The Timberwolves are Good?!

 

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Last year, I wrote a blog post about the rise of the Timberwolves and young star Anthony Edwards. I talked about how, even though they were one of the worst teams in the league, Minnesota had a lot of potential and had the talent to make some noise in the Western Conference if they were able to stay healthy and put it all together throughout an entire season. Well, I am pleased to inform my last year's self that his Timberwolves are currently 42-30, which is good enough for the six seed in the West, and they have been firing on all cylinders lately, with a record of 11-2 since the All-Star break. Here, I am going to discuss the biggest factors as to why the Wolves have blossomed into a legitimate playoff team, and what has made them one of the most exciting teams in the league in 2022.

KAT

The most important factor to the Timberwolves successful season thus far has been the elite play of big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who is having the best season of his career up to this point at the age of 26. He's putting up his usual statistics, averaging 25 points per game, 10 rebounds per game, 1 steal and 1 block while shooting over 50 percent from the field and over 40 percent from deep. However, his stats do not fully tell the story of the year he is having. He has always been ultra-talented on the offensive end of the floor, but he has become much more assertive this season, and you can see when watching the games that he knows he can dominate whoever is across from him. He is truly the only player in the NBA who possesses his combination of size and scoring versatility. The game has never seen a true center shoot the long ball at the efficiency and consistency that Towns does, while also being able to score on anyone down low and take bigger guys off the dribble with ease. To add to that, it appears that he is also growing into the leader the Wolves have needed him to be, and that is because of the apparent chemistry this team has developed thanks to guys like Edwards and Patrick Beverley (who will be touched on next), as well as the guidance of second year head coach Chris Finch. It looks like Towns is finally in a stable environment around people that embrace him for who he is, which is something that he has mostly lacked in his NBA career so far.

Patrick Beverley

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I will readily admit that I was not a fan of Patrick Beverley before he came to Minnesota. I always looked at him as a pest and agreed with Russell Westbrook when he proclaimed that all Pat Bev does is run around, and that he doesn't actually guard anybody. My opinion could not be much different now that he has been on the Wolves for almost an entire season. Beverley has become the heart and soul of this team and is exactly what Minnesota needed in order to go from a bottom of the barrel team to legitimate playoff team with hopes of making some noise in the Western Conference. Upon arriving in Minnesota, Beverley joined a group of young guys with almost no playoff experience to be found, as well as a lack of focus on the defensive end of the floor. KAT and D'Angelo Russell have been known as below average defenders for their entire career's, and Anthony Edwards had shown flashes of potential on that end but was lacking the focus to truly be considered a good defender. With the combination of head coach Chris Finch putting more of an emphasis on the defensive side of the ball and veteran Patrick Beverley's presence, this team has seen a total shift from years past where they consistently had one of the worst defenses in the league. Now, there are not many teams that play harder on that side of the ball than the Timberwolves do, and Towns and Russell have dramatically improved in that area as well. This team has developed a culture in which anything other than winning basketball is unacceptable, and that largely has to do with the leadership and energy of Patrick Beverley.

The Leadership of D'Angelo Russell

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Timberwolves point guard D'Angelo Russell has been a highly criticized player since entering the league. He got traded by the Lakers and Magic Johnson because Magic said that he needed a "leader," and that he needed somebody "that can make the other players better and also that players want to play with." Russell even later said that "Magic kicked me in my ass on the way out." DLo has also been criticized for his lack of effort and skills on the defensive side of the ball. His ability to score and play make has never been in question, but there were always concerns about his lack of athleticism and motivation to play winning basketball. However, Russell has been a crucial part of the Wolves success this season and they certainly would not be in the position they are in without him. He has grown into a quarterback type of role for these young Wolves, as he runs the offense and is constantly seen coaching guys up and communicating where they need to be, especially on defense. Even though Russell's scoring stats are a bit down this season, he has begun doing so many important things that do not show up on the stat sheet. His passing ability is underrated; he sees the floor very well and makes a lot of impressive passes each game that most players can't make. His off-ball defense has improved tremendously; he makes a lot of subtle plays on defense each game especially when it comes to help defense and communicating. And most importantly, he leads the Wolves in clutch scoring. He has always been trustworthy with the ball in his hands late in the game, and he has only built on that quality on a Minnesota team that was in need of leadership and a steady hand at the end of games.

