Rubio Signs With Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have finally secured the Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio. The Wolves and Rubio have agreed to terms which would make the 2009 5th overall pick a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves next season. Assuming that there is not a lockout. The young point guard chose to stay in Europe and play over there the past two years. Some would say he has digressed as player, since he only averaged 6.5 ppg 3.5 assists in about 22 minutes a night. Some experts say that his game translates to the NBA style of play better. Since the NBA is more of a fast paced game rather than European style ball.

Right now Rubio is still playing with Barcelona in the Euro league Championships. This deal was done just before the deadline of the rookie contract scale. Rubio is now locked into the current rookie scale, where as if he would have waited till after May 31st he would have had to sign for the new rookie scale which will be apart of the new collective bargaining agreement. This signing will bring a level of excitement into the downtown region and into Target Center. Rubio should get many endorsements and should help bring fans to Target Center. Now the Wolves just have to see who they will else they will add to the team to build around Beasley, Rubio, and Love. The Wolves will announce Rubio at a team press conference once he is done with Euro League.

Wolves End Season with Questions

The Timberwolves season has come to a close on a bit of a sour note. The ended on a 15 game losing streak. Losing is something that Wolves fan have grown accustomed to. Being a die hard Wolves fan it is hard to see so many loses for a team that in my opinion should have had at least 25 to 30 wins. They were among the league leaders in points per game, but at the same time were among the leagues worst in points given up per game. There is not much to say about the lack of wins this team has. They were much more exciting to watch this year and seemed to be in most of there games and lose it in the last 2 minutes. Bad defense has been a trend with this team all year long. I think we will see big things happening next year with the development of the Timberwolves. It was sad being at Target Center and seeing all the players leave the court for the last time. I will miss the games and the players.

I loved what I seen down the stretch from Beasley, Randolph and Webster. Beasley returned to his pre ankle sprain form. He can score at will, there is know question about that. I look for Beasley now that he has got a glimpse of what he can be in this league and mean to Minnesota, to have a huge off season and have a huge year. He has all the tools, he has to stay focused and work hard on the defensive end and there is no stopping this guy. As for Randolph he has shown in this last stretch of games what he is capable of. He is extremely athletic and is a huge asset to the team. It would be nice if he could put on a few pounds of muscle and become and Amare Stoudamire/KG type player. I think he has the tools. Webster had a disappointing year with his back injuries. I think when he is healthy he is an excellent sixth man. He can shoot the ball with ease and he is a veteran presence that this team desperately needs. over the last month he put up strong numbers.

Wes Johnson is extremely athletic, and has huge upside. He also has shown flashes this year of being a very valuable player. He seems to disappear in some games though. Rambis and others have talked all year long how much they think Wes has improved since the beginning of the year, but it hasn't quite translated onto the court yet. Next year I look for Wes to take it upon himself and be more aggressive. When he plays with energy he is a totally different player. I think he will show us next year what the coaches have been raving about this year.

K-Love had an outstanding year, and I expect him to only get better. He was by far Minnesota's most reliable player and put up huge numbers night in and night out. It was a forgettable year for Jonny Flynn, one of my favorite Wolves. He struggled coming back from hip surgery and never found his grove again. He is a spark plug of a point guard and is usually a solid shooter. He proved this year that he can pass the ball well to and get his teammates involved. I personally hope he is back in Minnesota next year and has a big year. Best of luck Jonny. Tolliver was a player that i was very impressed with this year, he could hit the three and played great defense. He was the Wolves garbage man.

The Team has some major questions this off season.
-Can Jonny Flynn return to form and be the player Minnesota drafted, or will he even be a Timberwolf next year? Flynn would thrive in a pick and roll style offense, rather than a triangle, can he adjust?
-Is Rambis going to be around next year?
-Will Beasley turn the corner and become a Star in this league?
-Will Rubio finally come to Minnesota?
-Who should we draft?
-Should we package our draft picks and try to trade for a proven vet, like a Monte Ellis?
-Will Darko become a quality starter?

Wolves Year in Review

These are all questions the Wolves face. I would love it if you could leave your comments to these questions either on here or on facebook. I will write a follow up blog to the comments.

Thanks to all my readers, I will be moving to a new site next year for the Vikings and Wolves Blog so stayed tuned. It has been an awesome year and it sadly has come to an end.

Wolves-Vikings Blog: Love Sets new Double-Double Record Despite Injury

Wolves-Vikings Blog: Love Sets new Double-Double Record Despite Injury: "Picture from Timberwolves.com- check it out for more news Kevin Love acknowledges the loyal Minnesota fans, as they give him a stan..."

Love Sets new Double-Double Record Despite Injury

Picture from Timberwolves.com- check it out for more news

 

Kevin Love acknowledges the loyal Minnesota fans, as they give him a standing ovation for setting the new Double-Double record at 52. Before the game when Love was asked by the media, does this streak matter Love responded with, "If this streak is important to the fans, it is important to me." I think that says a lot about Kevin Love as a person. Kevin Love has become the new loved Kevin in Minnesota. Watching him battle through his injury tonight reminded me a lot of KG when he was a wolf. Being a warrior and fighting through nagging injuries was something Love wanted to do for his teammates and the fans. Darko on the other hand, it seems like every time he gets bumped he is limping away. This streak by Love is unbelievable. With his hard work he has become one of the premiere players in the league. There have been many reports that other teams like the Lakers and thunder are already trying to pry him away from the TWolves. The wolves are said to be willing to offer him a 6 year 70 million dollar deal, once the new CBA agreement is reached. Once again hats off to Love who is in the midst of a special year, and this streak doesn't look like it will end anytime soon.

As for the Wolves they were able to get a big win, something we have not seen a whole lot this year. The Wolves were in control from start to finish. It did not hurt that Granger had an awful shooting performance. The Wolves ended up winning by 26 when it was all said and done. The Wolves starters rested for much of the 4th quarter. The Wolves seem to be able to play spurts of good basketball and play with the premiere teams in this league they just need to figure out how to close out games better. This win give the Wolves one more victory on the year than they had all of last year. I say screw the high draft pick and lets try to win as many games as possible.

Just for fun here is a comparison of Love and Garnett, notice KG never averaged 14 boards a game and this year Love is almost averaging 16.

Year	Team	G	Min														Def	Tot		Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
1995-96	MIN	80	28:41														4.1	6.3		1.8	1.4	1.1	1.6	2.4	10.4
1996-97	MIN	77	38:53														5.6	8.0		3.1	2.3	1.4	2.1	2.6	17.0
1997-98	MIN	82	39:17														6.9	9.6		4.2	2.3	1.7	1.8	2.7	18.5
1998-99	MIN	47	37:53														6.9	10.4		4.3	2.9	1.7	1.8	3.2	20.8
1999-00	MIN	81	40:00														9.1	11.8		5.0	3.3	1.5	1.6	2.5	22.9
2000-01	MIN	81	39:30														8.7	11.4		5.0	2.8	1.4	1.8	2.5	22.0
2001-02	MIN	81	39:12														9.1	12.1		5.2	2.8	1.2	1.6	2.3	21.2
2002-03	MIN	82	40:30														10.5	13.4		6.0	2.8	1.4	1.6	2.4	23.0
2003-04	MIN	82	39:23														10.9	13.9		5.0	2.6	1.5	2.2	2.5	24.2
2004-05	MIN	82	38:06														10.5	13.5		5.7	2.7	1.5	1.4	2.5	22.2
2005-06	MIN	76	38:53														9.9	12.7		4.1	2.4	1.4	1.4	2.7	21.8
2006-07	MIN	76	39:23														10.4	12.8		4.1	2.7	1.2	1.7	2.4	22.4

Year	Team	G	Min														Def	Tot		Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008-09	MIN	81	25:18														5.7	9.1		1.0	1.5	0.4	0.6	2.5	11.1
2009-10	MIN	60	28:36														7.2	11.0		2.3	2.0	0.7	0.4	2.3	14.0
2010-11	MIN	65	36:36														11.1	15.8		2.5	2.2	0.6	0.4	2.1	20.9

Wolves-Vikings Blog: Brewer Traded in the Melo Deal

Wolves-Vikings Blog: Brewer Traded in the Melo Deal: "Brewer says his final farewell to the Minnesota fans, as the Timberwolves have shipped him out. The Timberwolves were the key third team..."

