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Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
With just a week until the NBA Draft (Thursday, June 28th) the Minnesota Timberwolves will be bringing in six players on Friday to the Target Center.
All six of those players are almost certainly second-round prospects. They'll be bringing back forward Quincy Acy and point guard Casper Ware. Those two were part of a group workout held at the Target Center, three weeks ago, that had reps from all 30 NBA teams present. The other four players include: guard Ashton Gibbs, forward Eric Griffin, forward Cameron Moore and forward T.J. Robinson. As of right now the only player the Timberwolves have brought to the Target Center for a workout, who the TWolves would consider with that 18th overall pick has been Iowa State (and former-Gopher) forward Royce White. There's a good chance they'll bring a few more prospects in early next week. I'd say the chances are good that Minnesota intends to trade the pick, or there's a chance they've settled on Royce White. After the workout in Minnesota, White cancelled all his other workouts. There is a rumor that Boston has made him a promise with the 21st overall pick. I won't get into too much speculation. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 on Thursday night and captured their second title in franchise history. With it, LeBron James got his first ring AND so did MIKE MILLER!
That's right! The former TWolf captured his first ring after 12 years in the NBA. Last season former Timberwolves players Corey Brewer & Brian Cardinal got rings with the 2011 Champion Mavericks. Like those two, Miller didn't play much in the postseason and didn't contribute a whole lot to their teams championships. Miller played just 39 regular season games (starting two), averaging 19.3mpg, 6.1ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.1apg, 44% FG, 45% 3PT. In the postseason, Miller played in 22 games, averaging 15.7mpg, 4.4ppg, 2.4rpg, 0.8apg, 38% FG, 36% 3PT. In the Finals (five games), Miller averaged 8.8mpg, 6.2ppg, 1.8rpg, 0.4rpg, 56% FG, 64% 3PT. However, Miller had an incredible Game 5. He had 23pts, 5reb, 1stl, shot 7-for-11 from the field (64%) and 7-for-8 from deep (88%). Miller was acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a draft-night deal that sent O.J. Mayo the the Grizzlies and Kevin Love & Miller to the TWolves. Mike played just one season with the Wolves. He was traded the following summer (along with Randy Foye) to the Washington Wizards for the 5th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft (which ended up being Ricky Rubio). In his one season with Minnesota, Miller played 73 games (starting 46), averaging 32.3mpg, 9.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 4.5apg, 48% FG, 38% 3PT and 73% FT. With the NBA Finals out of the way and a champion crowned, the attention now turns to next Thursday's NBA Draft. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Today is Thursday, June 21st. That means the 2012 NBA Draft is exactly one week away, merely seven days!
As such, we're bringing you the fourth part of our Mock Drafts 'Around the Net' segment. If you haven't read/seen the first three parts, you can find those here: PART ONE---PART TWO---PART THREE. I've explained what exactly these posts entail in the first three parts, so as per usual, I'll explain this all again... Because I don't watch a lot of College Basketball, I've decided upon this format, to play into my wheelhouse. What I do, is research 7-10 mock drafts and present to you, who they think Minnesota should/will be drafting next Thursday, with the 18th overall pick. We talk a bit about each player and we end we what we (HOWL) think the TWolves should do with that 18th pick. We will almost certainly have one last post in this section (a part five) before Thursday night. Let's begin, like in part three, we've combined the mock drafts that have Minnesota taking the same player at 18. Chad Ford, ESPN (6.20.12) 18th: Fab Melo, C, 7'0"/255lbs., 22 yrs. old, Syracuse -The Minnesota Timberwolves' biggest need remains an athletic shot-blocking center that can backup Nikola Pekovic at the 5. If some of the better wings in the draft are off the board by 18, the Wolves could look at a reserve big man (I assume they'd trade the pick before selecting Melo). Fab Melo is considered a bit of a project and it'll likely still be a year or two before he'd be a capable starter (though he did impress scouts in Indiana this past week). DraftExpress (6.20.12); Sam Amick, SI (6.20.12) 18th: Terrence Ross, SG, 6'7"/197lbs., 21 yrs. old, Washington -Ross would be the TWolves' ideal pick at 18. He's a sharpshooter and could develop into a go-to scorer. Pairing Ricky Rubio with a capable finisher, would improve Minnesota overnight. He's also a solid defender and has size to play both wing positions. He'll fill a huge need and a big upgrade over Martell Webster & Wesley Johnson. Unfortunately, Ross is rising up the boards and there's a VERY good chance he won't be available out of the lottery. SheridanHoops (6.16.12); ProBasketballDraft (6.20.12); nbadraft.net (6.21.12); CBSSports--Goodman (6.21.12); InsideHoops (6.17.12) 18th: Moe Harkless, SF, 6'9"/252lbs., 19 yrs. old, St. John's -Five mock drafts on the web right now, agree that the Minnesota Timberwolves should select Moe Harkless with the 18th pick in next week's draft. Moe has a versatile skillset and a high motor. He posses toughness, defensive intensity, rebounding and a steadily-improving offensive game--he'd mesh perfectly with Ricky Rubio & Kevin Love and fill a gaping hole at the 3. CBSSports--Moore (6.20.12) 18th: Quincy Miller, SF, 6'10"/219lbs., 19 yrs. old, Baylor -With legitimate concerns about his knee (tore his ACL during his HS senior season), he's being projected as a late first-round pick. Had he not messed up his knee he could potentially be a Top 10 talent. He's recovering some of his explosiveness and has a great touch and instincts as a shot-maker. Miller is the kind of low-risk, high-reward player in the Draft (depending on where he's drafted...18 may be a bit high). At 6'10", there are also concerns about what position he'll play, I think we can all agree that the TWolves have plenty of 'tweeners' as it is. HOWL! A MnTWolves Basketball Site! (6.21.12) 18th: Ross or Moe. I wouldn't mind the Minnesota Timberwolves selecting Terrence Ross (if he's available) or Moe Harkless. However, I'd say there's a VERY GOOD chance that this pick is dealt before next week--or in a draft-night deal. I've said it before (in these posts), an accomplished veteran wing that can be an immediate impact player. Memphis' Rudy Gay, Philly's Andre Iguodala or Evan Turner, Boston's Paul Pierce, Atlanta's Josh Smith, Chicago's Luol Deng, Dallas' Shawn Marion, Denver's Wilson Chandler or Arron Afflalo, Detroit's Tayshaun Prince or Rodney Stuckey, Houston's Kevin Martin, Indiana's Danny Granger, Sacramento's Tyreke Evans or Marcus Thornton or Toronto's DeMar DeRozan. Those are a number of players that Minnesota could swing a deal paired with the 18th pick and likely a few guys (like Wes Johnson, J.J. Barea, Darko Milicic etc.). That's all for now, stay tuned for Part Five late next week! Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves will be one of the twenty-four teams participating in the NBA's Summer League. It features draft picks & other younger players. For Minnesota, those draft picks will be presumably (if they don't trade their picks) #18 & #58. And those younger players will likely and hopefully include: Wesley Johnson, Malcolm Lee & Derrick Williams. I'm unsure if there's an age/years pro limit. If there isn't, you could probably add Wayne Ellington & Anthony Randolph (if he's still with the team...doubtful). The Summer League will be held on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, from July 13th to the 22nd. The TWolves' schedule is as follows...
NBA TV will be televising all 60 of the games, of which, 39 of them will be live. It will give the fans not only a chance to see some of the younger players in this League, but also, a chance to see the 2012 Draft picks, in action, for the very first time.
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Welcome to another installment of Mock Drafts 'Around the Net'. If you're a regular to HOWL, you're likely to have read the first two parts. You can find PART ONE & PART TWO, there.
I've explained exactly what these posts entail in the first two parts, so...I'll just go ahead and do it again! Basically I designed this format to give multiple perspectives and to play in my favor. Because I don't watch a lot of college basketball, I'm not as familiar with the College players as I am with NBA players. As such, it's hard to present a mock draft to you, that makes any sense. So, what I do is, I research 7-10 mock drafts 'around the net' and give you their perspectives on who the Minnesota Timberwolves should be drafting come June 28th. Then, after those, I present HOWL's selection. I hope you enjoy, feel free to leave any feedback in the comments section! Usually we break this down mock draft by mock draft, but because we took a look at so many this time, the mock drafts that have the Wolves selected the same player at #18 will be combined.... Chad Ford, ESPN (6.13.12); DraftExpress (6.9.12); SheridanHoops (6.9.12); NBA.com (6.13.12); ProBasketballDraft (6.13.12) 18th: Terrence Ross, SG, 6'7"/197lbs., 21, Washington -The Timberwolves' biggest need remains in the wing department. Ross is big for a shooting guard (6'7") and he's a capable defender. His real asset? A sharpshooter from three, a great athlete and could develop into a go-to scorer. At #18, he'd be a STEAL! See the previous post under this "News" section entitled TWolves' Dream Scenario, which talks all about Terrence Ross! Sam Amick, SI (6.13.12) 18th: John Henson, PF, 6'11"/216lbs., 21, North Carolina -Sam Amick's mock draft for Sports Illustrated, is the lowest I've seen John Henson going in the end of this month's draft. Nearly every other draft that I've looked at are in agreement that the Detroit Pistons will likely be taking Henson with the 9th overall pick! I REALLY doubt that Henson falls this far! Nonetheless, Henson is a player that has real defensive impact on the floor, last season he averaged 2.9bpg and in '10-'11 he averaged 3.2. He's an excellent rim defender and because he's so athletic he could easily get out and run, with Ricky Rubio. nbadraft.net (6.10.12) 18th: Tyler Zeller, C, 7'0"/247lbs., North Carolina -The majority of mock drafts have Zeller going quite higher in the draft (likely, lottery-bound for either Milwaukee or Houston--both in need of big men). Zeller runs the floor well and has a nice touch around the rim. The highest I've seen him going is #8 and most have him off the board by #14. Beyond shooting guard and small forward, the Minnesota Timberwolves biggest need is a backup big man to play behind Nikola Pekovic. Jeff Goodman, CBSSports (6.11.12) 18th: Moe Harkless, SF, 6'8"/207lbs., 19, St. John's -Harkless is a talented athlete who has a lot of toughness and tremendous upside. For a 6'8" forward he's got a great handle and a great footwork. He's got range out to 20 feet and on the defensive end he's GREAT at playing the passing lanes, deflecting passes and wreaking havoc. Hoopshype (5.31.12); InsideHoops (6.1.12) 18th: Dion Waiters, SG, 6'4"/221lbs., 20, Syracuse -Word is that Dion Waiters has a promise from a team somewhere in the lottery. Word is, that it's for the Toronto Raptors, however they have denied that report. As you can see, Hoopshype & InsideHoops did these mock drafts over two weeks ago, so things HAVE changed. Nonetheless, Waiters is a tough player who can get to the basket and create his own shot. He was the nation's top 6th man this past season, has great potential to become a go-to scorer and provide instant offense. HOWL! (....yeah....right now) 18th: Terrence Ross -If Terrence Ross is available at #18, TAKE HIM! If not, there's a very good chance that David Kahn will swing a deal to send that 18th pick to a team in exchange for a veteran player. A team like the Houston Rockets for maybe Kevin Martin and one of Houston's picks. Or maybe to Philadelphia in a deal for Andre Iguodala, Memphis for Rudy Gay etc. Obviously for Minnesota to obtain a player like Iguodala or Gay, they'd have to sweeten the deal a bit more, other players, whatnot. I wouldn't mind the the Wolves taking Ross, Waiters, Royce White or Moe Harkless. Any four of them could fill a need at either shooting guard or small forward. Though, for Royce White, he seems a bit too much like Derrick Williams for my liking. Just because he's a tweener and who knows if he'll be able to defend small forwards at the NBA-level. That's all for now, with the NBA Draft right around two weeks away, we'll likely bringing one to possibly two more Mock Drafts "Around the Net". Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! According to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports, the 'dream scenario' for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the end of this month's NBA Draft will be to draft swingman Terrence Ross with the 18th overall pick.
Minnesota is in desperate need of upgrades at the shooting guard and small forward positions. However, for the Wolves to be able to draft Ross, he'd have to fall and unfortunately for the Wolves, Ross' stock is at an all-time. Terrence's biggest weakness is his ball handling ability, but he's a great spot-up shooter who can hit mid-range and three-point jumpers and spread the floor, pairing that with his length and athleticism, he'd be a great complement to Ricky Rubio in the backcourt. Ross measures in at 6'7'', 197lbs. with an 8'5'' reach and a 6'7'' wingspan. Most mock drafts have him going somewhere between #8--#16. Last year with Washington, Terrence averaged 31.1mpg in 35 games, 16.4ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.4apg, 1.3spg, 0.9bpg, 46% FG, 77% FT, 37% 3PT. If the Minnesota Timberwolves want to draft Terrence Ross, they won't likely be able to do it with the 18th overall pick in the Draft. Some see Ross as one of the most-ready players and could be one of the top players in this Draft, years down the road. At last week's NBA Draft Combine, the Star Tribune writer Jerry Zgoda asked Ross during an interview where his preference is to play, the first word out of his mouth was the Wolves because he knows they need a shooting guard. Stay tuned for more updates and stories as we draw closer to the NBA Draft (June 28th). Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly looking into a deal that would bring Lakers' forward/center Jordan Hill to the Wolves and likely send TWolves forward Michael Beasley to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers acquired Jordan Hill from the Houston Rockets just prior to the Trade Deadline for a first-round pick and Derek Fisher. Hill played well in limited minutes for the Lakers through the last third of the season and through the postseason. Jordan Hill is a 6-10 backup big man that could provide that athletic shot-blocker the Wolves need, while still being able to start Pekovic and bring Hill of the bench. Michael Beasley was a target for the Lakers before the deadline and there was a last second deal that nearly went through. It was a three-team trade with L.A., Portland and Minnesota. The Lakers would've gotten Beasley, Minnesota would've got Derek Fisher and Jamal Crawford and the Blazers would've likely got Steve Blake. The holdup was that Kahn/Glen Taylor didn't want to pay Derek Fisher's salary this year and next. With Metta World Peace's (Ron Artest) future with the Lakers in question (a potential amnesty candidate) it would make sense for the Lakers to acquire Beasley. Also, the Lakers' other two small forwards: Matt Barnes & Devin Ebanks are free agents this summer. Because free agency doesn't start until July, a sign-and-trade deal like this couldn't happen until then. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! After Day One at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, there's some updates pertaining to the Minnesota Timberwolves...
40% of the Timberwolves' starting lineup has undergone surgeries these past couple months. Starting point guard Ricky Rubio is recovering from surgery on his torn ACL/LCL and starting center Nikola Pekovic is rehabbing from offseason surgery to his ankle, a procedure undergone to remove bone spurs.
During yesterday's pre-draft workouts, David Kahn spoke to the media about Ricky & Pek. Kahn says that Nikola went to New York on Wednesday for a checkup to see how that right ankle is doing after the bone spurs were removed. The doctor was reportedly happy with his progress. Pekovic will return to Montenegro to continue his rehab, he'll return to Minneapolis in mid-July to start his offseason training schedule. Rubio is no longer on his crutches and there's no heavy limp. His next checkup in Vail (Colorado) will be in the third week of June. Ricky is rehabbing and will stay in the U.S. until at least mid-July. He won't be able to return to Spain, until the doctor says it's okay and as of right now, there's still no real timetable as it's only been about 10 weeks. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves currently own the 18th pick in the first round of the end of this month's NBA Draft. That pick was acquired from the Utah Jazz in 2010, in that Al Jefferson trade that sent two picks and Kosta Koufos to Minnesota.
Representatives from all thirty NBA teams are currently in Minneapolis for two pre-draft workouts, working out mainly second round picks this past Thursday & Friday. That has given those reps the opportunity to discuss a lot of potential trades. David Kahn says that a number of teams have expressed interest in that pick (18th). "It's always easier when you see people in person., some people pulled me aside and dropped a hint or were more forceful than that. We have to stay open to everything. We need to get better," said Kahn after Thursday's pre-draft workouts, in front of the media. "There will be some turnover, but the hub of the team will largely be the same," Kahn said. "Without naming names, you can assume five or six players will be back." One possibility is trading that pick for a proven veteran player, likely at shooting guard or small forward. Kahn says the Wolves will still workout 6-8 players that they're looking at with that 18th pick. The problem being, he says, is that there are 35 players who think they're going in the Lottery, so players are a bit hesitant to come workout for the Wolves. 35 players thinking they'll go in the first 14 picks. That's all for now, stay tuned for more updates as we move closer to the NBA Draft, until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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