Timberwolves media day

[FNG]

Just finished watching Ball's interview on media day. It was similar to his initial presser, albeit with a friendlier approach. But he is the master of the short answer...most of his answers were no longer than 1 sentence. He also is very good at answering the question without saying anything...I learned absolutely nothing from his session! All that said, I like him...seems like a really good guy who is happy to be here.

JK seems like a bright guy...he also keeps his answers brief, but not to the same extent as Ball.

I'm watching Ayo now, and he seems quite different from the guy we knew last year. Unlike Ball and JK, he's very open with his answers...he seems very comfortable with talking with the media. I've always liked and admired Ayo, but he is showing a much bigger personality than he showed last season. There is a lot of talent on this roster, but I've been wondering who is going to be the mature presence in the locker room this season. After listening to him today, I think Ayo is going to be one guy that fills this role. I know he's only 26, but he seems very wise beyond his years...I suspect he had the advantage of a stable family support system many NBA players don't have.

Donte with the very clear answer that he expects to play this season...I still think he will be back sometime in February, It was encouraging to see him show up in uniform...seems to be moving quite well already. I liked it when he said he has talked with several guys he knows about their achilles recovery process, especially Tatum. He's another guy who I see filling the leadership void on the team...really smart guy who also leads my example on the court by going 100% all the time.

Ant is always a delight to listen to...he has a unique combination of confidence in himself while saying positive things about his teammates. He's clearly excited about LaMelo allowing him to play off ball...said he was never very comfortable being the pseudo PG.

I love how they all talk about how much they have learned from Rudy about the importance of taking care of their bodies. Jaden said when he's at a restaurant he always thinks "Now, what would Rudy order?". Someone asks if he then orders that item, and he said "Nah"!

[FNG]

Rudy said Joan's English was much improved, and he's right...completely comfortable now with the press. Joan got really excited when he was asked about LaMelo...said the lob connection has worked right from the start! He looks more filled out...that's good. Doesn't really look like a teenager anymore. Says he really has to work on not fouling. I'm more excited about the year he's going to have after listening to him.

It was good to hear TJ say his foot is just fine. He says he is going to focus on rebounding and being more vocal on defense this season...also says he really improved finishing with his right hand over the offseason. It was fun to watch him laugh when he was asked about if Ball is as good as Ant at trash talking...said they go at each other verbally on the court all the time! I think those two guys (plus Bones) play an important role in keeping the team loose...it's a different type of leadership.

Lyles has a quiet confidence and maturity about him that is quite impressive. Very bright guy too. Says he's excited about playing a small ball 5 when called upon...could be fun to see a true 5-out lineup out there at times.

Jaylen is one of the more enjoyable guys to listen to. Of course he's confident about his 3-point shot...I wish I was too. We all know he could be an important part of the rotation if he could be 38+% of his treys.

I don't have much to say about Isaiah Evans...not digging this draft pick at all. Hope I'm wrong.

I missed Rudy's and Jaden's sessions, so nothing to report there. I'm admittedly a rube, so it's not surprising that I'm quite excited about this team's chances this year.

[Monster]

I just finished watching all the media appearances. They are all on YouTube.

Clark was fun. He mentioned how he used to play with Lemelo back in the day when they were much younger.

Donte talked about how he played with Lyles and Kuminga. He seems really invested in being here.

I had the same take on Ayo and FNG did. Ayo being a real adult in the room seeling like a real leader. I know Jon K and other have reported that Ayo has been talking on a leadership role this off-season firing open runs etc so this wasn't a surprise but it came through for sure.

I thought the answers Kuminga gave when asked about what he can do or when he could get a chance to score etc were interesting. He said all the thing you would want him to say and he seems like a genuine guy.

Dane Moore isn't the only one but he brings up how the Wolves aren't big anymore and won't play big. I think that's overstated. Randle and Kuminga have about the same length and yes Randle is like 25lbs heavier but how big of a difference is that? Naz is gone but they are gonna be playing Beringer as the backup C and he plays bigger than Naz. Lypes will be playing minutes and he has C length. Then you have a PG in Ball that's longer than everyone that played PG last year or next to Edwards what er position you want to call that. The Wolves will be playing differently that I can agree on but I don't know that they are really that much smaller. The 2 of the smallest players on the Wolves roster last year aren't here. Bones is the smallest guy on the roster.

Cody Williams looks like he might be a little bigger than last season. I think he is thoughtful guy.

Evans is just happy to be here. Nothing wrong with that as a young rookie.

Edwards has fun up there.

Lamelo...I think knows exactly how to do these things in a way.

Rudy was a fun listen. Not surprisingly he was the longest of all the players to speak.

[Q-is-here]

Thanks for the rundown FNG and Monster.

I know the T-Wolves PR machine is trying to do everything possible to shine the best light on LaMelo (probably with a lot of help from Jon K), but man, he is pretty dick-ish with the local writers/podcasters. He's so blatantly terse and vague with his answers to their questions that it comes off as trolling.

[60WinTim]

Thanks for the rundown FNG and Monster.

I know the T-Wolves PR machine is trying to do everything possible to shine the best light on LaMelo (probably with a lot of help from Jon K), but man, he is pretty dick-ish with the local writers/podcasters. He's so blatantly terse and vague with his answers to their questions that it comes off as trolling.

Yeah, he really never answers the question. He picks up on a term or phase out of the question and provides a blurb on that topic, which really doesn't answer the original question.

Someone in the media had the perspective that Charlotte decided they did not want to have LaMelo as "the face of the franchise", despite all the positives to his game. I can see now how that could have been a factor. Fortunately for the Wolves, LaMelo is not the face of the franchise. Hopefully, it all works out to the Wolves benefit!

[FNG]

Thanks for the rundown FNG and Monster.

I know the T-Wolves PR machine is trying to do everything possible to shine the best light on LaMelo (probably with a lot of help from Jon K), but man, he is pretty dick-ish with the local writers/podcasters. He's so blatantly terse and vague with his answers to their questions that it comes off as trolling.

Yeah, he really never answers the question. He picks up on a term or phase out of the question and provides a blurb on that topic, which really doesn't answer the original question.

Someone in the media had the perspective that Charlotte decided they did not want to have LaMelo as "the face of the franchise", despite all the positives to his game. I can see now how that could have been a factor. Fortunately for the Wolves, LaMelo is not the face of the franchise. Hopefully, it all works out to the Wolves benefit!

Tim and Q, I agree with your assessment of how Ball presents himself to the public. But according to some of the podders that cover the team (Dane and Thiege in particular), he's a totally different guy around his teammates. He's upbeat and fun, and a leader with his work ethic and actions. I can't remember who it was on the team, but someone in their interview Monday said the interaction between Ant and LaMelo is constant entertainment...two world class trash talkers! Ultimately how he interacts with his teammates, not the fans, is what matter most, and the early returns are he fits in with the roster perfectly. I'm only an amateur psychologist, but if I had to surmise, growing up publicly with a crazy father might have made him wary of the press and the public. He's not going to be a fun interview, but based on what I've heard, he's going to be a terrific teammate. And we'll always have Ant for entertainment!

[Q-is-here]

Thanks for the rundown FNG and Monster.

I know the T-Wolves PR machine is trying to do everything possible to shine the best light on LaMelo (probably with a lot of help from Jon K), but man, he is pretty dick-ish with the local writers/podcasters. He's so blatantly terse and vague with his answers to their questions that it comes off as trolling.

Yeah, he really never answers the question. He picks up on a term or phase out of the question and provides a blurb on that topic, which really doesn't answer the original question.

Someone in the media had the perspective that Charlotte decided they did not want to have LaMelo as "the face of the franchise", despite all the positives to his game. I can see now how that could have been a factor. Fortunately for the Wolves, LaMelo is not the face of the franchise. Hopefully, it all works out to the Wolves benefit!

Tim and Q, I agree with your assessment of how Ball presents himself to the public. But according to some of the podders that cover the team (Dane and Thiege in particular), he's a totally different guy around his teammates. He's upbeat and fun, and a leader with his work ethic and actions. I can't remember who it was on the team, but someone in their interview Monday said the interaction between Ant and LaMelo is constant entertainment...two world class trash talkers! Ultimately how he interacts with his teammates, not the fans, is what matter most, and the early returns are he fits in with the roster perfectly. I'm only an amateur psychologist, but if I had to surmise, growing up publicly with a crazy father might have made him wary of the press and the public. He's not going to be a fun interview, but based on what I've heard, he's going to be a terrific teammate. And we'll always have Ant for entertainment!

I get all of that but it's insulting to a pretty great group of professionals we have covering our team and that does bug me. We don't really have any "gotcha" type reporters covering the team and they all ask their questions in good faith. It's too bad he doesn't answer them in good faith.

On a left-to-right continuum of interaction with the media - the left being freewheeling and expansive and the right being conservative and bland - he's right of the conservative and bland part of the continuum! He has plenty of room to be more open about sharing his thoughts without having to worry about being controversial. It's just a bad look, but ultimately yeah, it doesn't really matter in terms of getting W's.

[60WinTim]

KG was a terrible interview his first year, but he improved.

Here is LaMelo and ANT sitting down with Grady. You can take a stab at some of the reasons, but this is by far the best interview LaMelo has given.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXX_QCiXNno