Dancing with Wolves - A Re-Do of Life After KG

[TheDominator273]

Finally, the off season is here! And as such we have a number of things to talk about. First up is a topic near and dear to my heart: team branding. There are X teams that are making a change to their branding this off season, ranging from new uniforms to a relocation. The breakdown is as follows:

Milwaukee Bucks - new logo, uniforms
Charlotte Bobcats - full rebrand (back to Charlotte Hornets)
New Orleans Hornets - full rebrand (New Orleans Pelicans)
Sacramento Kings - new uniforms
Orlando Magic - new uniforms
Denver Nuggets - new uniforms
Toronto Raptors - new logo, uniforms
Seattle Supersonics - relocating to Oklahoma City
Minnesota Timberwolves - new logo, uniforms
Golden State Warriors - new logo, uniforms
Washington Wizards - new logo, uniforms


We will take a look at all of the changes once we hit the preseason.


Next up is the list of notable retired players

Dikembe Mutumbo (Rockets)
PJ Brown (Bulls)
Darrell Armstrong (Pacers)
Dale Davis (Pistons)
Antonio Davis (Clippers)
Nick Van Exel (Free Agent)
Byron Russell (Celtics)


League Meetings just wrapped up and some interesting rules were discussed, but none received the requisite votes to pass. Some of the rules up for vote this off season were:

- Players will not be eligible for the NBA Draft until 3 years removed from High School or an international player 21 years or older.
- Increase the shot clock to 45 seconds

and finally a list of the coaching changes that have taken place since the end of the season

Charlotte Hornets - HIRE Larry Brown, FIRE Sam Vincent
Chicago Bulls - HIRE Tom Thibodeau, FIRE Scott Skiles
Milwaukee Bucks - HIRE Scott Skiles, FIRE Terry Stotts
Miami Heat - HIRE Erik Spoelstra, RELINQUESHED COACHING DUTIES Pat Riley
New York Knicks - HIRE Avery Bradley, FIRE Isiah Thomas
Dallas Mavericks - HIRE Rick Carlisle, FIRE Avery Bradley
Detroit Pistons - HIRE Vinny Del Negro, FIRE Flip Saunders
Minnesota Timberwolves - HIRE Terry Stotts, FIRE Dwayne Casey


Stay tuned for the draft lottery results...

[TheDominator273]

Today is the draft lottery! Its time to find out who will win the Derrick Rose sweepstakes. Will Memphis' tanked season pay off or will we see a team defy the odds and jump up into the #1 pick? Let's start by taking a look at the lottery odds for every team to land the #1 overall pick.





The Miami Heat pick that is slated to draft 6th should everything hold true will fall under the pick's protections should it stay where it is, as the pick has top 5 protection. If it does not convey to the Hornets this year, it will become an unprotected pick in the 2009 Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers draft pick owed to the Memphis Grizzlies that is slated at #11 is unprotected and will be a Grizzlies selection regardless of where it falls.


So without further ado lets see how the draft order shakes out.

[TheDominator273]

Now that the draft order is set, the next step is for the Timberwolves to have some players in for private workouts as well as for players to attend the NBA Draft Combine to provide some measurables. Teams are allowed to bring in 12 players for private workouts according to league rules, so keeping an eye on who Wolves bring in will give us an idea of the players they are looking at to draft with their 2 1st round picks.

Who you draft also depends on what the team wants to do with its own free agents. Here is the list of Timberwolves players who are slated to hit free agency at the start of the new league year.

Mike Miller UFA - Cap Hold $9.48m
Gerald Green RFA - Cap Hold $3.14m
Penny Hardaway UFA - Cap Hold $1.51m
Ryan Gomes UFA - Cap Hold $4.47m
Sebastian Telfair RFA - Cap Hold $2.58m
Josh McRoberts UFA - Cap Hold $2.38m
Craig Smith UFA - Cap Hold $2.40m

Based on the role these players played last season, it is expected for Hardaway and Gomes to have their cap holds renounced, releasing the Wolves of any Bird Rights they hold on the two players. It is also expected that the Wolves do whatever it takes to retain Mike Miller after trading Adam Morrison (who in turn was acquired via a 1st round pick) to obtain his rights. The team would also likely want to retain Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair if the price is right, as they were both considered prospects with good potential in the Kevin Garnett trade. Craig Smith and Josh McRoberts are players that have their future with the team as unclear. Smith averaged a solid 5.9 ppg 5.3 rpg and 1.0 bpg last season in his limited minutes, however he also shot 46.6% from the floor and only 69% from the free throw line and his production should be easily replaced. McRoberts had better stats than Smith in the half season he played for the Wolves, averaging 6.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 3.9 apg, however he did so on 37% shooting from the floor and 65% from the free throw line. McRoberts is young and was plucked off the scrap heap so between the two players, he is likely the one the Wolves would keep.

[TheDominator273]

The Draft Combine has come and gone, and we were able to confirm the 12 players the Timberwolves brought in for private workouts. Here is how those 12 players fared at the Draft Combine.





Note the DX and NBA.com columns in the above chart note where those websites have the player ranked overall. All of the shooting drills are scores out of 25 shots.

Looking at the above chart, it appears the Wolves are looking for a guard, either point or shooting, with their #2 overall pick. It also appears they are looking for a big man with their Boston pick which is slated at #29 overall. The Milwaukee Bucks are in an interesting position with the #1 overall pick, they have talented guards in Mo Williams and Michael Redd, and a quality big man in 2005 #1 overall pick Andrew Bogut. So despite winning the draft lottery after having just an 11.9% chance at the 1st overall pick, it doesn't appear that the Bucks will take Derrick Rose unless they follow it up by trading Mo Williams for a wing. Alternatively they could shop the #1 overall pick and look to pick up an established wing, or acquire more draft capital.

Since we focus on the Timberwolves here, let's take a look at some Top 2 pick mock drafts to explore some scenarios the Wolves may find themselves in, and for a bonus who they project to the Wolves at #29 as well.

Draft Express
1. Milwaukee Bucks - PG Derrick Rose
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - PG Russell Westbrook
29. Minnesota Timberwolves - PF Serge Ibaka

NBA.com
1. Milwaukee Bucks - PG Derrick Rose
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - PG Russell Westbrook
29. Minnesota Timberwolves - PF Marreese Speights

ESPN
1. Milwaukee Bucks - PG Derrick Rose
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - SG Steph Curry
29. Minnesota Timberwolves - PF Marreese Speights

Yahoo Sports
1. Milwaukee Bucks - PF Michael Beasley
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - PG Derrick Rose
29. Minnesota Timberwolves - PF Serge Ibaka

Bleacher Report
1. Milwaukee Bucks - PG Derrick Rose
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - SG Steph Curry
29. Minnesota Timberwolves - PF Jason Thompson

[TheDominator273]

It finally came. Draft Night. The night every Timberwolves fan has been looking forward to all season long after being sold on a rebuild following the Kevin Garnett trade. This Wolves fan thinks it was worth the wait, but also expects fans to be divided about how successful draft night was.

Let's take a look at how the first round shook out.



The rumor is that Milwaukee shopped both this draft pick and PG Mo Williams hard, and that the Bucks nearly had a deal with the Clippers to send Williams to LA in exchange for Elton Brand. The sticking point was the Clippers wanting the Bucks to take on the corpse of Sam Cassell to which the Bucks said no thanks and went on to draft the most talented, NBA ready player in the draft in Derrick Rose.

Rose is big enough to guard the 2, and offensively Williams and Michael Redd can slide up a position which will leave the Bucks with a very talented front court. They did well to not mess this up and draft a less talented player to get a more natural fit.



There was late steam heading into the draft that the Timberwolves fell in love with the combo guard out of Davidson following his stellar NCAA Tournament run. With this pick, the mid season trade for Mike Miller, and the hiring of Terry Stotts one thing is for certain and that is that the Timberwolves want to be an up tempo team that shoots the 3 point shot.

Curry demonstrated some natural playmaking ability in college, and is expected to play a hybrid on ball/off ball role for the Wolves and his addition to the Wolves gives them one of the most explosive, best shooting front courts in the league. There are certainly concerns about how this team can defend, but as we just saw with the Phoenix Suns this season, an elite offense can carry you to a title even with mediocre defense.



Kevin Love joins a young and talented Charlotte Hornets team that has defenders around him to hide his deficiencies, while also lacking an offensive star. The Hornets offense should revolve around Love, but will experience growing pains as the young big man needs to work on his conditioning and continue to improve his jump shot. His outlet passing will make him a popular teammate though as simply with outlet passing alone Love could average north of 4 assists per game as a rookie.



Quality guard play was a sore spot for the Grizzlies last season as they endured the leagues worst record. OJ Mayo will immediately improve the position regardless of whether he's playing at PG or SG. The Grizzlies may not be a good defensive team, but they have explosive scorers who can create for themselves and others all over the court and should be a much improved team next season.



The newly minted Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly the Seattle Supersonics, pair an athletic playmaker in Russell Westbrook with reigning Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant. Westbrook does not know the meaning of playing at less than 110% and with his hustle and athleticism alone should be an exciting player to watch. He wasn't the best player on the board, but was the highest ceiling player left, which to a rebuilding team like the Thunder is something they can sell to their new fans on OKC.



After getting lucky in the draft lottery and being able to keep their draft pick, the Heat had their eyes on Russell Westbrook. While Eric Gordon is not a bad player by any means, his playmaking is rather raw to play as a full time point guard, yet his minutes at the 2 will be limited by Dwayne Wade soaking up 36 minutes a game at the position. Pat Riley has to see something I don't here because I don't see how Gordon fits the current Heat roster.



With the TJ Ford experiment going poorly, and Jose Calderon's inconsistent play at the PG position, the Raptors draft a reliable floor general in DJ Augustin. Augustin always seems to know the correct pace to play with, a skill that is much needed on a very young Raptors roster.



