Sonia
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Written by SG
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Monday, 07 April 2008 |
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Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson said he has to get
in better shape during the offseason because he wouldn't have been able
to handle the playoffs this season.
"I feel like if we were to start the playoffs in two
weeks, I'd have a mental breakdown," Jefferson said today at practice
for the Timberwolves, who are 19-57 and out of playoff contention.
"That's why I've got to do a better job this summer of getting my body
in great shape because I plan on being in the playoffs real soon.
"I really feel like if we started the playoffs this year, my body would break down and I would have a mental breakdown, too."
Foye's most egregious mistakes this year--some weird statements about
the point guard position, for example, and a lack of deference and
feeding of Jefferson at crunchtime in favor of taking the shot--make
more sense if you consider that he's had to grapple with a setback in
the pecking order as well as physically with his own body this season...
Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace is out for Tuesday’s game
against the Minnesota Timberwolves and it’s possible a doctor’s
appointment Tuesday could end his season.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Monday, 07 April 2008 |
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Wittman said he doesn’t know if G Sebastian Telfair (ankle) will return to action before the season ends. Telfair has missed the past 15 games since injuring his ankle March 7 at Sacramento.
Wittman said he believes Jefferson is fighting late-season fatigue.
Jefferson had a season-low two rebounds Wednesday
night at Utah. Coming into Sunday, he had averaged only 17.3 points on
44.5 percent shooting and 8.1 rebounds in the previous eight games. His
season averages are 20.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 49.8 percent
shooting.
Also from Alonzo:
The Timberwolves handed out kits to select
media members Sunday promoting Jefferson for the NBA's most improved
player award. A coin bank molded in Jefferson's likeness was the
highlight of the package and also will be handed out to the first 5,000
fans at the season finale April 16 at Target Center.
2 Victories that separate the 19-victory Wolves from 21-victory
Memphis and New York for the third-most combinations of chances in the
May draft lottery.
Brewer's biggest transition has been the quality of defense that needs to be played every moment on an NBA court.
''My first game we played New Orleans, Peja Stojakovic made like six
straight jumpers in my face,'' Brewer said. ``That was the first time I
played against a guy, playing the best defense I could play, that made
six straight jumpers in my face.
``In the NBA, if you're playing Kobe [Bryant], every single moment
you're on the court you have to be ready, because he can attack you at
any time. The other night, I got torched by Tracy McGrady.''
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Monday, 07 April 2008 |
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Minnesota got a terrific effort from its bench to stay in Sunday's game
against Memphis early on, but couldn't collectively slow Mike Miller
and Rudy Gay in the fourth quarter, resulting in a 113-101 loss at
Target Center.
Wolves record: 19-57
Jefferson took just one shot in the first half of Sunday’s loss to
Memphis at Target Center and still finished with 18 points and eight
rebounds, a drop-off in offensive production that began to show in
mid-March.
That’s about the same he began to show interest in developing, at coach
Randy Wittman’s urging, his defensive and playmaking skills. In the
second half Sunday, Wittman saw what he considered the real offensive
Al Jefferson.
As I mentioned in the pregame post, Al Jefferson is fighting some sort of illness and didn't play well (or much) in the first half. Obviously, with Jefferson's condition, it's a good thing this game is even close. Randy Foye, in particular, is having a decent game tonight compared to his recent play, so it's good to see him be able to do so.
Wolves coach Randy Wittman lamented his team's lack of concentration
and toughness after it trailed its lottery-bound brethren by 11 points
in the first quarter, then pulled ahead late in the second quarter only
to succumb to the inside-out combination of Rudy Gay and Mike Miller.
Together, they scored 57 points, including 23 in the Grizzlies'
decisive 32-20 fourth quarter.
Miller was remarkable in finishing 12 for 20 and
missing only four of 12 three-point attempts. His second three-pointer
of the third quarter put Memphis ahead 72-64. But the Wolves used a
12-0 run to reverse the momentum, with Randy Foye hitting a couple of
key shots. He finished with 17 points for one of his better offensive
games in some time.
