Wolves Around the Web

by wyn on Aug 14, 2008 11:13 AM CDT in Links

More links for you non-Olympic basketball pleasure:

Euroleague Basketball: Former Timberwolf Bracey Wright has signed with DKV Joventut. Since not being tendered a qualifying offer with the Wolves in '07, the former Hoosier has bounced from the D-League to Europe. DKV Jovetut is a very strong Spanish team, so congrats to Wright for catching their eye.
Speaking of the D-League, Minnesota's affiliate the Sioux Falls SkyForce is finding high travel costs to be a burden. Sure they're a minor league team with smaller revenue, but I have no doubt that this would factor into any realignment talk in the NBA (which hasn't actually happened as far as I know) and would have a HUGE impact on any thoughts of increased NBA competition with foreign teams.
Dave Berri runs through the numbers on an accusation that the Wolves are the worst team in league history. I'll spare you the hyperventilation: probably not. But, Berri doesn't offer a subsitute candidate, so... maybe. On the plus side, he says the numbers endorse trading Mayo for Miller and Love and his early estimate based on past performance puts the Wolves at 33 wins. Read the article for actual explanation and contextualization of the numbers, and then put that blog in your feed reader. It's one of the best NBA stats blogs out there. And, if you don't have a feed reader, get one and save yourself a crapload of clicks (I recommend Google Reader). [Sorry to steal the link Jianfu, must've been typing at the same time]
Stephen Litel's back on the beat with a look at Randy Foye's month splits from last year. They are very encouraging. Given that Brandon Roy's having Craig Smith surgery this week, the Foye/Roy debate may be heating up this season.
Ludacris is apparently name-dropping the Timberwolves in a new song. Can anyone tell if it's a good or bad thing?
With the impending re-signing of Andre Igoudala, Tom Ziller's taken a look at the comparative value of the class of 2004 to their contracts. This just in: Al Jefferson is a tremendous player with a relatively modest contract.
McHale's got a press conference in Bismarck today to ostensibly announce that the team will be playing a preseason game there.

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The funny thing about that Dave Berri link is reading the comments of some Clippers fans who feel slighted not to be in the discussion… If you’re doomed to follow a bad team, may as well have fun with it.

IIRC, Randy Foye’s draft stock may have been inflated by riding NBA Champion D-Wade’s wake a bit (“he’s a gritty senior combo-guard who starred in his team’s tourney run…he’s the next D-Wade!”), but to be fair a big reason for the Wolves being skeptical of Roy was his durability concerns, as he had injury problems even then. So we’ll see. Incidentally, tooting my own horn a bit, I would have picked Ronnie Brewer in that draft. He hasn’t got the counting stats yet, because he plays for a good team, but minute for minute, he looks absolutely like the real deal. And what was that the Wolves were saying about needing a versatile 1-2-3 type…. ;)

by jianfu on Aug 14, 2008 11:42 AM CDT 0 recs

Wow, Bismarck, that’s like 7 hours away isn’t it? You’d think they’d want to play in Fargo, or somewhere in SD to take advantage of the Miller signing. Then again maybe Bismarck is a good pro basketball town, the Dakota Wizards play there – i.e. Oliver Miller’s former team! Maybe the Big O had something to do with bringing the Wolves in.

by plinytheelder on Aug 14, 2008 12:17 PM CDT 0 recs

what about

winnipeg!?

by secretarykissinger on Aug 15, 2008 1:01 AM CDT up 0 recs

My hometown!

Now you’re speaking my language!

by plinytheelder on Aug 15, 2008 3:04 AM CDT up 0 recs

Love the 'Peg

… I think it gets an underserved blind eye from Minnesotans. The Forks are beautiful, The Weakerthans are the best band in the history of bands and if you walk up Main St. on a Saturday morning to the only bank near downtown that’s open, you totally won’t get robbed by anyone.

Lots of Canada talk at Hoopus these days, I love it!

Anyone want to see pics of my NW Territories trip? http://picasaweb.google.com/wyn.douglas/FurtherNorth

by wyn on Aug 15, 2008 7:53 AM CDT up 0 recs

that's a loooonnnnnnng...

….drive. I think it sucks that you need a passport to go to Canada now…or has that taken effect yet? I know it was part of a ridiculous immigration bill aimed at preventing all those terrorists from coming in via the Boundary Waters on their Taliban canoes.

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com

by Stop-n-Pop on Aug 15, 2008 8:19 AM CDT up 0 recs

6700 miles my man.

All worth. I went alone last summer, had a great time.

The passport deal is in effect. The border guard in Idaho on the way back gave me the business. Was a total tool.

by wyn on Aug 15, 2008 9:16 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'm having typing problems this morning

by wyn on Aug 15, 2008 9:16 AM CDT up 0 recs

We're looking at a spring trip to Winnepeg....

…if we’re still in Minny. Any recommendations of what we need to see and do?

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com

by Stop-n-Pop on Aug 15, 2008 9:19 AM CDT up 0 recs

Holy crap you went to NWT? I think about 1% of Canadians have been there. That Edmonton to Yellowknife drive is legendary, nice photos too.

It’s tough to give recommendations about Winnipeg, pretty good place to live but not a whole to see… I would just check out the neighbourhoods – there’s a nice ring of them right around downtown – Exchange District (where most of the Wpg General Strike went down), Wolseley, Osborne Village. The part of St.-Boniface right near the river is nice. Selkirk Avenue is great, it’s a really great Ukranian and First Nations (“Canadian Indian”) hood. Winnipeg’s small enough that you can basically walk a lot of places.

It’s a real burgers-and-fries kind of town – Kelekis, Albert Street, Salisbury House (home of the “Mr. Big Nip” burger, no joke, damn good too). Good dim sum in chinatown. Or if you want to splurge Dubrovnik is supposed to be great, though I’ve never been…

OK I should stop as this sounds like a travel brochure, one last thing, I’d recommend a late spring trip, late April at the earliest, anything before that can be pretty dicey weather-wise.

by plinytheelder on Aug 15, 2008 11:09 AM CDT up 0 recs

wow, that reminds me

i think i did a dine-and-ditch at the salisbury house almost 20 years ago; it was the end of a long night of exploiting manitoba’s lower drinking age. is it downtown? i don’t remember the mr. big nip burger. but i don’t remember too much of the evening really.

ahh, youth.

by secretarykissinger on Aug 15, 2008 10:08 PM CDT up 0 recs