All Things 2023-2024 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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GopherWeatherGuy said:
The complaining about the PG position and the ability to shoot is interesting when the team has multiple PGs, and are 3rd in the league in 3 point shooting.
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Shake is not a pg and JMac is a good 3rd option. We have a massive pg problem, which is why they are rumored to be in the hunt for several (Brogdon being the latest).
 

Sounds about right to me.

It’s no coincidence that an embarrassing performance like the one the Timberwolves delivered Monday — losing to a cellar dweller like Charlotte thanks to recklessly force-feeding one player and not playing a lick of defense — took place with veteran Mike Conley dressed in street clothes on the end of the bench.

Given their depth of talent, the Timberwolves shouldn’t need their starting point guard to beat one of the worst teams in the NBA, but it’s become apparent they’re capable of anything, in the
worst way, when they’re without their guiding force.

For the past 11 months, Conley’s value to this team has jumped off the page. He orchestrates an offense beautifully, understands time and score, hits the 3-point shot at a high clip and defends his position well.

Conley deserves the most credit for making the Timberwolves’ two-big roster construction work. And, as it turns out, he is the catalyst for professionalism.

That was lacking for much of last season, as the Timberwolves lost to one inferior team after another as on those evenings they failed to bring the effort and focus required to beat any NBA team. That issue was corrected through the first half of this season. Heading into Monday’s game, Minnesota was undefeated against the NBA’s bottom-five teams. It’s why the Wolves have held the top spot in the Western Conference for two months.

And the first time the Timberwolves had to take on such an opponent without Conley, the team reverted to last year’s form. They played Monday without respect for the game or their opponent. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch described it as “an absolute disgusting performance of defense and immature basketball.”

Everyone played their role in the shenanigans, but Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards were the heads of the snake. Towns scored 62 points, but put forth one of his worst defensive efforts of the season and took some ill-advised — to put it mildly — shots in the second half. Edwards was a bystander by choice for much of the game.

There was nothing professional about the approach of either player, despite the pleading from the coaching staff throughout the night to correct course, and Minnesota lost because of it.

That such games haven’t happened more frequently is perhaps the highest compliment to Conley, who oozes professionalism. The veteran guard does whatever is required to win on a nightly basis, and is capable of steadying waters with a couple play calls..


www.twincities.com

Jace Frederick: Mike Conley is the antidote for Timberwolves’ immaturity

Monday’s loss to Charlotte was a low point this season. It happened because the veteran point guard was not playing.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com
 

tikited said:
Shake is not a pg and JMac is a good 3rd option. We have a massive pg problem, which is why they are rumored to be in the hunt for several (Brogdon being the latest).
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Ant can and does play more and more PG. That will only continue as he progresses through his career.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Ant can and does play more and more PG. That will only continue as he progresses through his career.
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He can't be trusted at the end of games though. He becomes a turnover machine. We need a floor general who can put Ant and the rest in the best positions to score. This team is 100% hero ball at the end of games.
 

jamiche said:
Lowry is toast.
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I just saw these stats: Lowry is shooting: 43/39/83. 4 Assists, 1.5 Stocks, 1.4 Turnovers in 28 minutes.

I'd take that for a guy who would play about 15 minutes.

The big if is would he want to come here?
 


tikited said:
I just saw these stats: Lowry is shooting: 43/39/83. 4 Assists, 1.5 Stocks, 1.4 Turnovers in 28 minutes.

I'd take that for a guy who would play about 15 minutes.

The big if is would he want to come here?
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Agreed. Wolves have been having a great season. Way better than anybody expected. Their starting five, except for handful of games, has been great. Problem is they've been getting very little help from their bench, aside for Reid and occasionally Slo Mo Anderson. They've got virtually nothing from the guards on the bench.

If Lowry can give them those numbers for 15-18 minutes a night? That would solve their biggest need.
 

tikited said:
He can't be trusted at the end of games though. He becomes a turnover machine. We need a floor general who can put Ant and the rest in the best positions to score. This team is 100% hero ball at the end of games.
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When Ant goes into "hero ball" mode, I'm reminding of the song by 2 Live Crew:

"Heeeeyyy, we want some pas-sing."
"Heeeeyyy, we want some pas-sing."
 
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Wolves down 59-57 to the Wizards at the Half.

Wolves bench has 8 points. Wizards bench has 23.
 

Now this would be a bad loss.

At what point do they think of changing coaches? Not saying it’s Finch’s problem, but no one likes to overthink things like sports teams.
 





Wolves bench had only 8 points in the 1st Half? The ended-up with only 15. Luckily the starters, even without Conley, carried the Wolves (31-13) to a 118 to 107 over the Wizards (7-36).

WASHINGTON -- — Anthony Edwards scored 38 points and the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves avoided their first three-game skid of the season, beating the Washington Wizards 118-107 on Wednesday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Wolves. Minnesota was coming off a home loss to lowly Charlotte in which Towns scored 62 points, a performance coach Chris Finch called “disgusting” and “immature.”

