https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/page/219/?d=4WordPress Posts: WordPress Postsenhttps://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/can-the-wolves-navigate-the-western-conferences-middle-class/Figuratively speaking, the middle class of the NBA has boomed. Thus, stratification becomes incredibly difficult for large swaths of teams within the Western Conference.   While I find it easy to pencil in the teams who are at the top, barring disaster, there are a few teams that exist in the mid...11536Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-vikings-arent-dead-yet/There are many faithful Skoldiers out there who are looking to bury their team alive. Familiarity breeds contempt, and Rick Spielman, Mike Zimmer, and Kirk Cousins have been in our lives for a long time now. Fans of other teams usually are looking for ways to keep the faith alive. But there’s a fa...11534Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/that-walk-off-win-is-exactly-who-the-vikings-are/In football media, we talk a lot about the idea of sustainability. Sooner or later, the peaks and valleys of a moment-to-moment football game will even out. Sacks are great, but pressures are the real measuring stick. Touchdowns and wins are the final goals, but overall production metrics like EPA...11532Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-twins-dont-need-to-bring-back-nelson-cruz/Minnesota Twins fans should have fond memories of Nelson Cruz. His arrival in 2019 transformed the Twins into the Bomba Squad on the field and created a 24-inch nightmare for concession workers off it. Cruz has the highest OPS in team history, and his leadership helped engineer back-to-back Americ...11530Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/depth-and-newcomers-carried-the-wild-this-weekend/The Minnesota Wild closed out their weekend with a 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings after beating the Anaheim Ducks the day before. The Wild are 2-0 and have the best record in the Central Division.   But it wasn't the stars who propelled them to victory. Minnesota's depth and newcomers...11527Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/wait-are-the-wolves-actually-gonna-play-defense-this-year/The Minnesota Timberwolves are taking the rust off after the offseason and seem to have a new identity through four preseason games. It’s called defense.   Sure, I’m being a tad facetious. But for a team that struggled tremendously on the defensive side of the ball last season, the Wolves seem to...11523Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-are-reasonable-expectations-for-tyler-conklin/The Minnesota Vikings entered the season with a solid plan at the tight end position. Kyle Rudolph left a significant void. Contract issues and declining play sent him to the New York Giants, and the Vikings’ offense was ready to make some seismic adjustments at the position.   Offensive coordina...11520Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/can-jonas-brodin-shoulder-ryan-suters-offensive-workload/One of the biggest concerns for the Minnesota Wild this year is their sudden turnover on defense. Four of their seven defensemen from last year are gone, a massive shock to a previously stable unit. The last time their Top-4 was changed was 2016, when Matt Dumba first took on 20-plus minutes a nig...11519Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-is-mike-zimmers-record-against-teams-that-mirror-his-identity-2/Week 6 is essentially a make-or-break point of the season for the Minnesota Vikings. After avoiding an embarrassing implosion against the winless Detroit Lions last week inside US Bank Stadium, Minnesota needs a win on the road against the 3-2 Carolina Panthers to head into the bye week with any c...11516Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/kirk-cousins-has-actually-been-kinda-clutch/Kirk Cousins doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation in crunch time.   Delivering when it matters most is a difficult task; there's no doubt about it. Suddenly, the previous 55 minutes of the game no longer matter. Only this drive and these throws will determine the outcome of the game. For as...11514Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/one-lesson-the-twins-can-learn-from-teams-that-land-impact-free-agents/Turn on any podcast or radio show, and you’ll hear a common complaint about the Minnesota Twins. After years of parsimony in the 1990s and 2000s, fans want to see the organization spend more money on free agents.   The Twins have taken steps forward in the past couple of seasons, shelling out big...11513Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/zimmer-looks-destined-to-live-on-the-edge-all-year/The 2021 Minnesota Vikings don’t blow out opponents, but they also don’t get blown out. The only team they’ve beaten convincingly is the Seattle Seahawks, and it was because Minnesota matched up well. It’s a double-edged sword, and head coach Mike Zimmer has built a scheme that works only if they...11511Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/10k-rinks-radio-minnesota-wild-season-preview-team-mvp-playoff-predictions-kirill-kaprizov/  On this episode of 10K Rinks Radio, Thomas Williams of Hockey Wilderness joins us to preview the Minnesota Wild Season! Topics discussed include: Reviewing the new ESPN and TNT Broadcasts Who will be the Wild's MVP? (We can't say Kirill Kaprizov) Will someone have a breakout seas...11510Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/the-minnesota-winnipeg-rivalry-could-go-off-this-year/Who is Minnesota’s biggest rival? Depends on who you ask. The NHL clearly thinks it’s the Chicago Blackhawks or St. Louis Blues, as they’ve set up two premiere outdoor games with them as Minnesota’s opponents. The Wild met Chicago in the playoffs several times three years in a row but won just thr...11509Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/mckinley-wright-has-nba-dna/It started for me at the Twin Cities ProAm (TCPA) this summer. I made the pilgrimage to Minnehaha Academy to watch Josh Okogie and newly-signed McKinley Wright play amateur basketball. I was desperate. Aside from the fact that my partner and I were the only two masked individuals, it was an enjoya...11507Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/karl-anthony-towns-naz-reid-play-together/The Two Towers is not just the best film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy; it’s also one of the most fascinating team-building tactics in NBA history. In the pace-and-space era, the “Two Towers” strategy is all but extinct. But if you put any stock in the NBA preseason, we could see a resurgence i...11506Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/dangelo-russell-is-minnesotas-lynchpin-this-season/Fans have had high expectations for D’Angelo Russell ever since he arrived in the Twin Cities. It comes with the territory. He was drafted No. 2 overall behind Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015, and the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Andrew Wiggins and both their picks in this year’s draft for him. Wiggin...11501Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-happened-to-the-vikings-team-that-showed-up-in-arizona/If you’re a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, you may feel that all hope is lost. After last Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions, your optimism has been bogged down by conservative play-calling, untimely turnovers, and a feeling of déjà vu.   But what if I told you this season isn’t over? That the Vi...11500Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/its-come-down-to-a-pick-em-game-in-october-to-keep-hope-alive/This Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will travel to Charlotte to face the Carolina Panthers in a crucial Week 6 matchup. The Vikings currently sit at 2-3. This doesn't necessarily mean that their season is over; the playoffs have expanded to allow seven teams per conference, and this year the league...11498Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/k-j-osborn-needs-to-be-more-involved-in-the-vikings-offense/It’s been a wild ride for the Minnesota Vikings so far this season. The year started with an embarrassing 12-penalty performance in Cincinnati. And Minnesota’s most recent contest saw a bit too much late-game excitement, followed by an awkward encounter between Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins.   Eve...11495Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-do-we-make-of-malik-beasleys-preseason-blues/It’s a little more than a week into the NBA preseason, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to remain undefeated after three contests. From the much improved defensive effort shown by rising star Anthony Edwards to the highly desired leadership brought on by veteran point guard Patrick Beve...11493Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/bring-eduardo-escobar-back/Even in some of the Minnesota Twins’ more forgettable seasons of the last decade, the team had a source of energy and passion that couldn’t be ignored.   Former Twin Eduardo Escobar made a name for himself as a leader, both on the field and in the dugout, with his unique brand of pizzazz and pass...11491Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-do-we-need-to-see-from-anthony-barr-going-forward/There’s been a lot of dialogue regarding Mike Zimmer’s future with the Minnesota Vikings. While it’s certainly a critical year for the Vikings’ head coach, there is one individual who may be in an even more precarious situation: Anthony Barr.   As the ninth overall pick of the 2014 draft, Barr wa...11490Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/christian-darrisaw-is-ready-to-start-full-time/At long last, the terrifying reign of Rashod Hill is coming to a close. He has been an unmitigated disaster as a left tackle through five weeks. In the fifth of those games, Hill rotated with rookie Christian Darrisaw. Hill's game went as well as the rest of them went, which left us keenly watchin...11489Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000https://wolvesdaily.com/news-rumors/front-page/what-does-an-impact-free-agent-look-like-for-the-twins/With the season behind them, the Minnesota Twins will look to acquire an impact player this winter. There are several ways the Twins can do this, but the fastest way is to attack the free-agent market.   Three years ago, the Twins struck gold when signing Nelson Cruz. Cruz brought power to the li...11486Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000