All Things 2021 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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coolhandgopher said:
Not to be pedantic about it while beating that dead horse, but to trade up in the draft and give up a valuable rotational big (Dario Saric) to pick a shooting guard/wing who can't shoot at 6 overall when several players chosen afterwards have proven to be more productive (including the actual pick by the TWolves at #11, Cameron Johnson, who had an excellent game off the bench for Phoenix last night). . .yeah, what a waste.
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Now you're just rubbing salt in the wound...
 


short ornery norwegian said:
caught a bit of Jim Peterson on KFAN. he was talking up the guy from Argentina - Bolmaro. Drafted last year. a 6'6" guard/wing type.

apparently the party line from the Wolves is that they think Bolmaro will be as good or better than anyone they would have gotten in the draft. you can believe that or not, but that is apparently the line they're pushing.
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I wouldn't be surprised if he is better than whoever is picked at #7. Kid improved his shooting a lot last season and can play d.
 

tikited said:
I wouldn't be surprised if he is better than whoever is picked at #7. Kid improved his shooting a lot last season and can play d.
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He looks super impressive on YouTube. However, I've never seen anyone miss a shot on YouTube.

Rosas has a very mixed record so far. Trading up to get Culver was a terrible move. Saric and Cam Johnson are both playing well for the Suns. Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell were decent finds in that same drafts. The DLo/Wiggins trade was terrible. Rosas didn't save any money and the two players, while different, are the same caliber. They play when they want to play. (DLo had no interest in playing for Ryan--so he didn't exactly lead the team while KAT was out.) Giving up the 7th and 36th picks this year, when he didn't have to, was the killer. Last year's draft was excellent. The hiring of Finch looks good so far.

The 21-22 season is when we'll know if we have a POBO who is going to take this franchise somewhere or take us nowhere--but in a fast paced, interesting style.
 

Dlo and the pick for Wiggins was still the right move. We'll see that pay off next season. Dlo is an all-star caliber PG when healthy, while Wiggins is just an average SF.

Dlo is 2 million cheaper than Wiggins per season, and they both become FA's after the 22-23 season.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Dlo and the pick for Wiggins was still the right move. We'll see that pay off next season. Dlo is an all-star caliber PG when healthy, while Wiggins is just an average SF.

Dlo is 2 million cheaper than Wiggins per season, and they both become FA's after the 22-23 season.
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I still think the trade wasn't handled well. Gave up too much, but I am still thrilled Wiggins is gone.
jamiche said:
He looks super impressive on YouTube. However, I've never seen anyone miss a shot on YouTube.

Rosas has a very mixed record so far. Trading up to get Culver was a terrible move. Saric and Cam Johnson are both playing well for the Suns. Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell were decent finds in that same drafts. The DLo/Wiggins trade was terrible. Rosas didn't save any money and the two players, while different, are the same caliber. They play when they want to play. (DLo had no interest in playing for Ryan--so he didn't exactly lead the team while KAT was out.) Giving up the 7th and 36th picks this year, when he didn't have to, was the killer. Last year's draft was excellent. The hiring of Finch looks good so far.

The 21-22 season is when we'll know if we have a POBO who is going to take this franchise somewhere or take us nowhere--but in a fast paced, interesting style.
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Mixed bag for sure on the brain wizards.

They had to give up a first to get rid of Wiggins. No way around it. I just wish they protected it more and a future 2nd instead. Dumb to give up both picks in the same draft.
 






per STrib:

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards wasn't supposed to be in Minnesota this week, but after suffering an apparent injury while training with Team USA in Las Vegas, he'll have to return. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Monday that Edwards would be back in the coming days to be "properly assessed."

In a video that circulated on Twitter last week, Edwards was seen limping out of practice and being helped to the team bus. Although the nature of the injury was unclear, a source told the Star Tribune that it was a "sprain" and confirmed it was not Edwards' knee.

Edwards, who turns 20 on Aug. 5, was a finalist for the 2021 Rookie of the Year award after averaging more than 19 points per game and shooting 41.7% from the field in his first season with the Timberwolves.

