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Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Following the Friday night loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Minnesota Timberwolves cut Jermaine Taylor. The roster now stands at 17 and (at least) two more player will be cut by the Oct. 29th deadline: likely Mike Harris & Chris Johnson. Though it isn't out of the realm of possibilities that the Wolves could cut Will Conroy (who's on a partially guaranteed contract) and retain one of those big men (Harris or Johnson), at least until Kevin Love returns.
Some other miscellaneous notes...
That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES!
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Things were looking grand, the Wolves added some savvy veteran pieces, got rid of all the knuckleheads from last season's squad and it seemed as though the Wolves were ready to break through in the Western Conference and finally claw their way back into the postseason. Yesterday morning those aspirations for a playoff berth took a major blow. Word came that TWolves superstar Kevin Love broke his hand in a pre-practice workout and will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. Minnesota is definitely going to be worse off without him, however they're not dead in the water. David Kahn did a fairly good job of constructing this team and there are still a number of pieces that can contribute and keep this squad competitive. So, the question remains: With Love Down, Who'll Step Up? The starting lineup will obviously change, however Luke Ridnour (PG), Brandon Roy (SG) and Nikola Pekovic (C) will remain in the starting lineup. Andrei Kirilenko will still be a starter, but it remains unclear whether Adelman will keep him at small forward, or shift him over to power forward (where many declare he's a better player). Let's take a look at some potential starting lineups...
I think we all know Derrick Williams will get the first chance at that starting power forward position. However, if he continues to be inconsistent, the Wolves have other options. Honestly I'd rather see Dante as the starting four or have forwards Budinger & Kirilenko as the starters. In either of those scenarios, Williams would continue to come off the bench, but unlike with Love as the starter he'd definitely see some extended minutes--a lot of them at the four.
Owner Glen Taylor spoke to the media yesterday about Love's injury and said that for the time being the Wolves will likely go forward with what they have and give D-Will & Dante a chance, though Taylor hadn't yet spoken to David Kahn or Rick Adelman. So, I wouldn't yet rule out Minnesota adding another frontcourt player. So, we have a rough idea of who will be replacing Love in the starting lineup, however that doesn't really answer the question of: Who'll Step Up? Where will the Wolves find those extra 26 points & 13 rebounds? Nikola Pekovic will get more touches in the paint and should average 20-25 points a night. Andrei Kirilenko will be asked to score a bit more with Love out, he'll be asked to do more on the boards, as well. Roy's knees become even more important as does his scoring. The fact is, you can't fully replace Love's production. Kevin will likely miss 6 weeks to 2 months, which pegs his return around mid-December. Which is also the earliest that Ricky Rubio could return. For Kevin, he shouldn't to be bad off when he returns. Love will be able to keep up his conditioning while he recovers, the only thing to really worry about is how/if this will effect his shooting touch, considering it is his right hand (shooting hand) that's broken. We'll get our first look of the Love-less Wolves tomorrow (Friday) night vs. the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. You can find a full gameday preview of that one under the "Gameday" section on this site. Thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! UPDATE (10/18 @3:30pmCT): It turns out Kevin Love broke his hand while doing some routine knuckle pushups. The pre-practice workout was because he had a post-practice commitment. He was doing so with his personal trainer Rob McClanaghan. He visited a hand specialist in New York City today, no surgery will be needed and the timetable for his return is set, roughly, for 5-6 weeks. Love had this to say, "I hurt my hand. I immediately knew something was wrong and called head athletic trainer Gregg Farnam. Although I'm disappointed this happened, I will work extremely hard to stay in shape and return to the court as quickly as possible." Head coach Rick Adelman gave his two cents as well, "I was just shocked. I learned a long time ago, I've had so many injuries to good players, I'm starting to think it's me." Adelman on whether the team is better suited to handle Love's absence now, "You think that, but we'll see. You always think that."
