 By: Alex Berg
If the reported talks between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Tom Thibodeau become finalized -- hell, even if they would fall apart -- the Wolves are quickly approaching a status that may have not ever been reached by a team to call Minnesota (four “major” pro teams only, the Lynx are awesome and everyone knows it) its home. Minnesota might be a desired destination for players and, in this case, coaches. Think back to nearly every promising young player to ever play, in any of the four sports, in Minnesota over the last decade-plus. Any time said player starts to blossom and stand out, it almost became a bittersweet feeling. Sure, the immediate enjoyment was great, but in the back of your head it was always “when is this guy going to leave?” Getting its own good players to stick around has been enough of a struggle for Minnesota, going out and bringing in good players from other teams hasn’t even seemed like a possibility for most of the last 10-15 years. Aside from the Vikings bringing in a 40-year old Brett Favre with a revenge narrative and the Wild spending big on Ryan Suter and Zach Parise -- both of whom had strong local ties to the team/area -- when is the last time a big-name player or coach ever willingly chose Minnesota? Maybe Steve Hutchinson signing with the Vikings in 2006? Now, even if the deal with Thibodeau falls through -- which is looking extremely unlikely at this point -- the top coach, by all accounts, is choosing to come to Minnesota. That’s pretty cool. If Minnesota was able to attract the “big fish” in the pond of available coaches, it is not outrageous to think players might follow the light this summer. Sure, Kevin Durant is going to be at the top of everyone’s free agent list this summer and he probably (I’m not going to rule anything out after all that’s happened over the last two years) is not coming here, but there are plenty of really good basketball players that will be looking to get paid this summer. Some names are: Al Horford, DeMar Derozan, Harrison Barnes, Jamal Crawford; and perhaps more relevant than ever to the Timberwolves, former Chicago Bulls trio Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Luol Deng. Considering the Wolves young core of Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and Karl-Anthony Towns, it is not hard to see why Thibodeau and other the other top coaches on the market had interest in Minnesota. Add Thibodeau and yet another high-end draft pick to the mix and Minnesota just might be one of the premier destinations for free agents who want to win. Whether or not Thibodeau is the perfect candidate remains to be seen. His experience and defensive expertise is countered by a history of over-working young players and sometimes a lack of offense. While both of those are valid concerns, the return of Vice President of Sports Performance Arnie Kander would make me feel much better about the team’s health. And this team can already score, I don’t see Thibodeau’s defensive-minded system changing that terribly. Another potential concern could be the bulk of Thibodeau’s experience came as a coach and it is unclear how he may handle having “full control.” Bringing in Scott Layden to handle the General Manager duties should help ease that concern. I imagine Thibodeau will have a big say in personnel, but as far dealing with cap numbers and dealing with agents, I expect he will defer to Layden. What is clear already is that Glen Taylor is serious about winning right now. If the numbers included in the early reports are accurate, Thibodeau is likely going to be one of the top-three highest paid head coaches in the NBA. Perhaps, more importantly, Taylor stepped up and did exactly what I pleaded him to do in my most recent post on this domain. I desperately wanted to see Taylor step outside his comfort zone and swing for the fences. Just once. And there really isn’t much of a bigger swing than this. What was already clear was Flip Saunders had a vision. He drafted LaVine. He patiently waited to move Kevin Love for Wiggins. He signed Rubio to a four-year contract extension. He drafted Towns. Tragically, he of course passed away before the 2015-16 season began, but his vision is continuing to take place. Taylor has carried out what Flip was able to do (getting the best young player in the draft for Love and drafting the best young player the following year) by opening up his pocketbook and acquiring someone who is widely regarded as the best available head coach. Flip chose to return to Minnesota, granted he was not the top-dog on the market his return was significant for various reasons. I think it was always a part of Flip’s plan to make Minnesota a desirable NBA city. If the new regime does in fact take place and plays its cards right, this could just be the beginning in Minnesota.
