|
Written by SG
|
|
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 07:31 |
|
Click here for the forum's thread for tonight's game at Atlanta
Game previews:
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 03:12 |
|
Wolves record: 14-44
Road wins come so few and far between for the Minnesota Timberwolves these days that they weren't about to apologize for getting one against a Miami Heat team missing star Dwyane Wade. Kevin Love had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Minnesota took advantage of Wade's absence for just their fifth road win of the season, 91-88, over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
Flynn added 16 points and three steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak. They had won just once in their previous 13 games away from Target Center.
Timberwolves rookie guard Wayne Ellington (12 points) went to the free-throw line with 1.1 seconds left to seal the 91-88 victory. That was after rookie guard Jonny Flynn (16 points) missed a mid-range jumper. But Love (17 points, 12 rebounds) tapped it and Ryan Gomes (13 points, eight rebounds) chased it down. The Timberwolves called a timeout and Rambis drew up an inbounds play for the final 1.7 seconds, which led to Ellington's free throws.
As for the big guys, Jefferson (10 points, 11 rebounds), Love and Milicic (four points, two rebounds, three blocks in 24 minutes) performed effectively. Their size -- Jefferson is 6-foot-10, Love is 6-foot-10 and Milicic is a 7-footer -- came in handy to crush the Heat on the boards, 47-36, and generally made life difficult for Miami around the rim.
Milicic followed Sunday's surprising 19-minute performance by playing 24 1/2 minutes, including all but 1:04 of a final quarter in which the Wolves led by 10 points with little more than three minutes left and then hung on tightly until the final horn.
As he did on Sunday, Milicic again was on the floor for the final minutes while Jefferson watched.
"It's huge, obviously," Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said, referring both to Milicic's 7-foot size and his defensive presence. "We've talked all season long about how small we are as a ballclub. He just adds a dimension we don't have. Darko really has a defensive mindset. That's who he is as a basketball player.
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Wednesday, 24 February 2010 00:43 |
|
"You always want to play against the best players," said Wolves guard Corey Brewer, who now won't have to try to defend the guy who averages 26 points a game. "You never not want to play against a guy like that. But he's not going to be there, so we have to go out there and get a win."
"I went online and kept refreshing my computer and voting myself into 'Jam,' I'm not going to lie," said Kevin Love. "'NBA Jam' was my favorite game growing up, so I was on there all day voting for myself..."
The Minnesota Timberwolves could lose about $15 million this season.
Only one organization has ever been caught in the past decade with a secret deal. Glen Taylor, the Minnesota Timberwolves owner, cut an $86 million under-the-table contract with Joe Smith(notes). He made the mistake of committing to it in writing. David Stern called it “fraud of major proportion … fraud that ripped to the heart of the [CBA] compact. The magnitude of this stuff is shocking.”
After Taylor lost some draft picks and $3.5 million in fines, do you know what the NBA did with him?
Elected him chairman of the board of governors.
Twice.
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Tuesday, 23 February 2010 01:38 |
|
Click here for the forum's thread for tonight's game at Miami
Game previews:
But if you look at Popcorn Machine's Gameflow, you can see that Minnesota's best runs of the game came -- perhaps for a reason, but very possibly coincidentally, every time Jefferson sat down. Does that mean Jefferson is a terrible player? Absolutely not. In fact, it's possible he was tremendous even last night, but something about the team dynamic wasn't working when he was in there. But to me it also means that if you're trying to understand Jefferson as a player, you'd be smart to watch his minutes from last night -- because something was happening.
From Phil Miller/Star Tribune: Brisk networking night is far from a loss for Wolves
"The future of sportscasting may not look exactly like that, but it will look more like [Sunday] night than what's been broadcast in the past," predicted Johnson, whose team website puts interactive links front and center to a greater extent than most. "People's expectations are changing. Social networking has become the tool for instant communication with your friends, and fans want that same connection with their teams."
And if Sunday's numbers are any indication, they want it this very second, if not sooner. The game with the Thunder wasn't on the team's original TV schedule, and the Wolves didn't announce their plans -- they had to line up a sponsor, Verizon Wireless, for a commercial-free telecast in order to make room for all the extra features -- until three days before the broadcast.Yet despite competing with the U.S.-Canada Olympic hockey game, the Wolves reached their average TV audience, tripled their normal website traffic and amassed nearly 2,500 online comments, text messages and tweets.