The Minnesota Timberwolves took a BIG hit to their playoff aspirations this afternoon, when word broke that their superstar: Kevin Love will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a broken right hand. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, Love broke his hand while working out in his Minneapolis condo, prior to a team practice. Both his third and fourth finger are broken, on that right hand...unfortunately, his shooting hand. It was originally reported that he'd miss 4-6 weeks, however it's sounding as though that timetable will be closer to 6-8 weeks--at least a month and half! Which could mean anywhere from 15-25 of Minnesota's games. Roughly 25-30% of the regular season games. Needless to say the Wolves will need some big help from their other frontcourt players if they want to keep their playoff aspirations alive. In all honesty, I'm not overly worried. Clearly Kevin Love is our superstar and we'll miss him, but we've still got Brandon Roy (PLEASE, stay healthy), Nikola Pekovic (20-15 numbers to start the year for Pek?!), Andrei Kirilenko (he'll be asked to score a bit more now, but he'll grab rebounds, dish assists, steals, blocks...everything). They've also got Derrick Williams, who is now the likely starting power forward. If there was ever a time to prove your a capable NBA player, now is his time! Dante Cunningham & Lou Amundson should see a bump in minutes as well. All in all the Wolves will probably struggle to start this season and the postseason hopes seem to have got a bit more out of reach, but I highly doubt we'll start the season 0-20 without Love. This is still a competitive ball club and Rick Adelman will find a way to still get wins. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Following Saturday night's win over the Chicago Bulls, the Minnesota Timberwolves trimmed their roster to 18 players, by cutting two.
Gone is guard Seth Tarver and forward Phil Jones. Neither player played in any of Minnesota's three preseason games, thus far. The TWolves now have 18 players, 14 of them with guaranteed contracts, 1 with a partially guaranteed contract and 3 on training camp invite contracts. The remaining training camp invitees include: Jermaine Taylor, Mike Harris and Chris Johnson. Will Conroy is the player on the partially guaranteed contract, however with Ricky out until late-December/early-January, there's a chance he'll be on the opening day roster. That's all for now, the Wolves are back in action Wednesday night at the Target Center vs. Maccabi Hazan Baifa. You can expect a full gameday preview early this coming week, until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The 2011-12 Minnesota Timberwolves lacked plenty of things. I could literally go on forever about the deficiencies of last year's squad. However, today it's the reserves. The bench of the 2011-12 Minnesota Timberwolves.
Last year's reserves consisted of: J.J. Barea (until the end of the season, when he started the last 10+ games), Malcolm Lee, Wayne Ellington, Michael Beasley (excluding the first 10+ games of the season when he was a starter), Derrick Williams, Anthony Randolph, Darko Milicic (excluding the first half of the season when he was an everyday starter), Brad Miller, Anthony Tolliver and Martell Webster (except for the final 20 games, after Ricky got injured, when he became the starting shooting guard). Of that list. There are three holdovers. All three of which will be reserves, once again this season. J.J. Barea is penciled in as the backup point guard (behind Luke Ridnour...until of course Ricky's healthy again). Malcolm Lee is a deep reserve guard, he's a work-in-progress and likely won't see a whole lot of playing time. Lastly, Derrick Williams. D-Will has improved significantly this offseason and should see time at both forward positions. The amount of floor time he'll see is VERY dependent on how much small forward he'll be able to play. A lineup of Barea, Budinger, Williams, Kirilenko and Love would be exciting and quite effective. Wayne Ellington was traded to Memphis. Michael Beasley left via free agency and signed a three-year deal with the Phoenix Suns. Anthony Randolph left via free agency and signed a three-year deal with the Denver Nuggets. Darko Milicic was amnestied early in the summer and eventually signed a one-year veteran's minimum deal with the Boston Celtics. Brad Miller was traded to the New Orleans Hornets, then to the Phoenix Suns, he was bought out of the final year of his contract by the Suns and retired (he was in Mankato for a couple days to help Adelman and some of his staff coach the big men, just a couple days ago). Martell Webster was bought out of the final year of his contract and signed a one-year veteran's minimum deal with the Washington Wizards. Anthony Tolliver left via free agency and signed a one-year veteran's minimum deal with the Atlanta Hawks. So, let's take a look at this season's bench. First off, we're not counting Ricky Rubio, so Luke Ridnour is the TWolves' starting point guard. The rest of the starting lineup: Brandon Roy (SG), Andrei Kirilenko (SF), Kevin Love (PF) and Nikola Pekovic (C). The TWolves currently have 14 players under contract, as well as one player on a partially guaranteed contract. At POINT GUARD... The Timberwolves