All Things 2022 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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kg21 said:
Or pick a shabazz Muhammed and then watch the Greek Freak go next.
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How about selecting Dieng ahead off Gobert? Two huge screw ups in one draft.

Think of the defense.
 



Spaulding!No! said:
Did wolves pass on S. Curry….twice.
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Yes, but in fairness to the Wolves he refused to work out with them and said he wanted NO part of them.

I can't stand that little prick.

Or the prick, Wiggins.

Or the prick, Draymond.

I was very disappointed to see the Warriors win it last night. I will say though, that these past two years have been some of the weakest NBA Finals teams that I have ever seen.
 

Spaulding!No! said:
Did wolves pass on S. Curry….twice.
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Yep. That was a terrible draft for the Wolves. There was some worries about Curry's injury in college, but that didn't bother Golden State. (Edit: forgot that he didn't want to work out here. Though they could have still drafted him) David Kahn was determined to prove that he was the smartest guy in the room. He took Rubio at 5 but he wasn't coming over for awhile. Then, dazzled by Johnny Flynn's performance against the University of Connecticut in the Big East Tourney, he took him at 6. The Warriors then took Curry at 7.

The Wolves also drafted another Point Guard, Ty Lawson at 18. Three Point Guards! Then traded him to Denver. They also got Wayne Ellington at 28. Everybody can play the "but look who they could've had!" but that draft was pretty awful. Something the Wolves have specialized in.

1st Round picks of 7 most recent GM's (with Thibodeau picking from '16 to '18)

2020 - Edwards and Aleksej Pokusevski
2019 - Cameron Johnson
2018 - Josh Okogie
2017 - Lauri Markkanen
2016 - Kris Dunn
2015 - Karl Anthony Towns
2014 - Zach LaVine
2013 - Trey Burke and Andre Robinson
2012 - None
2011 - Derrick Williams and Donatas Motiejunas

NBA Draft History - RealGM

Minnesota Timberwolves scores, news, schedule, players, stats, rumors, depth charts and more on RealGM.com
basketball.realgm.com
 


Spaulding!No! said:
Did wolves pass on S. Curry….twice.
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Nobody had an idea who he would be come.

I was ok with Rubio because of all the hype. He was supposed to go #2. I wanted DeRozen with the next pick. It was a PG heavy draft, so then the wolves could have kept lawson or drafted somebody they liked.
 

Theee solid responses. I appreciate each one. I never heard some of those facts. He refused to work out for MN - yeah that would end it. Thanks!
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
Nobody had an idea who he would be come.

I was ok with Rubio because of all the hype. He was supposed to go #2. I wanted DeRozen with the next pick. It was a PG heavy draft, so then the wolves could have kept lawson or drafted somebody they liked.
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Hasheem Thabeet went number 2........YIKES
 

Kevin McHale was the Timberwolves basketball boss when Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston for Al Jefferson, four warm bodies and two first-round draft choices on July 31, 2007.

Two years later, McHale's replacement, David Kahn, would turn those draft choices into Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington.

Flip Saunders was the basketball boss on Aug. 23, 2014, when Kevin Love was traded to Cleveland for No. 1 overall draft choice Andrew Wiggins, as well as Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young.

Gersson Rosas was the basketball boss on Feb. 7, 2020, when Andrew Wiggins was traded to Golden State for guard D'Angelo Russell. The Wolves also gave up a first-rounder that became Jonathan Kuminga, the seventh overall choice in the 2021 draft.

To the surprise of few Wolves fans, Garnett joined Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title in six games over the Lakers. Garnett, 32, played the third-most Finals minutes (228) for the Celtics, averaging 18.2 points and 13 rebounds — and also playing his usual outstanding defense.

To the surprise of few Wolves fans, Love became an asset for LeBron James' hand-picked roster that brought a title to Cleveland in 2016, in seven games over Golden State. Love, 28, played the sixth-most Finals minutes (158) for the Cavs, averaging 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds.

