All Things 2021-2022 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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Didn't listen to the 4th Quarter but looking at the play-by-play and box score, yep, the bench was awful (reverting to form?) and the Wolves ran out of gas in the 4th Quarter. Late in the quarter.

Wolves were up 102-99 going into the quarter. Ahead by 1, 115-114, with 5:25 left in the game. Then Sacramento outscored them 18-4 the rest of the way to make the final 134-119.

Actually that 18-4 run all took place in the last 4:34 of the game!

They missed Beverly and maybe they should keep that in mind during today's NBA Trade Deadline. That probably didn't account for that godawful 4:34 last night. They were just gassed.

Alan Horton noted at the beginning of the game how rough Sabonis has been on the Wolves lately. He had a good night too. Might end-up being a good trade for them. Though JimmyJames was right. Looks like bench play was the difference last night.

www.espn.com

Kings 132-119 Timberwolves (Feb 9, 2022) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Sacramento Kings vs. Minnesota Timberwolves NBA game from February 9, 2022 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

www.espn.com

Kings 132-119 Timberwolves (Feb 9, 2022) Play-by-Play - ESPN

Play-by-play action for the Sacramento Kings vs. Minnesota Timberwolves NBA game from February 9, 2022 on ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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Last night was a borderline "scheduled loss." Second night of a back to back in their building with new players arriving. Also, the refs made some terrible calls at key points. JimPete was pissed. Still.....it was a game they could have stolen if they had played defense. Sabonis is a good to very good player, but that's it. He's basically an undersized center with no outside game. We make him look like an MVP every damn time. KAT struggles with physical guys.

I hope no moves today unless they can magically turn the 13th-15th players into a productive big man rebounder off of the bench.
 

jamiche said:
Last night was a borderline "scheduled loss." Second night of a back to back in their building with new players arriving. Also, the refs made some terrible calls at key points. JimPete was pissed. Still.....it was a game they could have stolen if they had played defense. Sabonis is a good to very good player, but that's it. He's basically an undersized center with no outside game. We make him look like an MVP every damn time. KAT struggles with physical guys.

I hope no moves today unless they can magically turn the 13th-15th players into a productive big man rebounder off of the bench.
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I would love to get Harrell. His 9+ million salary (one more year after this year at another 9+) does cause some issues though. We just don't have one player who works salary-wise. We would have to either take on another player from Washington or add a draft pick to scrubs like Layman, etc.. I might be willing to add a lottery-protected first-rounder but not much else.
 

Apparently Edwards has been playing hurt and been keeping quiet about it.


 

"The game felt similar, in some ways, to a couple of years ago when former Wolves boss Gersson Rosas executed a series of trades to remake the roster. The Wolves were a dead team before those moves to bring in Russell, Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, James Johnson and a player few paid much attention to at the time by the name of Jarred Vanderbilt. The first game after all of the deals, Beasley and Hernangomez jumped right into the rotation, started whipping the ball around in pickup-ball offense and torched the LA Clippers. The worn-out Wolves crowd was on fire for the game, and the nothing-to-lose squad just let it fly.

The same thing was true in Sacramento on Thursday. Sabonis, Holiday and Lamb jumped into Kings uniforms a day after being acquired, not knowing anything about the offense Sacramento runs. They just played freely, running pick-and-rolls and dribble-handoffs all game long, and because the Wolves provided little resistance, they developed a rhythm and confidence that carried them right through..

But the Wolves have been slipping further and further down the slope over the last few weeks. Russell believes it is complacency. Towns believes it is fatigue. Edwards thinks it might have something to do with a left knee that has been bothering him for quite some time. He was listed as questionable on Wednesday because of left patella tendinopathy, something he has complained about several times this season.

“It’s been depressing, man,” Edwards said. “I was in a room sad last night just because I can’t be there for my team, and I don’t like missing games. But today was the first day that it actually felt good out there and everything felt good and I was doing everything I needed.”..

Now the big question is, does this Wolves team need a jolt like the one the Kings got this week, or the one the Wolves got in 2020? Or was this just one bad game in a long season? If so, should the Wolves stand pat, ride the excellent chemistry this team is building and keep pushing forward as is?

We will find out soon enough.

theathletic.com

Wolves have a lot to think about on trade deadline day after two games in Sacramento

The Wolves are quickly finding out what it is going to take to be a playoff contender in the West.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 



kg21 said:
No, I'm going to ship him out of Minnesota as part of a Ben Simmons deal. I'm going to smile all the way to the bank while doing it!
Click to expand...

1:01 p.m. ET: ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports on the NBA Today Trade Deadline special that the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are engaged in trade talks for James Harden. "There's a place today where they can get to a deal," says Wojnarowski. However, the 76ers believe they can get Harden in the offseason, though "the price will go up."

The Sixers traded their 25-year-old three-time All-Star, along with Seth Curry, to the Brooklyn Nets for one-time MVP James Harden, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. Brooklyn also gets Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, and Paul Millsap is headed to Philadelphia, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

kg21? What the hell happened? ;)
 
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Iceland12 said:
1:01 p.m. ET: ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports on the NBA Today Trade Deadline special that the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets are engaged in trade talks for James Harden. "There's a place today where they can get to a deal," says Wojnarowski. However, the 76ers believe they can get Harden in the offseason, though "the price will go up."

kg21? What the hell happened? ;)
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Great deal for the Nets.


Howl Wolves!!
 




I like the trade for both the Nets and 76ers, it's win-win. The only problem is allegedly Simmons is not in shape and won't play for several weeks.

I never really thought the Wolves had the pieces to get Simmons, and I'm happy they didn't. I don't see how he would help improve this team.
 

tikited said:
I would love to get Harrell. His 9+ million salary (one more year after this year at another 9+) does cause some issues though. We just don't have one player who works salary-wise. We would have to either take on another player from Washington or add a draft pick to scrubs like Layman, etc.. I might be willing to add a lottery-protected first-rounder but not much else.
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I think Harrell is on an expiring. If so, I'm not sure it's worth giving up a first, even heavily protected, for a 27 game rental.
 


It takes years and years of franchise ineptitude to achieve a stat like this:


Howl Wolves!!
 



jamiche said:
I think Harrell is on an expiring. If so, I'm not sure it's worth giving up a first, even heavily protected, for a 27 game rental.
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Harrell just went to the Hornets.
 

The NBA Trade Deadline, is over. Congrats to the reporters who called the Simmons/Harden trade a couple of days ago should be congratulated. Just remember all the other trades that happened and how virtually none of them were rumored beforehand.
 


Iceland12 said:
Harrell just went to the Hornets.
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Hmm, the Hornets didn't seem to give up anything of real value for him, two end of the bench players. You would think if the T-Wolves brass had wanted him, they could have made it work without too much pain. Oh well. . .
 

jamiche said:
I think Harrell is on an expiring. If so, I'm not sure it's worth giving up a first, even heavily protected, for a 27 game rental.
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You are correct. I read he signed a two-year deal, but that was last year.
 




What are the Nets pplans with Andre Drummond. Could he be a buyout candidate?
 


Here are the potential Free Agent big men from Hollinger's Top 20 at The Athletic. Not sure if the Wolves have any available cap space so that is a real consideration.

5. Robin Lopez, C, Orlando – I don’t know why the Magic signed Robin Lopez in the first place, and since he’s on a one-year deal anyway, one hopes he’ll get the chance to do something for a better team. Lopez has only played 24 games this year, but statistically and observationally, he looks like the same player he was in Washington a year ago — a backup five who can play drop coverage and torment opponents with hook shots. Obviously, a reunion with his twin brother, Brook, in Milwaukee looms as one potential destination, although one could argue another former team of his — Chicago — could use him a lot more right now.

