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Written by SG
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Sunday, 21 December 2008 09:15 |
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Wolves record: 4-22
Tracy McGrady scored 23 points and the Houston Rockets made 12 3-pointers to hand the Timberwolves their 12th straight loss, 109-102 on Saturday night...
Dwarfed by Yao Ming on the block, Jefferson turned it into a mismatch in Minnesota's favor with 34 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. But it wasn't enough to stop a losing streak that matched the franchise's longest skid since a 12-gamer at the end of the 1993-94 season.
The Wolves double-teamed Yao at nearly every turn, and the Rockets simply responded by moving the ball and making 12 three-pointers, including three each from Aaron Brooks and Ron Artest.
The Rockets built an 18-point, third-quarter lead the Wolves chopped to three points in the final minute, but couldn't get any closer, not after Yao made a gyrating hook shot over Jefferson with 22 seconds left to secure Houston's fifth victory in six games.
They also dropped to 0-7 under McHale with two road games coming up: Tuesday at San Antonio and Friday at New York.
Adding injury to insult, the Wolves lost shooting guard Mike Miller with 6:44 to play in the first quarter when he reinjured the sprained right ankle that cost him four games earlier this month.
McHale said there were a few bright spots in the loss, including 52 points in the paint and the performances of Jefferson and Foye, who scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half, 12 in the fourth quarter.
Another blow to the Minnesota psyche was the loss of Mike Miller, again. For the second time this season, Miller suffered a right ankle injury and had to be carried to the locker room in the first quarter. Rashad McCants jumped off the bench with success early by scoring 16 points in the first half. The shooting guard would not score another point in the game with the Rockets applying heavy defensive pressure after the strong start.
No one knows exactly what happened during the team’s player only meeting this week, but the initial difference is Jefferson took it upon himself to lead his team more. From the very beginning of the game, Big Al attacked Yao Ming, facing the basket and making the slower, but bigger player to move his feet. As television broadcasts certainly compared Ming to Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, Jefferson’s array of up-and-under moves, spins, inside pivots and posterizing dunks reminded more of the Hall of Famer.
While Jefferson began the game as the team’s focal point, he also showed a bit more personality than is his norm...
The subject is particularly pertinent after tonight's Houston victory over Minnesota because for the second straight contest 35-year old journeyman guard Kevin Ollie played more than half the game while 23-year old backup Bassy Telfair, the one with the two year contract and an option for a third, was DNP-CD. Furthermore, often derided cheerleader/forward Mark Madsen replaced top draft pick Kevin Love on Kevin McHale's second-half bench rotation tonight, logging 9:36 in the second half while Love was relegated to 6:55 first-half minutes. Purely from a basketball standpoint, there was some logic and some results in both moves...
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 20 December 2008 21:52 |
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At a listed 6-10, Wolves center Al Jefferson is giving up eight inches to Yao, but McHale said few teams can match up with a player that size.
“I’ve often said that unless you have a guy 7-3, if you’re a post guy and you’re being guarded by a guy 6-2 or 6-4, it doesn’t really matter that much,” he said. “It’s a relative thing until you get just big enough. In all honesty, you might as well guard him with a guy 6-6 who’s a lot quicker than he is, running around and stuff like that.”
Vikings coach Brad Childress gets top billing while Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith gets "a very special guest appearance" credit in KOOL 108's adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." What's up with that?
Smith was such an unexpected addition that the Hollywood star is not even in some of the promos for the radio play that airs on KOOL 108 at noon today, at 10 a.m. Monday, at 2 p.m. Tuesday and at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve...
Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love is the Boy Outside the Window
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 20 December 2008 05:58 |
Click here for the forum's thread on tonight's game against Houston
Game Previews
Collins had a long talk after practice with McHale, who said he wants to use this tough part of the schedule to indoctrinate his young players on what it takes to play in the NBA on a nightly basis...
Forward Craig Smith said Thursday's players-only meeting was a group decision and that it was good to clear the air.
"It's always good to talk things out, to have that communication factor," he said. "That's with anything in life, especially with your job. If something's not going right, you've got to say something."
Among the many things plaguing the team during its 11-game losing streak is the lack of anger, at least in a physical sense. More of it is what breeds winners, those who have been there say.
"They gotta be more physical," coach Kevin McHale said.
He would know. Playing for the Celtics, McHale's foul on the Lakers' Kurt Rambis in Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals is still highlight-reel material.
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 20 December 2008 00:44 |
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JB: Ok Chris, let's move to Minnesota here where I cover the Timberwolves on a nightly basis. Obviously the team is going through some struggles right now, but Al Jefferson has been consistent all year scoring 20 points, 10 boards, he really does it in a variety of ways in the post. What are the national thoughts about Al Jefferson? Is he considered one of the top forward/centers in the league?
CB: Well, people like him. He shoots a nice percentage from the floor, like you said he has a plethora of moves down there in the low block. He doesn't defend. Everybody knows he doesn't defend. Offensively he's a very good player, and he can rebound, but until you can win some games, you're not going to get the recognition that you may deserve. He's not going to get All-Star consideration with a team that's 4-20. For him to really go to that next level where people begin to think of him as a star, he's going to have to win some games. Obviously it's not all on Al, but you gotta win more than four. KG was still an All-Star when he didn't take Minnesota to the playoffs, but they were at least in the hunt or close to the hunt for most of those three years they were out. Al's going to have to take that team to the next level and make his teammates better, for him to really get some recognition.
After practice, Love was scheduled to drive a truck full of coats to the Salvation Army in Minneapolis.
Love helped collect more 400 coats for the needy during a three-week drive.
Another day. Another mandatory post-practice meeting. Another condensed media session with your Wolves...
Not much else to report. Rookie Kevin Love did not have to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to McHale, who turned 51 today. “That’s just for players,” McHale said. “I don’t need guys reminding me it’s my birthday.”
Minnesota: (4-15 under Randy Wittman, 0-6 under Kevin McHale)
The Timberwolves felt oppressed by Wittman's demands and a tough-love demeanor that didn't cushion their f-e-e-l-ings when he wasn't satisfied with the results, which was pretty much all the time. So McHale took over, pledging to make the game fun again, which it was for about one half of his first game back on the sideline. The Wolves' latest woe is outside shooting; Al Jefferson, the consummate low-post threat, ranks as the team's second-best option (43.4 percent shooting, behind Mike Miller's 50.0) from beyond 15 feet. A 1-16 December is a very real possibility, with the victory posing the trickiest part.
The Kings are suffering from the twin perils of a poor economy and poor play, with a 7-19 record and no certified stars. The problems are mirrored in Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Charlotte, N.C., and Memphis, which comprise the bottom fifth of the N.B.A. attendance list.
Over all, N.B.A. attendance is flat — about a half-percent higher than at this point last season on a per-game basis. Cumulatively, arenas are at about 89 percent of capacity, on par with last season.
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Written by SG
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Friday, 19 December 2008 06:02 |
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From Don Seeholzer/Pioneer Press:
Desperate for a win after a 4-21 start, the Wolves did what many losing teams do Thursday and held a players-only meeting.
With players forced to attend an NBA-mandated media training session after practice, details were scarce, but the theme seemed to be to hang together and things are bound to get better.
"If we could win one game, we could win six in a row," Randy Foye said. "But when you lose one, and the way that we lost in the beginning was tough because we were losing by one point or two points. We would be right in the game and then we would lose in the last couple seconds, so that's tough."
McHale, 0-6 since taking over as Minnesota's coach, is 6-foot-10. If history is any indication, that's not a good size.
The only coach taller than 6-8 ever to win an NBA championship was the 6-10 Russell, and it helped that the player-coach had Russell at center for his two title wins. When Russell, who in some sources is listed at 6-9, was just a coach, he had little success.
For whatever reasons, tall guys, while they sure look good in shorts, don't do much when they put on suits. Often, they aren't even given the opportunity to coach.
When McHale took over the Timberwolves, it marked the first time the NBA has had a coach taller than 6-8 since the end of 2004-05, when 6-11 Herb Williams finished a run as New York's interim coach and McHale competed his previous stint as Minnesota coach. McHale went 19-12 then, quite an accomplishment for a tall man.
For the team to have success, Al Jefferson needs to get the ball down low, in his offensive comfort zone. The thinking is this: Jefferson gets the ball, attracts double-team defense from opponents, which leads to good looks from the outside, especially from three-point range.
Even with a coaching change, that philosophy has not changed.
To the Timberwolves' credit, the execution has been there. Jefferson is doing his job in the post by taking up space and finding teammates on the perimeter. The open shots, however, are not falling.
Overlooked by some in the Timberwolves trade for Mike Miller is that he turns 29 in February and could be slowing down.
Former Timberwolves draft pick Chris Richard is playing for the Tulsa 66ers in the NBA D-league. Richard is playing 31.5 minutes per game and averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Richard was selected with the first pick by the 66ers in the 2008 D-League draft. ... Nikola Pekovic, the 22-year-old center the Timberwolves selected with the 31st pick of the 2008 draft, is averaging 12.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game for the Panathinaikos B.C. basketball team out of Greece.
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Written by SG
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Friday, 19 December 2008 01:25 |
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Customer apathy is a dangerous development in the unforgiving, multimillion-dollar world of pro sports. An ovation for a player on the visiting team, even of James’ caliber, is a sign of just that.
The Timberwolves, after falling to the Cavaliers 93-70 and running their losing streak to 11 games, aren’t only having trouble winning. Lately they’re not even competitive, leaving fans little reason to care right now in this post-Kevin Garnett funk.
“Definitely concerned with that, because you never want to lose by a large margin,” point guard Randy Foye said. “We’ve just got to go out there and … keep believing and keep fighting.”
Foye insisted the team’s spirit was still up, though coach Kevin McHale acknowledged the players looked “down in the dumps” for the first part of Thursday’s practice. Because of travel schedules and two sets of back-to-back games, this was their first full workout since McHale came down from the front office on Dec. 8 and replaced Randy Wittman on the bench.
The 70 points wasn’t a franchise low. The team scored 61 in a 2003 game at New Jersey.
The 11-game losing streak is five shy of the club record set twice at 16, once in the 1992-93 season and again at the end of the 1993-94 season and the beginning of the 1994-95 season.
Timberwolves players had to participate in a mandatory league-sponsored session after practice today. That meant little access for reporters. Seconds after the team huddle signaling the end of practice, players were shooed off the court lightning quick.
Suns Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin is organizing a Monday workout for four to six point guards. The group will include a mix of D-League and ex-NBA players, possibly including Troy Hudson and Damon Stoudamire.
If this message wasn't clear when the Timberwolves fired Randy Wittman, Kevin McHale is no longer calling the shots in Minnesota. When Kevin addressed the media he explained that he "gave up" his front office duties to focus soley on coaching the Timberwolves. When in fact it seems more like those duties were taken away, as General Manager Jim Stack and assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg are now working the phones and calling the shots. Kevin has a voice in these discussions, but not the final say that he had several weeks ago. As Kevin's Wolves make their way through the NBA schedule more and more stories are surfacing about McHale not being a very good X's and O's coach, not enjoying the travel and the late nights. He tried to defend the notion that he was "forced" into the job saying if he did not want to coach he wouldn't be coaching, however more and more people close to this situation say it was very clear he did not want this role as much as he's trying to convince people he did. The other interesting note about the situation is McHale does not have a contract beyond this year. McHale has always had a one-year deal with Glen Taylor that's more of a handshake deal then a formal contract. It seems the Wolves are set up to move on, and it seems that move will likely be without Kevin McHale at the helm.
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 18 December 2008 07:44 |
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3 Shades Of Blue hosts LeBron James Naismith Project, the second edition of the Bloguin Basketball Roundtable.
Wolves forward Corey Brewer underwent what the team said was "successful" surgery Wednesday to repair the anterior cruciate knee ligament he tore Nov. 29 against Denver. The surgery was scheduled nearly three weeks later to allow all the swelling in his knee to subside. He will miss the rest of the season.
McHale said he wants Brewer to remain around the team while he rehabilitates his knee "as much as he's comfortable with."
"After you have surgery, those first few weeks are always hard," McHale said. "It's a time where mentally you've got to get yourself wrapped around it. It's hard to do."
The procedure was performed by Dr. David Fischer at TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Pssst: It won't be surprising if Flip Saunders is back coaching the Timberwolves next season.
You can thank — or blame — KOOL 108. The radio station has pulled together a roster of well-known local personalities from TV news anchors to professional sports players and even one mega celebrity to record its adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol."
Narrated by Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress and starring KOOL 108 DJ Dan "The Geezer" Donovan as Ebe-Geezer Scrooge, the station's version of the story has Vikings running back Adrian Peterson as Tiny Tim, while fellow Viking Chad Greenway and former North Star player and manager Lou Nanne play ghosts...
There are also cameos from Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and the Timberwolves' Kevin Love. Throw in a few TV news anchors — Mark Rosen and Amelia Santaniello of WCCO and KARE's Mike Pomeranz — and you have a uniquely Minnesotan take on the tale.
Nobody expected the T-Wolves to contend following the trade of superstar Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics prior to the 2007-08 season but, somehow, the teams has seemingly continued to regress. On December 8th, Coach Randy Whitman was fired and replaced by Kevin McHale upon leaving his post as the club's vice president of basketball operations. Minnesota (4-20) is on pace to win just 13 games this season and this humble writer sees no light at the end of the tunnel. Grade: F
Q: Do you ever let yourself think what might have happened if you were still in Boston?
A: No.
Q: Did you cheer for the Celtics last season even after they traded you in the Kevin Garnett deal?
A: Yes.
Q: So you were happy they won?
A: Well, if I cheered for them, I'm pretty sure I was happy.
On paper, this shouldn’t be the worst team in Timberwolves history. But nobody cares any more — and that truly makes it the saddest season of all.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is in his 10th season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and recently became the team’s all-time leading rebounder, but his career could have gone much differently.
Wolves coach Kevin McHale said before tonight's game that the team was prepared to select the 7-foot-3 center in the second round of the 1995 NBA draft until he broke his foot during a workout.
“Tough kid,” McHale said. “I’m a big fan of Zydrunas. He broke his foot and he was still practicing. He was working out and he said, ‘My foot hurts a little bit.’ … After seeing it was a broken foot, I said that’s a pretty tough dude.”
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 18 December 2008 06:57 |
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Wolves record: 4-21
Al Jefferson had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wolves (4-21), who were outscored 49-32 in the second half in losing their 11th straight game and dropping to 0-6 under coach Kevin McHale.
It has been 19 days between victories for the Wolves, who haven't won since a 105-103 triumph at Oklahoma City on Nov. 28.
The NBA superstar arrived at Target Center on Wednesday night for his lone appearance there this season. His performance was so assured that he not only scored a seemingly effortless 32 points in Cleveland's runaway 93-70 victory over the Timberwolves, he sang along and snapped his fingers in time to Christmas music during a first-quarter break.
Long before he and the Cavaliers scored 36 of the game's final 50 points, James hopped up on the scorer's table during a timeout and sang along with Brenda Lee's oldie, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
Minnesota battled Cleveland throughout the first half of play and even cut the lead to just one point at the 3:26 mark in the third quarter behind an Al Jefferson jump hook in the lane. Two minutes later, James bolted down the court past three Wolves players on the fast break and finished with a thunderous one-handed dunk. As the crowd gasped, James reveled in the moment. The second half clearly determined the outcome of the contest with Cleveland outscoring Minnesota 49-32.
LeBron James looked relaxed as ever during a rather nonchalant night, a performance still impressive enough for the success-starved Minnesota crowd to warrant a standing ovation upon his departure from the court near game's end...
Mike Miller was more aggressive than he's been for most games this season for Minnesota, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting and Kevin Ollie threw in 12 points against one of his many former teams. But Wallace and Anderson Varejao helped limit Jefferson's damage underneath, doubling him occasionally and clogging the driving lanes to keep the Wolves from finding an offensive rhythm.
They were outscored 36-14 over the final 16 minutes of the game, thanks in part to a final flurry by James.
0 Kevin Love's points and Sebastian Telfair's minutes.
8 Missed shots by Rashad McCants without a make.
UPDATE:
It was another long night in what has been a long season for Rashad McCants, who scored just two points in nearly 17 minutes and went 0 for 8 from the floor.
But at least he got in the game.
That's more than could be said for Sebastian Telfair, one of four players who didn't play by coach's decision on a night when McHale decided to shorten his bench.
"We've got to get some guys getting a rhythm where they can go out there and play," he said. "It's hard because you can't play all 12 guys. I tell you what, I'd rather not play a guy than play him four minutes. I don't think that's fair to the player."
Telfair has proven himself capable of doing many of these things that McHale laments weren't happening. On the other hand, Bassy was 2-15 FG over his previous five games. Other media members report that he bolted out of the locker room tonight without giving interviews. In retrospect, when your 23-year old point guard who you just signed to a $4.8 million two-year deal is unhappily out of the picture and the 35-year old point guard just went minus -21 in 25:48, the priorities look a little askew.
The team seems to have burned through the grace period of optimistic goodwill granted by Kevin McHale's ascent (or, depending on how you view it, demotion) to Head Coach and that crushing but entertaining and well-fought loss to the Jazz. The bewildering blown layups and bricked jumpers of the losses to the Spurs and Lakers gave way, on Monday, to a hapless, defeated effort against the floundering Sacramento Kings--an unwelcome return to Wittman-era malaise. Not only are the Wolves now missing even relatively easy shots at a staggering rate (in the last four games they've shot: 41%, 36%, 42%, 41%), they've also returned to their nasty habit of forgetting to play defense for important stretches of the game--their soft pick and roll defense and slow rotations allowing open outside shots; their poor inside help giving free reign to penetrating guards.
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 17 December 2008 21:02 |
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The Timberwolves literally don't know how to play, don't know the basics of functioning as a synergistic five-man unit. Aside from the insult their presence posed to the benched starters, that's why Ollie and Cardinal were in the game, to provide a primer on Team Basketball 101. Seriously.
Furthermore, the Timberwolves literally don't know how to compete, don't grasp how shameful it is to passively concede eminently winnable games to opponents who join you down in the dregs of the NBA talent pool.
Hoiberg said that even though McHale is no longer calling the shots, the team will still consult with him on potential deals.
"We consulted with Randy, too," Hoiberg said. "Kevin was in the front office for 14 years. We value his opinion."
Hoiberg said there is no plan in place for McHale to return to the front office after the season.
"I think he is committed to coaching," Hoiberg said. "Kevin has the unique ability to get in your mind and see what makes you tick. His biggest strength is that he can make you feel 10 feet tall. Hopefully he can get this thing moving and coach this team for a long time."
Ryan Gomes figures to be the Wolves’ main defender against James, but McHale said it would be a team effort.
“Everybody’s going to get LeBron, the whole team,” he said. “You’ve got to load up for him. He’s special and they’ve got it working right now. They’re tied in defensively; they play off each other really well. Again, that’s where we’ve got to get to.”
They’re looking to start another long streak, the Wolves are looking not only to end their 10-game losing streak, but to get out of December sometime without an 0-fer.
Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site posts a scouting report of tonight's game against Cleveland
The fact that Minnesota has returned to its beginnings hasn’t been lost on Campbell. “It is almost cosmic that last year’s win-lost record (22-60) is identical to our first year here (22-60 in 1989-90),” he pointed out, adding a prediction: “This time [the team turnaround] will be a lot sooner and will come in a bigger way.”
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 17 December 2008 07:10 |
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Click here for the forum's thread for tonight's game against Cleveland
Game previews:
Approximately 13,000 tickets have been sold for the Timberwolves' game tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers and their NBA MVP contender, LeBron James. It's their only appearance at Target Center this season...
Randy Wittman's three-year Timberwolves coaching contract, estimated at $6 million, allowed him to opt out after this season had he not been fired.
McHale doesn't think James needed to grow up much, not after displaying the torso of Adonis and the touch of Cousy even when in high school. "That guy is like a one-in-a-million type guy," McHale said. "He's special. ... He was mature when he was 12."
Now McHale gets to compare James with Bryant, who will have faced the Wolves within four days.
Said McHale, "Isn't that special."
The Timberwolves' 118-103 loss at Sacramento on Monday night -- their 10th consecutive defeat, two longer than any losing streak last season -- demonstrated at least two things:
• Losing 20 of their first 24 games this season, which was supposed to be better than their 22-victory season a year ago, has sapped their will.
• They are so utterly dependent upon the scoring of Al Jefferson.
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