Author: David Shama

David Shama is a former sports editor and columnist with local publications. His writing and reporting experiences include covering the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gophers. Shama’s career experiences also include sports marketing. He is the former Marketing Director of the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. He is also the former Marketing Director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section. A native of Minneapolis, Shama has been part of the community his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in journalism. He also has a Master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. He was a member of the Governor’s NBA’s Task Force to help create interest in bringing pro basketball to town in the 1980s.

Timberwolves Will Create High Drama in Coming Offseason

Posted on May 31, 2024 by David Shama

The Timberwolves are finished in the playoffs after losing last night to the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavs won the series 4-1 and embarrassed Minnesota on its home court, jumping off to a big lead in the game and winning 124-103.

That thud last night and losing the series in five games doesn’t tarnish a special year. As time expired Thursday evening, fans chanted: “Let’s go Wolves!” The shout out was in appreciation for a 56-26 regular season, No. 3 seeding in the postseason and deep playoff run.

This team produced one of the best years in franchise history dating back to 1989-1990. That success has also set up an intriguing offseason. Among the drama will be the following:

Who is going to have majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA Lynx? Arbitration and later a vote by the NBA’s owners will settle the issue. That vote will be very interesting not only because Glen Taylor has a long time relationships with the league’s other 29 owners that could favor him in the outcome. Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are trying to close on a sales price of $1.5 billion for the Wolves and Lynx that was agreed to in 2021. With NBA franchises now valued at $3 billion and more, do the owners want to see a club sold for $1.5 billion? Prediction here: Taylor will emerge from the legal dispute with Lore and Rodriguez as the controlling owner.

President of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who took over as the front office basketball boss in 2022, reportedly has an opt out now in his contract. Will the architect who put the pieces together elevating the team from mediocre to championship contender want to leave? The push to bring Connelly to Minneapolis from Denver was led by Lore and Rodriquez but the opinion here is the valued decision maker will stay on working for Taylor and wanting to further build on his work.

How will ownership and Connelly approach an expensive player payroll that as constructed now will put them way over the NBA salary cap? Speculation is ownership will have to pay over $25 million in luxury tax to keep an expensive core together led by Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and others. Spotrac.com projects the payroll at over $190 million for next season, one of the highest figures in the league.

But if all the key players return the Wolves will be sitting on a box office and marketing bonanza with fans. Presumably they could generate revenues from varied sources to cover the luxury tax expense while driving up the value of the franchise if success duplicates or exceeds last season. Taylor, 83, has never seen his team win an NBA title and might have a “let’s go for the ring” approach this offseason.

How does this team get better? Significant improvement will come organically from a roster mostly of young players led by Anthony Edwards, 22, Jaden McDaniels, 23, and Naz Reid, 24. It requires experience to win championships and these players have big upsides on a roster that potentially has its top six guys returning.

New pieces? The Wolves need a plan that sooner or later will replace valued 36-year-old veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. Other wants should be to add more consistent and clutching scoring, ideally from a big-time veteran or prospect (possible Towns trade?), and develop a deeper bench to go along with NBA Sixth Man of the Year Reid.

Those needs will go through Connelly’s mind in a rare NBA Draft where the Wolves haven’t mortgaged away their selections. Minnesota has the No. 27 and 37 picks in next month’s draft.

In some towns just the approaching draft, free agent signings and trades would provide the offseason focus but not here there is even more anticipation about what’s next.

Roles for U Frosh Koi Perich in 2024 Might Be Multiple

Koi Perich is the face of the 2024 Golden Gophers football recruiting class. Expectations by fans are considerable for the former Esko star and consensus four-star recruit ranked as the No. 1 prospect in Minnesota by On3, 247Sports and ESPN last year. On3 ranked him as the No. 3 safety in the nation and the No. 53 overall recruit in the country.

As a senior last fall Perich played defense, offense and special teams while leading Esko to a 10-1 record. He accounted for 27 touchdowns, including five on defense.

Perich showed he could perform not only against small town Minnesota competition but also on the national stage. Playing in the All-American Bowl against some of the better prep talent in the country last January, Perich was named MVP. He had an interception, broke up two passes, made a tackle for a loss, and blocked and recovered a punt.

Perich tantalizes fan enthusiasm beyond his talent because of his loyalty to the home state school. Ohio State, a favorite to win the 2024 national championship, put a December recruiting rush on the teenager with head coach Ryan Day visiting him. He could have not only become a Buckeye but chosen to any number of other marquee programs.

That kind of “he’s one of us” feeling fuels curiosity about Perich who also excelled in basketball at Esko and won the 2022 Class A state long jump championship. Among the questions is how soon will he play for the Gophers and where?

Ryan Burns, the recruiting authority from GopherIllustrated, predicts Perich isn’t likely to start right away. “It’s not a knock on Koi’s talent. It’s a knock on him getting here in June (summer school starts Monday). If he would have been here in January, I think the likelihood of him having a much bigger role this fall would have been exponentially higher.

“It’s just so tough for—in my eyes at least—for a true freshman that comes in in the summer to really make a giant impact in the fall. It’s not unheard of to see it happen. We’ve seen guys where it happened like Antoine Winfield Jr. . …”

As of late, there’s a developing tradition of great safeties at Minnesota. Winfield was named a unanimous All-American in 2019. Tyler Nubin was honored as a first and second team All-American in 2023.

Perich has a legacy to follow and although he may not be a starting safety in 2024, Burns sees potential roles on the field including the possibility of playing nickel on passing downs. That could have the hyped freshman on the field for 200 to 300 snaps next season.

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

At Esko Perich returned three punts for touchdowns and one kickoff for a score last season. Given how prolific Perich was at returning punts and kickoffs in high school, Burns would “love to see” the fan favorite have a chance at those roles with the Gophers.

“As you know, my bar for (head coach) P.J. Fleck’s return game is incredibly low,” said Burns who noted the Gophers haven’t returned a kickoff for a TD since 2017, nor taken a punt back for a score since 2018. A poor kickoff return game last year, he said, resulted in consistent bad field position and added to problems for aa challenged offense.

So, nickel back, returning punts and kickoffs, and even time at safety could be on the table for Perich. The Gophers do have to replace their starting safeties from 2023 and sooner or later that could create an opening for you-know-who.

The conclusion? No one should be shocked if Perich contributes to Minnesota’s success in 2024 with probably bigger things coming in 2025.

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Wild Owner: Teams Want Brock Faber, Won’t Get Him

Posted on May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 by David Shama

Want to get Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold in a good mood after his team missed the playoffs this spring for the first time since 2019 and only the second time in the last 12 years?

Then ask him about Maple Grove native, former Gopher and budding star Brock Faber. Playing in his first full season for the Wild, the young defenseman finished tied for second among NHL rookies with 47 points (eight goals, 39 assists) while leading first-year players in average time on the ice per game (24:58) and season (2,047:53). In 82 games Faber ranked first in blocked shots (150), tied for first in assists (39), third in power-play assists (13), third in power-play points (16), tied for sixth in power-play goals (three) and eighth in shots on goal (136).

“Oh, my God. He’s a stud,” Leipold told Sports Headliners. “He’s a great player. He played with some injuries at the end of the year that nobody had any idea (it was happening). He’s a smart player, very cerebral on the ice. Every team in the league would love to get their hands on Brock. That will never happen.”

Injuries to other defensemen presented increased playing time last season and Leipold said the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Minnesotan responded in a way “we weren’t expecting.” The Wild owner since 2008 thinks next season will be even better for Faber, including because he will be able to team with a veteran defenseman in either 30-year-old Jonas Brodin or 34-year-old Jared Spurgeon.

Leipold gushes about Faber for both his talent and character. “He’s just a wonderful kid and people love him in the locker room. He is so respectful. …He’s only 21 but he has the maturity and the presence of a player that’s been in our team and in our league for a lot longer than just one year.”

The Wild, with Wild GM Bill Guerin making a savvy trade in June of 2022 to acquire Faber, has him under contract through next season. Even after that he would be a restricted free agent allowing Minnesota to match any offer from another team. Speculation is Minnesota, could extend control this offseason by negotiating a new deal possibly paying more than $9 million per season.

That compensation would top Kirill Kaprizov’s reported five-year deal averaging $9 million per season. The NHL All-Star forward has two years remaining on his contract and the electric scorer is a player Wild fans fret about him becoming an unrestricted free agent.

The Wild can’t negotiate with the 27-year-old Kaprizov until the next offseason. In his first four seasons with Minnesota, the team has yet to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs and it’s expected playing on a winning team will be a factor in a decision regarding a new deal.

“He’s just like the owner (about winning). You know, I am not happy where we are,” Leipold said. “You know we had no luck last year. But we didn’t play particularly well to overcome some of the bad injury issues.

“So, everything about that is on the table and I think everyone of our players, not just Kirill, but they all want to see a path they can look at and feel confident that we have the right hockey operations with the right strategy to get us back into the playoffs. And frankly, just being in the playoffs is not good enough.”

Earlier in the month Leipold, Guerin and other decision makers met in the Bahamas for the club’s annual offseason planning meeting. Leipold described the gathering as one where “everything was on the table.” That included a three-year plan where the brain trust looks forward to next offseason when the Wild frees itself from reportedly $14.7 million in dead salary cap space from the payroll—the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.

Asked about key things that need to change for the Wild to improve on last season’s team that won five more games than it lost, Leipold first mentioned the penalty kill, describing it “as bad as it’s ever been.” He also said: “Our faceoffs are not good. They haven’t been good for years.”

Scoring has long been an issue for Minnesota and Leipold said the offense was “great” by the first line, okay from the second, but the third and fourth under performed. He expects Guerin to address scoring in the offseason, hinting at a move that perhaps will be made outside the organization.

Goal tending, mediocre last season, is another roster issue intriguing fans in the offseason and for next fall and winter. Veterans Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson, and hyped prospect Jesper Wallstedt are in the mix, with Leipold predicting the team could start the season with all three on the roster. “Specifically, what we do with our goal tending is still up in the air,” Leipold said.

The Wild will head into training camp in September with John Hynes beginning his first full camp and season as head coach. He took over a slumping Wild team late in November, replacing the fired Dean Evason.

Was Leipold caught off guard when Guerin told him he wanted to change coaches? “No, I wasn’t surprised. I really like Dean and so does Billy. We needed to shake up the team and you can’t move 22, 23 players. You can’t fire 23 players. We made a move at coaching in hopes that that would shake them up. It did. So, we accomplished what we wanted to but the hole was a little deep and we couldn’t get out of it.”

Leipold said he and Guerin gave Hynes “a really high grade” for his first time leading the Wild, a team that was plagued by injuries. Leipold described Hynes as a strategic thinker, a coach who is willing to do things differently and is liked by the players.

And, oh, yes, there is another way to keep Leipold in an upbeat mood following a season he didn’t like. Ask him about the franchise’s season tickets renewal. He reports a 90 percent renewal figure, describing it as an “extraordinary rate” and a testament to the “State of Hockey.”

Gophers-Tommies Building Hockey Rivalry

The Golden Gophers won their hockey series with St. Thomas last October and it was announced today the developing rivalry will continue in 2024 as part of nonconference scheduling for the programs. The Tommies will play Minnesota on October 25 at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The two teams meet again October 26 at Xcel Energy Center.

The Tommies, who transitioned from Division III to Division I hockey in 2021, have an improving program. They played the Gophers in an instant classic overtime at Xcel Energy Center last season, losing 6-5 before an announced crowd of more than 11,000. The next evening (October 14) Minnesota won at home 3-0.

The Gophers announced their complete nonconference schedule today as the program enters its 104^th season. The schedule begins October 11 and 12 with the Gophers hosting the Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Minnesota opens the tourney against Air Force Academy on October 11 and continues October 12 against either Omaha or UMass.

More at https://gophersports.com/news/2024/5/28/mens-hockey-gophers-release-2024-25-non-conference-schedule.

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Luka Doncic’s Health May Determine Wolves Playoff Fate

Posted on May 25, 2024May 25, 2024 by David Shama

Luka Doncic’s health may determine the fate of the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks’ superstar guard has been laboring in the playoffs with a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness.

At times Doncic moves with a slight limp. He is also frequently seen bent over in apparent exhaustion from his max minutes and pain.

After last night’s heroics while making a three-point shot to defeat the Wolves 109-108 at Target Center, Doncic was asked on TNT’s postgame show about his health. He told Ernie Johnson it was good. “I will play no matter what,” said Doncic whose physical style of play sometimes has him sprawled on the floor.

That’s the uber competitor talking but there are limits to what even a superbly conditioned 25-year-old can endure. Not saying it’s gong to happen but as the Mavericks, up 2-0 in the best of seven series get ready to host Game 3 tomorrow night in Dallas, there’s no guarantee Doncic’s injuries won’t worsen—or something new may happen to prevent him from being on the court.

The Wolves’ chances in the series have come down to not only correcting their own flaws but the possibility of benefiting from an ailing Doncic who is limited in his movement or unable to play at all. Doncic has carved up the Wolves in the first two games, scoring 65 points, while totaling 16 rebounds and 21 assists (passing with shades of Magic and Pistol Pete).

Minnesota so far has no answer for the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Slovenian who finished No. 3 in NBA voting for MVP. He has scored inside and out, while frustrating the Wolves with deft passing all over the court. His alley-oops to teammates in the lane have given the Mavs consistent offense in both games, and when it’s not Doncic in action it’s fellow superstar guard Kyrie Irving doing the damage.

Doncic’s menacing presence has even shown up on defense. Not known as a standout defensively, he has a talent for anticipating passing lanes, intercepting the ball and often starting a fast break.

For all of Doncic’s heroic play and stellar contributions by teammates including the electric Irving, the Mavs have won two games by a total of four points. The Wolves entered the series as betting favorites and the close losses in the first two games are a reminder (we shouldn’t need one) the playoffs are unpredictable.

As recently as their last playoff series the Wolves jumped to a 2-0 lead by winning opening games in Denver against the defending NBA champion Nuggets. Then Minnesota lost three consecutive games only to win two straight, including their dramatic Game 7 win in Denver.

The Mavs aren’t dominating the Wolves and seem unlikely to win the next two games, even as the home court advantage moves to Dallas (Game 4 Tuesday night). The Wolves can and will make adjustments after they blew a five-point lead in the closing minutes last night in a game where they led by 18 in the second quarter. Suggestions from this “bench:”

Replace Jaden McDaniels with Anthony Edwards as the primary defender on Doncic. Daniels is a terrific defensive player, but Edwards is superlative, too, and is about 40 pounds heavier. Edwards’ strength is a better match against the muscular Doncic.

Irving has scored 50 points in the series. At 6-9, with long arms and mobility, McDaniels can cause problems for the 6-1 Irving who has scored 50 points in the series and can ignite sustained offensive runs for Dallas.

Edwards has to do better than 40 points in the first two games (making 11 of 33 field goals). One adjustment is to prioritize getting Edwards off to fast starts in the first half, bolstering his rhythm and confidence. Throughout the game the Wolves need to put the basketball more in his hands, letting him make plays for himself and others.

Towns photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns has 31 points in the two games, making 10 of 36 field goals. The world knows there’s no such thing as consistency in the playoffs from KAT, who is now in his ninth NBA season. But it would help if the Wolves regularly posted him near the basket and let him shoot over defenders, providing higher percentage scoring opportunities and drawing fouls on Dallas front court players.

If “bad” KAT shows up tomorrow night, don’t hesitate to give max minutes to NBA Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid. He made seven of nine three-point attempts while scoring 23 points off the bench in Friday night’s loss, while KAT sat and watched.

Maverick centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II can be subpar free throw shooters. Hacking them in the two to five minutes period in the fourth quarter could be a targeted strategy paying off in close games for the Wolves.

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