TWolves Blog - Minnesota Timberwolves News and Articles
|
Written by SG
|
|
Sunday, 20 April 2008 |
|
The Jefferson shout-out is not a homer call; "Big Al" assumed team
leadership, played out of position all season and still finished tied
for second in double-doubles.
Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor, on his WNBA team: "We've got some high-potential young ladies there; we're kind of like the men."
How many seasons does Kevin Love get of bad
vibration minutes with the T-Wolves, trying to live down the Mark
Madsen comparisons? Or do the Midwest farmer's daughters really make
you feel all right even if the fans are booing you? Wouldn't it be nice
if Ben Howland could just convince him to stick it out?
 Be first to comment this article
|
|
Written by Derek Hanson
|
|
Saturday, 19 April 2008 |
|
Boston Celtics / Minnesota Timberwolves Playoff Preview
Note: This article appears on www.DeROK.Net
"I'm ready. I can't even describe it. I feel like it's rookie season all over again, with the energy I have. You guys have been talking all that bull, so I'm ready to prove all you wrong. I'm here. Hey, when stuff got tight, when Steph [Marbury] left, I'm here. When we went through the draft pick [forfeitures], I'm here. When we got put out six years in a row, I'm here. I'm going to be here until they don't want me anymore. I'm 'Sota, man. This is where I live, 365 days. I'm here. Life is tough. You can't run from everything." - Kevin Garnett in a 2002 pre-season interview
If there was any question as to why thousands upon thousands of Minnesota Timberwolves fans will be overloading the Boston Celtics' bandwagon on Sunday night, one has to look no further than the quote above for an answer. In an league where buyouts and sell-outs and trade demands are common place, Kevin Garnett refused to do anything less than be a man, honor his contract, and play his heart and soul out for his fans. Despite a multitude of pressures from the mainstream media and close friends to force his way into a better situation, Kevin Garnett stayed true to his word through his entire twelve seasons as a Minnesota Timberwolf.
I'm here. I'm going to be here until they don't want me anymore.
As incredulous as it may seem that an NBA team wouldn't want Kevin Garnett any more, that's exactly what happened over the summer of 2007. Cap-strapped, pickless, and backed into a corner, the Timberwolves' management made the decision to trade away their lone bargaining chip for a younger foundation to rebuild upon. What followed was the largest trade for a single player in NBA history. It was a move that would break the collective heart of Minnesota and revitalize a moribound Boston franchise. Through the months that followed, Wolves fans began coming to terms with the deal and learned to love their young heroes like Big Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, but any feelings they had for the "new guys" simply paled in comparison to what the Big Ticket had meant to them during his tenure in Minnesota. There was simply no way for Garnett's replacements to wash away twelve years of an impeccable work ethic, undying loyalty, and unforgettable memories.
Continue Reading...
Comments (1) |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Saturday, 19 April 2008 |
|
From the Associated Press:
The Minnesota Timberwolves will have a 13.8 percent chance of getting
the first pick in the NBA draft this summer. That’s 138 pingpong balls
with their name on it out of a pool of 1,000. The lottery will be held May 20.
The league held a blind draw Friday to break a tie between Minnesota
and Memphis because they finished with the same 22-60 record. The
Wolves won, so they’ll have a whopping one more ball in the hopper than
the Grizzlies
Friday's "luck" only will be relevant if the Wolves don't get lucky in
the May 20 draft lottery and earn one of the first three picks allotted
that day. Depending upon the lottery results, they can select no worse
than sixth in the draft. The Wolves never have improved their draft
position in the lottery.
If both the Wolves and Grizzlies fail to get one of
the top three picks in the lottery, then because of the tiebreaker,
Minnesota would pick ahead of Memphis.
The Wolves' highest draft pick was third in 1992,
when they took Christian Laettner. Minnesota actually had the worst
record in the league in the 1991-92 season but got just the third pick
through the lottery. Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning were the top
two selections in the 1992 draft.
