All Things 2022 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread



as someone noted on Twitter recently - a lot of national pundits are complaining that the Wolves "gave up too much" to sign Gobert.

And yet, on paper, the 22-23 team is a much deeper team than the 21-22 group. I'm not saying that everyone on the roster is an all-star - but even the guys who will be on the end of the bench appear to have some talent. there have been a lot of years when you couldn't say that about the last 3-4 guys on the roster.
 

Timberwolves’ Taurean Prince can’t help but help others: ‘I’m just doing my part’​


Children hold a special place with Prince and will always be a factor in his charitable endeavors.

“Obviously, the situation I experienced first-hand growing up, it’s the ultimate reason I continue to want to find new ways to be creative and find ways to give back and not only that, motivate the youth,” Prince said. “I feel like now having kids, I realize more than ever kids are the next thing, and they’re going to be introduced to things by the time they’re 15 years old that we never thought we’d see coming. So, just being able to keep their minds fresh and in a positive mind state is the priority.”

But it’s not just kids. Prince will never walk by someone on the street without feeling the urge to help. How could he? It’s not as if he cannot relate to their struggle. Prince wasn’t always an NBA player with a multi-million dollar contract. Because he’s gone without a home before, Prince will always help someone when he can.

“I was in that situation once, so I guess you could say I wish somebody did it for me,” Prince said. “Obviously I wasn’t out there asking. My father handled all of that growing up, but that’s all. I know if I was in that position on the corner asking for money, I know I’d wish somebody would give me a couple dollars, for sure.”


Howl Wolves!!
 

Wolves' Rudy Gobert deal reportedly stalls trade market, frustrates some across NBA​

The NBA offseason, rife with trade standoffs, has stagnated thanks to the massive Rudy Gobert trade conducted earlier in the month.

In exchange for the French center, the Jazz took four of the Wolves' future first round picks, along with their most recent first round selection and four serviceable role players on expiring contracts. For a player of Gobert's ability, it's a return of unprecedented worth that has reset the trade market, forcing other teams looking to offload more desirable superstars to up their asking price.

And according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst on his ESPN podcast, much of the league has expressed significant displeasure with the enormity of the trade.

Frustration from around the league stems from Gobert's widely known instability in the postseason — where he failed to take Utah past the second round of the playoffs in six appearances — as well as his limited skillset and versatility as an overall talent. Teams around the NBA don't seem to believe he's worth the price he was traded for.

The Gobert trade is assuredly part of the reason why All-NBA performers like Kevin Durant and his Brooklyn Nets teammate Kyrie Irving will likely be staying put for the summer, despite being available for trade for several weeks and unquestionably more valuable than the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.


Howl Wolves!!
 


Wolves' Rudy Gobert deal reportedly stalls trade market, frustrates some across NBA​

The NBA offseason, rife with trade standoffs, has stagnated thanks to the massive Rudy Gobert trade conducted earlier in the month.

In exchange for the French center, the Jazz took four of the Wolves' future first round picks, along with their most recent first round selection and four serviceable role players on expiring contracts. For a player of Gobert's ability, it's a return of unprecedented worth that has reset the trade market, forcing other teams looking to offload more desirable superstars to up their asking price.

And according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst on his ESPN podcast, much of the league has expressed significant displeasure with the enormity of the trade.

Frustration from around the league stems from Gobert's widely known instability in the postseason — where he failed to take Utah past the second round of the playoffs in six appearances — as well as his limited skillset and versatility as an overall talent. Teams around the NBA don't seem to believe he's worth the price he was traded for.

The Gobert trade is assuredly part of the reason why All-NBA performers like Kevin Durant and his Brooklyn Nets teammate Kyrie Irving will likely be staying put for the summer, despite being available for trade for several weeks and unquestionably more valuable than the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.


Howl Wolves!!

Boo hoo.
 

I'm having Deja Vu.

Remembering how another deal by the Wolves caused a commotion in the NBA.

from Bleacher Report:

Kevin Garnett was just 21 years old, and two years into his NBA career, when he signed what was then the richest contract in pro sports history: $126 million over six years. The deal, signed in October 1997, triggered fierce skepticism and derision, even among other NBA players.

