Wolves Updates 7/28
by SG on Jul 28, 2010 12:35 AM CDT
88 comments
Flynn expected to miss 3-4 months after hip surgery and more
From Phil Miller/Star Tribune:
Jonny Flynn got an early start Tuesday on an ugly Timberwolves tradition: second-year injuries to first-round picks.
Flynn underwent surgery to repair a tear in the labrum of his left hip, an injury that almost certainly will keep him out of training camp and could cost him the first month of the 2010-11 season as well. That makes him the fifth consecutive Wolves' first-rounder to be sidelined by major injury in his second season.
Flynn was hampered by his sore hip in the final few weeks of his rookie season, and even sat out the finale after starting the Wolves' first 81 games. The injury also kept him from taking part in the Vegas Summer League, and he finally decided to have the hip surgically repaired.
From Jonny Flynn's twitter account:
Surgery went well this morning. I deeply appreciate the get well soon wishes you all! Thanks for all the love. Rehab starts bright & early
From Phil Miller/Star Tribune:
The surgery, performed by Dr. Marc Philippon of The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., will require three to four months of recovery time, which could also cost Flynn the first month of his second NBA season.
From the Timberwolves site:
"We expect Jonny to make a full recovery from this procedure," said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations. "In the meantime, Dr. Philippon and our medical staff will work together to provide Jonny all the resources necessary to make his recovery as speedy as possible."
From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
If Flynn is out 3 to 4 months, that means he'll miss all of preseason and possibly the first month of the season.
Look for the Wolves to try to sign a veteran point guard to the league minimum for one year to provide insurance.
Yes, they also have Sebastian Telfair, don't they? But judging by the wording of yesterday's team press release announcing the trade -- they traded Sessions, Hollins and the Wolves' own second round pick in 2013 for "the contracts" of West and Telfair -- it seems obvious that Telfair isn't in their plans and they clearly knew Flynn needed surgery before making that trade.
From Chris Tomasson/Fanhouse: Nikola Pekovic Completes Buyout, Will Join Timberwolves
The Timberwolves paid the league-allowed $500,000 of Pekovic's buyout. The total amount of the buyout was not immediately available but Pekovic, who averaged 13.0 points while helping Panathinakios to the 2008-09 Euroleague title, was said to have handled the rest of the amount.
From Kelly Dwyer/Ball Don't Lie: Wolves trade Sessions, Hollins to Cleveland for West, Telfair
From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
Monday's move trims about an additional $3 million off a payroll that still is well below the $43 million-plus league minimum, a threshold Kahn last week said the team will not have trouble reaching by next season. The Wolves now are at least $20 million under the $58 million salary cap set for the 2010-11 season.
From Jason Fleming/Hoopsworld:
However, money could be an issue if they are saving for something specific, such as a major, major free agent (or star contract in trade) like Anthony. Is that the end game here? Is the plan to bring over Ricky Rubio next summer (David Kahn says yes) and also add a major star to a lineup that already has some very solid pieces in Kevin Love and Michael Beasley?
People continually question what this franchise's focus is and how they plan to ever take the next step from rebuilding to challenging for a playoff spot and beyond, but perhaps the truth is the Wolves are ten steps ahead of everyone else. Maybe things are going exactly as planned and while everyone is asking how the Wolves are improving now, the real answer is they are well poised for that hammer blow in the future, and for the day when we wake up and suddenly this team is a contender.
From Marc J. Spears/Yahoo! Sports:
Al Jefferson(notes) isn’t upset with the Minnesota Timberwolves for trading him. Not at all. After winning just 15 games last season, he’s thankful to be moving to the Utah Jazz, whose playoff appearances are an annual rite of spring. Staying with the Timberwolves would have meant only more rebuilding.
"They have a nice group of guys, but will have a couple more losing seasons," Jefferson said of the T’wolves. "Minneapolis is my home away from home. I respect the fans that have supported me through the good and the bad … but when I told people I played for Minnesota, some people didn’t even know they had a team. Everybody knows about Utah. Everyone knows the Utah Jazz.
"I go from being in a Toyota to a Bentley. It’s a beautiful thing.
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What's this? A reporter that can see more than 10 feet in front of his own face?
Jason Fleming, you are my new hero
by Oceanary on Jul 28, 2010 12:41 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
10 feet in front of his own face
or possibly completely blind.
I can’t tell.
by RandyCrouton on Jul 28, 2010 1:17 AM CDT up reply actions
Wow
Someone NOT making fun of Kahn (today at least) and can see that the possibility is there that he just MIGHT know whatr he is doing. Patience, Patience, Patience. Can not be preached enough.
