2018 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole
BleedGopher said:
RandBall: Trade Karl-Anthony Towns? Let's talk this through

*This is the point where I usually shake my finger and say, “Guys, this is how lame rumors get started. Nothing is going to happen.” Towns has very little leverage, and the Wolves can offer him way more in a contract extension this summer than any other team will be able to offer. Emerging stars coming off rookie deals don’t turn down these big extensions. Just doesn’t happen. And the Wolves would be crazy to trade Towns. He was an All-Star last season, and anything good you can imagine happening in the next five years involves him.

*All of that is true. But at the risk of sounding like Stephen A. Smith … HOWEVER: While the notion of a Towns trade is highly improbable and almost laughable, the idea that he and the organization are not in a good place internally is not so laughable. Someone, maybe multiple someones, have seemingly indicated that’s the case to the extent that Lowe felt comfortable saying it on a podcast.

We don’t know where he got his information or how close the source was to Towns. And it doesn’t mean that if there is damage it can’t be fixed. But Towns does play for a demanding coach, and he did have his franchise role at least diverted into a 1 and 1-A status with the arrival of Jimmy Butler. It’s plausible he’s not happy.

We also shouldn’t just laugh off the fact that LaVine and Booker jumped into the fray on Twitter. Those are former teammates — guys who presumably know Towns well. If this is some sort of orchestrated thing — how millionaires in their young 20s execute a power play — it’s worth noting.

*Towns himself could have shut all of this down, but he’s been silent — including on Twitter and Instagram. He’s intelligent and self-aware. He knows this is being talked about. Maybe he’s not acknowledging it because acknowledging something validates it and he doesn’t think it’s worth his time. Or maybe he doesn’t mind this type of info being floated out there.

*At the end of the day, there seems to be some smoke here — but not as much as you might think given the Internet wildfire that occurred over the weekend. The best way to leave it is this: What already was shaping up to be an interesting and important offseason for the Wolves is now a little more interesting and important.

http://www.startribune.com/trade-karl-anthony-towns-lets-talk-this-through/483207341/

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

#FireThibs
 


They get into the rumor right off the bat.

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I thought it was his smile
Click to expand...

Nice!

Honestly, Khan, and a few others, were impressed by his performance for Syracuse in their 6 (!) overtime win against UConn in the Big East Tourney. Just looked it up. He played 67 of the 70 minutes and lead the team with 34 points and 11 assists. They finished 2nd, but he was named the tourney MVP.

Didn't know that he lead the Orange to the Sweet Sixteen for the time in five years.

He also had a solid Rookie season. Made the NBA Rookie second team. He played all 82 games, averaged 28.5 minutes, shot 42% from the field, 36% on 3's, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 13.5 points.

He had hip surgery that Summer and that explosive "vertical jump was gone.

So was his career.
 

jamiche said:
This is becoming Kevin Love redux.
Click to expand...

You can add Stephon Marbury to that. Not only was Marbury ticked off about the money, he was upset that Garnett (Jimmy Butler?) was gonna run the club and be "the straw that stirred the drink".
 


The Early NBA Offseason Rumor Roundup

What’s Up With Karl-Anthony Towns and the Wolves?

Nothing, but also everything? First, Zach Lowe and Brian Windhorst said on the former’s podcast that things were “not good internally” in Minnesota after the season, and Windhorst also said on ESPN that teams had been “sniffing around” about Towns “as if maybe there’s something here,” but that the Wolves were not looking to trade him. Duh. That didn’t stop things from getting spicy on Twitter

"NBA players, they troll just like us.

Then, on The Russillo Show this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski diffused rumors by saying that he believed the Wolves would trade head coach Tom Thibodeau before they ever traded Towns. Woj also said that the Timberwolf that could be on the trading block is Andrew Wiggins. But the forward has a five-year, $146 million extension that kicks in next season. Try trading that.

