wiggins goes, the Wolves go. In losses, Wiggins has a -12.6 and in wins he has a +10.6.

Wolves fans have pointed a lot of fingers for the blame of the poor play in recent games. The poorMany fingers have pointed to Sam Mitchell, a few to Ricky Rubio and his health, but not many to Andrew Wiggins. He is absolutely  still developing and still has a lot of room for improvement. But the Wolves need more from Wiggins if they are going to continue to improve. He seems to be in a position where his has a long leash with the coaching staff. He is able to play through mistakes, a privilege most if not all the young players on the Wolves don’t have.

Should the leash get shorter? The way Sam Mitchell approaches this is crucial. But Wiggins seems to be playing without a fire lit under him, unless it’s a close game of course. He still vanishes for minutes during the game. He also doesn’t seem much more than a scorer at this point and if he isn’t scoring, he is a liability on the floor. So should Sam Mitchell be playing other players in Wiggins’ place to get Wiggins to ‘earn’ his minutes?

This may drive Wolves fans even more crazy. But Mitchell and the coaching staff need to find a way to get more out of Wiggins on the floor. They need to find a way to have Wiggins become more efficient on the floor. They can’t afford to have Wiggins to be a one-dimensional player who takes inefficient shots. It may be time to send Wiggins a message to motivate him. His inconsistent play could be due to the back injury which plagued him earlier this season so cutting back his minutes may benefit him health-wise as well. Sam Mitchell, who handled another number 1 pick in Andrea Bargnani terribly, will need to proceed with caution on how he deals with Wiggins’ development.

What needs immediate improvement? First and foremost, he needs to focus defensively. He needs to be a two-player at least. He has all the intangibles but still seems to not be the lock down defender he was advertised to be. His defensive rating is a 108, which has a lot to do with team defense as well, but is too high for what he is capable of doing. Wiggins will then need to improve his ball-handing in order to expand his offensive game. He finds himself taking a lot of long 2-point shots simply because he isn’t able to handle the ball and pass his defender.

Second-tier improvements needed for Wiggins is his shooting. Wiggins needs to improve his 3-point shooting and free-throw shooting. He is shooting a terrible 26.8% from beyond the arc. The only player worse on the T-Wolves with more than 10 attempts this season? Ricky Rubio. He is shooting 73% from the free throw line as well, not really that good for a guy who gets to the line as much as he does. After shooting, the Wolves need Wiggins to get involved in other aspects of the game. They need him to rebound and assist more. As a forward, his 5.9% Total Rebound% is laughable this season. Wiggins draws a lot of double teams, which means his 8.6% Assist % could definitely improve if he were making the right passes. You would imagine Wiggins would have more assists having big men like Towns and Dieng down low.

We don’t want this to be a ‘this is all Wiggins’ fault’ type of post. Wiggins has done a lot well this season. As mentioned before, he is getting to the line more often and has been really clutch in close games. He is the Wolves best scorer. He is also one of the most valuable pieces on this Wolves roster. He is crazy athletic and is scoring in a lot more ways this season. He should be commended for his performance.

But after having Wiggins having a -17 +/- against the Suns, it has ignited some questions from fans. Wiggins does seem a little too comfortable on the floor. Wiggins does need to provide more on the floor. Wiggins does have to take control of the team. At this given moment, the numbers Zach LaVine has produced haven’t been too far off from Andrew Wiggins’. This could be a testament to LaVine’s performance or showing that Wiggins’ isn’t meeting his development expectations. Sam Mitchell has the incredible responsibility to harness Andrew Wiggins’ potential and turn it into production. While super stars like Kobe Bryant praise Wiggins, the numbers haven’t shown that he is a win-producer. This will need to change as the Wolves continue to build around him.

The Timber Rebuilder.

9 Reasons to Vote For Andrew Wiggins: 2016 NBA All-Star

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NBA All-Star voting opened up Thursday and its time to get the campaigns churning. Andrew Wiggins, the lone reason why Minnesotans #GetWiggy on Wednesdays, has a small chance of being an All-Star this season with his outstanding performance. We here at The Timber Rebuilder wanted to kick of the ‘Andrew Wiggins 2016 All-Star’ campaign with 9 reasons why you should vote for Andrew Wiggins. 

1) He Won Rookie Of the Year Last Year: Wiggins came into his rookie year with high expectations and he ultimately met them. The critics are still out on what kind of player Wiggins will become, but he took home the ROTY honors in a highly-touted draft class. That said, winning Rookie of the Year doesn’t constitute an All-Star appearance, but wanted to give you a hint of where this article is going…

2) He Always Looks like He just Woke Up: I have to imagine if I asked Andrew Wiggins what his hobbies are outside of basketball, he would pick at his hair and respond,”I don’t know… Sleeping?’ The dude always looks like he hopped off a couch after a two-hour nap. Imagine him under the bright lights right after a nap?

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3) His Nickname is 🍁Maple Jordan🍁: Wiggins has always had lofty expectations since high school, but to be called ‘Maple Jordan’ is pretty big. Wiggins is the golden-child of Canada, in which he is always representing. Many thought Wiggins would be the second coming, which no one believes as true, but he has shown great talent on both ends of the court. ‘Maple Jordan’ seems to fit though, since Wiggins is a watered-down version of MJ, as Canada is a watered-down version of the US. Beyond the Canada/ United States beef, The All-Star Game will be hosted in Toronto, which could be a potential homecoming for Wiggins. Bringing the Maple Jordan home should be just as much of a priority for Wolves fans as it is for Raptors fans and Canadian Nationalists.

4) He Already Has a Signature Resting Pose: If you’ve caught any Wolves games, you’ve seen Wiggins’ resting pose. Every elite player from Kobe to MJ have one. Jordan and Kobe had more predator type poses. But Wiggins’ fits his personality with the literal ‘hands on my hips’ pose:

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One time for the one handed resting pose:

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5) He Dunks on People. Wiggins has been dunking on people and taking names. Many people give Zach LaVine credit for being the dunk champ but thats when no one is playing defense. Wiggins has given it to some of the best rim protectors in the league. Enjoy a few vines:

Here is Wiggins Dunking on Millsap earlier this season. Look at where Wiggins takes off from though? Dominique Wilkins was proud.

Aron Baynes was posterized but then seemingly acted like nothing happened. Usually the best course-of-action when being dunked on.

Going back to last season, Andrew Wiggins poses in the air for cameras as he posterizes Omer Asik. Asik’s career has been on a downwards slope since.

France, meet Canada. Who knows what kind of French rhetoric was exchanged when the Stieffel Tower got dunked on. But this is definitely the best one.

6) He Nearly Dunks on People. Had Wiggins finished this dunk on Hassan Whiteside, it probably would’ve been the dunk of the season. But the poster turned out alright. Imagine if Wiggins could potentially dunk on Whiteside in the All Star game…

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7) He is Top 10 in Clutch Scoring: Wiggins is 9th in the NBA in clutch scoring, averaging 3.6 points per game in clutch situations. Who is ahead of Wiggins? Steph Curry, LeBron James, James Harden, Reggie Jackson, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kevin Durant, and John Wall, respectively. The difference between Wiggins and the rest of this group? Wiggins has played in 3 or more games than anyone above him. He has consistently found himself in situations where he is relied on to be clutch. And he consistently shows up. Wiggins also happens to be at least 5 years younger than any of them.

8) His Draft Day Smile: Does this get old? Andrew-Wiggins-Draft

If he was this happy on draft night, think of the happiness he will have if voted into the All-Star game. Wiggins will look like the kid in elementary school who let off a stink bomb and got away with it.

9) Flip Saunders Would be Proud: Wiggins is currently averaging 21 points per game and a big reason why the Wolves have improved this season. Flip traded All-Star Kevin Love to bring in Andrew, which put a lot of pressure on Saunders. Saunders needed to prove to the world that Wiggins would not be a bust and could be an integral piece of turning this franchise around. You have to imagine if Flip were still with us he would be proud of what Wiggins is becoming. It would also make Flip incredibly proud if Andrew Wiggins became an All-Star in his second year.

