2012-2013 Minnesota Timberwolves

[Gibbon]

Say it with me guys. Twolves win. Twolves win. Twolves win again! They are now 4-1 after beating the Pacers in a battle down to the last second. Chase Budinger does it again scoring the winning basket with 1 second left to secure the victory. Chase led all scorers with 18 points. Sved was incredible making plays all over the floor which was needed as two more of the twolves guards were hurt. They cannot not get Rubio and Love back soon enough but they are sitting in first place.

The chemistry on this team is incredible. They remind me alot of the Duke Basketball Team that won the National Championship a couple of years ago with a nearly all white team as well. You can tell that the guys really get along on and off the court. It's very early but the nba and their fans are going to have to show this team some respect soon. They are going to be a team to be reckoned with. When Rubio is back, they will have Sved and Rubio running the floor with options everywhere. Both of these guys can really pass and if you lay off them they will make you pay. Combine that with Love and Pekovic dominating down low and they will be very hard to beat. Barring some really weird injuries, this is a playoff team. I don't care how early it is.

The Minnesota Timberwolves play the Chicago Bulls tommorow night. It should be another great game!

They are playing well. And should definitely be a good team when they get Rubio and Love back. Let's see where they are with 15 games under their belt though before we pull out the ticker tape though...haha. If they are above .500 when Love returns, I'd say they'd have a shot at a great season. Let's hope they keep winning. Coaches will have to start questioning the "conventional wisdom" if they do.

This is not like the whitish Celtics of 80s who could reasonably considered a last bulwark of a waning vestige. This is occurring AFTER the darkest before the dawn has already occurred in this league, in which the white basketball player, who isn't the odd, freakish outliner, had all but been declared extinct. This COULD BE a minor renaissance for white players in the NBA.

 

[white lightning]

To whiteathlete33 or any of my other friends and fellow posters here. Private message me and I can give you a link to watch the games. I've seen everyone so far and I'm really enjoying it. All I want for christmas though is Love and Rubio back quick. They will run some people off the court when they are at full strength. What a great team to watch. So much fun and very enjoyable.

They play the Bulls tonight. I think they can finish up November strong with only 4 of the 10 remaining teams being playoff teams. Let's go Minnesota Timberwolves!

 

[bearclaw500]

I was reading an article about the timberwolves from last nights game and saw this in the comments section.

"I understand the joy you fans must fill, but lets be clear, this is still not a very good team, the reason they are winning is the league is worst than anytime I can remember in my life. There's only about 4 teams play team ball, The league is so watered down with players that I've never heard off, 70% of the players in the league has no feel for how the game is suppose to be played. The coaching is no better. But I must give them credit they're winning, and that's what count."

http://comments.startribune.com/com...rt=E&section=/sports/wolves&page_nbr=3&ipp=10

 

[Gibbon]

I was reading an article about the timberwolves from last nights game and saw this in the comments section.

"I understand the joy you fans must fill, but lets be clear, this is still not a very good team, the reason they are winning is the league is worst than anytime I can remember in my life. There's only about 4 teams play team ball, The league is so watered down with players that I've never heard off, 70% of the players in the league has no feel for how the game is suppose to be played. The coaching is no better. But I must give them credit they're winning, and that's what count."

http://comments.startribune.com/com...rt=E&section=/sports/wolves&page_nbr=3&ipp=10

Is he building an argument similar to the anti-Klitschko theories about their success ("boxing is in decline") —and after only a few games? Or is he pointing out something that is true: the game has declined steadily since blacks have risen to prominence in it. Fundamentals and team play are gone. The latter idea I can get behind.

 

[Gibbon]

Injuries

"Kevin Love (broken hand) and Ricky Rubio (torn ACL) have yet to play this season and they remain out with their long-term ailments. Former Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (foot sprain) has missed the last two games, and it's uncertain whether he'll play in Dallas for the first time as a visitor.
To make matters worse for Minnesota, Brandon Roy missed his first game Saturday with a sore right knee, a familiar problem for the veteran. His replacement in the starting lineup, Chase Budinger, hurt his left knee against the Bulls.
The Timberwolves found out Sunday that Budinger tore the meniscus in his knee. He'll have surgery and is out indefinitely, though the general timetable for such an injury is around two months."

These guys are walking disaster zones. Stay healthy please!

 

[Gibbon]

Budinger out 2 months!?

 

[white lightning]

Another night and another player hurt. This time Nikola Pekovic sprained his ankle. Unbeliveable. They still won though. This team is simply incredible. They are so banged up, you would think they are a football team yet they find ways to win almost every night. Pekovic had 20 points before getting hurt, Kirelenko had 16 and Sved with 15 points. The Minnesota Train keeps on rolling. I hope that the injuries stop soon as they will not even have a starting five pretty soon. Can't this team catch a break. Just try to imagine them at full strength with all of their players healthy. Can you say the Patriots of the Nba? They are very good but they need to get healthy and then stay healthy!

