Our 9-29 TWolves take on the 31-6 Spurs Tuesday night at Target Center, for the fourth and final time this season.  We've lost the first three games by only a combined 13 points, but have blown 15+ point leads on multiple occasions.  I believe the Wolves had a 9 point lead Sunday before finally succombing in San Antonio, but of course the game wasn't on TV so who knows for sure.

Word on the street is that Beasley is going to try to play on his recently re-aggravated ankle injury, so that should help us if he's ok.  Personally, why risk it?  I'd sit him out a few games and let him get it right.  No sense rushing him back in this wasted season.

Get the ball to Darko and KLove, it's our only chance.  We can hang with these guys in an up-tempo game.

Tons of TWolves/NBA/Other sport discussion in the TWolves Blog Forums!  Check it out for some great convo.

Lastly, but definitely not leastly (just made that word up?), I did another Gameday Q&A with Jeff from the always spectacular Project Spurs.  Check out my responses to his questions over at PS, and please click "Read More" below to continue on with Jeff's responses to my questions...

 

no comments

As many readers have started figuring out, TWB has a new comments system. As such, we will be putting a game post on the front page before every game to centralize any talk. The forums will continue to be active during this time as well for those who prefer that. 

Wolves are in San Antonio and at their lowest point of the season. Tonight might not be pretty but at some point the Wolves' woes have to cease, right? 

A few things to think about during tonight's game if the play becomes unwatchable:

-Brewer is getting the start tonight. Sad to see Wes head to the bench, but I think shaking things up at this point in the season may prove dividends. Hopefully Rambis doesn't continue to have his wings needlessly double down low leaving Manu and others open tonight. I mean, how rarely does the wing help even add anything significant to the post defense? It is so easy for any post player with half a brain to kick out to an open man, especially when the wing defender is waddling down nanchalantly directly into the post player's field of vision. Mind boggling, this strategy is. Darrell Rhombus, man of action.

-The Nets apparently want the Wolves to be involved in a potential deal for Melo. Our role would be sending out a first round pick AND absorbing Troy "Mutant Macaulay Culkin"  Murphy's contract according to NJ. Yeah.....that will happen. WTF?, really? Why does it seem like Kahn would do this?

Observe:

-The Wolves are dangling Flynn and allegedly offered him and fluff to Houston for Aaron Brooks. Not surprisingly, conversations didn't get far. I mentioned this in the forums, but Flynn is playing epically awful. This is obvious. With that said, I wish Wolves fandom was supporting our 6th pick a little bit better. He has basketball ability. His issues are a combination of injury, a dreadful coach destroying his confidence, limited playing time and a leesh the size of Darko's tampon string. Let's give the kid a chance before trading him for 2 second round picks. 

2 consecutive games against the Spurs. Should be a hoot of an early week.

Wolves versus Blazers just got under way.  Only Love and Beasley shooting so far.  Enjoy. 

no comments

 

Loss to the Bobcats edition

 

TWolves Blog Forum Game Thread Here

Wolves Lose to Charlotte Bobcats 108-105 Boxscore

 

Now that was draining loss.  Not just how it went down but coupled with the growing stack of similar games this 4th quarter collapse theme would be tired... if it weren't so true.  

Flynn played all of the 4th quarter and little to none of OT.  It is hard to remember ever seeing a situation like that.  I felt like he was moving faster in this game than we've seen him recently.  Was this a trade showcase?  My guess is we shall soon see.  

You can't put this loss on the officials but the preposterous offensive foul that negated an AND 1 which turned into a 3 the other way to Augustin in OT was devastating.   Love and Beasley kept this ship from sinking even after that.  Had one other player besides them done anything put turn the ball over in the last 2 minutes of regulation and Over Time the Wolves would have won that game.  

It'd be great if could find a way to get Love outside shots at the end of games.  As good as Beasley is in those situations he had way too many possessions of him going it alone at the end of the game.   Wes should have been subbed for Martell in OT because he clearly wasn't prepared to shoot.  

Thoughts?  

Please click "Read More" for College Wolf's game reaction...

 

no comments

http://twitter.com/#!/Twolves_PR/status/22339445353095169

#Twolves waived guard Sundiata Gaines this morning. The roster now stands at 14 players

Interesting. May as well overreact and assume a deal is coming....or we can just look at it as Flynn and Telfair formally recovering from injuries, the likely reason we let him go. no comments

After months of planning, the new commenting system for the Bloguin Network is finally here!   TWolves Blog was the flagship site for the network, so it's only fitting that it be the first site to feature this momentous upgrade to the network.   Please play around with the comment system and let us know what you think!   This is not the final version of the system, which will integrate seamlessly with your Bloguin Network ID, but it's pretty darn close! 

Seriously, you have no idea how much has gone into these network upgrades the past couple of months.  This comments system is the icing on the cake.  I have a bigger smile on my face right now than Wes Johnson's high school year book photo!  Enjoy!

That is all.

Warmest Holiday Regards,

Darrell Rhombus, and the Rest of Your Dear Friends at TwolvesBlog.com

no comments

 

An otherwise idle Wednesday on the much loved and relatively "inactive" post-Christmas work week has suddenly exploded with a frenzy of Wolves-related activity, in which we are now on the front page of CBS sports for absolutely no reason other than showing a picture of Jonny Flynn looking startlingly similar to Stephen Jackson. Several things to talk about here as the trade deadline begins to a make its way into message fan conversation, and the non stop speculation rises higher than our Minny winter heating bills.

Top of the list is this gem of an article from CBS's Ken Berger. Don't let the title mislead you, contained within is a ton of Wolves-related info. I'll get to the good stuff:

CBSSports.com has learned that the Wolves plan to make a push to acquire Memphis guard O.J. Mayo, whose rights they traded to the Grizzlies on draft night in 2008 in the deal that brought Love to Minnesota. Mayo is frustrated coming off the bench in Memphis and "needs a change," according to one person familiar with the situation. The Wolves envision Mayo playing in the backcourt next season alongside Rubio, who according to a person familiar with the situation has given team officials his word that he will join the Wolves next season. The buyout that Minnesota must pay FC Barcelona is down to $1 million, but it's not clear how Rubio's decision could be affected by a lockout. Even if Rubio comes to Minnesota, there's no guarantee he'll thrive immediately.

Sources say the Wolves also are targeting Anthony Randolph, who is languishing on the Knicks' bench after being acquired from Golden State as part of the sign-and-trade arrangement that landed David Lee in the Bay Area. Minnesota officials will not part with Ridnour in the deal, according to an executive familiar with the team's strategy, but instead hope that Telfair would be enough to solve the Knicks' backup point guard dilemma.

In the TWB Forums, we have been talking about acquiring both Mayo and Randolph for some time now, and both seem like decent additions to our team. Mayo's value couldn't be lower, and Memphis could probably use a backup point guard and a defensive stopper. Fellow TWB columnist Pants just e-mailed this to me while writing this:

Player News (last updated: December 28, 2010)

News: Mayo did not start against the Raptors on Monday despite starting shooting guard Xavier Henry sitting with a knee injury. Spin: Instead, Sam Young made the start. Mayo scored 12 points in this one, but he did not achieve as many minutes as fellow backup guard Tony Allen (26 to 33).

Wow, how the mighty have fallen. 

Would a package of Flynn and/or Brewer be enough to coax Memphis into giving up Mayo, who doesnt even start as an injury replacement to mediocre rookie Xavier Henry? Would you make this trade? Hard not to. Mayo is an extremely talented player capable of putting up 20+ points, shooting extremely well, being a surprisingly decent defender, and playing both guard positions.  It is unclear to many why he is on the dog house, so a Flynn deal could be a great reclamation trade for both teams. Even though Conley just signed an extension, Flynn could very well get plenty of court time.

The other major comment in the article suggests Rubio has given the Wolves his word he will join the team. Not surprising, but still nice to hear from a national source. Stupid lockout.

