Dan is joined by Derek James (@DerekJamesNBA), one of the smartest Minnesota Timberwolves insiders/analysts/writers around, to talk aboutβyou guessed it!βthe Minnesota Timberwolves in advance of the 2021-22 NBA season. They discuss the Wolves' interest in Ben Simmons, Year 2 expectations for Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns' place in the superstar hierarchy, D'Angelo Russell's value and role, lineup possibilities, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels' season, the 10-man rotation, Chris Finch's impact, Patrick Beverley and more! TIMESTAMPSβ¬οΈ π 2:03 - Intro π 6:20 - Minnesota's offseason π 10:05 - Ben Simmons talk π 20:08 - Chris Finch's impact π 23:51 - Can the defense be much better? π 26:33 - Year 2 expectations for Anthony Edwards π 29:33 - D'Angelo Russell's role/fit next to Ant π 33:34 - Karl-Anthony Towns Appreciation Minutes π 42:01 - Jaden McDaniels' ceiling π 46:02 - The frontcourt rotation beside KAT: Naz Reid, Jarred Vanderbilt, McDaniels, etc. π 47:21 - Top-10 rotation π 50:00 - Minny's biggest weakness π 51:15 - Trade candidates π 53:34 - Best crunch-time lineup π 56:08 - Quirky lineups we want to see π 57:27 - Win-total prediction/Place in the West Host:Β @danfavale Host:Β @fromal09 Twitter:Β @HardwoodKnocks Instagram: @hardwood_knocks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices