Sonia
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Written by SG
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Friday, 28 March 2008 |
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Asked if he thinks there’s a good chance Telfair won’t play again this
season — there are, after all, only 2 1/2 weeks and 12 games left —
Wolves coach Randy Wittman hesitated a count and said, “Uh, I think
he’ll be back. I anticipate it. We don’t have the luxury to say he
needs to get four or five good practices under him like we normally
maybe would because of where we’re at in the season. But I want to be
sure he’s ready.”
The couple have been dating for the last six months, but Jaric says he was perplexed by a Web-based rumor about his checking out the local jewelry store for the big stone.
"I am not shopping right now," Jaric, 29, tells PEOPLE. "But I could
start tomorrow. I am that close. I'm definitely not yet engaged, but it
doesn't mean we're not thinking about it."
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Written by SG
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Friday, 28 March 2008 |
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He seems to play with a little bit of mean streak, and I vacillate
between liking and frowning at that side of his makeup. On the one hand
he makes the hustle plays that we all want to pin gold stars on Brewer
for accomplishing. In the first half tonight, he had enough juice and
foresight to hightail after Marko Jaric after Jaric had made a steal
and subsequently blown the contested layup (big surprise, eh?),
slamming home Jaric's too-strong finish. Conversely, there was a play
during Snyder's second half turnover spree where, after the faulty
pass, he flew down the floor trailing a Rockets' 3-on-1 drill, and it
took two nifty bits of execution--a feed back from T-Mac under the hoop
to a driving Scola, who double pumped under Snyder's flying block
attempt to lay it in--to prevent him from making a glorious recovery.
Plump from a March schedule when they won six times against teams that
have as much or as little for which to play as they do, the
Timberwolves head toward April with a game tonight in San Antonio,
concluding the season with six contests against opponents bound for the
playoffs.
Their ascent in the past three weeks to 18 victories this season is
good for their confidence and, in some cases, summer contract
negotiations. This next schedule stretch, which began with Wednesday's
97-86 loss at Houston and continues against the NBA champion Spurs,
will provide a more realistic read on how far they have progressed from
their 5-34 season start.
Yet, there is one aspect of the ending to this season confusing me. Why is Kirk Snyder getting the amount of minutes he has of late at the expense of Corey Brewer?
The team has played well with Snyder in the starting lineup and he should certainly see his share of minutes during the remaining games. The problem is Snyder could be a valuable bench player in the future, while Brewer is supposedly one of the young pieces to the future of the Timberwolves puzzle.
Vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said Madsen will play a role as the Wolves move forward.
"He's a quality person, a great teammate, a great
guy to have in your organization, and you can't say enough good stuff
about him," McHale said.
Madsen could have an opportunity to play more next season as the Wolves mature.
"We had a lot of question marks, a lot of guys in
the last year of deals, a lot of guys we had to make evaluations on
moving forward," Wittman said. "Hopefully you don't have as many
question marks on your team next year as we did this year."
Q: On why he wasn't counting on hearing his name on draft day:
Smith: A lot of people doubted me, just like a lot of colleges doubted
me too. I didn't really know, I knew some teams were interested but not
many promises are kept in this business. So I just stayed focused and I
got my opportunity when they drafted me. I couldn't work out in the
summer, or maybe I would have been a higher pick. But as soon as the
training camp started is when I dedicated myself and said 'Hey, I just
want to play myself into the rotation and take it one day at a time.'
That happened, and I got some action. The first game I was surprised
that I was able to come in and make an impact and we got a win. It was
all good from there.
Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale is in Europe scouting players for June's NBA draft.
Previews of tonight's game at San Antonio:
Click here for the forum's game thread
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Last Updated ( Friday, 28 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
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"Look, was he immature in some situations? Of course. He came out of
high school; what would anyone expect?" Irvin said. "But he's a good
kid. I think [this] has humbled him, and now he realizes he has to
fight. But to discount anything he did [in Boston] because he was on
bad teams, well, half of the league is filled with bad teams. Are we
going to discount everyone's season on a bad team?"
Irvin said at least a half dozen teams have shown interest in Green...
Also at the Wolves site , assistant general manager Rob Babcock discusses the team's scouting process.
Wolves point guard Sebastian Telfair did some agility drills during this morning’s shootaround. But it’s doubtful Telfair will participate in full-scale practice Thursday. Telfair won’t play Friday at San Antonio, and there are just 11 games remaining after that.
The Timberwolves have dispatched most of their basketball front office around the country scouting NCAA tournament games.
