Game #23, Road Game #12: Minnesota 87, Miami 91
Season record: 3-20
1. Sabotaged At the Two Guard
The Miami Heat look terrible. Shaq is shockingly old, his hands lacking grip, his knees unable to help him stop on a dime--he committed two or three fouls (and fouled out) tonight simply bowling people over with uncontrolled momentum--not from passion by lack of muscular restraint against his enormous body mass. Dwyane Wade is obviously not close to 100%--he walks with a hitch and looks five years removed from NBA Finals MVP instead of 18 months. He clanged jumper after jumper. The Heat's best player on the floor tonight was glue guy Udonis Haslem. And Wolves fans need not regret waving goodbye to Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.
And yet Minnesota still spit the bit on this eminently winnable game. And this time around, it was the dysfunctional two-guards, Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants, who let them down the most. What happened to Jaric? Was it just a week or 10 days ago that he was playing the best ball of his NBA career, penetrating for layups, dishing off that penetration, and hitting clutch hoops in addition to his usual kamikaze defense? Well, he's back in the tank. For the second straight game he was held without a field goal, had two of his three FGA blocked, and committed four turnovers, at least three of them simply stupid passes. Wittman yanked him after one such careless perimeter giveaway early in the third, and only inserted him after Rashad McCants fouled out late in the fourth. In no stint was he effective. The mystery continues.
On a team that has trouble getting out of the 80s in terms of scoring, the ability of McCants to hit jumpers from the outside is desperately needed. Tonight he strode on to the court late in the first quarter and starting raining sweet j's, ringing up 8 points that included a pair of treys in just 2:47. At the half he had 13 (5-7 FG), neatly counterbalancing Al Jefferson's 13 in the paint and the Wolves owned a six point lead at the break.
Any Wolves fan that wasn't cursing at McCants in the third quarter must have been too busy switching over the Vikings game. Time after time--five times, actually, four of them from long range--the ball was either swung or otherwise found its way to Shaddy stepping up in perfect rhythm for an uncontested jumper. And every single time, the shot didn't go. The stats will show that the Wolves lost just two points of their lead to the Heat in that 12-minute span, and headed into the 4th still up 64-60. But anyone watching know that the Heat, 2-8 at home and a patently past-their-prime patsy just waiting to be put out of their misery, had actually gained a little ground while consistently trying to give the game away. If McCants just hits two or three of those wide open looks. the lead is double-digits heading into the final frame and Minnesota wins that game.
When it is all said and done, McCants is on the team because of his ability to stick a jumper from the perimeter and display enough penetrating skills to burn defenders who attempt to jam up that jumper. His line tonight, 19 points on 7-18 FG, doesn't look as bad as the zero assists and four turnovers, but the simple truth is that Minnesota didn't need Shaddy to move the ball tonight; the way the game played out, what they craved was for McCants to do what he is supposed to do--burn opponents who don't cover him on the perimeter, and make them pay at the free throw line if they do get a body out there. Wade sank one fewer FG on four more attempts, but Wade also got to the line a whopping 20 times, including 14 FTA in the second half. McCants was 1-2 FT; Wade was 18-20. That's how Wade got 30 and won the game while Shaddy got 19 and lost it. And no, I don't expect McCants to be the second coming of Wade. But as the Wolves' designated gun-slinger, it sure would be nice to watch him put a team away. It's happened exactly once, versus Sacramento when he went off for 33. If he's going to clang 10 of his last 14 attempts, he needs to draw more than one foul in the act of shooting for the entire game.
By the way, Corey Brewer likewise rolled a goose-egg into the points-scored column, missing all four of his shots to run his current bricklaying to 2-17 over the past two games. Together, Jaric and Brewer produced more than 45 minutes of scoreless play tonight. Brewer did do a nice job hounding Wade however, and Ryan Gomes continued his modest but steady resurgence back from the doldrums of November and early December. Given that the Heat frequently played the two swingmen, Davis and Wade, together, it would have been a good time for Wittman to bump Brewer back to the two-guard slot and play him beside Gomes for a change.
2. Dinosaurs Roam The Hardwood Again
Michael Doleac got the start tonight, presumably because he spent the past year or two guarding Shaq in practice and also happens to be the tallest, heaviest MF Minnesota could throw at the Diesel. Handed the opportunity to once again play against his peers at power forward, Al Jefferson predictibly went off 13 points (6-9 FG) and 7 rebounds in the first half, then added 9 points and 13 rebounds even when Pat Riley threw Shaq on Jeff and had Haslem guard Doleac in the third period. I realize some folks think I rely on the plus/minus figure too much, and I really do understand its deficiencies. But when it keeps reinforcing a point, it behooves us to pay attention--especially when it provides statistical confirmation for what we witness with our own eyes. And our eyes tell us that Jefferson thrives at the 4 and struggles at center. Tonight, Big Al was plus +2 in the 26:42 he played alongside either Doleac or Chris Richard, and minus -5 in the 10:37 he played beside Chris Smith.
