Timberwolves

Shed not a tear

Filed under: Timberwolves

Luc Longley

In a draft widely considered to have two future All-Stars and everyone else, the Wolves characteristically wound up with the third pick. So, what should they do with it? Hell if we know. You guys have any thoughts?

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at May 20, 2008 7:43 PM | Comments (3)

 

Wolves pre-season prediction contest winner announced!

Filed under: Timberwolves

It took us a while to recover from the season sufficiently to go back and do that math. But the scores from our pre-season T-Wolves win prediction contest have been tabulated and a winner has been crowned.

That winner is none other than the good and great Jason H., who predicted, way back in October, that the 2007-08 Wolves would win 21 games. In Mr. H's own, immortal words: "21, Just like the year before KG arrived."

The Wolves, of course, finished their storied 19th season with a 22-60 record. And Jason H., with his outstanding ability to evaluate talent and to further translate this understanding into the harsh reality of wins and losses, is hereby presented with the following book from the Paul H. W. Demko Memorial Library:

Continue reading "Wolves pre-season prediction contest winner announced!"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at May 9, 2008 11:16 AM | Comments (1)

 

All mediocre things must come to an end

Filed under: Timberwolves

To: Benjamin Polk
From: Jonathan Kaminsky
Date: 4/16/08
Subject: Randy recognize Randy

Hey Benjamin,

Say what you will about me, but throughout this trying season, I have remained a die-hard supporter of our (and by 'our' I mean 'Glen Taylor's') Timberwolves.

Continue reading "All mediocre things must come to an end"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at April 18, 2008 5:21 PM | Comments (4)

 

Whither the Wolves: An Email Exchange

Filed under: Timberwolves

After watching a lot of Wolves basketball over the past few months, Ben Polk and I discuss the sideline antics of Randy Wittman, the curious case of Corey Brewer, and how to address the team's Greatest Needs. Next week: A blueprint for peace in the Middle East.

From: Benjamin Polk
To: Jonathan Kaminsky
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Subject: I say hey, you say ho

Continue reading "Whither the Wolves: An Email Exchange"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at April 11, 2008 12:10 AM | Comments (2)

 

Grizzled: Rudy Gay blows up the Timberwolves

Filed under: Timberwolves

I will admit that I was among the many who were shocked and confused by the Rockets’ trade of their prized lottery pick, Rudy Gay, to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shane Battier, a veteran with mediocre numbers. This season has proven me (and all those other people) wrong as Battier has shown himself to be maybe the best “glue” player in the league—one of those selfless dudes who can shut people like Kobe Bryant down, hit open shots, make the right passes, and just play outrageously hard (Ryan Gomes is of a similar mold, I think—a bit less great on D, a bit better around the basket). The fact that the Rockets were able to win 22 games in a row, over half of those without Yao Ming, is a testament to just how important Battier is to their team. On the other hand, as I found out last night, Rudy Gay is nasty.

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Posted by Benjamin Polk at April 7, 2008 8:02 PM | Comments (0)

 

Depleted Pistons Defeat Deflated Wolves

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Pistons 94, Wolves 90
Season Record: 19-54

The Detroit Pistons, comfortably secure in their second seed status for the Eastern Conference playoffs, came to town Tuesday evening with their three best players—Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, and Chauncey Billups— scratched from the lineup.

The Wolves, energized on their home court, where they’d won four straight(!) games, came out swinging. Jefferson was posting up McDyess, drawing contact, and sinking his hook shot. Gomes was hitting from the outside. Even Brewer was hot (more on him later). They were swinging the ball around, finding the open man, knocking down shots with gusto. In one particularly elegant display of this midway through the first, Foye made a nifty bounce pass inside to Jefferson, who did a little stutter step, sending McDyess into the next zip code, and dunking with emphasis.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at April 2, 2008 12:24 AM | Comments (1)

 

You're Still Our Dunk Champ, Gerald

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In case you missed it, the NBA held its annual Slam Dunk Contest this weekend, along with a bunch of other time-fillers. Our very own Gerald Green--last year's dunk champion--was a participant.

Now, because life is not fair, and also because the NBA has decided (with reason) to anoint Dwight Howard as one of its new superstars, Gerald did not win this year. But there was some real beauty, as well as some impressively channeled melancholy, in his performance.

