January 2007

« December 2006 | Main | February 2007 »

McHale's Last Gasp comment thread

Filed under: Timberwolves

Tomorrow's issue of City Pages includes Britt Robson's Hang Time column. In dumping his second coach in 23 months, the Wolves' personnel VP hastens his own day of reckoning: "The easy, trendy reaction to Casey's firing is to claim that McHale is much more culpable for the current malaise surrounding this franchise than any coach, and should thus be the first one to get the axe." Check out McHale's Last Gasp here, then come back to discuss the article.

Posted by Corey Anderson at January 30, 2007 3:58 PM | Comments (15)

 

Brauer's Three-Pointer: Suns Set

Filed under: Timberwolves

Pressing business kept me away for the first half of tonight's thrilling Wolves' win over Phoenix, so I asked David Brauer (who severely underrates his hoops acumen) to sub in on the trey tonight. After watching the second half only, I believe he did a fabulous job.
Britt

1. Most Valuable Possessions
Trivia question: who was the last NBA MVP before Steve Nash's two-year run?
Answer: the guy who dominated tonight. Kevin Garnett racked up a
mind-boggling 44 points on just 29 shots, and the effect was even more
profound than the box score indicated. Playing what was largely a simple, two-man offense down the stretch - KG and whoever got him the ball down low - the Wolves committed an astounding two turnovers in the money half, which featured as many possessions as entire games usually do. Since Phoenix is death on giveaways, ball possession - as much as KG's makes, Mark Madsen's thick presence in the post, or Randy Wittman's deft mixture of man and zones - kept Minnesota in this one. The fast-flowing game exposed Randy Foye's defensive naiveté, but the rook had six assists, zero turnovers in 26 minutes. KG was responsible for converting those dimes, and you knew it was his night when, after torching the Suns on the left block, he effortlessly tossed in a late-game jumper from the unfamiliar right side on the way to a 121-112 win. It was a night to remember... 2003-2004.

2. Witt's about him
This was my first chance to watch Randy Wittman coach and I liked just about everything I saw. Beginning the game with the wiry Ricky Davis on Nash set the right tone, even if, as the game wore on, Ricky drifted from his man and failed to fight over a couple of screens. In a first-quarter personality switch, Trenton Hassell turned offensive stalwart while Ricky was doing the heavy lifting on the defensive end. Just when you said "Ricky's losing interest," Wittman brought in Marko Jaric - exactly the right defensive move on the perimeter, with the bonus being Marko loves run-n-gun games like this - and later had Marko, Davis and Hassell on the floor together, his most
athletic response to Phoenix's swingmen, offensive banshees all. Hassell worked over Nash in the fourth quarter, again pretty much the best option available, with Wittman salting in what looked like a 3-2 zone to keep the wing defenders fresh and the Suns a bit off-balance. Speaking of fresh, KG played the entire second half, but Wittman worked in an eight-minute blow in the first half, meaning Garnett wound up playing 40 minutes, only a couple over his recent (non-overtime) average. Witt plugged the KG gap with Smith and Madsen, who showed grit the pretty-boy Suns lacked; it was mind-bending to watch Rashad McCants whipping the towel for Mad Dog instead of the other way around. (And don't diminish the win by noting the Suns were on the end of a road back-to-back at the end of a five-game road trip; Minnesota is one off-day removed from theirs.)

3. TV timeout
Britt is far too substantive to broach this subject, but as a superficial guy I have to mention that while the Wolves stepped up their game tonight, Fox Sports Net did not. Everyone was looking forward to a fast-paced game colored by Steve Nash's impressionist slithers - so why did FSN feel compelled to cut away from the action so often, for what seemed like 450 reaction shots of Suns coach Mike D'Antoni? Yes, D'Antoni is a handsome fella (except for the porn star moustache) but he's really only entertaining when he blows his lid, and that usually doesn't happen until the second half. Tonight, the play really was the thing, but lame, lingering face shots, compounded by graphics kudzu that often obscured the lower left quadrant of the screen, marred the masterpiece of the season's most entertaining win. Fans can put up with "deer-in-the-headlights" eye candy like Ann Carroll, but those of us who watch the Wolves on cable are the
hardcores, and we want to see every little twitch of Steve Nash's - and ultimately KG's - hardwood brilliance.

David Brauer

Posted by Britt Robson at January 29, 2007 11:13 PM | Comments (29)

 

The Three-Pointer: Breaking Through

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Vintage KG
Kevin Garnett was relentless tonight against the Clippers, and the dominant reason why the Wolves ended their 6-game losing streak with a 101-87 victory. The key to KG's performance was that he never really let up: He tied his season-high of 32 points by scoring 12-4-8-8 respectively in the four quarters. He pocketed two steals in every period except his lone one in the third quarter, propelling the Clips to their highest turnover count of the season, 26, and the difference in points created off turnovers between the two teams had to be greater than the Wolves 14 point margin.
On a team beseiged by inconsistency, Garnett's reliability in this contest cannot be overstated (although I'm trying). Playing their fifth game in 7 nights and exhausted by a coaching change, losing, and the rigors of the West Coast road trip, it was vital that the team get off to a good start, and KG was the early sparkplug grabbing four of his 9 rebounds and doling out two of his three assists in lifting his team to a nine-point lead in the first quarter that held up until late in the third period and set a positive, energy-enhancing tone for the entire game.
Ditto in the 4th quarter, when the Wolves had fallen behind by a point with 6:36 to play and the specter of their previous two close losses looming large, KG teamed with the Wolves' other four veteran starters, rarely in together at crunchtime, for a 21-6 run to close out the game. This crucial spurt was keyed by defense: From the time Garnett reentered the game with exactly 8 minutes left to play, the Clips managed just one field goal.
A loss tonight would have sent the Wolves three behind .500 and two games in back of the Clips for the 8th and final playoff spot. Instead they are now tied for 8th and hold the tie-breaker advantage over the Clips (2-1 in head-to-head competition, which will remain in effect because the teams aren't scheduled together the rest of the season). A loss also would have sent the team back home to a surly crowd, saddled with a 7-game losing streak and looking at a schedule that includes Phoenix next, and Dallas and Houston on the road during their ensuring five games. When things get this bleak, a club relies on its superstar for sustenance, if not resurrection. Garnett delivered that in Los Angeles.

2. Mike James Has A Pulse
It is not a good sign that James has very slowly but very surely begun to revitalize his play in almost direct inverse proportion to fan tolerance of his presence in the lineup. Only when even his die-hard supporters began to lose their grip on the bandwagon--and embrace the reality that James had already punted pretty near half the season--did this career backup begin to rustle with energy and exert some MIA floor leadership, including proactive passing and defense.
But better very very late than never, I guess. In the past five games, James has amassed a very respective ratio of 20 assists to 6 turnovers. For the second time in Randy Wittman's three-game stint as coach, he played the bulk of crunchtime and was part of that closing surge that ensured the victory, finishing with 17 points. For the past few games, he has been hitting from outside in the first period, a welcome tone-setter that stretches defenses and enables his teammates to operate smoothly in the paint. Tonight, perhaps because he was guarding non-scoring forward Quinton Ross closer to the hoop while Ricky Davis was on Sam Cassell to start the game, he worked the boards more than usual and finished with 7 rebounds.
It is difficult to know how close James is or was to ceding his starting position to Randy Foye, but any combination of Wolves losses, tentative floor play caused by a lack of confidence, and that awful matador D we saw for most of the first half would almost compel this squad to make a switch. What nobody knows is if these doldrums were a long hump that James has slowly surmounted, or if he believes in his core, in a place where his desire and his talent can't reach, that he's a backup who doesn't deserve the commitment the Wolves have extended him. It is one of several mini-dramas that will be acted out and resolved as the team moves into the make-or-break, late-winter stretch of the NBA season.

3. The Swingman Glut: McCants Instead of Davis and What Happens to Marko?
For the first time this season, Rashad McCants suited up to play tonight, more a reward for his dedication to rehab than any plan to utilize him for this game, apparently. But it shows McCants is very very close, and it was hard not to feel my pulse quicken with excitement when I heard Jim Petersen broach the possibility of McCants stepping into the shooting guard spot while Ricky Davis slips into 6th Man status at some point this season. Is J-Pete saying this because he has inside knowledge and/or because the move makes so much sense (pending McCants's return to health and rhythm)?
Tonight, Davis seemed to be longing to join the Clips' rather extensive corps of underachivers (T Thomas, Livingston, Kamen, Mobley), clanking a bevy of outside j's early and committing a series of ostentatiously foolish turnovers in the 3rd and 4th quarter. On one possession he dribbled down to the baseline, made a half-hearted attempt to drive it, jumped in the air well before he was near the hoop and wound up contorting himself as he tossed a bad pass to the opponents while falling out of bounds. Other miscues included force-feeds into the paint to a clearly covered teammate, and lazy passes-cum-opponents'-layups of the sort that landed him on the bench in that infamous Detroit overtime loss at home. The word often used to describe Davis is "enigma" and it is code for "who can understand why he pisses away his talent so frequently?" The great thing about the 6th man role is that if Davis decides tonight's the night to stink like a rotten fish, he won't be a great distraction or disruption to the prevailing sub rotation. And after all this talk about how Wittman is a straight shooter, sets expectations and demands accountability, it should be noted that Davis still led the team in minutes played tonight with 39:45.
Meanwhile, Marko Jaric had his second noteworthy defensive game in a row, albeit while getting rung up for five fouls in 19:50 guarding foul magnet Corey Maggette. In addition to having hands gifted for steals, Jaric also seems to be a very nice complement to Foye in the backcourt, mostly because he can handle the ball and push the pace to trigger controlled transition, but doesn't mind taking a backup role to Foye when it comes to setting up the half-court sets. Jaric doesn't need very many touches, especially compared to Davis, McCants, and Foye, which makes him valuable when grooming the rook. Even so, if that Jaric for Nazr deal with Detroit is still dangling, the Wolves should stop hesitating--unless they can move Davis for Maggette or something equally beguiling. KG-Blount-Madsen-Smith still is one body too few when it comes to beef in the paint.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 28, 2007 12:33 AM | Comments (16)

