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Year-Round News & Updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves
Michael Beasley has been out for the past two games as he recovers from a painful mid-foot sprain. He'll also be out for tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls. Following tonight's game the Timberwolves have two days off before their next game: Friday vs. the Hornets. During those two days off Michael Beasley is going to be re-evaluated and the staff will ultimately decide if he's able to play yet. Michael said shortly after the injury that he wasn't going to rush back, he had those ankle injuries he dealt with last season and they lingered on for an extended period, because he just kept playing on it. However, with Michael Beasley's return--may come a new role for him in the Wolves' organization. Since his arrival two summers ago, Michael Beasley stepped into a starting small forward role for Minnesota. He was the go-to scorer the Wolves had lacked for far too long. There has been chatter, though, that upon his return, Beasley will be coming off the bench for Minnesota. Minnesota already has a very strong bench led by the likes of Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea, Derrick Williams, Anthony Tolliver & (at times) Anthony Randolph. I'm not completely sure about this. I can boldly say, I hate the Wolves' current starting lineup. And by that I mean: I hate that Wesley Johnson hasn't been moved to the bench yet! I understand his confidence is down and he's not playing well, but he's got no competition to play well, he's got no reason to elevate his game! Do you remember last season, when Kurt Rambis moved Johnson to the bench in the favor of Corey Brewer? It was GREAT! Corey Brewer became the spark of energy the Wolves needed in the starting lineup and Wesley Johnson actually played better, because he had someone who was competing with him for minutes! Beyond Ellington, whose play is sporadic (at best), there's no other shooting guards on the roster. I guarantee you this though, if Wesley Johnson is still starting when Malcolm Lee gets better--he won't be for long. I truly believe the Wolves' 6'5'', 205lb. combo-guard will easily overtake this spot if Wes continues to play the way he does! And of course, the Wolves will be getting back Martell Webster (likely before Lee). He's got the skills to play both the 2 and the 3 and will definitely be vying for a starting spot in Adelman's lineup. Anyway, back to Michael Beasley. I just don't understand how you can justify starting Wesley Johnson over Michael Beasley! I understand, Beasley would be a big spark off the bench with his scoring, but you can't trot out a 1, 2, 3 of Ridnour, Ellington & Johnson and expect to win games against the top competition in this League! "I've talked about that since the summer," Adelman told the Star Tribune. "Right now, we're just trying to get going in the season. That's something we've always talked about because we weren't sure how we were going to play. But it's something we're going to address. We're going to look at everything." Ultimately, Adelman doesn't seem 100% sold on the idea. I desperately hope they re-evaluate the Wesley Johnson situation first! Kevin Love "joked" that the offense with the first team ran better without Beasley and that has sparked the questions about what role is best for the team and player. This was following the Wizards game in which they blew-out Washington. Then they went to Toronto. Their fourth quarter play was atrocious and they could have desperately used Beasley's ability to create his own shot. The only joke in the Toronto game? Kevin Love's field goal percentage: 19%! That's all I've got for now, if you haven't already check out our gameday preview of tonight's game vs. Chicago under the Gameday section on this site. Tipoff for that one is set for 7pmCT and a full gameday recap as well as pictures and video can be found on this site following the final horn! Thanks for reading and as always GO WOLVES!
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Cody AndersonA TWolves fan, bringing you the daily updates. News Archives
August 2017
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