Oh, and an all-business Rashad McCants was there, even if Charles Barkley didn't recognize him.

Free Darko, as ever, has a good take.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at February 18, 2008 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

 

R-Jeff's Naughty Night out in Minneapolis

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Richard Jefferson, the falsetto-voiced, goody-goody star of the New Jersey Nets, has been accused of choking a club-goer right here in Minneapolis. The alleged incident happened at Infinity, just down the block from Target Center, the night a couple weeks back when the T-Wolves came from behind to hand the Nets their ninth straight loss.

The weird thing about this is that Jefferson is not one of the league's bad boys. He even donated $3.5 million recently to build a new gym at Arizona U, his alma mater. Courtesy of TMZ, which also links the incident report.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at February 14, 2008 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

 

Shit Hitting Fan for Sprewell

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Latrell Sprewell is $500,000 in the hole even after selling his yacht at a huge loss at auction. He is also facing foreclosure on his house, the AP reports. On the plus side, prosecutors in New York last week dropped charges against the former T-Wolf alleging he'd beaten his girlfriend in front of their children.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at February 11, 2008 7:43 PM | Comments (2)

 

More Signs of Life

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Rockets 92, Timberwolves 86
Season Record: 10-37

The Houston Rockets came into town as winners of seven straight road games. The Wolves were defending a four-game home winning streak. Something would have to give. And while it was the Wolves who flinched first, the game was hardly a head-hanger.

Continue reading "More Signs of Life"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at February 5, 2008 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

 

Growing Up

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Wolves 83, Bulls 67
Season Record: 9-36

Wednesday’s Timberwolves game against the Bulls started off as brutally as any in recent memory. Simply put, neither team could find the basket. After numerous missed jumpers, layups, and even a blown dunk by Al Jefferson, the Wolves found themselves down by a score of 3-2 with 5:45 remaining in the first. At the time, the teams were shooting a combined 1-22 from the floor.

Continue reading "Growing Up"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at January 31, 2008 2:42 PM | Comments (0)

 

Several Kinds of Ugly

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Wolves 107, Nuggets 118
Wolves 78, Mavericks 101
Season Record: 4-29

It is quite possible that there are no answers for this Wolves team, that however you roll the dice, you keep coming up with a pair of dice that smell like shit.

But it doesn’t seem to us that matching up Craig Smith (6’8”) against Dirk Nowitzki (7’), or, when that proves to be a silly idea within three minutes of trying it, to bench him and shift the burden to Ryan Gomes (6’7”) instead, is a particularly good gamble.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at January 6, 2008 7:19 PM | Comments (3)

 

Not Very Good

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Blazers 90, Wolves 79
Season Record: 4-27
Current Streak: 6L

Here's the good news: On Wednesday night, the Timberwolves out-rebounded the Trailblazers both overall (46-44) and on the offensive glass (15-9), leading to a 20-11 advantage in second-chance points. They also held a dominant 40-20 advantage in the paint. They hit only two fewer free-throws (20-25 vs. 22-27) than their opponents, and, by and large, played decent defense, holding the red-hot Blazers to a 39 percent shooting night.

Big Al, despite a long stretch in the middle of the game where he vanished entirely, had another solid game, scoring 29 points on 24 shots to go along with 16 boards, including eight offensive boards that led to a couple nifty put-back dunks.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at January 3, 2008 12:34 PM | Comments (1)

 

Losing Is No Longer the New Winning

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Warriors 111, Wolves 98
Season Record: 3-21

The top half of Antoine Walker’s courtside attire Wednesday night consisted of a natty, form-fitting, four-button sports coat over a crisp dress shirt. The effect was sharp and sleek. Perhaps even a hair imposing. This was in grotesque contrast to his pants: Zubaz-like in their bagginess, just different enough a shade of brown from the top to trigger a violent clash, and embodying that intangible sort of terrible that makes one yearn to look away even as ones stares, helpless and horror-struck, into the void as it overtakes one’s soul.

Toine’s outfit was a fitting metaphor for the team’s effort in Wednesday night’s loss to the ever-exciting Golden State Warriors.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at December 20, 2007 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

 

Fuzzy math

Filed under: Timberwolves

Pi Press sports gossip Charley "Shooter" Walters has this nugget in today's column:

The Timberwolves, 3-21 this season after a 111-98 loss to Golden State on Wednesday, are on pace to become the NBA's all-time worst team. That 61-year distinction currently belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, who finished 9-73 in the 1972-73 season.

Which is somewhat interesting, but not quite accurate. Elementary math will tell you that the squad currently has a winning percentage of 12.5 percent. Over an entire 82-game season this works out to 10 victories--one better than the storied 1972-73 76ers! Show the team some respect Shooter.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 20, 2007 10:29 AM | Comments (2)

 

Encouraging!

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Hawks 90, Wolves 89
Wolves 100, Suns 93
Season record: 2-15

In case anybody asks, the Wolves victory against the Suns on Friday night was foretold by God. The revelation lay in the order of the Wolves’ victories and defeats thus far this season: Five losses. A win. Five losses. A win. Five losses. And, against the red-hot but dog-tired Phoenix Suns: A well-deserved win.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at December 10, 2007 2:17 AM | Comments (0)

 

Living in a Fantasy World

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Spurs 106, Timberwolves 91
Grizzlies 109, Timberwovles 80
Season Record: 2-13

First off, apologies for the tardiness of this report. The snow worked its way into our brain yesterday, and before we knew it we’d watched two movies, eaten half a pizza, and managed to miss the T-Wolves getting trounced at Memphis. Anyhow, to business.

Continue reading "Living in a Fantasy World"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at December 2, 2007 5:08 PM | Comments (2)

 

Unchosen

Filed under: Timberwolves

Cavaliers 97, Wolves 86
Season record: 1-8

LeBron James has a tattoo across his back that violates both traditional rules of modesty and AP style. It reads: “Chosen 1.” The point being, LBJ—we’d call him “King LeBron,” but we’re not looking to vomit in our mouth today—is a preternaturally cocky guy. But with games like Wednesday night’s effort against the Wolves, it’s hard to argue much with the man. He scored 45 points on 26 shots, and he hit six of 10 three-pointers, including back-to-back treys in the middle of his minute-and-a-half personal 10-0 run that extended a four-point lead to an insurmountable 14 with less than two minutes to play.

Indeed, James hit shots all night long. He also penetrated at will, drawing fouls, and finding the open man with nifty, seemingly effortless no-look passes. Not only was he the best player on the floor while barely breaking a sweat, but, to bring out an old chestnut, he made those around him better.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at November 22, 2007 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

 

1-7, and ready for more

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Friday: Wizards 105, Timberwolves 89
“We pissed down our legs.” At least that’s what we think Randy Wittman said in the post-game press conference after his team’s second-half collapse against the talented and resurgent Washington Wizards. Half-assed reporter that we are, we didn’t have our tape-recorder with us. In any case, it’s an apt characterization of his team’s second-half effort.

After strong first-half performances from Sebastian Telfair (3-3 shooting, 3 dimes, no turnovers) and Antoine Walker (3-4 from downtown, with 3 steals), our heroes were up four at the half. Further, they managed to build a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter. But that +8 stretch in the third was something of a mirage. In those six minutes, the Wizards missed several open looks, while the Wolves, with Jaric running the point, settled for jump shots and, thanks largely to McCants’ hot hand, managed to make some of them. But when the Wizards inevitably started hitting, and as the Wolves kept settling for jumpers and inevitably started missing, the lead evaporated within four minutes. And when Wittman finally put Telfair back in to run the point with less than three minutes left in the period and with the Wolves suddenly up by only two, the young guard wasn’t able to get his team back in a rhythm. And then Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler took over.

In other news, in a likely nod to the unwatchable Nacho Libre, Arenas has taken to hollering “Nacho” instead of "Hibachi" after his made shots.

Continue reading "1-7, and ready for more"

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at November 18, 2007 2:45 PM | Comments (0)

 

Wolves Win!

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Wolves 108, Kings 103

"Finally." That was the first word out of Randy Wittman's mouth at the post-game press conference Wednesday night. And why not? It sucks to start a season with a prolonged losing streak, even a season that everyone is preemptively chalking up to a rebuilding effort.

