Power forward Anthony Bennett has apparently performed well over the summer and because of that his team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, may be less likely to trade him. This offseason, the Timberwolves have undergone some massive improvements in their roster even in the absence of coach Flip Saunders.
The idea that Bennett will stay in Minnesota came from owner Glen Taylor himself. While speaking to Darren Wolfson of ESPN regarding a possible Bennett trade, Taylor said that "We shouldn't assume he'd go... Anthony has had a good summer."
The 6'8" tall power forward was a surprise selection as the #1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers back in the NBA's 2013 Draft. However, Bennett has seemingly not lived up to the expectations of being a number-one pick since then.
The player is said to have struggled with being unavailable to play since his rookie season. His "not being available to play" problem involved showing up overweight to his first NBA training camp with the Cavaliers.
On the other hand, Bennett has all the tools necessary to become a productive NBA player. He possesses the size, quickness, strength, and athleticism as well as a decent jump ability. In the last season, he shot 49 of 159 from the mid-range, which is 31%. Bennett also managed to deliver a total of 198 jump shots, 57 of them are successful, amounting to a 28% accuracy.
Furthermore, Glen Taylor also has something to say about the new interim coach Sam Mitchell. During the same conversation with Wolfson, the Timberwolves owner said he does not expect a substantial change in the system under Mitchell's guidance.
Wolfson quoted Taylor's words and posted a series of tweets that read, "Caught up w/ Glen Taylor. Politely declined Flip health questions. On Mitchell: 'I have a lot of confidence. I've seen him mature.' Taylor said he believes Mitchell will run 90% of Flip's systems, 10% his own. 'Flip has put the system in.'"
The Minnesota Timberwolves officially announced on Friday last week that Flip Saunders, their president of basketball operations and head coach, will take an indefinite leave of absence as he focuses on his battle against a type blood cancer called Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
So whoever is coaching the team this upcoming season, it will involve a lot of adjustments and system tweaks. The Timberwolves has acquired a handful of young players such as Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Shabazz Muhammad. They can also depend on the veteran presence of Andre Miller and Kevin Garnett. NBC Sports observes that 2015-16 will be "a season of experimentation in Minnesota - and it should be entertaining."
