February 2007

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The Three-Pointer: Embarrassed At Home by 26

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. The latest ugly
First Mark Blount got his shot blocked by Dirk Nowitzki. Then five straight turnovers, two apiece by Blount and Ricky Davis and one by Kevin Garnett. It was 8-0 Dallas by the time Blount hit a jumper nearly four minutes into the game. By the end of the first quarter, not a single Timberwolf had made half his field goal attempts, with the team as a whole shooting 31.8%. Then it got worse. When it was over, Minnesota had set a franchise record for lowest team FG percentage, 29.6%, and scored the fewest points at home in its history while losing 65-91.

Yes, Dallas plays team defense as well as their Texas brethren in Houston and San Antonio, and probably rotates more efficiently than any team in the league, with once-derided defenders such as Nowitzki and Jason Terry doggedly doing their share, setting the tone demanded by coach Avery Johnson. But the Mavs, on the second end of a home-road back-to-back, didn't play that well in winning their 48th game in 53 tries. Minnesota had open looks and clanged them. When the Mavs turned it over (11 in the first half) the Wolves couldn't convert (only 7 points off those 11 miscues). Coach Randy Wittman, who occasionally swore a blue streak on the sideline, and, if nothing else, gives much better postgame than his predecessor Dwane Casey, neatly summarized the low points.

"I thought we were a step behind right from the opening tap," Wittman said. "The game just kind of spiraled." He noted the slew of early turnovers and described the ensuing offense as "one-pass or no-pass and then a shot. This was a totally different feel than sharing the ball against Washington [last Sunday]." He added that if he calls a play now, his team will exhaust the play rather than reacting to what the defense has done. The key word was probably "react," since movement away from the ball was atrocious. Rebounding was another factor. Although Dallas missed 12 fewer shots than the Wolves, they grabbed four more offensive rebounds, and owned the glass 54-39 overall. Wittman called out his front court for being soft. "We don't have toughness from any of our bigs to go and get a rebound. They had Dampier, Diop, even Nowitzki, and we just got pushed under the boards."

2. Blount and KG come up small
Almost exactly since Mark Madsen sprained his ankle and thinned the ranks of Minnesota big men, Mark Blount has made it a bad habit to get in early foul trouble. Tonight Blount was a real pip, committing more fouls and turnovers (five apiece) than he grabbed rebounds (4) in a measly, foul-addled 23:34 minutes of play. Since the All Star break, he's scoring less than 11 points per game on sub-40% shooting, and is grabbing less than 5 boards per game. Unless Madsen comes back soon, it is time to consider signing a minor-league big to a 10-day contract.

One game after my staunch defense of Garnett, he turned in another woeful performance. His interior defense was slipshod and his stamina just wasn't there as he played more than 20 straight minutes of the second half before finally ambling to the bench with 3:41 to play and the Mavs up by 21. A few times in the 4th quarter, he barely crossed the half court line as his team went down the court. It seemed to be punishment, or tough love, or something, that compelled Wittman to leave him in. Bottom line, and with all due respect, KG is beginning to erode some of the bright luster that he has created through more than a decade of hustle and polish in this town. If tonight's second half is the best he can do, he needs to be spelled for a few minutes once or twice. And if it isn't the best he can do, he needs to be pulled those same few minutes to send a message that sterling reputations and classy off-court behavior don't win ballgames.

3. Silver linings and a note of thanks
Of the dozen players who saw time tonight, only two, Trenton Hassell and Craig Smith, earned their pay with a complete effort. Not coincidentally, they are also the two players with the clearest idea of what their respective roles are and how best to fulfill them. Hassell had twice as many assists (6) as anyone on the team, committed just one turnover, and played relatively solid D (even getting a pair of rare steals). His -11 in 30:02 minutes was probably the best plus/minus ratio of anyone on the squad. Smith was most active among the dwindling Minnesota big men, grabbling 8 boards in 29:18 (in fairness to Garnett, he corralled 13 in 39:27) and actually sinking half his eight field goal attempts. He's too small to play center against most teams in this league, and, probably because he's a rookie, only earns about a third of the charges he takes. But, like Hassell, he demonstrated grit of the sort that would please Avery Johnson.

Back in October 1991, I wrote a cover story for City Pages entitled "Born to Run." The entire region was enthralled with the Twins, who were about to embark on their second successful World Series, and here CP was emblazoned with a photo showing then-new Wolves coach Jimmy Rodgers in freeze-framed animation moving down the sideline. That was the beginning of my beat writing on this franchise, during which time, the honchos at the paper rarely wavered in their support of my coverage, even as the team personified dysfunction—"the gulag on the frozen tundra" was my favorite description—and never won so much as 30 games under a revolving door of coaches and comical personnel decisions. I will always be grateful to former editor Steve Perry, who first proposed the idea of a basketball column after hearing me talk pro hoops with then-music editor Jim Walsh over a lunch to determine if I was going to jump to CP from the Twin Cities Reader.

Now Perry and Walsh are gone from City Pages, and with this paragraph, so am I. Whatever philosophical differences I've had with the new regime, they have graciously allowed me to continue this blog right up until the time of my March 1 departure, and for that I want to publicly thank them. Some of you have inquired where I am headed. Rest assured that I will be continuing to cover the team in much the same manner, particularly with respect to these post-game treys. I think it would be bad form to mention where I will be posting, but will try and spread the word to the other basketball blogs and anyone else who has linked or otherwise helped disseminate my stuff in the past year or two. I will say that there is some symmetry involved, in that the person who owns the publication where I will be blogging beginning Sunday night, is the person who owned City Pages when I first started doing hoops more than 15 years ago. I shouldn't be too hard to find and hope you'll come along. Because I continue to cherish the conversation and the shared passion you bring to the table.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 28, 2007 6:58 AM | Comments (36)

 

No love for Oliva

Filed under: MLB

Once again, the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee has banded together and voted to disallow anyone else from joining their club. Among those snubbed were two huge figures in Twins history: Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat.

The Veterans Committee--comprising all living Hall of Famers plus recipients of the Frick and Spink awards (for baseball broadcasters and writers, respectively)--meets every odd year to vote on those players passed over by the Hall of Fame's annual voters, the Baseball Writers Association of America (or BBWAA, as in "bbwaa-ha-ha, Bert Blyleven, you'll never be good enough for the Hall, NEVER!") If a player isn't elected by the BBWAA after 15 years of eligibility, they go to the Veterans Committee. There, if 75 percent of the body approves (that was 62 votes out of 82 this year), they are inducted.

Except, that never happens. In 2001, the committee's composition was rejiggered into its current state, and since then they've failed to elect a single player to the Hall.

Earlier today, Kaat received 52 votes. Oliva, 47. Ron Santo, the Cubs thirdbaseman, led the pack with 57. Even Roger Maris, holder of the single-season homerun record for 37 years before a juiced Big Mac stole it, received just 18.3 percent of the vote (compared to the 23.5 percent McGwire received from the BBWAA in January).

Here's hoping they loosen up by 2012. That's the year Blyleven joins Oliva and Kaat on the ballot.

Posted by Chuck Terhark at February 27, 2007 5:17 PM | Comments (1)

 

Next stop for Twins ballpark: Fantasyland!

Filed under: Twins

For all the acrimony and greed clouding the stalled land acquisition for the new Twins ballpark (see "Squeeze Play," CP 02/07/2007), one major point seems to be lost while everyone waits for eminent domain proceedings to run their course: Namely, that as the clock ticks, the stadium costs creep upward on what is now almost a daily basis.

This was evident at the February 16 Ballpark Authority Meeting. Dan Mehls, a representative for Mortenson Construction, the general contractor for the project, laid out the price of any delays: "One week would costs thousands of dollars, and one month would cost tens of thousands of dollars." He hastened to add that the money would come from the capped $90 million Hennepin County has to spend on acquisition and site prep.

But it's also true that any delays would drive up stadium construction costs, which are what the Twins are ponying up for—and the team is also responsible for any cost overruns, which are now likely. For instance, the price for the entire project jumped some $45 million from $478 million in early 2005 to a projected $522 million a year ago.

So why wouldn't the Twins get involved now, bridge the gap between what the county wants to spend on land and what the landowners want, and no doubt save themselves some tens of millions in the long run?

You're allowed to laugh, given that the team is owned by Carl Pohlad, perhaps the cheapest billionaire on planet Earth. But the question was posed to David St. Peter, Twins president, at the Ballpark Authority meeting anyway. "If you could guarantee me that the county and the landowners are $5 million apart, we might seriously look at that," St. Peter said, "But I read in your paper that the gap is much larger than that." (Actually, neither side has indicated how far apart they are.)