The Wolves are not in a good place for more reasons than just whatever is going on (or isn’t going on) with Towns: Jimmy Butler has two more years on his contract and will be 30 next time he reaches free agency, but he’s already worn out thanks to two stints under the relentless Thibodeau. Towns is their whole future. There’s no way they can give that up."

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/...eason-rumor-roundup-paul-george-kawhi-leonard
 






For those of us who regret sending LaVine for Butler instead of Wiggins.

Any thoughts to the wolves taking redshirt sophmore DiVincenzo, I think he is 21?

6'5" 205. 13ppg, 4.8 r, 3.5 ass. 48% from floor, 40% from 3, off the bench.
LaVine had better lateral quickness but really similar verticals and DiVincenzo is much heavier.

Lavine Standing vertical 33.5 to DiVincenzo 34.5
LaVine's Max 41.5 to DiVincenzo's 42.5.
 

march madness said:
For those of us who regret sending LaVine for Butler instead of Wiggins.

Any thoughts to the wolves taking redshirt sophmore DiVincenzo, I think he is 21?

6'5" 205. 13ppg, 4.8 r, 3.5 ass. 48% from floor, 40% from 3, off the bench.
LaVine had better lateral quickness but really similar verticals and DiVincenzo is much heavier.

Lavine Standing vertical 33.5 to DiVincenzo 34.5
LaVine's Max 41.5 to DiVincenzo's 42.5.
Click to expand...

He's the guy the Wolves get in a few mock drafts I've read. I care about the 40% from 3 more than the vertical, so I'm ok right now with the idea of Donte coming here.
 

march madness said:
For those of us who regret sending LaVine for Butler instead of Wiggins.

Any thoughts to the wolves taking redshirt sophmore DiVincenzo, I think he is 21?

6'5" 205. 13ppg, 4.8 r, 3.5 ass. 48% from floor, 40% from 3, off the bench.
LaVine had better lateral quickness but really similar verticals and DiVincenzo is much heavier.

Lavine Standing vertical 33.5 to DiVincenzo 34.5
LaVine's Max 41.5 to DiVincenzo's 42.5.
Click to expand...

Can he play basketball?[emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

NBA Mock Guessing, ah Drafts

Everything beyond, let's say the first 5, is guesswork on a massive scale. Much like NBA Trade Rumors, getting 10% right would be a massive success.

That said, here are a few of those guesses.

ESPN

20. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Thunder)

Keita Bates-Diop
Ohio State
Age: 22.3
PF

Height: 6-foot-7 | Weight: 235

The Wolves have very little depth at the forward spots and might not have the financial flexibility to keep Nemanja Bjelica if his restricted free-agency offers get out of hand. With that in mind, drafting a versatile player such as Bates-Diop makes sense.

He increased his stock dramatically with a breakout season, moving among all of the frontcourt positions for an overachieving Ohio State team and looking like an ideal fit for the modern NBA, if he can find a way to rev his motor into higher gear at the professional level.

Starting salary: $2,142,360

------------------------------------------------------------------

NBADraft.net

20.Minnesota Timberwolves - Lonnie Walker 6'5" 195 SG Miami

------------------------------------------------------------------

CBSSPORTS

20 TIMBERWOLVES

Pick acquired from Oklahoma City

Donte DiVincenzo | Villanova | Jr | SG

DiVincenzo was barely on anybody's immediate NBA radar before he made five 3-pointers and scored 31 points in the national title game against Michigan. But thanks to that effort, and a tremendous week at the combine, the 6-5 guard is now considered a likely first-round pick. On the season, DiVincenzo averaged 5.3 3-point attempts per game and made 40.1 percent of them. So he projects as a bouncy two-way player who can be a weapon on the perimeter. And the fact that he comes from the winning culture Villanova provides can't hurt.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

SBNATION

20. Minnesota Timberwolves - Keita Bates-Diop, F, Ohio State

Bates-Diop is a big wing at 6’7, 223 pounds with a 7’3 wingspan. He turned into a 20 point-per-game scorer in his fourth year at Ohio State, providing dependable inside-out scoring ability thanks to an improved jumper. The question is whether he has the quickness required to make a switchable NBA defender against guards.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

SI

20. Minnesota Timberwolves TIMBERWOLVES: CHANDLER HUTCHISON, SF, BOISE STATE | SR.

(*via Thunder)
Height: 6'7" | Weight: 200 | Age: 21 | Last: 20
Stats: 20.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.3 APG

With Jamal Crawford turning down his option for next season, Minnesota stands to add to its wing rotation here. An experienced, older prospect like Hutchison fits Tom Thibodeau’s ethos. He’s established his ability to play on or off the ball fits in well given the Wolves’ established roster of scorers. He may not have star upside and will have a bigger adjustment in store after dominating the Mountain West, but Hutchison’s overall skill improvement over the past couple years has put him on a definite upward trajectory. This makes a lot of sense as a destination.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

LA Times

20. MINNESOTA: Lonnie Walker IV, Fr., 6-5, 205, SG, Miami — Walker can attack the basket and score with contact.
 






stocker08 said:
Any help in the front court is a plus, imo. And he's super talented.
Click to expand...

We have too many bigs right now, but I'm not opposed to improving. We would have to unload Gorgi and Belly (buy out Aldrich) to make this work.
 

tikited said:
We have too many bigs right now, but I'm not opposed to improving. We would have to unload Gorgi and Belly (buy out Aldrich) to make this work.
Click to expand...

True and false isn't it? We don't have a single big man who can play D and protect the rim. Hill and Aldrich were suppose to do that and they've been big, "big" failures at it.

Towns? He seems to be the easiest guy in the league to get to jump for the block on and fake shot motion.
 

More Mock Drafts

Bleacher Report

20. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Thunder): Kevin Huerter (Maryland, SF, Sophomore)

No team averaged fewer three-point makes per game this past season than the Wolves. Arguably the combine's biggest riser, Huerter is one of the draft's top shooters, but he's also a multidimensional wing for his underrated playmaking ability.

---------------------------------------------------

azcentral

20. Timberwolves (47-35, via Thunder): SG Gary Trent Jr., 6-6, 215, Duke.

Minnesota needs help at shooting guard with Jamal Crawford likely on the way out. Trent Jr. already has an NBA body and can shoot the 3. He’s not a great athlete, but he would fit this roster perfectly as a scoring option behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins.

---------------------------------------------------
247 Sports

20) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (FROM OKC VIA UTA)

Selection: Khyri Thomas | SG | Jr. | Creighton
Height (with shoes): 6 feet, 3.75 inches
Weight: 198.8 pounds
Wingspan: 6 feet, 10.5 inches
Standing reach: 8 feet, 5 inches
Lane agility: 10.96 seconds
Shuttle run: 3.18 seconds
Three-quarter sprint: 3.18 seconds
Max vertical: 35 inches

247Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8343), No. 81 SG in 2015

From CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave: “Yep, another Creighton product heading to Minneapolis in the footsteps of Justin Patton a year ago. While the Patton pick has yielded absolutely zero results so far, Thomas could be different. Thomas may be the best two-way guard available in this draft. He can shoot it – something the Timberwolves need – and he can defend multiple positions – something the Timberwolves need.”

-----------------------------------------------
 

CBSSPORTS today

TIMBERWOLVES

Aaron Holiday | UCLA | Jr | PG

Holiday statistically put up one of the best seasons UCLA had seen in the past 30 years. Great lead guard athleticism and decision-making. The Timberwolves are trying to break through in the deep West. Adding Holiday is a seemingly small move that could pay off within three years. I think he can give you 15 quality minutes in the playoffs tomorrow.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...rojection-is-dominated-by-big-men-at-the-top/

------------------------------------------------------

SBNATION today

They did a composite report.

20. Minnesota Timberwolves Keita Bates-Diop ESPN, Keita Bates-Diop SBNATION, Kevin Huerter Bleacher Report

Donte DiVincenzo SI, Jacob Evans Tankathon

-------------------------------------------------------

Land of 10 Today

20 *Minnesota Anfernee Simons IMG Academy PG/SG HS

-------------------------------------------------------

NBA Draft.net Today

20 *Minnesota Lonnie Walker Miami SG Fr.

-----------------------------------------------------

NBC Sports

20. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City): Donte DiVincenzo
Position: SG

Team: Villanova

Year: Sophomore

One of the biggest rises at the combine came from DiVincenzo.

He continued to show his ability to hit open shots while generating turnovers on the other end is what teams will get at the next level.

His athletic ability was on display there as well, testing as one of the best.

Don't expect him to back out of the draft at this point.
 

Iceland12 said:
CBSSPORTS today

TIMBERWOLVES
Click to expand...

No matter who the Wolves draft...that kid will not be happy. The notion is definitely there that this is the worst destination for bench players. Reports that agents are already telling their free agent/clients to stay far away from Thibs.
 

RandBall: The Timberwolves' first round pick this year is more important than you might think

On Monday night, the Twins will choose a player with the No. 20 overall pick in the MLB draft. It will be years until we know if he becomes a major league contributor, which is one of the reasons it’s hard to get too worked up about the baseball draft.

In a couple weeks, however, the Timberwolves also will have the chance to select a player with the No. 20 overall pick. In the NBA, that player can become an immediate and vital contributor.

And for the Timberwolves, those immediate contributions could be especially vital, even if that’s a lot to ask from a 20th overall pick.

The reason? The Timberwolves have a salary problem, and it’s only going to get worse. Namely, they have very few key contributors who are young and cheap.

Wait, you might say. Isn’t that impossible? What about Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns? Weren’t we just talking about the bright future of an incredibly young team not long ago?

We were, but … Wiggins just finished his fourth year and his massive contract extension kicks in for the upcoming season. Towns is a year behind Wiggins, and he figures to sign his massive extension in the coming months, a deal that would kick in for the 2019-2020 season.

A Jimmy Butler extension would start the same year as Towns’ new deal, and those three players — if they’re all still here — would gobble up a ton of cap space.

If I’m the Wolves, I absolutely would do last year’s draft night Butler trade 100 times out of 100 with the benefit of hindsight.

The downside of that deal with the Bulls, though, was giving up cost-controlled assets: Kris Dunn (No. 5 overall in 2016) and Lauri Markkanen (No. 7 in 2017) along with Zach LaVine, who is probably headed for a big payday this summer.

Losing those two lottery picks, who each had several years of controlled salaries under the NBA’s system, combined with the injury to last year’s No. 16 pick Justin Patton that limited him to just one appearance, meant the Wolves last season got virtually no production from either of their last two draft classes.

Again, Butler is the main reason the Wolves jumped from 31 to 47 wins and made the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04. So this isn’t a criticism of the trade.

But the Wolves need some low-cost help next season and beyond. That’s where the No. 20 pick comes into play.

Minnesota needs an NBA-ready contributor, preferably a wing who can shoot three-pointers and defend, with that pick. My preference is Creighton’s Khyri Thomas, an underrated guard who figures to get picked in the high teens or later.

What they can’t afford is to trade the pick for a veteran or to miss with their selection — running the risk, considering Patton is still dealing with his initial injury, of having a roster with little or no production from three consecutive draft classes.

Even on a team with strong veteran contributors, that model doesn’t figure to be a way to sustain success in the long-term.

http://www.startribune.com/the-timb...ore-important-than-you-might-think/484508091/

Howl Wolves!!
 

Dwane Casey agrees to 5-year deal as Pistons' new coach - ESPN

The "one that got away" has another job. Not here unfortunately.

