Howlin' T-Wolf

Hooooooooowwwwwwwwwwooooooo!!!!!!! Wolves win a thriller!

Box Score

Game Flow

The Nets Are Scorching Recaps: Quick and In Depth

What we learned…

The Good:

• The Wolves are clearly in good shape as they won the game in the 4th quarter with pure energy on both sides of the floor.
• Ryan Hollins has an 18 ft. turn-around  jump shot that is pretty effective and good looking to boot. Would love to see him turn into a key role player for this team.
• Jonny Flynn can get to the basket at will and just might use his body to create contact as well as the master of it, Allen Iverson.
• The Wolves only turned the ball over 10 times.

The Bad:

• The Wolves shooting was horrendous to put it nicely. (Anytime you win a game with a 37% eFG you should be put in jail for larsony)
• The Wolves defense for 3+1/2 quarters was horrendous to put it nicely.
• The Wolves have no offense outside of playground ball when Al is out of the game.
• It took Jonny Flynn 3 quarters to realize he can go to the rack whenever he wants with whoever might be on him.
• It took 3+1/2 quarters to realize that hey maybe Brook Lopez might miss if he’s defended.
• The Wolves made 1 3pt. shot and had only 1 block. (Did I mention the shooting and D were bad?)

The Ugly:

• Al Jefferson played very limited minutes and wasn’t himself down low tonight. Hopefully he can/will be healthy and 100% very soon.
• The Wolves now have to face LeBron on Friday night who just lost two games to start the season. As I twittered earlier:

And now the #TWolves need to go on #NBALive10 and “create a player” to be able to stop an 0-2 LeBron on Friday night.

OK Wolves fans the moment you’ve been waiting for is just about here.

Instead of a more in depth preview here’s a quick bullet point list of thoughts going into the game. Also be sure to check out my Q+A with Nets Are Scorching as well.

• I’m very interested to see how Rambis uses Brewer on defense. With the Nets using a somewhat smaller lineup of Harris, Lee, and Douglas-Roberts we could see Corey moving around to guard whoever is hot. Flynn is also one of the few capable guards at staying with Harris so that should be a fun matchup too.
• Lopez vs. Jefferson. We’ll get to see just how quick Big Al can play against a very mobile big man in Brook Lopez. It will also be fun to see what Hollins can do on D against him too.
• Will Ramon and Jonny play together at all tonight? I’ll put the over/under at 10 minutes. What do you guys think?
• Surprise stat line guess of the night: Ryan Gomes 16 pts on 6-10 fg, 2-2 ft, 2 3’s, 8 rebs, 4 asts, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 to’s.
• Another surprise pick, Wolves leading scorer: Jonny Flynn with 20 over Al with 18.
• Wolves have been fairly decent in openers and are at home so I’ll say Wolves by 4. 104-100. I liked that they won their last preseason game with energy in the second half and Al is back.

I’ll be tweeting throughout the game as long as my NBA Broadband League Pass is working so be sure to follow along at home.

Let’s Go Wolves!

I threw a few questions to the guys over at the TrueHoop Network’s Net’s blog, Nets Are Scorching, about tonight’s opening game and below are the answers from Mark Ginocchio of NAS.

I did the same for them as well so you’ll be able to see my answers over there later this afternoon.

On to the questions…

HTW: I’ve heard that Chris Douglas Roberts and Courtney Lee had quite the preseason battle at shooting guard with both proving their worth. Can you give Wolves fans a quick breakdown on what to expect from the Nets at shooting guard now that Vince is gone?

NAS: In a moved that surprised many, Coach Lawrence Frank has actually named Chris Douglas-Roberts the starting SF to start the season, despite playing him mostly in the backcourt last year. Obviously, the Nets can not replace Vince Carter’s offensive production through one player. But the Nets have an interesting assortment of athletic wings in Courtney Lee, CDR and Terrence Williams. There’s been talk lately of some periods of small ball, where those three, paired with Devin Harris, will just look to try and run the opposing team of the court. As for what to expect specifically from Courtney Lee – I was surprised by just how much poise and polish he has for a second year player and a late first-round pick. The guy is primarily a shooter, but I think he’s going to be more active close to the hoop as well with more offensive responsibility than he had last year.
HTW: There’s a lot of extracurricular news surrounding the Nets with an impending purchase of the team by the “Mark Cuban” of Russia as some have called him. Wolves fans know a thing or two about distracting and over-blown stories coming from overseas, how are Nets fans looking at the situation going into the season?

NAS: The move to Brooklyn and the potential sale to Mikhail Prokhorov are both intertwined and I think weighing on most fans’ minds. The Brooklyn issue has lingered for years, but there’s a sense that some things are going to come to a head by the end of 2009. Meanwhile, with ownership banking so much on making Brooklyn a reality, I shudder to think what might happen to the state of the team if this plan ultimately falls through. It would likely put the Nets back on the open market and despite having a ton of cap space at their disposal next summer, I can’t see any free agents wanting to come to a team in that much flux. That’s why it’s critical for something substantial to happen with Brooklyn this season.
HTW: Terrence Williams was a very intriguing player going into the draft for reasons both on and off the court. What kind of preseason did he have for the Nets?

NAS: After struggling his first four games or so, TWill finished the preseason strong. He’s not going to be a great scorer going into the season, but he finds ways to fill up a stat-sheet in other areas with assists, rebounds, steals, etc. The shooting is questionable, and he looked crazy overmatched when playing point against guys like Rajon Rondo, so I honestly think Williams is going to be a work in progress, with good days and bad, this season.

HTW: The Wolves and Nets are in similar places in that they are both in the midst of rebuilding years. What are the Nets expectations and what defines a successful season for the team?

