All Things 2019-2020 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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jamiche said:
If they aren’t “chasing wins” they should stop charging their few remaining customers.
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Yep. They wont though. I told my friend that Sac will make a run and take the lead at one point. That was when we had the 20 point lead several times. I believed it until we got the 27 point lead. I was correct the first time and I wish it wasn't so obvious that it would happen.
Ryan was a terrible coach last night and should go...today. He gave the players the ok to stop playing when Sac was making the run. He put in the wrong players every time down the stretch. I really wanted to like him, but he is in over his head. Last night proved it.
 

All kinds of strange notes from last nights debacle. First and always will be how the Wolves can be playing without a single NBA starting guard on the roster.

- Hield came off the bench to score a career-high 42 points, helping the Kings storm back from a 27-point second-half deficit to beat the Timberwolves 133-129 in overtime. Sacramento (17-29) trailed Minnesota (15-32) by 22 points with 5:52 to play in the fourth quarter, but Hield made five 3-pointers in the final 4:34 of regulation to send the game to overtime.

- Nemanja Bjelica posted 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocks and two steals

- Kings outscored the Timberwolves 16-2 over the final 1:39 and sent the game into overtime when De’Aaron Fox intentionally missed a free throw, grabbed his own rebound and scored with 3.6 seconds to play in regulation

- Hield, who made 19 of 24 from the field and 9 of 14 from 3-point range. Hield scored 20 points on 6-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN Stats and Information, he became the second player in the past 20 seasons with a 20-point, 100-percent shooting fourth quarter in a game his team overcame a 25-point deficit to win. The only other player to do that was Bryant, his boyhood idol.

- Andrew Wiggins had 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Timberwolves, who have lost 10 in a row. Robert Covington had 24 points. Towns had 23 points and eight rebounds.

- The Kings trailed by 17 with 2:49 to play in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN Stats and Information, NBA teams were 0-8,378 when trailing by 17 or more in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter dating back to 1996-97, the first year play-by-play data was kept.

- The Timberwolves set a franchise record with 23 3-point goals. They had 14 in the first half to open up a 68-50 lead. Wiggins went 7 of 11 from 3-point range. Covington was 6 of 10. Keita Bates-Diop made 3 of 7 and Towns made 3 of 6.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article239702088.html#storylink=cpy
 
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I just read that, before last night, NBA teams were 0-8378 when trailing by 17 with under three minutes remaining. Now they're 1-8378.
Do you think Ryan Saunders lasts the whole year? Would Richard Pitino care to have him as an assistant?
 


I really want Ryan to succeed as well. I suppose it's up to KAT. The NBA is a players' league. One thing in his favor is that he and his family have a minority interest in the team. What's working against him is, no matter how knowledgable, a really short, white coach who basically didn't play after high school is going to struggle to command respect in an NBA locker room. I've notice that most of the communication between the players on the floor and the bench is with Vanterpool.
 






GopherWeatherGuy said:
Nothing will change until Taylor sells the team. He has always been one of the worst owners in sports.
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Taylor tried to find a buyer for a number of years not long ago. Near the end of the very regretful David Khan era and again in 2016. The requirement was the new buyer(s) had to keep the team in Minnesota.

Taylor couldn't even get an offer.

You could be right, but if you are it will be someplace else. If they stay as bad as they are good riddance.
 


Souhan: Solutions, not search for scapegoat, need to be Timberwolves' focus

The Wolves became the first team since such data was tracked, in 1996, to lose a game they led by 17 or more points with less than three minutes remaining.

That game offered reason to be embarrassed.

It did not signal a time to panic.

If you’re a Wolves fan, you’re a little late for that.


If panic is your go-to move, you have already filled your punch card with perforations dating from 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018 and even last year.

So instead of rehashing the bizarre nature of the Kings’ comeback, or dredging up oft-repeated anecdotes that exemplify Wolves history, what fans need today is perspective. So …

1. Don’t even pretend this was the worst loss in franchise history. That came in Game 6 of the 2004 Western Conference finals against the Lakers. Had Sam Cassell not injured himself with a silly celebration, the Wolves could have won that series. It is a testament to Flip Saunders’ heart that he had Cassell ruin his only shot at an NBA title and get him fired the next year over a contract dispute, and then later hire him as an assistant coach.