Edwards, along with Timberwolves teammate Naz Reid, was part of the "Select Team" helping train Team USA for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Select Team does not travel to the Games. Finch said he watched the team practice last week and felt that Reid and Edwards were "two of the best players on the court."

"Unfortunately for Ant, I think if he wouldn't have gotten hurt, I think he had a chance to stick around a little bit longer with the Olympic team," Finch said.

www.startribune.com

Timberwolves bringing Anthony Edwards back to Minnesota for injury evaluation

Coach Chris Finch said Edwards had a chance to "stick around longer" with the Olympic team before getting injured in Las Vegas.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 






The NBA's board of governors approved Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez's first acquisition for 20% of the Timberwolves and Lynx, sources confirmed Tuesday.

The sale is expected to close in coming days as Lore and Rodriguez embark on their two-year path to becoming controlling owners of the Wolves and Lynx.

Tuesday's approval was largely a formality after Lore and Rodriguez met with the league's finance committee last weekand the committee recommended approval of the sale to the board of governors.

This first sale does not make Lore and Rodriguez controlling owners yet, but it will formally bring them into the ownership group of the Wolves and Lynx.

The approval also comes after current owner Glen Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, fended off a legal challenge from minority owner Meyer Orbach, who attempted to halt the sale on grounds Taylor violated their agreement over whether Orbach would get paid now or later for his approximately 16% of the franchise..

www.startribune.com

NBA approves initial sale of Timberwolves, Lynx to Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez

Lore and Rodriguez will enter ownership fold with 20% stake in the franchises on pathway to becoming controlling owners.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 




TruthSeeker said:
Muhammed. They also could have had Gobert.
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Spaulding!No! said:
Thanks for the info!
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Yep. A whole lot of strangeness went on in that Draft. 13 teams besides Minnesota passed on Giannis, 11 on Steven Adams and 26 on Gobert. Anthony Bennett (!) was taken first!

Wolves ended-up with 2 -1st Round picks after they traded #9(Trey Burke) for #14(Shabazz Muhammad) and #21(Gorgui Dieng). They all played in the NBA, Burke and Dieng still are, but not very well.

Don't think we can blame Khan either. He was fired a few weeks before the draft took place.

en.wikipedia.org

2013 NBA draft - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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Interesting read from Jon K about the parallel's between Wolves new ownership and the ownership group that took over Milwaukee 7 years ago:

It will be a delicate path forward. Lore and Rodriguez are coming in as limited partners. They will not be running the show and still have to come up with the money to ascend to that level. It will be a partnership with Taylor to begin making the changes deemed necessary to get the Wolves competitive. They are outsiders coming into a very provincial city, where “One of Us” is both a badge of honor to locals and a shield used against interlopers. Rodriguez’s role with the Yankees in wiping out the Twins in the playoffs during his playing career — not to mention his admission to using steroids — has local sports fans wary.

But the same fans have spent years clamoring for a new vision and a new direction. In Towns, Edwards, Russell and Jaden McDaniels, there is the outline of a core that can be competitive. Gersson Rosas’s move to hire Chris Finch as coach showed promise down the stretch, but there is still so much work to be done.

Ultimately, the biggest key to the next several years as this transition unfolds is the belief that it is possible. That hasn’t been the case around here for the last decade-plus. But 10 years ago, who would have believed that 60,000 people would be going crazy outside the arena as the Milwaukee Bucks won a title? And who would have thought the Suns, of all teams, would be going toe to toe with a giant all series long? Who would have thought the Hawks would become the hottest ticket in Atlanta, with a point guard shooting from 30 feet and the scene’s thriving and ultra-cool hip-hop scene injecting the franchise with an undeniable vibe?

None of that guarantees anything in Minnesota. Maybe Lore and Rodriguez are the next Edens and Lasry, overcoming early missteps to revive a franchise and build a winner that appears primed to sustain for the near future. Maybe they are the next Vivek Ranadive, who has largely flailed with the Sacramento Kings.

