Final Score

Wolves 117 Nuggets 100

Grades-Starters

Kevin Love is one of the Top 5 Players in the NBA. Love’s playing like a future Hall of Famer. 9th 30/15 game on the season no other NBA has more then 1. It should also be noted that he had 4 Assists, 2 Blocks, 3 Steals, and 0 Turnovers. Kevin Love is becoming the type of talent who needs to be watched every night to see what new exploits he can pull off. If Rubio can somewhat improve his shooting- Minnesota can be Title Contenders. Easiest of all grades- A Plus

Derrick Williams- I’m really of the opinion that he’s going to be much improved in 2012/2013. I like his ability to finish in traffic and draw contact. He’s also got some potential as a long-range shooter . While I don’t believe his best position is the 3 long-term. Sebestian Pruiti is correct in pointing out he’s a good athlete to defend there in situations. Williams had three assists with no turnovers including a nice assist for a Wes dunk in the first quarter. An Off-Season will do wonders. Final Grade- C Plus

Martell Webster- Webster seems to be the very definition of league average. He’s below average as a starting wing-but decent enough as a back-up. Tonight wasn’t one of his better nights as he was careless with the ball and missed a decent number of open looks. Most disappointing was a second quarter blown-lay up after an unbelievable Kevin Love outlet. Final Grade- C Minus

Wesley Johnson- Ugh! Wes is reasonably active when he’s in the game. Wes had a very nice block on Corey Brewer in the 1st Quarter. But he missed open look after open look. His inability to create off the dribble is frightening. 0 Rebounds plus O Free Throws. I really don’t wish to give a Wolf a failing grade. But if this was a loss-Wes’ grade would be as easy as K.Love’s. Final Grade- F

Luke Ridnour-Played one of his best games of the year. Luke’s not a real valuable player if he’s not making shots especially such a poor defender. Luke’s most exciting shot was drawing the contact and having a And One of Javale McGee late in the 1st Quarter. Luke also had a partial block of a Ty Lawson jumper in the 1st. Luke’s performance tonight is A worthy.

Bench

Malcolm Lee-The Wolves played well when he was on the court. He shows some potential on the Defensive End. He’s not a NBA Quality PG at this time. But for limited stretches you can get by with him. I’ll expect to see his role increased next year. His upside isn’t probably much better then a 8th-9th Man, but if that’s what the Wolves get with a Mid 2nd Round Pick that’s gold. Final Grade-B

Michael Beasley- I remember debating with Poor Dick where I made the suggestion the Wolves should consider picking up Super Cool Beas’ option. My reasoning wasn’t based on him deserving such a deal. It was based on the fact that for the Wolves to develop into a Championship Level team they need to strike gold in finding a Wing Solution. I figured the 10 percent chance that Super Cool Beas figured it out could be worth picking up the option. Beasley’s shot-selection and defense are such that this would be an impossible move for the Front-Office to recommend. Final Grade-D

Wayne Ellington-For the 28th Pick in the draft. Wayne Ellington is adequate. If he shot 5 percent higher on threes- he would be a pretty nice 8th Man. He’s probably the steadiest player of the Wolves wings although this statement isn’t saying much considering the other options. Wayne made shots today. If he doesn’t then he doesn’t give you much else. I would like to give him credit for forcing a shot-clock violation from Jordan Hamilton near the end of the 3rd and then shutting down Andre Miller on a driving lay up to start the 4th.

Final Grade-B Plus

Anthony Tolliver-Assuming the money isn’t too high- I would like to see Anthony Tolliver back. I think his performance would have been better with steadier burn. Bringing him back cheap seems like a good move. His versatility on Defense and smarts would be a good fit as a 4th Big. Today he continued his recent stretch of improved play. His best play was a mid-air tip in traffic towards the end of the 3rd.

Final Grade- B Plus

Coaches- While Adelman is a Hall of Fame Coach. I do wonder about having Kevin Love in the game the 2nd half of the 4th Quarter.

