Is Mike James Coming Around?

By Stephen Litel

Minnesota has had plenty of ups and downs on this trip--okay, mostly downs, but let's focus on the ups for a second: Garnett's 30 point/16 rebound game Tuesday night in Phoenix; Foye's huge game last night; and one guy getting glossed over in all the talk today.

As this road trip winds mercifully down, Mike James has played some of his best basketball of the season. The road to fans' forgiveness may be a long one, but James is finally playing like someone who buys into what Minnesota is doing and wants to stick around after this season.

Advertised as a "Sam Cassel-lite" for this new-look Timberwolves team, James has really been closer to "Will Avery-lite": Averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game this season--all below his career averages--James has not only disappointed the fans and his teammates, but also himself. But beginning with the loss in Los Angeles, something seemed to have clicked with James, who ended that contest with 18 points and 11 assists. He followed that strong performance with 13 points on 3-5 shooting from three-point range in Phoenix, which was especially surprising, as he's struggled with the long-distance shot all season.

Certainly lost in Minnesota's victory in Sacramento is the fact that James played his third-straight relatively acceptable game, following a 10-game stretch in which failed to reach double-digit scoring. He scored another 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in only 22 minutes of action due to Foye's big night.

Personally, I've been rooting for Mike James to get himself on track all season long. He's a likable guy, full of confidence and fire, yet he's been unable to find his niche on this team. I have watched him sink countless three-pointers with assistant coach Rex Kalamian before each home game this season, and spoken with him about his situation. Certainly it's frustrating for supporters of the Timberwolves to endure his season-long struggles, but it looks as if James found something on this road trip to finally build upon.

One game is a fluke. Two games create hope.

Three games is a trend.

Stephen Litel
stephenwolvesguy22@hotmail.com