2. Let us also not pretend that a Monday night in January against the Kings was the worst basketball moment in Wolves history. High on the shortlist: Cassell’s injury, the trading of Kevin Garnett for the equivalent of a G-League team, the drafting of Jonny Flynn instead of Steph Curry, and the trade for Malibu Jimmy Butler.

3. What this particular Wolves team needs is a point guard who can lead. The Wolves’ first draft pick ever was point guard Pooh Richardson. Their biggest disappointment was point guard Stephon Marbury. Now they have lost Tyus Jones in free agency, have traded Jeff Teague and are playing Shabazz Napier as their starter at the point. Three-point shooting is their greatest statistical void, but not having someone who can translate plans into action on the court is their greatest real-world flaw.


4. There is a stealth benefit to all of this losing: Realizing they were not one player away from the promised land, especially if that player was D’Angelo Russell.

5. The trade of Teague was necessary, even if Alan Crabbe isn’t much of a return. Gersson Rosas and Saunders are trying to remake a roster that was built for Tom Thibodeau’s grind-it-out, half-court style. Teague wasn’t good enough for Thibs and he was awful for Saunders. Now comes the tricky part: Figuring out what deal to make next.

Can you get value for Gorgui Dieng, or can he be incorporated into this lineup in a way that makes him valuable? If they trade Robert Covington, won’t they immediately begin a search to find a similar player?

This summer, Rosas will have to make decisions on Dieng, Covington and Andrew Wiggins, and will have to provide Saunders with a functional roster. We won’t know much about this operation until next summer at the earliest.

6. If there is a faction of the fan base that wants to fire Saunders, that is understandable but misguided. The Wolves decided to hire a young, inexperienced head coach, then gave him players who can’t do what he wants done. You can argue they should have hired someone else. This is not the time to argue that they should bring in someone else. Firing Saunders would smack of scapegoating and desperation. What the Wolves need today, even after an embarrassing loss, is patience and perspective, no matter how stale those words must feel to an embittered fan base.

www.startribune.com

Solutions, not search for scapegoat, need to be Timberwolves' focus

The team is evolving in a painfully slow way, sure, but screaming for the head of Ryan Saunders when he doesn't have the players to fit his system doesn't solve anything.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Sorry but it's obvious the media is skewed for flips legacy and ryans likeability. I've not seen one media member calling for his head. Protecting him
 



per Shooter:

The Timberwolves’ trade of guards Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham to Atlanta for guard Allen Crabbe was made solely for roster flexibility next year. There is no chance the Wolves will re-sign Crabbe, who’s also on an expiring contract.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Wilfs must decide whether to keep spending or rebuild

Only the owners of the Minnesota Vikings back in New Jersey, Zygi and Mark Wilf, have an idea what their team will look like next season and beyond. And they haven’t indicated that yet. Going forw…
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

per Shooter:

Regarding June’s NBA draft, who would you rather have on your team, 6-11 Timberwolf Gorgui Dieng, 30, who is being paid $16.2 million this season, or Gophers’ 6-10 sophomore Daniel Oturu, 20?

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Wilfs must decide whether to keep spending or rebuild

Only the owners of the Minnesota Vikings back in New Jersey, Zygi and Mark Wilf, have an idea what their team will look like next season and beyond. And they haven’t indicated that yet. Going forw…
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
per Shooter:

The Timberwolves’ trade of guards Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham to Atlanta for guard Allen Crabbe was made solely for roster flexibility next year. There is no chance the Wolves will re-sign Crabbe, who’s also on an expiring contract.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Wilfs must decide whether to keep spending or rebuild

Only the owners of the Minnesota Vikings back in New Jersey, Zygi and Mark Wilf, have an idea what their team will look like next season and beyond. And they haven’t indicated that yet. Going forw…
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Howl Wolves!!
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Read that Sunday and said "What?" How could that be? Teague expires next year, just like Crabbe. So does the 2-year deal Graham signed in '18 with the Nets.