And now, Wolves followers, admit it: To the surprise of nearly all of us, Andrew Wiggins became the second star behind the magnificent Stephen Curry in leading the Warriors back to the NBA summit in six games in a series that concluded Thursday night in Boston.

Wiggins, 27, played the most Finals minutes (235) for the Warriors, averaging 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and frustrating Celtics star Jayson Tatum with resolute defense.

We labeled Wiggins as "indifferent'' here in Minnesota, using what were deemed to be "disappearances'' for significant stretches of games as evidence.

We celebrated when Rosas was able to "get rid of'' of Wiggins' laconic approach and his contract. Now, two years and four months later, Wiggins will be a hero in a championship celebration in the Bay Area, and Russell is allegedly being shopped by another new Wolves basketball boss, Tim Connelly.

What happened to our guy Wiggy?..

www.startribune.com

Timberwolves fans, meet NBA champion Andrew Wiggins. You may have heard of him.

It's a familiar pattern: Andrew Wiggins joins Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love as Wolves sent away in high-profile trades who went on to win an NBA title. What happened to the 'underperforming' Wiggy?
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 



one thing to consider:

The Wolves were doing their own draft prep.
Then they signed Connelly, who knows what Denver was thinking in its draft prep.
Then they add Matt Lloyd from Orlando to the front office

so the Wolves now have draft insight from three different franchises.

that should help when it comes to evaluating players and anticipating possible trades and moves.

still all hinges on D-Lo. Depending on whether they keep D-Lo, that would influence whether they want to add younger players through the draft, or trade for a more experienced player.
 

Iceland12 said:
Kevin McHale was the Timberwolves basketball boss when Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston for Al Jefferson, four warm bodies and two first-round draft choices on July 31, 2007.

Two years later, McHale's replacement, David Kahn, would turn those draft choices into Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington.

Flip Saunders was the basketball boss on Aug. 23, 2014, when Kevin Love was traded to Cleveland for No. 1 overall draft choice Andrew Wiggins, as well as Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young.

Gersson Rosas was the basketball boss on Feb. 7, 2020, when Andrew Wiggins was traded to Golden State for guard D'Angelo Russell. The Wolves also gave up a first-rounder that became Jonathan Kuminga, the seventh overall choice in the 2021 draft.

To the surprise of few Wolves fans, Garnett joined Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title in six games over the Lakers. Garnett, 32, played the third-most Finals minutes (228) for the Celtics, averaging 18.2 points and 13 rebounds — and also playing his usual outstanding defense.

To the surprise of few Wolves fans, Love became an asset for LeBron James' hand-picked roster that brought a title to Cleveland in 2016, in seven games over Golden State. Love, 28, played the sixth-most Finals minutes (158) for the Cavs, averaging 8.5 points and 6.9 rebounds.

And now, Wolves followers, admit it: To the surprise of nearly all of us, Andrew Wiggins became the second star behind the magnificent Stephen Curry in leading the Warriors back to the NBA summit in six games in a series that concluded Thursday night in Boston.

Wiggins, 27, played the most Finals minutes (235) for the Warriors, averaging 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and frustrating Celtics star Jayson Tatum with resolute defense.

We labeled Wiggins as "indifferent'' here in Minnesota, using what were deemed to be "disappearances'' for significant stretches of games as evidence.

We celebrated when Rosas was able to "get rid of'' of Wiggins' laconic approach and his contract. Now, two years and four months later, Wiggins will be a hero in a championship celebration in the Bay Area, and Russell is allegedly being shopped by another new Wolves basketball boss, Tim Connelly.

What happened to our guy Wiggy?..

www.startribune.com

Timberwolves fans, meet NBA champion Andrew Wiggins. You may have heard of him.

It's a familiar pattern: Andrew Wiggins joins Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love as Wolves sent away in high-profile trades who went on to win an NBA title. What happened to the 'underperforming' Wiggy?
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
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Wiggy got the heck out of MN and went to a team with superior organization and players- via Big Papi 🧂
 


there is a little bit of mystery in sports. put a guy on one team, he looks ordinary. put a guy on a different team, he looks like a different player.