Final Grade-B Plus

Announcers-

I love Jim Pete. My favorite moment when he starts praising John Hollinger and notes Hollinger’s comments on Javale McGee’s erratic stretches. McGee turns around and makes Hollinger look like a genius with his rotation of bone-headed plays mixed with genius plays. A GM would need Brass Balls to give McGee an 8 Figure a year contract extension. The only thing about Hanny is in the 3rd quarter- he claimed Luke hadn’t missed a shot yet. This wouldn’t have been a big deal if Luke hadn’t missed a shot just a few possessions back.

Final Grade- A (Mostly for Jim Pete’s Hoopus Love)

http://dberri.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/the-handcrafted-wins-produced-numbers-for-2010-11/

Minus Kevin Love??  This breakdown by Dave Berri of every player's performance in the NBA sheds some light.

Some conclusions-

 Darko and Pek were the 443rd and 452nd best players in the NBA.  (For the Record their were 453 Qualifying Players). FYI-Ryan Hollins- was the 451st Best Player in the NBA.

Jonny Flynn was a Disaster although Aaron Brooks was worse.  So the Flynn/Brooks trade on the surface wouldn't have been that bad.

Micheal Beasley was nowhere near a productive NBA Player

Lazar Hayward should have been given more minutes.  Wesley Johnson wasn't as a big an Albratross as others on the roster.  

I want to get the discussion in a Non-Wolves Gear.  I was reading ESPN the other day when I came across a debate between Chris Sheridan and Chris Broussard over which player would you have long-term between Lebron James and Derrick Rose.  Sheridan actually argued for Derrick Rose on the basis of "Clutchness" "Leadership" "Work Ethic" and "Poise".  I could actually see a legit debate between D 12 and Lebron for whom you would rather have long-term.  This debate though blew my mind more than those clamoring for Derrick Rose for MVP based on some delusions running through people's head.  

For the sake of Canis Hoopus education.  Let me give a Hat-Tip to Blazers Edge for this pointing me to this one.   It's especially noteworthy the numbers given on K.Love's Defense.     As much as I hate to admit it this article also gives some deserved props to Basketball Jesus LMA.   LMA has started to become the player- Blazer Fans always thought he was already.  

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1443

Rumors have circulated about Anderson Varejao being on the block.  There has been some discussion at Canis Hoopus regarding his value.  The Sporting News this week mentioned the Cavs as one of the team's intrested in Jonny Flynn.  Could something work around Jonny Flynn for Anderson Varejao???  Flynn's a terrible fit for the Wolves triangle Offense but would probably work better elsewhere.   The Wolves also have a Couple of  Protected First Round Picks from Memphis and Utah that could slightly sweeten the pot.

The name Wesley Johnson was also thrown out at Canis Hoopus to consider including.  I think this would be a tougher sell for Wolves Fans.

Wanting your thoughts as to my sanity or insanity???

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2010-12-29/timberwolves-expect-rubio-to-join-team-next-year

Lays out 7 Teams that might say yes to Jonny!!!

This got me thinking about his trade value.  Here's what I got

Sac-Town- The most sensible trade is Jason Thompson for Jonny

Lac- Eric Bledsoe would seem a possibility.  I'm not sure why LA would want both.  Deandre Jordan could possibly also be in the mix.  I don't think we need him though. I can't imagine LAC would give us our pick back.

Portland- Batum's a non-starter.   Rudy would seem to make the most sense.  He's not a great player- but could fir well in an Offense predicated on Ball Movement.

Raptors- Jerryd Bayless?  He doesn't have much value.  He's probably a fit as a Triangle style PG.  Could work with Ricky?

Knicks- Anthony Randolph? Enigma with Injury Concerns? Sadly Wilson Chandler is better than Jonny Flynn- Now

Cavs- I would try to work something for Anderson Varejao.  I would make an offer of Pek and Jonny for him.  If Cleveland said "Yes" this would be a great deal for the Wolves.  Darko could be relegated to a back-up role.  And we'd be set at the 3-4-5.  This is my favorite possibility.

Bobcats- I'm not sure what would be of interest.

