Bleacher Report - Jonny Flynn

Why Minnesota's Jonny Flynn Needs To Continue To Start Over Ramon Sessions

Kevin Lindsey — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:20:35 -0500

The last eight minutes of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 106-100 win over the Nuggets in Denver Sunday night should have convinced all fans of the team that rookie Jonny Flynn needs to continue as the starting point guard.

Flynn was penciled in as the Timberwolves' starting point guard from day one of the season. Flynn has made his share of mistakes running the team. Flynn’s 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio is unacceptable, and has occasionally caused his minutes in games to be limited.

Some speculated that Flynn would be replaced by Ramon Sessions after Coach Rambis made a comment about the possibility of proposed changes to the starting lineup.

Well, Coach Rambis made a change to the starting lineup on Sunday, but the change was to go with a smaller lineup with Damien Wilkins replacing Ryan Hollins. Initially, the shake-up appeared to have little impact on the Wolves, as they fell behind 40-25 after the first quarter.

Sensing another loss, many fans at the close of the first quarter probably wondered if Coach Rambis would shake up the lineup by replacing Flynn with Sessions in the next game.

In looking at Ramon’s statistics for the season, a compelling case could be made for him to be given the keys to the car. Sessions has a better shooting percentage from the floor, and a better assist-to-turnover ratio than Flynn.

Clearly, a team like Minnesota that struggles to consistently generate offense should maximize the time on the floor of its best shooters. Further, limiting turnovers would help the Timberwolves stay within striking distance until the end of the game.

One could understand why Sessions should be given an opportunity to start at point guard.

However, Flynn showed the Wolves something on Sunday against the Nuggets.

Flynn played well against Denver, scoring 16 points, handing out six assists, and grabbing four rebounds, all while limiting his turnovers to only two. However his stat line in Denver was not enough by itself to justify keeping him in as the starter for the foreseeable future.

No, what Flynn demonstrated on Sunday night is that he is the emotional leader of the team, and brings positive energy to the court.

Losing takes its toll on you, no matter how positive your mental outlook. As a result, you get tight in crunch time and you begin to think about failure.

If you aren’t careful, your mind will ensure that your body fulfills what is in your mind’s eye.

The Wolves had a sizable lead late in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets made a late push. Would the Wolves envision another collapse, and allow the Nuggets to make it 11 straight wins over them?

As the fourth quarter wound down, the Wolves needed a basket. Which Wolf was going to step up and make the big shot?

Big Al Jefferson made a move in the post, but was rejected by Denver’s Nene Hilario. On Minnesota’s next trip down the floor, Ryan Gomes had his shot erased by Kenyon Martin.

Knots in the stomachs of Wolves fans were tightening. Would the Wolves lose every game in the month of November?

Flynn didn’t seem fazed by the blocked shots of Hilario and Martin. Flynn drove past his man and, despite seeing Hilario in the paint, decided to challenge him.

The shot wasn’t pretty, as Flynn shot a “change-up” in that he softly shot the ball with the hand closest to Hilario. Nene, surprised by the shot, made no attempt to block it, despite being on top of Flynn.

Flynn’s soft shot rolled in. But more importantly for the Wolves, Flynn was all smiles.

The smile was wide and broad. Flynn’s face was expressive and his joy was infectious.

All of sudden any tension among the Wolves dissipated. All of the Timberwolves were now smiling and laughing as a result of Flynn. No longer tight, the Wolves went back to work.

On the next possession, Corey Brewer scored and converted an old-fashioned three point play with a free throw. The subsequent trip saw Jefferson hit a jumper.

Denver would never seriously challenge the Wolves in the game again.

A team such as the Wolves that is rebuilding faces an uphill battle against a more talented opponent night in and night out. They need to have a leader that can visualize a win despite a lopsided win-loss ledger.

There is little doubt that the Timberwolves feed off of the positive energy of Flynn. There is also little doubt that despite rookie mistakes, Flynn is improving as a player.

Flynn’s smile and positive energy by itself will not translate into victories. However, if the Timberwolves are building a foundation for long term success, Minnesota needs to start every game with as much positive energy as possible.

