Let the McHale Homecoming Speculation Begin

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mchaleHouston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale was fired this morning after the Rockets got off to a 4-7 start after making the Western Conference Finals last season. JB Bickerstaff, University of Minnesota alumnus & former Wolves assistant, takes over as interim head coach.

McHale found himself out of a job after the Rockets had a players-only meeting and were embarrassed by the Boston Celtics. From the sounds of it is that McHale lost control of the team and they could not play defense. This comes after McHale received a contract extension last season.

This isn’t a Rockets blog. But it is important to discuss Kevin McHale. Can’t say McHale is an amazing coach. But also can’t say the exact problem was him. Lots has gone on recently. James Harden has shot the ball terribly along with many other Rockets. But the blame came on McHale and he is gone. Immediately, many Wolves fan saw a member of the ‘Country Club’ available and made the linkage. Will he come back? If so, in what capacity?

One has to imagine McHale will take some time away from the game. He has experienced a difficult last few years. He lost his daughter in 2012 which triggered an emotional meeting with KG after a nationally televised game as seen below:

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You also have to imagine McHale took the loss of his Gopher teammate Flip Saunders hard, regardless how they parted ways professionally.

The Wolves seem to be fine with Milt Newton and Sam Mitchell for now, being that they are only 11 wins away from matching last season’s total. But the Timberwolves do seem to be a Country Club with the return of Kevin Garnett as a mentor and Sam Mitchell as the current Head Coach. Glen Taylor also has been interested in selling the team and usually only works with people he trusts.

That said, it is unclear to know what the relationship is like between Taylor and McHale. You would believe Taylor would reach out to McHale. In what capacity? Its unclear. But there has to be a possibility there. Kevin McHale is a huge factor in the development of Kevin Garnett’s post game. It would be interesting to see McHale work with Karl-Anthony Towns. McHale coached the Wolves in random stints that weren’t good. He could potentially even join an ownership group with Garnett in the future, that could be the successors for Glen Taylor. I can’t imagine him joining eventually as a GM but I believe he could be a consultant sooner rather than later.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. He was just fired and nothing may come of it now, but in the future…. you never know…

Wolves won last night in Miami and take on one of my favorite young teams tonight, Orlando Magic.

Why the Wolves Can’t Win Without Rubio

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NBA: Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

 

It has gone on for a couple years now. The Wolves are 9-55 (.140) without Ricky Rubio over the last two seasons and are 11-17 (.393) with him in the lineup. Its clear that the Timberwolves struggle to win games without Rubio on the floor. But it is important to understand why.

Ricky Rubio is one of the most underrated defensive point guard in the NBA. While the Wolves defense has improved this season, a big reason for it is having Rubio on the floor. Rubio lacks speed but he plays the passing lanes well and is long enough where opposing point guards don’t have an easy time running the offense seeing over him. Opposing point guards are scoring and creating more against other point guards on the Wolves. Even if you don’t believe Rubio is a great defender, anyone else who plays point guard for the Wolves are very bad on the defensive end, so he is an improvement.

He makes players around him better on both ends. There is a reason why fans want LaVine to never play point guard outside of the fact that he can’t thrive there. The opportunity to play alongside Rubio could really elevate his game. The sample size of those two playing together is small, but they clearly want to play together and have decent chemistry when both are out there. But if you look at the different between the offensive rating of the Wolves with Rubio and Without, it is night and day. With Rubio on the floor, the Wolves have an offensive rating differential of +10.2. Without Rubio on the floor, it is -8.9. So there is an overall differential of +19 that Rubio has an impact on when he plays. Also, Rubio leads the team in +/- by a long shot, with a +6.3 per game average.

He is competitive too. Ricky comes from a winning background. He loves to win. He plays great defense in the clutch and also shows the ability to make good decisions offensively. If there is something Rubio, KG, and KAT share, it is the passion to win games. Having his competitive spirit on the floor is enough to make a difference on whether our team is out there competing or just looking to put points on the board.

