By: Brian Simonson

The NBA Trade Deadline has passed, and once again the Minnesota Timberwolves were quiet throughout the process. Andrew Wiggins is frustrating fans more and more with each passing game through his lack of work ethic and questionable decision making on the court while earning a max deal. Key rotation players continue to be held out due to injuries. Luol Deng is starting games. The Wolves complete their most recent road trip in extremely disappointing fashion with a 0-4 road trip to mediocre teams, with the exception of the Denver Nuggets. 

Following the road trip, Dario Saric makes the switch to starter, which results in the Wolves closing out their final home stretch before the All-Star Break with impressive wins over the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets; both Western Conference playoff candidates.
 
In summary, everyone is uncertain on which Timberwolves team will show up on a nightly basis. Everyone is also uncertain about what the future holds after the season. Their record is currently at 27-30, which is four games out from the 8th seed in the Western Conference with three teams to jump. They are not looking like serious playoff contenders at this point in the season unless they go on a serious run. They also are not mediocre enough to land a high lottery pick in the upcoming draft. Looking past the season, there is little room with their cap space, and they have few assets, meaning less opportunity to make significant trades or free agent signings that push the franchise in the right direction for the long term. Everything feels...stuck. 

What should Minnesota fans make of this? How do you output value with the remaining 25 games? How do you set your franchise up to sustain long term success past the season and avoid an Anthony Davis-esque situation with Karl Anthony Towns? Where do we go from here?

If you’ve been a Timberwolves fan for any period of the franchise’s 30-year existence, then you are no stranger to these roller coaster situations.

There is a large and growing laundry list for the Timberwolves to start addressing these questions, so we’ve centralized a summary of objectives and thoughts that we feel should be on everyone’s radar for the team moving forward:

CHECKLIST FOR REMAINDER OF THE SEASON:

•    Give your young players experience – Typically, the Wolves drafts picks turn to busts, but they got one right in the 2018 NBA draft by landing Josh Okogie with their first-round pick. Okogie is getting valuable experience through extended minutes and seizing a starting position while there are injuries on the team. His efforts on the floor earned him a spot in the All-Star Weekend. While his defense has improved as of late, his offensive decision making still requires work. Okogie will continue to make rookie mistakes. Continue to groom him and he will learn to further understand the game through his minutes. 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year Keita Bates-Diop has rarely seen minutes since being called up from the G-League. See what the young players have to contribute rather than waste it. Perhaps their skills can be leveraged while on very cheap contracts. Since the Wolves can’t make serious splashes elsewhere, their best bet is to develop the core through their young talent.

•    See what you have with Dario Saric – Dario Saric has become quite comfortable with his new starting role, and the Wolves have won the two recent games by 10 with him there. The team’s offensive rating in those games jumped from a 109.8 average for the season to 126.8 with Saric in the lineup (not to mention Luol Deng was also starting). Dario likes to start and Taj Gibson is OK with the switch. He is someone to keep an eye out for to stay in this spot long term, especially with a cost-friendly contract with two years remaining and Taj Gibson entering free agency. After Saric’s sample size with starting increases, there will be a better outlook on whether or not it will be a fit.

•    Continue to evaluate Andrew Wiggins – Wolves fans are finally fed up with his lack of consistency and inability to take the next step in his craft after five seasons. It’s time for ownership and the coaching staff to start making Wiggins accountable, or perhaps the action item is to find a way to move his contract. Some people suggest that he is moved to the bench. Notice how the team has played well without him in the lineup due to illness? There are many questions surrounding Wiggins, but the best strategy at this point is hoping that we get the best version of Wiggins possible on a nightly basis.

CHECKLIST AFTER THE SEASON ENDS:

•     Find your GM – With Scott Layden being one of the remaining front office members stemming from the Thibodeau era, it’s unlikely he’ll be retained past the offseason.

•    Find your Head Coach/Giving Ryan Saunders a legit chance – While Saunders’ record as head coach is currently 8-9, there’s plenty of reason to give him a real chance at the position long term. Six of those losses were decided by five points or less; and mind you, the Wolves have been severely depleted. The Wolves can hang despite its injuries and miscues, and it is certainly reasonable to believe that when at full health, Saunders can build the team chemistry to output a solid performance on the court. Saunders connects with the players at a human level, which is something we did not see with Tom Thibodeau, and the players play for him. It will be an objective to monitor team performance when his players are finally at full health, and then decide if he is the one to run the position moving forward.

