RUN WITH THE PACK [MIN 20-14] STATS UPDATE, RUBIO TD VS OKC

RUN WITH THE PACK - A MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES ASSOCIATION

Welcome to my Minnesota Association for NBA 2K14. I haven't done an Association/Dynasty story for several years and am looking forward to sharing this one with the forums!




DECEMBER 30TH (INGAME) STATS AND STANDINGS UPDATE:
Single-game 2013-14 Season records held by Timberwolves players:
Points: Kevin Love (54)
FG made: Kevin Love (20)
FG attempted: Kevin Love (34)
Assists: Ricky Rubio (16)
Steals: Corey Brewer (6)


Points leaders
K.Durant OKC 29.2
R.Westbrook OKC 254.9
C.Anthony NYK 23.4
K.Love MIN 22.3
L.James MIA 21.8

Rebounds leaders
D.Jordan LAC 10.9
N.Vucevic ORL 10.8
D.Favors UTA 10.7
D.Howard HOU 10.5
R.Hibbert DEN 10.3
16th. K.Love MIN 9.4

Assists leaders
R.Rubio MIN 8.7
R.Rondo BOS 8.2
C.Paul LAC 7.5
J.Wall WAS 7.2
K.Lowry TOR 7.1

Steals leaders
C.Paul LAC 2.2
R.Rubio MIN 2.1
C.Paul LAC 2.1
K.Walker CHA 1.9
M.Conley MEM 1.9

Blocks leaders
B.Lopez BKN 2.4
K.Love MIN 2.2
R.Hibbert IND 2.1
D.Jordan LAC 1.9
N.Pekovic MIN 1.8


FG% leaders
N.Pekovic MIN .620
D.Jordan LAC .563
D.Howard HOU .546
B.Griffin LAC .544
T.Duncan SAS .538

3PT leaders
E.Maynor WAS .556
P.Beverley HOU .484
T.Ross TOR .471
M.Miller MEM .467
B.Mullens LAC .464
13th.K.Martin MIN .465


3PTers made
S.Curry GSW 92
K.Durant OKC 79
K.Love MIN 78
C.Anthony NYK 68
O.Mayo MIL 65





The specs of the game:

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves 2013-14 Opening night roster
Roster: Kova's Because We Can (with a few small adjustments)
Draft Class: 2014 Draft Class by Kova
Difficutly: All-Star -> Increased to Superstar
Schedule: NBA
Quarter Length: 12 mins
Sim Quarter Length: 12 mins
Sliders:Custom realistic sliders by brump

PRE-SEASON SUMMARY: The expectation is that the team will at least make a solid run for the playoffs. Ideally a top 6 finish in the Western Conference given the team's upside and added pieces in the offseason, namely Kevin Martin who brings that shooting touch that the Wolves have been craving for so long. The team also regains Corey Brewer who's game has improved since he left the team a couple of seasons ago, he comes back with a vastly improved offence as well as the same defensive tenacity he has always had. Ronny Turiaf and drafted rookie Gorgui Dieng also bring a strong defensive element to the team's second unit.
Perhaps the biggest key is having a number of injury plagued stars available at the same time, namely Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio who barely played any games together at all last season. Nikola Pekovic returns after a breakout season in which he finally succame to injuries toward the end of the year due to the heavy workload bestowed upon him with a majority of the rest of the team injured. Although some are already calling him a bust, Derrick Williams showed signs of brilliance when called upon late last year and is hoping to provide solid contributions off the bench this year.

All in all, most players on this roster have an upside which is the most exciting thing about the team this season. Continued improvement is exepected for a team that has struggled ever since the franchise traded away Kevin Garnett several years ago. But finally there is some excitement about Minnesota basketball that hasn't been seen in a long time. With a hungry fanbase expecting the best, and a team that knows they have what it takes, all the motivation is there to push this team back into the playoffs.

Last edited by Kieran on Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:37 pm, edited 36 times in total.

Good luck with the story! Will Shabazz get any minutes?

Good luck with the story! Will Shabazz get any minutes?

Despite some controversy surrounding him prior to the beginning of his NBA career, I like him and think he has big potential. He may find it hard to work into the regular rotation early in the year but I intend to have him as one of my regulars attending the development drills each month. So this should help him earn more minutes as the year goes on.

Looking forward to it. Minni's another fanbase who deserve to see some success after years of tough times. As long as Rubio and Love stay healthy there's no reason the T-Wolves can't get to the postseason this year.

I'm hoping Derrick Williams will be an effective player for you, or at the very least be a respectable trade piece to net you something solid. He's one of my favourite players on the Wolves and I'm disappointed that he hasn't done anything so far this season.

GAME 1 - OPENING NIGHT!


Opening night Wolves starting lineup:





Injuries: None | Ejections: (ORL) Vucevic, Davis.

Recap points:
- Minnesota out to an early lead, going 19-5 in the first several minutes
- Love and Martin shooting lights out in first half.
- Orlando made a run at the Wolves playing solid inside basketball and scoring a heap of points in the paint
- Nikola Vucevic and Glen Davis good on the boards against Love and Pekovic early. Vucevic with a number of athletic putbacks over the slower Pekovic.
- Vucevic found himself in early foul trouble however, this continued throughout the game and he fouled out early in the 4th
- Corey Brewer instrumental with punishing perimeter defense, causing several steals and fast breaks.
- Corey Brewer player of the game with 24 points, 5 steals and 8 rebounds.

Media:

GAME 2





Injuries: None | Ejections: (OKC) Perkins.

Recap points:
- Kevin Durant minimal impact early on
- Pekovic unbeatable on the boards in the first half
- Westbrook a solid contributor for the Thunder, finished with 36
- OKC in heavy foul trouble with Perkins inevitably fouling out
- A number of solid contributors for the Wolves. The starters all doing their jobs, as well as a strong bench performance from Barea
- Pts/Rebs Double-doubles for Pek and Love
- Kevin Love experiencing foul trouble (5 Fls)
- Shabazz Muhammad gets 13 minutes of court time off the bench, scores his first NBA points.

Media:

Kevin Love scores 5000th career point

AJ Price suffers an injury in training, and will be out of action for 1-2 weeks.

Really nice start, hopefully your stars can stay healthy.

Injuries: (MIN) Rubio (ankle), Pekovic (ankle) | Ejections: None

Recap points:
- Rubio sprained ankle early in first quarter (returned late in the second), Love also leaving the quarter early with foul trouble
- Wolves overrun by Carmelo in the first and never truly mounted a fightback
- Carmelo Anthony dominated the game scoring 43
- Corey Brewer the only solid defensive presence. Given the job on Anthony and made him work for all his points when on the floor but adequate help defence was never available
- Kevin Love remained in foul trouble most of the game
- Nikola Pekovic sprained ankle as well, in the 2nd quarter. Returned after half time.
- Poor transition defence and bad recovery from turnovers lost the game for Minnesota

Media:

Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio both suffered ankle sprains in the game against the Knicks but are available to play.

Gorgui Dieng will be activated in replace of Shabazz Muhammad to provide backup for Pekovic in the meantime.

i like dieng when the wolves got him and root for him, i think he's gonna be really special irl even if limited offensively. shabazz is overrated tho.

Recap points:
- Gorgui Dieng activated to help cover for the injured Pekovic. Solid debut, including 2 blocks and 6 rebounds off the bench.
- A close fought game for the first half, until the Wolves ran out to an 11 point lead half way through the third quarter.
- Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters carrying the Cavs after some defensive adjustments shut down their other players
- Kevin Love having a terrible game. Shooting was awful and was finding it hard to maintain his usual presence on the boards
- Derrick Williams lifted to help keep the scoring pressure on against a resurging Cleveland team. Scores a season high 27 pts and is easily the teams best player.
- Cavaliers eventually run over the top of the Wolves in the final two minutes of the game. Strong inside play and crucial free throws from Pekovic (carrying the injury) force the game into overtime.
- Continued scoring and quick distribution from Irving see the Cavs edge the Wolves out in the last minute and a half of OT.
- Kyrie Irving POG, missing out on a triple double by one rebound.

Media:

Injuries: (MIN) Turiaf - elbow | Ejections: (GSW) Bogut

Recap points:
- Rubio and Pekovic still under injury clouds heading into the game
- Tight first quarter before Steph Curry came out and lit up the game in the second quarter
- Iguodala did similarly in the third quarter, slashing alot and getting plenty of chances at the free throw line
- Bogut and Lee keeping Love and Pek off the boards, Minnesotas twin towers only gathering 11 rebounds between them
- Love also struggling with shooting percentage, despite scoring 21
- Derrick Williams with his second solid game in a row off the bench

Media:

It looks like you've needed to rely on your starters a lot (just like real life actually), and D-Will is probably the only reserve giving you much on a consistent basis. With that being said, will Derrick stick around in light of recent circumstances?

Injuries: None | Ejections: None

Recap points:
- Wolves dominating the first half, going in with a 13 point lead at halftime
- Largely in part this was due to some super accurate first half shooting by Kevin Martin, who has easily been the teams best player at getting hot early in games so far this season.
- Dallas make a strong comeback behind the dominant inside play from Dalembert and Nowitzki, Kevin Love still well down on his usually high rebounding standars
- Monta Ellis contributed 29 points in total, alot scored as the result of Nowitzki double teams
- Shved blazed the Mavs midway through the 4th though to hold off the comeback scoring all 9 of his points for the game in a matter of minutes.
- This was helped by the defensive boost thanks to Gorgui Dieng, who played most of the 4th quarter as Pekovic was benched to ensure the safety of that niggling ankle injury.
- Rony Turiaf was dressed in uniform and on the bench, but was spared playing after picking up a knock to the elbow in the previous game against GSW.
- Kevin Martin Player of the Game

Media:


And then there's this, lol:

It looks like you've needed to rely on your starters a lot (just like real life actually), and D-Will is probably the only reserve giving you much on a consistent basis. With that being said, will Derrick stick around in light of recent circumstances?