The Magic traded Hedo Turkoglu at the deadline, and were in need for a young wing to replace him. In Joe Alexander they have a player who is a monster in transition and a ferocious rebounder for the SF position. Alexander brings the slashing threat the Magic need to counterbalance the outside shooting of their guards.



The 76ers are in love with long versatile players and they get another one in Anthony 'Magic' Randolph. Randolph is a wing player currently, but has the frame to be a hybrid SF/PF as he gets on an NBA workout routine. Randolph is very comfortable with the ball in his hands, but will need to be better about his shot selection if he is going to be a scorer in the NBA. In college he demonstrated the ability to hit off balance contested shots, but those contested shots will turn into blocked shots in the NBA.



After trading away Eddy Curry, the Knicks had a need for a center, and while they reached in drafting DeAndre Jordan, they did pick up a low usage player who is a phenomenal rebounder and has also shown some shot blocking ability in college. Both are skills that make him a good fit for the Knicks roster as they have high usage, poor defending guards.























With the 32nd pick in the draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves also selected C Nikola Pekovic out of Montenegro. Pekovic has 2 years remaining on his current contract in Europe, but the Wolves will retain his draft rights until then.

[TheDominator273]

With training camp right around the corner, rosters around the league are pretty much set. The Timberwolves didn't make any waves this off season, opting to use the draft and rely on internal growth to improve the roster. Let's take a look at the moves they made.

Mike Miller - Re-Signed to 4 year $52m contract
Gerald Green - Matched 3 year $47.6m contract offered by Phoenix Suns
Sebastian Telfair - Re-Signed to 2 year $10.3m contract
Josh McRoberts - Re-Signed to 2 year $4.2m contract
Craig Smith - Re-Signed to 1 year $1.9m contract


While the Wolves had a boring off season, there were some big signings around the league. Let's take a look at some of the major signings this off season.

7/22/08 Atlanta Hawks sign SF Rashard Lewis to $102.43m/4 yr
7/22/08 Memphis Grizzlies sign PF Zach Randolph to $95.8m/4 yr
7/22/08 Utah Jazz sign SG Jason Richardson to $56.8m/3 yr
7/22/08 Los Angeles Lakers sign SF Trevor Ariza to $31.2m/3 yr
7/22/08 Cleveland Cavaliers sign PG Nate Robinson to $12.6m/2 yr
7/26/08 Chicago Bulls sign PG Gary Payton to $8.13m/1 yr
7/28/08 Chicago Bulls sign SF Kyle Korver to $10.6m/2 yr
7/29/08 Dallas Mavericks sign PF Antoine Walker to $1.57m/1 yr

[TheDominator273]

I'm currently finishing up the new branding for the last couple teams that are getting changes before I start the new season.

But before I start I wanted to see if there are any changes I should make moving forward. What do you like or not like about the series thus far? What could I do to the series to make it more fun/immersive/interactive?

[TheDominator273]

Playing the defending champion who returned most of its rotation is never easy, but playing them on the road to open the season on the night the players receive their championship rings and raise the banner is a daunting task for any team to take on. It was no different for the Minnesota Timberwolves who opened their season with a loss against the Phoenix Suns.

The Timberwolves looked like they belonged throughout most of the game, and the final score is in no way indicative of how tightly contested the game truly was, as despite losing all 4 quarters, the Wolves held a lead in all but the 4th quarter.

The Wolves were lead by a rather fitting 30 point debut performance from rookie guard Steph Curry. Curry took a mind boggling 11 3 point shots, one fewer than the Suns took as a team, making 5 of them. Curry showed that while he is a great shooter from range, he's not afraid to take the ball to the rim, and in doing show showcased his penchant for flair as evidenced by the clip below.





In addition to showcasing his scoring, Curry also surprised us defensively with 4 steals. He also showed the natural playmaking ability we saw in college dishing out a team high 6 assists while playing both Point and Shooting Guard.

While Curry stole the show offensively, it was hard not to notice Big Al Jefferson defensively. Big Al is noticeably slimmer this season, and there are reports that he lost as much as 20 pounds over the summer in an effort to improve his stamina and quickness. If this game is any indication it definitely worked, as Jefferson played a solid 35 minutes of up tempo basketball, and provided great weakside help defense while notching 5 blocks. He had a poor game offensively, only shooting 8-18 from the field, and it remains to see if he lost some of the strength that allowed him to be a force on the low block, or if this was just a poor game on the offensive end. Regardless, with the increase in offensive talent the Wolves have this season and how bad they were defensively last season, any sane fan will trade some of Big Al's offensive game for improved defense.

One last interesting nugget from this game was how Corey Brewer became the de facto point guard with the bench unit, often bringing up the ball after made baskets as well as being the primary outlet man after defensive rebounds. Brewer finished tied with Curry with 6 assists in only 15 minutes and it appears that while his shot is still a work in progress, his playmaking has improved even over the flashes we saw in his rookie season. His continued development will be interesting to track this season as it will be interesting to see how the Wolves try to develop his game.