Starting to think that Shooter was dead wrong about that. Why? They may have made money, couple of mill maybe? I was never a fan of Jeff Teague but as a PG he is way better than anybody else on that roster. Liked the trade at first. Crabbe can shoot the 3 and thought they'd get a PG later. After the trade though, the Wolves have made zero attempts to add an NBA level Point Guard to the team, let alone a starting NBA level PG

The guys playing the position now are way over their head and/or very inexperienced. They can try as hard as they can but they aren't gonna help win any games. Teague would have, not many but some at least.

They traded Teague to tank the season.
 

Iceland12 said:
Read that Sunday and said "What?" How could that be? Teague expires next year, just like Crabbe. So does the 2-year deal Graham signed in '18 with the Nets.

Starting to think that Shooter was dead wrong about that. Why? They may have made money, couple of mill maybe? I was never a fan of Jeff Teague but as a PG he is way better than anybody else on that roster. Liked the trade at first. Crabbe can shoot the 3 and thought they'd get a PG later. After the trade though, the Wolves have made zero attempts to add an NBA level Point Guard to the team, let alone a starting NBA level PG

The guys playing the position now are way over their head and/or very inexperienced. They can try as hard as they can but they aren't gonna help win any games. Teague would have, not many but some at least.

They traded Teague to tank the season.
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Yes and no.
Towns and Teague didn't get a long is the "secret" reason.
Another reason is that Teague won't play fast.
Another reason was that Crabbe will take 3's and Teague wouldn't. Trouble is that Crabbe is terrible at everything including shooting 3's. If it wasn't for Wiggin's contract...Crabbe would be my vote for worst player in the league.
The more flexibility part is stupid as, like you wrote, both are on expiring contracts. They didn't solve anything roster wise for next season. This season? Yes. One roster spot opened up for Kelan Martin/who isn't a PG.
 

tikited said:
Yes and no.
1. Towns and Teague didn't get a long is the "secret" reason.
2. Another reason is that Teague won't play fast.
3. Another reason was that Crabbe will take 3's and Teague wouldn't. Trouble is that Crabbe is terrible at everything including shooting 3's. If it wasn't for Wiggin's contract...Crabbe would be my vote for worst player in the league.
4. The more flexibility part is stupid as, like you wrote, both are on expiring contracts. They didn't solve anything roster wise for next season. This season? Yes. One roster spot opened up for Kelan Martin/who isn't a PG.
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Have heard the first two reasons and agree with you. That said, not getting a PG in return? Still adds-up to tanking.

The 3rd reason? Not so much. Crabbe is a career 38.8% 3-pt shooter and that includes the 32% he was shooting at ATL and the, admittedly god-awful 23% so far with the Wolves. Maybe if I was at the Target Center on a regular basis I'd feel like you do.

The 4th? I get the roster spot, but not filling it with a PG means it's meaningless. And they are still tanking.
 

Iceland12 said:
Have heard the first two reasons and agree with you. That said, not getting a PG in return? Still adds-up to tanking.

The 3rd reason? Not so much. Crabbe is a career 38.8% 3-pt shooter and that includes the 32% he was shooting at ATL and the, admittedly god-awful 23% so far with the Wolves. Maybe if I was at the Target Center on a regular basis I'd feel like you do.

The 4th? I get the roster spot, but not filling it with a PG means it's meaningless. And they are still tanking.
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I hope tanking is the reason as the alternative is that they really are that bad.
 


tikited said:
Yes and no.
Towns and Teague didn't get a long is the "secret" reason.
Another reason is that Teague won't play fast.
Another reason was that Crabbe will take 3's and Teague wouldn't. Trouble is that Crabbe is terrible at everything including shooting 3's. If it wasn't for Wiggin's contract...Crabbe would be my vote for worst player in the league.
The more flexibility part is stupid as, like you wrote, both are on expiring contracts. They didn't solve anything roster wise for next season. This season? Yes. One roster spot opened up for Kelan Martin/who isn't a PG.
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How do you know JT and KT didnt like each other?
 