The problem the Wolves run into at this point is managing the youth come extension time. You simply can't have TOO many young players and retain them all with the CBA looming. However, it is still tough to not look at any Mayo deal very closely. 

Furthermore, it seems as if the Wolves are listening to trade offers for Jonny Flynn. Can't say I blame them. I have always thought Jonny is a terrific basketball player, but he just doesn't thrive in our system and he simply shouldn't be underachieving to this degree. He has more in him and it just may be elsewhere where he finds it. Rumblings of a Rambis/Flynn feud aren't helping matters either.

Another likely BS trade rumor today, but interesting none the less. Since Wolves fandom follows trade rumors like our significant others do celebrity gossip, we feel it prudent here at TWB to post any and every trade rumor regardless of its source. Apparently the Wolves and Bulls have been talking a Webster deal, perhaps involving Taj Gibson. Don't like it for either team.

Also, several excellent Wolves tidbits can be found in a chat recap from today with Star tribune Wolves writer Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune....who sadly thinks (as I also have as well for some time, despite above rumors) that the Wolves will not make any major moves prior to the deadline.

And off topic, the much beloved Anthony Tolliver is way ahead of schedule and may make a return as soon as this week, which would mean New Years day vs. New Jersey. This is fantastic news for the Wolves,. AT has been an invaluable defensive role player this season and a terrific pickup. Here's wishing AT the best and we are excited to see you back in action almost a month sooner than expected.

Lastly, Wolves face a Melo-less Denver tonight at home. No TV of course, which means the Wolves stand a 60-70% better chance of winning vs a televised game. A three game win streak would be a great way to end 2010...

 

No time for introductions.  Wolves play the Hornets tonight at Target Center.  Thank goodness for DVR, because I just got back from the gym after making myself look like He-Pek.  Now that my torn pectoral tendon is all healed up good and proper, I could totally take Pekovic in a fight.  Ok, or not.  Maybe in a bar room brawl if I sucker punched him with a broken bottle.  Maybe.

I didn't even take a shower so that I could bring you guys this live blog without too much delay.  Kidding.  However, I am sitting here in my basement naked, since Mrs. CW and CW Jr. are out of town.  Definitely just kidding on that one.  Maybe.  Or maybe not.... 

I'll fast forward through the pre-game nonsense to save some time, since all that its good for is allowing degenerate gamblers to get in last minute bets before the tip-off.

Make sure to check out the TWolves Blog Forums Wolves-Hornets Game Thread HERE.

 

My prediction for the game.  Obviously I will probably be completely wrong because I suck at life.  Please do look elsewhere for smart pre-game analysis:

Back-to-back vs the Hornets? Don't envision how this could possibly go well. Then again, the Hornets are also on a back-to-back so maybe it will even out. I'm sure CP3 will have his way with us since our PG's couldn't guard a fencepost.

PREDICTION:

Wolves 101 - Hornets 110

 

7:10: Tip-off... yay, we win it!  Woohoo Darko.  Clearly this means we will win the game tonight.

7:11: Excuse me a minute while I go tweet this to the interwebz and whatnot.

7:13: CP3 ally-oop to Okafor.  How many assists does Paul have tonight?  15? 20? Infinity?

7:13: I can't believe Marco Bellineli (spelling?) has started every game for the Hornets so far this season.  And they WANT to keep Chris Paul in New Orleans?  And happy?

7:16: Holy cow David West fade away over Darko at the shot clock buzzer.  Seems like he's been in the NBA forever, but he just keeps plugging along.  Doesn't do anything spectacular, but he's just solid.  That's the way to describe him I think.  Solid.

7:20: Yay, they replayed Beasley's game winner, so I finally got to see it since the game wasn't on TV.  Fail.  I think only ONE Wolves win has been on TV this year, but I guess I could be wrong on that.  I think I'm right thought.  Ridnour just let his Downs overpower him, as he steps over the half-court line for an over and back, and then gets a technical on top of that. Nice one Luke. 

7:22: Good grief, we are already down 21 to 9.  At least if this game sucks I get to watch it in HD with surround sound.  Really loud surround sound.  Good thing we live in a house now.