Unfortunately, it's hard to imagine the Wolves winning too many more games like this one. Here's the problem: Pretty much every T-Wolf had a good--or at least decent--outing. And they beat the Sacramento Kings (1-5 against the rest of the league, with their only win coming against the lowly Supersonics) by five points. At home.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at November 14, 2007 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

 

Dwight Howard-the rich man's Al Jefferson

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Let’s start with for starters: Dwight Howard is a very good basketball player. He is young, he is tall, he can jump very high, and, for most of Tuesday’s T-Wolves—Magic game, he made Al Jefferson look like an intimidated, overmatched, borderline-incompetent defender.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at November 7, 2007 12:12 AM | Comments (3)

 

Marcus and Melo, AI, oh my!

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Well, the Wolves played incredibly well against a very, very good Denver Nuggets team for much of the game Friday night. They ended up losing 99-91, but it was a terrific, exciting game. In the first quarter, as they were embarking on a 19-2 run, they played aggressive defense, ran the break and moved the ball beautifully. Sebastian Telfair (who winked at me during his post-game interview as he told a joke. Shucks. Also, he was wearing an amazing shirt with birds on it) was energetic and yet controlled in running the offense. Playing patiently within the flow of the offense, Rashad McCants started out 4-4 with a combination of nasty dunks and threes. It was great.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at November 3, 2007 2:37 PM | Comments (3)

 

End of an era: T-Wolves waive Juwan Howard

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The Timberwolves finalized their opening-day roster today. First, they waived Juwan Howard, who they traded for this summer before shipping KG off to Boston. Second, they released Wayne Simien, who they picked up in last week's deal with Miami.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 29, 2007 5:39 PM | Comments (1)

 

Bucking the trend

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They say that pinstripes are thinning. And friends, it must be true, because Antoine Walker, a man who this week was traded to the Timberwolves from the Miami Heat, reportedly for being fat, looked positively svelte in his black and charcoal suit. When you recall that the Heat boast the presence of a nearly 400-pound man whose body is literally decaying with every passing day, this explanation seems less plausible. It probably makes most sense to suggest that the trade went down because he was an aging, sulky, un-athletic gunner who will forever be cherished (in my mind, at least) as the man who, when asked why he shoots so many three-pointers, offered the magical response: "because there ain’t no fours."

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 27, 2007 5:02 PM | Comments (3)

 

Trade!

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The Wolves have dealt Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to Miami for Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, and Wayne Simien, as well as a conditional first round pick. ESPN has the scoop.

UPDATE: The trade is official. The Wolves will also get a future first round pick, although the details on that aren't yet clear.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 24, 2007 11:59 AM | Comments (1)

 

Timber!

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Before we get started, a quick note: This humble effort SHOULD NOT be seen as even a half-assed attempt to fill the ball-shaped hole left by Britt Robson’s departure from City Pages. As anyone who has read his copious writings on the Wolves over the years knows, he’s the best and most insightful basketball writer in town. In case you for some reason aren’t aware, you can find his sports column at our rival publication, which shall go nameless.

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Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 24, 2007 2:55 AM | Comments (11)

 

Wittman: "You've got wing guys and power guys."

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At practice today, Timberwolves Coach Randy Wittman was asked how the 6'7" Craig Smith's responsibilities change when 6'10" Theo Ratliff is on the court with him. "How do his responsibilities change?" parroted a faux-exasperated Wittman. "His responsibilities don't change. He has to play defense and get rebounds."

Wittman's broader point is that there aren't really five positions in the NBA these days. As Wittman puts it, aside from point guards, "You've got wing guys and power guys." Smith, of course, is a power guy. And the idea that he should play further from the basket with Ratliff on the floor is evidently not one endorsed by Wittman.

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at October 18, 2007 2:50 PM | Comments (0)

 

Is KG finally gone?

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Several news outlets are reporting that Kevin Garnett is being shipped to the Boston Celtics for basically their entire roster excluding Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Boston Globe says that a deal is in place to send Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and two future first-round picks to Minnesota in exchange for the Big Ticket. The Associated Press also reports it's a done deal. Is this a good move by the Wolves?

Posted by Paul Demko at July 30, 2007 5:18 PM | Comments (3)

 

Goodbyes

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

When the season began, I thought there would be no way that the Timberwolves could have a worse season then last year. With the additions of Mike James, and rookies Randy Foye and Craig Smith, they would surely be closer to fighting for a playoff berth.

Yet, with last night's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota ended their 2006-07 season with one less loss then last year... and with more questions then ever before.

Will Randy Wittman, who has acquired a 12-30 record since replacing Dwane Casey, really return next season as head coach? What has he done to deserve to keep his job?

Although Randy Foye showed glimpses of great play throughout the season, can he truly be an NBA point guard?

Will Craig Smith learn from his rookie year and find ways to continue his own growth as a solid role player for this team?

Can Rashad McCants fully heal over the summer and come back next year, ready to live up to expectations?

Will Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marko Jaric, Bracey Wright, and Trenton Hassell even be on this team next year?

How can Glen Taylor afford to keep Kevin McHale employed?

...and, have we already seen Kevin Garnett's last game as a member of the Timberwolves?

Continue reading "Goodbyes"

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 19, 2007 7:00 AM | Comments (4)

 

Did a new fan miss their "KG" moment last night?

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By Stephen Litel

As I made my way towards the Timberwolves locker room before the game, I noticed a gathering of people huddled around someone just outside the door. I stood in the back and moved around to see who it was and was rather surprised to see Kevin McHale fielding questions. This certainly grabbed my attention since McHale plays the role of the invisible man quite well.

When I moved closer, the first thing I heard was "... and he is not playing tonight." I whispered to Tom Hanneman, who was standing right next to me, "Who is he talking about?" When he answered with "KG," I just had to laugh. I stood there, listening and watching McHale blatantly lie to the media members' faces, although I know I should not expect anything less.

What is he going to say? "Yeah, we are doing everything in our power to tank the rest of our games. Therefore, we have decided that coming up with a bullshit story about an injury to Kevin Garnett would be our best course of action."

I just chuckled to myself as I walked away. All this comes days after Garnett himself said "I don't prepare every season to play 76, 70 games. If they want me to do that, then they'll have to come and ask me that themselves. But whenever I prepare, it's for 48-plus minutes. Nothing more. Nothing less than that. If they want to play the young guys and sit us down, then so be it, but tell me that ahead of time and be up front about it."

... and the Wolves didn't have the guts to change the scoreboard, revealing that Garnett was not playing, until 15 minutes before tip-off.

Continue reading "Did a new fan miss their "KG" moment last night?"

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 12, 2007 6:52 AM | Comments (3)

 

No TV and empty seats at Target Center... you didn't miss much

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By Stephen Litel

What can you really say at this point in another unrewarding season? The best hope for the future of the team is to lose now and keep the pick in this summer's draft. We were again treated to a game that could have bored even the bubbly dance team to tears, yet some of the players showed up for their job last night. I did as well.

Other than taking another step toward the draft lottery, the only positives from this game came in spurts...

After getting in foul trouble in the first half, Rashad McCants showed some improvement in both his game and his health in the second stanza. Taking advantage of his matchup with Juan Dixon of the Raptors, McCants was able to pull off some fine moves against the smaller player. Shaddy was able to score all eleven of his points in the second half, mostly while playing without Kevin Garnett on the floor. McCants ineffective play without the presence of KG was beginning to be a concern, but if he can continue to build off his solid second half, he could be a stabilizing force next season while Ticket rests.

That is, of course, if Ticket is here next season.

Continue reading "No TV and empty seats at Target Center... you didn't miss much"

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 10, 2007 6:44 AM | Comments (6)

 

A Perfect Tank Job and Random Happenings

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Before my actual post, let me first apologize for my absence the past few games. I have been struggling with a case of exhaustion lately between covering the Wolves, covering the Lynx draft, working on my Kevin Garnett book, along with the fact that I am a husband and father of two children who are wild ones. I am feeling rested now and ready to go for the home stretch of the 2006-07 Wolves season and am anxiously waiting the beginning of the Lynx season.

As someone who now believes that it is in the best interest of this team to lose each game in order to secure their draft pick, I found myself in a strange situation prior to the Wolves/Hornets game last night. Like many fans, I struggle to root for my beloved Timberwolves to lose, knowing in the back of my mind that losing is precisely what they need to do for the remainder of the season.