have J.J. Barea, Malcolm Lee and Will Conroy at point guard. Conroy is the player with the partially guaranteed contract. Although the TWolves already have an abundance of guards on the roster, Conroy could actually make the opening night roster. He would likely only be kept on until Ricky Rubio is able to return. As I said, Lee is a work-in-progress and likely won't see a whole lot of playing time. Barea is probably one of my least favorite TWolfs and for whatever reason, I can't really explain why. He's a talented guard with a real inept ability to slice through the lane, break down the defense and either maneuver in for an easy bucket or an easy assist, usually an easy basket (or at least, it would seem). I'd say there's a good chance that when Ricky returns, there will no longer be a need for the team to carry Rubio, Ridnour, Barea and Lee. We could see either Ridnour or Barea moved before the trade deadline. If they aren't traded, I could almost guarantee one of them would be gone next summer (more than likely Ridnour...unfortunately). At SHOOTING GUARD... The Timberwolves have Alexey Shved at shooting guard. Shved is the main backup to Brandon Roy at shooting guard. The rookie will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself. Watching him in the TWolves' first preseason action (vs. the Pacers on 10/10) he didn't shoot the ball very well (0-4 FG), but he did finish with a number of Rubio-esqe assists. He's appears to have that same unique court vision. Although he did struggle shooting from the field, word is he does have a great shooting stroke. At SMALL FORWARD... The Timberwolves have Chase Budinger at small forward. Chase is leaps and bounds above what we had last season at the wing positions (both starters and bench). Would you take Chase over Wes Johnson? Michael Beasley? Martell Webster? Wayne Ellington? Yeah...me too! Bud had a great preseason game vs. the Pacers, scoring 14 points. We actually have a wing player that can make a three-point shot! He's athletic, he'll grab rebounds and knock down open shots, but not much else. However, that's exactly what we need from him. Chase should also see some time at shooting guard (especially if Roy gets hurt or Shved faceplants on the "Rookie Wall". At POWER FORWARD... The Timberwolves have Derrick Williams and Dante Cunningham at power forward. There won't be a whole lot of minutes behind superstar Kevin Love. That's why if Rick Adelman needs to find Williams minutes, he won't be doing so at the power forward (at least...not much). If D-Will proves he can effectively play the '3' he'll have improved his outside shot, his slashing ability and (most importantly) his perimeter defense. Williams was a definitely a disappointment in his rookie season, he'll have to make big strides this year if he wants to remain a Timberwolf. Remember Kahn & Co. tried desperately to trade him (more than once...twice...three times...four times...etc). I think we all want things to work for Williams on this squad, hopefully he makes the most of his chances (be they at small forward or power forward). Dante Cunningham was the returning piece in the deal with the Memphis Grizzlies that sent Wayne Ellington, away. Cunningham is an energy/hustle player that may not see a whole lot of floor time, but will give you everything he's got when he's out there (kind of like Tolliver in that way). Of course, with that kind of effort, he sounds just like one of Adelman's guys. Watching him in the game vs. Indy, he played only 8 minutes (3 of which were at small forward). He's definitely more of a power forward as his foot speed isn't quite at the level required to be a capable '3'. At CENTER... The Timberwolves have Greg Stiemsma and Louis Amundson at center. Last season the Timberwolves had Darko Milicic and Brad Miller as their backup centers. I'd say any other two big men would be an improvement. Kahn was focused this offseason on improving the depth in the frontcourt. One of the very first names that came up was Greg Stiemsma. Greg will be the main backup (behind PEK). His specialty is shot-blocking. He'll be a force on the defensive interior as well as grab rebounds on both ends. He'll likely average around 10-13 minutes a game. Amundson was the TWolves' latest free agency signing. As of now he's penciled in as a third-string center, while also seeing time at power forward. Like Dante, Lou is an energy/hustle guy that'll defend, hit the boards and get a few putback buckets. He's also got a rockin' ponytail! Barea---Barea Lee---Lee Shved---Ellington Budinger---Webster/Beasley Williams---Williams Cunningham---Tolliver Stiemsma---Randolph Amundson---Darko/Miller I honestly don't see where there isn't an upgrade. Great news, huh? Want even better news? The starting lineup has only gotten better, too! Rubio/Ridnour---Rubio/Ridnour Roy---Webster/Ridnour Kirilenko---Johnson Love---Love Pekovic---Pekovic Now, Rick Adelman has the daunting task of splitting up their minutes. I'm sure he'll have little trouble, en route to his 1,000th win. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! With this final division preview, we finish our 2012-13 NBA Season Previews. If you've missed our other previews, you can find them here: Northwest, Southwest, Pacific, Central and Southeast.
The Central division is the final division in the Eastern Conference. The Central division includes: the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors. Let's do this... For Boston: The Celtics had a bit of a youth infusion, while saying goodbye to one of their former "Big Three". Gone is Ray Allen...to the rival Miami Heat. I'm sure he'll receive the warmest of receptions when he visits the Garden. The Celtics still have a "Big Three": Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and the recently resigned Kevin Garnett. There was some scuttlebutt that KG was debating retirement, but he'll continue his playing career with the Celtics--likely as the starting center. With Ray Allen gone, Boston signed two free agent shooting guards. They had a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets. They received Courtney Lee, while sending JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore (later waived and signed with Orlando) and Sean Williams (later waived) to the Houston Rockets. While also sending Sasha Pavlovic, two second-round picks and cash to the Portland Trailblazers. The other free agent guard? Former sixth man of the year Jason Terry. JET is taking his talents to the East Coast, even though he said early in the offseason that he wanted to remain with the Dallas Mavericks, ultimately for his career. That didn't work out and now he'll join the reloaded Boston Celtics. If you haven't seen his newest tattoo, I'd go ahead and look that up on Google. Lee will likely begin the season as the starting shooting guard along with Rondo in the backcourt, because Avery Bradley is currently on the IR after offseason shoulder surgery. Keyon Dooling seemed like he was going to be back for another season, but a couple of weeks ago he announced his retirement. As such the backup point guard duties will likely be manned by Jason Terry, Avery Bradley and Dionte Christmas (assuming he makes the final roster). The Celtics drafted Jared Sullinger 21st overall, Fab Melo 22nd overall and Kris Joseph in the second round. After a year away, Jeff Green is back in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. Of course there will be concerns about his health, but hopefully following the heart surgery he can return to what made him a versatile forward that can contribute. The Celtics also signed Jason Collins and Darko Milicic, those two, along with rookie Fab Melo; will battle for that backup center position. The Celtics likely starting lineup: Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett; with a second-unit of: Avery Bradley, Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger and Darko Milicic. They're certainly a Top 4 or 5 team in the Eastern Conference, though I have serious doubts that they're championship contenders this season. For Brooklyn: The Nets got a brand new arena, a better starting five and for the first time in a long time the Nets will be competitive in the East. The Nets got a scare early in free agency when it looked as though Deron Williams was seriously considering signing with his hometown Dallas Mavericks. Shortly before his meeting with Mark Cuban & Co. the Nets pulled off a blockbuster deal with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks basically got that 2011-12 Nets bench, while the Nets received Joe Johnson. Williams quickly came back on board, to form one of the NBA's best backcourts. The Nets also resigned Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez. Not only were they able to secure a fairly good starting lineup, they also grabbed former Bull C.J. Watson on a one-year veteran's minimum deal. They also signed veteran shooting guards Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Bogans. The Nets also grabbed Mirza Teletovic, a Bosnian professional basketball player that they felt confident in giving a 3-year $9million contract (it was first reported that the deal was 3-years for $15.6million--it was adjusted to give the Nets more flexibility in filling out their roster). They did so with Reggie Evans (in a sign-and-trade with the Clippers), Andray Blatche (on a one-year veteran's minimum deal) and former King Donte Greene & former Sun Josh Childress will likely battle for the final spot on the roster and the backup small forward role. The Nets also drafted point guard Tyshawn Taylor (41st overall) and forward Tornike Shengalia (54th overall). Their starting lineup (Williams, Johnson, Wallace, Humphries, Lopez) will be strong (considering Lopez can stay healthy), however their depth is a bit questionable. Their second unit of Watson, MarShon Brooks, Greene or Childress, Blatche and Evans, doesn't sound like a reliable bench unit. I still think they can be a Top 5 seed in the East, however those calling the Nets "CONTENDERS" will soon find out why they're not. In conclusion--I also hate their new jerseys, I don't care who created them (Jay-Z) they're plain and boring to me. I like the black-and-white, but the logo and the jerseys are too simple. I seem to be a minority on the subject, but that's just how I feel. Back to the playoffs the Nets go, but I don't see them getting past the second round (if that far). For New York: Are you 35-40 years old? Are you interested in a role player position, with mind-boggling years of guaranteed money? The Knicks got older, the consensus seems to be they may be a bit wiser...though there's certainly some serious doubts. The Knicks had a busy offseason. They signed veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni, though that wasn't the only change made to the Knicks' point guard position. Gone is Jeremy Lin, despite the Knicks management saying they'd match any offer he received...he's now a Houston Rocket and things go on for New York. To fill the void, the Knicks welcome Jason Kidd (initially brought in to mentor Lin...before he signed that BIG offer sheet with Houston). The Knicks also brought back Raymond Felton. Ray was previously a Knick (and had a pretty good season, until he was traded). New York included Felton in that Carmelo Anthony deal. Felton ended up with Denver. Following the end of that season Ray signed on with the Portland Trailblazers. I can tell you without a shred of doubt--Blazers fans aren't to fond of Mr. Felton. Overweight and unmotivated, Portland was more than fine to see him go. Felton has reportedly slimmed back down and is happy to be back in New York. Head Coach