Community Shootaround: Timberwolves’ Playoff Chances
The Timberwolves entered the 2017/18 campaign with dreams of making the playoffs for the first time in thirteen years after acquiring Jimmy Butler in a draft day trade. The team made the playoffs with the help of Butler and youngsters Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, but were eliminated by the Western Conference Champion Rockets in the First Round.
This offseason, Minnesota drafted rookies Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop to help sure up the team’s bench for the upcoming season. The team also recently signed veteran Luol Deng, but there has been no promise of playing time for the former Bull and Laker.
The Wolves also re-signed Derrick Rose and replaced Nemanja Bjelica with Anthony Tolliver in free agency, but lost bench stalwart Jamal Crawford. All that said, the biggest impediment to the Wolves making the playoffs for a second straight year will likely be the increased power of the Western Conference, with the Lakers adding LeBron James and the Nuggets a trendy pick to nab a playoff spot this season.
Additionally, the Wolves have been rumored to have some off-the-court chemistry issues, with Butler reportedly frustrated with some of the younger players perceived nonchalance and lack of toughness and Towns yet to sign a maximum contract extension offer.
ESPN’s Power Rankings currently put the Wolves’ as only the 10th strongest team in the Western Conference behind the aforementioned Lakers and Nuggets and other 7 playoff teams from last season.
So today we’re asking you, will the Minnesota Timberwolves make the 2018/19 NBA Playoffs? If so, who won’t? If not, who is going to take their place?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Grizzlies’ Bickerstaff Talks Upcoming Season
Earlier this week, the Memphis Business Council hosted an event known as the “The Game Plan of Memphis Basketball.” A special guest of the event was Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. And as Mark Giannotto of The Commercial Appeal relays, there were plenty of questions to be answered by the Grizzlies’ head man, as noted below.
What is the team’s strength this season?
“IQ and intelligence… We got a bunch of guys that know how to think the game and if you can think the game, you can make up for some of the things that we lack. If you look at our team, and I hope this doesn’t offend any of our guys, we’re not the fastest of teams. But we have to be able to use our brains to put us in spots so that we can defend well and score the ball because we’re always one or two steps ahead of our opponent.”
What were the highlights of the team’s offseason?
“We’re going to be a completely different team than you guys saw at the end of last season. Our front office and ownership group have done a great job bringing in different players with different skill sets that kind of fit the theme and the direction that we’re heading in. We’re not as young as we used to be. We’ve brought in some proven, veteran guys like Kyle Anderson, Garrett Temple, Shelvin Mack, those type of guys, who can accentuate what Marc (Gasol) can do.”
How will the team look on the court?
“We’ve been preaching playing a unique style of basketball. Obviously, not reinventing the wheel but playing a game where size, physicality and toughness prevails. I think we’re fortunate that we have some big guys, some long guys, that are very skilled as well, so that they can do both… So we’re fortunate to have guys that can do those things, so that’s where we’re headed. Our guys are excited about it in the conversations we’ve had with them and I think we’re built for it.”
What is Kyle Anderson‘s role?
“He’ll be used at his strengths, which is versatility. He can play multiple positions. He can impact the game on both sides of the floor. I’ve been impressed, just going back and watching him and seeing him, is just how smart he is and how easily he thinks the game. Very rarely do you find him in the wrong spot, offensively or defensively, and he’s always doing something to help his teammates. I think guys like that are invaluable and his ability to play one through four, you can throw him on the floor at any position.”
Will Mike Conley be healthy for training camp?
“There’s no doubt about it. Mike’s been playing pick up, those types of things. Chandler (Parsons has) been playing pick up … For the first time in a long time, we’re looking at walking into training camp with healthy bodies and healthy, high caliber players. Not just guys who would be your 13th or 14th man. We’ve got our studs healthy, which we’re looking forward to.”
What are your hopes for Chandler Parsons?
“Just that he plays games. I think the hardest thing for him is battling with the injuries, and being in and being out, and then trying to catch a rhythm. The more games he plays, he’s proven, even last year in a short amount of time, when he played games in a row, he proved that he could be an effective player and he’s a talented basketball player. We just got to make sure he’s on the floor.”
Why will the bench be better this season?
“The key in all of this is having some experience when you’re trying to win like we’re trying to do. So having guys that have proven they can play in this league, they’re not second guessing themselves, and every single night, from a coaching standpoint, you know what you’re going to get out of guys, is huge… Not to take anything away from our young guys that were here with us last year, they were competing. They were giving it everything they had. They worked hard at it. But again, when you’re young, there’s always those ups and downs and you’re battling that inconsistency.”
And-Ones: Canada, Blatt, HOF, Dixson
Per Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, former Indiana University basketball player and Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald has been named the new president and CEO of Canada Basketball.
A native of Chicago, Grunwald was hired by the Raptors in 1994 as the team’s vice president for legal affairs and assistant general manager under former college teammate Isiah Thomas. Grunwald took over for Thomas in a few years later, eventually orchestrating a trade for Vince Carter that led to three straight playoff berths from 2000 to 2002.
Since that time, Grunwald has been heavily involved in all things Canadian. He obtained Canadian citizenship in 1999, served as the president and CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade, and even spent time as the Athletic Director at McMaster University in Ontario.
“I’m honoured and proud to have this opportunity to work with Canada Basketball,” said Grunwald in a press release announcing his hiring. “This is an exciting time for the sport in our country and I look forward to working with the entire basketball community to continue the tremendous progress the sport has made here at all levels.”
Here are a few more items from around the basketball universe:
- Former Cavaliers and current Olympiacos head coach David Blatt has called for an end to the dispute between FIBA and the EuroLeague, per Antigoni Zachari of EuroHoops. Saying the conflict is a matter of egos and political designs, Blatt iterated how the two organizations ongoing spat is not good for the sport of basketball.
- In addition to Shawn Marion, who we highlighted here, Joe Nguyen of The Denver Post also opines that the following players could find their way into the Hall of Fame next year – guards Chauncey Billups, Tim Hardaway, Sidney Moncrief, and Kevin Johnson; and forwards Chris Webber and Ben Wallace.
- Less than two weeks after working out for the Hawks, undrafted rookie Dikembe Dixson has signed with the Lebanese Basketball League’s Hoops Club, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Dixson, 22, posted career averages of 17.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in his three seasons at UIC.
Mavs Notes: Jordan, Marion, Doncic, Mejri, Barea
As part of an ongoing series in anticipation of Mavericks training camp starting later this month, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News asks whether newly-acquired All-Star big man DeAndre Jordan is on the downslope of his career.
Now a 10-year veteran, Jordan actually averaged 12.0 points and a career-best 15.2 rebounds per game last season for the Clippers, but the team did not perform well, finishing 10th in the always tough Western Conference. Moreover, Jordan’s field goal percentage of .645, while still excellent, was his lowest output since the the 2012/13 season.
While it remains to be seen if Jordan’s game is on the decline, the Mavericks at least somewhat hedged their bet by only signing Jordan to a one-year contract for the 2018/19 season, which will allow the club opportunity to see how Jordan meshes with relative youngsters Dennis Smith Jr., Luka Doncic and Harrison Barnes.
If Jordan ends up descending into the twilight of his career, the Mavs can simply let him go next summer. But if he can continue to average a double-double and be near the top of the NBA in rebounds and field goal percentage again this season, Sefko opines that the Mavericks will gladly re-sign Jordan next summer at whatever price tag is needed.
There’s more from Dallas:
- Now that the 2018 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class has been enshrined in Springfield, Joe Nguyen of The Denver Post takes a look at some candidates for election next year. Among the first time candidates is do-it-all forward Shawn Marion, who helped the Mavericks win an NBA Championship in 2011.
- In an appearance on KRLD-FM, Dirk Nowitzki (per Sportando) presented a glowing endorsement of Doncic, admitting that the Slovenian rookie is better than Dirk was at the same age. “Oh yeah (he’s better). I could shoot a little bit but I never had the court vision … the savviness that he brings to the game… He’s going to be fun to watch especially with bigs like DeAndre (Jordan) and Dwight (Powell) rolling to the rim … He’s going to pick defenses apart and it’s going to be fun to watch.”
- In another piece for The Dallas Morning News, Sefko profiles big man Salah Mejri and his role on the Mavs this upcoming season. Mejri, 32, signed a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum this offseason. And even though the addition of Jordan won’t do any favors for Mejri’s playing time, the Tunisian big man will be ready to play when needed, as always.
- In yet another player profile piece, Sefko opines that backup point guard J.J. Barea may be one of the most underrated Mavericks of all time. Barring injury, Barea will later this season become the seventh player in Mavs history to play in 600 games with the franchise.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/1/18 – 9/8/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. With the NBA offseason in full swing, here are our numerous segments and features from the past seven days:
- Take a glance at our initial list of the top free agents in 2019 -the 2019 NBA Free Agent Power Rankings 1.0.
- In three Community Shootaround posts this week, we asked:
- Which team can offer Luol Deng the best situation, or do you believe he’s too far past his prime to help anybody?
- Do you believe the Pistons will make the playoffs this season?
- Who will emerge as the Lakers’ No. 2 scoring option during the upcoming season?
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill discusses the Lakers’ next moves after waiving Deng and how Carmelo Anthony will fit with the Rockets.
