Game #18, Home Game #10: Phoenix 93, Minnesota 100
Season record: 3-15
1. Sweat Equity
I'll let some mathematician figure out the odds of a 2-15 team triumphing over a 16-4 ballclub, as happened last night at the Target Center. But whatever the probability, it plummets when you factor in that Phoenix was not only on the tail end of a back-to-back, but playing its fifth road game of the week. And it drops further when the scrappy underdog outrebounds the elite roadrunners 55-33, contesting nearly every one of its own missed shots (Minnesota had 19 rebounds on its own glass compared to 25 for the Suns) and dominating their defensive boards by a 36-8 margin.
By the 4th quarter, Phoenix was spent, registering their worst scoring period (13 points) of the season en route to their lowest scoring game. After watching his teammates fail to convert his feeds for much of the third quarter and the first 3 minutes of the 4th, the phenomenal Steve Nash went off for 8 points in 2:13 to bring the Suns within 4 at 91-87 with plenty of time, 6:56, left to play. But Phoenix wouldn't score again for six minutes, until Grant Hill drove for a layup with 52 seconds on the clock. For the period, Nash was 3-7 FG (2-4 3ptFG) and the rest of the team was 1-13 FG.
Minnesota also scored 13 points in the final period, meaning the teams combined for more points in the first 6:03 of the game as in the last twelve minutes. After the game, interim coach Jerry Sichting, and players Al Jefferson and Marko Jaric all remarked that the Wolves were run ragged and feeling tired in those first 5-6 minutes, but that blazing pace, combined with the Suns' recent schedule and the Wolves' dedicated energy at both ends of the court, simply overwhelmed one of the three or four best team in the NBA.
2. The New Rotation
In the past seven quarters of play, Minnesota has outscored Atlanta by 13 and Phoenix by 7, merging a few promising tandems and combinations into a solid and effective rotation. Jaric and Sebastian Telfair have produced enough of a sample size now to demonstrate that they are indeed a synergistic pair together in the backcourt; and Corey Brewer, who has worked well with Telfair all year, has suddenly slotted in nicely in the frontcourt alongside Craig Smith and Al Jefferson. Sichting properly demurred when asked if this starting quintet was together to stay, noting the squad was 3-15 and future tinkering is inevitable. What he didn't say is that the ballclub remains woefully young and was up against a deservedly overconfident Hawks squad that had come back from 21 to beat the Wolves last month and were up 19 in the first period this time, and a dog-tired Phoenix team who relies on aerobics more than any franchise in the league.
Okay, enough cavaets. Let's look at why this group is playing so well. The two pieces that haven't changed are Jefferson and either Jaric or Telfair at the point. Of the other three spots, those losing time are Rashad McCants, Ryan Gomes, and one of the centers in the committee. Those benefiting from the new world order are Brewer, Smith, and the Telfair/Jaric combo.
What do these changes create? The first thing that jumps out is rebounding. Brewer's nonstop motor enables him to defend the perimeter and still slash for defensive boards; Smith is the opposite, a player whose forte is grinding for position on the offensive glass. With at least one sidekick pounding the glass at either end, there is less boxing out of Jefferson. The result is that in the past seven quarters, Minnesota has grabbed 81 percent of the eligible rebounds on its defensive boards and 42 percent of the caroms on their own missed shots. In the past two games, Smith has 12 offensive rebounds, Brewer has 24 on the defensive end and Jefferson has battled for enough of the leftovers to average 14 rpg.
Second, anyone who has watched the past two games has seen the team penetrate far more frequently, feed the post players far more frequently, and try and dribble or otherwise create space for jump shots far less often. This is not surprising: the two guys whose minutes have been curtailed, McCants and Gomes, were among most likely to short-circuit ball movement by clanging a jumper instead of putting it on the floor and getting a layup or foul. Ditto veteran Greg Buckner, and, to only a slightly lesser extent, injured veteran Antoine Walker. In order, Walker-McCants-Gomes-Buckner lead the Wolves in attempted treys, which only partially explains these horrible overall FG percentages: Walker 41.9%; McCants 42.8; Gomes 38.9%, and Buckner 37.4%. Yup, a notoroious bricklayer like Telfair is outshooting all of them at 43.4%, putting pace in the game to justify his low rate, which is easily absorbed when playing alongside Craig Smith (58.8%), Jaric (50.4%) and Jefferson (49.1%).