Miller's layup and then three-pointer tied the score
88-88 with 8:37 remaining. Then Gay, who scored 23 points, took over,
playing a key role in handing the Wolves their sixth loss in seven
games.
Jaric and McCants were each hit with a technical with
3:16 to play in the first half after Jaric argued a non-call. McCants was on the
bench...
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 06 April 2008 |
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Can you hear that up in the Twin Cities, Kevin McHale? If the
Timberwolves happen to get lucky in the lottery for the first time in
franchise history, there's no decision to make.
The pick has to be Derrick Rose, the Memphis freshman who would turn Al
Jefferson into an All-Star and the Wolves into a team worth watching
again.
Given Al Jefferson’s low-post proficiency, that’d be some inside-out
combination for the Wolves, but after that all these years, are Wolves
followers even allowed to dream about lottery luck? Rose already abused
Texas point guard D.J. Augustin in a regional final; now we get to see
him against UCLA’s Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook.
At stake in the season's final 10 days: anywhere from a 15.6 to 8.8
percent chance of getting the draft's No. 1 pick, depending on how the
Wolves, Grizzlies and Knicks finish the season.
While some Timberwolves players riding the bench have done some complaining, Mark Madsen, who saw a lot of action in previous seasons, will not. "I'm just going to have patience and see what happens," he said.
Previews of today's game against the Grizzlies:
I told some people, Glen is not malicious in what he does. You guys
only have so many lines you can write. I don't think Glen ever thinks
that. Maybe it was taken a little bit out of context. Anybody who knows
KG knows the competitor he is. Maybe frustrated was the word that
should have been used. More than anything else, he wants to win.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 05 April 2008 |
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Telfair, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, has said he would like to stay with the Wolves.
Regarding his ankle injury, Telfair said he feels
about 85 percent recovered. He said he will wait to see if he is able
to practice Monday and said he will try to play again this season if
possible..
Despite playing the best basketball of his short career with the Timberwolves, averaging 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, Snyder is unsure if staying in Minnesota would be in his best interests.
"That's something that's going to have to be discussed at the end of the season with who they have coming back, what they plan on doing and what type of basketball are we going to be branded with playing," says Snyder...
In the wake of the news that Mike Montgomery, his former coach at Stanford, has taken the head coaching postion at UC Berkeley, Mark Madsen blogs about the rivalry between the two schools:
All I can remember about UC Berkeley is hostility. One time one of our
walk on players from the East Bay almost got into an altercation with a
UC Berkeley fan even before the game started! I think the fan
threatened a lawsuit or someting. Then last year someone actually
hijacked my Gmail email account! The sad thing was that I could see
when he was online through the "Chat" functionality from another one of
my gmail accounts. I "chatted" with him online to my "old" account and
threatened to get the FBI, CIA and every law enforcement agency
possible on his tail unless he gave me back my account. Finally he
releneted and sent me a message: "You can have your email account
back, the new password is "UCBerkeley."
In other words, Dwane Casey - he of former lead assistant and head
coaching status - is not going to come to the Blazers to work out
players and sit behind the bench. The only way Casey - who is a dear
friend to McMillan - would come is if Demopoulos would land a head
coaching job he so covets. In other words, Casey will probably only
take a head coaching job or a lead assistant job.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 05 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Saturday, 05 April 2008 |
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But by any measure, their Friday night outing was a
disappointment, and Shaquille O'Neal had a lot to do with it. The
Wolves fell behind by 23 points in the first quarter and suffered a
117-88 undressing by the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center.
The Suns improved to 11-3 in their past 14 games
with O'Neal in their lineup. The Wolves dropped to 1-5 in their past
six games, including four losses by double digits.
Wolves record: 19-56
Al Jefferson scored 20 on 11-of-26 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who fell to an NBA-worst 5-32 on the road. The Timberwolves shot 38 percent.
O'Neal helped control Jefferson but Amaré Stoudemire fared much better against Jefferson defensively as the Timberwolves center missed 12 of his first 16 shots Friday. It was his 2-of-8 first quarter start that did all the damage in Phoenix's seventh consecutive home winning streak, its longest of the season. Minnesota managed only 15 first-quarter points, tying an opponent low for the slowest start of the season against the Suns.
Ryan Gomes was the only Wolves starter who made as many field-goal
attempts as he missed. The team's starting backcourt -- Randy Foye and
Marko Jaric -- shot a combined 10-for-31. The first two players off the
Wolves' bench -- Corey Brewer and Rashad McCants -- combined to shoot
5-for-18.
Phoenix went 1-2 in the first three games this season against Minnesota before the Suns acquired Shaquille O'Neal.
"We struggled against them because we were a different team back then, and that was not with Shaq," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Shaq's presence in there, especially with guys like (Al) Jefferson and (Craig) Smith, people that beat you up inside, he just kind of negates all that and makes it a lot easier."
After being outrebounded by 54 (153-99) and yielding 56 offensive
rebounds in the first three games, the Suns enjoyed a 52-39 edge on the
glass Friday with O’Neal, Grant Hill and Stoudemire getting 11, 10 and
nine, respectively.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 05 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Friday, 04 April 2008 |
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While McHale was overseas, he attended a game in
Sweden that featured NBA draft prospect Rudy Mbemba, according to a
Swedish television report.
Mbemba is a name you probably haven't heard. He's a
20-year-old point guard who is known for his athleticism, quickness and
leaping ability, though he doesn't have great size. He's listed at 5
feet 11 and 176 pounds, according to his player profile on DraftExpress.com.
Mbemba might become Sweden’s first NBA player if he’s drafted this summer. McHale said “it won’t be long” before Sweden produces an NBA player. ESPN.com projects Mbemba as a late first-round to early-second-round pick this summer.
“There will be Swedish players in the NBA,” McHale told SVT. “Too many good athletes over here for it not to happen.”
Chad Hartman/KFAN talked to Britt Robson about the team yesterday afternoon. Click here to listen to the interview.
I confess that Foye has genuinely raised my ire more often this season,
despite the fact that he's played fewer games than Shaddy, and I think
it's because I believe Foye is more a part of the future firmament for
this franchise than is McCants. I don't imagine the Wolves are going to
keep both players around for the next two or three years and if a
choice is made, McCants will be the one packing his bags.
After having gone through the tedious 2007-08 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the chemistry and camaraderie between Gomes and his teammates continues to grow. Because of that, Gomes would prefer to stay in the Twin Cities.
"I'd like to be," says Gomes, when asked if he prefers to stay with the Timberwolves. "With the guys we have here already, we're gelling together and becoming a team. I think when you look at the teams that are really, really good, they had the players they had on their team for a significant amount of years. It was four or five years before they really started taking off into that next direction."
Former Sonics assistant and Minnesota head coach Dwane Casey could be
an intriguing coaching candidate this summer. The consensus among
league executives is that he was unfairly fired in Minnesota and should
have edged out P.J. Carlesimo for the Seattle job. He and Larry Brown
will both get their share of interviews.
If given the right opportunity, people enjoy helping other people. And
at Target Center from Wednesday to Friday last week, five different
departments within the Timberwolves and Lynx organizations competed in
a food drive from which all items were donated to Minnesota FoodShare,
which in turn allocated the food to PRISM (People Responding In Social
Ministry).
Wolves coach Randy Wittman was disappointed in the
body language he saw from his players after the Jazz began hitting shot
after shot.
Previews of tonight's game at Phoenix:
The Wolves have beaten the Suns two out of three times this season, and
remember Minnesota has won only 19 games. In those two victories at
Target Center, Wolves young star Al Jefferson exposed the Suns' soft
underbelly with a 32-point, 20-rebound game the first time, a 39-point,
15-rebound game the second time.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 03 April 2008 |
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The Wolves could face a tough finish to the season
and land closer to the bottom of the league standings than their
success in recent weeks would indicate.
Wednesday night's game at Utah was the first of six
remaining road games for Minnesota, which has struggled on the road all
season. Only three home games remain...
Also from Alonzo:
Wolves point guard Sebastian Telfair is running
fairly well straight ahead on his sprained left ankle. But "laterally,
he's still a little tender," Wittman said. Asked if he's hopeful
Telfair will play again this season, Wittman said, "Yeah, we'll see."
Timberwolves Vice President Fred Hoiberg, who has been scouting the NCAA and NIT tournaments, figures June's NBA draft will be deep enough for the Wolves to get three quality players from their trio of picks (one first-round and two second-round). "If all the players declare who we think will declare," he said.
Saunders was impressed by Al Jefferson, who continues to dominate opposing centers. He scored 26 points against the Pistons.
"Al's a load down there," said Saunders, whose team has all but
clinched the No. 2 seed in the East behind the Celtics. "Al's got great
ability to score. What people don't understand is he's got such quick
feet. He's a very, very explosive offensive player."
Click here for info on the first annual Run With the Wolves 5K.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 03 April 2008 |
The Timberwolves, who beat Utah on Sunday in Minnesota, gave the Jazz fits
again—if only for a half. Utah led 53-50 at the break after allowing Minnesota
to shoot 59 percent from the field in the half. It didn’t take long, however,
for the Jazz to pull away after intermission.
Wolves record: 19-55
Wolves coach Randy Wittman worried the Jazz -- now 35-4 at home and
16-22 on the road -- might knock his team out early on the second half
of challenging back-to-back games in a dwindling season. Afterward, he
said he was "proud" his team held tough through halftime, when the Jazz
led by three points.
The debilitating uppercuts arrived early in the third quarter, when a
59-56 Utah lead quickly became a 79-61 bulge in a five-minute span. The
Wolves never climbed up off the canvas until the fourth quarter and by
then, it was far too late.
After giving up 110 points
to Minnesota in Sunday's loss, the Jazz came out in an aggressive,
gambling defense. They trapped off the pick-and-roll and ran a second
defender at Al Jefferson every time the Timberwolves center caught the
ball inside.
They did the job on
Jefferson (12 points, 2 rebounds) but struggled to contain Minnesota's
other players. Rashad McCants and Randy Foye combined for 18 points in
the first half and the Jazz took just a 53-50 lead into halftime
despite Kyle Korver's three three-pointers.
30 Days since Wolves center and new dad Michael Doleac played. He had three points in nine second-half minutes.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 02 April 2008 |
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There is more than one goat in a game where the Wolves blew a 21-point
lead and wilted down the stretch against a Detroit Pistons team resting
arguably their top three starters--Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace
and Rip Hamilton. But in a contest that was obviously Minnesota's for
the taking, point guard Randy Foye was especially noticeable in his
inability to deliver at either end of the court...
Jefferson: When we played Boston here and they had that standing
ovation for Kevin Garnett, and then they called starting lineup for us,
it kind of looked like they were showing Kevin Garnett that they
appreciated everything he did here. But they also showed me so much
love. Like, 'OK, we thank you Garnett, but here is our new leader, and
we have his back too.' That made me feel really good, knowing how they
cheered for me and represented me too. I love the fans here, and I'm
glad that the fans are patient and understand that this season is one
that we're not looking to have again. It's a learning process. We have
to work really hard and get the fans what they want and get us back to
the playoffs.
From RandBall: The fab five who knocked out the Wolves
Now you can find
a serviceable player with that selection. The last three No. 14 picks –
Minnesota's Rashad McCants, Utah's Ronnie Brewer and the Clippers' Al
Thornton – all average between 12 and 15 points for their teams.
But those aren't franchise-changing players, which is what a team that misses the playoffs needs to find.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 April 2008 )
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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 TWolvesBlog and brought her column,
"Wolves Daily News"Email:
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Derek Hanson, the founder of TWolvesBlog, 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 TWolvesBlog, 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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