All Things 2019-2020 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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Iceland12 said:
Very nice. IMHO Wiggins was pretty bad thru 3 Quarters, and a difference maker for the Wolves in the 4th and O.T. Forget the 3 for Wiggins, let him shoot the shot that works for him and get to the rim.
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Other than the Kyrie/Teague matchup, the wolves played strong defense. KAT was really smart and kept his complaining to a minimum. If he can continue to stay that composed, he'll start to get some calls. Smart move by Ryan to go with the Teague/ Napier pairing when they were down 98-90 in the 4th. Loved watching Wiggins go to the hoop.

Super impressive win tonight. Great to have the NBA back. Maybe they won't suck. On to Charlotte.
 

Never thought I'd say that Wiggins and Graham were huge at the end.
 

Anybody notice that at that last time out wiggins wasn't even sweating?

Dude was clutch down the stretch but he must be sandbagging hard.
 

bottlebass said:
Anybody notice that at that last time out wiggins wasn't even sweating?

Dude was clutch down the stretch but he must be sandbagging hard.
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Let's hope he has a big 1st half of the year, recovers some of his value, and then we dump him in a trade for a decent offer.
 

Charlotte Without Batum

Nic Batum was offered $45 mill to Batum back in 2012. Portland as they said they would, matched it. He's now playing with Charlotte, but not tonight. Here's a couple of notes for tonight's game from the Charlotte Observer.

Maybe the Wolves can be 2-0 when the welcome back General Soreness to Target Center?

- Charlotte Hornet Nic Batum will miss a minimum of two to three weeks after an MRI confirmed he fractured the middle finger on his left hand Wednesday.

- Coach James Borrego said he didn’t know exactly who would absorb Batum’s minutes, but one thing he experimented with against the Bulls — extreme small-ball — could factor in. Borrego started the fourth quarter with three guards — Terry Rozier, Devonte Graham and Malik Monk — and Williams and rookie P.J. Washington in the frontcourt

- The 78 points in the paint the Bulls scored was by far the most any NBA team has scored this young season. The Phoenix Suns scored 68 in the paint against the Sacramento Kings, and no other team topped 60.

Those 78 are the most the Hornets have given up in the lane since the New Orleans Pelicans dropped 78 in March 2018.

The Hornets don’t have a great rim-protector, and the closest to it — veteran center Bismack Biyombo — didn’t play Wednesday and might not see much time this season. Starting center Cody Zeller missed Thursday’s practice to address a personal matter, and it’s unresolved whether Zeller will be available to play Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/charlotte-hornets/article236606768.html#storylink=cpy
 
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General Soreness will miss the trip to Target Center.

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
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1h

Of course ... new fatherhood means that Butler will miss Sunday's return to Minneapolis with the Heat. Remember, though, that he did return to 'Sota last season after the Wolves dealt him to Philly
 

Iceland12 said:
General Soreness will miss the trip to Target Center.

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
·
1h

Of course ... new fatherhood means that Butler will miss Sunday's return to Minneapolis with the Heat. Remember, though, that he did return to 'Sota last season after the Wolves dealt him to Philly
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Another reason to hate him...I can't even boo him Sunday night.
 

My biggest beef with game 1 was Saunders allowing Wiggins to create off of the dribble. He is not a creator. Put him in good positions to score. Posting him up like his dad and Sam Mitchell did would be a good start.
 

Wolves up 103-81 over Charlotte after 3. The 45 pts. in the 3rd Quarter is the most points they've ever scored in a 3rd Quarter.

Great for the Wolves. Begs the question, has Michael Jordan EVER put a good team on the floor in Charlotte?
 
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Final was 121-99. Towns had 30 pts, 15 rebs, 8 Assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers in 28 minutes. Guess the Charlotte writer was correct. The Hornets have a terrible defense in the paint.
 

If the season ends tonight, the wolves are in the playoffs!