That was St. Louis University men's basketball coach Rick Majerus dining in Minneapolis the other day with his former Utah star, Michael Doleac of the Timberwolves.
Kirk Snyder played hard. He played well. He demonstrated that there is a place for him in this league.
But the impact of his performance on Wednesday will go far beyond his play on the floor.
He did something no one has done as well this season.
He hung a nickname on Luis Scola. It's perfect.
"He's like Rambo," Snyder said. "He never backs down from anything.
He's so aggressive and he hustles all over the place. I think that
nickname is perfect for him. They should start calling him the Rambo
Man."
Commissioner David Stern got a call recently from an
NBA general manager. The conversion involved a revolutionary idea
regarding a new playoff format.
Teams would continue to qualify for the playoffs
under the current format, with the top eight teams from the Eastern and
Western Conferences advancing. But once the playoffs begin, the teams
would be seeded one through 16 in order of records.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
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The first time around, the Wolves allowed 65 first-half points and
trailed by 33 points before intermission. This time they trailed 46-42
at halftime before ultimately surrendering in the fourth quarter to the
Rockets and Tracy McGrady. McGrady had been considered questionable to
play because of a sore shoulder but delivered a 23-point, 11-rebound,
nine-assist performance that steadied his team down the stretch.
Wolves record: 18-52
The Rockets outrebounded the Wolves 58-38 and scored 14 second-chance
points to win for the 19th time in their last 21 home games.
Scola was effective against the Wolves this season,
helping Houston sweep the season series 3-0. He matched his career high
with 22 points in a game against Minnesota on Jan. 11, which Houston
won 113-82. Wednesday, Scola's three-point play with 2:34 remaining
gave Houston a 93-82 lead.
The Wolves lost despite Al Jefferson's 50th
double-double of the season (21 points, 10 rebounds) and his five
blocks, which tied his career high. He has averaged 3.6 blocks in the
past five games.
It also is the second time this month that NBA commissioner David Stern
is in the house. He is here on a night when the Rockets honor 16-year
veteran Dikembe Mutombo for his playing career and his humanitarian
effort.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
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"I'm just looking forward and trying to market myself beyond basketball," says McCants. "I know nothing is promised and nothing is guaranteed, so I have to have a plan where I can make something happen outside of basketball. That was my plan."
"I have a clothing line starting, little business ventures and things like that, so hopefully everything goes well," continues McCants. "I'll probably start up a blog pretty soon. There will be a tattoo contest where people send in their tattoos, what they mean and go from there. Probably get some player interviews about their tattoos and take it step by step. It'll probably go into a magazine kind of thing and we'll take it from there."
Even though I emerge unseen in the dark
I still create a shadow in the brightest of days.
Sun rays on Sundays create my image.
I’m a visionary message
from the planet of perfection...
Wolves guard Sebastian Telfair was jumping a little on his mid-range jump shots late in practice today. It's obvious he's still limited by his sprained left ankle, but he's making progress. He hasn't participated in practice yet since he was injured March 7. Coach Randy Wittman said Telfair would accompany the team for the two-game road trip to Houston and San Antonio this week. Telfair isn't expected to play in those games, but Wittman wants him to get extensive treatment on the ankle.
"As much preparation and hard work I did in Houston, all I needed was
to be in another situation," Snyder said. "The team I played for is top
five in the NBA right now. The basketball IQ that goes unnoticed there
is going to be seen and as soon as I got here, Coach Wittman, he knew
what he was seeing."
Snyder said Wittman asked him to provide everything that doesn't show up in a boxscore.
"Do the unseen things," Snyder said. "When you go in and tip a ball to
a teammate and he gets the rebound, little stuff like that."
Brewer is a world-class athlete who can create chaos on defense and
keep his man from getting easy shots. But his offensive game is subpar
from a technical standpoint. Brewer may be light, but he's very tall
and long for his position. So learning how Melo gains an advantage in
the post in terms of positioning, and then how he goes to work with his
face-up game, would help Brewer a great deal...
The Wolves embark on a six-game stretch that is
perhaps their toughest of the season, starting tonight in Houston. The
next six games are against five teams fighting for playoff position.
Also from Alonzo:
Marko Jaric, who was sidelined Monday with a stiff neck, participated in practice Tuesday.
Michael Doleac was scheduled to travel with the
team on the road today. His wife gave birth to their first child, a
boy, last week.
Previews of tonight's game at Houston:
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 26 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Tuesday, 25 March 2008 |
Hornets 247 hosts the latest round of the Blogger MVP and ROY rankings.