The price tag for Garnett was nearly $40 million more than what Glen Taylor paid to purchase the team just two years earlier.

Other stars had recently signed groundbreaking deals: Shaquille O'Neal, $120 million; Alonzo Mourning, $101 million; Juwan Howard, $105 million. But it was Garnett's deal that owners cited as proof of a broken system. The following summer, the NBA locked out its players, beginning the longest work stoppage in NBA history, a six-month standoff that lasted until January 20, 1999. The NBA played a 50-game season that year but canceled the All-Star Game.

Although there were other factors, Garnett's contract is often cited as having triggered the lockout.

The collective bargaining agreement reached in 1999 clearly reflected the concerns over Garnett's contract. The new CBA included, for the first time, a maximum player salary, as well as a five-year rookie scale (up from three years)—two features that would have prevented any team from handing a $126 million deal to a second-year player.
 

I'm having Deja Vu.

Remembering how another deal by the Wolves caused a commotion in the NBA.

from Bleacher Report:

Kevin Garnett was just 21 years old, and two years into his NBA career, when he signed what was then the richest contract in pro sports history: $126 million over six years. The deal, signed in October 1997, triggered fierce skepticism and derision, even among other NBA players.

The price tag for Garnett was nearly $40 million more than what Glen Taylor paid to purchase the team just two years earlier.

Other stars had recently signed groundbreaking deals: Shaquille O'Neal, $120 million; Alonzo Mourning, $101 million; Juwan Howard, $105 million. But it was Garnett's deal that owners cited as proof of a broken system. The following summer, the NBA locked out its players, beginning the longest work stoppage in NBA history, a six-month standoff that lasted until January 20, 1999. The NBA played a 50-game season that year but canceled the All-Star Game.

Although there were other factors, Garnett's contract is often cited as having triggered the lockout.

The collective bargaining agreement reached in 1999 clearly reflected the concerns over Garnett's contract. The new CBA included, for the first time, a maximum player salary, as well as a five-year rookie scale (up from three years)—two features that would have prevented any team from handing a $126 million deal to a second-year player.

If I remember it right Wolves offered Garnett $105M and he and his agent turned it down. Agent implied that they'd go to Free Agency. Wolves then offered the $126M. Prompting at least one GM to say:

"Didn't Taylor know that there are numbers between 105 and 126?"

Oddly enough it also burned the Wolves. It did lead to that maximum player salary. Which meant that while the Wolves offered Marbury the maximum, it was far short of what Garnett was getting. No team could get him that money either.

Marbury has since admitted it was a terrible mistake to demand a trade and leave Garnett & Minnesota. He's offered some half-hearted reasons why he wanted out. Though Garnett and Flip both have said that Marbury told them separately that he just couldn't handle being on team that valued Garnett way more than they did him.

Dammit.
 

Karl-Anthony Towns declares 'championship or bust' for Timberwolves​


At a news conference Friday to formalize the four-year, $224 million supermax extension Towns agreed to a few weeks ago, Towns did not shy away from the idea of raised expectations.

"Championship or bust," Towns said, speaking publicly for the first time not just since his extension was agreed to but also since the Gobert trade.

In a sit-down interview after the news conference, Towns elaborated on that sentiment.

"When you make the trade that we made, that's the reality. I'm not trying to sugarcoat," Towns said. "You've got to think that. That's really what's on the table. I don't think the fans would be accepting of [a goal of] a third-round elimination. ... Let's be real. The standards are high. The pressure is high. And that's when we should all love to play basketball even more."


Howl Wolves!!
 



Karl-Anthony Towns says he and Anthony Edwards need to play at a 'Shaq and Kobe' level​


"We need to go out there and play at a level that hasn't been seen since Shaq and Kobe if possible and do what we do best," Towns said. "We just need to continue to be ourselves and raise our games all around."



Howl Wolves!!
 



He likes us, he really likes us!! Either that or he likes we pay him hundreds of millions of dollars with little to no expectations of actually winning and taking big shots.


Howl Wolves!!
 



Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns is becoming a star who stayed​

Towns has grown up in an NBA era that is more transient than ever, with stars across the league exerting their influence and leverage to extricate themselves from undesirable situations. From Anthony Davis to Kawhi Leonard to Kyrie Irving to Paul George, James Harden, Butler and now (it seems) Kevin Durant, Towns has seen many a star bolt their teams under circumstances often far less daunting than those he has dealt with in Minnesota.

And yet there he was on Friday, in the middle of something entirely different — a celebration. The mayor of Minneapolis declared it “Karl-Anthony Towns Day” in the city to commemorate his supermax contract extension, a four-year, $220-plus million deal that ties him to the Timberwolves through the 2027-28 season, which would be his 14th in Minnesota. Should that happen, Towns would usurp Kevin Garnett for the longest-tenured Wolves player ever. And he made it clear on Friday, as he has over and over again during his career, that he plans to do just that.

“I’ve always said this place felt like somewhere I could retire, somewhere I could call home for the rest of my career and play basketball at a high level,” Towns told The Athletic after his press conference. “It felt like the right thing to do, not only for me and my family but for my basketball career. This is always the place I wanted to win a championship because I like taking the hard road. I like having to earn it. No better place to do it than in Minnesota.”

It has been a hard road. Losses, frustration and a revolving door at Target Center that hasn’t stopped spinning since before he owned a home in the Twin Cities. And with it, a constant stream of rumors churning through the gossip mill that Towns would be the next big star to ask out.

While other players wiggle out of teams that are either in less glamorous markets, aren’t winning or just are not measuring up to the star’s expectations, Towns is going the other direction. He is committing even further to a team that has only advanced out of the first round of the playoffs one time in more than three decades in the league. He still had two years left on his current deal and could have easily waited to see how Connelly fared after being lured away from Denver, waited to get a feel for how a supersized frontcourt pairing with newly acquired Rudy Gobert will work and waited to see if Anthony Edwards makes the third-year leap that everyone around here is anticipating.

Instead, Towns didn’t wait a second to re-up. Connelly met with Towns and his agent, Jess Holtz of CAA, to extend the max offer as soon as the team was allowed to do it on June 30th. And the agreement was consummated the minute the clock struck midnight on the East Coast on July 1, the soonest it could happen under league rules. The team is coming off of a playoff appearance and has added Gobert and Kyle Anderson. Towns is coming off of an All-NBA season. For the first time in a long time, the Wolves seem to have something good going.

“The NBA is aware of who we are now,” Towns said. “We set out to go out there, make noise and make sure they knew these weren’t the same Timberwolves that they were used to. We’ve done that.”

The quickness with which he signed was in stark contrast to the last time Towns agreed to an extension, in 2018. As tensions with Thibodeau and Butler simmered all summer long, Towns let the Wolves’ max offer sit on the table for months. He wasn’t sure he wanted to commit to a team with so many chemistry problems, and Butler’s trade request was turning the entire operation into a circus.

Those who know Towns best believe he seriously considered not signing the extension, which would have set up a showdown with the organization and, quite likely a trade. Towns leaving the Wolves hanging all summer long was his way of quietly expressing dissatisfaction with the situation. Towns waited until the last possible day under league rules that he could sign the deal, then reported to training camp and walked right into the Butler mess, which overshadowed Towns’ big moment.

Several teams were eyeing Towns the entirety of that summer, with the Boston Celtics among the most aggressive in trying to pry Towns out of Minnesota, league sources said. Asked on Friday if he ever came close to asking for a trade over the previous seven years, Towns hinted strongly that it had crossed his mind.

“I signed this (extension) in the first couple hours and the last one I signed on the very last day I could,” Towns told The Athletic. “You take your guess on that one.”


Howl Wolves!!
 


