Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Game #43, Home Game #20: New Jersey 95, Minnesota 98
Season record: 8-35
1. Carried By Jefferson
For three quarters tonight, the Timberwolves were more of a one-man team than in any competitive game they have played this season. Al Jefferson had 33 points, more than half of the Wolves' team total of 64. Rashad McCants was the only other Timberwolf in double figures, with 13, Jefferson had 13 rebounds, nearly half the team's 27, with Ryan Gomes second with 4. Jefferson had gone to the free throw line a dozen times, making 9. No one else on the team had visited the charity stripe.
Yet heading into that fourth quarter, Minnesota was down by double-digits, 74-64. Jefferson was obviously dominant; just as obviously, productive complements were hard to come by.
In that final, game-changing period, however, the Wolves' reared up and outscored New Jersey 34-21 to steal this game. What's more, the theft was legit--this was the fifth straight quality game for Randy Wittman's ballclub, and the Nets came into the Target Center already having lost eight in a row. Minnesota claimed this W the "right" way: With grit and ingenuity, and confidence, the ingredients of character and resilience. A new dynamic took hold: Jefferson scored only 7 of those 34 points, and made only 1 of the 8 field goals of that period. After scoring 31 points in the game's first 36 minutes, the non-Jeffersons racked up 27 in the final 12.
We'll get to those vital contributions in a moment. This first point appropriately belongs to Jefferson. Five times tonight Big Al muscled the ball through the hoop while being fouled in the paint. Every single time he nailed the free throw to complete the three-point play. Only four of his 13 baskets were jumpers; two were tip-ins and 7 were lay-ups. A whopping 19 of his career high (and Wolves' season high) 40 points were a direct result of his 8 offensive rebounds. In other words, on his on, Jefferson registered five treys and 19 second-chance points.
True to form, he started badly on defense. His failure to box out led to an easy Richard Jefferson putback, then good-looking rookie Sean Williams slammed home a pair of dunks in which Big Al was a step slow. Teammate Rashad McCants picked up his second foul and went to the bench just 2:37 into the game covering up what appeared to be another blown Jefferson assignment.
But even here, Jefferson's game showed steady improvement. It helped that Williams, while incredibly talented, is still raw; that Josh Boone boasts the skills of a certified journeyman; and that Jason Collins doesn't look to shoot. Nevertheless, Jefferson became increasingly active as the game went along, both is bodying up his man down low, rotating over in the paint, and deterring penetration (his pick and roll defense is still suspect). Throw in a couple of blocks, a steal and three big assists, and you've got an all-star caliber performance. They haven't been as frequent as Wolves' boosters claim, which is all the more reason to celebrate the ones that do occur.
2. Anatomy Of A Comeback
One of the key turning points in this game actually occurred just four minutes into the second half. Tired of watching McCants get roasted by New Jersey's Richard Jefferson, Wittman used the occasion of Marko Jaric's fourth foul to go with a larger lineup, subbing in Craig Smith for Jaric, a move that slid Ryan Gomes down to small forward to guard Jefferson and McCants down to shooting guard to cover Vince Carter. At the time, Richard Jefferson had 27 points in 18 minutes of action, including 10-14 FG. He scored just a single point (0-3FG, 1-2FT) the rest of the third quarter. Gomes's entire third quarter line looks like this: one foul in 10:28. And yet he was plus +4, devoting himself to shutting down New Jersey's biggest threat. The ability of the Wolves to negate one Jefferson while the Nets couldn't negate another Jefferson played a centra role in this comeback.
Meanwhile, freed of getting schooled by Jefferson and with Vince Carter now guarding him, McCants immediately erupted for 7 points in the first 1:27 after Wittman changed the lineup. The Wolves hacked a double-digit deficit down to 2 with 4:30 left to go in the third before Jason Kidd temporarily filled the void left by Richard Jefferson being shut down, nailing three treys in the next 2:44 (nearly the entire amount of his 11 point game) to boost the lead back to ten heading into the final quarter.
No matter: The tone had been set. Jefferson went 1-8 FG for the game after Wittman went big. And on offense, the kamikaze 34 point final period was sparked by a pair of differently-styled swingmen, Corey Brewer and Gerald Green. I have ripped on the latter more than a little, but with the possible exception of the Indiana game, this is the best he's looked in terms of his all-around contribution to a victory thus far this year. You expect two treys every now and then from the offensively volatile GG. The bonus here was a pair of steals from someone who has been a perpetually befuddled defender, not to mention some tenacious on-ball coverage of both Jefferson and Carter. Wittman often goes to a zone to protect against Green's lapses on D. But when Gomes came in for GG with 5:04 to play, Green's performance at both ends of the court had helped whittle a 13-point deficit down to 6 in less than six minutes' time.
Brewer likewise had something to do with that surge, while delivering his second impressive game in a row--especially in the 4th quarter. The comparison to last year's top draft pick--"4th quarter Foye"--is apt in that, even in light of his disastrous 5-second out of bounds violation against Boston, Brewer is not rattled by crunchtime pressure. On the contrary: Like Foye, playing in a tight game down the homestretch seems to trigger confident memories of his successful college program, and his leadership role in it. Playing against a squad renowned for a lightning-quick trio now past their primes--Jefferson-Kidd-Carter--Brewer simply outhustled everyone on the floor; snatching offensive rebounds and twice flying down the court in transition fast enough that New Jersey had no choice but to foul him. On a night when Vince Carter frequently burned him on high pick-and-roll jumpers, it was Brewer's offense that redeemed him, specifically three offensive rebounds and 6-6 FT that gave him a team-high 8 points in the final period. He also led the way in terms of raw passion, thrusting his fist out in triumph after getting fouled or when rugged scrums he helped initiate enabled the Wolves to secure another possession on the ball going out of bounds.
Yet despite the heroics of Green and Brewer, the Wolves were still down 7 with 1:19 to play. *This* is where the character showed, where a callow team finally gelling after nearly three solid months of embarrassing ineptitude snatched the game from a group of desultory vets who weren't very determined to halt their long losing streak.
McCants hit his 4th trey of the game from the left side of the arc, making it 95-91 with 1:15 to go. Then something remarkable happened: Jason Kidd made a stupid decision. After Richard Jefferson had cooled off, the Nets' bread-and-butter offense in the second half had been the high pick and roll with Kidd, dishing to Carter who would work the play with a big man. Needing just another bucket to likely seal the win, the Nets logically looked to be setting up the same play as Kidd dribbled to his right. But suddenly Kidd reversed field away from the pick and roll confluence and zipped a pass beneath the hoop to the relatively open center Jason Collins. But Collins wasn't so open that he couldn't be fouled by Al Jefferson, which is exactly what happened. And coming into the game, Collins had converted just 10 of 30 free throws--he was the Wolves' equivalent of Mad Dog Madsen. Not too surprisingly, he bricked both free throws with 56 seconds left to play.
On the ensuring play, Sebastian Telfair kept his cool, refused to pick up his dribble against pressure, and found an open Gomes standing in the corner. Gomes, who had shot a putrid 9-41 from outside the arc over his past 16 games, let it fly....swish. It was now 95-94 with 40 seconds to go. Vince Carter then clanks a too-long jumper on a stilted possession for New Jersey and the Wolves rebound with 21 seconds to go. Witt calls timeout and inserts McCants in for Brewer as part of the offensive-defensive platoon he's running between the two as much as circumstances permit. Shaddy decides he'll be the man, but his jumper is a tad long time--only to be corralled off the carom by Al Jefferson--remember him?--he gets fouled before he has a chance to go back up. In the classic crunchtime free throw situation--down 1, two shots, 11 seconds to play--Jefferson doesn't flinch, sinking his 18th and 19th second chance points of the game to put the Wolves in the lead for the first time since the first 90 seconds of the game.
Last gasp for New Jersey. Richard Jefferson gets position but his six-foot jumper on the baseline hits the front iron and doesn't creep over. Al Jefferson grabs his 19th rebound of the game, the Nets foul and Al cinches it with two more free throws to register his first-ever 40 point game.
