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Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
As expected, the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up third-year options on point guard Ricky Rubio and forward Derrick Williams.
Both will now remain in Minnesota through the 2013-14 season. Hopefully they'll both be around much longer than that, too. Ricky Rubio will hopefully be the Timberwolves' starting point guard for many, many years. However, Derrick Williams' future with the team remains in question. Following a 'lackluster' rookie season (to say the least) the Timberwolves pushed hard to trade him this offseason as his name swirled in the rumor mill. That's all for now! I'll be watching a few of the NBA games on tonight's season opener. The TWolves don't begin their season until Friday vs. the Kings. Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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Brandon Roy didn't have any issues with his knees in the preseason, which has TWolves fans breathing a sigh of relief. Roy played in all seven games and was the team's starting shooting guard in them all.
"I was excited about that, my goal was to play in all the games, even the back-to-backs, and I was able to do that. I wanted to get in shape and push my body. After all that, I feel really good." With Kevin Love missing (at least) the first 10 games of the season, Roy's scoring AND health becomes vital during the first month of the season. With Ricky Rubio out until mid-December, Roy's ball handling in the backcourt becomes valuable and important, too. Though, the Wolves have guys like Ridnour, Barea and Shved to 'shore up' those concerns. Roy finished the preseason with averages of 21.3mpg, 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists. My biggest question will be how many minutes he can play in a night OR rather how many minutes will Adelman allow him to play? It sounds as though, if it were up to Roy, he'd be out there all 48. I'm thinking he'll average somewhere around 30-35 minutes a night. It'll probably be closer to that 35+ mark with Kevin Love out. I'd also expect somewhere between 15-23 points a game from Roy. Brandon Roy will be the Wolves' starting shooting guard, joining Luke Ridnour (to begin the season) in the backcourt. Andrei Kirilenko will be the starting small forward (according to Adelman). Nikola Pekovic is the starting center. And it'll be either Dante Cunningham or Derrick Williams as the starting power forward. Adelman says he'll use the next week of practices to decide on a starting power forward. The TWolves open the season on Friday night vs. the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves are a team on the rise AND they have a center on the rise: Nikola Pekovic! The PEKsecutioner, the Tyrannosaurus PEK; with all his imPEKable low post moves, Nikola is poised for another breakout season. The Timberwolves will be without their All-Star, Kevin Love for (at least) the first ten games of the season. Sounds like it's Pek's time to shine! I guarantee that Pek will be averaging AT LEAST 23 points and 12 rebounds a night without Kevin Love. With Kevin Love, I'd assume it'd be closer to 15 points and 8 rebounds. Assuming he gets the playing time: 35+ minutes, that shouldn't be a problem. Pekovic will be good without Kevin Love, but he becomes a lot more valuable and dangerous, playing WITH Kevin Love. Allowing them to play off each other, with a high low, inside/outside--they'll become virtually unstoppable. You want to pack the lane and deny PEK in the post? That's fine, Kevin Love or Brandon Roy will just splash a three on you. You want to spread the floor and leave the middle vulnerable, that's fine Nikola (or Kevin) will go to work in the paint, backing down the much weaker defenders (in Pekovic's case: that'd be every other player in the NBA!). So, Pek is going to have a great year! However, will it be 'great' enough that he could challenge for a spot on the Western Conference All-Star team? Well, let's examine that... First off, the skill is there, I have a great feeling (barring any injuries) that Pekovic will emerge as one of the NBA's best big men. As you may or may not have heard, the NBA has implemented a new voting format for the All-Star game. Instead of voting in two guards, two forwards and one center (for the starting lineup); the format will now be two guards and three 'frontcourt' players. Keeping that in mind, let's take a look at the starting power forwards and centers for every Western Conference team...
A few notes: I put JaVale McGee in as the starter in Denver (though I know it'll be Kosta Koufos), simply because he's the best center they have. Also, I'm unsure of New Orleans' starting lineup. I don't know if they'll choose to play a Davis-Lopez frontcourt or have Davis as the small forward with Anderson & Lopez...I have no clue.
Anyway, out of those 14 players, who will make the All-Star team? Ultimately, on the All-Star team there will be seven spots for small forwards, power forwards and centers. Last season there was just one Western Conference small forward: Kevin Durant. I think we can all agree he'll be back (and rightfully so). The only other small forward that could make the All-Star team? Andre Iguodala of the Denver Nuggets. But then that'll raise the question: is Iggy a small forward or a shooting guard?! Rudy Gay or Nicolas Batum have an outside chance, as well. So, looking at the names above, here's who could make the All-Star team: Dirk Nowitzki (if he can return from the knee surgery and return to form), Blake Griffin (as long as he keeps throwing down dunks, the fans'll be sure he makes the squad), Pau Gasol (outside chance--more likely he recedes into Kobe, DH & Nash's shadow), Dwight Howard (a lock), Marc Gasol (doubtful considering all the talented Western Conference power forwards), LaMarcus Aldridge (he's the man in Portland and doesn't have a whole lot of help this season, he should have a big year and another All-Star appearance), DeMarcus Cousins (who knows), Paul Millsap/Al Jefferson (they're waiting in the wings, but they won't be All-Stars unless guys like Love, Dirk, LA or Blake struggle/can't play). Kevin Love is a lock to make the squad. So, does Nikola have a chance to make the team? Short answer: No. I could sit here and play the "What If" game all night long, but we'll just leave it at no. We'll leave it at no, for one simple reason. There are other centers in the West that are either more talented (Dwight) or have more hype surrounding them (Cousins, Gasol, etc). Of course, there may not be any centers on the All-Star team(s), with the new format, that's a possibility. I can feel myself rambling on, so I'll stop while I'm clearly WAY ahead! All aboard the PEK bandwagon! That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Timberwolves wrapped up the 2012 Preseason with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. They finish with a record of 5-2 and hopefully some of that momentum will carry over into the regular season. The TWolves season opener is Nov. 2nd vs. the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center. Today we're taking a look at the team's preseason stats...
The Timberwolves were the best defensive team in the preseason, holding opponents to just 80.9ppg. The #2 defense in the preseason was the Chicago Bulls who held opponents to 87.1ppg. The Timberwolves also held opponents to a NBA-wide preseason-low in field-goal percentage at 38%. The Dallas Mavericks held opponents to the second-lowest field-goal percentage at 40%. Here's a full rundown of where Minnesota ranked League-wide, as well as where Minnesota's opponents ranked. For opponents: points per game, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, assists per game, rebounds per game, blocks per game and steals per game; are ranked as #1 being the lowest number and #30 being the highest number. For opponents: fouls per game and turnovers per game; they're ranked as #1 being the highest number and #30 being the lowest number. For Minnesota, a high rank in: points per game, field-goal percentage, three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, assists per game, rebounds per game, blocks per game and steals per game; is better. For Minnesota, a low-rank in: turnovers per game and fouls per game; is better. Hopefully all of that makes sense...
Granted, it's only the preseason but we saw some very good things from the Minnesota Timberwolves this preseason. If Minnesota's defense was any indication of how the regular season will go, the TWolves are likely to have a Top 5 defense in the NBA.
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Timberwolves have trimmed their roster to the maximum 15 players. They do so by cutting training camp invitees: center Chris Johnson & forward Mike Harris. That means that the Timberwolves will keep point guard Will Conroy. Conroy provides an insurance policy with Ricky Rubio out until mid-December. Once Ricky returns, it's almost certain that Conroy will be waived. Don't expect Will to see a whole lot of playing time, though. That is unless Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Malcolm Lee and Alexey Shved can't play. Here's the Timberwolves' 2012-13 roster...
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
Last season, Kevin Love was the TWolves' star. That won't change this season, however today we're taking a look at which TWolves could be contending for hardware this season. The awards: All-NBA First/Second/Third Team(s), All-Rookie First/Second Team(s), All-Defensive First/Second Team(s), Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and Western Conference All-Star. We'll go right down the line (alphabetically) and discuss every TWolves player who has a chance at winning one of those awards...
Earlier this week I was talking to a buddy of mine about the Minnesota Timberwolves. He's a guy that watches maybe ten or fifteen TWolves games a year, but still likes to call himself a 'hardcore fan'.
Anyway, he was fraught with worry that Kevin Love won't make the All-Star squad this season because of the broken wrist. I tried to convince him that he'd be back just a couple weeks into the season. Nonetheless, I figured I delve a bit further into the question... First off, when will Love be back? On Thursday (Oct. 18th), Kevin visited a hand specialist, who gave him a 5-6 week timetable for his return. If you want to count 5 weeks from that day, Kevin Love would return on November 22nd. The TWolves play on Nov. 23rd vs. the Portland Trailblazers, in Portland. I'm going to the November 16th game vs. the Warriors, so of course I hope he'll be available then...but I highly doubt that, Nov. 22nd could be pushing it. Nonetheless, let's say he does come back for that Nov. 23rd game, if that's the case, how many games has he missed? Ten, just ten games! That's just over twelve-percent of the 2012-13 NBA season. Now, when is the 2013 NBA All-Star Game? The All-Star Game will be on February 17th in Houston, Texas. If I'm not mistaken, that gives Mr. Love plenty of time to garner more than enough All-Star votes to make it a third-consecutive All-Star appearance. My buddies next argument and probably his best point: Will Kevin Love be able to return to form immediately? Love's conditioning shouldn't be a concern considering he should have no problem staying in shape since it's just a hand injury. It's just a hand injury. It's also a HAND INJURY! A hand injury to his shooting hand, if you don't think that'll effect his shooting stroke. I honestly have no idea how this'll effect him...it could be a good thing, maybe he'll work tirelessly on his left hand, making him even more effective in his back-to-the-basket game. If you hadn't heard, the NBA has changed their voting format, now instead of voting in two guards, two forwards and a center; it will now be two guards and three 'frontcourt' players. With all the great Western Conference power forwards (Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Zach Randolph, Serge Ibaka, Paul Millsap--and maybe even Anthony Davis) it'll give a lot of those fringe All-Stars an opportunity to make the squad. Kevin Love is the best power forward in the NBA, don't expect him missing 10 games (I know there's still a chance he misses more games, after returning) will keep the best of the NBA out of the All-Star game. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! With the help of Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love is sporting a new 'do and he's doing it all 'for the ladies!" October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Fitzgerald and Love are doing their part. Minnesota native Fitzgerald helped Kevin Love by shaving his head in a video posted on Youtube. Every time that video is viewed, retweeted (on Twitter) or liked/shared (on Facebook) both Larry & Kevin will donate twenty-five cents to a breast cancer charity (up to $250,000). You can watch the video below, but be sure to like/share it on Facebook and give Love's post here, a retweet on Twitter! That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves have just one preseason game left before the 2012-13 regular season begins. As such, Rick Adelman & Co. have a decision to make regarding that final roster spot.
