Timberwolves Press Conference

[JNR]

The JNR: Look, I made a mistake. I kind of said it in last year's presser. I made a trade to get rid of the #2 pick, and I brought back Luka Doncic. It didn't take long for me to know for sure. The team was bad, and the playoffs were distant. So I tried to fix my mistake. I traded Luka to Detroit for Dennis Wolfgang and Brandon Clarke, which I think was the best way to rectify the situation. To continue that, I traded Josh Hart for a first round pick. The rest of the season went without much fanfare. We finished with 34 wins and though we got close to the 7th seed, it wasn't enough.

So that brought us to the offseason, where, to be honest, we decided to take a step back and focus on internal growth. To clarify, I mean I wasn't interested in making any huge moves. During the draft, we looked for takers, but when none came we drafted the players we liked most at our positions, Edward Urquhart and Markus Potter. We then signed a lot of fringe players in free agency - talented players, but no one that would be the missing piece for playoff contention. I felt confident that our three young core players would continue to improve in training camp, and then did.

We had a great preseason, but I am not going to get too excited about. I am looking to focus more on the improvement of our young players. I am open to trading most players on the team and could take a step in either direction. For now, our starting lineup will be

C: Mitchell Robinson
PF: OG Anunoby
SF: Brandon Clarke
SG: Dennis Wolfgang
PG: Odell Raspberry

With valuable contributions made by Cheatham, Young, Piazza, and Urquhart. We expect to be in the mix for the lower seeds but ultimately fall short.

Any questions?

[TheSyndicate]

You've been vocal about Odell's faults and your displeasure. Do you think you'll move on from him? If so, what's his alternative at the 1 for you/what would the plan be?

[JNR]

The JNR: At this moment I don't have a better option. So the only way I can actually move him is to a team that has a decent PG now that they are willing to send along with other assets to upgrade.

[NOLa.]

Although it's not advisable to rely on preseason stats, Mitchell Robinson definitely showed off his ability to be the leader of this team. Didyou expect him to play as he did in the preseason or was the output a surprise?

[JNR]

Although it's not advisable to rely on preseason stats, Mitchell Robinson definitely showed off his ability to be the leader of this team. Didyou expect him to play as he did in the preseason or was the output a surprise?

It was absolutely a surprise. My team has been a bottom 5 offense for the past several years because I don't have a dynamic scorer capable of putting up 25 a night. If Robinson can be that guy, my team opens up a lot more than I expect.

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Dennis Wolfgang looked like he was scoring well in limited preseason minutes. What do you expect from him as a starter after coming back from a broken leg suffered last season?

[JNR]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Dennis Wolfgang looked like he was scoring well in limited preseason minutes. What do you expect from him as a starter after coming back from a broken leg suffered last season?

The reason I want him in the starting lineup is not for offense, but for defense. He's still developing his offensive game, but I think it's important to have him out there with the starters, and to have Erickson and Cheatham focus on scoring off the bench.

[logpmess]

OG, for such a young player, seems to be ready to contribute immediately at the 4. What do you see as his best current attribute, and what do you see as his biggest need to develop this upcoming season?

[JNR]

OG, for such a young player, seems to be ready to contribute immediately at the 4. What do you see as his best current attribute, and what do you see as his biggest need to develop this upcoming season?

His best attribute is his inside presence, but he needs to work on his discipline and consistency.

[greepleairport]

Who are you most looking forward to joining JNR's EMA club this season?