Mike Woodson has said that he'll start Felton at point guard, to begin the season. J.R. Smith returned and will be instrumental at shooting guard, especially until Iman Shumpert returns from that torn ACL. New York also signed Ronnie Brewer to a veteran's minimum deal. The Knicks also grabbed Chris Smith (J.R.'s brother) who (if he makes the team) will provide depth behind Brewer & Smith (until Shumpert returns--at which time he'll likely be released). The Knicks resigned their three-point specialist Steve Novak. NYK didn't have much frontcourt depth behind their starters: Amar'e & Tyson. Apparently those chose a few senior citizens. The Knicks pulled Rasheed Wallace out of retirement and also acquired Marcus Camby in a sign-and-trade...and then gave him three years of guaranteed money! He's a good center, but he's also 38! And they're paying him roughly $13.2million over the next three years! I had him pegged (without a doubt in my mind) to end up with Miami...I think we know why he chose New York. The Knicks also grabbed the oldest player in the NBA: Kurt Thomas, who at the age of 40 will be providing depth at both frontcourt positions. Despite having three VERY good players at the 3, 4, 5 (Melo, Amar'e & Chandler), the Knicks are championship contenders. We've all heard that Melo & Amar'e can thrive together. If the Knicks start the season on the 'wrong foot' I wouldn't be surprised to hear Stoudemire's name come up in the trade rumors...though I wouldn't expect much to come of it. New York will still be a Top 5 seed in the East, they may fight their way out of the first round, but an advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, still looks out of reach, for the Knicks (from my perspective). For Philadelphia: The 76ers turned a player they've been trying to trade for the past two years into the NBA's #2 center. Gone is Andre Iguodala (fancy that they've traded another AI to the Denver Nuggets) and center Andrew Bynum. They also did quite a bit more 'reloading'. Along with Bynum, the Sixers acquired Jason Richardson from the Orlando Magic. He'll likely start at shooting guard. Former Wizard/Clipper Nick Young also joins the Sixers, he brings shooting and scoring, but not much else...beyond being a defensive liability. The 76ers also acquired Dorell Wright in a trade with the Golden State Warriors. Wright figures to be the third-string small forward...while also seeing some time at shooting guard and power forward. Philly also welcomes Kwame Brown (who before they acquired Bynum, was pegged to start at center, now he'll be the main backup big man). The Sixers' starting lineup will likely include: Jrue Holiday (I smell a breakout season in the works!), Jason Richardson (getting up their in years, but the man can still ball), Evan Turner (consistent minutes at his natural position, could the #2 pick finally live up to that billing? Breakout season? Maybe...), Spencer Hawes (with Bynum in tow, Hawes will shift to power forward to form a pretty viable frontcourt for Philly), Andrew Bynum (some say he's the best center in the League...either way it gives Philly a BIG leg up on a powerhouse like Miami--and great competition with team's in the East like Indiana, New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, etc.--that all have some terrific big men). Philadelphia will make the playoffs and it won't be as just the 8th seed. They still have some questions at backup point guard (Royal Ivey?!) and the health of Andrew Bynum & Jrue Holiday will make or break their season. For Toronto: After an offseason of improvement, Raptors fans are thinking they could actually make the playoffs, once again. I think they're still a year away, but they have some much better pieces North of the Border. The Raptors swung a deal with the Rockets that sent Gary Forbes and a 1st round pick to Houston and landed them Kyle Lowry. They also signed former Bull John Lucas III (likely a third-string point guard). The Raps also landed Landry Fields, that many saw as a tactic for them to land Steve Nash (that being before they traded for Lowry). Toronto offered Fields a big deal, the Knicks let him walk and, obviously neither New York or Toronto landed former two-time MVP Steve Nash (now a Laker). Toronto resigned Alan Anderson and Aaron Gray. The Raptors also got some more youth and talent in the Draft. They nabbed shooting guard Terrence Ross with the #8 overall pick as well as Quincy Acy, in the second-round, with the 37th overall pick. Those won't be their only two rookies, however. Joining the club this season will be center Jonas Valanciunas. Jonas was drafted by the Raptors in 2011, but spent an additional year overseas. He'll join Toronto this year and (at some point--maybe not right away) will be the team's starting center. Their likely starting lineup: Kyle Lowry, Terrence Ross, DeMar DeRozan, Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas. Landry Fields could start at shooting guard until Ross is ready, same goes for Aaron Gray at center, until Valanciunas is ready. I'd venture to bet that former starting point guard Jose Calderon won't be a Raptor at season's end. It's likely they move him as it's all but certain that Lowry is the team's new point-man. Maybe the Darren Collison trade for the Mavericks doesn't work and Mark Cuban will come calling, maybe some team will lose their star point guard in a season-ending injury and phone up the Raptors, regardless, if he stays with the team through this season, it will be his last. I'm uncertain whether this team can be a playoff squad. They certainly have the talent. They'll need great years from Lowry & Bargnani and for the rookies (Ross & Valanciunas) to come in and be able to contribute from the get-go. If so, we could see them sneak into that 7th or 8th seed in the East, if not, it'll be another lottery-bound summer. Well, that's a wrap! So concludes our division-by-division season previews. Opening night is still a few weeks away, however for many teams in the NBA the preseason has begun. For your Minnesota Timberwolves, the preseason begins tomorrow night at the FARGODOME vs. the Indiana Pacers, visit our "Gameday" section for a full gameday preview of that one! That's all for now, as per usual, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune recently wrote an article about one of the Minnesota Timberwolves' rising stars and my favorite Timberwolf: Nikola Pekovic.
