Bill Simmons News - MinnesotaSportsFan

Bill Simmons is Betting on ‘Knucklehead’ Minnesota Timberwolves… in the Regular Season

Andrew Buller-Russ — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:19:25 +0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to tip off the second half of their regular season now that the All-Star break is complete. After being the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference thanks to a 39-16 record, there’s no denying that the Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the entire NBA, a rare feat for this franchise.

While the Timberwolves have been hard at work all year long, trying to prove the haters wrong, some are still skeptical of their ability to maintain this excellence as the season winds down. But not Bill Simmons,

The last time we heard from Simmons regarding the Wolves, he was calling for the NBA to give Minnesota more primetime games. Now, he’s doubling down, saying he believes the Timberwolves have the best shot at securing the No. 1 seed in the West, and he’s even willing to bet on it.

Bill Simmons Loves Minnesota Timberwolves, But Not in the Playoffs

“I was looking at NBA futures heading out of the All-Star break, trying to figure out what jumped out of me, and one did. Minnesota. Minnesota is 39-16, they’re leading the [race for the] one seed by a game and a half. On FanDuel, they’re +135 for the one seed, because I think people think the Clippers are probably gonna get it… maybe OKC?

Meanwhile, Minnesota — in their last twenty games — [are] 2nd in NET rating. Minnesota is 19-5 at home; 17 of their last 27 games are at home and I think they’re gonna care the most about getting the one seed. Denver, they just want to get to the playoffs healthy; the Clippers, they just want to make sure everyone’s healthy; OKC, they’re like, ‘we’re happy to be a top four seed, this is great’.

Minnesota is like, ‘let’s have the 1-seed run through us, like it did in 2004 with [Kevin Garnett]. Let’s go!’ Then, we can bet against them in the playoffs because they’re kind of knuckleheads. Minnesota, that’s my pick. Jeff Bebe agrees. And that you can print.”
Bill Simmons – The Bill Simmons Podcast

First off, how in the hell did Bill Simmons rattle off all those stats while on a casual afternoon stroll? We’ll never know. Just because Simmons is a believer in the regular season version of the Minnesota Timberwolves, doesn’t mean he trusts them when the playoffs get underway. Simmons still thinks they’re “knuckleheads.”

That may be true. The Wolves have shot themselves in the foot at times with turnovers, foul trouble, losing big leads, and taking bad shots. Yet, despite all their shortcomings, their talent has still been good enough to have the top seed in the West, and no one thought they could pull it off after the Rudy Gobert blockbuster.

The Timberwolves will have their chance to prove Simmons and other doubters wrong once the playoffs get underway, and then we’ll see who the real knuckleheads are once the dust settles.

Bill Simmons Wants NBA to Flex Timberwolves into National Spotlight

Eric Strack — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 22:44:42 +0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the best teams in the NBA and those who don’t know should be made aware. And that’s not even coming from me or another local media source. This is what one of the most well-known NBA media members in the world, Bill Simmons (The Ringer) is saying.

Bill Simmons calls for NBA to start flexing Wolves into more primetime slots

On the most recent episode of his self-titled podcast Bill and his guest, Joe House (The Ringer) named the Timberwolves as one of four teams the NBA should start flexing into national TV games, when the scheduled game ends up not being a good one.

For example, Golden State is continually being shoved in front of national audiences, even though the roster is a skeleton of the super team it once was. If the Warriors are on the schedule for TNT or ESPN, on a given night, and there’s another matchup that’s almost guaranteed to be more exciting, why not swap them out?

Simmons: “[The NBA] should audible and flex [games]. We want more Oklahoma City, they’ve been the League Pass MVPs. More Minnesota.”

House: “Love Minnesota, love to see them.”

Simmons: “Like last night, they had Golden State vs New Orleans on ABC. Minnesota vs Boston, which was one of the best games of the year, is just on league pass. Why didn’t they flip those? Why didn’t they use common sense and say, ‘what’s the better game’?”
Bill Simmons Podcast (4-minute mark – 1/12/24)

Give the people what they want – More Minnesota Timberwolves

Simmons is right and I’m a little bit surprised the NBA doesn’t flex regular season games throughout their national TV schedule. Nobody wants to watch the Golden State Warriors get blown out by the New Orleans Pelicans and, as Joe and Bill discuss, the league is in a transition period right now. There are young blossoming stars, like Anthony Edwards, all over the league.

House: “This is a transition moment in the league. Kevin Durant is old, LeBron James is old and Steph Curry is old.”

Simmons: “Old stars, but old.”

House: “Yes, still the most important stars. But we are transitioning. And so I want to see other teams. I don’t want to see the Warriors anymore. I’m tired of the Warriors. I’m done.”

Simmons: “So the Warriors on ABC last night wasn’t too exciting for you?”

House: “Well, it delivered exactly what I expected. The Warriors can’t compete with the Pelicans and the didn’t.”

How bad is it, right now, with the nationally televised games? Great question. Maybe ask Reggie Miller, who thinks there are a lot of people out there who still do not not who Anthony Edwards is.

Reggie Miller said a lot of people don't know about Anthony Edwards. 🫠 pic.twitter.com/7wXclHpcTS
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 12, 2024

Is that true? No probably not. I’m not exactly sure what Reggie was smoking before let this take slip off his tongue. Of course, Ant would be more well-known if he was in a bigger market. But there are other ways that the NBA could shine more light on the mid-market superstars, too.

One of those ways is to take Simmons’ advice and start flexing bad pre-scheduled primetime games out with matchups that make more sense.

Timberwolves are Bill Simmons’ Sleeper; Top-5 in His NBA Power Rankings

Sam Huseby — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:48:23 +0000

It is the start of year 2 in the Rudy Gobert + Minnesota Timberwolves experiment, and Tim Connelly’s vision is finally starting to unveil itself. Gobert looks like a fully-upgraded version of what we saw in year 1 and, at 5-2, the Wolves have gotten off to their best start since 2013 and currently sit third in the Western Conference.

dominated on both ends. 💪

Rudy – 17 PTS / 21 REB / 1 AST / 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/ge1XYw1JAk
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 9, 2023

Bill Simmons has Timberwolves as Top-5 NBA Team

And the biggest names in NBA media are starting to pay attention. On his podcast “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, The Ringer CEO and founder, Bill Simmons, has the Wolves in the top 5 of his NBA power rankings and picked them as his “sleeper” team for this season.

The obvious contenders in 2023-24 are Golden State, Philadelphia, Boston and Denver. But right behind them, says Simmons, are the Minnesota Timberwolves

“Top-5… These guys get their own category, ‘the sleeper’. Minnesota’s 4-2, they’re 1st in defense, they’ve beaten Boston and Denver already, and I think it’s real. I really do, I think it’s real. They’re just big and hard to play and they have two guys (Edwards and McDaniels) who can defend on the wings.”

“They’re just an absolute bitch to play, if they’re getting anything from [Mike Conley]. Now, there have been nights, like when Atlanta beat them and Conley had a bad game and they got beaten up by Murray and Young. But I’ve watched a lot of them this year and I’ve been kind of like quietly betting them too.”

“They always have these two big guys and they just have a lot of size all over the place but also the ability to guard wings.This team is better than I thought they were going to be, and I am taking them seriously. I have only two West teams above them, Denver and Golden State, and it’s too early to say they are definitively ahead of the Lakers and Phoenix.”

“Minnesota is really good. I’m signing that in pen, Minnesota is good. In pen, not in pencil.”
The Bill Simmons Podcast

The Wolves deservedly have the attention of national media attention. They’ve already rattled off two statement wins — a 110-89 blowout against the defending champion Denver Nuggets and an electric 114-109 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics.

Attention warranted (thanks to defense)

Budding superstar, Anthony Edwards, went off for 38 points, 9 boards and 7 assists in the latter win, while playing lockdown defense on Jayson Tatum. The Celtics are Simmons’ team, so he watched every second of that OT Wolves win, and it clearly made a big impression on him.

Minnesota’s defense has been their catalyst during their current 4-game winning streak. They have the best defensive rating in the league, both adjusted and non-adjusted.

Sure, Rudy Gobert anchors the Wolves’ #1 defense, but everyone is putting in work on that side of the floor. In fact, the top 4 individual defensive ratings, in the NBA, belong to Wolves players. Backup a bit, and you’ll see six Timberwolves in the top-10 and eight in the top-20.

Rudy Gobert (MIN) – 95.0
Karl Anthony-Towns (MIN) – 98.8
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (MIN) – 99.6
Kyle Anderson (MIN) – 100.1
Mitchell Robinson (NYK) – 100.7
Naz Reid (MIN) – 101.2
Deandre Ayton (POR) – 101.5
Anthony Edwards (MIN) – 101.6
Jalen Suggs (ORL) – 102.0
Scottie Barnes (TOR) – 103.0

** 12. Mike Conley (103.4) | 18. Jaden McDaniels (104.5)

It feels weird saying it… but given what we have seen through five games and the sustainability that good defense brings, but the Minnesota Timberwolves might really have all they need to contend for an NBA championship.