The Timberwolves made drastic changes to their rotation this summer by sending Julius Randle and Naz Reed upon importation Lamela’s ball and Jonathan Cuminga.
The acquisition of Ball, in particular, was done with an eye toward reallocating a franchise player Anthony Edwards‘ responsibilities, as too many times over the last few years he has been the team’s main player in addition to top scorer. Edwards is excited to have a high-level point guard around him and what that could mean for the rest of his game, Jamal Collier writes for ESPN.
“The last couple of years, I haven’t been able to play defense as well as I wanted to because I’ve been bringing the ball upEdwards said.Sometimes you had to kill all the time. I’m really tired, but now I’ve got LaMelo, I’ve got the point guards. So I don’t have to remember it at all. I can go to the corner three, four games in a row and just defend the best players. This year I’m going to excel at my game in a much different way.”
Ball also expressed excitement about the pairing, noting that in addition to potentially being a seamless fit on the court, he envisions the duo being compatible off the court.
“Indeed, we have the same characterBall said.Cool, confident, communicative. This is my brother and I think we will be straight.”
Edwards echoed that sentiment, saying the good vibes don’t just extend to the star-studded backcourt, John Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“Our group chat went crazyEdwards said.We have a fantasy football (league). The personalities in the locker room, they go well together.”
Edwards isn’t the only one excited to play with someone who can read text as naturally as Ball. The big men on the team know that if they rush hard, the star point guard can find them for easy buckets.
“To be honest, he threw so many foreheads in the first practice”, second year center Joan Behringer said. “I have never seen anything like this before. I really like it in my game. … I’m really excited to play with him.”
We have more from the Timberwolves:
- President of Wolves Basketball Tim Connelly enters final year of contract. Although he has yet to receive an extension, Connelly has entered discussions with the team and feels comfortable in Minnesota, Krawczynski writes. “I am very happy here” said the veteran executive.Our third child was born here. We really feel like a part of this Minnesota community. Just focused on continuing to build and continuing to win games.” Connelly added that he regrets his own contract being the subject of public discussion because it could distract from what he’s trying to build, and that while teams have checked him out, he hasn’t interacted with any of them. “I think there may have been opportunities that could have been used elsewhere“, he said.”But we are very happy with where we are both personally and professionally and excited about the new ownership. … I’m just lucky to work with really good people.”
- Mark City and Eliza Stud are set to take over as the new owners of Wolves, but unlike many recent entrants into the world of sports ownership, they come from relatively humble beginnings and don’t enjoy much fame, Krawczynski writes for The Athletic in the couple’s profile. According to Krawczynski, those who know Stads describe them as far from “bloodthirsty, profit-obsessed venture capitalist(s),” which will hopefully provide stability at the top of the organization. “I think Minnesotans need to know that this is not just an investment that he plans to dump” said Matthew Ebel, Mark’s best friend.I think Mark plans to be a long-term owner of the team. … I think he’s going to do whatever he can to help win a championship, other than making threes.”
- If and when the NBA expands to 32 teams, one Western Conference team plans to move to the East, a proposal the Timberwolves have been interested in for decades. according to Kravchinsky. The pick will likely come down to the Wolves, Grizzlies and Pelicans, and there’s no indication yet that a decision has been made on which of the three will be selected. While the other two teams are technically further east than Minneapolis, the Wolves’ best argument may be how naturally they fit into the Central Division. Minnesota is one of the best teams in terms of distance traveled per season every year. However, there could be downsides to such a move, Krawczynski notes, as it ends a perennial, highly entertaining rivalry with the Nuggets and means cooler seasons in terms of travel destinations.