On Monday, newly acquired Darko Milicic was upright and looked fine after he surprisingly played 19 minutes and was a plus-35 -- the highest plus-minus rating by a Wolves player since Kevin Garnett and Trenton Hassell were a plus-36 in the same game five seasons ago -- in his Wolves debut.
"He's feeling good," Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said. "He's looking good."
While most of the Wolves players bolted for the bus after practice ended, Jonny Flynn and Al Jefferson -- a minus-37 on Sunday, only 72 points away from Milicic's plus-35 -- stayed late for a little work. Jefferson was out on the court talking for several minutes with Rambis and assistant coach Dave Wohl.
By today's NBA standards, you're considered small for a point guard at 6 feet: "There's advantages being a smaller guy. You can sneak up behind bigs and get steals. It's a disadvantage when you're playing against Tyreke Evans (of the Sacramento Kings), who can post you up every trip down the court. Deron Williams (of the Utah Jazz) can post you up.
"I like being a small guy. You can blend in with everybody. You're not 7 foot. Everybody doesn't know who you are. ... The only time height matters is if it's a half-court game."
VIDEO: Fred Hoiberg talks NBA D-League, Nathan Jawai
Jawai spent the weekend playing for the Sioux Falls Skyforce but was recalled by the Timberwolves yesterday.
He returned in time for morning shootaround but was not used in the Wolves’ 109-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Minneapolis, remaining on the inactive list.
Coach Kurt Rambis called Jawai’s six-point, three-rebound average in two games with the Skyforce against the Dakota Wizards “less than stellar”.
From Chris Newmarker/Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:
To boost attendance next year, the Timberwolves in March are cutting season ticket prices in half for 2010-11.
David Kahn, the NBA team’s president of basketball operations, told fans in a letter that the team is facing a “proverbial chicken-and-egg problem”: The Timberwolves need big Target Center crowds to win, but it needs to start winning to attract the crowds. This season, the team’s record is 13 wins and 44 losses, the second-worst in the NBA.
During the month of March, the Wolves will cut their 2010-11 season ticket prices by up to 50 percent in the arena's lower level.
President of basketball operations David Kahn also wrote a letter to fans, seeking their support. The team printed it as part of a full-page ad on the back of the sports section in Monday's Star Tribune newspaper.
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Monday, 22 February 2010 18:20 |
|
Darko Milicic even had fans chanting his name — "We want Darko! We want Darko!" — during a timeout with 3:54 left in the fourth quarter. Fans urged Wolves coach Kurt Rambis to put the 7-foot center back in the game, and Rambis obliged. Milicic, playing in his debut game with the Wolves, almost shared in a dramatic win.
The Oklahoma City Thunder held on for a 109-107 victory before an appreciative crowd of 14,202, but Milicic gave the Wolves something to look forward to over the final 25 regular-season games.
"If he keeps working like that, he'll be a pleasure to play with," Wolves forward Kevin Love said of Milicic. "You can see all of his qualities and everything he brings to the table."
The 7-foot native of Serbia-Montenegro has averaged 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in his career with Detroit, Orlando, Memphis and New York.
"I can't just complain about things and say it's somebody else's fault," Milicic said before the Wolves' 109-107 loss to Oklahoma City at Target Center. "Talking about people screwing me up and letting me down, it's my fault, too."
Also from Richardson:
Corey Brewer's two three-pointers raised his streak to 21 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer, one shy of the club record held by Isaiah Rider. Brewer is shooting 44.4 percent from three-point range (40 of 90) during the stretch.
People were absolutely bananas for Darko Milicic last night. Granted, he played pretty well in his first game with the Timberwolves (8 points, 8 rebounds, a nifty assist for a dunk in 19 minutes, which resulted in an absurd +35 for the Wolves with him on the court). This is not the first reclamation project to whom people in Minnesota have taken a keen immediate interest. Is this something that happens everywhere, or is it more prevalent here?
According to an NBA source, former Bulls guard Reggie Theus may be interested in becoming the head basketball coach at DePaul.
Theus, who is an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, was not available for comment on Sunday as Minnesota hosted the Thunder. He has been rumored to be on the short list of several other college coaching vacancies.
