BleedGopher
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Per Jon K:
As the Timberwolves go into a summer that is starting before any of them wanted, Connelly said all options are on the table as they look to close the gap with the Spurs and Thunder. They can be proud of making it to the second round for the third straight season. They can feel good about taking the Spurs to six games while DiVincenzo was out with a torn Achilles tendon, Edwards was operating at around 70 percent on an injured left knee and Ayo Dosunmu was limited by calf and heel injuries that kept him out of Game 1.
This is the golden age of Timberwolves basketball. A franchise that by 2021 had the lowest winning percentage in men’s major American professional sports when Finch was hired has turned into a perennially relevant team with a superstar inching toward his prime. The Wolves had advanced out of the first round once in team history before Finch and Edwards. Now it is considered a disappointment when they “only” make it to the second round.
“We have a lot of confidence in our guys. But it would be disingenuous to sit in front of this group and say we’re happy with the sixth seed, we’re happy with not being a homecourt playoff team, we’re happy that our last three closeout games have been lopsided,” Connelly said. “We have to be realistic about what we have, which is way more good than bad, but know that we’re not good enough right now.”
Finch was blunt in his own critique of the season. He was pleased at the leap Jaden McDaniels made in his sixth season. He thought the move to put DiVincenzo in the starting lineup, while coming too late before the start of the season, got the best out of him in his second year in Minnesota. He was thrilled with how a team that was uninspiring in the regular season banded together to defeat the Nuggets in the playoffs. But …
“Offensively, we were outside the top 10, which is not really acceptable for us. Defensively, outside the top five, also not really acceptable for us,” Finch said on Saturday. “So it’s a mixed bag right now.”
Trading for a 31-year-old Antetokounmpo or a 34-year-old Kyrie Irving coming off a torn ACL could be considered risky, but that isn’t how Connelly looks at it.
“I’d rather get fired for trying than sit here and just do the job in survival mode,” Connelly said. “So risky, I think, is if you’re a championship-level team and make a huge trade. I don’t know what level of risk there is when you’re bounced in the second round. I think we’re open to it. Certainly, we’re not driven by it.”
On the home front, Dosunmu and Mike Conley are both unrestricted free agents. Connelly said he is optimistic they would get a deal done for Dosunmu. The team holds Dosunmu’s Bird Rights, meaning it can pay him beyond the mid-level exception next season.
“Ayo’s our most important free agent,” Connelly said. “He’s a guy we thought we knew pretty well, and we liked him from afar. Now seeing him day to day, we love him. I think he fits in not just on the court but off the court. I think his best basketball is in front of him.”
Connelly also only has one year left on his contract. Owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez recruited him to Minnesota and want to retain him for the long haul. Connelly did not want to discuss specifics of his deal, but did say he likes where he is at.
“I go to work happy every day, got great partners,” Connelly said. “It’s been awesome. Just keep trying to get better. At some point, we want to have this press conference after a (championship) parade … But it’s a great place to work. I just want to get better. It’s unfair to sit up here and be critical of players and how can we add. I need to do a better job for this organization.”
www.nytimes.com
Howl Wolves!!
As the Timberwolves go into a summer that is starting before any of them wanted, Connelly said all options are on the table as they look to close the gap with the Spurs and Thunder. They can be proud of making it to the second round for the third straight season. They can feel good about taking the Spurs to six games while DiVincenzo was out with a torn Achilles tendon, Edwards was operating at around 70 percent on an injured left knee and Ayo Dosunmu was limited by calf and heel injuries that kept him out of Game 1.
This is the golden age of Timberwolves basketball. A franchise that by 2021 had the lowest winning percentage in men’s major American professional sports when Finch was hired has turned into a perennially relevant team with a superstar inching toward his prime. The Wolves had advanced out of the first round once in team history before Finch and Edwards. Now it is considered a disappointment when they “only” make it to the second round.
“We have a lot of confidence in our guys. But it would be disingenuous to sit in front of this group and say we’re happy with the sixth seed, we’re happy with not being a homecourt playoff team, we’re happy that our last three closeout games have been lopsided,” Connelly said. “We have to be realistic about what we have, which is way more good than bad, but know that we’re not good enough right now.”
Finch was blunt in his own critique of the season. He was pleased at the leap Jaden McDaniels made in his sixth season. He thought the move to put DiVincenzo in the starting lineup, while coming too late before the start of the season, got the best out of him in his second year in Minnesota. He was thrilled with how a team that was uninspiring in the regular season banded together to defeat the Nuggets in the playoffs. But …
“Offensively, we were outside the top 10, which is not really acceptable for us. Defensively, outside the top five, also not really acceptable for us,” Finch said on Saturday. “So it’s a mixed bag right now.”
Trading for a 31-year-old Antetokounmpo or a 34-year-old Kyrie Irving coming off a torn ACL could be considered risky, but that isn’t how Connelly looks at it.
“I’d rather get fired for trying than sit here and just do the job in survival mode,” Connelly said. “So risky, I think, is if you’re a championship-level team and make a huge trade. I don’t know what level of risk there is when you’re bounced in the second round. I think we’re open to it. Certainly, we’re not driven by it.”
On the home front, Dosunmu and Mike Conley are both unrestricted free agents. Connelly said he is optimistic they would get a deal done for Dosunmu. The team holds Dosunmu’s Bird Rights, meaning it can pay him beyond the mid-level exception next season.
“Ayo’s our most important free agent,” Connelly said. “He’s a guy we thought we knew pretty well, and we liked him from afar. Now seeing him day to day, we love him. I think he fits in not just on the court but off the court. I think his best basketball is in front of him.”
Connelly also only has one year left on his contract. Owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez recruited him to Minnesota and want to retain him for the long haul. Connelly did not want to discuss specifics of his deal, but did say he likes where he is at.
“I go to work happy every day, got great partners,” Connelly said. “It’s been awesome. Just keep trying to get better. At some point, we want to have this press conference after a (championship) parade … But it’s a great place to work. I just want to get better. It’s unfair to sit up here and be critical of players and how can we add. I need to do a better job for this organization.”
Wolves’ Tim Connelly backs Chris Finch, won’t shy away from big offseason moves
All options are on the table this summer as Connelly and Minnesota try to get over the hump in the West.
www.nytimes.com
Howl Wolves!!