Deni Avdija scored a season-high 24 points for the Wizards, who dropped their fifth straight, the fourth skid of at least that many games for the league's second-worst team. Washington has only one win this season over a team that came in with a winning record.

Marvin Bagley III had 17 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for the Wizards, and Kyle Kuzma added 17 points, 14 boards and eight assists..

www.espn.com

Timberwolves 118-107 Wizards (Jan 24, 2024) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Washington Wizards NBA game from January 24, 2024 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

tikited said:
He can't be trusted at the end of games though. He becomes a turnover machine. We need a floor general who can put Ant and the rest in the best positions to score. This team is 100% hero ball at the end of games.
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Isn't that what Conley does? Ant will continue to get better with age.
 



They won the game on individual skill, not ball movement, strong defense or a discernible system. KAT and Ant scored inefficiently. This is not a recipe for upper tier success.
 


jamiche said:
They won the game on individual skill, not ball movement, strong defense or a discernible system. KAT and Ant scored inefficiently. This is not a recipe for upper tier success.
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tikited said:
We need someone now if they want to make a run in the playoffs.
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Agree on both. They won on individual skill because without Conley they have no one who can distribute the ball or "balance" the offense. Edwards tries but when he's acting like the main distributer, his turnovers numbers come way too close to his assists.

They're in Brooklyn tonight at 6:30.

Minnesota Timberwolves

NAME, POSSTATUSEST. RETURN DATE
Mike Conley
PG		GTDJan 25

i
Brooklyn Nets

NAME, POSSTATUSEST. RETURN DATE
Cameron Johnson
SF		GTDJan 25
Ben Simmons
PG		OUTJan 29
Day'Ron Sharpe
C		OUTJan 29
 

tikited said:
We need someone now if they want to make a run in the playoffs.
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I think they need shooting more than anything and they should be prepared to give up slo mo to get it. Does anybody think Leonard Miller is ready to play the slo mo role?
 

jamiche said:
I think they need shooting more than anything and they should be prepared to give up slo mo to get it. Does anybody think Leonard Miller is ready to play the slo mo role?
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I really like Miller's potential but he still seems to be a year away from being able to play meaningful minutes.

I agree about the need for shooting completely. McDaniels and Anderson for Herro? Just throwing that idea against the wall for thoughts.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I really like Miller's potential but he still seems to be a year away from being able to play meaningful minutes.

I agree about the need for shooting completely. McDaniels and Anderson for Herro? Just throwing that idea against the wall for thoughts.
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Nice idea but the contracts don't line up.
 



Think this is their fourth back to back.
Won on 11/14 @ GS and lost the next night @ Phoenix.
Won on 1/10 @ Orlando and lost the next night @ Boston in OT
Won on 1/17 @ Detroit and won the next night at home against Memphis.
 

tmvander said:
I wouldn't say that...we've beaten Denver, OKC, the Clippers, Boston, and Phili this season.
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I agree, it was sarcasm.

The Wolves are through their toughest part of the schedule, are tied for the 2nd best record in the league, and on pace to win more games than Denver did last season.

They were the only team that gave Denver a battle in last years playoffs and that was without Naz and McDaniels. If they play anyone else in the first two rounds they probably end up in the WC finals a year ago, especially if they had those two.

The Wolves can do nothing and still will be one of the favorites to win it all. A few bumps in January doesn't change that. People need to relax.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I really like Miller's potential but he still seems to be a year away from being able to play meaningful minutes.

I agree about the need for shooting completely. McDaniels and Anderson for Herro? Just throwing that idea against the wall for thoughts.
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Love Herro. Not getting him without picks included.
 


tikited said:
Yeah, better to do nothing to improve the roster.
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They already have one of the best rosters, if not the best roster in the NBA. Making moves doesn't always improve your roster.

If they make a minor move so be it. But acting like they don't have enough with the current roster to make a run at a title is ridiculous.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
They already have one of the best rosters, if not the best roster in the NBA. Making moves doesn't always improve your roster.

If they make a minor move so be it. But acting like they don't have enough with the current roster to make a run at a title is ridiculous.
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What's ridiculous is not seeing limitations with the current roster. A move will be made because that is what contenders do.
 

tikited said:
What's ridiculous is not seeing limitations with the current roster. A move will be made because that is what contenders do.
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Every roster has some limitations.

Denver won 53 games last regular season and the only moves they made during the season was signing Reggie Jackson and trading for Thomas Bryant, and both barely played in the playoffs.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Every roster has some limitations.

Denver won 53 games last regular season and the only moves they made during the season was signing Reggie Jackson and trading for Thomas Bryant, and both barely played in the playoffs.
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Reggie was a solid pick up despite having one of the best pg's in the game. Smart move by a team who needed some help. We will do the same.
 

tikited said:
Reggie was a solid pick up despite having one of the best pg's in the game. Smart move by a team who needed some help. We will do the same.
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He played in 6 of 20 playoff games totaling 3 points over 17 minutes almost all during scrub time.

He did absolutely nothing to move the needle of their championship team.

Denver won because they didn't mess with their core during the season. It was the same with the Warriors before that, and the Bucks the year before that.
 

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