David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wolves Rosas Watch Offers Intrigue

Posted on June 6, 2019June 6, 2019 by David Shama

It’s going to be an interesting June and summer observing new Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas.

Rosas is on record about being aggressive and creative in running the Minnesota NBA franchise that has one playoff appearance since 2004. “One thing I’ll bring from Houston is we’re going to question the norm with everything that we do,” Rosas said at his news conference last month.

By reputation and appearance, Rosas is a confident and determined leader. “He thinks he is the smartest guy in the room,” said an NBA source who asked that his name not be used.

Northing wrong with being the “brightest bulb” in the organization, but that indicates Rosas is likely to have his imprint all over a franchise which again missed the playoffs in 2019. The source mentioned above and others believe Rosas, the former Houston Rockets vice president now in his first all-powerful assignment leading an NBA club, will be giving strong direction to everyone with the Wolves including 33-year-old head coach Ryan Saunders. It’s expected Rosas will have plenty to say about who are Saunders’ assistant coaches with vacancies already in place.

The Wolves have an NBA All-Star for the next 10 years in 23-year-old versatile center Karl-Anthony-Towns who impacts games at both ends of the floor. Despite a heavy payroll expected to pinch NBA salary cap restrictions, the rest of the team’s roster is nothing special and includes liabilities.

Rosas has personnel work to do starting with the June 20 NBA Draft where, other than center, the Wolves can benefit from selecting potential contributors in the first and second rounds. Rosas is known for his analytics background and maybe that experience will help him identify undervalued talent when the Wolves draft at No. 11 and No. 43 in the first and second rounds respectively.

Rosas’ expected aggressive style may result in draft night trades that could see his club changing positions in the selection process. Also, trades involving existing NBA players seem more than a possibility as the weeks progress from summer toward fall. It’s certainly plausible the club wants to move mediocre veterans Jeff Teague and Gorgui Dieng, who are among the more expensive players on the payroll.

After Towns, the Wolves have the most contract money tied up in 24-year-old Andrew Wiggins who was the first player chosen in the 2014 NBA Draft. Wiggins has been mostly disappointing during his Wolves career but the trade market might be too limited and club officials still too intrigued by his potential for Minnesota to give up on him this summer.

A smart move by coaches could be to give Wiggins a long look in training camp and early in the season at shooting guard. He has often been a small forward in his Wolves career but at 6-foot-8 and with superb athleticism, he might effectively exploit smaller defenders at shooting guard. The NBA mantra is take advantage of individual mismatches and the Wolves could be sitting on an opportunity with Wiggins who also needs to become more aggressive on the floor.

Almost six years ago the Dallas Mavericks hired Rosas as their general manager, reporting to the team’s head of basketball operations and owner. A few months later Rosas went back to the Rockets for reasons that are mostly unknown other than reportedly having differences with the Mavericks top decision makers.

This time there is no one above Rosas in the basketball department. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, one of the real gentlemen in the NBA, is most likely an easier guy to work for than flamboyant Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Still, the brief 2013 tenure of Rosas in Dallas just adds a bit of intrigue to the Rosas watch in Minneapolis this summer.

Worth Noting

A CBSsports.com article yesterday said an “advanced computer model” forecasts “under 9 wins” for the Vikings next season. The offensive line is seen as a major liability.

Timberwolves reserve forward Anthony Tolliver will be inducted into the Creighton University Athletics Hall of Fame August 24 in Omaha.

Mark Lundgren, the former Golden Valley football coach, remembers attending college at UMD when the Green Bay Packers trained there. After practice a crowd of young fans were waiting for the Packers players, hoping for autographs. Lundgren said a couple of the pricier Packers avoided the kids but not classy quarterback Bart Starr who spent about two hours greeting them and giving autographs. Starr, who died last month, was a hero’s hero—a great player, a better person.

University of Minnesota athletics director Mark Coyle, speaking at a Gopher fan event this week, said his program is No. 6 in the current Directors’ Cup standings that each academic year ranks the top performing NCAA sports programs across the country.

Talking at the same event, basketball coach Richard Pitino said the Gophers program hasn’t had a player drafted by the NBA since 2004. “We don’t want to be known for those records,” Pitino said.

Pitino is optimistic about his incoming recruiting class and said it’s been ranked as high as fourth best in the Big Ten. Among those getting attention is Isaiah Ihnen from Germany who is ranked a top 100 player. “I think if Isaiah were in the States he would probably be more like a top 50 recruit,” Pitino said. “That’s how talented he is.”

The Gophers have one more scholarship available for next season and speculation is it could go to North Texas transfer Ryan Woolridge, a guard who as a junior averaged 11.7 points, six rebounds and five assists last season. He would be expected to provide immediate impact next fall.

Paul Bunyan’s Axe was on display at the fan event held at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska. The Gopher football team defeated Wisconsin to win the rivalry trophy last fall for the first time since 2003. It was also Minnesota’s first victory in Madison since 1994.

The Badgers have been among the elite programs in the Big Ten for years and when Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck spoke to the crowd at the Arboretum he made a bold statement about the surprise win in Madison. “Because that game, in my opinion, set the entire tone for the next two, three decades of Gopher football,” said the 38-year-old coach whose team beat the Badgers 37-15 and then defeated Georgia Tech 34-10 in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Fleck has verbal commitments for future recruiting classes that he referenced in front of the fans including the 2021 group that lists 247Sports four-star quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis from Illinois. That three-man 2021 class has been ranked so far as No. 4 in the nation by 247Sports.

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Amir Coffey’s Future a Mystery

Posted on June 4, 2019June 4, 2019 by David Shama

A pro basketball source who didn’t want his name printed was asked about the chances of Amir Coffey being selected in the second round of the June 20 NBA Draft.

“Slim,” he replied.

Coffey announced last week he will forego his senior season of eligibility with the University of Minnesota to play pro basketball. It might be that Coffey’s next basketball team will be part of the NBA’s player development league, or playing professionally overseas.

The source, whose career experiences include college and pro basketball, is unsure if Coffey will receive a free agent offer from an NBA club and then an assignment to the G League. His thinking is that if Coffey has the option of choosing between the development league and overseas, it’s to his benefit to be in the United States where he will be more visible to NBA franchises.

Coffey, 6-foot-8 and about 205 pounds while in college, is a multi-positional player who was among the Big Ten’s best in March, but during three seasons with the Golden Gophers he didn’t show consistent outside shooting including three point scoring. “If you don’t shoot the three-pointer (well), it’s hard in today’s NBA,” the source said.

Coffey has been training for a couple of months for a pro career. He has received feedback from NBA evaluators who didn’t invite him to the prestigious NBA Draft Combine last month in Chicago involving 66 draft eligible prospects.

“I think he has a chance (of being drafted). He’s doing really well in the workouts,” Gopher coach Richard Pitino said last night at a U fan event. “Obviously, he is 6-8, he is skilled (and) so we’re rooting for him.”

Neither Coffey, nor Reid Travis, another Minnesota native, is predicted to be drafted in either the first or second round by Nbadraft.net. The Timberwolves are projected to select North Carolina small forward Nassir Little with their No. 11 selection.

Worth Noting

That website’s mock draft for next year has Duke’s Tre Jones projected as the No. 28 selection on the first round, but incoming Blue Devils teammate and fellow Minnesotan Matthew Hurt isn’t included among the first or second picks.

Hurt will be a freshman this fall while Jones returns to Duke for his sophomore season. Hurt’s absence in the mock draft didn’t surprise the pro basketball source mentioned above who believes the former Rochester John Marshall five-star recruit must fill out his 6-foot-9 frame (about 215 pounds) and become stronger.

Kevin Warren is a history maker. He became the NFL’s first African-American Chief Operating Officer with the Vikings, and today in a surprise announcement was introduced as the sixth commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.

Minnesota Wild goalie Alex Stalock and Canterbury Park race caller and KFAN radio personality Paul Allen are among the owners of the filly One Famous Ocean who will race in Canterbury’s $57,000 Gopher State Derby on June 8. She qualified for the Derby by running the third fastest time in late May quarter horse trials involving 34 three year olds.

Bud Grant’s annual garage sale starts at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and he guarantees that at age 92 this will be his last. He gave that promise and other details on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle show Sunday. The sale is at his Bloomington home, 8134 Oakmere Road, and is expected to continue into Thursday and Friday.

Former Gophers tight end turned professional singer Ben Utecht performs the best of Andy Williams October 11 and 12 at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.

The Twins were No. 2 behind the Astros last week in ESPN.com’s power rankings of MLB clubs. What single move could take Minnesota to No. 1?

The signing of star closer and free agent Craig Kimbrel is perhaps the surest answer if he could approximate past performance after a spring of game inactivity. He won’t come cheap but his signing will give credence to the longstanding contention of Twins executives that the Pohlad family is willing to spend big money when the situation is right.

It’s a good guess the Twins will be announcing all tickets are sold for the three-game celebration of Joe Mauer’s career June 14-16, with standing room a likely bet for the June 15 game when his jersey is retired.

Trevor Larnach, the Twins’ first-round draft selection a year ago, is the Florida State League Offensive Player of the Week, according to an article yesterday by Sam Dykstra with Mlb.com. He was 10 for 20 with hits including two home runs, two doubles and seven hits during the period of May 27-June 2 playing for Class A Advanced Fort Myers.

Former Gophers Big Ten championship basketball coach Jim Dutcher was honored recently by Alpena (Michigan) Community College where he coached early in his career. Dutcher, who turned 86 in April, was named Alpena’s 2019 Fellow of the College.