The ball moves when Rubio is in the game. Over the last four losses, there has been multiple times that open guys never get the ball. Rubio encourages ball movement and in the last four games, most of the offense has been isolations and creating off of the dribble. When Rubio is on the floor, the Wolves Assist% (percentage of points made with an assist) is 64.5%. When Rubio is not on the floor, it is 52.3%. This is significant in that the Wolves without Rubio are scoring have of their baskets through someone creating it individually.

If the Wolves want to compete this season, it will only be if Rubio is healthy. It is scary to see him miss four straight games without much warning. There were a lot of questions on why Mitchell was not playing him more than the 30.8 minutes per game he has been playing. His overall health has to be a long-term concern for the Wolves being that his minutes have declined over the length of his career. It will be interesting to see if he plays against the Heat tonight. If he doesn’t, there is a good chance we see another loss. What we are learning very quickly though is that regardless of potential, production, or talent, Rubio may be the most valuable player on this team when it comes to the win column. The only way the Wolves can compete this season and not let it be another rebuilding year will be if Ricky Rubio is healthy.

November 16th Week’s Wolves Highlights: Rubio, KG, & More

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The Wolves have dropped four straight games and are currently 4-6 on the season. The schedule for the upcoming week through the 22nd is:

Nov 17th: Wolves @ Heat 6:30pm CST

Nov 18th: Wolves @ Magic 6:00pm CST

Nov 20th: Pistons @ Wolves 7:00pm CST

Things To Watch:

  • Ricky Rubio has missed 4 straight games (Wolves are 0-4) with a knee injury that became a hamstring injury. Ricky has practiced today and its still up in the air if he will play in Miami on Tuesday.
  • Garnett is just the 5th player in history to log over 50,000 minutes in the NBA. KG is only 105 minutes played to pass Jason Kidd for 3rd all time. With Garnett averaging 16 minutes per game, he is about seven games away from passing Kidd on the list.
  • Towns has averaged over 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks through his first 10 games. First player to do that since Tim Duncan in 97-98. Towns blocked at least 3 shots in 6 straight games but has only had one block in the last three games.
  • Zach LaVine continues to start at point guard and is averaging 21 points per game. He has hit four threes in the last two contests. He has also been playing some shooting guard towards the end of games, which should make people happy.

Week  Record Prediction: 1-2

The Zach LaVine Experiment

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Dec 26, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine (8) runs the ball down the court during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Entering his second season, Zach LaVine is a national attraction due to his stunning performance in the 2014-15 Dunk Contest. LaVine is a young, athletic freak who can be a highlight reel in every game. While expectations were quite low for the 20-year old after being drafted 13th in the 2014 draft and didn’t start for UCLA in his single season there, opportunities arose through multiple injuries and a youth movement last season. LaVine showed flashes of amazing and terrible.

Last season, LaVine averaged 10.1 ppg but over the final 18 games of the season averaged 18.7 ppg, 5.4 apg, and 4.9 rpg. He managed to score 37 points against the Warriors where he made 6 3-pointers. Statistically, he managed to have a solid season. LaVine came in without much experience or identity outside of his athleticism and personality, so he was a blank canvas for Coach Flip Saunders. He primarily played shooting guard making a living off of scoring in transition and making the occasional open three in college but in the NBA he would be asked to play point guard. It was something that would be much of an experiment because he offered a height advantage against point guards and matched their weight. At the beginning of the season, it was probably expected LaVine wouldn’t play much behind Ricky Rubio or the newly acquired Mo Williams. But injuries and trades happen. The opportunity presented itself. Before we knew it, the 19 year old Zach LaVine was the starting point guard.

