Timberwolves – Page 36 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wolves Need ‘Missing’ KAT for Memphis

Posted on April 13, 2022 by David Shama

The Timberwolves are in the playoffs for only the second time since 2004. Will their “missing” KAT be a major contributor in Saturday’s opening playoff game in Memphis against the Grizzlies?

Karl-Anthony Towns played 24 minutes last night in Minnesota’s play-in-tournament win at Target Center, qualifying the Wolves to meet the Grizzlies in a potential seven-game series. Metaphorically, the KAT was “MIA.”

Often labeled the team’s best player and a possible second or third team NBA All-Star when honor teams are announced this spring, the 6-11 veteran center was awful last evening and a non-contributor in a dramatic 109-104 win over the Clippers. He had a minus 14 rating when on the floor (by far the worst among his teammates) and he fouled out in the fourth quarter while playing only a couple of minutes in the game-determining last period.

The Clippers, instead of guarding Towns with another center, used mobile forwards to defend the Wolves’ season leading scorer. When Towns had the ball, he often was double teamed by the Clippers’ center. The strategy flustered Towns who forced shots, tried to move where there was no space and didn’t get rid of the basketball quick enough to open teammates.

Neither Towns nor head coach Chris Finch seemed to adjust. Instead of taking a position down near the basket, Towns either remained stationed near the top of the key or sometimes went to a corner where he was usually out of the offensive and rebounding action.

Before halftime Towns had four fouls. In the third quarter he played recklessly including bowling over opponents while picking up his fifth foul and going to the bench.

At 9:27 of the fourth quarter, Towns was back in the game. By 7:34 he was gone, committing his sixth and final foul while foolishly reaching over the back of a Clipper attempting to rebound the ball. He left the game without impacting it, scoring 11 points (five on free throws), grabbing five rebounds and committing a team high four turnovers.

The Clippers, although they boast a $39 million forward in Paul George, aren’t the talent equal of the Wolves. The going gets much tougher against the Grizzlies, who are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs after earning an impressive 56-26 regular season record.

Maybe Towns and Finch can figure out Xs and Os to combat the defensive strategy the Grizzlies are likely to use after seeing the results by the Clippers. As for discombobulating, the 26-year-old Towns is an emotional player on an emotional team. Finch has experience working with excitable personalities but on the court it will ultimately be up to the big guy to figure out how a KAT can “purr” against Grizzlies.

Worth Noting

In The Athletic’s end of season NBA power rankings of 30 teams, the Wolves finished No. 15, the Clippers No. 16. The Wolves, with a 46-36 record after last year’s 23-49, received a final grade of A. The Clippers, playing much of the year without their two best players in George and Kawhi Leonard, received an A minus.

The Saints, Timberwolves, Twins and Wild all played home games last night. Total attendance estimated: near 60,000 (on a work and school evening).

The Timberwolves had tickets available Tuesday morning but announced a sellout last night.

Brothers Tyus and Tre Jones, former Minnesota Mr. Basketball winners now playing with the NBA Grizzlies and Spurs, finished No. 1 and 2 in assists-to-turnovers ratio among league players this season, per Teamrankings.com. Jordan McLaughlin of the Timberwolves was third.

The Twins announced today they have placed outfielder Alex Kirilloff on the 10-day Injured List with right wrist inflammation. Also, they designated right-handed pitcher Jharel Cotton for release or assignment.

To replace Kirilloff and Cotton, Minnesota has recalled outfielder Trevor Larnach and selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Dereck Rodríguez from Triple-A St. Paul.

It could be the Twins try to trade right fielder Max Kepler, 29, and first baseman Miguel Sano, 28. Both veterans have ongoing hitting issues, and while they aren’t alluring trade bait, they might bring pitching help with major leaguers or prospects. Trading Sano could allow the Twins to move Kirilloff from left field to first base, a position he is more effective at.

Hall of Famer Rod Carew writing in the latest issue of his newsletter: “There’s a saying that the most important ability is availability. Unfortunately, that’s the only ability missing from Byron Buxton’s game.

“This guy is so unbelievably talented in every aspect, yet only once has he played more than 92 games. That also was the year (2017) he won his only Gold Glove.