•    Nail your draft picks – The franchise has historically been poor at drafting high-level talent through the draft (see Ndudi Ebi, Johnny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, Derrick Williams, etc.). With little cap room for the foreseeable future, the Wolves’ best option is to get their picks right in order to create a pool of potential assets or core players. This subject derives from why most fans want to see the team miss the playoffs, and try their hand at better positioning in the draft.

•    Address your point guard situation (free agency) – All four point guards on the Wolves’ roster are on expiring contracts and will hit the free agent market this offseason. Jeff Teague has a player option, and many expect him to pick it up. Tyus Jones has been a very effective backup. Jerryd Bayless has held his own during team injuries. Derrick Rose has provided a veteran voice and is a scoring punch off the bench. Along with addressing the point guards and Anthony Tolliver, take a look at the list of mid-level free agents for this upcoming offseason.

•    Ensure KAT’s happiness w/ franchise – This is the most important task in the list for this franchise. Karl Anthony Towns is the franchise for the long term, and the accumulation of the above action items correlate directly with his happiness.
 
The biggest question for fans and the franchise at the moment is deciding whether or not a 2019 playoff berth is worth it. Glen Taylor wants playoffs; fans want to tank. While a deep postseason run is quite unlikely, regardless of the outcome, there is little room for error with the front office and must make sure they nail every move that is made moving forward to ensure a bright future for the franchise and keeping their star player KAT happy.

By: Jonah Sprinkel

The Minnesota Timberwolves are interestingly unique. 10 days ago, they were dismantled by Philadelphia and their former leader, General Soreness. This was followed by a close loss to San Antonio. The team then won home-and-away games over Phoenix, one on a Derrick Rose near buzzer beater and the other in a blowout. Last night’s favorable result over the Lakers was all but a sure thing until mid-way through the fourth quarter. Oh, and Jerryd Bayless has logged nearly 60 minutes of play time in the last two games. Just like everyone predicted when the Wolves traded for him, Bayless has balled out in his increased role. The Wolves have an inverted home-and-away stand up next, this time against another former leader, Ricky Rubio and the Utah Jazz.
 
Game #1 – 1/25
What: Wolves @ Jazz
When: 8:00 PM CT
Where: Vivent Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Where to watch: Fox Sports North
Where to listen: 830 AM WCCO
 
Game #2 - 1/27
What: Jazz @ Wolves
When: 6:00 PM CT
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Where to watch: Fox Sports North
Where to listen: 830 AM WCCO
 
Towns vs. Gobert: Karl-Anthony Towns has a reputation for struggling against large, some would say traditional, big men. Oddly enough, Rudy Gobert is not one of these players. In 11 matchups dating back to his rookie year, Towns is averaging just over 21 points on a 53/42/89 split and 11.5 rebounds. The Wolves have only won three of those games. The stats are nice, but Towns will need to elevate his game if the Wolves are to continue building on their three-game win streak.

A very chippy history:

A point guard problem: Derrick Rose left the Laker game with an ankle injury and did not return. Tyus Jones won’t be ready for at least a couple more games. Jeff Teague spent the Laker game in street clothes, it is unknown if he will play against Utah tonight. If Teague does not go, the Wolves would be left with Bayless and Jared Terrell, a two-way player. Supposing Teague does play, it’s safe to assume he won’t be 100%. The flexibility of the Jazz’s ball handlers was already going to be an issue for the Wolves defense. Their current point guard situation makes for a taller task.

Projected starters

Minnesota: PG Jerryd Bayless, SG Josh Okogie, SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Taj Gibson, C Karl-Anthony Towns

Utah: PG Ricky Rubio, SG Donovan Mitchell, SF Joe Ingles, PF Derrick Favors, C Rudy Gobert

Injury report

Minnesota: Tyus Jones – OUT, Robert Covington – OUT, Derrick Rose – Day-to-day, Jeff Teague – Day-to-day

Utah: Raul Neto – OUT, Thabo Sefolosha – OUT, Dante Exum – OUT, Tony Bradley – OUT
 
Prediction

The Jazz are currently a playoff team and the third best defense in the league by the defensive rating metric. The Wolves are not in a playoff position and retain a league average offense. The Jazz are at home and favored by 11 tonight. Wolves lose, 115-102.

