# Wolves Summer League Team(s)



## luther

Not sure which summer events the Wolves are entering, but we'll have a preliminary roster assembled within a day or so, most likely. Discuss those players, teams and performances here. OK? OK. The Detroit Free Press reported that--in the least shocking news of all time--the Wolves signed Drew Neitzel to play on their summer league entry. But that's the only name I've heard confirmed so far. I'm sure Winona (Minn.) St. forward Jonte Flowers will be on the team, too, as will probably one or more of the Gophers departed seniors, Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie. Presumably Chris Richard will be on the team, as will Corey Brewer and hopefully Kevin Love.


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## Ruff Draft

Drew can come in an move the ball, try on defense, and bank some shots. His ceiling is a great back-up, but I wouldn't imagine he'll be getting 10+ minutes anytime soon.


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## luther

If he makes the actual roster at all, I'd be a little surprised. We do need another PG, but he's not it.


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## luther

I was doing some searching around for summer league rosters--not yet even partially posted on NBA.com, which usually links to decent Vegas Summer League coverage--and found this on some message board. I have no idea where the poster got his info: all I had read was Neitzel. But it seems reasonable, anyway. Thoughts?


> The Summer League roster is coming into focus. Kevin Love, Corey Brewer, Chris Richard, Drew Neitzel, Blake Ahearn, Bryce Taylor, Longar Longar and Kaniel Dickens are all apparently on board. Other potential participants include John Lucas III, Pooh Jeter and Jonte Flowers.


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## JuX

Never heard of Ahearn, Taylor, 2xLongar (except that he's from Rochester), Jeter, and Flowers.


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## sasaint

JuX said:


> Never heard of Ahearn, Taylor, 2xLongar (except that he's from Rochester), Jeter, and Flowers.


Longar Longar played for Oklahoma. He is a raw, athletic swingman. Probably too small for an NBA PF and probably not good enough shooter for SF. My guess is he'll play overseas somewhere.


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## luther

Longar Longar is old for a senior, athletic and totally unskilled. He's not a SF, ever, under any circumstances, anywhere. And he's not an NBA player. Bryce Taylor is a very solid guard from Oregon, but probably not NBA material--unless maybe deep reserve. Blake Ahearn was a good guard with Missouri St. and the Dakota Wizards, but probably is no better than deep reserve either, if he makes the NBA at all. Jonte Flowers is a very athletic 3/2 from Winona (Minn.) St., a DII power. His brother plays for Wisconsin. Pooh Jeter is a small (5-11) scoring PG from the University of Portland. He was with Sacramento, although I forget whether it was ever regular season. All in all, it shows the Wolves aren't looking for anyone other than the guys they have under contract this summer. None of those guys have a real chance to be or do anything with us at this level.


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## luther

Today's Star Tribune includes the following info. It isn't quite the same as that list I had pulled from some message board. Message boards, not reliable? SHOCKING! I'll have to take Ballscientist with a grain of salt from now on... But really, it wasn't far off.


> New Timberwolf Kevin Love and second-year swingman Corey Brewer headline the team's Las Vegas summer-league team, which also includes former Gophers Vincent Grier and Dan Coleman.
> 
> Four college players the Wolves brought to Target Center last month for predraft workouts are on the roster: Coleman, Michigan State guard Drew Neitzel, Oregon guard Bryce Taylor and Oklahoma forward Longar Longar, who played at Rochester John Marshall.
> 
> So, too, are NBA Developmental League guard Blake Ahearn, the league's Rookie of the Year who played 12 games with Miami at the end of last season, and former University of Portland guard Pooh Jeter.
> 
> Second-year Wolves forward Chris Richard, a restricted free agent whose re-signing seems a foregone conclusion, joins Love and Brewer on the team. It begins workouts in Las Vegas on Thursday and plays the first of five games on July 14 against Dallas.


 http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/22933554.html?location_refer=Sports


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## luther

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune posted a blog entry briefly discussing each player on the summer league team:


> Here’s a quick look at the team as of today (subject to change):
> 
> Guards
> 
> Bruce Ahearn, 6-2, Missouri State, one year NBA experience
> 
> Played 12 games with Miami (5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and assists) at the end of last season after starting the year with the D League’s Dakota Wizards, where he averaged 19 points, 3.5 assists and was named the league’s Rookie of the Year while playing 41 games. Set the NCAA record for career free-throw percentage with 94.6 percent (435 of 460).
> 
> Drew Neitzel, 6-0, Michigan State, NBA rookie
> 
> Four year starter at Michigan State and school’s all-time leader in free-throw shooting percentage (86.6 percent). Tenth in Big Ten history in assists, with 582. Named Big Ten first team his junior and senior seasons.
> 
> Pooh Jeter, 5-11, Portland, NBA rookiePlayed for Sacramento’s summer-league team in 2006 and 2007 and spent 2006-2007 season with D League’s Colorado 14ers. Played last season in Ukraine, wherehe averaged 12.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3 assists. University of Portland’s all-time leading scorer.
> 
> Vincent Grier, 6-5, Minnesota, NBA rookie
> 
> Played six preseason games with Miami in 2006, but waived before the season’s start. Played 17 games that year with the D League’s Sioux Falls Sky Force, played the last season in the French ProA League, where he averaged 13 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 30 games.
> 
> Bryce Taylor, 6-5, Oregon NBA rookie
> 
> Four-year starter at Oregon who helped lead the Ducks to the Pac 10 tournament championship as a junior by going 11-for-11 from the field (including 7 for 7 in threes) in the title-game victory over USC.
> 
> Forwards
> 
> Kevin Love, 6-9, UCLA, NBA rookie
> 
> It’ll be interesting to see how the fifth pick overall — and the centerpiece of the team’s big midnight deal on draft night — fares with his team game in summer-league games where individualism often is the thing.
> 
> Corey Brewer, 6-9, Florida, 1 year experience
> 
> Was so very active in Las Vegas summer league a year ago, but his shooting woes there foreshadowed his NBA seasons. How his running the floor meshes with Love’s singular outlet-passing abilities could be telling.
> 
> Chris Richard, 6-9, Florida, 1 year NBA experience
> 
> A restricted free agent, his re-signing seems a foregone conclusion.
> 
> Longar Longar, 6-11, Oklahoma, NBA rookie
> 
> Former Rochester John Marshall High School player averaged 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in senior season at Oklahoma. Named to Big 12’s Most Improved team after his junior season.
> 
> Dan Coleman, 6-9, Minnesota, NBA rookie
> 
> Played 127 collegiate games, second most in school history, and averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in four seasons with the Gophers. Not drafted by an NBA team last month.
> Here’s the schedule


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## NewAgeBaller

> Bruce Ahearn, 6-2, Missouri State, one year NBA experience
> 
> Played 12 games with Miami (5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and assists) at the end of last season after starting the year with the D League’s Dakota Wizards, where he averaged 19 points, 3.5 assists and was named the league’s Rookie of the Year while playing 41 games. Set the NCAA record for career free-throw percentage with 94.6 percent (435 of 460).


His names actually Blake Ahearn.

We brought him up for the end of last season to try him out, and he was later nominated the D-League ROY. He played alright I guess, had a fancy pass or two (behind-the-back), but just seemed a little out of place the whole time (I guess cause he just joined the team).


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## luther

Here's a story on Blake Ahearn from the Springfield (MO) News-Leader. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/SPORTS040101/807060372/1002/SPORTS


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## luther

The Wolves finally get underway tomorrow night, 9 pm CT, against Dallas. Same team as previously announced, only now plus Rodney Carney. I'm really curious to see how Carney, Brewer, Love, Richard and--just because we need another PG--the PGs (Ahearn, Jeter, Neitzel) play.


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## NewAgeBaller

Kevin Love is in serious foul trouble with 4 PFs in the first quarter. Looked good from what I saw though, the team play dropped when he sat.

Corey Brewer is disappointing me though, he started 2/2 and then missed 7 straight shots, he's 2/9 now.


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## Mateo

This team is flat out pathetic. We are getting humiliated in a SUMMER LEAGUE GAME. I don't care that the Mavs are better than us, the summer league team shouldn't be THIS MUCH better. I mean, we can't even run a play without committing a turnover or one of our scrub guards taking stupid shots. The guys who are actually making the team have barely touched the ball.


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## Mateo

Ahearn is one of my most hated players in the league right now. I know that scrub PGs like to hog the ball in summer league, but I've never seen someone so bad who hogs the ball like this guy.


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## Mateo

lol we are getting doubled up in a summer league game. Love isn't even getting touches at all.


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## Mateo

Another turnover for Ahearn.


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## Mateo

Love gets his first touch since the 1st quarter and gets to the line.


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## Mateo

I'm concerned that Love is not having an easier time making point blank layups with these scrubs guarding him. He still looks like by far the best player on the Wolves summer league team. Brewer only looks better than his scrub teammates in that he's far more athletic. Otherwise his offensive skills are just as bad. Good rebounder though.


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## Mateo

terrible fallaway by Brewer.


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## Mateo

Uhh, Brewer is taking horrendously bad shots. Looks like he still hasn't learned anything.


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## NewAgeBaller

Love is playing hard every time he gets the ball in the low post. Too bad thats not happening very often.

Wolves getting run so far by the Mavs..


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## Mateo

Hopefully Ahearn is waived at half-time. He's the worst player I've seen play in all of the games I saw today.


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## NewAgeBaller

Mateo said:


> I'm concerned that Love is not having an easier time making point blank layups with these scrubs guarding him. He still looks like by far the best player on the Wolves summer league team. Brewer only looks better than his scrub teammates in that he's far more athletic. Otherwise his offensive skills are just as bad. Good rebounder though.


Yea he needs to learn how to finish in traffic, missed a few easy ones down low.

And yea he's definately the Wolves best Summer League player. He's been rebounding well, just needs to get the ball more often and finish consistently.


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## NewAgeBaller

Mateo said:


> Hopefully Ahearn is waived at half-time.


:lol:


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## Mateo

Nice outlet pass from Love to Brewer. Unfortunately Brewer doesn't finish.


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## Mateo

Love is for real on the rebounds. If Love can stay on the floor enough to be a starter, him and Jefferson will be one of the best rebounding duos in the league.


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## NewAgeBaller

Kevin Love is playing active and playing well. Putting his print on the game here and there.


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## Mateo

Love is dominating the second half. Scoring at will, making incredible long passes with precision.


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## NewAgeBaller

Mateo said:


> Love is for real on the rebounds. If Love can stay on the floor enough to be a starter, him and Jefferson will be one of the best rebounding duos in the league.


Yea Love is for real on the boards. If that can translate against legitimate NBA competition, that will be a huge part of his game and his value.

Bit worried about the fouling though. Love has to learn how to properly manuevre his body to avoid body contact, he can't give refs opportunities to call more fouls. How the **** do you spell 'maneuvre' anyway??

Ahearn is an idiot, step back 3 pointer off the dribble...*AIR-BALL*..


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## Mateo

Ahearn is such a bad passer, i can't believe he's a PG.


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## Mateo

Richard has done nothing to set himself apart from the guys who are definitely going to be cut. He'd better hope that Smith doesn't resign, that seems like his only hope of making the team.


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## NewAgeBaller

Yea, Richard will get a good luck is they don't resign Craig Smith. Otherwise, he'll probably continue just to show up every summer.

Love is out, so I'm out too. Mateo, you're on your own to enjoy Ahearn.


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## Mateo

Why exactly isn't Foye playing?


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## luther

Mateo said:


> Why exactly isn't Foye playing?


Because third-year franchise cornerstones don't need summer league ... even when they're trying to learn a still-new position, coming off an injury-plagued season and could use the work getting used to his new teammates...


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## Mateo

Foye needs summer league. Supposedly he even practiced with the summer league team, so why not play? That's a good way to get used to your teammates. Foye hasn't done anything in the league that Nate Robinson hasn't also done and Nate's playing. Right now our team has about 3 guys who'll make the roster, these other guys are as bad as summer league players get. Meanwhile many other teams are playing 5 or 6 guys who are already part of their rotation. We need our players to drop their egos for a minute and get used to playing with each other.


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## Mateo

Love having another strong showing today. Hopefully AJ can play center this year. He really should have played more center last year but now we can't have AJ and Love not both starting. Maybe not day 1 but close to it.


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## luther

Aren't you the guy who was saying Love wasn't an automatic starter? Hmmm? Seems to be winning your trust. (If that was someone else, all apologies.) Wish I could watch: this damn Mac doesn't have the plugins to watch on NBA.com, and attempts to get the right stuff have failed. **** my stupidity.


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## luther

Mateo said:


> Foye needs summer league. Supposedly he even practiced with the summer league team, so why not play? That's a good way to get used to your teammates. Foye hasn't done anything in the league that Nate Robinson hasn't also done and Nate's playing. Right now our team has about 3 guys who'll make the roster, these other guys are as bad as summer league players get. Meanwhile many other teams are playing 5 or 6 guys who are already part of their rotation. We need our players to drop their egos for a minute and get used to playing with each other.


Just to be clear, my response on why Foye isn't playing was sarcastic. I whole-heartedly believe he needs to be playing.


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## Mateo

i didn't catch that, sorry.

Yeah, I didn't think Love should be an automatic starter. But if Smith isn't resigned I don't really see a point in him not starting. And even if Smith comes back, he was good but not this good in summer league. I think Love should have to earn his way in like everyone else, but it looks like it won't take long. But he still fouls too much.


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## Mateo

Brewer playing very so-so. Getting outplayed by Chris Richard actually.


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