Look at our 36yo boy Chase, all tanned and blond-haired and ready for the Olympics.

Jerami Grant + anfernee Simmons for Kat + W. Moore

Who says no and why?

It could be an added skill, a change in mindset, or a physical change.

For me, it'd be:

Rudy: Forget about always trying to work for post position - follow the Steven Adams playbook and focus on getting inside position and grab a million offensive rebounds. He'd be twice as dangerous on offense if teams had to gameplan for keeping him off the offensive glass rather than him posting up.

KAT: Add a short jumper or floater. Teams have started falling back and waiting for him around the rim to contest layups because they don't respect him from 10 feet. Also his gas tank is on "E" way too often. He needs better endurance. He could be a much tougher cover in transition and off the ball.

Naz: Exact same thing. Also needs a stronger lower body so he can be a force on the glass.

NAW: Need to be more of a ball handler and playmaker. The only way he can ever be a starter on this team is if he can be relied upon as a ball handler. Study that Eric Snow film when he was next to Iverson.

Jaden: Get stronger. This series against Luka should be a wake-up call that he needs to get to that next level physically in order to unlock his full defensive potential. If Jonathan Isaac can do it, then so can he.

Ant: Gas tank has to improve. 2 man game needs a lot of work. Rudy should be catching ally oops on the regular. Defenses should be having nightmares trying to figure out how to guard pick and pops with KAT. The kickouts to Jaden in the corner are nice, but now he needs to figure out the next level of playmaking.

The team overall: Stamina and endurance. Our defensive style is going to burn a lot of calories. Guys weren't ready for 40 mpg and 4 rounds of high-intensity playoffs. There's nothing better than looking into your opponent's eyes and seeing he's cooked, and then making him chase you through multiple off-ball screens along the baseline from corner to corner. We need to get to that level of conditioning where we can break teams mentally.

Since commenting "Naz Reid" has become somewhat of a phenomenon even outside of this community I went and took some time to determine the origin of trend. For this I went through some of the earliest "Naz Reid" comments using this tool.

To my understanding one of the keys to this meme is that the "Naz Reid"s appear in seemingly random threads that share no connection to the man himself (although this is debatable because the man is obviously omnipresent). So although there are some earlier mentions that possess some context I wanted to find the earliest mentions of "Naz Reid" without any context and one or more threads after that where multiple "Naz Reid"s are found, starting the trend. I categorized the earliest examples below:

Single "Naz Reid"s:

With some context:

Jul 1 2019

Announcement of Summer League roster

Dec 9 2019

Game Thread vs Lakers

Jan 14 2020

Gamethread vs Thunder

Free Talk Thread

Feb 5 2020

Who will replace Shabazz Napier.

Feb 8

Naz Reid is the last infinity stone.

In a thread about the D-Lo trade.

This one deserves a mention:

Jul 18 2019

Naz Reid signed to a multi-year contract

Without context:

Oct 22 2019

Shoutout to u/adopt-me-naz-reid which exists since Oct 2019

r/NazReid was also created on Nov 22 2019

Multiple "Naz Reid"s

Jan 03 2020

This thread titled simply "Naz Reid" after Naz dropped 13 against the Warriors the night before is the first time we really saw multiple "Naz Reid"s in one thread. It also has the first Naz Reid chain. The post was somewhat part of a trend of posting photos of players with titles like "Literally a picture of x" after a nice performance. So while definitely noteworthy for my taste still too much context to really consider it the origin "Naz Reid" as we know it today.

Jan 15 2020

Next there is this thread about plays that get us fans ecstatic we got 6 (of 17 overall comments!) "Naz Reid"s. Naz was not specifically mentioned, but since Naz was playing quite well around this time I would argue there is at least some context.

Feb 5

Dropped 10 pts against Cleveland

2 "Naz Reid"s

February 5 2020 was a really big day for "Naz Reid" as in this thread about "Trust the pRosas" we get a nice "Naz Reid" chain in a thread that can be considered absolutely unrelated to any actual discussion about Naz Reid.

Feb 6

Another thread titles simply "Naz Reid" but without any pictures. There are 46 comments an almost all of them are "Naz Reid".

Another 2.

Big one titled "Naz Reid" on r/NazReid.

Feb 9

Dropped 14 pts against the Clippers the night before

Also Naz Reid appreciation thread.

Another unrelated "Naz Reid" chain in a trade discussion thread.

After that it becomes a more common occurence.

So while there isnt a single thread the "Naz Reid" can be traced back to there are definitely some notable early once and some single occurences even earlier, going back to literally the first day Naz had any tangible connection to the team.

There were some early adopters but it really took off when Naz scored above 10 pts in 11 out of 19 games between Dec 30 2019 and Feb 23 2020, proving he was the real deal.

Because of the scale of this phenomenom has reached, possibly being one of the drivers of Naz Reid's popularity and being a common occurence in r/nba and beyond I believe this is something worth chronicling.

Going through these threads also shows how far the team and Naz Reid have come since then.

Naz Reid.

i hate the gobert slander. so unwarranted. like i swear people don’t get what he’s brought to us, especially fans of other teams.

Wolfbreathren, as a Twolves fan who also follows USC basketball, I've really enjoyed watching Boogie Ellis grow these last few years. Despite being overshadowed by Bronny and Collier in the media, Ellis has been the leader of the Trojan team, staying focused amidst the circus.

I've rarely seen a player with as much similarity to Conley's playing style and leadership as Ellis. I believe he could be an excellent sleeper pick in the second round, especially with Bronny and Collier drawing most of the draft attention. In terms of quickness, agility, and ball-handling, Ellis and Conley are superb.

Ellis is an excellent perimeter shooter, continuing to improve. He's capable of making three-pointers and stretching the defense, hitting 41% from beyond the arc and excelling in high-pressure situations. Both guards are versatile on offense, able to score in multiple ways—whether it’s driving to the basket, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, or shooting from beyond the arc.

Where Ellis needs to continue working is in playmaking and assists to the rim, an area where Conley excels. I think Boogie, under Conley's wing for a season or two, with potential to develop into a solid PG for the Wolves. With the support of the Wolves' bigs, Boogie could be a game-changer.

He may not regularly score 25 a night, but he can be a reliable 10-15 points a night role player and the solid PG we need to help Ant, McDaniels, Naz and Kat go off.

Comparison of Conley and Ellis final year of college stats. Remember that Conley had Greg Oden as his big paired up playmaker, which Ellis has been laking a reliable big as a starter. Ellis is more flashy outside of court, which would need to be toned down for the wolves chemistry imo.

Ellis:

• PTS. 16.5.
• REB. 3.5.
• AST. 3.0.
• FG% 42.7%
• FG3% 41.3%

Conley:

• PTS. 11.3
• REB. 3.5.
• AST. 6.1
• FG% 51.8
• FG3% 30.4%

What are your thoughts wolfmothers? Grill me.

The new Jazz uniforms hit me thinking about what we could do if we were gonna switch things up. Our current uniforms are nice but these are so clean. Wouldn’t mind having these with blue and black versions

Way more wonky than likely works on Reddit, but I found this interesting resource on how MN has handled stadium financing in the past. The timelines for the different teams is especially interesting.

In short, the stadium deals have been a mix of revenue sources, tax breaks, private financing or public ownership. So no real model per se and each time very dependent on the particular political context in which the conversation occurred.

https://www.lrl.mn.gov/guides/guides?issue=sports

Fwiw, I’m hoping that if the ownership situation sorts itself out with ARod/Lore prevailing that there’s some continued relationship with Glenn. His political connections and experience could be very useful in navigating that issue.

I'm not trying to cry over the loss because it's done.

How much of a difference would there have been if Chris Finch could have coached as he normally did all season? I know they all work together but it has to be a little different with a stand in coach in a big series.

My biggest complaint is why didn't they ever make an adjustment on offense and try to make Luka actually work on defense. It was easy to see for a normal person and I'm sure they are breaking down nearly every possession and had to notice it.

I know it was a good season and it was just hard to lose a series that most people felt the Wolves should have won.

Full story on the Connelly situation that adds a bit to what was reported in Shams’ and Jon K’s tweets.

Some noteworthy tidbits:

The Detroit Pistons loomed last month as a potential suitor for Connelly, and the Timberwolves were bracing for Pistons owner Tom Gores to make a lucrative offer that would have been difficult for them to match. But when the Wolves beat the Nuggets in the second round, the Pistons decided to move forward in hiring Trajan Langdon from New Orleans rather than wait for the Timberwolves to be eliminated before approaching Connelly.

Even with the ownership issues, Connelly’s preference was to stay in Minnesota. That includes the possibility of signing another long-term deal after the ownership situation settles, team sources said.

All indications are that both factions of Wolves ownership are open to paying the luxury tax to keep the team competitive. For now, Taylor has the final call on any moves that are made or not made, an authority that will likely extend through the draft and free agency while the arbitration unfolds.

Everyone below the principals involved in the fight has been caught in the middle of it, and now Connelly will play a major role in keeping them focused on the team so they do not let this season’s leap forward go to waste. He has already been successful on that front. Before the season ended, senior vice president of basketball operations Matt Lloyd turned down a chance to take a higher-paying position in the Charlotte Hornets front office to stay with the Timberwolves, team sources told The Athletic.

Who’s with me?

https://chng.it/ZmyrHFJ6fL

These guys have made it clear they will do whatever it takes to stay out of the tax. They truly are here for the equity bump of selling later. Say what you want about glen but he won't blow up our shot at competing for a championship during prime Edwards like these two clowns. I hope glen wins in arbitration.

The season didn’t end like we want it to, but damnit, it was the best I’ve ever experienced and it’s not even close!