Category: Wolf Tracks

Wolf Track: Chat with Chad Ford

I haven’t done this in a while but here are some Wolves related questions thrown Chad’s way from our lovely faithful:

Jason (Minneapolis) Any rumblings of the TWolves making a deal?

Chad Ford

(1:22 PM)

They are very active. I’m not sure they have any untouchables these days … including Kevin Love. But unless it’s a clear upgrade, not sure that David Kahn is doing much more than continuously shuffling the deck.

Danny (Minneapolis) Will Rubio be in a T-wolves uniform next season, and if so will he be good

Chad Ford

(1:39 PM)

Wolves are very confident he will be. Other people I talk to in Spain and around the league are equally confident he won’t be– especially because of an early option he has on his contract and the looming lockout.

Miguel (Spain) I love my countryman Ricky, but to be honest he isnt even looking good against European competition at this point…

Chad Ford

(1:42 PM)

True. But virtually everyone I speak with think he’ll be better in a NBA system. But you’re right, I’ve watched him play a couple of times this year and it looks like he’s regressed. He may have peaked early …

It’s interesting getting Chad’s take on the Love rumblings. I’ve heard from unreliable sources online that Love is seeking a way out of Minny and that the Wolves may be shopping him. I personally don’t believe it one bit and think if it were to happen the Target Center would set fire to arson faster than any pile of kindling. “MVP” chants slowly circulated their way around Target Center last night when Love made trips to the charity stripe; Haven’t heard of that kinda crazy talk since the long-forgotten KG era.

The Rubio stuff is interesting too. I haven’t kept tabs on him too closely this year but did know that he was struggling. Like Chad, I believe Rubio better suits a NBA style of play, but it won’t even matter if he’s not going to hop the pond and play for the Wolves.

Wolf Track: Wolves waive Sundiata Gaines

The Wolves had to make a move at some point, and in order to not pay him a full salary for the ’10-’11 season, it was Gaines that had to go.

Gaines appeared in eight games this season and averaged 2.6 points a game in just 8.1 minutes.

Gaines shouldn’t stray from his phone quite yet, though. If the Wolves are to make a deal in the coming weeks — Rumors have speculated the Wolves may move one of there three point guards, — Gaines may just field another call to re-join the team.

Wolf Track: Kevin Love's story

Grabbing national headlines hasn’t been difficult for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the past. Short tenured coaches, bozo-headed GM’s that make clownish moves and of course the bottomless pit that has been our losing record. All are easy targets to cynical analysts who need someone to pick on.

But not this time. Anna Katherine Clemons is reviewing the amazing life story that is our NBA superstar in Kevin Love. This is a must read, so check it out.

Wolf Track: Lebron James pro-contraction?

He’s done it again. Lebron’s infatuation with big markets and pretty lights now has him bad-mouthing other teams in the NBA, including our beloved Timber Puppies. Lebron feels that if teams like the Timberwolves and New Jersey Nets gave away their big-name players and then just disappeared, the league would be in a much better situation today. He thinks it’ll just be like the 80′s again.

“Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesotaand add him to another team and you shrink the [league]. Looking at some of the teams that aren’t that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren’t that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let’s take New Jersey and let’s take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I’m not stupid, it would be great for the league.”

If Lebron truly wanted the league to be as competitive and entertaining as it was in the 80′s, tell him to split up the three-headed monster down in Miami and a team that needs a superstar, perhaps return to Cleveland? The 80′s were defined by the infamous matchups between two different greats that resulted in some of the best games ever played. The 80′s were about rivalries, not comradery between All-star friends that figure to when a championship by joining forces.
Next time Lebron speaks about contraction or “the good ‘ole days,” hopefully he understands that his words, as a role-model to many and the face of the new NBA, can be hurtful. Or they can just come off as plain stupid.

Wolf Tracks 12/24

Timberwolves Tracks:

At first glance, the two power forwards do not appear to have many similarities, but at this point in their careers, we might be looking at two of the most prolific players of their time.

Wolf Track: Movin' on up!

According to Marc Stein’s Power Rankings on ESPN, the Wolves made the jump from 26th to 24th this week, solely reliant on K-Love’s monster season. Check it out!

K-Love is bidding to become the first player to average 20-and-15 for an entire season since Moses Malone’s MVP season of ’82-83. He’s also at a tidy .427 on 3s to distract us further from the Wolves’ lead-blowing habit.

Wolf Tracks 12/8

Timberwolves Tracks:

  • The Wolves take on the Thunder tonight at home. Here’s a quick preview.
  • Injury updates: Martell Webster is coming back a lot sooner than I thought and may see game action tonight; Darko Milicic is day-to-day with a quad contusion, making him a game-time decision (Odds are he won’t go); and Jonny Flynn is not ready to suit up quite yet. The Wolves’s coaching staff believes that one more game with the Sioux Falls Skyforce will help immensely, so he may be headed back there.
  • Anthony Tolliver is going to be missed. Sadly, Tolliver will be taking his talents to the bench, wearing street clothes. He could be out anywhere from 4-6 weeks. Perhaps this may be the time to shop around for another big man because another could be useful, regardless the injury to Tolliver.
  • Kevin Love’s numbers are getting a little out of hand

In the Wolves’ past five games, the third-year veteran is averaging 39.0 minutes, 23.8 points and 17.8 rebounds and shooting 90.9 percent from the free-throw line (40 of 44). He’s also shooting 50 percent on three-pointers (9 of 18), giving teams fits over how to defend him. In one stretch over the Wolves’ past two games, he set a team record with eight consecutive three-pointers until misfiring in the third quarter Monday night at New York.

NBA Tracks:

    Wolf Tracks 12/6

    Minimal amounts to report to you coming from our Wolves today, but some big news about Jonny Flynn and Darko’s big night are among them. Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

    Timberwolves Tracks:

    Want a wild team stat to go with your individual numbers? The Minnesota Timberwolves, 10th in the league in 3-point shooting and matched up against the 4th worst 3-point defensive team in the league (percentage-wise) in the Cleveland Cavaliers, nailed 18 3-pointers while shooting 69.2% from deep. That’s the second highest 3-point percentage of any team to make 18 or more 3-pointers in a game since the 86-87 season. That’s the T-Wolves’ franchise record for made 3-pointers, by the way. Their previous high was 15 (in 2004-05), and they needed 34 attempts to get to that.

    Wolf Tracks: Jordan shoots back

    These “What Should I Do” commercials from Nike are stirring up some drama throughout the NBA. This one may be the best, given it’s fiery, bone-chilling commentary from MJ himself and the humbling line at the end that really makes you think. Jordan reportedly says he has nothing to do with the viral video. I think otherwise.

    Wolf Track: Jonny Flynn to Sioux Falls

    A direct press release from the Minnesota Timberwolves website says that Jonny Flynn has been designated to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Timberwolves’s D-League affiliate.

    There, Flynn will probably play 1-2 games this weekend and come back to the Wolves some time next week.

    Cross your fingers, folks. The Wolves need him back more than you might imagine.