Timberwolves – Page 55 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Fleck Updates LB Kamal Martin Status

Posted on November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column including news from Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck about senior linebacker Kamal Martin, one of the team’s best players who was held out of last Saturday’s Penn State game because of an undisclosed injury.

Fleck said on KFAN Radio this afternoon that Martin came to him after warm-ups prior to the game and announced he was playing. Martin badly wanted to be on the field but Fleck told him there is a lot of football remaining this fall and it was best that the future pro sit out the game.

“Had a great day at practice today,” Fleck said of Martin. “Looked really good.”

Fanduel.com has Iowa (6-3 and 3-3) as a surprise three point favorite over Minnesota (9-0 and 6-0) for Saturday’s game in Iowa City.

In Minnesota’s six Big Ten Conference games the Gophers have been behind only about 11 minutes (10:35).

With a sellout crowd of 51,883 announced for last Saturday’s dramatic Penn State game, and with over 40,000 expected for the season’s final home game against Wisconsin November 30, the Gophers are certain to average more in attendance per game than last year’s 37,915. That’s the lowest season average in TCF Bank Stadium history (opened in 2009).

This afternoon at the stadium Fleck will present a ceremonial game ball from the Penn State game to Governor Tim Walz who will accept it on behalf of the state of Minnesota.

Fleck is the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week for Minnesota’s upset 31-26 win over nationally ranked Penn State.

The Nittany Lions came into the game ranked No. 5 in the country, with Minnesota No. 13 in the Associated Press poll. Coach James Franklin is now 1-7 against nationally ranked teams on the road at PSU, per the Big Ten Network.

The Gophers learn tonight on ESPN how far they have moved up from No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoffs rankings. It should be a big jump because Penn State was No. 4 last week.

The Capital Club will hear from new University of Minnesota president Joan Gabel Wednesday, November 20 at Town & Country Club. More information about the club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrickklinger@klingercompany.com.

Familiar Arizona Coyotes names at Xcel Energy Center Thursday night will include former Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper, ex-Gopher forward Phil Kessel, and assistant coach Phil Housley, a native of South Saint Paul.

The Wild is 14-4-3 in its last 21 games against the Coyotes, including a win in Arizona last Saturday. Minnesota is 5-1-2 in the last eight games with Arizona played at Xcel Energy Center.

Because the Timberwolves revamped their offensive and defensive schemes for this season, they are drawing more early season attention from NBA scouts than in the past under coach Tom Thibodeau. An NBA insider praised new coach Ryan Saunders.

“Ryan has done a phenomenal job of getting guys in the right frame of mind,” the source said. “Things were so negative in the past.”

Scouts caution the teams they work for to be alert against the fast tempo Wolves, with defenders needing to get back down the floor in a hurry, guard the three-point line, and defend any open shooter standing behind the arc. “Their offense is predicated on the three-point shot, and (also) the shot close to the basket,” the source said.

Rookie Jarrett Culver, 20, has potential to be one of the team’s best three-point shooters. “He is talented. I am kind of excited to see his development,” said the insider who has watched the Wolves early season games.

The Timberwolves’ record so far is 6-4 including wins over struggling teams. The opinion here is Minnesota doesn’t have enough talent to win beyond 35 or 40 games during the 82-game schedule.

It was 30 years ago last week the expansion Timberwolves played their first ever regular season game in the Metrodome, losing to Michael Jordan and the Bulls before an announced crowd of 35,427. The Wolves went on to set a single season NBA attendance record of 1,072,572.

A prominent but now retired former Minnesota high school football coach predicts these schools will emerge as 2019 state champions: 6A Wayzata; 5A Chaska; 4A Hutchinson; 3A Pierz; 2A Caledonia; 1A BOLD; 9-Man, Hancock.

As usual, the most attractive U men’s basketball nonconference opponents won’t be coming to Williams Arena. The Gophers played Oklahoma last Saturday night in Sioux Falls, with games this week at Butler (tonight) and Utah (Friday). In late December coach Richard Pitino’s team is at Oklahoma State, while the best of the nonconference opponents, DePaul and Clemson, come to Minneapolis November 29 and December 2.

Tickets for DePaul and Clemson are priced at $15 to $50, while Iowa, Michigan State and Wisconsin prices are $45 to $90, per Gophersports.com.

Zach Edey, the over 7-foot Canadian prep center the Gophers were pursuing, has verbally committed to Purdue. The early period for Division I basketball signings is November 13-20.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported a few days ago that Prior Lake power forward Dawson Garcia, who the Gophers want, recently visited Marquette for a second time.

Nate Reuvers, the 6-11 Wisconsin junior forward from Lakeville North, averaged 18 points, 10 points and 6.5 blocks in a pair of games for the Badgers last week and yesterday was announced as the Big Ten Player of the Week.

The Twins will hear from starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi this week whether he is accepting their one-year qualifying offer of $17.8 million.

With four-fifths of the starting rotation to be determined between now and next season, there will be plenty of offseason Twins news. There are other questions, too, including who will be the starting outfielders on opening day. Will Byron Buxton’s September wrist surgery allow him to be in the lineup? Will Eddie Rosario be traded for starting pitching?

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

Likely roster locks for opening day include starter Jose Berrios, reliever Taylor Rogers, DH Nelson Cruz, catcher Mitch Garver, second baseman Luis Arraez, shortstop Jorge Polanco, third baseman Miguel Sano and outfielder Max Kepler who will be in his native Germany this month promoting baseball.

The 22-year-old Arraez led the club with a 334 batting average in 2019, his rookie season, and he drew comparisons to former Twins second baseman Rod Carew. Hall of Famer Carew hit .292 his rookie season of 1967 when he was 21 years old. Similarities between the two left-handed hitters include peek-a-boo batting stances and hitting the ball to all fields.

Rosters expand from 25 to 26 through August 31 of next year with a cap of 28 through the last month of the season.

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Twins Not Focusing on Pitching Ace

Posted on November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 by David Shama

Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter acknowledged to Sports Headliners in a telephone interview the starting pitching staff is without an ace, but finding a No. 1 stopper isn’t how he and front office decision makers Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are defining offseason plans.

“We don’t think about it that way,” St. Peter said. “We don’t talk about it as a goal to get a staff ace. We talk about upgrading our pitching. There’s all kinds of ways to do that. …We need to find ways to get better and put ourselves in a position to be better in postseason environments. That’s the focus.

“There’s a limited number of, quote on quote, true staff aces so we’re not going to define our offseason success on whether we’re…able to get one of those guys. We think there are pitchers that are going to be available that are going to make us better, or put us in a better position to compete.”

Because of free agency with present Twins starters, last season’s starting staff figures to look dramatically different in 2020. Jose Berrios is the only certain returnee in the starting rotation and at 25 years old he might be ready to assume the label of staff ace next season.

Berrios won 14 games last season for the second time in four big league years. With his 14-8 record he had a career best 3.68 ERA. St. Peter said Berrios needs to be more consistent but the Twins remain bullish on his future.

The Twins could fix their starting pitching with trades, free agent signings and promotion of personnel from within their system. St. Peter said his franchise wants to compete for world championships and he anticipates a busy offseason for Falvey and Levine dialoguing with other clubs about potential trades.

One rumor already out there is the Twins might move fan favorite Eddie Rosario, the 28-year-old left fielder who had career highs of 32 home runs and 109 RBI last season. Regarding the Rosario rumor St. Peter said, “It’s speculation.”

Worth Noting

The Twins and Target Field hosted college football games in 2017 and this year, but for certain there won’t be a game in 2020. St. Peter said there have been discussions about future games but there is no timeline for an announcement. Such a game must come when the football Gophers aren’t in town.

St. Peter said a number of upgrades will be made at the ballpark for next season including an improved Wi-Fi network, renovations to suites, and changes to make the stadium more comfortable for players.

Busy broadcaster: that was Twins radio play-by-play voice Cory Provus doing the Kansas-Kansas State football game for FS-1 on Saturday, and he will be working Big Ten basketball games for BTN this coming season.

Path to the Rose Bowl: If the undefeated Golden Gophers football team can win its last four regular season games, and then play competitively in the Big Ten championship game, Minnesota is all but certain to make its first trip to Pasadena since 1962—assuming Ohio State remains unbeaten and advances to the college football playoffs.

Two-time All-American, Outland Trophy winner and Big Ten MVP Bobby Bell, who played on Minnesota’s last Rose Bowl team, will be the celebrity guest at Friday’s Goal Line Club lunch at Jax Café where Gophers running backs coach Kenni Burns will also speak. “I love the way they play,” Bell told Sports Headliners about the 8-0 Gophers. “I just want to be alive when they go back to the Rose Bowl.” More at Goallineclub.org.

University of Minnesota alum Harvey Mackay wrote about overcoming adversity in his syndicated business column last week, and he referenced Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck. Fleck likes to recruit players who have experienced difficulties in their young lives.

Mackay also quoted former Gophers coach Lou Holtz: “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.”

The Timberwolves did more than improve their record to 4-1 last night in a 131-109 win over the Wizards. The victory ended a run of 20 consecutive games between Minnesota and Washington that alternated wins and losses, the longest such streak in the history of the NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL. The Wolves have now won the last two games versus the Wizards dating back to a March 9, 2019 win at Target Center.