3. Cause For Optimism
Foye and Ratliff are on the mend. Brewer, Jefferson and Telfair are all playing with enormous confidence. After a home-and-home with the underachieving Bulls (I'll do my next trey on both of them together on Thursday), the Wolves play nine of the next ten games at home.
I know I don't comment as much as I used to (very busy with TWolvesblog these days), but I still read all Britt's articles and ALL the comments.
With that said, Captain America, please stop trying to pick fights with Britt. You are just looking like a fucking moron and embarrassing yourself. You are lucky that Britt doesn't truly go off on you and make a mockery of your ridiculous comments. I know I didn't add much to Britt's article, but it needed to be said.
That is all, good day.
Im glad somebody said it
Cause for Optimism
Marc Stein at ESPN now power ranks the Wolves at 21!
Marty Burns at SI ranks the Wolves at 24.
We are moving up.
I was weird to open up the NBA page at si.com and see three articles about the T-wolves. Winning three out of four games finally gets them some publicity.
In case you did not hear, Richards got sent the Development League.
About Richard. Since they weren't really going to use him it's best for him he gets some more playing time.
If we somehow get a big center in the future, Richard could service as a center when we go small or something like that ... I'm still not sure about the pick .. the guy I like, the fit .. who could have used others.
Britt -
Since you deemed Big Al's improvement on defense worthy of an "all star performance," help me out. How many of the presently named All Stars have a worthy defensive game?
While you're at it. How many of the top 10 paid NBA stars are compensated as such for their defensive (vis-a-vis offensive stats) prowess?
CA--
I love the way you blithely want me to "help you out" as a guise for renewing heated points of discussion from the previous trey. At the risk of rewarding that kind of bullshit passive-aggressiveness, let me begin by responding that the two criteria you are using are revealing to me: Fan popularity and paychecks. I will gladly grant you the point that defensive acumen is generally underappreciated by the average fan and underrewarded by the average owner. I find it interesting that wins and losses, especially in the playoffs, aren't part of your conversation here. It's interesting to see what you prioritize.
That said, I would say that four of the all stars voted in by the fans should be considered great defenders: KG, Howard, Duncan and Kobe. Two should be considered very good: LeBron and Kidd (albeit the latter is slipping). Two others should be considered spotty, meaning very good or not very good depending on matchups: AI and Yao. One should be considered average: Wade. And one below average (though improving): Melo.
All ten are better on defense than Jefferson has shown this year.
Finally, when I say "all star performance" it means what I consider worthy of being recognized for special merit, based on a combination of offense and defense. I don't automatically expect that my tastes will match up with All Star voters.
Britt -
Wow, nails for breakfast? Thank you for indulging me on my "bullshit passive-aggressive" inquiry. Fans and owners are the source of revenue and the dispensers of same to multi-millionaire athletes. It's human nature for players to be motivated to emphasis that for which they get the big paydays: offensive stats. Moreover, there are proportionally fewer stats kept for defensive vis-a-vis offensive play.
My questions were relatively harmless. Since you (as I) share in the importance of solid D, and since you tend to caveat many discussions about players around (in)ability to play D, I thought it would be useful to get an understanding of what your threshold is for a player who demonstrates solid D.
We differ on AI, Melo, and Yao though. Yao moves like he's in quicksand. If he steps away a few feet from the rim, the mice reign supreme. AI and Melo are not good defenders.
CA-
BuiIding on what Britt stated- AJ is not going to be named an all-star (nor does he deserve to be) because he is BOTH a poor defender and playing for a team with a terrible record. One of these two could be overlooked, but not the combo.
There are players with comparable stats that are winning games, and more complete players on mediocre teams that deserve to go in front of him. Just not enough spots for Big Al.
For the record, I am warming up to Big Al. His passing is visibly improved and I am seeing glimpses of leadership. At the very least he is not scowling at his teammates the entire game.
RhinoLove -
For the record, I never suggested Big Al for the All Star team. Read carefully my earlier post (and Britt's caustic reply) before taking the tangent. Glad you're warming up, not easy to do these days, to Big Al. I'm sure he counts that a blessing.
