The Minnesota Timberwolves Thread: Timberwolves, Anthony Bennett part ways

[carver]

I feel like they're taking towns tbh

He keeps talking about wanting 2 way players and said that Towns was the best 2 way player in the draft a few times yesterday. Also add in the fact that he also said he wants to be a fast athletic team that runs up and down with wigg and rubio. To me that doesn't sound like okafor at all.

Towns is the best player available. The fact that he also fits our needs is just a bonus.

I would have been happy if we got jah at 2 or 3 but with the top pick I don't see how we pass on Towns.

 

[Brownstone]

I also think they are going Towns, at the end of the day it's pretty clear Towns is the better athlete, the better shooter, and the better defender. It's really a non-decision at this point. I haven't been as critical as others in here on Saunders- I like his moves so far, even if you don't give him credit for waiting to trade love until Wiggins was available you have to give him credit for turning Trey Burke into Dieng AND Muhammad.....that being said if he messes this up and goes Okafor I'll be livid.....Draft Towns, and you can play him with Pek and/or Dieng. I still think you can get value for Pek at the trade deadline. Have him pump out some stats and if he's healthy he is worth a mid/low 1st rounder. 

 

[hood17]

Yeah go with Towns I think he'll pick up the defense easily in the league. If we was two yeah go Oakafor. It's going to be interesting to see how Bennett reacts.

 

[jpzx]

Charley Walters @Charley_Walters 1m
Timberwolves could package draft pick Nos. 31 and 35 to move back into 1st round to take either of point guards Tyus Jones or Jerian Grant

 

[hood17]

Charley Walters @Charley_Walters 1m
Timberwolves could package draft pick Nos. 31 and 35 to move back into 1st round to take either of point guards Tyus Jones or Jerian Grant

Not bad I think. I feel we have a lot of scoring options but no real shooters. We should live at the FT line.

 

[carver]

Tyus.. I hope that doesn't mean Jahlil 

 

[hood17]

I think it's clear they want Jahill if they do that. Plus im sure Towns people are just reminding Flip "Hey we will not show up if you draft him."

 

[pacificnorsewst]

Jahlil really is a special offensive talent. His footwork and overall technique was outstanding. It wouldn't be a bad pick. You never know, really. Maybe a team gets bit by drafting Towns because of his upside. It's just the fact that he's big-time rim protector and that will translate into the NBA for sure. It's a big-time value to have. Okafor should be immediate offense from day 1 though. We'll see.

 

[earldagoat]

Great seeing all the enthusiasm in here.  Nothing but good times.  Timberwolves deserved this pick.  Rubio/Pek's contracts are still anchors, but who cares when you have a den of uber-talented teenage hoopers.  Future is bright in Minny.  Can't wait to see the baby wolves and sixers next year on LP.

 

[hood17]

Yeah guys on rookie deals. KG may get $12 mil a year so he can but the team. Kevin Martin should be moved to see if Bazz or LaVine can take the spot. I can see a trade deadline deal.

 

[RyGuy45]

Charley Walters as usual is delusional and just makes up trades. At least he should come up with something that makes a little sense.

Let's get some more slop from our media!

Karl-Anthony Towns was the subject of Yahoo reporter Adrian Wojnarowski’s tweet Tuesday that said, “If Karl-Anthony Towns is determined to get to the Lakers, it’ll be interesting to see how agreeable his camp will be to meeting with Minnesota.”

DraftExpress writes, If Jahlil Okafor indeed has his heart set on being a Laker like persistent rumors have indicated for some time now, it will be interesting to see if his agent Bill Duffy (a college friend of Flip Saunders at Minnesota) sends him in for a workout to play hardball.

According to basketball scribe Chuck Myron, Jahlil Okafor might ask the Timberwolves not to draft him. "I think Okafor might (ask). There are rumors that he has his heart set on the Lakers...I wouldn't be surprised if he and his agent try to dissuade the Wolves from drafting him. That rarely works though, and if the Wolves like him, they'll take him."

Ricky Rubio‘s camp has been pushing for a trade for some time, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in his weekly chat with readers. However, the push isn’t as strong as it was before the point guard signed a four-year, $55MM extension this past fall, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities

 

[hood17]

Rubio and the number one pick for Boogie

 

[comptonprince]

Rubio and the number one pick for Boogie

Boggie and Wiggins wont even get u in the playoffs

 

[hood17]

Ehh maybe. I just have a feeling that Oak and Towns will be upser about being in Minneapolis. But if there is a trade I can only think of Boogie wanting out of Sac. No one after us in the dradt has anything I want.