It's such a shame about Chase and his knee injury as it looked like he was pushed and he landed akwardly. He was really a leader on this team and his athletecism and shooting will be missed. Here is to a quick recovery for him and the rest of the guys on the i.r.

 

[white lightning]

Chase Budinger has sucessful knee surgery today. He is expected to be out 3 to 4 months so they will have to try to make the playoffs without him. What a shame. I was hoping he might get in the slam dunk contest again. He finished 2nd last year and he could have won if the judging had been more fair.

Check out this article and great pic of four of the Timberwolves players that are on the all star roster. We should do an article with this pic linked on the home page. Great pic. I wouldn't mind having one on my wall in my sports room!

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/love-rubio-pekovic-kirilenko-featured-2013-nba-all-star-ballot

 

[Gibbon]

Chase Budinger has sucessful knee surgery today. He is expected to be out 3 to 4 months so they will have to try to make the playoffs without him. What a shame. I was hoping he might get in the slam dunk contest again. He finished 2nd last year and he could have won if the judging had been more fair.

Lame.

Soon the blacks will be chirping "these white boys are like china." If they knew what china was. And seriously, is this a training/conditioning issue? They need to be on top of this.

 

[white lightning]

No it's not a conditioning issue. Chase Budinger is a hell of an athlete. He was one of the top volleyball players in the nation coming out of high school in addition to his basketball skills. He could have played volleyball at the summer olympics and then became a pro volleyball player. While at the U of A, Coach Lute Olson said he was the most athletically gifted player he had ever coached. He won dunk contests in high school and college. Chase also finished 2nd in the Nba Slam Dunk Contest last year. The kid has a 40 inch vertical and he is very fast and agile. He is and always has been in top shape. So are the other Twolves. This is just a case of very bad luck and murphys law in overdrive. On the bright side, they play and play hard every night and are still in first place because of it. They are the team to watch! Just wait till possible mvp candidate Kevin Love gets back!

 

[Awake in America]

I will be interesting to see if they can hold it together with the walking wounded until Love returns. The schedule is semi-favorable over the next couple of weeks, playing a bunch of less than stellar teams on the road. The Timberwolves might represent the greatest threat to the caste system in all of team sports. According to conventional wisdom, they should not even be competitive.

 

[Gibbon]

No it's not a conditioning issue. Chase Budinger is a hell of an athlete. He was one of the top volleyball players in the nation coming out of high school in addition to his basketball skills. While at the U of A, Coach Lute Olson said he was the most athletically gifted player he had ever coached. He won dunk contests in high school and college. Chase also finished 2nd in the Nba Slam Dunk Contest last year. The kid has a 40 inch vertical and he is very fast and agile. He is and always has been in top shape. So are the other Twolves. This is just a case of very bad luck and murphys law in overdrive. On the bright side, they play and play hard every night and are still in first place because of it. They are the team to watch! Just wait till possible mvp candidate Kevin Love gets back!

I'm familiar with Budinger. All the more important players on that team are exceptional athletes in great condition (even the bench scrubs in the grand scheme of things). My question is about the Timberwolves training staff (.i.e. athletic trainers, team physicians, etc). They are there to help athletes come back from injuries and, above all, to prevent injuries. Not pointing finger but it seems like the Timberwolves have had a real rough start injury-wise. And I am not an expert in this area but...maybe they've been skimping on the ice baths. Who knows?

 

[white lightning]

The Timberwolves almost pulled another incredible comeback last night. They came back from a double digit deficit to tie the game late but lost on a buzzer beater! What a shame as the short handed wolves were amazing in the 4th quarter. Kirelenko led the way with 26 points. Ridnour had 16 and Sved chipped in 13 points. This game was lost on the free throw line. Even despite 5 or 6 players hurt, this team plays hard everynight and they should have won this game! How about some applause for these amazing Minnesota Timberwolves!

 

[Claimjumper]

Kevin Love will be making his season debut tonight against my hometown nuggets tonight for those interested

 

[white lightning]

To whiteathlete33 or any of my other friends and fellow posters here. Private message me and I can give you a link to watch the games. I've seen everyone so far and I'm really enjoying it. All I want for christmas though is Love and Rubio back quick. They will run some people off the court when they are at full strength. What a great team to watch. So much fun and very enjoyable.

They play the Bulls tonight. I think they can finish up November strong with only 4 of the 10 remaining teams being playoff teams. Let's go Minnesota Timberwolves!

Kevin Love is back. He has 14 points in the first quarter in his first game back. Pekovic is playing too. What a game so far! Tune in the the Timberwolves as the train is going to get rolling quickly. Rubio will be back in early December. Let's go Minnesota!

 

[white lightning]

The Twolves may have lost tonight but that is ok. They have to build the chemistry together and they still are missing alot of key players. The positive is that despite Kevin Love playing in his first game back, he scored 34 points and had 14 rebounds! That is a guy who just broke his shooting hand a few months ago. He had a support on his shooting hand and you can tell it affected his shooting a little plus it was his first game back. Regardless, he looked like the best power forward in the game. Even Barkley agrees with that and that is one of the few times he has been on the side to defend one of our athletes.

