Wolves Presser 38-39

[JNR]

The JNR. The podium. The usual.

The JNR: One win. One win from the PBSL finals.

We were up 3-1. We only needed one win before the Pelicans won three. So what happened? Well, the easy answer is we lost three straight. But the more complex answer? That's something I've been trying to figure out all summer long.

He shakes his head.

The JNR: I have a reputation for being pretty happy-go-lucky. For not being as competitive as a lot of you out there. And for the most part the reputation is earned. But I wanted to win that series so bad. I wanted to make it to the finals.

I -- like the rest of the league -- was blown away by how well my team played last year. I put together a good team and let them grow, but I didn't think they'd grow that quickly. So even though it didn't end how I wanted it to, I'm so proud of that group of guys for playing their guts out.

Now, for this season, we no longer have the element of surprise. We no longer have Brandon Clarke. But we do have Corey Brooks. We do have Timo Cruz. We do have a healthy Dennis Wolfgang. And now? Now we have the hunger.

We have our sights set on the division, and if that comes with a bye in the playoffs, we're happy with that too. We see a tough league out there, but we're hungry to prove that last year wasn't a fluke. Our starting lineup will be

C: Mitchell Robinson
PF: OG Anunoby
SF: Dennis Wolfgang
SG: Corey Brooks
PG: Odell Raspberry

With Cruz, West, Thompson, and the Brown brothers providing valuable bench minutes.

Any questions?

[MexicanMamba]

External or internal, what will be the most difficult thing to overcome this season to get to, at least, the conference finals again?

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[K-100]

How do you think your UFA acquisitions will help against a potential rematch vs the Pelicans in the playoffs?

[JNR]

The JNR: I think it's internal, and I think it's really putting the pressure on myself to adapt.

[JNR]

How do you think your UFA acquisitions will help against a potential rematch vs the Pelicans in the playoffs?

The JNR: I think I'll have enough offense to go toe to toe when my big guys are off the floor, which ended up being a problem towards the end of the season.

[false9]

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently in the conference finals?

Does having experienced gut wrenching eliminations back to back in the playoffs weigh on you or is that in the past?

[NOLa.]

We touched on this earlier but you have a very old school, throwback type of team build where your frontcourt is the main focus, especially considered you have a PF-C combo that could average 20-10 each this season. Was this build on purpose or did it just sort of fall this way?

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Are there any teams other than the Pelicans that you're looking out for, or is the focus squarely on dethroning the current Conference champs? Also, Jerry West has undeniably played a key role in your sudden renaissance. As he now firmly enters his twilight years, what role will he play this season?

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: After falling short in the conference finals and then getting a supermax contract, Mitchell Robinson took a step back in Training Camp. He's been established early on as the leader of this team. How much of that do you think is pressure to lead at such a young age? If so, how do you alleviate that pressure going forward?

[JNR]

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently in the conference finals?

Does having experienced gut wrenching eliminations back to back in the playoffs weigh on you or is that in the past?

I wish I had been more active. I usually trust my lineup, and it had been doing well, but I didn't try to change things up enough earlier in the season to know what may work.

And it hurt in the moment, but I've always been able to deal with disappointment. If I wasn't able to I would have quit after season 6.

[JNR]

We touched on this earlier but you have a very old school, throwback type of team build where your frontcourt is the main focus, especially considered you have a PF-C combo that could average 20-10 each this season. Was this build on purpose or did it just sort of fall this way?

I have had an inside focus since the 90s. So its good to have the players I do. However, this did mostly happen by accident because I acquired OG in the Luka trade and Mitchell fell to me in the draft.

[JNR]

Random Reporter: Are there any teams other than the Pelicans that you're looking out for, or is the focus squarely on dethroning the current Conference champs? Also, Jerry West has undeniably played a key role in your sudden renaissance. As he now firmly enters his twilight years, what role will he play this season?

Put me on record: the Bulls are the best team in the conference. The Pelicans will be a big challenge to the division, as will the Raptors. And never forget about the Clippers.

Jerry has been a great leader for us, but what really unlocked our team last year was starting Wolfgang and having Jerry come off the bench as a super sub. So we think he'll do well in the same role this year, although limited because Timo will also be in that role behind Wolfgang.

[JNR]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: After falling short in the conference finals and then getting a supermax contract, Mitchell Robinson took a step back in Training Camp. He's been established early on as the leader of this team. How much of that do you think is pressure to lead at such a young age? If so, how do you alleviate that pressure going forward?

I think pressure had to do with a lot of it. We depended on him for a lot of scoring last year. But I think Corey Brooks will help a lot. He is a big time scorer who will also rebound from the guard spot, and it will allow Mitchell to do what he needs to do without worrying about being the only option.

[greepleairport]

Your relationship with Odell has improved over the seasons, and it seemed like the turning point was around the time he won All Star MVP. Was Mitchell’s TC set back perhaps an opportunity for Odell to step up a bit more? Do you think he will?


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[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: I know you have spoken some about him already, but what are your hopes for Brooks entering this season? You had to give up a lot of capital for a player who is on the last year of his deal.

[JNR]

Your relationship with Odell has improved over the seasons, and it seemed like the turning point was around the time he won All Star MVP. Was Mitchell’s TC set back perhaps an opportunity for Odell to step up a bit more? Do you think he will?


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Its hard to say for sure. Odell is a steady player, but I don't see him being more than he already has. The real effort is going to come from the wing.

[JNR]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: I know you have spoken some about him already, but what are your hopes for Brooks entering this season? You had to give up a lot of capital for a player who is on the last year of his deal.

I did, and with that there are a lot of expectations. I want him to be a big time scorer on the wing and take pressure off our bigs.

[ballsohard]

You've been a great example on trading younger stars to get guys who fit into a timeline better, what advice would you give to new and even older GMs about being able to pull the triggers on these types of trades?