Along with their first-round selection, the Timberwolves will also have
their own second-round pick along with a second-round pick acquired
from the Miami Heat in a trade prior to the start of the season. The
order of selection in the second round cannot be determined until after
the Draft Lottery.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Saturday, 19 April 2008 |
Ryan at Hoops Addict compiled an extensive list of playoff predictions from various hoops writers and bloggers.
After the Timberwolves' season finale victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night, the Wolves' Al Jefferson opened his Cadillac Escalade, left unlocked with other players' cars inside Target Center, to find it loaded with plastic foam packing peanuts. No word on the prankster.
Still, my sense is that Foye has better potential than McCants. For one
thing, though he does seem a little stubborn at times, he doesn't
really display Shaddy's petulance. I could easily see that stubbornness
and pride morph into a kind of leadership as it has for Lord Chauncey
(for the record, Foye mentioned after the game that Mr. Billups is one
of the players he loves to watch and learn from--a good sign, I think)
And whereas Foye shows signs of climbing the steep learning curve of
running a team (and Wittman made the good point that, after his injury,
Foye was playing major catch-up in learning the offense), I'm not sure
Rashad is ever going to get much better than he is right now. Will
McCants ever be ok with the sixth-man tag the team seems intent on
pegging on him? I'd be surprised.
Gregg Swedberg, vice president of programming for Clear Channel Minneapolis, confirmed Friday that his company is in the "initial discussion period" with the Wolves about putting the team's games on FM talk-station KTLK (100.3) in 2008-09.
"It would be the best signal they've been on in terms of availability
to hear it," Swedberg said. "We would have to work some money issues
out and figure out clearance. We've discussed it but I would say it's
not imminent."
Fred Hoiberg has been through a lot in his days - NBA drafts, zone defenses and a heart condition that threatened his life.
The Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager and former NBA
player spoke on campus Thursday night, discussing his career and the
health problems that ended it.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Friday, 18 April 2008 |
|
The result will have no real bearing on the lottery proceedings on May
20 -- Minnesota and Memphis, for example, will split the balls
available for the #3 and #4 teams. If it's an odd number, the coin flip
winner will take the extra one. But the coin flip does have
serious import with regards to draft order. A Minnesota coin flip win
means Minnesota picks ahead of Memphis, unless Memphis vaults into the
Top 3 by way of lottery win. It also means the lowest Minnesota could
pick would be #6, while Memphis could fall as low as #7.
A franchise that has had none in the draft lottery won Friday’s blind
draw with Memphis, which means the Wolves get slotted for the third
overall pick in the June draft and the Grizzlies the fourth pick,
provided the lottery goes according to the odds.
Also from Zgoda:
By winning it, the Wolves also get a 13.8 percent chance at the No. 1 overall pick rather than a 13.7 percent chance.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Friday, 18 April 2008 |
Asked whether a 20-win improvement in 2008-09 was a realistic
expectation, McHale responded, "I think we should next year," offering
that on a condition of the avoidance of major injuries.
Later, coach Randy Wittman was more cautious about that lofty goal...
Also from Campbell:
Wittman's career coaching record, including two seasons in Cleveland,
dropped to an embarrassing 96-192. "I don't see any change coming
unless you know something I don't know," McHale said, later adding: "I
think Randy's growing as a coach, and that's what you've got to do."
The Wolves have the option to match any contract offers Ryan Gomes,
Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, Kirk Snyder and Chris Richard receive
this summer, and McHale said he has already prioritized that list
because it's unlikely the team will be able to re-sign all five. He
called Gomes "definitely a guy we'd like to bring back." When asked
specifically if he'd extend qualifying offers -- a procedure that keeps
the team's right to match -- to Telfair and Snyder by June 30, McHale
said he'd wait to see who and how the team drafts on June 26.
But the biggest improvement of all will have to come from the players who suffered through this season and yet gained valuable experience.
"I like a lot of the things that happened with the
team," McHale said. "I do like our young guys, our core group moving
forward. I think there's really people here to build around. We're
excited about that. I fully anticipate next year having a huge — being
healthy is a big thing — but I see us having a huge jump in our win
totals. I'm excited about it."
Although McHale didn't say he would be around for
years to come — it has been his standard stance to say he re-evaluates
his desire to return on an annual basis — he said the players on this
team make his job fun.
There's a belief among those close to the Wolves
that it would be difficult for McHale to walk away from the team in its
current state. He wants to get the team back on the rise, presumably
before handing over control of the team to assistant general manager
Fred Hoiberg.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Friday, 18 April 2008 |
|
Plans are for Kevin McHale to return to manage the basketball department with his staff intact.
"One of the things that I feel good about is that we
have met as a group many, many times this year, and everybody has been
working together and more productively to get us ready for the future,"
Taylor said. "Everybody in the office is energized. That's good for me,
and that's good for Kevin. He's very excited."
Also from Walters:
The Wolves budgeted to lose about $20 million this
season. But, Taylor said Wednesday, that has been reduced to about $10
million through some dealings.
According to Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, it is unlikely the club will add any high-priced free agents for the 2008-09 season.
"Probably not next year because next year I'm still paying [Troy] Hudson and I'm paying [Juwan] Howard. I still have to pay those salaries somewhat, so I think next year our biggest goal will be probably the draft choices. We should get our own high one and then depending on what Miami does, maybe theirs. So I think that will be our best chance to improve next year. It's a couple years out that we have our contracts coming, they end, that we have the money for the free agents."
According to preliminary numbers from Nielsen Media, KSTC finished with
a 0.9 rating and 1.7 share for 34 telecasts -- down 61 percent from
last season (2.3 and 4) -- and FSN North had a 0.9 rating and 1.5 share
for 35 games -- down 36 percent (1.4 and 3) from 2006-07.
Also from Zulgad:
It will be interesting to see if the Wolves remain with radio partner
BOB 106 FM in 2008-09...
Gary Washburn/Seattle PI lists Al Jefferson as a "close second" behind Hedo Turkoglu for the Most Improved Player award. For the Sixth Man award, Washburn names Rashad McCants runner-up to Manu Ginobili.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Thursday, 17 April 2008 |
|
The first question posed to the coach is why the team won last night's game. Wittman's response: Isn't that what we're supposed to do?
Wittman on the team:
Al Jefferson - had a fabulous year
Ryan Gomes- established himself as solid a player as you could ask for, not flashy, but a good glue guy. He's up there among top priorities for the team this offseason.
Corey Brewer- Wittman loves him. Said he's going to be fine and will be in the league for a long time. He described him as a tough kid with a big heart. He has to get stronger and develop his body, his core needs to be stronger
Brewer lost confidence during the season which caused him to struggle, but he bounced back well at the end of the year.
Randy Foye- a healty Foye earlier in the season would have contributed to more wins
Rashad McCants- Wittman was asked if McCants was an enigma. Wittman said that the player has to decide and that the ball is in his court. He's got the chance to be a pretty special player in the league but right now he's not showing he totally wants that, especially on defense. Coach said he has to take his defense to the next level. As hard as he works offensively, he has to put the same effort in on the other end.
On his own performance this year- Wittman said this season was more of an evaluation year than a coaching year. With so many new players, had to do a lot more evaluation to figure out how the team was going to move forward.
When asked who he preferred for the team between Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, Wittman said he did not know.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Thursday, 17 April 2008 |
|
He says it's reasonable to expect his team to win another 20
games next year.
Also from the AP:
As for McHale himself? The Timberwolves vice president says he's
energized by the talent and attitude of the team's youth and didn't
hint at any plans to step down.
The Wolves did win their last game Wednesday night in overtime, but
General Manager Kevin McHale said it was a long season. He admits the
team did not play to its potential overall.