CA-
Sorry for the tangent. I guess I missed your point. And after re-reading your post...I still don't see it.
RhinoLove --
That's okay, relax, Britt understood it so all's good.
I think Stop-n-Pop raises a good question about the winning vs. the drafting. I like to live in a perfect world, so my strategy would be to throw the kids in there as much as possible (withut crushing anyone's psyche) and playing to win with that crew. To tank would be dishonorable (as S-n-P suggests), but to give time to Antoine and Ratliff and even Jaric seems pretty silly. They aren't the future. Jefferson, McCants, Foye, Smith, Gomes, possibly Green and Bassy--those are the future.
Just my two cents.
Britt,
I commented last month about Big Al being more involved in the pick and roll, where the go ahead 3 made by gomes was created when Bassy and Al went to the high pick and roll. To my knowledge that was the first time they went to that play in the NJ game.
So i'll re-ask my question, do you think the high pick and roll during the 4th qt is a strong play for the wolves?
Another note;
I thought KG acted very disrespectful to his old team, and especially to big Al during Friday nights game. I was wondering if anyone else who reads this forum felt a bit disrespected, or lost some respect to him after the way he behaved.
Stat-wise this was a goofy-ass game. Both teams shot an eFG% of 46% (TS% was 53 to 54 Wolves). The Wolves were out-rebounded 14/34/48 to 13/27/40, and out free throwed (36-39) to (23-26). The Wolves also only had 1 less turnover than the Nets. In other words, this is one of the few instances where you can point to the four factors not accurately predicting the outcome of a game. As is usually the case when the 4 factors break down, it is because 1 team gets and misses a ton of free throws while the other makes the most of their limited opportunities at the line.
Not to rain on anyones parade, but the Nets missed 13 free throws. While there were some signs of improved defense, the biggest defensive boost came when New Jersey was unable to make it work at the charity line. Of course, the Nets are one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the league and even if they hit at their season average, the Wolves win the game...so maybe this was one of the few games where you can hack away.
Not to get too head of the bandwagon, but these are the teams that the Wolves need to be concerned about if things continue to trend northwards:
Atlanta
New Jersey
Milwaukee
Chicago
Charlotte
Philadelphia
New York
LA Clippers
Memphis
Miami
Seattle
Those are the teams who are in or tied for the top 10 spots in this year's draft. I don't think there's much of a chance of the Wolves making up 10 games on the 18 win squads (Atlanta, Nets, Bucks), but some of those teams may be blown up before the trade deadline and if the Wolves gel after Foye and Ratliff come back and move the squad into the 8th or 9th spot, that's a little too close for comfort. Also, I'd like to know what other people here think is the proper balance between success this year and ping pong balls? I'm not suggesting tanking or anything like that. I really like seeing this club do well, but from a fan's standpoint, can there be too much winning vis-a-vis the draft? Especially if you improve enough to get out of the bottom 10 next year and giving the Clips their 1st rounder in the 2009 Draft.
My own thought on it is that, unless Walker and Ratliff are the ones leading the team to W's, the more the merrier. Those two have no long-term place on the team, so we shouldn't allow their cup of coffee in Minny play us out of the lotto. As for everyone else, I'd say keep playing to win. We're so young already, I think it'd be great if this group played their way out of the bottom 10, even if it means losing the first round pick that is going to have to be paid up sometime anyway.
Yeah, the Rafliff stuff worries me for several reasons. Glen Taylor was just quoted in the PiPress about how he can't wait to get the big shot blocker back out on the court so the team can show what it can really do with all the young talent. Add that nonsense to the talk about increased options with his expiring contract and I'm beginning to think that Glen actually believes this stuff. I think it would be an unmitigated disaster if they lose this year's first rounder. Next year's would be bad but I could live with it if they got a good player out of it.
Just another good reason to move Ratliff's contract.
I wouldn't lose sleep over too many Wolves wins. Last year, only three teams ended below the 30-win mark. (And none got a top-3 pick). We would have to finish 22-17 to hit that mark, which I don't think is likely. With that said, I'd love it if we played the remainder over .500 and still got our pick. At the risk of sounding overly optomistic about an 8-35 team, I think the rebuilding plan is off to a good start.
Agreed. All those years of bad luck have turned me nutty about what could happen with the draft. I'd take .350-.400 ball at this point. There's virtually no way they would lose their pick this year. Next year is the one to be concerned about. Especially with the amount of bad teams trending worse than the Wolves.
That being said, they've won 8 games. Nothing to worry about yet.
I was really impressed with Al's free throw shooting. For a career 67% FT shooter, his 14-17 FT in this game were critical to the win, especially with his clutch 4 Ft's in the final 11 seconds of the game. Brewer looked good going 6-6 on FT, too. Is this something that these young players have been working on in practice, where we can expect continued improvement ?
One note about KG from the Boston game. I am getting tired of his trash talking, it just makes him seem insecure and immature.
I'm a big fan of trash talking. Especially if you back it up. When I trash talk it motivates me to play harder to back my words up. If it helps KG get some extra motivation, trash talk away. These are big boys playing for big money, nobody's feelings are going to get hurt. Enough KG talk for now though.
I only caught the second half (forgot I had free league pass) but I was very impressed by the Wolves comeback. I wrote the game off as a loss after the third. Brewer had shooting issues again but his hustle in transition is always impressive. My favorite play of the game was Telfair's nice dish to Gomes for the three.
A lot has been made of McHale working with Jefferson in practice. I am a huge McHale hater but Jefferson is developing into a beast and I suppose McHale deserves some of the credit. If the coaching staff can improve Jefferson's defense we may have a perennial all-star on our hands. Last night was a very impressive performance by Big Al.
I also have to give Green some props. Maybe he has found a niche. When the offense is stagnant he can come off the bench and explode for 6-8 points and be quickly taken out before the opponent can start taking advantage of his defensive lapses.
These last five games have been exciting. I hope they can build on this momentum and keep it up. Some people seem to be starting to worry about too much success ruining our chances for a draft pick, lets worry after about 12 more wins. Enjoy the wins now.
I know Kevin McHale with your crediting him on improving Al. But let's hear of no crediting McHale for converting Da Kid into Da Franchise, heh?
As for trash talking, is it okay for you (KG) and me but not for thee? As in, "Enough KG talk for now though."
It's unfortunate though that KG didn't get into the rematch yesterday with Desmond Howard. After filling in for Perk (who fouled out early against Howard), KG probably felt more tinge in his stomach at the thought. Howard made chum of KG when he filled in at the 5.
Perhaps the most under reported comment about Al is his number of offensive rebounds. We, of course, always read about his deficiencies on defense, but having a third of his total rebounds take place off the offensive glass is huge.
The problem with Green is what's between the ears, his decision making, and poor self image when things aren't falling. It's the story line of his career to date.
> A lot has been made of McHale working with Jefferson
> in practice. I am a huge McHale hater but Jefferson is
> developing into a beast and I suppose McHale deserves
> some of the credit.
Al Jefferson definitely looks like Kevin McHale has been
coaching him. Many of the same moves. And the same
reluctance to pass, despite the double, triple, and even
the quad teaming.
> If the coaching staff can improve Jefferson's defense we
> may have a perennial all-star on our hands.
Defense is about desire. I don't think Jefferson has it.
>Last night was a very impressive performance by Big Al.
Somewhere in the 3rd, my buddy leaned over and
opined that for the Wolves to win, it would take a 40pt
and 20rb performance for the Wolves to win.
Other than making a lot of shots in traffic (often I
thought he should have passed to an open guy) and
making FTs at the end, I was neither inspired nor
impressed
From my seat in the Target Center, it looked to me like
Jason Kidd just sorta went through the motions. That ,
and NJ's apparent unwillingness to make free throws,
were the difference in my mind. Any competent team
should have, would have, put the Wolves back in their
kennel.