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 Season Awards
Rookie of the Year Dan Slaubaugh: Karl-Anthony Towns Alex Berg: Karl-Anthony Towns Drew Mahowald: Karl-Anthony Towns Zach More: Karl-Anthony Towns Most Improved Player DS: Stephen Curry AB: CJ McCollum DM: Stephen Curry ZM: CJ McCollum 6th Man of the Year DS: Andre Iguodola AB: Ed Davis DM: Will Barton ZM: Andre Iguodola Defensive Player of the Year DS: Kawhi Leonard AB: Kawhi Leonard DM: Kawhi Leonard ZM: Draymond Green Coach of the Year DS: Steve Kerr AB: Terry Stotts DM: Terry Stotts ZM: Steve Kerr MVP DS: Stephen Curry AB: Stephen Curry DM: Stephen Curry ZM: Stephen Curry All-NBA 1st team DS: Curry, Westbrook, Leonard, LeBron, Green AB: Curry, Westbrook, Leonard, LeBron, Green DM: Curry, Westbrook, Leonard, LeBron, Green ZM: Curry, Westbrook, Leonard, LeBron, Green All-NBA 2nd team DS: Paul, Lowry, Durant, Millsap, Cousins AB: Paul, Lowry, Durant, Millsap, Towns DM: Paul, Lillard, Durant, George, Cousins ZM: Paul, Lillard, Durant, George, Jordan All-NBA 3rd team DS: Lillard, Thompson, George, Horford, Towns AB: Lillard, Kemba, George, Aldridge, Jordan DM: Lowry, Thompson, Butler, Millsap, Towns ZM: Lowry, Thompson, Millsap, Aldridge, Cousins All-Defense 1st team DS: Paul, Butler, Leonard, Green, Gobert AB: Rubio, Bradley, Leonard, Green, Gobert DM: Rubio, Caldwell-Pope, Leonard, Duncan ZM: Paul, Butler, Leonard, Jordan, Green All-Defense 2nd team DS: Rubio, Bradley, George, Millsap, Whiteside AB: Paul, Caldwell-Pope, George, Millsap, Whiteside DM: Bradley, Thompson, Danny Green, Jordan, Gobert ZM: Rubio, Bradley, Allen, George, Gobert All rookie 1st team DS: Booker, Winslow, Porzingis, Jokic, Towns AB: Booker, Winslow, Porzingis, Jokic, Towns DM: Mudiay, Booker, Porzingis, Okafor, Towns ZM: Booker, Winslow, Porzingis, Jokic, Towns All rookie 2nd team DS: Russell, Lyles, Turner, Okafor, Kaminsky AB: Russell, Okafor, Turner, Richardson, Mudiay DM: Russell, Winslow, Johnson, Lyles, Jokic ZM: Mudiay, Russell, Turner, Lyles, Okafor NBA Playoffs Predictions DS: Warriors over Rockets in 4 Clippers over Blazers in 6 Thunder over Mavericks in 5 Spurs over Grizzlies in 4 Cavs over Pistons in 4 Celtics over Hawks in 7 Heat over Hornets in 6 Raptors over Pacers in 5 Warriors over Clippers in 5 Spurs over Thunder in 7 Cavs over Celtics in 6 Heat over Raptors in 7 Warriors over Spurs in 6 Cavs over Heat in 6 Warriors over Cavs in 5 Finals MVP - Curry AB: Warriors over Rockets in 4 Clippers over Blazers in 7 Thunder over Mavericks in 5 Spurs over Grizzlies in 4 Cavs over Pistons in 5 Hawks over Celtics in 7 Heat over Hornets in 7 Raptors over Pacers in 5 Warriors over Clippers in 5 Spurs over Thunder in 7 Cavs over Hawks in 7 Heat over Cavs in 6 Warriors over Spurs in 7 Heat over Cavs in 6 Warriors over Heat in 4 Finals MVP - Curry DM: Warriors over Rockets in 4 Clippers over Blazers in 6 Thunder over Mavs in 5 Spurs over Grizzlies in 4 Cavs over Pistons in 5 Celtics over Hawks in 6 Heat over Hornets in 7 Raptors over Pacers in 7 Warriors over Clippers in 5 Spurs over Thunder in 6 Cavs over Celtics in 6 Heat over Raptors in 6 Warriors over Spurs in 7 Cavs over Heat in 7 Warriors over Cavs in 5 Finals MVP - Curry ZM: Warriors over Rockets in 4 Clippers over Blazers in 6 Thunder over Mavs in 6 Spurs over Grizzlies in 5 Cavs over Pistons in 5 Hawks over Celtics in 7 Heat over Hornets in 6 Raptors over Pacers in 6 Warriors over Clippers in 5 Spurs over Thunder in 6 Cavs over Hawks in 6 Raptors over Heat in 6 Warriors over Spurs in 7 Cavs over Heat in 5 Warriors over Cavs in 5 Finals MVP - Curry 4/16/2016 0 Comments Wolves Season Review Roundtable Posted by: Dan Slaubaugh
Yeah, I used KAT's head as a fill-in so the picture would look more complete. Zach might be feeding him something. I'm not sure. Enjoy! General thoughts on the season Dan Slaubaugh: It was a bit of a roller-coaster. The beginnings and ends were a lot of fun. The middle? Not so much. Towns was fantastic the entire season, and gave fans a reason to watch when the team was performing poorly. Wiggins developed into a top 20 scorer. LaVine became a more well-rounded player as the season progressed. Ricky finally stayed healthy for a whole season. The only player that regressed (IMO) is Shabazz, who seems to often forget what his strengths and weaknesses are as a player. I predicted this team to finish with 29 wins. They did. So that's fun. Alex Berg: Overall, the season exceeded my expectations. I predicted 26 wins before the season, so they slightly out-performed that. Towns was better than I ever could have imagined. Rubio stayed healthy and his shot improved late in the season. Once the silly Zach LaVine experiment ended, he started to look like a legitimate NBA shooting guard. On the floor, I guess the only disappointment for me was Nikola Pekovic failing to contribute and/or stay healthy. Drew Mahowald: All things considered, the Wolves achieved much more success than I had anticipated. After what I saw from this team the last few weeks, it's hard for me to say this team can't make the playoffs next year. Whoever takes the wheel of this franchise will be set up with almost all of the pieces necessary for a contending team. The only thing left is development and growth. Zach More: I was hoping for a team that would compete for the playoffs this year, that obviously didn't happen. So much good happened, LaVine turned into a good player, Wiggins, Dieng, Bazz all produced in different games, Ricky had a great year. This is the most excited I have been about Wolves basketball in quite some time and a big reason why is because Arnie Kander kept this team healthy and on the court. Thoughts on greatness of Karl-Anthony Towns DS: Let's put it this way. Watching Karl-Anthony Towns play basketball is almost as equally as exciting as watching my mom take fresh baked cookies out of the oven. AB: He's not human. That's the best way I can describe him. On the court, he's exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. Perhaps even better, he seems to be a genuinely great person off the floor. Every time I hear/read his interviews, I forget he's only 20 years old. Minnesota sports have been mostly depressing for a long time, but Towns has the most potential to change everything. DM: I mean, I don't really know what I can say here that I haven't already. Karl-Anthony Towns can be the father of my children. ZM: Towns has endless potential. He is already a top 5 center as a rookie. He will now have an off-season after seeing what he needs to work on. If he can work on post defense, post scoring, 3 point shooting, and improve on all those things, the league better lookout because you are looking at a top 5 player. Thoughts on Wiggins DS: Many people were frustrated at Wiggins' laid-back demeanor and lack of aggressiveness he displayed early in the season. But I think that conversation slowly died as the year progressed with Wiggins asserting himself as one of the best scorers and attackers in the league. His 3 point shooting (41% post AS break) was a bright spot towards the end of the season, which is something he can continue to work on this offseason to make himself more dynamic offensively. Defensively, as Wiggins gets older and more experienced, I think we will start to him mold into one of the better defensive wings in the game. AB: I think so many people got lost in the reality that Wiggins just turned 21 years old. Sure, it would be nice to see him play with the same passion and aggressiveness he does in certain games (hello, Cleveland) and it would be ideal if he would grab a few more rebounds or be locked in on defense all the time. The thing is, KAT completely wrecked the curve for development. In literally any other scenario, fans would be drooling over a 21-year-old that averages 20.7 points per game. But for some reason, Towns' mere existence has caused so many fans to pinpoint every little flaw in Wiggins' game. DM: Andrew Wiggins quietly took a giant step in development this season. Especially in the second half of the season, Wiggins displayed much better court vision and perimeter shooting, two thins he needed to work on to round out his game. If he can figure out those two aspects in his game, look out. ZM: Loved the way he played the last couple months of the season. Can see the talent is there just needs too effect all parts of the game. His rebounding numbers and assist numbers need to go up. This off-season he has already stated he is going to work on 3-point shooting, playmaking and strength. I thought his defense would be a little better by now. Not that he is bad, but thought he would be a true lockdown defender at this point. Thoughts on LaVine and Dieng's progression DS: Both players took tremendous strides this season. Gorgui has developed into a rock-solid rotational player in the frontcourt and has great shooting touch, especially from mid-range. Defensively, he still has room for improvement. As for LaVine, we saw him make the transition from being just being an athlete to becoming a smarter and more efficient basketball player. Defensively, he still needs work getting through screens and defending the P&R, but his