Sonia
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Written by SG
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
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Yet seven seasons after the NBA started the D-League as a training
ground for all levels, from management and referees to players and
coaches, the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs remain the only franchises to
run their own affiliate. No matter how logical it seems for the
development of first-round picks and other well-regarded hopefuls, the
28 other organizations, including the Kings, share assignments and have
no authority to dictate the critical decisions of hiring coaches,
distribution of minutes or the style of play.
"I think it is a big advantage (for L.A. and San Antonio),"
Timberwolves general manager Jim Stack said. "They're running all their
stuff. They can kind of control it how they want to control it, where
we may be able to influence it, but we don't control it. There's that
level of difference between those two things."
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Corey Brewer. Wolves' fans hoped the rookie,
seventh overall pick and 2007 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player
would prove to be the sleeper of the draft. He demonstrated flashes of
great athleticism and enough length and ability to defend the other
team's best player many nights. But he also couldn't shoot a lick,
averaging 5.7 points on 37.5 shooting for the season. So skinny, Brewer
must get stronger and relax with his shot.
While awaiting his appeal in his lawsuit against the University of Minnesota, in which he claimed he quit his job as an Oklahoma State men's basketball assistant coach because he already was hired to do the same job with the Gophers, Jimmy Williams is conducting a clinic for young players, and one his students is Gerald Green, the former Wolves player who was traded to Houston and subsequently released by the Rockets.
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 27 April 2008 |
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If Brown is hired, the Bulls also should hire former Minnesota
Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey as lead assistant with the provision
that he'd take over the top job in two or three years.
Casey, believed to be among the candidates Paxson is considering, was a
highly regarded assistant with the Seattle SuperSonics before being
hired by the Timberwolves.
He wasn't given much of a chance to turn around the T-wolves before being fired.
He admits some years that was more difficult than others. The M.L. Carr
reign was tough. The youth movement under Danny Ainge that preceded
this summer's monster trades, though, was not as bad as one might
imagine.
"It wasn't hard to be positive then because I liked all those young
guys," he said. "I still think Al Jefferson is going to be a great
player. I was saying that I wouldn't have traded Al Jefferson for Kevin
Garnett. I'm pretty sure I'm on the record that I would not have made
that deal."
Smith was involved in a salary-cap tampering scandal in October 2000 while playing in Minnesota.
The 6-foot-10, 225-pounder signed with the Timberwolves for $2.5
million, below his market value, and agreed to a wink-wink, future
multi-year contract. When word leaked of the deal, NBA commissioner
David Stern fined the Timberwolves $3.5 million, voided Smith's
contract and stripped the team of five first-round picks. Two of the
picks were later returned.
''I've kind of put it behind me,'' he said. ''I still get asked about
it. I'm trying to leave it alone and go on with my career.''
In 1990, years before selling naming rights became standard for sports
arenas, Target arranged to have its name and logo put on the new
Timberwolves arena in Minneapolis. Ulrich clinched the deal for a mere
$250,000 a year.
And the chardonnay really turns to vinegar when your team
devolves into a bottom feeder — like the Minnesota Timberwolves, who
recently wrapped up their worst season since 1991-92 and are watching
the NBA playoffs on TV for the fourth straight year.
Meanwhile, there are former Wolves all over the playoff map, dotting
the landscape like pieces of a balloon that suddenly went “pop" (which,
come to think of it, isn't a bad analogy for what has happened to
basketball in Minnesota).
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 27 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 26 April 2008 |
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Interestingly, Szczerbiak is one of 13 former Timberwolves players
scattered throughout the first round. So even though Minnesota hasn't
put together a playoff team in four years, it has sprinkled the
equivalent of a full roster around this postseason.
That's 13 legitimate, active players, a baker's dozen and one more than
the official NBA roster minimum. As a group, especially in the
backcourt, they're showing some tread wear — high miles tend to be a
part of alumni anything. But if you brought them all together as one
entry in commissioner David Stern's 16-team tournament, the Once-Wolves
might have a shot in a best-of-seven series against four or five of the
actual playoff teams.
Put them against the 2007-08 Wolves squad, and the gone-but-not-forgotten guys probably would take it four games to one.
Jefferson finished with 55 double-doubles, third best in the league
after sitting in second for much of the season behind Dwight Howard’s
regular-season 67. Jefferson averaged a double-double in every month
except for January (.2 rebounds shy) and March (1.2 rebounds shy), but
in both months averaged fewer minutes in comparison to the rest of the
season.
Jefferson aside, other Wolves contributors took up a more pronounced
role. Ryan Gomes scored 13.5 points per game and grabbed 6.3 boards in
the second half of the year, compared to 11.6 and 5.3 in the season’s
first three months.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 26 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Friday, 25 April 2008 |
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The drunken driver who killed Minnesota Timberwolves player Malik Sealy
in 2000 got a stiff, eight-year prison sentence Thursday for two
drunken driving violations committed since then.
Advocates praised the sentence as substantial for a case in which no
one died and as a sign of the impact of a recent change in state law.
Malik Sealy's mother said the news, though welcomed, reopens old wounds.
"If they would understand the real hole that that tears in a family.
It's a lot, it's a lot," said Ann Sealy, Malik Sealy's mother.
She said it's comforting to know her son's killer can't be a threat to others while he's locked up for a long sentence.
The fact the Timberwolves are in discussions with Clear Channel about
putting the team's games on FM-talker KTLK (100.3 FM) next season
shouldn't surprise anyone.
A terrible on-court performance in recent years is the No. 1 reason the
Wolves have fallen off the local sports map, but it hasn't helped that
the team's games are carried by a country music station (BOB 106.1 FM)
that can be difficult to pick up.
The Wolves got some help late in the season when KGBY (107.5 FM) also
started airing games, but it remained a less-than-ideal situation.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 25 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
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Paxson, however, still is gathering background on other candidates and,
according to one source, told Carlisle that when the 2002 Coach of the
Year asked about the Bulls' timeline for a hire.
It's unknown if Paxson has asked the Celtics or Pistons for permission
to speak to assistants Tom Thibodeau or Michael Curry, respectively,
two candidates who intrigue Paxson. Sources said former Timberwolves
coach Dwane Casey is expected to interview with Paxson.
An interesting side note is that Carlisle has discussed targeting Casey
as his lead assistant if he should land the Bulls' job, sources said.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 23 April 2008 |
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But make no mistake: Minnesota will never be a viable playoff contender
without a staunch big men to take the defensive pressure off the team's
two best players, Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes. A steady diet of
postseason games has reminded me what it takes to be an elite NBA team:
A bonafide superstar, a demi-star, knowledgeable role players, and
capable team defense. It is possible--not quite probable--that
Jefferson is a budding superstar. Gomes is certainly a knowledgeable
role player who can find a niche on most any ballclub. But put them on
the court together at center and power forward and you cannot defend in
a playoff-worthy manner.
In short, he figures to be one of the best interior scorers in the
league for years to come. With Jefferson signed through 2013, the
Wolves are a reliable perimeter shooter away from respectability, if
not outright contention. Personnel matters, of course, are out of
Jefferson's hands. But let's not take for granted what skilled hands
they are.
The NBA is always looking for new, talented ball players. They'll go to
any corner of the globe to find one. The influx of foreign-based
players started in Europe, but now, more and more scouts are traveling
even further for a look at the NBA's fastest growing market.
"It's absolutely a global game now and if you can get a country like
China involved in the NBA, it can only help our game," Minnesota
Timberwolves Assistant General Manager Fred Hoiberg said. "It's an
exciting time," he added.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 23 April 2008 |
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Tuesday night, a pricey Mercedes outside the University Heights gym was
a giveaway that Buckner was back home for some pickup basketball.
Hopson had the chore of guarding the muscular NBA veteran, while Buckner matched up against him on the other end.
Also from Griffith:
Buckner's interest in his hometown is admirable: he sponsors a youth
basketball league in Hopkinsville that requires youth attend life
skills classes in order to play.
Former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Troy Hudson is back in
the Twin Cities committed to try and keep a career in music production
alive.
Why does a franchise with the cheapest parking in the league ($6), the
ninth-cheapest average ticket ($39.37) and $2 programs seem so
unaffordable? Probably because nobody wants to pay to see a train
wreck. Cutting ticket prices by 2.2% this year did little to make up
for shipping Kevin Garnett to Boston after ownership refused to build a
decent team around him. To make matters worse, rumors that the Warriors
offered a better package for KG have led many fans to wonder if Wolves
honcho Kevin McHale wasn't conspiring with Celtics GM/BFF Danny Ainge
to make his old team better.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 |
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The Randy Foye Foundation serves to improve the quality of life in my
hometown of Newark, NJ by raising money to fund specific projects
throughout the city with a focus on the children.
We Rite Goode looks at the results of a poll of multiple hoops bloggers for Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Most Improved Player.
Though not enough to beat out Manu Ginobili, Rashad McCants did receive one second-place vote in the voting for the Sixth Man of the Year award
Restricted Free Agents: Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, Chris Richard, Kirk Snyder, Sebastian Telfair
Unrestricted Free Agents: Michael Doleac
2009 Playoff Chances: Not Happening
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Monday, 21 April 2008 |
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Mark Madsen, Greg Buckner, Antoine Walker and Michael Doleac played little for the Wolves at the end of the season. But Kevin McHale said their veteran influence was so important that he would like most of them back. Doleac is the only free agent of the group. He said he had not made up his mind to retire and might want to come back with the Wolves if he was wanted.
Now, Bouchey and other investors have started a rebate card called Cash Value, geared toward larger communities.
Beginning this summer, they'll distribute it to millions of U.S.
households through a major new initiative that will be linked to a
website owned by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor. Called the Gold Star
Registry, the site will enable teachers to post wish lists, and
families to buy those items for the teachers while their earning their
own rebate dollars.
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 20 April 2008 |
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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?
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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:
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Derek Hanson, the founder of TWolvesBlog, delivers his optimistic and often inspiring take on the Wolves in his column,
"DeROK's One Shot"Email:
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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"
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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"
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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"
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