KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS – Page 16 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Timberwolves, Wild Need Draft Buzz

Posted on June 20, 2019June 23, 2019 by David Shama

The Timberwolves and Wild need to stir up excitement amongst their fan-bases during the next three days.

The Wolves have the No. 11 and No. 43 selections in Thursday’s NBA Draft that consists of two rounds. The Wild has eight selections, including the No. 12 overall, in the seven-round NHL Entry Draft that starts Friday evening and concludes Saturday.

Neither franchise made the playoffs last spring. Fan outlooks right now for next season can probably be fairly characterized as “ho-hum.”

A Twin Cities sports marketing authority, who didn’t want his name identified, has heard both the Wild and Wolves have concerns about season ticket renewals and new sales. The Wild needs box office buzz and hopes to obtain it in the free agent market this summer. NHL franchises, including the Wild, are more dependent on gate receipts than the NBA with its larger TV revenues. The Wolves have a superstar and ticket draw in All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, but need more stellar personnel to become a factor in the talent-heavy NBA Western Conference.

The Wolves, according to the marketing authority, are interested in moving up in the draft and could offer the gifted but so far under-achieving Andrew Wiggins, who has played his first four NBA seasons in Minnesota but is still only 24 years old. Interestingly, this week Nbadraft.net’s mock draft had the Wolves using both their draft choices on small forwards, the same position Wiggins plays.

The website’s speculation Minnesota will draft North Carolina’s Nassir Little and Oregon’s Louis King could fit in with conjecture about parting with Wiggins. Taking Little and King would also make sense if the Wolves choose to play the 6-foot-8 Wiggins exclusively at shooting guard next season. The position switch could take advantage of his height against smaller defenders—posting up, or easily shooting over them.

This will be the Wolves’ first draft directed by new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas. He is expected to shape and direct the organization in a strong manner, and there certainly could be major reshuffling of not only the roster but support positions, too.

This week Wild general manager Paul Fenton leads his second draft for Minnesota. The expectation is the Wild will be determined to add goal scorers in the draft and free agent market in the coming days and weeks, although there is some thought Minnesota might use its first draft choice on goalie Spencer Knight, a Connecticut native.

The club has many needs but probably should prioritize goal scorers in the draft who can contribute within a couple of years. Ideally, whoever Minnesota selects in the first round will cause some anticipation among fans who know fortunes can change quickly in the NHL—most commonly within a couple of years, but perhaps sooner.

That was substantiated dramatically by the Blues this year, who went from being one of the NHL’s worst teams to Stanley Cup champs within a matter of months.

Worth Noting

The Wild will hold a development camp for draft choices and other prospects in the organization from June 25-28 at its practice facility in downtown St. Paul. The June 25 and 27 practices (start at 9:20 a.m.) are open to the public with free admission at the TRIA Rink at Treasure Island Center.

Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub in St. Paul is the Wild’s official viewing party location for the draft on Friday night. NBC Sports Network televises the first round beginning at 7 p.m.

Minnesota hockey legend Lou Nanne said yesterday on Dan Barreiro’s KFAN Radio show he would be cautious about trading Wild forward Jason Zucker, who he predicts will score 25 to 35 goals next season.

Sports Headliners is told Mike Modano, the retired NHL star who has joined the Wild as an executive advisor, is assisting the franchise with ticket and sponsorship sales.

The Timberwolves host a free draft party tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. at Cargo inside Target Center. Josh Okogie, last year’s No. 1 draft choice, is scheduled to attend. ESPN will televise the draft.

Canterbury Park holds its Mystic Lake Derby on Saturday, offering a $200,000 purse that is the largest of the season. The field includes filly Spectralight who was bred in Ireland and has raced exclusively in Italy, but is based now at Canterbury Park.

Former Golden Gopher great Bobby Bell, the two-time All-American tackle on Minnesota’s only Rose Bowl teams, turned 79 on Monday.

The average base player salary is $345,867 in soccer’s MLS, according to the Major League Soccer Players Association.

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Wolves Roster Reshuffling Seems Likely

Posted on May 2, 2019May 8, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Thursday notes column on Timberwolves, Twins, Gophers and Vikings newsmakers.

The hiring of new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is likely to reshape the roster for next season but perhaps won’t dramatically change the coaching staff. Rosas is a disciple of analytics and three-point shooting advocate as practiced by the Houston Rockets for whom he has worked as a front office executive.

The Wolves attempted 2,357 three point shots last season, the fifth fewest of the NBA’s 30 teams, per Basketball-reference.com. The roster doesn’t have much in the way of three-point marksmen, although center Karl-Anthony Towns is among the better shooting big men in the league.

The expected emphasis on three-point shooting could impact decisions on free agent guards Derrick Rose and Tyus Jones. Neither is known for his three-point game and Jones has struggled with field goal accuracy.