So if you made it this far you are probably thinking one of two things: ‘I can’t believe I got through all 9 reasons’ or ‘The Timber Rebuilder is hilarious’. If you felt differently that either, please comment below with how you felt.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog and follow on Twitter @timberrebuilder

Tyus Jones’ Development is Critical

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Tyus Jones was sent to the D-league for assignment with the Idaho Stampede, affiliate of the Utah Jazz. Jones was sent down after appearing in two games for the Wolves in limited minutes. The hometown hero had some nice numbers in a couple games in the preseason and was okay in the NBA Summer League but there is a lot of work to be done for the Duke star. Jones is physically not ready to compete at the NBA-level. The 19-year old also is just not at a level where he can defend anyone in the NBA.

Jones’ first game went well. Although the Stampede lost, Jones put up 27 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and only 2 turnovers. Its what you expect from a first-round pick in the NBA. But the drop off talent is huge from the NBA to the D-league, and probably a drop from Tyus’ ACC competition from last season. But Jones gets to work with some interesting players on the Idaho Stampede. The best player on the Stampede seems to be Jeff Ayres, an NBA veteran who spent the last two seasons with the Spurs. The Stampede also has Phil Pressey, who was recently cut by the 76ers, and Utah Jazz assignee, rookie Tibor Pliess. Pliess was the first pick of the second round in the 2010 draft and currently has a place on the Jazz roster.

Tyus Jones has a special place in many Minnesotans’ hearts. Someone who can beat Wisconsin for a National Championship and be from Minnesota is an instant legend. But when Jones was drafted, there were still a lot of questions about his game translating to the NBA. He was taken at 24, where he has lesser expectations but still expected to become a solid pro. The Wolves played against the Lakers where Larry Nance Jr, drafted a few spots after Jones, started. It isn’t saying much since it is the Lakers, but just worth noting.

Jones going to the D-league can absolutely be a blessing and is absolutely necessary given the Wolves situation currently. The last Timberwolf to be sent to the D-league was Shabazz Muhammed, who dominated while he was there indicating that he deserved playing time. He then received the playing time he deserved last season before getting hurt and missing the remainder of the season. But Shabazz is a fringe starter (or at least should be) in his third year and is still considered a valuable asset, being that teams are inquiring about him and the Wolves don’t want to trade him.

Tyus has a good amount to work on. First, he simply needs experience and to master his craft. Its scary to think that a player can go from being a freshmen starter at Duke to barely playing the year after. Being that Jones is 19, it would be the equivalent of a super smart kid dropping out of school for a year and then expected to pick it up again later. It’s probably the first time Jones hasn’t been one of the best players on his team, let alone being the worst. Getting clock and not forgetting how to play the game is important just to not simply fall off. This is more reason why the Wolves need their own affiliate so they don’t need to wait for a team to accept their players and can continue their development with their own coaches. It helps that Wolves GM Milt Newton is friends with Dean Cooper, the coach of the Stampede.

Next Tyus really needs to work on his defense. His defense is what is preventing him from getting any playing time in the league. Players are just faster and stronger at this point. If he wants to be on the court, he needs to be able to stay in front of another backup point guard. The key here is just to not become a liability on the defensive end. Just hold your own. Tyus has to work on his strength, speed, and just understanding the angles that need to be played to ensure that his guy doesn’t blow past him without any time for a help defender to get there to protect the rim.

For Tyus’ future, Jones will have to be able to shoot. The Wolves need 3-point shooting desperately and to be relevant in the NBA as a point guard, you need to be able to shoot. Just as Ricky Rubio. To Tyus’ credit, he has shown that he can shoot a bit. But for Tyus to really have a long-term career in the NBA, he needs to be a lethal shooter from 3. I am always reminded of Wes Mathews story of making it int he NBA as a 2nd-Round pick. He essentially was told; if you want to make the team you have to be a great shooter. He learned how to shoot and now is an overpaid player coming off of a major injury. But shooters will get overpaid and have a place in the league. That is a success story. If Tyus Jones can knock down an open three consistently, he will find his way into games.

Lastly, Jones will need to learn how to facilitate an offense. This is a strength of his. He is a smart player on the court and is capable of finding the open man. He just needs to be able to do this at a professional level. If he can learn to take what the coach tells him and translate it onto the court, he will be a favorite of his coach and will get playing time. Just hope that coach isn’t Sam Mitchell.