There have been a number of articles on Nikola this past month, or so, if you search Nikola Pekovic on Google, I'm sure you'll find five or six of them. From what I read in Zgoda's article and all the others, I'm EVEN MORE EXCITED to see Pekovic in action. Luckily we only have to wait two more days (Oct. 10th vs. Indiana). You can find Zgoda's article here: Pekovic is back under one condition: Fit. I can't wait to see Pekovic match up against some of the NBA's best centers: L.A. Lakers' Dwight Howard, Philadelphia's Andrew Bynum, New York's Tyson Chandler, Memphis' Marc Gasol, San Antonio's Tim Duncan, Atlanta's Al Horford, Indiana's Roy Hibbert, Chicago's Joakim Noah, Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, Utah's Al Jefferson, Golden State's Andrew Bogut, Detroit's Greg Monroe, Washington's Nene, Phoenix's Marcin Gortat, Brooklyn's Brook Lopez, Cleveland's Anderson Varejo, Denver's JaVale McGee, L.A. Clippers' DeAndre Jordan, Houston's Omer Asik and Washington's Emeka Okafor. You may be wondering why I included so many centers on that list. Well, according to #NBARank those are all the centers in the NBA that are ranked (in descending order) above Nikola. I guarantee that next season that list of names will be a handful! That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! We're two-thirds of the way through our Preseason Division Previews and today we'll be taking a look at another Eastern Conference division: the Central Division. The Central division includes: the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
If you've missed our four finished previews, you can check them out here: Northwest, Pacific, Southwest and Southeast. Well then, on to the Central division... For Chicago: The Bulls will be without their superstar for the majority of the season, but there's no doubt, that there's enough talent on this roster to still make the playoffs (likely not a Top 4 seed) and with D-Rose (hopefully) back for the postseason, they could go on a nice little postseason run. They aren't built (this season) for a deep postseason run. They let the majority of their bench walk via free agency, or traded them away for next to nothing. With Rose's absence, the Bulls signed a number of backup point guards. Chicago welcomes back Kirk Hinrich (the likely starter). The Bulls also signed Nate Robinson, who started a number of games for the Golden State Warriors last season when they lost Stephen Curry for an extended period of time and they were tanking away their season (I guess they have their small forward of the future in Harrison Barnes to show for it). Nate can play both guard positions and will likely be the main backup behind Hinrich to start the season. Lastly, to shore up concerns at the point, the Bulls drafted Marquis Teague with the 29th overall pick. He'll see some action, but he won't be relied upon much. Chicago also signed free agent shooting guard Marco Belinelli, he'll be the main backup behind Richard Hamilton at the two-guard. The Bulls also welcome forward Vladimir Radmanovic and center Nazr Mohammed. Who knows how much those two will contribute. Both are a number of years removed from their 'prime(s)'. Gone is Ronnie Brewer (signed as a free agent with the Knicks), Kyle Korver (traded to the Hawks), C.J. Watson (signed as a free agent with the Nets), John Lucas III (signed as a free agent with the Raptors) and Omer Asik (signed as a free agent with the Rockets). There's no doubting they've become a worse team, but in the Eastern Conference they'll still be able to fight there way into the playoffs. They'll rely heavily on Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah to do so. Projection? 5-8 seed in the East. For Cleveland: Gone is LeBron and Cleveland continues to rebuild their once strong franchise. Kyrie Irving is a giant step in the right direction. They've said goodbye to a few players this season and they also grabbed a few more young guys. Antawn Jamison was initially brought in to be the final piece next to LBJ that would put them over the top. That didn't exactly work out as planned. Jamison stayed another two years. Two VERY rough years for the Cavs. Jamison will play for the Lakers this season and that'll open up playing time for a budding young talent in Tristan Thompson. The Cavaliers added rookies Dion Waiters & Tyler Zeller. Waiters will likely get the starting nod next to Kyrie in the backcourt, while Zeller will provide depth behind Varejo (until of course he's inevitably traded...Varejo, that is). The Cavaliers also welcome: C.J. Miles (signed as a free agent), Jeremy Pargo (acquired in a trade with the Grizzlies that had the Cavs send D.J. Kennedy to the Grizzlies), Michael Erie (signed as a free agent