JULY 30, 8:16am: Paschall’s two-way contract with the Timberwolves became official on Friday, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

JULY 29, 11:55am: The Timberwolves have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with free agent forward Eric Paschall, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The No. 41 pick in the 2019 draft, Paschall began his NBA career with the Warriors and had an impressive rookie season in Golden State in 2019/20, averaging 14.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 60 games (27.6 MPG). His role declined in his second season and he was traded in the 2021 offseason to Utah, where his minutes dipped further.

In 58 appearances last season for the Jazz, the 25-year-old averaged 5.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG on .485/.370/.767 shooting in 12.7 MPG. He was eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Utah and became unrestricted.

Terms of Paschall’s new agreement with the Wolves aren’t known, but it may resemble the deals the club completed with free agents Austin Rivers and Nathan Knight. Both received minimum-salary contracts with partial guarantees for the 2022/23 season..

 

per Shooter:

A little birdie says Timberwolves investors Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez still need time to raise the $1.5 billion needed to pay off Glen Taylor before the December 2023 closing sale date.

Karl-Anthony Towns could be in for a surprise if he thinks the acquisition of 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert — allowing the 6-11 Towns to play outside more — is going to make it easier for him to score. Towns now will be guarded by power forwards in the 6-9, 6-10 range, who are much quicker and athletic than the plodding centers against whom he’s been playing.

It looks like the Timberwolves, who insiders say tried hard to dump D’Angelo Russell on Utah for Gobert, are stuck with the 26-year-old point guard and his $31 million salary this year.


Howl Wolves!!
 

per Shooter:

Karl-Anthony Towns could be in for a surprise if he thinks the acquisition of 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert — allowing the 6-11 Towns to play outside more — is going to make it easier for him to score. Towns now will be guarded by power forwards in the 6-9, 6-10 range, who are much quicker and athletic than the plodding centers against whom he’s been playing.


Howl Wolves!!

Charley could be in for a surprise if he ever sees a game.:giggle:
 

Charley could be in for a surprise if he ever sees a game.:giggle:
That dipshit thinks they put the slow, big guys on him?

We have shit sports talk shows in this state. And just as bad sports writers. Just what is it, exactly?
 

That dipshit thinks they put the slow, big guys on him?

We have shit sports talk shows in this state. And just as bad sports writers. Just what is it, exactly?

Charley's a gossip columnist who doesn't live in Minnesota year round. He's also 75 years old and golf courses are the only place you might find him. Might. Though his columns are usually full of baseball references. Luckily he likes John Anderson.

He use to be a pretty hard working reporter. Now?You can tell who doesn't give him a lot of "inside information" or who rubs him the wrong way. Or both. That's who he'll go after.

The Timberwolves, Gopher Administers and P.J.Fleck are all on his "sheet" list.
 
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The Athletic NBA Power Rankings: Did your team get better? Sorted by how they finished last season.

Tier 4: Play-In Tournament Teams

14. Minnesota Timberwolves

Major additions: Rudy Gobert (trade), Kyle Anderson (free agent), Austin Rivers (free agent), Wendell Moore Jr. (draft), Bryn Forbes (free agent), Josh Minott (free agent)

Major subtractions: Patrick Beverley (Utah), Jarred Vanderbilt (Utah), Malik Beasley (Utah), Leandro Bolmaro (Utah), Josh Okogie (Phoenix)

Did this team get better? They absolutely did. The Minnesota Timberwolves took massive swings this offseason. They put Tim Connelly in charge of the team after the impressive job he did in Denver. Then he traded for Gobert by sending out important role players and a historic amount of first-round draft capital. And it broke the basketball internet for a bit. Gobert has had some massive problems in the playoffs, but the Wolves have had some massive problems just getting to the playoffs. Now with Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell, they believe they should win 50 games every year and at least get to the second round before seeing how high they can climb. If they did that for three straight seasons, it would be the best stretch in Wolves history. But is that good enough to get them to the title? And can they avoid those picks to Utah biting Minnesota in the long run? Every pickup they made this summer (free agency and draft) were great additions.

Do we like what they did? 👨‍🎨

 


Howl Wolves!!


“He’s dope,” Edwards said in an interview with Complex. “He’s going to make it hard for everybody at the rim, and that’s what we needed, so I think it’s a great move.”

Edwards agreed with Karl-Anthony Towns’ previous assertion that Minnesota has entered into “championship-or-bust” territory with the addition of Gobert. He has equally high expectations for himself, noting he can “100 percent” be the face of the NBA in the coming years.

“I mean, it comes with time, and it comes with work and dedication,” Edwards said. “I feel like I got all three of those things, and I feel like it’s going to take me over the top.”

In fact, Edwards, who turns 21 on Friday, believes he’ll be in the conversation for best players in the league by the end of next season.
 

Ant is a hoot.

I expect that I will watch more Timberwolves basketball next season than I have in the last 10 seasons combined, and Ant is a big part of that.

it's nice to have someone on "your" team that is fun to root for.
 


Armed with one of the league’s deepest benches, the Wolves can afford to prioritize health next season..

While the team agreed to terms with Kyle Anderson 48 hours prior to landing Gobert, there is no doubt that it was helpful in selling the veteran Swiss Army Knife to bolt an upstart Memphis Grizzlies squad for a budding conference rival.

Minnesota continued fortifying its back end with by signing veteran guards Austin Rivers and Bryn Forbes to veteran’s minimum deals, an indication of the duo’s belief in the Wolves as a legitimate playoff threat.

As icing on the cake, Connelly and Co. were able to net Eric Paschall, a member of the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team in search of a home to reignite his NBA career, on a two-way contract.

It’s not often a small market team is able to 1) trade for an All-NBA quality player with four years of team control who is eager to join your franchise, and 2) parlay that into legitimately ample depth to support three star players: Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards..

The Wolves are uniquely positioned to survive and thrive on nights that their premier players need off for load management purposes given the strength of their bench. Despite an understandable eagerness to gun for the No. 1 seed in an absolutely stacked Western Conference, it may be smarter for the Wolves not to push the likes of Edwards and Towns in the regular season when they are banged up, and instead rely on the depth of a shrewdly reshaped roster..


 
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The Revamped Wolves Go Slo(Mo) and Steady​


Minnesota’s chances of leaping up the Western Conference pecking order and contending for a championship depend on how Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert mesh in a massive new frontcourt. How well the big fellas work together, though, will likely depend on how neatly the complementary pieces fit around them. Over eight pro seasons, Kyle Anderson—brought in on a two-year, $18 million deal—has proved pretty adept at plugging a variety of gaps.

Want maximum size up front? Plug Slo-Mo, with his 6-foot-9 frame and 7-foot-3 wingspan, in at the 3 alongside Gobert and KAT, and let him match up with the opponent’s most dangerous wing on defense, while allowing him to use his estimable IQ to freelance with off-ball cuts while opponents focus on Minny’s starrier scoring threats. Need to split up the bigs? Anderson’s a ready-made reserve 4 with the bulk to bang and help out on the defensive glass. (He also did yeoman’s work in Memphis filling in for the oft-injured Jaren Jackson Jr., making him a valuable stopgap in case of an injury to one of Minnesota’s top-line bigs.) Time to throw a curveball and go small against an opponent without a Jokic-or-Embiid-sized monster in the middle? Put Anderson at the 5 flanked by shooters and playmakers, and let him spread the floor, lope, poke, and prod his way to havoc.

Chris Finch likely wouldn’t want to lean heavily on that kind of alignment, especially on a team paying $100 billion (roughly) to two centers, but it’s at least an option, thanks to Anderson’s versatility. He also provides a savvy ballhandling and playmaking element—4.4 dimes per 36 minutes during his four years in Memphis, a 2.3-to-1 career assist-to-turnover ratio—that the Wolves lacked at power forward last season. Another smart, steady decision-maker could be extremely useful for a Minnesota team that flamed out in fourth quarters against Memphis
in the postseason—especially one who can both generate grab-and-go buckets in transition and thread the needle through tight squeezes in the half court..

 

Wolves to appear on National Television 16 times this year. If that's not a record it's gotta be close to it.

 





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