2012-2013 Minnesota Timberwolves

[Twinkle Toes]

Here's to hoping the Miami Heat get biyatch slapped by the San Antonio Spurs!!!!

 

[white lightning]

Again the Timberwolves easily beat another playoff team. Tonights victim was the Boston Celtics. Nikola Pekovic led the way again with 27 points. This team is so refreshing. It's history guys. I know they are not going to make the playoffs due the injuries but this is still fun to watch and they are buiding chemistry for next year. I love watching Minnesota play spoiler and continue to beat championship caliber teams. The only downside is that Kevin Love is still out but he is close to returning!

 

[white lightning]

Make it two wins in a row over playoff teams. The Wolves easily beat the Bucks on the road tonight. Despite 29 points from E. Illyasova, the Twolves won easily and led for the majority of the game. Rubio almost had a triple double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 8 steals! No one in the NBA can get steals night after night like this kid can. He is a tenacious defender and he is very athletic. He keeps people in front of him and even when they get by him on occasion he is an expert at stealing the ball. He hit 4 three pointers tonight too so his shooting gets better with every game. Can you say future all star?

Also Nikola does it again like the last game. Another monster game with 27 points. The guy is just a man among boys in the paint. If him and Love can ever play a full season healthy on the front line together, no one will stop them! No one. These two guys will eat up the rebounds on both ends of the court.

I'm very happy to see Minnesota playing really good basketball and also winning alot more on the road against playoff teams. As I've said countless times, the future is bright in Minnesota!

 

[Freethinker]

Rubio almost had a triple double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 8 steals! No one in the NBA can get steals night after night like this kid can. He is a tenacious defender and he is very athletic. He keeps people in front of him and even when they get by him on occasion he is an expert at stealing the ball. He hit 4 three pointers tonight too so his shooting gets better with every game. Can you say future all star?

Yea, he's playing great. I can see him someday recording a quadruple double. The points, assists and rebounds are easy for him. Just has to have it all come together on the same day with 10 steals. For the record, there are only 4 players in NBA history to tally a quadruple-double and only 1 (Alvin Robertson) did it with steals. I hope Rubio can achieve this.

 

[white lightning]

The Wolves knocked off the Spurs 108-95 on Wednesday night at AT&T Center, beating the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with a strong second half flurry that put the game away. Minnesota allowed just 34 points in the second half, including a 24-15 spurt in the third that created separation. The end result was San Antonio—a 58-win team—losing for the sixth time at home this season.

Ricky Rubio was sensational despite missing some games early on before he returned from his season ending knee surgery from last year. To show you just how good this kid was. Here is an amazing stat. In his 2nd season and coming off a torn acl surgery, all Ricky did was finish second in the nba in steals per game. How close you ask? Ricky had 2.40 steals per game and Chris Paul the nba's leader had 2.41! Does that not show you he can be a lock down defender? This team will be amazing if they keep them together.

To add a healthy Kevin Love to this linuep and not lose just about every other teammate at various times to injuries would be a sight to see. As I said above they beat the 2nd best team in the west. The Twolves also beat the Oklahoma City Thunder twice this year. The potential is there even when they are injured and beat up. Just wait for next year guys. I think even some of the non basketball fans here
at this board will sit up and take notice in the 2013-2014 season.

Congrats to the Timberwolves on a very solid season!

 

[FootballDad]

If this news is accurate, things will be changing for the worse in Timberwolf land. It's being reported that GM David Kahn is going away.....to be replaced by Flip Saunders. http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/4/...fired-flip-saunders-minnesota-timberwolves-gm

 

[jacknyc]

One less white player for the T'Wolves this year... Andrei Kirelenko is turning down the last year of his contract with Minnesota to become a free agent.

 

[white lightning]

That is not true. I follow the Timberwolves closely and Kirelenko does not want to leave. He is very happy there. The only reason he did this was so that they could offer him a 2 or 3 year deal which they are going to start working on soon. They also have to try and resign Chase Budinger and get the new draft guys who I'm not crazy about signed. They have alot of work to do. They will still be starting either 4 or 5 whites all next year and remain a majority white team which is this day and age is unheard of.