3. Silver Lining
If you're reading thus far about a 3-20 squad, you probably deserve a little hope and positive thinking. Well, if the point of this season is to sift the talent and see who is skilled and tenacious enough not to fall through the cracks, there are a couple of players who deserve attention. The first is Jefferson, who went off for 22 and 20 and even chipped in a couple of assists, dominating Haslem and contributing to Shaq fouling out.
The second is Sebastian Telfair, who has gone from suspiciously not sucking to warily pleasant surprise to maybe he's not bad to a little, dare we say it, reliable play at the point guard position. I'm really beginning to enjoy Telfair's shot selection and his mixture of jumpers and layups; his increasingly competent doubling-down on big men and his signature strip-down moves on players driving to the hoop. Bassy is playing all 94 feet and despite getting hammered--what should have been a flagrant foul on a straight push to the chest from Shaq on one drive, and crashing into the endline photographers while creating a turnover on the Heat--keeps the motor running. Tonight he had 17 points, 6 assists and just two turnovers in more than 37 minutes. In a perfect world, Telfair would continue to thrive, and Foye would come off the bench a la Manu Ginobili. The Timberwolves' world is nearly the opposite of perfect, but this Telfair character is doing his part to prolong the fantasy.
Big Time Praise for Britt....
"Britt Robson is the future of sportswriting, we hope" by Kelly Dwyer
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts/post/Britt-Robson-is-the-fu...
Praise come to those who deserve it
At the end of last season, the Timberwolves brains and suits stated they wanted sleeves rolled up, hard working players. McHale more elaborately stated he wanted players who aren't afraid to "punch somebody in the nose".
So, at the quarter point of the season, who meets the global test and who doesn't? Are the brains and suits too focused on diligently hard workers at the risk of say, parameter point makers?
Hard Workers and Point Generators:
- Al Jefferson
- Rhino or "Big Duke" (Al Jeff's name for Smith)
- Bassy
- 'Toine
Flashes of Both (erratic):
- Gomes
- McCants
- Jaric
Hard Workers:
- Chris Richards
- Corey Brewer
- Mad Dog
- Mike Doleac
Neither:
- G. Green
- Buckner
Although lacking Shaddy, I like the list. Who would have thought 'toine and Bassy would be on the keep -em list?
But there is an interpretation that I think might be lacking. Traditionally, in the eastern conference back in the McHale's days, "hard working" meant plays hard (and effective) D. If that is added to the interpretation, our first, most valuable category of "Hard Workers and Point Generators" becomes suddenly empty, and suddenly impossible to be surprised that our record is chasing the 76ers historical ineptitude.
This doesn't have much to do with the Heat game, but I found it interesting that Jaric's +/- is 7 points better at SG than PG. While his stats are similar at both positions, it's obvious that the team plays better when he's not guarding the point. The Wolves give up 103 points/48 minutes when he's at the point, and only 94 when he's at the two.
When Foye comes back, it may be prudent to play Jaric exlusively at the two, with Foye and Telfair splitting the point and having Foye move over to the two when not the point man.
I do not think Foye should come off the bench, even if it might make sense for the team right now. This season is about the future and Foye is a cornerstone. We already know he is comfortable finishing games and coming off the bench. He needs to learn how to start and finish games.
When Foye comes back, I woud like to see a starting lineup featuring:
PG: Foye (move to SG when matchup dicates)
SG: McCants
SF: Brewer (move to SG when matchup dictates)
PF: Jefferson (move over to C during game when matchup dictates)
C: Richard
Smith: 20-30 minutes at PF/SF.
Gomes: 5-15 minutes at SF/PF
Jaric: 5-15 minutes at SG/SF
Telfair: 15-30 at PG
Madsen and Doleac: limited minutes, only when Jefferson can't move over to C because of matchup.
While Jaric might deserve more minutes, I would not willing to take away developmental minutes from Foye, Telfair, Brewer or McCants to give him big minutes.
I think your guard and center lineup suggestions are good, but agree with other commenters about Smith's inability to play the 3; I'd replace his SF minutes with Walker (who was mysteriously omitted from your proposal).