But there is a legion of basketball fans in this community who have needed to apologize for liking the NBA for too long. They have been pushed into the shadows, sheepishly proclaiming their fandom while being asked to justify it every time they tweet or cheer or sit at a bar and ask the bartender to turn the basketball game on. They are out there waiting to be given a reason to come out of the woodwork.

The first step is believing that something is possible. The much harder step is turning that belief into results. That work begins now.

theathletic.com

New Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are approved, but a challenge awaits in Minnesota

The NBA Board of Governors finally voted to approve Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez as Timberwolves owners. Now they need to build a winner.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

2013 NBA Draft results, a lot of team missed on Giannis.

RkPkTmPlayerCollegeYrsGMPPTSTRBASTFG%3P%FT%MPPTSTRBASTWSWS/48BPMVORP
11CLEAnthony BennettUNLV4151190565847277.392.261.67012.64.43.10.50.5.013-4.8-1.3
22ORLVictor OladipoIndiana845414968795520941796.438.347.79133.017.54.64.024.6.0790.910.9
33WASOtto PorterGeorgetown84411168448212189673.479.402.79326.510.95.01.531.1.1281.610.6
44CHACody ZellerIndiana84671061840622824669.518.227.72922.78.76.01.431.0.140-0.54.1
55PHOAlex LenMaryland85311014941363180444.506.332.68519.17.86.00.820.7.098-1.90.2
66NOHNerlens NoelKentucky7425952432182648468.549.200.65322.47.66.21.126.8.1350.97.0
77SACBen McLemoreKansas84921124943601166504.416.363.77622.98.92.41.08.2.035-3.1-3.0
88DETKentavious Caldwell-PopeGeorgia860617645689318871005.419.355.80329.111.43.11.731.8.087-0.75.6
99MINTrey BurkeMichigan8456996045788451465.411.346.80821.810.01.93.212.9.062-1.22.0
1010PORCJ McCollumLehigh852816479997117721729.455.398.82631.218.93.43.336.7.1071.213.3
1111PHIMichael Carter-WilliamsSyracuse83919898402317131701.402.255.70625.310.34.44.46.6.032-1.21.9
1212OKCSteven AdamsPitt85881581256294543726.591.077.54826.99.67.71.249.1.1490.39.1
1313DALKelly OlynykGonzaga857012644578129101137.478.367.78322.210.15.12.033.6.1280.99.0
1414UTAShabazz MuhammadUCLA527847722504770151.473.319.75117.29.02.80.58.5.085-2.00.0
1515MILGiannis Antetokounmpo8589191501231953712632.532.287.71732.520.99.14.574.6.1875.435.8
 

LakevilleBro said:
2013 NBA Draft results, a lot of team missed on Giannis.

RkPkTmPlayerCollegeYrsGMPPTSTRBASTFG%3P%FT%MPPTSTRBASTWSWS/48BPMVORP
11CLEAnthony BennettUNLV4151190565847277.392.261.67012.64.43.10.50.5.013-4.8-1.3
22ORLVictor OladipoIndiana845414968795520941796.438.347.79133.017.54.64.024.6.0790.910.9
33WASOtto PorterGeorgetown84411168448212189673.479.402.79326.510.95.01.531.1.1281.610.6
44CHACody ZellerIndiana84671061840622824669.518.227.72922.78.76.01.431.0.140-0.54.1
55PHOAlex LenMaryland85311014941363180444.506.332.68519.17.86.00.820.7.098-1.90.2
66NOHNerlens NoelKentucky7425952432182648468.549.200.65322.47.66.21.126.8.1350.97.0
77SACBen McLemoreKansas84921124943601166504.416.363.77622.98.92.41.08.2.035-3.1-3.0
88DETKentavious Caldwell-PopeGeorgia860617645689318871005.419.355.80329.111.43.11.731.8.087-0.75.6
99MINTrey BurkeMichigan8456996045788451465.411.346.80821.810.01.93.212.9.062-1.22.0
1010PORCJ McCollumLehigh852816479997117721729.455.398.82631.218.93.43.336.7.1071.213.3
1111PHIMichael Carter-WilliamsSyracuse83919898402317131701.402.255.70625.310.34.44.46.6.032-1.21.9
1212OKCSteven AdamsPitt85881581256294543726.591.077.54826.99.67.71.249.1.1490.39.1
1313DALKelly OlynykGonzaga857012644578129101137.478.367.78322.210.15.12.033.6.1280.99.0
1414UTAShabazz MuhammadUCLA527847722504770151.473.319.75117.29.02.80.58.5.085-2.00.0
1515MILGiannis Antetokounmpo8589191501231953712632.532.287.71732.520.99.14.574.6.1875.435.8
Click to expand...

The 2013 draft was really weak, but there is almost always a HOFer in each class, and 14 teams missed on him this time. What's crazy is of the Top 15 picks, the #1 pick played the fewest games.

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Interesting read from Jon K about the parallel's between Wolves new ownership and the ownership group that took over Milwaukee 7 years ago:

It will be a delicate path forward. Lore and Rodriguez are coming in as limited partners. They will not be running the show and still have to come up with the money to ascend to that level. It will be a partnership with Taylor to begin making the changes deemed necessary to get the Wolves competitive. They are outsiders coming into a very provincial city, where “One of Us” is both a badge of honor to locals and a shield used against interlopers. Rodriguez’s role with the Yankees in wiping out the Twins in the playoffs during his playing career — not to mention his admission to using steroids — has local sports fans wary.

But the same fans have spent years clamoring for a new vision and a new direction. In Towns, Edwards, Russell and Jaden McDaniels, there is the outline of a core that can be competitive. Gersson Rosas’s move to hire Chris Finch as coach showed promise down the stretch, but there is still so much work to be done.

Ultimately, the biggest key to the next several years as this transition unfolds is the belief that it is possible. That hasn’t been the case around here for the last decade-plus. But 10 years ago, who would have believed that 60,000 people would be going crazy outside the arena as the Milwaukee Bucks won a title? And who would have thought the Suns, of all teams, would be going toe to toe with a giant all series long? Who would have thought the Hawks would become the hottest ticket in Atlanta, with a point guard shooting from 30 feet and the scene’s thriving and ultra-cool hip-hop scene injecting the franchise with an undeniable vibe?

None of that guarantees anything in Minnesota. Maybe Lore and Rodriguez are the next Edens and Lasry, overcoming early missteps to revive a franchise and build a winner that appears primed to sustain for the near future. Maybe they are the next Vivek Ranadive, who has largely flailed with the Sacramento Kings.

But there is a legion of basketball fans in this community who have needed to apologize for liking the NBA for too long. They have been pushed into the shadows, sheepishly proclaiming their fandom while being asked to justify it every time they tweet or cheer or sit at a bar and ask the bartender to turn the basketball game on. They are out there waiting to be given a reason to come out of the woodwork.

The first step is believing that something is possible. The much harder step is turning that belief into results. That work begins now.

theathletic.com

New Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are approved, but a challenge awaits in Minnesota

The NBA Board of Governors finally voted to approve Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez as Timberwolves owners. Now they need to build a winner.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

Yep, good article.

We have a number of friends in Milwaukee. We've made many trips over there too. Two of them had Bucks Season Tickets when that sale went down. They heard endless cries of "They're gonna take them to Seattle!"

Probably not hearing that now.
 





Taurean Prince, responsible for my favorite answer to a post game question ever.

 


tikited said:
We are getting the pick. This saves over $4 million, gets a trade exception created, a 2022 2nd round pick and a new PF. Too bad Prince sucks at rebounding and defense.
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Much better trade with those details. That gives the Wolves more room to add a quality start at PF.
 

TruthSeeker said:
Much better trade with those details. That gives the Wolves more room to add a quality start at PF.
Click to expand...
Cleveland also sends $2.5 million over. Isn't that how much a 2nd rounder costs in a trade?
 

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