Zach LaVine as the point guard started with Flip. LaVine proved he was an electric player that could give you highlight reel dunks, but his decision making has been questionable throughout his career. He takes midrange shots very early in the shot clock without passing a lot, which is probably the most inefficient thing to do in basketball. 29% of his shots were between 16ft and the 3-point line, accounting for the largest amount of his field goal attempts. He turned the ball over enormous amount as well, about 2.5 times a game last season, making his assist-to-turnover ratio really close to 1. That is bad for a point guard, and anyone really. Lastly, his defense was terrible. He gets stuck behind picks, is too weak to guard shooting guards, and can’t stay in front of point guards.

But there was hope. He showed he has the ability to score, athleticism that makes him difficult to guard, and a decent shooting stroke that teams have to defend. His ability to get to the line and finish around the rim made him valuable on the offensive end. The other thing that is impressive about LaVine is his demeanor. He has a wonderful work ethic, as he has visibility put on weight this season. He has a love for the game and confidence in his ability. He has shown that he can hit some big shots and doesn’t back down from a challenge.

As Sam Mitchell took over, he gave the starting 2-guard role to Zach LaVine in the preseason and said it was his position to lose. Unfortunately, he lost it rather quickly and was benched by the time the season opener came along. He looked extremely inefficient as a starter and just couldn’t keep up. So as the season started, LaVine found himself in the backup point guard role where he has also struggled early on in the season, but not as bad as the preseason. He still lacks the fundamentals, basketball IQ, and defensively ability to really be effective. But he has shown promise in some games this season.

Zach played what many called the best 11 minutes of his career (which I personally disagree) against the Hawks where he scored in double figured and ran the offense effectively as the Wolves pulled out to a 34-point lead. He then was benched for giving up that lead in the second half. He started the first game of the season last night in a loss against the Hornets where he showed signs of greatness and terribleness with 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 8 turnovers. He made some amazing plays to the basket but then also took terrible shots and made some terrible passes.

But at the end of the day, Zach LaVine is unfortunately the 2nd best point guard on this roster. The Wolves will have to live and die by his play. While as some point it may make sense to play him at shooting guard, right now the way he is going to see minutes is by playing point. What will really help his game is when he will be able to play alongside Rubio, who has made everyone play better when he is on the floor this season. But instead LaVine is on the floor with the ball-stopping Kevin Martin, the struggling Shabazz Muhammaed and Dieng, and the star rookie-vet Bjelica.

This season and next will truly determine Zach’s career projection. The Wolves will likely need to trade Kevin Martin in order to open up minutes for LaVine at the shooting guard position. LaVine will need to immediately stop taking mid range jumpers unless they are wide open and start playing better defense. He also will in time naturally add body weight so that he can compete physically in the NBA. There should come a point where LaVine will force himself to the line when he is on the same physical level as most of the players in the league. But the most important that I believe is being overlooked on LaVine is the 3-point shot. If he can develop a good consistent 3-pointer, which he is more than capable of, he will force himself onto the floor for the unique ability to get to the rim and shoot the 3.

I am a true believer Zach LaVine has the capability to be an All-Star in the NBA but the concern now is his relationship with Sam Mitchell. My worry is that Mitchell isn’t going to place LaVine in a position to succeed. While Prince is here to mentor Wiggins and KG for Towns, LaVine seems to be the forgotten child on the roster. LaVine has an incredible amount of upside, it is just beginning to look like it may not be fostered appropriately in Sam Mitchell’s coaching style. As mentioned earlier, this season and next will be defining for Zach LaVine. He will determine in the next two seasons his career projection. He could end up anywhere between a mix of Russell Westbrook athletically mixed with Jamal Crawford’s skillset, or a combo guard version of J.R. Smith.

In assessing the Wolves current inventory of players, he serves as an insurance policy to Ricky Rubio and capable of playing big minutes. Tyus Jones seems to be like the future backup point guard if Ricky does remain healthy. As for shooting guard, it depends on what Andrew Wiggins becomes. Shabazz Muhammed is also still defining himself in which position he will play. But LaVine could grow naturally as a combo guard for the Wolves as roles are defined in these next two seasons. The hope would be he plays more shooting guard than point guard when its all said and done. But for now, we are left with a guy playing point guard who has all the potential of a superstar without the fundamentals or IQ.