The Timberwolves need Tyus Jones to develop. One of the biggest holes on the team is the backup point guard. The Wolves need a backup point guard desperately for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason they need one is due to the uncertainty around Ricky Rubio’s jump shot and health. When Rubio is playing, things are good for the Wolves. But what happens if he isn’t playing? Rubio is officially a guy who can’t go 40 minutes and probably not 82 games. Having a backup capable of starting in his place is essential. The Wolves don’t have that currently.

What the Wolves do have currently is shooting guard Zach LaVine. LaVine playing shooting guard helps the Wolves a lot more than Zach LaVine playing point guard. But if you have been following out T-logs, you know this already. But if this year, or more than likely next year, Jones can step up as a solid reserve, LaVine can move in and start as a shooting guard. Zach LaVine moving into the shooting guard slot may be the next step the Wolves need to make a jump next year. We also know that Andre Miller just can’t do it anymore for a season. He is older than KG.

The Wolves need to address a reserve point guard soon. The hope is Jones develops fast enough to fill that void before they go out and find a new one. If Jones can become a 3&D facilitating point guard, he will have a long career in the league. If Jones can develop into this, he will be able to provide support at the point guard position and push LaVine to his natural position, two things that are much needed for the Wolves.

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The Timber Rebuilder

KG Dunks on Blake Griffin – The Analysis

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Garnett had 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a dunk of the year.

The Wolves lost its fourth straight game against the Clippers last night. But for whatever reason, everyone in Minnesota is happy. Sam Mitchell treated the press nicely. Those of us eliminated from our fantasy football playoffs are quite jolly today. Because KG dunked on one of the most annoying basketball players in the league, Blake Griffin. In case you spent the night under a rock, here it is:

 

If you have also watched this video over 50 times, a few things happened. You and the crowd and every other Wolves fan went nuts. KG proceeded to talk the very necessary smack after the dunk, if only the video had subtitles. As the crowd went wild, Chris Paul called a time out to prevent the momentum getting too out of hand and to allow for the dunk to sink in for fans.

This dunk was Garnett’s first dunk of the season and like the announcers screamed, it is probably the best of the season. The last time KG dunked in a Wolves uniform was April 9th, 2007. In case you wanted to just see the dunk in a sequence, there was this flowing through the internet:

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In the first picture on the left, there seems to be a lot going through Garnett’s head. KG is in mid air and realizing that he could score his average in points if he could just make the basket. He is probably upset at Rubio for passing the ball to him in transition. He was initially running for a rebound put back or something. In the middle image, KG then says forget it, I will try to just get to the line. He then realizes, Blake Griffin hasn’t moved. KG is then realizing what a punk Griffin is. This is when KG is then developing the necessary rhetoric he will share with Griffin when he comes back down to planet earth. The third image is where Garnett physically turns back the clock and we all see this:

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A young KG emerged from the dust and reappeared for a brief moment. It was beautiful. The 39-year old Garnett had posterized a former dunk champion, Hollywood star, and very athletic Blake Griffin. When people say ‘the game of basketball is like art in motion’, this is what they mean.

The final part of the analysis is based on the reactions. And the best reaction. 20-year old Karl-Anthony Towns reacted like he was a fan. Like his mentor just proved to him that he still had it. Like Mom said the pizza rolls were ready. Here it is:

The meme potential for this is enormous. Whenever I am excited about anything, I will imagine this reaction. It is just a beautiful image to see KG talking smack and KAT screaming and cheering with a bandaid on his face as if he just dunked on Griffin himself. It felt like a passing of the torch.

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You then are left with this reaction. Fans cheering still. KG cursing the entire Clippers team. Towns reacting like a child who uttered their first swear word and knew what it meant. Wiggins looking like he woke up and saw the Clippers bench crying from embarrassment. And Rubio flexing and talking crap in spanish.

This was beautiful. Even though the game didn’t conclude in victory, this was all worth it. 39-year old Kevin Garnett dunked on 26- year old Blake Griffin. It is what all old guys dream about in pick up basketball. Garnett lived out the dream for all of us.

Thanks for turning back the clock for us KG. It was glorious.