The obvious exception is Brewer, who continues to stumble along at a woeful 31% from the field, and the offensive flaw in this lineup has been Brewer's proclivity to shoot--it is almost worth invoking the Eddie Griffin rule that Brewer not be allowed to chuck it unless the shot clock is about to expire or he's wide open from 12 feet or less. On the other hand, Brewer not only rebounds better than Gomes, McCants and Buckner, but is much better at fostering productive ball movement. His assist to turnovers in 346 minutes thus far this season is 25/14. By contrast, Gomes has just three more assists and nearly twice as many turnovers in 90 more minutes (28/25 in 436 minutes); Buckner is 32/24 in 387 minutes, and McCants is 24/44 in 405 minutes.
Bottom line, you've got a lineup of three guys--Telfair, Jaric, and Brewer--who look to dish and penetrate (in that order), and two guys, Jefferson and Smith, who are pretty much black holes in terms of passing the ball back out (tho' Jeff is ever so slowly but surely improving on that) but who shoot at a high percent in the paint.
The result of all this is a lineup that best creates the template for the sort of "smashmouth" basketball Wolves VP of Personnel Kevin McHale envisioned when he razed the team and brought in a majority of new young talent during the off-season. You have guys looking to pound the ball inside to Jefferson and Smith. Those same guys can all penetrate to the hoop. And you've got five guys who all like to mix it up to some extent.
Last night, Jefferson destroyed Amare Stoudemire as completely as I've ever seen, going off for a career-tying 32 points, a season high 20 rebounds, 4 steals and even two assists in 42:02, versus Stoudemire's 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 34:08. Meanwhile, Smith cut Shawn Marion's rebounding total to nearly half his season average--6 boards for a guy who came in getting 11.3 per game.
The abiding question is, can this group be nearly as effective against less advantageous matchups? Next up is Washington, whose Brendan Haywood gave Jefferson fits the last time they played, and who also have Darius Songalia as a solid backup, plus a power forward, Antawn Jamison, who can make Smith look foolish out on the perimeter. After that, Philly, Seattle and Milwaukee seem like decent but manageable tests, but then Shaq and the Heat are on the docket a week from Monday.
Keep an eye on Chris Richard. While this site has debated the limitations of Jefferson against viable centers and discussed Doleac versus Madsen as alternatives, Richard has been coming on. Last night he played a season-high 9:41 and more than held his own, registering a plus +5. His affinity with his double-ring teammate Brewer is a definite advantage for both, and he seems to offer a middle ground between Madsen's frantic but effective scrambling on defense and Doleac's tall and slow but savvy play. By now, the book has been written on Doleac and Madsen, their pros and cons well documented and not likely to change much. But Richard, well, isn't putting the barometer on his NBA readiness the kind of thing this season is all about?
3. No, Don't Fire Wittman. But Praise Sichting On A Job Well Done
An assistant-cum-interim coach successfully filling in for the head coach is probably the closest thing the NBA has to a quarterback and backup quarterback situation. Like most backups who appear to have outperformed the starter, Sichting is probably stirring a little anti-Wittman animus from those who haven 't forgotten his rotten performance after taking over the Dwane Casey last year. Personally, I'm not in the mood for it. Sichting came back to Minnesota this season specifically, and almost solely, out of respect and loyalty to Wittman, and he has taken pains to remind everyone that he is in constant consultation with Witt before, during and after practices and games. Al Jefferson likewise lobbied for Wittman by talking about working on the things Witt has harped about, such as passing out of double teams. "I hope he is proud of me tonight," Jeff said of Witt after the Phoenix game. When a player goes for 30 points and 20 rebounds--the only Timberwolf to do so since KG, who last accomplished it against Sacramento in Game 7 of the playoffs--he has ultimate leverage to speak his mind. Jefferson chose to speak his on behalf of Wittman. That counts for something.
