Tim Connelly went up to the stage and took a seat. This is the uniqueness of his position as a new one. Timberwolves The president of the basketball business has laid it out in an easy-to-understand manner so that everyone can see it. To his left was Glen Taylor, the current majority owner. An 81-year-old printing and farming mogul from Mankato, Minnesota, he has been running a franchise with the sensibilities of a small town since 1994.
To the right of Connelly were Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. The young duo was in a position to succeed Taylor by the end of 2023. Since they joined the ownership group last year.
There was Chris Finch in the audience. Head coach Connelly will inherit with a new extension signed just before the playoffs begin. We also saw Sachin Gupta, an executive who ran the front office during the most successful Timberwolves season in a few years and remained on staff after being transferred to a permanent leadership position.
This is not the usual setting for such an introductory press conference. Most new front office leaders have taken over the team in dire situations, missed the playoffs and then headed for the lottery or stuck in purgatory after the early end of the next round. However, the atmosphere of Minnesota is good. The Timberwolves have doubled their total wins since a year ago, played off for the first time in four years, and have promising stable talent, including All-.NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns20-year-old dynamo Anthony EdwardsMaximum contract point guard D’Angelo Russell When Jaden McDanielsA versatile 21-year-old with potential.
The fan base is once again on the trend, with wolves Memphis Grizzlies In the first round of the playoffs. Wolves have 19th pick in the first round and three picks in the second round in the draft later this month, and Connelly will trade to create the smart draft topic that became famous in Denver and improve the roster. We provide ammunition to do.
Most executives hired and paid in the way wolves reward Connelly at this time of the year are tasked with coming to new organizations and new cities to clean their homes. However, Connelly has become one of the league’s most respected and popular lead executives, thanks to his ability to find something in common with those around him and lead to basketball and other common interests. Its personality traits, coupled with the progress the team has already achieved, have led Connelly to enter with a more comprehensive approach than others in his position would choose.
“”I think it is the team and the organization that have the best days in front of us. Hopefully it won’t spoil too much so it doesn’t get in the way, “Connelly said. “But here is the real meaning of being able to do something special. I hope I can play a small role with the people here at this stage.”
On these days, introductions to new basketball bosses often include bold declarations and soaring rhetoric. Connelly doesn’t roll that way. He worked in Denver with Finch and assistant coach Mika Nori. He understands wolf ownership and how much people wandering around the Mayo Clinic Square hall value Gupta. While climbing the ladder as a scout, he traveled with Las Vegas Summer League staff, the NBA Draft in Chicago, and many other people at gyms across the country and around the world. These connections were formed by Connelly’s extroverted nature and the understated influence exhibited on Tuesday, a little over a week after he took on his job.
He praised Finch’s work as a coach and referred to how they first met a few years ago when Finch was coaching abroad. He shouted Gupta for helping him extend his contract with Finch. Patrick Beverley It takes place during the season. And he already sounded lamenting some of the opportunities the wolf had against Memphis in the playoffs.
“”I haven’t joined the broken team, “Connelly said. “This is a team that is heading in the right direction. It really made a lot of really wise decisions. Recently I extended Chris and extended Patrick Beverley for another year (contract), so I I’m not here to hinder progress, I’m here to promote it, and I hope I can learn a lot from the people in the building. It’s the core of very powerful people. . “
As optimistic as he said on Tuesday, it was also clear that this decision was not an easy one for Connelly and his wife negative. They spent the last nine years in Denver, where two young children were born.Tim Connelly Nuggets Governor Josh Kroenke, coach Michael Malone, and many of the team’s staff and players who helped build the team he played off for the last four seasons.The Nuggets have two MVPs Nikola Jokić I think we’ll be in next season Jamal Murray When Michael Porter Jr. As a serious Western competitor, you will be back in perfect health.
The Connelly family was considering leaving again in 2019. Washington Wizards, The team closest to his hometown of Baltimore interviewed him. Connelly then decided to stay in Denver, but this time he found an opportunity too good to miss. His early meetings with Lore and Rodriguez laid the foundation for the move. Connelly saw two ambitious and ambitious young owners who are willing to invest and move forward in the team. He then met Taylor, his wife Becky, and the best friends of two trusted teams, CEO Ethan Casson and COO Ryan Tanke. When Taylor officially offered him an offer, he told Tim and Negative to ponder it. It took a full two days for them to answer.
“TThere were many sleepless nights here, “Connelly said. “And since I had a sleepless night, I think it will dig deeper and more introspectively. And ask yourself if that’s what you want to do. Indeed, it’s faith. But what led us to this moment was the collective approach of men and women to discuss what this would be like. “
Connelly contacted his vast contact network within the league to do homework for the entire Timberwolves organization. With Lore and Rodriguez as newcomers and Taylor as a still hammerer, he looked at the roster and what would need to happen to stay competitive at the Western Conference. When he visited last weekend, he and the negatives spent time driving around the Twin Cities to see if they could see them living here. They also consulted with close friends about the decisions they had to make.
After all, there were too many reasons to say yes. Lore and Rodriguez played aggressively to make Connelly feel hungry. Taylor has approved significant offers, including equity components, to make them unique in executive contracts.
“WTim’s name appears in any conversation. He’s probably coveted by all 30 teams, but he has a couple out there who have the best, “Rodriguez said. “We put Tim right there, and the process was smooth. We spoke very fast. We moved fast when needed, Glen led, and we followed. rice field.”
Connelly wasn’t given a portion of the team’s stock, just as Flip Saunders returned to the organization in 2013. However, his contract requires him the option of financially profiting if the franchise’s value goes up.Over the years, sources have said Athletic.
Taylor intervened when Connelly began refusing to comment on the details at the press conference.
“BHe participates in a bonus program, as many do, “Taylor said. “If the team goes well, he goes well.”
“It was the first aid of the (my) Timberwolves era,” Connelly stalled.
It was probably Taylor’s way of softening some of the reaction to Connelly’s deal. It is safe to assume that some other owners in the league are concerned about giving the team fairness to their executives, even if it was done before. However, this clarification does not undermine the power play that Lore, Rodriguez, and Taylor have separated to separate skilled leaders from their division’s rivals. They made a creative and positive offer to get Connelly’s attention, and sold him the opportunity to do big things on the court with a young team that seems to be in a position to build on their success. rice field.
“”We have complete confidence and trust in Tim and he will be empowered to build a prestigious world-class organization, “Roa said. “end.”
Despite the strong infrastructure, Connelly is still expected to add some of his own people to the mix. But what he most preached was the continuity of the organization of the seventh front office leader and fifth head coach since Sanders died in 2015. Towns has seen these revolving doors rotate throughout his seven-year career. He plans to extend his $ 211 million contract this summer and knows that wolves need to put an end to all sales.
“”His productivity speaks for itself. I think the best thing we can offer KAT is stability, “Connelly said. “He’s the guy who saw many different faces on the sidelines, many different faces in the front office. I think he’s stable and will see a better version of himself.”
Towns has been begging for it since Tom Thibodeau was adopted in the second season. He made a quick bond with Finch as a coach, and now Connelly comes with a five-year contract and full support of the organization.
“”Nothing will take root until you get it, “Finch said. “Are you changing the minds of decision makers, changing coaches, or constantly changing athletic training staff. It’s a big change.”
Much of its success depends on the partnership between Connelly and Finch. They spent a season together in Denver, and Connelly called Finch the best tactician and communicator. Finch said the moment he learned that Lore and Rodriguez had targeted Connelly, he “as soon as he met him, he would love him and want him.”
“”Just knowing who he was and what talent he had couldn’t give him any more heartfelt support, “Finch said. “This was ideal for us.”
There is almost no time to spare until next month’s draft. The seven-month trip from Garson Rosas to Gupta and Connelly is dazzling. But Timberwolves believes this is necessary if they want to maintain the momentum of the season. This was the biggest test ever for the Taylor-Roar-Rodriguez partnership. Winning a deal of this size across the finish line with the help of the back-end Casson was a sign that a unique placement could be effective.
“”All the discussions we have made so far are from a very genuine and open place, and there is a lot of trust built in, “Roa said. “It feels like a variety of ways of thinking. We feel like we’ve made good decisions together as a group. We’re about partnerships, and where we’ve been and where we’re going. I’m really happy. “
Connelly didn’t make a big promise. He didn’t sugar coat the work in front of him. But he also helps shape this new iteration of the Timberwolves, with the excitement of a new start in a motivated franchise, as the decision to leave Denver was as difficult for him and his family. He said the chance was obvious.
“As we continue to lay the foundation for victory and continue to develop, we hope this is the place you want to come to win,” Connelly said. “It’s not about the weather. It’s not about having some of these flashy markets. You come here to win, are treated fairly and have a lot of fun.”
(Photo courtesy of Timberwolves)