The main thing that frustrates me other than the injuries with this team is their lackluster free throw shooting. It cost them another game tonight and will cost them many more if they don't get it worked out. It's strange as most of these guys are very good at the line. It will come in time. Their defense is stellar and they are towards the top of the nba in shot blocking. Who says white men can't jump. I'm so excited to see this team as they move forward. I hope Chase and Rubio are back soon.

 

[Gibbon]

Kevin Love is back. He has 14 points in the first quarter in his first game back. Pekovic is playing too. What a game so far! Tune in the the Timberwolves as the train is going to get rolling quickly. Rubio will be back in early December. Let's go Minnesota!

Gallinari for Golden State looked good too.

 

[Freethinker]

Nice to see the TWolves get back into the win column against the racist Kings. 84% of their 97 points were scored by White athletes! Kevin Love was a monster tonight with 23 points and 24 rebounds! Ridnour added 18, Pekovic 16 and Kirilenko 14. Let's hope the team is gelling with Love back as the focal point and can start winning again.

 

[white lightning]

The Timberwolves won big in an 18 point blow out tonight over the Cavs. Kevin Love had 36 points and 13 rebounds. They are back to a 500 record on the year so let's hope this can get them going back in the right direction. It's about time that they went on a good win streak. Kirelenko returned and he was great on the defensive end. He showed no signs of the back spasms as he blocked multiple shots and scored well too. Ricky Rubio should be back in the next game or two. They almost played him tonight.

 

[Phall]

The Timberwolves have offered up young "upside" Derrick Williams to the Lakers for old "downside" Pau Gasol. They are even willing to throw in one of their eastern Euros to sweeten the deal. Jerry Buss could not hope for a juicier offer as he meddles and tinkers with Kobe's teammates, but he resists nevertheless. I am guessing that Buss fears another holocaust at the hands of an all-white 8-8 Minnesota team.

Seriously though, as a thousand monkeys could purportedly reproduce Shakespeare's works, could a thousand David Kahns accidentally formulate an all-white NBA roster?

 

[white lightning]

Starting tonight will be a good test for the Twolves. They will have 3 games in 4 nights. I think we will see Rubio make his return this week. He hasn't had any setbacks in his workouts or at the practices. It will be interesting to see how the rotation is going to work out when everyone is back including Chase. I can't wait. I really want to see this team in the playoffs. I know that is around 3-4 months away but I'm excited about seeing them make a good run. I don't expect them to go deep into the playoffs but the experience will bode well going into next season. These guys have to get comfotable with each others games. Let's go Twolves!

 

[jacknyc]

It seems Kevin Love is not happy with the T'Wolves management for a multitude of reasons, and has publicly said so.
That doesn't bode well for the team's chemistry..... let's see what happens.

 

[Highlander]

T-Wolves up 51 - 50 at the half against the Nuggets, in Minneapolis.

T-Wolves start second half with 5 Whites on the court, intercept a pass and then fast-break, alley-oop slam.

Denver has been playing two Whites much of the time as well with Gallinari hitting a couple of nice treys, all net.

 

[Gibbon]

It seems Kevin Love is not happy with the T'Wolves management for a multitude of reasons, and has publicly said so.
That doesn't bode well for the team's chemistry..... let's see what happens.

I am surprised he's been so vocal and public. He also seems to be throwing, at least former, players under the bus. However true his complaint it seems like he could handle this better by not being public about it and working out the matter with the critical parties. It's unbecoming and sounds like excuse-making. And is terrible for morale.

Interestingly there doesn't seemed to be much negative spin about his comments (at least in the few articles I've read). I think, at least implicitly, there would be more collective eye-rolling if a black were going on like this as in "here we go again, another egomaniacal 'athlete' blaming everyone but himself." He's a young guy and he's acting like a "millennial".

The only positive aspect of this is it does indicate that he is ambitious and will not settle for a team that's second rate. His thinking seems to be that he will motivate by his criticisms. Perhaps true but they should be private. In the locker room, in conference between himself, team personnel and his agent, etc. Then again his agent could be counciling him to talk this way in order to heighten interest in him.

He's a terrific basketball player nevertheless.

 

[FootballDad]

It seems Kevin Love is not happy with the T'Wolves management for a multitude of reasons, and has publicly said so.
That doesn't bode well for the team's chemistry..... let's see what happens.

Here is an article that details the madness that is the T-Wolves ownership, and why K Love is so frustrated.

It's clear from the article that Kevin is not going to let it affect his game or his relationship with his teammates. One interesting tidbit from the article is this line from Love in that he realizes that he has to be better-than-great to overcome his handicap:

"I obviously know the color of my skin, especially in this predominately black game," Love says. "I was tagged early as the prototypical white player, the guy with the intangibles – the smart player, the guy who did all the right things."