Timberwolves – Page 66 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Thumbs Down on Wolves’ Jimmy Butler

Posted on September 23, 2018September 26, 2018 by David Shama

The Timberwolves play a preseason game at home on October 5. Their first regular season game at Target Center is October 19.

Jimmy Butler should get an earful from fans at those games—if he is not traded to another NBA team by either of those dates.

The Wolves’ mega-paid star (reportedly near $20 million for the coming year) has decided after one season in Minnesota he doesn’t want to play here and wishes to be traded. Jimmy, where’s the loyalty in honoring the commitment the Wolves organization made to you including the remaining year on your contract?

It was about 15 months ago that this town first embraced Butler with a huge fan turnout and welcome event at the Mall of America. Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said then of Butler: “He’s a great person. He’s a great leader. We’re thrilled to have him.”

A few years ago Thibodeau coached Butler with the Bulls and helped take him from a late first round draft choice to an All-NBA guard. “Thibs has molded me into the player that I am today,” Butler said at the MOA event.

Butler is not expected at media day on Monday and it will not be surprising if he doesn’t report for the team’s first practice on Tuesday. Internet accounts say Butler’s unwillingness to play for the Wolves is motivated by his dissatisfaction with younger teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

Butler, 29, also reportedly was critical of younger teammates when he played for the Bulls. Apparently, instead of being a role model for less experienced players, Butler prefers to move on from teams where he doesn’t like the locker room.

Maybe Thibodeau should get Butler, Towns and Wiggins in a room for a “come to Jesus meeting.” That’s what former NBA champion coach Bill Fitch told Sports Headliners he would do.

Fitch suggested he would meet all day, if necessary, with the players. They could even “agree to disagree” on things but the outcome would be to reach a place where the players could make the team better.

Fitch was an old-fashioned taskmaster when coaching the Celtics to an NBA title. He didn’t hesitate to command players to do extra running for their transgressions. He suggested that measure could be appropriate with the Wolves’ soap opera.

What if Butler doesn’t report to training camp because of his trade wishes? Fitch said the Wolves should start fining Butler.

A couple of days ago Thibodeau reportedly didn’t want to trade Butler, while owner Glen Taylor was supposedly telling other NBA teams to call him for such talks. If true, that kind of split in the organization is dysfunctional. Taylor hired Thibodeau as president of basketball operations and coach to make the difficult decisions, even in times of crisis.

Now it’s said the two are in agreement they need to scramble to trade Butler, who becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season. He has left the Wolves with minimal leverage in trade discussions with teams knowing they could get him next summer without having to give up players they have now.

The best chance of moving Butler soon, or even in coming months, could be to a bubble team that sees acquiring him as a big move toward advancing into or going deep in the playoffs. But that raises the question of whether a team with an already talent-shy roster has enough assets to interest the Wolves.

The Wolves’ best move might be to dump Butler soon in exchange for draft choices. Getting him out of the locker room and off the court looks like it will bring peace among players and fans. At that point the Wolves would have to conclude their 2017 trade bringing Butler here from Chicago was a mistake, sending three players and a high first round draft choice to the Bulls.

When Butler came to Minneapolis it looked like a big part of his motivation would be playing on a winning team. The Wolves were a much better team with him in the lineup and they made the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2004. Minnesota had a 47-35 regular season record. In the 59 games Butler could start when not injured, the Wolves’ record was 37-22.

Butler’s minutes per game of 36.7 were third most in the NBA. He ranked 15th in league scoring (22.2 points per game), 29th in assists (4.9) and fourth in steals (a career-best 1.97). After Butler’s seventh NBA season and first with Minnesota, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team.

There’s no doubting Butler’s all-around skills and value. The doubting now is about his loyalty and accountability to the team and fans. The Wolves invested heavily in Butler and so too did the fans, including season ticket holders who paid thousands of dollars and a lot of time to watch him and teammates.

The LA Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, the three teams Butler reportedly has expressed interest in being traded to, all missed the playoffs last season. If the Wolves have Butler, those teams don’t have the potential to win this coming season like Minnesota does.

Maybe Butler wants to be in the glamour cities of Los Angeles and New York to do something in business related to his interest in clothing and fashion. All I know is he didn’t take long to surprise and disappoint a lot of people inside and outside Target Center.

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Extending Plays a Cousins Question Mark

Posted on September 5, 2018September 6, 2018 by David Shama

Kirk Cousins isn’t known as a scrambling quarterback but he did impact some plays with his running when he was with the Redskins. This Sunday he makes his regular season debut with the Vikings and the blockers in front of him will be a reorganized offensive line that at times will be unreliable.

That line is the biggest concern about the team’s chances of making a Super Bowl run. Leaky play by that unit will shorten opportunities for Cousins to find open receivers and score points.

The Vikings rewarded Cousins in the offseason with a three-year, $84 million free agent contract. Ironically, he replaces a quarterback whose strength often is using his legs to make plays. Case Keenum, the journeyman who became a star last season and helped the team to a surprising 13-3 record, certainly doesn’t have a golden arm but he can escape the pocket and throw passes and make runs when all hell is breaking loose.

In today’s NFL of imaginative defensive schemes and athletic pass rushers, quarterbacks are often under duress. If defenders aren’t throwing quarterbacks to the ground, they are at least hurrying their throws. Keenum often avoided problems last season but the Vikings decided to move on apparently because his arm isn’t the strongest, and perhaps concern that he was a one-year wonder.

The Broncos organization, led by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, thought Keenum was worthy of a big free agent contract and the No. 1 assignment in Denver. The Vikings believe differently even if NFL sources might rate the collective skills and value of the two quarterbacks similarly.

Keenum is reportedly being paid $18 million this year by the Broncos. At $28 million per year Cousins will reportedly earn only about $5 million less than the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, who most everyone ranks as the first or second best QB in the world.

The Packers are the Vikings’ biggest rival in winning the NFC North Division and Rodgers is sort of a Cousins-Keenum combo. Rodgers has a marvelous arm but also the ability to buy time in the pocket with his feet and legs. He sometimes takes off toward the boundary ready to make a last second throw or run.

Cousins is experienced and smart, and can zip the ball long and short. He can find second and third options to throw to if given the time. There will be times—maybe too many if the reshuffled line is inadequate—that he will need to escape the pocket. That’s when the comparisons to Keenum will come, fair or not.

At the end of the season, though, the most meaningful comparison will be whether the Vikings match or exceed last season’s success that included one win away from earning their way to the Super Bowl. Different styles can spell success in the high pressure world of the NFL.

Starting on Sunday, Vikings fans will see whether Cousins can “scramble” away from the shadow of Keenum.

Worth Noting

The Vikings announced today that cornerback Jaylen Myrick, the former Gopher, has been signed to the practice squad. He was a seventh round draft choice of the Jaguars in 2017 and played five games with them last season before being released a few days ago.

Ticket King emailed customer contacts yesterday about tickets being available for Sunday’s game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Warning to the defending NFC North Division champion Vikings: In 14 of the last 15 NFL seasons at least one team that finished last or tied for last in its division emerged the next season as division champions.

In the NFC North the potential team in 2018 is the Bears, who finished last in 2017 but have added star edge rusher Khalil Mack to join promising quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

It was a winning college football weekend several days ago for former Gophers assistant football coaches who worked under head coach Jerry Kill. Tracy Claeys, the new defensive coordinator at Washington State, helped the Cougars to an opening win over Wyoming, while Dan O’Brien, in his first game as head coach at St. Thomas Academy, directed a 50-7 victory over North St. Paul. Defensive coordinator Jay Sawvell is in his second season at Wake Forest and the Demon Deacons had a season opening win over Tulane. Matt Limegrover, an offensive assistant at Penn State, watched the nationally ranked Nittany Lions escape an upset against Appalachian State.

The Fresno State team that plays the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday night is coming off a 10 win season in 2017 and an opening 79-13 victory over Idaho last Saturday. The Bulldogs are one of the favorites to win the Mountain West Conference championship, and possibly be invited to a New Year’s Day bowl game.

Many Gophers football players sent individual notes of encouragement this summer to WCCO TV sportscaster Mark Rosen and his wife Denise who has been dealing with cancer.

After 15 seasons—separate stints of 11 and 4 years—Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Jerry Zgoda has decided not to continue with the assignment, opting instead for general assignments within the sports department.

Chris Hine will be the new Timberwolves beat writer.

The Minnesota United has a waiting list for season tickets as the club prepares to move into its new Allianz Field facility in 2019 after playing two MLS seasons at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. Allianz capacity will be 20,000 including standing room for 600 fans.

The United’s last regular season game at the Gophers’ football stadium will be October 22. TCF Bank Stadium has a capacity of over 50,000 and the United is promoting setting a new single match attendance record for Minnesota pro soccer. The record was established over 40 years ago at Met Stadium for a Kicks game with an announced attendance of 49,572. See the promotion #50KToMidway.

Gophers volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon on what it’s like to have his undefeated team ranked No. 1 in the country this week: “It’s very similar to being No. 3. …”

McCutcheon remains hopeful boys’ volleyball in the state will eventually evolve from a club sport to being sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League. Over 40 high school teams with about 400 players played against one another last spring.

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Another View on Wolves’ Butler-Towns

Posted on July 12, 2018July 12, 2018 by David Shama

Media reports that Timberwolves leader and best player Jimmy Butler is “fed up” with the alleged nonchalant attitude of teammate Karl-Anthony Towns are prevalent, but are those rumors true?

I asked Timberwolves point guard Tyus Jones if he is aware of a rift between Butler and Towns? “No,” he answered.

