Chance to see Rubio, Wiggins, Bennett, Lavine, etc. scrimmage a bit and then dunk contest on
Timberwolves.com at midnight.
I got to attend the event in person. Was a GIANT buzzkill that the "dunk contest" was all of 3-4 minutes of players just dunking the ball on 3-on-0 drills to end the practice. But that said, some thoughts on the Wolves after the event:
1. All but Kevin Martin couldn't hit the backboard from the perimeter...much less put it in the basket. Shooting that night was horrific (like a junior high team's second string practicing). But in their defense, the practice was held from ~12:00-1:45am.
2. Lavine's got some
amazing hops! He gets off the ground so quick, so high. He also seems to play with a chip on his shoulder. No fear. So long as that chip on his shoulder doesn't keep him from learning from better players and the coaching staff.
3. Wiggins just seems to "glide" on the court. Smooth. He's lanky, but man he has a quick first-step and can elevate! If not for Lavine, folks would ooh and aah over how quick, how high, he gets off the ground. I'd like to see him add muscle/weight, but guy's still got a few years to develop physically.
4. Shabazz Muhammad was playing like a man whose opposing team asked out his long-time girlfriend after kicking his dog during that scrimmage. He and Corey Brewer briefly got into it a couple times on the court (very rough play for a friendly scrimmage), and he looks like he is playing a bit "angry" this year. He, Martin and Brewer were probably the "MVPs" of the scrimmage, ridiculous passing ability of Ricky Rubio aside.
The Wolves are probably going to lose a lot of games this year, but man are they going to be fun to watch. And they'll have most older and/or poorly-conditioned teams in the NBA grabbing their shorts and trying to suck in some air for most of the second half. They are a young, talented, quick, seriously-athletic team that might be near the top of the league in fast break points and points after rebounds/turnovers. But they'll probably be among the 4-5 worst shooting teams in the NBA. It'll be fun AND frustrating to watch.