Timberwolves – Page 67 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Big Stage for Tre Jones Tuesday Night

Posted on November 5, 2018November 5, 2018 by David Shama

Apple Valley’s Tre Jones will be on the biggest stage of his life tomorrow night when he makes his college debut in Duke’s game against Kentucky. The ESPN nationally-televised matchup of No. 4 Duke and No. 2 Kentucky is part of a network doubleheader Tuesday evening from Indianapolis that includes No. 1 Kansas and No. 10 Michigan State.

“It will be exciting, and I know he is looking forward to that,” Tyus Jones said about his younger brother who is following his path as a starting freshman point guard at Duke.

Tre and Tyus led Apple Valley to state championships. Tyus, in his one season at Duke, helped the Blue Devils to the 2016 national championship and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

As for advice from older brother to younger bro, Tyus said: “Continue to be yourself but at the same time soak everything in just because it’s something (college) that will fly by. You’re also playing for the greatest coach of all time (Mike Krzyzewski). So he is someone that every single day he can teach you something new. So make sure you’re paying attention. …”

Tyus is in his third season with the NBA Timberwolves, and a West Coast road trip with the team won’t allow him to be in Indy for tomorrow night’s game. However, he is looking for an opportunity later to attend one of his brother’s games. “It’ll be tough but gonna make something work,” Tyus told Sports Headliners.

Tyus isn’t the only Wolves player interested in the Blue Devils-Wildcats game. Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns played for the Wildcats in the 2015 Final Four and knows about the rivalry of Duke-Kentucky, two of college basketball’s historic power schools.

Towns was asked about a possible wager with Tyus for tomorrow night’s game. He answered emphatically and said: “No, but I know for a fact that he better be ready for the trash talking that goes with that game. …”

Minnesota viewers of Duke-Kentucky will also have home town interest in the game because Reid Travis from Minneapolis plays for the Wildcats. The senior 6-foot-8 forward transferred from Stanford where last season he averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection.

Worth Noting

Tyus is a restricted free agent after this season. He has never played for another NBA team except the Wolves and realizes he is fortunate to be in his home state.

“You know, I’ve always said I’d like to stay here,” he said.

Jones, who has mostly been a reserve with the Wolves, said there were no talks about a new contract during the past offseason. “We’ll revisit it after the season…and try to get something done. So I know it’s not personal. It’s part of the business.”

Sports Illustrated’s college basketball issue that came out last week has only three Big Ten teams in its top 25—Michigan State No. 10, Michigan 18 and Purdue 20. The issue includes an eight-page feature on former Wolves assistant coach Eric Musselman whose Nevada team is ranked No. 6 in the nation just three-plus years after taking over the Wolf Pack.

The magazine reported Musselman earns $1 million per year, after starting at $400,000. Talk about a bargain.

JT Gibson, the 2015 Minnesota Mr. Basketball, is a redshirt junior guard on the Omaha team the Gophers host tomorrow night at Williams Arena. The former Champlin Park prep played in 31 games last season, started 12, and averaged 10.2 points per game. The Summit League Mavericks had a 9-22 overall record last season, 4-10 in conference games.

All 14 Big Ten teams have games from November 6-9. Minnesota’s second game of the season, November 12 at home against Utah, figures to be one of the most entertaining on the early schedule.

The football Gophers gave up 646 yards to a poor Illinois team Saturday while losing 55-31. A friend asked via text if Gopher teams coached by Tracy Claeys ever gave up that many yards. As interim head coach for six games in 2015, and then as head coach in 2016, the most yards was 506 versus Iowa in 2015.

Known for his defensive coaching intelligence, Claeys coached the Gophers to a 40-17 win at Illinois two years ago when Minnesota gave up 245 yards.

The NFL is moving the Vikings-Bears game November 18 in Chicago from a start time of noon to 7:20 p.m. The game will be telecast by NBC instead of Fox as originally scheduled.

The game’s winner could take a significant step toward winning the NFC North Division title. Pittsburgh at Jacksonville had originally been scheduled for the nationally televised 7:20 p.m. slot.

Bill Brown, the former Vikings fullback who died yesterday, played in the 1960s when NFLers helped support themselves and their families with offseason jobs. Brown was a substitute teacher in the Minneapolis school system.

Chad Beebe, the Vikings rookie wide receiver who made his NFL debut yesterday after moving up from the practice squad, is interested in a career in corporate communications if pro football doesn’t work out for him.

Comments Welcome

Birthday Raves for Vikings DE Hunter

Posted on October 29, 2018October 29, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column on Vikings, Gophers and NBA newsmakers.

Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter turns 24 today and he is already a star. Teammate and safety Harrison Smith told Sports Headliners: “I mean that’s even better, how young he is—how much football he has ahead of him.”

An insider with the Vikings organization didn’t want his name printed but raved about Hunter who is the fifth player in NFL history to have 31 sacks before turning 24. The insider believes Hunter’s “potential is through the roof.”

Hunter was only 20 years old when the Vikings selected him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. By the 2016 season he became the youngest player in Vikings franchise history to lead the team in sacks, coming up with 12.5. That total was the most by any NFL defensive end, and third highest in the league.

Hunter continues to improve and the Vikings continue to appreciate him, with the source above even referring to his Hall of Fame potential. And Smith added more praise,“Yeah, I mean he’s just constantly getting better, and he’s making the…plays for us.”

Through the schedule’s first seven games the Jamaican-born Hunter was the only player in the NFL to record at least a half sack in each game. He is tied for second in league sacks with eight.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who has ascended from a practice team player to a potential NFL MVP candidate, remains humble and well-liked by teammates, including tight end Kyle Rudolph who was joking about the Detroit Lakes native a few days ago.

“The only thing (change) that I’ve really noticed is he’s got a much more expensive backpack now,” Rudolph said. “He had kind of a cheap backpack and now he’s got a nice little compact backpack.”

Thielen’s contract reportedly runs through 2020 and pays him $19,246,000, according to Spotrac.com. With his record setting season and weekly heroics, that is a one-sided deal for the Vikings. But Thielen said last week no revised contract talks are being discussed now, or planned for after the season.

Vikings wide receiver Chad Beebe was an undrafted free agent this year, the same status Thielen had in 2013. Beebe told Sports Headliners he’s learned about improving his skills from being around Thielen and the veteran’s success story has motivated him.

“So I’ve appreciated him a ton,” Beebe said. “Being able to look at his story inspired me.”

That was Vikings general manager Rick Spielman at Friday night’s Minnesota-Indiana game, perhaps to watch Hoosiers senior safety Jonathan Crawford and Gophers offensive tackle Donnell Greene.

Former Viking Adrian Peterson had 149 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns in the Redskins’ 20-13 win yesterday over the Giants. Peterson, at 33 years and 221 days old on Sunday, was the oldest player in NFL history to have at least 100 rushing yards and both a rushing and receiving touchdown in a single game.

Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan, who threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Indiana, was named the Big Ten’s Co-Freshman of the Week today along with Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi.

Ryan Burns, the recruiting authority from GopherIllustrated.com, told Sports Headliners Minnesota is likely to make the recruiting of junior college defensive backs a priority for its remaining class of 2019 scholarships. That might mean both a safety and a cornerback.

During an interview Burns contacted Jason Clark, father of prep quarterback Jacob Clark, to check on a rumor that his son was being targeted to flip his commitment from Minnesota. Not true, Jason quickly answered.

The 6-5 quarterback from Rockwall, Texas is expected to enroll at Minnesota in January. Burns said it could be likely that Clark will be elevated from a three-star ranking to four by the time he joins the Gophers.

Although the Gophers ended a four-game 2018 Big Ten losing streak Friday night, the lack of wins hasn’t negatively impacted, according to Burns. The 2019 class is ranked No. 32 nationally in the team rankings by 247Sports.

Josh Richardson, reportedly part of the proposed trade deal between the Heat and Timberwolves that Minnesota rejected, is averaging only about three points per game fewer than Jimmy Butler (20.6) and is four years younger.

LeBron James, in town tonight with the Lakers to play the Timberwolves, made his NBA debut 15 years ago on this date, October 29, 2003.

It was the last Sundays in October that the Twins won their two World Series titles. October 25, 1987 and October 27, 1991 they won Game Sevens at the Metrodome.

Comments Welcome

Zimmer Predicts ‘Chip on Shoulder’ Saints

Posted on October 22, 2018October 24, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column that includes the Vikings, Gophers and Timberwolves.

There is plenty of advance intrigue surrounding next Sunday’s Vikings-Saints game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Saints return here no doubt seeking some redemption on last January’s “Minneapolis Miracle” that bumped them out of the playoffs. Then during the offseason Tom Pelissero from NFL Network reported in a March story the Vikings inquired about legendary Saints QB Drew Brees before eventually signing Kirk Cousins. Count on comparisons being made Sunday between the two.

Then, too, and most importantly, the game Sunday is an opportunity to judge two teams that could meet again in the playoffs. The Saints, 5-1, have the second best record in the NFC behind the 7-0 Rams. The 4-2-1 Vikings are trying to stay ahead of the 3-2-1 Packers in the NFC North.

The Saints are known as a gritty team under the direction of head coach Sean Payton. “I think the Saints will come in with a chip on their shoulder because that’s who they are,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said this afternoon at his news conference heard on KFXN Radio. “They are very aggressive on defense. They’re aggressive offensively. They’ve got a good football team.”

Asked about the 39-year-old Brees, Zimmer said, “This guy is amazing. When you talk about Hall of Fame quarterbacks, obviously, he’s going to be one. But he’s very cerebral, accurate. He’s moving well in the pocket. …”

The Gophers, 53-28 losers to Nebraska on Saturday, are giving up an average of 43.3 points per game against Big Ten opponents. Meanwhile, former Gopher coach Tracy Claeys is in his first season at Washington State as defensive coordinator and deserves a lot of credit for helping the nationally ranked Cougars to a 6-1 start.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was asked Friday night by Sports Headliners if he was embarrassed for young fans after Jimmy Butler’s profanity-laced practice earlier this month. “Let’s just say I wish some of those things were handled a little bit better,” he said.

Butler, one of the NBA’s best two-way players, wants to be traded but Taylor said he is not handling inquiries from other teams. He is deferring to general manager Scott Layden. “At this point that’s his job,” Taylor said. “He’s out there doing it.”

Taylor wouldn’t say if he expects his club to move Butler elsewhere before the February 7 NBA trade deadline. He acknowledged disappointment that Butler—the most important player in leading his franchise to the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2004—doesn’t want to continue beyond one season in Minneapolis.

“It’s a shame because I was looking forward to this season because I had the highest goals for it,” Taylor said. “I just thought we would be a really good thing.

“And I think we still can but we just somehow got to make sure that a couple of things (happen). We’ll have to do a good trade, and a number of members of our team will have to step up. We still could have a really good year.”

For that to happen the Wolves, with a 1-2 record so far this season, need to fix a leaky defense. Counting their final exhibition matchup before the regular season started last week, the Wolves have given up 143, 112, 123 and 140 points in their last four games.

Despite Butler’s nasty preseason behavior, the Wolves announced a sellout attendance of 18,978 at their home opener Friday night. Ticket King was promoting $27 tickets for the game last week.

During pregame player introductions Butler received an earful of boos from the home opener crowd. Tom Thibodeau, the coach and president of basketball operations, might have been targeted with even louder jeers.

The crowd warmed to Butler, though, as he led the team to a win over the Cavs. Almost as usual, he was the Wolves’ best player at both ends of the court.

The Sports Illustrated NBA preview issue, out last week, quotes a rival scout as being skeptical of the Wolves making the playoffs—and not just because of the trade drama involving Butler. “Their floor could be pretty low because their roster isn’t balanced well positionally and has a lot of holes,” the scout said in S.I.

The issue included a ranking of the NBA’s 30 teams according to “entertainment value.” Criteria included “projected success, style of play, firepower, age, injuries, coaching and personality.” The Wolves landed at No. 22 (“…Butler circus left them dead on arrival.”) The NBA champion Warriors got the No. 1 spot, just ahead of the new LeBron James-led Lakers.

Paige Bueckers, the junior point guard at Hopkins, excelled last season for the Royals and in AAU competition during the summer. Among girls, she might be the best young teenage point guard in the world. Legendary Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma is all-in on recruiting her.

Remember “The Crusher?” The former professional wrestler was hugely popular in Minneapolis and other places in the Midwest decades ago. Now a memorial bronze statue is going up in his hometown of South Milwaukee. How about a statue of Minnesota wrestling legend Verne Gagne?

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