undrafted rookie) and Jon Leuer (picked up off the waiver wire). Their likely starting lineup will look something like this: Irving, Waiters, Miles, Thompson & Varejo. Cleveland is a team on the rise, but I think we all know they don't have what it takes to move back into the East Playoffs...not yet. It won't be this year, may not be next year, but with Irving at the helm, the future is bright for the Cavs. Another season in the lotto is inevitable, but, nonetheless, they should be an exciting team to watch. For Detroit: When I look at a team, I look for players that excite me, that make me want to watch the team. Detroit just doesn't excite me. Sure, Greg Monroe is looking like he's well on his way to becoming an elite big man. They have a decent backcourt with Knight & Stuckey. The Pistons did draft big man Andre Drummond with the 9th overall pick this summer. I can honestly say, when they team Monroe & Drummond in the backcourt and have them as their starting frontline, then I'll get excited about the Detroit Pistons. Drummond is a project and is still a year or two from being a serviceable big man in this league. I don't know how good he'll become, for all I know he's the Pistons' next Darko Milicic. The Pistons also traded Ben Gordon to the Charlotte Bobcats for Corey Maggette. Maggette will back up Tayshaun Prince at the small forward, however this will likely be his only season in Motown, as his contract expires after this season. Detroit has a logjam at the forwards: Prince, English, Singler, Maggette, Daye, Middleton, Maxiell, Jerebko and Villanueva. Kyle Singler joins the team after being drafted last season, but he ended up playing overseas for the year. Kim English & Khris Middleton were their draft picks this summer (along with Drummond). The Pistons also welcome Viacheslav Kravtsov. I know he's a center and that's about it. The Pistons will likely start: Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Jason Maxiell and Greg Monroe, to begin the season. Like the Cavaliers, I think the Pistons are a few years away from returning to the playoffs. Though they do have a young core in place that should help them stay competitive: Knight, Stuckey & Monroe. Projection? Lotto-bound! For Indiana: With Derrick Rose out in Chicago, the Pacers have a VERY good chance of nabbing the 2nd seed in the East (behind Miami). The Pacers took the next step last season, improving from the 8th seed two years ago, to being the 3rd seed in the East a year ago. Indiana matched a max offer (made by Portland) to retain their star center: Roy Hibbert. Last season they made one of the best free agent signings of the year when they grabbed former All-Star David West to pair with Roy in the frontcourt. This offseason they added D.J. Augustin (to back up George Hill--who signed an five-year, $40million extension). They also signed free agent (and former Timberwolf--but was a Net last year) Gerald Green, to be the main backup behind Danny Granger and Paul George at the wings. The Pacers also traded Darren Collsion and Dahntay Jones to the Mavericks for big man Ian Mahinmi. They further solidified their big men off the bench by drafting Miles Plumlee with the 26th overall pick. They have a VERY interesting team. Hibbert is a Top 5 or 6 center in this League and Granger is a Top 5 or 6 small forward. If Paul George can continue to improve, they'll have one of the best lineups in the NBA. Their starting lineup: 6-2 George Hill, 6-10 Paul George, 6-9 Danny Granger, 6-9 David West and 7-2 Roy Hibbert. That's a matchup nightmare at shooting guard and center! Not too many teams have a 6'10" two-guard or a center over 7'2". I'm thinking a 50-win season and a trip into (at least) the second-round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They have some concerns at backup shooting guard. Is rookie Orlando Johnson the answer behind P. George? But this team doesn't have a whole lot of weaknesses and on the whole, they're a very balanced and tough team. They should be fun to watch. So, Pacer fans, if you live in Indiana, you better get your rear to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse! For Milwaukee: Our friends across the border, the Milwaukee Bucks. They've certainly gone through some transformations these past couple seasons. They said goodbye to former #1 overall pick Andrew Bogut--sending him to the Warriors, just prior to the trade deadline for Monta Ellis & Ekpe Udoh. The Bucks traded their first round pick to the Houston Rockets (12th overall) for the 14th pick and Samuel Dalembert. The Rockets selected Jeremy Lamb, 12th overall and the Bucks chose John Henson at #14. They also nabbed combo guard Doron Lamb in the second-round. The Bucks resigned Ersan Ilyasova to a 4-year deal. While also signing former Buck Joel Pryzbilla. Ilyasova will continue to start at power forward (likely continuing to improve as he's done nearly every season). While, Pryz will be the main backup to Dalembert at the five. The Bucks continue to have a logjam at the power forward as well as a strange desire for skinny, athletic black men: John Henson, Ekpe Udoh and Larry Sanders. Also adding Drew Gooden and Ersan to that list of power forwards. I'd say there's a good chance if someone calls looking to trade for Udoh, Sanders or Gooden; the Bucks GM will be more than happy to take your call! The question mark remains, you will start at small forward. I assume Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is penciled in as the starter, though it's sounding as though Tobias Harris made quite an impression during the Summer League. Other possibilities include...Mike Dunleavy. Perhaps they should trade one or two of those power forwards on the roster for a solid small forward. If not, in reality, Mbah a Moute is a serviceable three, with lockdown D...just like Skiles likes it. However, if these Bucks don't reach the postseason (or stumble early on) I certainly believe we could see a coaching switch. Starting five? Jennings, Ellis, Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova, Dalembert. Projection? 5th-8th seed in the East. Well, that wraps up the Central Division. We've got just one more preview to bring you (the Atlantic division) and you can expect that sometime next week! Until then, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! I was looking through our #NBARank posts and realized I hadn't written anything on Lou Amundson, mainly because I had finished our #NBARank posts before he was signed. Ultimately Louis Amundson was chosen over Anthony Tolliver and Hassan Whiteside as the Minnesota Timberwolves' deep reserve big man. Tolliver is ranked #289 and Whiteside: #453. Adelman's reasoning for signing Lou instead of Whiteside, was that they didn't want an inexperienced big man to be their third-string center. As for AT vs. Lou. I assume the TWolves wanted their third big man be someone who can effectively guard some of the big 7-foot centers in this league. That's something Louis holds the advantage in. Which is why he's a Timberwolf this season and Tolliver will be a Hawk. Amundson has played for a number of different squads during his NBA career. He was traded prior to last season from the Golden State Warriors to the Indiana Pacers for Indiana's Brandon Rush. After Indiana drafted Miles Plumlee and traded for Ian Mahinmi, it was clear, Lou's time in Indy was over. He held out (much like Tolliver) looking for more than the veteran's minimum. Both players ended up settling for just that. Lou will make roughly $1.1million this season as a Wolf. He shares a lot of traits with Tolliver. The hustle and the energy they both bring to the game are similar. Tolliver is certainly a better long-range shooter (though he wasn't last season thanks to a wrist injury), whereas if Lou gets buckets they'll be in the paint and likely after he chases down an offensive board for an easy putback. Both guys are athletic, however, like I said before, Amundson is a superior low-post defender (not great...but better). It's uncertain how much time Amundson will see this season. There are a lot of factors in that. 1.) How much can Greg Stiemsma play? He was limited last season and this summer thanks to plantar fasciitis. 2.) Will Derrick Williams' main role be as a backup small forward or power forward? Ultimately it'll come down to either Lou or Dante Cunningham as the team's third-string frontcourt player. I'd put my money on Dante, however if the injury bug bites hard, once again this season, we could see plenty of both. That's all for now, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! The Minnesota Timberwolves saw Hassan Whiteside work out in Houston. About a week later they brought him to Minneapolis for another workout. Another couple weeks went by and the Wolves decided to sign Louis Amundson.
So...why did the Timberwolves pass on the defensive Hassan Whiteside? Rick Adelman had this to say yesterday during media day: "We didn't want to have a third big guy up front that was young and inexperienced." Amundson is a big guy that is mainly a power forward, but because of his energy & hustle can play more center. He also provides the team with another veteran, bringing much more polish and experience than Hassan, obviously would. As of right now, Amundson is penciled in as the third-string center behind Nikola Pekovic and Greg Stiemsma. 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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