A few observations from today's game:

*It was easy to see that this group hasn't played together much.  The half-court offense looked rough...the ball movement could have been better, and the Wolves forced too many shots (they ended up shooting 33% from the field).

*The transition defense also needs work.  Efes Pilsen got too many easy baskets on the fast break.

*On the plus side, the Wolves were solid on the boards.  They outrebounded Efes Pilsen 68-47, with Gomes and Big Al combining to grab 30 of those boards.  Gomes, especially, looked great on the offensive glass...hopefully, his six offensive rebounds are a sign of things to come. 

Last year, I thought one of the Wolves' major weaknesses was their lack of second-chance opportunities, so Gomes' performance in today's game is pretty promising.

*I can definitely see why Gerald Green is described as being extremely athletic, but having a low basketball IQ.  He made a few impressive plays in transition, while also making plenty of boneheaded decisions.  I mean, he took 15 shots in his 14 minutes of playing time.  Holy crap! 

*Foye had a rough game.  Both of his baskets came from beyond the arc...he didn't have many opportunities to penetrate and create his own shot.  He also only had three assists.  As the team plays more games together and the chemistry grows, though, Foye's effectiveness will increase exponentially.

Pregame:

*The game will be broadcast on NBA.com at 1:00 pm CST (sorry for the confusion about the start time of the game, the NBA press release was inaccurate)...should be a fun one.

*The crowd's giving a nice ovation for our guys...Turkish people = classy.  Or just excited that an NBA team is actually playing in their country.

First quarter:

*Uh...this is awkward.  NBA.com is showing the feed of the Celtics game instead of the Wolves game, for some reason.  The Wolves are trailing 10-7, with Foye, Gomes, and Ricky Buckets putting up points, thus far.

*Click here to see live stats from the game.

*Well, as long as they're showing the Celtics, let's make this a live blog of Garnett's debut with his new squad.

Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics

Pregame:

*Man...seeing Garnett at the Celtics press conference is one thing, but actually seeing him in a Celtics uniform is even stranger.  We miss ya, KG!

*The Wolves, meanwhile, trail 21-18.  Foye leads the team with six points, with Gomes and Blount adding four each, and Big Al on the board with a basket.  Al, by the way, aleady has six rebounds, as the first quarter winds down.

More after the jump...

Hey everyone...join me tomorrow at 2:00 pm (Timberwolves.com says the game is at 1:00, but I'm fairly sure that's incorrect), as I live blog the Wolves' opening preseason game against Efes Pilsen.  You can watch the game on NBA.com, and discuss it right here at T'Wolves Blog.

Inspired by Stephen Colbert, I present to you my premiere edition of "Tips of the Hat, Wags of the Finger" for the 2007-08 season.

A wag of the finger to Greg Buckner, who is reportedly upset about getting traded to Minnesota.  Greg...I realize that it's a bummer to get dealt from a contender to a rebuilding team, but it simply isn't acceptable for you to disturb the team chemistry.  Get over it, and step into your role as a veteran mentor to the youngsters.  It'll be okay.  I promise.

A wag of the finger to Rashad McCants, who failed to say anything interesting in his media day interview.  C'mon Rashad...I was expecting you to compare yourself to a library book, or something...not say boring stuff, like "We now have the chance to showcase."  Seriously, you're getting a little rusty with your quotes!

A tip of the hat to Ricky Davis.  I'll admit it...I've always considered Ricky to be a big punk.  No, I never quite got over the infamous game where he "rebounded" a ball he threw off the backboard to complete a triple-double.  But as it turns out, Ricky's actually a good guy...he's organizing a dinner for workers who helped save lives after the 35-W bridge collapsed.  Good for him...I'll have to reconsider my attitude towards him.

A wag of the finger to Marc Stein.  In his latest power rankings, Stein ranked the Wolves dead last in the NBA...that's simply too harsh.  I'm not suggesting the Wolves are going to have a particularly good year, but this team is going to be a bit better than people in the mainstream media are suggesting.  If our guys can mesh quickly, I have a feeling that the Wolves will move up a few spots in Stein's rankings.

A tip of the hat to Juwan Howard.  While Juwan recently reiterated his desire to get traded, it definitely looks as if he'll accept a role of mentor on this young team.  Juwan's been extremely classy throughout his time in Minnesota, and that's something I appreciate from him, especially given his disappointment over the Garnett deal.  We love ya, Juwan...you'll be a valued presence in Minnesota.

A tip of the hat to Marko Jaric.  No, I can't believe I'm saying this either, but I've gotta give credit to Jaric for showing some enthusiasm during the opening day of training camp.  Now, if only he could show some positivity on a more consistent basis, I might not despise him as much as I do.

Finally, a tip of the hat to me (a little cocky, I know).  Join me right here at T'Wolves Blog this Saturday at 2:00 pm, as I live-blog the Wolves' preseason opener.  While they're playing some mysterious European team I've never heard of, it should still be a fun game to watch and discuss.

Some notes about the Hassell deal...

Hassell needed to go, and I think the Wolves did pretty well with getting Buckner in return.  Greg's a relatively cheap guy to buy out, so I'd suspect McHale would consider doing so.

About a week ago, I scoured the internet for interesting/strange tidbits that people might not have known about some Timberwolves players.  You guys seemed to enjoy it, so here's some more pieces of random info about the Wolfies...

How ****ing dare anyone out there make fun of Kevin McHale.  HE'S BEEN GOING THROUGH HARD TIMES!

Dear Close Personal Friends, 

I was supposed to update this week with the REAL IMPORTANT stats for Marco Jaric and Sebastian Telfair but I couldn't. As a matter of fact, there was a lot of stuff that I was supposed to do this week that I didn't. And do you know why? I'll tell you why. Because of Corey Brewer's baby afro.

I present this FAQ to everyone who finds themselves wondering about the state of the Timberwolves team salary, and just where exactly this club currently stands.  I'm not talking about just "right now"... but also over the next few seasons.  This is a snapshot and analyzation of the roster and salary breakdown that I hope many of you will find helpful.  Do you find yourself asking any of the following questions: "How much money do we have to spend?" or "How does the luxury tax work?" or "Are we over the luxury tax?" or "What is the status of certain contracts on our team?"  Perhaps you are just tired of going over to Hoopshype.com every time you want to check a certain T-Wolf's contract status.  If so, this may be the resource for you.