7:23: Jim Pete: "Luke Ridnour is a lot like Steve Nash, he doesn't score a lot, but he could score a lot more if he wanted to."  YEAH OK JIM PETE.  /no more drugs for him.

7:39 Real Time Text from BonK: "I hate Jonny Flynn"

 

For the rest of the Live Blog and reader comments, please click "Read More" to continue...

 

no comments

"Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the '80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team," James said. "The league was great. It wasn't as watered down as it is [now].

Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the [league]. Looking at some of the teams that aren't that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren't that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let's take New Jersey and let's take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I'm not stupid, it would be great for the league."

I guess LeBron James is not content with destroying basketball in Cleveland.  He now wants to destroy it in Minnesota, New Jersey, and maybe Memphis, Charlotte, New Orleans, Toronto, and Sacramento as well.  I don't know what's happened to LeBron James in the past six months, but it appears that he's determined to throw his career into a Britney Spears-like tailspin.  Between "The Decision" and the seemingly endless barrage of stupid/inflammatory comments he's been spewing, LeBron is effectively pulling off the sports equivalent of marrying Kevin Federline, gaining 35 pounds, and shaving his head. 

It's almost as if LeBron, realizing that he'll never be able to regain the "hero" status he once held, decided to pull a Hollywood Hogan and go "nWo".  The Miami Heat are clearly the league's definitive "heels" (I'll be rooting for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers for the first time ever on Christmas), so why not play into the role, say calculated things to get the fans riled up, and turn every road game into a main event of Wrestlemania-like proportions?  If that was truly his angle - to feed off the boos, achieve an "us against the world" mentality to motivate his team, to turn the NBA finals into a must-watch event that would eclipse the Jordan-era, and to turn his first NBA championship into a giant middle finger to waive in front of all his haters - if that's what he was trying to do, I could understand it.  In fact, I'd secretly like him for it.  Every good story needs a villain, whether it's Triple H, Captain Hook, or Darth Vader.  For example, the Celtics/Lakers Finals was so much fun because Boston fans felt that the Lakers were pure evil and Los Angeles fans felt the same way about the Celtics. 

Unfortunately, what we don't need are scumbags.  Triple H was a character.  Darth Vader isn't real.  And whether you backed Kevin Garnett or Pau Gasol in the post last June, their "evilness" only existed in our minds.  LeBron, on the other hand, doesn't appear to be hamming it up and creating false hype.  For the past six months he's proven time and time again that he's an egomaniac who's completely lost touch with reality and the public's perception of him. You want to talk about what's "best for the league", LeBron?  Here's what's best for the league...

• When a young superstar actually shows loyalty to his home state and brings them their first championship instead of ripping out their hearts on national television
• When three players don't collude to tip the scales of competitive balance in the league
• When the biggest star since Michael Jordan decides to step up and be a man instead of playing second banana
• When said superstar stops saying ridiculous things that further ruin his reputation

That's what's good for the league, LeBron.  You know what also would be good for the league?  If you and your other two amigos lead the campaign towards non-guaranteed contracts in the next CBA.  That's what would really be good for the league - a hard cap, non-guaranteed contracts, and some competitive balance.  Maybe basketball wouldn't be dying in Memphis if you and the rest of your greedy associates didn't sign $80 million dollar contracts and then mail it in.  Maybe if New Orleans fans didn't have to worry that their super star was going to pull a "LeBron" and high tail it out of town the first chance he gets, they'd be more passionate about the game.  Maybe if Minnesota actually had a prayer at signing a decent free agent, the Target Center wouldn't be a cavern. 

The reason that the NBA isn't as great as it was in the 80's has nothing to do with expansion.  (And by the way, the Heat are the sixth youngest franchise in the league, hypocrite!)  The reason the NBA isn't as good any more is because the players' actions and their salary demands have completely erroded the foundation of the league and soured most of its fans.  You, LeBron James, stand at the core of that erosion.  If you really want the league to return to greatness, either start acting like a man or retire.  Either option is fine with me.