Decoding Sam Mitchell

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The Timberwolves are already half-way to their win total from last season and it is only the beginning of December. So if comparing this season to seasons past, its been a significant improvement. There are things you can attribute to coaching, roster moves, team chemistry, and to player development. But just because things have improved does not mean that couldn’t be better. The Wolves have won some games they shouldn’t have (sweeping the Hawks and winning in Miami) and lost games they probably could’ve won (twice against the Magic).

Part of the tug-of-war between the front office and the coaching staff is always one of player development vs the outcome this season. The beauty of having a GM-Coach like the role Flip Saunders had is that there is absolutely a balance. Although the Wolves were terrible last season, its clear that Wiggins and LaVine developed a lot over the course of the season into this one and the Wolves were able to identify that the ROI (Return on Investment) on Anthony Bennett wasn’t worth it. Wiggins & LaVine look like they are among the best rookies from last season because of this balance and the Wolves are now better positioned to be a contender in the future. Now with Mitchell in his position, he is fighting to prove he is worthy of being a coach passed this season.

Mitchell biggest criticism thus far which is probably evenly split between Wolves fans is Karl-Anthony Towns’ minutes. He has seen a dramatic decrease in minutes and has struggled in the limited minutes after having a historic start to the season for the rookie. Gorgui Dieng has seem more minutes and to his credit, has produced nicely. But many believe that Towns does give the Wolves a better chance to win and should see any minutes in the fourth quarter. Over the last five games, Towns has averaged 22 minutes a game and on many occasions hasn’t played in the 4th quarter.

Mitchell has come out and finally spoke on the minutes issues for Towns and says he doesn’t want to burn him out and says its part of the learning process. Trusting the process can be rough though, just as the Sixers. This was the first time Mitchell actually spoke about it, as there were many questions as to why Towns was not playing and the Wolves continued to lose in close games. Towns did take the high road and said his minutes in College prepared him for this. Sam Mitchell is trying to win games, which is understood. But you have to believe, Karl-Anthony Towns playing in the fourth quarter a little more would probably help that cause along.

The next criticism against Mitchell has been his handling of another young prospect, Zach LaVine. Mitchell started training camp naming LaVine the starting shooting guard and then moved him to the bench as the back up point guard. After a slow start, it was clear LaVine was most effective as a shooting guard and not effective at the point. Once it was realized the Wolves couldn’t afford Tayshaun Prince in the starting lineup, the struggling Kevin Martin was moved in to replace Prince. LaVine currently has a PER of 18.2, which is an improvement from last season 11.3 PER. LaVine also has the 4th highest Win Share on the team at 1.1, where Martin has a .5 WS and Prince with .2. LaVine’s Box Plus/Minus has improved leaps and bounds from last season, where he has a BPM this season of 2.2, where it was a terrible -4.5 last year. Kevin Martin has a BPM of -4.3 right now. Long story short, not only has LaVine improved, but he is playing much better than Martin or Prince this season.

The concern in all of this worries fans that followed Mitchell in Toronto. In case you didn’t know, Sam Mitchell was awarded Coach of the Year 2006-2007 but was the coach who allowed Kobe to score 81 points and also failed to develop a lot of key pieces while there, namely former number 1 pick Andrea Bargnani. Bargnani was restricted on minutes early on and never built the kind of relationship you would want out of your top draft pick and your head coach. He also failed to develop many draft picks who seemed to have the potential to succeed in this league. Many players left Toronto disgruntled, which led to a poor season and his termination soon after.

Lastly, the rotations Sam Mitchell is using are questionable at best. Staggering and balancing bench players with starters is a way to keep the level of talent on the floor at least even while you rest your best players. Mitchell has played his bench through long and important minutes through the 4th quarter which usually puts the team in a deeper deficit than it needs to be. It seems like substitutions are more reactionary than tactically decided. It also seems that even if a guy is playing well, they still seem to not get the minutes, like Shabazz Mohammad. It is just difficult to see the logic Mitchell is using to decide who is on the floor.

It is important to point out that there are things Sam Mitchell is doing right too. Mitchell is a players’ coach. He seems to be able to relate to players and understand them. Mitchell also seemingly has a good relationship with KG, in which he probably serves as the most important person to Garnett in the organization at this point. But on the court, the Wolves have clearly improved as a team. They have moved away from the bottom of the barrel in the league defensively, to at one point one of the best teams in that category this season. There have been woes offensively where the team has shot below 40% a couple of times and are not leveraging their young by struggling in fast break points.