 

[jacknyc]

Headline of interest this evening:
[h=1]"Kevin Martin signs with Timberwolves, likely sending Andrei Kirilenko elsewhere."[/h]

 

[celticdb15]

I like the Martin signing and with AK47 heading elsewhere the TWolves were able to resign Chase Buddinger to a 3 year 16 million dollar deal and he will get the nod at SF! Starting 5

PG-Rubio
SG-Martin
SF- Buddinger
PF-Love
C-Pekovic(they still have to resign him)

Not a bad projected starting 5!

 

[white lightning]

Not a bad signing as Martin is a solid shooter but I have to admit I'm a little suprised. Kirelenko is their best defender outside of Rubio. He does so many things that don't show up in the box score. The other thing is that if you going to replace AK47, why not go get a younger guy like a Gordon Hayward, etc. Martin is in his 30's like Kirelenko so it suprises me a little. They do need shooting though and having Budinger and Martin starting can open things up down low for Pek and Love. They have to resign Pekovic. He is the most imporant player on the whole team outside of Love & Rubio. Pekovic proved he was a man among boys last season.


Check out this great article on Ricky Rubio. Very enjoyable read. Can't wait to see my Twolves next season.


http://allball.blogs.nba.com/2013/07/02/talk-show-ricky-rubio/

 

[white lightning]

Chase has been signed so now it's time to wrap up a long term deal for Nikola Pekovic.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...innesota-timberwolves-chase-budinger/2484707/

 

[FootballDad]

...Of course all of the pundits are already writing in Shabazz Muhammad as the starting small forward and Gorgui Deng as the first off the bench at C and PF. After all, none of the crackers can compete with these supa affletes.

 

[dwid]

they have been getting a lot of flak for not trading Kevin Love for the offer they had (forget who offered them what), why would you get rid of your best player who is like 25?

 

[white lightning]

They would have been idiots to trade Kevin Love. Thank God they realised that and kept him. It would be like the Heat trading Lebron, the Lakers trading Kobe, or the Thunder trading Durant. The other guys are not considered tradeable but Love was. What a bunch of b.s.


The Minnesota Timberwolves cut two players on Sunday. Greg Steimsma was one of them which is sad. I really liked his ability as a shot blocker and an enforcer down though. He was so hated by other teams but he never backed down. They Twolves had to free up some cap space to sign Martin, and Budinger.

The team today offered Nikola Pekovic 48 million over four years. That is 12 million per year which more than fair. I hope he signs quickly although most agents would say to be patient.

A starting five of Pekovic, Love, Budinger, Sved, and Rubio would be incredible but even four starters would be sweet. The big key is for them to stay healthy and build some chemistry together. This will be the incredible to watch it unfold. If it all works out, football season ending won't be the end of the world as long as the Twolves are marching towards the playoffs!

 

[FootballDad]

Luke Ridnour was just traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in order for the 'Wolves to clear up cap room to sign affletic guard/forward Corey Brewer. Yay.

 

[white lightning]

I'm sad to see Luke Ridnour leave but they had to give up either him of Barrera and I think that they feel that JJ is a little bit better of a playmaker and scorer. Ridnour went to a good team as the Bucks have always been white friendly.

Nikola Pekovic is all but signed. They are raising the offer to 50 million over 4 years. This is probably why they couldn't affort to keep Kirelenko so they went and got Brewer instead. I'm not really happy about this but they are still by far the best team to root for from our stand point and their talent is easy for anyone to see. Andrei Kirelenko saw that the money was not going to be there so he signed with the Brooklyn Nets today. They are a good team and Kirelenko might have a chance to go deep into the playoffs their. I'm happy for him as he needs one last descent contract before he retires. They will miss his all around game in MN for sure.

I've hears rumors that the Twolves are interested in Tim Mozgov but not sure if it will happen. I don't think they have enough money left although he wouldn't be too expensive.

