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Summer Timberwolves vs. Summer Nuggets

The Wolves summer league odyssey gets underway tonight vs. the Nuggets. What are you looking for?

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Summer Wolves vs. Summer Nuggets 
7:30 CDT
ESPN/ESPN3

The Wolves get underway in the Las Vegas Summer League tonight at 7:30 pm against the Denver Nuggets summer entry. This is the first chance to see Kris Dunn in action in something resembling a Wolves jersey, as well as a chance to get a look at returnees Adreian Payne and Tyus Jones.

Here's the full roster:

13 Keith Benson C 6-11 238 08/13/88 Oakland University (MI)/USA 1
44 Coty Clarke F 6-7 235 07/04/92 Arkansas/USA 1
31 Majok Deng F 6-10 185 03/01/93 Louisiana-Monroe/South Sudan R
3 Kris Dunn G 6-4 210 03/18/94 Providence/USA R
24 Jarrid Famous F/C 6-11 239 07/16/88 South Florida/USA R
1 Tyus Jones G 6-2 195 05/10/96 Duke/USA 1
43 Kris Joseph F 6-7 210 12/17/88 Syracuse/Canada 1
23 Toure’ Murry G 6-5 200 11/08/89 Wichita State/USA 2
33 Adreian Payne F 6-10 237 02/19/91 Michigan State/USA 2
0 Kevin Punter G 6-2 190 06/25/93 Tennessee/USA R
25 Xavier Silas G 6-5 198 01/22/88 Northern Illinois/USA 1
51 Scott Suggs G 6-7 199 11/10/89 Washington/USA R
11 Devin Thomas F 6-9 248 05/17/94 Wake Forest/USA R

Ryan Saunders will serve as the head coach for the Summer Wolves.

Summer league is not the highest caliber of basketball, as most of the participants are not NBA quality, and these teams are pretty thrown together.  It will be nice to get a look at some guys in a vaguely competitive setting, thought the yearly warning still applies: Don't read to much into what we see here, good or bad.

David Naylor will be on hand for the first few games to send in reports, and John Meyer will handle the 2nd half; both are going to be in Vegas staying in the SB Nation Summer League house, which I understand might serve as the basis for a reality TV show. (NerdTV in negotiations). Pray for them.

One serious note:

I think about Tim Allen often, but never so much as when Summer League comes around. I remember him for a lot of things from this website, but none more than his trip to Vegas for Summer League shortly before his death. The article he wrote about his experiences, which I know I have linked multiple times before, remains quintessential Tim: Smart, readable, and enthusiastic. The same day that article was published, he also wrote about the Wayne Ellington trade and his personal connection to Ellington.

Two weeks later he passed.

It's the nature of online relationships to be transient, but Canis Hoopus bucks that trend. So many of you reading this remember Tim, even though it's been nearly four years since his death. Those of you who don't have no doubt heard about him. Tim was, truly, the best of us. He was optimistic when most of us were not. He was enthusiastic when we were cynical. He was smart, but more than that he was open to learning, and in that way he represented what's best about Canis, but more importantly about humanity.

I know I write something similar to the above paragraphs every year. There's a reason for it, and it's for me more than it is for you: I never want to forget someone who helped shape my experience at this website that is such an important part of my life, someone I argued with almost daily for the better part of two years, and someone whose qualities of empathy, intelligence, and enthusiasm we should all aspire to.

R.I.P.

82-0.