The Wolves are also playing with a grit that they lacked in previous seasons. They don’t give up after they go down by 10. They stay close at the end of games. And it doesn’t feel like we are going to lose every game within 5 like a few seasons ago with Rick Adelman. Its hard to tell if this is because Garnett is inspiring the young guys or if Mitchell is motivating these guys to play hard, it does deserve praise. For this alone, its clear Mitchell is not warranting any sort of dramatic firing. But again, this team’s number one priority is development and what the franchise is banking on. So the criticism is warranted.

The truth of the matter is this Sam Mitchell will likely coach out this year. The Wolves are not in a position to win a championship at the given moment and the team is performing at about their expectations. I also believe Glen Taylor is going to try and figure out how to move forward on what happens with the GM & Coaching void Flip left behind. What will be said, the hope is Sam Mitchell is not the Wolves coach the 2016-17 season. The development of the key pieces on this roster is far more important than Sam Mitchell’s wizardry on the bench. I don’t believe the Wolves as an organization can afford Mitchell as head coach another season, especially with the talent pool of available head coaches.

Wolves Bench Gives Reason to Excite

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The Wolves find themselves at 8-8 16 games into the season. There have been many ups and downs thus far. Lots of attention has been placed on the young Wolves’ performance, namely that of Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Zach LaVine, rightfully so. Andrew Wiggins is putting up All-Star-Like scoring numbers. Towns has started the season in a historical fashion. Injuries have plagued Ricky Rubio early in that he has missed 5 of the 16 games. The Wolves have been the 2nd best team on the road, only behind the undefeated Warriors. They have also started slow in only winning two games at home.

All of that aside along with the talk about Sam Mitchell’s questionable rotations, the Wolves look like a decent team all of a sudden. You have to believe that the Wolves are doing some things right. One thing that is going unseen though is the bench play of the Wolves. The Wolves have the highest scoring bench in the league averaging 44.4 points a game. The Wolves bench also leads the league in minutes playing 1770. The Wolves bench is also the most offensive efficient bench and second in defensive efficiency. These numbers are surprising, being that the Wolves have historically had terrible bench play since the ‘Zoo Crew’.

So how is this made possible? First, there are a few fringe starters sitting on the Wolves bench. Zach LaVine has been playing in place of the injured Rubio when he is out and is continuing to prove that he can play in this league. LaVine has finally been able to stay in front of some guards as he had shown in the Hawks and Kings games. His passes and shot selection is still questionable. He also still struggles to get through picks. But he is proving to be a very reliable scorer, as he has become the second leading scorer on the team with 14.4 points a game. He has blossomed when in the starting lineup, but against the Hawks he was the leading scorer off of the bench with 18 points.

After that, the play of Shabazz Muhammed has been coming around to be the super efficient scorer he used to be. He was able to score 15 points in 15 minutes and is showing that he can shoot the 3 effectively again, bringing his 3pt% to 33% on the season after a slow start. He still remains fairly inconsistent and isn’t getting enough minutes to get in a rhythm, but he still remains a factor.

As much as Gorgui Dieng has bothered me this season, he is putting up some decent numbers as of late and is rebounding the ball well. It seems as if he has managed to lose some basketball IQ as his career has progressed, but he is developing himself into a good rotation player and maybe a starter eventually. He is winning the trust of Sam Mitchell and taking minutes from Towns as this point.

The Wolves then get help all-around from the likes of Adrien Payne, Andre Miller, Rudez, and Prince. The Wolves will get an even greater boost when Bjelica returns from his injury because he was the lone wolf early on in the season that seemed to be producing off of the bench. After a slow start for the Wolves in which leads would go to die when the Wolves bench entered the game, the last few games is showing how deep this team can be by actually extending leads. It will also be interesting when Pekovic makes his return, whenever that is. It would be ideal for him to play limited minutes and now he is in a position where the Wolves don’t need more than that out of him when/ if he returns.

