Timberwolves Add a Tremendous Complementary Backcourt Piece with Signing of Aleksey Shved
By Rafael Uehara
The Associated Press’ Jon Krawczynski first reported on Tuesday – July, the 10th – the Minnesota Timberwolves and Russian combo-guard Aleksey Shved reached an agreement on a multi-year contract, which the terms were not immediately available. As it remains unclear whether or not the Portland Trail Blazers will accept to deal Nicolas Batum on a sign-and-trade or rather go ahead and match Minnesota’s four-year, $45 million dollar offer sheet, the Timberwolves will have to figure out how to fit Shved and Brandon Roy on the cap later.
The 24-year-old Shved arrives from CSKA Moscow, where he had a really successful year last season backing up Milos Teodosic at the point and playing off-guard in crunch time situations. According to in-the-game.org, he averaged 1.04 points per possession and posted 62.5% true-shooting and 26.1% assist-rate in 21 EuroLeague games. The team won the Russian league for the 10th straight year, the VTB United league and led the EuroLeague championship game by 19 points with 15 minutes remaining before allowing a comeback of historic proportions to Olympiacos Piraeus and losing the title.
Shved should be a tremendous fit complementing Ricky Rubio on Minnesota’s backcourt. He’s a fine athlete capable of running the floor, a terrific spot-up shooter capable of being effective off the ball and a very versatile playmaker off the pick-and-roll when called upon to do some ball-handling. Shved ran point for CSKA Moscow’s second unit and currently does so for the Russian national squad that will participate in the 2012 London Olympics but with Rubio, Luke Ridnour and JJ Barea on the roster, he’s expected to play the two-guard in Minnesota.
The Wolves struggled badly with wing production last season. Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Martell Webster all produced below replacement level and Ridnour was forced to start most of the year at shooting guard. Those who watched the Timberwolves play noted that ranking seventh in three-point shooting does not make justice to how the lack of reliable outside shooting kept the offense from being a higher functioning machine. And the struggles of the wingmen were a huge part of why as Johnson shot 31.4% from beyond the arc, Ridnour 32.2%, Ellington 32.4% and Webster 33.9%.
Alongside Chase Budinger, also acquired this offseason, who arrives from Houston where he shot 40.2% from three-point range last year, Shved should be of major help in that department as he shot 49.3% from three-point range in 21 EuroLeague games, 39% in 23 Russian league games and 34.6% in 18 VTB United league games last season. With Rubio pushing the ball in transition or setting up Nikola Pekovic in the pick-and-roll and Kevin Love displaying his multi-dimensional skill set, the Timberwolves ran a decent offense that averaged 104.3 points per 100 possessions, per basketball-reference, last season but with adequate secondary threats off the ball now they can take that next step to elite production.
When necessary, Shved should also be capable of creating offense on his own. As mentioned above, he’s a terrific playmaker off the pick-and-roll, featuring great court vision and awareness to identify passing lanes and tremendous skill to deliver passes on target. He should be just as a great a fit with Pekovic (who shot 69.7% and averaged 1.33 points per possession on pick-and-rolls, per Synergy Sports) as Rubio was. Shved is athletic and in the EuroLeague Final Four, he did show the ability to play above the rim but there are doubts of his ability to finish inside at the NBA level as he shot 59.6% in the lane in EuroLeague play, per in-the-game.org.
Defensively, it will be a challenge. Despite standing at six-foot-six, significant size for the position, and being athletic enough to stand in front of elite competition, Shved is not a great defender. But he’s a willing defender, who puts in the effort in order to make the opponent work for what he gets. CSKA Moscow was a defensive juggernaut fueled by Andrei Kirilenko’s presence that allowed just 95.5 points per 100 possessions in EuroLeague play last season, so Shved was pretty well hidden. But now with subpar helpers in Love and Pekovic behind him, things should be a little tougher.
Most are expecting Shved to come off the bench at first and some even question he’ll get significant minutes in the rotation in his first year with Minnesota having a deck of options for the backcourt. I completely disagree with that last statement, specifically. I don’t understand why so many people are ignoring Roy is returning from retirement and has no cartilage on his knees. If he manages to get over 25 minutes a game of playing time, it would amaze me. With Rubio expected to miss a portion of the start of the season still recovering from knee surgery, Ridnour should return to his natural position with Barea backing him up. Roy may as well start because apparently that’s important to him and Rick Adelman will know how to manage the situation but I expect Shved to be the one to get the bulk of the minutes at shooting guard ahead of Ellington and Malcolm Lee, with Johnson backing up Budinger at small forward.
Editor's Note: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of 'The Basketball Post'. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara or reached via e-mail at rafael_uehara@live.com
The Associated Press’ Jon Krawczynski first reported on Tuesday – July, the 10th – the Minnesota Timberwolves and Russian combo-guard Aleksey Shved reached an agreement on a multi-year contract, which the terms were not immediately available. As it remains unclear whether or not the Portland Trail Blazers will accept to deal Nicolas Batum on a sign-and-trade or rather go ahead and match Minnesota’s four-year, $45 million dollar offer sheet, the Timberwolves will have to figure out how to fit Shved and Brandon Roy on the cap later.
The 24-year-old Shved arrives from CSKA Moscow, where he had a really successful year last season backing up Milos Teodosic at the point and playing off-guard in crunch time situations. According to in-the-game.org, he averaged 1.04 points per possession and posted 62.5% true-shooting and 26.1% assist-rate in 21 EuroLeague games. The team won the Russian league for the 10th straight year, the VTB United league and led the EuroLeague championship game by 19 points with 15 minutes remaining before allowing a comeback of historic proportions to Olympiacos Piraeus and losing the title.
Shved should be a tremendous fit complementing Ricky Rubio on Minnesota’s backcourt. He’s a fine athlete capable of running the floor, a terrific spot-up shooter capable of being effective off the ball and a very versatile playmaker off the pick-and-roll when called upon to do some ball-handling. Shved ran point for CSKA Moscow’s second unit and currently does so for the Russian national squad that will participate in the 2012 London Olympics but with Rubio, Luke Ridnour and JJ Barea on the roster, he’s expected to play the two-guard in Minnesota.
The Wolves struggled badly with wing production last season. Michael Beasley, Wes Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Martell Webster all produced below replacement level and Ridnour was forced to start most of the year at shooting guard. Those who watched the Timberwolves play noted that ranking seventh in three-point shooting does not make justice to how the lack of reliable outside shooting kept the offense from being a higher functioning machine. And the struggles of the wingmen were a huge part of why as Johnson shot 31.4% from beyond the arc, Ridnour 32.2%, Ellington 32.4% and Webster 33.9%.
Alongside Chase Budinger, also acquired this offseason, who arrives from Houston where he shot 40.2% from three-point range last year, Shved should be of major help in that department as he shot 49.3% from three-point range in 21 EuroLeague games, 39% in 23 Russian league games and 34.6% in 18 VTB United league games last season. With Rubio pushing the ball in transition or setting up Nikola Pekovic in the pick-and-roll and Kevin Love displaying his multi-dimensional skill set, the Timberwolves ran a decent offense that averaged 104.3 points per 100 possessions, per basketball-reference, last season but with adequate secondary threats off the ball now they can take that next step to elite production.
When necessary, Shved should also be capable of creating offense on his own. As mentioned above, he’s a terrific playmaker off the pick-and-roll, featuring great court vision and awareness to identify passing lanes and tremendous skill to deliver passes on target. He should be just as a great a fit with Pekovic (who shot 69.7% and averaged 1.33 points per possession on pick-and-rolls, per Synergy Sports) as Rubio was. Shved is athletic and in the EuroLeague Final Four, he did show the ability to play above the rim but there are doubts of his ability to finish inside at the NBA level as he shot 59.6% in the lane in EuroLeague play, per in-the-game.org.
Defensively, it will be a challenge. Despite standing at six-foot-six, significant size for the position, and being athletic enough to stand in front of elite competition, Shved is not a great defender. But he’s a willing defender, who puts in the effort in order to make the opponent work for what he gets. CSKA Moscow was a defensive juggernaut fueled by Andrei Kirilenko’s presence that allowed just 95.5 points per 100 possessions in EuroLeague play last season, so Shved was pretty well hidden. But now with subpar helpers in Love and Pekovic behind him, things should be a little tougher.
Most are expecting Shved to come off the bench at first and some even question he’ll get significant minutes in the rotation in his first year with Minnesota having a deck of options for the backcourt. I completely disagree with that last statement, specifically. I don’t understand why so many people are ignoring Roy is returning from retirement and has no cartilage on his knees. If he manages to get over 25 minutes a game of playing time, it would amaze me. With Rubio expected to miss a portion of the start of the season still recovering from knee surgery, Ridnour should return to his natural position with Barea backing him up. Roy may as well start because apparently that’s important to him and Rick Adelman will know how to manage the situation but I expect Shved to be the one to get the bulk of the minutes at shooting guard ahead of Ellington and Malcolm Lee, with Johnson backing up Budinger at small forward.
Editor's Note: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of 'The Basketball Post'. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara or reached via e-mail at rafael_uehara@live.com
Interesting post. Watch the complimentary/complementary usage though.
keep up the good work!
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"I don’t understand why some many people are ignoring Roy is returning from retirement and has no cartilage on his knees." - Great sentence. This guy sure can write!
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