All that said, Sichting has always been an underrated basketball mind and tactician around these parts, and what he has done over the past three games should not go unappreciated. There are the big picture things, such as the implementation of this rotation. It was not very long ago at all that Gomes and McCants were considered vital to what the club was doing. Sichting has promoted Smith and Brewer at exactly the right times. As the interim coach himself has mentioned, Smith had a hard time getting into good game shape after twisting his ankle and then getting only sporadic minutes earlier this season. Sichting sounds as if he was among those goading Smith to work harder on his endurance and quickness--"he was usually one of the last guys to get back on defense" is how he described Smith's first few weeks in his comments after the upset of the Suns last night. Brewer has been brought along slowly but seems like a guy who needs minutes to find his footing.
Then there are the little things that signify bigger things. Sichting was more explicit in his criticism of McCants after the Lakers loss, warning Shaddy that he needed to be more consistent. Then, to prove his point, he removed McCants from the starting lineup.
Then last night, McCants brushed Grant Hill on a breakaway layup that put the Suns ahead and was whistled for the foul at 2:43 to go in the 3rd period. Phoenix called a timeout before Hill's FT and McCants started bitching at the ref, who barked right back at him and then walked away. As a frustrated McCants strode to the sidelines, Sichting caught his eye and laid into him with as much fervor as the ref just had, the gist of which I assume was, if you're going to foul the guy, prevent the shot; if you're not, get the hell away from him. It was a blistering, tough-love exchange. As circumstance would have it, McCants came out of the timeout and banged home a couple of three pointers that permanently swung the game in Minnesota's favor. But when it came to crunchtime--the Wolves up 4 with 6:22 to play--Sichting lifted McCants and brought in Telfair to play alongside Jaric.
Before then, the Wolves had come out of halftime flat, watching the Suns turn a block and a steal into 5 quick points in the first 1:14 of the 3rd period, boosting Phoenix's lead from 1 to 6. Pretty much everyone in the arena figured it was time to Minnesota to defer to the 16-4 juggernaut. But Sichting called a 20 second timeout and just delivered a tongue-lashing that wasn't loud so much as passionate and direct. Forty-seven seconds later, the score was tied.
More time out for Foye. It makes you wonder. What would be the case if there were no MRI's and a diagnoses of a "stress reaction" would have been unheard of? I think it would have been something like my High School coach used to say upon hitting the hardwood forcefully. "Walk it off..." Yeah, I know, sometimes there were guys who never could walk it off and they would sit out tell they felt better. We called them pansies. But Foye says he feels good. Foyes an investment though, more than a basketball player and you got to protect your investment. Its a good thing there was noone to protect Carl Eller or Jim Marshall back in the day. Even today, once you get as old as Favre, you're not an investment worthy of protecting either. I'm sure if an MRI showed a stress reaction in Favre's knee, he'd still be out there Sunday.
Well, I suppose that's what we get for making sports our obsessions. Obsessions equals opportunities to exploit. Opportunities mean markets. Markets mean profits. Profits mean influence. And Influence means corporate subsidies leading to larger and larger profits. Eventually, your players become investments worthy of protecting versus getting them out on the floor playing.
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/randy_foye_update_071211.html
"Wolves guard Randy Foye was re-evaluated by doctors on Monday morning, who determined that while the second-year player is still improving, more time is needed before he can fully participate."
You've got to be kidding
This is one of the classes with the most centers in the top 20 in years (can't find the article on ESPN that also says this to be true).
Someone above already posted the list, that's a lot of good centers .. check back at last year, you got oden and the guy that went to sacramento (can't check on the name, I'm at work).. that's it for the lottery.
Anyway, let's pray miami gets into the playoffs so we can pick up one of those, or we get lucky and one of em drops down to 30th pick...
that was supposed to be a comment on the guy below instead of above :woops:
Any thoughts about trading for a young center? I'm thinking in the range of Bynum to Harrison or any point in between. Given the shortage of good centers in the 2008 draft class, wouldn't it make sense to fill that position this season so that the team can further cement its chemistry, etc., during this rebuilding process?
I haven't had much of a chance to see him play yet but Hasheem Thabeet out of UCONN is 19 and better than bynum was coming into the league. Thabeet is projected at mid-1st round this year and is enticing as one to play off Jeff. Excellent defender, huge, very athletic and very intriguing.
The top centers coming out next year are (in no particular order):
Kosta Koufos- Ohio State
Roy Hibbert- Georgetown
John Riek- Prep School
Deandre Jordan- Texas A&M
Brook Lopez- Stanford
Kevin Love- UCLA
Hasheem Thabeet- UConn
Each of these guys has their faults. Koufos doesn't appear to be able to pass the ball, Hibbert isn't all that athletic, Riek is a much-hyped mystery, Jordan is a Dwight Howard-esque athlete with an unrefined game, Lopez hasn't played yet this year, and Love may or may not be a legitimate 6-10.
As far as overall game, Love is the pick of the litter but he's probably a 4 in the NBA. Beyond that, Jordan has the most potential but his offensive game is 4-5 years off. He currently shoots 80% from the floor (i.e. a ton of dunks) while...wait for it...shooting 31% from the line. He's a lottery pick in the truest sense of the word. He's a long shot but the high-end may be too much to ignore. Koufos is a high-post kind of player that can take a dribble or two and hit a mid-range jumper. He's a black hole with advanced offensive skills but his ability to bang, rebound, etc are unknown. Hibbert is a solid 4th year guy who has improved each year at Georgetown. He's one of those guys who would be a great pick between 10-15 but probably not so much with a pick in the 1-5 range. Thabeet is a younger Hibbert with a bigger upside and Lopez is a younger Hibbert with a smaller one. I, nor anyone else in the country, really knows anything at all about Riek. He may be the first player to go the prep school route rather than a year in college.
I'm hoping that the Wolves get their hands on either Derrick Rose, DJ Augustin, or Michael Beasley with the first pick and that Miami squeaks into the playoffs. If that happens, one of the above may be available between 15-18.
PS: some of those players may not come out this year. Everyone but Hibbert is an underclassman.
Nice to see the pieces of the puzzle start falling together. I'm also curious about what they're gonna do in the long term with jaric. He can't be part of the long term plan..
Maybe they're thinking about drafting gordon?
Wim, I agree, it's great to watch...but I must say that I don't understand your comment (and the one below) about Jaric not being part of the future. He just turned 29. Sure, he won't be around 10 years from now...but surely he can be very effective for at least the next 5? Steve Nash is just about to turn 34, and he doesn't seem to be having too many problems.
Britt, I'm assuming you were at the game, so probably didn't see Randy Foye sit in with Peterson and Hanneman during the entire first half. At first I questioned the move, but as Foye spoke, I thought he displayed a greater understanding of the game than I expected for a guy with one year of service. I thought he gave a fair amount of insight into the team and the game (the tempo, his approach to Steve Nash and what makes him so effective, etc). It It made me even more excited for his return to the team.
As devastated as I was to watch KG leave, to the point I'd not watched hardly any of the Wolves games this year and simply read your blog and recaps online, I have to say that I think McHale was correct to target Al Jefferson in the trade. Yes, we had to take back half the Celtics team to make the salaries work, but the Wolves have a 22-year-old beast to build around. If you look back on previous Hall of Famers getting traded: Barkly, Iverson, Shaq, those teams never got someone back with the youth, talent and potential that Jefferson has. He's no KG and never will be, but years down the line, I believe this trade will not be the black mark on the franchise that so many blockbuster trades become in todays NBA. KG will be 32 by years end. He still has a lot to give and again I'll say it hurt to see him go, but in the grand scheme of things, the Wolves have a young PF who's ceiling is high putting up 20/11 every night (yes, on a bad team, but only 5 guys in the league are currently doing it). He goes to the basket nearly every opportunity he has. He still has to develop a 15 footer and work on his defense. If there's anything McHale is capable of teaching, it's a big man like Jefferson. All the rest of the players in the trade could be a wash, and to deal an aging KG for a young Jefferson straight up could turn out in our favor regardless. I know it's early, but at least we didn't wind up with Jeff Hornecek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang.
I wanted to offer my thoughts on Wittman as coach. The team has been gutted and ego, age, and salaries no longer have to play into your decisions. You have a young team that is begging to be coached, so coach them. Keep a short leash and don't put up with any BS. Make people earn their minutes. Force McCants to play the way you want him to or let him ride the bench. That goes for anyone else. There are no repercussions. Do it the way you've always wanted to do it now, or you're going to wind up an assistant coach the rest of your life. As of right now, your nucleus (sans McCants) seems on board. I like McCants and what he could be, put he's a complainer, turns the ball over too much, and shoots first. He hasn't earned the right anything in this league, so correct it now or continue to be frustrated by him.