So, when I entered the locker room before the game and saw how a majority of the players were motivated to achieve victory on this night, it was tough to not want the win. Mark Blount, Mike James, Craig Smith, Justin Reed, Marko Jaric, and Bracey Wright were discussing the playoff race when Wright asked me how far out they were. When I answered, Blount then asked if they were mathematically out of the race and when I informed them that they were not, although they are incredibly close to it, Mike James chipped in with "Man, we gotta get this one."

Continue reading "A Perfect Tank Job and Random Happenings"

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 8, 2007 9:45 AM | Comments (2)

 

Trash Talking with Fred Hoiberg and Shaq Talks Smack

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By Stephen Litel

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Timberwolves Assistant General Manager Fred Hoiberg. Looking back on the 2006-07 season, as well as thinking towards the future of the franchise, Hoiberg was willing to answer all questions posed to him. The problem? Some of the answers come off as somewhat "canned," but I'll let you be the judge. As I prefer to do, I present the interview to you, the readers, and then allow for you to take the conversation on whatever course you may want to go down. The conversation with Hoiberg is below. What are your thoughts on his answers? Did he state anything that really sticks out to you? Do his answers make you feel any better about the Timberwolves or do you actually feel worse?

SL: This season has obviously not gone as planned. What are your thoughts on how the team got to this point?

FH: Well, it's been a disappointing season for all of us. You know, we expected more out of this season and what I've seen, especially, is our inconsistent play. We've had moments against the best teams in the league where we've looked like world beaters. You know, we come out, we play great basketball for 48 minutes and we beat the top teams. Houston, Chicago twice, we won at Detroit. I can't think of all of them right now, but we lost in Dallas by one possession twice, which not many teams have done. Then you look at the other part of our season where we've lost to the bottom teams in the league, so the biggest thing I have seen is our inconsistent play. Our job this summer is going to be to figure out why that happened and to make the necessary changes.

Continue reading "Trash Talking with Fred Hoiberg and Shaq Talks Smack"

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 2, 2007 4:27 PM | Comments (5)

 

Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen: I'll See You In Court

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Surely, many fans will find themselves conflicted after the Timberwolves win in Orlando. It is, of course, always good to see your team get a hard-fought win on the road, especially an overtime game. Yet, with each win that the Wolves notch from now until the end of the season, they find themselves close to losing their first round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

As I have mentioned in this space before, an ideal situation would be to play the young guns (Foye, McCants and Smith) a good amount of minutes to continue their development in this now lost Timberwolves season. The lineup that Minnesota can put on the floor until the end of the season that helps to find something positive going into next year is Foye, McCants, Jaric, Smith and Garnett.

Although, to a certain degree, Marko Jaric's inability to play well coming off the bench holds the Timberwolves hostage, if he needs to start to be productive, then so be it. Trenton Hassell is certainly a fine on ball defender, but Jaric is able to play better help defense. Look back to the game against Miami on Friday... Jaric played a stellar defensive game, allowing his confidence to get back on track. He does, however, need to work on his outside shot during the off-season to be a complete threat, as it is always a crapshoot when he has an open shot.

Continue reading "Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen: I'll See You In Court"

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 1, 2007 10:55 PM | Comments (8)

 

Let's Hear Your Voices

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen A. Litel

I'll be honest with you that I am under the weather. Therefore, I did not want to stay up late after the Wolves/Jazz game to write a full article on the game, instead choosing to rest. So, why don't you tell me what you saw in the game? What were the positives? What were the negatives?

I did manage to stay awake long enough to watch the entire game and will be able to contribute to the conversation myself, but why don't you start the conversation today?

Stephenwolvesguy22@hotmail.com

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 28, 2007 10:26 PM | Comments (7)

 

What Else Can You Say But "Wow?"

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Honestly, what do you say after a game like that? I could speak on the fact that Minnesota blew a 25 point lead, the worst blown game in franchise history. Maybe I could speak on the antics of players sitting on the bench, showing that they do not care or have any ownership in any of the embarrassment on the court. What about a plea to Glen Taylor to fire Kevin McHale?

There seems to be no point in any of that. That has been written by countless writers for three years now.

After the meltdown was complete, I made my way to the Timberwolves locker room, yet could not find myself to join the media throng surrounding the players who actually stuck around to answer questions. As Mike James, Randy Foye, Craig Smith, Mark Madsen, and Kevin Garnett each took their turns in front of the microphones, I hung back, knowing what was being said.

