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The Tulsa 66ers selected Chris Richard, a 6-9 center/forward from Florida, with the first overall selection in the 2008 NBA Development League Draft...
Richard, who was drafted by Minnesota with the 41st overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, played with the Timberwolves for the entirety of the 2007-08 season, appearing in 52 games . Richard was also featured on Minnesota's 2008 summer league and preseason rosters.
Click here for the thread on tonight's game at Portland
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune previews the game.
Wolves rookie Kevin Love returns home to Portland tonight. The last time he played in his home state, University of Oregon fans unleashed obscenities at him and his family because he chose to play for UCLA rather than the Ducks.
Love called that night last winter "an awful, awful reception" he hopes won't come close to a repeat tonight.
Upset that Love had chosen UCLA over his father Stan's old school, the Pit Crew, Oregon's 1,500-member student fan club, directed a steady stream of obscenities and verbal abuse at the freshman center and his family, including his grandmother and 13-year-old sister.
Then there were the death threats left on his cell phone.
"Probably 500-plus, I would guess," Love said. "It was a lot because it was over like a five-day period. I probably got a couple calls every 5-10 minutes."
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Wolves record: 1-4
Stop-n-Pop/Canis Hoopus posts a recap and bullet points on the team's performance.
Don Seeholzer/Pioneer Press recap
He inserted rookie Kevin Love and point guard Sebastian Telfair for Ryan Gomes and Randy Foye into his starting five and yanked star Al Jefferson from the game after little more than six minutes when his maneuvers failed to deliver the energy and efficiency he sought...
Love led the Wolves with 20 points and eight rebounds despite second-half foul trouble.
Five games into his pro career, Love made his first NBA start Friday and played 30 minutes.
From the Associated Press:
Kevin Martin had 26 points and six assists, and the Sacramento Kings never trailed in a 121-109 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night...
Two nights after allowing Tony Parker score a career-high 55 points in a 129-125 double-overtime loss to San Antonio, the Timberwolves still weren't showing much at the defensive end. The Kings shot 55 percent in registering a season-high point total.
no commentsRandy Wittman still was playing coy at the team’s morning shootaround Friday at Arco Arena, but you could tell tonight’s starting five from who wore black jerseys and who wore white: Kevin Love, Sebastian Telfair, Mike Miller, Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer.
That’s the lineup you might have envisioned last summer (except for perhaps Telfair instead of Randy Foye) after the team made that draft-night trade with Memphis. But Wittman used the season’s first four games in an attempt to show you have to earn your way on this “improved” team.
no commentsOn his blog on NBA.com, Kevin Love talks about his first week in the NBA, the team's upcoming road trip, and Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
It was crazy. It was my first going up against Tim Duncan. And to see him work and all his moves and how he's a finisher around the bucket. I've always looked up to his game while I was growing up. He's a ... serious player. He's the greatest winner in the past 10 years. And far as best player goes, it's probably him.
So going up against him, and learning from him -- there were teaching points last night. He hit a 15-footer off the glass and I was running up the court and said 'Man, what can I do about that?' Well young fella, you can't do much about that, to be honest with you...
With Tim Duncan, we went into two overtimes, and I would have thought, before I looked at the stat sheet thought maybe he had 15, 18 points and he ended up having 30 points and 16 rebounds. That was the quietest 30 and 16 I've ever seen. He just goes out there and produces and gets it done.
no commentsClick here for the forum's thread on tonight's game at Sacramento.
Previews for tonight's game:
Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman said he thought it energized his team when he brought rookie forward Kevin Love and backup point guard Sebastian Telfair off the bench in the first quarter of Wednesday night's 129-125 double-overtime loss to San Antonio.
That could mean a start for one or both players tonight, when the Wolves begin a three-game road trip in Sacramento.
Wittman, asked after Thursday's practice if he is considering any lineup changes, made no attempt to conceal it.
Love and Telfair have been working well together behind the scenes.
"I've seen that in practice already," Telfair said of the two complementing each other. "When [we] get an opportunity to play together, it's a good thing. In practice, we're clicking. Hopefully we can bring that over into games. I'm enjoying playing with him."
By using the two right away, it could be a cure for one of Wittman's biggest concerns so far this season: slow starts.
Look for the Timberwolves to play exhibition games in China in two years, now that team owner Glen Taylor has become chairman of the NBA Board of Governors and an influential member of the league's China committee.