I posted this in another spot, but wanted to make sure everyone saw it.
a little clarification on my part.
i mentioned being stressed out in iraq and loving that ostrich bit about mchale in a recent thread. but i'm a civilian reporter with stars and stripes newspaper, not a soldier deployed here. i didn't initially put i was media because i didn't want to toot my own horn, etc. in retrospect i should have. anyway, I'm VERY VERY sorry for any misunderstanding and please know i'd never try to pass myself off as one of the men i'm lucky enough to be walking with for the next two months. false valor is a sickening thing, and i wasn't trying to be a party to that kind of shit.
having said that, i met two marines from minny so far. as we watched the highlights of the nets-wolves game during breakfast this morning, i tuned one of them into this blog.
again, i was having a pretty shitty day down here and that line made me laugh, and i was just trying to say that someone over here on the other side of the world was enjoying it. i wasn't trying to misrepresent myself or try to garner pity points or any of that shit. i feel like a total idiot now.
having said that, fallujah is in a remarkable state at this point. i was skeptical of the reported turnaround in this area, but it really is a sight to behold.
i blog about it at geoffisrighthere.blogspot.com, and my email should be listed here if you wanna know more.
Thanks for listing your blog there. It sounds really interesting. I would like to read about Fallujah improving. But when I go there, your blog is locked. It is only open to invited readers.
Did you mean to invite people to see a locked blog?
Regarding the Wolves, it is hard to believe that this team is starting to gel. After the start to this year it didn't seem like the Wolves would ever win two games in a row again.
It is a great sight to see and lets hope that the Wolves keep it up.
But my question is does this mean that Al is the center for good now?
Can he be a center against the big guys of the NBA? Yao?
I don't really understand that part of it.
ok, here's the shameless media plug. if you want to check out an embedded reporters thoughts on iraq, at geoffisrighthere.blogspot.com .
i got it on private due to work stuff, but email me at geoffz23@hotmail.com if you want me to invite you to read it. basically send me your email and i'll send you an invite when i get time.
britt, ask tom if i can post the blog on this web site! i wrote for the rake before. tell him geoff ziezulewicz says yo.
Geoff--
No problem. To the extent that your comments had anything to do with a misunderstanding, apology accepted. More to the point. please convey to any soldiers representing our country our steadfast support. And for you and all the American citizens over there right now, I hope you arrive back home as safe and as soon as possible.
Probably the best game of the year. It appears things are starting to come together for the team.
Is Foye coming in going to disrupt that any?
It has to be asked, he is not familiar with the players on the court at this time.
Rob
I've only read about the game, so not much to add. But I have two issues that are occupying my mind when it comes to the Wolves.
First, how many power forwards have Big Al's offensive talent; the rare ability to go to the basket and nearly every time get off a good shot? To me, it seems like a dying breed. And I can't name another 23 year old that has this type of talent. Am I drinking too much Ostrick cool aid? Am I buying too much hope?
Second, shouldn't we have picked up the fourth year in Green's contract. He obviously seems clueless when playing off the ball. Doesn't do much real good except score on occassion. But he's 6-8 with great athletic ability. He's real young and never deleveloped a team-oriented game beyond high school. Why not pick up the relatively cheap fourth year of his rookie deal to give yourself more time to evaluate him and improve him. I just don't want this to be a Chauncy Billups-type situation where it takes awhile for the brain to catch up with the talent.
Thanks for the post Brit. And, by the way, I just posted on the Boston thread, but you were right about your take on KG. Posterity will ensure that.
I thought then, as I do now, that failing to pick up Green's very cheap contract was a big mistake.
I have always believed that, long term, the team needs either a McCants or a Green - but not both. As we saw last night, McCants has a serious issue guarding bigger SG/SF. The zone defense played when Green went in the 1st time in the 2nd half resulted in Kidd's 3-3pts.
I would really have liked to see these 2 duke it out for a long term spot on the team. But the reality is that the FO had made up their mind on Green in pre season, leaving him out of the equation.
Gerald Green...? Seriously, how many games have you two seen this year?
If the answer is more than five, I don't see how you could be comparing Green to McCants or talking about how we should have picked up his 4th year.
The guy has had a couple of nice outings recently, but to regularly play him in front of McCants, Foye, Brewer, Gomes, or even Marko (hey, he's signed LT) is ludicrous. Even if he shows massive improvement (which I don't think he will) we have too many 2/3s.
Ideally, he's a deal sweetener in any Walker or Ratliff deal. If not, I wouldn't shed a tear if he walked next year.
PS- Yeah Wolves!!! We are not this good, but at the very least these games show we are not as bad as previously thought.
I too can't understand any rationale that puts Green over Shaddy, unless it's a dunk contest. He's a worse shooter, worse playmaker, and seems to be an equally marginal defender. Plus, Shaddy knows how a headband is supposed to fit.
Thank you, finally somebody else comments on that stupid headband thing Green does.
You're right about McCants having some serious problems guarding Jefferson-type of players....but wittman put shaddy on carter after he got called for his 2nd foul that put him on the bench and from that point on he did a good job in fronting carter. maybe we're good advised when we put mccants back on SG.
t was also a pretty smart move to throw in green and get him out before the nets could take advantage of it on their offense. nevertheless green showed some anticipation by getting 2 nice steals.
in my opinion the maccants/green combo is still useful in long terms...because mccants sometimes seems to be some kind of inactive and tired. so thats the right moment to let green pull the trigger, at least offensively gg is motivated and always looking for opportunities to prove himself. in games like last night that provides a nice boost for the whole team.
Rhinolove, I'm not suggesting playing Green over McCants. In fact, I don't know what to do about playing time other than to throw him a bone every now and then. My only thought was to give him another year here at rookie contract rates. I believe playing time will determine itself.
And I'd readily admit that it is certainly possible that Green will never be a productive NBA player. My only point is to give yourself as much time as possible to make that determination. A dunk champion, by itself, does not mean much. But his height and athleticism, not to mention his offensive ability thus far, merit a longer look.
If the question was still too close to call, I'd still bet against McHale's judgment. Although that SOB has me thinking that he may have actually identified the best young player that he could have got for KG.
But giving him another year means giving him a roster spot at a position(s) where we already have an abundance of young and better talent.
I just don't see why we would do that unless both Gomes and McCants express a desire to play for another team. I have seen enough of Green to know that I would rather keep these two.
Plus, If we are going to keep projects on the payroll, wouldn't you prefer another big guy or a point guard?
I don't think Green and Shaddy are as far off as some of the previous comments have implied. Here are the stats from the best season of each players career:
17.1 pts/36
42% FG%
36 3FG%
4.2 reb/36
12 PER
16.6 pts/36
45%
37% 3FG%
3.8 reb/36
12.6 PER
They both entered the league in the same draft and they're still both very young. I just don't think that there's that much of a difference between the two. They both appear to have some sort of inability to grasp a major part of the game, they have matador tendencies on d, and they are too quick to tap their headband or keep their arm up in the air on the way back down the court after a nice shot. Oh, the top one was Green.
Wow. Must of touch a nerve.
My comment is that either McCants or Green should be part of the long term plan but certainly not both. Why? Because, in my opinion, a playoff team needs at least 2 offensive player who can create his own shot in almost any situation. Assuming Foye is one of 2, we still need another. McCants and Green have both showed the ability to create their own shot – by getting to the hole or by creating space for the J. Both have some serious D liabilities – McCant with his size and tendency to be “handsy”, Green with his terrible habit of turning his head away from either the ball or his man – losing the other in the process – (I thought my kids in 4th grade that you had to position yourself to see the BALL and your MAN. I guess someone forgot to tech Green!)
McCants seems to have a little too much self confidence which can get in the way while Green suffer from too little. In support of Green, I firmly believe if you were a 21 year old who was a starter, was traded and did not have his contract renewed, wouldn’t you be a little low on confidence?
