little bit complacent, thought w from corse178's blog
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves have accomplished their summer mission to bring better 3-point shooters and more positional balance to the roster. Cheap Pistons Jerseys Authentic . Now the questions left for this team to answer are whether it can successfully guard anyone and how to divide playing time among a suddenly deep, if healthy, group. The Timberwolves finalized contracts on Friday with a pair of small forwards whose skills were central to their plan, Chase Budinger and Corey Brewer, and another, first-round pick Shabazz Muhammad, whose playing-time prospect appears dim for this season after a flurry of post-draft moves. Budinger agreed to terms last week on a three-year, $16 million contract. Brewer agreed to a three-year, $15 million deal on Wednesday. The Wolves had to manoeuvr through the leagues complicated salary cap rules before they could actually sign them, which led to the trade of guard Luke Ridnour to Milwaukee. Brewer, of course, was the seventh overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Wolves, but he didnt hit his stride until after he left. Last season with Denver, he averaged 12.1 points in 24.4 minutes per game. Shooting is not his forte, but the Wolves badly needed a reliable defender on the wing, and his athletic ability to run the fast break with fancy-passing point guard Ricky Rubio was what cemented him as the right fit to replace the departed Andrei Kirilenko. "Its always different when you come in with the expectations of a top-10 pick and youre counted on to carry a team. Hes not going to have to carry this team," President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders said. With Budinger and another veteran acquisition, shooting guard Kevin Martin, Brewer is probably bound for an energy-off-the-bench role. With him, Derrick Williams and the rookie Muhammad, finding time for everyone will be tricky. Williams played a lot of power forward when star Kevin Love was hurt, but with Love back and Dante Cunningham and Ronny Turiaf behind him, thats a crowded position, too. Saunders stopped short of declaring this the deepest team in the franchises woebegone history, but he said the group might be more versatile than the 2003-04 squad he coached with Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell that reached the Western Conference finals. Thats the only year out of 24 that the Wolves have advanced past the first round of the playoffs. Budinger was limited to 23 games last season because of a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee. But his familiarity with coach Rick Adelmans system from their prior time together in Houston and his ability to shoot and move without the ball on the wing made him a priority for the Wolves to bring back. This also is a much taller team than last season, when the 6-foot-2 Ridnour was playing out of position at shooting guard. Assuming centre Nikola Pekovic is re-signed, there are three 6-foot-11 guys on the roster with rookie Gorgui Dieng and Chris Johnson. Brewer is 6-foot-9. Budinger and Martin are 6-foot-7. Ronny Turiaf, who was still in the process of finalizing the two-year, $3.2 million deal he agreed to on Thursday, will be a 6-foot-10 backup to Love. "I do believe that its going to be a very exciting team to watch play, just because of how we have the ability of the bigs inside to rebound, get out and run with Rubio," Saunders said, adding: "Our big question is, everyones going to say: We think you guys will be able to score. Are you going to be able to defend? Thats why getting Brewer and getting Turiaf, a perimeter defender and an inside defender, I thought was going to be very big for us." Saunders also praised Adelmans ability to produce capable team defence out of individuals who might not be the best at guarding. Once Turiaf signs, securing Pekovic is the last piece on the summer to-do list. Hes a restricted free agent. "People think he can go pretty much where he wants to go, and he can sign an offer sheet, but we have the ability to match anything," Saunders said. "Right now where were set in our budget, we have an ability to sign Pek, so we expect he will be back." Cheap Detroit Pistons Jerseys . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Cheap Pistons Jerseys China . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. http://www.cheappistonsjerseys.com/ . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Jamie Whincup has admitted taking his foot off the pedal during last years Supercars Enduro Cup but is adamant there will be no repeat in 2016.The endurance season begins on Sunday with the Sandown 500 in Melbourne, where stakes are as high as they come in V8 racing.After competing for 75 points in each race since March, 300 points are on the line in the 500-kilometre classic.Whincup, who holds a 131-point championship lead over teammate Shane van Gisbergen, knows he cant afford another performance like last year.Entering the endurance season well off the title pace, Whincup and co-driver Paul Dumbrell won pole but slumped to 15th after a pit-lane puncture.It didnt get much better for the Red Bull Commodore, with 18th place at Bathurst and a poor return at Surfers Paradise amounting to his worst endurance season since joining the sport.On Inside Supercars, Whincup admitted to the unimaginable: he was lazy.We just left a lot on the table, just took it a little bit easy, he said.(We were) a little bit complacent, thought wed cruise in and cruise out but it wasnt the case. Cheap Swingman Pistons Jerseys. .We could have done a lot more last year ... mainly beforehand.Did we prepare well enough? No, no we didnt.Well get back to where we need to be ... it wont happen this year.In Whincups favour is an impressive record heading into the longer races.The 33-year-old has never lost a championship when hes come to Sandown leading the pack.He will also enjoy continuity in the No.88 car.While half the field have new co-pilots, Dumbrell returns to partner Whincup for the fifth straight year.Whincup said he wasnt part of the decision for Dumbrell to return to the role but he was confident they could right the wrongs of last year.PD has done such a good job in the past its his option, he said.Weve given ourselves a kick up the bum this year to make sure we dont have another 2015. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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