I wonder if a team has ever had two players in the top 5 for rebounds per game during an NBA season or three in the top 10. I could see both Jefferson and Brewer averaging over 10 rebounds per game over an NBA season. Brewer might even lead the league some day. As one astute commenter said in the previous post, he is reminiscent of a young Rodman. I wouldn't be surprised to see 20 rebounds a game on a regular basis once he puts on a little more muscle. I love the current lineup, but there does seem to be some foreseeable problems with matchups. Jefferson still seems better suited for the PF position and the tandem with Smith forces him to the center spot. However, I could see Smith averaging 8-10 rpg as well if he was given a starters role and the minutes to go along with it. I realize this is hyperbole and we've only seen this lineup for a short period of time, but might we be witnessing the emergence of the best rebounding front court of all-time.
If we are, lets just say - I called it first... (and if we aren't, you all will forget I ever mentioned it - Right?)
I am also one who is very happy to see Jaric become the most important piece on the floor for the Wolves to have a competitive chance. I think his aggressiveness at attacking the basket and dishing to the big players is infectious and he lends a veterans calming influence to the young Telfair out there. I, too, am pleasant surprised by Telfair's seizing of his opportunity with the Wolves.
McCants might thrive off of the bench, but if Foye comes back health, I am afraid his minutes will decrease even further. As Britt said about Madsen and Doleac, you wonder if by now the book has just about been written on McCants as well. There might be a chapter or two leading to a dramatic conclusion, but the story could just as soon peter out as well. All of the strengths that McCants has (athletic, outside shooting, scoring threat) Foye has as well along with a plethora of other positive b-ball attributes (better defense, ball-handling, leadership, passing). I think we may also soon witness the beginning of the end of McCants future as a wolf with the announcement today of the return of Foye.
It was a great game to watch, whatever the circumstances that Phoenix was playing under. Telfair is awfully inconsistent, but he does have his moments. There was a play where he 'belly-ed' Steve Nash on defense, forcing a spin and then stole the ball on the turn for a layup. One of the most frequent mistakes I saw the Wolves make was passing the ball into too much traffic or giving it to a man in a bad position. Too many turnovers from players who had too few options. Nash rarely makes those errors, which is why he is such a good leader for his team. Their fine first half shooting comes, in part, from his ability to put the ball in the hands of people in the flow of the game, enhancing their likelihood of success. I also would like to say that I am happy for Jaric's success. He has been so belittled by many. No player is without flaws. What the coaches saw in Jaric was a kind of Swiss-army-knife kind of player (or Serbian-army-knife). There are many circumstances where he may seem overmatched, but there are an equal number of said circumstances where his unique gifts would be an asset. He needs to be put in spots where he can shine. If he was more consistent as a shooter, his stock would rise exponentially.
Wow, how 'bout that Josh Howard?
Oh, sorry ...
Great to see the team working together to get a win. Just a win. It's easy to blow this out of proportion because it was against the Suns. I'd settle for two wins against Atlanta and a loss to the Suns any day. But, granted, it is a great confidence booster. The key is how do they react next time out? We have to put two wins together in order to prove anything.
I'm also tempering my excitement for Telfair's play until there's some consistency and trust. At least it's going in the right direction though. And recently, a lot of posts were ragging on Jefferson. The guy's been playing on a sore knee, and is the focal point of opposing defenses. So, I cut him a lot of slack. great to see him dominate last night. And I still do';t mind him assuming the role of vocal leader out there, even if it means chewing guys out. Finally, while Richards' plus-minus numbers may be good, I think he just looks lost out there. But maybe I need to watch more closely.
We have now had 6 and perhaps 7 quarters of team basketball - I might be wrong about this, but to my mind this is the first time this has happened since the western conf. finals a few years ago. In other words, this is the first time since then when the whole has been greater than the sum of its parts for the Wolves (so many of the wins since then, after all, had been based simply on great individual performances by KG). It's such a wonderful thing to see.
Not only on offense either - these guys are really becoming a team on defense - trusting each other, helping out, etc. Speaking of defense, there have to be very few teams in the league that have a starting perimeter defense of the caliber of the Wolves - Jaric, Brewer and Telfair are just so disruptive, and defensive-minded to boot.