Timberwolves - NBA champs 2013!
(used with permission - Wolf in MO)
by frankenhoops on Jul 28, 2010 9:55 AM CDT up reply actions
The Pekovic signing is great news....but
…can we get a top-tier guard so that our back up guards have someone to back up?
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
Will Rogers
by WillistonCoyote on Jul 28, 2010 7:12 PM CDT up reply actions
+1
I am not worried about quality at SF, and PG is solid with our long term starter in Europe, but we still seem to need a starter at SG.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Jul 29, 2010 9:37 AM CDT up reply actions
This never happened to Errol Flynn...
I'm a diehard Cavs fan, proud to say I never owned a LeBron jersey.
Despite the sword fighting
Come on Jonny.
We Are the Washington Generals
by Eric in Madison on Jul 28, 2010 6:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Errol had a much better
Assist to turnover ratio.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
by Flagrant on Jul 28, 2010 8:49 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
In Like Flynn
had more to do with ingenues than assists, to my understanding.
Why not just keep Telfair?
They’re already paying him. He’s a serviceable point guard for 15 minutes a game for one month on a team that likely isn’t competing for a playoff spot. And he was traded less than a year ago so he’s already played with most two of the wolves. But still, I remember he was a decent passer, an OK guy and didn’t rock the boat.
Thoughts?
Is there a much better option out there?
p.s. I’m not making a point so much as I’m asking a question. So, don’t jump on me for the suggestion.
I agree
I’m not an expert but I have to agree with this. Does it make a difference if we buy him out/trade him now or in 4 months?
Agree as well. Or at least see what Veteran PG we can get. I remember Kevin Ollie not exactly outplaying Telfair … and still, I kinda liked Telfair here.
by Wim (Belgium) on Jul 28, 2010 3:28 AM CDT up reply actions
he can run
and pass…. lead a break… it makes sense to keep him even if it is just until Jonny heals.
which is probably why we won’t keep him.
he's also small and a defensive liability
Just like Ridnour and Flynn. I’d rather pick up someone rugged with a little size on the off chance we try to win some games this season.
Quick Question
Why is Flynn getting this surgery now?? Why didn’t he get it earlier in the off-season or right after last season ended a little confused on this one? Seems like terrible timing.
It was my understanding
that he re-aggravated the injury just prior to summer league. I think he was rehabbing after the season, and then he f’ed it up again…to the point where surgery was the better option.
Hip labrum pain can be a difficult call.
Look, here’s someone on the internet who’s finally having that surgery after nine years.
Yeah
I waited about 3 months before i got the procedure done, you can treat it with rest, cortisone or if its still no good the surgery. John wall, the intricate cartlege in the hip socket doesnt heal by itself so essentially it becomes degenerative so leaving it any longer would mean more damage to the joint
Second year jinx? Hardly
It seems everyone wants to perpetuate the so-called second year jinx.
So much so, they fail to see the obvious: Flynn injured his hip during his first season.
“Flynn was hampered by his sore hip in the final few weeks of his rookie season, and even sat out the finale after starting the Wolves’ first 81 games. The injury also kept him from taking part in the Vegas Summer League, and he finally decided to have the hip surgically repaired.”
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
He stated that poorly
I understand it best that our first round picks tend to miss significant portions of their second year due to injury.
by Cedarpenguin on Jul 28, 2010 7:34 AM CDT up reply actions
I like what some poster replied to Kelly Dwyer who was dissing Wolve's Moves
“Kahn has turned Ryan Gomes, Ramon Sessions, Al Jefferson, and Ryan Hollins into Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster, Michael Beasley, Luke Ridnour, Darko, Pekovich, and a big pile of cash. Just shut up, please. At least until you find out what he’s going to do with the 10 mill or so he still has lying around. "
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
Will Rogers
by WillistonCoyote on Jul 28, 2010 7:58 AM CDT reply actions
That $10 million figure is low, is it not?
It’s more like $18 or $20 million right now, and that’s before Telfair gets moved if he does. Rubio’s cap hold only counts in the summer, too.
I am going to make that exact shirt!
It’s good to see that some analysts are actually seeing that there is a plan in MN.
Phase one of operation “Pull the Wool Over Their Eyes” is complete…
by Timberwolf i.e. Albatross on Jul 28, 2010 8:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Link?
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
Will Rogers
by WillistonCoyote on Jul 28, 2010 5:29 PM CDT up reply actions
I have them at a total of
a little over $41 million committed for 12 players making the following assumptions: $500K for West (not taking up a roster spot). Counts Telfair’s entire contract. This is NOT counting Rubio’s hold, since that will disappear during the season. If you want the number with that hold, it’s around $44 million. My number also does NOT count Steimmsma’s unguaranteed number. (Nor does it count him as a roster spot).