While I don’t agree with Sam Mitchell’s minutes distribution and rotation, the Wolves have scraped their way back to .500. I personally don’t think an entire group of bench players should be on the floor at once, but it has worked. Many players have stepped up to get a three wins in a row, and many of them are guys off the bench. In the three games the bench has carried the team, Towns has struggled to get his game going. Its not a time to panic. The Wolves are winning and Towns seems to be the type of player that can manage adversity well. And in the event that he can’t, he has many veterans around him to guide him.

The question remains on what to do with the starting lineup nonetheless. Kevin Martin has looked less than mediocre, and even worse in the starting lineup. Many have to believe a move of LaVine to the starting lineup could occur sooner rather than later, being that Rubio can be decently healthy. Shabazz Muhammed could also be an option, but I get the feeling Sam Mitchell is not interested in that.

The Sam Mitchell critics will need to keep quiet as the Wolves have strung a few wins in a row with his bizarre rotations. It does, in fact, feel good to be back at .500. The Wolves play the Clippers in LA on Sunday before a few games at home.

A Surprisingly Pivotal Point in the Season

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The Wolves enter a game against the winless Philadelphia 76ers at 5-8 on the season, after a fast start. The Wolves find themselves in a position where a few games will likely define what their season will look like. They could dig a big enough hole in which it will be to difficult to climb out of later in the season or they can hang around .500 enough to make a push later in the season. The Wolves currently sit 22nd in offensive efficiency and 15th in defensive efficiency. It has been clear through the first 13 games the Wolves win games when the defense is stellar and struggle when they can’t hold their opponents to under 100 points. It has been also evident that the 2nd half is not where the Wolves prevail, giving up leads in games to the Hawks, Magic, and Pistons.

Entering the game tonight against the Sixers, something’s gotta give. Either the Sixers win their first game of the season or the Wolves win their first game at home. If you recall, the Sixers won their first game of the season last year against the Wolves after losing 19 straight, which was really the beginning of the end for the Wolves, who would essentially give up on the season and end with the worst record. The Wolves are 1-6 in the last 7 games and definitely need to turn things around if they intend on being competitive this season or it becomes another year of development.

For the Wolves, a game against the Sixers is exciting for the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns goes up against Jahlil Okafor, two Rookie of the Year candidates. Two franchises have taken different approaches to rebuilding as well, which will be interesting to see over the next few years how they pan out. The Sixers have taken the approach of just accumulating as many assests as possible, whether it is young players or draft picks, and hope they pan out, all while minimizing salary on the team. The Wolves have taken the mentorship approach of surrounding young guys with veterans in which they are also trying to compete with a developing roster.

Sam Mitchell continues to figure out how the team works and made an adjustment where Kevin Martin enters the starting lineup in replace of Tayshaun Prince. This moves Andrew Wiggins to the small forward position. This also sends the message that the Wolves are looking to improve their offense while taking a hit to their defense. I am a firm believer that Kevin Martin and Andrew Wiggins are a duo that does not bode well for Wiggins and his production as Martin takes a lot of his shots or for the team in general. Other than Gorgui Dieng, Wiggins’ net points per 100 possessions is worst when paired with Martin on the floor. It would make most sense to start LaVine at shooting guard or maybe even Shabazz Muhammad at small forward, but Sam Mitchell seems to not prefer those options still. Mitchell believes LaVine still needs to play point guard and talks of Shabazz as a starter haven’t really surfaced. Wiggins and Muhammad have only seen 53 minutes on the court together this season.

Regardless, the change indicates that change needed to happen. It will be interesting to see how many minutes Prince still gets, as he has shown that he isn’t as great of a defender as he was expected to be. The Wolves will face the Hawks, Kings, Clippers, Magic, and Blazers in the next 5 games which will be an opportunity to measure themselves against some more middle-of-the-pack teams, talent-wise. Rubio has mentioned that this is not how a winning team plays, so it will be interesting to see how the Wolves approach these next few games. The Wolves definitely need to experiment a little more with the rotations and sets on the court.

Let’s see tonight though. Our hopes are Towns gets more involved in the offense by getting more shots, there are crisp picks set, and passes aren’t happening cross court. Wolves are coming off of a practice, which Mitchell mentioned being an issue as not having enough. Hopefully the Wolves can come in and win a game they should win.