Condolences to friends and family of retired St. Paul Pioneer Press sportswriter Jim Wells who died recently. A celebration of life will be held this afternoon (Sunday) at Canterbury Park where Jim is part of the race track’s Hall of Fame.

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Thielen, Mahomes Return on Sunday?

Posted on October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column:

It could be that top playmakers Adam Thielen and Patrick Mahomes return for Sunday’s game in Kansas City between the Vikings and Chiefs.

Wide receiver Thielen, recovering from a right hamstring injury, didn’t play last Thursday in Minnesota’s win over the Redskins. By Sunday he will have both rested and undergone treatment, making a return to the lineup perhaps likely.

Mahomes, the Chiefs’ starting quarterback and 2018 NFL MVP, dislocated his right knee cap more than 10 days ago and he didn’t play Sunday night against the Packers. But that evening NBC TV reporter Michele Tafoya said Mahomes told her that if the Chiefs were facing a playoff game he would have played against the Packers.

The 6-2 Vikings and 5-3 Chiefs have postseason ambitions just like 50 years ago in 1969. Minnesota and Kansas City played in Super Bowl IV on January 11, 1970. The Vikings were about a two touchdown favorite but lost 23-7.

Chiefs coach Hank Stram loved the limelight and was “miked for sound” during the game. He is famous for this quote about a Vikings defensive back: “(Karl) Kassulke: was running around there like it was a Chinese fire drill.”

Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall played in that Super Bowl but many fans remember him for a gaffe 55 years ago this month. Playing against the 49ers, he scooped up a fumble and ran 66 yards the wrong way and into the end zone. The 49ers were rewarded with a safety.

Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, now a sideline reporter on the team’s radio broadcasts and TV analyst for college football games, speaks to the CORES lunch group Thursday, November 14 at the Bloomington Event Center, 1114 American Blvd. Reservations are accepted until Monday, November 11 by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Ben Utecht, the Hastings native and former Gophers star tight end now a brain health advocate, speaker and entertainer, is the latest guest on the “Behind the Game” Twin Cities cable TV showed hosted by Patrick Klinger and Bill Robertson. The Utecht episode is also on YouTube.

In the latest A.P. and Coaches polls the Gophers are ranked No. 13 nationally, while Penn State is No. 5. The last time Minnesota was ranked in the top 25 and played another ranked team was in October of 2004 when the No. 13 ranked Gophers lost to No. 14 Michigan.

If Minnesota defeats Penn State a week from Saturday the Gophers will almost certainly be ranked in the top 10 in polls. The Gophers haven’t finished a season in the top 10 since 1962,

Minnesota connections: An October 19-20 Wall Street Journal article lists the five best sports scandals books ever and includes Foul: The Connie Hawkins Story, and The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino. The Hawkins biography details how the former ABA Minnesota Pipers star was blacklisted for years from the NBA following gambling allegations while in college. Pitino, the former Louisville basketball coach and father of Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino, fell from grace after two sex scandals.

Willie Burton, the former Gophers basketball player who will have a banner raised in Williams Arena to honor his legacy January 26, was recruited out of high school in Detroit by Minnesota head coach Jim Dutcher who said Burton turned down Michigan and Michigan State. “He could have gone wherever,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners.

Dutcher resigned as Minnesota coach before Burton enrolled in 1986 and he played four seasons for coach Clem Haskins. The third-leading career scorer in program history, Burton played on two NCAA Tournament teams including a group that made the Elite Eight.

Dutcher’s son Brian Dutcher, head coach at San Diego State, has a team that is picked by the media to finish second in the Mountain West Conference behind Utah State.

The 3-0 Timberwolves have shown unity and hustle in their early regular season games, but face their biggest challenge so far Wednesday night in Philadelphia against a 76ers team that could win the NBA title. Give Wolves star center Karl-Anthony Towns credit for organizing a team bonding trip to the Bahamas prior to training camp.

Towns is the Western Conference Player of the Week for NBA games played October 22-27. As of Monday afternoon Towns ranked third in the NBA in scoring (32 points per game), sixth in rebounds (13.3), second in steals (3.00) and second in three-pointers made (5.0).

Gorgui Dieng, the Wolves backup center, speaks five languages.

An S.I. online story last week listing baseball’s top 50 free agents ranked Astros’ starting pitcher Wade Miley at No. 40 and suggested the best fit for him could be the Twins. The October 24 article ranked Twins pitchers Serio Romo No. 44, Kyle Gibson No. 42, Michael Pineda No. 27 and Jake Odorizzi No. 14. S.I. said best fits for them are with other teams.

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