Team by team- Minnesota Timberwolves

The NSL season is about to launch and there is movement EVERYWHERE across the league. Movement of players, movement of picks, movement in the trousers of GMs and even movement of an inaugural GM!?

Here at the NSL we would like to formally welcome the NEW GM of the Timberwolves… Ethan!  

I’ve done my research and here is some intel I’ve received on our newest arrival:

Ethan’s is a Cavs/Lebron fan, a lover of fantasy sports, a New South Welshmen, a good bloke and cheerleader! This big unit has won competitions in cheer at a State/National level (I believe), and rumour is he flips trades as well as he flips babes. There’s no doubt that this Timberwolves franchise is looking up, much like it’s new GM at a Saturday competition… *ZING*

LET’S GET INTO OUR PREVIEW!

The Wolves are a sharp looking squad which is testament to the drafting and trading done by former GM, Darko. While we won’t explore his decision to exit prior to the season, we would like to thank Darko for his initial involvement in the league.

The team features a delicious balance of offensive firepower and defensive punch. Grit and glamour. Let’s just say the Wolves’ Bol Bol is hot and full of Curry.

The Draft:

Pick 1 #5- Steph Curry- leading this team is a potential MVP candidate and NBA champion. The greatest shooter ever in the game and one man offense. Steph is currently rated 95 in 2k and his 3 point shot is 99. Fair to say, if you have him you’re a threat.

Pick 2 #56- Buddy Hield- after a long time between picks, Buddy was taken off the board. He could become the next pure shooter to make a mark on the game. After signing a big extension with the Kings the Wolves can rest assured knowing they have years of this one-two punch duo.

Pick 3 #65- LaMarcus Aldridge/ flipped for Steven Adams. Adams looks like Aquaman plays like Superman on D and the glass. Will be cleaning up the misses and slamming it in the hole like Wayne Carey in his Kangaroos days. He’s a great fit to balance out this big 3 on the defensive end.

Possibly the main criticism with this team is the lack of value found in the later stages of the draft which could be due to picking with such a lengthy interval. The best late picks included Larry Nance (#116), Joe Ingles (#125) and Brynn Forbes (#245). All these players should cement solid roles in the NBA and be good role players for this franchise. Forbes has smokey upside as a starter in San Antonio. Do the Wolves need another knock down shooter though?

Pick 15 in the rookie draft was selected at #236 in the inaugural draft.

The Rookie Draft:

Though it’s early to comment on the draft, as few players have had the opportunity to yet prove themselves, pick 15 was the most discussed pick of the draft. One pick outside the lotter BOL BOL was taken off the board! This was the same BOL BOL with the health question marks, character question marks and shitty spiderman suit (too mean). On the plus side his college numbers were epic (in a small sample size) and he’s tall enough to potentially glitch the game so time will tell on this one.

Salary

The Wolves are in a pretty envious position in terms of salary. Currently they have $120,690,000 on the books including holds. The Steph Curry Contract is a whopping $40,000,000 however Ethan’s two other stars are signed long term on deals sub $30mil. Buddy Hield recently extended for four years/ $94 million ($23.5 mill a year) and Steven Adams has two years remaining at around $25 million. Around these big contracts he has two contracts just over $10 million which round out his starting 5 in Nance Jr and Ingles. It might be an interesting idea to explore bundling some talent with picks to add a two-way forward to round out this team, however they already look primed to win games.

Predictions:

It’ll be interesting to see the direction new GM Ethan takes with this squad. He has at his disposal a plethora of picks for the future, while he appears to be in the window to contend with his BIG 3 looking as good as any in the league. After getting a grasp on finances, strategies, communicating with other GM’s, etc. there is a genuine foundation for this GM to elevate from. Will Ethan take this team to the greatest heights or clumsily dismount and fall to the cradle catch with the likes of Jesse Dunne’s Raptors? The ball is in his court and we can’t wait to see what he does with this opportunity. Good luck. 

Predicted Record 46-36

GO ETHAN, GO!