The Timber (re)Builder

Wiggins & Towns Are So Fun to Watch and Should Only Get Better

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Wolves fans are really lucky. If you appreciate basketball at all, Wiggins and Towns playing for the same team is a treat. Besides the point that they are the last two number 1 picks and the hype that surrounded them prior, these two are absolutely talented and have a lot of basketball ahead of them. The amount of potential this duo has on both ends of the court is incredible. Many Wolves fans have had the pleasure to watch them develop a chemistry. This really hit me in the final few seconds of regulation of the game against the Magic. Down 93-91, Andrew Wiggins tied the game with a clutch drive to the basket. Super clutch.

Then Karl-Anthony Towns would make a game-saving block at the buzzer to send it to OT. Then, as if it were planned, the two celebrated together.

Sequences like these is why basketball seems to be such a poetic sport.

Towns has been phenomenal thus far and has exceeded his already lofty expectations. It seems like after every game there is a new stat about Towns that says he is ‘the first player to do X in first Y number of games since Shaq/ David Robinson’ or he is the ‘youngest player to do X in a game since [insert awesome young player here]’. More to come on his potential. But his basketball IQ has been showcased where he looks like a veteran for the most part. He also plays with a natural passion for the game and is a very polished individual. You can’t help but cheer for him.

Wiggins got out of the gate slow this season and there were a lot of questions. He has finally figured it out a little bit and has 19 or more points in the last 7 games, which is a career-high for him. He is beginning to be ultra-aggressive in attacking the rim and scoring at will. He finally feels like he will lead the team in scoring night in and night out. He has had some incredible dunks in where he just posterizes people and is taking smart shots. The best thing he has done thus far is he gets to the line quite a bit. He could improve his FT%, but that could be an easy fix eventually. Overall, he isn’t showing he is a difference maker within the advanced stats realm, he is passing the eye-test that he could arguably become an All Star, even this season.

Wiggins and Towns have played 308 minutes together already, and their tandem is much more efficient with Rubio on the floor with them. In the 308 minutes together, nothing stands out that they should be paired together quite yet. But there is potential there. Their games seem to compliment each other. There is still room for improvement but defensively, both guys can be anchors. Towns is arguably already a top 10 defensive center and Wiggins has shown flashes of shutting down players on the perimeter. They both have shown that the pick & roll could be effective in them running it, but at this point KAT seems to be running the pick & roll effectively with anyone.

For these two to truly help fill some voids on this Timberwolves team, it will be important for them to both be able to consistently hit 3-pointers. The Wolves have historically been a poor 3-point shooting team and have essentially gone passed the tipping point of number of young prospects vs number of role players/ shooters. If the Wolves are to become a contender, the 3-point shot needs to be a part of the arsenal in Towns & Wiggins’ games. Towns has shown that he can be a positive contributor on the floor all-around, but Wiggins at this point is looking to become a glorified scorer. Taking these things into consideration, trying to determine what these two become by playing with each other will be very intriguing.

The tweet above says (I know, very credible) that said Towns has been Shaq with a 3-point shot. He may not far off, although we haven’t seen the 3-point quite yet. That said, Towns has already been a double-double machine and can block/ alter shots fairly consistently. The numbers aren’t too far off either. I expected Towns to struggle with foul trouble a lot more, but he has faired well against some decent talent inside. Towns could be an incredible inside-outside offensive threat that provides top 10 defensive-anchoring who could also sprinkle a couple threes and passes. To me, sounds a lot like a Shaq who can shoot. Scary.

Wiggins is turning into a glorified scorer. And that can be absolutely fine in the future. It seems like Towns does enough where Wiggins really only needs to score. Again, the 3-point shot development is key for not only Wiggins as a player but also to stay relevant as a player in a league that is moving further away from the basket. Next, Wiggins will need to utilize his athleticism to be a perimeter stopper. He is beginning to also show the tenacity that he has been consistently criticized over. A glorified-scoring 3 and D guy? Well isn’t that the ideal player?

If these two guys can reach this full potential, they certainly look like they could be the best duo in basketball in a few years. Watching them grow together might be the most exciting thing to happen in this franchise’s short history. Of course, there are a million factors that this wouldn’t play out perfectly, like injuries, egos, salary caps, and the other 13 roster spots. But its definitely fun to speculate from a fan’s perspective. And since they are young, we will get to speculate for a long time.