Category: News/Rumors

Chad Ford’s Mock Draft 2.0

Chad Ford released the second version of his infamous NBA Mock Drafts (ESPN Insider article). Here’s what he’s got coming for the Wolves:

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Not bad. But I gotta admit, seeing CJ McCollum, the high-volume shooting guard from Lehigh, who sat more than half of the season with a left foot injury, in the top ten is awfully depressing. It only pays testament to how poor this draft is towards the top. And it doesn’t get much better in the 20′s with the Wolves slotted to take Giannis Adetokunbo. International prospects scare everyone because of their mystique and unfamiliarity to fans. I will state that Adetokunbo and Dario Saric are two of my favorite international prospects in this whole draft, and getting our hands on one of them would be nice.

Although the Wolves address two needs with both of these picks, they’re just not very sexy. Sexy will undoubtedly be difficult to come by but some picks (Saric, Glen Rice Jr., Shabazz Muhammed and Gorgui Dieng) radiate on the surface just a little bit more, even if they’re not completely polished.

Kevin Love Not Cleared to Practice, Does Not Pass Go, Does Not Collect $200

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Despite Kevin Love’s optimism of being cleared today to begin practicing once again at a check up with a hand specialist in New York City, Love got the news that he’s still 2-3 weeks away from just contact. However, they did get the good news that his hand is at least healing well, and with the Timberwolves out of the playoff chase for the season it makes sense to have Love take his time.

Oh, you can’t hurry Love! No, you just have to wait– whoops, sorry; I couldn’t resist.

Out since January, this pushes Love’s return closer to April, leaving the Timberwolves to (hopefully) get a feel for what a full healthy lineup will look like for about 8-10 games since Chase Budinger, Andrei Kirilenko, and Nikola Pekovic should be back as well. This way, hopefully the Timberwolves will get an idea of what they already have on the roster for next season and what they need to do in the offseason. Now, nobody else get hurt (again) in the mean time.

 

Chase Budinger cleared to practice, cleared to save us all

Chase Budinger is nearing his return to the court

Chase Budinger was cleared today for full-contact practice after suffering a torn meniscus back in November against the Bulls. It goes without saying that the Wolves could desperately use his help even in the mean time with the current season rotting before our eyes.

As a matter of fact, let’s just review some numbers here:

  • The Timberwolves rank 28th in the league in field goal percentage, shooting just 43% from the field this season.
  • Along those lines, they rank dead last in 3-point field goal percentage, and it’s frankly not even close; they’re at 29% with the 29th ranked team, Phoenix Suns, shooting just shy of 33%.
  • The Wolves are 29th in assisted field goal percentage, which tells me that we’re short on spot-up shooters.
  • Back in January, ESPN Insider released to piece ranking the top corner-3 shooting teams in the NBA. The Wolves ranked 22nd with our best option from the deep corner being Luke Ridnour, who’s recently found himself slumping making just one 3-pointer in the past four games.

It’s no secret that the Wolves are the worst shooting team in the NBA. I can argue that pretty much most of it has to do with the onslaught of injuries but that’s a waste of time. Rather let’s all rejoice in the nearing return of Chase Budinger, right?

Budinger was brought in from Houston because he was a veteran youngster. Just 24 years old, Bud offers a unique mix of experience and youth that very few players on the Wolves currently embody. He’s a well-known shooter but has a special hop in his step that allows him to attack the rim fearlessly. With Andrei Kirilenko still out and Alexey Shved seriously slumping, Budinger figures to slide immediately into that starting 3-role over Gelabale or the first man off the bench, at the very least, once he gets here.

Budinger’s 3-point prowess is a much-needed weapon for Rick Adelman’s offense. I partially blame Ricky Rubio’s awful shooting numbers for the lack of spot-up shooters on the perimeter. Off of pick-n-rolls, due to the lack of able-bodied shooters, Rubio’s been forced to go up the middle and try to finish over bigger, stronger players. That’s not his strength. It should always be an option but his knack is to drive-and-kick, while drawing attention from the perimeter defenders. That’s where Budinger fits in. He’ll be able to give Rubio that extra option as opposed to just driving it himself.