Benjamin Polk/City Pages on Wednesday's game against San Antonio:
Speaking of Randy Foye, much of that offensive improvement seemed to stem from Sebastian Telfair’s return from suspension. Now, Foye’s game was much improved from his 3-14 and 0-10 (nice!) stinkers against Dallas and “Oklahoma City,” respectively—he hit two crucial late jumpers and made some fine passes off drives and pick and rolls—but the offense seemed to flow better with Bassie at the point. I’m pretty sure that Telfair actually is significantly quicker that Foye but the effect is greatly amplified by the fact that the former is just so much more decisive and aggressive with the ball. He attacked the Spurs’ defense with his hyper-kinetic but supple ballhandling and made some gorgeous passes in traffic.
no commentsFrom Skeets at Ball Don't Lie: Inside every mascot is a frontier waiting to be discovered ...
Don Seeholzer/Pioneer Press on last night's loss to the Spurs.
Coming off such a tough loss, guard Sebastian Telfair said a lot of players had their heads down at the start of today’s practice but that things picked up as it went on.
Hey, at least the game was the lead story on SportsCenter, right?
“I bet we were,” Wittman said.
After a heartbreaking 129-125 double overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at the Target Center, the Wolves were back in the practice facility Thursday preparing for a five day, three game west coast road trip.
Today Coach Wittman took the glass half full approach to last night's loss saying, "You have to, we did a lot of good things. Offensively that was as good as we played this year, in terms of everything; sharing the ball, (we had) 35 assists, taking care of the ball, (only) 10 turnovers. We did a lot of good things; our energy was high the whole night I thought. We made 12-14 just great hustle plays."
The Wolves are flying out this afternoon to Sacramento and the start of a three-game Western trip after working out at Target Center this morning. With Randy Wittman looking for better starts, I’d bet he’ll give Kevin Love his first career start and maybe he’ll put Sebastian Telfair out there in Randy Foye’s place as well.
“It’s early,” Wittman said Thursday, “but I’m seriously looking at different things. I think that’s going to be important for us.”
Myles Brown/SLAM Online talked to some of the players about the presidential election.
SLAM: What is the personal significance of America electing its first Black President?
Mark Madsen: I think it’s just a great statement about where we are as a country, that we can say ‘Who is the best candidate?’ and that any concerns-or what might have been concerns forty years ago-aren’t an issue today. And that’s the way it should be.
Sebastian Telfair: I’m pretty young, but I know a bit of my history and everything that we went through and all the obstacles we had to overcome. But to see that day, for me to be alive and know that my time saw the first black President, my Grandmother probably wouldn’t have even thought of that. She passed away last year, she didn’t get an opportunity to see this, but I know she’s smiling for everything that she went through.
I'm still not sold on a Jefferson-Love front line being large enough to adquately defend many teams in the NBA paint, and it is also plain that Love has minimal hops and a physique that looks susceptible to calorie absorption--chiselled he ain't. But the little instinctual strengths he possesses aren't likely to diminish over time, setting him up to be a trustworthy contributor sooner and more effectively than most 20-year old rookie power forwards just 6 feet, 8 inches tall. Tonight Witt started him over Gomes to begin the second half, another incremental rung up the totem pole. I'd still prefer a legit center next to Big Al most of the time. But even on his "off games' such as the Oklahoma City contest, this rook does enough things right to already merit steady rotations--especially if we regard this as another rebuilding year.
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on last night's game:
Randy Wittman said he felt the team’s pulse changed instantly when he subbed Love and Telfair into the game midway through the first quarter. Seeking better starts to games and second halves, Wittman sent Love out there for Ryan Gomes with the starters to begin the second half and for the first time Love became a crunch-time player, playing down the stretch in regulation time, most of the first overtime and much of the second while demonstrating hustle and energy if not always efficiency (4 for 13 shooting).
They obviously can't guard point guards to save anyone's life, but just about everyone on the Minnesota Timberwolves looks good right now. Al Jefferson missed 15 shots, but he also made 12 in Tim Duncan's face, and finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds. Just one turnover in 47 minutes. Tremendous.
Kevin Love played big minutes (37) and made an impact, finishing with 14 and nine with three blocks and a couple of assists. He's learning to make it work on the low block opposite Jefferson, even if Love did only shoot 4-13.
Wolves coach Randy Wittman said he's seriously looking at making some changes to his starting five for Friday night's game at Sacramento.
That could mean a start for rookie forward Kevin Love and/or backup point guard Sebastian Telfair, who combined to provide a big spark off the bench in Wednesday night's 129-125 double-overtime loss to San Antonio.
Wittman, asked about possible lineup changes after today’s practice, said: “I’ve got to look at it. It’s early. I don’t want to look at that, but I’m seriously looking at different things.”
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Alec at Wolves blog Timberwolves Press refers to last night's game as a "typical Minnesota sports team loss."
Timberwolves guard Kevin Ollie stayed up a bit past his normal bedtime Tuesday night to watch Barack Obama claim the U.S. presidency.
"I had to," Ollie said. "That was history in the making. To elect an African-American president, that not only signifies where this country has come from, but it was important just to see everybody come together. I think he crosses all gender lines, age and everything. To see him up there with his family was a great moment in American history, not just African-American history."
The Timberwolves rookie forward played 15 more minutes than starting power forward Ryan Gomes Wednesday night in the Wolves' 129-125 double-overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Love scored 14 points in 37 minutes.
That's the most extensive playing time yet for Love, who was matched against Spurs star Tim Duncan for much of the night and held his own, blocking three shots and grabbing nine rebounds..
Guard Randy Foye, who came in having hit just 3 of 24 shots in his past two games, finished 5 for 11 for 11 points but had a big turnover at the end of regulation.
The Star Tribune on records set or tied by the Spurs Tony Parker's 55-point night at Target Center on Wednesday.
As part of the Minnesota Timberwolves Fastbreak Foundation's Operation Minnesota Heroes Month, presented by Popp.com, the Wolves held a Reading Timeout Tuesday at Jenny Lind Elementary School.
Joining Alan Horton, Crunch, Ryan Gomes and Jason Collins, were two returning Purple Heart recipients Chris Holbrook and Mark Seifert.
no commentsWolves record: 1-3
Tony Parker scored a career-high 55 points, including a 20-footer at the buzzer to force a second overtime, in the San Antonio Spurs' 129-125 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night...
That gave Parker the highest scoring output by any individual opponent in the Wolves' 20-year history. Shaquille O'Neal had 53 points for Orlando in 1994.
In defeat, in the season's fourth game, the Wolves for the first time displayed the team and the lineup they envisioned when they made that draft-night trade with Memphis five months ago:
For the first time, veteran Mike Miller asserted himself, scoring the team's first seven points and finishing with 25 points that included five three-pointers. For the first time, rookie Kevin Love became a prime-time player, delivering a 14-point, nine-rebound performance in 35 minutes (by 13 minutes a season high) that included a spot with the starters to open the second half. And for the first time this season, Telfair, back from a season-opening, three-game suspension, played and ran the show down the stretch until he fouled with 1:29 left in the first overtime.
He also handed the Wolves their third straight loss since an opening win over Sacramento, on a night Al Jefferson scored 30 points, Mike Miller lived up to his sharpshooter billing and rookie Kevin Love staked his claim to the starting power forward spot...
The night started badly for the Wolves, who missed their first seven shots, including a layup by Corey Brewer, before Miller hit a three-pointer with 7:52 to play in the opening quarter to give the home team a 3-2 lead.
The Spurs weren't much better for starters, hitting just one of their first six attempts, but Parker was a one-man show.
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From Marty Burns/SI.com:
Williams (Hawks), Felton (Bobcats), May (Bobcats) and McCants (Timberwolves) were among the 22 first-round picks from the class of '05 who did not receive contract extensions by last Friday's deadline. It means they will become restricted free agents next summer, able to sign anywhere (though their current clubs have the right to match)...
Rashad McCants, Timberwolves (14). The shooting guard was something of a bright spot last year for Minnesota, coming back from a bad knee injury to average 14.9 points on 45.3 percent shooting (including 40.7 from three-point range). McCants must improve his defense and passing, but his scoring abilities could make him attractive.
David Thorpe/ESPN lists Kevin Love at #6 on his current list of the league's top rookies.
We know he'll never be able to outjump people when trying to finish inside. But he already knows how to use his body to create contact and put his defender out of shot-blocking position.
Remember, he's been a big man for a long time, so he's had years of practice. A player still growing into his body is not as fortunate.
At 0-3, the San Antonio Spurs are off to their worst start in 35 years, but the Wolves say there’s no way they’ll be taking the four-time NBA champions lightly tonight at Target Center.
“They know how to play,” guard Mike Miller said. “They execute well. They’ve played with each other for a long time so their defense is going to be good. They’ll be just fine. It’s a tough league and it’s not like they’ve been playing easy teams.”
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