2012-2013 Minnesota Timberwolves

[Highlander]

I think the Caste media is trying to stir up anything negative they can find.

Kevin clears things up today:

Kevin Love talked after shootaround today about his comments in Tuesday's Yahoo!Sports story and...

He said he stood about everything quoted in the story, but added he said many positives things about the franchise and where it is headed and said next time he'll keep his thought within the organization.

There apparently was an urgent reaction from the organization about it because Love met with David Kahn and Rick Adelman on Tuesday shortly after the story hit the Web and Love said he plans to talk to owner Glen Taylor about his comments.

"I meant what I said, I told David there's nothing to apologize about," Love said. "The only thing I was sorry about is that I did in public and if there's a learning experience from that, it's not to do that again.

"A lot of athletes these days say the right thing and aren't outspoken. I happen to be in this article. I'm not going to go forward and say I have anything to apologize about. I said what I felt. I didn't mean to alienate my team, my coaches, the organization or more importantly the fans...I said a lot of things about the team and we're at this point and I'll continue to say it throughout the year because that's how I feel."

Last summer, Love was very public in his call for Kahn and Taylor to improve the team.
In Tuesday's story, one of the things he criticized was the constant change in the roster and asked if the team really had any plan to make itself a contender.

"I'm not going to fall back and say I didn't mean the things that I said. I do believe this is the closest knit team that we've had. The coaching staff has been great and we have a chance to make something very special this year and for years to come. I'm definitely happy with...I've mentioned it this summer, it keeps coming up again. The acquisitions we made this off-season, I'm very happy with. As far as the state of the team, I think we're fine."

When asked if wants to be the cornerstone of this franchise long term, he said, "Oh absolutely. One of the big points, I want to be here for five years. I'd love to end my career as a Timberwolf."

 

[Gibbon]

I stand by my criticism which he seems to agree with. It's good that he qualified with the positive things he said after the fact.

 

[Highlander]

T-Wolves hang on to win, 108-105. Gallinari with 24 points for Denver, going 9/13 overall and 4/5 on 3-pointers and 2/2 from the line.

 

[Freethinker]

T-Wolves hang on to win, 108-105. Gallinari with 24 points for Denver, going 9/13 overall and 4/5 on 3-pointers and 2/2 from the line.

Nice win as Love had a stinker and his teammates really stepped up for him.

I just had a crazy thought. Will the T-Wolves start 5 White men when Rubio returns? The only black starting with Roy out indefinitly is Malcom Lee. He maybe the most useless guy on the roster. Before the injuries, he wasn't even in the rotation. If they mimic last year's lineup, they will play Rubio at the point and shift Ridnour to the 2. Rubio, Ridnour, AK-47, Love and Pek!! This really has a good posibility of happening.

 

[jacknyc]

Love is playing poorly again, just 3 for 15 shooting in the 3rd qtr, but the T'Wolves are up against the Hornets.
But the really Big News is that they started 5 whites - Love, Pekovic, Kirilenko, Ridnour, Shved.

It's probably been 50 years since 5 whites started for an NBA team.
Let's hope the T'Wolves mark this momentous occasion with a win.

p.s. if you count Robin Lopez as white, then the Hornets started 3 whites. So 8 out of the 10 starters in this game were white.

 

[jacknyc]

The T'Wolves won 113 to 102.
106 of their points were scored by white players.

 

[white lightning]

That stat is amazing jacknyc. I watched the game and was really impressed by the whole team except for Love. He is still struggling and I think breaking his shooting hand is affecting his shot a little and he just got over the flu. What a luxury to have a team that is still banged up with the depth that the Twolves have. To win on the road against a solid Hornets team while going away is very impressive.

Pekovic is a beast. He had 31 points and he just man handles guys down low every night. Do not trade this guy away for anyone. Not even Gasol. Nikola Pekovic is a future all star for sure and youth is on his side. Kirelenko had 21 points and 11 rebounds. The guy has an real talent of knowing how to move without the ball. He gets so many easy dunks and layups due to his endless energy. The guy is 32 but he runs circles around young college age guys. His ability to maintain his endurance is amazing. I love the guy and he is also a team player who looks to pass first along with being a good rebounder. Not to mention that he blocks so many shots along with getting steals and deflections every night.

Ridnour and Barera are a good one/two combo. They get Rubio back tommorow night so there is no rush to get him back to full speed. I hope they can ease him slowly back into the lineup. Sved had 13 tonight in a rare start and this guy can do it all.

What a team to watch. Come on guys. If you never watch basktetball, give the Twolves a chance. You won't be sorry. All of this and they still are missing one of their best players in Chase Budinger. Come March, they will be a force to be reckoned with. As it is they are on a three game winning streak and Love has been in a slump. Once he gets it going, most teams can forget about any chance of winning!

 

[Claimjumper]

the TWolves had an all white starting five tonight: Love, Kirilenko, Pekovic, Shved, Ridnour

When was the last time that this has happened?

 

[white lightning]

I would guess in the mid to late 90's with the then Washington Bullets. They are now the Washington Wizards. It didn't last long needless to say. The Twolves will have to keep winning to keep this lineup together. I love this team. So unselfish.

 

[whiteathlete33]

I would guess in the mid to late 90's with the then Washington Bullets. They are now the Washington Wizards. It didn't last long needless to say. The Twolves will have to keep winning to keep this lineup together. I love this team. So unselfish.

All white starting five for the Washington Wizards? In my memory they were always coal black.

The young Russian Shved, an extremely rare white shooting guard, has incredible potential. NBAdraft.net compares him to, hold your breath now, Penny Hardaway!

 

[white lightning]

Here is your answer my friend. The 1994-1995 then Washington Bullets. Here is their full team roster along with stats. As I said it didn't
last long and they gave up on these guys far too soon. They had Guglotta and McClean at the two forward spots. That alone would cause
nightmares for most teams. I will let you figure out the complete starting five but it shouldn't take you too long.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WSB/1995.html

 

[whiteathlete33]

Here is your answer my friend. The 1994-1995 then Washington Bullets. Here is their full team roster along with stats. As I said it didn't
last long and they gave up on these guys far too soon. They had Guglotta and McClean at the two forward spots. That alone would cause
nightmares for most teams. I will let you figure out the complete starting five but it shouldn't take you too long.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WSB/1995.html

I forgot Gugliotta played for them then. That was very early in his career. He was my favorite player during the late 90's when he was averaging 20 ppg and was a top three forward in the league. The guy didn't even start until his senior year at NC State!

I think I have it figured out now. They must have started Googs and Maclean at the 3 and 4, Muresan at the 5, and Chapman and Skiles at the 1 and 2. Probably only a few games. I see Webber was on that team though so he had to have been injured.

 

[white lightning]

You nailed it bro. Skiles was a very underated point guard. He has one game where if I remember right he had 23 assists! "King" Rex Chapman was a great shooting guard. He was in the NBA Dunk Contest a couple of times and got absolutely robbed in his 2nd attempt at home in Charlotte. He should have made the finals and could have easily won it. He had a 40 inch vertical. Muresan was a 7'7 shot blocking center in the mold of Mark Eaton, only alot skinner. I loved both Googs and Chapman when I was a kid so I enjoyed seein them on the same team. Like I said, the potential was there but they gave up on this "snow white" experiment far too quickly. One of the reasons might be because Washington D.C. is probably the least white city in the nation and the fans probably hated it.

 

[whiteathlete33]

You nailed it bro. Skiles was a very underated point guard. He has one game where if I remember right he had 23 assists! "King" Rex Chapman was a great shooting guard. He was in the NBA Dunk Contest a couple of times and got absolutely robbed in his 2nd attempt at home in Charlotte. He should have made the finals and could have easily won it. He had a 40 inch vertical. Mureasean was a 7'7 shot blocking center in the mold of Mark Eaton, only alot skinner. I loved both Googs and Chapman when I was a kid so I enjoyed seein them on the same team. Like I said, the potential was there but they gave up on this "snow white" experiment far too quickly. One of the reasons might be because Washington D.C. is probably the least white city in the nation and the fans probably hated it.

Well I learned something new today. Great info, WL! Skiles was a good pg and during the 90's 6-0 or 6-1 white point guards were still seen. Now all you see is 6-3 or even 6-4 guys. Muresan developed into a decent center but mobility was always an issue for him because of his size. I think his career was derailed by injuries. I can't imagine that the all white starting lineup lasted more than a few games though because I see they had Webber and Juwan Howard.

 

[white lightning]

Your right about Muresan. His injury problems and lack of mobility made it hard for him to be a starter. Jim McIlvane was also a 7 foot white center on that same team. The next year the Bullets acutally had Brent and Mark Price both on the Bullets team. That is the only other time that I can remember two white guys that were brothers playing on the same team other than currently in Indiana.


We better get back on topic. The Minnesota Timberwolves are far more interesting to talk about and they are not just a short term experiment. This team has talent and they also have a legitimate NBA MVP Candidate in the near future with Kevin Love. I kind of think we jinxed Chase having him in the thread title. Maybe we should take him off.

My dream starting lineup is either Rubio or Sved at the point guard, Budinger at shooting guard, Kirelenko at small forward, Love at power forward, and Pekovic at the center postion. That team is loaded and then you still have some talent coming off the bench.

 

[jacknyc]

It looks like the Washington Bullets could have had 5 white guys on the floor at the same time:
Tom Gugliotta, Don Maclean, Scott Skiles, Rex Chapman, George Muresan;
but if you go through the box scores, you see that they never started all 5.
Gugliotta was only on the team for the first 6 games.

However, I checked the 1993-94 Bullets and they started 4 whites on several occasions:
Maclean, Gugliotta, Chapman, Brent Price,
Maclean, Gugliotta, Chapman, Marty Conlon
Maclean, Chapman, Price, Muresan

 

[jacknyc]

I think the ideal T'Wolves lineup is:

Kevin Love
Pekovic
Kirilenko
Rubio
Ridnour

I take Kirilenko over Budinger at small forward, because he plays better defense and grabs more rebounds.
The backcourt is tough because all those guys - Rubio, Ridnour, Shved, Barea - are so good and so versatile.
But I take Rubio as the best playmaker, and Ridnour because of his experience and versatility. But I think Shved is going to become a star in time.

Meanwhile, I've been reading some of the NBA message boards, and Kevin Love's popularity is plummeting. People are saying he's a cry baby and overrated.
Of course this is all an over reaction to a few comments and a few bad games.
But he has to be careful that this negative perception doesn't spin out of control. It could affect his game and the team's chemistry.

 

[jacknyc]

Rick Rubio has been cleared to play tonight against the Mavs. It will be his first game in 9 months. I don't expect him to start.
Also Kevin Love, may or may not play. He sprained his thumb the other night.

 

[Wes Woodhead]

Rex Chapman was a beast! There are some great highlights of him on youtube dunking on the heads of afroletes.

As far as the T-wolves go I dont think they really need Love all that much.

 

[jacknyc]

I agree, Rex Chapman was a very athletic, sharp shooting guard!

But I disagree, I think the T'Wolves need Kevin Love to be a winning team.
Once he and Rubio get back to their old selves, I think the T'Wolves are a playoff team.

 

[Awake in America]

They won again. Love keeps getting nagging injuries, and he did criticize his front office. Well, his front office was/is a joke. Saying what he said and then missing games hurt his rep, but it's nothing that can't and won't be overcome. Now that they are getting people healthy, we will see if the T'Wolves can keep things going. They've won 4 in a row, with a very beatable Orlando up next. Then things get very tough, with the Knicks, Heat, and OKC coming up. Two of those are on the road. Very tough 3 game stretch.

The fact that they are even competitive flies in the face of everything we are told about sports. The fact that they have a winning record in light of all the injuries is amazing.

 

[white lightning]

I posted in the college basketball thread about how a mostly white Butler team beat number one ranked Indiana yesterday playing 5 whites for a good deal of the game. Duke won a national championship with a 80% white team a couple of years ago. All white teams can and do win despite what the media, fans, scouts and so call experts want us to believe. Minnesota is no different. This team has talent. All of these guys can play.

Do they need Kevin Love? Absolutely. He is a legitimate M.V.P. Candidate year after year. Should they have gave him a 5 year contract instead of 4? Again the answer would be yes but I wouldn't say he got screwed. He received a four year contract that is more than fair. It's time for him to shut up and start playing ball again. Having Ricky Rubio back is really going to help his game. Not to mention the stellar play of Pekovic takes some of the pressure off him.

I want to comen about Stiesma. This kid is fearless and he might just be the best shot blocker in the nba per minutes played. He swats shots like he is swatting flys and does not back down from anyone when they try to push him around. He has a real attitude and he is what I would call an enforcer. Love watching him as he doesn't get enough credit. Lou Amundsen is the same way although he has been getting much time lately. Every team needs player like these guys to help on the defensive end.

Sved is simply amazing. Another great game last night with 16 points. The kids upside is imense. What a steal he was.

Let's keep it going Minnesota. Take this league by storm and make them take notice.

 

[Gibbon]

They won again. Love keeps getting nagging injuries, and he did criticize his front office. Well, his front office was/is a joke. Saying what he said and then missing games hurt his rep, but it's nothing that can't and won't be overcome. Now that they are getting people healthy, we will see if the T'Wolves can keep things going. They've won 4 in a row, with a very beatable Orlando up next. Then things get very tough, with the Knicks, Heat, and OKC coming up. Two of those are on the road. Very tough 3 game stretch.

The fact that they are even competitive flies in the face of everything we are told about sports. The fact that they have a winning record in light of all the injuries is amazing.

Love playing poorly is still formidable because of all the coverage he draws. His reputation alone opens it up. No one is so stupid as to let up on Love.

His front office might be a joke, but I am liking their most recent gag: 5 white starters. I'll laugh about that one all day. Here's hoping it keeps a smile on Love's face as well.

 

[white lightning]

Wouldn't it be cool if someone like Jimmer Fredette could end up in Minnesota? He would fit in perfect. I think he would also be a good fit for the Suns. Does anyone know if Joe Alexander is still playing? Maybe the Twolves could go after him for the minimum since the injury bug has been out of control. I would love to see him learn some more fundementals from guys like Love and Kirelenko. He has the athletecism to play the up tempo fast break offense that the Twolves run and Rubio would sure make his life easier.

 

[jacknyc]

Sounds nice, but I actually prefer that Fredette and others to not go to the T'Wolves.
The T'wolves can already start 5 white players, and have 4 great white guards. And all 4 of them play the point like Jimmer.
A team can only play so many players.
So any additional guys are just going to warm the bench.
Better that Fredette, etc. go elsewhere where they get a chance to play and the rest of the country gets a chance to see some quality, white players.