Wolves Press Clippings

Wolves Press Clippings

When Karl-Anthony Towns heads out in the Twin Cities, he drives a vehicle with big, red rims on it. He also likes to wear a bright orange winter coat.

The No. 1 overall pick isn't much for keeping a low profile and, truth be told, there's not much of a way for a 7-footer to do that even if he wanted to.

When the Minnesota Timberwolves grabbed him at the top of the draft in June, Towns realized a lifelong dream. It also meant uprooting from his Piscataway, New Jersey, home and setting down new roots in Minneapolis, a community he was largely unfamiliar with before he arrived ahead of the draft for a workout session.

''I'm getting accustomed to the city more and more every day,'' Towns said. ''I feel like I'm part of the people's conversations. I understand what they're talking about, what they're thinking about. I think I'm more and more a part of this community every day. I love it here. I love absolutely everything here.''

Towns has thrown himself into acclimating himself to the area with same enthusiasm he has to making the transition to the NBA, sampling local restaurants and hitting the Mall of America with friends just as most 20-year-olds do.

''I just be myself. That's how I've always been,'' Towns said. ''Continue to do everything that I've always wanted to do. Just make sure that I can stay connected.''

He is averaging 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds as the Timberwolves near the halfway point of the season, solidifying himself as a favorite for the league's rookie of the year award. And he's already leaving quite an impression on those in the league.

''He's a future Hall of Famer,'' Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant said.

Towns has also been active in the community, organizing a shoe drive to provide footwear for those in need, participating in a pair of shopping sprees for children before Christmas and this month he launched a ''My Brother's Keeper'' campaign with the NBA and the White House to promote the importance of mentoring.

''Just finding ways to give back,'' Towns said. ''There's only so much you can do and I'm trying to make sure I have every channel open to help people.''

Towns has been active in charitable endeavors for years because it was encouraged by his parents at home. There was never a lot of money to go around while growing up in Piscataway, but Towns devoted his time to working with autistic children and several other endeavors.

''I smile more about that more than anything he does on the court,'' said Towns' father, Karl. ''He's using what God gave him to help them. That's what it's about, always give back.''

Towns lauded the mentorship he received from Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford when the two were teammates on the Dominican national team. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is also featured in the campaign.

''It gives a good example and it gives a path that somebody has already taken,'' Towns said. ''They understand someone's already been through it and they can find out what they did wrong, what they did right and they know what they did.''

At 12-28, the young Timberwolves have won more games than just three other teams in the league. The losing hasn't been easy for Towns to get used to. But getting used to a new city and a new home has gone much better.

''They treat him just like he's been living here all his life,'' Karl Towns said of his son. ''Sometimes it's hard to believe. But I respect the fact that they let him be the kid he is, the player he is and just let him feel warm. He loves it here. And I love it here. I think this was the best thing for him.''

Wolves Press Clippings

Sam Mitchell can get a little impassioned when talking about his offense, and during a long, two-part interview with Britt Robson, that certainly shined through. 

The Timberwolves have ranked in the bottom five in the league in three-point attempts all season while remaining one of the league's most midrange-reliant teams. Robson mentioned that fact to Mitchell, wondering why it was that the Timberwolves coach insisted on running an offense whose principles went against all conventional wisdom.

Midrange shots: bad.

Threes: good. 

Mitchell's answer was more complex than merely stating that, in a vacuum, threes are better than twos:

The only guy we had to help work on his shooting was Jose Calderon. And we hired a guy named Dave Hopla. Ever heard of him? He’s in Detroit now. To me there are two guys — him and the guy in San Antonio [Chip Engelland] — who are the best. They teach shooting the best I have ever seen. Hopla could come out here right now and hit 97 of 98 threes, just getting out of his car. And the thing about it, he doesn’t want to coach, all he wants to do is teach shooting. That’s it. He doesn’t come to your coaches meeting. Just teach shooting. 

We are trying to find somebody. Because it is more than just taking them. It is footwork. It is leg strength. It is understanding that when your shot is short, do you get more arm or do you get more leg? I am telling you it is more leg. You shoot a basketball with your legs.

(One odd correction before we continue: Mitchell mentions Matt Barnes, but Barnes never actually played in Toronto—and isn't much of a shooter, either. He was likely referring to Matt Bonner, but accidentally messed up the names.)

Mitchell was the coach in Toronto from 2004 to 2008. During that time, he compiled a 156-189 record, and he's right. His Raptors did take a bunch of threes. 

Toronto finished fifth in three-point attempts during the 2004-05 season, Mitchell's first one heading the ship. It was fourth the next year, 11th in 2006-07 (when Mitchell won Coach of the Year) and 14th in 2007-08 before leaving the Raptors 17 games into the following season. Yes, the Raptors' ranks in long-range attempts went down each season, but the team still stood in the top half of the league during each individual year Mitchell headed it up.

This year, the Timberwolves rank dead last in three-point attempts per game. They complement that by attempting the most midrange jumpers in the NBA. That said, the three-point attempts aren't all that different than the amount the Raptors were taking in Mitchell's final two seasons—if you don't adjust to the rest of the league, which is attempting far more threes now than it was seven or eight years ago.