By: Dan Slaubaugh

12 points. Four assists. 10 points in the fourth quarter. Six of 13 from the field. That is the stat line from Derrick Rose’s latest impressive performance, largely contributing to the Wolves’ sixth win in their last eight games, this time over the Cleveland Cavaliers. This effort fits well amongst the abundance of excellent performances Rose has given Minnesota this season. A season in which he is making a strong, albeit early, case for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
 
Many, including myself, doubted the late-season signing of Rose last year. He was coming off two forgettable seasons in New York and Cleveland, leaving each team for a considerable stretch of time during the season to attend personal matters. With poor shooting numbers, shoddy defense, and a history of being a distraction off the court, I believed there were no areas where he could legitimately serve useful to the Wolves.
 
Fast forward eight months: Rose has made believers out of nearly all of us. And if he hasn’t, well, then you’re not watching close enough.

At age 30, Rose came into the 2018-19 season fresh off a stellar playoff series against the Houston Rockets where he averaged 14.2 points on 50.9 percent shooting from the field and 70 percent (7-for-10) from deep. He was arguably the most consistent Wolf in the playoffs.
 
This season, Rose has shown us all that last year’s stellar playoff performance was no fluke.
 
Through 21 games, the former MVP is having one of the most impressive comeback seasons in recent memory. He’s averaging 19.1 points, 4.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game off the bench. He's been efficient in doing it as well, shooting a career-high 49.1 percent shooting from the field, draining threes like nobody’s business at a 46.4 percent clip (fifth best in NBA), and hitting an impressive 85.5 percent of his free throws. Rose leads all bench players in the NBA in scoring and he’s fourth in assists with a high usage rating of 24.3 percent.

​The combination makes Rose the best playmaking guard on the Wolves’ roster. Per stats.nba.com, the Wolves have an offensive rating of 111.4 and a defensive rating of 107.4 when he’s in the lineup. When he sits the Wolves post a 98.2 offensive rating and a 107.4 defensive rating. Basically, per 100 possessions the Wolves are 13.6 points better with Rose on the floor than off. And offensively, they’ve been 13.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, basically the difference between the Warriors and Bulls in offensive efficiency.

​Those numbers are a big reason why Rose, who has also started five games for the Wolves that included a 50-point effort against the Jazz at home, has been so valuable to the post-Jimmy Butler Timberwolves. He’s always been a volume scorer, but he’s taken his game to another level this season (compared to past seasons) by putting a new-look, rejuvenated Wolves team on his back as the number two scoring option. ​

Currently signed to a one-year, $2.1 million deal, Rose has been one of the best bargains in the NBA. And after his first healthy off-season in four years, Rose told Marc. J Spears of The Undefeated in October he is finally in a “great space” mentally, physically and basketball-wise.
 
“I am in year 11 now. I tore my ACL in my third year. Most guys would have been retired. Financially, I have saved my money. It’s all about the love. I still feel like I can hoop.”

It’s early, but all signs point towards he still can, and it’s made him a likely trade target for contenders looking to upgrade near the trade deadline. Of course, barring a mid-season firing, Tom Thibodeau would have to be the one to pull the trigger on a Rose deal. And, well, he knows he’s coaching for his job. Rose helps the team right now, so unless Rose requests a trade like Jimmy (which he very likely won’t), Thibodeau will likely hold onto him for the entirety of the season unless an offer comes his way that even he can’t refuse. This would open the possibility for Thibs, if he keeps his job, to try to convince the former MVP to re-sign in Minnesota on a multi-year deal.
 
For now, Rose is showing why he should be the early front-runner for the Sixth Man of the Year Award -- thriving in a sixth man role under Thibodeau and giving the upstart Timberwolves a much-needed veteran presence and reliable offensive weapon on a nightly basis.

"When I was younger I wanted to win MVP. This year, coming off the bench my goal is to win Sixth Man of the Year", Rose told Dennis Scott of NBA TV last month.
 
So far, that goal seems more than within reach. 

By: Jonah Sprinkel

The Minnesota Timberwolves dismantling of the Portland Trailblazers could not have come at a better time. The Jimmy Butler era is in the rear-view mirror. The team was coming off back to back wins over Brooklyn and New Orleans. The team donned purple in honor of Prince. Oh, and some guy named Kevin Garnett showed up to watch the game. Guys! It's actually fun to be a Timberwolves fan right now! Next up, the Memphis Grizzlies.
 
What: Grizzlies @ Wolves
When: 2:30 PM CT
Where: Target Center
Where to watch: Fox Sports North
Where to listen:  830 AM WCCO
 

What to watch for

Wolves defense: In the last two wins over New Orleans and Portland the Wolves held both teams at or under 100 points. Both teams shot under 43 percent from the field and connected on nine or fewer threes. For New Orleans, a top-10 offense, and Portland, a top-five offense, these could be off nights. It could also be the post-Butler honeymoon phase. Or, maybe, just possibly, the Wolves have figured out something on defense.

The Grizzlies don’t make sense: This team has a 9-5 record and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference. They have won four of their last five with wins over Denver, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. In other words, this is not a squad to be trifled with. The grit and grind era may be over in Memphis, but this Mike Conley and Marc Gasol-led squad is still overachieving.