“Bux could win a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award if he can stay healthy. …”

Athleticsnation.com reports feral cats have invaded the Oakland Coliseum, home of the A’s. Good news is the rat population has declined and presumably the cats will be under control before the Twins play there starting May 16.

A’s ownership is tiring of its pursuit to make a deal with the city for a new stadium, with talk the MLB club could land in Las Vegas playing in a new small capacity covered stadium.

It will be a special Kentucky Derby for Minnesota thoroughbred racing fans next month. Local Derby authority Steve Erban believes 2022 will be the first time two of the 20 entrants in the “Run for the Roses” will have Minnesota owners.

Joni and Barry Butzow of Eden Prairie own Zozos, while Jeff Drown from St. Cloud owns Zandon. That means 10 percent of the field of three-year-olds May 7 will have Minnesota owners.

Remarkable, too, said Erban is that approximately 30,000 foals are born each year, so what are the odds of two with Minnesota connections being in the 2022 Derby? Or that both horses have names beginning with Z?

Erban’s Stillwater-based Creative Charters is running another Kentucky Derby trip this spring. To check on availability, contact him at 612-801-7141.

Comments Welcome

Rosas Shadow Hangs Over Wolves

Posted on March 21, 2022March 21, 2022 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column:

Gersson Rosas, a candidate for NBA Executive of the Year? Could have been if the Timberwolves hadn’t fired him last September for reportedly having an inappropriate relationship with an office employee and fostering a tense office environment.

The Wolves rank among the surprise teams in the NBA after a 23-49 record last season. The Wolves, 42-30, are 26-10 since January 2 and driving toward an April spot in the playoffs for just the second time since 2004.

Rosas, hired in May of 2019 as president of basketball operations, has his “fingerprints” all over the Wolves dossier. He inherited center Karl-Anthony Towns but the other members of the “big three,” guards Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell, came through moves made by Rosas and his staff.

Edwards was the NBA’s overall No. 1 draft choice in 2020. Russell and several other contributors, including talented young forward Jaden McDaniels, came via trades. Those players include starting power forward Jared Vanderbilt and guard Patrick Beverley, a catalyst either starting or coming off the bench.

Role players off the bench who came via swaps and have helped improve Minnesota are three-point shooting specialist Malik Beasley and power forward Taurean Prince. Contributors acquired through free agency are center Naz Reid and playmaking guard Jordan McLaughlin.

Rosas, who did fail on 2019 first round pick Jarrett Culver, made a shrewd move hiring Chris Finch as head coach in February 2021. Finch seems to be an effective communicator who listens to players and lets them know what is expected.

So when Rosas departed he left in place a roster and coaching structure that has blossomed after going a combined 42-94 the two previous seasons. Rosas, though, won’t be picking up any awards for his trophy case and reportedly is working in a consulting role with the NBA Knicks.

Rosas’ home overlooking Bde Maka Ska is on the market for $4 million, per Jay Boller from Racketmn.com. The stunning contemporary property at 3817 Sheridan Avenue South was purchased in 2019 by Rosas for $2.42 million and has been renovated since, according to Boller.

New Wolves’ minority owner Marc Lore doesn’t miss a beat. He told WCCO Radio’s Vineeta Sawkar last week he started taking basketball lessons about six months ago to better understand the game.

Despite box office competition from home games involving the Timberwolves, Wild and Loons, the hockey Gophers, playing Michigan Saturday night for the Big Ten Tournament title, drew a record crowd of 10,774 at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Standing room tickets sold for $30 as the Gophers changed the all too frequent narrative of playing in front of empty seats.

In a big move the Wild has acquired 37-year-old goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional first-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. In 45 games this season he has a 2.95 goals-against-average.

Per a statement from the club: “In the event Minnesota advances to the Western Conference Final and Marc-Andre Fleury is the winning goalie of record in a minimum of four games in the first and second rounds combined, Chicago will receive Minnesota’s first-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. In the event both conditions are not satisfied, Chicago will receive Minnesota’s second-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. In addition, Chicago will retain 50% of Marc-Andre Fleury’s contract.”

