Wolves In The News

[lobishome]

WolvesRadio Alan Horton
Rubio (ankle) & Barea (quad) did not practice today. Injuries not serious but they may need a few days, might not play Wed in MIL.

!!

[Dual]

preseason game, no problem, its better to have both healthy for the start of the season.

[champalift]

Just read this article from Dime Magazine. The Kahn hate turning around?

http://dimemag.com/2011/12/rick-adelman ... he-wolves/

[Calinks]

That's a good article.

[TMo519]

Just read this article from Dime Magazine. The Kahn hate turning around?

http://dimemag.com/2011/12/rick-adelman ... he-wolves/

I think people are still shocked he got Adelman. That move alone, along with Ricky actually ending up here is turning heads. Kahn isn't the greatest GM, but I'd venture a guess that there aren't many GMs who could have pulled off the offseason he just did, coming off 32 wins in 2 years, in Minnesota, after the way the Rambis stuff went down.

He's unorthodox, no doubt, but something about him gets him to be able to get people he wants it seems. Remember, even Rambis wasn't supposed to want to be here, and yet, here he was. Didn't turn out well, but that was supposed to be a quality hire at the time.

[Gunny]

WolvesRadio Alan Horton
Rubio (ankle) & Barea (quad) did not practice today. Injuries not serious but they may need a few days, might not play Wed in MIL.

!!

I think there could be some good in this. Malcom Lee might recieve a lot more playing time.

[BeasleyTheBeast]

The issue for Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman in using Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and rookie Derrick Williams together on the front line is not whether they can score as a unit. In Saturday night's exhibition win over Milwaukee, the trio combined for 56 points.

What Adelman is trying to figure out is this: How effective is the Wolves' defense with Love, Beasley and Williams on the floor at the same time?

Love and Beasley are nearly identical in height at 6 feet 9, give or take an inch, and Williams is a burly 6-8. All three weigh between 235-245 pounds. Taller front lines could present matchup problems, particularly with Love playing center.

In order to give Beasley and Williams more opportunities to play side-by-side, Love said he is willing to spend more time at center when Adelman wants to use a smaller lineup.

"It's fine with me," Love said. "I'm comfortable there. I'm still strong enough to rebound."

The Love-Beasley-Williams line was featured for stretches of both halves in Saturday night's exhibition opener. Adelman said he wants to give the trio more time together in Wednesday night's exhibition game at Milwaukee. The plan could put more pressure on the Wolves' entire defensive system, which Adelman and his staff have been working hard to upgrade after the team allowed the most points per game in the NBA last season (107.7).

Adelman is willing to make use of the Love-Beasley- Williams combination because of the stress they
"They're a tough matchup for the other team, but they have to do the job defensively," Adelman said. "They were active Saturday night. The key is everybody has to keep their concentration. That's the biggest problem we have. We get into situations on the weak side, and we don't have guys thinking all the time. We'll keep working at it."

Adelman might have to limit how much time he plays the trio together until Williams becomes a better defender. Adelman said the No. 2
Kevin Love is willing to play center on a front line with fellow forwards Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams. "I'm comfortable there. I'm still strong enough to rebound," he said. (ASSOCIATED PRESS: STACY BENGS)
overall pick in the 2011 draft has a "ways to go" defensively. When Williams is on the floor with Love and Beasley, he most likely will be matched up with a power forward, since Adelman has shifted Williams to that position to help his transition.

Adelman said Williams has made progress at both ends of the court since being relieved of any small forward responsibilities. The move was made after three days of practice. Williams, projected as a small or power forward in the draft, also sees the improvement.

"I still know the plays for both positions, but playing the 'four' (power forward) has helped me to not think as much when I'm out there," Williams said. "I've been able to concentrate more on one thing."

Williams said the forwards will be asked to defend "big men" and guards in certain situations. Keeping Love, Beasley and Williams on the floor together for extended stretches could depend on how well all five players are handling their defensive responsibilities.

Adelman is hopeful his small guard rotation of J.J. Barea, Luke Ridnour and rookie Ricky Rubio can provide enough ball pressure to ease the burden inside. If not, the penetration by opposing guards could put Love at a disadvantage in the middle.

How effective will Love be against dominant centers like Pau Gasol and Andrew Byum of the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando's Dwight Howard or San Antonio's Tim Duncan?

"We might have a tough matchup in the middle against teams with bigger centers," Love said. "All three of us are a light size. We'll have to figure out different ways to set up our defense. I will say this: me and Michael (Beasley) have improved leaps and bounds with our defense. Derrick is getting more accustomed to defensive systems on the NBA level. If we keep improving at the other end, it's going to make us better."

If Love and Beasley have made significant progress on the defensive end, Adelman wants to see it on a regular basis.