By: Seth Toupal
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With just under three weeks left before the NBA Trade Deadline, the Minnesota Timberwolves have some interesting decisions they will have to make. The Wolves are 22-24, 10 games behind Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference and three games out of the final playoff spot in the West. Since Tom Thibodeau was fired the Wolves are 3-3, and they are frankly running out of time to make a move into the top of the West.

Is it possible that they make a run and climb into the playoffs? Certainly. Is it also possible that the Wolves continue to tread water and end up missing out on the playoffs entirely? Absolutely. So what do at the trade deadline? Do they add? Do they deal expiring contracts? Scott Layden is likely GM-ing for his job and as a result, will probably approach the deadline as if the team has to make the playoffs. The Wolves are really not in much of a situation to add salary without getting rid of some of their big contracts. But having said that, there are some players who could yield something in return if they were dealt. What will Layden do? The answers to those questions could come down to the final few days before the deadline, so we will focus on what they SHOULD do. We will start by looking at the trade status of everyone on the roster.

UNTOUCHABLE:
Karl-Anthony Towns. This is a fairly easy one. Towns isn't going anywhere despite those weird rumors before the season that Towns would end up being dealt and the odd man out in the power struggle between him, Jimmy Butler, and Tom Thibodeau. Well, Towns was the winner of that situation so as a result, he has the most solid footing of anyone in the organization. There are few players, if any, that would merit a trade with Towns, who seems to be starting to make some strides defensively to compliment his offensive repertoire. Towns also is the most likely player to survive a coach/GM change this offseason if Ryan Saunders doesn't pan out long term.

SHOULD BE KEPT:
Josh Okogie. Okogie has provided a tremendous spark defensively when on the court for the Wolves. His offense has been a work in progress but we knew that coming into the season. For a team who has struggled tremendously on defense but has Karl-Anthony Towns as their focal point on offense, Okogie can continue to work on his offensive game provided he is staying engaged and active on the defensive end. I am intrigued enough by what I've seen from Okogie in his rookie year that I think he should be kept. But if the Wolves have bigger trade aspirations in mind, Okogie would be a very attractive trade chip so he doesn't slide into my "untouchable" category.

Robert Covington. Covington provided an immediate spark for the Wolves when he came to Minnesota. He has been out of the lineup since December 31st and the Wolves have felt his absence significantly. Covington isn't a franchise cornerstone but he is a very good complimentary piece on a playoff team. His contract is very affordable the next few years and so it won't hurt the Wolves as much as some of the other contracts they are currently carrying. I would be in favor of the Wolves holding onto Covington and adding further complimentary pieces around him and Towns and the rest of the roster.

Dario Saric. Saric came to the Wolves in the Jimmy Butler trade, but the results for him have been extremely up and down. He has had some big games and some others where his performance hasn't measured up. But one thing Saric has that makes him an intriguing prospect for the Wolves is his youth. At 24 years old he has shown some promising aspects to his game. It just so happens that his playing time has been reduced by the likes of Taj Gibson, Anthony Tolliver, and Gorgui Dieng. If some of those players are traded or allowed to leave via free agency then Saric can start to benefit from an increase in minutes. At that point, we can get a better idea of what he can fully bring to the table and he should be given the opportunity to start next to Towns. If things don't pan out at that point then you can look at trying to move him, but for now, there is enough intrigue from Saric to warrant keeping him around.

Tyus Jones. Tyus is another player who would benefit from more minutes but is partially blocked by both Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague. Tyus is a smart and savvy point guard when he is on the floor, He does a great job of running the offense and is great at getting steals. Jones recently suffered an ankle injury so he won't be in uniform for a while, but he makes a ton of sense as the backup point guard for this team after the season. Will an opportunity come around for Tyus to start elsewhere? The Wolves may solve that problem by inserting him in as starter after this year and focusing resources elsewhere with a veteran backup. Either way, Tyus should stay.

WOULD BE HARD TO TRADE:
Andrew Wiggins. There are a few reasons as to why Andrew Wiggins would be a difficult player to move. The first is his uninspiring play and the second is his max contract. The Wolves would have to entice someone to take on his deal with either draft pick compensation, cash thrown in and or both of those options. Wiggins might be a player who would benefit from a change of scenery. It could be as simple as the Wolves holding him to a standard as big as his contract, but that hasn't seemed to work so far this year. I would be shocked if he was dealt but a new coach and GM next year may decide that they need to move on. For now though, Wiggins and his contract aren't going anywhere.

