Three takeaways from the early-season Wolves
The team has just begun the process of blazing its identity. But they have talent and they have time — the essential raw ingredients of stable growth.
Britt Robson
Britt Robson has covered the Timberwolves since 1990 for City Pages, The Rake, SportsIllustrated.com and The Athletic. He also has written about all forms and styles of music for over 30 years.
The Wolves come home, after getting the poise pounded out of them
There is legitimate reason for some initial concerns about the Wolves’ successive pratfalls to start the season.
Previewing the 2016-17 Timberwolves: This is just the beginning
What follows are the reasons it is overwhelmingly likely that 2016-17 is ground zero of a Timberwolves resurgence.
Previewing the NBA’s Western Conference: Will the Wolves end their playoff drought?
Golden State is the overwhelming favorite, and the Clippers and Spurs the most formidable contenders.
Previewing the NBA’s Eastern Conference, from the favored Cavs to the woeful Nets
Those on the playoff bubble in the East include dramatically overhauled squads in major markets like New York and Chicago.
Why it’s okay to be a little giddy about the 2016-17 Timberwolves
This season’s Wolves will play better, smarter, more consistently entertaining basketball than the locals have witnessed in well over a decade.
True Grit: Kevin Garnett, the greatest Timberwolf who ever lived, passes the baton
KG’s gaudy intensity obscured the formidable intellect that engineered his outlandish physical and emotional enterprise — and that made him the greatest defender I’ve ever seen.
The Wolves’ modest free agent maneuvers point toward a confident, successful future
The NBA created the circumstances for the biggest free-agent banquet in the history of basketball, and the Wolves were content to consume a few morsels that were swept off the table. That’s good news.
A Dunn deal? Wolves fuel speculation with draft night intrigue
Minnesota selected Dunn. But did they really want him or was it to facilitate a trade with Chicago? Or Philadelphia? Or anyone else coveting Kris Dunn?
What the Wolves need now
The big things are in place. Which means it’s easier to identify where weaknesses exist on the Timberwolves’ current roster — and how they might be addressed.
It won’t be boring: How Tom Thibodeau is going to mesh with the Wolves’ young roster
When reflecting upon the Thibodeau hire, “culture” is the pertinent word.
The Wolves have some great coaching candidates. Hiring the right one is still a crapshoot
Even safe, established candidates are not foolproof. And for all their accomplishment, Thibodeau, Van Gundy and Brooks all sport red flags on their resumes.
Whatever you think of Sam Mitchell, the way the Wolves fired him was disrespectful
I’m not sure Sam Mitchell was the best person to coach the Wolves going forward, but there’s a chance the team may come to regret the decision to fire him.
A big win for the Wolves — and for Andrew Wiggins
The win — and the role of swingman Andrew Wiggins in securing it — ratified the maturing legitimacy of the team’s cornerstones.
With Taylor’s latest comments, the Wolves are stuck in the muddle again
Looking at the kabuki theater set design against which the Wolves will close out the season.
Has Ricky Rubio become a good — or at least not terrible — shooter?
For those willing to look more closely, Rubio has in fact been improving as a shooter for most of this season.
Gorgui Dieng is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA
Let’s take a moment to appreciate what the Timberwolves power forward has wrought out of his NBA career.
In KAT we trust. The wolves? Not so much.
To paraphrase a cliché from postseason tournaments, the Timberwolves need to understand that the prevailing mood among the faithful is, “win or go away.”
The Nanne State
How a kid from Canada became the quintessential Minnesotan.
Why Sam Mitchell and Zach LaVine have the most at stake in the final 28 games of the season
A little review and reorientation seems in order for the final 28 games of the season, the 12th in row where Minnesota will fail to qualify for the playoffs.
