SLAM Top 50: Andrew Wiggins, No. 31

The fast-improving 21-year-old is beginning to realize the depths of his talents.

This article first published as part of SLAM Magazine's #SLAMTop50 on SLAMOnline.com on September 30, 2016. Here is the original version of the piece.

(We forgot about Andrew Wiggins)

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Karl-Anthony Towns number one in the draft last year. Towns went on to shatter his own high expectations and posted one of the finest rookie seasons in recent history. He was the unanimous rookie of the year, shot his way to early comparisons to Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, and even earned two solo SLAM covers.

The Timberwolves hired Tom Thibodeau as Head Coach and president of basketball operations in April, immediately setting off the promise of stability, defensive intensity, and long essays about Thibs’s “tireless work ethic”.

(We forgot about Andrew Wiggins)

The Timberwolves, usually an ignored, small market in the NBA, were the centrepiece of sports-talk in reminiscence after the retirement of Kevin Garnett, the greatest player in their franchise by a country mile. KG was the franchise leader in games played, minutes, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, rookies barked at, opponents intimidated, Honey Nut Cheerios referenced, and, of course, the love of the Timberwolves’ faithful.

(We forgot about Andrew Wiggins)

The Timberwolves suffered tragedy this time last year when coach Flip Saunders passed away, and his death cast a shadow over the franchise he was closely connected to for the rest of the season.

Ricky Rubio got injured, came back, struggled to shoot, played well, played badly, and was in trade discussions every waking moment.

Zach LaVine won the Slam Dunk contest, and then battled Aaron Gordon in a historic battle to win it again.

Minnesota drafted Kris Dunn, who quickly earned the high honor of being named Rookie Most Likely to win the Rookie of the Year award by his peers. The rising Timberwolves already had a new potential idol.

(But we forgot about Andrew Wiggins)

Two years ago, Minnesota traded their second-greatest player, Kevin Love, to join LeBron James in return for an unproven rookie out of Kansas. Love had his ups and downs in Cleveland, didn’t fit in, got hurt, returned, then did fit in (sort of), defended Steph Curry in the final possession of Game 7, and won a title. Championships redeem everything, but Love’s uncertain place in the team hierarchy have hover over him the last two years, and may continue to hover around for as long as he remains in Cleveland. Minnesota, of course, remain happy with their returns.

(Yes, but, we forgot about Andrew Wiggins)

With all the changes, diversions, press releases, dunk contests, ankle surgeries, and the waves of optimism, it seems that somewhere, one of the most crucial members of that rising wave – Andrew Wiggins – seems to have been lost in the shuffle. Now entering his third season, the fast-improving 21-year-old is poised to have a season that you won’t forget.

Wiggins reacted to an early career snub by the Cavaliers by thriving in Minnesota and winning the rookie of the year award, playing all 82 games in his rookie season and averaging 16.9 points on 43.7 percent shooting to with 4.6 rebounds in the process. Unlike most rookies, Wiggins’ biggest strength turned out to be his motor: he played over 36 minutes per game for the young Timberwolves while doing heavy lifting on both ends of the floor. His offense earned him the highlights, he defence earned him the burn. The Timberwolves won 16 games, but even in their horrific record, they looked fun.

Then, even as Towns came to town and stole the show to his own ROY season, Wiggins, quietly, didn’t go away. In his second season, the Canadian upped his averages to 20.7 ppg while improving his shooting percentage to nearly 46 percent from the floor. The Timberwolves won 29 games, but even in their poor record, they looked tantalizing.

And here we stand now. Wiggins, before season number 3, armed with the perfect atmosphere for stability and success. He will get to play off an elite big man in Towns and thrive as the two try to emulate a modern remix of post-and-perimeter domination. He will be flanked by the ever-improving Zach LaVine by his side, and two point guards – Rubio and Dunn – who will both bring unique strengths to run the offense by his side. He will be coached by a defensive mastermind in Thibodeau, who will surely maximize his potential to greater individual and team success.

Wiggins doesn’t say much: his Twitter feed is mostly a mention of his national or sponsor obligations and his on-court demeanour could fool you into occasionally even forgetting he’s out there.

