Team releases schedule, Love feels more appreciated by U.S. Team than Wolves, ESPN predicts Wolves to be worst in NBA and more
From Kent Youngblood/Star Tribune:
The 2010-11 Timberwolves schedule was released Tuesday, and here is a by-the-numbers look at highlights of the 82-game, six-month affair.
1 The Wolves open at home against Sacramento on Oct. 27, which means it will take only one game for fans to begin debating whether it was worth selecting Wesley Johnson over DeMarcus Cousins with the No. 4 pick in the draft. Also the number of times Kevin Garnett and Boston visit Target Center (March 27).
From Royce Webb/ESPN: 2010-11 Western Conference standings
15 Minn. Timberwolves
The good news: Our committee of 93 says the Wolves will win 33 percent more games. The bad news: We think the Wolves will be the NBA's worst team. Even worse: Despite a roster with intriguing young talent, Wolves GM David Kahn has us utterly confused regarding how he plans to take Minnesota north in the standings.
Maybe it's just the international style of play that makes Love more valuable to this team than to the Timberwolves. He has a high basketball IQ, solid fundamentals and excellent passing skills. With the 3-point line at a shorter distance, he's a threat from long range. And with the U.S. short on big men, he will be needed to man the center position.
Love was asked Tuesday if he felt more appreciated with the U.S. Team than with the Timberwolves.
"Yes," he responded. "Just a solid yes."
But he was quick to clarify.
"I don't want to come off sounding like a prima donna or sound like I'm complaining or anything," Love said. "I just feel like, since I've been here, it's really been a great team atmosphere. We feel like we have a chance to win this whole thing. I think everybody is just coming in with a great attitude and appreciating everybody as a whole, and really becoming a family.
From Nam Huynh/Minnesota Sports Zone: Q & A: Timberwolves' Forward Anthony Tolliver
From Jon Krawczynski/AP Sports;
Tolliver's spoof on LeBron James' much-maligned ESPN special — titled "The Decision: Part Deux!!" — has been viewed more than 166,000 times since he posted it Friday. A relatively unknown free agent forward with 65 career games under his belt, Tolliver posted the one-minute video to announce that he chose the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Golden State Warriors.
He said it took about five minutes to put together. His girlfriend played the role of the reporter, asking Tolliver where he planned to play next season. Tolliver's sister ran the camera and Tolliver was the director, producer, screenwriter and star.
"I like to have fun with a lot of things and decided to have a little fun with this," Tolliver said
From Steve Aschburner/NBA.com:
Still, it was a nice, light touch, a good-natured needle stuck into the big, lead balloon that James' much-criticized hour of narcissism put aloft over this offseason. Again, hopefully, The King will be cool with this court jester and not make it his business to pulverize Tolliver by whatever means possible when their teams clash this season.
From Ira Winderman/Sun Sentinel:
Anyway, what I find most interesting, especially with the Timberwolves’ recent signing of Anthony Tolliver, are Minnesota’s apparent plans to spot Beasley extensively at small forward. While there obviously is no such current need now for the Heat, with LeBron in place, it’s not as if there where overwhelming options previously. If Michael makes it work at small forward then some second-guessing regarding these past two seasons could be in order.