All Things 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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Good for KAT and the DR. You can see how much this means to them.


Howl Wolves!!
 









gophersfan said:
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Pat Bev is (painfully) kind of right. It's a cliche, but Ant has the "it" factor. If he avoids serious injuries and problems off the court, he will become the most marketable player in the league. The wolves have to surround him with players who can compete for a championship and with whom he wants to play or he will ask out in a couple of years. That's why the Gobert trade was a killer.
 





Team USA surges past Montenegro, reaches FIBA World Cup quarterfinals | NBA.com

After trailing by 1 at halftime, U.S. uses strong 3rd quarter and frantic 4th quarter finish to snag victory.
www.nba.com www.nba.com


“These games are going to happen,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “And you have to be able to fight through them. I thought our guys did a great job of that.”

Anthony Edwards scored all of his team-high 17 points in the second half for the Americans (4-0), who got 12 from Austin Reaves and 11 from Jaren Jackson Jr. Mikal Bridges and Tyrese Haliburton each added 10 for the U.S., which didn’t pull away until late in the fourth.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game,” Haliburton said. “But what FIBA games really are?”

Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and 16 rebounds for Montenegro, which led 39-38 at the half. Kendrick Perry scored 14 for Montenegro (2-2)."
 

The continuity the Timberwolves are offering with Chris Finch and the same system for two straight years is a relief for Alexander-Walker. It gives him the kind of direction he has been craving since he broke into the league as a first-round pick in New Orleans in 2019.

“Now I know going through the summer, going into this live period with the (Canadian) national team, I get to actually work on something because I’m building toward something,” Alexander-Walker said in a phone interview. “I have a goal, and I have a purpose.”

It is what he has always wanted: a definitive role and a team that needs him. When he signed a two-year, $9 million deal this summer to remain in Minnesota, Alexander-Walker gave himself a chance to find out exactly what he can do in such an environment. Alexander-Walker is playing for a coach who was on the staff in New Orleans during his rookie season. He is playing with a team that values his particular brand of grit and versatility. And after trusted veteran Taurean Prince left for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, there is an acute need for a multifaceted perimeter defender who can knock down 3-pointers at a high clip..

What the Wolves have seen from Alexander-Walker, who is flourishing for a Canadian team that has emerged as a real threat to win the whole thing, could be critically important for their chances next season. Entering Friday, he was shooting 46 percent from 3-point range and averaging 13 points in 23 minutes for undefeated Canada, playing with a self-assuredness that he says is coming from his first inkling of stability in his pro career. He is playing a Swiss Army knife role for Canada that will be similar to the one the Timberwolves need him to play, guarding multiple positions on the perimeter, knocking down the open 3s when they come and sometimes shifting into a point guard role while making plays for his teammates.

He has been doing it so well that Team Canada coach Jordi Fernandez referenced Canadian icon Alanis Morissette in describing his impact.

“There’s a song that says there’s 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife,” Fernandez told reporters in the Philippines after Canada beat Latvia last week. … We were not defending, doing the right things. I think Nickeil was that knife. He came in, played really hard, defended. When he was open, made all those 3s.”..


theathletic.com

Nickeil Alexander-Walker finds the stability and role that's long eluded him

Whether it's for Minnesota or the Canadian national team, Nickeil Alexander-Walker has finally found his professional lane.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 








I have no idea who Cook(e?) is or what an Exhibit 10 deal is, but there’s a tweet about both:


Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
I have no idea who Cook(e?) is or what an Exhibit 10 deal is, but there’s a tweet about both:


Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

"An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary NBA contract with a specific Exhibit 10 attachment built into it and no other bonuses. These attachments are not present in every NBA contract, only deals in which both parties have agreed to include it.

Exhibit 10 attachments allow the NBA team to convert a player’s one-year, minimum contract into a two-way contract but this has to occur prior to the start of the regular season.

These one-year deals are often non-guaranteed, which lets NBA teams waive the player and remove their cap hit from the team payroll.

Exhibit 10 attachments allow players to earn a bonus of $5,000 to $50,000 in the event that they are waived by the NBA team, then sign a deal with that franchise’s G League affiliate* and remain with that affiliate team for 60 days."
 





coolhandgopher said:
I saw the same tweet and my first thought was Cooke must be an influencer or underground hip hop artist or something of the sort. The other side of 50 is a scary and confusing place ;)
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Probably more along the lines of the Iowa Wolves needed a player and a possible emergency bench player for the Timberwolves
 




Wolves are tough to get excited about at times. Extremely poor trades to get rid of their number 1 picks over the years, ownership not knowing much about basketball including the new ownership. Injuries taking forever to recover from and so forth.

Owner Taylor just didn't want to bring in Garnett as a new owner to help with the overall excitement of the Wolves. Just wanted to stick it to everyone in the end due to his lousy decision making over the years.
 

"Wolves are tough to get excited about at times". At times?

Their first season was '89-'90. Since then they've made the playoffs only 11 time and have reached the 2nd Round and the Conference Finals once. That was 19 years ago. They've won 50 games or more.

Not much there to get excited about at all.
 

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