No Frills Wolves Podcast

Welcome to the new Dunking With Wolves Podcast. This is the third iteration of the Dunking With Wolves Podcast, and we're excited to things rolling once again. It is the weekend after the 2018 NBA Draft, and we'll talk about the Timberwolves' selection of Georgia Tech's Josh Okogie with the 20th pick in the draft and Ohio State forward and Big Ten POY Keita Bates-Diop with the 48th pick, the 18th pick of the second round.

The Timberwolves are closing in on the halfway mark of their schedule now that the calendar has flipped to January, and the team's record stands at just 11-25. As the first No Frills Wolves Podcast in nearly two months, Justin and Ben discuss what has gone wrong, what has gone right, and examine each of the two most common scapegoats, if social media is to be believed. They also review each of the top-seven players in the Wolves rotation in-depth while covering nearly every player on the 13-man roster and where they stand as of today.

The 33rd episode of the No Frills Wolves Podcast covers the 1-4 start to the season by the 2016-17 Timberwolves, as well as a retrospective on all of the moves made by Flip Saunders as a front office executive in light of last week's Gorgui Dieng contract extension. The Wolves have lost three close games in which they held substantial leads, and they've won one blowout contest as well. Of course, they were also beat by 20 points in Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Is there any cause for alarm just five games into the season with a young roster, an injured starting point guard, and a brand new head coach, or is it simply a fluky start to a long season? Ben and Justin dive into that question, including taking a quick look at many of the key players in coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation on an individual basis. We also examine Flip Saunders' record as president of basketball operations, which began back in May of 2013. The Dieng extension triggered this conversation; what might have happened if Detroit hadn't taken Kentavious Caldwell-Pope right before Minnesota's selection back in 2013?

Welcome to Part Two of the No Frills Wolves Podcast 2016-17 season preview from Justin Schardin and Ben Beecken. The 2016-17 season is upon us, Wolves fans, and there is plenty to cover. Topics covered include: analysis of the bench unit, a discussion of future contract extensions and what the roster might look like in 12 months, and predicting individual player awards for the season.

In Part One of the Timberwolves season preview, Justin and Ben discuss each and every player on the roster and what they will (and won't) bring to the team this season. What effect will new head coach Tom Thibodeau have on each player, and how will his rotations play out? While the starters figure to be the same as it was a year ago, the bench unit will feature three new players in Kris Dunn, Brandon Rush, and Cole Aldrich. Part Two will follow early in the week, prior to the Timberwolves' regular season opener in Memphis on Wednesday evening. In Part Two of the podcast, Ben and Justin will discuss the burning questions on the minds of all Wolves fans: who will be the team's MVP? Which player will be most improved? Who is most likely to be traded? And, how many wins will the Wolves end up with?

The No Frills Wolves podcast returns for another season with a farewell to Kevin Garnett and favorite memories about KG from Ben Beecken and Justin Schardin. After a summer hiatus of just over two months, Ben and Justin return to discuss Kevin Garnett's retirement, as well as previewing the Timberwolves' training camp roster. Another recent item in the news for the Wolves is a yet another lost season for Nikola Pekovic -- plus, a possible buyout for the hulking Montenegrin. Also, at the top of the show, Justin shares a few stories from his early July visit to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League. It's been a long off-season, and the Timberwolves are kicking off the 2016-17 campaign with media day on Monday, followed by a week-long training camp before preseason play opens this Saturday in Kansas City against the Miami Heat. We're nearly there, Wolves fans. Enjoy the podcast, and stay tuned for another week's worth of previews and more...

On the latest episode of the No Frills Wolves Podcast, Justin Schardin and Ben Beecken discuss the NBA draft, free agency, and preview the Wolves' Las Vegas Summer League entry. It's been two weeks since the draft, and Ben and Justin briefly touch on their thoughts surrounding all of the draft night action, including the Ricky Rubio and Jimmy Butler trade rumors, plus what they each thought of the Kris Dunn selection. NBA free agency is a week old, and the Wolves were slow to become involved in the fray, not signing any players until about 48 hours into the period and, to date, only inking two new contracts. We discuss free agency in general and marvel at the gigantic contracts handed out league-wide, plus the players that the Wolves probably should have bid more competitively for before losing out to other teams. The Timberwolves did sign Cole Aldrich and Brandon Rush, however. What do Ben and Justin think of those additions, and who else might be a fit that is still on the market? Lastly, Justin is headed to Las Vegas to catch the majority of the Wolves' squad's games. What players should Wolves fans keep an eye out for as play kicks off on Friday night on ESPN at 7:30?

On the latest No Frills Wolves Podcast, Ben Beecken and Justin Schardin talk about trade rumors involving Jimmy Butler, De'Angelo Russell, and even Kevin Love, then get into to the upcoming NBA draft. The guys have each made some adjustments at the top of their draft wish list for the Wolves, and also who they hope the team avoids on Thursday. Also discussed: a possible Doc Rivers Effect on the roster that could come from Tom Thibodeau, plus the timing of the actual draft itself in relation to the NBA free agency period -- should the off-season be reordered? This episode of the No Frills Wolves Podcast wraps up with a mock of the top-10 selections in this Thursday's draft. Who do we think the Timberwolves will select, and who do we think they should select?

With the Wolves (for now) holding the #5 pick, Justin and Ben go through the five players at the top of each of their respective wish lists for the team, including a couple of unconventional takes. Plus, they mention a few guys they are hoping the team does not take on June 23rd. It's the first in a two-part NBA Draft preview series on the No Frills Wolves Podcast, so be sure to check back in about two weeks for the final preview prior to the draft. The podcast closes with a few thoughts on the NBA's annual awards, which included hits and near-misses for Karl-Anthony Towns and Ricky Rubio.

The latest No Frills Wolves Podcast is all about the Wolves' big-league move to drop big money on Tom Thibodeau to be their new head coach. Ben Beecken and Justin Schardin talk about each of their biggest pros of the hire, as well as what makes them nervous about it. Additionally, they explore what the hiring could mean for the team's core players, including Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Shabazz Muhammad, and Gorgui Dieng. Current general manager Milt Newton's status remains up in the air, as well as that of the team's assistant coaches. Ben and Justin take a look at what their futures could hold, and other potential assistant coaches that Thibodeau and new general manager Scott Layden could be considering.