Timberwolves S71 Preseason Presser

[tbone963]

Hello everyone and welcome.

Let me start by thanking Mr. Johnson, our amazing staff, and all the fans who continue to support this team year in and year out. We do our best to give them a product they can be proud of on and off the court. We're looking to build a winning culture here in Minnesota. Not just to win one championship, but to be competitive for years. We think that starts with the right group of guys. We want guys that don't just have talent, but character as well. I think these guys encompass that.

This is my second year as gm, but it was my first full off-season and I don't know if I can be any happier with this group of guys. We started with drafting Chelsea Borries, who got to work immediately; reaching out to teammates and getting in the gym to get ready for this season. We had an excellent training camp with lots of improvement across the board for all players.

Benny Bridesmaid is everything we were expecting when we traded for him and he continues to learn and soak up as much as he can from the coaches and veterans; always looking to improve. I'm excited to watch him and Chelsea grow together, along with Caitlin Clark, and lead this young core for years to come.

Speaking of leaders, I would be remiss to not mention our "vets" Elton Harris and Chris Acker. They lead by example, helping the younger guys while always improving themselves. I think they're just getting into their prime.

We brought in some depth and great locker room guys in Zed Key and Robert Warner. We have a great bench. Any of these guys will be up to the challenge if their number's called.

We're very excited for the season to start and to show you all what we're building here; not just on the court but off as well. Thank you.

Any questions?

[Jedihero]

2 parter here:

1. As you are now entering your second season, would you say you have a handle on how the DCs work, or are you still experimenting with different arrangements for your players?

B. What are your aspirations for this year and how are you going to go about this season? You have plenty of cap room, any plans to make use of that?

[IamQuailman]

Which player on your team excites you the MOST, after Mr. Bridesmaid?

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: As a new GM in a land of a lot of GMs who should be dead by sim league time standards, I'm interested in what parts of the league make the most and least sense to you? What were your first impressions of the game itself vs. your expectations?

[tbone963]

2 parter here:

1. As you are now entering your second season, would you say you have a handle on how the DCs work, or are you still experimenting with different arrangements for your players?

B. What are your aspirations for this year and how are you going to go about this season? You have plenty of cap room, any plans to make use of that?

1. We may be experimenting with some small ball this season along with other lineups, but that is just a byproduct of the talent these guys have. We believe most of them can play 1, 2, maybe even 3 or 4 different positions. As the season progresses, we'll make adjustments based on the gameplan.

B. Though we do have a young team, I don't think playoffs are out of the question. I think these guys are winners and if we see a piece or 2 that can complement them and put us over the top, we won't hesitate to go for it.

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[tbone963]

Which player on your team excites you the MOST, after Mr. Bridesmaid?

Can I say all them lol? Again, Chelsea coming out the draft and killing it in training camp gets us excited for the future. Caitlin continually improving since being traded here. All of our guys give us a reason to be exited for the future.

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[BigDaddyd8720]

As you transition from year 1 to year 2, where would you like to see the most improvement from yourself as GM? And any plans on taking the right steps to see that improvement sooner rather than later?

[tbone963]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: As a new GM in a land of a lot of GMs who should be dead by sim league time standards, I'm interested in what parts of the league make the most and least sense to you? What were your first impressions of the game itself vs. your expectations?

I guess I didn't have many expectations expect for those of myself. My job was to come in here and make this team a winner again and that's what I intend to do. The strategy and execution of the game was definitely not what I had in mind. The only thing that makes sense is that the league makes not sense. You just have to make the nonsense make sense.

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[MexicanMamba]

Last season you chose not to use your abundance of cap space to add to your cache of assets or get talent cheap from teams needing to shed salary. With $130mil in cap space as we head into the regular season, do you forsee being more aggressive in using your cap space (wisely) this time around?

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[tbone963]

As you transition from year 1 to year 2, where would you like to see the most improvement from yourself as GM? And any plans on taking the right steps to see that improvement sooner rather than later?

I'm always looking to improve. I can't tell other people to improve without walking that walk. I know that last season I wasn't very open to the press, but I intend to always be available for questions and comments going forward. The best thing I can do is listen to my players and coaches and give them the tools to be successful.

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[tbone963]

Last season you chose not to use your abundance of cap space to add to your cache of assets or get talent cheap from teams needing to shed salary. With $130mil in cap space as we head into the regular season, do you forsee being more aggressive in using your cap space (wisely) this time around?

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Yeah. As I've said, I believe in this group of guys to take us far. If there's a chance to push the needle towards a deep run, we'll be aggressive in getting that piece or 2 that puts us over the top.

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[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Have you devised a strategy for this build? When do you plan on getting to the playoffs and running up a bill soon? If so, who are your core guys and who do you deem as players that are expendable that can be traded for potentially upgrades?

[tbone963]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Have you devised a strategy for this build? When do you plan on getting to the playoffs and running up a bill soon? If so, who are your core guys and who do you deem as players that are expendable that can be traded for potentially upgrades?

Our strategy is to build a cohesive unit that works to compliment each player's strengths and weaknesses. I believe the chemistry these players are already building will help them play better together as a unit with one common goal, to win.

If I'm being modest I'd say playoffs are a season or 2 away, but honestly I think we have the potential to make a splash this season. If we think it's viable to the team both short term and long term, we'll use whatever assets are available to achieve that goal.

I think all of the team are core guys. We're a very young team and we hope to watch this group grow together and become champions over the new few years. I know this is still a business and opportunies will arise as the season goes on. We'll deal with those as they come. For now these are our guys and we're looking forward to seeing them on the court this season.

Thank you all, that's all the time I have.

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