College Wolf and I recently exchanged some Q & A (the title of this post isn't just a clever name) with atthehive of the aptly named and superb N'Orleans Hornets blog: @ The Hive.  We square off against the Hornets tonight, looking to throw a little wrench into their #1 seed quest.

Again, I'd just like to thank atthehive and urge you guys to check out @ The Hive, if you don't already.  If you're looking to read a blog about a team that has something to play for besides the latest college studs, check it out.

Let's get to the Q&A... (Our questions for atthehive):

The Old Logo: Things in the Western Conference are tight, but most are presuming New Orleans will finish at or near the top.  What teams does the fanbase want to see in the first round, and if you could pick the one team that scares the fanbase the most for a first-round upset, which team is it?

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Bobcats Defeat Timberwolves 109-89

As a fan of Minnesota sports, including our NFL representative, I have to make a brief comment in acknowledgement of one of the Vikings most worthy NFC Central (it will always be the "Central" for me) opponents over the years.  That's right, after a long, successful career which included one Superbowl win, Warren Sapp retired today.  Good luck with your post-football life, Warren!

Early in the season, the Timberwolves squad consistently struggled with free throw disparity and it lost them several close games.  This game wasn't close, and neither was the free throw disparity.  The Bobcats made 23 of their 29 free throws and the Wolves made 5 of their 9 free throws.  That equals 20 extra chances at points that the Wolves gave the Bobcats and the Cats capatilized to the tune of an extra 18 points.  Combine the free throws with a lackluster fourth quarter and the recipe is another home loss to a non-playoff Eastern Conference team (aren't they all?).

Too much Matt Carroll (has that ever been said) and his three hands (doesn't this picture make it look like that) for Marko and the Wolves. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Despite several key injuries coming in - the Wolves were without Corey Brewer (thigh) and Rashad McCants (flu-like), and the Bobcats were without their highest scorer, Gerald Wallace - this was a closely contested game, with neither team creating a lead larger than 6 points at any point in the game up until 2:36 seconds remaining in the third.  With the game 76-75 Bobcats, Jason Richardson hit a three sparking a combination of Wolves miscues and lights-out Bobcat shooting to create a 14-2 run over a six minute period.  The Wolves called a timeout with 8:34 left in the fourth down 90-77 and the Bobcats never looked back.  Quickly examining the box score, it's easy to find the villains for the Wolves demise, the 27-14 fourth quarter and the aforementioned free-throw disparity.  Allowing six Bobcats to score in double figures, five of those exceeding their season averages (and Felton meeting his) also hurts the winning-cause like a Brett Favre interception (in related, less powerful-than-Sapp news, I heard he retired, too).

Escaping the pure numbers and relying on observation, Al Jefferson had an off-game.  Several of the short, soft-touch shots that usually fall weren't dropping tonight.  Al did not have a terrible game by any means, but in the course of an 82 game season, this is bound to happen.  When Al has an off game, this team needs to find a way to get to get other easy buckets or else clamp down on the defensive end...neither happened tonight and the result was a 20-point home trouncing by a team that's weak even by Eastern Conference standards.

Come with me after the jump (click "Read More") for some positives from tonight's game (Bassy), some individual analysis, my inquiry as to who you think is the most attractive dance team member, and me calling out three players on this team I think can get to the charity stripe, yet don't get there enough.

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TWOLVES WIN 111-100

Early Sunday evening, the Timberwolves went into the fourth quarter with a Western Conference powerhouse equipped with one of the league's pimpy point guards and a staff of deadly shooters tied at 74-74.  The Wolves scored 12 and gave up 28.

Moderately late on Tuesday evening, the Timberwolves went into the fourth quarter with another Western Conference powerhouse equipped with one of the league's pimpy point guards, only this one can also score, and a brigade of inside and outside scorers.  Deja vu?  No, you'll have to save that for that crappy time-travel movie where Denzel mails it in.  The Wolves buckled down in the fourth, scored from all angles, repelled Jazz runs, and came away with a well-deserved 111-100 victory.

I haven't read or seen any articles, recaps or highlight packages of tonights game, but I really hope ESPN and the other national outlets tell this game like it is:

The Jazz did not lose because they beat themselves, the Jazz lost because the Minnesota Timberwolves played a great game.

<-- Korver cowers in fear, considers return to That 70's Show after McCants yells at him. (NBAE/Getty Images)

As a matter of fact, this might be the best game I've seen in Target Center this season.  The two Phoenix wins were more fun and Jefferson had those performances where he gets blasted by gamma rays and turns into the Incredible Hulk, but the win tonight was a total team effort with consistent play and very solid decision making for the most part.  On top of that, the Utah Jazz played well tonight.  I think the Jazz can be seriously proud of the game they played, they just got beat.  Look at this box score.  Five Wolves in double digits, four of them over 20 points!  If you bet me a reasonable sum (in my gambling view that's anything up to $1,000 for something like I'm about to present) that at a Timberwolves home game this season we would have four 20 point scorers in one game, I would have taken your bet...well, if I could take your bet.  Which I can't, because it's not legal.  Nevermind.

It's not just that they scored 20 points each, either.  Of the 20 point scorers, would you guess that Jefferson had the lowest shooting percentage tonight?  The people who are paid to make open shots on this team made them.  Here's the other interesting piece here, the Jazz shot a better percentage from the field (46.4% to 43.2%), the free throw line (83.3% to 71.8%) and the 3-point line (46.2% to 71.8%).  The Jazz also had more assists (26 to 18).  So how did the Wolves overcome this?  They created 24 turnovers (11 more than the Wolves had) and turned that into 19 extra shot attempts and, ultimately, six more field goals.

But it was refreshing to get a superb fourth quarter out of this squad.  My seats are in the lower corner and we had the Jazz coming in our direction in the second half.  The Wolves had started to build a semi-comfortable lead towareds the end and then the Jazz ran three two-guard screens down low for three easy layups and suddenly the lead had vanished and the Wolves chances to win seemed as solid as a sub-prime loan.  I remember leaning over to my buddy Ryan (I lean because there's always enough seats open in our row for buffer seats, thanks Glen!), who also came to the Dallas game, and said, "Here we go again, tied going into the fourth against a pimpy point guard."  Well, crow is on the plate and I'm eating it. 

Good win tonight for the Wolves. 

I've got some other stuff related to game, the team in general, the Jazz and possible Western Conference regrets after the jump.  Click read more and come along.

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WOLVES BEAT SIXERS 104-88

If you're a regular on this site, then you probably know that the Wolves have been better lately.  The three losses following the Boston effort leading into the the All-Star Break were a downer (especially the Toronto and LA Lakers losses), but nothing compared to the putrid effort in November and December.  Right before the season, I looked at certain factors I would be watching for and winning wasn't on the list.  However, reviewing the list tonight, I'm starting to see some positive results in relation to what I was looking for.  This brings us to tonight.  In my lust to see the team just pull out a game or two, I totally forgot what it was like to win a boring yawner.

"Turbo" Brewer taking it to the hoop in the first quarter.  (AP Photo)

I have had the fortune of attending all 9 of the Wolves home wins this season and for the previous 8 wins, there was some serious energy in the Target Center, no matter how small the crowd was.  Tonight, the crowd started to empty out with 3 minutes left in the fourth in the same manner they emptied out of Target Center in the blowout losses.  Looking at the box score, I see that the Wolves outscored the 76ers in all four quarters and also somehow shot nearly 50% from the field.  When the game ended, I asked my buddy Ryan, "How did they score 100 points tonight?"  I still really have no idea.  At the conclusion of the game, I think the lineup was Foye, McCants, Jaric, Gomes and Smith and all five were in double digits.  Further review reveals that the Wolves put 7 players in double digits.  Then I realized something: I think the Philidelphia 76ers I saw tonight are the worst team I've seen play so far this year.  If nothing, they're easily in one of the worst situations in the NBA.

Please click "Read More" for more.

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LAKERS OVER WOLVES 117-92

If there is one lasting image I have from my visit to Target Center tonight, it's this:

Please read that again.  It is likely that sentence will never be written a second time.  Now soak it in.  The guy in the picture above did a double-cluth, two-handed dunk in a game against our team.  I don't think Coby Carl is allowed to double-clutch dunk in NBA2K8 much less a pick-up game.  This is the equivalent of Adam Kennedy hitting 3 home runs in one game. 

* UPDATE - Check out the NBA.com full play-by-play page.  Scroll to the bottom.  This is the exact play according to NBA.com:

Karl Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Assist: Farmar (3 AST)

Anyways, the Wolves lost tonight 117-92 and, as the old saying goes, the game wasn't that close.  Had the Lakers not utilized the daunting lineup of Farmar-Vujacic-Turiaf-Mbenga-Karl out on the floor for a significant portion of tonight's game (approximately 7 minutes), I think the Lakers had the potential to win by 40 points tonight.

Box Score

I did not enter tonight's game with a lot of hopes for a victory.  The Lakers, in an early entry for crime of the century (larceny), acquired Pao Gasol from the Grizzlies for 4 tins of Grizzly chewing tobacco and Kwame Brown.  This move not only makes the Lakers an instant contender for best team, it also makes an absolute matchup nightmare for the Wolves.  Can you imagine the matchup problems with Bynum back?  I actually think Gasol on Jefferson is the tougher matchup because of Gasol's length and defense.  However, beyond that position, did you feel comfortable with any of the following matchups for the starters:

Phil Jackson v. Randy Wittman

Fisher v. Telfair

Bryant v. Jaric

Radmonovic v. Turbo

Odom v. Gomes

Even with the Laker's reserves, a bench that is seriously deep in all the key spots, the Wolves just have a tough match up against this particular team.  Add in the fact that the Wolves just couldn't get the offense going for any consistent stretch during this game and you have the recipe for a slaughter.  There's really not much to add about this game, it was messy for the team on both ends and hard to watch if you're a Wolves fan.  On top of sloppy offense, the players failed to hustle to loose balls, which is something that always bothers me, and apparently bothers the 22,120 ESPN readers (see poll on right hand column).

The worry from my perspective, as someone who closely follows this team and goes to all the games, is that the team has had two uninspired performances following one of their better games of the season (albeit a loss, the Celtics game was very entertaining and a pleasure to attend).  If these past two games are a "hangover" from that defeat, then the young players have to adopt the short memory strategy that most successful teams and individuals have for both failures and triumphs.  Let's hope the break reinspires some of the pups.

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THE CASE FOR TURBO

If you attend Wolves games and can hear anything shouted from Section 124, you may hear the frequent encouragement for a certain Wolves player a few of us like to call "Turbo".  Some coworkers of mine who happen to be fans of the 1980s break-dancing movie Breakin' noticed that a certain rookie Timberwolf has an uncanny resemblance to the character "Turbo".  As we all have season tickets, we have started vocally supporting the nickname.  In our section, the nickname is starting to stick.  At the Gameworks ticket-holder event, my coworker informed the player of his resemblence.  The response - "Breakin', eh?  I might have to check that one out."  I now present the evidence to you (and invite you to see this):

Here's Turbo:

If you need further evidence, please click read ahead.

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Did the title of my headline excite you and gain your attention?  Well, I wanted the title of my headline to match the excitement of this game.  This was a sloppy game of basketball tonight.  Here's the box score.

First, there was a pretty decent crowd in the house.  The lower level looked somewhat filled.  I only had a one-seat gap on either side today!  Even the upper level boasted some people.  I think it might have had something to do with a certain superstar on the Sonics team that's causing a lot of buzz around the NBA.  No, I'm not talking about rookie sensation Jeff Green, I'm talking about 2002 Western Conference Coaches' Decision All-Star Reserve Wally Sczczczszczzerbiak!  As the Rock used to say before seemingly separating himself from the dying "sport" of professional wrestlig, "Finally, Wally Szczerbiak has come back to Minneapolis."  Deciding to simulate his All-Star role throughout the season, Wally can be seen as a 2007-2008 Seattle Supersonics Head Coach's Decision Reserve.

But seriously, I was excited to get my first look at Kevin Durant.  I did not catch a lot of Texas basketball last year as I usually save my NCAA basketball watching for conference tournament time (some amazing Durant performances during the Big 12), but the Longhorns got bounced rather early, so I've only seen him play thrice.  On top of that, I was  interested to see how Brewer would handle guarding Durant (more on this after the jump).

On to the actual game.  As I stated above, this was a lousy game.  Both teams shot like garbage.  The Sonics hit 43%, the Wolves 39%.  The Sonics turned it over often early and the Wolves hopped out to a 26-11 lead.  The Wolves capitalized on turnovers and missed shots, getting open looks and easy buckets near the rim.  Then, something happened.

I'm not really sure where things went wrong, and I don't want to say it was the effort level (at least during the 2nd and 3rd quarters), but it seemed like a two-part problem.  First, the Wolves went away from getting the ball inside and starting missing outside shots.  Even when they rotated the ball around the horn, they never got an open look.  Secondly, they turned it over.  A lot.  It seemed like they tried to pass the ball through the defender's arms.  I think this quote from the coach sums it up:

"I thought we came out and really dictated play in the man," said Minnesota coach Randy Wittman. "They went zone and we just, for whatever reason, became so tentative against them. We didn't continue to attack. We passed the ball around the perimeter. We didn't look inside anymore."  (Source: ESPN Game Recap - crediting the AP)

I don't want to heap blame on McCants, but when he came in during the second quarter, he started gunning like he was the basketball version of Jeff George.  It just seemed like all of his shots clanked hard, at least up until the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt.  And then something else happened that I haven't seen as much until this game: frustrated play resulting in players trying to do too much.  Al Jefferson in particular seemed like he was taking it upon himself to single handedly bring the team out of the jam in the fourth, but the shots weren't falling and he was collapsed immediately everytime he touched the ball.

Four things from my memory that I will enumerate:

1) 8:19.  That's how much time was left in the 2nd quarter when the Wolves committed their fifth team foul and put the Sonics in the bonus.

2) 6:58.  That's how much time was left in the 4th quarter when the Wolves committed their fifth team foul and put the Sonics in the bonus.

(The two stats above didn't correlate to free throw disparity.  In fact, the Wolves took more free throws.  Imagine what a good team would have done to the Wolves with that kind of bonus?)

3) 21.  Wolves turnovers this game.  Ties season high.  (The Sonics had 19.  Again, poorly executed game.)  Now, that's obviously from the box score.  What I do remember is this:  I sit in section 124.  In the third quarter, the Seattle offense was playing at the far basket from my perspective.  All I remember of that quarter is what seemed like constant Seattle steals and fast breaks.  Over and over.  I thought I was watching the final game in Above the Rim where they show Leon's finger roll from 10 different angles and try to pass each one off as a separate basket. 

4) 4:41.  This was the time left in the fourth quarter when the fans started mass exiting the arena during a time out.  I think over half of the lower level left at this time.  It was like a factory where the main shift was punching out.

I know this was touted as "the worst two teams in the league", but I don't think that's the case.  After a poor start, the Sonics are now 4-3 in the month of December and appear to be going in some sort of designed direction.  The Wolves still look lost.  When the Wolves had the 15 point lead, it was almost like that Hawks game earlier this season where the team blew a big lead.  The Wolves played in a manner that communicates to other teams and the fans, "Hey, we've got the lead.  Now what do we do?  S**t we don't know what to do!  Time to wait until 1 or 2 seconds are left on the shot clock and hoist a prayer that looks like we're trying to sit in the Loon's Nest!"  Basketball can be a game of runs, but even mediocre teams try to stick with what created a 15-point lead.  Good teams take that 15-point lead and play the rest of the game sucking the hope of a comeback out of you.  The Sonics are making the jump to a borderline mediocre team.  Again, a good team would have been driving the lane those two quarters the Wolves put them in the bonus. 

The Wolves don't meet the criteria for mediocre, much less good right now.

I've got a couple extra things after the jump, including some thoughts on Durant and Brewer.  Please click Read More.

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The Wolves got waxed last night by the Lakers, 116-95.  The Lakers were without Bynum and Turiaf and, had Kobe sat out with the flu, I don't think the score would be much different.  It was a sloppy game by the Wolves.  It seemed like almost every pass inside to Big Al (I still wish someone would give him a better nickname) either arrived to him out of his comfort zone or was intercepted.  Bassy did take advantage of Fisher's mileage and Farmar's lack of lateral speed to get to the rim, but he matched each of his 3 assists with a turnover.  18 team turnovers, 11 team assists.  Wolves outscored each quarter.  I counted 5 airballs.  There's really not much else to say about the specifics of the loss that others haven't written, so I'm going to move on.

WARNING: If you're a complete homer-style fan, do not click "Read More", otherwise, please do.

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I want to start this by saying that I rooted heavily for the Wovles to draft Corey Brewer.  From the beginning of the SEC tournatment last year, I thought Corey Brewer could be a Josh Howard-type player with potential to be even more (honestly, during the NCAA I was thinking his game resembled Scottie Pippen).  I was at a Buffalo Wild Wings with my buddy Benny Gunz watching the draft.  When Yi was taken with the 6th pick, I was pumped because I knew we would take Brewer.  (That's actually a lie.  Part of me was terrified that we were going to take Spencer Hawes).  Sure enough, we did.  The Buffalo Wild Wings went crazy with applause.

What is my opinion on Brewer now?  Honestly, it's still the same.  I still think he can be a good player in this league with time.  This is why, without making it an insult to Brewer, I think the organization should send him to the NBA Development League.

First thing's first.  I did not realize how thin Brewer was.  When I first saw him in the preseason, I thought he looked thinner than the kids in the "Well this is Christmas" Christian Children's Fund commercials.  Did he look that thin in the NCAA tournament?  Probably not because he was up against 18-22 year olds.  Second, when you draft a player in the first round on talent and, in Brewer's case, speed and defensive ability while knowing the offensive skill set is a work in progress, that's what you get.  Brewer has height and the speed to guard a lot of people in this league, but his offensive skill set is still raw.  At Florida, he got a ton of open looks and on-on-one situations because of how dangerous every player was on that team from 1-8.  Obviously, that's not the case with the Wolves.  However, the three glaring holes in his offensive game are ball handling (which inhibits his ability to get to the hole), consistent jump shooting and confidence.  His passing skills are actually more mature than I thought, but given the style of play at Florida, I'm not surprised.

The team can't expect him to develop playing him 20 minutes one night, 0 the next, then 9 after that.  Conversely, with his game the way it is right now, Brewer can't reasonably expect a spot in an 8 or 9 man rotation, especially on a team congested with shooting guard/small forward tweeners.  However, he plays superior defense in almost all respects to his counterparts on this team (save Gomes if matched up on a more physical player) and the skills he needs to work on can be developed (hopefully?). 

So why not send him to the Development League?  Isn't that what it was made for?  The kid needs minutes and he needs them in games.  I've never seen a NBA DL game and I don't know what the rosters are like, but I'm assuming the players are either (a) NBA-level talents that are either too raw or lack the drive to elevate their games, or (b) hard-working players trying their asses off to make their dream of playing in the NBA come true.  Either way, Brewer doesn't need the Bruce Bowens or Ron Artests of the world guarding him in order to work on ball handling, jump shooting, and, most importantly, confidence, but he does need work on those skills.

I also think it would set excellent precedent for the league.  Has anyone ever sent a lottery pick down to the NBA DL?  Is Gerald Green (18th pick) the highest to ever get sent there?  I think too many GMs would be afraid that sending a lottery player down would be similar to admitting that the player is a bust.  But why is this the case?  When you only play 8-9 players a game, how can you expect a young, raw talent like Brewer to get any better.  Like I said earlier, Brewer needs minutes, but a coach needs to put in lineups that can win a game.  As much as I don't like the current coach, he's not making mistake by benching Brewer, and Brewer cannot complain about his minutes with the level of contribution he makes right now.  Additionally, if a player is going to be a bust, won't you know for sure if he can't hack it in the NBA DL?

In short, I think it's time to use the NBA DL for what it is - player development.

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In what is obvious news to (a) the masses of people that follow the NBA; (b) most people who grab a sports page even if they have no interest in basketball; and (c) a lot of other people, the NBA regular season has started.  As I type these words, our local team, the Timberwolves, has played 8 of the 82 regular season games that it will play.  It has won 1 of those games and lost 7.

Has anyone told the coach that the regular season started?

I have attended every game thus far and caught two of the three road games on TV.  It seemed that for the first six or seven games, the coach of this team (I don't want to use his name, as I would like to think that I can refer to a different coach in the near future) seemed like he was attempting to establish a rotation.  In the first five losses of the season, the Wolves were genuinely competitive and probably should have pulled a couple of those games out.  They also seemed to use a rotation where one or two players would spell players who were tired, slumping, or both.  One huge problem in that first few games was the obvious free-throw disparity, but it certainly seemed like they had a successful system figured out.  The first problem in the sentence prior is a micro problem, the second is a macro issue.  The team seems to have corrected the micro and completely f****** the macro.

The past two games have been atrocious.  In the fourth quarter, the Wolves have looked about as confident as a person that just farted in his or her job interview.  I'm not a hockey enthusiast, but it is my understanding that substitutions are done on the fly and that certain "lines" enter the game based on situations.  Does the coach think this is hockey?  The last two games, he has run in what seems to be a first and second team.  I have never seen this work on any level.  I once played for an intramural team in an "everyone has to play" league.  Our coach honored that motto and made line changes like the ones the current Timberwolves coach makes.  We lost every game.  By a lot.

What this coach is doing looks more like he's trying to figure out who on the floor can play with each other.  Isn't that what the preseason is for?  Don't most coaches from elementary school teams on up make depth charts?

Counter-argument - "Wahhh, waaaah, we've got injuries."

I've watched a lot of teams over the years have to deal with injuries when making new rotations.  What do the successful teams do?  They usually have this deal called a depth chart, which I mentioned above.  It's really a slick sports device.  A coach will divide his stock into 5 positions.  The best player at each respective position is put at the top of the depth chart, the others in that group are placed below.  When the first person on the depth chart gets injured, they slide the second person on the depth chart in that position up one slot and that person carries on the job of the injured player.  In recent memory, the Kings teams that never got past the Lakers used this system to great success while Chris Webber was out.

Not only is this system not working, it's making the team less competitive AND, more importantly this season, it's making the team a great deal less entertaining.  To the business employees and shareholders, if this lack of entertainment continues, how empty can the place get?  I have an empty seat adjacent in all directions so far this season.

Deep draft this year, just saying...

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