7. Enes Freedom, C, Houston – Thrown into Boston’s trade for Daniel Theis to keep Boston under the luxury tax, Enes Freedom was immediately waived by the Rockets, according to reports, and thus can “double-dip” if he signs someplace else, getting his full contract (for the minimum, but still) paid out by Houston and money from a new team. Freedom’s struggles guarding pick-and-roll make him an iffy playoff performer, but East teams looking at a Philadelphia matchup might consider his ability to mash in the paint.

8. Tristan Thompson, C, Indiana – Tristan Thompson was lost in a jumble of the Kings’ many centers and isn’t part of the Pacers’ future either, so a buyout here seems sensible. He can still rebound at a high rate (19.0 percent rebound rate the last two seasons), but his offensive contributions are limited, and his mobility for switching is no longer at its Cleveland-era peak.

10. Mike Muscala, C, Oklahoma City – Mike Muscala is one of the better players on this list, but his stated preference has been to stay in OKC. However, I’m wondering if a chance to play for a championship in Milwaukee and reunite with his former coach in Atlanta, Mike Budenholzer, might cause him to reconsider. Just as importantly, he has a $3.5 million team option for next season, so the Thunder might not want to give him his wings just yet.

12. Drew Eubanks, C, Toronto – Um, has anyone else noticed Toronto doesn’t start any true big men but can send out a five-man bench unit of centers? Who do the Raptors think they are, Sacramento? Precious Achiuwa/Thaddeus Young/Khem Birch/Drew Eubanks/Chris Boucher; make it happen, you cowards! Eubanks was an essential addition to the Young trade to make it cap-legal, but other teams could make a lot better use of his services, and the Raptors probably would like to have some guards, just in case they ever rest their starters.


theathletic.com

Hollinger: NBA buyout market tiers, led by John Wall, Gary Harris, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragić

Once again, some helpful players are going to be available essentially for free once the machine gets cranking.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 
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CHICAGO — Sachin Gupta said last month the Timberwolves were likely to be "buyers" at the NBA trade deadline.

But the team's executive vice president added a caveat — he wouldn't make a move unless it would improve the Wolves this season and in future seasons.

There was no deal Gupta liked to fit that mold, and Thursday's trade deadline ended without the Wolves making any moves. They opted to keep together a roster that has climbed to the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference and has gone 13-7 since the calendar changed to 2022.

The Wolves were potentially looking for help in their frontcourt because they have the worst defensive rebounding percentage in the league. But they did not want to sacrifice future assets to improve marginally this season, even if it meant a greater chance of moving up into the top six seeds and avoiding the play-in tournament at the end of the season.

The Wolves have their full complement of first-round picks going forward along with three second-round picks in this year's draft..

www.startribune.com

Timberwolves stay silent at NBA trade deadline as team climbs in standings

The Wolves didn't want to sacrifice future assets or disrupt the chemistry of the current team.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 

Iceland12 said:
Here are the potential Free Agent big men from Hollinger's Top 20 at The Athletic. Not sure if the Wolves have any available cap space so that is a real consideration.

5. Robin Lopez, C, Orlando – I don’t know why the Magic signed Robin Lopez in the first place, and since he’s on a one-year deal anyway, one hopes he’ll get the chance to do something for a better team. Lopez has only played 24 games this year, but statistically and observationally, he looks like the same player he was in Washington a year ago — a backup five who can play drop coverage and torment opponents with hook shots. Obviously, a reunion with his twin brother, Brook, in Milwaukee looms as one potential destination, although one could argue another former team of his — Chicago — could use him a lot more right now.

7. Enes Freedom, C, Houston – Thrown into Boston’s trade for Daniel Theis to keep Boston under the luxury tax, Enes Freedom was immediately waived by the Rockets, according to reports, and thus can “double-dip” if he signs someplace else, getting his full contract (for the minimum, but still) paid out by Houston and money from a new team. Freedom’s struggles guarding pick-and-roll make him an iffy playoff performer, but East teams looking at a Philadelphia matchup might consider his ability to mash in the paint.

