Sonia
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 15 November 2007 |
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If he keeps scoring like this, the storyline and stats could make him a definite candidate for Most Improved Player.
While his usage rate is high, his average of 18.6 points per game on
25.2 minutes is impressive. And for the record, I was told he has the
green light from the T-Wolves' brass to use that ball all he wants as
they want him to dominate as often as possible.
Also from Amick:
"Coach Bill" should be banned. The local stockbroker/season-ticket
holder from the Minnesota area is still a mainstay in the Target
Center, still crouching during games with one knee nearly on the
playing court and one clenched fist fixed to the side of his head while
wearing his fancy suit. He pounds his game program on the floor and -
against the Kings - nearly gave players broken ankles as they almost
tripped over him. He was a good-luck charm when the T-Wolves were good.
Now? Get him back in his seat.
In the end, everything worked out. His stats were more than
respectable, the Wolves won and he’ll receive loads of praise the next
few days. Yet, if Shaddy is going to continue to choose not to run the
offense as he did against Sacramento, we’ll see ticked off teammates
more often, like Jefferson in Sacramento on Saturday.
The Wolves site has postgame interviews with some of the players from last night.
"He was hungry for a win," said Kings guard Kevin Martin, who led the
team with 22 points. "They were all hungry for a win. He definitely
made some good moves."
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 15 November 2007 |
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Wittman said team officials will meet this weekend to discuss possibly sending rookie Chris Richard, who has played seven minutes in three of the team's first five games, to the NBA's developmental league so he can play more.
"We'll talk about what might be best to help us here and to help him develop," Wittman said.
Wittman also said the D-League might be an option for Randy Foye to
play his first games back, depending on how long his kneecap injury
keeps him out. "It might not make bad sense to let him play a few games
to get his legs back under him," he said.
Because the greater lesson, for this game anyway, might well be that
Minnesota does indeed have a dynamic scorer on the perimeter who can
also take it to the hole, which was far from a sure thing before the
season started, and must be taken as a very good sign, or at least a
pleasant dilemma, should pecking order questions arise due to McCants's
continued strong production. I can suspect that the risk remains, and
the situation won't last, but those who were chiding me about this last
time I brought it up were vindicated by this win. Hats off to both
McCants and Jefferson for enabling the other...
Rashad is mentally tough and has a huge heart and he showed that once
again tonight. Rashad is a team player first whose intelligence about
the game reminds me of my old Lakers teammate Robert Horry.
Wittman said Antoine Walker earned more playing time in the future with his performance Wednesday. Walker scored a season-high 19-points on 7-for-14 shooting.
Asked after Wednesday's game about Monday's comments, Walker said: "I
do understand what the coach is going through. I'm coming in late, I'm
not 100 percent on the plays, and he has a lot of young guys on this
team who deserve a chance to play.
"There's no problem here. I just want to contribute, help this young team win games."
When he gets decent minutes, Brewer provides scoring, defense and intangibles. This kid is energy personified on the court.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 15 November 2007 |
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Wolves record: 1-5
McCants scored a career-high 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting in
Minnesota's first victory this season, 108-103 over the Sacramento
Kings on Wednesday night.
So close so often in their first five games, the Wolves finally found
the right stuff down the stretch, riding McCants' scoring, starting
point guard Marko Jaric's defense and rebounding and veteran forward
Antoine Walker's breakout game as a Timberwolf.
His career-high 33 points included 14 in the fourth quarter and an
important three-pointer that immediately answered a Sacramento
three-pointer and put the Wolves back ahead with 6:42 remaining.
Wednesday's attendance of 11,656 marked the smallest
home crowd for a Wolves game since Dec. 3, 1996, when 11,191 attended a
96-89 loss to Sacramento at Target Center.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 14 November 2007 |
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Buckner, who started the season as one of the Timberwolves’ most used
reserves and became a starter last week when Theo Ratliff, said he has
been diagnosed with the beginning stages of pnuemonia after he began to
feel poorly on Sunday after the team’s Saturday night game at
Sacramento.
Also:
Forward Craig Smith probably won’t play because of an ankle sprained Saturday in Sacramento.
Foye says that he has no pain right now, but he hasn't done any
running, and won't know how it really feels until he tests it out at
full speed.
"I definitely want to get out there and play right now, but I can't
because of my injury," he continued. "You have to be smart. I've been
working out every day with our (training staff) on a whole bunch of new
machines, and just icing and trying to get back."
Update:
Update:
He said he's not sure whether he'll be able to play tonight against
Sacramento at Target Center. But given that he didn't participate in
the shootaround and missed the past two practices, it's not looking too
good. Fortunately pneumonia isn't contagious, so there's no threat of
getting his teammates sick.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 14 November 2007 |
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For the Wolves, Buckner (illness) is questionable after missing a
second consecutive day of practice. Smith (left ankle sprain) is
doubtful. G Randy Foye (knee) is out. For the Kings, G Mike Bibby
(thumb) is out. C Brad Miller (knee), who missed the Kings' last game,
is expected back.
