Tuesday marked the last practice for the 2015-16 season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
And you could tell because nobody seemed to want to leave. The practice did go a bit longer, as players and coaches were able to discuss the year as a whole and how the team grew together. Yes, the Wolves do have a game and a shootaround tomorrow, but it was probably better to get these conversations out of the way on an “off day” rather than game day.
Giving Them Something To Remember
Out of the team’s 28 wins, only 13 have come at home. Interim head coach Sam Mitchell said this probably has to do with the fact that the road teams Minnesota plays usually has packed arenas. With the Wolves not having made the playoffs since 2004, it’s a process. And that’s fair.
With the Wolves falling to the Houston Rockets on Monday night at home, Wednesday night is the team’s last chance to give the home fans something to remember heading into the offseason.
“That was one thing we talked about,” Wolves wing Shabazz Muhammad said following practice. “That’s something we want to do. We have 28 wins and I mean, that’s almost double what we had last year. I think we’re doing something good here and the next thing we want to do is win that game tomorrow and get to 29 wins to end the season off on a strong note.”
On paper, the Wolves should probably be the favorites going up against the beat-up New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are 30-51, two games above the Wolves, but this was supposed to be the season when the Pellies were competing for a top-four seed.
Instead, they’ll end with a likely starting lineup of Toney Douglas, James Ennis, Luke Babbit, Dante Cunningham and Omer Asik.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Target Center. It’s Fan Appreciation Night and Gorgui Dieng Bobble Head Night, so you might want to arrive a bit earlier.
It sounds like most of the players will depart Minneapolis sometime at the end of this week, after exit interviews with General Manager Milt Newton.
After chatting with Muhammad, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and Karl-Anthony Towns, here’s what we know about their offseason plans thus far:
Muhammad: The wing said that he and other young guys are excited to come back here during the summer to work out. He hasn’t confirmed, but it’s possible the Muhammad will work out with Crazy Frank again this summer.
Towns: Towns said he’ll be working everywhere, but plans to manage his time between Minneapolis and his home of New Jersey.
“I’ll be working everywhere,” Towns said. “But I think a lot of my time will be spent in Minnesota. I would love to go back home and see my family. I haven’t had a chance to really see them in about three years, spending a lot of time grinding trying to get here in the NBA. I think I deserve a little time with my family.
Wiggins: Wiggins said he isn’t sure yet if he’ll represent that Canada National Team as they compete for an Olympic berth, which will dictate a lot of his schedule.
“I’m always going to find time to work out,” Wiggins said. “… I’ll cross that bridge (deciding to play for the national team) when I come to it.”
Dieng: He said his hip that has bugged him earlier in the season has started to feel better. But he isn’t sure if he’ll play for Senegal this summer as the team tries to qualify for the Olympics. He said that he started the 2015-16 season off slow and he thinks the amount of basketball he played in the summer played into that.
That’s all for today. We’ll check back in tomorrow after shootaround.