Post by Minnesota Timberwolves on Aug 8, 2010 21:24:43 GMT -5
With the addition of new GM Duane Ledien the Timberwolves are very excited about the future of Basketball in the great state of Minnesota. Mr. Ledien has been around the game of basketball since he was 5 years old. He played for a state championship team in his senior year of high school and went on to play a couple years on a scholarship for a small D3 school. He then became an assistant coach for his former High School team for a couple years before persuing other dreams in a couple different states. We are glad to have him in the organization and we really like what his plans are for this team now and for the future.
Now let's take a look at the roster of the Minnesota Timberwolves
Starting at PG is our newly acquired player from the 76ers Louis Williams. The kid has a scoring mentality. He is a score first PG which is what we are looking for at this point due to the fact we don't have any established pure scorers in our starting lineup
Starting at the SG is a rookie that we have very high hopes for the we acquired in a trade from the 76ers as well who was originally drafted by the Spurs. James Anderson was a very good scorer in College and we expect big things as he progresses into a more experienced player and potential big time scorer in the league.
Starting at SF is another rookie and our #4 overall pick in the NBA draft this past June. Wesley Johnson was an all american in college and the University of Syracuse. He is a very versitale player and can do a bit of everything. He is a solid scorer and rebounder. He is very athletic and can defend as well. We expect big time things out of this rookie and most certainly feel this kid can take himself to the level of a perennial All Star.
Starting at PF is the newly acquired Troy Murphy. We feel he is a very solid player and as one of the few to avg a double-double over the past couple years per season he will be a great mentor to Kevin Love as they are similar players that can score a little bit, grab every rebound in their sights and can step outside and knock down the 3ball. We also feel he will be a great leader to this extremely young team and give us that veteran presence we are looking for.
Starting at C is the previously mentioned Kevin Love. He may be a little undersized to play the Center spot, but we want him to be in the starting lineup and get a ton of playing time. We really like what this kid brings to the table on a nightly basis. He is a very similar player to Troy Murphy and we expect every bit of the same success out of Love that Murphy has achieved in his career
Now let's meet the bench
Up front we have a couple young up and coming bigs. Roy Hibbert will be taking over the Center spot next year after Troy Murphy leaves for Free Agency. We will slide Love to the PF slot and Hibbert will move right into that Center slot. Hibbert is a very good shot blocker and rebounder. He does tend to get in a little bit of foul trouble but our coaching staff is working hard with him on his patience underneath and not leaving the floor when he doesnt have to. Offensively he is a little too patient for our likings but our staff is working with that as well. He has great hands and is a phenominal passer for a big. Spencer Hawes is our other bench big. He can play either position up front and has some decent all around skills. He is still a little raw, but he is a work in progress. He has a nice touch from 18 feet so he can stretch the floor nicely for a bench big.
Let's take a look at our wings. We have Travis Outlaw, Jamario Moon and Quincy Pondexter all guys that will get some playing time on the wings off the bench. Outlaw is a guy that can heat it up from 3 in a hurry. He is definately not afraid to jack it up from the outside. He is also a solid defender. Moon is an extremely good defender and an amazing athlete. We expect Moon to do a little bit of everything. Quincy Pondexter is another rookie that we really like and has some pretty good upside. He is a little raw on the offensive end but has the ability to become a very solid scorer off the bench. He is very athletic and solid defender. For only being 6'6 he can absolutely rebound the hell out of the ball due to his crazy athleticism
Our backup PG is a nice solid veteran in Luke Ridnour. He is a floor general and a true point guard. Absolutely a pass first PG and we expect solid minutes and good contributions off the bench out of Luke.
We are still looking into the free agent wire and possibly a trade or 2. All in all we are very excited with this group and a definate improvement from last year. The addition of our new GM is a definate sign for a movement in the right direction. He is a winner and wants to bring the winning ways to the Timberwolves Organization. "We are a very young team with immesne upside. This team has a lot of potential to succeed. We are very excited about the now and the future for this organization. I am going to do my absolute best to make this city a basketball city again." Quote from new General Manager Duane Ledien
Oh and not to forget we still have a couple players overseas that we have the rights to. Ricky Rubio is still a very exciting player who is playing overseas right now and we plan to have him over here within the next couple of years. We expect him to continue his progression and become a very good player once he finally does decide to come over to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Now let's take a look at the roster of the Minnesota Timberwolves
Starting at PG is our newly acquired player from the 76ers Louis Williams. The kid has a scoring mentality. He is a score first PG which is what we are looking for at this point due to the fact we don't have any established pure scorers in our starting lineup
Starting at the SG is a rookie that we have very high hopes for the we acquired in a trade from the 76ers as well who was originally drafted by the Spurs. James Anderson was a very good scorer in College and we expect big things as he progresses into a more experienced player and potential big time scorer in the league.
Starting at SF is another rookie and our #4 overall pick in the NBA draft this past June. Wesley Johnson was an all american in college and the University of Syracuse. He is a very versitale player and can do a bit of everything. He is a solid scorer and rebounder. He is very athletic and can defend as well. We expect big time things out of this rookie and most certainly feel this kid can take himself to the level of a perennial All Star.
Starting at PF is the newly acquired Troy Murphy. We feel he is a very solid player and as one of the few to avg a double-double over the past couple years per season he will be a great mentor to Kevin Love as they are similar players that can score a little bit, grab every rebound in their sights and can step outside and knock down the 3ball. We also feel he will be a great leader to this extremely young team and give us that veteran presence we are looking for.
Starting at C is the previously mentioned Kevin Love. He may be a little undersized to play the Center spot, but we want him to be in the starting lineup and get a ton of playing time. We really like what this kid brings to the table on a nightly basis. He is a very similar player to Troy Murphy and we expect every bit of the same success out of Love that Murphy has achieved in his career
Now let's meet the bench
Up front we have a couple young up and coming bigs. Roy Hibbert will be taking over the Center spot next year after Troy Murphy leaves for Free Agency. We will slide Love to the PF slot and Hibbert will move right into that Center slot. Hibbert is a very good shot blocker and rebounder. He does tend to get in a little bit of foul trouble but our coaching staff is working hard with him on his patience underneath and not leaving the floor when he doesnt have to. Offensively he is a little too patient for our likings but our staff is working with that as well. He has great hands and is a phenominal passer for a big. Spencer Hawes is our other bench big. He can play either position up front and has some decent all around skills. He is still a little raw, but he is a work in progress. He has a nice touch from 18 feet so he can stretch the floor nicely for a bench big.
Let's take a look at our wings. We have Travis Outlaw, Jamario Moon and Quincy Pondexter all guys that will get some playing time on the wings off the bench. Outlaw is a guy that can heat it up from 3 in a hurry. He is definately not afraid to jack it up from the outside. He is also a solid defender. Moon is an extremely good defender and an amazing athlete. We expect Moon to do a little bit of everything. Quincy Pondexter is another rookie that we really like and has some pretty good upside. He is a little raw on the offensive end but has the ability to become a very solid scorer off the bench. He is very athletic and solid defender. For only being 6'6 he can absolutely rebound the hell out of the ball due to his crazy athleticism
Our backup PG is a nice solid veteran in Luke Ridnour. He is a floor general and a true point guard. Absolutely a pass first PG and we expect solid minutes and good contributions off the bench out of Luke.
We are still looking into the free agent wire and possibly a trade or 2. All in all we are very excited with this group and a definate improvement from last year. The addition of our new GM is a definate sign for a movement in the right direction. He is a winner and wants to bring the winning ways to the Timberwolves Organization. "We are a very young team with immesne upside. This team has a lot of potential to succeed. We are very excited about the now and the future for this organization. I am going to do my absolute best to make this city a basketball city again." Quote from new General Manager Duane Ledien
Oh and not to forget we still have a couple players overseas that we have the rights to. Ricky Rubio is still a very exciting player who is playing overseas right now and we plan to have him over here within the next couple of years. We expect him to continue his progression and become a very good player once he finally does decide to come over to the Minnesota Timberwolves