Wafer was on the Mavs’ radar last summer, but instead of playing in the NBA, signed with Olympiakos in Greece.
*This weekend, he joined fellow free agent Rashad McCants in a workout in Dallas. One source close to the team says Wafer’s tryout was not especially impressive – but that is apparently due to his sore back. In any event, his work was superior to McCants’, who is no longer in Dallas’ plans.
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Monday, 22 February 2010 02:53 |
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on Darko: "Losing games, it's hard for everybody," he said. "I'm sick to be part of losing team. Inside me, I don't like to lose. ... I know here they think you play for yourself, you've got a long career in front of you. I can't do it. I can't play for myself. I want to play for something. I want to play for playoffs."
Kahn called a player selected before Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in 2003 "traumatized" and "distraught" about his NBA career and said, "He sees this latest trade as just one more incident that has befallen him.""It's not just somebody else's fault," Milicic said. "It was my fault, too. I can't just talk about other people screwing me up. I try to make the best of it here. See what happens the rest of the season and then decide what I'm going to do. Am I really going to go back to Europe or maybe something good happens here."
Just when his rugged exterior seemed to deflect any sort of happiness, there was a glimpse of a small smile on Sunday night in the Wolves locker room.
"I thought it was exceptional for [Darko]. He received a warm reception, and the fans appreciated how he played, the style of ball that he brings to us. Even a chance to get him back in the ball game, those are all strong messages to him, he's appreciated and wanted here. His teammates saw a little bit of how to play with him. He's going to be somebody everybody is going to want to play with, just cause of his capabilities and his strengths. He looked like he was having fun and enjoyed playing out there," head coach Kurt Rambis said.
Before speaking to local media, Milicic was told by Wolves coach Kurt Rambis during the team's morning shootaround practice that he would play in tonight's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. Wolves management did not make Milicic available to the media until this morning, a move designed to help the backup center make the mental adjustment to his fifth NBA team.
"I'm excited to play again," said Milicic, who hasn't played since the Knicks' game against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 13. "I don't know what my confidence level is. I'm in pretty bad shape right now. It will take me some time. I just want to make myself comfortable in the game and not rush things."
I don't know whether it says more about the Wolves, that they'd trade for and play Darko at this point, or about Darko, that it's notably hilarious that a team would do this for him. I'm flummoxed, I must say.
It’s clear that it’s not enough to rebuild our team; we need to rebuild our fan base. We need big crowds to win but we can’t expect big crowds until we start winning. It’s the proverbial chicken-and-egg. Believe it or not, we actually lead the NBA in attendance growth this season, but it’s not enough fans to suit us or our plans. So to get you on board right now we’re launching the most aggressive fan development program in our history: During the month of March we’re cutting season ticket prices for next year up to 50%. Thousands of seats in the lower level will be half price.
Minneapolis/St. Paul - The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the club has recalled second-year forward Nathan Jawai from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Jawai appeared in two games for the Skyforce, averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game.
The Timberwolves' TV broadcast of the Thunder game was the team's first without commercials. In addition, fans were able to chat online during the game with team owner Glen Taylor and president of basketball operations David Kahn. ... In a letter to Minnesota fans, Kahn said that the team is launching its "most aggressive fan development program" in which 2010-11 season tickets will be cut up to 50 percent.
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Monday, 22 February 2010 02:47 |
|
Wolves record: 13-44
It's easy to forget, when watching the Timberwolves take on the Thunder, that the teams wobbled their way to virtually identical records a season ago. As Sunday made clear, the Northwest Division franchises are headed in opposite directions.
Russell Westbrook collected his second career triple-double and Kevin Durant carved out another niche in NBA history on Sunday, carrying Oklahoma City to its ninth consecutive victory, 109-107 -- the last-place Wolves' sixth straight loss.
From Darnell Mayberry/The Oklahoman:
The Thunder extended its winning streak to nine games and, really, had no business doing so. The Wolves, meanwhile, saw their losing streak stretch to six games and, frankly, should be ashamed at throwing away a gift-wrapped victory.
Oklahoma City led by 15 points midway through the third period before putting the game on cruise and watching the Wolves peel off a 27-10 run to go ahead 88-86 with 8:16 left. It was Minnesota’s first lead since 2-0, and that’s when the momentum of truth was triggered and the Thunder took control.