Fine lineup though The Rhino can't play SF, even if he's only 6'9". He's just way to slow to guard the majority of the SF's out there.
I really like your line-up, and in fact it is the exact one that I would trot out. Smith has played so well that for a time I thought maybe it'd be worth it to take the lumps with Rhino starting and Al at center to see if he could pick it up, but I think Richard is going to be a player and he fits well next to Al right now. Early in the season I was having trouble maintaining my interest level on a nightly basis when watching the dead-end vets playing big minutes, but I could get excited about watching the Kids play big minutes on a nightly basis. When I made my (now incredibly ridiculous-looking) prediction that the Wolves could challenge for more than 32 wins this season, your proposed line-up is what I thought I'd be seeing from day 1...
Britt -
With Marko, I can't help but think it has to do with the coach. Didn't Jaric play better under Jerry S.? Wittman is in extreme panic mode right now and it is showing in how he treats his players. Some guys play better under a tyrannical, manic coach, others do not.
As for style, I never cared for a coach who publicly castigates his players. Marko, probably better than anyone else, knew his game last night was awful. So does calling a time out, after another errand Marko pass, just to call him out publicly before sitting him do any good?
I must admit, I'm more of a Wooden than a Bobby Knight proponent.
I agree, Jaric, as well as Adrianna Lima have shown that his game depends on his confidence level. Castigating him as you put it, Im sure hardly helped.
Brings to mind an old expression: "Public flogging will continue until morale improves."
Its a delicate balance. On the one hand, as a coach, you have to learn to coach to different personalities - especially in the NBA so you can get the most out of each player.
On the other hand, as a player, you got to think that anyone who is that fragile or temperamental that a coach's harsh word or a gorgeous models fawning attention can have that much effect on your confidence in your abilities on the court - you got to wonder how they made it this far in the first place.
Hey; thx for the read again. We're still with ya :). It becomes more and more apparant we need a good center to team with Jefferson, I defenitly agree on that. Richard is good, but not really starting material in the NBA if you ask me. A decent sub.
Also Britt, a little typo/mistake in last line before "silver lining" part.
"or Chris Richard, and minus -5 in the 10:37 he played beside Chris Smith"
Everyone knows it should be Craig Smith off course but just pointing it out.
No need to flog a dead horse. Al Jefferson thrives at the PF position and should get limited minutes at the center spot. I concede that you (and krush) are correct.
What does this mean for Smith? Could he ever get minutes at the center spot a la Gary Trent? Or is his future as a Wolf limited to being Al Jefferson's backup?
Also, Randy Foye backing up Telfair al Manu or is Randy Foye destined to be what we currently want from McCants at the 2 spot.
Finally, given that Jaric unexpected rise to playing the best basketball of his career was explained by his new courtship with the brazilian model might we conclude that he has been dumped? And, our their any other models out there that someone can play match-maker with to keep Jaric's play at a more respectable level?
Is there a name for the disability that causes one to write "our their" when they mean "are there?" It wouldn't be dyslexia, but it has to be some sort of brain dysfunction.
I'm going to start the On the Ball Comment Section Bassy Fan Club ;)
Bassy has been the best thing to happen to the Wolves this year. As a 22 year old point with 0 college experience, he has shown improved defense, shot selection, court awareness, and passing. The only thing that abso-frickin-lutely kills him is that he simply can't shoot the damn ball. His overall FG% is up from last year and his shot selection should keep it above his career numbers, but he's absolutely not a threat from behind the line and, in the long run, that's going to catch up with him as his eFG trends southward.
While it's pretty easy to think of him as a Boston castaway, Telfair better fits the mold of a rookie PG--putting him in the class of Mike Conley, Acie Law, and Juan Carlos Navarro. In direct competition with Marko, he has without a doubt won the starting job at the point. I'm not so sure that Foye could improve upon his play at this point. If he can show modest FG% improvement over last year's number and he continues to work in the off-season like he has in seasons past, you have to start considering that this guy could be your starting point in the long term.
As for keeping a 5 on the floor, check out last night's popcorn game flow. It's stunning in the 1st half: Doleac leaves the court and the Heat quickly go +6. Richard comes in and the Wolves immediately go back up +7.
Also, Craig Smith is going to be problematic for the Wolves. He's their 2nd best player and he's absolutely incompatible with their very best player. Mr. Robson, what do you think they will do with Mr. Smith? Do they resign a bench player who can't be on the court with the guy who gets the most minutes on the team? Do they try and package him and (insert big contract here) to a team like Orlando or Phoenix who needs help on the boards or with the 4? I don't think you can resign the guy for what will likely be T-Hud money when I'm not really sure he fits in to what the Wolves have in mind for the long run. This is especially problematic when you consider that the Wolves will have to choose to resign only 1 player out of the Smith/Gomes/Telfair group if they want to remain close to the cap next year. They're already at $55 mil with 9 players (including one of the three) for next season. Throw in 4 mil for the 1st pick and you're over the cap with 2 players left to go.
They're going to have a tough decision with Smith/Telfair/Gomes. Let me officially start the Bassy chant.
Are you implying that Foye will never improve as a player? If so, I think you are giving your OPINION to much credence.
Huhn? where did you read that he was implying that. He said Foye wouldn't be an improvement over Bassy at the point. This means Foye couldn't do a better job of point guarding on this team...
Anyway, I'm also on the Bassy bandwagon, not really as the starting point guard but as a back-up for a very good deal of minutes (I'd said 25, just a loose number) behind Foye or if we get Rose in the draft behind Rose instead, with Randy 95% at the 2.
I agree he has absolutely been on the most positive point this year and the player everyone least expected to do what he did. He has come back to doing what he does best (like he said he would).
Close second is Chris Richard, whom wasn't even on my draft board. Another solid second round pick overlooked by all/most of the draft sites I checked out (since I can't get NCAA basketball here in faraway Belgium).
You can be the CEO--I'll be managing director!
I've been a big member in the McCants debates on many boards over the past few years, and I see the same things happening on here that I've seen there. I understand that McCants is streaky, people don't like his attitude, and he clearly still needs work in many different areas on any given night (fouling, turnovers, shot selection, etc.). But I also see not only potential (he's basically a second-year player, and really this is the first year that he's gotten consistent night-in and night-out minutes), but I've seen production on the court. When I watch the Wolves I almost always see McCants doing good things, then I come on the boards and he's getting blasted. Do I believe everyone else or my own lying eyes? When in doubt, I say go to the numbers.
The team consistently is better with him on the floor than with him off. I remember last season, when he was hobbling around and not doing much of anything offensively, the team was markedly better when he was on the floor. When I pointed that out (and, respect, in this space I would see Mr. Robson pointing it out as well), the rebuttal I'd most often get was "it's a fluke. Playing few minutes against back-up competition. Clearly those numbers wouldn't stand up against better competition".
Fast-forward to this year, when McCants is playing a lot of minutes and playing against all of the best players in the league...and his 82.Games numbers are even better. He has decidedly the best +/- on the team of anyone playing at least 15% of minutes on the Wolves (the only one even close is Telfair. After that, none of the regulars are appreciably over 0). And not only is this true on a macro basis (i.e. average for the year), if you look at the game-flows on a nightly basis he is almost always among the top 3 on the team. And not only are his +/- numbers good, he's the only player on the team besides Big Al whose numbers say that he is outperforming his opponent. He (not Jefferson or Telfair or any of the other "bright spots" this year) is a member of the best player-pairs (along with Richard) on the Wolves. There's almost no measure you can look at that says that McCants isn't making this team better on a nightly basis.
Mr. Robson, as you point out today, you've taken heat for depending too much on the ABRE-metric type numbers when making your point about Jefferson playing center. The thing is, while I don't think you depend ONLY on the stats (they can of course be manipulated), when every metric consistently tells the same story I think you have to at least consider that it has some validity. Yes, if McCants could have made some of those jumpers last night the Wolves probably win...on the other hand, if he wouldn't have played the way that he did the Wolves wouldn't have even been in position to win. I just think he gets over-criticized on here and that the numbers aren't used to defend him NEARLY to the extent that they are used to defend Jefferson at PF. From the outside, that doesn't seem equitable.
44--
You may notice that my treys usually focus on a single game. This one certainly did. On balance, I think I have been a McCants defender, but for this game, I believe he cost the team a victory. My eyes tell me that if Miami was as intent on shutting down McCants as they were Jefferson, his numbers would have been horrible and Jefferson would have gone off for 35. As it was, Riley dared McCants to snatch the game. Last night, he couldn't do it.
The previous trey was an exception because it was more broadly focused and contains my more subtle worries about Shaddy's game. For some reason, he needs to go for his in order to be most effective--he literally doesn't play well with others. So why are his numbers relatively better than the others? Because he is best providing what the Wolves need most desperately--perimeter scoring. If you find a perimeter scorer who can also share the ball and flow with the offense, and moves his feet as diligently as his hands on defense--or if Shaddy matures into that kind of a player--the Wolves will improve dramatically. I haven't given up on McCants. But there is a reason why controversy has dogged him since college. He has some marvelous talents--as I've said, I instinctively like his game, because you see things you rarely see. But he is the opposite of a glue guy, and that's a concern.
