Mitchell Awaits His Fate
Interim Wolves coach Sam Mitchell hasn’t asked for a decision on his future from owner Glen Taylor, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Minnesota has been a much-improved team of late and just completed a 3-0 road trip, but Mitchell said he doesn’t look at victories as a way to secure his job on a permanent basis. He’s more concerned with developing young talent, which has been his focus since taking over the team in September. Taylor has made few public statements about the coaching situation, saying it will be resolved after the season ends. “It’s funny to me, now all of a sudden this is a great job,” Mitchell said. “After last year, nobody wanted this job. Nobody thought this was a good job. Now all of a sudden it’s a good job, so I’m proud of that.”
Newton Confident In Wiggins' Star Potential
- Timberwolves coach Sam Mitchell acknowledges that he coaches Andrew Wiggins with more subtle instruction because of the 21-year-old’s mellow demeanor, but GM Milt Newton is confident the former No. 1 overall pick will become an elite player based on his performances against superstars, as Rob Mahoney of SI.com chronicles. The extension window for Wiggins opens in 2017, but, as Mahoney notes, it’s unclear whether Mitchell or Newton will still be in their jobs this time next year.
Wolves Owner Thinks Kevin Garnett Will Return
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor doesn’t anticipate Kevin Garnett retiring in the offseason, as Taylor relayed Wednesday night to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The 39-year-old who turns 40 next month is under contract at $8MM for the 2016/17 season, which would be his record 22nd year in the NBA.
“You’d have to ask him, but from everything he’s told me, he wants to be [back],” Taylor said.
Many people close to Garnett weren’t sure whether or not he’d return to play next season, Wolfson said in a February podcast. Garnett hasn’t appeared in a game since January 23rd as he’s dealt with soreness in his right knee.
His decision is liable to affect what former teammate Paul Pierce does, as they’ve frequently considered the idea of retiring at the same time, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Pierce, 38, is in the first season of a three-year contract with the Clippers. His salary of nearly $3.528MM for next season is fully guaranteed, while only about $1.096MM is guaranteed for 2017/18.
Garnett started in all 38 games he played this season, though he only averaged a career-low 14.6 minutes per contest. His primary role has been as a locker room leader for the team’s young core. He’s expressed interest in eventually buying the Wolves, though he can’t own even a minority share until after his playing days are done.
Rubio Says GM Told Him He Was Almost Traded
Ricky Rubio says Timberwolves GM Milt Newton told him the team “almost traded” him at the deadline but didn’t because the right offer didn’t come, but Newton dismissed that notion, saying the point guard might have misinterpreted their conversation, as both relayed in interviews with Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Reports indicated the Wolves engaged in trade talk regarding Rubio before the February deadline with the Bucks and, to a lesser degree, the Knicks. Milwaukee turned down an offer of Rubio and a protected 2016 first-round pick for Khris Middleton, while Minnesota rejected a counterproposal of Michael Carter-Williams for Rubio, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.
“When the GM comes to you and says that’s what happened, it hurts, but you’ve got to be professional,” Rubio said. “You’ve been here all your career and thinking they were supporting you. At some point, they weren’t. But I’m professional. I’m going to give it my all. I love playing basketball and every time I step on the court I want to win.”
Newton told Krawczynski he would try to communicate more often with Rubio and said he’s already sought the point guard’s input on possible moves. The GM, to whom the Wolves have committed through at least the summer, called Rubio “extremely valuable to the organization,” as Krawczynski notes.
“I told him we’ve never, ever called another team to trade you, but it is my job to listen,” Newton said. “I even shared that with his agent. I never told him we almost traded you, because we didn’t almost trade him.”
Towns Entering Record Books
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle views Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns as a “next generation” type of player with his combination of size and ability, according to The Associated Press. “There are going to be guys like him,” Carlisle said, “that have the great size and length and still can play the ‘4’ [power forward], those super athletes with super length that now are still damn quick and can do anything on the basketball court. He’s an unbelievable weapon for them.” Towns is a heavy favorite to give Minnesota its second straight Rookie of the Year winner, following Andrew Wiggins last season.
- Towns has been impressed by the play of fellow rookie and former Kentucky teammate Trey Lyles, according to Samuel Benson of The Deseret News. Utah made Lyles the 12th overall pick of last year’s draft and eased him into its rotation. He is averaging 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds a night through 74 games but made an impact with 17 first-half points in Friday’s win over Minnesota. “[Lyles] has been a tremendous player since high school and proved in college how great he was,” Towns said. “… “He’s going to be the future of this [Jazz] team.”
Greg Smith Quickly Grabs Rotation Spot
- Greg Smith has quickly earned a spot in the Wolves‘ rotation because of his ability to play center and power forward, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Smith, who recently signed for the remainder of the season, had to overcome knee surgery and a two-month stint in the D-League to earn his way back into the NBA. “I know my role, I know my game,” he said. “I know what they want from me.”
Souhan: Mitchell Doesn't Deserve To Stay
The Timberwolves should not bring back interim coach Sam Mitchell, Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune opines. Mitchell’s dour personality doesn’t mesh with the team’s enthusiastic young stars and he’s not among the top 15 available candidates, Souhan continues. Tom Thibodeau, Luke Walton and Scott Brooks are among the potential candidates that the team should look at, Souhan adds.
Andre Miller: 'No Way I Was Going To Stay' With Wolves
- The Timberwolves signed Andre Miller, Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince last summer in part to provide veteran assistance for their young core, but Miller nonetheless criticized the Wolves last week on a podcast with The Vertical’s Chris Mannix for relying too heavily on their young players, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Miller bought his way out of Minnesota and signed earlier this month with the Spurs. “There was no way I was going to stay in Minnesota on a team that never had any goals, from what I thought,” Miller said. “I didn’t want to sit there and let this be my last year. There were no expectations in Minnesota with that team and which way they wanted to go. It wasn’t communicated, so I was like, ‘If this is my last year, I can’t go out like this.’ ”
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/29/16
The Timberwolves will need to make a tough decision this summer regarding whether or not interim coach Sam Mitchell will remain in the position going forward. Mitchell had the difficult task of taking over the reigns after the tragic passing of Flip Saunders, and the team has gone 25-49 under his command this season. Team owner Glen Taylor will be the one to make the call on whether or not Mitchell leads the team in 2016/17, and he has indicated that he’ll evaluate both Mitchell and GM Milt Newton to determine the employment status of each. When asked directly if both Mitchell and Newton would be retained, Taylor was non-committal, saying, “I like my coach, I like my general manager, they’re really nice people,” Taylor said. “We’re working together. What I told them is in this business of basketball, we’re going to do the whole season first and then at the end of the season we’ll do the evaluation.” While that may not have been the strongest endorsement, Taylor’s comments certainly allow for the possibility that Mitchell could stick around in Minnesota. More recent comments from Taylor have lent credence to the idea that Newton will remain in his job through the summer, at least.
This brings me to the topic for today: Should the Wolves retain Sam Mitchell as head coach for next season?
Minnesota, while not expected to be a playoff contender heading into the 2015/16 campaign, hasn’t taken as much of a step forward as many would have liked this year. The team has already eclipsed its woeful 16 wins of a season ago, but given the amount of young talent the franchise has, struggling to get to 30 victories cannot be considered a successful run in my book. To be fair, Mitchell took on the daunting task of keeping the team together and focused after Saunders’ death and certainly deserves praise for how well he has managed that difficult dynamic. But questions have emerged about his rotation patterns and how well he has developed some of his younger players, which should be the primary consideration when the team chooses its next coach.
So now I turn the discussion over to all of you. Is Mitchell the right man to entrust with the future of the team and budding star Karl-Anthony Towns? What do you think about the job the coach has done this season? If you don’t think Mitchell should be retained, share with us whom you think the Timberwolves should pursue this offseason in his stead. Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Wolves Appear To Be Winners In Burke Trade
- When the Jazz traded two draft picks to the Wolves in exchange for the rights to Trey Burke, the team thought it was a coup, but nearly three years later it would appear Minnesota came out on top in that transaction, Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News writes. Both players Minnesota acquired (Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad) have been productive, while Burke is stuck in a reserve role despite the run of backcourt injuries Utah has endured this season, Sorensen notes. Burke admits he wonders what his career would be like if he had gone to the Wolves, the scribe adds. “I think about it every time I play against them — it motivates me,” Burke said. “That’s one of the teams I play really well against. It’s just motivation, that’s how it’s been my whole life, the underdog who’s overlooked.”