'The Pistons stayed aggressive in pursuit of Casey, and closed on a deal Monday morning to land the franchise's primary coaching target. Owner Tom Gores and senior adviser Ed Stefanski sold Casey with an aggressive contractual commitment and a case that together, they could make the Pistons a perennial playoff team in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit is working to reshape its franchise, hiring Stefanski and Casey to replace former president and coach Stan Van Gundy as the centralized leadership of the organization. The Pistons are committed to building the roster around All-Star forward Blake Griffin, whom they acquired in a January trade from the LA Clippers.

Casey, 61, the presumptive NBA coach of the year, led the Toronto Raptors to a franchise-record 59-win season, the No. 1 seed in the East and a berth in the conference semifinals.

But after a second consecutive series sweep to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Casey was fired by the Raptors. In seven seasons, Casey reached the playoffs five times -- including the franchise's first conference finals -- and won 50-plus regular-season games in each of his final three seasons."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23761429/dwane-casey-agrees-5-year-deal-detroit-pistons-new-coach
 

RandBall: 'Summer of LeBron' could have trickle-down impact on Wolves

James can opt out of his contract and become a free agent, a scenario that seems likely. Or he can stay with the Cavaliers, which seems plausible. Or he can opt-in on his contract with the intent of having the Cavaliers trade him — something Cleveland might be amenable to given they stand to get nothing in return if LeBron simply leaves as a free agent.

At first blush, all of this would appear to have very little to do with the Timberwolves. But there are some factors that could, in fact, make the Summer of LeBron have a local impact. Let’s examine some likely outcomes and impacts:

*Dream scenario: OK, so the dream scenario is that LeBron somehow winds up on the Timberwolves. This is far-fetched because of the Wolves’ salary constraints and about 47 other things, but James could do far worse than to join Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and co.

But let’s not spend too much time on that pipe dream. Instead, let’s go to …

*Realistic best-case scenario: OK, a bunch of teams think they have a shot at James. Those teams have already been maneuvering to put themselves in position to land him, but some of them would still need to create a ton of cap space to accommodate James. Among them: Houston, which dispatched the Wolves in the first round of the playoffs this year.

The trickle-down effect of that is that a lot of good players from good teams could be let go cheap — either on salary dump trades or as free agents — in the pursuit of James. Teams that whiff on James might then turn to Paul George and other big-money free agents.

The NBA salary cap, after a rapid rise in recent years, is only projected to go up $2 million from last year to next year. If the Wolves can be nimble and wait for the market to come to them, they might be able to add quality depth at reasonable prices.

*Worst-case scenario: James and George go to the Lakers, who are in position to painlessly add two max contracts without having to dump salary.

That would negate the likelihood of a trickle-down impact on the Wolves’ roster while instantly making the Lakers a title contender. That, in turn, would create another top-notch Western Conference foe — one that didn’t make the playoffs last year — against which the Wolves would be jockeying for position.

http://www.startribune.com/summer-of-lebron-could-have-trickle-down-impact-on-wolves/485177241/

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
RandBall: 'Summer of LeBron' could have trickle-down impact on Wolves

James can opt out of his contract and become a free agent, a scenario that seems likely. Or he can stay with the Cavaliers, which seems plausible. Or he can opt-in on his contract with the intent of having the Cavaliers trade him — something Cleveland might be amenable to given they stand to get nothing in return if LeBron simply leaves as a free agent.

At first blush, all of this would appear to have very little to do with the Timberwolves. But there are some factors that could, in fact, make the Summer of LeBron have a local impact. Let’s examine some likely outcomes and impacts:

*Dream scenario: OK, so the dream scenario is that LeBron somehow winds up on the Timberwolves. This is far-fetched because of the Wolves’ salary constraints and about 47 other things, but James could do far worse than to join Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and co.

But let’s not spend too much time on that pipe dream. Instead, let’s go to …

*Realistic best-case scenario: OK, a bunch of teams think they have a shot at James. Those teams have already been maneuvering to put themselves in position to land him, but some of them would still need to create a ton of cap space to accommodate James. Among them: Houston, which dispatched the Wolves in the first round of the playoffs this year.

The trickle-down effect of that is that a lot of good players from good teams could be let go cheap — either on salary dump trades or as free agents — in the pursuit of James. Teams that whiff on James might then turn to Paul George and other big-money free agents.

The NBA salary cap, after a rapid rise in recent years, is only projected to go up $2 million from last year to next year. If the Wolves can be nimble and wait for the market to come to them, they might be able to add quality depth at reasonable prices.

*Worst-case scenario: James and George go to the Lakers, who are in position to painlessly add two max contracts without having to dump salary.

That would negate the likelihood of a trickle-down impact on the Wolves’ roster while instantly making the Lakers a title contender. That, in turn, would create another top-notch Western Conference foe — one that didn’t make the playoffs last year — against which the Wolves would be jockeying for position.

http://www.startribune.com/summer-of-lebron-could-have-trickle-down-impact-on-wolves/485177241/

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

Holy hell.....what I would give to have Lebron join the T-Wolves. It would be fictional money.....btw.
 

stocker08 said:
Holy hell.....what I would give to have Lebron join the T-Wolves. It would be fictional money.....btw.
Click to expand...

I would be shocked if LeBron ends up anywhere else other than Cle or LAL. Teams just dont have the cap space. If the Cavs are afraid theyll lose him for nothing, I'd offer them anything other than Butler and KAT
 

SportingNews: Amid offseason of drama, Timberwolves walking dangerous line between breakthrough and breakdown

Wiggins didn’t get better. He regressed. He gave up shot attempts to Butler, but his efficiency dropped, his true shooting percentage going from 54.3 down to 50.5. His player efficiency rating dropped from 16.5 to 13.0. Because 15.0 is considered average, the Wolves last year were giving a max salary to an offensively below-average wing.

That’s where this offseason gets particularly sticky for the Wolves. Not only is Towns up for an extension, but Butler will be entering the final year of his contract and is also eligible for an extension.

Sources familiar with the situation told Sporting News that Butler is uncertain about playing with Wiggins — Butler had problems last season with Wiggins, his work ethic and his approach on the defensive end of the floor. Thibodeau has had similar problems with Wiggins in the past, too, and he had some hope that bringing a tough-minded veteran like Butler into the locker room would spur Wiggins to improve. It didn’t.

The security of a contract extension would be welcome for Butler. But the Wolves are locked into Wiggins for five years, starting next season. If Butler signs on to stay in Minnesota, he could be locking himself into playing with Wiggins for the foreseeable future. That’s risky from Butler’s perspective.

Ideally, the Wolves would find a deal to send Wiggins out of town. But his new five-year contract is just kicking in, making a trade almost impossible, unless Minnesota finds a team with cap space willing to absorb Wiggins, or takes back a contract at least as hefty. And there are few of those floating about.

Another source of friction with the Wolves has been the way that Thibodeau used his bench last season, which has long been a criticism of Thibodeau, carried over from his time in Chicago. He rides his starting unit hard, and all five Wolves starters averaged 33.0 minutes or more. The Wolves had three players — Butler, Wiggins and Towns — in the top 14 in minutes per game last season.

That has left Minnesota with very little internal player development, despite a roster built around youngsters Wiggins and Towns. The team ranked as the seventh-oldest in the league last year. Its first-round pick, Justin Patton, appeared in just one game for the Timberwolves. If Wiggins and Towns address their shortcomings and blossom into elite players in the next few years, who will be there to fill roles around them?

The player who has been most stonewalled by Thibodeau’s preference for veterans — to the frustration of Wolves fans — has been backup point guard Tyus Jones, who is just 21 years old and played all 82 games last year. But his minutes fluctuated, his playing time sapped by the presence of Jamal Crawford (age 37) and midseason signee Derrick Rose. With starter Jeff Teague averaging 33.0 minutes and Crawford getting 20.7 minutes, there wasn’t much room for Jones to continue his growth.

Teague, according to a source, went to Thibodeau during last season and suggested that Jones play more. The Wolves are considering bringing Rose back for next season, and that’s fueled speculation that Jones would be traded this offseason — a package of Jones and Minnesota’s No. 20 pick could bring back some much-needed perimeter shooting.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/new...tler-andrew-wiggins/wz8imgz2vmi61y0pt35opiuul

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
SportingNews: Amid offseason of drama, Timberwolves walking dangerous line between breakthrough and breakdown

Wiggins didn’t get better. He regressed. He gave up shot attempts to Butler, but his efficiency dropped, his true shooting percentage going from 54.3 down to 50.5. His player efficiency rating dropped from 16.5 to 13.0. Because 15.0 is considered average, the Wolves last year were giving a max salary to an offensively below-average wing.

That’s where this offseason gets particularly sticky for the Wolves. Not only is Towns up for an extension, but Butler will be entering the final year of his contract and is also eligible for an extension.

Sources familiar with the situation told Sporting News that Butler is uncertain about playing with Wiggins — Butler had problems last season with Wiggins, his work ethic and his approach on the defensive end of the floor. Thibodeau has had similar problems with Wiggins in the past, too, and he had some hope that bringing a tough-minded veteran like Butler into the locker room would spur Wiggins to improve. It didn’t.

The security of a contract extension would be welcome for Butler. But the Wolves are locked into Wiggins for five years, starting next season. If Butler signs on to stay in Minnesota, he could be locking himself into playing with Wiggins for the foreseeable future. That’s risky from Butler’s perspective.

Ideally, the Wolves would find a deal to send Wiggins out of town. But his new five-year contract is just kicking in, making a trade almost impossible, unless Minnesota finds a team with cap space willing to absorb Wiggins, or takes back a contract at least as hefty. And there are few of those floating about.

Another source of friction with the Wolves has been the way that Thibodeau used his bench last season, which has long been a criticism of Thibodeau, carried over from his time in Chicago. He rides his starting unit hard, and all five Wolves starters averaged 33.0 minutes or more. The Wolves had three players — Butler, Wiggins and Towns — in the top 14 in minutes per game last season.

That has left Minnesota with very little internal player development, despite a roster built around youngsters Wiggins and Towns. The team ranked as the seventh-oldest in the league last year. Its first-round pick, Justin Patton, appeared in just one game for the Timberwolves. If Wiggins and Towns address their shortcomings and blossom into elite players in the next few years, who will be there to fill roles around them?

The player who has been most stonewalled by Thibodeau’s preference for veterans — to the frustration of Wolves fans — has been backup point guard Tyus Jones, who is just 21 years old and played all 82 games last year. But his minutes fluctuated, his playing time sapped by the presence of Jamal Crawford (age 37) and midseason signee Derrick Rose. With starter Jeff Teague averaging 33.0 minutes and Crawford getting 20.7 minutes, there wasn’t much room for Jones to continue his growth.

Teague, according to a source, went to Thibodeau during last season and suggested that Jones play more. The Wolves are considering bringing Rose back for next season, and that’s fueled speculation that Jones would be traded this offseason — a package of Jones and Minnesota’s No. 20 pick could bring back some much-needed perimeter shooting.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/new...tler-andrew-wiggins/wz8imgz2vmi61y0pt35opiuul

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

It is amazing what getting to the playoffs for the first time in 13 or so years feels like.
 

Thibs is the problem; they should have replaced him with Casey.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Timberwolves are prospecting for prospects for NBA draft - Zgoda

Zgoda looks at shooters, "stoppers" and sleepers.


Timberwolves management traveled to Chicago for the NBA’s annual draft combine and around the country for prospects’ pro days. They’ve also worked out and interviewed a parade of visiting players here at home, looking for shooters and versatile defenders who can play multiple positions and switch on every pick-and-roll play. There’s no telling how Thursday’s draft will unfold, but here are some of the many possibilities the Wolves will consider if they keep their 20th overall pick:


http://www.startribune.com/timberwo...521/?ref=nl&om_rid=1635722697&om_mid=95941065
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom