Wolves Presser 2031/2032

[JNR]

We're in the Wolves press room. The JNR once again stands at a podium. He's wearing a shirt this year, thankfully.

The JNR: Welcome to another year in Minnesota. Last year I returned after several years of limited activity, and the results were...largely the same. We even lost more games last year than we had in three years. All the same, we finished with our fifth straight winning season, and we actually won a playoff series before being swept in the second round. I felt compelled to stay the course at least one more year, which led to us matching Ja Morant's max offer from the Wizards. We went into free agency feeling confident that we could find a decent batch of players to fit around our core of Sabonis, Marsh, Doncic and Morant. We didn't realize how well it was going to go, however.

We were able to bring in Tibor Pleiss, Olen Sutherland, Long Anderson, Damion Willians, Donovan Mitchell, and James Gebhart in. All of them are players who can contribute at a high level. With these acquisitions in addition to the talent we already had in place, this has the potential to be the deepest Timberwolves team we've had since the 90s. The tax bill is also our highest ever, which we'll deal with in time.

Training camp went surprisingly well for us. Though Trumann Wrenn took a step backward and Shane Havard wilted in the face of incoming competition, Frederic Hughes had an incredible camp and proved that he is ready to compete with the glut of bigs we have. He's made our future at front court brighter than ever.

Preseason went well, though we don't expect to see the same lineups going forward. To that end, our projected starting line up will be:

C: Domantas Sabonis
PF: Chad Marsh
SF: Luka Doncic
SG: Donovan Mitchell
PG: Ja Morant

With Hughes, Wrenn, Gebhart, and Anderson getting a bulk of the bench minutes. Williams, Pleiss and Sutherland will see time as well.

We expect to be a contender for the division and if we stay healthy we see ourselves capable of a playoff run. We'll now open it up to questions.

[NOLa.]

Looking at your team vs the Magic, I would say Orlando has the better individual players but the Wolves seem to be deep with talented players. Do you think this could give you an edge over a potential playoff matchup?

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: After being - by your own admission - rather disengaged over the past few seasons, what's changed to get you back engaged and hungry to not just compete, but to win?

[false9]

Is this finally the season Luka makes the leap?

[JNR]

Looking at your team vs the Magic, I would say Orlando has the better individual players but the Wolves seem to be deep with talented players. Do you think this could give you an edge over a potential playoff matchup?

I'd love to say that, but at the end of the day the Magic are the two time champs, so I am not keen to compare my team to them. Hopefully we improve upon 46 wins and then we'll go from there.

[JNR]

Random Reporter: After being - by your own admission - rather disengaged over the past few seasons, what's changed to get you back engaged and hungry to not just compete, but to win?

I'm going to be completely honest: dumb luck. Last season I happened to sign in while I was on my cruise and put in some bids that actually went well. It kept my engagement higher than it had been. And this year I sent out veteran minimum deals to the kind of guys who always reject those deals...and this time they accepted. Clearly having a team I believe in keeps my engagement high, so I am thankful for luck to smile on me.

[JNR]

Is this finally the season Luka makes the leap?

God I hope so. We've put so much time and effort into him, hopefully he delivers. He's such a versatile player that we feel he can help in many ways besides scoring.

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: How does this stacked Timberwolves roster compare to T-Wolves lineups of the past...not only in terms of talent, but in terms of what you personally think of the squad?

[JNR]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: How does this stacked Timberwolves roster compare to T-Wolves lineups of the past...not only in terms of talent, but in terms of what you personally think of the squad?

My favorite team ever is is the 99 team that won 65 games and went to the Conference Finals. Divac, Webber, Hill and Pack were the main stars. It was a fun team and I felt more engaged that season than any other -- it was the only time losing a series broke me emotionally. That being said, I think this team is top to bottom more talented. This team has some flaws, especially offensively, but I think the sheer depth puts it near the top of strongest teams I've fielded.

[greepleairport]

Perhaps some of your luck was the league calling you back. In your opinion, how have things shifted since you last took a deep dive into PBSL? Why are you wearing a shirt now?

[JNR]

Perhaps some of your luck was the league calling you back. In your opinion, how have things shifted since you last took a deep dive into PBSL? Why are you wearing a shirt now?

The biggest difference is the lack of hostility, which is connected to the lack of activity. There used to be rivalries, and GMs who actively despised each other, and trash talk and uncomfortable moments. For the most part I'm glad that's gone, although I think some of the competitive fire died with it.

I'm wearing a shirt because it's cold.