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Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Welcome to Part Two of our Mock Drafts 'Around the Net'. If you didn't read part one, check this out here: Mock Drafts 'Around the Net' Part One. You can find a full explanation of what exactly these posts entail under Part One, but I'll still give you a small rundown of what this is. Because I don't watch or follow College Basketball too much, the main idea of this is to play to my advantage a bit. What I do is research 5-6 different sites that feature different mock drafts for the 2012 NBA Draft. I talk a bit about who those sites are saying Minnesota should select with their first round pick (18th overall). We'll talk a bit about the players they say Minnesota should be drafting and afterwards we'll give you who we (HOWL!) think the Wolves should take. Before we get going, I'm sure you've heard, the NBA Lottery was last night, which decided where the Top 14 teams will be selecting players on draft night. Here's a full rundown of the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft...
There's the first round order of the 2012 NBA Draft, for you. The teams with asterisks next to them are picks acquired through trade. #6 is from the Brooklyn Nets, #10 is from the Minnesota Timberwolves, #16 is from the New York Knicks, #18 is from the Utah Jazz, #22 is from the L.A. Clippers, #24 is from the L.A. Lakers and #30 is from the San Antonio Spurs.
All right, on to part two of MOCK DRAFTS AROUND THE NET! One last note, though: each of the mock drafts we researched have been updated since the Lottery was set last night. Chad Ford, ESPN 18th Overall: Austin Rivers, SG, 6-4, 199lbs., Duke -The Timberwolves' biggest need remains in the 'wing' department, specifically the two-guard. Rivers may not fall this low, but if he did, he'd be a a great get at 18th. He's a great shooter who has some great ball handling skills. Some see him as more of a point guard, if he comes to Minnesota he'll need to get comfortable playing without the ball. However he's the type of capable ball handling off-guard the Wolves 'crave'. Playing with Ricky Rubio would definitely help his game. NBA Comparison: O.J. Mayo NBADraft.net 18th Overall: Dion Waiters, SG, 6-4, 210lbs., Syracuse -Recently, Waiters has been getting some "lotto buzz" and could certainly slip into the Top 14. The scouts seem to be split on his upside and potential. Last season, Waiters was one of the nation's very best Sixth Man. He brings instant offense off the bench. Clearly that's something that the Minnesota Timberwolves have lacked in quite some time. NBA Comparison: Dominique Jones DraftExpress 18th Overall: Quincy Miller, SF, 6-9, 200lbs., Baylor -Miller tore his ACL a while back and that certainly has hurt his 'stock'. Post-ACL tear, he has been nowhere near as athletic (obviously not uncommon). Out of high school he was a Top 5 player in that 'class'. There have been reports recently that he's looked quite improved in recent workouts. Could be one of the big sleepers in this season's draft. NBA Comparison: Austin Daye SportingNews 18th Overall: Arnett Moultrie, PF, 6-11, 225lbs., Mississippi State -Moultrie is a long athletic big man. He's a solid rebounder who also has some good range on his jumper (especially considering he's a 6-11 big man). Even more so than Quincy Miller, Moultrie could be an even bigger 'sleeper' in next month's draft. I don't know that drafting another power forward is the best decision. Clearly the needs stands at shooting guard & small forward and beyond that? Possibly a backup center. NBA Comparison: Jordan Hill SheridanHoops 18th Overall: Moe Harkless, SF, 6-8, 190lbs., St. John's -This is a new addition to our "Around the Net" posts. They have the Wolves taking Harkless at 18 in next month's draft. Moe is a talented and very athletic small forward, who at 6-8 is big for a 3. He seems to be improving as a shooter and because he's 6-8 he's also a good rebounder. Just looking at his measurements (6-8, 190lbs.), former TWolf Corey Brewer seems to come to mind! NBA Comparison: James Posey HOWL! A MnTWolves Basketball Site! In our last post, HOWL talked about how we felt the Timberwolves should trade the pick for a veteran wing player. I still feel the same, though I decided to go the other route and pick a player in this draft class that I feel could potentially help Minnesota next season. 18th Overall: Terrence Ross, SG, 6-6, 190lbs., Washington -I'm not so certain that Ross will drop this low. Most mock drafts have him somewhere in the 12-16 range. If he's available, he's likely the best prospect available at 18. He's a great three-point shooter, who has the potential to someday be a star. Along with his great shooting stroke, he's also got great size (6-6) for a two-guard. As I write this it seems less and less likely he'd fall to #18. I guess I just didn't want to list any of the same players that were above. I also wouldn't mind Minnesota taking Dion Waiters or Moe Harkless. Prospects that have been in the conversation for Minnesota at 18: Dion Waiters, Quincy Miller, Moe Harkless, Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, Meyers Leonard & Arnett Moultrie. Well, that's all we've got for now, but as we draw closer to the NBA Draft we'll have a few more additions to these posts. At least a Part Three & Four will be coming your way in the next month, so stay tuned for those! Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Minnesota Timberwolves have renewed an agreement to broadcast as many as 25 games of the 2012-13 NBA campaign. The over-the-air broadcaster is WFTC My 29.
Last season, the Wolves' sole TV broadcaster was FSNorth. WFTC did broadcast 12 games during the 2010-11 season, but didn't do any last year. I know a number of TWolves fans were VERY upset that there were a number of games that they couldn't see last season. I watch all the games on the internet, so it didn't effect me too much. WFTC is a part of the FOX Television Stations group. I don't know if the Wolves will have the same broadcasters for all the games. Last season it was Tom Hanneman & Jim Petersen. Petersen will likely be back, though Hanneman was promoted a few short weeks ago to Fox Sports in-studio host. So we could be hearing a new voice or two on the sideline next season. FSNorth will still televise up to 50 TWolves games next season. "We are excited to be returning to My 29 for our over-the-air partner. My 29 has proved to have a strong commitment to local programming, and continues to be a great fit for our franchise," Timberwolves president Chris Wright said in a press release. The Minnesota Timberwolves have set their schedule for the 2012 Summer Caravan. They'll be traveling to three different schools around Minnesota for basketball clinics and autograph sessions.
Representing the team this year will be guard Wayne Ellington & forward Anthony Tolliver. Player development coach Shawn Respert will also join them, along with the TWolves mascot, Crunch. A few front office staff members will likely join those four, as well. Monday, June 11th they'll be at Washington Middle School in Brainerd, from 9:30-11:00am. The next day: Tuesday, June 12th, they'll be at Lakes Area Recreation in Alexandria, also from 9:30-11:00am. And they'll end the trip in Fairmont on Wednesday, June 13th, at their Junior/Senior High School, from 9:30-11:00am. The one thing that I find interesting about all of this is that the Minnesota Timberwolves are sending out forward Anthony Tolliver as a part of this--representing the Timberwolves. The reason being: Tolliver is a free agent this offseason. Could be a small sign that the Wolves intend to bring him back! Something I'm in full support of, a consummate professional who gives you all he's got everytime he's on the floor. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! If you read our post yesterday about the pre-draft workouts that were going on today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday), you found a list of players that were participating in the two sessions that went on today. Friday will see another two sessions with roughly the same number of players working out. Below is a rundown of those players...
Like Thursday's sessions, the player the Timberwolves are working out are likely second round selections. The Wolves do hold the 58th pick in the draft (which is the third to last pick), but they could easily move up in the second round by trading picks or players.
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves may not have a pick in this year's lottery, but thanks to the Jazz (who made the playoffs) they get Utah's pick in the upcoming 2012 NBA Draft. Last year it was who will Minnesota take at #2? This season: who will Minnesota take at #18? So unlike last season, there's no chance that Minnesota will be working out guaranteed #1 pick Anthony Davis or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, Perry Jones--on and on. The Timberwolves' biggest needs remain at the wing positions. Most believe the Wolves will trade the pick for a veteran. Someone like Houston's Kevin Martin or Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala. At some point you need to complement all this young talent with some experience and proven talent. Nonetheless, the Minnesota Timberwolves have announced tomorrow's (Thursday's) Pre-Draft Workout roster. The Wolves will conduct two workouts on Thursday and another two workouts on Friday. Both days, the workouts will take place at the Lifetime Fitness Training Center in Target Center. Here's who will be participating in Thursday's workouts...
As you can see it's mainly all guards and forwards (excluding Miles Plumlee, a center). Also worth noting--these are Minnesota's 2nd Round prospects. Minnesota currently owns the 58th overall pick in the Draft, but could very well move up in that 2nd Round. Stay tuned for updates, videos and pictures from this two-day event.
Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves have announced a small part of their 2012 Preseason schedule at the Target Center, next fall.
The Wolves have released two game dates. The first is a matchup with the Chicago Bulls on October 13th, when they'll play host to the Chicago Bulls. Who knows what that team will look like... Derrick Rose will still be out with his torn knee ligaments, Carlos Boozer could be amnestied or traded, there's no question it won't be the same #1 Eastern Conference team in 2011-12. The second game released, is certainly the headliner. The Minnesota Timberwolves will play host to an Israeli club: Maccabi Bazan Haifa. This marks the first time in franchise history that the TWolves will be hosting an international team. The Wolves have played one other game vs. an international team. That was on October 6, 2007 when they traveled to Istanbul, Turkey to play Efes Pilsen. Maccabi Bazan Haifa will also face the Golden State Warriors while in America, that game takes place October 11th. This club is known as one of the best European top teams. Maccabi Bazan Haifa owner Jeffrey Rosen is looking forward to another trip to the States as they continue to build a brand, noting that playing against NBA competition annually is a great way to increase the team's popularity. Both of these games will tip at 7pmCT from the Target Center and both can be heard on 830 WCCO-AM. Stay tuned for all your TWolves updates this offseason. If you haven't already, check out our new FA Watch section. Highlighting some of Minnesota's should-be targets in the free agent market, as well as some potential trade targets this offseason. With the NBA Draft Lottery tomorrow night (Wed, 5/30) you can expect part 2 of our NBA Mock Drafts "Around the Net', very soon! Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and as always GO WOLVES! The Timberwolves' season came to an end in that final week of April. Since that time, I've been enjoying the Playoffs and for the first time...ever, I've decided to follow the WNBA and the Minnesota Lynx (so much so, that you can find my other site here: www.mnlynx.weebly.com). But, enough about that, today I'm bringing you the first installment of what will likely be an 5-7 part story.
If you followed me back when I wrote for the Tumblr site you can find by clicking the link on our HOWL! homepage, you should be familiar with our "Mock Drafts Around the Net" posts. Since the chances are very slim that's the case, let me tell you a bit about them... Since I watch mostly NBA basketball and rarely watch much college basketball, I created this format to play into my 'wheelhouse' (if you will). The idea is, I research 5-6 different big sites that have mock drafts and detailed information about the Top 30 (or, the first round). I bring you the updates of those sites (pertaining to the Minnesota Timberwolves) and talk a bit about the players they peg the TWolves taking (this year with the 18th & 58th picks overall). Then, we give you who I believe the Timberwolves should be drafting with those two picks (considering they keep those picks and don't trade them). For our first segment, I'm brining you information from four different sites. Also, in this first segment, we'll just be focusing on the first round (just that 18th overall pick). Chad Ford, ESPN 18th Overall: Dion Waiters, SG, 6'4"/215lbs., 20 years old, Syracuse -Just what every TWolves fan wants to hear on draft night; the Minnesota Timberwolves taking another Syracuse player. After selecting Jonny Flynn in 2009 with the 6th overall pick and Wesley Johnson in 2010 with the 4th overall pick. On to what Waiters brings to the table, though. He's not the greatest shooter, Minnesota would prefer someone who's a bit more capable in that area, but he does have a knack for putting the ball on the floor and getting to the bucket, drawing fouls or finishing at the rim. With a few good pre-draft workouts, he could slid up into the lottery (top 14 pick). NBADraft.net 18th Overall: Moe Harkless, SF, 6'8"/190lbs., 18 years old, St. John's -The consensus on Moe seems to be that he would have benefited from another year at St. John's and with another year playing college ball, he could've been a top 10 pick in the 2013 Draft. That being said, Moe has drawn some comparisons to (New Orleans') Trevor Ariza. He's a talented scorer & defender with an "unsettled" jump shot. The TWolves are in dire need of wing players, Wes Johnson just didn't cut it this year (his defense kept him in the rotation, but his offense made him a liability). DraftExpress 18th Overall: Quincy Miller, SF, 6'9"/210lbs., 19 years old, Baylor -Miller suffered an ACL injury during his collegiate career that has made one of his big weaknesses: explosiveness & quickness. However, he's still a great perimeter shot creator that uses his fairly impressive ball handling skills (especially for a 6'9" forward). His defensive awareness and instincts make him that much more valuable on BOTH sides of the ball. SportingNews 18th Overall: Terrence Ross, SG, 6'6"/190lbs., 21 years old, Washington -Ross is a very capable scorer and shooter, however he's seen as more of a role player in this League. He's got a good three-point shot and above-par on defense, but Minnesota needs someone capable of competing for a starting spot among the wings. HOWL! A MnTWolves Basketball Site! With that final thought in mind, the Minnesota Timberwolves need a player of players that are capable of starting at the shooting guard and small forward positions on the squad next season. That's why (at this time) HOWL! is suggesting the TWolves package their 18th overall pick in a trade for a proven veteran. Either a shooting guard or small forward. Among the players the Wolves could target in trades: Houston's Kevin Martin, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala, Detroit's Ben Gordon (I wouldn't like a trade that lands Minny Gordon) or Atlanta's Josh Smith. Being this is a mid-late first round pick, you're not likely to 'strike gold' with any player you'd be able to draft. You also have to take into consideration that the TWolves are loaded with young talent with 'potential', I can guess most fans are tired of hearing about the potential of Wes Johnson, Michael Beasley or Anthony Randolph and understand the teams need for a consistent player who can contribute on a nightly basis at the wing position(s). Remember, this is the first of many updates on "Mock Drafts Around the Net" we'll be bringing you at least four to five updates and likely many more before the 2012 NBA Draft in late-June. Until then, in the 'essence' of looking at Minnesota's offseason, check out our newly-formed section: "FA Watch" where you can find a Full Free Agent List (listing every NBA free agent this offseason, organized by position) and then who Minnesota should be targeting in the free agent market as well as in potential trade scenarios. We're working on that daily and the full section should be completed by the end of May, but until then, check out what we've got! Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Kevin Love has made a bit more Timberwolves history. It was announced today that he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Love becomes just the third TWolves in franchise history to be named to an All-NBA team. All-NBA teams are chosen by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. These media members voted for the All-NBA First, Second & Third Teams (by position) with points based on a 5-3-1 system. Kevin Love played 55 games this season, he averaged a career-high (and single season franchise-record) 26.0ppg (good enough for 4th in the NBA), he also grabbed 13.3rpg (2nd in the NBA--behind Dwight Howard) and he again led the NBA in double-doubles with 48. Love also finished 2nd in the NBA in minutes played at 39.0mpg and was 4th in the NBA in free throws made, at 379. Kevin Love also took home the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest trophy and sunk 37.2% of his three-pointers this season, while making a team-high 105 threes. Kevin Love also became just the third player in NBA history to average 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and make 50+ three-pointers in a single season. Love also broke the franchise record in points (previously held by Kevin Garnett) on March 23rd at Oklahoma City, with 51 points--that was also one of Love's single season franchise-record 19 30-point games!The only other Timberwolves to make an All-NBA team? Kevin Garnett (First Team: 1999-00, 2002-03, 2003-04; Second Team: 2000-01, 2001-02, 2004-05; Third Team: 1998-99, 2006-07) and Sam Cassell (Second Team: 2003-04). Let's take a look at the full results. The numbers in parenthesis are the number of first-place votes that player received and the point total at the end is the total number of points they received. As stated before: a first-place vote is worth 5 points, a second-place vote is worth 3 points and a third-place vote is worth 1 point. First TeamF: LeBron James, Miami (118), 596pts. F: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (117), 591pts. C: Dwight Howard, Orlando (75), 476pts. G: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (104), 568pts. G: Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers (74), 484pts. Second TeamF: Kevin Love, Minnesota (16), 365pts. F: Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers (0), 170pts. C: Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers (33), 400pts. G: Tony Parker, San Antonio (41), 367pts. G: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City (5), 239pts. third TeamF: Carmelo Anthony, New York (1), 154pts. F: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (0), 136pts. C: Tyson Chandler, New York (4), 60pts. G: Dwyane Wade, Miami (1), 235pts. G: Rajon Rondo, Boston (4), 142pts. Also receiving votes: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 55; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 52; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 44; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 33; Paul Pierce, Boston, 31; Al Jefferson, Utah, 30; Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers, 27; Steve Nash, Phoenix, 24; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 22; Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 18; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 16; Deron Williams, New Jersey, 14; Rudy Gay, Memphis, 10; James Harden, Oklahoma City, 8; Luol Deng, Chicago, 5; Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 5; Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 3; Danny Granger, Indiana, 3; Joakim Noah, Chicago, 3; Monta Ellis, Milwaukee, 2; Chris Bosh, Miami, 2; Luis Scola, Houston, 2; Marcin Gortat, Phoenix, 2; Paul Millsap, Utah, 2; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 2; David Lee, Golden State, 1; and DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento, 1.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Rookies Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams have been selected to the All-Rookie teams this season. The Rookie of the Year winner--Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers was the lone unanimous selection. The selections were based on selections made by a panel that consisted of the NBA's 30 head coaches. Each coach was asked to select five players for the first team and five players for the second team (regardless of position). Two points were awarded for first team votes and one point for second team votes. Of course, no coach was allowed to select any players on their own team. First, let's take a look at the 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie First Team... Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers (58 points) Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves (49 points) Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets (46 points) Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors (43 points) Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks (40 points) Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs (40 points) Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons (40 points) Ricky Rubio was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in December/January. He played 41 games of a shortened 66 game season, while averaging 10.6ppg, 8.2apg (led rookies), 4.2rpg and 2.2spg (led rookies). Let's take a look at the 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie Second Team... Chandler Parsons, Houston Rockets (33 points) Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento Kings (27 points) MarShon Brooks, New Jersey Nets (18 points) Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves (16 points) Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers (16 points) Ricky Rubio received 21 first-place votes and 7 second-place votes for that total of 49 points. Derrick Williams received 2 first-place votes and 12 second-place votes for that total of 16 points.
Also receiving votes: Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns (7 points); Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats (7 points); Alec Burks, Utah Jazz (2 points); Norris Cole, Miami Heat (2 points); Bismack Biyombo, Charlotte Bobcats (2 points); Enes Kanter, Utah Jazz (1 point); Greg Stiemsma, Boston Celtics (1 point); Gustavo Ayon, New Orleans Hornets (1 point); Nikola Vucevic, Philadelphia 76ers (1 point). That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The NBA recently released the results for the Executive of the Year voting. Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations: David Kahn, finished 10th, receiving one 2nd-place vote and one 3rd-place vote.
Indiana Pacers' President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird grabbed the hardware. Bird ran the Pacers who went 42-24 and earned the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The moves that Bird made that earned him the award, include: hiring Frank Vogel as their permanent head coach, signed David West as their starting power forward, traded Brandon Rush to the Golden State Warriors for Lou Amundson and traded a 2nd-round pick to the Toronto Raptors for Leandro Barbosa. Three of the Pacers' key rotation players: Paul George, Tyler Hansbrough & Roy Hibbert are draft picks of Bird's. The voting is among the NBA's team executives. 1st-place votes were worth five points, 2nd-place votes were worth three points and third-place votes were worth one point. Larry Bird won the award for 88 points, San Antonio's R.C. Buford was second with 56 points, L.A. Clippers' Neil Olshey finished in third with 55 points, Chicago's Gar Forman finished in fourth with 16 points, Utah's Kevin O'Connor in fifth place with 10 points, New York's Glen Grunwald came in sixth place with 8 points, Miami's Pat Riley finished seventh with 7 points, Oklahoma City Thunder's Sam Presti and Memphis' Chris Wallace tied for eighth with 5 points each, Minnesota's David Kahn came in tenth with 4 points, Philadelphia's Rod Thorn, New Orleans' Dell Demps and Atlanta's Rick Sund tied for eleventh with 3 points each and Boston's Danny Ainge, Milwaukee's John Hammond, Phoenix's Lon Babby, L.A. Lakers' Mitch Kupchak, Orlando's Otis Smith and Denver's Masai Ujiri all tied for 14th with just 1 point (each receiving one 3rd-place vote). That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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