A point guard such as Flynn with his smile and on-court personality appears to be the type of player the Wolves need to keep them on the right track.

The Timberwolves need Flynn to continue starting for the Wolves.

Read more Jonny Flynn news on BleacherReport.com

Dipped, Fried, and Chomped: Timberwolves Make Meal Out of Nuggets

Matthew Hayden — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:01:20 -0500

First off, thank you Minnesota Timberwolves for, as sadly as it sounds, re-sparking your fan base with a win over the Denver Nuggets.

Over the web, just one minute into actually winning their second game, Timberwolves fan's are incredibly impressed and NBA fans are amazed that the Wolves end their 15 game losing streak against the Denver Nuggets, in Denver Nuggets territory.

If the Wolves would have lost that game, it would have tied a franchise losing streak.

A game that the Wolves truly deserved to win? I have to say so....

The Wolves played every possession (especially in the second half), like it was the last possession. They shared the ball, didn't turn it over as much as usual, finished correctly inside the paint, and played with true heart.

Five Timberwolves in double figures.

27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block from Ryan Gomes.

15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists from Damien Wilkins.

16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist from Corey Brewer.

14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block from Al Jefferson.

16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals from Jonny Flynn.

Also Ramon Sessions and Wayne Ellington contributed 12 points, four boards, four assists and two steals in limited minutes.

Jonny Flynn played great, and his 16 point, six assist game is what the Wolves fans expected from him before the season started. He only turned the ball over once, took his time, shot good shots, and made great last minute decisions down the stretch.

Ryan Gomes kept the defense honest, and was extremely efficient. He played very good defense, and did the intangible things to help the Wolves win the game. If he can continue that level of play, Ryan Gomes is definitely a keeper for the future.

Corey Brewer surprised all Wolves fans. Every other game, he seems like he either can finish at the rim, or he can't. Corey Brewer played well down the stretch, making correct fouls, getting the foul calls, and played with high energy the whole game.

Al Jefferson played well despite the low scoring and rebounding. He didn't turn the ball over as much, he played DECENT defense the whole game, but was out-muscled by Nene and Martin. Despite that, he grabbed key rebounds down the stretch, that helped the Wolves to the win.

But ultimately, the big contribution has to come from Damien Wilkins.

He played very efficient the whole game, hit a big shot in the last six minutes of play when the Nuggets started to show life, gave Carmelo Anthony a VERY hard time on the defensive end, and grabbed the most boards out of all the Timberwolves. Arguably, it was because of Wilkins, that we've won BOTH of our two games.

Keeping him in the starting starting does not seem like a bad idea....

What does a win do for this ball club?

"I think if we can get a win, it would really do something for our confidence, and it can turn into 5 wins, maybe even 10". -Ramon Sessions

"You would have thought we won an NBA championship back there in the locker room". -Jonny Flynn

I'm not saying the Wolves are going to win 10 in a row, but it surely gives Wolves fans hope that the Wolves are going to be competitive, and it can only improve when Kevin Love gets back.

Timberwolves 106- Nuggets 100

Thanks for reading!

Read more Jonny Flynn news on BleacherReport.com

Minnesota Timberwolves: Players on the Trading Block

Matthew Hayden — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:08:15 -0500

It will be interesting to see who the Wolves may trade before the February deadline.

The key for any trades will be how the move affects the team’s “culture”, something they need to show they are really stepping towards improving.

Minnesota has plenty of cap space and draft picks, which hopefully bodes well for the Wolves.

While there are only five or six keeper players from the Wolves, let’s look at who could be traded and what we could get in return.

Ryan Gomes

His contract comes off the books after this upcoming season, and he could be an asset to another young, upcoming team that needs depth at the three and the four spots. What could we get? Second round pick, cash, and a young bench player that needs some playing time, i.e J.R Giddens or Bill Walker.

Oleksiy Pecherov

His contract comes off the books this upcoming season, and the fact of the matter is, if Kevin Love is his old self, there's no playing time for Pecherov. Personally, I am more confident with Love shooting threes than Pecherov. What could we get? More than likely, just a second round pick.