So Butler and Towns get along?

“They do,” Jones told Sports Headliners on Monday. “As you can see, we won a lot of games this year so I think everyone got along just fine.”

Jones said there were “no chemistry issues” on last season’s team that won 16 games more than the 2016-17 club. Butler, a guard-forward, joined the Wolves last offseason through a trade with the Bulls. As one of the NBA’s best two-way players, he made a major impact on and off the court. The Wolves earned their way into the playoffs for the first time since 2004. In the locker room the intense veteran made his presence known.

Before last season NBA general managers named Towns the player they would want most to start a franchise with. During the 2017-2018 season, his third in the NBA, the Wolves’ 22-year-old center averaged 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds. However, there have been reports that Butler, the team’s leading scorer at 22.2 points per game, is not only critical of Towns’ lack of intensity, but that he also has the same feelings about another young Wolves player with high potential, forward-guard Andrew Wiggins.

All of this leaves Wolves fans uneasy because Butler becomes a free agent after the 2018-19 season. If Butler doesn’t want to be here, that’s certainly not true of Jones who also will be a free agent next year.

Jones expects his agent to begin talks about a new contract this summer and the Minnesota native admitted it would be difficult to leave Minneapolis. “It would be hard,” he said. “I’ve said since the beginning, when I was drafted here, this is a dream come true. I grew up a big Timberwolves fan.”

Jones has been a reserve in his first three seasons with the Timberwolves, who acquired him from the Cavs on draft night in 2015. Last season he played in all 82 regular season games but his minutes were limited and he averaged 5.1 points per game. He has career averages of 4.4 points and 2.8 assists, but has earned praise from coach Tom Thibodeau.

The 6-foot-2 Jones, who entered the NBA at about 185 pounds, looks more muscular this summer. “Put on some weight,” he said. “Just trying to focus on making good weight (muscle).”

The 22-year-old former Apple Valley star and prep All-American weighs about 190 pounds now. He is working on a summer development program with intentions to not only become stronger but quicker, and “improve all aspects of my game.”

His gym time included an appearance Monday evening in the Twin Cities Pro Am league at DeLaSalle High School. He played for Team Tyus, the team he sponsors in the summer time league that has players of varying ages and abilities.

Wolves fans might have concerns about next season’s team but Jones is upbeat. “(I) feel good about it,” he said. “We took a big leap this year. We’re going to continue to try to do that. Each year you want to improve individually and as a whole (team). So making the playoffs and ending that drought was our goal. Now this year it’s try and take it a step further.”

Crandall, Travis, Talked U Transfer

It’s not that well-known but the Golden Gophers might have started next season with high profile grad transfers and Minneapolis natives Geno Crandall and Reid Travis in their starting lineup. Crandall’s decision to choose Gonzaga over Minnesota is a national story this summer and the former North Dakota guard told Sports Headliners about the background to his process in choosing a school that included communications with Travis who is leaving Stanford to play his final season of college basketball at Kentucky.

Crandall describes Travis as his “best friend,” and the two have played basketball together since they were five years old. They played on state championship teams in high school at DeLaSalle. Earlier this year the two texted about playing for the Gophers in their hometown. “We talked…about it and gave it some thought,” Crandall said.

Crandall averaged 16.2 points per game last season for the Fighting Hawks, leading the team in scoring. The 6-foot-3 Crandall was second-team All-Big Sky for the second consecutive season. Travis averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds for Stanford. The 6-foot-8 forward was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection.

The Gophers have a roster talented enough to prompt speculation they could earn their way into the NCAA Tournament next season. But with Crandall and Travis they could have been a Big Ten title favorite. “Oh, yeah, no doubt,” Crandall said.

Crandall believes Travis was influenced in choosing Kentucky because of the program’s national exposure and reputation for sending players on to the NBA. Those were factors that resonated with Crandall, too, in choosing Gonzaga.

The Zags are expected to be a top 10 team nationally. Crandall’s goal is to help the Bulldogs earn their way through the 2019 NCAA Tournament to the Final Four in Minneapolis. He knows how special it could feel playing for a national title in his home city.

Gonzaga has an opening for playing time in its starting backcourt. The path to playing time appeared more direct to him than at Minnesota where the Gophers have experienced players at both point and shooting guard. Those players include grad transfer Brock Stull from Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The decision to choose Gonzaga wasn’t easy. He thought a lot about both Minnesota and Xavier where former Gopher assistant coach and DeLaSalle player Ben Johnson now works.

“Honestly, it was probably the toughest decision I ever had to make in my life,” Crandall said. “The first time around, coming out of high school, it wasn’t such a hard decision because I didn’t have too many offers, or too many programs that I really loved.

“But it was an extremely tough decision to say no to the hometown team that I grew up watching. (Minnesota) coach (Richard) Pitino, I think he’s really building something special. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem in the cards for me for what I was looking for my last year…”

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