Dec. 14: Let's face it, to the average fan, Johnson is a great athlete to love. He's sleek, he's bouncy, he has a sweet-looking shot and he's capable of making a highlight play every night. But to the keen eye, there is a lot not to like about his game. He has horribly poor shot selection most nights, lacks quickness in tight spaces -- partially why he's taken more than twice as many 3s as free throws -- and doesn't have a real idea how to defend perimeter players. It's why his PER is below 10.


However, as someone who has questioned his upside since last winter, I'm saying now that I like him more than I ever have. Here's why: He is a better passer than you'd expect and can actually end up being a good one in a year or two.

Johnson can learn how to avoid bad shots and look for better ones, just like he'll learn how to defend better. But it's hard to teach someone how to make easy passes, and Johnson does that a lot. As many bad shots as he takes, I never get the feeling he's selfish. He'll learn how to play the right way, and when he does, he's going to be a solid player.

Yesterday- Marked the 18 Month Anniversary of  one of the most disputed posts in Canis History.  The proposed Kevin Love and 6th Pick for Greg Oden trade.  This post made me an object of scorn on Blazers Edge.  I even remember someone posted a Fan Post asking what the level of hatred for Jose Cordoba was on Blazers Edge. I was called "Delusional" It was suggested I get a Lobotomy. 

The Goodness is found over here.  I couldn't even make it through the whole thing-

http://www.canishoopus.com/2009/6/8/903125/trade-for-greg-oden I doubt we'd see the same degree of lipiness as Portland's Potential Dynasty seems to be collasping.

1. Kevin Love is better than Lamarcus Aldridge.  At this point in time it's a pretty commonly held view.

PER- K.Love- 23.52 vs LMA 16.91

TS%- K.Love- 55.6 vs LMA 49.4 (This will probably rise in LMA's case a bit)

2. Greg Oden is a Massive Injury Risk not worth the Sixth Pick plus Kevin Love

3. Kevin Love will develop more shooting range as time goes on. 

4. Perhaps the Highlight was the Counter Post on Blazers Edge where a Disgruntled Wolves Fan called OJ Mayo an "Amazing Talent". It's almost as good as LMA being called a "Special Talent"

5. It's debatable whether Stephen Curry will be an All-Star.  What I can say is Curry would be huge for the 2010-2011 Wolves.  Whose late-game offense often involves Bassy and Ridnour trying to create Offense for themselves. 

6. The Wolves are still not good.  Although the way they've been losing games (Lot of large, blown leads) actually suggests improvement that will revert back to mean eventually.  My thoughts are this edition of the Wolves are closer to a 27-30 win Team than 17-20 win team.

From today's Chad Ford Chat???  http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/35576/nba-insider-chad-ford

Bronson Stamp (NYC)



is contraction a probability? if so, is Minn, Memphis the two teams most likely to be eliminated?
Chad Ford (1:36 PM)



I think it would be great for the league if they did. A dispersal draft would be great, it would help with the watered down talent in the league right now and I think it would be a wake up call to bad owners. I think Minnesota and Memphis are the two obvious targets. I wish David Stern could wrest the Clippers away from Donald Sterling too. There should be a rule in the NBA that if you don't make the playoffs twice in a decade, you have to put the team up for sale.

I'm not Kahn's biggest defender (Stephen Curry and DMC).  At the same time- I'm get sick of the droning by the likes of John Hollinger and Bill Simmons.

I must say I got a kick out of this article bemoaning the group think among the National Media-

http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/Major_Sports_Media_Rehashing_Bland_Criticism_Unthinkable/2965644?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

FWIW- I'm of the opinion that the Wolves will win 40 games in 2011-2012..  

Hi Cavs Fan-

I'm writing from Canis Hoopus- SB Nation's T-Wolves Blog.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/it_was_after_lebron_james_sign.html

I was hat tipped to this article by Brian Windhorst expressing trade possibilities between Our Two Teams-

This blog post from Canis Hoopus explains some Wolves fan thoughts-

http://www.canishoopus.com/2010/7/18/1575376/trade-with-cleveland

I'm inquiring to look at your interest in such move.  I can give a brief scouting report on Ramon Sessions

Pluses: Very Reasonable Contract

Had excellent 2008-2009 Season

24 Years Old

At worst- a Very good back-Up 1 with clear Starter potential.  

Capable Defender

Very capable of getting to the line

Big Enough to Guard 2's (Possibility of playing with Mo Williams)

Minuses: Had a down season in 2009-2010  (Still led Team in Plus/Minus)

 Horrific Jump-Shooter

 As a Wolves Fan I would consider Cap Space plus a Future Protected First (Top 12-14 Protected) to be an excellent deal.  I would probably sign off on Cap Space plus a couple seconds.

I think Ramon got a raw deal in Minny as he was clearly a better player than Jonny Flynn.  He's not the Speed-Demon of a Kyle Lowry but a nice piece regardless.

http://twitter.com/GeryWoelfel/status/18400466741

This guy writes for the Racine Journal Times.  He seems pretty plugged in on the Bucks.  The only way this makes sense is if the Wolves feel he's the best mentor for Rubio/Flynn on the market.  I'm not nuts about the 4 year commitment at his age.  I'm also doubtful- he matches his shooting numbers from last year.   I'm also thinking this means a trade is done for Ramon.

This one comes from a Chris Sheridan Chat

Continue reading this post »

I caught this bit from John Hollinger- "http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-100510

"The Jazz, meanwhile, are looking at whether to trade a first-round pick from the Knicks that now should land in the top 10 in the June 24 draft. The temptation to package it with Andrei Kirilenko to pawn off his $17 million expiring contract may be too great to ignore, especially since they could clean up their balance sheet enough to re-sign Boozer and fellow free agent Kyle Korver, and then use their midlevel exception to upgrade the backcourt depth".


This type of move would be perfect from a Wolves perspective. AK-47 (For 1 Year) and a Top 10 pick for Cap Space and Ryan Gomes dead-weight contract. AK-47 would be a perfect fit for the Wolves as a 3/4 Hybrid who is a Plus/Plus Defender. His health though is an issue- but it'd only be for one year anyway. AK 47 is also an excellent passing big man.

Read Em and Weep-  For the Record- Blake Griffin is Number 2- Tyreke Evans is Number 4

1. Stephen Curry, Warriors
"I'm projecting Curry based on the potentially flawed assumption that he'll end up being a long-term point guard in this league. In other words, if the Warriors somehow land John Wall in this year's draft, I don't see how Curry would reach his ultimate potential. Because I think he'll end up being the best overall player from this class only if he gets to play the point. 

No other rook has Curry's combination of skills, craftiness, feel and work ethic. And thanks to his shooting ability and the fact he doesn't depend on supreme athleticism to be effective, he should be able to play extremely well into his mid to late 30s"

3. Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves
"Every scout I talk to who has seen Rubio play in person this season says the same thing: "He's Jason Kidd without the blazing speed." I see the same things. 

Kidd is a spectacular winner who makes everyone around him better, and Rubio has those same gifts. Don't get caught up in his low scoring averages in Europe -- that's as much a product of the system as anything else. Rubio does whatever it takes to come out on top on both sides of the floor.

When he finally comes to the NBA, Rubio's game should grow to amazing heights after a few seasons. His athleticism will improve (an area that is more important here than overseas) and he'll easily adopt more of a scoring mindset. But mostly he'll win and help his teammates play to their potential."

Among Guys Thorpe considers won't Crack the Top 10.

Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves
"Flynn is trying his best to do what's being asked of him, but a hunter is a hunter, so it's hard to project much change from him. Thus, as I've said all year, I see him as an excellent game-changer coming off the bench. He can be a dynamic scorer and an amazing leader as part of the second unit. 

If a team can start someone better than Flynn at the point and then bring Flynn off the bench, then that team is going to be a very good offensive team. In other words, a Rubio-Flynn tandem can be the best point guard pairing in the NBA one day (and they'd be able to play together some, too)."

Long-Time Followers of this blog know there's been a lot of whining about 2 Players that aren't Wolves from the last couple drafts (OJ Mayo and Stephen Curry).  These two players set up an good debate over whom a team would rather have?