 

The Three-Pointer: Road Trip Disaster

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Second-Guessing the Rotation
For the second straight game under new coach Randy Wittman, the Wolves dropped a winnable game, losing to the Sonics 100-102 after being up 5 with 71 seconds to play. Consequently, Wittman left himself wide open to second-guessing on at least two substitution decisions.
The first is leaving Craig Smith on the bench for the entire third period. I understand that Wittman doesn't want to tax players for more than a dozen minutes at a time whenever possible. But Mark Blount has hit a bit of a trough lately, and once again didn't match up well with Seattle's quicker, grittier interior players. Blount continues to be a Wolves' big who shows hard and persistently on the perimeter pick and rolls. But Seattle was using that virtue against him in the first period, first making the pass out of the double team and then the second pass to a cutter--often Blount's man but occasionally just a response to Blount's venture to the perimeter--for a layup. Meanwhile, they simply owned the boards in the first period, grabbing six rebounds to the Wolves eight on their own glass and all 10 possible rebounds after Minnesota misses.
Mark Madsen but then mostly Smith changed that dynamic in the second period. Unlike Blount, Smith has natural, split-second timing on knowing when to go to the hoop, especially when opponents are double-teaming KG, and he has surer hands than Blount and can catch most zipped passes on the move. Smith mixed it up in the paint, meshed better on defense, and kept rebounds alive that he himself didn't snatch. Suffice to say that he had 15 points on weakside cuts and putbacks from offensive rebounds in the second period alone, shooting 7-8 from the field.
But in the third, no Smith. Huh? The guy who essentially carried your ballclub in the second period and clearly was in a zone for this game, rides the pine the entire third quarter? Ironically, one way you knew certain Wolves players were unhappy with ex-coach Casey was when they dubbed him "anti-freeze" for his ability to cool them off when they were on a roll. (I know it means the opposite, but derogatory nicknames aren't always the work of sages.) True, Wittman did play him the entire fourth quarter, but Smith's return to brilliance with another 11 points and six rebounds merely ratifies that he should have gotten some burn in the third too.
Second, like Dwane Casey, Wittman apparently feels like it a sacrilege not to play Ricky Davis in crunchtime. Tonight, Trenton Hassell was having one of his fabulously nuanced games, shooting only when necessary but for a high percentage, battling for rebounds, and setting up his teammates in both the half-court sets and in transition--he finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. And he put forth a yeoman effort on the Sonics' glorious Ray Allen, but Allen has that deadly accurate, hair-trigger jumper and has been the most prolific scorer in the entire NBA for most of this month. As it turned out, Marko Jaric had better success defending Allen in the 4th period. Ricky Davis, on the other hand, had one of those games where the highlights frequently showed him unsuccessfully rushing to close out on a shooter or trailing frantically as his man went for the hoop. Davis wasn't feeling it with his shot that much (4-11 FG, 2-6 from 3), and both Hassell and Jaric were passing the ball better (Jaric had 6 assists in 21:44, Davis 4 dimes in 36:42). So, why not alternate Hassell and Jaric on Allen and 6-7 Mickeal Gelabale, the rookie who bedeviled (mostly) Davis for 17 points (8-13 FG), including a crucial jumper with 29 seconds to go in the game? Why not let Davis sit for crunchtime this time? After all, one of the biggest reasons cited for Wittman taking over was that he was tougher, more of a disciplinarian, able to communicate more directly. I can't think of a better way to communicate with Davis than playing better options than his lackluster D when the game is on the line.

2. On the job training
No I'm not talking about Wittman here. Randy Foye had one of those nights a rookie combo guard is going to have while running the offense in crunchtime. Foye hit a couple of nice treys and was his usual confident, aggressive self in the fourth period tonight. But he had gooseggs for assists--nada, zip--against 4 turnovers in 26:50. One of those miscues was especially costly, an amateurish pass in which he couldn't stop his momentum when Luke Ridenour stepped into a passing lane and had the ball fall out of his hands as he tried to stop himself, with the Wolves up by just a deuce and 48 seconds left to play.
This isn't second-guessing why Foye was in and James was out--as I said in my last Three-Pointer, Foye needs to play crunchtime--just an acknowledgement that things will get dicey for Foye running the point when teams (properly) play him to try and create on his own.

3. KG: Very good and Not Very Good
How do you complain about a player who puts up 17 points, a team-best 10 rebounds, a team-best 9 assists, and a team best three steals during this game? Well, start with him being an integral part of the rebounding dysfunction of the first period. Continue with what has become a disturbing pattern of up-and-down defense. Garnett continues to not play the pick and roll with the kind of steadfast tenacity that marks almost every other aspect of his game. Tonight, he also let Gelabale get by him for a breakaway layup in the final minute while getting back on D. And he once again missed a do-or-die shot in the final seconds, proving that he is paying too much attention to critics who say he should be more selfish with the game on the line. I never said that: I defended Garnett playing the right way and going for the open man. On the final half-court possession tonight, KG did belatedly kick it out to Hassell for a rainbow prayer, but there was no flow in it because Gsrnett explored his own shot prospects so thoroughly first.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 27, 2007 12:17 AM | Comments (10)

 

The Three-Pointer: Wittman Down in Debut

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Rotation Changes
It's easy to overreact to one game and assume it's a trend, but the two most striking differences between Wittman's substitutions tonight versus Casey's general pattern was fewer minutes for KG and more crunchtime for Mike James at the expense of Randy Foye. The first is welcomed, and reprises one of the hallmarks of Kevin McHale's 30-some game stint. Had there been no overtime tonight, Garnett would have clocked in at just 34 minutes. Wittman gave him two 6-minute chunks on the bench, which were extended further by time out for the quarter changes (end of first/beginning second, end of third/beginning fourth). And maybe KG just had extra zip because the team is ensnared in a long losing streak and has a clean slate with a new coach, but he did seem more active and energetic at both ends of the court in the second half, completely getting inside Joel Pryzbylla's head in the third period, drawing a string of fouls that sent Pryz permanently to the pine.

The Foye pare-down was more problematic. You could see that James was giddy to be included for meaningful 4th quarter minutes (and all of the overtime), and he did nail a nice sideline jumper late in the game, played better defense than he has in a long while, and continued his series of impressive a/to ratios with a 5-dime, 1-miscue night. Further justifying the move, Foye didn't have a great night, especially his shot selection (2-6 FG, 0-2 from 3), although his lone assist (versus two turnovers) was a doozy, a dribble-penetration kick to the sideline for a Hassell trey.

But I digress. One of the few indisputably smart things Casey did, in my opinion at least, was give Foye the second quarter substition scrum to get his bearings and learn the point, and the fourth quarter crunch to strut his courage in the clutch and give oxygen to his confidence. Granted, Foye's decision-making is far from perfect; hence my constant hectoring about him not "being a point guard." But the rookie contemporary Foye was traded for and will forever be compared to, Brandon Roy, hadn't scored in the entire second half and yet was still flipped the keys to the game when it mattered in overtime, not Zach Randolph or a hot Martell Webster. On a team with KG, Foye doesn't rate that primacy, but for all sorts of reasons I think he belongs on the court. James had a solid game, has many millions and three more years coming to him as a Timberwolf, and needs to have his self-esteem rehabbed as one of Wittman's top priorities, so I understand the motivation. But the upside on Foye is such that he might be that worthy sidekick this franchise craves for KG, especially when the game is one the line. So it was disconcerting to see him sit the last 3:28 of regulation and all of overtime in a tight 3-point loss, especially since it felt like James was simply trying harder to pretend he was comfortable.

2. Davis Shines
I don't pretend to know the relationship between Dwane Casey and Ricky Davis. Just before, and then during, the time when everything went to hell and Davis got suspended and Casey got fired, you heard rumblings that they chronically hadn't gotten along. But if true (and I'm still dubious) Casey had a funny way of venting his displeasure, playing Davis boatloads of minutes whether he seemed to deserve them or not. Tonight, the entire Wolves telecast--commentators, players, filmed clips, etc--seemed to drive home the notion that Wittman is more of a disciplinarian and taskmaster, and vocally aggressive coach than was Casey. To me, it all sounds like code for "whip Ricky Davis into a mental acuity vaguely resembling his gifted athleticism."

Tonight, Davis was arguably the best player on the floor for the Wolves. In the first half there was no doubt, as he canned all 7 of his field goal attempts and hustled in a constant but relatively controlled fashion at both ends of the court. When he began the second half unable to hit anything--he clanked two free throws in addition to his first couple of field goal tries--it seemed like poetic vengeance on the VP McHale, who claimed he canned Casey because the Wolves were too inconsistent and up-and-down.

But even though he only went 3-10 FG in the second half and overtime, Davis played more in the 3rd and 4th quarters than in the first half, and counting overtime logged a team high 45:12 on the court. Perhaps just as important for Ricky's ego, Wittman twice called his number for big, potentially game-deciding shots (he sank one in the 4th, clanked one in OT). For those counting at home, that's two strong games in a row for RD. What's worrisome is that the Wolves dropped them both.

3. Quick Hits
One of the things Casey seemed to struggle with was drawing up successful plays coming out of a timeout. Tonight, the Wolves scored 8 times (seven baskets and 2 free throws) in 12 offensive possessions coming out of a timeout, with Davis's 4 buckets leading the way.

Proving he's not in anyone's pocket, Jim Petersen called out Mark Blount's defense while praising the contributions of Madsen and Smith in the third period tonight. Ironically, I thought Blount set a marvelous tone with clamp-down D on Randolph in the first period; the main cause of Portland's horse missing his first four shots.

All nine players in tonight's rotation got some fourth quarter minutes.

Marko Jaric got some early time and continues to look a little over-amped, a disgruntled player stuck in a trade limbo that may never abate until the Feb 22 deadline, searching hard for a niche.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 25, 2007 12:17 AM | Comments (28)

 

Wolves Fire Casey

Filed under: Timberwolves

Man, talk about a turbulent week: I just got off the phone with a Star Tribune reporter regarding my thoughts on the resignation of CP Editor Steve Perry and get word that the Wolves have fired Dwane Casey.

I've always believed that when someone dies or gets fired or otherwise meets with an unkind fate, it's better to grant them your respect via an honest appraisal rather than a rose-colored distortion. I have recently been critical of the way Coach Casey handled the Ricky Davis situation Friday night, and can't help but wonder if his behavior was related to the extreme job pressure he was under, or if the way he dealt with it contributed to his firing. Either way, Casey was not a particularly adept head coach during his short stint with the Wolves, for many reasons I have described in the past.

But I have also consistently said that as a human being, Dwane Casey is a class act, a man of enormous personal dignity. Last year, when I was criticizing his job performance on a fairly regular basis, he saw me standing on a streetcorner during a snowstorm, waiting for the light to change, and rolled down his window and asked if I needed a ride. So, no, I'm not going to sugar-coat his deficiencies as a coach, but I'm also not going to denigrate the way he represented himself and the organization for most of his tenure.

I'll close for now by mentioning that I think Casey has gotten a team with .500 personnel to play .500 basketball. For them to be better than that, Ricky Davis will have to grow up, Mike James will have to rediscover his self-confidence, and the rookies who profited under Casey's guidance, Rashad McCants and Randy Foye, will have to continue developing at warp speed. I'm not sure Randy Wittman will make a huge difference in any of those areas.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 23, 2007 5:15 PM | Comments (42)

 

The Three-Pointer: All That Jazz

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Point guard woes
Much as I would like to dwell on reading the tea leaves surrounding the play of Ricky Davis and Kevin Garnett and the coaching of Dwane Casey--and probably will in point 2 or 3--the dominant thing about tonight's loss to the Utah Jazz is the lack of stability at point guard for the Wolves.

Now the popcornmachine.net site will show you that Mike James has a mere minus 1 in the 15-point loss, best on the team except for Mark Madsen's plus 6, and that James dealt six assists versus only one turnover in his 25 and a half minutes of action. But watching his Utah counterpart Deron Williams carve up Minnesota for 21 points and a career-high 15 dimes, you realize how little floor generalship James exudes by comparison. James reminds me of Torii Hunter at the plate, a total "guess" hitter, meaning that he makes up his mind to do something rather than react to events as they unfold. How else to ascertain why he'll pull up for a trey one possession and try to penetrate the next when the defense seems to be giving him better odds on the other option. His passes are functional and occasionally creative, but rarely purposeful to the point of a *resounding* assist, where only a complete klutz could fail to execute the basket. Now, granted, Deron Williams has the enormous advantage of playing in Jerry Sloan's well-honed system of back-door cuts and beautiful screens, but there were a half-dozen dimes--most of them bounce-passes--that any Wolves' fan had to envy, or hope that one of our points could pull off perhaps half as frequently.

Is it time to give up on James as a starter and cede the position to Randy Foye's on-the-job training? Sure is tempting. After all, it is very close to half a season now, and even when Foye is being undressed, as often occurred tonight, there is no question that his style and carriage at both ends of the court inspire more confidence in his teammates and Wolves' fans than James's guesswork. The downside is that Foye is a rookie, and an unnatural point guard to boot, so that there will be plenty of nights where the turnovers and literally ignorant decisions are costly. That said, as an early and persistent naysayer, I think Foye's ball distribution, court vision, and shot selection, while still inconsistent, show much higher highs, and fairly significant improvement overall.

Last and least is Troy Hudson, who singed the twine for 15 points in 14:17 last night against Phoenix before falling to earth with the rest of the squad in the second half, shooting only 2-6 FG. Still the 22-point performance was enough to encourage Casey to use him with Marko Jaric and Foye in the second period tonight in Utah. Uh-oh. Sloan countered with a big lineup that had Jaric guarding Harpring and Huddy couldn't find his shooting eye, spraying wide on all five shots in 6:53 of playing, a period in which the Wolves dropped 12 points and essentially lost the ballgame.

A while back there was some discussion about whether an NBA team really needs a classic point guard, especially with such adept passers as KG, Davis, and Trenton Hassell in the lineup. I'm not sure. But I do know that if the point can't initiate the half-court offense in a commanding fashion, they need to be able to defend, or shoot, or stimulate intelligent ball movement in a fairly consistent manner. None of the Wolves' trio of points fits that description.

2. Good explosives from Ricky Davis
The uncharitable but probably most accurate way to describe Davis's game tonight was that he had a lot of atoning to do. He came out running the floor like a banshee, and on a few potential transition opportunities I thought his teammates might be freezing him out--more likely James didn't see him in time or didn't want to risk the pass. But then Hassell found him for a gorgeous, 35-foot alley-oop pass for his only bucket of the first half, and James likewise set him up for a dunk just after halftime, and boom!, the talented Mr. Davis went off for a series of road-runner dribble-and-pop jumpers, sneaky penetrations, and at least one steal and transition slam for 16 points worth of third quarter and another 14 in the final stanza. The assists were down to three, but not because he was selfish (especially in the first half), and his fixation on scoring in the third frame was as beneficial as Garnett's aggressive offense in the first period (when he got 10 of his 17 points in the first ten minutes). Defense? No one, with the possible exception of Madsen played very good defense, as the Jazz racked up 30 assists to 8 turnovers, shot 56%, and got 48 points in the paint (add that to Phoenix's 60 paint points and you'll know why Madsen is playing more and cheerleading less).

In the pretaped segments before the game, Casey was talking about the return of KG and Davis from their respective game suspensions. He began by gushing about Garnett, calling him, among other things, "the spirit of our team." Then he quickly slid over to Davis and felt obliged to say that "Ricky is the spirit of our team also." It is this overmassaging of Davis's ego that worries me about Casey, especially occurring just one game after the coach fell on his sword claiming it was his decision for Davis not to the play the rest of the way against Detroit. Davis won't be sufficiently motivated or appreciative of his coach claiming he possesses a team spirit equivalent to Garnett, and the rest of us know it's bullshit. For proof, imagine Casey sitting KG for a "lack of focus." Imagine Garnett's reaction.

3. Good timing for a returning McCants
The losing streak is now 4, with three more road games remaining on this West Coast swing. The debacles surrounding Griffin, KG, and Davis, the inconsistency of James, Foye, and Jaric, and the sudden doldrums of Mark Blount at both ends of the court all combine to send a call, like a bat signal in the night sky, for an explosive, egotistical dude who will bring the attention back to internal competitions for minutes and pecking orders, while, perhaps anyway, providing a dramatic athletic lift to the bench crew over the next two or three weeks. Again, when the Wolves were hot just a short while ago, McCants loomed as a distraction. He still is, but now the team needs one.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 23, 2007 12:52 AM | Comments (23)

 

Open Thread: Phoenix Blowout and Player Suspensions

Filed under: Timberwolves

I'm not going to write about the Phoenix game last night for a variety of reasons. I was switching back and forth between the game and the AFC Championship tilt in football, and after the Suns' 31-2 run in the third, you can imagine where most of my viewing time went. Secondly, playing without Garnett and Davis against a squad that had won 12 straight had a preordained conclusion that made the tilt sort of surreal, like a practice tuneup for the Suns. Minnesota made it close by shooting 8-11 from beyond the arc (Foye was 4-5, Hudson 3-4) in the first half, a better percentage than their free thorws (9-16), let alone their two-pointers.

We learned that Mark Blount really, really benefits from KG's presence, that Troy Hudson loves free-wheeling bombs away contests, and that Randy Foye has a remarkably complete package of skills for a rookie combo guard.

I'm going to let my anger settle over the way the franchise has portrayed the Ricky Davis incident before commenting further. But anything you want to add about the suspensions of either Garnett or Davis is also fair game here.

I'll be posting tonight after the Utah game.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 22, 2007 8:53 AM | Comments (13)

 

The Three Pointer: Damaged Control

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Ricky's Rebellion

With 8:40 to play in the 3rd quarter and the Wolves down by 2 to Detroit at home tonight, Ricky Davis made a bad pass that led to a steal and a transition layup for the Pistons. One second after the ball went through the hoop, the Wolves called timeout and Coach Dwane Casey benched Davis in favor of Randy Foye. Davis was livid. As Casey and his club talked about game strategy, Davis appeared about the bolt from the bench and head for the locker room, only to be pulled back by a teammate going back to his days in Boston, Justin Reed. As he lingered with tense body language, Bracey Wright came over and wrapped an arm around his waist and talked to him. These things deterred him for a moment, but just before play was resumed as the Wolves took to the court, Davis walked along the baseline and out the middle aisle toward the locker room. Assistant coach Rex Kalamian and then Reed soon followed. Within a few minutes, all three returned individually, with Davis the last of the trio to come back.

For the rest of the game, Davis pouted on the bench. While others were leaning forward, most of them involved in the game, he leaned back and affected nonchalance. When the team huddled, he remained standing on the perimeter. He talked some with the players sitting by him near the end of the bench--Hudson, Reed, Jaric and McCants in street clothes, sometimes Mark Blount. It became an extremely exciting and highly competitive game, with Kevin Garnett tossed for a setto with Antonio McDyess and the game going double overtime before the Wolves ran out of steam, 98-104, and in the more exciting moments, Davis occasionally lent encouragement to a couple of players, especially Blount, another longtime teammate extending back to Boston, but was clearly the least animated player on the bench.

But here's the crux of it: After a couple of timeouts and various player substitutions, two different people I consider to be highly reliable and literally in a position to know what they were talking about, told me independently of each other that Davis was refusing to go back into the game. In between the time the first and the second person passed along this information, I saw co-captain Trenton Hassell get up during a timeout and come over and say some things in Davis's ear. I couldn't see if Davis responded to him, but saw Hassell return to his spot on the bench when the players going back in sit together. Then, after the second person had told me about Davis's refusal, I saw assistant coach Randy Wittman come over to Davis during another time out and seem to ask him something. In their exchange, Davis seemed to do most of the talking, and Wittman, holding eye contact and looking like a man receiving unpleasant news, returned to his end of the bench.

Davis was gone from the locker room after the game. I asked Reed why Davis was so angry in the 3rd quarter and he replied that Davis was just angry at himself. Mark Madsen said that the team was sticking together all for one and no one was going to take a small thing and blow it into a big thing. Then I caught Wittman as he was walking by and asked him point blank if Ricky Davis had refused to go back into the game. Wittman looked stricken, said "Coach Casey is having a press conference about the game right now," and ducked into the coach's chambers. Casey would not emerge for his press conference for another five minutes.

Once there, I asked the coach what had happened with Davis. He replied that he thought Davis had lost focus and needed to be replaced, and said he did not feel like he should put Davis back in the game. After a few more questions about other things, I persisted by saying that with all due respect it felt like something more than Davis simply losing focus; that he left the bench shortly after that and then was visited by Hassell and Wittman, and never came back into a double overtime game when the team had already lost KG. He replied that Davis took a bathroom break--which has happened in the past, but he never needed Kalamian and Reed to help him before--and then said with some exasperation that maybe I should have been in the huddle to hear what was said.

I felt like I was being spun, with a little pressure to accept Casey's version of events. I still feel that way. I don't believe Casey lied to me, but I think he preferred to leave out large chunks of context. Otherwise, we have to believe that with Garnett ejected with 5:18 to go in a tie ballgame, he decided to ride with the likes of 6-3 Bracey Wright, 6-4 Randy Foye, and 6-2 Mike James guarding the whippet quick and athletic Rip Hamilton, who stands 6-7, rather than the 6-7 athlete Ricky Davis, who is normally second on the team in minutes to KG. He decided to ride with those guys through a solid 15:18--the rest of the 4th and two five-minute overtimes--when it was clear that those players as well as Trenton Hassell were becoming fatigued. This was a game where the slightest advantage could have tilted the outcome in Minnesota's favor, and indeed, down the stretch, Casey was subbing Mark Madsen and Craig Smith in and out on every possession to take advantage of Madsen's defense and Smith's offense. But he couldn't put his second most-talented athlete back in the game because that player had lost focus. And he made this decision independently, without any knowledge that Davis might be refusing to go back in.

Maybe the two people who told me Davis was refusing to reenter the game somehow were mistaken, and misinterpreted what they heard and saw. Maybe Davis didn't tell Wittman he wasn't going back in. Maybe Casey did decide that a bad pass in the third quarter was the last straw and it was time to teach Ricky Davis a big lesson and not allow him back into a double overtime game. That was certainly the way Dwane Casey was wanting me to look at tonight's events. After the press conference, I told him that I was going to report what I saw and was told, and that it didn't square with his spin. For all concerned, me and the team, it is a matter of credibility--doing what we have to do with what we know.

2. Garnett's Ejection
Antonio McDyess flattened Madsen with a forearm to the back of the head and shoulders going for a rebound with the score tied and 5:18 to play. In defense of his teammate, KG got in McDyess's face, and jawed a quick bit, then crossed the line by throwing the ball at him and throwing what appeared to be a few dog paddle punches, backpeddling after the first one. I only caught the tail end of one replay, plus the original incident, of course, so those of you watching the game at home probably have a better handle on what happened than I do. What I know is that the old hockey ploy of a bit player suckering a star into a brawl that will get them both ejected was unwittingly accomplished by the Pistons. After the game, Casey steadfastly claimed that the incident was "not a fight," and to the best of my knowledge, no punches were landed. But the game received national exposure being broadcast live on ESPN, and the NBA has responded harshly to (admittedly more severe) altercations at other points during this season. Maybe tossing KG for this game--probably depriving the squad of a win--will be punishment enough. But I doubt it.

3. Hat's Off to Those Who Finished

With KG ejected and Davis sitting out, Trenton Hassell assumed the mantle of team leadership with his all around play, never sitting the entire second half en route to a whopping 51:06 of playing time. Randy Foye again demonstrated that he is a player who must be reckoned with at the most crucial points of the game. Mike James hit a huge, closely guarded shot that looked as if it might be enough to win the first overtime before the Wolves made the mistake of not fouling immediately and allowing Billups to bury his own trey to send the game into a second OT. Mark Blount grabbed 15 boards, got to the line ten times, committed just one turnover, and had 22 points in a marathon 45:35 of play. Madsen scrapped.

It wasn't enough. And now a five game road trip.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 19, 2007 11:27 PM | Comments (25)

 

The Three-Pointer: Not Ready

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Par For the Course

As the starting lineups to tonight's Hawks-Wolves game were concluding, I said to the people around me in press row at the Target Center, "They [the Wolves] are taking this game for granted. Let's see if they're right or not."

They were wrong. Beating Detroit and nine other teams over the past 13 games didn't automatically mean they could mail it in versus Atlanta and walk away with a victory. Instead, they got waxed by a 12-23 team 88-105, and the score was closer than the spectacle. Ranked dead last among 30 NBA teams in field goal percentage, the Hawks shot better than 50% in each of the four quarters, finishing at 54.3% and 53.8% from beyond the three-point arc.

But what's significant is that the Wolves were so obviously loose and confident during the pregame warmups, in a manner slightly different than their usual mien. Another media member who likes to get the pregame mood in the locker room said there too the players were uncommonly relaxed and giddy. There's a fine line between enjoying the fruits of your labors and pacing yourself properly over the season's marathon grind, and lulling yourself into the unspoken but insidious perception that you can still win a ballgame with your second or third-best effort.

Bottom line, the Wolves were arrogant and lazy tonight and consequently had their asses handed to them by a pretty bad team.

At this point I should be working myself into a state of righteous indignation, at the very least on behalf of the poor fans who forked over good money to make this one of their few (or perhaps only) chances of the year to watch the team in the flesh. Because they got screwed. But there's a part of me that knows this happens to every team at some point in the season, and that the circumstances made the chance of it happening to the Wolves tonight especially ripe. You want to blame coach Dwane Casey for not having his squad mentally ready, you've got cause, but hopefully you also just credited him for the incredibly sharp performance his team put on at both the start and the finish of a rare afternoon weekday game against a tough team on the road. Knowing that I gave most of the credit to the players for that inspiring win, I'm feeling more charitible toward Case than I did in that brutal 4th quarter of the meltdown loss to the Lakers, or even that awful win at home against the 76ers. After tonight's game, the coach revealed that he warned his squad in practice today that Atlanta had already beaten Cleveland and Orlando this season, and shouldn't be taken lightly.

That said, if the Wolves miss out on the playoffs or something similarly significant by a one-game margin, here's one to highlight in neon.

2. Naming Names
As mentioned in Point 1., I'm relatively blase about the putrid effort put forth by the Wolves, because it was ballooning hubris just waiting to be pricked. Now that it has been, we'll see if the lesson has been learned or if the vaunted chemistry folks at this site began referring to recently was more happenstance that willpower. In the meantime, there was abysmal game played and those culpable deserve to be called out.

That includes all five starters, the backbone of the recent winning streak. Start with Kevin Garnett, who was cold from the field and befuddled by Atlanta's collapsing zone defense, which bothered him with its arms-up length. But overall, KG lacked his trademark intensity, especially on defense, where he was housed by the likes of Zaza Pachulia. He grabbed six offensive boards among his 13 total but still only shot 6-15 FG. He also endured the slight humiliation of remaining in the game a good 5-6 minutes longer in the second half in order to continue his (now) 359 straight games of scoring in double figures. Everyone knows about the streak, everyone knows KG would not publicly say he needs to remain in the game until he has continued the streak, and everyone knows that Casey would be taking a large risk if he rested Garnett in a blowout before the double figures were accounted for. It is the coach's way of displaying respect for the superstar, and appropriate all the way around--even KG's pride in keeping it going. But when his performance is such that he needs to milk time, he also merits our chiding.

On to the others. Mike James continues to play inexplicably horrible defense. It's inexplicable because James isn't doing a particularly good job distributing or shooting the ball or otherwise providing leadership in the backcourt, and one would think he would try to atone for those deficiencies the easiest way possible, which is to bust his butt guarding people. Mark Blount also had a tough night on defense, but mostly because the matchups were bad for him with Atlanta's smallish bigs, which did enable Blount to amass 16 points and 11 rebounds (and, alas, 5 turnovers), including 14-8 in the first half. Still, that's two less-than-stellar defensive performances for Blount, who was up to his old indecision around the paint in the overtime win against Detroit.

Trenton Hassell had a marvelous passing night, dishing for 7 assists. And he was not at fault for all of Joe Johnson's 25 first-half points, as Casey foolishly deployed a zone defense at a time when JJ was light's out from the perimeter and another long-range sharpshooter, Salim Stoudamire, was also in the contest. That said, Hassell didn't dig in on Johnson the way I've seen him play Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant. Johnson was getting free and hitting bombs, and when Hassell upped his effort, Johnson began shooting in transition and earlier on the shot clock. Put it this way, when Johnson is 10-13 FG in the first half while his teammates are a collective 13-30, the defensive stopper assigned to stop him gets a blemish.

Which leaves Ricky Davis, whose numbers were down across the board: 13 points, 2 rebounds, one assist in 32:28, with defense that was, ah, better than James could muster. Finally, for some reason Davis and Craig Smith don't seem to work well together, which is odd, because Davis can distribute and Smith moves well without the ball. Perhaps it is that Smith overcompensates for Davis's defensive lapses with too-aggressive rotations, or that the pair can't seem to get their spacing right. Or maybe this is all in my imagination.

3. Wishful Rumor Mongering
What I am about to propose has no basis in reporting other than confirming on the hoopshype.com salary page that this proposed deal was feasible: Marko Jaric for Indiana center Jeff Foster, even-up. Having just gotten Dunleavey and Murphy from Golden State for Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson, the Pacers would do well to readjust their balance by shedding a big man and adding a defensive-oriented swingman. Foster would be a perfect fit on the Wolves playing 12-15 minutes a night backing up Blount at center and 5-10 minutes backing up KG at the 4. He's a smart, diligent rebounder who doesn't need touches, plays good D, likes the dirty work and won't complain about his role. Just a thought.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 17, 2007 11:27 PM | Comments (24)

 

The Three-Pointer: Another Gut Check Victory

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Garnett Dominates
My favorite part was the five blocked shots in a span of 7:45 of the third quarter. The shots were offered up by big dudes like 'Sheed, sneaky quick and slithery smart penetrators like Rip Hamilton, and brave, overmatched souls like Flip Murray, who was housed three times. When your superstar is owning the paint like that, taking out even more trash than he's talking, the superstar's team can shoot 38 percent (5-13 FG), turn the ball over four times in 7:45 against a quality team on the road and still turn a one-point deficit into a three-point lead.

But it wasn't just the blocks. It was the 14 rebounds, the half-dozen dimes versus one turnover in 50 minutes of play (the game went overtime), the bevy of perimeter picks that freed up the jumpers of his teammates, and, oh yeah, the defense that limited Rasheed Wallace to 3 points (1-11 FG) in more than 43 minutes before he fouled out trying to guard Garnett. That was an MVP caliber performance.

2. The Weird and Apparently Wonderful Point Guard Situation
Talk about a match made in heaven: Randy Foye is not even close to being your prototypical ball-movement oriented point guard. But he is playing with the most unselfish superstar in the NBA, who doubles as the best passing power forward in the game. His backcourt mate is another guy who could ring up 5-7 assists a game without much difficulty if the offense ran through him, and who can bail out the rook by getting open against his man almost any time. The swingman has superb court vision, is incredible unselfish, but can nail the open jumper almost any time he's called upon. And the center ranks with Utah's Mehmet Oker as the best outside shooter in the NBA at his position.

Put simply, Randy Foye doesn't have to worry about assuaging egos with any distribution rations, or passing it at the wrong time to the wrong clueless guy. And the one thing he does best--elevate in crunchtime, seize the moment, be the man--is the one thing these other four guys truly desire him to be. Imagine Foye with Cassell, or Szczerbiak, or Marbury, or even Spree. The green lights wouldn't be as bright.

This all could have been Mike James's world. It was supposed to be, at least for a year or two, while Foye found his bearings. I guess now is as good a time as any to give it up to coach Dwane Casey for splitting time so James can start and then almost all of the third period, leaving the substitution-heavy scrum time in the second and the tightrope-walking crunch time of the fourth for Foye. The rook needs both of those stints, one to grow on and one to strut.

Take a look at the box score from today's matinee overtime road win over Detroit. The superstar is your assist leader with 6. Your defensive stopper chimes in next with 5. Your athletic enigma has 4, albeit with 4 turnovers. In all, the half-dozen guys who don't play point guard get 16 assists versus 9 turnovers. Foye and James? A combined 3 assists (2 for Foye) and 8 turnovers (4 apiece).

When Foye drove the lane to win the ballgame in regulation, Antonio McDyess was so sure of where he was headed that he was checking his watch and eating a sandwich before Foye arrived. In overtime, Foye didn't drive. He swished two long bombs (one a trey) and dished to the corner baseline for Blount's gamewinning three-pointer. And in the past couple of games, he's twice dished the ball to Ricky Davis on breakaway layup situations when he could have easily scored himself. No, he's not a point guard--or if he is, he's very, very raw. But he is a leader and right now it is pretty exciting to contemplate what that means.

3. Quick hits.

Having lavished attention on the fine play of Bracey Wright, it is only fair now to point out that Bracey got the worst of it in his matchup with Carlos Defino in the second period.

If there is a Marko Jaric sweepstakes, the trio of Pistons potentially involved certainly whet the appetite of Wolves fans everywhere. McDyess nailed 8-10 FG, almost all midrange jumpers per the Flip Saunders method, and played staunch defense throughout today. Dale Davis stood up Blount and KG on a pair of possessions in the first half that indicates he's still got the trunk of a stolid post defender. And Nazr Muhammed had his moments, including a nice offensive board and fadeaway J near the foul line. Again, all would be acceptable for Jaric, less because Marko is deficient--he's not, actually--but because less is more when you're unclogging the swingman glut, and because it would be nice to have another big man for the paint wars down the stretch.

Last but certainly not least, Trenton Hassell made all but one of eight shots, grabbed 8 offensive rebounds, meted out five assists, and held Tayshaun Prince to 40 percent from the field (6-15 FG). Do the Wolves win this game without him? They're not even close.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 15, 2007 11:02 PM | Comments (24)

 

The Three-Pointer: Strength in Numbers

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Surging
The Wolves blistered Memphis Friday night with their best opening period of the season. From the opening tap, all five starters hustled like it was a playoff game and not a midseason road tilt against a last place team. Twelve seconds into the game, Mark Blount was diving on the floor trying to retrieve a turnover. Mike James thoroughly outplayed Chuckie Atkins, Craig Smith rotated for superb help D after Blount left early with two fouls, and Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis put on a show with a combined 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. When the whistle sounded, Minnesota had shot 62 percent from the field, had gone to the line 9 times, corralled a whopping 17 rebounds, and led 36-19, a cushion they held without undue jeopardy for the rest of the game.

The next night at home against New Jersey, the Wolves snatched back a loseable game with their best 4th quarter of the season. Mark Blount frequently ventures out to the perimeter to disrupt New Jersey's outside passing game. Trenton Hassell, quiet with 4 points when the quarter begins, erupts for 9, ambushing the Nets for their inattention. Randy Foye assembles a delectable combo platter: a jumper, a layup, 4 converted free throws, 3 dimes, a steal and zero turnovers against Jason Kidd and company. Garnett is huge, choosing to rage at no one and everyone when the quarter began and the Wolves were down 5, willing this 8th quarter in the back-to-back to be as fine as the first quarter the previous evening. And when it's over, KG's dozen points have fueled Minnesota's 37-21 advantage, spangled with 69 percent shooting and 15 free throws.

Friday it was the early knockout punch. Saturday it was the crunchtime grit. Two games that needed to be won if this team is to be considered a bona fide playoff contender. And two games that were won.

What did these two surging 12 minute-spans have in common? Answer that and you'll begin to define the ever-elusive "identity" of this suddenly successful ballclub. It's weird: The Wolves aren't hanging their hat on either their offensive or defensive prowess. They're not monster rebounders, slick passers, bruisers, lightning quick, deadeye long-distance shooters, or anything else. So how or why are they 6-1 in the month of January?

