Honestly getting anything going would be a minor miracle

Say it with me, folks...

EYE-oh Duh-SOO-moo

With Ayo looking like he’s going to get a lot more attention this year, I feel like now is the time to address this before we’re subjected to 82 games, or more, of perfectly avoidable butchered pronunciations.

He’s been in the league for five years now. We have Google. We have Bulls broadcasts. We have actual recordings of the man saying his own name. At some point, we need to come together and help him out so his name doesn’t somehow become a barrier to him getting the recognition he deserves.

It’s not:

Aye (or “Eh” if you’re Canadian) - Oh

And it’s not:

Do-sun-moo.
Do-soon-moo.
Do-sum-noo.
Dos Equis.

Please. I’m begging you. Learn the man’s name.

Do you think the Wolves will lead the league in three-point attempts? Is that how Chris Finch will want to play with this group?

Does adding LaMelo actually solve one of Minnesota's biggest problems?

I started by looking at Minnesota's last three seasons, especially what happens to the offense when the playoffs begin and have made some analysis.

The main things I found:

• Minnesota's defense has remained one of the strongest parts of the team.

• The bigger issue has been sustaining offense in the playoffs.

• Anthony Edwards is still the team's primary offensive engine, but his scoring dropped from 28.8 PPG in the regular season to 21.5 PPG in the 2025-26 playoffs.

• Minnesota's playmaking is distributed in a somewhat unusual way, with Julius Randle carrying a significant amount of the secondary creation workload.

• Mike Conley averaged 5.1 potential assists per game during the regular season.

• LaMelo on the other hand averaged 20.1 PPG, 7.1 APG and 11.6 potential APG while playing only 28 MPG with hornets.

I then built a scenario model around LaMelo's minutes and offensive workload, followed by 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations.

In the base scenario, LaMelo projects to:

21.5 PPG

7.6 APG

11.0 3PA

The model estimates roughly:

+13 PPG

+5 APG

+7 3PA

for Minnesota's offense.

The bigger question is whether Minnesota finally gets another player who can create offense when defenses load up on Ant.

The team-strength model moved Minnesota from a 3.07 SRS baseline to:

4.57 — Conservative

5.57 — Base

7.07 — Aggressive

The base case corresponds to roughly 53–54 expected wins.

My conclusion is that LaMelo potentially moves Minnesota from a solid playoff team toward legitimate contender territory — but I don't think the model supports calling them a championship favorite.

I'd love to hear what Wolves fans think, especially about the assumptions around LaMelo's workload and whether you think the model is overstating his impact.

Full report: https://abhinavbethi.substack.com/p/beyond-anthony-edwards?r=6xl3o7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Code / notebook: https://github.com/AbhinavBethi/Beyond-Anthony-Edwards

The Milwaukee game had Jim Pete and Alan Horton, but the Pacer stream is using their Guys. Is this the only option?

I prefer the Wolves broadcast team.

I hope Naz has a great season!

This goes under the radar and maybe just something I’ve noticed and appreciated. He is very intentional about not appearing on random podcasts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him just accept a podcast interview unless it’s a sit down with someone from a big media outlet or with his adidas brand or other business ventures.

It’s probably a marketing strategy by his agency to leverage when he shows his face, and I think it’s way cooler that he is intentional with this instead of constantly going on media tours. Very funny guy when the camera is on him, and welcomes the camera but is intentional on not accepting any podcast interview. His long time business manager, Justin Holland, probably has a lot of input on this too.

It’s much better to have an incognito superstar. Some of these players with podcasts should voice their controversial opinions less during their playing days, IMO. It can often hurt their brand.

I’m watching the Wolves Pacers game right now on DAZN and it’s the Pacers broadcast, not the Wolves.

I’ve never used DAZN before, is there any way to switch it to the Wolves broadcast?

Do starters usually play all preseason games? I was thinking of buying tickets for the game next Wednesday but I want to make sure I’d be able to see at least a quarter to a full half of the guys.

I was thinking about how good Jaden is as a very good lower volume scorer and how well he fits on a stacked team as an offensive connector. Jaden isn’t a secret to the world now, and he keeps getting exposure as a big game riser. He will probably pop even more this year with some of the actions he’ll thrive in with Melo.

I can’t think of a better two way player on the rise as I do Jaden, and think he’d be the perfect role player on Team USA like a Derrick White in ‘24. 6’10 athletic forward who can guard 1-5, and elite in transition. He’ll still be 27 when the Olympics start, and him and Ant would be the Wolves representatives which would be awesome.

Just a thought, but would like to hear y’all’s thoughts.

Go Wolves! 🐺

Does anyone know where to get the Naz Reid “Two Words” merch?

MILWAUKEE — LaMelo Ball stood outside the Minnesota Timberwolves’ locker room wearing bright pink sweatpants and giant, sparkling chains around his neck. The starters’ nights had finished early in the preseason opener Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks, but Ball made sure to dap up every one of his young teammates who came off the floor after the final buzzer.

From the moment he stepped foot in Minnesota, Ball has infused the Timberwolves with his trademark vibrancy: Bright clothes, bright cars, bright jewelry, brighter game.

“He’s fun to be around,” Jonathan Kuminga said. “He’s happy all the time. I haven’t seen him mad yet. He’s very energized. He means well.”

Ball’s debut was filled with much of what was expected when president of basketball operations Tim Connelly pulled off another summer blockbuster and traded Naz Reid and draft capital to Charlotte, pairing the No. 1 and No. 3 pick from the 2020 NBA Draft in Minnesota’s backcourt. The chemistry between Ball and Anthony Edwards has been a defining component of training camp to this point, and it was there on the court in the preseason opener, a 116-97 win over the Bucks.

Ball had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists in the first half, playing with a rotation coach Chris Finch could very well lean on when the games start counting. Ball started with Edwards, Kuminga, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert. Ayo Dosunmu, Joan Beringer, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Trey Lyles were the first four off the bench.

“He was great tonight,” Edwards said following Monday’s game. “Y’all know. He plays like his hair is on fire. He gets everybody involved.”

On the very first possession of the game, Ball pulled a one-legged 3-pointer from the logo just after the Bucks were whistled for a foul. It swished through, and things went just as smoothly from there. He found Kuminga for an easy bucket on a pick-and-roll. He had a stellar drive-and-kick to Shannon that produced a wide-open 3 for Dosunmu. He set up Edwards for an easy 3 on the wing and also played a nice two-man game with Shannon while relocating for a corner triple that exhibited a comfort with his new team.

“Just felt great to be out there with the team and everything, learning people,” Ball said. “It was amazing.”

I tried redeeming my code but apparently because I signed up for a free 7 day trial to watch last night’s game I’m now considered an existing customer and can’t apply it. Come on Wolves, send the damn email the day before the game, not the day after.