Towns is amazing. Now that they seem to be taking defense seriously, they have to do something about Teague. It's one thing to get torched by Kyrie. Getting embarrassed by Graham, a nobody off of the bench of a nowhere team, is something the new "culture" shouldn't allow. I hope that Ryan starts to give Napier more minutes if he's willing to play defense.
 

Great moment:

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

Go Flip!!
 

jamiche said:
If the season ends tonight, the wolves are in the playoffs!

Towns is amazing. Now that they seem to be taking defense seriously, they have to do something about Teague. It's one thing to get torched by Kyrie. Getting embarrassed by Graham, a nobody off of the bench of a nowhere team, is something the new "culture" shouldn't allow. I hope that Ryan starts to give Napier more minutes if he's willing to play defense.
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Now don't harp on Teague's defense too much. Gotta remember that he's been even worse on the offensive end. :eek:

Oh Bleed? Towns getting the game ball and giving it to Ryan on this, the 4th anniversary of Flip's death truly was a great moment.
 



Iceland12 said:
Now don't harp on Teague's defense too much. Gotta remember that he's been even worse on the offensive end. :eek:

Oh Bleed? Towns getting the game ball and giving it to Ryan on this, the 4th anniversary of Flip's death truly was a great moment.
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Agree on all points.
 

STrib: The Timberwolves are Karl-Anthony Towns' team now

Another effect of the Butler trade was it brought Covington, who knew Towns previously, to the Wolves. Covington said he hasn’t been afraid to prod Towns where he feels like Towns needs a little push.

“When you got a like me that’s always on his head, it causes you to adjust,” Covington said with a laugh. “I see the capabilities in him. I know the type of leadership he has within him. He just needed the right person to bring it out. I’m fortunate enough to be that guy. But I’m also going to tell him when he does something wrong. He expects that about me.”

Towns has said individual accomplishments don’t matter much to him, that the people where he grew up in New Jersey don’t care how about his points or rebounds.

“Every time I go home they look at me and go, ‘Wow, you’re really good, but you never win,’ ” Towns said.

Towns has played so far like a man out to prove people wrong, whether it’s the people back home, his doubters around the league like Butler or just random folks on social media.

But he knows he’ll need his teammates along for the ride, and he’s doing his best to make sure everyone has each other’s back.

“It’s up to me to do a lot of things … ” Towns said. “And I accept the challenge willingly.”

http://www.startribune.com/it-s-karl-anthony-towns-team-now/563919042/

Howl Wolves!!
 

Souhan: Wolves following other teams' lead in making over organization

In Gersson Rosas, the Wolves have a basketball boss invested in analytics and international scouting. He has filled the organization with a diverse set of thinkers, and kept coach Ryan Saunders despite his lack of experience.

The Twins didn’t exactly frighten the rest of the baseball world when they hired Rocco Baldelli, a 37-year-old who had never managed before. He emphasized communication with his players, transferring information in easily understood chunks to players and an atmosphere or collaboration.

That describes Saunders, who is 33 and is accused of inexperience only by those who don’t know him.

The kid can coach, but so can a thousand high school and small college coaches. What is vital at the professional level is being able to communicate with millionaire 20-somethings who also work for shoe companies, and being able to handle the pressure and scrutiny inherent in the job, and being able to adapt quickly to modernity.

Tom Thibodeau could coach. But he tried to be general manager and coach, and tried to win immediately, prompting mistakes — primarily, the trading for and misunderstanding of Butler — that would cost him his jobs.

Several Wolves employees who previously warned that Thibodeau’s stay would be short because of his stubbornness and unwillingness to communicate with others in the organization said this week that Rosas and Saunders, and the strong staffs they have assembled, have a chance to build a sustainable winner.

Just don’t call what they’re building a “culture.”

How about calling it “AI.” Adaptable Intelligence.

http://www.startribune.com/wolves-following-other-teams-lead-in-making-over-organization/563918902/

Howl Wolves!!
 