Wiggins and Towns from deep: There are 106 players in the NBA that are attempting at least three and a half catch and shoot threes per game. On these looks, Karl-Anthony Towns ranks 15th in percentage while Andrew Wiggins sits at 18th. For a team that continually dwells in the bottom half of the league in threes attempted, it might be a decent idea to get KAT and Wiggins a few extra catch and shoot looks.
 

Projected Starters

Minnesota: PG Jeff Teague, SG Andrew Wiggins, SF Robert Covington, PF Taj Gibson, C Karl-Anthony Towns

Memphis: PG Mike Conley, SG Garrett Temple, SF Kyle Anderson, PF Jaren Jackson Jr, C Marc Gasol
 

Injury Report

Minnesota: Jerryd Bayless – OUT (knee)
Memphis: Dillon Brooks - OUT (left knee sprain), Chandler Parsons – OUT (right knee soreness)
 

Prediction

The Wolves are favored by 4.5 but this game feels like a bit of a trap. The Grizzlies are on a hot streak. KAT tends to struggle against physical big men like Gasol. Memphis wins 105-103.

By: Jonah Sprinkel

Two games without Jimmy Butler has resulted in two wins for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both wins, over the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans, were spear headed by Karl-Anthony Towns.  He’s averaged 25 points, 18 boards and 2 blocks on 64 percent from the field and 67 percent from deep. It’s early in the post-Butler era, but Towns has stepped up to the plate. With the Portland Trailblazers in town tonight, another big showing from KAT is necessary.
 
What: Blazers @ Wolves
When: 7:00 PM CT
Where: Target Center
Where to watch: Fox Sports North
Where to listen:  830 AM WCCO
 
What to watch for

The non-Jimmy lineup: Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose, Andrew Wiggins, Taj Gibson and Karl-Anthony Towns have played a whopping 40 minutes together in five different games. Through 15 games, this is the Wolves most used lineup that does not feature Jimmy Butler. They have outscored opposing lineups by 5 and half points per 100 possessions. Though this is through high-quality offense rather than adequate defense. Tom Thibodeau’s propensity to play a select few should allow this lineup to see the court more frequently.

The Blazers death lineup: Of any NBA lineup that has played 60 or more minutes together there is none more effective than the Blazers lineup of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Evan Turner, Al-Farouq Aminu and Jusuf Nukic. In their brief on court stints they have posted a 125 offensive rating and an 89 defensive rating, the largest net rating of any qualifying lineup. The ability to switch on defense while simultaneously going nuclear offensively could create problems for a Wolves team that doesn’t shoot a requisite amount of threes and doesn’t defend.

Projected starters

Minnesota: PG Jeff Teague, SG Andrew Wiggins, SF Robert Covington, PF Taj Gibson, C Karl-Anthony Towns

Portland: PG Damian Lillard, SG CJ McCollum, SG Jake Layman, PF Al-Farouq Aminu, C Jusuf Nurkic
 
Injury Report

Minnesota: Jerryd Bayless – OUT (Knee)
Portland: Maurice Harkless – OUT (Knee)

Prediction

These two teams love going at each other. There’s a consistent chipiness that exists between the Blazers and the Wolves. It makes for very enjoyable basketball which is something Wolves fans have experienced in limited doses so far this season. As of now, the Blazers are a more stable and better organized squad. Outside of a monster game from both Towns and Wiggins, the Wolves will fall 118-114.

By: Dan Slaubaugh

After two months of refusing trade offers and pretending keeping Jimmy Butler around wasn’t a distraction to the team, Glen Taylor - yes, Glen, not Thibs - finally pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Jimmy Butler (and Justin Patton) to Philadelphia. In exchange, the Wolves received All-NBA defender Robert Covington, young stretch four Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2019 second-round pick.
 
Regardless of Butler’s future plans, this was a blockbuster trade and a could be a huge get for the 76ers. Now, let's categorize the winners and losers of the trade.
 
Winner: The Western Conference

The Eastern Conference is slowly catching up to the Western Conference in terms of star talent, but the West is still the superior conference. That said, any time a star player gets shipped out of the West is welcoming news for Western Conference executives. In this case, everyone but Daryl Morey.

Loser: The Houston Rockets
 
After a slow start to the season and title-contending expectations, the Rockets were looking to add a legitimate third star to support James Harden and Chris Paul. They reportedly threw four first-round picks Minnesota's way, but the Wolves rejected. Now that they've lost out on the Butler sweepstakes, it will be interesting to see if they throw those first-round picks another teams way to try to land another star (Bradley Beal?) or split the picks up to add a pair of 3-and-D options elsewhere. 
 
Winner: The Philadelphia 76ers

After a season and a few playoff series' where the 76ers relied heavily on rookie Ben Simmons and the immensely talented but playoff-unseasoned Joel Embiid, Butler immediately provides a reliable and consistent third option for Brett Brown's crew. How Butler meshes with the Sixers' young stars is still to be determined, and his injury history is reason to be wary about handing him a maximum contract, but the Sixers gamble to establish themselves as an Eastern Conference contender for both now and later is calculated. When healthy, Butler is a legitimate NBA star and two-way beast that can lock down your best perimeter player while playing on or off the ball offensively.