"In this league, you need guys like Kevin and Michael, your big guys, to step up their game," Adelman said. "We know they're good for each other, but they have to be good for their teammates. With other teams I've had, the team took a big step with the young guys becoming better than they were."

http://www.twincities.com/ci_19581426?s ... ost_viewed

[Torcher]

WolvesRadio Alan Horton
Rubio (ankle) & Barea (quad) did not practice today. Injuries not serious but they may need a few days, might not play Wed in MIL.

!!

I think there could be some good in this. Malcom Lee might recieve a lot more playing time.

Perhaps, but however, Rubio needs to play as much time on the court as possible to get accustomed with his teammates better before the season begins.

[Gunny]

Perhaps, but however, Rubio needs to play as much time on the court as possible to get accustomed with his teammates better before the season begins.

That's true, but I think most fans would rather have Rubio and JJB sit out a preseason game as a precaution. It should be good to give them a few days of rest so they can be completely healthy for the opener. They won't be much use to their teammates if they're sidelined due to a preventable injury.

Plus, I'm really interested to see what Lee can do, given extended minutes.

[Breakdown777]

Thanks for posting those articles BeasleyBeast...very informative.

I'm getting very excited for this team. Our biggest issues (TO and poor defense) are all being addressed, and all the players seem to be determined and on the same page.

[Klomp]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/135970268.html

The 6-8, 240-pound forward was, by consensus, the most athletically talented player in last summer's draft. He has the strength to play inside, the ball skills and outside shot to play the small forward position -- eventually, anyway. As a rookie with a steep learning curve, Williams has been told to concentrate on power forward by Wolves coach Rick Adelman. But in Saturday's preseason game, he hit three-pointers with an ease that had folks wondering how teams might guard a Wolves lineup with Williams, Michael Beasley and Kevin Love all able to step outside and hit shots.

But how did Williams go from a 5-9 eighth-grader who played all sorts of sports to a first-round NBA pick?

His mother, Rhoma Moore, thought he'd end up playing baseball. Until the growth spurt started.

"One day we were at eye level," she said. "The next day I was talking to his chest."

Williams hasn't forgotten what it was like to be that 5-9 eighth-grader that nobody noticed.

"Most of the time [college recruiters] have people who are on the radar from the time they're in seventh, eighth grade," Williams said. "They're top 10 in their class, top 10 in their area. When you're little you want to see the rankings, all of that. You want to be able to brag to your friends. I was never that guy. I won't lie, I wanted to be that guy."

[jade_hippo]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/w ... nba_t11_a0


SI's power pole. 22 on the back of a strong pre-season game? Denver at #5 makes me question this guy's sanity, but overall pretty good rankings.

[C.lupus]

NO at 18 looks pretty bad as well.

[LOBO 7]

SI article on Love:

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Kevin Love sat down at the microphone for his meeting with reporters on Timberwolves media day, and everyone expected the usual mundane chatter about how this team needs to improve, connecting with a new coaching staff in such a short period of time and what he worked on in the offseason to improve his game.

The 23-year-old All-Star followed that form for the first few minutes, cracking jokes about Ricky Rubio, vaguely covering conversations he had with coach Rick Adelman and hoping the team's youth will help during a rigorous schedule.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Love started to reflect on what he needs to do to become the man he wants to be and the leader the Timberwolves so desperately need.

"I just think, just going through a lot of things with my family this summer that helped me to grow up, my mom and dad, really helped me as well,'' Love said, his voice shaking a little. "But I'm going to try not to get emotional here, but that was a big part of it as well. I wish I could touch on some of this stuff with you, but some of it's very personal.''

The room fell silent for a moment as Love shared an uncommon moment of vulnerability with a room full of people he doesn't really know. It was the first sign that Love has changed as he prepares to enter his fourth NBA season, no longer satisfied with piling up some of the best numbers in the game, no longer content to be a member of the league's doormat.

To get to this point, Love had to do some personal examination during this long, weird, NBA offseason, a period that allowed him to broaden his horizons for the first time in his young life and try to resolve some grudges within his own family that have been weighing on him for years.

"For me it just hit me one day,'' Love said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "It's just one of those things where I felt a sense of enlightenment. I woke up one day and said, I have this window of time in the NBA, this X amount of years after basketball. How can I better my life and better the life of people around me that I care about?''

For much of the time he was growing up as the son of a former NBA player and nephew of a Beach Boys icon, basketball was all Love wanted and all he needed. He was a high school star in Oregon, an All-American in his only season at UCLA and last year led the NBA in rebounding. He became the first player in more than two decades to have 30 rebounds and 30 points in the same game and became an All-Star in just his third season as a pro.

If there was a criticism of Love the basketball player, it was that maybe he was a little too consumed with his own numbers. Some thought his relentless pursuit of rebounds occasionally hindered the team's defensive schemes. Others questioned if he had the makeup and the maturity to be a true leader on a young team aching for direction.

Keenly aware of his place in the league and his reputation, Love went to work in the offseason to address his weaknesses. What he found was that the answers to his problems actually may lie in taking some of his focus away from the game and putting it toward a more well-rounded life.

"Definitely in my earlier years I was just saying, I don't have to really focus on my studies. I don't have to try new things. I don't have to learn how to change a tire or start a fire, anything like that,'' Love said. "I just go out there and play basketball and I'm set. And while that might be true from a financial standpoint, at the end of the day, that doesn't shape you as a person.''

Love went back to school during the lockout, played some professional beach volleyball and started a relationship.

"Really just getting out of my comfort zone and most of the time when you get out of your comfort zone, that's the time for a lot of personal growth,'' he said.

Perhaps most importantly, Love was able to reconcile some long-standing grudges that allowed him to be with his immediate family for Thanksgiving for the first time in years.

"All those experiences that helped shape me and helped me grow up,'' Love said. "So I think I took a big step, not only on the floor this summer but as a person as well.''

As the problems melted away, so did the pounds. He dropped 25 this summer and reported to training camp in the best shape of his life.

"He's sexy, isn't he?'' forward Michael Beasley said, poking fun at the new trim and tone physique.

"He's trying to be more of a leader, more vocally, and definitely is bringing it more every day in practice, more than he did last year,'' forward Anthony Tolliver said. "I think that's partly because he's in better shape. He's definitely matured. He still has a long way to go, but so do all of us.''

Love will have an important decision to make in the coming month or so. Does he sign a contract extension to stay in Minnesota or does he wait until the end of the season and become a restricted free agent?

It's clear that he has thought about signing a big contract, perhaps even a max deal. But the Timberwolves would no doubt be helped if he applied this new outlook on life to their salary cap.

"Money doesn't rule everything,'' Love said. "It helps. But at the same time, it doesn't consume you. It's not what defines you as a person. That's the way I looked at it and (I) really love that perspective on life.''

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/b ... z1hBl4DRCz

[Krapinsky]

If I had two wishes, one would be for world peace, the second would be no more "power polls" from "sports writers". Worthless page filler.

[cpfsf]

If I had two wishes, one would be for world peace, the second would be no more "power polls" from "sports writers". Worthless page filler.

Top 10 lists and grading offseason moves are half of the articles from ESPN and SI. What did Minnesota accomplish this summer? We got a B.

[Klomp]

FOX Sports North will televise the Minnesota Timberwolves home opener from the Target Center and the Minnesota Wild game live from the Xcel Energy Center on Monday, December 26, 2011.

FOX Sports North will carry the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma Thunder game on FOX Sports North beginning at 6:00 p.m. with a special one-hour episode of Wolves Live presented by Century Link.

The Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche game will be televised on FOX Sports North PLUS beginning at 4:30 p.m. with Wild Live presented by Century Link.

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/12/20/11/ ... nding.html

[BeasleyTheBeast]

Breakout: Michael Beasley, Timberwolves

Last season was already a breakthrough for him, getting away from Wade and the drama down in Miami. He looks like he can become a 20-plus per game scorer, if not 25-plus. At just 22 years of age, the sky can still be the limit for the former No. 2 overall pick. The T'wolves drafted forward Derrick Williams second overall this year and moved previous year's top pick Wesley Johnson to shooting guard, but Beasley shouldn't be losing too many minutes as his team's primary offensive weapon. This is a talented young team that can really surprise.


6. Points: Michael Beasley, Timberwolves -- He probably doesn't get enough credit below because it has taken him a few years to take hold, but he can score.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/w ... z1hDFmarGA

[lobishome]

With a sharper understanding of how the game is played on this side of the Atlantic and a stronger body, Ricky Rubio does have a long-term upside appeal to him. He’s still young and his outside shot is under construction, and those twin obstacles can be minimized or eliminated. So yes, in five years, with a game made for Broadway, Rubio will look awfully good throwing no-looks in front of Spike Lee as a member of the Knicks.

Shaun Powell from http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2011/12/21/blogtable-rookie-with-best-future/?ls=iref:nbahpt1, linked in nba.com main page.

Wait a minute, nba.com must be neutral. True?

[Esohny]

With a sharper understanding of how the game is played on this side of the Atlantic and a stronger body, Ricky Rubio does have a long-term upside appeal to him. He’s still young and his outside shot is under construction, and those twin obstacles can be minimized or eliminated. So yes, in five years, with a game made for Broadway, Rubio will look awfully good throwing no-looks in front of Spike Lee as a member of the Knicks.

Shaun Powell from http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2011/12/21/blogtable-rookie-with-best-future/?ls=iref:nbahpt1, linked in nba.com main page.

Wait a minute, nba.com must be neutral. True?

Do you mean neutral, or douchey? Because they're plenty douchey.