But, he has flashes of brilliance that destroy his silences with primal screams. Like the time he attempted a 720 dunk and broke the NBA internet. Like the time he owned the overtime period to hand the Warriors only their ninth loss of the regular season. Like how he feels like a future basketball Jedi, only now realizing the far reaches of his limitless powers.

(Don’t forget about Andrew Wiggins)

“When the season comes, I’ll be ready.” Derrick Rose returns to continue his legacy

This article was first published as the cover story in the 116th edition (2013 - No. 19) of SLAM China Magazine. Here is my original English version of the story.

“Are you still hurt?” “Is there still any pain in your knee?” “How was the rehab?” “How did it feel?”

“Are you a 100 percent now?”

Two years ago, Derrick Rose was amongst the best players in the NBA, enjoying his status as the league’s youngest-ever MVP at 22 and carrying the defense-first Bulls to the best record in the NBA. He had a turbo jet in his game, zooming past defenders to dominate any contest and zooming up the NBA charts as he gained the respect of his competitors, popularity from across the world, and accolades in his trophy cabinet.

And then, quicker than the breakneck speed of his rise to NBA dominance, his promising career seemed to be shot down. An injury in the first playoff game from last summer revealed a torn ACL in Rose’s left knee. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the 2012 playoffs, and then the rehab of his surgery over the following offseason kept him out of action through the course of the 2012-13 NBA season.

During a spring of intrigue where everyone from the media to fans to coaches and rappers pondered if Rose would suit up for Chicago’s playoff run, the man himself stayed silently glued to the bench, choosing instead to prolong his return and keep anxious fans – as well as skeptical critics – waiting for his comeback.

Spring turned to summer and summer gave way to the fall, and lo and behold, the new NBA season has suddenly inched so much closer towards us. And the start of the new season will bring back a welcome sight to eyes of Bulls fans around the world: Derrick Rose will finally suit up. He is scheduled to play in the pre-season and, if all goes well, will be in the lineup when the Bulls tip off their season in Miami against the reigning champions, who will be receiving their championship rings.

In this journey, from a heart- breaking injury to a career-suspending rehab, and months of criticism for his decisions, Rose may have suffered through a lot over the past one and a half years. But now, on the verge of his return, the only thing that he had to suffer through was addressing the same questions from the curious Beijing media.

“Can you play?” “Will you change your approach to your game?” “Will you be as good as you used to be again?”

“Are you back?”

Rose was in China at the tail-end of his Asia promotional tour, and he calmly answered each query about his health, his future, and his rehab process.

“Rehab was pretty difficult,” Rose said, “The hardest thing was getting over the mental part, the part of wanting to play and not being able to, of not having the patience to sit out. But my son helped me through everything right now. When I’m having tough days being around him helps me get through those days. Just being around him brightens my day. Just knowing that he’ll be one of those people who’ll always be by my side.”

For Rose, rehabbing his knee also meant knowing the right time to feel physically and mentally ready to take the court again. During the Bulls’ playoff run last season, reports emerged that Rose had been cleared to play, was dominating in practices, but didn’t feel ‘mentally’ ready to take his chances in a high-stakes NBA contest yet.

“I knew I had to take my time,” Rose told SLAM, “I knew it was going to be a long process. I wasn’t going to force it. I look at the past players who forced coming back too soon and had the pressure to come back too soon – I learnt from their mistakes. I’m 24 and I know I have a long career ahead. I’m not done with what I wanna do in the NBA. I didn’t want to rush anything. I knew that, no matter what, my teammates and my coaches were there supporting me.”

And while he waited and rested on the sidelines, Rose turned the curse of the injury and the rehab into a gift for the future. “Having this injury, I look at it as a blessing,” he said, “I watched the game, became a better leader with my teammates, became more vocal. I think it will be better for us as a whole team. Rehab made me a smarter player. Being in the sidelines last season, it was the most I’ve ever actually watched basketball in my life! When I’m playing, I don’t watch the game off the court at all. But when I was recovering from the injury, I had time to watch and learn how the game is played: watch the coaches, the plays, and the systems around the league.”

Rose will get a chance to finally showcase his new-found approach in a few months. And he feels upbeat about his chances. “The knee’s feeling good,” he said, “I think I’m a 100 percent. I’ve been a 100 percent for a long time. I want to stay on script with my training and I know that the day is coming when I have to step back on the court and have people judge my game from all across the world. I have to be ready and be prepared; I’ve been preparing myself for this since the day after my surgery.”

The league has changed a lot in the past 17 months, since Rose was last seen on a basketball court. LeBron James and the Heat have won two championships. New contenders have risen in the Eastern Conference, including the Pacers, the Nets, and the Knicks. And although the Bulls have remained steady with their core, a few young faces have emerged in Tom Thibodeau’s squad.

Rose believes that Chicago’s consistency and continuity will help give them the advantage in the year ahead. “I think that we could be at real contender for the title,” he said, “We have a core group that’s been together for three-four together. I think that’s more than any other starters in other teams in the NBA. We’ll have great team chemistry that can be a huge advantage for us.”

Rose will be back as the centerpiece of that team, and will once again be asked to be Thibodeau’s extension as the leading point guard on the floor. But fans will wonder if the player – once known to one of the league’s quickest and athletic talents – will return to his explosive style of play after the injury again.

“I won’t change the way that I attack,” he clarified, “That’s my whole game – me being aggressive, that’s just the way that I play. I just want to be more efficient and have more control over the whole game. I’ll just be playing the same way but with a lot more confidence. When I get out there, you’ll be able to tell that I’m way more aggressive and efficient with my game.”

“As a leader, I have to be more vocal with the team next season, make sure guys practice hard every day, stay focused, and remind them why we’re there. The goal is to win a championship.”

Rose projects two different, conflicting energies at the same moment. On the face he seems calm and collected, moving gracefully with no hint of discomfort from the injury that robbed him of a season two years ago. But from the inside, he speaks with a fiery determination that seems ready to take on the league’s finest again and rise to the top.

“When the season comes, I’ll be ready. Next season, my personal statistics could be whatever. Four points per game, anything… I just want to win. I have only one goal for next season, and that is to win a championship. As for my legacy, the only thing that I’m missing is the trophy. I know that I’m one of the hardest working – if not the hardest working – players in the NBA. That’s why I will be very confident returning back on court after the rehab.”

The career seemed to be perfectly scripted. After phenomenal success in high school and college, local boy gets drafted number one by his hometown favourite team. He is rookie of the year by his first season, an All Star by the second, and an MVP by the third. And as he grows into a more complete player, he completes that legacy by bringing a championship back to his hometown team.

And if all goes well, the injury and the rehab that kept Derrick Rose miserably out of action for over a season will seem more than a minor blimp than a career-ender in the long run. For Rose, the future is bright, and he can dream ahead of continuing the perfect script ahead.

“I want to win a lot of championships. But it will take a lot of time, a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. Those things aren’t just handed out, you have to earn them.”

Season lost; Season gained

Without Derrick Rose and after suffering injuries to major stars in the playoffs, the Bulls still managed to to stretch out their season as long as they possible could. Few teams could lose 4-1 and still hold their heads up this high. It was a rare occurrence when the losing team somehow became the story of the series. But the Bulls had done just that, not just by getting results, but by fighting till the very end.

Here's how they turned a season lost into a season gained.

Click here to read full feature!

SportsKeeda NBA Top 20: No. 9 – Derrick Rose

The SportsKeeda NBA Top 20 continues with my feature on Derrick Rose at 9th place. Rose won’t start this season as a top 10 player in the NBA because Rose won’t play in the start of this season. But by the time we call curtains to the NBA year, by the time the regular season turns into the playoffs and the men begin to separate themselves from the boys, Rose will be back, and he will have the potential to be unstoppable again.

Click here to read full feature.

NBA's Most Valuable is back in Chicago

Call it the curse of success: when a team does so incredibly well as the Chicago Bulls did in the 90s, a fall from prominence hurts more than, say, a team like the Clippers, who have been more or less un-prominent throughout. And what a decade the 90s were for Chicago! The Bulls won six championships in eight years, were the world's most popular team and the NBA's most feared. And most importantly, they happened to have the man now regarded as the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball, Michael Jordan, who bagged 5 MVP trophies over the course of his career.

The last one of Jordan's MVP awards came in 1998, the year he left the Bulls for good, and the year the team fell back into obscurity. It took a lot more false starts since then, but the Bulls got their shot at resurrection when they drafted local boy Derrick Rose with the first pick of the NBA draft three years ago. The choice couldn't have worked out better for them, as Rose quickly developed into a fascinatingly talented pro, and, as of yesterday, was named the youngest ever MVP of in NBA history.

Yes, at 22 years and seven months, Rose is five months younger than Wes Unseld of the Baltimore Bullets who was named MVP in 1969. It is an amazing achievement for a player, who in just three seasons, has achieved what most players fail to achieve in their lifetimes. He has backed up the hype with results: a first pick in the draft is always going to put pressure on a player - especially if he's the leading point guard on his hometown team - but Rose took it with stride, becoming Rookie of the Year in his first season, an all star in his second, and an all star starter and MVP in his third.

Couple Rose's development with the hiring of now Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau for the Bulls, and suddenly, the team that was eighth-seed in the East last year finished with the best record in the entire league, 62-20. Rose finished with averages of 25 points and 7.7 assists per game this season.

What is perhaps most awesome about this award is that Rose ignored the scoffs at the beginning of the season and predicted that he could do it. And what makes it more awesome for me, personally, is that I began to believe him too, and predicted that he could do it mid-season - it seemed like the perfect year, after all - LeBron and Wade were cancelling each other out in South Beach, Durant was sharing a lot of offensive responsibility with Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard was never going to be enough of a leader in my eyes, Kobe was deferring more and more to Gasol and co, Dirk & Chris Paul weren't being consistently brilliant enough in the regular reason, the Spurs and the Celtics had too many good players to single one out, and Amar'e Stoudemire was never going to keep up the great early season play, especially after the Knicks brought in Carmelo Anthony.

So on the whole, I think this is a completely deserving award. Unfortunately though, Rose has followed the MVP-caliber regular season with a pretty average post-season, struggling to beat a lowly Pacers squad in 5 games and losing his first game against the Hawks. This is what I call The Curse of MVP - Since Jordan retired from the Bulls in 1998, only two players (Shaq in 2000 and Duncan in 2003) have followed up MVP seasons with Championship seasons. If the curse is true, then the chances for Rose to win a ring this season are slim; on the other hand, LeBron James fans can rejoice, since the former two-time MVP didn't win the award this season but his Miami Heat are looking like favourite for the title so far.

Rose won the award pretty comfortably this year, with 1182 points. Rounding up the top five were Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant.

I read somewhere today that, because of the Jordan-Pippen Bulls, almost everyone who was a child back in their 90s era has a little bit of a Bulls fan in them - if that is the case, that little bit of a Bulls fan can have a little celebration over the Bulls' resurgence and their new leader. Now, Rose, Thibodeau, Noah, Boozer, Deng and co have to get serious about things if they plan on adding another championship and spawning a new generation of worldwide fans.

Meet Me Halfway: Mid-Season predictions

It is now roughly halfway through the 2010-11 season, and you know what that calls for? Mid-Season predictions! Last year, cautious over all of the changes that might befall at the trade deadline, I waited till the end of Feb to make my mid-season predictions. This time around though, I'm going to take a brave plunge and do the predictions a month earlier, just to make the process fairer, math-wise.

Last year, I'm proud to say that I was correct in several categories. Lakers won the title, Kobe was Finals MVP, LeBron was MVP, Tyreke Evans was Rookie of the Year, Scott Brooks was Coach of the Year, Aaron Brooks won the Most Improved Player award, and Jamal Crawford was the sixth man of the year. The only category where I went way wrong was with the Defensive Player of the Year, as I underestimated eventual winner Dwight Howard by handing out my honours to Gerald Wallace instead. Of course, I also predicted that the Cavs will be in the NBA Finals. Ya, that was way, way, before a certain Game 5.

But again, I credit the late submission of my predictions for my accuracy. This year is going to be way, way tougher. LeBron's Decision and the Car-MeloDrama have raised a lot of questions about this season. Can James become MVP again, now that he shares his responsibilities with Dwyane Wade. Are Heat contenders? Are the Lakers worse. Should the Celtics never be doubted again. Why are the Spurs playing so well all of a sudden? Did anyone expect Derrick Rose and Amare Stoudemire to be THIS good? What about Magic/Mavericks/Thunder. And how will the end of the Carmelo Anthony saga (the end for this year = trade deadline) influence any predictions I make now?

So, very gingerly, I move on to my bold predictions for the 2010-11 season...

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Derrick Rose This year might be the most closely contested and most widely debated MVP race in my many years of NBA watching. There are at least 11 strong candidates, each of whom can put up a legitimate argument for the coveted award. And since it's such a close debate, I think they all deserve a shout-out.
Amar'e Stoudemire: The league's second-highest scorer. And he has transformed the lowly Knicks into a solid playoff team this season.
LeBron James: The stats leader in one of the best teams in the league. Heat have gone from being first-round fodder to potential title-challengers since his and Bosh's addition.
Dwyane Wade: LeBron's SuperTwin. James and Wade are Batman and Batman. Wade is playing equally well as LeBron is, which is why I argued that either both could be co-MVPs, or neither of them will get it.
Kobe Bryant: Still one of the best in the league in still one of the best teams in the league. Kobe and the Lakers have been ageless this season.
Dwight Howard: Never to be underestimated, as the only true mega-star in a great Magic team. The league's best post defender added a potent offensive arsenal, too.
Kevin Durant: His chances are hurt a bit, simply because of the rising play of Westbrook. But he's NBA's top scorer and Thunder are much better than last season.
Dirk Nowitzki: The Mavs were the NBA's second best team all of this season, until he got injured and they lost six in a row. That's a good argument for a second MVP award.
Manu Ginobili: A Spur HAS to be here. Spurs are terrific this season, currently on an NBA-best 36-6 record. Ginobili is the best player on the best team.
Rajon Rondo: A Celtic HAS to be here too. Too many options in Boston, but Rondo is the best/most consistent of them all.
Chris Paul: Has carried a very average Hornets team on his frail shoulders... They are still in the playoff hunt.
As you can see... A tough, tough challenge to predict this. But my vote goes to Derrick Rose. Rose has excelled in all the categories that the above players have done well in, and then some. He is averaging 24 and 8, leading the Bulls to third place in the East, and they have shown again and again the cojones to beat the league's best. Despite other teams' ups and downs (or in the case of Celtics/Spurs, their balanced ups), Bulls, led by Rose have done well when they have been without Carlos Boozer or without Joakim Noah.
That is why I vote Derrick Rose, 2010-11 NBA MVP.

Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin From the toughest decision to the easiest one. Blake is not only the best rookie this year, he may be having the best rookie season for over a decade. Averaging 22.5 and 12.8, scoring regular 40 point games, posterising any and everyone that dare mess with him under the basket, and most importantly, making the Clippers (who have won 10 of 13) into a REAL threat. No debate here. John Wall and Landry Fields are having good years too, but they aren't good enough to stand in Blake's shadow.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard No one candidate stands head and shoulders above anyone, so I'm going with the safe choice here. Howard is the most consistent good defender in the league, and I think he will edge out Kevin Garnett, LeBron, Wade, Andrew Bogut, Kobe, and Josh Smith for this award.

Most Improved Player: Kevin Love Roy Hibbert of the Pacers looked like he was going to run away with this award earlier in the season, but Love has really made a case for himself halfway into the year. After averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds a game last season, he has picked his averages up to 21.5 ppg and 15.7 rpg, and he is the league's leading rebounder. Now THAT'S improvement.
But there are a lot of legit contenders for Love for this award too: Derrick Rose, if he wasn't an MVP candidate, Michael Beasley, if he wasn't Love's LESSER teammate, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Jrue Holiday, and Wesley Matthews are all in with a shout.