My issues on the McCants-bashing aren't solely focused on the last couple of Treys, or even this site in particular as you have been one that has sprinkled in the good with the bad and called it as you saw it. I just feel that the criticism-quotient for McCants is heavily skewed beyond what it is for the other players on this team, when his play doesn't IMO warrant that.
If I'm understanding the premise of your previous post correctly, that this team would play a lot better with strong perimeter scoring and McCants is the closest thing we have to that, so that is why he has good ABRE-metric numbers...I can respect that to some extent, but it's hard to buy it. This team would also be better with an excellent penetrating point guard that could also distribute, defend, and control the team. This team would also be better with a dominant big man that could control both ends of the court. This team would also be better with a do-everything-glue-swingman that could blanket opposing perimeter players while helping out on the glass and on defense. Telfair, Jefferson, and Brewer are the closest thing that this team currently has to those archetypes, so if that argument (closest leads to positive team effect) held water and those 3 were clearly outplaying McCants (to the extent that McCants' future fatalism on most boards dramatically outstrips the combined fatalism for the other 3) then their team stats should be dramatically better than McCants' is.
But they aren't...and they aren't appreciably younger or appreciably more talented than McCants...so it just seems to me that the positive/negative comments vs. production is a bit skewed.
Britt--
I'm glad you're coming around on Telfair. It seems like he's growing on a lot of people. Perhaps his biggest problem was that people expected almost from the minute he landed in Portland that he'd live up to his hype right away. Who knows if he ever will. But he doesn't have to be the next Nate Archibald to be a very good point guard in the NBA. Last night should have been his second double-double this season, but he was paired with a guy who hoisted 18 shots, almost all wide-open looks, and canned seven. If you take away the two heaves he rushed in the waning seconds after the game was decided, Bassy shot 7/14. I will say that he's gotta start hitting those jumpers at a slightly better clip.
I live overseas and haven't actually watched one Wolves game this year, but I'll tell you what: opening up statribune.com and seeing the Wolves without a win, damn near every day, is getting old and draining quite quick. Does anyone actually watching the games feel the same, or is there enough hope still sprouting when you actually see these guys play? Obviously I'm missing a lot.
On the Ball is still my second internet stop each day, but god damn, can this forum last a whole season as our team sinks further and further down? Any thoughts on that Britt? Does analysis become futile/banal/trite with so many losses and such frustrating play? The past few years I've seen the board invigorated by trade talk or a paltry four-game win streak. I'm not sure if any of that will be an option this season.
Geoff--
I've covered this team as a beat since the 1991-92 season. Even in the expansion years, the Wolves never went as deliberately young as they are going this season. I can't speak for Wolves' fans, but I love the NBA game itself. It's an ever-evolving chess match featuring what I consider to be the world's premiere athletes. I'm blessed with the opportunity to focus on a single team and watch it close up and in person 41 times per year and another 35 or so on television, then discuss it with a bunch of pretty smart people who share my passion for the game. More wins would be nice because it brings more people to the conversation. But my loyalty is to the game, not the team, and analyzing this year's games hasn't been less enjoyable than the previous three years.
In some ways I'm pained to see Telfair doing so well. He obviously looks like a point guard and that could be Foye's undoing. I like Foye alot, but in the way he takes over games and in the kind of person he is. It's a great story for the kids. Unfortunately, it looks everyday like we are going to get either Rose or Mayo, and that means we're looking for a backup point guard. I count one that can keep the ball moving. No slight of Foye, but this is a position he's been learning for a year, and it's obviously Telfair's natural position. Not only does that make Foye the likely 4th guard, but it makes the 1st round picks from the previous drafts merely role players, at best, on a terrible team.
The previous two years I have been a supporter of Rashad, arguing with those who said he was a blown draft pick and a surly stuffed shirt. I thought he should be given a chance due to his college accomplishments and apparent knack for scoring.
Last night, I think I officially gave up on him ever being more than a role player off the bench. I cannot think of a much more optimal situation for him than was presented this year. Low expectations, Davis is traded, Big Al drawing double teams, almost noone else on the team capable of shooting from the outside. The season seemed perfectly set up for Rashad to drop 20 PPG and lay claim to the starting SG spot for the new Wolves.
Right now the Wolves have absolutely noone who can seem to reliably hit an outside shot. Telfair can hit the occasional mid range shot, but McCants, Gomes, Buckner, Brewer, Walker, and Jaric have all struggled.
How strange is it that the past few years we have lamented the roster overload at the SG position, and yet we have no obvious starter now or in the future?
I was glad Witt played a C next to Jefferson, but Doleac? I know he can space the floor and played Shaq in practice, but the guy rips down 1 rebound in 25 minutes. Chris Richard should be starting and getting the majority of the C minutes IMO if his conditioning can handle it. Last night he got 4 rebounds in 12 minutes and made a terrific pass to Jefferson for an easy basket.
Not sure how McCants bears the brunt of this loss. His shooting numbers were same as the teams numbers without his shots and he was a +5 for the game (2nd to Gomes).
Should he have made more of those shots in the 2nd half? Absolutely. But they weren't bad shots. And most games he will hit them (I think we can all agree that McCants is the the best perimter shooter on this team). If anything he was a neutral- equal measures of good and bad.
Meanwhile, Al Jefferson contributes to a defensive effort that permits Haslem 18 and Mourning 10 (both markedly above their season averages). Throws up a -3 for the game, and is cited as a bright spot.
How many medicore 4s and 5s need to throw up big games on us before we realize that Al Jefferson is a horsershit defender?
Jefferson SHOULD have dominated Haslem, the numbers say otherwise.
RL--
The planets were alligned for McCants to seize this game for his team. It was precisely because Jefferson was too much for Haslem--a dogged, quality, albeit in this case undersized, defender--that Miami was forced to not only assign the center to guard him in the second half, but frequently rotate or double down on their coverage. Thus, even after going off for 8 points in less than 3 minutes of the first, McCants had open looks all night, and clanked 11 of the 18 shots he took. He appropriately took it upon himself to take what was offered--one could even say dared--of him, dishing for zero assists and compelling just two free throws. And his misses cost his team the game. At least the game I watched.
I won't argue that Jefferson is a quality defender. (Nor do I hear you offering testimonials for McCants' defense lately.) But given your new handle, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you don't mention that all of Jefferson's negative in the plus/minus column, and then one, came in the 10:37 he shared the floor with Smith, and was thus forced to defend Shaq or Zo. Put Jefferson alongside a quality center--and I agree that Richard should have received a little more burn at the expense of both Doleac and the Rhino-Jeff tandem--and his defensive liabilities are mitigated quite a bit. Meanwhile, at the other end of the court, Jefferson took just as many shots as McCants, and scored three more; this despite the fact that he was the focus of a Pat Riley defense. And then the 20 rebounds. It is kind of hard to rip a guy who gets 22-20 against Shaq (even decrepit Shaq), Zo, and Riley. Had McCants kept making jumpers, or had Brewer or Jaric made one, maybe Jefferson would have had a little more room to roam in the paint.
Hey, nobody is calling Shaddy a good defender either.
I'll admit that I am turning into a bit of a broken record with my continued defense of McCants and corresponding rips on Jefferson...I am a bit of a contrarian.
I just don't believe that McCants is playing poorly enough to get this much negative feedback.
Likewise, I don't believe that Jefferson is playing well enough to be elevated to the status of leader and superstar. If he were, we'd be winning some games, right?
I am really not arguing one guy against the other. I am trying to challenge people's perceptions, which I think are off base based on the numbers and what I see in the games.
From where I sit, they both need to show a lot of improvment if we are going to win some games.
This is a reply to both RL and Drza44--
I don't think there is any question that Al Jefferson is the leader of this team and that Rashad McCants is a beguiling yet still unproven performer who may become a solid third wheel on a good ballclub, or a hit or miss scorer off the bench. What separates the wheat from the chaff in the NBA is consistency. Al Jefferson brings a dogged nose for the hoop, both in scoring and rebounds, every night. When Timberwolves opponents get their scouting reports and start to devise a gameplan, limiting Jefferson's touches and positioning in the paint is Job One of their defense, guaranteed. The schemes devised for Tim Duncan, Pau Gasol, Elton Brand (before his injury, obviously) and Carlos Boozer are probably similar to the schemes devised for Jefferson (except that those players all have more help from their teammates). Despite this, Jefferson is one of a handful of players in the league putting up an average double-double. Has his defense ranged from suspect to outright deficient? Yup. But that weakness is exacerbated by the team's decision to deploy him more than 50% of the time at center, a move that also hurts his offensive numbers.
The only way you can compare Jefferson and McCants is if you imagine opposing teams devising schemes to stop him as they would Vince Carter, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, or Brandon Roy, but with the added focus of that quartet being surrounded by lesser players. Oh, and throw in McCants playing point guard or small forward for half his minutes.
Offer Jefferson or McCants up to every GM around the league and see if just one bites on Shaddy over Jeff.
As to the disproportionate amount of criticism levelled at McCants versus Jefferson, there is no question that some of it is cultural and some of it is demeanor. Jefferson is "country," an old fashioned kid from the south who has adopted the conservative mien of his forebears. McCants represents hip hop urbanity, from the tattoos to the style of ball he wants to play.
If and when McCants can become as consistent as Jefferson, criticism of his play will rapidly diminish.
Mr. Robson, you have again provided good food for thought here. And I agree that it is difficult to compare Jefferson to McCants on a who-is-more-valuable scale because Jefferson would win hands down, regardless of what the +/- stats say. I'm not sure that is what I'm trying to do, though, because they are trying out for different jobs. As you point out, McCants is trying out for the "starter, 3rd option on a good team" role whereas Jefferson is trying out for the "franchise player" tag. True, defenses are scheming for Jefferson and that makes his job harder. On the other hand, if he's going to be the franchise guy, teams will ALWAYS scheme for him and his job will ALWAYS be harder than the 3rd option, so to me that's not really a strong argument.
So while you're correct that every basketball executive alive would take Jefferson everyday of the week and twice on Sundays over McCants, I guess I'd look at a comparison between the two as which is doing better at the particular role that they're trying out for? I'd say that McCants is doing at least as well as a pure scorer/3rd option as Jefferson is doing as a franchise big man. And when I start throwing around all of those numbers for support, I'm not meaning to say that McCants is better than Jefferson...I'm meaning to say that, no matter what his negatives (shot selection, turnovers, fouls, whatever) McCants has consistently had a positive effect on the team's production. And even if he's doing that because of the attention paid to Jefferson...he's still being a net positive as that 3rd option, which tells me that he's doing the job he's being asked to do at least as well as (if not better than) the other Wolves are doing the jobs asked of them...
I was hoping you'd field this one drza44, and sure enough..you nailed it.
I'd also add that there is more to being a franchise player than averaging 20 and 10. You need to be able to elevate the play of your team.
Would our record be worse without Al Jefferson? Probably not. I would guess that we'd be getting blown out worse more often, but our interior defense would be better and a combination of these guys would pick up the scoring slack enough to have delivered the same THREE wins.
Al Jefferson...our best player- YES. Franchise player and team leader- NOT YET.
Yeah, I think 44 makes some really good points; ditto, RL. That's why anyone who really "gets" this site invariably mentions the quality of the comments. I know it keeps me going.
Just don't tell Shaddy he's auditioning for third option...
I wasn't trying to pin the loss on McCants, although I think he had a hand in it. I was saying that, in this year of 'evaluating' the young players, I've come close to giving up on McCants as a starting quality SG. You just never know what you're going to get from the guy. He could go for 3 points or 33 and neither would surprise me.
I agree on Jefferson's defense - poor! That is why most Wolves watchers are clamoring for him to be paired with a defensive, shot-blocking C. That is not to say that Al shouldn't improve his D too; just trying to find a good mix. Everyone is laughing at the Knicks for starting two bigs that cannot defend and both need the ball. The Wolves are kind of doing the same thing with their Smith/Jefferson lineup.
McCants certainly didn't help the cause, and had a poor shooting night, but you guys are basically getting down on him because he didn't score 30pts. And I think it is a little ridiculous.
McCants has not played up to his abilities at times this season, and it is frustrating. But at least he has the abilities, and there have been plenty of flashes this year where he has looked like the best player on the floor. Again, I've go to ask...why is his leash so much shorter? He's as young as the rest of these guys.
Jefferson, on the other hand, has already been given a star sized contract, and I am beginning to wonder if his defense is going to negate everything he gives us in post scoring. And it is not just when he is forced to play center. The guy is making every frontline player on the opposing team look good.
I am also starting to wonder...Is Al Jefferson just Zach Randolph with less strength and better footwork?
Perhaps my book-sized post above would have fit better as a reply down here. RL makes many of my same points without taking 2 pages to say it. I like some of the things that I've seen from Jefferson, Telfair, McCants, Smith, Richard, and Brewer this season. I've also seen quite a few things that each of them need to work on, or that are just built-in limitations. And of that group, McCants fits right in the middle in both age and experience but is performing on the court arguably as well as any of them. So for him to be consistently singled out as a problem or weak spot (on many Wolves forums, not just here) when most of the others are considered guys that are showing positives as they develop...it gets a little old after awhile.