Honestly, can you tell how excited I am to not have to watch Dante Cunningham mid-range jumpers be the only go-to play in the Wolves’ repertoire?!  Hooray!!

But as goes the story of all Minnesota sports, there’s always a downside to the good news. Adrian Peterson wins MVP, Vikings trade Percy Harvin. Twins lock up MVP’s Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau only to lose their primes to injury and disease-laden teams the last two years. Budinger is currently an unrestricted free agent set to hit the market this summer. Although the injury didn’t help his value, Bud’s services will certainly be sought after, especially by championship competitive teams looking for that extra shooter (The reason why JJ Redick was such a hot name at the trade deadline). The Wolves already have a whirl of an offseason coming up with the looming decision of what to do with Nikola Pekovic on top of a player option from AK47. The Wolves will be tight on cap space pending what they do with Pek, making Budinger a potentially difficult signee.

So Bud’s return could very well turn into a tryout for other teams, as the Wolves are leaps and bounds away from turning this season around. In the mean time, the Wolves do get to enjoy Budinger’s services and see what he can do with a month under Adelman and alongside Rubio — and soon-to-be Love. There’s no denying that Budinger is a major missing part on the current makeup of the roster but it’s also bittersweet knowing what may lie ahead come this summer.

Rumor: Timberwolves Floating Ideas to Upgrade Backup Center Position

The Timberwolves will be considering many options to add depth to their frontcourt this offseason, and 1500′s Darren Wolfson has said that Eddy Curry is a name that is being — and I emphasize – floated around as a possible target. Now, before we overreact, the definition of “floated” has not changed to the point of becoming a synonym for “imminent”. It’s an idea, and one that seems pretty typical of the Kahn-Adelman era as a low-cost and low-risk/high reward option. Sometimes those gambles have worked out (Kirilenko) and other times they haven’t (Brandon Roy), and this appears to be another that could potentially be added to that category.

Curry SS

 

Curry would also come cheap based on the contract he signed with the Mavericks at the beginning of the season that was for the league minimum and also non-guaranteed. With the Timberwolves snug against the cap going forward, these are the types of contracts they’ll be looking to add.

However, Curry, who has played very little in the past years, showed several signs of rust with the Mavericks. In just two games, he somehow managed to post a PER of -0.1 in addition to averaging  a comical 10.1 fouls  per 36 minutes and just 5.8 rebounds per 36 minutes. As terrible as he was, his .500 FG% would’ve been his best since the ’07-’08 season, but that’s based off of only a two game sample in which he took just eight attempts.

Likely the only reason the 30-year old Curry still gets any mention is because he’s seven feet tall, and size like that will almost always ensure that you’ll continue to pique a team’s interest long after you’re even a worthwhile garbage time player. After all, the Spurs, Heat, and Mavs have all taken a chance on Curry in the past couple of years using the same low-risk/high-reward mentality.

At his peak, Curry was a solid contributor, but those days are long gone. It’s clear that the Timberwolves are turning over pretty much every possible stone to upgrade the backup center position, and apparently Curry’s name has been thrown out there, although that idea could very well be dead by now. Yet, it seems that help in that area will go by a different name and not Curry’s.

The Rubio and Shved Rising Stars Game Review

It’s safe to say that, while the Rising Stars Game is a meaningless exhibition, last night’s wound up being quite enjoyable for Timberwolves fans as the team’s backcourt of Ricky Rubio and Alexey Shved was showcased very well in primetime for Team Chuck against Team Shaq.
Both players were not only factors in Team Chuck’s163-135 win, but also made the win even more enjoyable to watch.

Even an All-Star Weekend hater like myself had to admit Rubio’s and Shved’s performance was well worth my time. In fact, even the national types took note, with former player and current CBS analyst Greg Anthony opining on Twitter about the performance and potential of the team’s backcourt:

 

If you’ve followed me on Twitter and ever seen anyone make even a passing mention to me about the Sacramento Kings’ Isaiah Thomas, who I’ve been a huge fan of since his days at the University of Washington, then you know how much I loved seeing him throw up this alley-oop to Shved.

With the game nearly in hand, and the entire defense literally just standing and watching (Ugh. H8 U, All-Star Weekend), Shved just missed a wide open windmill dunk. Still fun, and watching eventual game MVP Kenneth Faried finish with a windmill of his right after was still pretty neat:

Shved finished with 12 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists on 5/8 shooting.

Saving the main event, Ricky Rubio, for last, last night’s exhibition was really the perfect platform for Rubio to show off his passing talents on a national stage. Seriously, Rubio’s game was Taylor-made for this kind of thing. Of Rubio’s ten assists, a couple were quite notable, beginning with this alley-oop to Manimal right here.

As if that weren’t enough, Rubio left perhaps an even better pass for later as he drove towards the baseline, guarded closely by Golden State’s Harrison Barnes of team Shaq, and flipped an incredible no-look (Actually, he was looking at the crowd behind the basket!), perfectly-timed pass between Barnes and Team Shaq’s Damian Lillard that found the Wizards’ Bradley Beal on a cut for the slam. Here, just watch here and here.

Rubio may have been the only Team Chuck member not to score in double figures, but let’s be honest, we’re not here to see him shoot. We want to see his remarkable court vision, and watch him hit passing lanes no one else knows exist. And no one is complaining about Rubio’s 5 points (2/4 shooting), 10 assist and one steal performance this morning. Nobody.

Yeah, it may not even have been in the big game (/snickers), but last night was pretty thrilling from a Timberwolves fan’s perspective. Seeing Rubio and Shved play well, and get recognized for their performances was great to see. Kevin Love may not have been able to make the All-Star team this season, but the Timberwolves were still well-represented last night.

Love to the Fans: “They Need to Realize I Love Being Here.” And Fans Gonna Fan.

 

I should really know better than to post on this since I know that the people who want to be paranoid and believe what they want to no matter what I, or anyone else say. In fact, I should probably impose a posting moratorium on the subject after this one. Although, I thought I’d still share this because today Kevin Love told the AP’s Jon Krawcynski that he, “loves being in Minnesota,” as you can see in the tweet I embedded above.

Being a lifelong Minnesota sports fan I completely understand the mindset of fans, and the “Woe is me attitude.” But after twenty years of being a fan, I just can’t hold that victim mentality. I guess having your own misery to hold on to is better than having nothing to hold on to.

I also understand that the Yahoo! article with Adrian Wojnarowksi happened. Maybe that never rubbed me the wrong way because I didn’t disagree with anything Love said, but Love did also say that there were positive comments that were omitted from the story. This is possible because 1) Love has made positive comments about the team recently, and 2) omitting the positive comments really set the tone of Woj’s piece from a writing standpoint, and may or may not be reflective of any personal bias, but that’s just my opinion.

Upon RTing the above tweet on my account I immediately had my mentions flooded with tweets of, “But the Yahoo! article,” and “We’re Minnesota fans! Can you blame us?!” Which is just frustrating even though I know that there is likely nothing Love can say or do to convince fans that he really does like being here. I mean, if he says he likes it here, how do you know he doesn’t? So what if he says he wants to win; presumably, so do the Timberwolves.

I suppose this was a waste of 400 words since the people who didn’t have an issue with Love’s comments are just going to go on with their lives while the people who are dead set on being negative and paranoid will go on not believing Love no matter what he says. Take him at his word, or don’t– I guess it really doesn’t matter.

Howlin’ T-Wolf, Crowd Seats FREE ticket giveaway

Howlin’ T-Wolf has teamed up with Crowd Seats and we’re giving away 2 Timberwolves tickets when they face the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday February 6th!

All you need to do to enter is RETWEET our contest tweet, which can also be found on our Twitter Page here. Here’s the tweet:

Once you retweet that, you’ll be automatically entered in our contest to win 2 Wolves’ Tickets! We’ll announce the winner on this blog and on Twitter a few days before the game.

Timberwolves Fans, get ready to save a ton of money on tickets next time you want to see a game at Target Center! With Crowd Seats, you can now get cheap NBA tickets for your Wolves! Crowd Seats is the first and only daily deals site for sports tickets and they’ve just launched in Minneapolis! No more ridiculous box office prices and even better - no more ticket fees! You’ve really gotta check this site out, especially because they’re running a contest with us!

Crowd Seats is the destination site for cheap sports tickets. Each week, Crowd Seats offers incredible sports ticket deals featuring huge discounts, great games, and absolutely NO added fees. Starting today, sports fans in and around Minneapolis can get in the crowd for a fraction of the box office price with Crowd Seats Ticket Deals. With this expansion, Crowd Seats is now at 12 total markets nationwide including Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, and more. Here’s exactly how it works. Members to the first daily deals site for sports tickets get a weekly email with deals in their location — all with huge discounts and no added ticket fees. Crowd Seats hand picks the best games and the best seating areas — all you need to do is enjoy the game. Best of all — no ticket or shipping fees. Crowd Seats will email your tickets directly, allowing you to print them at your convenience and bypass any extra shipping costs. With Crowd Seats, you get in the crowd for a fraction of the price!

In the coming months, expect to see big discounts — we’re talking 40 percent, 50
percent, 60 percent, or more — on tickets to the Timberwolves, Wild, Golden Gophers,
and next season, the Twins.

Join for free and get personalized Minnesota Deals at Crowd Seats.

Kevin Love officially ready to go under the knife

Kevin Love goes under the knife tomorrow

The Minnesota Timberwolves report that Kevin Love is undergoing surgery tomorrow to repair the third and fourth metacarpals on his right hand that he injured over a week ago in Denver. Recovery time is estimated between 8-10 weeks.

Interestingly enough — and incredibly ironic but still very sad — Love’s original doctor, Andrew Weiland, M.D. at New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery, was unavailable when Love originally sustained the injury. That’s the reason for such a long delay on the surgery among others. But the other interesting development is that he’s not even performing the surgery anymore. No, actually, Dr. Michelle Carson will now work on Love, which leads me to question why the decision to switch surgeons happened this late. Obviously the Wolves are in no rush to get Love back onto the court but why not rush to at least get to the rehab, the most important aspect of the injury?

Also, Malcolm Lee will undergo his second surgery in just three days to repair both his hip and knee that will have him out the rest of the year. Lee has been constantly troubled with injuries since joining the Wolves in 2011 and now faces a long road ahead to rehabilitate to get back to playing at a pro level.

Brandon Roy Suffers a Setback; No Timetable for Return.

This is pretty much the worst case scenario concerning Brandon Roy’s surgery: another surgery, and now more setbacks (per Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter). I really didn’t want to watch Brandon’s body breakdown up close and personal like we’re seeing, and it’s every bit as unpleasant as I imagined. You hate to see it happen to anybody, but especially to a world-class person like Brandon.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be in your twenties, the supposed prime of your life, but not have your body able to support both your abilities, dreams, and passion in life. We know the story of the Rookie of the Year, the All-Star, then the gradual disintegration of his knees, and the seven surgeries that have since followed.

Oh yeah, all of this is before the age of thirty. I don’t want to say I feel sorry for him, but this situation just sucks.

We knew that his knees were bone-on-bone, but you wanted to believe in his comeback. You may have wondered what he was thinking risking his long-term livelihood for basketball with the wonderful family he has, but when he talked about proving it to himself and finding that self-fulfillment (or however he worded it), you couldn’t help but nod your head and wish him the best. It almost seems unfair that others have taken their gifts and opportunities for granted, but it’s a guy like Brandon who doesn’t get to have a full career.

If he retires now, no one would blame him, or criticize him for coming back, even. He gave it what he could, put in the work, but it doesn’t appear that it’s meant to be. For Shammgod’s sake, his knees are already one level away from replacement; that’s something that typically happens to people twice his age!

It would’ve been fitting if our last image of Brandon was him in the playoffs against the Mavericks, and that impression will probably be the lasting one, but we’ll still remember the handful of games of Brandon struggling in a number three jersey. And with no timetable for return, that may be all we have of Brandon as a Timberwolf.

No matter what Brandon chooses to do, I’ll wish him the best, but I just hope he’ll know when to call it quits.