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