Shaddy McCants is where good possessions go to die. He hit a few jumpers when he came off the bench in the first half, big deal. That's what he is supposed to do. He was clanking uncontested shot after uncontested shot in the second half when the game was really close. Those were all open looks so I can't fault him for taking them. But if he even made a few of those, the Wolves win the game. Is it his fault the team lost? I'd say his 7 for 18 night from the field was a significant factor.
The other factor was the team's inability to get to the line. And again, there is something very wrong when a SG plays 36 minutes and gets to the line once. I checked his shot chart on ESPN, and, if that's accurate, two out of his 18 shots, were taken in the paint. Unless you're Ray Allen, you can't play the two like that.
DWade had an awful shooting night but got to the line 20 times. If McCants needs to sack up and take the ball to the hole like a man. Bassy Telfair who is 4 inches shorter and almost 50 pounds lighter plays like a monster. He took the ball into the heart of the Miami defense repeatedly. Most of his points were off drives and Shaq and Zo are two HofF bigs.
I don't mind when McCants takes open threes, he's shown he can hit those when he's hot, but what I can't deal with anymore is when he gets the ball, dribbles around for five seconds and takes a fall-away brick from 18-feet. And he does that a lot. His shots clank off the rim hard. They are so lacking in any modicum of touch that it makes a Jefferson or Smith put-back out of the question.
All I know is that Im not going to blame this loss on McCants. So Shaddy’s 7 for 18 is kind of shitty but c’mon that can’t be singled out as the reason we lost. Corey Brewer shoots just about as frequently and misses much more with regularity and we NEVER pin losses on him. While its true that maybe if one or two more of Shad’s shots go in we win, and maybe if just one of Jaric or Brewer’s do we win also. Those are maybes. Sometimes you can do everything right and the ball just wont fall. On teams with winning records, they do fall, we have to play through that and make corrections where they really count. For example: there are things we could have done substantially different, that would have made a win for us very probable, like not allowing Dwayne Wade Basketball God to get 20 free throw attempts, 14 in the deciding half. Don’t foul him, he’s not hitting anything from the floor anyway. Idiots. Why do we always rush to get our opponents in the penalty? How stupid is that? Maybe our near 20 turnovers are what really gave the game away. We lost by four points, so maybe a basket or two could have made a difference, but can we really blame a loss on just a few shots not falling? To me that’s almost like blaming the loss on chance, I would much rather look at the big mistakes we made.
I don’t like maybes, instead I like to look at cold hard facts. For example Wittman sucks ass, and must be replaced.
These are fair points. But the difference is that Brewer, to a degree, makes up for his poor shooting by rebounding and defending. McCants just piles on the turnovers. Also Brewer plays within the flow. That's been a big issue for McCants. So it's not all about the shooting. I can live with a cold shooting as long as the shots are good shots and you are doing other things to help the team. He missed a couple of open looks. Not a problem. But I can't live with an off guard who takes contested fallaways and lays brick after brick and doesn't even try to take it to hard to get to the line.
Agreed Shaddy should take it to the baskett so he can work on those free throws. Especially when the shot isn't there. I am just trying to establish the point that neither his FG selection or percentage in my mind are what cost us the game. It was turnovers and Wade free throws. Brewer's horrible shoooting (in general) is only an example of why it would be unfair to reason against Shad's shots. I am well aware Brewer brings many other things to the table. So apparently too does Rashad being our second leading scorer for the game and for the season.
Wittman by the way, cannot coach and should be fired. Anybody out there for him staying?
I guess Shaddy is developing a case of "sphincteritis". (I believe Barkley coined that term.) Yes, he should have seized the game by the throat and hit some open jumpers to extend the lead and he didn't. The question is can he get there this season or not?
When I was watching the game I was thinking, boy wouldn't the center version of Udonis Haslem look nice in a Wolves uniform? A guy who gets the rebounds, draws the charge and hits a nice open jumper, as well as being a nice defender.
I think we may already have that center version of Udonis Haslem in Chris Richard. Much like Craig Smith last season, I spent much of the summer thinking that he could fill a team need and perform at the NBA level, but wasn't willing to go too far out on a limb with predictions for a second-round pick that wasn't even guaranteed a roster spot. But this summer, my comp for Richard was a taller, longer, stronger Haslem-type that could do the dirty work. And surprisingly, Richard has a very nice 12-16 foot mid-range jumper. I don't know if he's showed it much thus far during the season, but he hit it a few times during game action in Vegas this summer and once he gets a more defined role and a bit more trust I'd expect to see him be able to knock it down for the Wolves as well. Much like Haslem and his jumper as he grew into his role for the Heat.