Bullet Dodged. Wolves Somehow Beat Hawks 117-107

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Phew. What an emotional roller coaster. The Wolves took on an Eastern Conference leading Atlanta Hawks on the road. It was easy to overlook the young puppies if you are a veteran Hawks team.

wiggins_hawksThe Wolves came out hitting the gas pedal and never looked back in the first half. The lead got up to 34 points for the Wolves with everything clicking for Wiggins, Martin, Towns, Rubio, and LaVine. All the shots were falling and the defense was very tough. But you had to think a young Wolves team on the road would lose some of that lead.

But it got out of hand. The Wolves would score 42 points in the 2nd quarter and then give up 42 in the 3rd quarter. The momentum was gone by the time the Hawks pulled within 20, then 15, then 9 by the end of the 3rd. As a Wolves fan, it was clear, it was going down the drain quickly.

Behind a couple timely threes from Bjelica, the Wolves would keep their head above water. After the Hawks took the lead and the Wolves looked doomed, Andrew Wiggins showed some Kobe-Level nastiness and took the game over offensively. Wiggins would hit a few impressive And 1s from inside and outside. He sealed the deal by scoring 8 of the final 12 points for the Wolves. Defensively, Karl-Anthony Towns ended up anchoring the team and stopped the flood of Hawks points.

Wiggins ended the game with 33 points, tying a career-high. It was the first time he would score more than 30 points in back to back games in his young career. Karl-Anthony Towns had another double-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The young duo again carried the Wolves to victory with help from LaVine, Martin, and Bjelica off the bench.

If the Wolves lost, this post would be completely different. The feeling would be completely different. But the Timberwolves completely collapsed in the 3rd quarter. They couldn’t complete a pass. They couldn’t get the ball across half court. This game also proved that Andre Miller probably shouldn’t be playing after blowing a breakaway layup. I continue to not understand Sam Mitchell’s logic. The Wolves were falling apart in the 3rd quarter and he refused to call a timeout. After the Hawks came within 10, he decided to start Andre Miller in the 4th. That further dissolved the lead. The Wolves needed Rubio and Towns out there as soon as possible. It is as clear as day the Wolves play better with those two playing alongside Andrew Wiggins.

The Wolves played great in the first half. Everything went in. It also helped that the Hawks couldn’t make a shot. The game should’ve been lost but there was a heroic effort from Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns and a lucky start. Mitchell again proved he struggles in managing a game. It got out of hand and the flood gates never slowed down. Although the Wolves move to 4-2 and are undefeated on the road, Sam Mitchell dodged a major bullet here. He would’ve had to ask a lot of questions. Thankfully, we rejoice.

Overall good win for the Wolves. We can pretend nothing happened here for now.

Dethrone the Prince, Shabazz Should Be Starting

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Shabazz-Muhammad-e1420744407354

Not entirely sure if you can dethrone a prince, but go with it for the title’s sake. Sounds cooler.

The Wolves are now 2-2. The Wolves lost a nasty one to the Miami Heat. Fans everywhere are screaming what is in the world is wrong with the rotation? The major problems were that the starters combined for 29 points and Ricky Rubio, arguably the best player on the team, played half the game. The Wolves may not have the talent the Heat have, but Sam mitchell has completely mismanaged the Wolves thus far.

The Wolves have two veterans in the starting lineup, Tayshaun Prince and Kevin Garnett. At this point, Garnett will likely remain in the starting lineup for defensive and mentorship purposes. Prince is placed in the lineup for his experience and defensive ability. There is also the experiment of running Wiggins at the 2, which is viable. In general NBA terms, if a player can defend a position, they can play it. But there are more viable options that could be starting instead of Prince. Kevin Martin was a starter last season and is the team’s leading scorer. Zach LaVine was promised the starting spot at the beginning of the preseason and after his poor performance, he was taken out. Then there is Shabazz Muhammad, who had a breakout season last year and mainly was used as energy off the bench.

