Kevin Love made the cut for the USA team today. Among those trimmed from the roster are Tyreke Evans, O.J. Mayo, Gerald Wallace JaVale McGee.
Love should flourish on this year’s squad being one of only three power forwards on the squad. And the absence of any superstar power forwards like Tim Duncan or Kevin Garnett will allow Love and others to showcase their talents on the world’s biggest stage.
Congrats, Love!
The Timberwolves have finalized a buyout from a Greek team for big man Nikola Pekovic, clearing the way for a three-year, $13 million contract.
Great move here.
Thoughts anyone?
And in case you missed it, venture your way into NBA Playbook to get the scoop on Pekovic.
Here’s a fantastic, thorough and articulated analysis of Wolves (soon-to-be) newcomer Nikola Pekovic.
Via Jerry Zgoda’s Twitter page:
Jonny Flynn having hip surgery in Colorado today. Sounds like 3 -4 month time is right, should know more 2day after surgery. #Timberwolves
Trading Ramon Sessions the day news breaks that Flynn needs surgery?
How Timberwolves-like?! You know, ironic?
With Flynn out going into the season, the Wolves now have to find a back-up point guard. Do they trade Koufos for one? Do they sign a veteran to a one-year, veteran minimum deal to back up Ridnour? Or do they let newly acquired Sebastian Telfair get another chance in a Wolves uniform?
It’s safe to say that things haven’t gone as planned this summer. Our offseason of questionable moves have only been the reason for others around the league to ridicule this flailing franchise as it teeters on the edge. Will things ever turn around?
No, better question: Will things ever bottom out?
What do you guys think? Express your mind in the comments below.
After taking a weekend off to take a trip to the Big Apple – my search for the Knicks finest Amar’e Stoudemire proved unsuccessful, — I am back to give you the best of the best coverage of your Timber Puppies.
Luckily it’s late July and NBA news has taken a backseat to the revving up of NFL training camps. Wolves news has also slowed down aside from Kahn’s remarks on Beasley’s smoking habits and the occasional trade rumor.
But what was rumor became reality tonight when Ramon Sessions was shipped off to Cleveland. The deal has the Wolves sending Sessions and Ryan Hollins to Cleveland for Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair.
We should all know by now that, and if you don’t, Delonte West will never wear a Timberwolves jersey, at least not in the immediate future. West’s contract is only partially guaranteed for $500,000 if he is waived before Aug. 5th. The Wolves will waive him in the next few days saving around $4 million in salary cap space next season.
In hindsight, the trade has a bright outcome considering the money that they will be saving, but what bums me out the most was the fact that Sessions, one of my favorite players last season, never got his chance in Minnesota. Sessions had to back-up a hot-shot point guard he never got the opportunity he needed to show the coaching staff and fans what he’s made of. He was being held back from his true potential by only being the back up here. If he had gotten the chance to start, I firmly believe that he would have won the spot at least contemporarily. Sessions has a bright future at only 24 years old, and playing next to his close friend Mo Williams in Cleveland will only heighten his limits.
The other question that comes out of this trade is what we plan to do with all this extra cap space. David Kahn does understand that the NBA has a minimum salary, right? As of right now the Wolves would not reach that threshold. Something may possibly be brewing behind the scenes, where the Wolves are trying to fill that open cap space very quickly with a player with a hefty price tag. Or maybe they just plan to fill to the minimum and acquire a player at the trade deadline next season from a team looking to dump salary.
All in all, the trade works for both sides. The Cavs got two good, young players and the Wolves got salary relief.
Win-win? Maybe not. Tie-tie? That’s more like it.
Unveiled during today’s presser to introduce Luke Ridnour to Minnesota was the reason why rumors surrounding Ramon Sessions’ fate is exactly that; just rumors.
Last season Jonny Flynn injured his hip and was bothered through the end of the season. That injury has continued to nag him this summer even keeping him from playing in Las Vegas for summer league.
During today’s presser, Kahn mentioned that Flynn’s hip is continuing to nag and that they are looking into different treatment options to patch him up. Kahn made it clear that he does not want to go into the season with three point guards…If they’re healthy, that is. It would be a serious logjam if we did.
If Flynn’s hip grows into a serious problem which could require surgery or any long-term treatment that goes beyond October, the Wolves will be content rolling into the season with two healthy guards in Ridnour and Sessions. Both have the tools and drive to compete for a starting job and the wherewithal to slide back into a reserve role behind the other.
That should answer any questions on Sessions. There’s no reason to panic and trade him away frantically, similar to what happened with Al Jefferson. The Wolves will hold onto him to see if his market grows or to find out whether Flynn will be ready to go by the start of next season.
Some good stuff out there today; good enough to put out your favorite Wolf Tracks! Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:
Timberwolf Tracks:
The Timberwolves report sales of about 400 new season tickets from their “pay the pick” promotion that priced seats based on their NBA lottery pick (No. 4). That means those season tickets sell for $172 apiece.
The Wolves say they have an overall season-ticket renewal rate of about 85 percent on a full-season equivalent of nearly 6,000 tickets.
The rumors are starting to flare and things are heating up:
As reported by Brian Windhorst and confirmed by Chris Tomasson, the Cavs are interested in acquiring Ramon Sessions from the Timberwolves. Minnesota would potentially get back Delonte West in the trade, who they’d then release before August 5 to pay only $500,000 of his $4.6 million salary this season.
Bringing in Ridnour was a sure enough sign that Sessions was going to be packing his bags very soon. But is it worth it?
Two very similar players coming from the same situation in Milwaukee. What makes Kahn think that Ridnour can come in and do things differently than Sessions did this past season? Was it the career year he had for the Bucks this past season? Many analysts, John Hollinger’s very outspoken about this, call Ridnour’s past season a serious fluke, which makes you wonder if Kahn only compared statistical years between Ridnour and Sessions. If so, this could be a wrong move considering the age difference between the two. But Ridnour’s experience could actually work well for the Wolves. He could mentor Flynn like he did to Jennings in Milwaukee.
According to the report, if Sessions does indeed get traded to the Cavs, we will receive Delonte West in return. Instead of keeping West, he would then be released before Aug. 5th because his $4.6 million contract is only guaranteed for $500,000 (It says it all above.)
Kahn is really just trying to open up cap space. With this move we can actually knock $4 million off the books; the potential trade just means Sessions for Ridnour in the long run. But for what? What is the reason for shedding all this cap space while other teams are frantically going on spending sprees?
Well, next summer with negotiations over a new bargaining agreement and a lockout looming, the amount of money that players can potentially acquire will decrease because of the different rules that teams will be playing with around the salary cap — That’s why many players are looking to cash in this summer rather than next; more stability. So instead of paying a max contract this year, next year’s max contracts could be considerably less. The Wolves are setting themselves up nicely to acquire a solid player at the trade deadline or next summer due to all this cap space we will carry into the season. And all of this starts with these penny pinching moves that Kahn is making.
Smart guy after all takes via national media.
Breakdown of Nikola Pekovic
July 29, 2010 — JSteinmeyerThis was hard. Not being brushed up on my European basketball knowledge limited what I could tell you about our newest Timberwolf. However, thanks to Sebastian Pruiti over at NBA Playbook, I was able to muster up enough information to portray to you all on this massive mammoth from Montenegro.
But before I get started, I want you guys to head over to T-Wolves Blog and join in on their quest for a nickname for our gigantic foreign frontline. Either join in on their fun or make a new one here in the comments area under this post and we’ll come up with the best name for Darko and Pekovic next season.
And now the fun.
Pekovic immediately bolsters the Wolves front line. Standing a mere 6′11″ and weighing in at 265 lbs, Pekovic immediately adds height and mass of pure mean muscle. He’s really going to fit in well and get good minutes with the departure of Al Jefferson and should be able to play alongside Kevin Love and Darko due to his strengths.
Probably his biggest strength is his work in the post. First off, I want to describe to you that Euro-league is a lot different than American basketball. The focus is on finesse rather than a highly physical style of play. But Pekovic has a big body and knows how to use it. Pekovic was one of a kind in Europe because he played American-type basketball, while all the other forwards and centers are playing point forward and shooting threes. Could Pekovic’s success in the post come from a lack of physicality from other Euros? Possibly, but who cares because we now know that he’s not afraid to mix it up down there with anybody, even Americans.
While in the post, Pekovic isn’t flashy; he’s brutal. He knows how to bang in the low post to get the best position possible. Once he has position, he’s usually already in the paint or next to the rim giving him an easy chance at a turnaround hook. And his moves are exactly that. If you remember back to watching Big Al in the post, he prefers to pump fake and spin and do everything possible to get around the defender to get his shot off. Pekovic doesn’t go around anybody; he goes into his defenders. And with the position he gains in the post, he’ll draw plenty of fouls when he turns and shoots into his defender’s arms.
Pek doesn’t just succeed in the post though. At 6′11″ you wouldn’t think that Pek has the wheels to hang with other NBA superstars. But surprisingly, Pek doesn’t have a plow dragging behind him when running the court. In Kahn’s quest to piece together a team that runs the floor and takes no prisoners, Pek will fit in nicely. He’ll be able to run with the rest of the team as well as be that low-post player that we need in the half-court.
Another advantage Pekovic has is his composure, especially in the post. When you watch a lot of young players come into the league, they struggle with their composure and how they perform under pressure in the post. They dribble too much, don’t have a good feel of where the defender is and will bring the ball down to it’s lowest point, inviting smaller guards to come in and swat it out for a steal. Pek has been a Euro-pro since 2005, so he is no rookie. He knows how to play the game, and better yet play his game. He’ll come into this league with the composure and wherewithal to be successful by being himself.
Stemming from Pek’s composure and high basketball i.q. is his ability to play off his teammates. Pek is a smart player, which compliments his brawny style of play nicely. That’s not a very common combo. But Pek knows how to play and play to his teammates strengths. He’ll set screens on the perimeter to open up lanes. He rebounds well enough and can pass efficiently out of the post. He has all the tools to be successful on the offensive end and his high basketball i.q. and Euro-league experience only improve his chances at transitioning to the NBA as smooth as possible.
Even with Pek’s professional experience and talent, he still has some weaknesses. For one, Pek isn’t the strongest defender. He’s good because he’s big and aware of his body, but he’s not going to be some human fly swatter in the paint. Sebastian says that he defends the pick and roll very well but has trouble with help defense.
Alongside Darko, this won’t be a problem. But playing center next to Love on defense could spell problems. Neither do a good job at help defense and neither are defensively talented enough to make up for the other’s faults. That line up will be more of an offensive minded squad anyways, but defensively it’ll be trouble.
Probably the worst of Pek’s weaknesses is his rebounding. Leaves you dumbfounded reading that, huh? Even being as physical as he is and as big as he is, Pek isn’t a skilled rebounder. But that does show you that it takes more than just being big and mean to be a good rebounder. It takes positioning and the ability to jump towards the ball at its highest point. Don’t get me wrong; Pek isn’t a bad rebounder, he’s just not good. Lucky for him, his teammate Kevin Love is one of the best in the biz and will get the job done for Pek on both ends of the court.
Well there you have it. There’s a lot more to be said about our newest Timberwolf but you’ll have to wait and see him play this season to get it all in perspective. But after reading this, I hope you get excited about seeing him and the Wolves this season. He should be a great addition to this year’s team and provide plenty of spark to the line up.
And once more, if you want more on Pekovic, go to NBA Playbook and read up on more. He does a great job and I owe this piece to him because it guided me through dissecting the Montenegrin Mammoth (That’s my nickname for him, and don’t forget to figure out a name for our Euro frontline of Pek and Darko!)