Current roster of guaranteed contracts:
Milicic
Pekovic
Love
Beasley
Johnson
Webster
Brewer
Ridnour
Flynn
Telfair
Ellington
Hayward
Depending on how you want to count it up, they have somewhere between $14-17 million in cap space, and probably need to add a player or 2 still. Cap space is not a problem. They remain under the minimum.
We Are the Washington Generals
by Eric in Madison on Jul 28, 2010 8:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Eric
you’re missing Kosta Koufos and his 1.2 mil
And BJelly
According to Chris Wright quoted in Ocenary’s post, we’re bringing him over to play in the D-League, so no roster spot, but it would still be a contract counted against our cap, right?
by Cedarpenguin on Jul 29, 2010 6:50 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, just quoting.
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
Will Rogers
by WillistonCoyote on Jul 28, 2010 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions
no doubt....
At the very least, we could get an Al Jefferson, overpaid type…but one who fills a need with that cap space.
We dumped three bad contracts and took nothing bad back, and actually got picks!
If we were the Knicks or Kahn was an ex-NBA player, the sportswriters would be drooling over our flexibility and youth. It is such a joke.
Al…our Toyota just got upgraded from a 1998 Corolla to a 2009 Camry, simply by you and your overly large contract leaving. Have fun coming off the bench for marginal playoff team…at least until they trade your bad contract in two years.
You should see what kind of odds...
you can get in Vegas on your “coming off Utah’s bench” prediction for Jefferson. If you’re right on that guess, I think you could get rich.
It's a lock...
…unless Okur or Milsap see extended injuries. I don’t think it’ll take Jerry Sloan long to figure out that Jefferson can’t guard either 4s of 5s that are starting caliber.
Isn't Okur
currently seeing an extended injury? Of the ruptured achilles variety?
I think there’s a good chance he won’t be ready for big minutes for a large portion of the season….certainly the start.
I looked ahead to the open road, thought about the people and what they know, and wrote a book called "People Don't Know Nothin!"
Ruptured left calcaneal (Achilles') tendon.
Okur even believes it’s possible to play by the beginning of the NBA’s regular season, which would be about six months after he ruptured the tendon in Denver. That would fit in the recovery time frame his doctor told him after his playoff-ending procedure…. “Hopefully I’m going to be able to be back early and maybe catch up (in) the preseason games a little bit and go from there.”
The timeless “Can we cover for Al’s defensive problems best at the 4 or the 5?” discussion will now be continued by others.
With a 15-win season
I would say the defensive problem was far more pervasive than just covering for Al.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Invariably, reading your responses, I find myself wondering:
“What the heck is he arguing against?”
Nobody said “The only defensive problem the Wolves had was covering for Jefferson.” Nobody said, a while back when I remarked that Beasley’s drug problem was hardly covered up at all, that it excused Kahn’s saying what he did. And yet you leap in disputing things that haven’t been asserted.
I don't know about Jefferson coming off the bench, but...
…I do think Sloan and Jazz fans will tire of Al and think “ohhhhh, so that’s why they traded him so cheaply” and it will happen this year.
What sort of season from Jefferson...
would have you thinking that it was a mistake to trade him?
For me, it’s something like 20 & 10 on a 48+ win team. If it’s more like 24 & 11 on a 54-win team, the trade approaches “disaster” territory.
If it’s 17 & 9 on a .500 Jazz team, with the same defense we saw last year, it was a smart move.
Well, it certainly was no mistake in Al's eyes
He left a 15-win team to join a playoff team with D-Will and some outside shooting.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
That's interesting.
In my opinion, any future outcomes have no bearing on whether it was a mistake to trade him or not.
I expect him to have a magnificent season, because he has more help. I expect Utah to go deep in to the playoffs. I expect Al to be very seriously considered for the All-Star game, although I don’t expect him to make it as a starter.
But trading him was the right thing to do. Every other position was being tailored (Taylored?) around a team vision, and he was the odd duck. His presence on the Wolves was keeping both from succeeding.
If he leads the league in scoring this year, it was still the right thing to do.
Everyone take a breath.
Which brings the point that I forgot...
which is the obvious one of how the Wolves are doing.
If this “team vision” is leading us down the familiar path of bottom five in the league, and Jefferson is a big part of a team in the top five, it’ll be viewed by any reasonable person as a terrible trade, with the benefit of hindsight.
I think Utah is a little bit thin at non-point guard positions, though… which probably ups the ante a bit on this. If they are to make a serious playoff run, it’ll probably be a heavy dose of Al Jefferson that gets them there.
Except
That the team he left was a bottom 5 team, and the team he joined was basically a top-5 team.
Now if we are even worse after trading him (despite improving in other areas) and the Jazz are even better after adding him, then I think there’s a stronger argument there.
A top 5 team that had just lost its second best player
Actively looking for red flags since my 5th grade traveling team
Yeah... Boozer was their leading scorer and rebounder...
the other players in the league to do that (lead a 50-win team in scoring and rebounding) were:
Tim Duncan
Amare Stoudemire
Dirk Nowitzki
Kevin Durant
Dwight Howard
That’s not easy company to replace. If Jefferson can do that in Utah (and along with Boozer, Utah loses Korver and Okur’s healthy leg), the point made by nja700 can be tossed out the window. It’ll mean we traded an elite player for cap space. Same thing the Grizzlies did with Pau Gasol.
or that
he is playing with a top three point guard, unlike Duncan, Dirk, Durant and Howard.
Get real…you really think there is even a 1% chance that Al Jefferson is an “elite” player? Even though he’s been on the league’s worst teams his entire career and never made an All-Star team.
Yeah, we'll have to see...
I don’t know exactly what caliber of a player Jefferson is because everything you say in that last sentence is true. If he does the UNTHINKABLE — let’s say Top-10 Scoring and Top-5 Rebounding on a 50-win team, then his perceived value goes through the roof and he joins elite compoany. If that crazy-unrealistic scenario were to play out, us Wolves fans would have to take a moment and ponder whether we were all wrong about Jefferson and whether he’s worth more than cap space.
No we won't.
And the reason we won’t is simple: he wasn’t going to do that for our team. I agree with LosDelFuego on this one. The future outcome of our team and of whatever team Al Jefferson is on and whatever he is traded for in the future (if he’s traded again) bears no relevance to whether the trade of him for Koufos, cap space and two protected first round picks was a good deal. Our team tried to build around him, and failed. Salvaging what we could for the guy at the right moment to trade him is the best we could hope for.
It’s almost the same thing as what happened when we traded KG. The circumstances were slightly different, but salvaging the best of a bad situation is exactly what we were doing then, too. Some fans will complain about not getting “fair value” for these guys, and about how the team is in a worse situation afterward, but blaming that solely on the trade is to ignore the bad situation that forced the trade in the first place.
I'm not trying to denigrate Al
I’m just saying that he’s being added to a team that lost a player quite similar to him statistically, and didn’t get a whole lot worse in other areas (Hayward and Bell can shoot). I don’t doubt that Al will thrive with D-Will and Sloan (they’ll probably help him improve), I just don’t think that him coming to that team and replicating Boozer’s success is any more of a sign that we made a mistake. He was a 20-10 guy with us, and he’ll probably be a 20-10 guy in that offense as well. He is what he is, and replicating that on a better team won’t surprise me or prove anything to me.
Pau joining the Lakers didn’t change my opinion of the quality of player he was. He was always an elite player in my mind, and his passing and efficiency improvements in an offense that perfectly utilized his skills was no surprise. He went from a crappy team to a mediocre team with Kobe on it, whereas Al went from crappy team to a good team that had just lost a similar player, The Lakers hadn’t lost a Pau-type player that Pau had to replicate the successes of.
As for the Wolves, it’s more interesting. By most accounts the overall team has improved. If they improve their record without Al and if the Jazz decline a bit, then there’s a little vindication (though we won’t know what this roster + Al would do). If we do worse, then it was a bad trade.
I just think that if both teams continue on their current paths as you said, I don’t see it as any stronger indication that the trade was terrible. If we do worse without him, then it was bad. If the Jazz do even better than they did with Boozer, then it was an awful trade. Similar results don’t indicate the same to me.
and their best outside shooters
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
They did sign Raja Bell, so he should replace some of that
but you’re right, losing Korver and Matthews doesn’t help.
Actively looking for red flags since my 5th grade traveling team
Don't think the Jazz can maintain
They lost Boozer, Korver and Brewer. They got worse with the outside shooting and have a rehabbing Okur and injury prone AK. Al really will need to do a lot this year for the Jazz to be the main in the paint for Williams.
Utah won 53 games last year
…and won a playoff series. If they can get anywhere close to that, I guess Al’s better than I thought.
His personal stats are less important than you think…but I guess that is why you like him so much.
Telfair may not want to sign
due to his younger age he might be looking for a long term back up positon. It sounds like we are looking for a Kevin Ollie type player in his 30"s
Kahn may end up looking good
A slashed payroll stops the bleeding financially and makes it easier to sell discounted tickets to fill seats. As long as the team doesn’t suck as much as last year, that’s not so bad.
Lots of cap room if the right opportunity for a star comes along.
Lets hope its not wasted on five $4million/year guys.
Why did Kahn pull the trigger so quick on Sessions?
Like AnthonyM one big move would be nice but Other than a Minimum 1 year contract for a point guard the only rumor I hear is about Anthony Toliver a Beasley sized PF. Looking at Eric"s list I don’t see Koufous who I thought was going to Cleveland but we sent Hollins instead so do we still have Koufous?
if the goal was cap space
West’s contract is fully guaranteed on Aug 5th (or after Aug 5th) so the trade had to be completed by then.
It’s possible that the team could have held onto sessions and traded him during the season for a player with an expiring contract or talent. But it seems as if the team wanted cap space (i.e., to reduce total salary outlays).
It also shows how important the money is
Sessions is in the house and would have been showcased while Flynn was out to increase his value. However, getting the cash is more important to this teams future than having any resemblance of a competitive team during the first month of the season. The cash was apparently more important than getting an actual player when a team is desperate due to a PG injury.
by midlife crisis on Jul 28, 2010 10:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Indeed, sorry, I forgot Koufos
add his salary on for now. My apologies
We Are the Washington Generals
by Eric in Madison on Jul 28, 2010 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Koufos + Pek
In the front court, that would be uuuugly
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Nah
I’ve seen some footage of this guy. He’s got the size and strength and there is no denying he’s a team player, but his diet is terrible and he has questionable BBIQ. Don’t even get me started on his red flags rumor has it has a swashbuckling history.
Imagine Kahn at the presser introducing him!
Good luck getting the cap to fit.
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please."
Mark Twain
Dialogue from press conference
David Kahn: [points at sloth] Sloth, [points at himself] Kahn.
Sloth: Sloth, Kahn. [also pointing]
Sloth: Baby Ruth. Ruth, Ruth, Baby Ruth.
[Kevin Love walks by the podium.]
Sloth: Chunk. Sloth love Chunk!
Are you a screenwriter?
Good stuff.
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please."
Mark Twain
Forgot the time frame on Wests contract
thanks littleboxes.
I wish Kahn hadn't been muted
before he had a chance to express what hethinks about Rudy Fernandez. It seems that in light of the Flynn injury and Sessions trade, Rudy would be an even better addition to roster now than he was a few weeks ago.
hethinks.
it’s the little jokes that I enjoy the most.
I think there are still options to get Rudy, if we want him. I always thought of him as a wing, though. Do you see him as more of a combo guard?
Everyone take a breath.
by losDelFuego on Jul 28, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
I could see him running the point for a few minutes if necessary
But he’s really a 2 guard. I just think his agent has made it clear that he doesn’t want to play here. That didn’t stop them with Milicic, but apparently has with Fernandez.
We Are the Washington Generals
by Eric in Madison on Jul 28, 2010 11:14 AM CDT up reply actions
You're probably right on both his use here, and his interest in playing for the Wolves.
Still, it would be a neat little nudge closer to getting Little Ricky.
Hey, every team could use some good whine
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Don't know where to share this...
So, I guess I’ll do it here.
From Darren Wolfson’s Twitter account-
“Chatted w/ free-agent Anthony Tolliver’s agent. He talked w/ Kahn yest. #Twolves are 1 of 3 teams they’re strongly considering. Choice soon.”
Hope it’s not more than a 1 year contract.
Check out Humdinger TV on YouTube.
http://twitter.com/HumdingerTV
This has to mean
they think Beasley is a 3, right? Otherwise they have a nice 4 big rotation in Love/SCB/Darko/Pek, and not a lot of room for another young guy who should get PT…
Or else they're letting go of Koufos
Which I am all for. Kid was horrible last year.
So Bassy is sticking around?
I was hoping to see Ellington and Lazar get playing, by Ellington getting PG minutes and Lazard getting ELlington’s 2 spot minutes.
Team NBA cuts announced
Mayo, McGee, Evans, Wallace. No real surprises in getting down to 15. Lopez given a chance to get over mono by the next camp in NY. Talking about perhaps taking more than 12 to Europe before making final cut.
Nemanja at PG?
I’m maybe joking. Word is that they may want him this season. The guy can handle the ball. I’m not so against signing him now. We’d have three Serbians.
This is great news, but can we get a
top tier guard so our other guards have someone to back up?
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
Will Rogers
by WillistonCoyote on Jul 28, 2010 7:10 PM CDT reply actions
Link
"Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction."
Will Rogers
by WillistonCoyote on Aug 16, 2010 2:02 AM CDT reply actions
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