All Things 2023-2024 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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tmvander said:
Without sparking a political debate what can he really do differently? This isn't something he posted publicly...she did. He comes off as being a complete D bag in the way he's talking to her but how do you get in trouble for just being a D Bag? People all across sports, Hollywood, Music, etc. are complete A holes. He's not breaking any rules here.
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With the recent Zion Williamson ugly situation, all athletes need to be more careful with whom they associate with.
 



tmvander said:
Without sparking a political debate what can he really do differently? This isn't something he posted publicly...she did. He comes off as being a complete D bag in the way he's talking to her but how do you get in trouble for just being a D Bag? People all across sports, Hollywood, Music, etc. are complete A holes. He's not breaking any rules here.
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He screwed up by texting back. You don't communicate via writing in any fashion. You do it in person or on the phone. You don't handle the discussion, your people do.

You have to put a professional layer between yourself and your messes when you have the bank account that he has.
 

Danny Baldeiro played the ‘I have been a wolves fan since 1989’ card today. Boom
 


The Athletic still has the Timberwolves leading the contenders.

Tier 1 - The Contenders - 1

Minnesota Timberwolves​


team-logo-78-300x300.png

1
Last Rank
Holiday wish list: That remote control from the movie “Click.”
The Wolves are playing great basketball and enjoying one of their best starts in franchise history. At the same time, they’d probably like to see what this looks like in the playoffs. If they’re the No. 1 seed, they control their destiny. And we’ll see how Anthony Edwards and company respond to having real expectations. Let’s speed it up and get them there.
Key Stats
Record
20-5
Offensive Rating
114.0 (17th)
Defensive Rating
106.8 (1st)
Net Rating
7.2
Rank over time

Wins
at Mavs
119-101
Pacers
127-109
at Heat
112-108

WESTERN TIER 1 - THE CONTENDERS

theathletic.com

NBA Power Rankings: Thunder are contenders; holiday wish list for all 30 teams

Zach Harper has a wish-list item for the Thunder, Nuggets and every other team. What could yours use?
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 

My uneducated predictions for tonight:

1. The wolves break the recent pattern by starting out fast.
2. Embiid flops and whines his way to 20 free throws.
3. Wolves hold on and hold on but can't quite manage to hold on.

Sixers win by two.
 







tmvander said:
Meanwhile Ant and Towns will be pistol whipped every time they enter the lane...no calls.
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Yep, and Rudy will get pushed and hacked in the lane without getting any calls. On the Offensive and Defensive ends of the court.
 





tmvander said:
Meanwhile Ant and Towns will be pistol whipped every time they enter the lane...no calls.
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Don't exaggerate!! No pistol whipping. Just shots fired with Ant and KAT being winged on the shoulder when they enter the lane like an old Bruce Willis movie. No harm, no foul.

Sheesh.
 


The officials in this Wolves game want the 76ers to win. They just call Towns for a ticky tack foul.

He didn't event touch Joel Embiid and he get call for a foul.
 

76ers- 64 Wolves-60 at the half.

Wolves have taken 12 free throws and hit 11 of them.

76ers are 18 for 18 at the line.

Embid has taken 10 of those and hit all 10 of them.
 


I can't stand Embiid, but we literally have no answer for him. It's almost like no chance. He just destroys us every single time.
 


and the numbers
Philly 127, Wolves 113 (Philly 37-26 in the 4th Qtr)

Embid 51 pts - 17-25 FG - 17-18 FT //Maxey 35 pts
Edwards 27pts, Towns 23pts, McDaniels 21 pts

Philly 29-32 FT - Wolves 20-24 FT

22 Fouls called on MN - 25 fouls on Philly

and Wolves 19 turnovers - Philly 12 turnovers
 

"“Certainly, Rudy exiting the game in the first four minutes certainly hurt us,” Finch said.

Turnovers, Embid and protecting Embid led to the loss last night. Even then, the game was 90-87 after 3.

For those that didn't watch, once the game was out of hand the fouls and free throws balance evened up some.

Embid in the last 10 games has scored 34+ every time, with two 50 and three 40's thrown in.

He has shot 20+ free throws every game but one. There he had 19.

Tonight the Wolves host the Lakers at 8:00. That game too will be on NBA TV. The Wolves have had some of their worst quarters on those games.
 

Here's hoping they bring some pissed off energy to the game tonight.
As to Embiid it almost seems like you should barely contest his jumpers. I know he's got a terrific J but it might be better to give a look rather than pick up a cheap foul. He's a terrific player but it's sad I'm even thinking that.
 

Its so disappointing when this team loses. They're so damn good when they don't get into foul trouble.
 

That was some of the most boring basketball I've ever watched...especially that first half. You just knew that each time down the floor, for both teams, you were going to watch free throws.
 

Embiid is a top three player in the league. His partnership with Maxey appears to work very well.

But, c'mon.

The double standard in the way fouls are called in Embiid games is a really bad look for the NBA. Yes, Embiid is crafty and he knows how to sell calls. However, when you aren't allowed to defend him according to norms applied to the rest of the league, it's five on four basketball. The in game double standard comes into play when he hacks somebody on defense and the refs look away.

I used to say that KAT's constant whining was costing the wolves 3-5 points/game, often the difference between a win and a loss. (It's much better now.) I'd bet the "Embiid Refereeing Differential" on both ends is worth at least ten points/game. The Sixers should win 70 games with that kind of an advantage.

Having said all of that, I don't think Embiid will ever win a championship. He doesn't have the mental or physical stamina to pull it off. He's a "me" player and he's never been in top shape (same as Luka). He drags himself up and down the court and he tires easily late in games. The playoffs are a mental and physical marathon and he doesn't have the requisite discipline and stamina.
 

NBA officials are easily the worst of the major sports. Might help if they didn't just stand like statues. Feels like they just guess half the time.
 

golf said:
NBA officials are easily the worst of the major sports. Might help if they didn't just stand like statues. Feels like they just guess half the time.
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the rules of basketball don't help...it's hard to overturn a touch foul when replay will always show some sort of contact
 

golf said:
NBA officials are easily the worst of the major sports. Might help if they didn't just stand like statues. Feels like they just guess half the time.
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Disagree. I'm impressed by how often they are right, especially when having to make or not make split second calls on the best athletes in the world. They are no worse than fat umpires calling balls and strikes from a thirty degree angle and sixty year old refs trying to keep up with NFL players on a large field.

NBA refs are very easily criticized but I think they get it right more often than their peers in other sports.

Having said that.....

The wall between gambling and pro sports has completely disappeared. Officials in all of the major sports are the weak link because they make far less than the players while heavily impacting the games. Are our games clean?
 

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