A lot of times teams want to present matchup problems in the starting lineup, which is likely why Wiggins is in the starting lineup. For matchup problems to occur though, the other wing player needs to require attention on the defensive end. Unfortunately, Tayshaun Prince requires as much attention as a middle child in a family of 10. Thus, its time to take him out. Its early and the sample size is small, but the experiment has failed. The starting lineup is unable to compete with other teams offensively unless Karl-Anthony Towns or Ricky Rubio are scoring over 20 points. It doesn’t help that Andrew Wiggins has struggled to get going offensively either. The Wolves need a scorer in the starting lineup and there are three waiting on the bench.

Shabazz allows the Wolves to still offer matchup problems. The Wolves want opposing 2-guards to defend Andrew Wiggins so he can shoot over them or beat them in the post. Shabazz poses the same threats if an opposing shooting guard tries to guard him. If an opposing 2-guard were to defend Tayshaun Prince, the Wolves probably still wouldn’t run the offense through him. Zach LaVine would be a wash against a shooting guard and just isn’t at the level of consistency to start. Kevin Martin would be able to score but his scoring punch off the bench is really valuable at this time and he is a ball stopper when he is in the game.

The Shabazz and Wiggins pairing was one that was fairly successful for parts of last season. Comparing the Martin/ Wiggins combo vs Shabazz/ Wiggins, Shabazz/ Wiggins had 5 more field goal attempts and 1 more 3-point attempt per 48 mintutes, meaning the pace was faster and more shots were going up. The combos were equally as effective in getting to the line and in scoring. In what was seen last season, Martin was doing most of the scoring early on in the season while Wiggins took a back seat vs a more combined effort offensively for the Wiggins and Shabazz duo.

To be frank, they are all equally a defensive drop off compared to Prince. All three lack the Defensive IQ to be a stopper. But I do believe that Shabazz will provide the most effort of the three possible replacements on the defensive end. Also, any of the three will ultimately force Wiggins to be the main defensive wing stopper, which is much needed for his improvement. Unfortunately team defense would take a hit but the rest of the guys in the starting lineup (Rubio, Wiggins, KG, KAT) are all adequate defenders.

All in all though, the starting lineup needs scoring. Shabazz can score. They need someone to get to the line. Shabazz gets to the line. They need someone to sink the open 3. Shabazz can do that too. They need Wiggins to play the 2. Shabazz can play the 3. While I don’t see anything wrong with experiment through Martin, LaVine, and Shabazz, I just feel the Prince experiment is over. Shabazz is the logical choice (to me) at this point. Martin is just not capable of guarding starter-level guards in the NBA on a game-in-game-out basis. LaVine is far too inconsistent.

My ultimate hope is this reaches Sam Mitchell and Shabazz is starting when the Wolves take on the Bulls on Saturday. Again, predicting another loss. Only because I am a huge Fred Hoiberg fan.

The Future is in Wiggins’ Hands and Wolves Fans Are Afraid to Admit It

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The season has started. The Wolves are 2-1. There is a great buzz around the team thus far. Karl-Anthony Towns has had a historical start to the season for a rookie/ teenager. Ricky Rubio looks to have found his shot and if he can stay healthy, has shown that he is an integral part of the puzzle. Kevin Martin is contributing well off the bench and Bjelica looks to have the trust of the coaching staff getting late minutes. While everyone talks about wanting to see LaVine at shooting guard and more aggressiveness from Shabazz, they have let the poor performance of Andrew Wiggins slide.

The excuses are that we are three games into the season. While Andrew Wiggins has been slowed by back spasms, it doesn’t defeat the importance of his development for this team’s success. If KAT continues to play the way he has and doesn’t improve a lick, he is more than enough to be a franchise cornerstone. Every good team needs a defensive anchor in the middle to ensure good team defense. If they can score and rebound too, then they are a franchise cornerstone. From everything we have seen from Towns in the first few months of his involvement with the Timberwolves, he is nothing to worry about. His desire, passion, basketball IQ, and unique skill set is unlike many other young players that have entered the league in recent years.