I'm glad you asked that. He has had a couple of good games off the bench, that much is fact. However there are plenty of scoring options and given that Pekovic hasn't been 100%, D-Will has probably seen more time in the rotation with Kevin Love being moved to the center position a bit, whilst Pek plays slightly limited minutes. Even with that, Derrick's morale has gone from Happy at the start of the season, down to Favourable in a matter of 6 games. He clearly wants more court time and he's shown that when called upon, he can produce. The problem is that in this system, playing behind our franchise player, he isn't called upon too often. It's probably not his fault he hasn't been able to cash in on his potential, he hasn't had the need to. He would be much more productive elsewhere.
The other thing is the team lacks solid perimeter defence when Brewer is off the floor. You're right when you say I'm relying alot on the starters, and it would be great to have Mbah a Moute's defensive presence on the perimeter when Brewer is off the floor, or even playing alongside him at times. So for that reason, I will be making the same trade that has been made in real life.

Given that I like to start my Association as close to real life as possible in the early part of the season, I think this move is useful for the team and indicative of where we are headed both irl and in my Association.

That deal really is a win-win for both teams. I hope Luc will play 20+ minutes for you.

The Minnesota Timberwolves would like to announce they have come to an arrangement with the Sacramento Kings to trade F Derrick Williams for F Luc Mbah a Moute.

As previously mentioned, Williams was always going to find it hard breaking into the Wolves rotation on a meaningful basis playing behind franchise superstar Kevin Love. His talents would be best exhibited in a team that calls upon his offensive firepower on a nightly basis. This was seen to an extent last season when Love was injured but the Wolves felt that it would be in the best interests of both parties to move him on. The Minnesota organisation wishes him well in his career with the Kings.
In return Luc Mbah a Moute brings an additional defensive presence to the Wolves lineup. Corey Brewer has been forced to play big minutes and was previously the team's only lockdown defender. Now with the Brewer/Mbah a Moute tandom, the opposition won't have the advantage if Corey is off the floor. Luc has an all round talented game with a specialty in defence, much like the departed Andrei Kirilenko of last season. The Wolves intend to use Luc in the rotation on a regular basis off the bench, and would be the obvious starting replacement for Brewer in the event of an injury.

Ronny Turiaf's elbow injury is worse than originally thought, and he will be moved to the IR roster while he recovers over the next 1-2 weeks.
Rookie Robbie Hummel will be activated in the meantime, and should see his first NBA regular season action in the upcoming game against the Lakers.

Injuries: None | Ejections: None

Recap points:
- Gasol out for the Lakers
- Robbie Hummel activated, with Turiaf placed on the IR as his injury is more severe than originally thought. Hummel is disrespected a number of times by the Lakers defence, being left open continuously and punishes them with 10 points off the bench in his NBA debut
- Kevin Love goes to work early, being the team's focal point in the first half
- Added attention to Love leaves Martin open for plenty of spot up shots, and Brewer for a number of unchecked cuts to the basket
- Rubio distributing the ball as well as ever
- Shabazz Muhammad only plays 5 minutes but silences the crowd with one of the biggest highlight plays of the game: Stealing the ball off Kobe Bryant and zooming in for the open court slam (video below)
- Kobe held to just 14 points by the defensive tandom of Brewer and Mbah a Moute (debuting for the Wolves tonight)
- A great all-round performance by the Wolves, all players playing their role perfectly and showing why they are considered a playoff team with this strong win against the Lakers at Staples.
- Kevin Love player of the game.

Media

love the trade in real life, lets see what the fresh prince can do in minny. great win over the lakers btw

Media shots of the Wolves new acquisition:

Good job getting Luc, although he isn't that good in the game, since he doesn't have much offense.

Also, great to see a Shabazz highlight.

Injuries: (MIN) Pekovic (ankle) | Ejections: None

Recap points:
- Kevin Love got the team going early and didn't change pace all game long. Had 24 points by halftime
- Love had Blake Griffin in foul trouble through the first half.
- Clippers looked down and out by midway through the 3rd. Jared Dudley was shooting them out of the game, while Chris Paul and Griffin weren't able to contribute solidly the way they normally would
- Timberwolves got out to a lead of 23 before the shooting troubles of the likes of Robbie Hummel allowd the Clippers back into the game, eventually coming back from the huge defecit to force OT
- Solid defensive efforts from Love, Pekovic and Mbah a Moute late in the game kept the Clippers out however, and the Wolves thrashed them with a 21-8 in OT.
- Kevin Love finished with a career and franchise high of 54 points, carrying the team all game long, and obviously taking out POG honours.

Media: