KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS – Page 4 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Gold Medal Growth Opportunity for Wolves’ ‘Ant’

Posted on August 6, 2024August 7, 2024 by David Shama

Anthony Edwards and his U.S. Olympic men’s basketball teammates stayed undefeated at the Paris games this afternoon. Edwards, who had a second best on the team 17 points, helped the Americans run their record to 4-0 with their 122-87 win over Brazil. The U.S. advances to the semifinals in Thursday’s game against Serbia as the Americans pursue Olympic gold.

Edwards—who scored most of his points today in the second half in a one-sided game from early on—was coming off a 26-point game last week when he led the U.S. in scoring in a 104-83 victory against Puerto Rico. Edwards, who made six of 10 field goals today including three of seven three-pointers. trailed only Devin Booker’s 18 points on the U.S. team.

The Timberwolves’ 23-year-old shooting guard is thought to be on the verge of superstardom, if not there already. Edwards was named All-NBA for the first time in his career earlier this year. He made the all-league second team after averaging a career-high 25.9 points per game on a career-best 46.1 percent shooting. He averaged 5.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.1 assists, becoming the first player in franchise history to average 25+ points/5+ rebounds/5+ assists in a season.

Edwards has expressed confidence that he can contribute in big moments, including at the Olympics where so far he is the American team’s leading scorer. “His confidence is something that fuels him, to be quite honest with you,” Wolves coach Chris Finch told Sports Headliners earlier this summer.

Anthony Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

The Olympics are a superb “summer lab” for Edwards to polish his skills and improve his maturity as he prepares for his fifth NBA season this fall. Although Edwards is coming off the bench for the U.S. team, coach Steve Kerr is liberally dividing up playing time so that his uber-talented and deep roster provides most players with double digit time on the floor. Today Edwards played a team leading 20 minutes, 53 seconds.

The competitiveness in practices and games at the Olympics is certainly an opportunity for Edwards to take the “next step.” In the playoffs last spring he had superb games but also moments where both his decision-making and stamina lagged.

Being around consummate veterans like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will show Edwards how they handle big moments on a big stage. It is also a setting for Edwards to see how they handle themselves off the court—an environment that sometimes has been challenging for him since the Wolves drafted him No. 1 overall in 2020.

Two years ago this September, Edwards was fined $40,000 by the NBA for anti-gay remarks he made in an Instagram post. After an April 2023 incident in Denver when Edwards recklessly swung a chair that hit two bystanders as he exited the court, he was fined $50,000 by the league.

There have been other issues that have impacted his reputation, too. Whether he can put further problems behind him will be interesting as he leads the Wolves, a team whose leadership he took over last season from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Edwards seemingly benefited from international play last offseason when he played for the U.S. Men’s FIBA World’s team. He led the U.S. in scoring at 18.9 points per game and minutes (25.9) as the Americans placed fourth in the tournament. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals.

Chris Finch: ‘Garza Very Potent Offensive Player’

Luka Garza has played minimal minutes in his three seasons in the NBA, including two with the Timberwolves where he’s a fan favorite because of his offensive efficiency, work ethic and ties to the Big Ten via the University of Iowa. Garza, a 6-foot-10 center-forward who averaged a career-low 4.9 minutes per game last season and 8.9 minutes over three seasons, has been an emergency back up during his short pro career. But he has shown enough promise to earn his best contract after signing a two-year deal with Minnesota last month that Spotrac.com reports guarantees him $2,162,606 for 2024-2025.

Garza’s deep on the bench status won’t change next season unless injuries impact the front court roster. Finch will remind a listener that things can happen over the course of a long season.

“I don’t see him like right off the bat being in our rotation, but, again, you never know how these things work out,” Finch said. “Couple years ago, I didn’t see Naz Reid in our rotation either.”

Reid, a power forward, was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season. An undrafted free agent in 2019 out of LSU, Reid began his career with a two-way contract and developed into an impact scorer off the bench for Minnesota.

Garza knows about two-way deals (meaning a player can be sent to the developmental NBA G League and earn minimal money) but when given the opportunity with the G League Iowa Wolves or Minnesota, he has produced points. In a late season rout of the Raptors last spring, he scored 16 points for the Wolves, making seven of 10 shots in 9:28 of playing time. That was the most points in under 10 minutes by a Wolves player since James Robinson had 23 points in 9:35 minutes on the court.

“He is a very potent offensive player,” Finch said. “He can score from all ranges, (including) his three-point shot. He’s got an old school back to the basket game. One thing we love about him is he can really punish switches.”

When a smaller player has to switch on to the 245-pound Garza, the likelihood is more points for the Wolves. He has a deft shooting touch near and away from the basket.

But there’s more to Garza’s success offensively. There is his determination to play with effort including trying to beat the defense down the floor for a layup or dunk.

Garza’s work ethic, drive, good soldier reputation and perhaps even bench cheer leading is part of the reason he’s stuck in the NBA, initially arriving as a second-round pick by the Pistons and now with guaranteed money in Minneapolis. He played in 25 games, averaging four points on 48 percent shooting, along with 1.2 rebounds and 0.2 assists last season.

“He certainly could be a double-digit scorer in the league if given the minutes and opportunity to do so,” Finch said. “The key for Luka being a rotation player is always going to be his ability to guard in pick and roll (situations) and defensive rebound.”

Garza has worked on improving his footwork and other skills that can make him a better player, including defensively. That improvement is clear to those who watch him closely, but it will always be true that his impact is most evident offensively.

“…When Luka comes on the floor we make a conscious effort to get him the ball,” Finch said. “It doesn’t matter who he is playing with or against.”

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Coach Confident about Wolves Paying Luxury Tax

Posted on July 23, 2024July 23, 2024 by David Shama

The controlling ownership of the Timberwolves is in dispute, but head coach Chris Finch told Sports Headliners he’s optimistic about the organization’s willingness to pay the NBA luxury tax to retain core players and add talent.

“I am extremely confident everyone (among key players) is back. We’re very fortunate to have our top seven players under contract,” Finch said. ‘We’re coming off a great season. We have strong team identity —which we’re looking forward to being able to add to, not detract from.”

That was evidenced on NBA Draft night last month when the Wolves acquired the No. 8 overall selection in the first round from the Spurs by giving up future draft picks. Minnesota used the lottery pick to take Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham. The higher selection increased the franchise’s expected luxury tax by millions of dollars, with Sportrac.com now reporting the luxury tax amount for next season at $105.6 million.

The luxury tax will, of course, be on top of reportedly at least $196 million for next season in committed salaries. “Yes, Glen (Taylor) and ownership have been extremely generous in their willingness to support this roster and the opportunity I think this roster has,” Finch said. “That was evident by our ability to be aggressive on draft night to move up. That doesn’t happen unless you have ownership’s backing.”

Ownership of the Wolves and Lynx is in flux with the legal dispute between long time majority owner Taylor and the Marc Lore, Alex Rodriquez, Michael Bloomberg group. A resolution is expected by fall, with perhaps a vote by NBA owners deciding the matter.

Unconfirmed reports last spring speculated the potential new majority owners wanted to slash payroll, resulting in reduced luxury tax imposed by the league. For now, Taylor remains the majority owner and apparently is willing to pay the tax for exceeding the league tax threshold of $170,814,000.

The organization’s willingness to spend additional monies is sweet music to long suffering Wolves fans. The team is coming off a 56-26 regular season where Minnesota won the second most games in franchise history. The Wolves advanced to the Western Conference playoff finals for only the second time in their history and first time in 20 years.

Minnesota will enter next season among the favored teams to win the NBA championship. “..We have every opportunity to punch through and be considered among those teams,” Finch said after noting the last six titles have been won by six different franchises.

The Wolves return starters Mike Conley Jr., Jaden Daniels, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. Rounding out the top seven are Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander- Walker.

Towns, among the team’s veterans at age 28, will earn one of the NBA’s top salaries next season at $49,350,000, per ESPN.com. His uber talent as a 7-foot combo power forward-center is undeniable but his inconsistency and pricey paycheck have made him a subject of trade speculation if the basketball front office led by Tim Connelly is told to reduce payroll.

Finch (no surprise) is a KAT supporter and agreed with the suggestion he is underappreciated in this market. “Absolutely. KAT is a phenomenal player,” he said.

Finch also said KAT had a “great season” and is among the team’s most important and impactful players. More than anyone, the coach said, KAT was willing to take the lead role in making the partnership work between himself and 7-foot-1 center Rudy Gobert. The two put to rest a lot of the criticism and skepticism regarding whether “Twin Towers” could play together and help fuel a winning season.

“That, plus, I thought he (KAT) had… outstanding playoffs,” Finch said. “He had a lot of really…under the radar games that were important. He took the match up of (the Suns’ Kevin) Durant, he took the match up of (the Nuggets’ Nikola) Jokic. These are things that normally you wouldn’t have thought in the past that someone would ask of KAT, and in doing so has made a huge impact on our ability to win.”

The 19-year-old Dillingham, who only played one season at Kentucky before entering the NBA Draft, shows promise of being a major contributor off the bench. He has the kind of potential and rookie salary that the Wolves likely couldn’t afford with a similarly talented free agent or traded for player.

On Sunday, in the Wolves’ last Summer League game in Las Vegas, the 6-foot- 3 Dillingham had 25 points and 12 assists in a win over the Magic. He averaged 13.6 points, while Terrence Shannon Jr., who the Wolves selected at No. 27 in the NBA Draft, averaged 13.3.

“They both have NBA skillsets, NBA athleticism, speed and we’re excited about both of them,” Finch said. “And we’re excited about our other young players that haven’t had a chance yet. Josh Minott, Leonard Miller—these guys have an opportunity to earn minutes, too.”

Shannon, a 6-6 guard-forward, shares a skill with Dillingham of successful slashing to the basket. Both could provide valuable scoring off the bench next season, with Finch noting “they have a nose for putting the ball in the basket.” Minott and Miller, both forwards, have intrigued the Wolves with their talents since being added to the roster two years and one year ago respectively.

Finch expects Dillingham and Shannon to play extensive minutes in preseason games. Whether they can average double-digit minutes on the floor during the regular season will depend on understanding the team system and philosophy and executing. Finch added there are “non-negotiables” the coaching staff isn’t willing to accept and added “the first thing they gotta do, like any young player, is make sure they’re not hurting the team.”

There’s a “currency of trust” players must earn. Finch said his rookies will have to improve as the season progresses to achieve that trust.

Finch also said the Wolves not only like Dillingham and Shannon as players and also like their character. He believes they can handle the ups and downs of what awaits them as they start their pro careers.

As with all his players, Finch’s to-do list includes developing a one-on-one relationship with the two first round rookies. Let them know what’s expected and what they need to do.

Some of the relationship building comes away from basketball. “We try to meet them where they are,” Finch said. “We try to get comfortable with them. Who are the people in their lives? … And things they like to do off the floor. They’re all-important things that we need to know about them and learn. The best way to do that is learn them in a casual, comfortable environment.”

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Shocker! Cam Christie First-Rounder…to Timberwolves?

Posted on June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 by David Shama

When Golden Gophers freshman guard Cam Christie, who averaged 11.3 points per game last season, announced this spring he was exploring interest in being drafted by the NBA, Minnesota fans proclaimed this a too soon endeavor. The opinion from this keyboard was the smooth shooting 6-foot-5 Christie could be worthy of a second-round selection in the June 26 and 27 NBA Draft, and it was logical to declare his interest in turning pro.

Now the breaking news: Mock drafts this from FanSided and The Athletic have the NBA champion Celtics taking the 18-year-old on the 30^th and last pick of the first round. Yahoo can top that, predicting he will be selected by the Timberwolves with their No. 27 spot in the first round.

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” a former Big Ten coach told Sports Headliners. “He’s a good offensive player.”

Christie was second on the team in scoring to Dawson Garcia’s 17.6 points per game. Christie made .403 percent of his field goals, .393 of three pointers while playing in 33 games and being named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team.

As Christie has advanced through the pre-draft evaluation process, he has been a fast riser among prospects. “He’s a scoring threat and a guy that’s going to get better,” the authority quoted above said, not wanting his name published.

At less than 200 pounds, Christie needs to add muscle as he matures and that will help him defensively where he has the overall athleticism to defend successfully. But it’s his height, fluid shooting stroke, shot making skill at various distances and ability to drive to the basket that present an intriguing offensive package.

Given his youth and inexperience, Christie at best might play five or 10 minutes per game as a rookie. “He is not going to set the league on fire,” the source said.

Karl-Anthony Towns photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves.

That authority believes the Wolves need to help themselves in the offseason with additional scoring. He pointed out that when adequate production wasn’t there from Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves often had scoring problems. A bad offensive night from Towns, the team’s second leading scorer after Edwards, was particularly troublesome.

Management will have to figure out in the offseason how to produce more consistent offense, whether that comes from development of players on the current roster, acquisition of experienced scorers or via the draft.

Another obvious need is point-guard where starter Mike Conley is 36 years old. He played at a high level in the 2023-2024 breakthrough season for the Wolves but fewer minutes and susceptibility to injuries hangs over the future.

The Wolves, if they want to prioritize point guard in the first round, could target Marquette senior All-American Tyler Kolek. No guarantee he will be available at No. 27, but the 6-foot-1, 197-pound Rhode Island native is not projected to be a top 15 to 18 pick. He brings Conley-like qualities to the NBA including decision making, poise and pick and roll efficiency. He’s unselfish, tough and can make shots and passes under physical and mental duress.

The Wolves have the No. 37 selection in the second round and could further address their guard-wing needs as discussed with Christie and Kolek. A surprise availability for Minnesota might be uber-athletic scorer Terrence Shannon from Illinois. The 6-6, 219-pound Shannon can shoot outside, is a terrific slasher and has all the skills to be superb defensively. His off-court legal problems have been cleared up but would suspicious teams back off his first-round talent and let him slide into the second round?

That’s a long shot of Shannon being available at No.37. But raise your hand if you saw Christie being projected days before the draft as a first rounder?

Worth Noting

The Twins, 41-32 and 4.5 games behind the Guardians, have won eight of their last 10 games. Minnesota has a 39.6 percent chance of winning the AL Central and 78.7 percent likelihood of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs.

With Twins supporters still annoyed about the club not spending money last season to retain pitching ace Sonny Gray, ownership could juice positive feelings with ticket buyers if they acquire a solid pitcher or position player prior to the July 30 trade deadline.

Baseball’s better teams? Minnesota is a combined 1-16 against the Dodgers, Guardians, Orioles and Yankees. The lone victory coming over the Dodgers.

Twins great Joe Mauer will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum July 21 in Cooperstown, New York but sadly neither of the two men who taught him so much about baseball while growing up in St. Paul will be present. Grandpa Jake Mauer died in 2020, while Mauer’s dad, Jake Jr., passed in 2023.

It won’t surprise authorities familiar with corporate sponsorships if hometown Target doesn’t renew naming rights deals with Target Center and Target Field when they expire. Priorities and cultures change over the years.

Before the Twins’ baseball stadium was named, this writer’s idea was: Wheaties Field.

Athlon Sports College Football magazine, an early arrival on newsstands, names Golden Gophers senior tackle Aireontae Ersery to its second team All-American offense. Phil Steele publications has the 6-6, 325 pound Ersery on its All-American third team.

Ersery, who Athlon lists on its All-Big Ten first team, started all 13 games for Minnesota in his junior season. The AP named him first team All-Big Ten.

Gopher kicker Dragan Kesich, who is on the Phil Steele All-American fourth team, is first team All-Big for Athlon. The magazine, which rates the Minnesota offensive line the fourth best in the Big Ten, ranks the Gophers No. 55 in the nation, predicts they will finish 12^th in the Big Ten and projects a Guaranteed Rate Bowl matchup in Phoenix against Texas Tech.

Hazeltine National Golf Club, which hosts the U.S. Amateur August 12-18, has fulfilled the vision of more than 60 years ago that club founder Totton Heffelfinger and his colleagues had to bring the biggest of golf events to this area. Hazeltine has hosted every premier tournament of the PGA and USGA. It’s the only facility in the country to twice host the Ryder Cup (2016 and 2029).

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