Mark Blount

A valuable asset to the Wolves, his contract could be traded to a team looking to free agency, and in need of a veteran big man. What could we get? Hopefully, a young player distraught with his team, i.e Nick Young. Although we'd probably have to give up a second round pick and filler.

Brian Cardinal

His contract also is a valuable asset to the Wolves. But more than likely, we couldn't get anything in return for Cardinal straight up, and he will serve as filler.

Now it gets juicy.

Jonny Flynn or Ramon Sessions?

It's almost inevitable that one of these two players will be traded. Two point guards capable of starting in the NBA on the same team; it's kind of a giveaway. What could we get? I'd love to trade Jonny or Ramon to the Sacramento Kings for Kevin Martin, but that's just me.

Al Jefferson

I know some are going to love this, and some are going to hate it. But I think by the trade deadline, Jefferson is going to grow frustrated, and he's going to want to go to a different situation. We ultimately would have Kevin Love as our future starting PF, which would STILL be great.

What could we get? A little bit of everything; a young prospect big man, a first round pick, cash, maybe a European contract...who knows?

I think Corey Brewer will stick around because, eventually, the team is going to become the run-n-gun squad David Kahn has envisioned; Brewer will flourish. Kevin Love is a keeper as is one of our starting caliber point guards.

Ultimately, anyone could be traded on this team. But it's always nice to speculate just who it might be.

Read more Jonny Flynn news on BleacherReport.com

Flynn Vs Sessions: Kurt Rambis Hints At Different Starting Lineup?

Matthew Hayden — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:38:28 -0500

As a Minnesota Timberwolves fan that's going through turmoil with his favorite team on a 15-game losing streak, unfortunately there are a lot of positives followed by more negatives.

A few positives about the Timberwolves:

They are fun to watch.
They can run, and finish greatly when the run.
Ramon Sessions can be a floor general with a very sorry second unit.
Ryan Hollins can pick, roll and score with the best of the athletic bigs in the NBA.
Corey Brewer plays 100 percent all game every game, despite inefficiency.
The coaching staff is the heart of the Wolves.

There are a lot of negative things going on with the Wolves, and some things are very fixable.

After each game, every head coach talks to the media about the games, and Kurt Rambis has hinted at changing the starting lineup.

But the biggest change I think among us in Ramon Sessions becoming the starter.

Twenty-three points off the bench on 10-13 shooting, leading the Wolves in assists, seven assists in his first eight minutes in a game, and Kurt Rambis' praise on constantly getting the team organized.

One reasons for the Timberwolves offensive efficiency

I do not think it has anything to do with the triangle offense. In the first half of the second meeting against the Clippers, Jonny Flynn had 10 points and 4 assists, and the Timberwolves led by three.

The main reason for the Wolves shooting 55 percent from the field, and scoring the ball well, was that Flynn was making great decisions on the floor on scoring and distributing the ball. When Jonny Flynn plays well, the Wolves play well.

However, there has been many a game that Ramon Sessions comes off the bench with the whole second unit, and while there's no one to really score the ball, he somehow get's the team back into the game. He often dishes out three-point shots to Pecherov and Pavlovic, but other than that he takes scoring into his own hands.

Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn ought to switch up the roles, and Ramon should become the starter.

Jonny Flynn I believe is a better scorer than Ramon Sessions is, due to him actually being able to shoot. Jonny is quicker, and he'd be a flame off the bench. Jonny Flynn is also massively inconsistent with both scoring and distributing.

With our starting five, the Wolves would love to have defensive minded Ramon Sessions to organize the team, get them involved, and more than likely score the ball pretty well as well.

Why have the distributor in Ramon Sessions come off the bench? Once you turn Jonny lose off the bench, and let him go score the ball, things will open up for the second unit, which we NEED, due to the second unit being HORRIBLE.

Other possible starting lineup changes

Corey Brewer is likely to remain the starting 2 guard. Ryan Gomes could see his spot fall to Damien Wilkins, given that Ryan Gomes can play the 3 or the 4, and could use his versatility to the second unit. Al Jefferson is our starting 4, and Hollins more than likely will continue to be our starting 5.

Thanks for reading!

Read more Jonny Flynn news on BleacherReport.com