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The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Robbie Hummel, Lorenzo Brown and Othyus Jeffers to non-guaranteed deals that allow them to attend training camp with the Wolves.
According to Jerry Zgoda (of the Star Tribune) the Wolves will also be adding A.J. Price to the training camp roster. There's also a chance that the Wolves could add another big man. With Hummel, Brown, Jeffers and Price the Wolves now have 18 players under contract. Zgoda thinks one likely scenario is that the Wolves waive Chris Johnson (does have a guaranteed contract) and they keep either Brown or Price as a third-string guard as well as Jeffers (for defense). I personally, would like to see the Wolves keep either Brown or Price as a backup guard; waive Chris Johnson; and then sign Robbie Hummel as a versatile forward who can knock down some threes (though I see the appeal to Jeffers and his defense--something the Wolves could also use). It should be an interesting preseason. Media Day is this coming Monday and then the Wolves head to Mankato for a few days for the start of training camp. Minnesota's first preseason game is about a week-and-a-half away (Oct. 7).
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We've known for about a month that the Wolves would be inviting Lorenzo Brown, Othyus Jeffers and Robbie Hummel to training camp, which begins next week in Mankato (Minnesota).
Those three players were signed to contracts this afternoon and will join the other 14 players under contract, bringing Minnesota's camp roster to 17. The terms of the deals were not disclosed, but it's VERY likely that each is a non-guaranteed deal with little to no salary protection that will allow the Wolves to waive them as only one (if that) will make the roster. There was some speculation early last week that the Wolves might invite point guard A.J. Price to training camp as well as another big man, but as of right now there doesn't seem to be anything in the works. Stay tuned for more. ESPN is in the midst of their third-annual #NBARank and for the next few weeks while they unveil all 500 players ranked, we'll be taking a look at where our Minnesota Timberwolves players land. Dante was ranked at #298 a season ago and the fact that he rose only 16 spots despite a breakout year in which he was Minnesota's utility man, showed off his defensive prowess, hustle/energy and deadly mid-range jumper; is ridiculous. Especially when we see him ranked behind guys like Matt Bonner and Steve Novak who can only shoot threes...and that's it!! Dante checks in at #282 with an average score of 3.50. I think anyone who watched a lot of Wolves games last season knows that he should be higher than this, I was thinking more high 100's/low 200's. My biggest concern for Dante heading into this season is playing time. There's no doubt that Dante was someone that Rick Adelman likes A LOT, but with Kevin Love returning and the Wolves adding depth at both small forward and center, where/when will Dante play? I would still like to see him on the court 15-20 minutes a night and I know he'll play hard enough to earn those minutes, but I guess we'll wait and see. Beyond Peković, Dante is certainly one of my favorite Wolves, although I like any player that leaves it all on the court--hustles to loose balls, dives on the floor, doesn't give up on plays and simply works hard. It's what made me like Anthony Tolliver and Dante and it's what's going to make me like Ronny Turiaf too. I think we'll see Rick experiment with a lot of different lineups in the preseason and it'll be intriguing to see how many of those feature Dante Cunningham. ESPN is in the midst of their third-annual #NBARank and for the next few weeks while they unveil all 500 players ranked, we'll be taking a look at where our Minnesota Timberwolves players land. The Timberwolves selected Muhammad with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Less than a year ago he was in serious conversation for the #1 overall pick. An inconsistent single season at UCLA lowered his stock quite a bit, but not enough to drop him out of the lottery entirely. Muhammad begins the season as the third-string shooting guard and the third-string small forward. Behind Kevin Martin & Alexey Shved as well as Chase Budinger & Corey Brewer. He won't have a lot of heavy expectations on him during his rookie season barring another nasty bout with the "injury bug" in Minnesota. Shabazz was ranked at #291 with an average score of 3.39. It may be a bit low, but Muhammad is certainly a rookie with A LOT to prove. In Minnesota, Bazz has a lot of veteran leadership that should keep his head on straight as well as a no-nonsense coach who simply won't play him, unless he works hard and puts in the time. Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Martin (especially Martin) should be a big influence to Muhammad. I'm definitely looking forward to the preseason and seeing him and Dieng take the floor with Love, Pek, Rubio and K-Mart. My best guess is that it will be a rocky/up-and-down first year for Bazz in 2013-14. ESPN is in the midst of their third-annual #NBARank and for the next few weeks while they unveil all 500 players ranked, we'll be taking a look at where our Minnesota Timberwolves players land. Rookie Gorgui Dieng begins his NBA career ranked #327 with an average of 3.03. Dieng will begin the year competing with Ronny Turiaf and Chris Johnson for that primary backup center spot. Gorgui is known for his athleticism, shot-blocking and rim protection. We'll see how that translate from his collegiate career (at Louisville) to the pros. It's unknown what kind of impact he'll have on the team this season. It all depends on who earns Adelman's favor. It was evident that Rick was much more comfortable playing Greg Stiemsma instead of Lou Amundson or Chris Johnson last season. If Dieng works hard and can contribute effectively and consistently he'll find himself as an integral part of the rotation. However, at least to begin the season, I would expect his playing time to be limited. ESPN is in the midst of their third-annual #NBARank and for the next few weeks while they unveil all 500 players ranked, we'll be taking a look at where our Minnesota Timberwolves players land. One of the newest members of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ronny Turiaf checks in at #362 in NBARank. Turiaf played for the L.A. Clippers a season ago, splitting time at backup center with former Wolves big man Ryan Hollins. The Clips decided not to bring back Ronny and now he'll join the Wolves in Minnesota. In his recent introductory press conference, the one thing that really got me excited was when he talked about Nikola Peković. Turiaf says he's the strongest player he's ever had to face and is looking forward to being on his team now. They will still battle each other (in practice), but Ronny sees that as a way for both players to get better. Pek will have to work harder against a decent defender like Ronny, while Turiaf will have to work harder to defend Big Pek. Both players should benefit from each other's presence. Turiaf is pegged as the primary backup center to Peković. Rookie Gorgui Dieng could take on that role at some point in the season, but the depth chart has Ronny as the backup 5, heading into the preseason/training camp. Turiaf's #NBARank is down from #316 a year ago, but given a bigger role in Minnesota, I think that number could be on the rise. One thing that defines Turiaf's game is his energy and hustle. I loved Anthony Tolliver for those exact words and I think I'm going to like Turiaf just as much. ESPN is in the midst of their third-annual #NBARank and for the next few weeks while they unveil all 500 players ranked, we'll be taking a look at where our Minnesota Timberwolves players land. Also showing up 401-500 was Minnesota's backup center Chris Johnson. Johnson played with the Timberwolves during the 2012 Preseason, but didn't make the team. He spent the next few months in the D-League (Golden State's affiliate), before the Wolves picked up the phone in January and made him an offer. He was brought to the team along with French swingman Mickaël Gelabale. Both players were signed to two 10-day contracts, before they were both signed for the remainder of the 2012-13 season. We found out this summer that Johnson was also given a second, fully-guaranteed year to his contract, which makes his full-salary guaranteed for 2013-14. Johnson is currently pegged to be a fourth-string center, behind starter Nikola Peković and fellow reserves Ronny Turiaf and Gorgui Dieng. Johnson is certainly a high energy player and I was pleading that Adelman would stop playing Stiemsma so much (or at all) last season and give CJ more time. An incredibly athletic big man who threw down more than his fair share of slams a year ago, I hope he finds a way to carve out a role on this squad. It's hard to judge whether 425 with an average of 2.34 is too low for Johnson. The easiest thing to do is compare some other big men that have already been ranked ahead of him. For instance: Hamed Haddadi came in at #424 with an average score of 2.36, rookie Rudy Gobert was #423 with a 2.38 and even further up, NBA journeyman Earl Barron came in at 404 with a 2.47. I would take CJ over all of those big guys (except maybe Gobert, just because his wingspan, athleticism and height are very intriguing). #NBARank is back and we'll once again be highlighting where our Minnesota Timberwolves land on the big board. This is the third annual #NBARank by ESPN and over the next few weeks we'll be bringing you analysis on where our guys land and whether they're overrated, underrated, etc. ESPN unveiled 401-500 on Monday September 16th and one of the first names to be revealed was at 489: Lorenzo Brown. Out of 10, analysts gave Brown an average score of 1.78. Brown is a combo guard who the Wolves selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He doesn't have a contract with the team, but does have an invite to training camp. Brown is one of three total players that are battling for the final spot on the roster (others: Robbie Hummel and Othyus Jeffers). Chances are good that Brown doesn't make Minnesota's opening night roster and he'll either spend 2013-14 overseas (like Hummel did in 2012-13) or perhaps in the NBA D-League. Is this ranking too high; too low? I have no idea, the first time I saw him play was a couple games in the NBA Summer League. We should get to see him a bit more in the preseason and get a better feel for his game. The Minnesota Timberwolves had reached agreements with Milt Newton and Bobby Jackson to join the organization earlier this month, but these past couple days, the Wolves made the announcements official.
Flip Saunders has brought in Milt Newton, formerly with the Washington Wizards, to become the new general manager. Newton will help with a lot the scouting and give plenty of opinion as the Wolves continue to (hopefully) build a contender. That being said, Flip will still have the final say on all decisions. Bobby Jackson replaces Shawn Respert and David Adelman. Respert's contract expired in August and wasn't renewed, while D. Adelman was promoted to assistant coach (after Bill Bayno left to take a similar position in Toronto, with Dwane Casey). Jackson will be the lone player development coach. Bobby is already in town and has had workouts with Chase Budinger, Shabazz Muhammad and Chris Johnson. In fact, Rick Adelman had to tell him to quit doing two-a-days--to save the players' 'legs' for training camp! :) Both sound like great fits with the organization and will hopefully aid in continuing to turn this franchise into a winner and a contender. Zach Lowe recently wrote a piece for Grantland titled: "The Most Known Unknowns" in which he highlighted six young NBA players all drafted in the Top 12 picks of the 2011 NBA Draft who are entering "make or break" seasons.
Atop that list is former #2 overall pick, Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams, who Lowe calls "the Great Unknown". That's certainly been D-Will during his first two seasons in the NBA, with the Timberwolves. I've been adamant that he's certainly not my favorite player, but it's for one very simple (but probably complex) reason: he's wildly inconsistent. One night Derrick can give you 35 minutes and produce 25+ points a night, grab double digit rebounds and actually look pretty good defensively as a power forward. Other nights, Williams looks lost and tentative on the court as he shies away from contact around the rim and takes A LOT of questionable shots. The inconsistency that plagues Williams is what drives me nuts and you know Adelman isn't happy with him most nights as he continually cringes at another well-contested, off-balance shot twenty feet from the rim with plenty of time left on the shot clock. There's no questioning that Williams has the physical tools to be successful, but the big question remains: can he develop into the type of player he's capable of becoming in Minnesota, playing behind the NBA's best power forward (Love)? The reason this is a make or break season for Williams is quite simple. Because of the new collective bargaining agreement, players entering the fourth year of their rookie-scale contracts receive a significant raise from their third year salary. D-Will will make roughly $5million this season and the Wolves hold a team option for 2014-15 that raises by roughly $1.3million to $6.3million. If the Wolves are getting the kind of production or lack thereof these past two seasons, this season; you can expect that team option to be declined. Perhaps Saunders will offer a less expensive, but appealing contract to keep him in Minnesota. If Derrick Williams plays like a #2 pick should and has a breakout season there's no question that he'd be deserving of that dollar amount in 2014-15. Best case scenario for Williams: He comes to camp lighter (he has reportedly shed some weight), he works tirelessly to become more of a small forward who can occasionally play some stretch four (not the other way around), he's a part of the starting lineup with Rubio, Martin, Love and Pek and is the third or fourth leading scorer (behind Love, Martin and maybe Peković). Williams' transition to small forward relies on a few keys: 1.) quicker foot speed--he's got to be able to defend quality small forwards on the perimeter; 2.) improved three-point touch--Williams was lights out in college and in the pros he's been an average three-point shooter, at best; 3.) Less selfish--when you're playing with all this offensive talent (Love, Martin, Pek, Budinger, etc) and in the best offensive system (Adelman's) in the NBA, you've got to learn how to pass the ball, there's no reason he can't average 1-2 assists per game (currently an average of 0.6apg for his career). Derrick has had an offseason to work and in a couple weeks training camp will begin. We'll finally get our first look at Derrick in Minnesota's first preseason game on October 7th...I for one, can't wait--not just for Derrick, but Love, Rubio & Pek on the court together, Martin in a Wolves uni, Brewer back in a Wolves jersey and lastly to see how Shabazz and Gorgui will fit into the team this season. One more month...till the preseason...!! |
Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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