 

[Claimjumper]

wolves just locked up pekovic with a $60 million contract

 

[white lightning]

wolves just locked up pekovic with a $60 million contract

It's about time. The Twolves would have been in alot of trouble if they lost him. Pekovic averaged over 16 points and over 9 rebounds
a game last year. He was the anchor of that team. You put him along side Love for a whole season and look out! My only complaint is that
they let Kirelenko go. They did offer him a contract. I read an interview recently though with Kirelnko where he said he chose to leave. He wanted to win a ring and thought that Brooklyn was his best chance. Sorry to say but he made a bad choice. I dont wish him any bad luck or anything but why would you want to go and play there when he was worshiped in Minnesota. At least they have most of the same stars back other than Ridnour, Kirelenko, Steimsma.

It's gonna be an exciting year for the Timberwolves.

 

[Gibbon]

It's gonna be an exciting year for the Timberwolves.

You're an eternal optimist (which is better than the opposite). But the T-Wolves haven't proved anything yet.

Let's hope they believe in themselves as much as they should.

There is a huge psychological dimension to sports that is often minimized. If they can overcome the perception that they can't become a dominate team because of their dearth of blacks (especially elite blacks), particularly in the play offs as other teams "really show up" and the real vying for dominance occurs, then they can be great.

It will take some level of consciousness, some level of you know actually we are superior for reasons X, Y and Z. Having relatively unbowed Eastern Europeans on your team helps in this dimension. This is one big reason blacks have had success over whites in this sport as well as others. The white advantages are leadership, team, discipline and intelligence. Attributes that can have a disproportionate affect on success if whites "play to their strength" and really, for example, become a team. Leadership will be key in getting the peripheral, yet important black players to "buy in." One hopes these blacks prove to be more in the Tim Duncan mentality whom I view as a b-ball player more in the "white model."

With Love and this big E. European they should have a strong half court game which, as we know, is the key to the playoffs. If they buy into the hype, they will lose. I believe in them to the extent they believe in themselves. It will be interesting to see how much that is (provided they all aren't injured by week 2).

 

[Wes Woodhead]

Let's hope they believe in themselves as much as they should.

There is a huge psychological dimension to sports that is often minimized.

Yes indeed Gibbon. Id say this is THE key to everything. Ive seen it a hundred times coaching pee wee football, little league baseball, and little dribblers. Once you convince the white kids that they are not naturally inferior to the black kids an astonishing difference in their play emerges.

On the other side of that coin. Once the little fatherless nigglets realize that they arent naturally superior to whitey they start making mistakes, and tryin to force everything.

Im convinced that the percentage is something like 90% mental 10% physical.

 

[white lightning]

Well here we go again. Chase Budinger reinjured his knee and will have to have a second surgery. All of this before training camp starts. This is disgusting. The guy may never be the same again. What horrible news. Hang in there Chase.


http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/budinger-undergoes-knee-surgery

 

[white lightning]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are playing their last preseason game tonight against the Philidelphia 76ers. They are up by 14 points at the half. Kevin Love looks amazing. He has 19 points so far. He is in great shape and it shows as he is flying all over the court. His three point shooting looks great too. He is by far the best power forward in the nba. The Twolves as a team look great. Even Hummel had a nice put back dunk right before the half. I hope he can make the team. Ricky Rubio has 5 steals in the first half. Damn is he quick.

This should be a good year for the Twolves. I don't want to jinx them but if they stay healthy, a playoff run is almost a certainty. Hoping that the injury trouble other than Chase are finally over with.

 

[white lightning]

Minnesota will open their 2013-2014 regular season this wednesday. Just a quick note to add that Robbie Hummel made the team. I like this move as he is a great shooter and if not for the injuries he could have been a lottery pick a few years ago. I am glad he is finally in the nba and getting a chance to continue his dream of playing professional basketball at the highest level. Now if they can stay healthy as a team and get Chase back in a few months they will be in great shape. I expect Kevin Love to have a big year! He will be a monster for any team to have to contend with. If they double team him too much, Pekovic and others will make them pay for it. Go Twolves.

 

[Claimjumper]

Minnesota opened up with a 120-115 OT win over Orlando

They started 3 whites (love, rubio, pekovic) and 2 others saw serious playing time (shved and barea)

Love had a monster performance of 31 points and 17 rebounds

Tonight they are playing the always dark Thunder. Good guys are up by 15 after Q1