on-ball defense definitely improved. AB: Both players have been great this season, especially since the all-star break. LaVine might have the highest ceiling on the team, but since potential cannot really be quantified I'll stand by that. As for Dieng, I am so impressed by how much his jumper has improved. It has gotten to the point where I actually expect any mid-range shot he attempts to go in. I would like to see each of these 2 players improve on defense. I think Gorgui is often overrated defensively by fans because he makes an occasional block, but his rim protection and on-ball defense could use some work, in my opinion. Zach has come a long way defensively since November, but can obviously still use some work. DM: Development happened all over the roster, and it may not have happened to anyone more than Zach LaVine and Gorgui Dieng. When LaVine FINALLY got the opportunity to start at the 2, he didn't disappoint. He's got the athleticism, scoring ability and mindset to be a star in this league. Gorgui was rock solid, too. He and Towns formed a brilliant 1-2 frontcourt punch that almost makes me believe he should be the starting big next to Towns in the future. His mid-range game is still automatic and he added an array of post moves this season. Even though he moves around the court like your uncle on stilts, he gets things done. ZM: Dieng played well all season, especially after being inserted as a starter. He seemed to know what his role was and played it well. He still needs to work on strength and his hands but he has a big future with this team. Regarding LaVine, he had an up and down year, but more up than down as the year went on. The guy can score with the best of them when he is hot. This summer he needs to work on strength, finishing in traffic and shooting like everyone does. How beneficial was KG, Prince, and Miller's presence to this team? DS: On the court, their impact was minimal. Off the court, it wasn't hard to see the impact they had (especially KG) continuously giving the young players wise words of encouragement from the bench and in the huddles. Flip brought in the 3 to show the pups how to be pros. You'd be a fool to think they didn't accomplish that. AB: I think all three were extremely vital to the young players on the team, especially KG. I've never seen an inactive player be so active in the huddles and constantly in the ears of players when they come off the floor. Plus his relationship with Towns has been pretty well-documented since day one. DM: Veteran leadership is something that's tough to quantify, but there's no doubt that having leaders like these three guys was very beneficial for the young pups. Mitchell slowly moved away from playing the veterans to playing the young guys as the season wore on, allowing the youth to learn some before taking on real NBA minutes. ZM: I feel as thought it's always nice to have a vet or two around. Prince's presence was big because he was able to play 70 games which no one expected. He put in some solid minutes this season. KG is like having another coach on the bench, these young players just take to him. He probably could have played towards the end but of the season but didn't feel the need. I'd rather have him as an assistant coach than a player at this point, but want him around one way or another. Future outlook DS: I think we're all in agreement that the future is extremely bright. The mere presence of KAT alone could bring us within playoff reach in the future. Complement that with a young talented surrounding core, an elite coach possibly on its way in, and another top-5 pick in this year's draft, it's not at all unrealistic to think they can compete for a playoff spot next year. I can guarantee you there are many organizations right now wishing they were the Wolves. AB: Extremely bright. The young talent on this team is second to none and they have money to spend and might have a top-5 pick in June. The only hold-ups are the uncertainties in the front office and on the coaching staff. DM: I didn't think the Wolves could be a playoff team in 2017 before this season, but I do now. There's no reason they can't be, especially with the hiring of a new coach. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see this team make the playoffs in each year of the next decade. There's that much talent here. ZM: With the right moves this offseason this team should be competing for the 8th spot next year in the West with still a huge amount of upside. As it has been mentioned by many, this team is on the OKC road, competing for the 8th spot next year and with the right moves finishing in the top half of the West for years to come. We will now transition from the extensive, long answer questions to the basic, short answer questions. Favorite moment of the season DS: The entire All-Star weekend was a blast. The pups won a lot of awards and got to showcase their talent in front of the national audience. AB: KG ending Blake Griffin's life on his dunk. DM: I've gotta put Rubio's buzzer-beating three here. At Oklahoma City in a tie game, Rubio silences the critics and calmly drills the open try off of a beautiful kick-out from Wiggins. That was fun. ZM: Win at Warriors Team MVP DS: Ricky Rubio. Honorable mention: Arnie Kander AB: Ricky Rubio DM: Ricky Rubio. The on/off numbers speak for themselves. Towns is a close 2nd, though. ZM: Ricky Rubio Most Improved DS: Zach LaVine. Transitioned from strictly being an athlete into a fine NBA player and shooting guard in this league. AB: Tyus Jones (I know this typically applies to last season, but I'm making an exception. Jones was a huge liability in November and now looks like a serviceable backup PG). DM: I'm going with Dieng here, but there are a lot of candidates that have a viable case. The way Gorgui and KAT gelled together really impressed me and gave me a ton of hope for the future. That is, if Dieng stays in Minnesota. ZM: Zach LaVine Best Defensive Player DS: Ricky Rubio AB: Ricky Rubio DM: Rubio. There shouldn't be another answer here. ZM: Ricky Rubio Most Outstanding Performance DS: KAT finishing with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and a game winning shot in a W over the Trailblazers on April 9. AB: Karl-Anthony Towns. Can't really pinpoint it down to a single game, the entire season was outstanding. DM: LaVine's clutch trey combo in Washington is the first thing that pops into my head here. He showed that clutch gene and that killer instinct he has while leading the Wolves to a solid road win over a playoff-contending team. ZM: KAT's season as a whole was outstanding. His 30 point, 15 rebound game vs. the Pelicans was crazy. Most impressive individual play (dunk, pass, shot, etc.) DS: KG's dunk that ended Griffin. Wasn't that KG's first dunk in like 3 years? I think so. AB: KG's dunk on Griffin DM: KG throwing down on Blake Griffin was by far my favorite moment of the season. Kevin Garnett posterized a guy in 2015! What was the last time he threw down on someone like that? It had to have been over 10 years ago right? ZM: KG's dunk over Blake Griffin! Favorite game DS: The win at Golden State. It's pretty awesome that the Wolves were able to contribute to 1 of just 9 Golden State losses. AB: The win at Golden State DM: Hard not to choose the road victory over maybe the best team in NBA history. The overtime victory at Oracle Arena against the Golden State Warriors may forever be labeled as Minnesota's "coming-out" party, because that was the nation's first glimpse of what this team can really be. ZM: Win at Wizards or Win at Warriors, both fun games. Thanks for reading. Hope you all enjoyed. I'll leave you with an extra tidbit from Drew that he wanted to share. "The most disappointing thing about this season is the fact that Wolves fans still bash Ricky Rubio. I just don't understand it. It gave me an idea, actually. I created a Timberwolves basketball knowledge test, a test that proves how much you know about basketball, specifically Wolves basketball. Here's the test: Do you think Ricky Rubio is a valuable asset to the Wolves moving forward? If yes, you pass. If no, you fail. You have little knowledge of basketball. "  By: Dan Slaubaugh
I'll start off by saying that Sam Mitchell should not have ever been the Timberwolves head coach. He was thrust into the position when Flip Saunders tragically passed away just a few days before the season began. With that came grief, anguish, and sadness from everyone within the Minnesota Timberwolves organization. But there were games to be played and jobs to be done. Mitchell didn't have time to install an offense or adequately prepare for a season as a head coach, and the team was full of a bunch of (talented) kids who couldn't even get into a bar. The odds were stacked against Mitchell before the season even began. The season begins! The season began with a pair of road wins against two subpar teams, the Lakers and Nuggets. The team was 2-0, and promptly returned home November 2 for what would be an emotional home opener, as fans and players said goodbye to their beloved coach. A theme began that night -- a theme in losing at home, that is -- that continued throughout the year. In fact, they didn't win their first home game until November 23, their 7th home game of the season. Minnesota maintained a competitive record early in the season because of the grit it showed on the road. After the first 11 games, the Wolves already had road wins at Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami. This is, in hindsight, very impressive considering 2 of those teams now have homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. After 16 games, the Wolves stood at a .500 record of 8-8. Mitchell clearly valued defense over offense, prioritizing giving minutes to savvy veteran defenders Tayshaun Prince and Kevin Garnett over younger, offensive-minded players such as Shabazz Muhammad, and it was working. However, questions remained. Most notably, Mitchell's repeated decision to play Zach LaVine at the point guard position received constant scrutiny. As it turns out, the Timberwolves wouldn't sniff .500 the rest of the season, losing seven of their last eight after reaching that 8-8 mark. Fans and local media were befuddled with Mitchell's methods. The team was blowing huge leads. Rotations were poor. The offensive system was outdated. On top of all that, Mitchell consistently displayed an icy demeanor during media sessions, a change of pace from Saunders' warm and respectful demeanor towards the media. Combine all those factors together, and what support Mitchell had was dwindling quickly. As the season wore on, Mitchell began to sacrifice defense for offense and experience for development. LaVine grew into a starting shooting guard role and Tyus Jones took on the backup point guard role. Meanwhile, veterans Tayshaun Prince, Andre Miller and Kevin Martin all began to see less playing time. In fact, Miller and Martin saw their contracts bought out. Indeed, the youth movement was in full swing. While the losing continued, fans' distaste of Mitchell's methods lessened as they saw he was seeking to maximize his young players' potentials through frequent rotation schemes each night. After 56 games, the team sat 27-39. To everyone's surprise, they proceeded to go 12-14 in their final 26 games while playing LaVine a ton of minutes and Jones (who needed the experience) in a regular role as a backup behind Ricky Rubio. The transition offense was much better than it was 3-4 months ago, and the system used was becoming more modern by the game. Things were looking up. Down the stretch, it's no secret that LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Gorgui Dieng thrived late in the season. And it'd be a shame if Mitchell didn't receive at least some credit for that. The quartet's stats pre and post AS break: LaVine Pre: 24.3mpg, 12.8ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.2apg, 43%fg, 34%3ptfg Post: 35.mpg, 16.4ppg, 2.5rbg, 2.8apg, 48%fg, 44%3ptfg Wiggins Pre: 35.1mpg, 20.8ppg, 3.7rbs, 1.8asts, 45%fg, 24%3ptfg Post: 35.1mpg, 20.5ppg, 3.5rbs, 2.4asts, 48%fg, 41%3ptfg Towns Pre: 30.1mpg, 17.1ppg, 10.1rpg, 1.4apg, 54%fg, Post: 35.7mpg, 20.8ppg, 11rpg, 3apg, 53%fg Dieng Pre: 25.5mpg, 9.4ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.6apg, 53%fg Post: 29.9mpg, 11.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 2apg, 53%fg Yes, Wiggins and Dieng's stats pre-AS and post-AS numbers are strikingly similar, but consistency is a major step in progression. If anything, they were amazingly consistent. Mitchell also deserves at least come credit for how amazing KAT was throughout the entire season. Yes, KAT probably puts up excellent numbers if under a different coach. But he did it under Mitchell, and there's credit to be given there. The Wolves also figured out how to be road warriors under Mitchell. In that 12-14 stretch they put together at the end of the season, they earned road wins against Oklahoma City in OT, Washington in 2OT, Golden State, and Portland.. The fact that Mitchell had this young, inexperienced Wolves team winning games, against teams that are either elite (OKC and Golden State) or fighting for a playoff spot (Washington and Portland) on the road, is extremely impressive. In fact, the Wolves finished 15-26 on the road for the season, having beaten half of the NBA's playoff teams on their own home floors. That's impressive for any team, but especially for one as young as Minnesota. Defense is still an issue, finishing 28th best out of 30 in the NBA. But, it's tough to have an adequate defense when the players logging the most minutes can hardly drink alcohol legally. The inexperience, lack of stamina and strength was just too often exploited by more veteran-heavy teams. It's no secret that defense is a major process with any young team, and the Wolves are no exception. Mitchell's coaching career in Minnesota comes to an end Wednesday night, roughly an hour after the Wolves' colossal win over the Pelicans, the Timberwolves PR department reported through Twitter that Sam Mitchell had been relieved of his coaching duties. Many were stunned that the Wolves made the announcement so soon and that Glen Taylor was uncharacteristically quick to his approach because of his recent history and laid-back personality. Because the announcement was made without hesitancy, it is most likely that Taylor (shockingly) made up his mind weeks ago. He understood Sam Mitchell wasn't the best coach the Wolves could hire to capitalize on this outstanding opportunity. There are superb coaches on the market interested in this team. Glen Taylor acknowledged that, and came to a decision he thought would be best for the future of the organization. Sam Mitchell did a fine job as interim head coach of the Timberwolves. He may be remembered as the ill-tempered coach who called us all pedestrians, but he did a rock solid job of developing players while producing wins in the last couple of months. With that, the Wolves, for the first time in years, have legitimate momentum heading into next season. Mitchell deserves a lot of credit for that. So, thank you Sam, and farewell.  By: Alex Berg
After seven seasons of failing to reach 27 wins, the Minnesota Timberwolves -- led by young stars 19-year-old rookie Stephon Marbury and 20-year old second-year Kevin Garnett -- went 40-42 to earn its first playoff playoff berth in franchise history in the 1996-97 season. The young Wolves followed up their breakout season with a modest five-win improvement and a second consecutive first-round exit in the postseason, but things were finally looking up for the first time in the franchise’s brief existence. Garnett averaged 18.5 points and 9.7 rebounds, while Marbury added 17.7 points and 8.6 assists per game. The team maintained its playoff pace in the second half of the season, despite the absence of leading scorer Tom Gugliotta - who missed 41 games and the playoff series with an ankle injury. The following summer, the 29-year-old Gugliotta turned down an opportunity to make more money in Minnesota for a deal with the Phoenix Suns, where he would not have to take a backseat to a couple of up-and-coming kids. No, losing Gugliotta was not the straw that broke the camel’s (or wolf’s) back. But the ensuing events might have. Not only were the Wolves losing their leading scorer, but the frontcourt depth behind Garnett was thin with Sam Mitchell (he may come up later) and Tom Hammonds. The Wolves brought in point guard Bobby Jackson, along with big men Dean Garrett and Joe Smith to add depth and help fill the 21-point per night void Gugliotta’s departure opened. The most notable of those three acquisitions of course was Smith. The player the Wolves infamously signed for well below market-value, but had an “under-the-table” agreement to pay him more so the team could sign other players to stay below the league’s salary cap. Obviously, once the Wolves were caught they were rightly punished with a massive $3.5 million fine and forfeited four first-round draft picks. These punishments came shortly after Taylor, General Manager Kevin McHale and the Timberwolves broke up their young, exciting duo. Let's rewind. Marbury, who most assume, wanted to be the “guy” and not have to share the spotlight with Garnett, reportedly turned down the max contract of 6-years, $71 million from the Timberwolves in the 1998-99 season. After losing Gugliotta without compensation the previous offseason, Taylor admitted the team was “kind of forced” to move Marbury. In return for their star point guard, the Wolves landed a package that was centered around point guard Terrell Brandon and draft picks. Brandon’s career with the Wolves was very solid, but was cut short by knee injuries. He retired in 2002. In just a handful of years Taylor saw his promising core dissolve into what essentially became Garnett and a revolving door of sidekicks. The revolving door was good enough for consecutive first round playoff appearances with one exception, the 2003-04 season that made the Western Conference Finals. The lack of continuity continued to be an issue throughout Garnett’s first stint in Minnesota and it did not get any better after that. Former Wolves star forward Kevin Love even commented on it in his infamous tell-all interview with Adrian Wojnarowski. Here is what he said: “You walk into the locker room every year, and it’s completely turned over,” he said. “There’s new guys everywhere. And then it happens again and again. You start to wonder: Is there really a plan here? Is there really any kind of a … plan? “Look at different teams around the league. Look at a San Antonio that continues to add talent around [Tim] Duncan and [Manu] Ginobili and [Tony] Parker. Look at what happens in Oklahoma City, the players they continue to add around their star players. Even the trade they had where they lost [James] Harden, they still added players that were going to fit well in their system. And speaking of small markets, look at a team like Memphis and all they’ve been able to accomplish. They’re getting the most out of their entire organization.” He wasn’t wrong. The team never really seemed to have a plan. That was until Flip Saunders returned. We all know what happened next, how Flip managed to acquire consecutive top-overall picks to pair with existing young talent, and how he tragically passed away before he could carry out his plan. But that was the beauty of it, by all accounts, Flip had a plan. For the first time in well over a decade it seemed as if the Minnesota Timberwolves had a clear vision of what it wanted to become. Moving Forward Taylor now finds himself in a similar situation, yet very unique, that he did back in the late 1990’s. He has two of the best young players in the NBA. This time the talent surrounding his duo is younger and arguably more talented. 18 years ago he had McHale and Saunders as his GM and head coach. Both were guys he trusted to make and execute the basketball decisions. Now, in 2016, all Taylor has is Milt Newton and Mitchell, both who are still essentially on an “interim” status with the team. In fact, Taylor recently said in an interview on WCCO, that Newton would handle offseason responsibilities such as the draft and free agency and would be further evaluated at the end of the summer. THAT IS NOT HOW FUNCTIONAL NBA TEAMS DO THINGS! It’s been weeks since he said this and it still baffles me how anyone thinks this is remotely logical. This franchise desperately needs to develop a sense of continuity and the best place to start is at the top. Either fully commit to Newton to handle basketball decisions or find someone to fully commit to. This team is not a state where it can afford a “wait-and-see” approach in its braintrust. What if Newton acquires a player or hires a coach and is replaced just a month later? What if the newly acquired asset is not a part of the new guy’s plan? More importantly, what if one or more of your young players look up and want to get as far away from the dysfunction as he possibly can? These are not risks the Timberwolves can afford to take. Everyone wants to talk about who the next coach will/should be, but I think the first step should clearly be to take a step back and find out who is in charge. Whether it be Newton or a new GM. Let that man make the decision. Or, hiring an established head coach who will want full control of both operations and coaching is an option. Nonetheless, Taylor must decide who he feels is the right person to take control of the organization and he needs to trust that person. It is fairly easy to see how Taylor could be afraid to trust bringing in a “new face” after the debacle otherwise known as David Kahn. But at least he tried. I would rather have him try and fall flat on his face again than this half-assed approach of waiting to see if something will work out. You can only wait so long. The Timberwolves are in an ultra-rare state (for this franchise anyway) of having young talent, money to spend and may actually be a destination for some free agents to want to come to. Did I mention the Western Conference is finally letting up and the entire Wolves “core” of players are under affordable contracts for at least another season? The biggest test moving forward for Taylor and the Timberwolves is going to be developing a winning culture that will make this young core want to stick together in Minnesota. Although the teams in the 1990s were “winning” (I’ll use that term loosely when referring to a 45-win team,) it still was not enough to make Gugliotta or Marbury wait and see things out. With so much young talent and only so much money to spend (although that will be increasing,) it can be easier said than done to keep a young core together. Just ask Oklahoma City. I believe the first step in this process has to be having a clear vision and developing continuity. By all accounts from the outside, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins are both a lot more “mature” than Marbury was when he and Garnett were in this position. Plus it genuinely seems as if this duo, along with Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng and Ricky Rubio all enjoy playing together. However, that doesn’t mean Minnesota should take anything for granted. If Taylor fails to capitalize on this opportunity, history just may repeat itself. |
