According to Chad Ford’s twitter page, the Wolves didn’t wait long to make a deal. Euro-star Nikola Pekovic has signed a 3 year $13 million contract.
Breaking News: Wolves agree to 3 year, $13 mil deal with 2008 2nd round pick Nikola Pekovic. Link coming on ESPN.com…
The mayhem has begun, folks…
The Taste of Minnesota is coming up here and a special event will be there. Sprite and NBA.com are sponsoring an amateur dunk contest that will be at the Taste of Minnesota on July 3rd. You will have to check out the qualifications if you’re thinking of joining but just by looking at the competition, make sure that you have a vertical higher than mine (That shouldn’t be hard though) and a few tricks up your sleeve.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all you ballers and it will definitely be a great show for those who just show up to watch. I’ll probably be there so you should too to check out all the high-flying action.
Check out the site and take a peak at this promo vid. Should be loads of fun and hope to see ya there!
Basketball starts up in less than two weeks; Can you believe it?! The Las Vegas Summer League is where youngsters from all over gather to showcase their skills and impress NBA GM’s and coaches.
The Timberwolves roster looks pretty solid, if you ask me:
Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League Roster (Source)
PG - Jonny Flynn, Jeremy Pargo
SG - Wayne Ellington
SF – Wesley Johnson, Lazar Hayward, Mo Charlo
PF - Cedric Simmons, Deon Thompson,
C – Patrick O’Bryant, Greg Stiemsma
Coach -
Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League Schedule – 7/12 vs San Antonio, 7/14 vs Sacramento, 7/16 vs Memphis, 7/17 vs Portland, 7/18 vs Atlanta
Flynn and Ellington are the key returning players this summer, as well as the Wolves’ fourth overall pick in this year’s draft Wes Johnson.
Flynn should dominate in Vegas this summer. After all, this is where he showed off what he was made of last year as a rookie. He made giant strides to proving that his 6th overall pick worthiness was well-deserved. I’m looking for him to show that he learned to play point guard last year, meaning I want to see a better assist/turnover ratio as well as some better decision making. His defense also needs to improve this season.
Wes Johnson will be fun to watch. We will get to see exactly what he’s made of. I’m looking for him to dominate and lead the team in scoring as well as three-point shooting — Ellington could give him a run for his money there. Watching the chemistry between he and Flynn will be fun too. The court should be full of smiles and, hopefully, tons of highlight reel material.
Probably the two most interesting names on the Wolves roster are at the center position: Patrick OBryant and Greg Stiemsma. Center was a blatant weak spot for the Wolves last year, so working a few new guys out will help. O’Bryant is a project center out of Bradley University. Not yet has he panned out in the NBA but only at age 24, he has years to grow in to. Stiemsma could possibly be on the Wolves roster next season. The legit 7-footer out of Wisconsin dominated in the D-League last year and was called up to the Wolves late last season for the very reason of playing in the Vegas league.
Anyways, this year’s squad should be fun to follow. The development of Flynn, Johnson’s first venture into the NBA and the tantalizing centers all give reason to pay close attention to this year’s summer league team.
Could Boozer replace Darko if he doesn't re-sign?
The free agent madness begins in t-minus two days and the Wolves have been gearing up to make a splash. Kahn has been outspoken that he thinks that the Timber Puppies are serious players in this summer’s market. Never have the Wolves been buyers during free agency; they usually just look for trades to upgrade — or usually downgrade — their roster. But Kahn says this year things will be different.
While I don’t think the Wolves have a shot at the “Big 3,” — Lebron, Bosh and Wade — they do have a chance to sign some supporting players or even one of the second tier guys. Amar’e Stoudemire, David Lee and Rudy Gay won’t get max contracts — maybe Stoudemire but I don’t think so — so they have a better chance at landing in Minny. But, ultimately, the weight of reeling in a big-name free agent relies heavily on the shoulders of David Kahn. Will Kahn be able to use his secret ability to sweet talk a free agent into playing for a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs for six years?
Wooing free agents is not my job, thank god. My job is to criticize and create scenarios in which the Wolves could ultimately benefit from a free agent signing long-term. So taking what it is already assumed about this upcoming free agency period, it’s time to look at Kahn’s goals. But with all the evil luck that has suffocated this team since the start of its existence, Kahn needs to have contingency plans for when his initial goals turn to mush, because they most likely will.
Let’s start with Darko:
Lazar Hayward, SF, Marquette:
After seeing Hayward talk at today’s press conference for the Wolves, I immediately understood why the front office fell for him. He’s a mature guy, just like Johnson. He carries himself a lot like a veteran for being a rookie only one-day old in his journey. But I had to dig into Hayward’s case because not much is known of this Marquette senior.
Hayward is tough. For being undersized 3 in this league, though, Hayward will need to prove his toughness to the Wolves before becoming a regular contributor off the bench next season. It’ll be fun to watch Hayward begin his journey of proving his worthiness in Summer League. Hayward lacks pure athleticism but makes up for it with his blue-collar attitude. He’ll do anything and being drafted with the last pick in the first-round when he was projected to go in the second to undrafted gives him the incentive to prove his worthiness of that selection.
There I go with that “prove” word again. But it’s really the key to his success at the NBA level.
His basketball skills aren’t as polished as most first-rounders are but he does possess a nice jump shot. He shot 43% from the field last season and hit 35% of his three-pointers, so he does have range, but I don’t think that will be his game in the NBA. He’ll come into the game to muddy things up; get hard rebounds — he’s a solid rebounder for only being 6-foot-6; he’ll hit shots when he needs to; his long wingspan will be tough to get around for many reserves in the NBA. He does a lot of things right, but nothing is spectacular.
This pick was based on finding a key role player, nothing more. Hayward doesn’t have the talent to become a starter in this league but his nitty-gritty style of play will help mess things up when Rambis inserts him into the game. Kahn really liked this guy from day 1, but it still doesn’t negate the fact that he reached for Hayward. I was surprised the Wolves didn’t use this pick to nab big man Dexter Pittman because they really liked him too. No matter who they took, it was going to be a reach, but if you think about it, Wes Johnson was a reach at 4 especially over Cousins.
A draft full of reaches for role players isn’t anything to celebrate but Kahn got what he wanted in the end: two players that will change the overall environment of this team, especially from an inner-workings perspective.
I’m going to go through and lay out last night’s two main draft acquisitions in a way that readers can try to grasp what Kahn’s thinking was when the pick was made.
Here goes nothin’:
Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse:
We passed on DMC. It’s over. Having a slow, temperamental head case was not on Kahn’s “to get” list. Instead we came away with a highly excitable and easily lovable player in Wes Johnson. He may never become the star the DMC has the chance to be — especially in Sac-town — but he fills a need and does it in a favorable manner.
Johnson is going to spread the court; better than what Evan Turner could probably do due to his high-tempo game-style. His shooting stroke is more admirable to that of Turner’s as well because it extends beyond the three-point line and has consistency to it. His athleticism will grab some highlight plays and hopefully illuminate the faces of a once dim and dull Target Center audience. Johnson’s athleticism will be one-of-a-kind in the open court and his high basketball i.q. helps when filling open lanes alongside Corey Brewer and Martell Webster. One thing people forget about when thinking of Wes is his uncanny rebounding ability. He’s probably the best rebounding small forward in the draft — except for perhaps Luke Harrangody, of course, but no one knows what position he can even play in the NBA. Better yet, Wes is a tremendous offensive rebounder, which will help Brewer, Webster and Flynn’s confidence when hucking up shots from outside because they’ll have Love, Jefferson, and Johnson cleaning up loose balls underneath. It’s fairly apparent: It’ll be hard to rebound against this team.
The unique friendship that Jonny Flynn and Johnson have will help right off the bat. Those two will enjoy playing together which throws the matter of chemistry out the window. But it’s not just Jonny whom Wes can gel with; a team already full of high, mature and positive character players will welcome yet another one in Johnson in an attempt to find flow in what will hopefully be un-selfish team basketball next year. Johnson will never demand the basketball; he’s too laid back to do so. He was hardly the first option at Syracuse because the team played to the hot hand and he seems to fil the role as a second or third scoring option for the Wolves next season.
Kahn didn’t screw this up as much as the fans at the Wolves’ Draft Party believe he did. Johnson is going to be a solid starter. We didn’t come out of the draft with our franchise-saving superstar, but who did? Washington? Maybe Philly. But we obtained a small forward who projects to be a solidified starter in this league for many years. And his maturity says that he is NBA-ready and will step in and contribute to our struggling Wolves immediately.
From the Timberwolves website:
Does that clear anything up for anyone? Yeah, not me either. I’ll believe it when I see it…
Does Glen Taylor have any say left in this team and it's operations?
Apologies from my initial outburst of confusion and anger. Obviously, things didn’t turn out as swimmingly as most fans would like.
For starters, the T-Wolves draft party was disappointed to see Favors go to Jersey and not too enthralled to see Wes Johnson wear a Wolves cap on stage. Yet where we stand at the end of the night, Wes Johnson was the greatest move of the night.
In what was arguably the most baffling trade at the moment, Luke Babbit, whom was selected by the Wolves at 16 and was probably the BPA, and Ryan Gomes, whom has a fluid contract adorned by many NBA GM’s, was traded to Portland for back-up forward Martell Webster.
A little background info on Webster — because many don’t even know who the hell he is — he was the No. 6 draft pick in 2005 out of Seattle Prep High School. Last season he played in all 82 games for the Trail Blazers and averaged 9.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Still developing a polished overall game, Webster brings athleticism to the Wolves. Along with Johnson, the Wolves now have a stealthy pair of wings that can run the floor and fill lanes on the break. Webster is an above average shooter with range out to the three-point line. If he gets time, Webster could be an active contributor to the Wolves next season; a great sixth man assuming Wes Johnson is the starter at the 3 for game one.
But looking back at the trade, it makes no sense from either a basketball or business standpoint. Addressing how the trade affects what happens on the floor, the Wolves traded two guys who are just as good as Webster. I’ve always thought of Babbitt as a souped-up version of Wally Sczerbiak — what not to love? He scores at will which is anchored by a great jump shot — maybe the best shooter in the draft. Athleticism is not his game but by no means is he the worst athlete in the draft. As for Ryan Gomes, he has shown that he is only a role player but a good one at that. His versatility gave Rambis the flexibility of playing him at the 3 or 4 last season. Webster can do almost everything that Babbitt and Gomes can do minus Babbitt’s shooting efficiency and Gomes’ strength. But to make up for those lapses in Webster’s game, he plays superior defense to both players and is a better athlete than maybe both combined.
And now for the business standpoint, I’ll start by posing a question: Is sacrificing a potential sixth man of the year in Babbitt — I totally believe it — and a solid role player in Gomes worth the extra boost in defense and athleticism? Better question: Is spending possibly $5 million more this season for Webster’s assets worth it? I don’t think so. When comparing the numbers, Babbitt will make roughly $4.2 million over the next 3-4 years and Gomes has a team option this season worth $4 million. Supposedly, Gomes’ contract had a buyout in his contract that not many knew about and even the exact number is still unknown. So maybe that could make up the difference that was created by taking on Webster’s longer, more lucrative contract, which is $14.3 million over three years. Until we know more about Gomes’ buyout clause, the deal doesn’t make sense for cap space and trusting Kahn that it was a good business decision is a difficult task at the moment.
It was not in our interest to maintain Ryan beyond June 30th,” Kahn said. Ryan’s contract was written in a way that there was a buyout, and if you exercise it before June 30, we had made that decision to do so, as a result if we had bought him out, he would not be on the team and there would be a small amount of money that would stay on our cap for next year which would have impeded a little bit of our progress in free agency or attracting a player through trade.
It’s still hard trusting the guy not knowing the exact numbers and if they match up or not.
Anyways, I don’t hate the trade, but I don’t like it. Babbitt was the only choice that excited the crowd, and me, at the Timberwolves’ Draft Party tonight, and we traded him away. It was the first time in the Kahn regime, outside of choosing Rubio, that the Wolves drafted the BPA in Babbitt, and then we traded him away for a slightly more athletic player that is due a lot more money over the next three years. Oh, and we threw in a potentially great role player as well as a fan favorite with his favorable personality in Ryan Gomes.
The other trade that happened tonight was done with the Wizards. The Wolves traded the rights to Trevor Booker (No. 23) and the right to Hamady Ndiaye (No. 56) to the Wizards for Lazar Hayward (No. 30) and Nemanja Bjelica (No. 35). I’ll be honest, I liked the Booker pick; the Wolves need a bruiser that just loves to play ball. But I thought they would reach for Dexter Pittman here because they loved him at his workout. A little more honesty, after the trade, I had to look up who Hayward was even but quickly remembered the athletic senior wing from Marquette. This trade worked out better for the Wolves than the Webster one. Hayward stabilizes what the Wolves wanted to acquire in a wing player — a shooting guard with a high scoring ability and defensive prowess — while answering what was probably the wish of Tony Ronzone — whom I’m starting to love — in taking Bjelica; a solid Euro-stash player that will take time to develop. Ronzone’s influence also shows in the 45th pick in Paulao Prestes, a player whom is compared to Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.
But with honesty on my mind and rolling off my tongue, tonight was a train wreck. It has time to turn around but as of tonight’s ending, the outlook is bleak. Kahn elatedly said he addressed some needs that needed addressing tonight. The problem with that is that he only selected the BPA once and then traded him away. Otherwise he drafted the right player once and made an odd trade, to say the least.
When will this team realize that they aren’t in the position to draft on a need-basis? When your near the bottom-feeders in the NBA for consecutive years, building through the draft is important and it starts with nabbing the BPA.
As much as Wolves fans and even David Kahn want to build this team in the shadow of the OKC Thunder and Portland Trailblazers, it’s just not going to happen. Both of those squads knew how to maximize their assets in the draft and are thriving because of it. Even tonight, they both showed what they can do with what little they had. Kahn was played the fool tonight by both teams by not maximizing his assets and five draft picks. The Trail Blazers conned Kahn into taking on more money for a slightly more athletic player from a GM that was fired that night. The OKC Thunder turned the 32nd pick into Cole Aldrich; the hometown kid that actually could’ve filled a hole for the Wolves as well as fulfilled the fan-base’s hopes. Both teams seem to have zero respect for Kahn and it showed in what transpired here tonight.
If you want to play with the big boys, Kahn needs to step up more-so than he did tonight. He came closer to attaining his goal of acquiring a high-octane, running offense but didn’t do so in an efficient manner. It’s easy to say that things could’ve gone a lot smoother but in no way are things over by any means. With trade talks still murmuring around Big Al and free agency coming up in one week, the madness has just begun. Let’s just hope Kahn can pull things together as Presti and and Pritchard have done for their respective teams in the past.
As for now, I will say congrats to Wes Johnson. I have faith that he can become a quality player on this team and others should feel the same. But as for the rest of the team, it’s still in Kahn’s hands, and if tonight was any tip of the cap as to how things will continue to go, this will be a rough ride.
…And the former Timberwolves of Minnesota have landed a new name in a new location. The team ultimately known for their misfortune and suckiness (Is that a word?) are now the Las Vegas Lobos. Or at least I sure as hell wish that were the scenario — it may be the luckiest thing to happen to this franchise. Not sure how much longer I can go through this guys…
Read in on all the trades that left me dumbfounded here and tell me what you thought of tonight’s results. Negativity is encouraged!
It’s here! I know you all are as excited for tonight as I am to see how things shake out in the T-Wolves favor — or not in their favor. I’m not going to touch on any rumors or speculation that have been spurting up around the clock the past 48 hours; I’ll leave it to you to dig into. But after tonight’s events are finished and the dust starts to settle, I hope to post some analysis pieces as well as a piece from the former Howlin’ T-Wolf’s perspective on the draft and/or trades.
Get ready, get excited and probably most of all, have faith in Kahn. I like the guy. I like his aggressive stance at turning this team around because it is the only way to assure that this team turns itself around.
So just have faith, guys. Besides, could things get any worse?
“Now, that’s a bad team.” – Jeff Van Gundy, last night on ESPN’s Draft Special.