The pivotal talent of whether the Wolves just become a fringe playoff team or a dynasty is Andrew Wiggins. The Wolves will need to see development out of him. The team needs to rely on him to score in a multitude of ways as well as be a defensive stopper on the other end of the ball. Teams will need to fear his shot as well as his post game. Star players should be afraid to play against him. There is an incredible amount of pressure for Wiggins to perform and develop, but its for good reason.

Scoring is the easiest thing to find in the NBA. If it wasn’t, Rashad McCants would be a starter somewhere today. But there is a difference between a scorer and a dominant player. Wiggins has all the raw tools to be a dominant player. He has a fluid jump shot. He is crazy athletic. His post game is solid. But right now, it doesn’t seem to be happening consistently. Wiggins needs to get to the line like a Kevin Martin. He should want to dunk on people. He should want to get to the line. He should be hitting wide open threes and uncontested mid-range shots.

Through three games, Wiggins doesn’t look like himself. Maybe its the passing of Flip. Maybe its his back. But he looks like he is getting in the post and doesn’t want to be there. C.J. McCollum wouldn’t let him establish position or even shoot over him. While it isn’t time to panic, it is time to acknowledge that unless Wiggins develops into the two-way threat he is drawn up to be, the Timberwolves aren’t that scary of a team in five years. Yeah Towns should be an All-Star and Rubio has played phenomenal, but Wiggins is the differentiating factor. Wolves fans need to accept this.

Whether it be a lack of killer instinct or a lack of confidence, the future of this franchise is in his hands. It probably doesn’t help having two veterans in the starting lineup that attract no defensive attention, but it should mean more shots. Sam Mitchell is experimenting with Wiggins at shooting guard, which I believe would be a better experiment with Shabazz Muhammed rather than Tayshaun Prince in the starting lineup. The hope is, Andrew Wiggins is learning and can return to his rookie year form and play like he is playing the Cleveland Cavaliers every night.

Game 4 tonight vs the Miami Heat as they face the first team with decent amounts of talent. Predicting a loss. Will be excited to see Dragic vs Rubio and Whiteside vs Towns. Wade vs Wiggins will also be intriguing.

Game 1 Recap: Wolves Win Thriller over Lakers in Season Opener

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The Wolves opened the season against the Lakers with heavy hearts still from Sunday’s news. The Wolves wore ‘WE’ shirts that said ‘Flip’ on them as well, that the Timberwolves should absolutely sell to the public and donate a portion of the profits to Cancer Research. Yup, quick tangent.

Anyways, the Wolves were down by 16 in the second half and were brought back into the game by the same bench that put them into that deficit. The Wolves were led by Ricky Rubio’s career-high 28 points and 14 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 12 assists in his NBA debut. Many Wolves were emotional after the game and dedicated the game to the late Flip Saunders.

I got to watch the game, so my thoughts below.

The Good:

Ricky Rubio. Ricky hit a few early 3-pointers that the Lakers were giving him because of his reputation. Rubio also showed that he can finish around the rim by being aggressive and finishing with contact. Ricky put the team on his back, scoring 28 and then distributing out 14 dimes. It was the kind of game we have been dreaming about for years. The Wolves can’t expect Rubio to score this much every game, but if teams can respect his ability to get the ball in the basket, it will open up the floor for the rest of the guys. Defensively, Ricky as usual looked good. As Amin Elhassan pointed out, all he needed was a fade.

Karl Towns. He played fairly mistake-free basketball. A double-double is always a great thing to get out of your starting big man. He was the most consistent of the bigs rotation. He will start getting some offense run through him. His three point attempt looked forced, but once that gets going, sky is the limit. i loved that he didn’t look passive out there. He made the adjustments necessary defensively down the stretch and stayed out of foul trouble. 14 points and 12 rebounds, way to go rook!