WCCO Radio Sports Huddle show co-host Dave Mona, along with his wife Linda Mona, are promoting another Camden’s Concert and looking for on-site and online auction items. Among items already secured are tickets to the Vikings-Packers game at Lambeau Field September 15. Auction suggestions can be sent to l.mona@creativeenvironments.net. Country western singer and song writer Suzy Bogguss will entertain at the July 16 concert at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Money raised from the concert helps research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

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Falvey & Levine Nice Fit for Twins

Posted on June 2, 2019June 2, 2019 by David Shama

Falvey & Levine could be the names on the front door of a small law firm. Instead they are the baseball bosses of the Minnesota Twins, and the name of one is seldom mentioned without the other.

“They are a true partnership,” club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners.

It was St. Peter and Twins owner Jim Pohlad who hired Derek Falvey as chief baseball officer and Thad Levine as general manager in the fall of 2016. Falvey came from the Cleveland Indians where he first began his baseball career in 2007 and rose to the level of assistant general manager (the club was in the 2016 World Series). Levine, by contrast, worked for multiple baseball organizations including the Texas Rangers where his title was assistant GM for 11 seasons prior to arriving in Minneapolis.

St. Peter said Falvey repeatedly emphasized during his interview process how important it was to hire the right general manager. While Falvey and Levine knew each other, they weren’t close before coming to the Twins, but there was potential chemistry between the two.

“I think from the very minute he and I got on the phone together, we realized we had a much stronger rapport than we would have ever expected,” Levine told Sports Headliners. “And I think we both walked in the door with pretty limited egos and with a real team-first mentality, and I think that’s allowed for us to co-exist in a very positive way.

“I also think we came from very different backgrounds. The way that the Cleveland Indians built a championship organization was different from the way the Texas Rangers built a championship organization.

“So I think at this stage of our careers we’re both very desirous of learning and contributing concurrently. I think being able to draw on each other’s respective backgrounds and experiences has allowed for us to learn a lot from one another, but also (provide) a forum for us to contribute.”

After last season’s 78-84 record, the Twins have turned a lot of heads this spring while playing some of the best baseball in either the American or National Leagues. Their .684 winning percentage today is the best in the majors and they hold a 10.5 game lead in the AL Central Division over the second place Indians. The Twins, 39-18, have been so consistent they have yet to lose more than two consecutive games.

Falvey and Levine have added impact players to the roster like DH Nelson Cruz, first baseman C. J. Cron, and second baseman Jonathan Schoop, and pitchers such as Jake Odorizzi and Martin Perez. The two executives have also changed managers and coaches who have positively impacted player development. Manager Rocco Baldelli, hitting coach James Rowson and pitching coach Wes Johnson (promoted from college coaching) look like A+ hires so far.

St. Peter, Falvey and Levine will be the first to say there are many contributors in the organization that have stirred such promise to this young season for the Twins. But Falvey and Levine are the organization’s baseball bosses so the leadership and decision making begins with them.

St. Peter said much of what Falvey and Levine do each day is working together on a sizeable list of the same responsibilities. Asked to be more specific, St. Peter offered that Falvey may spend more time on research and development, and analytics than his GM, with Levine looking more at scouting and player development than his colleague. “They work incredibly well together,” St. Peter said.

In any workplace it’s important that people not only have skills but also learn to work effectively with one another. St. Peter said Falvey and Levine have been just a “wonderful one-two punch” who collaborate, complement and challenge each other.

“I just love working with them,” St. Peter said. “They’re both just really fun individuals. Smart (and) they challenge me.

“They’ve been everything we could have hoped for from a character perspective in terms of the respect that they bring, the way they treat people, (and) just the way they interact with the organization. There’s a lot of Twins culture that’s rubbed off on them, and they’ve obviously impacted the Twins culture in other ways that’s made us a better organization.”

Observers who watch Falvey and Levine from a distance are impressed by what seems to be a genuine liking for one another. “It’s very authentic,” Levine said. “What you see in the public is what you see in private.”

Of course, two individuals as talented and driven as the two Twins baseball bosses don’t always agree on everything but their liking and respect for each other and the organization apparently sets a tone that keeps them on track.

“When I wake up in the morning, I am excited to get in my car to come to work,” Levine said. “…I feel blessed to be able to say that because I get to work with people I respect—who have my best interest at heart and who are trying to push me, and who are very close friends.

“And…I have a very great family life. So I feel very blessed to be in the position I am today.”

Falvey is only 36 years old. Levine, at 47, has a lot of his baseball career ahead, too. St. Peter knows it’s his job to keep them with the Minnesota organization as long as possible. That could definitely be a challenge with the success the franchise is having and the recognition that will be coming for Falvey and Levine. Other MLB owners could come knocking and soon, and perhaps targeting Levine since on the organizational chart he ranks No. 2 in the front office. But for now the two have a partnership in Minnesota, almost seemingly joined at the hip as “twins.”

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