The fans wanted Tim Connelly to run it back. He obliged.
The NBA draft and ensuing free agency really flew by, huh? All 52 voters of Canis Pulsus chimed in on their thoughts through June 30th, but it seems like not much has changed as far as the Wolves roster.
Let’s take a look at what the people thought.
How satisfied are you with the selection of Joan Beringer with the 17th pick of the draft?
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Very satisfied (53.8)
When was the last time the Wolves made an honest to goodness, home run swing? You could call Rob Dillingham that, but he had a bit more of a developmental track record. This was much more of a Giannis Antetokounmpo type swing. Will he pan out as such, or end up as the next Bruno Caboclo? The result is somewhere in the middle.
Full results:
How satisfied are you with trading the 31st pick for the 45th pick, two future 2nd round picks, and cash considerations?
Slightly satisfied (32.7%)
Anytime “Timberwolves,” “NBA draft,” and “cash considerations” are mentioned, it’s hard for Wolves fan to not shutter. Somewhere out there, Glen Taylor still has Kurt Rambis on his payroll next to the Cole Aldrich line. At least Minnesota walked away with some future assets and an actual draft selection.
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How satisfied are you with the selection of Rocco Zikarsky with the 45th pick of the draft?
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Neutral (38.5%)
What’s better than one homerun swing? Two homerun swings. Now are the Timberwolves in a place to be spending their assets on lottery tickets? Voters didn’t tend to think so. There may have been some more “win-now” players the Wolves could’ve chosen in the second round such as Rasheer Fleming, but minutes were going to be hard to come by.
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Who is your favorite prospect of the draft?
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Cooper Flagg (30%)
Last season: Devin Carter (10.2%)
Unsurprising result here. Flagg was the consensus number one pick and has slim to no holes to his game. He may be the next great White hope. We also saw multiple votes for Beringer and Dylan Harper as well. It’ll be fun to see how Flagg pans out, but hopefully it’ll take him some time. For the Timberwolves sake, at least.
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Who do you think will be the biggest steal/sleeper of the draft?
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Joan Beringer (8.2% each)
Last season: Isaiah Collier / Tyler Kolek / Zach Edey (8.2%)
Easy call. The projected lottery pick is just 18 years old, a behemoth, and has only been playing basketball for less than four years? Put it in pen. The only other players to get more than 5% of votes were Khaman Maluach, Ace Bailey, and Rasheer Fleming.
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Who’s the #1 priority you hope the Timberwolves acquire in free agency?
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Naz Reid (62.7%)
Last season: Tyus Jones (26.1%)
Run it back. That was the clear message the fans had here. Even with the holes in his game, Naz Reid is a damn legend here in Minnesota and voters would not want to see him gone. What would be left for all those “Naz Reid.” tattoos?
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Who’s the #2 priority you hope the Timberwolves acquire in free agency?
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Julius Randle (35.3%)
Last season: Kyle Anderson (16.3%)
It’s totally understandable that voters wanted Randle back after his offseason dominance over the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. It was interesting to see some of the other options here, including Tre Jones and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
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I will be happy after free agency if…
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We retain Naz Reid (36.4%)
Last season: We add a point guard to the rotation
Ladies and gentlemen: We got him. Tim Connelly cleared prioritized the return of Naz Reid and he managed to re-sign him to a great deal. The other common option that was voted on was acquiring another point guard. 27.3% of voters felt the need to improve ball handling. More on that later.
I will be upset after free agency if…
We lose Naz Reid (47.6%)
Last season: We break up the core rotation
What’s the opposite of “Retain Naz Reid”? As much hand wringing that people seem to have about re-signing Randle and Reid, it sure seems like they all seem to agree on the vision of continuity. Last season, they wanted Connelly to not break the core up, but he did. This year, he’s avoided angering the fan base, for now.
Who is a player you would like the Wolves to trade for?
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Darius Garland / Coby White (10%)
Last season: Darius Garland (21.1%)
Time is a flat circle. Voters wanted Darius Garland last season, and it seems they’ve come back with the same demands. As it currently looks, the Gersson Rosas dream of Garland may be dead, but we shall see how things look come the start of the season, or even the by the trade deadline.
What area do you hope the Wolves address in the offseason the most?
Acquire more offensive initiators (64.7%)
Last season: Acquire more offensive initiators (37.5%)
Fans seemed to want the same thing as last year again, and it’s hard to blame them after watching what the Thunder and Pacers did in the finals. It seems like Connelly may still have one more card left to play, but the options are limited. The increase in offensive creation may very well need to come from Dillingham and TJ Shannon.
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Will the Timberwolves make the play-in tournament next season?
No (Top 6 seed) (88.5% each)
The West continues to somehow get stronger this upcoming season. Just over a tenth of voters felt that the play-in tournament could be a reality, and it’s hard to doubt them considering Minnesota was just one loss away from being in it last season.
Last season:
Will the Timberwolves make the playoffs next season?
Yes (98.1% each)
A lone dissenter. Show yourself! It still feels a bit surreal to expect the Timberwolves to make the playoffs every season, but here we are. Who would’ve thought?
Last season:
During the offseason, my feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are…
Very optimistic (40.4%)
Previous result: Very optimistic (77.1%)
It’s easy to understand the dwindling of optimism when other Western Conference competitors made significant needle moving transactions. Kevin Durant to Houston. Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown to Denver. That said, if Tim Connelly believes in the continuity of this team paying big dividends, who are we to doubt that?
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