The Role Players

The Timberwolves have had so many role players step up this year and become integral to the season this team is having. First and foremost, Jarred Vanderbilt has improved mightily and fits excellently in the starting lineup at the four. His high-energy play has been key to the culture that Minnesota is building. Nobody is going to outwork Vando out there, and if you watch a Timberwolves game you are going to notice that he is the scrappiest player on the floor who rarely gets beat on 50/50 balls.

Their second most important role player so far has been Jaden McDaniels. The second-year player is oozing with potential and will only keep growing. He has improved as a shot-maker and his long arms and quick feet have already translated to a lot of success on defense early in his career. The Wolves are really going to need him to get healthy come playoff time.

A few other Wolves have made this team's bench unit one of the best in the league. You get reliable offense and crafty scoring from backup big Naz Reid. Malik Beasley is starting to show why he was one of Minnesota's most impressive players the last few years, as he is the ultimate sharpshooter who is lethal when he gets hot. Even though he has been having a down year he has still shown that he is deadly when he finds his rhythm from beyond the arc. Jaylen Nowell has really grown into his own as a player, providing scoring at every level off of the bench. Taurean Prince has also stepped into a three and d role for this team, adding to their improved defense. These guys have all helped fuel a bench that is not only exciting but does their job in providing a spark when the starters need a breather.

Anthony Edwards

I feel as if I would have been doing Ant a disservice if I didn't go into a little more detail about how much he means to this Minnesota team moving forward. He is maybe the most exciting player to watch in the league who is full of energy and has such a fun personality. He is also a freak-athlete who has all of the tools to be a full-blown superstar in this league soon. His elite athleticism and growing offensive game are already pretty polished for a guy who was considered "raw" as a rookie just a year ago. His biggest issue right now is consistency. On some nights, he is the best player on the floor who cannot be stopped, driving to the rim and finishing over bigger defenders while also hitting contested jumpshots. However, on other nights he shoots dismally from the floor and barely makes an impact on the game. Once he can learn how to bring it on a consistent basis, look out. The scary thing about Ant is that he is only 20 and is actually younger than some of the best rookies currently in the league, like Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes. He still has so much room to grow and he was right on the cusp of being an All Star this year as a sophomore. The sky is the limit for him in the years to come.

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If the Wolves want to win in the playoffs this year and even advance into the second round, they will most likely need Ant to be at his best on a consistent basis. However, if the Wolves want to be a true contender in the West with this core, Ant is going to need to establish himself as the guy in Minnesota in the next few seasons. This current group has shown it is good enough to compete with the best squads in the league, but it is unlikely that they are actually able to make a deep playoff run. Nonetheless, if Edwards blossoms into the superstar that Timberwolves fans know he can be, this team truly could be a force to be reckoned with in the West that would have the ability to beat anybody, even in the playoffs.

All in all, this has been the most exciting season I have ever watched as a Timberwolves fan, and only the second time I will have ever seen one of their teams in the playoffs. Unlike the team in 2018, this team is exciting and likable, and there is a lot to look forward to when it comes to the young talent they have on their roster as well as what looks to be an established head coach in Chris Finch. Hopefully this is the start of a standard being set in Minnesota that the Timberwolves are no longer going to suck every year.

Below, NBA Youtuber Tukeeknows shares some really good insight into why this Wolves team is so exciting and how much potential they have for the next few years:

My thoughts on the current state of Major League Baseball

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Luckily for us fans, the MLB and the MLBPA have finally come to an agreement to have a baseball season in 2022. However, it took a lockout that lasted for about three months that came with a lot of criticism directed towards league officials and owners. The owners and players could not agree on arbitration rules, minimum salaries, and various other potential rule changes. Nonetheless, the two sides (that being the owners and the players) did agree upon a few rule changes that will go into place for the 2023 season, including bigger bases, banning the shift, and adding a pitch clock. Each of these are important rule changes in their own way and have the potential to really change how baseball is played at the Major League level. Below, I will dive into these new rules for 2023 as well as give my thoughts as to some of the things that concern me about baseball moving forward.

Larger Bases

Many fans were a little confused as to why the MLB is going to have larger bases in 2023 and what impact that could have on the game. First, the number one reason the MLB wants to increase the size of the base is because they believe that this will lead to fewer injuries for runners on the basepaths. The logic makes sense, as bigger bases would allow runners more room to avoid defenders when sliding, which in turn would lead to less collisions between runners and defenders, and ultimately less injuries occurring. The MLB is also hoping for more bases to be stolen as a result of this change, since the runners will have a slightly bigger target to slide into when trying to swipe a bag. This change comes at a good time, as stolen base numbers have been way down from where they were many years ago. Stolen bases are such a small part of the game now. In fact, going all the way back to 1887, Hugh Nicol set the single-season stolen base record, stealing 138 bases. But if that example is too far in the past for you, then take Rickey Henderson's season in 1982, where he stole 130 bases. Now compare that to the MLB's stolen base leader in 2022, Starling Marte, who stole 47 bases. Yes, you read that correctly. That stat alone is all that needs to be said when it comes to explaining why the league is hoping for more bags to be swiped, especially considering how much humans have grown athletically since 1887. No offense to Hugh Nicol, I have never watched him play and am certainly not brushed up on him as a player, but you would have a hard time convincing me he was even close to as fast as Byron Buxton.

Banning the Shift

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Ever since the announcement came out that the shift was being banned, there have been a lot of different opinions flying around as to why this is really good or really bad. I, for one, am on the side that thinks this is a bad idea. Do I think the shift has become overused and annoying in the modern-day MLB? Absolutely. But do I think it should be banned? Absolutely not. These days, hitters are much more focused on hitting for power than hitting the ball to all parts of the field and limiting their strikeout numbers. The shift encourages players to become better overall hitters who can use the entire field as well as become good at bunting. Major League hitters should be able to lay down a bunt or hit a routine ground ball the other way if that side of the field is left completely uncovered. All banning the shift does is cater to the guys who are .215 hitters that hit lots of home runs but hit for contact very poorly. This shows me that the MLB is pleased with the current hitting philosophy in the league, which is analytically driven and focused on hitting for power at the expense of seeing historic strikeout numbers among batters. In fact, in 2021 Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo hit .199 and struck out a whopping 213 times (good enough to be the fifth most strikeouts by a batter ever in a single season), but hey, at least he got his 38 home runs, right? He is the prototypical player that will reap benefits from this rule change, as he probably saw the shift as much as anybody the last few seasons. Some would say that this brand of baseball is more exciting, but when it comes down to it in the playoffs, teams usually lean on great pitching, and with that comes the importance of situational hitting, which is sadly becoming a bit of a lost art in the MLB. Below is a gem of a video where former Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter goes against the shift, doing what a lot of fans like me have been begging players to do for years. Sadly, we will never get to watch an exciting play like this happen again starting in 2023 when the shift is banned.

Pitch Clock

I have some mixed feelings on the implementation of a pitch clock, but overall I am anticipating it to be a positive change for Major League Baseball. Many people complain that the games are way too long, and that nobody wants to sit through a three hour game that is not loaded with action constantly throughout the game (NFL games take about the same amount of time as MLB games, interestingly enough). So, the MLB decided that one way to combat this issue was to implement a pitch clock. The MLB decided to test this idea out by implementing a pitch clock in Low-A ball in 2021, and it came back with very positive feedback on the pace of play from the players, coaches and umps at this level. In fact, they saw the average game time dip from three hours and one minute down to two hours and 41 minutes. As to how this pitch clock works, the one that was tested out in the minors gave pitchers 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty, and 17 seconds to throw a pitch with runners on base. If pitchers did not start throwing their pitch on time, the home plate umpires could automatically call a ball. We are not sure as to if this will be the same for the big leagues or not, but I would expect something similar to this in 2023. I think this change will be welcoming in the sense that some MLB pitchers like to work extremely slow, and it will be nice that they will be held accountable for that soon.

Modern MLB Pitching Philosophy

This isn't a rule change, but another thing that I feel needs to be touched on is how much pitching has changed in the MLB. Pitching used to be dominated by starters, and the really good ones would typically go as deep as they could into all of their starts as long as they were having a good outing. Nowadays, starters are really only expected to get through 5 innings or so, and anything higher than that is a bonus. This is mainly for two reasons: first, teams are now taking a much more analytical approach to managing a game, and will make decisions on when to remove a pitcher and who to put in for him based on matchups, and how many times the batting order has seen that pitcher. This sounds great, except this lead to many managers not managing the game with any feel, and just solely relying on what the numbers tell them when it comes to making a pitching game. I think managers and teams in general need to find a balance between using analytics to the fullest and managing the game with feel at the same time. Secondly, teams are now significantly more concerned about the health of their pitchers arm's than they used to be, wanting to avoid the feared Tommy John surgery. While this sounds great too, it actually has not worked, as the number of guys tearing their UCL and needing Tommy John surgery has only been increasing from where it was at all the way back in the 1990s. The reason for this is not known for sure, but I suspect that it is because of a few different possibilities, the first of those being that pitchers are now conditioned to not have to throw as many pitches, so their arms naturally are unable to handle as much as they used to. A second possibility for this is that now, starting at a young age all the way through high school, the top baseball prospects basically are playing baseball year round. It has been proven that a pitcher's arm needs rest in the offseason, and a lot of kids may not be getting that needed rest. A third potential reason is that pitchers nowadays are throwing much harder than they used to, on average. There are a lot of guys in the majors who can throw a baseball 95 miles per hour, and throwing a baseball is not a natural movement to begin with, so throwing the ball with that much force while doing a movement that is already unnatural could lead to more injuries. But there is also the factor that there are much more resources available now to take better care of your arm.

Here is an example of why this change in pitching philosophy irks me so much: Let's go back to 1991. Many people consider Game 7 of the 1991 World Series to be one of the greatest MLB games ever played. For those that aren't already aware, this is the game that Jack Morris and John Smoltz had the ultimate pitcher's duel and completely dominated the game right from the get-go. Smoltz threw 7 and 1/3 shutout innings, and Morris threw 10 shutout innings on 122 pitches while picking up the biggest win of his life. Guys who participated in that game look back on it as one of the most dominate displays of pitching the game has seen. One story that the old Twins manager, Tom Kelly, has told is that he was going to take Morris out of the game after the 9th inning, but changed his mind after confiding with some of his assistant coaches. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, former Twins outfielder Randy Bush had said "I want to know one thing: Who was going to take (Morris) out of this game? I don't think anyone would have done it. If it was (Tom Kelly), Jack would have punched him, kicked him--he might have killed him." If this quote doesn't exemplify how epic of a performance that was, then I don't know what does. It should be mentioned that Morris also miraculously pitched two games on three days rest, which was pretty unheard of even back then. Also, Smoltz was rolling through the Twin's lineup but was pulled for a reliever in the 7th.

The whole point of that example is that we will never see a game like that ever again in the modern-day MLB. It feels like a fan like me who is part of the younger generation has been stripped of potentially seeing true pitcher's duels that go down to the wire on the biggest stage because most managers are too worried about how many times a batter has seen his starting pitcher (even if he is dominating), or what kind of matchup he is going to get with the next batter. Now, while I think knowing this data is important and can help one successfully manage a game, it should not be the sole factor when it comes to decision-making. All in all, it just makes me sad because it feels like the younger generation will never truly get to experience an epic form of baseball like that Game 7 in 1991.

The MLB is in a lockout disaster...

 

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Ever since Rob Manfred took over as commissioner of the MLB for Bud Selig in 2015, he has been under harsh public scrutiny for some questionable decisions and comments he has made. Whether it was the lack of harsh punishment against players involved in the Houston Astros cheating scandal, seriously souring relationships with the MLB's Player's Association (MLBPA), unfortunate lack of public speaking skills, or referring to the World Series trophy as a "piece of metal," Manfred has accumulated more than his fair share of blunders as baseball's commissioner. These mistakes, as well as many others, have made Manfred out to be disliked by almost everybody that is a fan of baseball and has led to the MLB looking bad since his takeover. However, none of those are worse than where baseball is at right now, and that is in a lockout that has lasted for over three months up to this point.

For some context, the MLB is currently in a lockout because the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expired between the owners and the players on December 2, 2021. Sadly, the league and the players have been pretty far apart on many issues, such as rules pertaining to arbitration, minimum salaries, an expanded postseason, and other areas of concern. Many players have even been publicly criticizing the league and the owners for the handling of things. Even Mike Trout, who usually keeps to himself on matters like these, went on Twitter to say that negotiations and bargaining were not done in good faith by the MLB, and that the players stand together for the fans because they owe it to the generation that will succeed them.

Although many of the MLB's players have been putting the league and owners on blast, one interesting perspective that really stands is that of Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward. Heyward took to his Instagram profile to roast Manfred and the MLB, and he did not hold back on any punches. But what made Heyward's perspective really unique and interesting was that he has the opinion that, since the CBA expired, the MLB has been operating with the intention of starting the season late. His reasoning for this is because he believes that the MLB has their own ideal amount of games they hope are played during the season in order to make the owners the most money they can. He thinks that the MLB continuously made offers that they knew the players would refuse in hopes that the season would be delayed.

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Now you are probably asking: How would cancelling games benefit the owners and put more money in their pocket's? Well, as Heyward alluded to, the owners basically view the entire first month of the MLB season as debt. In fact, it is well known around the MLB that April is usually a month of low attendance and dips in revenue for many teams, especially for those that play in colder temperatures.

The best players in the game make a LOT of money, so that probably leads for many fans to wonder why they have anything to complain about. However, there are a lot of players that are in undesirable situations, such as those that play minor league ball and barely make enough money to make it as a professional baseball player. They also believe that players should be in control of their free agency sooner, and that arbitration should not last for as long as it does. All in all, if the MLB and its players are going to want to have a season, both sides will need to give a little bit in order to make that happen. The players might have to accept some of the unfair rules for a little longer, and the owners might have to be willing to change some of the longstanding rules that have been a staple to the MLB when it comes to salaries and contracts.

It should also be noted that this is a really bad time for the MLB to have a lockout. Obviously, there is never a good time for a professional sports league to have a lockout, but this is particularly bad because of the current state of the MLB. There are still a lot of MLB fans out there, but the game is not growing when it comes to the younger generations, and the biggest chunk of MLB fans out there are middle-aged folks. There are already a lot of people on the fence about the MLB. The longer the lockout lasts, the more there will be that are just going to decide that they do not care anymore, and that they are tired of the state of the league. However, there are a plethora of young, exciting players currently in the MLB, such as Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Javier Baez, Tim Anderson, Vladdy Guerrero Jr., and the list goes on and on. Players like these are bringing a swagger to the game of baseball that is unique to this generation, and the MLB should be working as much as they can to market these players to the younger generations. As fans, we hope that the MLB can get things together sooner rather than later. If not, they are at risk of seeing their ratings tumble even more.

Below is Ken Rosenthal's perspective on the current state of the MLB's lockout. Rosenthal is one of the most respected MLB journalists and insiders and he is a writer for The Athletic. Here, he provides a lot of insight into why things are still at a standstill and what the league could look like post-lockout: