All Things 2019-2020 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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Souhan: Andrew Wiggins remains a contrarian, this time a heroic one

Wiggins made nine of 18 shots to finish with a team-high 25 points, with six rebounds and no assists. In the fourth quarter he was 5-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 from three and a plus-14.

If Wiggins has an advantage over Type A personalities, it may be that he is the rare maximum-contract player who is not offended by hard coaching.

“I made a lot of dumb decisions, and I told him to keep me accountable,” Wiggins said of Saunders. “If I do something wrong, make me pay for it. He did that. I feel like that woke me up, too. I’ve got to be better.”

Saunders tempers his coaching with predictions. “Every day, he’s telling me I’m going to have a good year, just trust him and trust in the system,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins spoke in the same, quiet, voice he uses when he gets booed. He’s not going to change as a person.

Can he change as a player?

Seems to be worth a try.

http://www.startribune.com/andrew-wiggins-remains-a-contrarian-this-time-a-heroic-one/563959232/

Howl Wolves!!
 

Thanks for the Tony Parker update. Here is how ESPN has them ranked after the first week. The Athletic by the way moved them from 22nd to 11th.

Enjoy it way you can. ;)


15. Minnesota Timberwolves

Record: 3-0
Week 1 ranking: 21

The undefeated Timberwolves have achieved their early success with a balanced team effort around transcendent superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, who has put up dominant numbers to start his fifth season (32.0 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, 3.0 steals per game). Towns will turn 24 in November and will look to carry the Timberwolves to their second playoff appearance in the past three seasons. -- Snellings

This week: @PHI, @WAS
 

Winners and Losers of the First Almost-Week of the NBA Season - The Ringer

2. Who’s the biggest winner of the first almost-week of the season?

Verrier: Karl-Anthony Towns. Y’know, maybe asking one of the most talented players in basketball to take a back seat to a War Boy wasn’t the best idea. Towns has been a monster since the Timberwolves cut bait with Jimmy Butler, and he’s been even better now that the new regime in Minnesota is leaning into his inner Steph Curry: Through three games—all Wolves wins—Towns is averaging 32 points and shooting 10 3s a game at a 51.7 percent clip. Perhaps even more impressively, Towns may have gotten Andrew Wiggins to care again.

4. Which take are you already reconsidering?

Gonzalez: That the Wolves will be bad because they’re the Wolves and that’s how things go for them. When Karl-Anthony Towns told everyone to “keep sleeping” on Minnesota, I thought “yeah, man, that’s the plan.” And then I watched him absolutely ruin the Nets—and Kyrie Irving’s monster 50-point debut in Brooklyn—with a ridiculous opening-night performance. Did you see his line from that evening? Here it is, but it’s so hot I advise you to wear eclipse glasses when looking at it to avoid burning your retina: 36 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three steals, three blocks, 7-for-8 from the free throw line and … someone hold me … seven 3s! As Ringer teammate Zach Kram pointed out, KAT is the first player in NBA history to score 70 or more points and add 10 or more 3s through the first two games of the season. Also, in that same “keep sleeping” interview, KAT said he’s “always been confident” because “I am from Jersey.” Which, as a neighbor from Philadelphia, all the LOLs on that one. I am suddenly in on KAT and the weird, wonderful Wolves.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/10/28/20935658/winners-losers-nba-opening-week
 

Just how much better is Karl-Anthony Towns? We’ll find out Wednesday - Twincities.com

Hello, Joel Embiid.

The 76ers’ star big man has gotten the best of Towns early in this young rivalry, and they meet again Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. In five meetings, Towns has walked away with one win, and that came in Embiid’s eighth NBA game.

It was Embiid’s first active season after sitting out two years because of foot issues. He was only playing one game of back-to-backs at the time, and purposely sat out a home game against Washington so he could go head-to-head against Towns the next night.

The two transcendent big men like to go at one another, on and off the court. After the 76ers beat Minnesota at Target Center in December 2017, Embiid posted an Instagram photo of himself scoring on Towns with the caption, “Euro stepping our way through Minnesota and we ended up raising the cat last night.”

At the time, a Philadelphia social media campaign encouraged fans to post of themselves lifting up cats after victories, but it was hard not to make the KAT connection.

“That caption was as trash as your photo quality,” Towns responded in the comments.

“Better quality than your defense,” Embiid said.

Burn.

https://www.twincities.com/2019/10/...s-timberwolves-towns-well-find-out-wednesday/
 

Wolves being outshot 37.5 to 48.9, being out rebounded 32-13 and they are down by 19 at the Half.

3-1 still sounds better than 0-4 doesn't it? :eek:
 


Well I guess that settles it. Embiid, Simmons and Towns really do not like each other.

Embiid and Towns ejected. Simmons should be gone too, but obviously not my call. :D
 
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Iceland12 said:
Well I guess that settles it. Embiid, Simmons and Towns really do not like each other.

Embiid and Towns ejected. Simmons should be gone too, but obviously not my call. :D
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Simmons was the worst of the 3. Should have been gone.
 


Just anothe reason I hate the NBA. Little b1tch fight then they go back and forth on social media like middle schoolers.
 



Embiid and Towns both got a two game suspension. The NBA decided that Simmons, chokehold aside, was acting as a peacemaker and didn't get punished.
 

Iceland12 said:
Embiid and Towns both got a two game suspension. The NBA decided that Simmons, chokehold aside, was acting as a peacemaker and didn't get punished.
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Can’t believe Simmons didn’t get suspended.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

jamiche said:
Can’t believe Simmons didn’t get suspended.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Nobody else can either. They must have asked General Soreness.

Simmons can be seen trying to pry Towns away from Embiid while the latter two are in a headlock. Moments later, with Towns on the ground, video showed Simmons with his arm around Towns’ neck. Referee crew chief Mark Ayotte told a pool reporter they didn’t think Simmons meant any harm.

“We deemed him a peacemaker,” Ayotte said of Simmons.

But the Wolves are contesting that designation in conversations they have had with the league, a source confirmed.

The Wolves have been in communication with the league, saying Simmons was attempting to cause harm by appearing to have Towns engaged in a chokehold or stranglehold.

http://www.startribune.com/wolves-w...mons-role-in-towns-vs-embiid-fight/564168012/
 

jamiche said:
Can’t believe Simmons didn’t get suspended.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Big giant joke.

Wiggins is such a little girl though. Even when his boy Towns is getting in a tussle, he wants nothing to do with it. He's got to be one of the most timid professional athletes off all time.
 



JimmyJamesMD said:
Big giant joke.

Wiggins is such a little girl though. Even when his boy Towns is getting in a tussle, he wants nothing to do with it. He's got to be one of the most timid professional athletes off all time.
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This made me take a look again at the video. Best viewed muted. Wiggins and Layman were hustling down the court to try and stop the lay-up. They turned, took a beat to figure out what was going on and ran back down the court when they saw the scrum. Coaches and officials basically screened them from getting involved.

Not a defender of Wiggins, his salary or his passivity, but he didn't do anything wrong in this instance.

Not gonna speculate what would have happened if he had stayed downcourt rather than Teague.

Though feel free too. ;)
 

Iceland12 said:
This made me take a look again at the video. Best viewed muted. Wiggins and Layman were hustling down the court to try and stop the lay-up. They turned, took a beat to figure out what was going on and ran back down the court when they saw the scrum. Coaches and officials basically screened them from getting involved.

Not a defender of Wiggins, his salary or his passivity, but he didn't do anything wrong in this instance.

Not gonna speculate what would have happened if he had stayed downcourt rather than Teague.

Though feel free too. ;)
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I like this take by the ringer. He makes fun of Wiggs at about 1:20 because Wiggs was getting beat down the court by an assistant coach to get the fight
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I like this take by the ringer. He makes fun of Wiggs at about 1:20 because Wiggs was getting beat down the court by an assistant coach to get the fight
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When I watched it for the first time, I noticed Andrew was a split second slow on his reaction to it all. That is very consistant with his play on the court. Almost always a split second behind the flow.
 

Wolves - 70 Wizards - 56 at the Half

Wolves are leading 70-56 at the Half. Dieng 15, Wiggins 14, Teague and Covington 10.

Teague has 9 assists and Wiggins has 4. Dieng and Wiggins each have 4 rebounds.

They are shooting 54% to Washington's 37.5., 18 assists to 8 but have only taken 13 FT to the Wizards 19.

Got 3 TV's on and we're enjoying a Saturday night at home for the 1st time in a while. Think they Wolves are enjoying there evening too.

Now hope we all enjoy the 2nd half.
 


Honestly wouldn't it be better if they just tanked and tried to get another star to go with KAT?
 

bottlebass said:
Honestly wouldn't it be better if they just tanked and tried to get another star to go with KAT?
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While true, it just hasnt worked out for this franchise. They need to win and hopefully get lucky at pick 20 whatever
 


bottlebass said:
Honestly wouldn't it be better if they just tanked and tried to get another star to go with KAT?
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No. Even if they had the worst record, their luck in the lottery would get them 6th pick.
 



bottlebass said:
Do you get a better player at 6 or at 20?
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Tanking for #6? I get it if you're down to the last 10-20 games in a lost season and they have done that before. But wanting them to take 5 games into the season is a bit much.
 


howeda7 said:
Tanking for #6? I get it if you're down to the last 10-20 games in a lost season and they have done that before. But wanting them to take 5 games into the season is a bit much.
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We'll build up too much of a lead if we wait until the last 10-20 games..
 




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