Begin with Garnett. His average numbers for the month or January are phenomenal: 27 points, 14 boards, 4.7 assists, and two and half blocks per game. He is enjoying easily his best season in three years, slightly down from his peak four-five years (which culminated in his MVP season) only because his defense isn't quite as rigorously reliable as it was in his prime, mostly because he tries to help as much as ever and is a split-second slower, and also suffers a few more fatigue-induced mental lapses. But that's praising with faint damns, because, on balance, his D remains very good to great.

If you're looking for a recognizable identity then, I'd say it is KG and His Merry Men, or, Strength in Numbers. I don't know if this is a more talented squad than the 50-win crews Flip Saunders used to assemble, but I do think there is more depth in the sense that any one or two of six guys on this squad--the rest of the starters and the two rooks--can step up and play the kind of second-banana/third-wheel roles that parlay the superstar's leadership into victories. Against Memphis is was obviously Ricky Davis, steamrollin' the Grizz for 27-7-7 and pretty decent defense, especially early when it mattered, with Mike James chipping in 16 points and 7 assists for third wheel status. Versus NJ the next night, I'd crown Foye the Prince to KG's King, and give a third-wheel shout-out to Blount, who is about far more than just the sweet jumper lately.

The point is, just as Garnett stuffs the stat sheet from left to right, the Wolves have a bevy of multi-talented performers who might ring up 20 points one night, dish 8 assists the next, and play shutdown D the next. When at least two of those supporting sextet rise up, the Men are Merry and a W is almost always secured.

2. These are Not Flip's Timberwolves
Whether you liked his style or not (I was a pretty big fan), Flip Saunders had a very recognizable M.O. Above all, Flip favored a crisp passing offense involving multiple sets that contained ever evolving options for each play in the half-court schemes. It produced gorgeous playmaking that yielded a surfeit of open midrange jumpers, many assists, few turnovers, a lack of treys and free throws, and defense that rarely seemed desperate to deny penetration to the hoop.

The most obvious difference with Dwane Casey's Wolves is that the squad plays fundamentally better team defense, especially on the perimeter, showing hard on the pick-and-rolls, but also in the interior rotations by the big men in the paint and along the baseline.

But what is more striking to me lately is the willingness of these Wolves to eschew the pretty pass and put the ball on the floor for a drive to the hoop. Under Flip, Minnesota had almost no chance of victory is they scored fewer field goals than their opponents, because they were always murdered in the trey count and at the free throw line. Now, when an opponent lacks an imposing presence in the paint, the Wolves take it to the rack. Against the Yao-less Rockets they were out-fieldgoaled, 39-32 but made up for it with a huge advantage at the foul line: 34-40 to 12-19 for the Rockets, and the second-half differential at the line was 22-2! Saturday night against the Nets, same deal: outscored in field goals, 40 to 37; but dominant at the line, 32-35 compared to NJ's 11-14. For the season, Minnesota is plus 38 in FTA, and plus 59 in FTM, overcoming its minus 29 in points from the field (due to a big disadvantage in three pointers). You have to go back to 1997-98--Tom Gugliotta's All-Star year--for the last time the Wolves shot more free throws than their opponents.

Part of the credit goes to Casey's defense: sound position D reduces FTs (San Antonio is permitting fewer of them than anyone in the NBA). But the offensive philosophy is also a factor. Garnett is going to the line at a higher rate than at any point in his 11 year career, and the rooks Foye and Smith are among the team's top players in free throws per minute played.

The flipside (pardon the pun) of this is more turnovers. Saunders hated turnovers and sacrificed free throws and penetration to reduce them. I know Casey constantly harps on turnovers too, but thankfully, he doesn't walk his talk to the point where he discourages drives to the hole. One reason KG's free throws are up is because he's wheeling and dealing and fighting for position in the low block instead of settling for the fadeaway. Consider these juxtapositions: in this season's 28 2006 games, Garnett committed more than five turnovers just once and grabbed more than 4 offensive rebounds just once. In the 7 games since the calendar flipped into 2007, KG has hauled in more than 4 offensive rebounds three times, and committed more than 5 turnovers thrice. Do the turnovers hurt? Well, they're not a good thing, of course, but the Wolves are 6-1 in 2007. More to the point, their record is 13-11 when they commit fewer than 18 turnovers, and 6-5 when they commit 18 or more.

3. Quick hits

The book on Bracey Wright is that he's an NBA shooter in a 'tweener, NBDL body. But there he was again in the middle of the Wolves crucial surge against the Nets Saturday night, registering a plus 13 in less than six minutes of action subbing for Ricky Davis. The reason? Wright fulfills his defensive assignments to the max. From 23 seconds to go in the 3rd to 6:49 left in the 4th, the Wolves outscored NJ 17-4. That's four points allowed in 5:34. That doesn't mean I want him iso on Vince Carter, Kidd, or Jefferson when the Wolves need a defensive stop. But like Mark Madsen, another plus/minus stat star, Wright hustles on defense and knows his assignments. Sometimes it's amazing how effective such a simple formula like that can be. Which makes the demise of Eddie Griffin all the more tragic. And stupid.

The debate over Blount being a lousy defender is also pretty well settled, at least until the big dude with the boxing glove for a lower lip reverts to his old ways. Right now he plays the best pick and roll of all the Wolves' bigs, and has become more nasty and aggressive down in the paint. The result is productive crunchtime minutes even if his jumper isn't automatic.

I talked about second bananas and third wheels, but Minnesota is even getting good minutes from its deep bench, whether it is Justin Reed versus Memphis or Bracey against the Nets.

So, having called this team outside the playoffs for 2006-07, am I waffling in light of their recent torrid performance? Waffling, yes, because the Clips, the Kings and the Hornets all are performing well below what I expected. As for the Wolves, they had to make hay in this recent soft spot in their schedule, and to their credit, they did. Now they enter the tough stretch of their January slate: two games apiece against Detroit and Phoenix and a five-game West Coast swing among the next 10 games. If they can achieve a 5-5 split or better, and head into February at least three wins above .500, this Strength in Numbers thing may be for real after all.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 14, 2007 9:28 PM | Comments (21)

 

The Three-Pointer: A Point Shy

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. PG FG: 1-15
When your point guards miss 14 out of 15 shots in a one-point loss, it is the story of the game regardless of how they played otherwise. But for the record, I felt Randy Foye (who was 1-10, and hit 3-4 FTs) and Mike James (scoreless on 0-5) played about equally well aside from their miserable accuracy, with Foye better on defense and in keeping the other team's defenders honest, and James superior at running the offense. And I wish Coach Dwane Casey had subbed James in at some point in a very contentious fourth quarter.

Opponents are beginning to notice that James lacks confidence in his jumper and are playing off him, hurting the manuverability of KG and limiting James's penetration. James turned down a number of open looks during his first stint--8:09--and finally uncorked his first missive, a wide open trey, with 3:39 left in the half. Like so many others recently, it hit the front of the iron. From the coach's post-game comments, you know he is rewarding James for dimes and floor leadership more than converted buckets right now, and James had dutifully followed that lead by trying to spread the ball around and shooting less.

Sometimes it works. But it is not really's James's game; being an aggressive offensive force is his metier, and the reason the Wolves acquired him in the first place. Yes, James has forfeited most of those prerogatives with his shoddy shot selection, inept defense, and, most recently, his corrosive self-doubt. But Casey's tighter rein has enabled a more stable, predictible offense when James is running the show, and there are times, like tonight's opening 7:59 of the 3rd quarter, when the Wolves' O is humming with James in the mix.
In the first 4:38 of the period, the Wolves shot 7-8 from the field, with all the baskets assisted, as the Wolves turned a one-point halftime deficit into a five-point lead. When James sat, Minnesota was 9-14 in the 3rd--9-11 without James's three misses--and still up by 4 with 4:02 left. The next 16:02 belonged to Foye, during which time the Wolves were minus 5.

Foye likewise played the first half as if assists were worth four times more than his own conversions, trying to go with the offensive flow and ignoring his own penetration, the absolute key to his game. Second half, totally different story. Put simply, he was 1-3 FG in 11:49 of the first half, and 0-7 FG in 16:02 of the second half. The kid certainly has that sought-after mixture of confidence and guts you want from your floor leader. With 8:15 left and the Wolves down 3, he drove the baseline and skied in traffic for a monstrous tomahawk jam attempt that naturally got waylaid in mid-air, causing him to crush the ball against the side of the rim. Two further points of context: he was 1-9 from the field at the time, and he calmly sank both free throws.

Still, for almost the entire 16:02 Foye played to finish out the game, the teams were no more than 3 points apart. Despite playing nearly 8 more minutes than James, Foye had 2 fewer assists (and one fewer turnover). After James responded so well in the last 4th quarter stint granted him by Casey, it would have been nice to see the coach spell the rook for a 3-4 minutes span and see what happened. Casey probably thought it was too big or a risk or disruption. There was also not a single second of a James-Foye backcourt tandem tonight, although I won't fault Casey for riding Ricky Davis for this game.

2. Davis Comes To Play
You never know what you're going to get with Davis, although with his hefty minutes-played average, you know that, good or bad, you're going to get a lot of it regardless. Tonight was the Davis that seduces with his talent and versatility. He nailed 4 of 7 treys, continue to fill the outside shooting void caused by James's funk. (After starting the season 7-44 from beyond the arc, which is 16%, he has now nailed 23 of his last 51, or 45%.) He ran like a banshee on both offense and defense, putting constant pressure on the Clips to get back. He stripped Corey Maggette on two drives to the hoop (and someone else another time) without fouling, and threw in a steal for good measure. He did a pretty good job on Sam Cassell out on the perimeter (folks say this was also true of the last Clips game at Target Center, which I missed). He did a fabulous job of stoking Mark Blount's hot streak with his pinpoint passing, finishing with a game-high 7 assists to go with his game-high 24 points, and added 4 rebounds.