NAS: I think with the Nets, it’s all about seeing what they have in terms of the youth of the roster, and whether or not some of the pieces currently in place are worth building around. I think it’s safe to say that Devin Harris is a cornerstone, and Brook Lopez is on his way, but guys like Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Yi, Terrence Williams, etc. are great unknowns. I would love to see this team prove a lot of the prognosticators wrong and sneak into the playoffs, but personally, as long as those six guys continue to evolve as NBA players, I would consider it a successful season. As it stands, I think if all six of them become good rotation players, with the way the East is shaped, they might just sneak into the playoffs anyway, but I’m not banking on that.

Be sure to check out TrueHoop today and tomorrow for some more features of the THN season preview.

A guide to the other 29 teams in the Network:

TEAM	BLOGGERS SAY	WINS*
	Bret Lagree | Hoopinion “The Hawks have not built, nor do they appear to be building, a championship contender. … Joe Johnson is poised to be a free agent in the summer of 2010. Johnson is not a franchise player, yet he’s the Hawks’ best player.”	45
	Zach Lowe | CelticsHub “It seems reasonable to say anything short of an 18th championship would be a disappointment.”	58
	Brett Hainline | Queen City Hoops “Great defense + equally bad offense = average. With an improving division around them, that equation does not get them their first playoff berth. But at least they won’t suck.”	36
	Matt McHale | By the Horns “During the offseason, the Bulls lost free agent Ben Gordon, whom many people considered the team’s best or second-best player (after Derrick Rose). Memo to Chicago fans: Don’t sweat it. Seriously. Gordon will be replaced by John Salmons, who not only gave the Bulls almost as many points per game (18.3 versus 20.7) but was slightly more efficient in how he scored them.”	43
	John Krolik | Cavs the Blog “After last season’s playoff heartbreak, Danny Ferry has changed up the equation … However, Shaq could disrupt the delicate offensive and defensive chemistry the Cavaliers rode to 66 wins and the conference finals, despite the fact he will be the best player LeBron has ever played with if he continues to play like he did last season. The big question for the Cavs this seasons whether they overreacted to two clutch 3s by Rashard Lewis, or made the risk they needed to take to finally get LeBron a ring.”	61
	Rob Mahoney | The Two Man Game “’Rebuilding’ teams seek financial flexibility and the acquisition of young, productive assets. Quality squads amass veteran talent, no matter the cost, in pursuit of a title. Defying all logic, the Mavs have simultaneously moved in both directions.”	50
	Jeremy Wagner | Roundball Mining Company “The only players still on the roster who exceeded expectations in 2008-09 were Nene and Birdman. It is reasonable to expect every member of the Nuggets, other than thirty-something Chauncey Billups, to improve.”	53
	Dan Feldman | PistonPowered “However the minutes shake out between Chris Wilcox, Kwame Brown and Ben Wallace, they won’t be as good as Rasheed Wallace. But Sheed wasn’t that great last year. He looked old and disinterested, so the drop here won’t be too steep.”	36
	Rasheed Malek |Warriors World “Under the ownership of Chris Cohan, the Warriors have made the playoffs exactly one time and have gone through numerous coaches, players and executives. Going into this season, Larry Riley is the man in charge taking over for Chris Mullin.”	28
	Anup Shah and Brody Rollins | Rockets Buzz “The speed revolution has overtaken some of basketball’s peers, most notably football … Is basketball headed in the same direction? [Aaron] Brooks provides an excellent case study. Beginning the year as the Rockets number one threat on offense with Ron Artest’s departure and injuries to Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Brooks will have every opportunity to prove that size really doesn’t matter.”	39
	Jared Wade | Eight Points, Nine Seconds “It’s hard to believe that anything short of the postseason will remove the dark cloud over Conseco. … Ultimately, it will come down to one thing: [Mike Jr.] Dunleavy’s knee.”	32
	Kevin Arnovitz | ClipperBlog “[Blake] Griffin and [Eric] Gordon may not be saviors, but they’re something. Griffin’s skills and his tenacious work ethic (the guy runs up sand dunes in his free time) will be a boon to a team desperate for cultural overhaul. Gordon offers an enticing combination of spot-up shooting and forays into the paint. He finished third in true shooting percentage among starting off guards in his rookie campaign, something that can only help a team that ranked dead last in offensive efficiency last season.”	32
	Kurt Helin | Forum Blue and Gold “God, is it good to be hated again.”	64
	Chip Crain | 3 Shades of Blue “The 2009-10 version of the Grizzlies have put together a starting five where every player scored 30 points or more in a game last year. The oldest starter is only 28 years old (Zach Randolph) and the youngest won’t turn 22 until after the start of the season (O.J. Mayo). They are young, talented and hungry for success. So why do most people focus on the two players not on a rookie contract this season?”	20
	Matthew Bunch | Hot Hot Hoops “38.6 minutes. 30.2 points. 49.1 percent shooting. Five rebounds. 7.5 assists. 2.2 steals. 1.3 blocks. That’s what [Dwyane] Wade averaged last season. You’re going to keep that guy out of the playoffs? Good luck.”	44
	Jeremy Schmidt | Bucksketball “If the Bucks get anything out of their three small forwards, if they can keep [Andrew] Bogut and [Michael] Redd healthy and if they get a season worthy of the number ten selection out of Brandon Jennings at the point, the playoffs will be within reach. But that’s a lot of ifs.”	29
	Patrick Hodgdon | Howlin’ T-Wolf “”Ever since his arrival, David Kahn has had seemingly one mission, other than to look like the smartest guy in the room at every turn, and that is to get as much cap space for next summer as he possibly can. … The obvious question lies in whether or not the Wolves will actually be able to lure one of the better free agent players to come to Minnesota.”	23
	Mark Ginocchio and Sebastian Priuti | Nets are Scorching “Lingering doubts about Brooklyn could spoil any change the Nets have of landing a top free agent next summer.”	29
	Niall Doherty and Ryan Schwan | Hornets247 “Enter Emeka Okafor. He’s a near match to a healthy Chandler, is more durable, and doesn’t look like he’s having muscle spasms when making a post move.”	47
	Mike Kurylo | Knickerblogger “2010 could be New York’s return to winning.”	31
	Royce Young | Daily Thunder “The Thunder may not win more than half their games, but with over half the roster unable to get an alcoholic beverage still, steady improvement and progression is the name of the game.”	34
	Zach McCann | Orlando Magic Daily “Take away either Hedo Turkoglu or Courtney Lee and the Magic aren’t getting to face the Lakers in the Finals. No way. But does that mean the Magic were wrong to let them go? Were the Magic foolish to allow a borderline All-Star and a possible future All-Star leave the team when both clearly wanted to stay in Orlando? Absolutely not. I believe the Magic are an entirely better team than they were four months ago.”	59
	Carey R. Smith | Philadunkia “The travesty of a deal that Billy King gave to Samuel Dalembert remains easily one of the worst contracts in NBA history. Hopefully this season Dalembert, his inflated self-worth and his contract will be dealt for a couple of expiring contracts and some much-needed cap space.”	39
	Michael Schwartz | Valley of the Suns “Two years ago the Suns were chic championship picks. Last year, the Suns were (accurately) thought to be a fringe playoff team. This year there are almost no expectations outside of their locker room. … There will be no mistaking what the Suns are this season: a lightning-speed team that will score points in bunches and likely give them up almost as quickly while struggling badly on the boards. But they will once again be the most exciting team in basketball.”	46
	Max Handelman | Beyond Bowie “The Blazers effectively bumbled their way to a 54-win season despite a mediocre performance from Greg Oden, the loss of Martell Webster for the season, and at times starting three rookies. This team is only getting better, kids.”	53
	Zach Harper | Cowbell Kingdom “Enter Tyreke Evans — a bulldozer-sized menace who will test the strength of every team’s defense at its entry point. He immediately creates matchup problems against teams with traditional point guards and will look to have a similar impact as fellow Memphis alum, Derrick Rose.”	22
	Timothy Varner | 48 Minutes of Hell During the Celtics heyday, Red Auerbach boasted a winning percentage of .719. In the modern era, Pat Riley’s Showtime Lakers played to the tune of .733. Phil Jackson’s Jordan Bulls dominated the 90s with an otherworldly percentage of .771. Jackson’s three-peat Lakers? .735. In his 12 seasons with San Antonio, Gregg Popovich, whose cynical disdain for the regular season runs more than skin deep, has, nevertheless, posted a winning percentage of .707. That’s the company the Spurs keep. What should we expect this season? 58 wins and a run at the title. Same as every other year.”	55
	RaptorsRepublic “How is a rookie(ish) head coach going to integrate nine new players into a new system with two new assistant coaches?”	41
	Spencer Ryan Hall | Salt City Hoops “With young Wesley Matthews providing the good luck charm, Boozer in a contract year, Deron Williams with a chip on his shoulder, and a new longer-haired version of Andrei Kirilenko the Jazz have no reason to be anything other than beastly this season. And I mean that in a good way. Every prediction from the Jazz camp, however, comes with the ominous caveat ‘If we can stay healthy.’”	46
	Kyle Weidie | Truth About It “Flip Saunders has never gotten a team ‘there.’ That worn out cliché always runs rampant, plaguing almost every coach who hasn’t won … until they win. Red Auerbach (647), Larry Brown (1,900), and Dick Motta (738) all took their lumps before winning a championship (games coached before title season). Don’t be surprised when what you think is impossible becomes a reality. … 2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Factor in Gilbert Arenas’ stomach tattoo and the fact that the Wizards play their home games in D.C.’s Chinatown, and all the cards are in place.”	42
* As predicted by a consensus of all TrueHoop Network bloggers.

Last Year’s Record: 24-58

Crystal Ball
The consensus prediction of the TrueHoop Network bloggers … and the best hopes of Howlin’ T-Wolf.

Crowd Says: 23-59
Howlin’ T-Wolf Says: 28-54

Yes We Can!
The sun is out. The seas have parted. The basketball gods are shining upon us!

The Wolves had the best offseason of any team in the NBA in two very key areas: vast improvement in the backcourt and on the bench. Regardless of your feelings on Ricky Rubio and how the Wolves handled his situation, there is no denying that the additions of Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions to a backcourt which featured Sebastian Telfair playing 50 percent of the team’s minutes at point guard last season is a huge upgrade. Specifically, Flynn brings the desperately needed personality and leadership the team has lacked since K.G. left and Sessions brings an ability to get to the free throw line that no Timberwolf has been able to do since a very young Stephon Marbury (over 10+ years ago).

The Sessions signing, which was the equivalent to another first-round rookie contract ($4 million/year for four years), is nothing short of a coup. Sessions is an above average player according to John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating (His PER of 17.65 is above the league average of 15 and almost double Telfair’s 10.86). Sessions was second on Hollinger’s list of best under-the-radar free agents available this offseason. Either paired in the backcourt with Jonny Flynn or running the show at point guard on his own, Sessions certainly has the potential to be the best value free-agent signing of the summer.

The second major upgrade the Wolves made this offseason was at head coach when they hired Kurt Rambis away from the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Rambis, will instill an uptempo pace for the young Timberwolves team. Squads that want to run need to do two things well:  rebound and have a point guard who is good with the ball in his hands. The Wolves just so happen to have two of the best rebounders in the league in Kevin Love and Al Jefferson and Ramon Sessions fits like a glove without even looking at whether Jonny Flynn will do the same (signs point to yes).

Just how much will the Wolves not suck this season? Well that ultimately depends on just how effective Rambis and president of basketball operations David Kahn are at their stated goal of making the Wolves the best team in the league at player development. The answer will determine just how far their young squad can go this season and into the future. They will certainly have their work cut out for them with only 5 players returning from last years squad and a stable of young
unpolished players such as Flynn, Ellington, Hollins, and Pavlovic. For Wolves fans though, the fact that the team will have leadership in the back-court for the first time since Sam Cassell left and a front office and coaching staff with a plan means
the only place for this Wolves team to go from their current state is up.

No You Can’t
A rousing dissent from a rival blogger.

Too much will be asked of Jonny Flynn. He may surpass the low starting pointguard bar set by Sebastian Telfair, but (Brook Lopez aside) it’s rare for a pedestrian college player to become an impact NBA player as a rookie. Flynn’s undersized, wasn’t asked to play man-to-man defense at Syracuse, struggles to make jump shots, struggles to score in general, and has been given a lot more intangible credit than one would expect for a point guard on a team that chalked up 13 of its 27 wins at home against non-NCAA Tournament teams and needed overtime to win 17.8% of those 27 games.

Bret LaGree – Hoopinion (Atlanta Hawks)

All-A-Twitter
A 140-character insight into the soul of the team.

“Today is a sad day … Kevin McHale will NOT be back as head coach this season.” -@Kevin_Love

The tweet hear round the league, Love became the first NBA player to break news using his Twitter feed when he announced thatKevin McHale would not return as the Timberwolves head coach.

On the Record
Single best quote concerning the team during the last 12 months.

“I have this idea in my head that I hope that a year from now we can become recognized around the league as the leaders in player development.” -David Kahn

The 2008-09 Almanac
Some key stats from last season.

Offense: 24th
Defense: 25th
Pace: 15th

Team Factor Strength(s): Defensive Rebounding (5th tied), Offensive Rebounding (10th)
Team Factor Weakness(es): Shooting (27th), Turnovers Forced (27th tied), Shooting Allowed (26th)

The Play
Down a single point with 9.2 seconds to play in a must-win game. What’s the play?

Wolves down one, 9.2 seconds to play, must-win game. What’s the play? Jonny Flynn inbounds the ball to Ramon Sessions who brings it up court. After crossing midcourt, Sessions gets a high pick on the right wing from Kevin Love. Meanwhile on the baseline Ryan Gomes sets a back pick for Al Jefferson on the far block. Jefferson flashes across the lane as Sessions sends him the ball from the wing. Once Jefferson gets it, he dribbles to his left once towards the lane, then spins quickly right and puts in a soft hook off the glass to beat the buzzer.

The People’s Choice
The fan favorite the crowd will be chanting for to see some action.

Ricky Rubio. Wolves fans may spend the next two years asking “What if…” and waiting for Ricky to come over, only to see him be traded to another team. David Kahn’s only hope is that Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions can quickly make them forget.

If You’re Watching the Bottom Line, You’re Watching This
The single biggest spreadsheet issue hanging over the team.

Ever since his arrival David Kahn has had seemingly one mission, other than to look like the smartest guy in the room at every turn, and that is to get as much cap space for next summer as he possibly can. Four out of the five trades he completed this summer shaved off more space for the Wolves to use next summer (or of course to be in a position to acquire a productive player at the deadline for some of their expiring contracts). The obvious question lies in whether or not the Wolves will actually be able to lure one of the better free agent players to come to Minnesota with all the money they saved up. The good news for Wolves fans: Kahn already has sold Rambis and Sessions on Minnesota and everyone knows that the real bottom line is that in the end money talks more than anything else and that’s one thing the Wolves will most definitely have on their side in the free-agent bonanza summer of 2010.

… with Henry Abbott of TrueHoop and I over at ESPN. Be there or just don’t call yourself a Wolves fan. Come on you know you’re not really working right now anyway.

ESPN Season Preview Timberwolves Chat

Join us at 2:00pm CST! That’s in 20 minutes! Here up and log on!

As the season gets closer and closer I thought it was a good time to breakdown everything the Wolves have done this summer.

First Off: May 21st, 2009 – Timberwolves hire David Kahn as President of Basketball Operations.

Analysis: Easily the best move of the summer. Actually this is probably the best move the organization has made since they drafted Kevin Garnett. (Can you believe that was 14 years ago already!?!) Whether David Kahn has made you a fan of his or not already, I really don’t think you can call yourself a fan of the Timberwolves if you aren’t happy that Kevin McHale is out of the teams’s front office now. I would say that the Timberwolves improved from about a D- (F is saved only for Isiah Thomas’ running of the Knicks) to at least a B/B+. Personally I’d give Kahn an A overall for his moves, but I know some fans are still unsure about the Rubio/back-to-back point guard draft. I think it will play out quite well for the Wolves, but only time can prove Kahn right on this one. Anyway more on that later.

Actually before we look back at this summer’s moves, here is a good exercise for comparison’s sake: let’s envision what the summer would have looked like had Kevin McHale been in charge of the Wolves basketball decisions still. First, he would have kept the entire team from last year intact and would not have even picked up the phone once. Second, he would have used our #5 pick to draft a project swing man like Demar Derozan, #18 to draft a project big man like B.J. Mullens, and left Wayne Ellington on the board and traded #28 for two much less valuable future second round picks. Then he would have used the mid-level exception money to re-sign Rodney Carney to a 5 year, $5 million contract (something similar to Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric), along with extending Randy Foye at about 5 years and between $8-$10 million (similar to Wally Szczerbiak). This would have all come with McHale talking up the development of Corey Brewer (whose shot McHale would have been fine with), as well as how great January was last year before Big Al went down. Speaking of Big Al, he would have never lost the weight he did had everything would have stayed the status quo. Not to mention McHale would have stayed on the bench and if not would have had no shot at signing Rambis thanks to his clothesline. Basically it would have mirrored every offseason (other than the Cassell/Spreewell one) we’ve had since we drafted K.G. But hey, we still would have had Mark Madsen!

Ok now that we have a benchmark to compare to let’s get to the moves David Kahn has made this summer:

You may have thought that Kahn’s first significant move was the trade with Washington for the #5 pick. It wasn’t though…

Move #1: Kahn met with Al Jefferson as early as the day after he was hired and told him they were going to be a running team and that it would be wise to lose some weight from last season’s 293 lbs. Jefferson succeeded and came to camp at a svelte 262.

McHale alternative: Jefferson shows up just the same at 293 and the Wolves again are an inefficient half-court team.

Grade: Can this be any less than an A+? Everyone knows diets aren’t easy for most, but add on top of that Big Al hails from the good Southern Fired Chicken land of Mississippi and this is even more impressive. Great move by Kahn and even greater move by Al to deliver the goods. That’s dedication folks.

Move #2: Traded Mike Miller and Randy Foye to the Washington Wizards in return for the rights to the #5 pick in the 2009 draft, Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov, and Darius Songaila.

Move #3-#7: Drafted Ricky Rubio #5, drafted Jonny Flynn #6, traded pick #18 Ty Lawson to Denver for a future Charlotte 1st rounder, drafted Wayne Ellington #28, traded pick #45 Nick Calathes to Dallas for a future Portland 2nd rounder, and drafted Henk Norel #47.

Analysis: These moves are in the “verdict is still out” category until further developments happen with Ricky Rubio, i.e. he either plays for the Wolves or they maximize his value in a trade. Looking at it with patience, as the Wolves have preached the whole time, it’s hard to see how owning the rights to the #1 rated point guard not in the NBA and potential superstar Rubio, is not more valuable then Foye and Miller, two guys no Wolves fans really loved and who didn’t figure into their long term plans based on last season and Kahn’s vision moving forward. (BTW Foye rated as one of the most “overrated” scorers last year just in case you missed it.)

As for taking Flynn over say Stephen Curry or Demar Derozan, with Rubio staying in Spain the Flynn move seems pretty savvy to me, maybe not so much with Sessions on board, but honestly who would have thought we would be able to steal him from the Bucks (and Knicks and Clippers). And for those who believe, like Bill Simmons, that Rubio would have come over had the Wolves just merely drafted Curry instead of Flynn I will point you back to the KFAN show Kahn did where he adamantly stated that the only reason Rubio even considered coming over now was because they Wolves drafted Flynn. (I was there and I can’t say it was anything more than genuine.)

Again this situation will play out in time but for now I’m pretty excited to see Flynn run the Timberwolves this year especially after learning how mature and savvy he he was of a point guard at the Media Day. On top of that even if you don’t fully trust David Kahn, you have to believe a no b.s. guy like Coach Rambis when he says stuff like:

“I’ve said it before, he has a chance to be a very special player.”

Sometime in the next two years we’ll come back and give this a grade knowing exactly what we got from the deals and the drafts.

Analysis: Verdict is still out so I’ll just give it a C as some fans are still worried about it, but my personal opinion is that it’s a solid B even from just what we know now and a good chance to become another A+.

Move #8: Traded Sebastian Telfair, Criag Smith, and Mark Madsen to the Clippers for Quentin Richardson.

Analysis: The key to this deal was simply to rid the team of Telfair’s player option next season. We had to give up a productive big man in Craig Smith but again as I said then as well we really didn’t have much playing time for him anyway. This move also opened two roster spots which allowed Kahn to make some free agent moves we’ll get to.

Nothing spectacular  and we gave up talent but someone took Telfair off our hands so let’s go with B-.

Move #9: Traded Etan Thomas and two 2nd round draft picks in 2010 for Chucky Atkins and Damien Wilkins.

Move #16: Waived Chucky Atkins.

Analysis: This move was half roster balance and half salary cap savings for next year. Wilkins helps fill out the wing and by waiving Atkins the Wolves saved over $2.7 million this season.With the signing of Hollins as our backup center Thomas was movable and this trade helped the team in two different ways. Another solid B.

Move #10: Signed restricted free-agent Ryan Hollins to a 3 year $7 million deal.

Analysis: Hollins is an energy guy that has been getting rave reviews in training camp and preseason play for his athleticism, but awful reviews for just about everything else i.e., taking care of the ball. For early analysis on his play with the Wolves go read this. Everything points to him being the perfect complement to Jefferson and Love if (and I’m not making this if any smaller than the big one it is) Kahn and Rambis can deliver on their promises to lead the league in player development.

In the NBA big men are almost always projects and almost always don’t pan out. This was a seemingly low risk move in that it only cost us $2 mil/year over 3 years. Would you rather be paying that to Mark Madsen or a B.J. Mullens? Because that’s the type of guy McHale would have given it to over that time.

Solid B+ here for the high reward, low risk move.

Move #11: Hired Kurt Rambis as head coach.

Analysis: Kahn strikes again here doing something McHale could have never done. (and never did) Bring in a big name guy with a championship pedigree. Rambis brings a lot of great qualities to the Wolves bench, a winning pedigree playing for Pat Riley and coaching with Phil Jackson, experience coaching the league’s best players in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, but perhaps my favorite quality came from something he said at the Timberwolves media day, when asked what type of coach he saw himself as Rambis replied by saying he sees himself primarily as an educator to the players where he’s able to teach them lessons in practice as well as in and after games. Kahn’s second A+ this summer.

Move #12: Traded Quentin Richardson to the Miami Heat for Mark Blount.

Analysis: A strictly money move that saved the Wolves another $1 million. Blount won’t play for the Wolves and will most likely be bought out. Another B, but a yawn compared to all the other moves.

Move #13: Signed restricted free-agent Ramon Sessions to a 4-year, $16 million deal.

Analysis: The best move of the summer by Kahn and it can’t be more underrated. Sessions is a top-10 point guard in the league and will now officially be underpaid for his production for the next 4 years. (or 3 as he will most likely opt out of year 4). David Berri’s formula has him being worth 9.0 wins produced and John Hollinger can’t say enough about how underrated he is, calling him “the free agent steal of the summer,” and “I don’t think people fully understand how important the upgrade from Telfair to Sessions is — based on my model, that exchange alone will be worth nine wins for the T-Wolves.” Not sure they have the same model but interesting that it’s 9 wins Sessions brings with him. Kahn’s third A+ move of the summer.

Move #14: Traded Darius Songaila and Bobby Brown for Antonio Daniels and a 2014 second-round pick.

Analysis: Another savvy money move by Kahn, this one saving the Wolves from Songaila’s $4.8 million player option for next season. After this move Kahn had given the Wolves anywhere from $13-$20 million in cap space next year (depending mostly on where the salary cap comes in). A solid B, except that Daniels will most likely be bought out and therefore we lose a useful role player to save money so more like C+

Move #15: Signed Sasha Pavlovic to a 1-year, $1.4 million dollar deal.

Analysis: Lacking any shooting from the perimeter on the roster other than rookie Wayne Ellington, Kahn made another good move to sign Pavlovic on the cheap to give him a 1-year trial run, and it should work. Sasha can both shoot the 3 and play good D on the other side of the floor. In fact his efficiency numbers were very good last year. How good? Better than Mike Miller good. Take a look here at Brett’s great player swap page at Queen City Hoops the TrueHoop Network’s Charlotte Bobcats blog. Plug in to replace Minnesota’s Miller with Cleveland’s Pavlovic and voila: The Wolves win 4 more games with Pavlovic. Ain’t all bad trading Miller away now. Another solid B that has a good chance to turn out to be an A by season’s end.

Overall: 3 A+’s, B+, 3 B’s, B-, C+, and a tentative C. You can see that I’m pretty much fully on the bandwagon with what Kahn is trying to do. Honestly I think that over the course of this season and into the next any Wolves fans that still have doubts will have all the evidence they need to hop on board. Individually each of these moves makes sense, some a heckava lot, and some just enough to make them worth doing. One thing we do know is that Kahn isn’t afraid to maximize his assets, isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, and all signs point to him having a plan to make the Wolves a contender.

Besides we all know the McHale alternative would have been a lot worse and we’d be looking forward to just another “meh” season.

Instead, we have a young team, a new coach, a new uptempo running style, and a very bright future on the horizon. It’s a good time to be a Minnesota Timberwolves fan if you ask me.

UPDATE: Hat tip to Mike for reminding me that firing or deciding not to bring back McHale as coach qualifies as an offseason move from this summer and indeed he is right. I guess I just didn’t think of it because it made so much sense in light of everything that happened that it almost became implied. Anyway another good move by Kahn especially considering A) McHale would have been pissed he blew up “his” team and B) We got Rambis instead. Other than Al and Kevin being a little upset as they had enjoyed McHale (and they seem to be over it with Rambis and Laimbeer on board) I don’t think there were any negatives to this move.

Also I should mention that bringing assistant coaches Wohl, Laimbeer, Theus, and Bickerstaff were all excellent moves as well and should pay off greatly throughout the season this year and into the future.

Finishing off the Media Day Posts (You can find Part I here and Part II here) we have q+a’s from Ramon Sessions and Kevin Love’s general media sessions (no pun intended) at the Minnesota Timberwolves media day last week.

As a side note: I just want to make clear that these questions came from a number of the guys that were there including Randy Shaver, Jerry Zgoda, Wyn over at Canis Hoopus, Britt Robson, Ray Richardson, and a few others I didn’t meet or know. Just wanted to make sure you knew they weren’t all mine and gave credit where credit is due.

Moving right along then we have Ramon Sessions:

Q: Ramon you’ve played both backcourt positions in the past in this league, is there a preference for you and do you see yourself splitting duties about 50/50 this year? How are you prepared about it going into the season?

A: I just want to be on the floor so whatever position they want me to play I want to be out there. I’ve played point guard most of my whole life, last season you know I played the two a little bit, got kind of used to it a little bit, didn’t mind it at all.

Q: When they first approached you about signing the offer sheet what was the kind of role they described to you that you’d have with the team?

A: Basically like he said [in the first question], you know the 1 and the 2, try and throw me out there at both, would I be comfortable with it, and you know I said yes of course. I feel like it really don’t matter as long as you’re out there on the court playing with the guys, is all that matters.

Q: Now you’re about 6′3″, it’s tough, I mean a lot teams, a lot of 2’s are 6′7″, I mean you get a Dunleavy or whatever..