Kevin Martin. While I am not the biggest endorser for K-Mart, he provided a much needed lift of the bench. He played like a savvy veteran. He did what the Wolves needed him to do, that was to score. He got to the line a ton and the best was where he forced himself to three free throws by staying aware of a dumb fould coming his way. I worried a lot having a LaVine-Martin backcourt for the simple fact that defensively, the Wolves aredisastrous. But the Wolves adjusted and for the first time in his career, Kevin Martin was applying a full court press that sent a message to the rest of the team. If K-Mart is trying defensively, everyone should.

LaVine, Shabazz, Bjelica off the bench in second half. In the first half, Bazz couldn’t get going, LaVine looked like he never played point guard before, and Bjelica picked up 3 fouls in first quarter. These three played a crucial role though in the second half. The Wolves made a run back into the game with the support of hustle and scoring by Shabazz, decent play by LaVine, and some versatile play from Bjelica. They didn’t fill up the stat sheet but each had a couple plays that changed the momentum. If they can figure out their roles and hustle as much as they did in the second half, they can be very reliable pieces for the Wolves.

The Bad:

Defense. Man the Wolves still suck defensively. It felt like a video game in the second quarter where just because the Lakers were playing the Wolves, its like everyone got better and couldn’t miss. Lou Williams dominated. Kobe couldn’t miss. We all knew the buzzer beater was coming from Swaggy P. The issue was players didn’t rotate and didn’t contest any shots. The Lakers got every shot they wanted. If KG still had hair last night, he would’ve lost it all watching that defense. This needs to be addressed quickly. We can’t win games letting opponents score 112 points.

The Rotation. Please Sam Mitchell, we don’t need to go Platoon to make KAT feel comfortable. The Wolves brought in their entire bench in the first quarter and everything collapsed. Pairing is going to be important. Bjelica couldn’t guard Randle or Hibbert. LaVine and Martin is the worst defensive backcourt combination in the NBA. Staggering guys in and out is essential. Wiggins and Martin are not good pairs. Wiggins needs to find a scoring rhythm early in the game before K-Mart enters. Its early in the season, its time to experiment with which combinations and substitutions work and which don’t.

The Ugly:

Andrew Wiggins. Unfortunately, Wiggins has the highest expectations on the team. And I often believe its not that he can’t meet them, its almost like he doesn’t want to meet them. My biggest issue is his passiveness, and I believe many agree. An adjustment for Friday’s game is to look to get Wiggins involved. Whether it be off ball screens or posting up. What he has to do is become more aggressive. Take a note out of K-Mart’s book. Get to the line and get going. All I could imagine was Wiggins in a Waldo outfit. Creepy, but where was he?

The black long sleeve jerseys. My hope is if I complain about these enough, they will disappear. They were cool when they first came out, but I can’t stand them anymore. Jersey redesign needed ASAP.

The Road Ahead

The Wolves take on the Denver Nuggets on Friday where they get to see rookie Emmanual Mudiay, who was relatively impressive in his NBA debut, although he turned the ball over 11 times. The Nuggets won their season opener in an upset over the Rockets. The Wolves will also get to see a deep and young front court of the Nuggets which has a guy from basically every European country in Gallinari, Nurkic (out until November), Lauvergne, and Jokic.  Also, former Timberwolves Randy Foye and Mike Miller play for the Nuggets.

A Season With an All New Purpose

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The Timberwolves team and fans are still grieving over the loss of the most powerful person in the organization, Flip Saunders, just two days before the beginning of the season. Thus, the Timberwolves have been left scrambling for direction. The season was about development. But now the season has an entirely new purpose. The Wolves want to make Flip proud. The young nucleus of this team was hand-picked by Flip Saunders and now they must try to figure out, ‘Why me?’ without the direction of their leader.

The interim Head Coach Sam Mitchell and GM Milt Newton will take immediate responsibility of the young Wolves. Many fans rightfully worry if they have the vision that Flip had. So the question has to arise, who will be Flip’s successor? Who will assume his responsibilities? The answers remain unseen, but for the time being Mitchell and Newton will lead. Milt Newton was Flip’s right-hand man. Flip commonly credited Milt with personnel decisions and explaining he made the deals happen. Sam Mitchell on the other hand will have to work for his job security. This season will serve as an interview for him. You have to imagine if Flip or Milt felt Mitchell was ready for the job, he would’ve been hired for the head coaching vacancy instead of as an assistant coach. Sam Mitchell was a great mentor for Kevin Garnett throughout his career and also won Coach of the Year as the head coach for the Toronto Raptors. That said, he has been criticized for the lack of development of former Number 1 pick Andrea Bargnani, which doesn’t help his case to be the long term coaching candidate in Minnesota.

When Kevin Garnett was brought in at the trade deadline last season, no one would’ve imagined that this season would hold such emotional value. KG was brought in to serve as a mentor for the young guys on the roster. Now many will turn to Garnett as the emotional leader and ignitor of this team moving forward. The Timberwolves need Garnett more than ever. Garnett lived through the Malik Sealy tragedy and you have to imagine, this one carries just as much weight. Kevin understands what Flip was trying to do in Minnesota. He wanted to win a championship. I think its safe to say, KG will not be satisfied until the Timberwolves bring home a ring.

The Franchise cornerstones, Andrew Wiggins and Karl Towns, will have tremendous pressure on them to help see Flip’s vision through, but you have to believe they have greater ties and greater passion to turn this organization around. This season was beginning to feel like a year to develop with low expectations. But the desire to win immediately for Flip is growing by the day. It will be interesting to see these two players become leaders as Flip helped bring them and had tremendous faith in both players.

As the Wolves kick off a new season against the Lakers tonight, mentalities have shifted. Flip was a man who was entirely humbled and had a great love for the Timberwolves. The 2015-2016 season will forever be known as the season dedicated to Flip.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Saunders family. Lakers vs Wolves in LA tonight. Here is to another season.

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Rest in Peace Flip

sheefo13 Uncategorized , , , ,


News broke while many Minnesotans were watching the Vikings game that Flip Saunders lost his life from Cancer at the age of 60. A huge shock to all Minnesotans. Flip’s impact goes beyond his responsibilities on the team, having the most responsibility of any individual on any NBA franchise being the President of Basketball Operations, head coach, and minority owner. He is a Minnesota faithful. Someone that has been trusted by guys like KG. A man who dedicated his life to the game.

Flip is a great example of persistency and hope. Flip, who played college basketball at the University of Minnesota with Kevin McHale & Mychal Thompson, took the long route to an NBA bench. He started his career in the CBA and then finally joined the Wolves in 1995. He led the Wolves to their first playoff birth. Coached the Wolves through the Malik Sealy tragedy and to the Western Conference finals. Kevin McHale would fire Flip during the 2005 season and Flip would find a job with the Pistons and Wizards before his return to the Wolves. He led the Pistons to many Conference Finals and responsible for the development of John Wall. Flip had success with the other NBA teams, but it was clear Minnesota held a special place in his heart.

When Flip returned to the Wolves, it wasn’t clear in what capacity. Many thought he would be just the owner. He would become President of Basketball Operations and then after a failure in the search for a head coach, Flip hired himself. Flip would turn an unhappy Kevin Love into Andrew Wiggins, orchestrate the return of Kevin Garnett, and draft Karl-Anthony Towns before he would announce that he had cancer.

Looking back, the scariest part was the turn of events from planning on coaching this season to Glen Taylor announcing yesterday that Flip would not return this season.

Our hearts are heavy and our prayers are with the Saunders family. Flip turned this team around from the franchise around from what inspired the name of this blog as a rebuilding team year after year to one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. The timing couldn’t be worse as the season just starts as this will spark a new and emotional meaning this season for the Wolves.

Play For Flip.

Rest in Peace.