Finally, I have to admit how wrong I was about Telfair - he is playing fantastic. Not saying he's Steve Nash, but he's so much better than I thought he was earlier this year. It looked like Nash was talking to him a little bit at the end of the game...and he didn't back down one bit, just kept picking him up full court and pressuring him without saying a word. Beautiful. He plays a bit out of control now and then, but for the most part I think he's a really competent point guard - good ball handler, smart passer, can stick the mid-range jumper. Great to see how wrong I was.
Britt -
Two quick points. When Brewer was hesitant to shoot from outside, opting to pass, the Suns defense collapsed on Smith and Jefferson. In short, Brewer needs to take selective shots to keep the defense honest. Invoking a Griffin rule would be fool hearted.
Bassy played much of the game. When he did come out, they put Jaric on Nash. Nash killed him. So much so, that they had to get Bassy back on Nash and move Jaric over to SG.
Jaric may fashion himself as a PG, but against quicker and craftier opponents, he gets crushed.
To state the obvious, this win for the Twolves was more important than the loss was to the Suns. Any encouragement from this victory is magnified for the youthful Timber pups.
CA--
There was no Griffin rule--just my hopes--which is why I offered it up fancifully, a difficult tone to convey in print. That said, if you are on the court with three guys who are shooting 49% or better, you don't need to jack up jumpers with plenty of time on the clock, which is what Brewer often did. Go for the layup, or penetrate and dish. Brewer's shots-per-minute were second only behind Jefferson among the starters last night, yet he is a distant 5th in FG accuracy. Now to be fair, Phoenix was leaving him open, as you say, and the way the Wolves were rebounding last night, his misses were de facto assists for putbacks by Jefferson and Smith much of the time. Still, I don't buy that he needs to chuck it as often as he does.
Checking popcornmachine.net, the only time to which you can be referring vis a vis Nash and Jaric is the first half of the 4th quarter, and yes, Nash did go on that spree that I noted in the main post. But the Wolves were minus -3 during that 5:37 Bassy sat, not too horrendous.Similarly, check out what happened when Jaric sat and Telfair was forced to contend with Nash and Barbosa at the end of the first quarter--Barbosa went off for 9 points in 5:13, a time when the Wolves were minus -4.
Bottom line, Telfair and Jaric both have significant weaknesses that the other helps cover. But if I had to lose one of them right now, it wouldn't be Jaric.
Britt -
Right on all counts.
Popcornmatchine.net...impressive
It was nice to see Jefferson have that good of a game against Stoudemire. Stoudemire was absolutely worked and he still had the nerve to stare down the Wolves' bench after (gasp) blocking Telfair out of bounds. There's not too many post players who are as good as Big Al at drawing in more athletic players to his body. It's hard to out jump someone when they put a hip on you or get their inside foot in between yours.
It was kind of sad to see an encapsulated version of what will happen to Nash during the playoffs: the pace will slow considerably, rebounds will come at a premium, Marion and Stoudemire's legs will be beat....and the Spurs will win in 6. Nash is so much fun to watch and it would be great to see him in the finals, but D'Antoni is running these guys into the ground. An 8 man rotation with a front court that thin?
How do you think McCants will react to coming off the bench? If he could get his head around it, I think he could have a nice NBA career as a $3-5 million/year high-energy guy off the bench. Hit 3s and give it your all on d....that's what he could carve out a niche with. How long do you see this current starting rotation lasting?
snp I think you make some nice points here - I too have always wondered what is going through d'Antoni's mind when I see a suns box score with all those 40s beside their best players' names in "minutes played" - guess they figure they just have to have home court in the playoffs (and hope Stu Jackson doesn't rob them again). But so often they are up by 20 or more and Nash is out there with 5 min. left - defies logic.
(By the way is it just me or is d'Antoni becoming hyper-arrogant? Yesterday he said something like "time to go on another winning streak"; earlier this year Phil Jackson pissed him off and he said something like "doesn't matter, wait 'til we smoke them in the playoffs just like we do every year." Whenever I hear comments like this, I always think it sounds like someone who's desperate, somehow over-compensating - I wonder how sensitive he is to the criticism that they can't get over that playoff hump.)
