All Things 2022 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

Like it or not, in the NBA, the star players call the shots - more so than in any other sport - because the stars have the power to force trades or demand changes in the roster.

Towns' contract says he is eligible for the extension because he was named 3rd-team All-NBA.
So, he's going to get the extension.

Unless the Wolves are prepared to trade him, they really don't have much choice. they have to pony up and cross their fingers that Towns stays healthy and wants to be in MN.

now DLo is another story.
 

All I know is Golden State is aging and not all that.

Dallas is blah.

Memphis is ok

What I'm getting at is the West will be there for the taking in the next few years if we play our cards right.
 

All I know is Golden State is aging and not all that.

Dallas is blah.

Memphis is ok

What I'm getting at is the West will be there for the taking in the next few years if we play our cards right.

Phoenix was 64-18. and Chris Paul is really the only top player on the roster who is up in age.
The Wolves are going to have to improve if they want to be more than a #7 seed.
 

Phoenix was 64-18. and Chris Paul is really the only top player on the roster who is up in age.
The Wolves are going to have to improve if they want to be more than a #7 seed.
If the Pelicans & Clippers return to health, those teams alone makes finishing Top 6 a challenge in the West for the Wolves, who were only 7th as it was.
 

Phoenix was 64-18. and Chris Paul is really the only top player on the roster who is up in age.
The Wolves are going to have to improve if they want to be more than a #7 seed.
Exposed in the playoffs. Ayton is totally pissed off, also.

Without a good Chris Paul, we match up with them very well.
 


Don't worry about the players, the current roster or how the Wolves will do next year. Ownership isn't. Their main concern is stuffing as many people as they can into Executive Offices..

Matt Lloyd, the vice president of basketball operations for the Orlando Magic, is in line to become a senior vice president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves.

Lloyd has been with the Magic since 2012 and would be the first major addition to new Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly's front office, ESPN reported on Friday.

Before he joined the Magic, where he was responsible for overseeing the team's scouting departments, Lloyd was with the Chicago Bulls for 13 years in various capacities, including director of college scouting.

Sachin Gupta ran the Timberwolves last season as executive vice president of the team after POBO Gersson Rosas was fired in September. Gupta has remained with the Wolves following Connelly's hire last week.


 

If the Pelicans & Clippers return to health, those teams alone makes finishing Top 6 a challenge in the West for the Wolves, who were only 7th as it was.
True, but I'm talking the west will be there for the taking in the next few years.

Steph Curry will be 35 next year. Klay will be 33

Kwahi will be 34 next year. He's always hurt, anyway.

The Pelicans, blah.

Dallas........I'd have loved to have met them in the playoffs this year.

Memphis......we are right there already. Just have to learn to finish and get a little stronger.

DLO must go though. We need to get stronger, also.
 

True, but I'm talking the west will be there for the taking in the next few years.

Steph Curry will be 35 next year. Klay will be 33

Kwahi will be 34 next year. He's always hurt, anyway.

The Pelicans, blah.

Dallas........I'd have loved to have met them in the playoffs this year.

Memphis......we are right there already. Just have to learn to finish and get a little stronger.

DLO must go though. We need to get stronger, also.
Both of these statements can be true:

- There may be greater opportunity to win the West (especially if GS gets old quickly).
- Just making the playoffs in the West is a challenge given the depth of the Conference.
 

Detractors will attribute much of Wiggins’ success to the organization and talent around him. In their eyes, it’s all a product of the likes of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steve Kerr. Who can’t flourish when surrounded by that kind of cast?

But the opposite was so often true in Minnesota. Players like Wiggins were asked to elevate a downtrodden franchise without the proper support — from coaching to teammates to general organizational structure — to do so. Who could flourish when surrounded by that kind of cast?

Yet in his time in Minnesota, the Timberwolves used first-round draft picks on the likes of Kris Dunn, Justin Patton, Josh Okogie and Jarrett Culver. Not surprisingly, the lane was permanently clogged.

Players succeed when surrounded with legitimate talent. That’s been evident in the play of Karl-Anthony Towns, whose two best seasons to date have come when he’s been surrounded by his two best rosters. It’s held true for Wiggins, as well..

Is it Andrew Wiggins’ fault he didn’t deliver on his promise in Minnesota? Absolutely.

But the Timberwolves deserve their fair share of blame, too..

 



Quinn Snyder would be a huge upgrade if the Wolves have the stones to get him.
 

Jamiche won’t like this column from Souhan!

Lo-Rod building the Timberwolves the right way​


Are M-Lo and A-Rod building the best organization in the sordid history of the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Is it possible that the futurist who thinks that "Dune" is a documentary and the former player who alienated his entire previous sport are turning the Woebegone Wolfies into a model organization?

Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, the Wolves' incoming owners, hired Tim Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets at a price point of $40 million. Connelly quickly hired executive Matt Lloyd away from the Orlando Magic, making him the Timberwolves' senior vice president of basketball operations.

Less than nine months ago, the Wolves fired their top basketball executive, Gersson Rosas. In timing and impact, it was of a piece with most of Wolves history — embarrassing, ill-timed and damaging.

Since then, the Wolves have:

  • Doubled their regular-season victory total, from 23 in 2020-21 to 46 in 2021-22.
  • Watched Anthony Edwards develop into one of the most intriguing young stars in the NBA.
  • Won a play-in game and pushed the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with the second-best record in the NBA, to six games in the first round of the playoffs.
  • Reinvigorated a dormant fan base.
  • Developed a roster so deep that former first-round pick Josh Okogie, who had been a starter, had trouble finding playing time.
  • Extended the contract of Chris Finch, one of the most important people in the organization.
  • Demonstrated an intent to build the deepest front office in franchise history, led by Connelly, Sachin Gupta and Lloyd, three respected NBA figures.

Howl Wolves!!
 

Jamiche won’t like this column from Souhan!

Lo-Rod building the Timberwolves the right way​


Jamiche? Maybe. The "Tear it all down and start over!" guys will really hate it. ;)
 

Jamiche won’t like this column from Souhan!

Lo-Rod building the Timberwolves the right way​


Are M-Lo and A-Rod building the best organization in the sordid history of the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Is it possible that the futurist who thinks that "Dune" is a documentary and the former player who alienated his entire previous sport are turning the Woebegone Wolfies into a model organization?

Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, the Wolves' incoming owners, hired Tim Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets at a price point of $40 million. Connelly quickly hired executive Matt Lloyd away from the Orlando Magic, making him the Timberwolves' senior vice president of basketball operations.

Less than nine months ago, the Wolves fired their top basketball executive, Gersson Rosas. In timing and impact, it was of a piece with most of Wolves history — embarrassing, ill-timed and damaging.

Since then, the Wolves have:

  • Doubled their regular-season victory total, from 23 in 2020-21 to 46 in 2021-22.
  • Watched Anthony Edwards develop into one of the most intriguing young stars in the NBA.
  • Won a play-in game and pushed the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with the second-best record in the NBA, to six games in the first round of the playoffs.
  • Reinvigorated a dormant fan base.
  • Developed a roster so deep that former first-round pick Josh Okogie, who had been a starter, had trouble finding playing time.
  • Extended the contract of Chris Finch, one of the most important people in the organization.
  • Demonstrated an intent to build the deepest front office in franchise history, led by Connelly, Sachin Gupta and Lloyd, three respected NBA figures.

Howl Wolves!!
You are correct, Bleed! :)

Souhan is sucking up to Lore and ARod the way he sucks up to Cheryl Reeves. He needs access to information. At least Reeves has produced success in her league. Lore and ARod are just spending Taylor's money without owning the team. (That's on Taylor.)

Conelly's first move is to steal a guy from a franchise that is the same caliber as the wolves and install him at the same level or above Gupta.
 




You are correct, Bleed! :)

Souhan is sucking up to Lore and ARod the way he sucks up to Cheryl Reeves. He needs access to information. At least Reeves has produced success in her league. Lore and ARod are just spending Taylor's money without owning the team. (That's on Taylor.)

Conelly's first move is to steal a guy from a franchise that is the same caliber as the wolves and install him at the same level or above Gupta.

Now you're comparing a coach to owners? What NBA owners won anything before becoming NBA owners?
 







Now you're comparing a coach to owners? What NBA owners won anything before becoming NBA owners?
Nope. The point was that Souhan sucks up to the folks who can provide him with information. I did add that at least Reeves, while in a position of control and authority, has accomplished something. ARod and Lore have no control, no authority and have accomplished nothing, yet Souhan is sucking up to them for the info. There you go.
 

Nope. The point was that Souhan sucks up to the folks who can provide him with information. I did add that at least Reeves, while in a position of control and authority, has accomplished something. ARod and Lore have no control, no authority and have accomplished nothing, yet Souhan is sucking up to them for the info. There you go.

Every media member does that. ARod and Lore will have control eventually.
 

What does Matt Lloyd bring to the table as he joins the Timberwolves front office?​


Krawczynski: Some Timberwolves fans may say, wait a second, Connelly’s first big hire is a guy who oversaw scouting for the Magic? Why should I be excited about that? Can you provide some context into what he accomplished there and why Connelly may have been so interested in bringing him aboard?

Robbins: Lloyd is a well-regarded talent evaluator and a keen manager of information. He communicates well. My guess is that Connelly has known Lloyd for a long time and trusts Lloyd implicitly. Having that trust is crucial. Citing the Magic’s lack of success since 2012 is an understandable criticism, though. After all, that franchise has posted a winning record just once in Lloyd’s 10 seasons with the team.

The team made some solid (but not great) draft picks: Victor Oladipo (No. 2 in 2013) and Aaron Gordon (No. 4 in 2014). It dramatically overvalued other players it drafted: Mario Hezonja (No. 5 in 2015) and Mo Bamba (No. 6 in 2018). I should note that Franz Wagner, the eighth pick last year, might develop into one of the best picks in that draft.

But — and it’s a significant “but” — Lloyd never made the final call on any of those picks. Throughout his tenure, he was always third on the pecking order of the Orlando basketball operations department, either under the Hennigan/Perry tandem or the Weltman/Hammond tandem. In other words, the buck stopped with either Hennigan or Weltman since they were the final decision-makers on the draft.

It was telling, however, that Lloyd always publicly and privately backed all of the Magic’s choices, even if the choices were busts. He never, ever even hinted anything along the lines of “Oh, if I had been in charge, I would’ve picked So-and-So instead of So-and-So.” To Lloyd’s credit, it was impossible to know if his opinion ever differed from Hennigan’s or Weltman’s; in other words, he remained loyal to his bosses. I think that tells a lot about his character.

What I do know via Magic sources is that Lloyd saw potential stardom in Donovan Mitchell when Lloyd was the interim GM in 2017. Mitchell went 13th that year, while the Magic went with Jonathan Isaac at No. 6. I wonder if Lloyd would have selected Mitchell over Isaac if Lloyd had remained in charge.

Also worth noting: The Bulls drafted Jimmy Butler 30th in 2011, when Lloyd was the Bulls’ director of college scouting. Again, the buck stops with the person who was in charge of the Bulls at that time, and not Lloyd. But if Minnesota fans are going to fault Lloyd for the Magic’s draft record, then they should be consistent and cite the positives in the Bulls’ draft record during his tenure there.


Howl Wolves!!
 

We should take the next two days off from posting.

That bus rider, Draymond Green, may be saying something that we need to hear.
 

Per Shama:

Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson recently talked about the growing ticket buying interest in the team. “We sold more single game tickets this year than we ever have in the history of the franchise,” he told Sports Headliners.

Interest is carrying over to new sales for the 2022-2023 season. “…We’re top five in the NBA today in total new season tickets sold for next year,” he said last week.

Casson declined to provide specific totals about new and past season tickets. He acknowledged sales have been “significantly down” in recent seasons because of the pandemic and disappointing team performance.

Who replaces Dave Benz as TV play-by-play voice of the Wolves? Casson said the selection will be “driven” by Bally Sports.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if the choice is a female broadcaster? Is longtime Wolves courtside reporter Marney Gellner interested?

New Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez considers this a basketball town and said fans are “starving for winning and stability.” He told Sports Headliners the organization is dedicated to making this a model franchise in every way. A place where the vision, capital and resources convince players they want to be here.

“I understand what it takes to be a champion,” he said. “I understand…(what) champions look like. I also understand that it is very, very difficult to win. …”


Howl Wolves!!
 

I suspect the Wolves will want a 'big name" for the TV play-by-play job.

Lore and A-Rod are thinking big. they want to make a splash, and Benz wasn't "big-time" enough for them. I can't see them handing the job to Marney.
 

I suspect the Wolves will want a 'big name" for the TV play-by-play job.

Lore and A-Rod are thinking big. they want to make a splash, and Benz wasn't "big-time" enough for them. I can't see them handing the job to Marney.
Plus Marney doesn't want the gig.
 


ESPN Mock:

19. Minnesota Timberwolves

Needs: E.J. Liddell | Ohio State | PF | Age: 21.4

Best available: Ochai Agbaji | Kansas | SF | Age: 22.1

Having drafted Jarred Vanderbilt out of Kentucky, new Timberwolves decision-maker Tim Connelly will be very familiar with what he brings to the table as a prospect. Vanderbilt's lack of shooting range and overall scoring prowess might cause Minnesota to look to upgrade the power forward position, making a player such as Liddell potentially attractive. Liddell's ability to both switch on the perimeter and protect the rim gives him clear value defensively alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, along with the intensity, toughness and winning intangibles that give him a high floor as a prospect. If Liddell can continue to build on the 37% he shot from the perimeter last season, he could be an excellent addition to the roster.

If Connelly already has a plan for upgrading at power forward and is looking at more of a "best player available" approach, he might be surprised to see Agbaji available at No. 19. Agbaji positioned himself to be the first upperclassman hearing his name called on draft night and easily fits a mold NBA teams are looking for as a prolific shooting wing who guards multiple positions and can do a little more than just make open shots offensively.


Howl Wolves!!
 




Top Bottom