"I thought we lost games that we should have won. I thought we were in
situations to win more games. It's all relative," McHale said. "When
you say play to your potential, it's like putting yourselves in
position to win games that are there to be won."
Be first to comment this article |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Thursday, 17 April 2008 |
|
From Tom Ziller/Fanhouse:
The two ties make things ... interesting. The league will flip a coin
in each case later this week. The result will have no real bearing on
the lottery proceedings on May 20 -- Minnesota and Memphis, for
example, will split the balls available for the #3 and #4 teams. If
it's an odd number, the coin flip winner will take the extra one. But
the coin flip does have serious import with regards to draft
order. A Minnesota coin flip win means Minnesota picks ahead of
Memphis, unless Memphis vaults into the Top 3 by way of lottery win. It
also means the lowest Minnesota could pick would be #6, while Memphis
could fall as low as #7.
A year ago, the Wolves lost the draw with Portland after both teams
tied for the sixth-worst record. The Wolves got slotted seventh
overall, the Blazers sixth and one of the Blazers’ number combinations
out of a possible 1,001 turned out the winner of the lottery and of
Greg Oden.
Odenized with video of an embarrassing moment for Corey Brewer in yesterday's game.
Draft Needs: Size to allow Jefferson to play his natural power forward position, rather than center. Of course, the Timberwolves wouldn't pass on either Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose if they are there to select, but must stay away from drafting undersized guards this year. Outside of Beasley or Rose, a perfect fit for Minnesota would be Brook Lopez from Stanford.
Be first to comment this article |
| << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
| | Results 41 - 50 of 870 |
|
Columnists
Sonia Grover started her Wolves site, "I Heart KG", in 2006. In the wake of the big trade, she moved over to TWolvesBlog and brought her column,
"Wolves Daily News"Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Derek Hanson, the founder of TWolvesBlog, delivers his optimistic and often inspiring take on the Wolves in his column,
"DeROK's One Shot"Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Dave Kelsey, life-long Wolves fan, season ticket holder, and forum post champion gives his humorous take on the Wolves and life in general in
"Club Seating with College Wolf"
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
As one of the 78 owners of Troy Hudson's "Undrafted", its clear that Anthony Hall isn't afraid to go against the grain. He offers up his one-of-a-kind take on the Timberwolves in his column,
"In the Paint"
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jeremy Knutson packed up his stuff from the Old Wolves Logo, drove over to the TWolvesBlog, unloaded the car, and now invites you to come along for a ride through the NBA in his
"Hoop De Ville"
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
TWolves Blog Howl-Outs
We have excellent Timberwolves tickets, plus awesome cheap tickets to Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers tickets, San Antonio Spurs tickets, Denver Nuggets tickets, and many other basketball tickets.
_______________
Sponsored by BetUS Sportsbook - Basketball betting at BetUS. Bet on the Timberwolves at America's favorite Sportsbook for NBA betting, football betting and sports betting.
________________
Get free NBA picks to win more of your bets this winter. Also view the latest NBA lines and college basketball odds and get a great sportsbook review at Locksmith Sports.
________________
Get Jimmy Buffet Tickets, Dave Matthews Tickets, and Spamalot Tickets from Vivid Seats. We also have tickets to the hottest sporting events including
Boston Red Sox Tickets, Super Bowl Tickets,and New England Patriots Tickets.
________________
Minnesota Timberwolves Tickets from a Minnesota ticket broker, Ticket King. Need Cheap Timberwolves tickets? Log-on to Timberwolves Tickets and reserve your Timberwolves Basketball Tickets to any game, even the Timberwolves Boston Celtics game!
________________
Barry's Tickets has great deals on Minnesota Timberwolves Tickets, Minnesota Vikings Tickets, Minnesota Twins Tickets, Minnesota Wild Tickets, Super Bowl Tickets, NBA All Star Game Tickets as well as all NBA Basketball Tickets
________________
NBA Picks
Basketball Picks
Free Basketball Picks
________________
For information on featuring your site in this area, please contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
