The Minnesota Timberwolves get it. There’s a lot of hype around the team, and in order to meet it, they have to improve defensively and establish a pecking order. The veterans have to teach the young guys the defense and establish a winning culture. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, in turn, need to become complete two-way players and continue their ascent offensively. The guys off the bench need to know their role. And if you haven’t made the roster yet, you better bring intensity and a winning smile.
There wasn’t much surprise at Media Day, other than that recently-signed Aaron Brooks’ affable personality radiated early in the four-hour media session. If he stays healthy, he could become a solid late signing. Shabazz Muhammad said he felt comfortable in Minnesota, even with Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers courting him, and Justin Patton has bought into Minnesota Nice. Jamal Crawford is still in the league because he gave up Capri Sun and “got addicted” to Whole Foods. Nemanja Bjelica dropped an 8 off his uniform, and Taj Gibson is gonna wear No. 67.
All fun stuff, but nothing groundbreaking. We’ll break this down more later in podcasts and articles, but here’s something you need to know about each of the key players.
Andrew Wiggins
Wiggins was the most intriguing player today. He fired his agent, Billy Duffy, in late August after the Wolves had sent the two his $148 million max contract extension. Wiggins wouldn’t expand on why he fired Duffy or where he was at with extension other than to say he would take his time.
“I don’t have an agent right now, and I don’t know if I’ll have one in the future,” he said, while adding that he’s relying and family and a close inner circle as he closes in on a deal.
He also said that Zach LaVine was his best friend on the team and is sad to see him go, even if there’s a lot of opportunity for him with the Chicago Bulls, and that he has spoken to Glen Taylor multiple times and isn’t bothered by the team owner’s request to sit down with him before inking the contract.
“He’s offering all that money,” Wiggins said. “He can do whatever he wants.”
Nothing really bothers this guy. He’ll get his deal done. He likes the team ownership. And he’ll be fine ceding some of the spotlight to Jimmy Butler. “Jimmy and me are gonna be a problem,” he said, “both on the offensive and the defensive side.”
Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns was the only player to bring up former Wolves coach and executive Flip Saunders. “I made a promise to Flip Saunders that we would win and end the playoff drought,” he said. “And I intend to keep that promise.”
In order to do so, he knows that he has to improve defensively. Like many of the players from last year, he said a second year with the same coach will help him understand the system better and rely more on instinct rather than try to think through rotations.
He also said that other teams got physical with him, and in order to counter them he has gotten faster and stronger in the offseason. He’s also added a top-secret move, which he will reveal in due time, and worked on his Dirk Nowitzki-inspired one-legged fade.
Jimmy Butler
This year’s Timberwolves are not the “Bulls North” or the “TimberBulls” despite the addition of former teammates Taj Gibson and Aaron Brooks, according to Butler, he’s just got good people around. But the comparison is inevitable, and Gibson especially is a close friend. “Taj is my guy,” he said.
The two former Bulls worked out together in Los Angeles, and he expects his other teammates to match his work ethic. “You’ll never take my heart from me,” he said. “I control how hard I play.” The former No. 30 overall pick complemented Towns and Wiggins’ effort, and doesn’t have many worries about the upcoming season. “I think everything will work out just fine,” he said.
Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden
Layden wasn’t asked much and didn’t say much, which is expected of a guy who can literally walk through rows of fans before a game and not get noticed, and Thibodeau continued to methodically drill a few key themes with his message — versatility, intensity and toughness. And, above all else, defense.
“I thought our offense was very good last year,” he said. “Defense is where we suffered. We need to make that commitment.”
In order to get better the team has to get tougher, he said, and he has supplemented that with his offseason acquisitions. They also have to play more intensely, memorize the system and dominate the boards. Oh yeah, and they have to have a burning desire to win.
“You have to have a great dislike for losing,” he said.
Other notable stuff
Jersey number changes:
Teague knows he’s replacing Rubio:
Brooks and Crawford have the same name:
And in the end, this is all that matters:
