All Things 2024 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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Timberwolves are 5 days away from playing their first summer league game. Here is the schedule for all teams:

www.espn.com

NBA Summer League Schedule - 2024 Season - ESPN

The complete 2024 NBA Summer League season schedule on ESPN. Includes game times, TV listings and ticket information for all NBA Summer League games.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 



TruthSeeker said:
Ant needs a vasectomy. Otherwise, he's going to end up like Kemp. He'll earn a billion dollars and keep a fraction of it.

He needs to stop messing with the groupie hoes.
Click to expand...
How the he'll does he have the time for this nonsense. He must never be home with his gf and their baby
 



Not surprisingly there was more to the story that was going around yesterday than the "He Said WHAT?!?"headlines would lead you to believe. Most people took the bait. Go figure.

They certainly missed this part.""When the game is on the line? Who's going to be the alpha?" Edwards said. "I think Kevin Durant. He better be. That's who I came to see."

Here's a synopsis of the rest:

"Anthony Edwards was asked Sunday what the adjustment is going from being the No. 1 option on the Timberwolves to a team full of No. 1 options and future Hall of Famers on Team USA.

"I'm still the No. 1 option," Edwards said. "Y'all might look at it differently. I don't look at it no differently."

He then added: "I just go out there and be myself. Shoot my shots. Play defense and they got to fit in to play around me.".

You might not have seen before and after he said that, Edwards acknowledged the company he's keeping at the moment, and how his role with this team might be minimal — and that's OK with him.

"They mentioned some guys — you might not play some games, might not play that many minutes. I don't mind," Edwards said. "I'm playing alongside Hall of Famers. I'm just here. If they need me, I'll be one call away."..

www.startribune.com

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards’ confidence still soars even on Team USA

After the second team practice in Las Vegas, Anthony Edwards said he can be the team's No. 1 option, but the Wolves star is also OK even if he doesn't play with a group that features several Hall of Famers.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 



Jordan McLaughlin reportedly has agreed to a one-year deal with Sacramento, meaning three of Minnesota’s top 10 players from last season will not return for the 2024-25 season. Previously, Kyle Anderson went to Golden State via a sign-and-trade and Monte Morris signed with Phoenix.

McLaughlin and Morris, both point guards, likely didn’t see much opportunity for playing time after the Wolves traded up to No. 8 overall in the draft to land Kentucky scoring guard Rob Dillingham, who is expected to back up veteran Mike Conley at point guard..

Minnesota did sign other veterans to replace its lost pieces in Joe Ingles, a 37-year-old shooter and playmaker, and PJ Dozier, a potential two-way wing who has experience playing under Connelly in Denver and spent time two seasons ago suiting up for the Iowa Wolves in the G-League.

So while the core of Minnesota’s rotation, barring any unexpected changes, will look identical next season — the top seven players are all set to return — the edges of the roster will provide a different look..

sports.yahoo.com

Now former Timberwolves guard Jordan McLaughlin signs with Kings

Timberwolves basketball boss Tim Connelly said at the outset of free agency that Minnesota’s intended plan was to retain its free agents, of which there were few. That didn’t come to fruition. The Timberwolves did re-sign Luka Garza, and that was it Jordan McLaughlin reportedly has agreed to a...
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com
 


every time I see PJ Dozier, I think of DJ Dozier, former #1 draft pick for the Vikings. (rushed for 691 yds and 7 TD's for his career.......)
 




TruthSeeker said:
Ant needs a vasectomy. Otherwise, he's going to end up like Kemp. He'll earn a billion dollars and keep a fraction of it.

He needs to stop messing with the groupie hoes.
Click to expand...
Adrian Peterson comes to mind.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Seriously? Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara leading the show-Levy’s kid was a breakout star-won an Emmy for Best Comedy. Reruns on Comedy Central, I believe. 😉
Click to expand...

ben-stiller-oh-you.gif
 

USA Men's Olympic basketball team plays an exhibition vs Canada tonight. it's on FS1.

