Nemanja Bjelica News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/nemanja-bjelica/ Minnesota sports, but different Thu, 19 Jul 2018 21:04:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Nemanja Bjelica News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/nemanja-bjelica/ 32 32 Nemanja Bjelica May Stay in NBA After All; Wants “Some Kind of Stability” https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/nemanja-bjelica-may-stay-in-nba-after-all-wants-some-kind-of-stability/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/nemanja-bjelica-may-stay-in-nba-after-all-wants-some-kind-of-stability/#respond Thu, 19 Jul 2018 21:04:49 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=10329

Early Wednesday, after months of speculation, the disgruntled superstar, that is Kawhi Leonard, was officially shipped out of San Antonio.

Naturally, the vast majority of the day’s NBA discussions centered around that blockbuster agreement.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, lost in the shuffle of Gregg Popovich & Co. literally sending Leonard to another country, was this surprising development regarding a familiar ex-Timberwolf’s unanticipated return to the country:

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Approximately 24 hours after initial reports surfaced that Bjelica would be returning to Europe, in lieu of a handshake agreement with the 76ers; current indications now strongly suggest there is a good chance he’ll spend the upcoming season back on an NBA roster.

As you can imagine, the Bjelly’s switcheroo didn’t bode well with the all-too-familiar Philadelphia sports fans.

But, before anyone jumps down the Serbian’s throat, let his recent interview with the Athletic’s Jon Krawcyznski shed further light on the situation. During their discussion, which was prior to these Sacramento developments, the 30 year-old said “family and some kind of stability” was why he passed on the opportunity to join the up-and-coming 76ers.

He also stated that his decision was “not about the Philly organization. Brett Brown, he’s a great guy and a great coach.”

Fast forward to the now:

While news has released today, that the Celtics and Marcus Smart have agreed to a 4 year-$52 million deal, there is no signed and sealed agreement between the former Euro-star and the Kings (or the Sixers I guess) .

When it’s all said and done, from what I’ve read on the situation, if Sacramento or any other organization is willing to give Bjelica his expressed desire for a longer-term contract, I’d fully expect him to continue his basketball career via the NBA. In regards to the Philly faithful’s wounds, they’ll heal up just fine. When it comes to losing out on the potential to secure a former European Timberwolf, this isn’t the fan base’s first rodeo.

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/nemanja-bjelica-may-stay-in-nba-after-all-wants-some-kind-of-stability/feed/ 0 Thu, 19 Jul 2018 16:04:49 +0000 Minnesota Timberwolves Timberwolves Sitting at the Kids’ Table of NBA Free Agency https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-sitting-at-the-kids-table-of-nba-free-agency/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-sitting-at-the-kids-table-of-nba-free-agency/#respond Tue, 03 Jul 2018 12:35:38 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=10252

The NBA offseason, free agency in particular, is sending monsoon style waves throughout the sports world.

However, one summer after making a significant splash of their own, the proverbial waters in the land known for it’s 10,000 (plus) lakes, have remained relatively calm.

After closing up the month of June by waiving Minnesota native Cole Aldrich, the Timberwolves swan dove into the start of free agency by re-signing the 29 year-old, Derrick Rose.

Before moving onto Monday’s roster moves, I’d like to let the (current) record show that I was way off on this whole D-Rose experiment. That’s my bad. I f*cked up, okay. Sue me. Mistakes happen.

Despite frustration surrounding the late season acquisition of the former MVP, thus far, this whole Derrick Rose experiment has played out well-beyond any of my expectations.

With Jamal Crawford basically out the door, bringing back the Tom Thibodeau favorite for just over $2 million is a no-brainer. In the absurdly wealthy world that is the NBA, that amount of money is pocket change. Case and point:

Anywho, now that I have a clear(er) conscience, here’s how your Minnesota Timberwolves started out their work week:

With Minnesota withdrawing a nearly $5 million qualifying offer, it’s evident that the organization is willing to part ways with the Serbian-born, Nemanja Bjelicia. By reasonable accounts, the artist known as Bjelly will be onto his next one.

Bjelicia’s Wolves career:

As for Tom Thibodeau’s team’s newest addition, Anthony Tolliver, first and foremost, it’s evident that he fancies himself a sniper:

Tolliver, who spent the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons with the Wolves, is fresh off a career-best shooting year. As a member of the lowly Detroit Pistons, Tolliver’s most recent campaign saw him average 2.0 made three pointers (4.6 attempts) per game.

Second of all, the 6’8″ 240 pound veteran can defend. Early indications are that Tolliver will basically slide right into, what was formerly, Bjelicia’s bench role. With all due respect to Nemanja, Tolliver’s ability to effectively guard multiple positions is far superior.

Hey, speaking of being able to guard multiple positions:

While Minnesota’s handful of moves seem logical, in the grand scheme of NBA things, their current list of completed transactions is child’s play.

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-sitting-at-the-kids-table-of-nba-free-agency/feed/ 0 Tue, 03 Jul 2018 07:35:38 +0000 Minnesota Timberwolves