When will we next see this kind of game out of Ricky? Could be Friday night in Memphis. Could be awhile. When it happens, it sure is fun to watch.

3. Quick hits.

So after achieving that remarkable +20 game a while back, Bracey Wright has been out of street clothes (Eddie Griffin's new gig as the "healthy scratch") but rarely off the bench. Until tonight, when Casey tosses him into the 4th quarter (where Mike James was once supposed to be). Without KG in the game, the Wolves offense is having trouble getting untracked...except for Bracey, who bisects the key and the baseline on a strong, pretty runner for one hoop and soon afterward dribbles short and quick to his left and buries an 18-footer for another. He was ready to play, and although the last thing this ballclub needs is another swingman clamoring for minutes, how do you not root for someone who stayed perched for performance for games on end and then delivered?

Cheap second-guessing: Mark Blount had just come off a 9-point third quarter that was laden with sweet jumpers (4-5 FG in the period), then committed his 4th foul 57 seconds into the final stanza. Casey benched him until there was 5:15 left to play. Reinserted into the game, Blount had lost his rhythm, muffing a perfect, if zipped with a lot of mustard, feed from Davis when Blount was deep in the paint, then airballing a long J from the corner. I'd like to think I'd have left him in until he committed his 5th foul, but since he played the entire third period, I have to agree with Casey's hook. Not bringing Blount back until the quarter was more than half over is more problematical. But that's a pretty cheap second-guess.

After all the ruckus I tried to raise in my last post against an overreliance on Hassell's offense, he racked up 11 points on just five shots--nice efficiency--getting to the line 8 times and sinking what would have been the winning jumper if Maggette's last shot hadn't twined the hoop.

Despite the loss, I thought the Wolves played pretty well--certainly better than in their overtime victory against Philly. The ball movement was crisp (29 assists/11 turnovers), there weren't any obvious albatrosses on defense, and aside from the point guards, the team went 36-66 from the field.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 11, 2007 12:04 AM | Comments (29)

 

The Three-Pointer: W's in OT

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Leave Hassell Alone
In the wake of Trenton Hassell's career-tying 22-point effort in the first of the Wolves' two overtime wins this weekend, 104-102 over Philadelphia Friday night, both dailies ran stories by their backup beat writers lauding and encouraging more offense from the team's defensive specialist. Fueling this theme were quotes from Kevin Garnett praising Hassell's court IQ while saying "we need him to be more aggressive," and coach Dwane Casey, who is quoted as saying "He can do both [offense and defense]...Those are things we need out of him."

Say what? The Wolves outlasted the 76ers less because Hassell went a gaudy 10-13 from the floor, than because he stemmed the hot streak of Philly's Kyle Korver by chasing him through picks and dribbles and staying in his face during key moments of the second half. Defense the way Hassell plays it is brutally hard work. He almost never goes for the glitzy but high-risk steal, preferring the inexorable task of trying to deny his man a clear shot at the basket. He defends the fadeaway jumper as well as any swingman in the game, having learned to jump forward with his hand in his opponent's face without causing contact. He guards little speedsters like Tony Parker, lethal catch-and-shoot artists like Korver, and large, rangy marksmen like Tracy McGrady.

Last year, when the bottom fell out of the Wolves' offense and the team was using him in a lot more post-up schemes, Hassell conceded to me that playing staunch defense frequently left him sapped of energy at the other end, and that the extra effort on offense was making his standard bulkwark D more problematical. It was neither a complaint nor an excuse: he stated it as fact. Yes, KG is right, Hassell has become extremely clever at both moving the ball and moving without the ball over the past year. Both if he going to remain the stopper on defense for this ballclub, the team should regard his offensive explosions as bonuses or happy accidents. Claiming they "need" more O from Hassell insults the depth of his commitment to defense.

Hey, here's a concept: Instead of pressing Hassell for points and dimes, how about seeing if you can make Ricky Davis give a damn about defense more than once every two or three games, for more than two or three quarters a game. Davis is two inches taller, quicker, and more athletic than Hassell. Yet somehow Korver managed to undress Davis during his second half scoring sprees, to the point where Casey first switched him off Korver and then sent him to the bench altogether, at which point the Wolves reeled off a 12-1 to go up by 9 midway through the 4th quarter. Yet Casey reinserted Davis for the last 5:04 of regulation--for better spacing on offense, he said after the game--during which time the Wolves blew their lead and went to overtime.

Flash forward to the 4th quarter Sunday afternoon against Houston and Davis is once again playing indifferent defense, allowing Luther Head to drive right past him for an easy layup. With the Wolves up 6 and 7:56 left to go, Davis looks mightily peeved as Casey sends him to the bench. "Good riddance," I think. Except that Houston goes on a 14-6 run and is up by a deuce when Davis returns at 3:13. Heroes and villains aren't that simple.

Let's give credit where it's due and then sort out the bad from the biased. Because Davis shoots decently, passes better than that, has learned not to hog the ball, and can capably jumpstart the offense a half-dozen different ways, he merits scrutiny by opponents and contributes to better spacing on the offensive end. On defense, Davis will show flashes of effort, diving on the floor for a loose ball, hounding his man as the shot clock goes down, or shrewdly setting himself up for a steal. But even more often, there are ghastly lapses in his defensively intensity, in both man-to-man and defensive rotation situations. It is the sort of selfish, bullshit play that leads one to suspect he has no honor. That's on Davis. That he is almost never penalized for this lack of defensive effort with fewer minutes is on Casey, the coach who claims defense is a top priority and who doesn't mind pressuring Hassell for more offense.

And yet, when all is said and done, Davis is ultimately more aggravating than ineffective. Yes he loafs and gets burned, but he is also athletic enough and sneaky quick enough to play better than one might imagine. Bottom line, Ricky Davis is a mediocre defender. But because he so clearly could be a top-notch defender with just a little more gumption and personal sacrifice, there's a temptation (one to which I frequently yield) to label him a horrible defender. Sometimes he just doesn't give a shit. So be it. But before everyone starts pushing Hassell to bury a few more jumpers, it would help if they could figure out how to get Davis to make a few more stops at the other end.

2. James Remains the X Factor
Mike James has failed to answer the bell consistently enough to exhaust most of his supporters. Although their demons become manifest in very different ways, comparisons of James and last year's Marko Jaric were becoming unavoidable. Slowly and fitfully, however, James has begun to contest his demise. He's had wretched first quarters the past two games, going scoreless with one assist in a combined 16:56 while allowing his counterparts Andre Miller and Rafer Alston to amass 15 points and 4 assists in that same timespan. When NBA Rookie of December Randy Foye notched his first double-double with a ten assist display against Philadelphia, the notion of James getting many more chances to prove his worth in the starting lineup seemed in jeopardy.

But check the third quarters of those games. James had 16 points and 7 assists in a combined 20:27 while Miller and Alston combined for two points and two assists over that period. So when Foye followed up his shakey second quarter against the Rockets by being unable to coordinate the offense as Houston turned a 9-point deficit into a lead with four and a half minutes left to play in regulation, Casey made a gutsy substitution and gave James extended crunchtime minutes for the first time in weeks. James responded by finishing with the same glorious ten assists/one turnover ratio as Foye compiled on Friday. If you want to feel good about the Timberwolves, having a pair of floor generals each go 10/1 in successive games--even if they were both overtimes--is a nice place to start.

Those who clamor for Foye to start at the point are guided by clean, simple logic. Foye appears to have the chance to be a special player. Let's hasten his development in time for him to become KG's best-ever teammate and maybe get a shot at a ring three years or so down the road. I've got no problem with Foye getting 30 minutes a game for precisely that reason; I just think at least half of them should be at the off-guard. That would allow Foye to absorb the nuances of the point slowly but surely, lessen the impact of the "rookie wall" most first-year players hit about 50 games into the season, give he and James a chance to exploit their naturally complementary talents (Foye as penetrator, James as bomber), and provide Davis with consequences for his shoddy D.

But more than that, James was never supposed to be a mere stopgap; when you plan to pay a guy nearly $24 million over the next four years, he too should be an integral part of your future. And as for the present, the best and perhaps only shot for the Wolves to make the playoffs this season is if James steps up and becomes the chief ball-handler against pressure defenses. (Otherwise, you have KG coming down to lend a hand against the press, as he often did in the second half against Philly with Foye in the game.)

Finally, a return to form by James and a relatively healthy Rashad McCants back in stride would enable Minnesota to flip one of their innumerable swingmen for a tall banger before the end of the trading deadline. Because the Wolves still play as if they're on a tightrope whenever Garnett takes a second-half breather.

3.Craig Smith: Mini-slump or flash in the pan?
The second-rounder from Boston College was one of the league's feel-good stories the first month of the season, but seems to have lost his mojo in recent weeks. That neat little floater he rolls up from his elbow seems to be grazing the front iron instead of the twine; the sinewy offensive rebounds more frequently prompt the ref's whistle for a foul; his rotations no longer seem to be spot-on almost ahead of the beat; and his role in general has been diminished by Blount's enhanced defense, KG's dominance, and the ability to match up with smaller lineups.

Some of this may be due to Smith appearing on the scout's radar; no doubt the word is out that you need to put a body on him, and it better be a large one unless you can go small and lure him out of the paint. After the first week or two of the season, I always thought Smith shaped up as a nice, semi-valuable role player, about 8th or 9th in your rotation. Neither his eye-opening November nor his desultory past two weeks have altered that opinion.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 8, 2007 12:26 AM | Comments (26)

 

The Three-Pointer: Fiber to Grow On

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. The Sweet J of Mark Blount
Somewhere out there in Wolves land, television color announcer Jim Petersen (with an e instead of an o, folks, a mistake I too have made) is chortling mightily. Petersen has been hailing Mark Blount as the savior of the Wolves previously sorry center situation for the entire season now, and while I wouldn't say he's been right all along, he certainly looks prescient in light of Blount's recent play. I'd also stipulate that nobody on the roster has maxed out his potential as thoroughly as Blount this season. He was reliable for most of the first 25 or so games, with some minor backsliding into shoddy defense, stone hands, and penurious rebounding, but when you pulled back and looked at the big picture, he generally was making slow, steady improvement.

But in the past few games there has been a quantum leap forward, highlighted by tonight's exciting overtime win over the Spurs 103-101. Having already canned two mid-range jumpers, Blount missed with his third attempt three minutes and one second into the game. And with 7:37 left in the 4th quarter, Blount's jumper in the lane was blocked by Tim Duncan. Those were his only misses in 14 attempts; toss in 4 free throws and you've got a game-high 28 points. Let the curmudgeons note that he snared only 4 boards in 42 minutes; when you are close to unstoppable on offense--or at least efficient enough to put up 28 on 14 shots--you can leave the rebounding to KG (who had 17).

Blount took what the Spurs gave him. He was 6-7 from the field in the first half, with all but one of those bullseyes coming from at least 17 feet away. He was 6-7 from the field in the second half and overtime, with all but two of them coming from 13 feet in or less. You knew this quintessential catch-and-shooter was scorching hot when he put the ball on the floor, dribbled to his left and banged home an 17-footer in the final minute of the third period.

And for the second straight game, Blount was a positive force on defense, playing superstar Tim Duncan head-up in the paint for most of the game, resulting in a strong but not atypical night for Duncan who was stressed for his 24 points (more than for his 13 renbounds, four assists, and five blocks). It also resulted in a significant energy savings for KG, who rang up 27-17-7 with three blocks and four turnovers against mostly Robert Horry and Matt Bonner. Blount picked up only three fouls while pretty much holding his own against Duncan and helping to seal off penetration by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobelli. According to popcornmachine.net, his +9 was the second best total on the team. And he committed only one turnover in those 42 minutes. Well done.

2. Foye Seizing Point Guard Mantle
I've said all year that Randy Foye is not a point guard. Tonight was his best rebuttal thus far; better than the 7 assists he amassed in the embarrassing loss to the Spurs three weeks ago, when Minnesota got only 26 points in the second half and Foye thrived in garbage time. Tonight, he had only three dimes but each one was eye-opening both for its elan and anticipatory manuvering. Specifically, Foye dished off the dribble, passed in traffic down in the paint, and didn't pick up his dribble when San Antonio showed hard on the pick and rolls. The offense didn't bog while he surveyed the floor looking for openings; he made those assessments more rapidly and fostered a passing tempo more likely to make his teammates share the rock and move without the ball. In short, he acted like a point guard, and if he wasn't exactly Jason Kidd or Steve Nash, he also didn't turn the ball over once in 41:11 against arguably the best defensive team on the planet.

The question was asked of coach Dwame Casey after the game: Given the way Foye and Mike James are playing, isn't it time Foye became the starter? Casey replied that he figured that question was coming and pretty said he'd keep things the way they are. This is wise. As it is now, Foye is already the crunchtime point guard, playing more in the final period than any other stanza. As the team's big free agent signing and the feel-good story of an erstwhile journeyman who scrapped his way into a fine contract and a key role on a squad, Mike James needs the cloak of dignity, gossamer tho it may be, in being the starter. Yeah, there are games when he might be like the lunking 7-foot centers about a dozen teams used to start games a few years ago, who would then sit fairly quickly, rarely to be seen again. But you don't want to punt James's confidence (or raise Foye's already healthy ego) any further. The guy has some skills. If it turns out over the rest of the season that he's taken the money and run, there will be three more long years left to rip him. Meanwhile, he's got to start dedicating himself to defense and penetration (the treys are a rhythm thing that will improve with his comfort level). Because if and when McCants comes back, backcourt minutes will only become more precious, and James can't pull rank indefinitely. (BTW, he had 6 points, four fouls, one assist and two turnovers in a mere 16:26 out of a possible 53:00 tonight.)

3. The Bread and Butter and Three Other Quick Hits
The two clubs were within 5 points of each other from the 9:11 mark of the 4th quarter straight through overtime. During that time, Minnesota ran one play what seemed like about 80 percent of the time in their half-court sets. KG would set up about midway down the left block. Foye would dribble over, dump it off to him, and then cut to the hoop along the baseline. KG had the options of a give and go; or faking that and, while pivoting to face the basket, then dropping the ball off to a still driving Foye; or wheeling for his trademark outside shoulder turnaround jumper; or up-faking and then driving for the hoop himself; or surveying the court and dishing to another teammate left open by the reaction to two-man game he was playing with Foye; or simply waiting for Foye to come back around and freelancing off it again.

There are many advantages to this series, which is in the process of becoming (if it isn't already) the Wolves' bread and butter play. It puts Minnesota's three most dangerous offensive options into focus: KG on the left block, Foye driving to the hoop, and Mark Blount setting up on the weakside wing ready to catch and shoot his smoove jumper. It also spaces the floor nicely, with Ricky Davis usually camped over in the corner. The Wolves' didn't run it all that effectively tonight--Blount wasn't exploited enough when he was open, Davis missed a couple of wide open crunchtime jumpers, and San Antonio were tough hombres on both Foye and KG. But as Casey pointed out, the play does draw out the opposing big man who has to cover Blount, giving Foye (or KG) less tall timber to negotiate in the paint, and opening up space for the likes of Trenton Hassell to sneak in and grab an offensive rebound, as he did to seal tonight's game.

Speaking of Hassell, he had another beautiful peformance. Every game has a player-type whose selflessness and ability to do the "little" nuance things endear him to the purists, and Hassell fits that mold. He was the main reason Tony Parker scored only 19 points (7-15 FG for a guy traditionally among the league leaders in accuracy from the field) and dealt only 4 assists in 39:41. And he exploited the Spurs defensive weaknesses off the bench (Brent Barry and Michael Finley, for example), scoring nine of his 11 points in a span of less than two minutes toward the end of the opening period--a flurry that changed the complexion of the game by bumping the Wolves lead from 3 to 10 and forcing the Spurs to play catchup, and when they pulled even early in the 4th, they didn't have enough left to hang on in overtime. Kevin Garnett reminded me (and other reporters) in the locker room later that Hassell did the same pivotal thing in the second period of the Charlotte game when he went at Adam Morrison and exposed the rookie's defensive shortcomings.

With tonight's win, Dwane Casey is pretty much assured of hanging on to his job for the foreseeable future. After last month's fiasco against the Lakers, rumors were rampant that Casey would be canned, with many figuring the most likely time to this four-game homestand right after the holidays. Casey coached well tonight choosing one vet (Blount over Craig Smith) and one rook (Foye over James) for the preponderance of minutes at the two most tightly contested positions, point guard and center, on the ballclub.

Finally, I usually just let egregious officiating calls go. But I've got to say that tonight the Spurs, and in particular Ginobelli, got screwed twice in ways that could swung the game the other way. The first was on a Ginobelli layup that tied the score with 28 seconds left in regulation. Blount wacked him across the arm as he was shooting in a manner not only beyond dispute, but beyond the normal judgment parameters of do-you-or-don't-you let them play in the closing moments of a game. He got hacked, and nailed the bucket anyway. He should have been given the chance to put his team ahead.
The second time Ginobelli was jobbed by the refs is when he and Ricky Davis (who he thoroughly outplayed) got tied up heading back down the floor after a Spurs hoop and got chippy as they both went down. Davis threw an elbow and Ginobelli responded in kind. So far, so good. But then when Ginobelli was trying to get up, Davis, who seemed to be waiting for that to happen while on the floor himself, dove at his legs and submarined him off his feet. Play was stopped, people jawed and stared a little, and the refs assessed Davis and Ginobelli a techinical apiece. But Davis clearly committed two infractions. Rather than boot him with two T's, I would have kept the one tech apiece and awarded a personal foul to Davis. At the time, Minnesota was up two with 1:41 left in overtime.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 3, 2007 11:15 PM | Comments (28)

 

The Three-Pointer: Clawing Back in Carolina

Filed under: Timberwolves

1) 3 Remains the Charm
Once again Kevin Garnett demonstrated that if you have two fairly potent scoring options well-spaced in the half-court sets, he is one of the very best players in the game. After spotting the 9-22 Charlotte Bobcats a 20-point lead in the second quarter (which remained double-digits heading into the fourth), Minnesota roared back with a 34-18 4th quarter to secure a 1-2-96 victory.

KG? 13 points, 3 boards and 3 assists in the final stanza, fi