Training Camp 2014

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We’ve been talking about it since the team traded Kevin Love.

There is a very unique blend of young players and veterans on this team.  And what might be even more unique is that all of these players are actually fighting for minutes. It’s not known how many players Saunders will utilize in a given game, but chances are he’ll have a main rotation of eight players, with other players filling in when foul trouble presents itself. Or will he?

“As a player, it’s your job, you determine how much you play,” Saunders said. “Your job is to… make it hard for me to determine who plays and who doesn’t.  I can see, as we’re practicing right now, that I’ll play more than eight.”

The most interesting battle looks like it will be at the wing position. There are veterans like Corey Brewer, Chase Budinger and Kevin Martin. Then you throw in Mo Williams, who Saunders wants to play at the 2. Then you have the youngsters. There’s Andrew Wiggins (of course), Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad, Robbie Hummel and Glenn Robinson III.

The nice things about players like Brewer, Budinger, Williams, Wiggins, LaVine, Muhammad, Hummel and Robinson III is that they can play two or more positions if needed (obviously not at the same time. That would be impressive, though).

It’s interesting to see these players scrimmage against each other. The veterans know what is going on. These young guys are trying to earn some minutes. When minutes are on the line, everyone is forced to raise their level of play.

“There’s a lot of young guys who want to take the spot and there’s the vets who don’t want to let that happen,” point guard Ricky Rubio said. “… I’d say that’s good with a training camp.”

Saunders also thinks that competition might be a reason why the Wolves have been able to stay away from the injury bug early in camp. So far, only Nikola Pekovic and Robinson have missed a practice (both missed Thursday’s practice).

With only two more days left in Mankato, the question of ‘who will play more?’ hasn’t been answered yet. And for Saunders, that’s probably a good thing.

Near the end of Friday’s practice, Brewer was hit in the face and ended up chipping two teeth. Brewer left practice and was taken to Minneapolis to fix them up. Saunders believes Brewer will be back by Friday night before the team has dinner at owner Glen Taylor’s house.

Saunders joked that it might have been the worst thing that could have happened to Brewer as far as injuries go.

“That’s a major injury for him, because the way he smiles, (that) takes away all of that laughing and smiling.”

As always, thanks for reading. We’ll have videos uploaded soon, along with a feature on Chase Budinger.

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Training Camp Day 4: Where Do The Pieces Fit?

When Nikola Pekovic is on the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves, he’s an All-Star caliber center.

Last season, he finished with 23 double-doubles in 54 starts and hauled in 10 or more rebounds in 24 games.

In a league where the center position is slowly fading, Pekovic has thrived.  He averaged 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds when he did play during the 2013-14 season.

The thing is, the Wolves would have liked to see the big man on the court more than he was.

Pekovic missed time last season due to ankle issues. In fact, since entering the league in 2010, Pekovic has never played more than 65 games. That was his rookie season when he played just 887 minutes.

Most can agree that when Pekovic is on the court, he’s fantastic. He’s an offensively-gifted player who looks like the Hulk, but has the touch of a gentle giant.

The job for Flip Saunders and his coaching staff is to make sure he is indeed on the court.

Last season, Saunders said that the team might have moved too aggresively with how great Pekovic looked early on.

“What I don’t want to do is get carried away like we did last year. Where he felt so good and then all the sudden it hit him like a brick wall,” Saunders said after Wednesday’s practice. “I mean, he went from being third in the league in double-doubles, an All-Star and playing off the chart and all the sudden he couldn’t play at all. So, we want to prevent that.”

Saunders knows that Pekovic has been a focal point of this team’s offense over the last two seasons and while he still wants to utilize Pekovic’s talents, he thinks the team can do a better job of incorporating all five players on the court offensively.

“I think our offense is going to be a lot of multi-action. Where all five guys are involved at the same time,” Saunders said. “Because of that, he’s going to be part of that, but so will other guys. Are we going to count on (Pekovic)? Yeah, we’re going to count on him. But we’re also trying to be in a situation where we don’t have to outscore people.”

The idea seems to be to keep Pekovic’s minute-limit to the 24-27 minute range – hopefully in spurts of 5-7 minutes. While that sounds great, there is one slight problem: The team needs a viable player to fill in for Pekovic. That’s something that head coach Rick Adelman didn’t think he had last season and perhaps that’s why Pekovic ended up wearing himself down.

Second-year center Gorgui Dieng thinks he can help Pekovic stay on the court by simply letting him rest. In other words, Dieng is going to help Pekovic stay on the court by taking him off of it.

Last season when Pekovic was hurt, both Ronny Turiaf and Dieng filled in for him. There were times last season when Dieng flashed brilliance. Per 36 minutes, Dieng averaged 12.6 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. It appeared as if he made a leap as well this summer playing for Senegal in the FIBA World Cup. Dieng averaged 16 points and 11 boards, leading Senegal to the elimination round.

Now he hopes it can translate to more minutes despite being a back up to one of the best big men in the league.

“I welcome that. It's a long season. I think everybody on this team just wants to win,” Pekovic said. “We showed some progress during the last few years. We showed that we want to win and everything. I'm really happy for Gorgui. Of course you know that, because I showed him a lot of support when I didn't play.”

Dieng, of course, is a pretty soft-spoken individual. He’s a very confident person, but certainly not cocky. He believes in himself, his work ethic and his abilities, but at the end of the day, he knows it’s all up to Saunders when it comes to how many minutes he’ll play.

“That’s coach’s decision, but I’ll do whatever I have to do,” Dieng said. “I think I’m ready.”

Dieng has a different skill set than Pekovic, which is why the Wolves drafted him with the 21st pick in the 2013 Draft. Dieng is a rim protector who hits the glass hard. That was evident by his two 20-rebound games last season. He’s not nearly as polished as Pekovic on the offensive end, but that’s something that is slowly developing. Early in camp, he showed off a Dirk-like step-back. While we probably shouldn’t expect too much of that in the regular season, it’s a promising sign that Dieng’s been working on his game this offseason.

“It’s too early to tell,” Dieng said on how much he’s improved this offseason. “I’ve been working on my overall game... I want to play well and help this basketball team get better and to win games.”

The team hopes Pekovic can play 82 games this season at an All-Star level. The odds might be against that, but then again, he’s never had someone backing him up that the coaches can rely on. It appears as if he might have that this season.

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Can Dieng Help Pekovic Stay Healthy?

When the Minnesota Timberwolves signed guard Mo Williams this offseason, they did so for a variety of reasons.

The team struggled late in games last season, mostly due because of break downs offensively. Williams is a scoring guard who should be able to help the Wolves in that regard. Head coach Flip Saunders also noted that Williams is a combo guard who should be able to play alongside Rubio.

“We really struggled in late games a lot last year,” Saunders said at the Taylor Center after Wednesday’s practice. “When I looked at our team, we did really not have a lot of guys outside of our point guards who could handle the ball. I wanted to bring in a combo guard.”

But one thing that has gone a bit under the radar is the ability that Williams has to mentor some of the younger players. When it comes to his career, Williams has pretty much done it all. Williams has played for five teams in his NBA career. Minnesota will be his sixth. He’s made an All-Star team. He’s been a sixth man. He’s gone to the NBA Finals. He’s been in nearly every position an NBA player can be in.

That’s what makes him such an important player for this Wolves team that has so much youth to it with guys like Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Anthony Bennett, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.

“We’ve got all the talent in the world, obviously. Some of it’s young and you know, inexperienced, but that’s why guys like myself come in and help those guys every day,” Williams said. “I just got to be willing to help them every single day on every single play and you know, that’s something that I’m up for the challenge to do.”

Williams also said that it’s not anything new to him to be a mentor. It is something that comes completely natural.

It was somewhat of a surprise that the Wolves were able to snag Williams this offseason. Williams seemed like a hot commodity after coming off the bench last season for a Portland team that advanced to the second-round of the playoffs. Saunders was able to talk with his agent and then later with Williams to explain to him why Minnesota was such a good fit for him.

“At first, they (Williams and his agent) were probably looking for a different situation. We had a lot of influx so we couldn’t be in a situation where we could offer any kind of long-term deal because we needed flexibility,” Saunders said. “… I talked to him, probably about three times, and explained the importance he could bring to our team. I think he’s a guy who is similar to Chauncey (Billups) who could probably coach in this league.”

That’s some high praise. Unlike some leaders and mentors, Williams will also be a big part of this team on the court. Williams is in a unique spot where he can help the team now, but also five years down the road, depending on how some of these players develop.

Look for Kevin Martin and Williams to spend a lot of extra time with LaVine and Wiggins throughout camp.

Ricky Rubio does a lot of great things on the basketball court. He can pass with the best of them. He’ll pick your pocket in a split-second. He’s an above-average rebounder for his position.

One thing, though, that Rubio isn’t so great at is shooting. Rubio is a career 36.8 percent shooter from the field and 32.3 percent from three-point line. Rubio has put in plenty of time after practices and throughout the offseason, but he simply hasn’t had much success in improving his shot.

That’s why Saunders went and hired Mike Penberthy as a shooting coach to help Rubio out. Penberthy played with the Lakers from 2000-2002 and shot 41.5 percent throughout his career and 39.6 percent from the three-point line. He told reporters on Wednesday that his shooting was probably the only reason he made it in the NBA.

Penberthy has worked with NBA players such as Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday. He’ll be working with Rubio throughout the Training Camp and the upcoming season. Penberth said he normally has a full summer to work with players, so this is a bit of a unique situation.

“I knew his struggles at shooting and his desires to want to get better,” Penberthy said. “… He’s extremely coachable, a desire to learn, wanting to improve. Most guys that come to me are trying to get better, so I’m lucky. I don’t have to try to pull teeth.”

While it’s still early on, it appears as if Rubio is a bit more confident with his shot. Williams said that Rubio has looked confident during the first two days of camp, so that’s a positive for Wolves fans.

Check back in at Timberwolves.com next week for a feature on Penberthy and Rubio.

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Training Camp Day 2: Mo The Mentor

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Photo Gallery: Wolves Open Training Camp

Dane MizutaniWeb Editorial AssociateEmail / Twitter

It was the first time coach Flip Saunders had his full complement of players housed under the same roof Tuesday afternoon, and while he was the one giving instruction most of the time, assistant coach Ryan Saunders spoke the words that truly embodied the first practice of the season. 

"We want to be the best talking team in the league," Ryan Saunders screamed during one of the drills.

Those words from Saunders came early in practice, and whether it was consciously or subconsciously, everyone seemed to follow orders the rest of the way. Flip Saunders didn't go more than 30 seconds without giving some sort of instruction during practice, and assistant coaches Sam Mitchell, Sid Lowe, Ryan Saunders, and David Adelman chimed in whenever dead air seemed to surface. That, coupled with players talking to one another on the court for the better half of two hours, and Minnesota looked like it was well on its way to becoming "the best talking team" in the NBA.  

That communication will be key for the Wolves this season. Though they return a bulk of the roster from last year, there are also a lot of new faces on the team. That has sparked the necessity for more communication because players aren’t familiar with tendencies of other players on the court.

Ricky Rubio emerged as the communication leader at practice Tuesday. His voice could be heard almost as much as the coaches, and his actions off the court follow suit as he has become the leader of the Wolves.

“It’s been like that ever since I’ve been here,” Mo Williams said. “It’s his team … and he knows he has to take that next step to get to the next level.”

There was a lot for players to ingest Tuesday with that practice being the first time many had the chance to work with Saunders and his staff.

Williams has seen his fair share of coaches in his NBA career, and said Saunders made the transition easy for all players on the team.

“We've got a lot of young players and I thought that Flip did a great job of teaching and keeping us moving — keeping us moving, getting some cardio in, and learning at the same time," he said. "It was great." 

Saunders said the emphasis Tuesday was on defense. He said the team got to battle in a competitive environment at Dunks After Dark, and Tuesday was focused on the technical aspect of the game.

-- Chauncey Billups was at practice on Tuesday afternoon. Billups was a special guest of Saunders, and quietly observed from the baseline for most of the practice.

“We bring in different people to bring around the guys and give them different aspects to look at,” Saunders said. “He was probably one of my favorite guys I’ve ever coached and understands what I want to do. Sometimes when players hear a different voice it can resonate a little bit differently.”

Saunders made it clear that people shouldn't read too deep into the Billups attending parcatice. Saunders said it was just a chance for them to “hang out” for a couple days.

-- A magician was also at practice. He had the full attention of every player on the team after the final whistle sounded — except veteran Ronny Turiaf who shot free throws of in the distance. 

Saunders said it was just “something a little bit different” to have fun with the players on the team. There’s no word yet on what the act will be at practice on Wednesday.

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Training Camp Day 1: Communication Is Key

Brady Heslip and Kyrylo Fesenko both played on the Timberwolves Summer League squad and also signed Training Camp contracts with the Wolves.

After that, though, their similarities end.

Heslip is a spot-up shooter who made a career of it at Baylor.

Fesenko on the other hand, looks like a gentle giant on the court. Physical when he needs to be, but seemingly always with a smile on his face.

To be brutally honest, when you look at this team’s roster, it doesn’t look exactly favorable for either player to make the final 15. But for Heslip (24) and Fesenko (27), they are thinking of it more as an opportunity to prove themselves. While their ages aren’t old to the common folk, it is indeed old for a basketball player.

Most NBA fans are more acquainted with Heslip. Heslip played four years at Baylor and is probably known for his hair as much as his skill set.

 In his senior season, he connected on 118 three-pointers (tied for second in Big 12 history), while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. In four years at Baylor, he nailed 301 three-pointers, second in school history.

If there’s anything we know about the NBA in 2014, it’s that the three-point shot is becoming more and more significant every second. The league average for made three-pointers per team last season was 635 (the Wolves were 35 below that mark). If we go back just five years ago to 2009-10, the league average stood at just 527. That’s quite the difference.

“I think (the three-point shot) is my strongest attribute as a player, absolutely,” Heslip said after Tuesday’s practice. “I feel like I can do other things like run the team, get them into the offense, be a smart player out there and not turn the ball over. But my shooting is obviously the thing I do best.”

Heslip has a very valuable tool, much like Robbie Hummel, despite being an undersized guard. At the “Dunks After Dark” event, he noticeable had trouble guarding Ricky Rubio. If/when Heslip does indeed make an NBA roster, whether it’s with the Wolves or another team, it will likely be because of his outside shooting ability.

Overall, though, he’s treating this Training Camp to improve as a player, something many players at home wish they had.

“This is a great opportunity for me, number one to get better as a player and number two just move closer to my dream of playing in the NBA,” Heslip said. “Learning from the coaches and these guys. It’s just a great opportunity.”

The 7’1” center has already had his opportunity in the NBA. He was a second-round selection in the 2007 NBA Draft via the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s played a total of five seasons in the NBA and has averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. While playing for the Wolves in the 2014 Summer League, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in five games.

Fesenko knew that he probably had a spot on the team’s Training Camp roster, especially after staying in Minneapolis and working with the team’s trainers. Since Summer League, the big man has lost 20 pounds and has stepped up his conditioning game. Still, he thinks there’s another layer to his game that he hasn’t shown the coaches.

“I know I played decent in the Summer League. I still think I didn’t show what I can do,” Fesenko said. “I didn’t show my full potential.”

“I got much more of an offensive game that everybody can expect. I’m just ready to get out there and show everybody what I’ve got.”

Basketball is a crazy sport. Injuries happen. Players rise up to the occasion while others do not. It seems as if Heslip and Fesenko are happy to be with the Wolves Training Camp squad, but their ultimate goal is beyond that.  It seems like they are doing everything they can do get to that spot.

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Heslip, Fesenko Try To Make Most Of Opportunity

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team's finalized 2014-15 training camp roster. Last week, the Wolves announced the signing of Kyrylo Fesenko and Brady Heslip to bring the training camp roster to 18 players. Minnesota's training camp is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 30 - Sunday, Oct. 5 at Bresnan Arena in the Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Before heading down to Mankato, the Wolves will host the team's annual media day in the Life Time Fitness Training Center on Monday, Sept. 29 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Minnesota's training camp will formally kick off with the team's inaugural "Dunks After Dark" midnight event at Bresnan Arena in the Taylor Center. Doors will open to the public at 11:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29 with the Wolves expected to take the floor shortly after midnight.

The Wolves full 2014-15 training camp roster is available below.

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Wolves Announce 2014-15 Training Camp Roster

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The MinnesotaTimberwolves will open their 2014-15 Training Camp, with a “Dunks After Dark” event at Bresnan Arena in the Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Doors will open to the public at 11:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29 with the Wolves expected to take the floor shortly after midnight.

Modeled after a traditional collegiate “Midnight Madness,” the Wolves’ Dunks After Dark event will be free and open to the public, featuring over an hour of Wolves entertainment, headlined by a scrimmage and a dunk contest involving  Wolves’ rookies Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine. NBA TV will be on hand to provide live coverage throughout the night. Media availability will follow the conclusion of the event.

Doors to Bresnan Arena will open at 11:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29. Tickets will be available to the general public and Minnesota State University, Mankato students at the Student Union Center and the Taylor Center beginning Thursday, Sept. 25 at 11:00 a.m.

More details on Dunks After Dark, including an event schedule, will be issued the week prior to the event.  

Training camp is presented by the Hilton Garden Inn - Mankato.

Date                             Time                                                       Location

Tues., Sept. 30              Dunks After Dark                                     Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

                                    12:00 midnight -1:10 a.m.

                                    Doors open at 11:00 p.m. (Monday, Sept. 29)   

                                    * Open to media and public

                                    2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.                                Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

                                    3:30 p.m. media availability                      

Wed., Oct. 1                 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.                             Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

                                    12:00 p.m. media availability

                                    6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.                                Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

                                    Closed to media

Thurs., Oct. 2                10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.                             Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

Fri., Oct. 3                    11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.                               Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

                                    2:00 p.m. media availability

Sat., Oct. 4                   10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.                               Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

                                    1:30 p.m. media availability

Sun., Oct. 5                  TBD                                                         Bresnan Arena - MSU, Mankato

*All practice times are subject to change. Please check with the Timberwolves public relations staff for daily updates.

The Timberwolves' 26th NBA season will tip off with the team's annual Media Day on Sept. 29 from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Target Center. The Wolves open preseason play with a game on Oct. 7 at the Indiana Pacers. Minnesota's first home preseason game is Oct. 10 vs. Philadelphia at Target Center.

Visit the Timberwolves Media Center (http://timberwolvespr.wordpress.com/) for information that can be utilized all season in your coverage of the team: Box Scores, Statistical Information, Quotes, Press Releases, Game Notes, etc.

Hilton Garden Inn-Mankato is a part of the award-winning, mid-priced Hilton family of Hotel's brand that continually strives to ensure today's busy travelers have everything they need to be most productive on the road - from complimentary wired and Wi-Fi internet access in all guestrooms - to the hotel's complimentary 24-hour business center - to the innovative pressure-relieving Garden Sleep System(tm). So whether on the road for personal or business reasons, Hilton Garden Inn, Mankato Downtown offers the amenities and services for travelers to sleep deep, stay fit, eat well and work smart while away from home. To find out more about Hilton Garden Inn, Mankato Downtown or to book your next stay, visit www.mankatodowntown.hgi.com.

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“Dunks After Dark” Midnight Event to Highlight Opening of 2014-15 Timberwolves Training Camp in Mankato, Minn

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