- Luke Adams analyzes the different contract options for the Suns to sign rookie De’Anthony Melton.
- In more Deng news, we took a look at six possible landing spots for the veteran forward.
- In our Extension Candidate series, we analyzed the pros and cons of extending Nets’ guard D’Angelo Russell
- Luke Adams listed the highest-paid NBA players by team.
- We began our 2018 Offseason in Review, and analyzed the following teams:
- Luke Adams takes a look at the primary storylines to keep an eye on in September.
- Which teams now have a full 20-man roster this offseason? Find out here.
- In our one Poll this week, we asked for your opinion on the best NBA coaching hire of the offseason.
Five Key Stories: 9/1/18 – 9/8/18
If you missed any of this week’s biggest NBA stories, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Pelicans reached an agreement with restricted free agent guard Tyrone Wallace on a two-year, minimum salary deal, with the offer sheet including $300K in guaranteed money as of this Wednesday, September 12. After Wallace signed the offer sheet, the Clippers had two days to decide whether or not to match it.
The Clippers ultimately decided to match the Pelicans’ offer sheet, adding Wallace to an already overcrowded backcourt roster. There’s little risk involved for L.A. in bringing Wallace back for the time being however, as they will now have the opportunity to evaluate Wallace and the rest of their roster in training camp, and will only be out $300K if they decide that the second-year guard isn’t part of their plans after all.
Despite losing Wallace to the Clippers, the Pelicans were able to sign another point guard to fill out its roster in Darius Morris. Morris will receive a partially guaranteed two-year deal worth the minimum salary. Morris, a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA draft, has averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.4 APG in 132 career NBA games.
Newly-minted unrestricted free agent Luol Deng and Knicks big man Joakim Noah still appear to be significant interests for the Timberwolves and the two players’ former head coach in Chicago, Tom Thibodeau. This comes as no surprise, as Thibodeau has long exhibited a fondness for bringing his old Chicago players to Minnesota, with Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose already on the Wolves’ roster. The Wolves have begun their pursuit of Deng.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- 14-year NBA veteran Boris Diaw has officially retired from basketball.
- Heat point guard Goran Dragic is available for the right price and the Suns may be interested.
- According to Raptors’ assistant coach Phil Handy, newly-acquired forward Kawhi Leonard is looking healthy and doing great in Toronto.
- The Pacers have officially announced in a press release that head coach Nate McMillan has signed his contract extension.
- The Spurs and Chimezie Metu have officially announced the rookie big man’s signing.
- The Heat and veteran forward Udonis Haslem have agreed to a one-year, veteran’s minimum salary for next season.
- Magic owner Richard DeVos, a co-founder of Amway, passed away at the age of 92.
- The Sixers expanded their list of GM candidates to four additional names – Elton Brand, Marc Eversley, Ned Cohen and Alex Rucker.
- The Hawks and big man Cole Aldrich have reached an agreement on a non-guaranteed camp deal.
- Celtics reserve guard Jabari Bird was arrested on Friday night due to a domestic incident in Boston.
Jazz Poised To Have Next Big 3?
The Jazz already have one of the better rosters in the Western Conference, but Jordan Hicks of Basketball Insiders believes that they’ll get even better if and when Dante Exum can become the team’s third star behind Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
Per Hicks, Exum has elite size and length for his position at a height of 6-foot-6 with a wingspan of 6-foot-9. He also has a quick first step, superior acceleration, and top-level speed. Unfortunately for Exum, he has also had a career riddled with injuries. He played in all 82 games his rookie season, but went on to tear his ACL playing for the Australian national team the summer before his second season, causing him to miss the entire year.
Exum’s last two seasons have been promising, but he really flashed his star potential at the end of last year — especially in 10 playoff games, in which he showed his development on the defensive end of the court by guarding 2017/18 MVP James Harden. While guarded by Exum, Harden shot 21.4% from the field with no threes and four turnovers.
Southwest Notes: Spurs, Holiday, Watanabe
After playing 16 seasons in the NBA, former Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili retired earlier this week. His departure now opens the door for increased roles on the Spurs for both Derrick White and Lonnie Walker, writes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype.
As Kalbrosky notes, Ginobili was used as the primary ball handler in pick-and-rolls for a majority of his possessions last season, and was also used as a spot-up shooter. White also excelled on these play types during his 17 games as a rookie for the Spurs last season. White was also dominant in the G League, meaning he may be ready for an increased role in his second season in the NBA.
Walker, meanwhile, has shown tremendous flashes of potential. At Miami, he was also thrust into the role as a spot-up shooter and ball handler. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich does not generally give a lot of playing time to rookies, but with Ginobili gone, it’s possible he may change his tune with Walker.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Pelicans caught up with starting point guard Jrue Holiday to discuss the team’s 2017/18 playoff run, the team’s acquisitions like Julius Randle and Elfrid Payton, his off-season preparation, and what he expects for this upcoming season.