I think the McCants question is key too - I frankly think the Wolves need a McCants-type guy if they're going to play with this perimeter line-up, since the weakness of their current starters is obviously their outside shooting. Would be great if he could be a Vinnie Johnson-type guy. (Obviously this will all need to be re-evaluated when Foye comes back.)
Thanks also for Jefferson comments - as a little guy myself, I tend to miss the nuances of big man play. It is clear though that Jefferson, when he's playing well, beats other bigs on positioning and savvy rather than outright athleticism.
Hey, as a 6'2" high schooler at a hockey school, I was a power forward. If it weren't for the pivot, pivot across, drop-step, baby right hook, I would still have "Spalding" tattooed on my face from going up against 6'7" guys from the non-hockey schools. I love seeing big guys do the nimble post moves that I could only dream of in high school.
Speaking of the microwave, check out this SI feature on the best 6th man of all time:
http://tinyurl.com/37xymc
I'm hoping Manu gets to the All Star game as a 6th man and then picks up the MVP. He deserves it so far.
Oh I just clicked on your name and see you already made the McCants-Microwave comparison. The more I think about it, the more it seems to hold up - both have a really sweet stroke, are physical, explosive, can defend (while not always seeming to want to do so), extremely (perhaps overly) confident... Wonder what Britt thinks of this?
Love the Souhan-Kersten comparison by the way. "Anthrax/delivering/wireless"...yeah, that's pretty embarrassing. The guy is utterly terrible when it comes to basketball...maybe he's better with baseball or football?
Thanks again for some Timberwolves analysis. I like the new starting lineup. Craig Smith is becoming one of my favorite wolves. What is the timetable for Randy Foye's return and will he have any impact? Also what is the timetable for McHale's firing?
I said it last year and I still believe it, that Craig Smith can be a legitimate starter in the NBA. As I showed then, his first year stats were not unlike another undersized power forward, Charles Barkley. I don't think he has Barkley's hands and maybe not that quickness, but he certainly has the determination around the glass, the body to carve out space, and the nose for the ball. He and Big Al up front give us enough size to compete with most teams. And, much as I like Madsen's energy and smile, I like to see him in the game about once a week, when the team needs a boost of adrenaline, not skill.
The other nice development is Brewer getting starter's minutes. The more the kid plays, the better this team will be, especially if those minutes come at the expense of McCants. Though Brewer may lack McCants' offensive skills at this point, he certainly brings a more rounded game as he can rebound and defend tenaciously and keeps the ball moving on offense. As has been pointed out on this board more than once, this team is best when it is moving the ball on offense (what team isn't, save maybe the 1990s Chicago Bulls?)
Let's not forget Barkley could shoot too.
While he's no Barkley, I must admit the Rhino has become my favorite Wolf. He and Brewer have been the keys to the Wolves recent surge (can we call it a surge?- why not) and I think we've got to keep the two of them in the starting line-up until it stops working.
I agree Craig has big minute talent and he should get better, particularly if he can develop a jump shot and continue to work on his conditioning.
Cheezy,
First, McHale - like it or not - never gets fired. He steps down when he is ready. If the Wolves show considerable improvement by the end of the year, I can see him stepping down at the end of the season or after the draft knowing he has put the Wolves on a solid foundation for the near future. Otherwise, I think he steps down after they make the playoffs again in either 2009 or 2010.
Second, we find out about Foyes knee today (Monday).
I missed the Twolves game on television because I was at the Bulls-Celtics game in Chicago. KG looked great and hit some big shots down the stretch, while blocking 7 shots on the night.
It' s great to see Jaric playing so well. When do the Wolves trade him? He doesn't fit into the long-term plans of this team and has an enormous contract. If they can trade him for someone with one or two years left on their deal they should do it. I don't see how this team effectively rebuilds with Jaric making $7 million/season. He's still a very expensive back up.
Now if you go with the idea that cap space is not valuable in MN (no one will come and play in the frozen tundra) then Jaric might be worth keeping around.