Jermaine Taylor, Seth Tarver and Phil Jones have all been waived as the Wolves' roster now stands at 17 players, 14 of those players are on fully guaranteed contracts, 1 is on a partial guarantee and the other 2 are training camp invites. So, that means the Wolves have one roster spot left and three players looking to 'stick'. With Rubio & Love both out until December the Wolves only have 12 healthy bodies, I'd say it's almost certain that one of these players signs on (at least until December/January). Let's take a look at these three players... 1.) Will Conroy, Point Guard --Conroy is the player with the partially guaranteed contract, that partial guarantee being $100,000. With Rubio out until (at least) mid-December/early-January, Conroy has a decent chance to make the team. That's not the only thing he has going for him: his best friend is the Wolves' new starting shooting guard, Brandon Roy. The Timberwolves currently have Luke Ridnour, J.J. Barea, Malcolm Lee and Alexey Shved at point guard (or capable of playing point guard). With Ridnour struggling with a bad back, J.J. Barea's 2011-12 campaign that was plagued with injuries--the same going for Malcolm Lee, they may retain Conroy. 2.) Mike Harris, Forward --Harris is a 6'6" forward who plays both the three and the four, the Timberwolves have been rumored to be looking for another wing (Mickael Pietrus and Michael Redd have been on their radar), with Kevin Love out he could also provide depth as a deep reserve at that four spot. This is a player that Rick Adelman is very familiar with. Harris played for the Houston Rockets when Rick was the head coach, in '07-'08, '09-'10 and '10-'11. Altogether he played 29 games for the Rockets through those three seasons. He also played for the Washington Wizards in '09-'10 for 5 games. Being "Adelman's guy" could land him that final spot. 3.) Chris Johnson, Center --Lastly, a name that some might know: Chris Johnson. Johnson is the youngest of these three (Conroy & Harris both being 29) at 27. He's got two years NBA experience, in '10-'11 he played for the Boston Celtics (4 games) and the Portland Trailblazers (10 games). In '11-'12 he played for the New Orleans Hornets (7 games) and the Portland Trailblazers (20 games). In 2011 Johnson was named to the All-NBA D-League 1st Team, the NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year, to the NBA D-League All-Defensive 1st Team as well as an NBA D-League All-Star. If the Wolves didn't have Stiemsma I'd say Johnson was a lock to make this squad. With Kevin Love out, the Wolves have Derrick Williams, Dante Cunningham, Lou Amundson, Nikola Pekovic and Greg Stiemsma in their frontcourt. The Wolves coule probably make it without another big. However, if I had to choose between these three players, I'd probably want Chris Johnson. An interior presence that can block shots, rebound and get the occasional putback, he can also play both frontcourt positions. Greg Stiemsma & Nikola Pekovic both had foot problems last season (plantar fasciitis & bone spurs) Johnson would certainly be an insurance policy in the frontcourt, being that after those two Lou Amundson is the only other player that can play center (beyond the injured K-Love). The case can be made for any of these players, they all fill a need, or have an 'in' (Conroy w/Roy & Harris w/Adelman) and they're all capable players that provide that 'insurance policy' on the bench, should we lose any other players to injuries. Who would you keep? Sound off in the comment section below! That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The National Basketball Association has currently made changes to their All-Star voting format. Instead of voting in two guards, two forwards and a center, it's been changed to vote in two guards as well as three 'frontcourt' players.
That could mean three forwards, three centers, two forwards and a center or two centers and a forward. No longer will we have to problems of the perennial voting in of Tim Duncan as a power forward. Instead he can be considered a center and a forward like LaMarcus Aldridge (who got the snub two years ago, because of a situation like that). This would greatly increase Kevin Love's chance of being voting in as a starter. He's definitely the best power forward in the NBA, but the fans will always vote in Blake Griffin ahead of him. A starting Western Conference All-Star froncourt of Durant, Griffin & Love could be a possibility. 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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