8. Tristan Thompson, C, Indiana – Tristan Thompson was lost in a jumble of the Kings’ many centers and isn’t part of the Pacers’ future either, so a buyout here seems sensible. He can still rebound at a high rate (19.0 percent rebound rate the last two seasons), but his offensive contributions are limited, and his mobility for switching is no longer at its Cleveland-era peak.

10. Mike Muscala, C, Oklahoma City – Mike Muscala is one of the better players on this list, but his stated preference has been to stay in OKC. However, I’m wondering if a chance to play for a championship in Milwaukee and reunite with his former coach in Atlanta, Mike Budenholzer, might cause him to reconsider. Just as importantly, he has a $3.5 million team option for next season, so the Thunder might not want to give him his wings just yet.

12. Drew Eubanks, C, Toronto – Um, has anyone else noticed Toronto doesn’t start any true big men but can send out a five-man bench unit of centers? Who do the Raptors think they are, Sacramento? Precious Achiuwa/Thaddeus Young/Khem Birch/Drew Eubanks/Chris Boucher; make it happen, you cowards! Eubanks was an essential addition to the Young trade to make it cap-legal, but other teams could make a lot better use of his services, and the Raptors probably would like to have some guards, just in case they ever rest their starters.


theathletic.com

Hollinger: NBA buyout market tiers, led by John Wall, Gary Harris, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragić

Once again, some helpful players are going to be available essentially for free once the machine gets cranking.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
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I would love to get Lopez. I would like to get Thompson. The rest do nothing for me. I doubt we do anything though.
 

Wolves were in tough spot to make a trade. Tough to give up a mcdaniels or Vanderbilt unless the pieces you get back push you into contender mode.

The Beasley for Richardson trade would have been good. But Beasley is still young, maybe a good idea not to give up on him yet
 

It looks like DLo is back to his matador defense and the league has fully scouted our defensive system. Good perimeter ball movement beats our scrambling every time, leading to a lot of wide open threes.

I think the Bulls will come out of the East, so it's no shame losing to them in their building. It's how they lost that's problematic.

I'm worried that these last two games could have a snowball effect. The wolves look tired and disinterested on defense. Now we are going to find out if Finch has the attention of the team.
 

jamiche said:
It looks like DLo is back to his matador defense and the league has fully scouted our defensive system. Good perimeter ball movement beats our scrambling every time, leading to a lot of wide open threes.

I think the Bulls will come out of the East, so it's no shame losing to them in their building. It's how they lost that's problematic.

I'm worried that these last two games could have a snowball effect. The wolves look tired and disinterested on defense. Now we are going to find out if Finch has the attention of the team.
Click to expand...
Holy hell, the bulls shot 64%............that is embarrassing.

Ive said it multiple times, but our top 3 players don't play defense and many nights aren't even interested in it.

This is a .500 roster.

Oh, and DLO.........our weak ass fans will never equal your weak ass defense.
 

kg21 said:
Holy hell, the bulls shot 64%............that is embarrassing.

Ive said it multiple times, but our top 3 players don't play defense and many nights aren't even interested in it.

This is a .500 roster.

Oh, and DLO.........our weak ass fans will never equal your weak ass defense.
Click to expand...
We have to get you off of the ledge (again).
KAT, Ant and DLo have improved defensively significantly this year, until the last 4-5 games. The last few games aside, they have become average defensively, which is a huge improvement. Now we have to see if the last 4-5 games are an aberration or a reversion.
A .500 roster is a huge improvement over a .300 roster. Enjoy it and let's see if they can build on it.
TC is a quiet building. Seventeen years of continuous losing will do that to a fan base. DLo's comment was impolitic, but accurate.
 

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