The Case for Stephen Curry-

Better from deep 43.0- 38.5

Better TS%- 56.6-55.2

Better Pure Point Rating

Better Rebounding Percentage

Improved as season went along

Higher PER-15.47 VS 14.94

Much Higher Warp- 4.7 vs 1.4

Better Offensive Rating and Better Defensive Rating

The Case for OJ Mayo 

-Memphis vastly superior team to Golden State

-Vastly Positive ON-Court vs Off-Court to Curry

-Mayo's Defensive Numbers aren't really impressive- but he's better than Curry in this regards.

My Verdict: I value Curry higher than Mayo.  If you're looking for a marksmen- Curry appears to be a more unique shooter.  I think Curry's a bit behind on the adjustment period to the NBA.  Curry seems to bring more to the table in terms of PG Skills.

Thoughts??

Lots of hub-bub at Blazers Edge.  Chad Ford even makes mention of it in his chat.   This seems like an very odd situation.  If I'm correct- Kahn has only a 2 year contract.  Would the Wolves consider firing Kahn after 1 season?  Although Rambis seems to be quite a bit of a problem himself.  The ramifications of this off-season are huge.  This team's record is at the point where you might have to look into doing something like this.  

http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/insider/news/story?id=4946751

The Whole Argument is summed up nicely here-

"Some insiders like the stat because it accounts for factors -- quality D, effective screens -- that don't show up in box scores. Others, like Nuggets stats guru Dean Oliver, say, "It's noisy, uncertain and kind of a black box -- you have a hard time understanding why it's coming out the way it is."

The stat is also much better at assessing a player's value to a particular team than comparing him across teams. For example, it can reveal Wade's value to the Heat, but not whether he'd be more valuable than LeBron James is to the Cavs. It also doesn't factor in substitution patterns. The Thunder's Jeff Green has a league-worst minus-13.6 rating, which doesn't take into account that he's often the lone starter running with four bench players and he's logged twice as many minutes without Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook as last season, when his rating was minus-3.51."

A few tidbits

Jonny Flynn, Ryan Hollins, Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer, and Ryan Gomes make up by far the worst 5 man unit in the entire league at -21.70 per 48 minutes.  The next worse group is Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Courtney Lee, Devin Harris, and Yi at -13.85 per 48 minutes.

The three players who benefit their team from being on the floor: D.Wade, Anderson Varejao, and Kobe Bryant

From ESPN:

If Rubio plays three seasons for FC Barcelona, by the summer of 2012 he no longer would be bound by the terms of the NBA rookie scale, which apply to first-round picks only for the first three years after which they are drafted.

Rubio then could exercise his buyout (which remains the same in 2012 as it is in 2011: 1 million euros), come to America at age 21 and not be bound by the rookie scale. (Yes, there is a specific rule covering these situations. We've checked the details with the highest authorities and discovered a few caveats: Rubio's contract would have to be for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five, and the money that would be made available to him could be only from a team with salary-cap space or the midlevel exception, disabled exception or biannual exception.)

So let's say the Wolves are $8 million under the cap in the summer of 2012, they still hold Rubio's rights and Rubio has blossomed into an All-Star-caliber player.

Minnesota then could offer Rubio a five-year deal starting at $8 million with 8 percent annual raises (assuming CBA rules don't change), which would total out at $46.4 million and make him an unrestricted free agent at age 26. (Moreover, if Rubio had an opt out, he could become unrestricted at 25.)

In short, if Rubio comes in 2011, the rules say he can earn a maximum of $16.3 million in his first four seasons. If he comes in 2012, he won't be boxed into that rookie-scale deal.

This makes quite a bit of sense as he gets off the Rookie salary scale.  Although it's hard to predict what exactly is going to happen with the CBA. I stand by my assertion that Ricky probably never puts on a T-Wolves Uniform.  I tend to think Kahn thinks similar to as evidenced by the change of the tone from draft night to yesterday.  The Evidence being with Danny B. Refering to "raising his trade value' and also the switch in "Ricky being the unquestioned 1 from the moment- he walks in the doors" where as now 'Ricky comes in behind Jonny in 2 years'

Here's the Spanish Article

http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/gen/20090830/53775138024/noticia/ricky-esta-todo-abierto.html

Here's the translation

http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/gen/20090830/53775138024/noticia/ricky-esta-todo-abierto.html

Few Points

1. Ricky desires to play for the Timberwolves.  So translation we're not trading him to the Knicks for Medicore Players like Wilson Chandler.

2. Teams negotiating a date for a friendly in 2010

3. I'm not sure how accurate these reports are- since we've been burned before.  It sounds like resolution is coming soon. 

I gotta say I love this staff.  Theus has been a decent NBA Coach, Wohl has the PG pedigree and Laimbeer the big man pedigree.  I couldn't think of a better combo considering who was on the market.   I think Dean Copper could also make a very nice transition to the Wolves Front Office (Especially since he came from Houston's). 

Continue reading this post »

From 4-Letter:

Jon (NYC)

 

"What do you think of Rudy Gay? Does he breakout this year or freakout with having to play in Mayo's shadow and never realize his potential?"

John Hollinger   (3:48 PM)

 

"I'm not a big fan of Gay -- he's a tremendous talent, but he takes a bunch of contested 20 footers, never passes the ball and doesn't compete on D. Watching him and Zach take turns launching should be real fun for the other three guys."

I stand by my sentiments that Gay gives you MLE production.  Dave Berri has pretty similar conclusions as to Gay's game.  He could breakout as he has talent (USA select), I'm real skeptical of investing too much in him.  I also believe Marvin Williams is the better player if you factor in Defense and ability to be effective without the ball.  This might be Heresy- but I say no to Rudy Gay. 

(Ed Note: I bumped this up to the front page.)

From Jerry at the Strib:

All signs Thursday pointed toward the Timberwolves hiring Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis as their new head coach soon, if not today then by early next week.

Rambis already reportedly is putting together a coaching staff that will include Boston assistant general manager Dave Wohl, who was New Jersey's head coach and a Lakers assistant in the 1980s, as his top assistant.

Rambis turned down Sacramento's coaching job in June when he couldn't reach contract terms, but look for him to receive a four-year deal that will pay him at least $2 million per season.

With apperances from old favorites such as Lamarcus Aldridge, and OJ Mayo.  I mention these two since it's a matter of perception that they're tremendously valuable players.  The thing that makes this post so great is that it has more of the Dave Berri style- some have come to love.  You need to try to get him on the Podcasts!!!

http://dberri.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/who-was-the-most-overrated-in-2008-09/

According to this report from NBA.Com

http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/john_schuhmann/07/26/usa.intrasquad/index.html

7. Kevin Love, PF, Minnesota
Showcase stats: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-5 fg, 0-1 3pt

Though he didn't do much on Saturday, Love opened some eyes with his performance in the two days of practice. He rebounded well on both ends, passed well, and shot well from mid-range. He's young, but there will be a need for another big man next year, and he was the best big in camp.

Hi T-Wolves Fan here.  Reports are surfacing that Jeff Bzdelik was interviewed for the T-Wolves Head Coaching Job-http://www.rockymountainindependent.com/2009/07/cu-coach-bzdelik-interviews-for-t-wolves-job/.

I'm just looking for Nugget Fan Insights into this possibility.  I'm kind of curious as to what forced him ulitmately out in 2004-2005 after the turnaround of 2003-2004.  I also wouldn't mind insights into how he's viewed in regards to his work at Air Force and CU. 

I Thank anyone in advance for their input.  I wish you the best of luck in the coming season. 

My favorite is this rumor:

"There’s another trade rumor floating out there seemingly even more far-fetched than the Al and No. 6 to Phoenix for Amare: This one says the Wolves send Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes to Boston for Ray Allen."

There are also more potentially disasterous rumors about trading up to 2- To get Hasheem Thabeet.  The major problem with this thinking is generally teams with dynamic low-post scorers tend to want compliments that have passing skills and can bring defenders away from the basket (Howard/Lewis) (Yao/Scola) (Bynum/Gasol) (Duncan/Bonner) (Boozer/Okur) (Shaq/Horry).  Although Kahn seems to think two-limited passers that are most effective in the low-block compliment each other.  If rumors like we've been hearing shed insight into his general Basketball-Philosophy color me not impressed. 

(Ed Note: I fixed the link.)