Wolves point guard Sebastian Telfair did some shooting today at
practice, but don't expect him to play in either game this week. He's
recovering from a sprained left ankle that has sidelined him the past
eight games. Coach Randy Wittman said Telfair might accompany the team
on the road trip to Houston and San Antonio. But considering Telfair
didn't practice today, it's highly unlikely that he would play this
week.
Snyder will be a restricted free agent this summer. He said he'd like
to stay with the Wolves. He's slowly become acquainted with his new
teammates - and the Minnesota weather.
"I'm kind of looking outside going, 'OK, it's going to be Christmas every day,'" Snyder said, laughing.
Snyder, who was acquired for the little-used Gerald Green, seems to be fitting in so far...
When Minnesota traded Gerald Green to Houston for Kirk Snyder and a
second-round pick, Wolves fans, players and coaches weren't quite sure
what to expect. Fourteen games and seven Wolves wins later, as Snyder
continues to impress, it's almost safe to say that he's exceeded what
were modest - at best - expectations.
"He's made a very significant (impact) to where he has my confidence in
a short period of time," said head coach Randy Wittman after Monday's
practice. "He's playing within himself, he's not trying to do too much.
He's been good."
Perhaps most importantly, the Wolves are 7-7 with Snyder in the lineup,
and 5-3 when he starts. He feels like all he needed was a chance.
Take a look at Jefferson's past two games. For a guy averaging 20 and
10 this season, you'd think he had a couple off nights. Fouls limited
him to 29 minutes and 11 points in Indianapolis. Saturday he had just
eight points before being sat down for the fourth quarter of the easy
victory over the Knicks.
But Saturday he had a career-high six assists to go with three blocks. The night before, Wolves coach Randy Wittman said Jefferson was one of the few players on the team who came out with defensive fire to start the game. He took a charge and blocked four shots.
Wolves point guard Sebastian Telfair said a report
over the weekend that he would relish an opportunity to play for the
New York Knicks next season was taken out of context. Telfair, who will
be a restricted free agent, is hoping to remain with the Wolves.
"I'm happy where I'm at," he said. "Minnesota gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. This is where I want to be."
As a fan, I used to think that all the Timberwolves woes were due to
Kevin McHale being awful at his job. It does not help that the guy
signing the team's checks is equally as dense.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Monday, 24 March 2008 |
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But here's the nasty chaser: Despite its 13-17 record over the past two
months, and 8-10 mark since Foye claimed the point guard slot in the
starting lineup, the Wolves continue to be routinely trounced when
playing quality ballclubs. Over the past 30, their record is 9-5
against sub-.500 teams, 1-0 against the .500 Philadelphia 76ers, and
3-12 versus teams that have won more than they've lost. In the 18 since
Foye took the point guard reins, those figures are 6-3 versus sub.500,
1-0 against Philly, and 1-7 against over-.500 ballclubs.
Antoine Walker is being paid some $8.5 million this season to watch
the Timberwolves from the bench, and according to club owner Glen
Taylor, the team doesn't have any plans on of buying out this season or
next on the veteran's contract. And coach Randy Wittman said the
present plans are not to play Walker unless somebody gets hurt. Walker
hasn't played since Feb. 19.
Target Center and Xcel Energy Center each are looking for $60 million
to repair the arenas, but from the tone of members of the Legislature,
there isn't any interest in meeting those demands.
Telfair, a free agent July 1, harbored the same dreams as his older cousin Stephon Marbury Stephon Marbury growing up in Brooklyn - to become the Knick point guard.
With his rookie contract expiring, Telfair will be free for the first time in his NBA career. No matter how awkward it might be to replace Marbury, the Timberwolves guard admitted last night at Target Center he would have to listen if the Knicks New York Knicks , who lost to Telfair's T-Wolves 114-93, show interest.
Minnesota is 5-3 with the current starting lineup of Kirk Snyder, Ryan Gomes, Jefferson, Marko Jaric and Randy Foye.
The Wolves' three-game home winning streak is one
victory shy of their longest this season. They won four in a row from
Jan. 23 to Feb. 1.
Do you remember that team that couldn’t win a game to save their souls? They were running right into the most ping pong balls in the NBA lottery and possible first pick of the draft.
Now, they’re ruining all of that. The Wolves are actually winning some games.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 24 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 23 March 2008 |
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Sebastian Telfair told us that his ankle continues to improve, and said
"I will be back this year." As the pain continues to decrease, he
expects to begin practicing within the week.