Continue reading "What Else Can You Say But "Wow?""

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 28, 2007 6:54 AM | Comments (4)

 

Trash talking with Ricky Davis

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

As the Timberwolves 2006-07 season begins to wind down, most likely without a playoff berth, blame has begun to be thrown around. With a majority of the blame focusing on the Minnesota front office, shreds of the same have filtered down to the players, including Ricky Davis.

A lot of people have negative thoughts of Davis, some justified, some odd. It is not surprising that when asked the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of "Ricky Buckets," a majority bring up his fake triple-double, when he shot at the opponent's basket in the closing minutes to secure the final needed rebound for the honor. Therefore, some of the knocks on Davis are indeed self-inflicted.

Personally, I have found Ricky Davis to be a very motivated player. Admittedly, I have not made a decision in my own heart and mind on him, so I decided to seek him out to answer to some of his biggest criticisms. Finding him in an empty locker room before the Wolves thrilling last second win against the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday, Davis was more than willing to speak.

Continue reading "Trash talking with Ricky Davis"

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 26, 2007 6:57 AM | Comments (9)

 

Give up this year's pick to keep Garnett?

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Timberwolves fans are split on the issue of fighting for a playoff berth or losing to secure a better draft pick. In a worst-case scenario, the Wolves win just enough to miss out on the playoffs AND lose their draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, which makes the situation even more divisive. With the 2007 Draft class expected to be the deepest in years, Minnesota would have many options there to continue to build a solid core of young players.

Count me in as one believing that continuing to fight for a playoff berth is the right move. Although I do not believe that Minnesota will be able to win enough to eventually grab that last playoff spot, they are doing exactly as they should be. As a believer in the Wolves young trio of Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and Craig Smith, Minnesota already has a nice core of talent for the future. Eventually, the first round pick owed to the Clippers from the Sam Cassell-Marko Jaric trade has to be paid and this may be the time to do it.

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Posted by Chuck Terhark at March 24, 2007 12:49 PM | Comments (0)

 

Kevin Garnett will retire in Minnesota

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Unfortunately, it has become commonplace: As each and every loss mounts for the Timberwolves, the cameras naturally shift from the action on the court to Kevin Garnett watching from the sidelines in the final moments. The cameras capture Garnett looking confused, mad beyond belief or just plain numb.

These are the shots that people around the NBA nation see nightly, fueling the speculation that The Big Ticket has finally had enough and will leave the Twin Cities. Before the trade deadlines of the past two seasons, Timberwolves fans—along with fans of potentially new Garnett teams—have anticipated the news of his departure.

As the Timberwolves playoff chances slim at best, Kevin Garnett was absolutely brilliant to start the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds at the half. Garnett looked like a man on a mission, almost as if to say to his teammates "We're either going back to the playoffs or we're going down with me firing away."

Yet, the first half was a microcosm of the Timberwolves entire 2006-07 season. Garnett was stellar, the Timberwolves as a team played nearly as well as possible... and they still trailed by four at the half.

So, why do I believe that Garnett will retire as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves? Is it wishful thinking? Do I have some insider information that I'm not divulging? Or could it be complete naiveté and stupidity?

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Posted by Corey Anderson at March 21, 2007 6:30 AM | Comments (11)

 

Close, But They Didn't Deserve To Win

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Lately I have been tearing into Coach Randy Wittman quite a lot, but he does deserve credit for his coaching in last night's game against the Lakers for the most part. There were still areas where he could have made better decisions, yet, as a whole, he did his job well.

Finally starting Randy Foye, Wittman put his young "point guard" in a better situation to succeed, as Foye was given the opportunity to play off Kevin Garnett. The one time when you feel for the situation that Coach Wittman is in happens to be on nights like this. He gives his rookie this chance to contribute in a big way and Foye responds with three points, three turnovers, one assist and two rebounds in fifteen minutes. Ouch.

So, Wittman makes the correct move by bringing Mike James into the game. Although his shot was still not falling, James had one of his best games in recent memory scoring eighteen points while dishing out eleven assists in 33 minutes. If Minnesota had production on that level throughout the entire 48 minutes from the point guard position, a win would be more achievable. Now this is only one game, but it just drives one crazy to think what could have been if James was able to play at this level from day one of the season.

Continue reading "Close, But They Didn't Deserve To Win"

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 18, 2007 11:03 PM | Comments (4)

 

Randy Foye starts from now on. Period.

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

It seemed too easy for the Timberwolves. Win this game and hold the tiebreaker with both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors for the eighth and final playoff spot. Yet, one of the final nails was slammed into the Wolves coffin last night. This game was over at the tip: when Tom Hanneman announced the Troy Hudson was starting, it was clear that Coach Wittman had not learned anything from Tuesday's win over Indiana.

I do not have the same amount of issues with Troy Hudson as most, as I have noticed his ability to move the ball and bring tempo to the offense. However, in a game against a high tempo team such as Golden State, good ol' T-Hud comes shining through, making poor decisions and jacking up bad shots.

Not to mention, that after the Indiana win, Coach Wittman stated that the starting lineup would now be determined by match-ups. Ok, that is fair enough, I guess. Although a Randy Foye/Baron Davis match-up still favors Golden State, is it not better than a Troy Hudson/Baron Davis mismatch?

Continue reading "Randy Foye starts from now on. Period."

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 17, 2007 9:21 AM | Comments (4)

 

"Larry Legend" on Garnett and Youth is Served

Filed under: Timberwolves

By Stephen Litel

Larry Bird was an All-Star, a Dream Team member, an MVP, and a champion. In the greatest plays in NBA history, a green 33 would be seen more than its fair share. He, along with Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, elevated the NBA to levels never imagined in the early days of the league. Bird did things on the court that were amazing, awe-inspiring and awesome and will always be one of the greatest players to ever step foot on an NBA floor.

Now president of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Pacers, Bird was in town last night to watch his Pacers play the Timberwolves. As soon as I became aware that Bird was in attendance, I knew that I must attempt to speak with him. After the Wolves defeated Bird's Pacers 86-81, I did indeed get the rare opportunity.

After a career such as his, a game like the one he had just witnessed surely must have bored him to tears. Through three quarters, both teams played sloppy, uninspired basketball and once the game picked up, he watched his team play just badly enough to lose. Suffice it to say, he was not in the greatest of moods.

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Posted by Corey Anderson at March 14, 2007 1:30 AM | Comments (7)

 

Wolves at Heat: Wittman Blew It

Filed under: Timberwolves

by Stephen A. Litel

Introductions
As the Timberwolves travel to Miami to take on Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat, I travel over to City Pages to bring you a different look at your team. My name is Stephen Litel and for those of you who have not run across my work before, I prefer to focus on the story behind the story. Any of us can look at the box scores from each game and read the AP recaps and have a good feel as to what occurred during the contest, but I will also give you a glimpse into the locker room and behind the scenes.

I am an admitted fair-weather baseball and football fan, jumping on the bandwagon when the Twins and Vikings are playing well. Possibly blasphemous in the state of Minnesota, I could care less about hockey, never finding anything that excites me in that sport. Yet, my love for NBA basketball has been large since Day One and, although I acknowledge the fan base will never compare to the NBA's, that love extends over to the WNBA and the Minnesota Lynx.

Currently, I am working on my first book, which is still untitled. The book, due out this summer, dissects the place in history of Kevin Garnett, whether or not he wins a championship, Timberwolf or not. During the process of putting the book together, I have had the opportunity to speak with a large number of NBA stars to gauge their thoughts on Garnett's legacy. The exclusive commentary includes Dwight Howard, Ron Artest, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Ben Wallace, Amare Stoudamire, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell, among others.

Knowing that my predecessor had a loyal fan following, I would love to have a new community begin here. As I continue on this odd career path that I am on, I hope that you will come along on the journey.

Continue reading "Wolves at Heat: Wittman Blew It"

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 9, 2007 11:24 PM | Comments (4)

 

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.

Continue reading "The Three-Pointer: Embarrassed At Home by 26"

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

 

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."

Continue reading "The Three-Pointer: Glass 1/3 Full"

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.

Continue reading "The Three-Pointer: Imploding"

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.

Continue reading "The Three-Pointer: Solid Win Before the Break"

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

 

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?

Continue reading "The Three-Pointer: Much Ado About Nothing"

Posted by Britt Robson at February 12, 2007 12:31 AM |