Towns, Wiggins, Napier and Okogie off to nice starts. Wolves 47-37 at 6:30 mark of the 2nd.
 

Covington, Graham and Teague are not playing well. Heat lead at the Half 57-55
 

If you like shooting and defense..don't watch. 73-68 Heat,
 

Teague comes back to life! Game tied at 99 with 3:57 left. Wonder what Bleed, tikited and others who are at the game will say?
 

Wiggins got 14 straight and Wolves by 7!

Wiggins gets 16 in 4th and Teague gets 11. Wolves win 116 to 109.
 
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Wolves 3-0 to start the year. What is going on. Wolves are fun to watch right now. big game with Philadelphia on Wednesday.
 

Iceland12 said:
Wiggins got 14 straight and Wolves by 7!
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Wolves Win!!!

Holy crap, you aren't kidding. I swear I looked at the box score online and Wiggins was having a Wiggins day; 4-for-13 FG, 0-6 FG and I refresh it a little later and he's got 25, made 4 straight 3-pt and 5-for-6 FG in that stretch. Damn!!

3-0!! Woo Hoo!!
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Wolves Win!!!

Holy crap, you aren't kidding. I swear I looked at the box score online and Wiggins was having a Wiggins day; 4-for-13 FG, 0-6 FG and I refresh it a little later and he's got 25, made 4 straight 3-pt and 5-for-6 FG in that stretch. Damn!!

3-0!! Woo Hoo!!
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The "roller-coaster" game certainly applied to that one!
 

Iceland12 said:
Teague comes back to life! Game tied at 99 with 3:57 left. Wonder what Bleed, tikited and others who are at the game will say?
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I can't stand Teague and Wiggins. I find nothing about either player fun to watch. They both suck. But...... after sucking for 80% of the game, they both turned it on and won the game for the Wolves. Not sure how long this can last but it has been working so far.
 

was at the game. awful, and i mean awful atmosphere for 43 minutes, fun atmosphere for the last 5. there isn't another sport that compares to the contrats of in-game experience like a regular season nba game. great to see wiggins take over. 3-0 for first time since 2013
 

Go4 said:
was at the game. awful, and i mean awful atmosphere for 43 minutes, fun atmosphere for the last 5. there isn't another sport that compares to the contrats of in-game experience like a regular season nba game. great to see wiggins take over. 3-0 for first time since 2013
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The Russian woman at half-time was amazing.
 

Iceland12 said:
The "roller-coaster" game certainly applied to that one!
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Yep, that's a roller coaster game.

5. Running score: The Timberwolves utilized a19-4 run at the end of the opening period to take a 36-23 lead into the second quarter. The Heat then utilized an 18-4 run to end the second period and move to a 57-55 halftime lead. The Timberwolves then put it away with a 39-point fourth quarter.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports...0191028-372u52lsajg5hemx2v22z3qboy-story.html
 

And this from the Sun Sentinel:

-- Saunders said he has been impressed by the contribution of former Heat point guard Shabazz Napier.
-- "I like that he's been able to orchestrate our offense," Saunders said of the Heat 2014 first-round acquisition.
-- Napier twice goaded the Heat into three-shot fouls on 3-point attempts.
-- He has carved out a nice career for himself.
-- Tony Parker was among those in attendance.

Tony Parker?
 

Iceland12 said:
And this from the Sun Sentinel:

-- Saunders said he has been impressed by the contribution of former Heat point guard Shabazz Napier.
-- "I like that he's been able to orchestrate our offense," Saunders said of the Heat 2014 first-round acquisition.
-- Napier twice goaded the Heat into three-shot fouls on 3-point attempts.
-- He has carved out a nice career for himself.
-- Tony Parker was among those in attendance.

Tony Parker?
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He is president of a Minneapolis-based financial services firm, the sports management department:

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincit...gend-tony-parker-joins-minneapolis-based.html

Howl Wolves!!
 

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