 

[carver]

Nah I'm good on boogie..give me Towns and let us keep Rubio

 

[jpzx]

The only people upset about being in Minneapolis are the ones who haven't been to Minneapolis yet. That's always been the case, no matter the scenario at-hand really.

In the NBA, it's rarely ever happened (a prospect indicates he doesn't want to be drafted by this team because they'd rather go to this other team). Usually, in the situations where it has happened in the NBA, it's somebody who would rather be drafted 7th to the Warriors opposed to 6th to the Grizzlies - not when you could be the No. 1 overall pick, a pick nearly every NBA fan with a modest interest remembers forever. Nobody cares that in 2009 the Grizzlies took Thabeet No. 2 and Harden went No. 3 to the Thunder. If Thabeet had gone No. 1 and Harden had gone No. 2, then all of a sudden that's a big deal.

There are different parameters associated with the No. 1 pick. Flip came out and said Towns has already said he's fine being drafted by them.

 

[jpzx]

Was on Basketball Reference, and look at these Rubio charts:

View media item 1552211
We thought he was a bad finisher before, but in 2014-15: 33% at the rim/0-3 feet! He was better from 16 feet out (40.4%). Hard to believe he took THAT sort of dip when he's a career 46.7% finisher from there and 49.1% in 2013-14.

Now look at this Rubio %FGA one:

View media item 1552216
In 2013-14, .407% of his FGA were from 0-3 FT/at the rim, and 25% were between 16 ft. out and the three point line. In 2014-15, .178% of his FGA were from 0-3 FT/at the rim, and .475% were between 16 ft. out and the three point line. That's... insane. So in one year's time, he's taken 23% fewer shots at the rim, and 23% more from 16 feet out. He's literally shifted one-fourth of the shots he takes to a place near the perimeter.


Spurs wizardry doesn't apply to Mike Penberthy. Whatever he's doing somebody, please, put a fork in that.

 

[kidkain]

People just don't want to come to minny because of the arctic winter's

Minneapolis is actually a cool place to live

 

[RyGuy45]

This is coming from a guy who hates MN weather. Plenty of NBA markets have absurd winter weathers.

Chicago is freezing in the winter.
Toronto is freezing in the winter.
Detroit is freezing in the winter.
Milwaukee is freezing in the winter.
(And so on).


Yet every outsiders sticks with the "Minnesota tundra, Player A ain't doin that" every year these drafts come up. We dealt with it the Shaq draft year, Marbury, Rubio's "camp," and now this year with the made up stories. It's easy narrative to recycle every year.

It just sucks that the CNN's of the world don't pay any attention for 10 months to MN but will the second they get a massive snow fall.

I used to live in PHX and I had acquaintances down there that did not believe me that MN even had summers. They thought it was winter 12 months a year and did not believe I had a boat on a lake. That's the national narrative and it aint going away.

IMO The smartest thing the Timberwolves could do to change their image (obviously aside from winning) is to indeed make Kevin Garnett the face of their franchise (Front office, owner, everything). That goes a long way with these kids that grew up idolizing him and if you got Garnett attempting to get you, and telling you the Wolves are serious business, and telling you he lives in Minnesota and loves it, that means something. Right now the Wolves' national I.D. is a crappy team with a senile owner in an area no one wants to be in.

 

[hood17]

Plus Towns as athletic as he is can learn more from KG than anything they have in L.A., and yes I know the legendary bigs are always around put KG would be on the court with him yelling in his ear.

They should just come out and say, "Yeah we're paying KG to be our big mans coach."

Those Rubio numbers are interesting.

 

[pacificnorsewst]

Yeah, I find it hard to believe these kids would be upset going to Minnesota when they're the #1 overall pick. If you got KG doing you're recruiting (by that I mean winning these kids over) then how would you not want to play in Minnesota. I'd question you're desire to play period if KG don't get you excited.

 

[pacificnorsewst]

Does Thibs not feel like the perfect coach for this team right now? I hope Flip makes the right decision here because there's no reason they can't at least pursue him.

 

[carver]

I think thibs wants a more ready made position..and add that flip 99% ain't giving up that job

 

[RyGuy45]

Hopefully Saunders shocks us all and hires one of these guys as coach. I would fall off my chair but there's always a 1% chance.

As I have stated from the beginning, if he is actually going to relinquish his coaching then the new hire will have to:

1) Keep his son on his bench
2) Have the same overall philosophy of Saunders
3) Cannot have a strong ego that might threaten Saunders' rule


Because those three factors are not easy to find, Saunders will continue with the "we just can't find anyone to coach - looks like I will have to keep coaching then" angle and the local media will continue to keep their mouth shut.

 

[hood17]

If KG is playing the next two season I believe Flip will stay as coach.