Brewer Traded in the Melo Deal

Brewer says his final farewell to the Minnesota fans, as the Timberwolves have shipped him out to New York. Kosta Koufas was also a late throw in. The Timberwolves were the key third team in the Carmelo Anthony deal which sent him to the Knicks. I'm sure you all know the story of Melo since it has been in the news for the last 3 months. The deal sent 13 players packing. The two players that will be packing parkas and winter gloves are Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry. These are the two players the Wolves received for Corey Brewer. Now don't get me wrong I did want to see Anthony Randolph in a Timberwolves uniform, but for the Wolves to trade their starting shooting guard for Randolph is questionable. The Wolves being the mediator in the Melo trade should have demanded more in return. Lets face it Curry will most likely be cut and his 11 million dollar deal will come off the books this summer. So we traded our starting shooting guard for someone who doesn't even see the court in NY? I just don't know if that was smart. Brewer will be missed in the land of 10,000 lakes. He brought energy to the court which most fans appreciated, but he is still considered a bust. Lets hope the "potential" the Wolves see in Randolph, like Darko last year, can pay off again. The Wolves will also get a future 2nd round pick.

Lets meet the New Timberwolves.
 Anthony Randolph - He is a young athletic power forward and could fit in well with the Wolves scheme.  No that is not a miss print he has only appeared in 17 games, and is only averaging 2.1 ppg.

Recent Career					FG					3PT					FT					Rebounds					Misc
Year	Team	G	Min		M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			Off	Def	Tot			Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008-09	GS	63	17:53		3.2	6.8	46.2			0.0	0.1	0.0			1.6	2.2	71.6			2.0	3.7	5.8			0.8	1.3	0.7	1.2	2.2	7.9
2009-10	GS	33	22:41		4.2	9.4	44.3			0.0	0.2	20.0			3.3	4.1	80.2			2.2	4.3	6.5			1.3	1.5	0.9	1.6	2.8	11.6
2010-11	NY	17	07:30		0.8	2.7	31.1			0.1	0.2	25.0			0.4	0.7	50.0			0.7	1.7	2.4			0.4	0.6	0.2	0.5	0.9	2.1

Randolph's player page
Curry's player page
Eddy Curry, who once was a solid option in his prime has been often injured and has only player in 7 games this year. He was included in the deal strictly for cap purposes, the Knicks needed to shed his 11 million dollar contract to make way for Melo's new deal. He will most likely never even see a Wolves uniform.

Recent Career					FG					3PT					FT					Rebounds					Misc
Year	Team	G	Min		M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			Off	Def	Tot			Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2007-08	NY	59	25:53		5.0	9.2	54.6			0.0	0.0	N/A			3.2	5.1	62.3			1.9	2.8	4.7			0.5	2.1	0.2	0.5	2.7	13.2
2008-09	NY	3	03:53		0.7	0.7	100.0			0.0	0.0	N/A			0.3	1.0	33.3			0.0	1.3	1.3			0.0	0.7	0.0	0.0	1.7	1.7
2009-10	NY	7	08:54		1.1	3.0	38.1			0.0	0.0	N/A			1.4	2.4	58.8			0.6	1.3	1.9			0.0	1.9	0.0	0.1	1.9	3.7

Wolves Limp into the All Star Break

After the second disappointing effort in as many games, the Wolves need this break almost as bad as the Lakers need a break. A week ago it looked as if this team was starting to put it together, they were playing with a high energy level. They actually won two games in a row on the road, without their top scorers. Then they come home and the last to games have shot the ball terrible, and given up way to many open threes and dunks. Minnesota has to be able to improve on the defensive side if they want to win more games. The Wolves seem to be limping into the All Star break. While Wes Johnson, who has been shooting the ball flat and off target lately, and Kevin Love go to LA for the rookie challenge and All Star Game, the rest of the team will rest. Jonny Flynn who looked to be improving after coming back form hip surgery took a step backwards and has been shut down for a week. He has general soreness. Flynn said, "It feels like I
am using rental legs out there." Flynn and Management agreed it would be best if he rested and tried to get his mind right. Beasley is still recovering from his ankle injury and his is missed out on the court. The offense runs through Beasley and the Wolves need him 100%  healthy.

Kahn has been open with this team and has said he wants much more out of the already productive Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. He wants them to take over the leadership role of the team. He wants Wes and Darko, and basically the rest of the team to play with consistency. This first half has been a failure, the Wolves have only won 13 of their first 53 games. Kahn wants them to show substantial improvement throughout the second half of the season. Pioneer Press's original Kahn wants more out of Beasley and Love article

I hope Kevin Love can impress at the All Star game and bring some credibility back to the Timberwolves. Hopefully Wes can find his shot in LA and bring it back to Minny, because we need him to shoot the ball with consistency.
K-Love 1 on 1 All Star video
Wes Johnson 1on 1 All Star video
What are your second half predictions? Comment below

Wolves Look Impressive on the Road

First of all, I have to start of with the record setting game that Kevin Love put up. Love posted 20 points and 14 rebounds to extend his consecutive double-double streak to 38 games in a row, moving him past Kevin Garnett and John Stockton at 37. Love is now only 6 games of the all time record for consecutive double doubles which is held by Moses Malone at 44. Besides setting records, maybe what is more important is the fact that the wolves have been playing better basketball, and have won 2 in a row on the road. This is the first time they did this all year. They have won their last two games without some of their main scorers. Ridnour, Webster, Milicic, and Beasley were all out last night in Houston. This meant the Wolves needed to pull together more than ever and try to get a win in Houston, a team they have not played well against.

I was surprised to see the Wolves wearing their black jerseys for the second game in a row. When they were released, I thought they had set aside like 6 games to wear them in. I wouldn't be surprised if they broke out the black jerseys again since they won on the road with them the night before. Once again Jonny Flynn looked like he was more comfortable out on the court than the night before. He set the table for the Wolves last night. He started out with 6 early points, and got the team rolling. Another player who did well, but will not get credit is Nikola, he played a solid game, in his first start of the season. The game was fairly close throughout, and about mid way through the 4th quarter Timberwolves fans everywhere were thinking here we go again, because the Rockets were going on a little run and the Wolves were down by 6, after giving up their 4 point lead. The Wolves did something they have not done a whole lot this year and that is get stops down the stretch. The Wolves had some players step up like Wayne Ellington who had 18 off the bench, seemed to be unstoppable down the stretch. He hit a huge step back three with about 2 minutes left in the game. The Rockets came down and hit two free throws, and then the very next possession, Flynn hit Love for a clutch three pointer, to push the lead to 6 with under a minute to go. The Wolves pulled together as a team and got the win, while playing without 4 of their top 5 scorers.

I have to give props to these players who have been playing well. Telfair seems to be shooting the ball with a great deal of confidence. He is playing with energy and really falling into his roll as change of pace back up point guard. Flynn has been improving game by game, lat night posting 15 points and 7 assists. He still is turning the ball over more than he should be. Ellington played out of his mind last night, and has been shooting the ball well all year round. Love is a given who is playing at an All-Star level.

TRADE
The Wolves have come up in the recent Melo trade rumors, as of right now they would ship Brewer and first round pick to Nuggets, and receive Randolph and Curry form the Knicks. The Wolves clearly want Randolph, but this is a terrible deal for a team that is the facilitator of this trade. The Wolves should not give up their starting shooting guard and a first round pick, for two players that don't see the court in New York. If this deal goes down, I would imagine that the pot would get sweeter for the Timberwolves. Another trade I think the Wolves could make is trading one of their 3 point guards. All  three are playing well right now and should have some value around the league.

Game Highlights

T'Wolves Win Big

The Timberwolves played maybe, the best basketball they have played all season long. They have been showing there potential all year long, but tonight it seemed that everyone was playing up to there ability. The basket looked like it was the size of a hula hoop the way the Wolves were shooting. I know it was against the raptors who have lost now, 11 straight games but a win is a win. I think any Timberwolves can appreciate a win when we get one. The Wolves record is now 11-36, I predicted they would win 30 games this year. I still hold strong to my prediction, and think the Wolves will be able to rattle of 19 wins in the second have of the season.  The most exciting thing for me has been the play of Jonny Flynn over the past week. He has been looking more and more like the Jonny Flynn of last year. He has the ability to draw attention to himself and then he kicks it to the open guy. Nothing against Ridnour, but he just doesn't have that to his game. Flynn ended up with 10 points 8 assists and 6 rebounds last night, with a team high +28 efficiency rating. Wes Johnson has also been playing with more aggression over the past week and he has been shooting the ball with confidence.

There were a few big plays in the game but no play was more exciting than Martell Webster's dunk in the fourth quarter. He took off from the middle of the free throw line and threw it down with authority on traffic. It was a crazy good dunk. Webster has also been shooting the ball a little better over the past week. The Wolves need him to be able to score the ball and carry the second unit. Webster needs to just shoot the ball when he is open rather than drive and drive to the basket every time he touches the ball. The only player for the wolves who really didn't play well was Beasley. He only had 7 points on 2 of 12 shooting.Other than that it seems like the Wolves players are all starting to play up to there potential and play together.

Love postgame
Top 5 plays of the week

Overtime Thriller - Wolves Come Up Short

The Timberwolves have been on the wrong side of more games than they should be. The Wolves have the talent on the team, and continue to show week in and week out that they can play with any team in the league. They have some good pieces to work around and now they just need to get everyone else to play at their highest level. It seems that when one player starts to play good, Brewer, others start to fade, like Johnson and Webster.  The wolves need to get better production from their bench. Flynn has looked a little better over the past week, but he can't seem to get back to the form he was in last year. He needs to get a few more minutes to get into a rhythm.

As for the overtime thriller, Durant was worth the price of admission. The guy just didn't miss a shot. He was able to hit the big shot time after time when it counted, and ended up with 47 points. Beasley looked good throughout the game, but seemed to fade and loose his handle on the ball as the fourth quarter went on. Love played a typical Kevin Love game, but an extraordinary game for most NBA players. He ended the game with 31 points and 21 rebounds. The fourth quarter was an very exciting for Timberwolves fans. It was back and forth and the Wolves were right in the game up until the end. The Wolves seemed to shoot themselves in the foot every time they needed a big play, by turning the ball over.  The Wolves were down by 1 with 14 seconds left and ended up missing the shot and getting the rebound with 7 seconds left. I don't know if he thought the clock was lower, he just tried to draw the foul, or just got caught up in the air and had too shoot. At any rate it was the fatal blow to the Wolves. The could have set up for something with them seven seconds and got a good look. It was a disappointing loss for the Wolves.

Wolves Woes

The Timberwolves have shown throughout this season that they have the ability to play with any team in the NBA, with the exception of a few blowout losses. The wolves recently been on a little winning streak winning 3 of their last 4 games, but since then they have lost their last 5. We all know about the Timberwolves 4th quarter struggles so i am not going to hit on that topic. The Wolves almost pulled out the win in San Antonio, a team they have been close to beating twice already this year, without their star scorer Michael Beasley. Beasley left the game after re-tweaking his ankle. He did not return. The Wolves had kept the game within winning distance and ended up losing by three to one of the best teams in the entire NBA. The Wolves had two three point attempts that were in and out in the final minutes of the game and lost by three.

Kevin Love continues to put up all star numbers averaging 21.5 points and 15.7 boards a game. If you can remember back to KG, that is the exact type of numbers he used to put up. Although they have a completely different method of getting their numbers, they both are efficient.

The Timberwolves have and will continue to be mentioned with the word trade up until the trade deadline. The trade talks involving the Wolves and OJ Mayo are no more. The Wolves interest stopped before his altercation on the plane. Their have been numerous reports that the wolves have had many teams interested in Jonny Flynn. I think Flynn will be a good player in this league if he is given the time. I think he has the scoring ability to play the game like Chauncey Billups. That is who reminds me of right now, how Billups used to look on the Timberwolves before we let him go. The trade rumor that has the best chance of being completed is for Anthony Randolph of the New York Knicks. The Timberwolves have coveted the young athletic PF since last summer. He has been lost on the bench in New York, and recent reports have the wolves offering Telfair.The Knicks have been said to want Ridnour in return. Corey Brewers name has also been brought up in trade rumors, He is a free agent after this year and if the Wolves want to get anything in return for him they will trade him. They extended everyone options early this year except Brewers. With Brewer getting the start last night many people have been saying it was to increase his trade value. Rambis said he wanted to reward Brewer for his outstanding defensive effort over the past week.

In Farve's Farewell the Vikes Dont Fair Well

The Vikings Season has been one for the record books and not in the way most Vikings fans would have hoped for. Six months ago when the Vikings started their camp in Mankato, many experts, including myself, were picking them to represent the NFC in the Superbowl. With the highly anticipated opener on Thursday night against the hated Saints, the Vikings were looking to start strong and finish the year hoisting a trophy and caring Favre off the field on their shoulders. Instead Favre last game he was inactive and ended up running off the field before any reporters could get to him. Seeing Favre run off the field after the Lions defeated the Vikings 20 - 13 was not the way that I remember hoping the year would end. The Soap Opera star of the year for the Vikings drama filled season was non other other than Mr. Favre himself. Starting the year off with the will he or won't he routine and ending the year with the same except in a different contexts. The Iron Man was hit more than any other quarterback in the league and for the first time in his career, his age started to show. He was not able to play in three of the last four games and only played a few series in the classic Monday night game at TCF Bank. Favre has left Vikings fans with many great memories, and i want to wish him one final farewell. Take a look at Favre's Legacy courtesy of NFL Network

In the absence of Favre, the Vikings were able to look at the quarterbacks they already had on their roster. Jackson looked average at best in his two games before being put on IR with turf toe. Webb was looking to get his second straight win in as many starts. Things did not go as planned. Webb did an average job today. He missed Booker for a wide open touchdown, and made a poor throw across his body for an interception when he could have easily ran for the first down. His QB rating was only 60.4, but he did have a descent completion percentage of 62.5%. You can tell by watching he is a young raw quarterback that has a lot of skills but maybe needs to have a little more time to mature from a football stand point. The game did not have many highlights for the Vikings, Percy was able to make a few plays that made you say, how did he do that, and Allen returned an interception for a touchdown. That was the Vikings first pick 6 of the year. With three of the Vikings top four cornerbacks out Frank Walker was called on to step up and start. The Lions were able to pick our secondary apart. Peterson had an off game, he had 14 rushes for 31 yards and no touchdowns. That is not a typical Adrian Peterson type game. Percy ended with 8 catches for 72 yards and is a boost of energy every time he touches the ball. The Vikings need to find a way to get his migraines taken care of so he can be out on the field every week.

What do Vikings fans have to look forward to. 


Their is always next season, but this will be a crucial offseason with the stadium issue, and the mass of big free agents like Greenway and Rice, the Vikings have some important decisions to make. The Vikes have to either name Frazier as the head coach going forward or find a new one. The Vikings also, with the loss to the Lions, have locked themselves in to a top ten pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. I would not mind seeing Cam Newton in a Vikings uniform next year. We can still hope for a Packers loss today, I know that would make me happy. 

Videos
Favre Final Press conference 
Lions/Vikings Highlights