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Wolves Updates 3/3

Written by SG on .

Forward Antoine Walker continues to try to work out a buyout with the Wolves, but center Michael Doleac, who came to the Wolves in the same trade with Miami, wants to finish the season here and hasn't decided whether he will play after this year. ... Former Wolves coach Dwane Casey is in the last year of getting paid on his contract and is doing some basketball commentary on television on the West Coast.  
 
 
 
Ryan McNeill/Hoopsworld talks to Sebastian Telfair about playing for the Wolves. On what he attributes his "strong" season to, Telfair replies:
I think it was my preparation for this season last summer. The work I put in for myself and the fact I committed myself to basketball.
 
 
 
John Vomhof Jr/Mpls St Paul Business Journal on the team's new "Let's Build It" ticket sales campaign:
The MVP Renewal Rewards program awards points based on the number of seats fans buy and how long they've had them. Those points then can be traded for prizes such as dinner with the team, a suite or courtside seats for a game, an authentic jersey or an autographed basketball.
 
"We understand that if we're going to build our business, the first thing we're going to have to do is renew the business that we currently have," Timberwolves President Chris Wright said.
 


Stop-n-Pop/Canis Hoopus on team's new and old marketing campaigns. 
 
 
 
Brewer has played much more aggressively on offense during his past two games, though his 14 points against the SuperSonics couldn't prevent a 111-108 overtime loss...
 
...Wolves coach Randy Wittman said after a 92-84 loss at Cleveland on Friday that he thought Brewer attacked the basket better than he had in weeks. Brewer scored 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting — and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line — in that game. Against Seattle, he again shot 5 for 10 and made 4 of 6 free throws.
 
 
   
Minnesota has been a one-man team for most of the season. Forward Al Jefferson, the centerpiece in the raft of players they received in exchange for Kevin Garnett, has played like an All-Star, while most of his teammates have played like scrubs. If the T-Wolves need to preserve their draft position, the solution is fairly simple: Jefferson will need to sit. But they are losing a lot with him in the lineup, so they have the luxury of developing their young nucleus while looking to add another cornerstone in the draft.
 
 
 
Wittman was excited that his son, Ryan, will get to play in the NCAA tournament. Cornell became the first team to qualify for the tournament after winning its first Ivy League championship in 20 years with an 86-53 win over Harvard on Saturday. Ryan Wittman scored 13 points in the victory. 
 

Wolves 108, Sonics 111 OT

Written by SG on .

The Timberwolves encountered overtime for the first time this season but couldn’t pull off a victory in a 111-108 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics in 53 minutes of action Sunday night at Target Center. Al Jefferson led the way with 30 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high five assists in the loss.
 
"We had relax mode coming out to start the game (which) put us behind the eight-ball, said head coach Randy Wittman. "That's where we lost this game. We came out the second half and moved the ball. The first half was the exact opposite."
 
 
 
 
Wolves record: 12-46
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trailing by 10 points late in the first quarter, by 15 points late in the second, the Wolves rose with a 9-2 burst to finish the first half and with a robust third quarter that left them five times with a four-point lead that they ultimately couldn't protect in the fourth quarter's final four minutes.
 
Missed free throws -- Corey Brewer's with 10 seconds left in regulation, Jefferson's two consecutive late in overtime, nine in the game overall -- hurt. So, too, did the Wolves' gambling instincts when they twice went for steals after Brewer's missed free throws and surrendered Sonics rookie Kevin Durant's speedy rush to the basket that tied the score with 4.2 seconds left and sent it to overtime after Ryan Gomes missed the potential game-winner at the regulation buzzer. 
 
 
 
"We came out in the first half like doo-doo," Jefferson said. "I don't know what we were thinking."
 
It's safe to say the Wolves wouldn't have rallied without Snyder's defensive presence.
 
"He's just a high-energy player, especially on the defensive end," Jefferson said. "He kind of reminds me of a tougher Corey Brewer, a stronger Corey. Kirk was big for us. Him and Corey out there together on the defensive end give us a lot of energy on the court."
 
 
 
From the AP recap:
Jefferson, who recorded his 41st double-double, struggled to find his rhythm early, but Minnesota got a nice lift from McCants and improving rookie Corey Brewer. Brewer, who's been showing more confidence lately, went 5-for-10 from the floor for 14 points, hustled for some key turnovers and hit some timely shots to help the Wolves keep pace with Seattle as the game wore on.
 
 
 
Basically, this game comes down to a single statistic. In close games, each possession and each point is critical. The Sonics shot 19-22 from the free throw stripe, while the Wolves shot a horrible 13-22 from the charity stripe.
 

 
Well at least we know the Sonics are a better team than the Minnesota Timberwolves, as they have now beaten their Northwest Division rival three times this season, good for nearly 19 percent of their victories.
 
 
 
Marko Jaric missed Sunday evening’s game against Seattle because of what coach Randy Wittman called a thigh contusion that has bled down toward his knee. Jaric played six minutes in Friday’s loss at Cleveland after injuring the thigh on Wednesday in Toronto.
 
Jaric and Antoine Walker, recovered from Saturday’s bout with the flu, both sat in street clothes a row behind the Wolves’ bench.
 
 

 

No buyout for Walker before deadline

Written by SG on .

Wolves veteran Antoine Walker's agent said Saturday evening there will be no buyout agreement reached by tonight. Walker had to be bought out by tonight to be eligible to make another team's playoff roster. But, as expected, there will be no deal, so Walker apparently will remain with the Wolves for the rest of this season.
 
 
 
Walker has been inactive for the team's past five games. Walker said he and Wittman agreed he would not be in uniform for games if he wasn't going to play or play little or sporadically while Wittman evaluates the team's younger players.
 
"He hasn't given me any reason to so far, and until he does, I'll answer the same way every time," Wittman said when asked Saturday for the second consecutive day if he worries about Walker's influence when he would rather be elsewhere. "The passport, him being sick, that was nothing about being ticked off about a buyout or trying to get one. If it ever becomes that, I'll tell you that."
 
 
 
McHale and Wittman insisted that Walker's absence at practice Saturday because of an illness was legitimate, not a disgruntled veteran blowing off work. Walker visited a team doctor Saturday, Wittman said.
 
Now it remains to be seen what will happen the rest of this season. McHale said he's not worried that Walker will cause any distractions the rest of the season.
 
"No," McHale said. "He's been fine."

Wolves Updates 3/2

Written by SG on .

Even if we all know Ratliff wasn't part of the future here, isn't that kind of pivot man something this franchise should be manuevering towards? Shouldn't we get Jefferson and Gomes ingrained in those habits now, in their formative stages? Do we really need Jefferson playing 69% of the center minutes for this ballclub and just 5% of the power forward's minutes? (According to the 82games.com web data.) And do we really need the Wolves' 8 most popular 5-man lineups to feature Jefferson as the center--especially when the most popular 5-man lineup that doesn't feature Jefferson as a cetner puts Mark Madsen in the pivot instead?
 
 
 
Wittman said veteran guard Marko Jaric played just six minutes Friday because of an injury. Jaric banged a knee during the Toronto game and it hampered him against Cleveland. Jaric is questionable for today's game after participating in most of Saturday's practice. "He said he's still pretty sore," Wittman said.  
 
 
 
Previews of today's game against the Sonics:
 
Click here for the forum's game thread 
 
 
 
 
Wolves boss Kevin McHale said he and owner Glen Taylor debated the "pros and cons" of paying off Ratliff and ultimately decided to do so to save money, help Ratliff and theoretically clear more playing time for little-used rookie Chris Richard and role player Craig Smith. Ratliff played 12 to 14 minutes a game in each of his first four games back from a knee injury because McHale and Wittman wanted to see how a true shot-blocker played with natural power forward Al Jefferson. It was a plan scrapped by pragmatics.
 
 
 
"He's a good dude," Ford said. "He calls. We always just talk friendly. We never talk about the incident, ever. ... He's a genuine, caring person."
 
 
 
Look for Target Center to seek legislative approval to improve concession areas at a cost of more than $1 million.
 
  
 
The Wolves keeping on buying out players such as Theo Ratliff, who could have helped make Al Jefferson a more effective player. 
 
 
   
Postgame quotes from the loss to Cleveland 
 
 

Introducing Twins-Territory.com

Written by Derek Hanson on .

I've just launched a new Minnesota Twins site with Alex Halsted, one of my esteemed competitors in the Battle of the Bloggers.  It's by far one of the most advanced sports blogs on the internet - even more than goold old TWolves Blog.  (Don't worry, updates are coming!)  In addition to the traditional blog format, we've put together a great forum, as well as a MySpace/Facebook-ish area for our members called "The Clubhouse".  Alex has also done a phenomenal job of crunching stats and putting together pages for every player in the Twins organization from the Majors all the way down to the smallest of the Minor Leagues.  I'm not a baseball fanatic, so I'll admit I didn't even know you could go lower than Single A.  Well, you can, and Alex even has stats for all of them.  It's really a goldmine if you're a Twins junkie. 

Again the URL is www.twins-territory.com (Don't forget the hyphen!)  Please check it out if you're a Twins fan - you won't be disappointed!

This brings me to the last thing I'd like to mention.  I'm a web-design fanatic.  I probably love making web pages more than I actually enjoy maintaining them.  If you're a dedicated sports blogger who would like to upgrade your site to something along the lines of TWolves Blog or Twins Territory, feel free to drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , and perhaps we could work something out.  I'd really love to get hooked up with a Vikings fan to complete the Minnesota Tri-fecta, or perhaps somebody who shares my passion for the Patriots or Orioles.  But even if you're a dirty Denver Nuggets supporter, I'd be more than willing to hear you out...  Maybe.

Walker calls in sick to practice

Written by SG on .

Antoine Walker called in sick for practice and visited the team doctor on Saturday, the fourth consecutive day he has been absent for either a practice or game. For Wednesday’s game at Toronto, it was a lost passport.
 
 
 
There's reason to speculate he might be sick of something else, too. Walker wants a buyout of his contract completed before tonight's deadline that would make him eligible to catch on with a team bound for the playoffs. But at this point it's unlikely that a buyout will be reached.
 
Also from Alonzo:
McHale said he believed Walker's illness to be legitimate. "If a guy says he's sick, he's sick," McHale said.
 
Walker saw a team doctor this morning, Wittman said. “He was throwing up last night,” Wittman said. 
 

Musings of a Wolves Fan... (2/29/08)

Written by College Wolf on .

T-Wolves -vs- Cleveland Cavaliers (2.29.08)

 

  cavswolves.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



BOXSCORE:

http://www.nba.com/games/20080229/MINCLE/boxscore.html  


FORUM THREAD (Click Me)


POSTGAME PODCAST:

http://www.TimberwolvesToday.com

 

It was a close game for the most part, but the Wolves just ran out of gas in the end.  Well, either that or some guy by the name of LeBron James took over.  Truth be told, it was a combination of both.  The Wolves trailed by as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter, but the first three were actually much closer on the scoreboard.  In fact, with a tad under five minutes to go in the game, the Wolves were only trailing 79-75.  Of course LeBron was always in control, never willing to let this game slip away to a sorry squad they haven’t lost to in quite some time.  ‘Bron is only amazingly 23 years old, but plays with the maturity of a 10 year vet.  I was wondering if he was even going to play at all, seeing that he was a “game-time decision” after he sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s loss to the Celtics.  He showed no ill effects, just barely missing his 7th triple double of the season with 30 points, 13 dimes, and 8 boards.  How’s that for returning from injury?


The Wolves couldn’t buy a bucket to save their lives, missing 53 shots while shooting 39% from the field.  There was a particularly brutal stretch in the second quarter when it took the Wolves nearly five full minutes to score 4 points. The missed shots, free-throw attempts discrepancy, and inability to contain LeBron James were the hits that sunk the Wolvies battleship tonight.

(Click "Read More..." for thoughts and analysis.)  

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Wolves Updates 3/1

Written by SG on .

Antoine Walker also is seeking a buyout agreement by tonight's deadline and a chance at a fresh start. But considering the Wolves already made an offer that was rejected, don't count on Walker getting his wish.
 
McHale said there haven't been further negotiations.
 
"There was an offer made to Antoine, and they said they weren't comfortable with that, and that's kind of where it is," McHale said.
    
 
 
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on Theo Ratliff's buyout: 
The move saves the Wolves money, grants Ratliff's request and theoretically creates more playing time for rookie Chris Richard and Craig Smith. Ratliff is expected to sign with title contender Detroit when he clears waivers. All of Ratliff's big salary slot still comes off the Wolves' books this summer.
 
   
 
Broadcaster Tom Hanneman talks to Wolves owner Glen Taylor about this season, the players acquired in the KG trade, Randy Wittman as coach, and the future of the team. On Kevin McHale:
My thoughts are when I look back at when we first started this team and Kevin and I and some others put together a plan and for eight years we went with that plan and we got better and better each year. We got in the playoffs five years. We did everything we said we would and then we had a couple really bad years that did not meet my expectation, nor Kevin's expectations, and we get criticized for that. But when I look at Kevin McHale, I look at all the good things he does and how he was helped young players, how he's willing to do things to help this team and he'll be out on the floor if that's what it takes. I just think he's a very good influence on this team. But on the other hand I would say we've changed some things. We have added staff around Kevin to give him more scouting, more people to help in that area. Probably Kevin didn't ask for it before and maybe that's my fault. I probably should have given him some more help to do that job better. We've been doing that this year. We have a lot more scouting. We're over in Europe more. We're out watching all kinds of college games. That makes Kevin's job easier because he has more information.
   
 
 
 
The Target Center roof may soon be growing green.
 
The Minneapolis City Council Friday authorized taking bids for three differing configurations of vegetation atop the city-owned arena.
 
At 115,000 square feet, the arena would have the second-largest green roof in the state, according to the Minnesota Green Roofs Council.
 
 
 
The Minnesota Timberwolves, KSTC.TV Channel 45, FSN North and Charter Communications today announced that they have partnered together to broadcast Timberwolves games aired on KSTC.TV Channel 45, in the Mankato, Minn. market.
 
   

Wolves 84, Cavaliers 92

Written by SG on .

From the AP recap: 
LeBron James had 30 points and 13 assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 92-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
James was a game-time decision after spraining his right ankle in Wednesday night's loss to Boston.
 
Also from the recap: 
The Timberwolves have lost nine of 11 and are 2-25 on the road. 
 
 
 
 
Wolves record: 12-45
 
 
 
 
Timberwolves center Al Jefferson lit up the Cavs' interior defense in the first half, scoring 18 points with seven rebounds. But the Cavs used better help defense in the second half, and he was held to four points and three rebounds. 
 
 
 
The Wolves certainly are going young. Except for Marko Jaric, 29, who played six minutes, every Wolf who hit the court against Cleveland was born in the 1980s.
 
"Real young," coach Randy Wittman said. "That's who we are right now."
 
Despite that youth and inexperience, they played well enough defensively to keep the game close until the last five minutes, when the Wolves made too many mistakes, and Cleveland pulled away.

 
 
This time, James led a team remade after last week's trading-deadline deal sent away four players and brought back big Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak in return. This time, James provided 19 of his 30 points after halftime with an exhibition of soaring dunks and baseline drives, on some of which Brewer tried to obstruct around the big fellow's path to an easy basket and still got brushed simply aside.
 
   
 
The Timberwolves had 16 offensive rebounds in the first half. They had four in the second.
Minnesota, a team with only 12 wins, trailed, 79-75, with 4:44 left. The inside defense of Ilgauskas and Wallace got tougher, but the Cavs' offense, led by James, also picked up.
 

 

From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
4 Minutes played by Wolves rookie Chris Richard, the intended beneficiary for playing time after the team waived Theo Ratliff on Friday.
 

On Ratliff's buyout

Written by SG on .

"Theo indicated to us that he wasn't sure of his plans in the future - whether he was going to play or not - and there was an indication that he would not re-sign with us if he did choose to continue playing," said Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. "This provides us an opportunity to play our younger post players - Craig Smith and Chris Richard - and give us more time to continue to evaluate them. I cannot say enough about Theo's professionalism throughout the entire season and we wish him the best of luck in the future."
 
 
 
Wolves VP of basketball operations Kevin McHale said the buyout discussions for Theo Ratliff started a few weeks ago when Ratliff's agent approached the Wolves about such a move. McHale said Ratliff and his agent were professional in the way they handled it.
 
"There are some pros and cons, no question," McHale said. But in the end, "It was a win-win situation for everyone." 
 
    
 
The positives:
A) The Wolves get to see more of their young guys, like Chris Richard and Craig Smith, on the basketball floor.
B) The Wolves save some money.
C) Ratliff has the chance to sign with a contender in order to make a playoff run.
 

The only negative noted by McHale was that the Wolves won't get to watch Ratliff play alongside Al Jefferson.
 
 
 
The Wolves opted not to trade Ratliff because they had what they wanted: salary-cap flexibility. A $11.66 million slot is infinitely more valuable to Minnesota than a (for instance) player with a fat, multi-season contract. Rebuilding teams generally look to horde salary-cap flexibility unless a perfect, young piece to the puzzle falls into their lap. Last month, no available player fit that mold.
 
 
 
Ratliff and Wittman said good-bye to each other last night. Ratliff was not at shootaround this morning because he already had left town, according to Wittman.
Concerning why this move made sense now, Wittman said, "I think it was kind of indications being that this was it for him. If he did decide to try to play another year, it was going to have to be for a championship-caliber team." 
 
 
 
“We put an offer out there and I wasn’t sure they’d accept it, but they did,” McHale said. “And here we are.”
 
The buyout made sense to McHale and the Wolves because Ratliff was willing to give up a chunk of the $3.7 million still owed him and because it was obvious that, if he does decide to try to play again next season (a reasonably good-sized if) it won’t be in Minnesota. This saves the team money, presumably allows them to give Chris Richard and Craig Smith more playing time and makes Ratliff happy.
 
 
 
 
 
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