Gorgui Dieng

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The  Wolves started with three players participating in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. After the weekend, they are down to just one.

J.J. Barea (Puerto Rico), Gorgui Dieng (Senegal) and Ricky Rubio (Spain) all played in the World Cup, but Barea’s squad failed to advance to the Round of 16. On Saturday, Dieng’s Senegal club matched up against Rubio and Spain in the first knockout round.

As expected, Spain came away with an 89-56 win over Senegal. Rubio had a great all-around game, finishing with seven points, six assists, five rebounds, five steals and a block. He shot 2-of-4 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Here’s one of Rubio’s steals from the game:

This is something we’ve seen all tournament, as Rubio is averaging 3.7 steals per game, ranking first among all players. He’s also leading the tournament with 5.8 assists per game to go with 5.7 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Spain has advanced to the quarterfinals and will play France on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2, WatchESPN and NBA-TV.

Dieng had an off game, finishing with six points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. He shot just 1-of-9 from the field, which is by far his worst mark of the tournament. For Dieng to lead Senegal this far, though, is something that was a bit of a surprise in the first place. His play turned some heads as well. The center finished the tournament averaging 16 points (12th in tournament) and 10.7 rebounds (3rd) over six games.

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Rubio, Spain Take Down Senegal To Advance To Quarterfinals

The Minnesota Timberwolves have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Thursday’s action.

Senegal Loses; Still Advances To Round Of 16

Dieng’s squad played early on Thursday morning and fell 81-79 to Philippines. Dieng played a game-high 44 minutes and had 13 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds. He added five assists, four steals and three blocks. He led the team with an efficiency mark of 26.

In five games, Dieng is averaging 18 points (8th overall) to go with 11.4 rebounds (2nd). Pretty impressive stuff.

Dieng will matchup against Spain in the Round of 16 on Saturday.

Puerto Rico fell 103-82 to Croatia on Thursday, but Puerto Rico star J.J. Barea had a nice game. The guard finished with 20 points, one assist and one steal. He shot 6-of-13 from the field, 5-of-9 from the 3-point line and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Puerto Rico did not advance to the Round of 16. Barea finished the tournament averaging 22 points (1st overall), 3.2 assist (23rd overall) and 3.2 rebounds in five games.

Point guard Ricky Rubio had a very nice all-around game on Thursday as Spain defeated Serbia 89-73. Rubio finished with 12 points, shooting 3-of-5 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He had a team-high six assists and seven steals to go with four rebounds. He did commit seven turnovers, however.

The FIBA website had plenty of highlights from Rubio’s game.

You can check it all out here. Our favorite is at the 0:42 mark. Classic Ricky.  Steals for days.

Rubio is averaging 5.4 points, 5.8 assists (1st overall), 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals (1st overall) in five games. His Spanish club will face off against Dieng and Senegal on Saturday. If there is a Rubio to Dieng alley-oop, someone made a mistake.

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Wolves At FIBA World Cup: Thursday Wrap-Up

The Minnesota Timberwolves have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Wednesday’s action.

After a hot start to the FIBA Tournament, center Gorgui Dieng cooled off a bit as Senegal fell to Argentina 81-46 on Wednesday. Dieng finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, both marks led the team. He did commit five turnovers, though. He finished shooting 4-of-12 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.

He added this block which led to two points for Senegal. He won the "Block of the Game". We assume he'll be getting his trophy soon.

Dieng’s squad played again early on Thursday morning and fell 81-79 to Philippines. Dieng played a game-high 44 minutes and had 13 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds. He added five assists, four steals and three blocks. He led the team with an efficiency mark of 26.

In five games, Dieng is averaging 18 points (8th overall) to go with 11.4 rebounds (2nd).

Barea Has Big Fourth Quarter To Lead Puerto Rico

Guard JJ. Barea had 10 points in the final four minutes to lead Puerto Rico to a 77-73 win over Philippines. Barea finished with a game-high 30 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and a steal. He shot 8-of-15 from the field, 3-of-7 from the 3-point line and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.

In four games in the tournament, Barea is averaging 22.5 points (2nd) and 3.8 asissts (18th) per game. Puerto Rico will next play today against Croatia.

Spain remains undefeated after defeating France 88-64 on Wednesday.

Guard Ricky Rubio played 17 points and finished with four points, five assists, four rebounds and a team-high three steals. He shot 2-of-4 from the field.

Rubio is now averaging 3.8 points, 5.8 assists (2nd), 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals (2nd) per game.

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Wolves At FIBA World Cup: Wednesday Wrap-Up

Minnesota Timberwolves Gorgui Dieng is currently the Most Efficient Player of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, taking place in Spain.

The 24-year-old is the player responsible for Senegal’s impressive campaign at the tournament.

In Monday’s 77-75 triumph over Croatia, which followed a 82-75 victory over Puerto Rico the day before, Dieng contributed 27 points, eight rebounds and two block shots.

Since he announced his availability to wear the colours of his country in Spain 2014, the 2.11m centre has averaged 22 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 block shots.

Senegal have increased their chances of advancing to the Round of 16 of the World Cup, but will need to succeed in the remaining two Group B games against Argentina and the Philippines.

The West African country will return to group action on Wednesday, to take on the South Americans.

Senegal coach Cheikh Sarr has described his side’s victories as achievements rather than miracles as suggested by some.

"Other teams come here to win the tournament. We are here to learn,” he explained.

"This is history. We joked around coming here saying we were trying to make history, but we really had in mind that we wanted to make history," said Senegal centre Hamady Ndiaye.

"It would be great to keep playing and continue to ride the wave. But we'll use the day to get some rest. And we will be focused the same for the next game against Argentina."

Senegal’s World Cup campaign is making waves around the world with some prominent international media outlets taking note.

Frenchman Boris Diaw, who has been a centrepiece for his country at the World Cup took to twitter to congratulate the countryman of his father.

“Congratulations to Senegal for the win against a good Croatian team,” he wrote.

2013-14 Season: GP: 60 | MIN: 13.6 | PTS: 4.8 | REB: 5.0 | FG%: 49.8

His string of five double-doubles in his first six games as a starter included his 22-21 rampage against the Rockets on 20 March, 2014.

Nominated for Rookie of the Month in April

1. The name Gorgui means ‘The Old One’ in Wolof, the most widely spoken language in Senegal

2. Dieng holds the University of Louisville record for blocks in a season, which he set in his sophomore season of 2011-12, swatting a total of 128 (3.2 per game).

3. At Louisville, Dieng played for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino, a college coaching legend who also spent a combined six years at the helm of the Knicks (two years) and Celtics (four).

4. He’s one of eight children born to his parents, Momar Dieng and Seynabou Diagne.

5. His favourite athlete outside of basketball is Lionel Messi (courtesy of Louisville Athletics).

Download NBA GAME TIME to find out more about Dieng and the NBA’s international players in the ‘Around The World in 90 Days’ series.

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Explosive Dieng On Fire At FIBA WC

The Minnesota Timberwolves have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Monday’s action.

Gorgui Dieng has continued to stay hot, and in related news, so has Senegal. Senegal won its second straight game after defeating Croatia 77-75 on Monday. Dieng led the squad with 27 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. He shot 8-of-14 from the field and an impressive 11-of-12 from the free-throw line.

And he made this SICK step-back shot. The big man has some touch, folks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Monday’s action.

Dieng is averaging 22 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in three contests. Both marks rank second among players in the tournament. Senegal next plays Argentina on Wednesday.Spain Dominates
Spain, a team predicted to advance to the Gold Medal game with the USA, continued to dominate yesterday. It took down Brazil 82-63. Point guard Ricky Rubio played 22 minutes and finished with two points, a team-high six assists, two rebounds and a steal. He was 0-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. In three games, Rubio is averaging 3.7 points, six assists (3rd) and 5.3 rebounds per game. Rubio and Spain next play France on Wednesday.Barea Gets Buckets
J.J. Barea’s Puerto Rico squad fell to Greece 90-79 on Monday, but Barea had himself a pretty decent game. Barea had 21 points, a team-high five assists to go with four rebounds. He shot 6-of-15 from the field – not overly impressive. He made up for that going 4-of-9 from the 3-point line and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
He also made this nice pass. Was it the game’s best assist? I’m not sure – but that coach seems to think so.

In three games, Barea is averaging 20 points (6th), 4.3 assists (13th) and 3.7 rebounds per game. Puerto Rico next plays the Philippines on Wednesday.

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Wolves At FIBA World Cup: Monday Wrap-Up

It’s hard to believe that the Wolves made one of the biggest trades in NBA history just eight days ago.

After everything that has gone on (you know, the State Fair, Children’s Hospital, mini Media Day, practices…), it seems like maybe a month. Or maybe it feels that way because of the media speculation on the move earlier this summer. Regardless, it’s over. Or is it just beginning?

This week was a busy one for the new Timberwolves (Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins, Thaddeus Young, Zach LaVine), but also for some current Timberwolves. With all of the trade talk, we might have overlooked the fact that Gorgui Dieng, Ricky Rubio and J.J. Barea are all representing their countries in the FIBA World Cup.

By all accounts, it looked like it was a pretty successful week for not only the Timberwolves, but also the three acquired players in the Kevin Love trade.

Andrew Wiggins is playing for a team that actually wants him. He doesn’t have to wait for a trade or have to answer any questions about one. He told fans at the State Fair that Minnesota is a place he hopes to be for many, many years. We have a feeling Minnesota fans agree.

Anthony Bennett is getting a second chance after a disappointing rookie season. I won’t call it a wasted season because he learned things on and off the court that are going to help him in the future – even if his box scores last year didn't indicate it. He’s healthy, has lost some weight and he’s already given Wiggins some advice after being picked No. 1 overall. He told Wiggins not to let one bad game affect him for a week or two.

Thaddeus Young loved Philadelphia, but he was clearly disgruntled there and wasn’t a big fan of the direction the team was going. The Western Conference is a tough conference. I’m not sure if the Wolves are going to make the playoffs, but we thought Phoenix was going to be one of the worst teams in the league last season, remember? Minnesota will be exciting and fun. And they will probably win more games than the 76ers this season (then again, that’s not exactly saying a whole lot).

If Philadelphia trades for a post player with a torn ACL at midsesason, don’t be shocked…

These players seem to fit in pretty well. We’ll find out more when Training Camp starts at the end of September.

Dieng, Gorgui Looks Good                                   

When Gorgui Dieng received playing time late last season, he looking pretty good. Like grabbing 20 rebounds to go with 20 points good. He’s kept that up during the FIBA World Cup playing for Senegal. In three games, Dieng is averaging 22 points (4th in tournament play) to go with 11.7 rebounds (2nd). More importantly for him, Senegal is 2-1.

Minnesota of course has Ricky Rubio and J.J. Barea competing in the tournament as well. Barea is averaging 20 points per game (6th) and 4.3 assists (14th) in three games.  Rubio has Spain off to a 3-0 start. He’s averaging just 3.7 points per game, but he leads the team with six assists (3rd) and 2.3 steals (5th) per contest. He’s also hauling in 5.3 rebounds per game. 

Barea and his Puerto Rico squad will next play the Philippines, Senegal will match up against Argentina and Rubio’s Spain squad will play France. All games are scheduled for Wednesday.

Make sure to head to Twolves.com for updates on each player in the tournament.

Compared to last week? Pretty much nothing…

Expect in-depth features on Young, LaVine, Wiggins and Bennett. We will also update on the FIBA World Cup. I also hear the Timberwovles Entertainment Network has some pretty awesome content this week.

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Reminiscing With Ratke: Busy Week For New Wolves, FIBA Action and More

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Sunday's action.

Senegal had an impressive win over J.J. Barea’s Puerto Rico squad on Sunday afternoon. Senegal was led by Wolves center Gorgui Dieng who finished with 18 points and a team-high 13 boards. He also added two blocks and a steal. He  was pretty efficient from the field, shooting 7-of-12. He was 4-of-8 from the free-throw line.

So far in the tournament, Dieng is second among centers, averaging 22 points. He’s also grabbing 11.7 rebounds per game.

Barea finished with 14 points, five rebounds, four  assists and a steal. He struggled shooting, going 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from the 3-point line. He did hit all four free-throws, though.

Barea is averaging 19.5 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds in two games.

Senegal will play Croatia on Monday, while Puerto Rico will face off against Greece.

Spain dominated Egypt, 91-54 on Sunday evening. Rubio finished with five points, a team-high seven assists, four rebounds and a steal. Impressiviely, he led his team with a +44 while on the court. He shot 1-of-4 from the field and after struggling from the free-throw line on Saturday, Rubio bounched back going 4-of-4 from charity stripe.

Rubio is averaging 4.5 points, seven rebounds and six assists in two games.

Rubio and his Spain club plays Brazil later on Sunday.

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Wolves At FIBA World Cup: Sunday Wrap-Up

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have three players on their roster (Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Gorgui Dieng) playing in the FIBA World Cup. As the tournament moves along, we’ll provide you with updates on how the players and their respective teams do. Today, we'll recap Saturday's action.

Spain defeated Iran on Saturday, 90-60. With the blowout win, Rubio played just 19 minutes. He finished with three points, five assists, nine rebounds and a game-high five steals. Rubio shot 1-of-4 from the field, 1-of-3 from the 3-point line and 1-of-6 from the free-throw line. The free-throw mark is surprising, being Rubio shot 80.2 percent from the charity stripe last season. Spain next plays Egypt on Sunday at 9 p.m.

Gorgui Dieng finished with a team-high 21 points to go with 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Unfortunately for Dieng, Senegal fell to Greece 87-64. Dieng shot 6-of-13 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Senegal will play Barea and the Puerto Rico squad on Sunday.

J.J. Barea and Puerto Rico fell to Argentina, 98-75 on Saturday. Barea, though, had himself a heck of a game, finishing with 24 points. He shot 7-of-14 from the field and nailed five 3-pointers. He was also 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He added four assists and two rebounds as well. 

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Wolves At FIBA World Cup: Saturday Wrap-Up

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