The Rockets have been one of the NBA’s most successful teams in recent years and have done it with a foundation of three-point shooting. Last season the Rockets attempted the most three-point shots in the league (3,721) and were the only club with more three-point shots than two point attempts, per basketball-reference.com.

Interim head coach Ryan Saunders told Sports Headliners awhile ago he is interested in playing an up-tempo style. That seems in his favor as word is awaited on whether Rosas will make him the permanent coach. The Rockets try to get the basketball up the floor quickly and they look for open space to shoot three-pointers.

Saunders’ willingness to communicate and learn also is in his favor for staying on with the Wolves where owner Glen Taylor has expressed his liking for the league’s youngest coach. With Rosas’ input, the assistant coaching staff could certainly change.

Rosas’ hiring is a reminder of how absent this organization has been in making elite personnel moves since its inception 30 years ago. The franchise’s futility (one playoff appearance since 2004 and never a Western Conference championship) is tied to not having an extraordinary talent evaluator leading the basketball front office. While it’s no easy task to hire a talent-finding savant, it can be done—with the Golden State Warriors organization a showcase example.

The Warriors are the favorites to advance through the playoffs and win a fourth NBA title in five years. Their stars include forward-center Draymond Green who was a second round draft choice. Point guard Steph Curry, a perennial league MVP, was available to the Wolves in the 2009 NBA Draft but instead Minnesota chose Jonny Flynn who washed out early in his NBA Career.

The San Antonio Spurs have made the playoffs for 22 consecutive years behind the leadership of general manager R.C. Buford and head coach Gregg Popovich. Their cagey personnel moves include finding future hall of famers and international players Tony Parker (late first round) and Manu Ginobili (late second). They also prioritized Kawhi Leonard, making a trade to choose him in the middle of the first round. After Leonard became one of the top five players in the NBA he decided last year he wanted to move on. In a single offseason Buford and Popovich rebuilt the roster and starting lineup with no-names and surprisingly got the Spurs into this spring’s playoffs.

Wolves fans can only hope the new basketball boss will be special at recognizing talent that others undervalue, or perhaps don’t even recognize.

The Gophers’ Amir Coffey needs to impress at the NBA G League Elite Camp, a three-day tryout for NBA Draft hopefuls in Chicago May 12-14. Those who impress enough will be invited to the NBA Draft Combine (also in Chicago) May 14-19. The Gopher junior wing has until 5 p.m. on June 10 to withdraw his name for the June 20 NBA Draft and still retain eligibility to play for Minnesota next season.

The Twins, leading the AL Central with a 18-10 record, have defeated four former Cy Young pitchers this season, Jake Arrieta, Jacob deGrom, Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander.

Jim Kaat will offer game analysis along with play-by-play partner Dick Bremer on the Fox Sports North telecasts of the Twins-Yankees weekend games in New York. Kaat’s insights have for years made him one of the best analysts ever to work big league baseball telecasts.

Twins general manager Thad Levine is impressed with the work of first-season pitching coach Wes Johnson who since last year has transitioned from the University of Arkansas to the major leagues. Levine refers to Johnson as a “tireless worker” who will partner with pitchers to find strategies and approaches that work.

Rob Fornasiere, the ex-assistant head coach for Gophers baseball who retired last year, misses the relationships he had. “One thing I don’t miss are the cold (spring) games,” he said.

Fornasiere has formed his own company with endeavors that include evaluations of other college baseball programs, mostly on the Division II and III levels.

Brandon Zylstra, the New London-Spicer alum who joined the Vikings as a wide receiver last year, gives free autographs from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 11 at HQ at Eden Prairie Center.

Next Monday is the deadline for reservations to attend the Thursday, May 9 CORES luncheon featuring Pete Bercich at the Bloomington Event Center, 1114 American Blvd. The former Viking linebacker is a game analyst on radio for his former team, and he is also head football coach at Hill-Murray. For reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

Expectations are that the Vikings-Chiefs game will create extra buzz in Kansas City on November 3 because this is the 50th anniversary of the Vikings and Chiefs teams who advanced to the 1970 Super Bowl. That 23-7 Chiefs win was the last between the NFL and AFL.

Golden Gophers football historian Doug Addison points out it was 50 years ago this year that Judge Dickson had a prestigious White House Fellowship. Dickson, now retired from a long career as a lawyer for IBM, was a prominent halfback on Minnesota’s 1960 national championship team.

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April Maybe Memorable for Saunders

Posted on April 11, 2019April 11, 2019 by David Shama

Ryan Saunders turns 33 on April 28. By then he might have the interim tag removed from his title as the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach. Being named the NBA club’s bench boss might be the best present of his life, but will it happen?

Owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners last month he hadn’t interviewed anyone else to be the head coach. Taylor was definitely pro-Saunders several weeks ago.

“…I am hopeful that it all works out for Ryan because I like him as a person particularly, and I want all our people (in the organization) to be successful,” Taylor said in a March 10 Sports Headliners column.

In a recent interview Saunders couldn’t have been more emphatic about wanting to continue as coach. “Absolutely, absolutely,” he told Sports Headliners. “…Hopefully be here for a long time.”

The Timberwolves announced the promotion of Saunders to interim head coach in early January, replacing the fired Tom Thibodeau. Saunders was on Thibodeau’s staff and had worked in the NBA since 2009 but no one had offered him an NBA head coaching position before.

The opportunity to become Minnesota’s interim head coach happened quickly in January. Before accepting the promotion he sought input from the “most important people” in his life including family members. He also thought about Taylor who he had known for a long time and been comfortable with. “There’s nothing like breaking into your first coaching job in that situation,” Saunders said about Taylor.

Since taking over the team Saunders has compiled a record of 17 wins and 25 losses while directing a Wolves team that ended its season last night with an overall record of 36-46. He acknowledged the team’s play has been one of “ups and downs.” Under his direction the Wolves never won more than three consecutive games and they had one five-game losing streak.

Because of injuries the Wolves didn’t come close to their potential and that makes it more difficult to evaluate Saunders’ performance. Major contributors Robert Covington, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague missed over 100 combined games. Saunders found himself starting players (and adding others to the roster) that wasn’t part of the plan.

Losing left him very frustrated. “The food doesn’t taste as good (following defeats),” he said. “You don’t sleep as well. …One thing my dad did a great job of was he was able to fail quickly, and what I mean by that is he was able to move on quickly and really focus on what needed to be done the next day.”

Flip Saunders (photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves)

Saunders’ father, the late Flip Saunders, was the franchise’s president of basketball operations and head coach at the time of his death in 2015. If Flip could critique his son’s work this winter and spring, what might he say Ryan’s performance?

“I’d say he’d be pretty proud and impressed with the way things have gone so far, based on the number of different obstacles. But I’d say he’d tell me to not take the losses so hard,” Ryan said. “…Enjoy the process.”

Ryan became the NBA’s youngest head coach in 40 years when Taylor promoted him. Saunders has shown a willingness to listen, including to older voices. He communicates regularly with the Wolves owner, whom he refers to as “Mr. Taylor.” He added Jerry Sichting, 62, as an assistant coach after he became interim head coach.

Saunders also hired veteran NBA authority Randy Wittman who was head coach of the Wizards five years ago when Ryan was an assistant in Washington. He refers to Wittman as a consultant who provides “an outside set of eyes on things,” offering ideas and acting as a “sounding board.”

“He’s just been a great help to me,” Saunders said about the 59-year old Wittman, who was head coach of the Timberwolves for all or parts of three seasons starting in January of 2007.

A coach can fairly be evaluated over a duration of 12 months, a period that includes offseason work with players, teaching during training camp and coaching a full season of games. Saunders has a reputation for player development and that skill will be needed in working with a roster that might not be talented enough to make the playoffs next year.

The team’s major asset, of course, is Karl-Anthony Towns, the 23-year-old NBA All-Star center. When Saunders thinks about his offense, he wants a balanced approach that includes pushing tempo but not ignoring a “dynamic post player like Karl” who needs to regularly be given the basketball near the basket. “We have a special talent in Karl that we play through,” Saunders said.

At times the Wolves have been among the worst NBA teams defensively. During a six-game stretch this winter the club gave up 120 points or more each time out, with opponents four times scoring 130 or more. As of yesterday, only five of the NBA’s 30 teams were giving up more points per game than Minnesota at 114.2, per Foxsports.com. Saunders said establishing a “defensive identity” will be priority no. 1 in training camp.

Saunders is a communicator who is enthusiastic and positive. He’s already a basketball lifer who relates well to people and is a product of “Minnesota nice,” having been born and raised in suburban Minneapolis. He seems like a coach players want to play for. But is he demanding enough to get the most out of the players?

Saunders could answer that question somewhat this offseason and for sure next season during a full schedule of 82 games, but one thing that could derail his promotion to permanent head coach is the front office situation. Scott Layden is the general manager now, but he is a carryover from the Thibodeau era when Thibs was not only the coach but president of basketball operations. Taylor announced yesterday he will hire a new president, and that could certainly impact the security of both Layden and Saunders. With new leadership in the front office, Taylor will have to decide whether to allow the president to choose the coach, or strongly suggest Saunders should be the choice.

Even if Saunders isn’t made the permanent head coach, it seems likely given his relationship with the owner and his popularity in the organization, he would be offered a position to continue on with the Timberwolves. However, that’s not the best news he could have around his birthday.

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