Ant playing for US and N. Alexander-Walker for Canada.
 

Shannon’s a bum. Throughly unimpressive in the first quarter of the Wolves first summer game 🤣.

He might end up being the steal of the first round 😀.

KAT in the house to watch the pups.

ESPN 2 right now!
 
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Gopher_In_NYC said:
Shannon’s a bum. Throughly unimpressive in the first quarter of the Wolves first summer game 🤣.

He might end up being the steal of the first round 😀.

KAT in the house to watch the pups.

ESPN 2 right now!
Click to expand...
Nice win and it was a fun watch, in case anyone gets an opportunity to check one out.

My thoughts FWIW -

- Fun to have Legs as the analyst. Tim is so knowledgeable, funny and relatable. So much better than Doris Burke 🤮

- Shannon was easily the best player on the court, as evidenced by his 25 point performance; this included outperforming: Missi, the Pelicans #1 pick from Baylor and Jordan Hawkins, there number 1 pick last season. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t provide 10-15 minutes off the bench and his offensive game looks more advanced than McDaniels or NAW.

- Rob D - looked skittish in the first half l, but setting down and played better in the second half; his shot was off, but made good passes and moved his feet well.

- Finchy’s court side comments (he looked good).

“We were too slow last season and needed to increase our team speed, which we did.” Legs noted later in the telecast, we were one of the worst teams with transition scoring and they should help address it.

- Couldn’t believe we got to move up to get Rob H. Perfect backup up for Mike, as he can learn from one of the best and give us speed and scoring off the bench. Should be our starter in the future.”

- “Yeah, Shannon’s ready to go right now. He’ll help us with our bench scoring and is a three level scorer. His defensive effort is there as well.”

Here’s the boxscore -

www.espn.com

Timberwolves 81-74 Pelicans (Jul 12, 2024) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New Orleans Pelicans Nba-summer-las-vegas game from July 12, 2024 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

Timber Puppies playing Indiana now on NBA TV.

We’re up at half 51-44 with Rob D, leading the way with a dozen
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Timber Puppies playing Indiana now on NBA TV.

We’re up at half 51-44 with Rob D, leading the way with a dozen
Click to expand...
🐶 win again! 105-94.

Shannon game high again with 19, man is he smooth.

Rob D. looked much more comfortable this game and had 14 points w/8 assists. He made several correct reads/passes in transition.

Jaylen Clark was all over the court and repeatedly called a defensive menace by the commentators, as he had 6 steals and constantly disrupted their offense. He’ll give us another elite defender on the perimeter.
 

Dante Nori, son of T-wolves coach, was picked 27th in the baseball draft by the Phillies.
 

Jaylen Clark's standout defense and other observations from Timberwolves summer league​


Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark said he made a bet with one of his assistant coaches that he'd get five steals in Sunday's game against the Pacers.

Clark did one better, as he ended up with six steals in the Wolves' 105-94 victory over Indiana.

"I felt like I had more than six," Clark said.

The 2023 second-round pick out of UCLA is participating in his first games of any kind since tearing his Achilles in his final season with the Bruins. On Friday, Clark felt like he was getting his legs back underneath him and just enjoying the moment playing against competition again.

"I was just out there smiling and running up and down," Clark said. "And then I was like, 'OK bro, now you gotta do something now.' So two days ago it was me just taking it all in, today I told the coaches I'm good. I'm locked in and I'm ready to go."

Coach Chris Hines said Clark's effort on the defensive end won the Wolves the game. Clark was tenacious both on and off the ball in his ability to read plays and tendencies.


Clark said he was up late the previous night taking in film of Indiana's first summer league game, trying to look for an edge.

"I'm seeing that when Jarace Walker puts it in his left hand, is he spinning or is he half-spinning? I look at all those types of things, and really just learning plays."

He made a convert out of Hines, who said he was seeing just how effective Clark could be defensively for the first time.

"Everybody been tellin' me about it. Now I am a believer," Hines said. "He's really good at it and I see why we got him."

Dillingham aggressive early​

After No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham was deferential to his teammates and struggled to score in his summer league debut on Friday, he was more assertive out of the gate Sunday.

"I can't really play the game not scoring the ball, so I gotta attack to create and I feel like that's my game, so I can't go away from my game," Dillingham said. "I just watched film and thought about everything I needed to do and just came out a little bit more aggressive today."

He hit his first three buckets of the day, including a pair of threes, but after that 3-for-3 start he went just 2-for-11 and finished with 14 points. But his eight assists were another positive sign of his ability to set up teammates and run the offense of a group that hasn't played much together.

"I think he can be even better in terms of getting more assists," Hines said. "Understanding he has so much wiggle in his game and he understands the dump off passes right now. Once he starts understanding how to read the floor, pick and roll, he's going to be a beast in terms of having everybody involved."

After the game, Wolves head coach Chris Finch pulled the guard aside to offer some advice on late-game situations in the Wolves' close win.

"Little things I need to get better at. At the end, that three [Indiana hit] in the corner, I'm there but I'm not there enough," Dillingham said. "These players are way taller, I gotta contest the shot, especially if we down three. Then also in the last minute, I went and drew the foul that was an offensive foul. I gave them two possessions. I just gotta know the time and clock, and shoot it in a certain time span so that they don't get a double shot."

Another solid output from Shannon​

After scoring 25 in his summer league debut, forward Terrence Shannon Jr. had a quiet start Sunday, but he still filled the stat sheet when all was said and done — 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting to lead the Wolves in scoring, to go with three blocks and two steals.

Shannon said he was dialed in on the defensive end during a first half in which he scored just five points.

"That's how I come into the game — defensive minded — and that translates to offense," Shannon said. "So just letting the game come to me. I don't think score first is always the best mentality — just letting the game come to me, and just so happened to score in the second half."

www.startribune.com

Jaylen Clark’s standout defense and other observations from Timberwolves summer league

Jaylen Clark, a 2023 second-round pick from UCLA, had six steals in the Wolves' 105-94 victory over Indiana.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!
 


Shannon and Clark seem to look the part physically. Dillingham needs to get a lot stronger - they need to get him on a weight training and nutrition program to add another 15-20 pounds of muscle.

so far I'm not overly impressed with Minott or Leonard Miller. Minott has some hops, but I don't know if he can shoot. Miller has a really funky-looking jump shot. every time he puts one up, I'm surprised if it's even near the basket.

but in the end, the real question is whether Finchy will actually use young players in his rotation. right now, the Wolves are saying all the right things, but when the games count in the standings, I wonder how much playing time that Dillingham and Shannon will actually get.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Shannon and Clark seem to look the part physically. Dillingham needs to get a lot stronger - they need to get him on a weight training and nutrition program to add another 15-20 pounds of muscle.

so far I'm not overly impressed with Minott or Leonard Miller. Minott has some hops, but I don't know if he can shoot. Miller has a really funky-looking jump shot. every time he puts one up, I'm surprised if it's even near the basket.

but in the end, the real question is whether Finchy will actually use young players in his rotation. right now, the Wolves are saying all the right things, but when the games count in the standings, I wonder how much playing time that Dillingham and Shannon will actually get.
Click to expand...
Per Finch’s comments during the first game, underlined below, it sounds like they will -

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Nice win and it was a fun watch, in case anyone gets an opportunity to check one out.

My thoughts FWIW -

- Fun to have Legs as the analyst. Tim is so knowledgeable, funny and relatable. So much better than Doris Burke 🤮

- Shannon was easily the best player on the court, as evidenced by his 25 point performance; this included outperforming: Missi, the Pelicans #1 pick from Baylor and Jordan Hawkins, there number 1 pick last season. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t provide 10-15 minutes off the bench and his offensive game looks more advanced than McDaniels or NAW.

- Rob D - looked skittish in the first half l, but setting down and played better in the second half; his shot was off, but made good passes and moved his feet well.

- Finchy’s court side comments (he looked good).

“We were too slow last season and needed to increase our team speed, which we did.” Legs noted later in the telecast, we were one of the worst teams with transition scoring and they should help address it.

- Couldn’t believe we got to move up to get Rob H. Perfect backup up for Mike, as he can learn from one of the best and give us speed and scoring off the bench. Should be our starter in the future.”

- “Yeah, Shannon’s ready to go right now. He’ll help us with our bench scoring and is a three level scorer. His defensive effort is there as well.”

Here’s the boxscore -

www.espn.com

Timberwolves 81-74 Pelicans (Jul 12, 2024) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New Orleans Pelicans Nba-summer-las-vegas game from July 12, 2024 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
Click to expand...
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Shannon and Clark seem to look the part physically. Dillingham needs to get a lot stronger - they need to get him on a weight training and nutrition program to add another 15-20 pounds of muscle.

so far I'm not overly impressed with Minott or Leonard Miller. Minott has some hops, but I don't know if he can shoot. Miller has a really funky-looking jump shot. every time he puts one up, I'm surprised if it's even near the basket.

but in the end, the real question is whether Finchy will actually use young players in his rotation. right now, the Wolves are saying all the right things, but when the games count in the standings, I wonder how much playing time that Dillingham and Shannon will actually get.
Click to expand...

Clark is the same age as Ant and Shannon is a year older. Dillingham is only 19. He'll naturally fill out as he gets older.

Shannon will compete with Ingles for Slo Mo's time on the court. Clark/Dillingham will battle it out for the Morris/McLaughlin leftover minutes. Hopefully the young guys grow into bigger roles as the season progresses. Shannon is the most likely to do that.
 
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well, I watched that mess last night.
67 fouls called
76'ers shot 40 of 44 on FT's.
Wolves shot 25 of 31 on FT's -- 75 FT attempts in a 40-minute game.

Wolves with 23 turnovers - 7 by Dillingham.

Wolves made 5 of 26 on 3's -- 76ers 4 of 26

Shannon by far the best all-around player on the team.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
well, I watched that mess last night.
67 fouls called
76'ers shot 40 of 44 on FT's.
Wolves shot 25 of 31 on FT's -- 75 FT attempts in a 40-minute game.

Wolves with 23 turnovers - 7 by Dillingham.

Wolves made 5 of 26 on 3's -- 76ers 4 of 26

Shannon by far the best all-around player on the team.
Click to expand...
I guess I’ll skip the recording of it then.
 

Catching up on some Wolves reading, from John K’s article, after the first summer league game -

www.nytimes.com

Terrence Shannon Jr. won't be given a Wolves rotation spot — he just needs to take it

Shannon finished with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, grabbed three rebounds and blocked two shots in Minnesota's 81-74 victory.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Dillingham is going to be the backup point guard next season. Full stop. His new mentor, Mike Conley, was sitting courtside to watch his debut. The lessons are already beginning.

Nori was interviewed during the Rockets game, which was played last night and said the following -

“The biggest hole we had last season, based on our analysis, was a legit backup for Mike. We know Mike can’t play the same amount of minutes in the upcoming season, as he did last year, we need to keep him fresher.”

“TS is ready to go and he’ll provide some depth on our bench as the 9-10 man in our rotation and can help us on both ends of the floor.”
 

We beat the Rockets last night 93-83. Now 3-1.

Miller had a DD w/21 points & 11 boards. His three point shot is not pretty.

Minot and Rob D. Had 15 points each. I’ve watched the three wins and this by far and away the best Minot has looked. Rob was 6-21, so he’s still figuring it out.

Shannon only played seven minutes (first quarter) due to a toe issue.

Gabe got some nice minutes and looked like he belonged, he had 5, including a buzzer beating 3 to close out the first quarter. Hope he finds a good overseas home.

www.espn.com

Timberwolves 93-83 Rockets (Jul 18, 2024) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets Nba-summer-las-vegas game from July 18, 2024 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

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