The Wild also announced this morning the acquisition of a second-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft from the Coyotes (previously acquired from the Canucks) in exchange for forward Jack McBain.

Former Timberwolves executive Ted Johnson, now CEO of Norden Strategies, is a senior advisor to the group pursuing Expo 2027 for Minnesota. Bloomington would be the host city for the global event that Johnson said can have a $2 billion economic impact running over 90 days.

The Minnesota effort is a joint venture with the U.S. State Department and the American theme is “Healthy People, Healthy Planet.” Other countries bidding for the event are Thailand, Spain, Serbia and Argentina.

Congratulations to Pete Chubb of Minneapolis who was recognized recently for 50 years working in event management at University of Minnesota basketball games. Many of those seasons his assignment was to provide security near the visiting team’s bench. In 50 years he didn’t receive an increase on his $12 per hour rate but the work was a labor of love.

Chubb’s memories include the infamous game when Northwestern coach Ricky Byrdsong left the bench and walked up into the stands. Whether prompted by mental fatigue, or using a psychological ploy on his team, the incident is remembered as bizarre by fans in attendance.

Indiana coach Bobby Knight was known for his hot temper and foul language. He was a villain at Williams Arena, but Chubb saw a different side to Knight who took an interest in developmentally disabled young adults. “He would take them down in the locker room and show them around. …He was very, very nice to them,” Chubb said.

Dick Jonckowski will emcee Thursday’s reunion luncheon recognizing individuals who played on boys’ state tournament basketball teams from the last decade of the one-class tournament format (1960-1970).

Before the luncheon at The Graduate Hotel honorees will visit Williams Arena where their state tournament games were played and each will walk out on the floor to be recognized by Jonckowski.
Jeff McCarron, from the 1970 Sherburn team that won the last one-class state title, is one of the reunion organizers.

Have to wonder if the warm-blooded L.A. Dodgers are already packing mittens for their two-game series in Minneapolis against the Twins April 12 (night) and April 13 (day).

Twins promotions at Target Field in 2022 include bobblehead giveaways of Jim Kaat, July 16; Tony Oliva, August 6; and Byron Buxton, August 27. Selected Fridays are “all you can eat” games.

Former Vikings superstar RB Adrian Peterson turns 37 today and reportedly wants to continue his NFL career. He is a free agent after the Seahawks let him go.

Look for the new Four Seasons to host visiting professional teams after Minneapolis’ only five-star hotel opens in June.

Comments Welcome

NBA Oracle Likes Wolves in Playoffs

Posted on March 8, 2022March 15, 2023 by David Shama

The Timberwolves could not only make the playoffs with more than 45 regular season wins, but be a spoiler in the postseason. That’s the view of a former NBA scout who still follows the Wolves and other teams in the league.

Minnesota figures to be a lower seed but could win its opening series. “I don’t think there are a lot of teams that want to see them in the playoffs,” the authority said while speaking anonymously.

With a 37-29 record, the Wolves have 16 games remaining in the regular season before the schedule ends April 10. The team is 8-2 in its last 10 games and making a bid for the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Minnesota is a vastly improved team over last season when the record was 23-49.

The ex-scout believes the unpredictable but gifted D’Angelo Russell is the key to how successful the Wolves will play this spring. “When (Russell is) under control and playing steady…they’re tough to beat,” he said.

The Wolves’ point guard excels at playmaking, but he can be too prone to poor decisions and turnovers. His skillset tempts him to be too creative.

Center Karl-Anthony Towns and shooting guard Anthony Edwards are the other two players who make up the team’s big three. Towns is “out of his funk” and playing at a high level, while Edwards can some day be a top 10 NBA talent, per the source.

He raved about coach Chris Finch, who took over the team in February of 2021, and has the Wolves playing some of their best basketball in the new millennium. “He’s a communicator,” the authority said while talking about how Finch has the players understanding what is expected of them.

Neither Russell nor Edwards played last night but the Wolves still crushed the Trail Blazers at Target Center, 124-81. Towns, coming off his Western Conference Player of the Week honor, had 27 points and 13 rebounds. As of yesterday morning he was the only player in the NBA averaging 20-plus points per game, shooting 50% or better on field goal attempts and 40% or better from three point range.

The crowd of 16,035 continued the trend of large and noisy fan turnouts. Finch described the new atmosphere at Target Center as “awesome” and said his team can continue to connect with fans by playing at a high level.

“…I think it’s a team that a lot of people like to watch play,” Finch said after the game. “We play hard, we share the ball. It’s pretty exciting. Even our mistakes are interesting. It feels like we got something growing here, and we’ve just got to keep building on it. It’s our responsibility to keep giving ‘em performances that they can cheer on.”

Worth Noting

With the Wild losing eight of its last 10 games, the local NHL club is prompting speculation it could be among the most likely franchises to make a trade prior to the league trade deadline of March 21.

Doug Risebrough, the Wild’s former GM, is a consultant for the Rangers team that plays Minnesota tonight at Xcel Energy Center.

Anonymous hockey authority talking about the Big Ten champion Gophers who start postseason play Saturday at home against Penn State: “They have a legitimate chance to win it all (NCAA title). They have that kind of depth.”

Two spring practices open to the public to watch the football Gophers will be at 4 p.m. April 5 and 11 a.m. April 16. Admission is free, with locations announced soon.

The annual spring game is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 30 at Huntington Bank Stadium.

An outcome of spring practice that could be telling for the fall is the physical condition of running backs Mo Ibrahim, Trey Potts and Bryce Williams. All had their 2021 playing time severely reduced by injuries.

Ibrahim, a 2021 preseason All-American candidate and recovering from Achilles surgery, will receive extra focus from fans even though he isn’t expected to participate in scrimmages. It could be that his quickness and speed is compromised. “Even if he’s 90 percent of what he was, that’s still a pretty good college running back,” said Minnesota authority Ryan Burns from Gopher Illustrated.

It might be that the now Division I St. Thomas athletics program, in need of upgraded athletic facilities including its own hockey arena, will turn to the former Ford plant area in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. Land acquisition and development, arena construction and other facilities could come with a $100 million cost, per a source. Remember, though, the school’s roster of benefactors is deep and wealthy.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, perhaps the GOAT, has been added to the list of speakers for the Minnesota Football Coaches Association’s Clinic. Saban will speak to attendees via Zoom starting at 1 p.m. April 1. In-person speakers will include Gopher coach P.J. Fleck. Link

Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry will receive a happy birthday call later this month from Dick Jonckowski, the former Gophers’ basketball public address announcer and Shakopee-based event speaker. The two met years ago in Minneapolis and annually exchange birthday greetings, with Barry’s birthday March 28 and Jonckowski’s October 22. Barry turns 78 this year, Jonckowski, 79.

Barry, BTW, is one of the most under appreciated superstars in NBA history. He would fit seamlessly into today’s game, including blowing a fuse in the scoreboard with three-point conversions.

Jonckowski will be doing public address duties again for both the girls’ and boys’ basketball state tournaments in March. This year will be a return to years ago when all the boys’ games are played at Williams Arena. “I am glad I get to work in Williams Arena. That’s good,” Jonckowski said.

Tom Hoge from Fargo, who has three top 10 finishes on this season’s PGA Tour and has won about $3.2 million, is a name to watch at The Players Championship this week and the Masters next month. He is expected to be a headliner at this summer’s 3M Open in Blaine.

Front Office sports reported yesterday because of the delay in spring training baseball, communities in Arizona and Florida are missing out on about $1.3 billion in economic activity.

Very sorry to learn Mark Davy passed away recently. A superb fundraiser, Davy’s varied career included assistant athletic director at the University of Minnesota and director of the M Club. He had a close relationship with the late Pinky McNamara, the former Gopher football player who is among the University’s most generous donors ever.

Sean Sittnick and Yunus Masood are the latest guests on the “Behind the Game” program seen on local cable markets and YouTube. Sittnick is a Minnesota United soccer executive, while Masood is a cricket advocate who wants to see the sport grow on all levels in Minnesota. The show is co-hosted by Agile Marketing owner Patrick Klinger and USHL commissioner Bill Robertson. Link

Comments Welcome