Telfair, 22, said he still is concentrating on this season and is not
thinking about his future, New York or otherwise. Still, the longer he
talked, the more he sounded hopeful that the Knicks might express
interest.
"A lot of players, even players that aren't from New York . . . playing
in Madison Square Garden every night, that's a pretty significant
thing," Telfair said. "If I got the opportunity, I would definitely
enjoy it."
Whether the Wolves can become a solid defensive team
along the perimeter remains to be seen. Wittman believes they can with
the current roster, but he acknowledged that having the right personnel plays a part as well. And that's something that will be considered this offseason.
Entering the Wolves locker room was an entertaining moment. The Wolves have made a habit of hanging ugly clothes worn to the game for everyone to see on the whiteboard. Tonight's victim was Sebastian Telfair, who wore a metallic gold suit with matching metallic purple tie and pocket square.
Knicks embattled boss Isiah Thomas says whenever he sees Wolves coach
Randy Wittman at this time of year he can’t help but think about that
night in Philadelphia so long ago. Twenty seven years ago this month,
Thomas passed the ball to his Indiana teammate just before halftime in
the NCAA championship game and Wittman hit a shot from the corner that
sent Bobby Knight’s team to victory over North Carolina.
The Wolves improved to 13-17 since beginning the season 5-34. They have won six of their past nine games.
They continued their hot streak by beating up on the
Knicks, who have suffered 12 defeats this season by at least 15 points
but have 19 wins, one more than the surging Wolves. Wittman's players
said they treated this like a game with playoff implications.
"We will be in this kind of position next year or
the year after," Al Jefferson said. "That's how we're kind of looking
at it now, trying to catch teams. We've got three tough games coming
up. All three of these teams are playoff teams that are fighting for
spots and need to win. This will be a big challenge for us."
And through it all, he feels most at home in a town
of 10,000 people 35 miles north of Nashville. He hops on a plane to see
his family in Portland, Tenn., every chance he gets, enjoying some
sleep and his favorite meal: pork chops, peas and mashed potatoes.
"He's the same old Corey," said his mother, Glenda
Brewer. "He never changes. That's why people love him in his hometown.
People tell me he never changes. He's so humble."
Wait a while, Wolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin
McHale says, and it will all come back around. That's why he thinks
there won't be, or shouldn't be, a change in the playoff format.
"Everything goes in cycles in sports," he said. "If you're on top,
you're going to be on the bottom at some point. That's just the way it
is."
The Minnesota Timberwolves hired Sarah Barthol as community relations manager and John O'Connell as director of marketing.
Taylor getting outclassed by KG is something else -- besides retaining
the wrong Kevin -- about which the owner should be embarrassed.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 23 March 2008 )
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Written by SG
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Sunday, 23 March 2008 |
Ryan Gomes scored 26 points, reserve Rashad McCants had 24, and
the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 114-93 on Saturday
night.
The Timberwolves (18-51) and Knicks (19-50) are in the NBA's bottom
five, fighting for draft position and figuring out which young players
are keepers over the season's final weeks.
Also from Campbell:
Minnesota's Mark Madsen entered in the final minutes, his second appearance in the last 20 games, and was loudly cheered...
Wolves record: 18-51
In other words, it was over early, as the Wolves emerged from Target
Center with a 114-93 victory. The Timberwolves barely missed a shot in
the first quarter of Saturday evening's contest, scoring a season-high
42 points on 17-of-23 shooting to bury a Knicks team that would trail
by as many as 23 and never really threaten Minnesota's lead.
By the time it was all over, the Wolves also tied their season high for
assists with 29, scored their most fast-break points (25) since March
31, 2006, shot 67.5 percent in the first half and won for the sixth
time in their past nine games and for the 13th time in their past 30
after they beginning the season 5-34.
They also matched their largest margin of victory this season on a
night when star forward Al Jefferson delivered eight points and a
career-high six assists before sitting the entire fourth quarter with
the game already well in hand.
The most entertaining aspect of tonight's game is not the action on the floor. It is watching the expressions of Al Jefferson's family members--most noticeably, his father--who are a couple rows behind the Timberwolves bench. Even during the Wolves amazing first quarter in which they scored 42 points, Papa Jefferson is deadpan. The only expression seen from the man wearing an army hat was on an assist from his son to Craig Smith where he clapped briefly.
He set the pace early for his team, with 10 of his 26 points and five of his eight rebounds in the Wolves' 42-point first quarter.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 23 March 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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