Whenever the 7-foot lefty center was on the floor, the Wolves surged. They outscored the Thunder by 35 when Milicic was in the game -- his plus-35 was one fewer than the plus-36 Kevin Garnett and Trenton Hassell recorded in a rout of Utah on April 6, 2005, and one more than Damien Wilkins' plus-34 vs. New York last month -- and he played the game's final four minutes while Al Jefferson (minus-37) watched from the bench.
"I didn't expect to be able to play this much," Milicic said after playing for the first time since Nov. 13.
He also didn't expect to be on the floor with the game on the line at the end. And he certainly couldn't have imagined that the hometown fans of his fifth team in seven NBA seasons would call for him by name.
"The crowd was unbelievable," Milicic said. "I heard the cheers, but I was just trying to focus on breathing so I wouldn't die."
He looked like he was having fun and enjoyed playing out there," Head Coach Kurt Rambis commented. "He obviously has tremendous abilities and capabilities. The No. 2 draft pick and we have him on our team right now; if we can just find a way to involve him and get him playing and understanding our system more. He has such a tremendously high basketball IQ."
"I thought it was exceptional for [Darko]," Rambis expressed. "He received a warm reception, and the fans appreciated how he played, the style of ball that he brings to us." The crowd showed their support of Milicic when he stepped onto the floor seven minutes into the game and even began a "We want Darko" chant late in the fourth quarter. "It's been a long time since I've heard something like that," Love laughed. |
|
Written by SG
|
|
Sunday, 21 February 2010 18:44 |
|
Milicic, who was traded to Minnesota last week by the New York Knicks, is expected to play for the first time in more than three months when the Timberwolves host Oklahoma City on Sunday.
MIlicic talked to us media types for about 13 minutes after the shootaround and admitted the trade to the Wolves angered him because he wanted the Knicks to just pay him off and let him go home to Serbia.
He said he planned to make the best of his Timberwolves' experience -- not with the greatest enthusiasm -- and although you never say never, he made it sound like there's no chance he'll be in the NBA next season.
Emotionally, Flynn may always be an Orangeman, but professionally, he’s moved on.
He lives in a townhouse located about four minutes from the Timberwolves’ arena.
“I’m a rookie. I can’t be late for anything,” he said. “I might have to run and get something. So I’ve got to stay as close as the gym as I can.”
He’s averaging 13.8 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game for Minnesota. His playing time increased when the Timberwolves failed to sign their other first-round draft pick – Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.
“Him staying over there definitely benefitted me,” Flynn said of Rubio’s decision to stay in Europe. “I think it gives me a lot of court-time. It gives me time to learn on the fly. I’m on the court more and learning from my mistakes. That helps any player.”
"I understand they want to win down here and I’m just here to help the team," Jawai told The Argus Leader. "Whether it’s for two or 30 minutes, I’m going to try my best."
Jawai is off contract this year and the rebuilding Wolves are assessing him for the future.
"It’s a great opportunity for him," Hoiberg told The Leader of Jawai’s deployment. "He’s really strong. He’s a good player on the low block."
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Saturday, 20 February 2010 18:27 |
|
Click here for the forum's thread for this evening's game against OKC
Game previews:
There was a common perception among Timberwolves coaches and players about Darko Milicic after his first full day of practice with the team: The guy can actually play.
Three months have passed since Milicic, acquired Wednesday in a trade with the New York Knicks, appeared in an NBA game. The 7-foot native of Serbia struggled with his conditioning Saturday but showed enough potential to help the Wolves (13-43) once he gets in shape.
"He was scoring on all of us in the post," Wolves forward Kevin Love said of Milicic. "When he didn't score a couple of times, he got upset. That's the kind of thing you like to see."
Q You referenced David Kahn. He's not averse to making trades. Do you like how up front he is with you in terms of where things stand?
A Yeah, that's one of the best things I like about him. He's an honest guy. I really believe he would tell me and be honest about it. It's a business. Everybody in the league, except for maybe one or two people, could be traded. David Kahn was brought here to do a job. ... But I know for a fact that he's an honest guy, and if something was going down I'd be the first to know.
"Glad I'm not going to Chicago." -- Al Jefferson -- still with the Wolves after Thursday's trade deadline -- speaking after the Bulls proposed some time ago swapping Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng for him.
