Minnesota Timberwolves quickly rising as a Western Conference powerhouse – NBA Feature Part 3
Brandon Roy was not the only star acquisition by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The franchise also added Russian duo of Alexey Shved and Andrei Kirilenko to complete their offseason shopping.
Kirilenko is a 10 year veteran to the NBA, who played with the Utah Jazz throughout until the 2010-2011 season. He returned to his home country Russia for the next season, where he played for CSKA Moscow and went on to win Euroleague
MVP. CSKA were runners up in that tournament much courtesy of the man who is known as AK-47.
Kirilenko announced at the end of the season that he was looking towards returning to the NBA for next season, and immediately grabbed the attention of the Wolves.
The versatile forward averaged 10 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks over his 10 seasons in the NBA. He removed any doubts about his fitness or form when he represented Russia in the London Olympics which recently
concluded, and guided the Russians to a bronze medal finish.
Alexey Shved was Kirilenko’s team mate in the Russian side for the Olympics, and played exceptionally well too. This will be his first time in the NBA, but he is no stranger to international exposure as he has represented Russia
on a regular basis over the past few years.
The Wolves roster for next season will hence include Love, Rubio, Roy, Kirilenko and Shved. There are a few ifs for this team as far as next season in concerned. For example, if Rubio recovers well from his injury, and if Kirilenko
is able to play with the same intensity that he played with as a member of the Jazz team. There are also question marks surrounding the condition of Roy, and the extent to which he will be able to compete and play. But if the Wolves are not faced with the
injury troubles, they are going to be one h**l of a team for next season.
The Wolves will have one of the most promising young point guards in the league to handle the dribble and make the plays. Rubio is a graceful guard, more like a Tony Parker, who specializes in breaking down the defence. Kevin Love
will handle the bulk of the scoring responsibility playing power forward.
The All Star player proved last year that he can score a double-double on a nightly basis, and is going to be in MVP conversation over the coming few season. Add to the roster Shved and Kirilenko, who are both good shooters with
Kirilenko having the height to take rebounds and block shots. And if Brandon Roy returns to his old form, the Wolves could be looking at consistent double digit performances from him as well.
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