- According to Michael Wallace of Grind City Media, Grizzlies rookie Yuta Watanabe is a perfect developmental prospect for today’s NBA because of his combination of length, shot-blocking and three-point range. Watanabe, 23, is trying to become only the second Japanese player to see action in an NBA game.
- In another article for HoopsHype, Kalbrosky looks at how even though the Spurs have always been at the forefront of basketball analytics, they will now heavily rely on two of the most mid-range-happy jump shooters in the NBA in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan.
Southeast Notes: Ross, Hawks, Wolf, Maten
Magic guard Terrence Ross is about to enter the final season of a three-year, $31.5MM rookie contract extension that he signed in November, 2015. And according to Dan Savage of OrlandoMagic.com, Ross, 27, is intent on improving upon an injury-riddled 2017/18 season that limited him to 24 games.
“It’s always a big year any time your contract is coming to an end,” Ross explained. “You just want to go out there know that you’re 100 percent and play as well as you can, play with confidence and more importantly, help the (Magic) win.”
Regardless of his motivation, both Magic High Performance Director David Tenney and new head coach Steve Clifford appear to be satisfied with what they’re seeing out of Ross so far this offseason.
“He’s done a consistent amount of work this entire offseason, not just with (the Magic), but with his personal trainers as well,” said Tenney. “The consistency of doing stuff multiple times per week, coming here at night and doing stuff on his own, the consistent workload from the beginning of June until now, is really starting to pay off and you can see that he’s really looked a lot sharper.”
According to Savage, Ross’ conditioning and strength-training efforts are paying off on the court. In a recent pick-up game with Magic teammates and other NBA players, Ross knocked down six consecutive shots from various parts of the floor.
“Every day – he’s (even) come in on a couple of Saturdays,” Clifford said. “He’s really committed himself. I think his conditioning level is good, but his game is getting into rhythm, you can see it when he works out and you can see it when they (he and his Magic teammates) play.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Heat power forward Yante Maten is excited to show people what he can do after signing a two-way contract with Miami this summer, reports Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. The 2018 SEC Player of the Year believes his ability to stretch the floor and play hard on both sides of the court will help find him success in the NBA.
- The Hornets plan to name Joe Wolf as the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, per a report from Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days. A University of North Carolina alum, Wolf spent last season serving as an assistant coach for UNC Wilmington after spending multiple years as a coach in the G League beforehand.
- The Hawks have announced a 20-year collaboration with State Farm that includes naming rights for the Hawks’ newly-renovated arena. Per principal owner Tony Ressler, “Our ownership group considers the Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club a community asset, and we are excited to have found a partner that shares our vision and has committed to working with us to expand on the community engagement and philanthropic initiatives we do that benefit the many communities that make up this great metropolitan area.”
Reggie Jackson Looking To Mesh With New-Look Pistons
In a preseason player profile piece, Ansar Khan of MLive.com makes the case that the Pistons need a worthwhile, injury-free campaign from Reggie Jackson in order to have a successful 2018/19 season.
Jackson, 28, missed 37 games in 2017/18 due to a severe right ankle sprain that he suffered against the Pacers on December 26th. He eventually returned for the final 12 games of the regular season, but he never appeared to be completely back to health, shooting just 38 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three.
Perhaps more importantly, the Pistons didn’t make the blockbuster trade for Blake Griffin until late-January, over a month after Jackson got injured, and Griffin didn’t play in the Pistons’ final eight games, leaving only four games in which Jackson, Griffin, and center Andre Drummond were able to play with each other and get a feel for each others’ games.
Fortunately for new head coach Dwane Casey, the Pistons did go 3-1 in those games, with the only loss coming on the road against the Rockets, in overtime. Accordingly, there is certainly reason to be optimistic that better health will make a difference for the team this season.
Of course, one issue with Jackson has always been his rumored attitude, with former Thunder teammate Steven Adams even going as far as to say that the team “forgot about him pretty quickly” when he was traded to the Pistons in 2015. With Griffin now the focal point of the offense, the Pistons aren’t likely to rely as heavily on Jackson, which could potentially cause some jealousy issues within the locker room.
For now, however, Griffin is excited about getting Jackson back for what the Pistons hope will be an entire season. Said Griffin, “(Reggie’s) dangerous because once he gets in there (the paint) he can finish, he can make passes, he can make plays. It’s something we’ve missed.” Only time will tell whether Jackson and Griffin will be able to mesh well together in the offense. If they can, the Pistons may be in for a playoff-run this season.