6th Man of the Year: Glen Davis That's right. Big Baby is finally going to get some respect coming his way. With Perkins out injured, KG and Shaq being missing a bunch of games, Jermaine O'Neal barely playing, it's been Davis who has had to carry the big man load often for the Celtics. And he has done if off the bench most of the time. He has nearly doubled his output this season, now averaging 12.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
Tyrus Thomas, last year's winner Jamal Crawford and perennial 6th man favourite Jason Terry have done well off the bench, too.

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau Thibo (that's what I'm going to call him from now onwards to make life simpler for all) deserves to share the credit with Derrick Rose for Chicago's improved play. The former apprentice of Boston's Doc Rivers, Thibo has made this team into a defensive powerhouse, and has perfectly fitted in the new players that have joined the side. Erik Spoelstra (why do coaches have such hard to spell names?), Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan (he HAS to win one day, right? Right?) deserve to be mentioned in this race, too.

All NBA Team

G: Derrick Rose
G: Dwyane Wade
F: LeBron James
F: Amar'e Stoudemire
C: Dwight Howard

This list pretty much picked itself. And damn, it's a hell of a list.

All Rookie Team

G: John Wall
G: Landry Fields
F: Ed Davis
F: Blake Griffin
C: DeMarcus Cousins

I had a hard time finding a second forward for this team, Ed Davis will have to do. And I'm disappointed that Derrick Favors/Evan Turner haven't showed up yet.

Now, on to what I feel will be the Playoff Picture come May:

East

1. Heat
2. Celtics
3. Bulls
4. Magic
5. Hawks
6. Knicks
7. Bucks
8. 76ers

Since I'm Nostradamus (or Hoops-a-Damus) this is what's going to happen: Heat will chop open and each the 76ers, Celtics will molest the Bucks, Bulls and Knicks will be closer than most think, but Bulls will win in seven, and Hawks will revisit their nightmare, and just like last year, have no answer for the Magic.

In the second round, I expect Heat and Magic to play out an entertaining six or seven game series, but Heat's individual brilliance will take them past. Celtics should have little trouble beating the Bulls, despite Thibo and Doc River's similar ways, Celtics are saving themselves for this moment.

Conference Finals: Heat vs Celtics. THIS WILL BE EPIC. If there is anyone that knows how to thwart superstars, its Boston. If there are any superstars that know how to thwart defenses, it's Wade and James. It will take seven games, but Boston Celtics will be the last one's standing from the East.

West

1. Spurs
2. Lakers
3. Mavericks
4. Jazz
5. Thunder
6. Nuggets
7. Suns
8. Hornets

I see a couple of potential upsets here. If Melo stays in Denver (A HUGE IF), the Nuggets will be dangerous. But they will face a deeper Maverick squad, who should beat them in a close series. Thunder I say will upset the Jazz and move into the second round. Spurs over Hornets, Lakers over Suns, easily.

Spurs will be given a shock by Thunder's youth, but they will use their wily old experience to get past. Lakers will finally come to their own in the Mavs series and beat them in six.

Conference Finals: Spurs vs Lakers, just like the old times. Except now, the Spurs would've gotten worse as the playoffs progress, and Lakers, better. I expect Kobe and Los Angeles Lakers to play their best basketball of the year in this series and advance to the NBA Finals.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs Lakers Call it an easy, cop-out choice, but hey, I say it as I foresee it! LA's fourth straight finals appearance, Celtics third in four years. A repeat of 2010 and 2008. This one will be to decide who is truly the team of this era.
I think a lot of trends from last year's finals will repeat, but this time around, I feel the Celtics, despite their age, will come out on top. They have too much depth, toughness, defensive tenacity, and consistency to go down to LA again. I say Celtics win the NBA Finals in six games.

And once again, it'll be done through team-work. But there has to be an MVP, and for his improved playoff performance (like last year), the Finals MVP will be Rajon Rondo.

Let me reverse roles here and turn it over to you guys - what are your predictions for MVP, DPOY, ROY, Champions, etc this year? How much do you agree/disagree with me?