Gorgui Dieng. Gorgui is another player who has a contract that would require some assistance to move in the way of cash or draft picks. Dieng is further along in his deal which makes his contract more appealing than Andrew Wiggins, but at this point, Dieng would be added to help shore up bench depth for a contending team. He has started in the past at power forward, and his ability to play the 4 or 5 would give him some added value. My guess is that Dieng is more likely to be moved in the offseason when the Wolves can maybe sneak in as a 3rd team in a big trade to help offset large salaries although I don't think it is likely under any circumstances that Gorgui is traded.

SHOULD BE TRADED:
Derrick Rose. Rose is having quite the comeback season for the Wolves. His value as an elite scoring option should make him a hot commodity at the deadline. Several teams in both conferences are dealing with injuries and inconsistencies at guard. Rose was shooting a career-high from three-point range up until recently but can still hit from deep and can play both point guard and off ball as well. The Wolves should look to deal Rose for a young player at the deadline, as even though Rose is having a great year he would not warrant a high draft pick in return. Get a young player with upside and hand the backup point guard keys over to Tyus when he returns from injury.

Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver has started to see more minutes since Tom Thibodeau was fired and this is good for his value as the deadline approaches. While his numbers haven't looked all that good, he is shooting 37 percent from deep and averaging just under 19 minutes a game in January. This proves he can still be a reliable veteran off the bench and as a result, the Wolves should see if they can get anything for him at the deadline. Tolliver also could provide some veteran presence for a young team that is trying to make the playoffs, and there are a few of those that come to mind right now.

WILD CARDS:
Jeff Teague. Teague has been a very up and down player for the Wolves since he came to Minnesota. Teague could provide a veteran presence to a team lacking that at point guard and has been a good facilitator despite his offensive struggles. The biggest question for dealing Teague is his price tag. $19 million is not a number that many teams are equipped to absorb in a trade, so the Wolves would again have to add something in to make a trade worthwhile. Unless it is part of an absolute blockbuster where a large salary would be needed to even out numbers being exchanged, my guess is Teague plays out the duration of his contract in Minnesota.

Taj Gibson. Gibson would be another good veteran presence for a playoff team. His cap number would prevent some teams from acquiring him but an expiring contract in return could help offset this. The question is would Taj want to leave? He will have an opportunity to start the rest of the season for the Wolves and those minutes might not be as available on a playoff contender. Taj is a free agent at the end of the season and could be brought back as a veteran backup. I'm not sure what the Wolves could get back in return for Taj in a trade, but again he could theoretically be included in a bigger trade to help make salaries match up. I will lean towards him staying and then coming back in a lesser role next year.

Jerryd Bayless and Keita Bates-Diop haven't played enough this year to factor into any of these categories. We really have no idea if KBD is a player who could provide meaningful minutes as part of the rotation because he hasn't been given the opportunity. Bayless has too big of a cap hit to justify him being dealt anywhere especially with him being a free agent at the end of the year. Scott Layden has some big decisions ahead of him. Not only does he have to look out for his future but he has to decide what is best for the Wolves going forward. And as the Wolves continue to alternate between wins and losses, it becomes increasingly likely that more changes are coming to this Wolves team.

Seth is the host of The Scoop on KLGR Radio out of Redwood Falls, Minnesota. Listen to episodes of The Scoop here

By: Jonah Sprinkel

What a week it has been for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since ringing in the Ryan Saunders era with a thrilling win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Wolves have gone 1-2 with a win over New Orleans and the losses coming against Dallas and Philadelphia. The blowout loss to the Sixers, and specifically Jimmy Butler, left a bitter taste in the mouth as the team appeared to have forgotten their effort in Minneapolis. Giving up nearly 150 points to any team is embarrassing. But when it comes against a player like Butler and his tumultuous history with the Wolves? The English language doesn’t have the words to describe how demeaning that kind of loss is. Though injuries have and will continue to hamper this team, consistency in on-court passion and effort would be a large step forward for this squad. It may potentially help secure the head coaching gig for Saunders as well.
 
What: Spurs @ Wolves
When: 7:00 PM CT
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
Where to watch: ESPN
Where to listen: 830 AM WCCO
 
What to watch

Saunders’ defense: Tom Thibodeau’s defense left much to be desired this season. Through four games, the interim head coach’s has left even more to be desired. With nearly a 120-defensive rating, the Wolves are the 28th ranked defense over that period. It’s early in Saunders’ regime and the Robert Covington injury has gauged the core of the Wolves defense, but the quality of defense is unacceptable for any team except those who are tanking.

Spurs’ offense: The Spurs attempt the fewest threes of any team in the NBA. This bodes well for the Wolves as they allow the highest opponent three-point percentage in the league. However, the Spurs also possess the seventh highest offensive rating, 113.4. The other issue for the Wolves is an issue that doesn’t need introduction; their constant struggles with big men. Over the last 10 games, LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging nearly 26 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists and shooting 58.3 percent from the field. The Wolves have their work cut out for them.

The lack of Tyus and RoCo: Tyus Jones will be spending the next few days in a walking boot while Robert Covington still doesn’t have a timetable for his return. Both players are two of the Wolves better contributors through high basketball IQ and play that doesn’t always appear in the box score. Of all the Wolves five-man lineups from this season, five of the top six lineups in net points feature either Jones, Covington or both. The team simply plays better ball with these two in the lineup.

Projected Starters

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

San Antonio: PG Derrick White, SG Bryn Forbes, SF DeMar DeRozan, PF Rudy Gay, C LaMarcus Aldridge

Injury Report

Minnesota: Tyus Jones - Out, Robert Covington - Out

San Antonio: Dejounte Murray (Torn ACL) - Out

Prediction

Though the Wolves are favored by 1.5 tonight, I don't expect them to win. This team has continuously struggled in primetime and Towns has always had issues with LaMarcus Aldridge. Wolves fall, 114-108.

By: Jonah Sprinkel

No matter the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are always riding a rollercoaster of emotion. Five days ago, they fired the coach and president of basketball operations who led them to their first playoff appearance since dinosaurs roamed the land surrounding Target Center. The team promoted Ryan Saunders, then assistant and son of the great Flip Saunders, to interim head coach. The Wolves squad responded to this move with one of their more engaged and passionate performances on the season, gifting the 32-year-old coach his first win ever. Did I mention that Ryan ran his dad’s favorite play to start the game? Yeah, you’re right, it is a little dusty in here. The younger Saunders hopes to create his first ever win streak as Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks come to Minneapolis tonight.
 
What: Mavs @ Wolves
When: 7:00 PM CT
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
Where to watch: Fox Sports North
Where to listen: 830 AM WCCO

What to watch for
 
The return of Rose: Derrick Rose is returning from injury tonight. The Wolves score nearly six more points per 100 possessions when Rose is in the game versus when he’s sitting, a jump from 111.8 to 117.3. If the Wolves were to post a 117-offensive rating over an entire season they would be the best offense of all time by a significant margin. Despite his “bench role”, most Rose’s minutes have come with the starters. With Saunders likely going to a nine- or 10-man rotation on a regular basis, there may be a few twists to the regular substitution patterns. It should be interesting to see how this trend continues with Saunders in charge.

Free throws: On Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Wolves attempted 40 free throws. This has only happened one other time this year – interestingly enough, it came against Dallas in October. NBA team’s average 23 attempts a game and the Wolves average nearly 25. In a game which the Wolves won by two, every free throw mattered. Moving forward, the team won’t have this kind of offensive cushion. What will Ryan Saunders do to make up the difference?

Andrew Wiggins: Nobody look, but Andrew Wiggins may be at the beginning of a hot streak. Over the last four games the Canadian is averaging 29 points, almost five rebounds, three assists and only one and a half turnovers on a 45/30/78 split. The shooing split may be a bit ugly, but it’s a vast improvement over his 23 games before the uptick where he posted a split of 39/32/71. One other thing of note, Wiggins had not attempted more than 10 free throws a game once this season until he did it in both of the last two games. He finished those games with 28 and 40 points. In other words, if Wiggins doesn’t want to go to the charity stripe, someone should put him in a grocery cart and push him there themselves.

Projected Starters

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

Dallas: PG Luka Doncic, SG Wesley Matthews, SF Harrison Barnes, PF Maxi Kleber, C DeAndre Jordan

Injury report

Minnesota: Derrick Rose - Probable, Robert Covington - OUT

Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki – Probable, Dennis Smith Jr. – OUT

Prediction

With the Wolves favored by five, Derrick Rose coming back from injury and the emotions of the Saunders win still flowing throughout the organization, the team should win tonight, 112-108.