rewatch the KY WI final four basketball game. He rarely bent a knee.
 

per Sid:

• The Wolves are paying Tom Thibodeau, their former coach and president of basketball operations, $8 million this year and another $8 million next season to fulfill the five-year, $40 million contract he signed in 2016.

www.startribune.com

Healthier Max Kepler prepares for another big season for Twins

The Twins outfielder set career batting marks last season, and believes 2020 team will be even better.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Iceland12 said:
Have heard the first two reasons and agree with you. That said, not getting a PG in return? Still adds-up to tanking.

The 3rd reason? Not so much. Crabbe is a career 38.8% 3-pt shooter and that includes the 32% he was shooting at ATL and the, admittedly god-awful 23% so far with the Wolves. Maybe if I was at the Target Center on a regular basis I'd feel like you do.

The 4th? I get the roster spot, but not filling it with a PG means it's meaningless. And they are still tanking.
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They shaved a little more salary to cover the cost of paying Thibs. Everything they have done this year salary wise seems to coincidentally add up to what they owe Thibs and Layden. (Yes, I know that Layden is still with the team. I think he's on the custodial crew.)
 

jamiche said:
They shaved a little more salary to cover the cost of paying Thibs. Everything they have done this year salary wise seems to coincidentally add up to what they owe Thibs and Layden. (Yes, I know that Layden is still with the team. I think he's on the custodial crew.)
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If you're right and that's the only thing they are concerned about, then the quicker we see the Seattle Timberwolves the better.
 

RandBall: Biggest critique of this year's Wolves: Inadequate plan at point guard

If two constant themes have emerged from the Timberwolves during Gersson Rosas’ first year as President, they are these: 1) The Wolves intend to be patient with their top-down and then bottom-up makeover, eschewing shortcuts or Band-aids to solve problems; 2) Among the biggest goals in Year 1 is to implement a new system and style of play so that as the team acquires more talent to fit that system, the centerpieces already here will be well-versed in playing that way.

Both of these seem like reasonable ideas that are in harmony with each other, but I would offer one philosophical caveat:

Sometimes a short-term answer can be a critical step to solving a long-term question. Good is not always the enemy of great.

And it’s within this idea that my biggest critique of this year’s Wolves emerges. I don’t think they went into the season with a good enough plan at point guard. And by failing to address that problem, even in the short term, they have proven vulnerable to this question: Can you adequately implement a system and evaluate how it’s working when you don’t have the point guard — or at least 48 minutes worth of them — to run it the way you want to?

The main issue, of course, was that their most experienced, expensive and credible option to start the year was Jeff Teague, who seemed an unlikely fit to play the way the Wolves wanted to play –“we need our lead guard to be a guy who pushes tempo, is more of a creator than a scorer,” is how Rosas described it after Teague was finally traded.

www.startribune.com

Biggest critique of this year's Wolves: Inadequate plan at point guard

Can you adequately implement a system and evaluate how it's working when you don't have the right point guard? That's been a problem for the Wolves since the start of the season.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Iceland12 said:
If you're right and that's the only thing they are concerned about, then the quicker we see the Seattle Timberwolves the better.
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Ridiculous. Why does this market have to give up a precious asset because the franchise is ineptly run? The solution is to sell it to somebody who knows how to run a team and keep it here. A properly run team would thrive here. The market shouldn't be punished by a franchise relocation because the team is mismanaged. Also, wouldn't you rather have a sh%tty NBA team than no NBA team?
 

jamiche said:
Ridiculous. Why does this market have to give up a precious asset because the franchise is ineptly run? The solution is to sell it to somebody who knows how to run a team and keep it here. A properly run team would thrive here. The market shouldn't be punished by a franchise relocation because the team is mismanaged. Also, wouldn't you rather have a sh%tty NBA team than no NBA team?
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A buyer that would keep it here? Now there's a ridiculous fantasy.
 

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