Flagrant Howls - A Minnesota Timberwolves Podcast

Reasons for Minnesota Timberwolves OPTIMISM!; Top 100 Timberwolves update with Kyle Theige

·1 hr 1 min·5 clips

Kyle Theige reveals why he ghosted the podcast after his mom's life was saved by cancer research.

The episode begins with host Phil Mackey welcoming back Kyle Theige, a founding father of the podcast who has been absent for several months. Kyle explains his hiatus was due to personal reasons, including his mother's life being saved by cancer research and almost losing his grandmother, leading him to step away from the internet. The conversation shifts to Timberwolves optimism, with Kyle expressing cautious hope about the team's continuity, bringing back core pieces like Julius Randle and Naz Reid while losing Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He notes the team's young talent—Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jalen Clark—could fill the void and that the Western Conference has older teams like the Lakers and Warriors that may decline. Phil adds that Anthony Edwards worked intensely in the offseason on his mid-range game and conditioning, aiming for an MVP-level leap. They discuss the team's chemistry, highlighted by players spending summers together in Minnesota, contrasting with last year's less cohesive roster. The hosts then critique Kevin Pelton's ESPN article that simulated one random season out of 1000, where the Timberwolves missed the playoffs and won the lottery, which they find misleading. Kyle shares his hot takes for the season, including Julius Randle leading in assists and Anthony Edwards as an MVP dark horse at 20-to-1 odds. They touch on new broadcaster Tom Crean, hired for his connection to Anthony Edwards. The bulk of the episode is dedicated to updating the Top 100 Timberwolves rankings, starting with Jalen Clark debuting at 96 and moving Pat Beverley up for his role in the team's playoff turnaround. They work through the list, debating placements of players like Michael Beasley, Mike Miller, and Terry Porter, sharing anecdotes such as Kyle owning Michael Beasley's toaster. The update reflects both historical impact and recent contributions, with plans to revisit it as the season progresses.

As heard by us

A Wolves optimism check built around Kevin Pelton's 620th simulation and the consequences of a 2026 pick swap.

The episode frames Timberwolves optimism as something worth testing, using Kevin Pelton's ESPN.com season simulation as the pressure point. Its hook is the deliberately odd path through Pelton's 1,000 simulations, landing on the 620th: Minnesota misses the playoffs, wins the…

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Why you'd press play

You want Wolves talk built around a 1,000-season simulation, a randomly chosen 620th run, and a very strange fifth-pick ending.

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