In a January interrupted by illness, Timberwolves forward Kevin Love played 30 or more minutes in nine of 14 games and delivered double-double games in all but three of those 14.
In February, he has reached that 30-minute mark once in seven games and has three double-doubles.
So ... what's the deal?
Wolves coach Kurt Rambis calls the disparity mainly a matter of circumstance, a combination of factors that include nights such as Friday's loss to Chicago when Love hasn't played well and others like Tuesday in Detroit when a blowout loss caused Rambis to save Love's legs for the next night's game at Washington.
So, Nate Jawai. I guess I should talk about him. It was clear when he checked into the game through the rest of the first half that he was rusty. He missed several layups and turned the ball over a few times. He played a bit better in the second half, though. Timberwolves exec Fred Hoiberg was in attendance, and at halftime mentioned that Jawai has decent agility for a man of his, er, carriage. That's true, but Jawai also looked pretty flat-footed on defense and doesn't have the best hands in the world - he grabbed just three rebounds in about 30 minutes, partly because he bobbled away at least that many more.
Owner Glen Taylor, whose Timberwolves are expected to have nearly $14 million in salary cap room available to sign free agents this summer, expects his team to compete for top talent.
"Money always seems to be the main thing," Taylor said. "Other things may have to do with the coach. Some players like a coach's style, so we have to find a player who believes in our coaches and (thinks) they'll be a better player under our coaches than they presently are."
Taylor said his patience for rebuilding the team "has been better than I thought. I was hoping we would be making more progress than we have, but after talking to (the coaches), I have a lot of confidence in what they're doing. I know they also wish we were moving ahead a little faster."
The only member of Kevin McHale's Timberwolves front-office staff who remains with the team on more than a one-year deal is scout Dean Cooper, who is under contract for two years. He is a former assistant coach under Randy Wittman. All others are in the final year of their contracts, and it will be up to Wolves President David Kahn to determine whether they are retained. This group includes Fred Hoiberg, Jim Stack, Rob Babcock, Zarko Durisic and Jerry Sichting. The person most likely to remain is Hoiberg, vice president of basketball operations.
|
|
Written by SG
|
|
Saturday, 20 February 2010 05:39 |
|
Milicic, reportedly disappointed that the Knicks chose to trade him rather than buy out his soon-to-expire contract, arrived in Minnesota on Friday in time for a pep talk -- and playbook primer -- with Rambis. He was given the option of suiting up for that night's game with Chicago, but chose to remain on the inactive list.
Rambis said he was satisfied, after an afternoon meeting, that Milicic is willing to give the Wolves a chance. "I think he's positive. He's willing to come in with open eyes, with an open mind, and see what happens," Rambis said.
First, he will have to learn the offense -- and get into shape. Milicic hasn't played since Nov. 13, and told Rambis he doesn't feel physically ready to play.
That did nothing for Tiger. All ppl are going to say is it wasn't sincere, he didn't write it, and it was too late.
Jonny Flynn's Twitter reaction to Tiger Woods' televised statement was shown on CNN Friday afternoon.
Flynn said he heard from several friends who saw his message posted on CNN.
"I wasn't expecting that," Flynn said. "That's why it's always important to be accurate in what you send out."
# Corey Brewer's three-pointer in the first quarter extended his streak to 20 consecutive games with at least one three.
Timberwolves forward Nathan Jawai, who has played in only two of the past 12 games, was sent to the club's NBA Developmental League affiliate for a two-game assignment this weekend. Jawai, a 6-foot-10 center-forward from Australia, will play in home games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce tonight and Saturday against the Dakota Wizards.
The two-year veteran, in his first season with the Wolves, will rejoin the team for Sunday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Minnesota Timberwolves: $35.17 million in 2010-11 payroll
Minnesota barely squeezes onto our list and they don't land here without a bunch of disclaimers. That number above represents the eight players Minnesota has under contract for the 2010-11 season, but doesn't include their boatload of first-round picks -- and Ricky Rubio, who will go back onto the Timberwolves' cap number next season. Those draft picks, each protected at a different level, amount to more than $7 million in salary commitments. Minnesota would have to perform some serious budgetary gymnastics to be eligible to extend a max contract to a free agent. They could opt to sell or move their picks, or ship some talent to a team with a trade exception. It'll be tough.
|
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 