Comparisons to Gomes, Jaric, Brewer, et al, really make no sense. None of those guys either now, or in the future, have the mind set AND the skill set to be that create your own shot scorer. Plus, that is not going to be their roles anyhow – they have other skill sets that are critical to being a playoff team. So, I am not talking
Who is to say if that 2nd creative scorer role is a starter, reserve, 10, 20 or 30 minute player? I can’t right now. It will become clearer once other pieces are settled.
But I do know this. We have no one on the roster who is a shot blocking big man defender and no one who is a Fred Hoiberg spot up shooting wing. We need both to be a playoff team. With what we have in draft picks, that has to be the priority. Because I am not convinced that MN will ever be a “preferred” destination for free agents.
It’s important that either McCants or Green work out.
I guess I would agree that Green has the ability to create his own shot, due to his size and athletic ability. I just have serious doubts that those shots will hit any part of the rim. There's an image burned in my mind that came toward the end of the game against Portland at home a month or so ago. Green was in during garbage time, and tried the most awkward, off-balance spin move that ended in him firing a brick off the side of the backboard. The crowd had a mixed reaction of moans and laughs. That single play may have unfairly prejudiced my views of him as a player.
I always thought not picking up Green's option had more to do with the salaries budgeted for next year and keeping the team safely under the luxury tax such that we can sign picks, and our own FA's. Rebuilding teams typically do not go over the luxury tax, and saving a little bit on Green's or Rashad's option would save the team from having to find a team to make a move like the Beno Udrih trade the Spurs did this year with the Wolves.
Both players have holes in their games, and both lose attentiveness at times in games. However, when Green makes a mistake he often needs to be comforted by either the coaching staff or the other players. Rashad still has his lapses, but he can be trusted to play at crunch time at least on offense, whereas Green still is not mentally able to do so yet.
My hope for Rashad--(if he remains a Wolf, long term)--is that he settles into a 6th man role like Gordon, Ginobili and Barbosa have done on good teams. I think he could be a very efficient scorer in limited minutes against the other team's bench. If I had to bet on it, however, I'd say he's not going to stick around for the long-haul...too many guards already, especially with the big guard prospects looming in the '08 draft.
Maybe I haven't seen enough Green to know better, but in the 10 or 11 games I've watched this year, he doesn't look like he knows how to play basketball, besides shooting and dunking when he's wide open. Corey Brewer is a better comparison, at least physically, and Brewer is light years ahead of Green in knowing the basic fundamentals of team basketball, both offensively and defensively. Brewer just needs to keep working on that J.
Both very fair points. I guess my basic point was that it's not crazy to think they're all that far apart. It's really frustrating with Green because if there were such a thing as a basketball shop, he would be be the physical prototype for the 2/3 combo. All the tools are there, more so than any other player on the team. Perhaps that's the catch. Maybe those gifts are the only reason he's close to Shaddy in production. Oh well. He's not going to get paid much on his next deal and his salary isn't big enough as it is to have to let it expire.
PS: there are rookie exceptions to the salary cap for a team to be able to sign their own picks. Here's the bible for salary cap info:
http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm
It was mentioned above a few times about Jason Kidd. What is the deal with him? Britt perhaps you could examine that situation. I'd enjoy reading your thoughts about other people and places in the NBA than just the Wolves.
Al Jefferson is playing this hard because he wants to be an All Star.
The kid is not motivated to win unless something is in it for him.
He even played a little defense the otehr night.
He is always going to score his points and get his rebounds but an overall all around effort is not going to happen unless he wants something.
Given all the talk about tanking games for better odds in the draft lottery and considering the depth of the hole brought about by the Wolves first-half performance, is it reasonable to expect individual players to approach each game as if it were the playoffs?
I'm only a superficial fan of the NBA, but I have to wonder about the priorities of individual players in a season that was long ago written off as a lost cause, in terms of competing for the big prize.
And what about that modest contract that Big Al signed? Supposing he did make the all-star team. Would that affect his attitude?
BTW, it's wonderful when a site about basketball - - especially one about a dreadful team - - can generate this much interest and provocative, thoughtful posts. I have no problem with Brett or Captain America occasionally waking up on the wrong side of the bed, but I hope that the usual intelligence and civility will prevail.