RS: The Joe Johnson’s, the Kobe’s, you’re right. I went up against them last year, and like you said a lot of bigger guys, but you know it works on both ends, you know they have to guard me too.

Q: …But is it something, what can you do in that circumstance? Do you play up on them and hope the guy behind you gets the blow-by?

A: Definitely the help defense comes in on that, but definitely get up on a guy and try and make something happen.

Q: And at the point obviously you see a guy like Jefferson and Love I mean there’s some pretty attractive options here.

A: Definitely, I mean those guys are gonna make my passes look a lot better than they are you know, those guys have great hands so I’m definitely looking to get those guys the ball in their sweet spots.

Q: How do you think your experience in the D-League will help this team really find it’s identity, really trying to grow a lot with maybe some of the guys getting frustrated early on?

A: My experience down there (for the Tulsa 66ers) was big for me and my career early on, but it’s like you said a young team and we are going to have some bumps in the road but I feel like we’ll be all right.

Q (One of my questions which you can see I wasn’t totally prepared for which you can see by the rambling at the end of it): Ramon one of the things that David Kahn said he liked best about you is your ability to get to the hole and get to the free throw line, that’s something this team hasn’t had for a long time, is that your number one goal out there or what are you thinking about when you get the ball on the wing or at the point?

A: You know coming off those pick-and-rolls definitely looking to penetrate and get guys shots and take what the defense gives me, you know they give me going to the rack, I’m gonna go to the rack or dish it off. But that’s definitely a strong part of my game getting to the rack, getting to the foul line.

Q: Other than the obvious thing, the years and the money, what appealed to you about this situation?

A: It’s a great up-and-coming team, it’s a young team and they’re looking to run and I feel like that’s one of the strong parts of my game, just getting up and down the floor. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Q: Now you worked under a pretty stiff defensive guy in Skiles…

RS: Real stiff…

Q: … if you are going to develop a defensive culture on this team, I mean you guys are small in the back-court and to some extent small in the front-court, how do you compensate?

A: You just have to be ready to go, night in and night out, Coach Skiles is a great defensive coach and you know me and Luke Ridnour were out there plenty of times together and got the job done so I see the same thing with me and Jonny, you just gotta go out there and defend night in and night out and play hard.

Q: Will it be a dissapointment to you if you’re a 6th man, I mean does it matter in terms of your expectations and your role, not that anybody said you will be?

A: Definitely not, just being in this situation and being in the NBA is a dream come true for me and to put this jersey on night in and night out, no matter if I’m playing 40 minutes or 2 minutes, it’s a dream come true, so it don’t matter to me.

Next up Kevin Love:

Q: Lost weight? How many pounds?

KL: Um…[Sigh]… long puase…

Q: … give or take…

KL: …what’s the over/under?

Q: I’d say 7…

KL: 7… uh… maybe a little more, maybe a little less.

Q: Either way Al kicked your ass in that department.

KL: Yea he did. I mean he really, really kept the weight off which is a surprise to me, he obviously wasn’t going back home to Mississippi and getting that fried chicken that he loves.

Q: (my question) Do you think he missed out more on playing time or the fried chicken?

KL: Um… [sigh]…it’s just… I mean you guys got me stumped already on two questions.

Q: Everyone is talking team a lottoday but what are your individual goals for this year? What does success look like for you?

KL: I think a lot like last year, my success depends on the minutes that I play, I think if I play 5, 10 more minutes a game I can end up averaging a double-double. I think as far as the double-double’s go, you know I had 29 last year, I’m looking to up that by a considerable amount but you know just getting a lot better defensively for team defense and individual defense, throughout the whole summer I thought in my mind that if I’m going to play against guys like K.G. and Tim Duncan, my mindset’s got to be different going into games so that’s really what I was working on throughout the summer.

Q: Can you talk about the new coaching staff? What are your impressions of them?

KL: I really like them, I really like them, they seem to get along well, they’re pushing us in the little bit they got to work with us the past three or four weeks, I really like the way we’re headed. I think Laimbeer’s going to be great for me, also with Coach Rambis as well and Coach Wohl is a great guy to work with different moves on, and you know Coach Theus was a head coach and we got J.B. [Bickerstaff] back and you know J.B. was born to be a coach with his dad, so I think we got a great group of guys.

Q: Is your coaching staff tougher than your team?

KL: Ufff, I hope not.  I hope not, I might have to knock Laimbeer’s teeth out one of these days…. or clothes line our man [Coach Rambis] over here, we’ll see.

Q: … Depends on the minutes…

KL: Yea, eactly, yea.

Overall it was an enjoyable day talking and listenting to the Wolves players and certainly gets me excited about the upcoming season!

Ok fellow howlers, most of you already saw Part I of the in depth media day coverage, but if not make sure you go do so. This was going to be part II of II but the Jonny Flynn stuff proved to be just too good to cut out much of it. So without further ado, Part II – The Jonny Flynn edition. (With Part III featuring Kevin Love and Ramon Sessions to come…)

After Ryan Gomes had his turn in the general media “scrum” it was indeed Jonny Flynn’s turn. I was most excited to hear what Jonny had to say on media day, mostly because Kahn and Rambis had/have been gushing about him so freaking much. So being the savvy media day expert at this point (an hour or so into it) I was able to get right next to him for the general media Q+A.

Here is most of the session with Jonny transcribed:

Q: What are you expecting from your first training camp?

Jonny: A lot of hard work. You know you hear two-a-days and all you can think of is sore muscles and body aching but it’s only to get us better, soI can’t wait to get out there and get with Coach Rambis and the rest of the asssitant coaches and get ready to become a competitive team.

Q: What has your time been like so far in your preparation for that in getting to know these guys and getting know what Kurt wants from you and all those kinds of things?

Jonny: Its been great, I’ve been sitting down talking with Coach Rambis a lot and seeing what does he want from me. You know he’s been on a lot of teams with great point guards, you know he had Magic Johnson back in the day, and had a great player in Kobe Bryant that he just left with the Lakers, so, I’m not saying I’m by any stretch of the imagination I’m on those guys level but you know there’s always the dream to get to that level, so I pick his brain and see what I have to do to become and elite player in this league.

Q: Are you ready for 82 games this year?

Jonny: Well I think I’m ready. Nobody really knows until you start playing them but, I think I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning this summer, getting my wind up, getting my stamina, keeping my body right. You know I’ve finally started eating right which is a plus for me, you know no more McDonalds and things like that so I think physically I’m ready but mentally it’s a different ballgame.

Q: Al Jefferson says you might be another Chris Paul.

Jonny: Oh that’s, that means a lot coming from a guy like that. Chris Paul is a great player and just to be compared to him before we play a game, it’s kind of crazy to me, so I’m not even comment on that but you know hopefully I can just be as valuable to this team as he is to the Hornets.

Q: One of the hallmarks of a team with good chemistry is an established pecking order. You’re the point guard and at the same time your a rookie, where do you think you’re going to fit in, can you be at the top of the pecking order in short order?

Jonny: Well right now this is Al Jefferson’s team, you know he’s a guy that’s established in the league, he’s a guy that has put his work in over the years and has gotten to the point he’s at. So hopefully I find my niche wherever I can be, but this is Al Jefferson’s team and whenever it comes down to us needing a big shot or big bucket we’re going to him in the post.

Q: How much studying do you do watching other point guards or watching film of this team last year? How much time do you spend doing that or do you not spend much time?

Jonny: No I spend a lot of time actually, especially watching this team last year seeing how they play, you know seeing why maybe they couldn’t win as many games as possible. That’s one thing you have to do, especially if you want to be a good player in this league, a standout player in this league, you have to watch film, you have to see people’s tendencies, you have to take bits and pieces out of everybody’s game and put it in yours. I might even go to the local YMCA and see somebody playing a game and might take a move from him or I might take something from somebody at the playground but that’s just something you have to do, you have to always have a watchful eye out and always look to add something to your game.

Q: When you watched the Wolves last year what was your synopsis of why they weren’t winning?

Jonny: Well I think just like there was a question about pecking order, I think a lot of people on the team didn’t know the order of the team. This year we all know this is Al Jefferson’s team, we all know he’s the man on this team and he’s the guy that’s going to so to speak carry us and with that established it makes everything a whole lot easier.

Q: We’ve seen the influence of guys like Deron Williams and Chris Paul in the league because of the rules and the way you can or can’t defend guards on the perimeter, do you think in any way that will make the pro game easier or simpler for you to play than the college game?

Jonny: Oh I think so, coming from the Big East you can almost suit up in football equipment and go out there and play a basketball game, but you come to the pros and you can’t even touch a guy on the perimeter so I think that definitely makes it a lot easier where guys can’t hit you on the perimeter, where guys can’t veer you away from the basket that makes the game a lot easier.

Q: On the flip-side being a 6′0″ point guard not being able to use that physicality, is that going to make it tougher for you in the NBA?

Jonny: Well I don’t think so. I think with my quickness it can make up for that part where I might not be as physical as a lot of guys, but I might iritate them, I can jab at them, I can be that little pest, that 6′0″ pest that a lot of point guards hate to see.

Q: How much old school ball have you watched? How much do you know about the guys you’re going to be playing for?

Jonny: I know a lot. I know Kurt Rambis when he was going for that lay-up and he had the big thick glasses on and he got clobbered but jumped up ready to fight, Bill Laimbeer and the Chicago Bulls [rivalry], Air Thues being a shooter and really could thump the ball like that so you know I’m a student of the game, really know a little bit about old school basketball but that’s what you have to do, it’s just like for school, you have to research history to gain knowledge and this is my history and I have it right in front of me.

Q: How much is personality a part of playing point guard?

Jonny: Oh you gotta to have a personality you have to be able to mesh with everybody on the basketball court you have to be able to know what to say to guys, know when to get on them, know when to kind of stroke their ego and baby them a little bit so one key thing I like to try and do is try and get to know everybody off the court and once you get to know everybody off the court and see their tendencies and their personalities, that’s when your personality can kick in.

As you can see, there were a lot of great answers from a rookie. I was already excited about Jonny’s role this season (again why I’m not torn up Rubio’s in Spain), but these answers really showed me exactly what Kahn sees in Flynn and likes about him as a leader and a point guard of the future for this team. My favorite answer out of all of them, which is saying something because I liked just about all of them, has to be the last one. There is nothing more important about playing point guard, especially in the NBA, than knowing the guys different personalities, and egos, and how best to get them to play better. This is in a sense the main job of the coach. Now one can really see why the first thing Coach Rambis said at the KFAN show last week was about Jonny being his coach on the floor. Ask yourself this: Could you have ever imagined hearing either Randy Foye or Sebastian Telfair say what Jonny answered to that last question? Me neither because neither of them have the personality nor leadership ability, which is why I’m so excited about the prospect of Flynn finally bringing some vocal leadership a) to the team since Garnett left, and b) to the back-court since Cassell left. This is very much so, like Jonny said, Al Jefferson’s team, but don’t be surprised to see Jonny Flynn running the show and barking orders for the Wolves all season long. I know I can’t wait.