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11/28/2018 1 Comment

Derrick Rose is proving doubters wrong and making an early claim for Sixth Man of the Year

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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.
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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.
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​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. 
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11/18/2018 0 Comments

Grizzlies @ Wolves: An unexpected test

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USA Today Images
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.

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11/16/2018 0 Comments

Wolves vs. Blazers: Let's keep these positive vibes rollin'

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USA Today Images
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.
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11/14/2018 0 Comments

Pelicans at Timberwolves: New Kids on the Block

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By: Seth Toupal

Tonight the Wolves look to make it 2 wins in a row when they host the New Orleans Pelicans. The Wolves are coming off a 120-113 win to start their 5 game homestand. With their newest teammates expected to play tonight for the first time since the Jimmy Butler trade, we will get our first look at the post-Jimmy Butler Wolves. Anthony Davis and the Pelicans are coming into an arena that has not been kind to them in years past. Will the Wolves rise to the occasion or will The Brow flex his muscles tonight and lead the Pelicans to a win?

What: Pelicans @ Wolves
When: 7:00 PM CT
Where: Target Center
Where to watch: Fox Sports North/ESPN
Where to listen:  830 AM WCCO
 
What to watch for:

How do Covington and Saric fit in?: All eyes will be on the Wolves' newest acquisitions Robert Covington and Dario Saric, who are expected to make their debuts tonight. Covington alluded to some things he thinks he can assist with right away especially on defense in his introductory press conference. Saric is an intriguing young player that should greatly benefit playing next to KAT. Both are team-first guys who should fit right in with the rest of the crew.

How does the Puzzle Fit Together?: As with all trades the biggest question is what impact will it have on the starters, and bench unit. Will Saric start or will Gibson? Which bench player gets a minutes reduction? My guess is that Saric and Covington will start initially, as Taj Gibson has already stated he will do whatever helps the team win games even if that means coming off the bench. With Gibson potentially manning the bench which big sees their minutes reduced? Depending on matchups and situations we could see more of a timeshare with Gorgui and Anthony Tolliver. But with Gorgui being the primary backup center it's likely that Gibson and Tolliver will start to split minutes more evenly.

Randle, Mirotic and Brow, Oh My!: Julius Randle has been a massive impact player for New Orleans this year. Combined with a resurgence from Nikola Mirotic and the usual fantastic play of Anthony Davis, the Pelicans have unique bigs that will be a tough matchup for the Wolves. Davis and Towns will be the matchup to watch, but don't overlook Saric/Gibson/Tolliver against Randle and Mirotic. Holliday and Teague will be fun to watch as well but I expect the Wolves to try to exploit matchup strengths at SG and SF with Wiggins and Covington as much as they can.

Projected starters
 
Minnesota: PG Jeff Teague, SG Andrew Wiggins, SF Robert Covington, PF Dario Saric, C Karl-Anthony Towns 
 
New Orleans: PG Jrue Holiday, SG E"Twaun Moore, SF Wesley Johnson, PF Nikola Mirotic, C Anthony Davis
 
Injury Report
 
Minnesota: QUESTIONABLE - Jeff Teague (knee), Andrew Wiggins (knee) 
 
New Orleans: QUESTIONABLE - Elfrid Payton (ankle), Nikola Mirotic (ankle),
 
Prediction

We saw Monday night the sense of resolution that the Wolves now have. They were able to beat the Nets despite being short handed. With Covington and Saric joining the team I look for them to both have an immediate impact. Davis is always a tough matchup and New Orleans is a very deep team but I think the Wolves will give the home crowd something to cheer about.

Wolves 119, Pelicans 98 :)

Seth is host of The Scoop on KLGR Radio out of Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Listen to episodes of The Scoop here.
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11/12/2018 1 Comment

9 winners and losers from the Jimmy Butler trade

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Photo via ClutchPoints
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.
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Loser: Boston, Toronto, Milwaukee, Indiana

Now the East actually has to deal with Butler in the playoffs. Best wishes to all the teams hopeful of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, or further. Good luck playing against playoff Butler.

Winner: The Minnesota Timberwolves

Looking at this from the Wolves’ point of view, they didn’t want to part ways with Butler, and for obvious reasons. But once he demanded a trade, the team took a slow (albeit far too slow) approach to see what kind of package it could acquire for the four-time All-Star forward.

It was more than past due, but the Wolves snagged two guys under team control who are good fits for a guy who didn't want to be here and whos market was dying. Yeah, it sucks trading a star because you rarely get equal value but this is better than the Rockets deal.

Jimmy Butler is now Philadelphia's problem. That's great news in and of itself. 

Loser(s): The fans who think the return is awful

Some people think the Wolves got fleeced. Don't listen to them. They aren’t worth your time.

Robert Covington - aka Lord Covington - is one of the best 3-and-D wings in the NBA and an all-world defender. With great size at 6’9” and a 7’2” wingspan, he’ll immediately improve the Wolves perimeter defense and take the pressure off Towns by not letting seemingly every guard get to the rim. Offensively, he'll provide the Wolves with much-needed perimeter shooting. Covington is shooting 39 percent from three-point range on 5.9 attempts per game.
 
Saric - aka Super Dario - is off to a slow start this season, but he broke out last year shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range. The Croation forward is like a tough-minded Nemanja Bjelica with a decisive trigger. Still only 24, he’s coming off his best game this season pouring in 18 points and nine rebounds. Saric is especially a great fit for this team due to his age being in the same timeline as Towns and Wiggins.
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Yes, landing rising star Josh Richardson would have been unbelievably awesome. But at least they landed two controllable, reasonably priced players. Covington is signed the through the 2021-22 season at 11.7 million per year, while Saric is signed through 2020-21 at 2.7 million per year. Two impact players for combined 14 million per year? I’ll take it.

Although Covington and Saric aren’t in the same stratosphere as Butler on the offensive end of the court, the Wolves are getting two floor spacers who started for a team that made the Eastern Conference semifinals just a season ago.

This was a good haul. 


Winner: Jimmy Butler

In the end, General Soreness got his wish. He can now lace ‘em up for a contender who can sign him to a maximum deal after the season.

His image definitely took a hit, but I'm not sure he cares. 


Loser: Tom Thibodeau

Break-ups are hard. Couple that with the possibility of Thibodeau getting relieved of his duties soon, and it could end up being a rough few months for the Wolves current president of basketball operations and head coach. After all, coaching basketball has been his life since he served as an assistant coach at Salem State at age 22.

Winner: Karl-Anthony Towns


As the Minnesota Timberwolves organization internally crumbled to the ground around him, Karl-Anthony Towns gave the long-suffering fans something to cheer about after Butler's trade request. Fresh off Butler's request, the 22-year-old All-Star inked his rookie extension deal. A $190 million pledge to handle the hopes of Wolves lovers for the next five years.

He handled the Butler saga like a true professional from beginning to end, patiently waiting for Butler to be shipped, knowing it would eventually be his team.

That time has come, and now chemistry issues aside, we can watch the big man go to work.

It's time to put our hope and trust in Karl-Anthony Towns and start having fun again.
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