We've almost gotten to the point where we can script out the exact course of a Wolves game.  Our squad gets off to a hot start in the first quarter, but we put ourselves in a hole in the second and third periods.  And even though the Pups battle back in the fourth, they ultimately fall short.

The Wolves did an exceptional job of getting up and down the court to start the game, and their transition-oriented offense garnered them 28 first quarter points.

Problem is, though, that there's a fine line between an up-tempo game and a sloppy game.  The Wolves offense, in the second quarter, went from the former category to the latter category.

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T-Wolves -vs- Orlando Magic (11.06.07)

 I went to the game last night with little expectations for a win.  That’s ok though, as I’m just hoping to see improvement from our guys and blah blah blah, you get the gist.  For some reason I just thought Orlando would come in a take care of business.  A quick trip through the game thread in the forum (and other places around the net) and you’ll see that quite a few people thought the Wolves could pull out their first win. My guess is that a lot of people think that we’ve been playing well (which we have) and that Orlando is only a “so-so” team.  I was concerned as to who on our team was going to slow down Dwight Howard, with Theo possibly out for tonight.  It turns out that Theo was a late scratch, and the answer to my question is “no one.”  Anyhow, if you are looking for pre-game happy hour establishments, I can’t recommend “Gameworks” enough.  Great deals, stiff drinks, and bartenders with selective memory when it comes to adding up the tab.  There is a good chance that Bonk and I set up camp at Gameworks last night.  There is an equally good chance that I may or may not have a pounding headache right now.  

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First win of the season?  It'll be a tough one for the Wolves, but it'd be sweet to take one from this Magic team.

First quarter:

*Rashad was taking that shot the whole way.  Great pump in the paint to get an open look...let's hope he can get off to a hot start. 

*What's that?  A Wolf getting sent to the free throw line?  Get outta here! 

*Man, that's the second team foul on the Magic in the first two minutes.  How about that. 

*Loving the post move by Jeff...sweet hook shot.  Man, that guy has such an immense array of moves in the low block.  I'm continually amazed by his footwork. 

*Another foul on Orlando?  That's their third team foul so far...this is a great sign that a) the Wolves are finally drawing some fouls, and b) the refs are actually blowing the whistle. 

*Wolves off to another quick start, as they lead 13-4.  Of course, the big question is how long they can maintain this early advantage. 

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Fresh off an early morning TiVO viewing, here are my thoughts on the Wolves' season opener...

1. This team is fun to watch! 

When this game began, I really wasn't sure what to expect.  We were facing a Nuggets team that should be in the post-season and features big names like Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.  The Wolves, on the other hand, were basically composed of youngsters and veterans who had been tossed aside. The optimistic part of me wanted to believe we'd play harder than the Nuggets and hustle our way to a victory.  The realist inside of me thought we were horribly outmatched and were due for our first home opener loss since before the Kevin Garnett era. 

In actuality, this game was a little bit of both.  There were times when the Wolves play was a thing of beauty.  The offense was flowing with good passes and smart shots.  The defense held strong and the Wolves cleaned up the boards.  And then there were times when our inexperience was fully on display as the Thuggets, er Nuggets, completely overpowered us. Regardless, this is clearly the most fun Wolves team we've gotten to watch in years. We've finally got an inside game going - something we've haven't had for over a decade.  We've also got a fair amount of players who can stroke the three in McCants, Buckner, and occasionally Gomes and Telfair.  But perhaps the most fun part of watching this team is that they just make you feel good when they're playing well.  When guy who have been tossed aside and criticized for so long like Ratliff, Telfair, and McCants start making things happen on the court, it's exciting.

I might be getting ahead of myself here, but there were times during the first three quarters where this team made me thing, "The playoffs aren't out of the question".  They would make me debate between, "Is it better to be an 8th seed, or take our lumps this year and add another top rookie to our roster?".  After what we've been through the past three years, the fact that I can have those thoughts is a very good thing.

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In the aftermath of the Kevin Garnett trade, Wolves fans were left with a roster full of strangers.  In addition to losing KG, the Timberwolves cut ties with Mike James, Bracey Wright, Troy Hudson, Trenton Hassell, Ricky Davis, and Mark Blount.  As the roster currently stands, only Mark Madsen, Marko Jaric, and Rashad McCants were Timberwolves two seasons ago.  And counting players who suited up for the team last year only takes one hand as Randy Foye and Craig Smith are the only players to join those three.  What's even more mind-boggling is the fact that after Wednesday's trade which sent Davis and Blount to Miami, the T-Wolves had managed to add eleven new players to their roster this off-season.  In order to make the "getting to know you" period a little easier, the folks here at TWolvesBlog decided to put together a set of profiles on some of the Wolves up-and-coming players.  We posted a new profile each day as a countdown to the start of the season.  This post contains a link to each of those articles so that those of you who missed the pieces during their original run can view them.

Al Jefferson
Randy Foye
Ryan Gomes
Craig Smith
Corey Brewer
Rashad McCants
Gerald Green
Chris Richard
Sebastian Telfair

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In anticipation of the 2007-08 Minnesota Timberwolves season, TWolvesBlog is counting down the days 'til tip-off by featuring some of our team's players.  These player articles were written by several of our forum members, as well as the site's regular contributors.  The final piece in this series was written by our forum member, "WhiskeyDizzy."  I'd like to present to you the new face of our franchise, power forward Al Jefferson. Good luck in the home opener tonight guys.

 AL Jefferson - "The New Face Of The Franchise"

by: WhiskeyDizzy

Number 25 for the 2007-2008 Minnesota Timberwolves was born Albus Jefferson in the small town of Monticello, Mississippi on January 4th, 1985.   Al attended Prentiss High School in Mississippi, where he excelled as a lost post scorer and dominate big man, winning the Missippi State Class 3A High School Championship in 2002.  In 2003, SI.com rated Al Jefferson as the number 1 High School big man in the country ahead of Dwight Howard and Lamarcus Aldridge, saying “Jefferson is a specimen with size, skill and more importantly he produces results…Super prospect.” During his Senior year, Al averaged 42 points, 16 rebounds and 9 blocks per game and was named to the 2004 McDonald’s All-American team. Jefferson initially signed a Letter of Intent to play for the University of Arkansas, but later declared himself eligible for the 2004 NBA draft, where he was selected 15th overall by the Boston Celtics.

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Garnett is gone, but we'll still fight on.

Note: This article appear on the Minnesota Timberwolves Den at DeROK.Net

For the first time in my life, I'm about to experience a Timberwolves season without Kevin Garnett. Yes, I've been a fan of the team since its inception, but for all intents and purposes, Friday night will be the first time I watch a season begin without No. 21 pounding his chest and making a chalk cloud. You see, in the era before Garnett, things like the internet and NBA League Pass were futuristic technologies. If you lived in New Jersey and liked the Timberwolves, you were forced to follow the team through a box score in the paper. The only way you even knew what the role players on your team looked like was if you were fortunate enough to get one of their basketball cards in a pack. Back then, being a fan of the Timberwolves meant owning a t-shirt and always picking them on NBA Live '95, even though they were awful. Eighteen years later, things are extremely different. Kevin Garnett isn't able to sneeze without a complete play-by-play of the event being instantly sent to someone's cell phone. Hardly a minute passes by without some fan making a blog post about his thoughts on the team.  If I had the time, I could easily plunk myself down in front of my computer and spend a solid two-hours every day reading all the latest Timberwolves news.  Being a fan of the Timberwolves has a completely different meaning in medical school than it did in elementary school.  And so that's why I say that Friday, November 2nd will be my first time that I truly begin a Timberwolves season without Kevin Garnett.

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