If they lose tonight, the Wolves would match
the worst start in franchise history. The 1994-95 Wolves started 0-6 en
route to a 21-61 season record. That helped them land the No. 5 pick in
the following draft, which they used to select Kevin Garnett, changing
the course of the franchise.
Click here for the forum's thread for tomorrow's game.
After spending time with him, no doubt the Timberwolves would like to trade Antoine Walker.
His role has changed. The Wolves need -- and McCants very much wants to
be -- among the leaders on a team being remade on the fly. Both on the
court, where McCants has already shown the ability to score, and off
it. Which is why he spent time Tuesday talking both about his game and
the need for "younger" players to be patient as coach Randy Wittman
experiments with his rotation.
So far, there isn't a clear-cut rotation, except for
Al Jefferson's spot in the lineup. He leads the team in playing time,
averaging 36.8 minutes a game. Rookie Corey Brewer has played more on
some nights than others. Sebastian Telfair started the first three
games but has come off the bench the past two. Antoine Walker, a veteran and a former three-time all-star, is averaging just 12.8 minutes a game.
Jefferson and Ryan Gomes are the only players who
have started every game, in part because of injuries. Ten players are
averaging at least 12 minutes a game.
Through the first five games, Minnesota center Theo Ratliff leads the
league in blocks per game, averaging 3.5 per game. Wolves Forward Al
Jefferson ranks eighth in the league in rebounds per game (12.4).
Third-year guard Rashad McCants ranks amongst the league leaders in
three-point shooting, connecting from long range 50% (8-16) of the
time. Wolves 2006-07 second-round draft pick Craig Smith ranks 17th in
the NBA in field-goal shooting percentage at 55%.
Marbury, Morris and Jones to Minnesota for Marko Jaric, Theo Ratliff and Mark Madsen
This is about the stupidest trade the Knicks could possibly make, so
therefore (based upon their ownership's track record) we cannot
unilaterally discount it as a possibility. The Wolves would be ecstatic
to get out from under their contract with Jaric, which pays him $6.6
million next season, $7.1 million in '09-10 and $7.6 million in '10-11.
They'd also shed the $7.7 million they owe Madsen for the rest of this
season and the next two.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Tuesday, 13 November 2007 |
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Because both Greg Buckner (illness) and Craig Smith (left ankle sprain)
missed practice Tuesday. Buckner is questionable, Smith almost
certainly out. That could open up minutes for Walker and Green, among
others.
Wittman wants Al Jefferson to utilize more of a killer instinct
in the paint when the opportunity presents itself. "He has
opportunities where his man goes for the steal and he's going to the
basket where he has to power it up and get fouled or get three points.
We're just trying to create more opportunities for him."
Minneapolis
Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman have declared today,
November 13, 2007, to be "Nothing But Nets Day," as part of a city-wide
commitment to combating malaria...
Events
include: a Malaria Workshop with local college students, a Faith
Leaders’ Breakfast for area faith and lay leaders, and a Nothing But
Nets in-arena event with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
All
proceeds raised from the events will go towards the purchase of
long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets to be distributed to at-risk
children and families throughout Africa.
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Written by SG
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Tuesday, 13 November 2007 |
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But Walker, obtained by the Timberwolves in a trade with Miami just before the season started, is confused.
"I don't know what I'm doing, I have no idea what my role is," Walker
said after Monday's practice. "I wish somebody would come tell me. It's
kind of hard to put it into words. I don't know what I'm doing here."
Brewer ranks 10th among NBA rookies in scoring,
averaging 5.4 points a game, along with 4.0 rebounds and 17.5 minutes.
He is shooting 36 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point
range.
The seventh overall pick in the draft last summer,
Brewer is adjusting to his role as a reserve after starring in college
at Florida. Brewer said he hasn't come off the bench since his freshman
year of high school.
He's also not used to running as many scripted plays
as he does in the NBA. The process can be overwhelming at times because
the players still don't have a good feel for one another.
Eric Pincus/Hoopsworld chats with Ryan Gomes. On what the team needs to do to get their first win, Gomes responds:
Limit our fouls. If you look at the statistics of the games that we have lost, teams have been shooting on average 20+ free throws more than we have. You can't give a team 20 extra attempts at a free throw. In this league teams are shooting on average probably 70%. You're saying at least 12-13 ppg and we're losing these games by six, five or eight points. We can't let that happen. We're playing well with turnovers, keeping it low. Our field goal percentage is pretty good also. It's the ticky-tack fouls that we commit that gives other teams chances for free points.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Monday, 12 November 2007 |
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In about a week and a half he’ll have the knee checked again. If all is
well he could return to practice and begin prepping for his first game
action.
On Monday's practice:
Veteran guard Greg Buckner stayed home sick. Forward Craig Smith, who
sprained his left ankle in California — the same ankle that bothered
him during training camp — was walking with a limp and didn’t do
anything in practice today.