I think it would be a big mistake to trade Jaric, he will team just as well with Foye as he does with Telfair - and offer the same advantages. Jaric is not a starting point guard, but he is a fantastic point forward or 2 guard. He is a great complement to a combo guard such as Foye or the somewhat shaky Telfair. The problem with all three players is that they are not good enough point guards to lead a team on their own. By the way, I think this is a problem with a backcourt of Foye teamed with McCants. It won't be any better than Telfair or Jaric teamed with McCants - Rashad doesn't have the ability or desire to be a playmaker release valve, so the team suffers. A combination of Foye, McCants, and Jaric might be effective - but I don't want to see Brewer's minutes cut, so the odd man out is McCants. Another alternative is to get a point guard who can handle the responsibility of being the only play-maker (perhaps drafting Rose or Foye might become this player) - but for now I would trade McCants long before I traded Jaric.
Hey, this is my first time commenting on here but am an avid reader of this blog as well as a die-hard Wolves fan. My opinion on our personnel is as follows. I think we need to find an identity and stick to it. This last game against Phoenix might have shown us what that identity could be and who are starters should be. Throw Foye, McCants, Walker, Theo (if he ever comes back) and/or limited minutes to Chris Richard and you have a nine to ten (again depending on Theo) person rotation consisting of our most competent players. Thats all you really need. So barring injury, or inconsistencies, I hardly see much of a place for Gomes or Buckner on the team. Furthermore, as much as I like Madsen and Doleac, I see NO place for them on this team, Madsen probably not on any. Gerald Green Id keep just for the hell of it, theres always the small chance it would pay off big time. Think that covers about everyone
I know it's early in the season but I think it would be hard to make much of a case for Buck, Gomes, Madsen, Doleac or Green over any of the others.
Excuse me but what is the lineup/rotation going to be like when Walker gets back from Injury?
While shooting his career average(41%), he is also shooting better from 3pt land than he did even in the year he won the Championship with Miami at 36%. I wouldn't write him off this team along with the other jabronies just yet, pal.
Walker constantly talks with Big Al and who knows what positive effect he truly has on his development.
Also, to imply that the Ball-movement grinds to a halt when Antoine is in there is pure idiocy 'cause every game I've watched, he's moved the ball around and only took matters into his own hands when he either was wide open(and within the flow of the offense) or when there was only a few seconds left on the clock.....
Im not against Walker being in the rotation by any means. If you read more closely, you will see I included him in my ten person rotation.
I was really heartened by Craig Smith's play. Also Jaric, although he still seems to move at 33 rpms when the rest of the game is going at 72 rpms.
Corey Brewer made one entry pass to Jefferson in the lane that was so hiddeous I laughed out loud. My wife asked, "What was THAT?" "Youthful exuberance." Brewer is our matrix, only much less effective. Also some of his shots are toe nail curling. I'm confident Fred can get Corey to soon be a competent 3 point shooter, who makes good choices. If he can be found on the perimeter by Jefferson coming out of double teams, I can see him emulating the real matrix quite nicely in years to come. Our own home grown Sean Marion. Only Brewer won't have that chest shot. That chest shot of Marion's, while they go in, is very peculiar.
I agree with Britt, Jefferson dominated Stoudemire completely.
OK, one game against a very tired Phoenix club, doesn't mean that much, but I was very happy to hear Jefferson shout out to Wittman at home, saying, "I hope coach was proud of me." For working on the things they have worked on. That relationship hopefully grows, and permeats the lineup, practices, and the locker room, for years to come.
Al Jefferson is the kind of sportsman a fan can grow to love, and have confidence in. I'm the same age as Moses Malone. "How do you see your role on the Sixers Moses?"
"I get the ball."
Period. End of interview. There's a lot of Moses Malone in Al, Craig, and hopefully Richard. A fan can dream.
Dare I say that Jaric is no longer looking so expensive? If he can maintain this level there would be plenty of teams that would like to have him a $7m per season. Maybe the Wolves should be one of them.
At any rate (and again assuming that he can keep this up) we should be demanding something pretty decent if he draws offers. I don't think we should be shopping him...he's still pretty young, plays three positions, and has become a key player.
I think it's safe to say that had Jaric played from the beginning of his Wolves tenure like the Jaric we're seeing now, there would have been a lot less grumbling about his deal.
I understand the sentiment, but the money that we've already paid him is a sunk cost. It may weigh on your opinion of him, but all that matters is what we have to pay him going forward and what he's going to give us going forward. If he continues this play, $7mm/year doesn't look so bad.