I tend to believe that it's a combination of a lot of factors: right team, right management, right coaching, right atmosphere, right teammates, right approach both physically and psychologically, etc.

Ortiz was never going to be "Big Papi" in MN. wasn't the right organization for him. and Tom Kelly - for all of his abilities - was IMHO the wrong manager for him.

same with Wiggins. He had to go to Golden State to find the right combination of factors that allowed him to do what he did in the finals. that was not going to happen in MN with the Wolves.

that's life.
 



kg21 said:
Papi went on roids, and Wiggins started to try. Nothing more and nothing less.
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Even the Wiggins we saw in GS is not worth the max. His huge game was still pretty inefficient 26 points on 23 shots. He still is an awful rebounder for a forward and his assist numbers are still pretty bad.

Any improvement that he had was from knocking down 3s at a better clip. That is probably not fools gold but I don't imagine he'll get similar looks at many other places.

I don't dislike Wiggins. He seems like a nice guy and actually took the time to sign a bunch of stuff for my nephew. However, a lot of this "redemption ark" is a mirage. If anyone pays him anything close to the max, they really messed up.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Even the Wiggins we saw in GS is not worth the max. His huge game was still pretty inefficient 26 points on 23 shots. He still is an awful rebounder for a forward and his assist numbers are still pretty bad.

Any improvement that he had was from knocking down 3s at a better clip. That is probably not fools gold but I don't imagine he'll get similar looks at many other places.

I don't dislike Wiggins. He seems like a nice guy and actually took the time to sign a bunch of stuff for my nephew. However, a lot of this "redemption ark" is a mirage. If anyone pays him anything close to the max, they really messed up.
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But if you looked into his eyes…..
 

per Shooter:

Look for Timberwolves investors Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore in their presumed quest for a new arena when they take control in December of 2023 to emphasize that Target Center, other than storied Madison Square Garden, is the oldest venue in the NBA, constructed in 1990. There’s whispering that a new Wolves site would be just west of Target Field.

Contrary to reports elsewhere, new Timberwolves president Tim Connelly’s $40 million, five-year deal does not include limited ownership in the team. Late Wolves president Flip Saunders, besides a $5 million per year contract, received .03 percent stake in the team.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Bert Blyleven, Jim Kaat are next in line for statues outside Target Field

Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett and Tony Oliva already have statues outside Target Field.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Even the Wiggins we saw in GS is not worth the max. His huge game was still pretty inefficient 26 points on 23 shots. He still is an awful rebounder for a forward and his assist numbers are still pretty bad.

Any improvement that he had was from knocking down 3s at a better clip. That is probably not fools gold but I don't imagine he'll get similar looks at many other places.

I don't dislike Wiggins. He seems like a nice guy and actually took the time to sign a bunch of stuff for my nephew. However, a lot of this "redemption ark" is a mirage. If anyone pays him anything close to the max, they really messed up.
Click to expand...

He certainly isn't and that's all on Taylor. The "redemption ark" talk not only is about the contract but that his time on the Wolves. The worst team in the league for many of the years from 2004 to 2022. Him playing well reflects heavily on coming from such a bad team.

Expectations for him were'n't exactly high.

The max contract talk is also overplayed. There's a list from 2019 of the NBA Players with Max Deals as of then. The money amounts changed by when they signed them.The link is at the bottom but here are some that may not have completely lived up to it:

CHANDLER PARSONS, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES​

HASSAN WHITESIDE, MIAMI HEAT​

GORDON HAYWARD, BOSTON CELTICS​

ANDREW WIGGINS, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES​

HARRISON BARNES, SACRAMENTO KINGS​

OTTO PORTER, CHICAGO BULLS​

MARC GASOL, TORONTO RAPTORS​

KEVIN LOVE, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS​

AL HORFORD, BOSTON CELTICS​

MIKE CONLEY, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES​


hoopshype.com

Ranking every max-contract player from worst to best

HoopsHype ranks all 27 players who are currently on max contracts based on their current form and level of production this season.
hoopshype.com hoopshype.com
 

Iceland12 said:
He certainly isn't and that's all on Taylor. The "redemption ark" talk not only is about the contract but that his time on the Wolves. The worst team in the league for many of the years from 2004 to 2022. Him playing well reflects heavily on coming from such a bad team.

Expectations for him were'n't exactly high.

The max contract talk is also overplayed. There's a list from 2019 of the NBA Players with Max Deals as of then. The money amounts changed by when they signed them.The link is at the bottom but here are some that may not have completely lived up to it:

CHANDLER PARSONS, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES​

HASSAN WHITESIDE, MIAMI HEAT​

GORDON HAYWARD, BOSTON CELTICS​

ANDREW WIGGINS, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES​

HARRISON BARNES, SACRAMENTO KINGS​

OTTO PORTER, CHICAGO BULLS​

MARC GASOL, TORONTO RAPTORS​

KEVIN LOVE, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS​

AL HORFORD, BOSTON CELTICS​

MIKE CONLEY, MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES​


hoopshype.com

Ranking every max-contract player from worst to best

HoopsHype ranks all 27 players who are currently on max contracts based on their current form and level of production this season.
hoopshype.com hoopshype.com
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I disagree with the max contract talk being overhyped. Your list of players includes other awful contracts (people who have almost no value because of their contracts) and people who are considerably better than Andrew Wiggins but probably still don't deserve the max.

I'm not saying Wiggins isn't in the same group as the other duds (better than several of them), I'm just saying that he is likely going to be drastically overpaid again.

As to Wiggins "ark", IMO, it's entirely about him going to the Warriors. He didn't really improve as a player much (if at all) at Golden State.
 

Regarding the bleak TWolves draft history, I am recirculating a post that I wrote up a couple years ago--I wrote it before Jarret Culver was cast as an all-time dud, but prior to the 2020 draft (that brought Ant and Jaden McDaniels into the fold).
 

Would Roddy be worth a 2nd Rounder? They need toughness and rebounding.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I disagree with the max contract talk being overhyped. Your list of players includes other awful contracts (people who have almost no value because of their contracts) and people who are considerably better than Andrew Wiggins but probably still don't deserve the max.

I'm not saying Wiggins isn't in the same group as the other duds (better than several of them), I'm just saying that he is likely going to be drastically overpaid again.

As to Wiggins "ark", IMO, it's entirely about him going to the Warriors. He didn't really improve as a player much (if at all) at Golden State.
Click to expand...

"The "redemption ark" talk not only is about the contract but his time on the Wolves."

You missed the point. If Wiggins came to the Warriors, with the same history, but from a team that had been winning rather than a terrible team like the Wolves, and performed as he did with Warriors, there would be no "redemption ark". His past would barely have been mentioned.

"Your list of players includes other awful contracts (people who have almost no value because of their contracts) and people who are considerably better than Andrew Wiggins but probably still don't deserve the max"

Yeah, that WAS the point. That's why he was in there. Though doubt he'll get the max again.
 

RandBall: Is Timberwolves' best off-season move a position switch for Karl-Anthony Towns?

Timberwolves fans will spend most of this week analyzing mock drafts, conducting post-draft analysis late into Thursday and then diving headlong into free agency and D'Angelo Russell speculation.

But the most important offseason move could be this one: Trading Karl-Anthony Towns, center, for Karl-Anthony Towns, power forward.

Though likely not a one-for-one swap if it does happen, since Towns probably would still play some center even if power forward was added to his plate, it would be significant.

In making the rounds with various Twin Cities media outlets in recent weeks, new President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly has sounded very open to the idea of Towns being used at the "four."

Whether that's simply to keep his offseason roster searches open or a genuine sentiment is up for debate, but my guess is that it's at least some of both.

(Presumably, head coach Chris "Finchy" Finch will have more say over that than Connelly, but it is still interesting).

www.startribune.com

Is Timberwolves' best off-season move a position switch for Karl-Anthony Towns?

The organization seems open to the idea of moving Karl-Anthony Towns to power forward for at least some minutes, which would be a welcome change.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 


NBA Mock Drafts:

MSN:

19. Timberwolves: Wendell Moore, G/F, Duke​

Height: 6' 5" | Weight: 215 | Age: 20 | Junior

With Patrick Beverley approaching his mid-30s and entering a contract year, Minnesota is thought to have interest in finding a young guard to flank Anthony Edwards. Considering that this is a thin point guard draft, one alternative could be Moore, who can play on the ball in a pinch to similar effect while also defending several positions. He has a pretty ideal skillset for a modern role player, and gradually won teams over with his consistent play.

Moore could be a valuable addition here, supplying role versatility and strong instincts on both ends of the floor. He doesn’t profile as a volume scorer, but his unselfish passing, transition play and improving jump shot should help him carve out a niche in support of star talent. Moore had a terrific junior year, and his efforts often went underappreciated, but he’s a winning player with the type of well-rounded game that fits particularly well next to established stars, two of which the Timberwolves have in Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns

 
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Yahoo Sports:

19. Minnesota Timberwolves: G Blake Wesley​

Ht./Wt.: 6-5, 185 pounds | Class: Freshman | Notre Dame: 14.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg

Wesley is the first one-and-done prospect to come out of Notre Dame and is a player who flew under the radar for half of the college basketball season. Wesley is one of the best passers out of the pick-and-roll and has the confidence to get a shot off at the end of the shot clock or when the game is on the line. Wesley is still young at just 19 years old and has a ton of upside as a budding shooting guard in the league.

 


L.A.Times

9. Minnesota: TyTy Washington, 20, G, 6-3, Kentucky

Could add depth to Timberwolves’ talented backcourt.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Regarding the bleak TWolves draft history, I am recirculating a post that I wrote up a couple years ago--I wrote it before Jarret Culver was cast as an all-time dud, but prior to the 2020 draft (that brought Ant and Jaden McDaniels into the fold).
Click to expand...

Who do you think they'll take this year?
 
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There is hope on the court, in the form of dual stars (Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards), veteran savvy (Patrick Beverley), promise (Jaden McDaniels) and roster depth (Josh Okogie is a heckuva player to have as your 11th man).

There is hope among the long-suffering fans, who packed Target Center down the stretch and in the postseason.

On Thursday night, the Wolves have the 19th pick in the draft, plus three second-rounders. They have a new basketball boss, Tim Connelly, who selected Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick in the 2014 draft.

The Wolves could use a point guard good enough to start if they trade D'Angelo Russell, and a big man who can help with post defense and rebounding.

Because 19th picks don't often contribute immediately, if at all, Connelly's first offseason is likely to be judged by how he handles Russell.

Russell was one of the reasons the Wolves improved dramatically last season. He was also benched down the stretch of an elimination playoff game.

The old, dysfunctional Wolves would have reacted with desperation and traded Russell just to get him out of town.

That would probably be the wrong move.

If Connelly can trade Russell for value, he should.

If he can't trade Russell for value, then he should display the kind of patience and wisdom that defines many of the best in his profession..

www.startribune.com

Timberwolves in position to be patient at this NBA draft

The NBA draft and an D'Angelo Russell decision are the first tests for Tim Connelly, the new Wolves president of basketball operations.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 

here's the thing:

if the Wolves want to be a serious Title contender, Towns is probably the #3 guy of your "big 3."
if Ant is the #1, that means they need a #2.

and no, don't say Jayden McDaniels - he is a perfect #4 guy, but he's not a 'big 3' level player.

so somehow, the Wolves need to go out and find a player who is better than Towns, and close to Ant. If that's a PG, great. If not, then they still need a PG. (assuming DLo is gone.)
 

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