When given the PT, Brewer is responding. Twice last week he scored in
double digits, with a 10-point, six-rebound night and a 15-point,
eight-rebound performance. Of course, those two games sandwiched a
scoreless night in which he played just seven minutes in a loss to the
Lakers. Ah, the life of a rookie.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Monday, 12 November 2007 |
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He ends the piece with a reference to the hopelessly struggling,
winless Minnesota Timberwolves, the NBA team whose games he used to
attend.
"I'm out like the Wolves in the 1st/Awwh, but, we go'n get it 2gether
though./Pookie, the limo warm?/Alright, cool./Peace y'all. Hmm. Stay
funky."
Off in the corner, Mark Blount and Ricky Davis were
studying a Knicks/T-Wolves game film on the TV. They both suddenly
cracked up and asked for the tape to be rewound. It was, and we saw a
play where Jamal Crawford shattered Marko Jaric’s ankles. “He looked
like he was on roller blades,” said Davis. Not sure if he was talking
about Crawford or Jaric, but if that was Jaric on roller blades, he
better have been wearing wrist guards.
The die-hards among us who pledged to ride with the Minnesota
Timberwolves throughout the 2007-08 season know that higher levels of
tolerance and different parameters of success will be required. Put
bluntly, wins and losses take a backseat to player development and team
synergy. For those who merely peruse the stats or want to view things
in isolation, there were some promising things to take away from this
weekend's losses to the Lakers and the Kings. Those who saw the games,
however, might be finding their patience tested by this seemingly
willfully callow crew.
Craig Smith, who sprained his left ankle in the
fourth quarter, is listed as day to day. That means he could be
available to play Wednesday. Wittman said X-rays of Smith's ankle were
negative. It's the same ankle Smith sprained during training camp.
"We don't have a problem with coming out and competing," said Wolves guard Rashad McCants,
who returned for Saturday's 100-93 loss at Sacramento after missing
Friday's game in Los Angeles because of a sprained ankle. "We have a
problem with finishing."
"We're trying to come up with fun, creative ways to engage our fans,
get them interested in the team and convince them to come down to watch
a game," said Ted Johnson, who this spring added chief marketing
officer to his role as vice president of communications. "We're pretty
convinced that once they get to a game, we can get them back."
Green's potential is still mostly untapped and he undoubtedly will be offered a contract next summer, but he has to show some growth this season. He has to become more of a defensive player and he has to show consistency, rather than the good games followed by bad games Boston Celtics fans were quite used to in his time there.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 November 2007 )
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 11 November 2007 |
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There is no such thing as predicting wins, not for this Timberwolves team, anyway. They are too young, too inexperienced.
But Saturday night's game at Sacramento qualified as
the closest thing so far to a - quote-unquote - winnable game. The
Kings were without injured point guard Mike Bibby and suspended forward
Ron Artest, but they managed to defeat the hard-luck Wolves 100-93 at
Arco Arena.
Craig Smith injured his ankle in the fourth quarter and didn't return
to the game. X-rays were negative, but the extent of the injury wasn't
known after the game.
16 Free-throw disparity, with the Kings making 34 of 40 attempts to 18 of 24 for the Wolves.
Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman stayed with his reconfigured lineup Saturday for the second consecutive night, starting Marko Jaric at point guard and bringing Sebastian Telfair off the bench against Sacramento in an arrangement that received mixed reviews after Friday's 107-93 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Sacramento Bee reported that Kings guard
Francisco Garcia and McCants were involved in a late-night heated
exchange in July at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. The Kings and Wolves
were there for summer league play. Apparently neither player wanted to
back down.
McCants had to be put into an elevator to diffuse the situation, the Bee reported.Apparently their testy relationship dates to 2005,
when Garcia led Louisville to the Final Four and McCants won a national
championship with North Carolina.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 11 November 2007 )
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Columnists
Sonia Grover started her Wolves site, "I Heart KG", in 2006. In the wake of the big trade, she moved over to TWolves Blog and brought her column,
"Wolves Daily News"Email:
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Derek Hanson, the founder of TWolves Blog, delivers his optimistic and often inspiring take on the Wolves in his column,
"DeROK's One Shot"Email:
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Dave Kelsey, life-long Wolves fan, season ticket holder, and forum post champion gives his humorous take on the Wolves and life in general in
"Club Seating with College Wolf"
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As one of the 78 owners of Troy Hudson's "Undrafted", its clear that Anthony Hall isn't afraid to go against the grain. He offers up his one-of-a-kind take on the Timberwolves in his column,
"In the Paint"
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Jeremy Knutson packed up his stuff from the Old Wolves Logo, drove over to the TWolves Blog, unloaded the car, and now invites you to come along for a ride through the NBA in his
"Hoop De Ville"
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Rob Brewer and Neil Olstad launched the first-ever Minnesota Timberwolves podcast back in 2007. After acheiving critical acclaim with "The Kissing Marney Gellner Show", the duo decided bring their act to TWolves Blog. "Timberwolves Today"
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