It was a semi-stunning concession from a guy representing the most penny-pinching team in all of professional sports, but when pressed further, St. Peter conjured up the ghost—oh, wait, he's not dead yet. Or rather the spirit of ol' Skinflint Carl. "It's a matter of risk assessment. We're going to spend every dollar we have for this project because we need a ballpark to be a competitive franchise," St. Peter offered. "But the notion that the team would bail out the county or the land owners at this point, that's just fantasy land."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at February 26, 2007 1:43 PM | Comments (2)

 

The Three-Pointer: Glass 1/3 Full

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Garnett: Appreciation #432
The Wolves suffered their third loss in a row coming out of the All-Star break Friday against Phoenix, then barely beat a Washington team that was 10-15 on the road, was missing both Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison because of injury, and spent a miserable couple of days battling the Minnesota snow, including a multi-hour stint on a Duluth runway after circling for 2 hours over the Twin Cities trying to land yesterday. I understand the glass is 2/3 empty. But I've never been a big fan of despair, martyrdom, or apathy, especially when it comes to pro hoops, so it's important to me to also focus on the stuff that makes the glass 1/3 full.

Specifically, a point in my last trey was entitled "Toasted Superstar" and referred to the mental exhaustion I noticed in Kevin Garnett, via his inability to dominate matchups in which he was clarly the superior player. That the opponents in question, Andray Blatche and Emet Okefor, were considerably younger was also mentioned. Then I went on KFAN with Chad Hartman, and, when pressed, acknowledged that if the goal of the Wolves franchise was to win a championship, trading Garnett was the only option because I did not foresee how they could rebuild quickly and thoroughly enough to do it during the remaining years of his career.

All this left me feeling lousy. I've always been a huge KG defender, and felt very comfortable at it, arguing on pure basketball grounds. Now I was wavering, caught up in the frustrations of this season, the inevitability of Garnett's timeline and the simple fact that I believe this franchise will miss the playoffs for a third straight season with him on the roster. I don't take back anything I said previously, in these Three-Pointers or on the radio. But it is also time--past time, as always for those of us who have learned to take this superstar for granted--for another appreciation of Garnett's game.

First of all, who is the second-best player on this season's Timberwolves? A case can be made that it is a four-way tie between the other current starters--Davis/Hassell/Foye/Blount (the way I'd order them if I had to)--which tells you all you need to know about what an undistinguished lot Garnett has to work with. Here's an exercise: Pick your own second-best player. Now ask yourself if you'd deal that player for the second best player on any of the other 14 Western Conference teams, strictly for what they can bring in the 2006-07 season and without factoring in what the Wolves already have or don't have in terms of that position on the court. I'm choosing Ricky Davis, but I could also lean toward Hassell or Foye. Nevertheless, here are the players I would trade for anyone but Garnett if I were assembling a roster and the remaining 25 games of this season and a potential trip to the playoffs were all that mattered:

Dallas: Nowitski/Howard/Terry/Stackhouse
Phoenix: Nash/Marion/Stoudamire/Barbosa/Diaw
San Antonio: Duncan/Parker/Ginobili
Utah: Boozer/Kirilenko/Deron Williams
Houston: Yao/McGrady/Battier
Lakers: Kobe/Odom/Bynum
Denver: Melo/Iverson/Camby
New Orleans: Paul/Chandler/West
Clippers: Brand/Maggette
Golden State: Harrington/Biedrins/Pietrus
Sacramento: Artest/Bibby
Memphis: Gausol/Mike Miller
Portland: Zach Randolph/Pryz/Roy/Webster
Seattle: Allen/Rashard Lewis

Every team has at least two players better than the Wolves's second best. I see only one close call here: Rashard Lewis with Seattle, who has been hurt and is pretty much a push with Davis in many ways (and no, I don't think either Chris Wilcox or Nick Collison are better). Some might say Biedrins (and Pietrus, for that matter) are still too raw this season, but I feel pretty good about what Biedrins has brought and in any case, GS has been hampered by injuries to their two best players, Baron Davis and Jason Richardson, so a case could be made that under normal circumstances, Biedrins is no better than their 4th best player.

But toting it up, I would trade the Wolves second-best player for the second-best player on every single Western Conference team, the third best player on half of those teams (7 out of 14) the fourth best player on two teams, and the fifth best player on Phoenix. That's the short-term supporting cast of these Wolves.

During the Wolves' weekend split--a 12-point loss to Phoenix on Friday night and this afternoon's 98-94 win over Washington--KG averaged 27 points, 18 rebounds and 2 assists. Against Phoenix, he constantly forced the action, making it difficult to believe anyone ever regarded him as too unselfish, registering zero assists and six turnovers while racking up more than twice as many points (and nearly four times as many rebounds) as any one of his teammates. When I asked him if it was purposeful, this lack of sharing, given that he did get 28 points on just 16 shots and went off for 44 the last time he played the Suns, he talked about needing to be aggressive and looking for his shot, while acknowledging that the team plays better as a unit when the ball is moving and everyone is involved. "It puts me sort of between a rock and a hard place," he concluded.

There was a lot of talk--by me included--about how well young Blatche played versus KG last time out, but this afternoon was no contest. Garnett was 26-17-4 in 35:58 versus Blatche's 6-6-1 in 31:56. What struck me was how much KG was going to the hole--when was the last time you remember him getting 6 buckets in the deep paint (3 dunks, a tip-in, a lay-up and a five-foot bunny) and 9 FTA in the same game? That was probably a main reason why, as Steve Aschburner noted to me after the game, that the Wolves were +16 with KG on the court and -12 during the 12:02 he didn't play. When I mentioned his paint-oriented focus after the game, Garnett said, "Witt's been on my ass lately about bringing a little more force and challenging me to find different ways to score. I'm trying it his way...he thinks I'm perfect and when I mess up he looks at me all weird and shit. I take it." A minute later, when asked if he wants Wittman to return as coach, KG paused a half-beat and then said, "Absolutely."

He also talked about boosting Foye's confidence with a pep talk, and also getting into Ricky Davis's face--RD's nickname is "Pretty Ricky," likely in reference to both the R&B group and his diva personality--a little bit with encouragement during the game. "Sometimes Ricky needs someone to say something real to him. He only respects a few people around here. Fortunately, I'm one of them."

2. Beautiful Backcourt
Whether it was Garnett's words, the snow-addled Wizards, or just time for an uptick, both Davis and Foye had strong games to complement the superstar. I'll take Pretty Ricky's six turnovers any time when he's nailing 11-17 from the field--nearly all of them smart shots--getting after it on defense, and making memorably gorgeous plays like the flick chest pass he delivered after Foye blocked a pass into Davis's arms and sped down the court in transition. In a blink, Ricky hit him in stride. As much as Davis aggravates, precious few players have that combination of nerve, finesse, and court instincts to display in a beautiful split second. Davis also gave Steve Nash all he could handle, blanketing his vision with dogged pressure and his 6-7 framed appendages as the Wolves jumped up on Phoenix early on Friday.

Wittman was right when he called Foye's effort "as good a floor game as he's played all year." Five first-quarter assists, spread around the floor to different teammates. A solid third quarter where he sank a trey and a deuce in three total attempts, grabbed three boards, dished two dimes and pocketed a pair of steals, all without stepping on the delightful two-man game Davis and KG had going. (In the second and third quarters combined, KG scored 20 of his 26, Davis 19 of his 27.) In the fourth period, Foye turned scorer, holding his assist total at 8 but leading the team with 6 points, including a pair of game-swinging free throws right after Mark Blount had coughed up two misses from the line with the Wolves up 2 with less than a minute to play. The steps are baby steps, and some will go backward, but overall Foye is a better point guard now than he was three weeks ago, and will be better three weeks from now.

3. Quick hits
I really do think the Wolves played well on Friday, never giving up after the Suns blew them out in the second quarter, 39-22. But there was an infuriating stretch in the third period of today's game, where Minnesota had stetched a 7 point halftime lead to ten with 8:21 to play, and the beleaguered Wiz appeared ready for their blowout. Then inexplicably, the Wolves chose to focus on posting Trenton Hassell up on Jarvis Hayes or feeding the ball to a stone cold Mark Blount on offensive, while allowing the streaky, and suddenly hot, DeShawn Stevenon to launch open treys at the other end. Just like that it was a tie game is less than two minutes. Fortunately, Washington was almost destined to lose this game, but it is this type of clueless, boneheaded decisionmaking and lack of recognition that makes you wonder who is the culprit behind the club's low composite court IQ this season.

Blount is making like the second coming of Felton Spencer with his proclivity for early fouls, and it is not a pretty sight. His jumper is also hinky at the moment--he was 4-15 FG today--and it may be time to invoke the Szczerbiak rule with the big galoot: If the jumper isn't going in the hole it is time to send the shooter to the pine. Especially when Craig Smith has awakened from his January somnambulance and is back to body-pinballing his way into putbacks, take-charges, and keeping balls alive for others to snare on the boards.

Emerging star Gilbert Arenas was a woeful 4-22 FG, clearly fatigue induced, as he was missing some fairly open long-range attempts. But one key to the win was the Wolves' ability to cut down on gifting him free throws. After ringing up a perfect 7-7 FT in the first period, he shot only five more the rest of the way. "Last time we gave him too many wide angles to the basket," Wittman opined. "Tonight we did a good job of clogging the lane."

Rashad McCants was +10 in just 4:13 of second quarter action this afternoon without scoring a point, grabbing a rebound or getting an assist. But Davis and Garnett were in a silky flow during his stint, and you wonder (hope?) that the offensive threat Shaddy provides cleared some spacing for the pair to go to work. McCants's second brief stint didn't go so well (-3 I think) but let's hope we don't have to wait for season garbage time like last year before McCants becomes a greater part of what the Wolves feature on offense. He's fitful and rusty, but still one of the precious few reasons to think pleasantly about this team's future in the next couple of years.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 25, 2007 6:37 PM | Comments (24)

 

The Three-Pointer: Imploding

Filed under: Timberwolves

1.The Randy Wittman Show
Sometimes he's been wry, sometimes rueful, sometimes angry, sometimes circumspect, but if Randy Wittman's Timberwolves are going to continue losing 9 out of every 14 games they play, and especially if they include such abominable, belly-up displays like tonight's blowing of a 17-point lead in a 95-100 home loss to a 20-33 Eastern Conference team like the Charlotte Bobcats, he's going to run out of ways of pretending to be in charge as the franchise crumbles under the corrosive chemistry in the locker room and the unremitting boredom displayed by those expected to be once and future fans.

Wittman knows that deadpanned platitudes and oblique criticism didn't work for his predecessor--and he had a .500 record. Thus, as the Wolves continually make liars out of their Owner and Personnel Veep by not being a juggernaut of consistency clambering up the playoff-seed ladder, it becomes incumbent upon him to do variations on the theme of exasperation. The catch is that Wittman's hands are tied--the roster is the roster, and will remain so unless a deal is swung before tomorrow's trading deadline. He may monkey a little with minutes to ostensibly send a message, but even Greg Popovich doesn't have any more than two or three players in his doghouse at a time--and Larry Brown proved with last year's Knicks that even the best coaches crash and burn when they publicly embarrass more than half the team. So it was a few weeks ago when Witt took special aim at his guards, threatening to shake up the rotation, only to reverse himself the very next day and say that the real problem was that he hadn't made it clear enough what he wanted--that, essentially, it was a communication issue and that he was at fault. Uh huh.

In the growing pantheon of Wolves 2006-07 losses, tonight was the worst on Witt's watch, and ranks second only to the epic Lakers loss when the Wolves were outscored 7-34 at home in the 4th quarter. Minnesota had 19 assists versus just 5 turnovers while shooting 63.4% to build a 58-45 first half lead. In the second half they shot 29%, squeezing out two assists--zippo in the 4th quarter--while committing 7 turnovers. It was the kind of performance that might even have compelled Dwane Casey to push past cliche in his postgame comments. What wrinkle would "take no prisoners," "no nonsense" Wittman come up with to show that this time he really was going to grab the wheel, or find the directions, or broil a newt's eye, and get this thing turned around once and for all?

"Our frame of mind was focused on `me' rather than 'we,'" Wittman began..."we got caught up in 'Am I getting enough shots? Are they running plays for me?' That's what happened to us tonight. We stopped playing... they outhustled us." In other words, the coach was calling his players selfish and lazy. It would have been more effective if he had named names, and to the discredit of myself and other members of the assembled media, we didn't ask him to. I did wonder out loud whether using playing time as a cudgel and being this specific in his criticism with them directly might cause him to "lose the team."

"Our record is 25 and 29," Witt replied. "I'm not worried about losing my team, I'm trying to find guys who want to play. I want five guys who are going to play for the team, not to score 16 points and get 10 rebounds. I would rather lose that way than the way he lost tonight...I am tired of guys pouting on the court during a game, worried about not getting enough minutes or enough touches. We didn't go down fighting tonight."

So, I said, There will be changes? "I don't know," the coach replied, feeling the rock and the hard place getting tighter.

2. A Toasted Superstar
Kevin Garnett looked mentally exhausted sitting on the bench during timeouts. Sometimes he stared into space, sometimes he seemed to be talking to himself, gesticulating slightly to make his points. The past two games, including Tuesday's loss at Washington, KG has gone 26-13-1 and 22-11-2; pretty fair stats for most, but a sign of trouble in this context for the Wolves.

Neither the Wizards nor the Bobcats had anyone who should have matched up well with Garnett--these are the kind of games he traditionally has dominated, in ways that eclipse his gaudy stats. But for the past two nights, Garnett looked better on paper than he did on the court. Against Washington, the Wizards were without captain Antawn Jamison (a guy KG has always owned) and subbed in Andray Blatche, a 20-year rookie starting just the third game of his pro career. But as Washington raced out to a 31-19 first quarter lead that held up throughout the game and set the tone for the entire game, Blatche delivered 5pts-6rbs-2asts to KG's 4-3-1, at worst playing the superstar to a draw, on a matchup the Wolves needed to dominate to spring the upset on the road. Tonight the opposing power forward was Emeka Okefor, who is 6 years younger and three inches shorter than KG--and outhustled him, especially in the second half. When it was over, Okefor grabbed an amazing 11 offensive rebounds, and 19 overall, chipping in 12 points and three rebounds. Those offensive boards (the Wolves entire team had 6) were a major reason why Charlotte held a 22-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Anyone watching the game would have to say that the major storyline involved the fabulous shooting of Bobcat rook Adam Morrison, who went off for 26 points in the last 16:50 of the game. Some were wide open looks, but many others were well contested by Marko Jaric, Ricky Davis, or Trenton Hassell--it probably didn't matter who the Wolvew threw on him. After a scoreless first half, Morrison got hot and became unstoppable. But the constant, the things that kept the Bobcats close enough for Morrison to eventually make the difference, was Okefor's tireless work on the glass against Garnett and Mark Blount.

One silver lining: With 7:02 left in the second quarter and the Wolves up 34-32, Wittman reinserted KG back into the game alongside four subs who for various reasons had received precious little meaningful playing time over the past month: Rashad McCants, Mike James, Craig Smith, and Marko Jaric. Suddenly everything clicked: the ball movement was purposeful and generous, the spacing well-spread, the sweet mixture of patience and aggression achieved, the trust and communication self-evident on defensive rotations. The Wolves outscored the Bobcats 24-13 in that span and KG wasn't the leader in any category--James had more points, Smith more boards, McCants and James more assists--but still, obviously, the leader. There was an element of happiness and energy in his step, unstained by bullshit.

After the second half collapse, Garnett was gone from the arena in a flash--it wasn't clear if he'd even had time to shower. Tomorrow is the trading deadline, and it is very unlikely that KG will be dealt. But a reckoning is drawing nigh, becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

3. A Sprained Dog and Who Wants to Start at the Point?
Mark Madsen suffered what by all accounts appears to be a severe ankle sprain and will be out indefinitely. With Eddie Griffin in limbo, Mad Dog's malady makes a trade for a big man in exchange for one of Minnesota's plethora of swing men seems inevitable.

Meanwhile, both members of the Wolves starting backcourt, Randy Foye and Ricky Davis, both were held to single-digit scoring. But what is more alarming is that Foye and Mike James seem to have exchanged personalities. Now it is Foye who looks tentative and preoccupied by the prospect of fulfilling all his starting point guard duties; and James in thrall to the freedom of cutting loose when inserted off the bench, especially in drives to the hoop. What has become obvious is that Foye and James are two of the four point guards on the roster (the others are Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric) who aren't really point guards at all, in the classic sense. Each possess qualities desired in a typical top-notch point, and each has a glaring weakness that contributes mightily to inconsistency. Yet another, among too many, of the reasons why this organization needs to be active today in at least providing some semblance of positional balance on the roster.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 22, 2007 12:29 AM | Comments (30)

 

The Three-Pointer: Solid Win Before the Break

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. A Smart Rotation
There were about a half-dozen reasons to take heart from tonight's 99-94 win over Denver before the NBA pauses for its all-star game break, and the umbrella nurturing most of them was coach Randy Wittman's substitution rotation.

Wittman's hooks were quick, decisive, and purposeful. They didn't rely upon recent past performance--Marko Jaric, whom Stephen Litel pointed out to me had a team-best +31 over the last five games, logged just 6:50, while nine others finished with double-digit minutes played--or some predetermined pattern. And for the first time in a long long time, every one of them seemed to make sense.

Two mismatches dominated the early going: Classic point guard Steve Blake was schooling Randy Foye two out of every three possessions and Nene was having his way butt-backing Mark Blount down in the paint and diving toward the hoop on KG. So Wittman yanks Foye after just 6:37 (Blake already with 5 assists and zero turnovers, Foye with one assist, two turnovers) and the Wolves down 9-20. With Davis at the point, the ball doesn't automatically rotate through KG or Ricky Davis every time, although James is also looking for his shot more. The Wolves nearly double their point total in three minutes. With 1:59 to play, Madsen subs in for KG; by quarter's end, the Wolves whittle the lead down to five.

Coming off the bench to start the second period, Davis is the only starter left playing, and he sits after 23 seconds in favor of Rashad McCants. Wittman gives 8 guys at least 5 minutes of second quarter play, sits Trenton Hassell for the entire period despite Carmelo Anthony playing more than 9 minutes, and has the starters plus McCants in for an 11-2 over the final 3:13 that gives the Wolves their first lead of the game just before the halftime buzzer. At the half, five different Timberwolves had between 6 and 8 shot attempts.

I won't keep going with this kind of detail for the second half, but the other two points in this trey will provide plenty of examples. Suffice to say that at the end of the game, Wittman focused on those who statistically had bad games, like Randy Foye and Ricky Davis, stepping up and maintaining their effort and keeping their poise. I think a large part of it was that Wittman put the players in a position to succeed, but it often was also a circumstance that required his trust in them, circumstances when each of 9 players could look back and legitimately feel that he had contributed to this win. There was also some tough love and hurt feelings, and that too was a good thing.

2. Succumbing to Optimism About the Future
Loyal fans follow a team the way thrill-seekers shoot the rapids: fully engaged and alert to every nuance of both the plunges and pinnacles, partially remembering the lessons and patterns that have recently transpired, but mostly caught up in the ride. For all the times you can appropriately contemplate the Wolves almost-certainly dreary future prospects, you also need the giddy, full drinking in of the team's blossoming, perhaps fleeting, synergy.

Which is a long-winded way of saying that McCants and Foye gave a taste tonight of two young potentially special talents simultaneously on the court, a happenstance that the Timberwolves haven't had since Garnett and Marbury. Shaddy's latest stride was a large one, made with dogged and canny defense as much as his explosive scoring. He played more than half the game--24:44, and was a team-best +11. His 12 points on 8 shots (5-8, including 2-4 from 3 territory) made him the club's most efficient scorer.

Instead of riding his starters for almost all of the third period, Wittman subbed in James for Foye at 4:51, Madsen for Blount at 3:03, and, right in between, McCants for Davis at 4:07. But McCants not only finished out the third, but stayed in for the first 8:55 of the final quarter--a 13-minute span--as Davis sat for 9 minutes and then spelled Hassell. During that season-high stint for McCants, the Wolves were +4 and McCants did a better than average job during the times he was the primary defender on Melo Anthony. Even giving up four inches, he often bodied Melo and wouldn't let him pivot. One time he "pulled the chair" and watched Melo fly away by his own momentum from a pass coming his way. In response to praise about his defense after the game, McCants said, referring to his layoff, "I've had 7 months to see tendencies, what [opponents] like to do, and figure out how to play it. Now that I am moving laterally [on his surgically repaired knee] I'll get better."

A guy with McCants's physical talent talking about being a defensive student of the game--with KG the obvious role model--is music to the ears of any Wolves fan. Ditto his performance tonight.

The positives demonstrated by Foye were more subtle, but at least equally important. Once again James was doing a better job running the ballclub in the second half, and there was a legitimate question of whether Foye would reenter the game in the 4th period. But Wittman brought him back with 5:18 to play and the Wolves down by 5. The question loomed: With KG, Davis, and McCants as options (joined a minute later by Blount), would Foye feed the firepower, or stake his claim as crunchtime alpha dog with a more selfish shot selection?

The first thing he did was clank a jumper--but grabbed his own rebound and zipped it to McCants, who missed from long range. Next time down, good ball movement got Davis a nice look, but his trey was off target. Yet the Wolves, with McCants on Melo, was stopping them at the other end. On Minnesota's ensuring possession, Foye drove for a layup. Next time down, he dished to Mark Blount for a successful 21-foot jumper. The Ricky Davis reprised his court kinship with Blount by feeding him for a couple of sweet jumpers and the Wolves were up by one with 1:28 to play. After an important stop at the other end, Foye went alpha dog, deploying his patented, right lane scoop hook over Camby's outstretched arms, banking it in for a 3-point Wolves lead with 23 seconds to play. It was all over but the obligatory fouls and free throws.

Asked in the locker room if he'd thought about distributing the ball to his prolific teammates or taking the shots himself, Foye talked about setting the defense up with passes and his own jumpers. "I got my [second] layup because of what I did before," he said. And so would he keep shooting the j if the defense didn't try and take it away? "Oh no, that's my rep--going to the hole," Foye said with a smile. "You may see me shoot jumpers earlier, but when the game is on the line, you take it inside."

Minnesota outscored Denver 12-4 over the last three minutes. During that stretch, Kevin Garnett had two boards, some great help defense, zero assists, zero field goal attempts, and two made free throws. Blount had 6, Foye had 4, Davis had two dimes. And McCants was biding his time, which will come, on the sideline.

3. James Emerges, Blount Pouts, Both Contribute
Who knows why Mike James does not consider himself worthy as a starter, but goes to the tenacious side of Jekyll/Hyde when coming off the bench? James jacked up 13 shots in 23 minutes tonight and made only four of them. Wittman was extremely, and rightfully, pleased. "I'll take those shots every game, those were all good shots," he enthused. That's because James played with pep, flowing free, jonesing for the hoop on drives, suddenly rising up and flicking off threes when the opponents backed off him, and generally looking like he knew what he was doing out there--it was pleasant, but unfamiliar. And who was this dude pressuring Steve Blake in the second half, playing a significant role in turning Blake's 11/0 assist to turnover ratio in the first half into 7/6 in the second? A stint in the third and early fourth quarter may be the best on ball defense we've seen from James thus far this season. Who is this guy? A player born to sub in, apparently.

Meanwhile, Mark Blount played as if he wanted the final score to be 170-168. Blount had five more shots and four more makes than anyone on the ballclub, going 11-19 FG in less than 32 minutes, mixing some of his recently entertaining double-pumps and lane drive-bys, replete with heavy mustard on the body english, in with a bevy of those sweet jumpers, often flashing to his kill zone between the top of the arc and the free throw line, where Davis knows he's going. Count up 24 points in all, including the crunchtime points that enabled Foye to secure the victory.

On defense, Blount was also an offensive force. First he allowed Nene to run roughshod on him, with at least half of Nene's 6-6 FG in the first period being back-you-down paint jobs. Then, in the third period Eduardo Najera, the 6-8 Mexican forward who has all the grace of a dump truck but plays with a keen intelligence and nonstop motor, was fed passes as he cruised right past Blount for easy layups on two straight possessions, extending a five-point Nuggets lead to nine with 3:04 to play in the third. Wittman called a timeout, glared at Blount, and jerked his thumb for Mark Madsen to replace him. It was an in-your-face scolding, a tough love message for the entire team but specifically Blount.

Blount is a proud veteran who doesn't take criticism well or lightly. I sense that one reason he got so enthused at the end of the Boston win was because he was royally ripped by the Beantown media and treated badly by the Celtic coaches. In any case, he was clearly pissed as he went to the bench. He exchanged some words and commiserated with Davis and also Troy Hudson and Justin Reed. (There is a tight camaraderie among the three ex-Celts, Blount-Reed-Davis, that has threatened to damage overall team chemistry whenever Blount and/or Davis are unhappy with the coaches and their recent handling. It is the downside of the beautiful chemistry Davis and Blount have on offense when playign together.) But Blount performed like a veteran pro when Wittman summoned him back into the game with 4:07 to play. Nevertheless, when he was swapped out for McCants in order to improve the Wolves' 3-point defense in the final seconds, he took a roundabout route away from Wittman to the end of the bench. And he was (hopefully) showered and gone just minutes after the game, a speedy exit that rivalled those of the legendary Christian Laettner back in the dysfunctional days when Laettner and Chuck Person used to criticize each other loudly when the other was nearby, until Laettner decided to never be nearby anybody after a game.

Wittman seemed to know that his big man was disgruntled, and three or four times cited Blount for praise. Once he said that Blount had had some rough patches on defense and included him along with Foye and Davis as those who had fought through doldrums to come up big later. Other times he excused Blount's lapses by noting that the main goal was ensuring that Melo earned every point he got and didn't go off for a huge game; that the big men were charged with helping ensure Melo was uncomfortable. Asked about Wittman and Blount after the game, KG chose to emphasis this latter point about the bigs having Melo as the priority, and otherwise vaguely siding with the idea that Blount was just doing what he was told. Part of this is true. And Anthony missed more than half his shots (10-21 FG), had 4 turnovers and a relatively quiet 28 points. But it is also true that Blount was torched by Nene in the first quarter, embarrassed by Najera in the third (or at least should have felt embarrassed) and properly chastised, via benching, by Wittman for those lapses. It was all part of Wittman's, and the Wolves's, best all around performance since the upset in Phoenix more than two weeks ago, and allows fans a little peace of mind going into the all star break.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 14, 2007 11:30 PM | Comments (22)

 

Mauer signs through 2010

Filed under: Twins

The game-within-the-game that is the major league arbitration process may be fascinating from an economics standpoint, but for casual fans and, I imagine, the players themselves, it's something you want to put behind you as quickly as possible. After all, is there any chore so tiresome for millionaire athletes than to bicker with their billionaire owners over a measly few million dollars more ? Christ, wrap it up already, it's the off-season. There are rounds of golf to be played!

It's a thousand times more tiresome for fans, of course, which is why Mauer's new four-year, $33 million contract is a relief for everyone involved. Terry Ryan and Carl Pohlad, by locking the hometown boy down through 2010 before the arbitration hearings even began, have spared us all from being inundated with details about the inner workings of a process so disfunctional that it valued Kyle Lohse at nearly $4 million last year. (Mauer will make $3.75 million next year, in case anyone tries to claim the Twins aren't still getting a deal).

In other Mauer news, he's single again.

Is it April yet?

Posted by Chuck Terhark at February 12, 2007 1:38 PM | Comments (0)

 

The Three-Pointer: Much Ado About Nothing

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Celebrating against the Celtics
There probably isn't a good reaction to tonight's last-second win over the pitiful Boston Celtics, but watching the normally inscrutable Mark Blount sweep shot-winner Ricky Davis up by his armpits and haul/drag him halfway down the court in full-blown ectasy was simply weird, and a little unsettling. The Celts had lost 17 in a row, their last victory occurring against Memphis on January 5. They had an overtime loss at Washington on January 20, but for the most part they have been thumped pretty thoroughly for the past six weeks--their previous 7 games, they've lost by 14, 7, 14, 21, 7, 12, and 14 points. Yet there was Blount cavorting like the Wolves had just clinched the playoffs, and Randy Wittman proclaiming in the post game press conference: I told you earlier that I thought this would be one of our toughest games of the year.

It was tough in the sense that if you lose back-to-back games against 12-win Memphis and 12-win Boston, the two worst teams in the NBA, you can allow yourselves no more illusions about your potential playoff hopes with two months still to play in the season. And it was tough in the sense that Blount really scrapped, really wanted this one, and that the team as a whole played with more passion than skill. But a two-point win at home versus Boston after blowing a lead on the road versus Memphis? It must be asked: Is this the best the Wolves can do?

2. Starting at Point Guard: Randy Foye
Wittman said he went with his gut in starting Randy Foye in place of Mike James for the first time this season. He could have gone with his ears, hearing the near-unanimous chorus that a change at the point was necessary. Foye's game wasn't as good as his numbers suggest--5-9 FG and a 8/1 A/TO ratio, plus 5 rebounds--but it was a nice step in the learning process and there was a willingness to share the play-generating duties with KG (10 assists) and Davis (5). It was also good to see James come in and work hard to get to the rim--he didn't make his lone FG attempt but got to the line 6 times in 13:38 of play. Ironically, James uncharacteristically played more than half the 4th quarter due to foul trouble on Foye. His inability to stay in front of either rookie Rajon Rondo or Delonte West during that crunchtime stint offered testimony to why he was demoted.

3. Quick Hits
Wittman admitted that when Trenton Hassell fouled out with 4:21 to play, he put seldom-used reserve Justin Reed in an impossible situation coming in cold to guard Paul Pierce. Reed was minus 6 over a 1:22 minute stint, turning a one-point lead into a five-point deficit.

Wittman absolutely blistered Marko Jaric for not providing proper communication on a switch that enabled Gerald Green to have all day before sinking a trey from corner and then benched him midway through the second period. But when Hassell got in foul trouble that would plague him the entire game just a few minutes later, Wittman returned to Jaric. The erronous decision (like starting Foye, Wittman claimed it came from the gut) to sub in Reed instead of Jaric after Hassell fouled out, may have been influenced by this 2Q lapse, however.

Another quiet triple-double for KG (26-11-10) and a whopping 18 points in the third period alone for Davis, along with a game-winning shot, but I really didn't think either one played that well. (See the pattern? Numbers are useless in this contest between two obviously bad teams. The Celtics just happen to be slightly more dysfunctional than Minnesota at the moment. Some players--Craig Smith and Marko Jaric for the Wolves, Kendrick Perkins for Boston--did their smaller roles justice, and Pierce was impressive (29 points in 31:44 in his second or third game back from injury. But this isn't one for anybody to be proud of; just, in the Wolves' case, thankful they added a win.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 12, 2007 12:31 AM | Comments (49)

 

The Three-Pointer: Playing Like Losers

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Self-Fulfilling Failure
In some respects last night's overtime loss to the team with the worst record in the NBA was worse than the Houston blowout a week ago. This wasn't a question of talent, or even of execution so much as timing and confidence, which is all to say that Minnesota played just badly enough to lose. Not to look horrible. Not to abandon all hope. But just badly enough to slowly and surely screw themselves further into the ground when it comes to imagining any sort of future for themselves.

This is a collective failure of will, an almost psychological need to prove yourself unworthy. Garnett, Blount, Davis, and Hassell all had a bevy of admirable plays that pleasurably rerun in the mind and make you think that there is something here worth holding firm. But then crunchtime lays bare the psyche. Garnett throws a skip pass out of the low post to the referee, and only pretends to pick up Mike Miller on the pick and roll. Hassell throws a bounce pass that even KG's Inspector Gadget arms have no chance of corralling. Blount commits a stupid turnover handing the ball off to James in a crowd by the sideline. And Davis ignores Wittman's instructions to get the ball to KG in the low block on the final play of regulation, almost jacking up his own shot, then dishing to Blount with no spacing, enabling Hakim Warrick to block the shot. These are all pieces of a crumbling basketball team, the "little things" you always hear about winning games turning into little things that lose them. Minnesota was up by 9 with 10 minutes to play; up by 6 with 8 to play; up by 4 with four and a half to play; and tied at the end of regulation. It wasn't one huge bone-headed thing; it was a team-wide, self-fulfilling failure.

2. Change James
Mike James is a different case than the other four starters because there is less good to cherish in his game this season and because the opportunities have been ample and extended and now long overdue for fulfillment. After 50 games, it is painfully obvious that James cannot do what is necessary in his current role under the status quo. The role and the circumstances have to change. Not starting is one obvious change. Having points rather than assists be the barometer of his performance would be another change. And demanding a little bit more on defense would be a third change.

The ongoing idea, reinforced under Wittman, seems to be that it is up to James to set up the others. It isn't going to happen. Only Blount among the five starters has less court vision and fundamental ball-movement basketball sense. In previous years, James seemed more comfortable being a bit of a gunner, a tad selfish. Give him that role, off the bench. But tell him that one place he can't be selfish is on defense, and that if he continues to matador it he will eventually see less time than Bracey Wright, who right now seems like a good model execution of his skill set for James to emulate.

So who plays the point? An important decision must be made between now and when the team comes back from the All Star break about whether you believe Randy Foye, surrounded by Garnett, Davis, and Hassell, or whoever you envision the next two years, can be your point guard of the future. If so, force feed it and abandon your already slim hopes for the playoffs. Run a lot more of that play where KG is in the low block and Foye dishes and cuts with Blount on the wing and Davis in the far corner. Run more pick and rolls with Foye and everybody on the team, but especially KG and Blount. Yank Foye not for bad passes vision-wise, but mentally risky passes. Allow him his selfish crunchtime confidence but yank him if he get too tunnel-vision on his shot the first three quarters. Blister him about lackadaisical defense, picking up his dribble too easily, and a plethora (not the expected one or two or even three) silly turnovers.

If the jury is still out on Foye as combo or off-guard, give Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric minutes according to matchups and strengths and run most of your offense through KG and Davis (in that order) in the half court sets. With Jaric at the point, promote a running game; with Hudson, spread the floor and encourage him to jack it up from outside the arc. Apportion minutes by performance and ride the hot hand.

3. Hit and run observations
What happened to resting players so they don't go 12-15 minutes a row? All five starters played the entire third quarter, and Blount, Garnett and James looked gassed in the 4th and OT.

February has recently been KG's worst month--the past two years before this, the Wolves have had a worse plus/minus with him on the floor than without him--and he isn't exactly performing well this Feb either. Lack of rest may be one factor, but another seems to be an inability to mesh with his teammates on defense. Is is age or trust that has KG being exposed on the pick and roll more than ever this season? It used to be that almost nobody could take him to the hole off the dribble. Not so this season.

I understand that Craig Smith had bad matchups out there, what with Warrick and Gausol and Johnson. But he would have matched up nicely with Roberts, and deserved more than 4 minutes in an overtime game. And playing Mike James 42 minutes and Marko Jaric less than 14, especially against Chuckie Atkins, someone Jaric can stay with, is a mistake. Remember what Kevin McHale always says about how "people get too hung up about what position a guy plays; it is just five guys working together so go out and play"? (That's a paraphrased quote.) Well consider that Atkins and Damon Stoudamire combined for 28 points, 8 assists and two turnovers while James and Foye were 12 points, 4 assists and five turnovers.

Haven't even discussed the two stats that jumped out at everybody: 24 Wolves turnovers and six total FTs versus 26 for the Grizz. The first problem is having a guy who can't play point guard setting up your offense, and the self-fulfilling failure just discussed. The second problem is partly a function of a hot Mark Blount, who is almost always open for that mid-range J on the drive and kick play, so teammates, especially Ricky Davis, feed him. It is almost always a high percentage shot (although let's note that Blount was 8 for his first 11 shots before sinking just 3 of his second 11 after tiring in the late third period and on into overtime) but it won't draw fouls going to the hoop.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 10, 2007 3:32 PM | Comments (10)

 

Abbreviated Three-Pointer: A Golden State of Recovery

Filed under: Timberwolves

I am on a deadline that gives one renewed appreciation for the word and thus had to catch tonight's blowout of the Warriors on television. Before I return to my odious task, I'll throw out a few quick things and let you good folks have it from there. I promise to tackle Friday's Memphis game sometime over the weekend.
Thanks,
Britt

1. No D in Nelson
Don Nelson's teams never play defense. That's the biggest cavaet to the latest Wolves's personality switch, in which they roared back from the offensive somnambulance of 77 points in Houston to ring up 121, replete with 38 assists, including the ten that enabled Kevin Garnett to have one of the quietest triple-doubles I've ever seen.

But maybe KG was muted because for a change he was just a cog in the flow. Mike James still can't play defense, as evidenced by Jasikevicius's 20 points and 8 assists, but #13 did push the ball--igniting that vaunted "flow" offense we've heard so much about from two coaches now--with relatively daring passes and asserting himself much better than he has in weeks, if not months. Ricky Davis and Mark Blount actually created marvelous spacing in the half court sets by, respectively, bombing away from outside (Davis was 5-6 from beyond the arc) and taking it to the hole early and hard (Blount drew two quick fouls on Biedrins and the big kid was never the same after that). Hassell was Hassell, filling voids like water. KG was able to just play: 17 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists. Against a Don Nelson team, last in the NBA in points allowed, natch.

2. Jaric: Trust him or trade him?
If Detroit or any other team has been scouting Marko Jaric lately, his stock should be rising. The guy really can do a bit of everything, a real handyman for the right team, so long as you don't ask him to do too much or compel him to become self-conscious. Which is ironic, because Jaric is one of the most self-conscious players I've ever seen. A nagging part of me continues to want to see him get time at the point, or at the very least handle the ball a lot when Foye is in the game. They are a good pair because Foye thrives on pressure (or looks like it even when he's screwing up) and Jaric thrives on the absence of it. Which is why another nagging part of me wants to remember Jaric's crunchtime foibles. Besides, it would be nice to have more than two guys on the roster taller than 6-8, and Jaric should be able to fetch another one before the trading deadline in two weeks.

3. Quick hits
The best game yet for McCants, but man is he rusty. Still, he is already prizing defense, making him about 4 months ahead of last year's pace. J-Pete correctly noted that almost all his shots are short; I'd add that they don't seem to have any arc either, which makes you worry about leg strength. But it was fun to see him nail a trey and then come back with one of his patented left-handed jams.

Was it a good thing that Wittman backtracked on his postgame snit in Houston and essentially blamed himself for the Wolves's putrid effort? Well, James and Davis and Blount sure turned it around for at least this one game. But what's the longterm impact of this new spin, this idea that it is up to the coach to be more specific about what he wants? Are they kissing ass in the media only to be kicking ass in practices and behind the scenes? Hope so. And while I don't know if I'd go so far as say the Wolves should dump Ricky Davis, as Souhan did in this morning's Strib, I thought the timing was apt and the sentiment understandable. In short, exactly the kind of column a relatively casual hoops fan with a huge platform should be writing.

Troy Hudson back to DNP-CD. I guess it is poetic justice for the long long leash he was accorded for the past few seasons. But if James can't defend and Jaric gets dealt, I can see him and Davis setting up outside the arc, KG or Blount in the high post, the other on the low block, Hassell or Foye as the cutter and isolation threat. Just often enough to keep Foye and James from getting complacent.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 7, 2007 10:29 PM | Comments (25)

 

The Three-Pointer: 77-105

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Coffin Nails
Eight games in, and Randy Wittman is already fast running out of tough guy rhetoric. After the Wolves followed up the glorious Phoenix win with the pratfall against Sacramento, Wittman jutted his jaw and vowed he'd find answers. Tonight, after his squad was undressed and paddled by the Rockets in Houston--77-105, with the lead ten points greater than that before garbage time--the coach variously said he'd only play 5 guys 48 minutes if that's all he could rely on, would have them walk the ball up the floor and call all the plays if that's what it took, and wondered aloud whether his players were collectively lazy or untalented (although he phrased it as a question of whether they won't respond or can't respond to what is being asked of them). Meanwhile, Jim Petersen is likewise scraping the barrel for ways to avoid saying this team is toast, blaming tonight's no-show on mental fatigue driven by the apparently crushing blow of having their beloved coach Dwane Casey fired. So quick, let's burn all the optimistic interviews and commentary--was it really only a couple weeks ago?--that sure sounded like celebration and relief that Casey had been axed.

At least Wittman will take on Ricky Davis. The team's second most-talented player didn't feel like exerting himself tonight, ringing up zero points and four turnovers in the first half, compelling Wittman to bench him early and then start Marko Jaric in the third period. Beside Jaric in the backcourt, Troy Hudson started at point in the third, an appropriate indictment of Randy Foye and, less so, Mike James. The Rockets' Rafer Alston is one of the few opponents James feels he can score on right now, and he came out aggressively. But his defense shows only the most minimal of improvements over the past week or two, baby steps in a journey that had so very far to go just to just be sufficient. It is as hard for fans and observers of this team to defend James's play as it is for James to defend opposing point guards.

You want goats, we've got a whole herd. Begin with Davis--3 points, 6 turnovers, 8 or 10 or 12 shameful performances thus far this season. When I opined a month or so ago that it seemed as if Davis had no honor, a commentor responded that that sounded harsh. It still does. But I haven't seen any reason to change my mind. Tonight's second goat is Mark Blount. Box score simpletons are going to tout Tracy McGrady's 32 points as Houston's leading contributor, but Trenton Hassell did a fairly good job on T-Mac, who shot 12-27 FG. Meanwhile, the aging vet Howard just toyed with Blount on the fringes of the paint, shooting 9-11 FG. Anyone who watched knows Howard could have matched T-Mac's point total with at most 8 more shots, so why laud the gunner when the more surgical assassin grabbed three more boards (tied with Mutumbo for team lead) and dished just one fewer assist than McGrady? Third goat goes to the Wolves's "braintrust," for not understanding how little of this is really Dwane Casey's fault.

2. Just two reliables
By a wide margin, the two best players on this team just happen to be the two left over from the halcyon days of 03-04. Kevin Garnett came out with a purpose tonight and demonstrated more grit and skill than Davis and Blount and James combined. His shot wasn't falling early, but he was grabbing rebounds, dishing shoulda-been assists that became clanked shots instead, but still worked hard the entire game. His numbers, 18-12-5, all would have risen dramatically if more of his teammates had a clue how to mentally prepare and then strategically perform out on the court. Imagine KG with a point guard who compels a double team on the perimeter, and who can get him the ball in places he likes it. (Hudson played fundamental pick and roll and had 5 assists in 9 minutes.) Imagine a banger underneath who would force Mutumbo off of Garnett and let him dominate Howard as has happened so many times in the past.

Then there is Hassell, the team's most consistent player thus far this year. Forced to chase McGrady around the perimeter, he grabbed zero rebounds and had one skinny assist in 30:51 and he was still more valuable than anyone but KG and perhaps Jaric for the way he worked on D, moved the ball on offense, had superb shot selection and didn't make a slew of stupid passes.

3. Bad stats
Almost exactly a year ago, on February 4, 2006, the Wolves got waxed, 77-109, by Golden State. Tonight, February 5, 2007, they fold it in against Houston. They lost the fast break battle, 0-17, and the points in the paint, 18-42. It could have been much worse, as Houston had 13 of its 17 transition points and 28 of its 42 paint points in the first half, and were content to spend the third and fourth quarters mostly jacking up jumpers in the half-court set.

Wittman certainly hinted at changes coming. Pick a scenario, any scenario, and it is probably being considered right now. Because the bloom is off even the rosiest of outlooks.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 5, 2007 10:51 PM | Comments (42)

 

The Three-Pointer: The Breaking Point

Filed under: Timberwolves

Note: I'm going to tape the Dallas game tonight while I check out Bobby Previte at the Walker; and don't imagine I'll be posting a trey on Super Bowl Sunday. So, please use this thread for your comments on the Mavericks game as well as the loss to the Hornets.
--Britt

1. James and Foye and Jaric, oh my
The statute of limitations on patience with point guard Mike James finally seems to have run out. The Wolves broadcasting team of Jim Petersen and Tom Hanneman, Fox Sports analyst Mike McConnell, me, you, and everyone else watching Chris Paul immediately settle into a comfort zone against James's maddeningly tepid play last night in the Wolves 83-90 loss to the Hornets were all thinking the same thing: Time to sit this joker down. J-Pete put a good spin on it, noting that James coming off the bench would then at least be playing against opposing scrubs like Jannero Pargo rather than an obviously superior stud like Paul. And McConnell chimed in after the game that he saw James light up the scoreboard plenty of times in Toronto last year and wonders if he might be the microwave off the pine rather than force feed him as a playmaker any more.

Me, I just think it is time to alter this excruciating, dysfunctional pattern. Maybe that means telling James he has ten games of crunchtime ball to prove he belongs on the court, then playing him in the 4th quarter either beside or instead of Randy Foye, just to see if a little infusion of faith will give him a pulse. Or maybe you tell James that Troy Hudson has been keeping his seat warm at the far far end of the bench, and that is where he will stay for awhile as Huddy and Foye handle the point; see if a little shock treatment can jumpstart his intensity.

And yes, it has come to that. James was back-peddling into his own players as Paul dribbled down the floor on the break, keeping almost a perfect 8-10 foot distance right through to the time Paul pulled up for a jumper or just slowed the pace and leisurely surveyed the floor with plenty of time left on the shot clock. For the second game in a row, the Wolves' lack of defensive pressure enabled an opponent to play turnover-free ball for the entire first quarter while running up a lead that would set the tone for the rest of the game. That defensive lethargy starts with James, the team's most consistent weak link on D.

At the other end of the court, James didn't have the luxury of his teammates bailing him out this time. Kevin Garnett maintained the funk that has enveloped him since the Phoenix extravaganza. He got shoved around by David West and bodied up neatly by defensive stalwart Tyson Chandler and was incredibly ineffective for a guy who finished with 17 points on 8-16 FG. Ricky Davis almost single-handedly kept the Wolves close in the first stanza, hitting five of his first seven shots. Unfortunately his last field goal of the game occurred with 2:41 to play in the first, as he clanked his final eight missives. But even a chronic Davis critic like me could see he was the Wolves' best player last night, with 6 assists that should have been 10 if any of his mates could convert an open shot, and better than average defense to boot.

But the problem is that Minnesota relies on KG or Davis to power their offense, especially in the half-court sets. That works okay with Blount and Hassell, both of whom are reliable open jump-shooters (though Hassell suffered through an abysmal 0-7 FG night and, like KG, was not his usual snuff-out self on defense). But how many times are we going to swing the ball to Mike James for a wide open trey and watch him miss it? And miss it badly: not a rattled in-and-out, but a big boing off the back iron, or a skim of the rim.

Not that Randy Foye has been making the decision any easier in recent weeks with his horrible, selfish shot-selection, his lack of judgment on proactive passes (instead of the simple, around-the-horn type), his dribbling woes, especially against traps, and his hot-and-cold defense. Every single one of those flaws can be chalked up to inexperience, of course, and should be. You can't blame Foye for being merely a solid rookie with teasing star potential rather than a precocious gem who makes the transition from college swingman to pro point without a ruffle or a hitch. I stopped hollaring so much about Foye's gaping weaknesses when it became clear that the Wolves' braintrust were feverishly grooming their next resort rather than working from a position of strength in getting the rook loads of point guard minutes.

If Kevin McHale really thinks this team can be markedly better than .500 with an outlandish underachiever as the key free agent signing and an on-the-job rook running the offense on the heels of a 33-49 season, Dwane Casey and now Randy Wittman probably have some deprogramming to do. Wittman got so desperate last night that he shelved both James and Foye for a brief stint in the fourth period and played Marko Jaric at the point. At first blush it was a good instinct, as Jaric was second only to Davis in value to the squad, and was pushing the offense in transition in a manner that James either has forgotten or never knew, and with fewer turnovers than Foye customarily musters. But on second blush, the matchup was Chris Paul, who just happens to be the dude that exposed Marko's cobweb feet and fragile ego in a memorably disastrous game for Jaric in this very same Oklahoma City building last season. It opened up the first tiny sliver on the eggshell of Jaric's self-regard, and before long Casey was trying to make an omelet with Anthony Carter, Marcus Banks, and a perpetually distraught Marko Jaric. This time, the Jaric as point guard experiment lasted 94 seconds, long enough for Paul to hit a jumper and drawing a foul on Blount while driving the lane.

2. And the Paint was as Bad as the Point
New Orleans dominated scoring in the paint, including ridiculous margins of 18-4 in the first period and 30-8 at halftime (the final tote was 44-24). Wittman obviously decided that Mark Madsen wasn't a good matchup with either Chandler or West, and their mutual absence from the game for the bulk of his 6:50 is probably the only reason MadDog was the only Wolves big who posted a plus number (specifically, +2) for the game. Still, would it have hurt to sit Blount for awhile in the second half, when he played all but 2 and a half minutes, and seen if that big pale caboose could have bothered Chandler enough so that he didn't shoot 8-9 from the field and grab 18 rebounds?

This was one of those classic games that divide the pro-Blount folks from the anti-Blount crew. Clearly, he was the Wolves' best option in the 3rd quarter, feasting on a diet of choice (mostly) Davis feeds for five straight buckets in ringing up more than half of Minnesota's 18 points in the period. But Chandler wasn't too shabby himself, getting six points, seven boards (to Blount's 2) and a pair of blocks. Now, Garnett owns some of those numbers, as he and Blount were going back and forth with Chandler and West all night. But the bottom line is that the Wolves were outscored and outrebounded in the 3rd period, and again provoked zero Hornets turnovers on D. Even Wittman acknowledged after the game that Blount and the Wolves got a little too enamored with Blount's jumper.

And since I've given Petersen credit for correctly presaging what has been a breakout season for Blount (besides his contract year a couple seasons back, anyway), it's time to ladle grief on the tail end of his analysis of the Celtics trade last night, when he said that Blount was worth the first-round pick the Wolves sacrificed in the deal. Really? Put it this way: Would you have swapped Blount for Rashad McCants at the end of last season? How about Blount for Randy Foye? And remember, you are paying Blount $8 million a year for the three seasons when you are grooming that rookie at pennies on the dollar. Consider that Blount is a -60 in the plus/minus totals, a worse mark than anyone but James and Jaric on the squad (admittedly skewed by the Phoenix blowout). Yes, Blount is the only seven-footer on the roster besides KG, and that would have to be addressed if he were not around. But even with him here, having a stolid interior banger ranks behind only a quality point guard on the list of needs for this ballclub, as Madsen's value despite submediocre talent attests. Has Mark Blount been a pleasant surprise for this team, bringing a great work ethic and an overall sense of professionalism in the locker room and on the court? Does he get along famously with KG? Yes and yes. Would I trade him back to the Celtics right now for Michael Olowokandi and that first-round pick? It's a close call only because of the Kandi Man's baggage and the fact that the pick won't be exercised until the team forks one over to the Clippers. But if the pick was for this off-season? I'd do that deal in a heartbeat.

3. Quick hits
Did anyone else notice in the second period when KG came down on the break and floated up a decent alley-oop lob to McCants barrelling down the other lane? Last year, I'm pretty sure Rashad skies for that ball and slams it home. This year, not even close. Hope it is rehab and not the new status quo.

One of many places where Flip Saunders is sorely missed on this team: The routine but rapid outlet pass. At least twice last night the Wolves got burned trying to deliver a long, half-court outlet only to serve up an easy steal. Instead of Davis quitting on defense and breaking for the hoop, how about if he locks down his man a titch longer, and receives the outlet on the wing just this side of the half-court line? (And that's not a knock on Ricky's D last night; as I mentioned, he was Minnesota's best player.)

Last but certainly not least, Wolves stat guru Paul Swanson periodically sends interesting tidbits to make us look smart. Last night's dope was particularly good, taking in the team's abysmal mark against sub-.500 opponents and upset proclivity against the quality teams, KG's dominance on the roster, and, most edifying for me, quarter-by-quarter shooting percentages.

Here you go:

Minnesota Timberwolves
Last 5 vs. sub-.500 Opponents:
Jan. 17 Atlanta L 88-105
Jan. 24 @ Portland L 98-101
Jan. 26 @ Seattle L100-102
Jan. 31 Sacramento L 98-100
Feb. 2 @ Okla.City L 83- 90

Note: Minnesota has won 10 of its last 15 against teams with .500+ records at tipoff, beginning with the Dec. 6 victory against Houston. On the season, the Wolves are 8-11 against sub-.500 teams, 14-13 vs. clubs with winning marks...

- - - -

Kevin Garnett is nine assists short of leading the Timberwolves in all five PARBS categories (points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals). Ricky Davis currently has 201 assists on the season (4.5 apg) to Garnett's 192 (4.3). He is one of only five players in NBA/ABA history to accomplish that feat over a full season, having done so in 2002-03...

http://www.nbcsports.com/nba/957583/detail.html

- - - -

Shooting Percentage by Quarter, 2006-07:
(through Feb. 2)

Player 1stQ 2ndQ 3rdQ 4thQ
F--Hassell... 53.8% 62.0% 45.7% 58.8%
F--Garnett... 49.8% 46.9% 48.2% 45.7%
C--Blount.... 54.4% 53.6% 53.8% 49.3%
G--Davis..... 46.3% 50.0% 49.4% 39.7%
G--James..... 46.3% 38.7% 45.8% 33.8%
Foye...... 39.5% 36.6% 40.4% 46.1%
Jaric..... 37.5% 51.9% 31.3% 43.8%
Smith..... 57.7% 55.5% 62.5% 48.5%

Posted by Britt Robson at February 3, 2007 1:19 PM | Comments (16)

 

The Three-Pointer: Wolves as Dogs

Filed under: Timberwolves

1. Did Somebody Say Inconsistent?
How embarrassing is it to fire a coach because the team is playing inconsistently, then watch his replacement lose twice to sub-.500 teams, improbably beat the Clippers on the road, hand the Phoenix Suns their first beating in 18 games over a month's time...and then go so flaccid against the 17-26 Sacramento Kings that you're down 13 at halftime and lose by bucket on a pair of costly, late-game turnovers by your rookie point guard?

The first half sucked all the positive joy accumulated in thrilling triumph over the Suns, and actually had some crowd-members booing in the second quarter. Sacramento had an assist/turnover ration of 10/1, nearly matched the Wolves rebounding total off their own missed shots (15-11) and dominated the defensive glass (19-5) for a rebounding edge of 30-20. They more than doubled Minnesota's points in the paint (34-16) led in fast break points (13-0) and took 19 free throws to Minnesota's 4. This is a team nine games below .500.

New coach Randy Wittman knows why he was hired, and why the man who did it, Kevin McHale is embarrassed and looking foolish right now, because the team is if anything more inconsistent than it was under Dwane Casey. The good news is that Wittman isn't afraid of giving previous privileged players a spot on the pine. Specifically, Ricky Davis was lifted twice in the first half for more of that criminally indifferent D we've come to know and hate. He threw in four dreadful first half turnovers for good measure.

Perhaps the only reason Mike James wasn't yanked to the sideline as rapidly as Davis is because Wittman and the rest of us simply expect less of him--pointed messages are bounced back, stamped Return to Sender on James's blank forehead. For two games in a row now, James has been the weakest link on D--amid heavy competition in tonight's lackluster stinker--and isn't exactly a ball of fire at the other end of the court either.

Wittman's postgame analysis featured the sort of outraged tongue-lashing we never heard from the ever-circumspect Casey. I'm sure the major media will have all the choice quotes, but here's a sampling: "We didn't deserve to win that game...The effort tonight was unacceptable...I've got to figure out why it happened. I don't know why it happened. If I did, it wouldn't happen."

Wittman also called out Kevin Garnett, saying he missed a lot of very makeable shots and didn't have one of his better games--all true. Whenever anybody tried to change the subject, say, to how Mark Madsen's fouls forced him to play Garnett more than he'd like, or Randy Foye getting stripped on a layup and dribbling the ball out of bounds on the final two Wolves possessions, the coach would chuckle ruefully and say that none of that really mattered, that it was all about the lack of effort in the first half. Again, it is true.

But the truest thing was probably that if he knew how to fix it, he would. And right now, at least, he doesn't. "I'm going to try something," he vowed. "I'm not going to sit here and say, `It was one of those things.'"

2. A Short Honeymoon for Marko?
After Monday's euphoric win over Phoenix, Marko Jaric was quoted as saying he no longer wanted to be traded. This is good news if only because you never want anybody on your roster clamoring to get out, but I can't see how Jaric's contentment can be anything but short-lived. He told the Strib's Kent Youngblood that he's happy with the way Wittman is treating him and using him and that if he continues to improve and justify his minutes he knows he'll get more time. But I'm not so sure that last part is true. Trenton Hassell is playing exceptionally well right now; Ricky Davis has already had his minutes cut back some recently, and Rashad McCants is coming back, having logged his first five minutes of the season in tonight's second quarter (Wittman nailed the fact that he best thing about Rashad's brief stint is that he didn't try and do too much right away). Out of whose minutes does an improved Jaric steal more time? Disillusionment allmay be on the horizon for Marko.

3. The Yeoman
Like nearly everyone on the Wolves, Trenton Hassell got burned by some baseline cuts and his own lethargic foot movement in the first half. But aside from McCants's brief, uneventful cameo, Hassell's all-around play was practically the only bright spot tonight. He shot 9-12 FG, had 5 rebounds and 5 assists, mixed it up in the paint and on the perimeter, and did a bevy of little things in terms of help defense, keeping balls alive jousting for rebounds, and executing good ball movement. He was...consistent.

Posted by Britt Robson at February 1, 2007 12:41 AM | Comments (20)

 

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