Game #78, Home Game #40: New Orleans 122, Minnesota 90
Season Record: 19-59
1. Trying to Trade Baskets
The Minnesota Timberwolves shot 73.3% in the third quarter last night, 11-15 FG, including 3-4 from beyond the 3pt arc. The worst shooting performances were Ryan Gomes and Chris Smith at 1-2 FG; Al Jeffeson was 2-3 FG, Rashad McCants was 3-4 FG, and Marko Jaric and Kirk Snyder were each a perfect 2-2 FG. Eight of those eleven baskets were assisted, led by Gomes with three dimes.
The Wolves were outscored 41-27.
The front line of the New Orleans Hornets annihilated Minnesota's frontcourt, shooting a collective 14-18 FG, including a trio of treys by Peja Stojakovic, for a collective 31 points. Chris Paul chipped in 8 points on 3-4 FG and 1-1 FT and dropped five dimes with nary a turnover. Morris Peterson went 2-3 from the free throw line to complete the scoring.
In the fourth quarter, the Hornets cooled down a tad, shooting only 57.1% (12-21) after the blistering 77.3% of the third. Alas, Minnesota could only muster 5-20 FG, making the final a blowout 32-point loss after being a bucket down at the half.
Asked how tough it was going up against MVP candidate Chris Paul, Randy Foye was begrudging. A lot of it is the people around him--they have great finishers," said Foye, adding, "we were stopping him."
The operative word in that last sentence is "were." Yes, Paul failed to register a field goal in the field half, arriving with just two points (2-2 FT) and one rebound at the break. Foye, meanwhile, had exploded for 16 points in the first period, including 4-4 from three point range in his 6-7 FG overall. But Paul also had 8 assists in the first half, compared to Foye's 2. So if we compared the two *point guards,*, Paul generated only four fewer points--his 2 points and the 16 from his eight assists--than Foye's 22 generated points (18 scored plus 2 assists).
And that was the first half. In the second half, Paul shot 6-7 FG, added 3-4 FT, grabbed four rebounds and again dropped 8 dimes in the half, to finish with 16 assists versus one turnover. Foye went 0-6 FG and 2-2 FT in the second half, with three assists and zero turnovers. Final line: Foye outscored Paul 20-19 but got out-assisted, 16-5. Asked about what happened in that second half, he was still begrudging, noting that "I got in a little bit of foul trouble, picked up some cheap fouls."
Paul's teammates may be great finishers anyway, but it helps that the frontcourt towered over Minnesota's front line by 3, 4 and 2 inches, respectively at the center, small forward and power forward positions. That explains how five of Paul's assists were alley oop dunks.
2. It's The Meat (Size) and the Motion (Penetration)
After the game, coach Randy Wittman bemoaned the fact that his team went with the jump shot as the default position. "We need that guy who will put it on the floor," he said. "We have struggled all year getting free throws--we had 9 tonight--and we're settling for jump shots." When Foye's first quarter scoring explosion was mentioned, Wittman re-emphasized, "Yeah he made some jump shots but then he kind of fell in love with that...We moved the ball pretty good but we have got to look for people who will put the ball on the floor and get to the rim."
Asked if that is the team's biggest need, Wittman gave an answer that should be applauded for folks who are sick and tired of smallball. "No, we need to get bigger. What is prefereable?" he asked rhetorically, the penetrator or the larger bodies? "Whatever presents itself. We also need outside shooters. Al is a willing passer."
3. McCants and Brewer
Whatever drama may have existed between Wittman and McCants is again on the back burner, as Shaddy played 30:09 off the bench and was his usual self, leading the team in points and field goals and tying Foye for the high in FGA. Foye and McCants combined for a gaudy 9-17 in three-point shooting and yet the ballclub still got pasted by 32 points. Not coincidentally, defense has been an achilles heel for both Foye and McCants this season.
On the other side of the ledger, Corey Brewer continues the out-of-body experience of watching his season disappear down the rabbit hole. As happens enough to be something of a pattern this season, Brewer came out and stuck his first two jumpers, including a nifty dribble-drive left, put on the brakes and nail a fade-away sequence early in the second period. But then he came down and chucked up a heat-check J on the very next possession that clanked, leading to five more misses that were lucky if they clanked. Also in the second period, Marko Jaric drove beneath the hoop and fed the rook on the baseline for about a 10-footer that he flat-out airballed, a shot so inept that the 12,000 or so people in the stands were murmuring about it for the next 15 seconds. Then there was the four footer he was gift-wrapped in the second half that barely grazed the front iron. In all seriousness, I'm not certain giving Brewer any more burn in these final four games is a good idea. Better just to let him keep practing and then proscribe an off-season diet of milkshakes, bench presses, squats and cheeseburgers along with a daily diet of about 10,000 jump shots. The boll weavils have infested his confidence and it will take a few months to clean them away.
With five days left in the regular season, I have a suggestion, Britt.
Every three days or so, pick a playoff game that is available on TV and let's break it down here. At the end of your Wolves-Bucks Three Pointer you could announce the first one and announce each subsequent one in advance.
Its fun to hear general playoff commentary from you and the other posters, but a running detailed breakdown of particular games would be entertaining as well.
Who's with me? AK
I second the call for general playoff commentary -- if only because it would delay the heavier draft speculation that will inevitably clog up the comments section.
I don't know if I can take the O.J. Mayo vs. B. Lopez debate if the Wolves are doomed to pick #3 in June.
Wittman's comment on need and they're priority is interesting because it could lend insight into what style he would hope to play next year.
Uh, I meant Wittman's comment on the Wolves' needs and their priority was interesting...
Anything to get more Britt Robson articles ^^
It's kinda funny to take back the draftexpress draft profile of Foye. http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Randy-Foye-454/
If you read it through you'll notice everything written there is still the same and completely strokes with how he now playes. The only difference is the lack of D he's currently showing but it could defenitly still be the effects of that injury + having to guard faster point guards (which they predicted he would have trouble with).
It's getting more and more clear the only way we can use Foye is with most of his minutes at SG. Especially when the opposing SG isn't to big. I'd give him 10minutes per game max at PG. Start or not, doesn't really matter because is Shaddy is the first man of the bech or Foye is (maybe because Foye is a better playmaker than Shaddy you team Shaddy with the pass first PG on the team and Foye with the lesser...).
This part is especially interesting:
"His skills seem to be better suited for an excellent 6th man type who can come off the bench and put up points in a hurry without having to worry too much about running his team’s offense, but the extreme lack of legit point guards in this draft means that teams might decide to label him a playmaker and hope they can teach him how to run their offense and get everyone involved."
I know this doesn't substitute for a set offense, but did anyone else notice McCants late in the 3rd? He got to the rim a couple of times in a row, and with Peja on him, it seemed like they could've milked that for 3-4 straight minutes and cut the deficit to single digits. Instead, I think he took a heat-check 3 and kind of went away. That's one frustrating thing watching him play: there are times when they could have him take players off the dribble and score/get to the line/set up other players, but for whatever reason, it doesn't happen.
I always appreciate your analysis, Britt...and your ability to do it in the wake of big losses like last night.
I was excited last night to finally see the tandem you've been harping about -- Gomes was subbed out early for failing to stand up to David West (go figure...). And we saw Chris Richard and Al Jefferson on the floor at the same time quickly in the first quarter. I was wondering if Wittman was finally seeing the light.
But what resulted was a number of failed offensive sets for the Wolves and a flurry of points from the Hornets. And before you could say "Tyson Chicken," Witt had pulled Big Al (apparently for lack of intensity) and subbed in Craig Smith.
Given the relatively small sample size, the opponent, and the fact that it was Big Al who was held responsible, I am not ready to give up on the idea of a presence in the paint. But the results last night were underwhelming.
As the Hornets lead widened, and I was hypnotized by the recurring alley-oops of Paul to Chandler and the swish of Peja's threes, I found myself fantasizing about the Wolves acquiring a good big (Chandler would be an excellent model), move Al over to PF and kick Gomes down to SF, keep Telfair at the PG to distribute and let the rest fight over the starting SG slot. Either that or draft Rose, and package Foye and McCants for a decent big. Is it too much to hope that "Let's Build It" more than just a marketing plan?
What was strange about that time when Al and Richard shared the floor was either the frequent switching on interior assignments or confusion about who should be guarding who. For example, Chandler had alley-oops on both Al and Richard in that stretch, and on a play when West took Richard off the dribble and scored on a runner, Al was the one who got blistered by Wittman during the time out immediately following the play.
What I wanted was Richard on Chandler, Al on West, and Gomes on Peja. By his comments last night, Wittman is convinced that West gets most of his points on midrange Js set up by Paul; hence, a desire not to wear Al out moving around the foul line. Ditto I think he believes Snyder was a better guy than Gomes to fight through all the back picks the Hornets set for Peja. Consequently, he had Al trying to guard Chandler (not as good as Richard but okay), Gomes on West (not good--Gomes mostly tried to front him, leading to a little confusion that was quickly ironed out and resulted in West roasting Gomes to kick off that 41 point third quarter) and Snyder on Peja (Snyder's defensive rep is slipping since his nice work on Durant and Harpring right after he came over--his forte now is getting to the rim on offense).
Bottom line, though, I agree the tandem was underwhelming. And I'm not suggesting it is an answer or solution. But it does give Jefferson reps at his natural position, helps determine whether Richard can play in the NBA as a defensive-oriented complement, and moves Gomes to the 3, which is where I see him best contributing on a playoff-bound ballclub. Consider that in the past two games, Okafor was 8-11 FG and West 10-13 FG. Ryan Gomes is too much of a class act to be subjected to guys going off on him for 18-24 FG despite his best efforts. It just isn't fair to him.
Watching the Wolves get demolished by premier Western Conference teams like the Hornets makes me incredibly concerned about having to watch a line-up like the one you write about, TVDave. I agree that Al at the 4 and Gomes at the 3 sounds good, and that we need a center. However, the idea that Telfair will season at point for us is very disturbing. Also, more and more I am realizing that even though our line-up has 4 off-guards (McCants, Foye, Jaric, Buckner), none of them should be starters in the NBA. I have seen enough from McCants and Foye to believe that either of them is capable of becoming a passable sixth man for a decent team. But since they are both undersized 2's, they are redundant on this team, and would be redeundant anywhere else, so there is no chance that they might be packaged together in a trade. I am, like you, hopeful that "Let's Build It" is meant to brace us for a big off-season, but I am not convinced it will occur.
Put me in the camp that feels that Big Al is no more PF that C.
The weak spots of his game, IMO, show up more at PF than C.
The real issue, IMM, is acquiring a power player that covers up AJs weaknesses whether PF or C is immaterial. A significantly taller version of Ryan Gomes would be my ideal.
Okay, I'll bite. Here are the frontcourt tandems that the Western Conference playoff teams hope to trot out there in about ten days:
New Orleans: Chandler and West
San Antonio: Oberto/Kurt Thomas and Duncan
Lakers: Bynum and Gasol, with 6-10 Odom at the 3
Houston: Mutombo and Scola
Phoenix: Shaq and Amare
Utah: Okur and Boozer
Dallas: Diop and Nowitzki
Denver: Camby and K-Mart
For good measure we'll throw in the top 4 in the East:
Boston: Perkins and KG
Detroit: Ratliff and 'Sheed
Orlando: Howard and Lewis
Cleveland: Z and Wallace
You want to explain to me how anything other than a legit center beside Jefferson can be expected to hold its own against those combos?
I can't explain it. Maybe McHale can.
Any chance you might roll with something like these?
Jefferson and West
Jefferson and Duncan
Jefferson and Gasol, with 6-10 Odom at the 3
Jefferson and Scola
Jefferson and Amare
Jefferson and Boozer
Jefferson and Nowitzki
Jefferson and K-Mart
Jefferson and Garnett
Jefferson and 'Sheed
Jefferson and Lewis
Jefferson and Wallace
On a side note, how much faster Is a 7 ft. Ryan Gomes than Roy Hibbert.
NoOnesAdvocate--
If what you are saying is that Jefferson operates best in the low post and thus is most complemented by a frontcourt member who can step out for a midrange J, I agree. But the problem is mostly on defense. Imagine Jefferson guarding every one of the centers you just omitted to slot him next to those power forwards. You think that is a good matchup for him most of the time?
A quick 7-foot Ryan Gomes would play center.
Listen, you may think a 6-10 center is the way to get to the promised land. But there has been exactly one champion in the past 15 years that has gone small in the pivot--when Ben Wallace had the 6-11 'Sheed playing beside him at power forward.
Imagine Jefferson guarding every one of the PFs I didn't omit.
You think that is a good matchup for him most of the time?
I would love to watch the Wolves with a center that covers up for Als defensive deficiencies and doesn't cramp his style on offense.
I would also love to watch the Wolves with a PF that covers up for Als defensive deficiencies and doesn't cramp his style on offense.
I'm not sure the opportunity to obtain either player will occur soon.
Ican only hope.
Britt--
For even better measure, you should have included our divisional foe, Portland. For the next decade, they'll be running out a nice little trio of Joel Przybilla, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden--(and maybe Channing Frye if they keep all four). The "Big Al" nickname might not look very appropriate in those matchups.
Unless we get a top-2 pick, I hope we trade down and take a big center not named Brook Lopez. He seems to be a finesse player that wouldn't add much, if any, defensive toughness to the frontline, in spite of his 7-foot frame. Or, if there are takers for McCants or Foye, find a 7-footer that way, and use the pick on a guard. In any case, the center position should probably be filled if we're going to be taken seriously next year.
Why does Rashad keep getting painted with the same "undersized shooting guard" brush as Foye? He is 6'4 with long arms, a strong upper body, and good mobility. I can't think of too many instances where he has seemed physically overmatched on either offense or defense against opposing 2s (Kobe and TMac would be obvious examples, but who can play with them?).
I'll concede McCants has room for improvement if he's to become a high caliber starting two guard, but I don't think his size is really an issue.
I think the main reason is because he really is undersized. I doubt he goes much bigger than 6' 2" (judging by standing near him as he runs through the tunnel - I'm 6' 3") and looks an inch or two smaller than Foye. He is strong and he does have long arms, but he is definitely and undersized shooting guard just as Foye is.
I have obviously never measured any of the Wolves players, but I thought the opposite...that McCants appeared to be a few inches taller than Foye. Anyways...
Even if we don't take the listed measurements at face value, can we agree that Rashad's size (or alleged lack thereof) does not seem to impede him in getting clean looks, going to the hoop, or playing post defense? If he is truly undersized, it doesn't appear to be limiting him.
Yes, I would agree with that on the offensive end. But, not on the defvensive end. A good scorer can use their body and strength to score over or around someone several inches taller. Al Jefferson is a good example. Footwork and postmoves are really helpful. McCants does have this ability on the offensive end (as does Foye). But, where it hurts us is on defense. You mentioned Kobe and TMAC, but there are a plethora of high-scoring shooting guards around. Manu, Lebron, Durant, Roy, Hamilton, Pierce, Allen... THe list goes on. All these guys are going to get there points, but there are ways to keep them contained. Trenton, or a player like him, could contain these shooting guards with their size closer to 6' 6" or 6'7" than 6'2". You might give up some scoring on the offensive end, but having that length means that when you are able to get a hand up during a shot its closer to the ball than their elbow or shoulder. McCants cannot stop them and that means you have to bring in Brewer, Jaric or someone else to slow these shooters and scorers down til they cool off. It also means that 4rth quartters, when the ball is in these scorers hands, a coach has to think twice about having a small shooting guard on the floor defending them. So, you take away McCants offense when you most need it, so Manu or Lebron don't stick the dagger in at the end. If Brewer only had a shot.
I disagree. Actually what matters most defensively is wingspan and standing reach, not height. After all, a player deters shots with his hand, not his head. According to Draftexpress's measurements database, Rashad stands 6"4 with shoes on, with a freakishly long 8'7.5 standing reach. That's longer than Corey Brewer's and 85% of the other shooting guards in the NBA. Rashad has all of the length, strength, and quickness to be a lockdown defender at the 2. The problem is that's not where he expends his energy and he doesn't seem to have the right discipline. But he certainly has the right physical tools. On offense, I actually think height can make a difference because a taller player can get better sight lines to the hoop.
Rascal,
Absolutely, standing reach is a better measure of the ability to defend and get a hand up. However, height is one of the surest indicators of standing reach. Very few humans deviate from this standard. Rashad is not that freakish and his standing reach is not that long. Surely, you jest. There is no way Rashad has a longer standing reach than Corey Brewer. No way. Absolutely, no way. Nor does he have a longer reach than 85% of the NBA shooting guards. I don't believe it. I've been wrong before, and I will be wrong again. All that said, I've seen enough of Rashad to know he is not a lock-down defender and he does not block, not deter, players taller than he is from making outside shots. Trenton Hassell had the standing reach to do it. Rashad does not.
I agree, "Anon" but would add that Gomes, despite having a productive season and proving he likely can be be a key complimentary player on a decent team, probably isn't worth signing.
On the Wolves he's just another guy without a position. Not powerful enough to be a 4 and not athletic enough to be a 3. Unfortunately for his fans, a team that clearly needs to find starters at four positions can't afford to invest in a role player like Gomes.
As for the "Let's Build It" marketing effort, the Wolves should first decide what they want to build. Right now they play no discernible offensive style other than "pounding into Al." Overall they are boring, difficult to watch and strategically over-matched.
My advice is to draft a player who at the least will bring some excitement to this water-treading club (Mayo if it's not a top two slot?). If you're going to be bad you better not be boring. Another year of both and it's hard to imagine how few people will be at Target Center.
Actually I believe Gomes can play the three for this team. No one likes McHale or thinks he can put a good team together, but I agree with one of his general philosophies of not playing the five best players, but the five players who play best together. It's very difficutlt to assemble a team of five all-stars. You need a pecking order and you need role players. Luc Longley was no all-star but he played center on a 70-plus win team.
As you say - Gomes is a good role player. He is no Joe Johnson or Tayshaun Prince, but you can start him at the three and not worry about him getting exposed like he does against the strong power forwards in the West. That being said, I generally agree with your point on not overpaying. None of the Wolves 4 restricted free-agents are worth overpaying, but you do have to think - this is Minnesota - how many free-agents are going to come here, unless you overpay? If you are going to overpay on one of your free agents that you like - you could do worse than Gomes. I mean... he's not a fresh of ankle surgery guard like T-Hud was.
Whether to sign Gomes is a pretty interesting question. I can see the rationale for doing so — glue guy, good character, no glaring weakness, ect. But the argument against is basically that the team needs to find 2-3 dynamic starters to build around and then find role players who compliment them. Signing Gomes would probably be going about it backwards.
At any rate I'd guess the Wolves will sign Gomes. His play this year probably warrants it, plus if they don't it only adds to the evidence of this season being almost a complete waste other than Al's improvement.
That's a great point about spinning the KG trade Jim. If Gomes was signed and remained a starter - the Wolves can say they got two young starters out of the trade and a couple number ones. I really believe if the Wolves sign any of their free-agents to a significant multi-year deal it's him. I remember McHale at the post KG press conference envisioning Gomes as their sturdy, gritty small forward who would 'beat up on the other 3s in the league'. Since being out of position this year - guys like Okefor and Nowitski have been lighting him up. I think he would do better guarding say Luol Deng than Okefor or Amare Stoudemire.
After watching the likes of Matt Carrol, Mike Miller, and Peja light us up, wouldn't it be nice to have a pure, efficient sharp shooter on the roster. Somebody who can come off the bench and doesn't need to jack up 12-15 shots a game to make a positive impact. I wish we can get J.J. Redick.
Good points. This team won't be fixed in one offseason -- or several, if that. What I've seen from Big Al this season just makes me want it to happen now. It would be good to position ourselves with another cornerstone in the draft and wait for all that salary to come off the books for moves in a year or two. I've had a heaping helping of this season and 82 more games of much worse is a hard reality to face. It would be nice to see the front office do some TrailBlazers-style moving and shaking.
Britt-
Couple things about Foye:
1) I thought his 16 first quarter points showed a lot of his potential as a 2--sticking three's both off the catch and the dribble, while doing nothing whatsoever as a playmaker. I'm getting more, and not less, convinced of this as time passes.
2) Did you get a feel for why he didn't get many shots up after that? I was probably paying too much attention to Chris Paul and Shaddy, but it didn't really seem like he got many chances after his hot start. Some of that may have been Shaddy coming in and casting--(which was fine, since he was a hot shooter), but I still would expect Foye to get himself some more shots after a start like he had.
Chris Paul was incredible, maybe not in super-flashy ways, but there was a stark contrast between chaotic Wolves possessions, and the controlled offense of NO that started with Paul setting things up, and ended with West, Chandler or Peja converting open buckets. Foye can credit their "finishers" all he wants, but I think Gomes, Jefferson and McCants would all have some field days with the shots CP3 could set them up with.
Andy G--
Some of us on press row were saying the exact same thing about Foye in the first quarter. He certainly looked like a confident and competent shooting guard in that stretch.
I was specifically looking for whether McCants would share the ball with Foye when he subbed in with 3:20 left in the first. Shaddy immediately nailed a jumper, but then so did Foye. Then both missed one but didn't seem to have problems working together. Then, during a four-minute stretch to start the second, Foye didn't shoot once while McCants bombed for three (hitting two) and Brewer shot that step-back and then the heat-check I referred to in the trey.
The glaring number for me, and for Wittman, was not the 1-7 FG for Foye after the first period so much as the 0-3 from 3pt and the 2-2 FT. That meant even after Foye cooled off from outside, he wasn't taking it to the hole. Now Tyson Chandler probably had something to do with that. But I think the biggest drop-offs in Foye's game this year have to do with the strength-mobility combo: getting to the rim with accuracy or drawing the foul, and moving quickly on defense. He hasn't been able to do either one, which makes me think maybe he's still not 100% physically.
Chris Paul and Deron Williams have made this the golden age of point guards in the NBA all over again.
Britt -
Great interview on the FAN. I'm glad both of their afternoon guys plug you in when they need a Wolves voice.
Two questions:
1) If the Wolves drafted Rose - would that backcourt be too short (both McCants and Foye or about 6'3, right?)? I guess when Dumars played the 2 way back when - he was probably one of the shortest starters at his position, but Joe D was a very good defender.
2) I know - I know - too early to say, but if the Wolves didn't move either way after the lotto balls draft and got stuck at the number 3 spot, who do you get? Lopez? Love? Mayo? Do you have an early favorite? Have you changed positions several times on this?
Apart from Gomes' horrid night, the thing that left the greatest impression on me was that McCants, for one of the first times in his career, performed a crafty back cut that required effort in moving without the ball. Predictably, his teammate didn't reward his effort with a pass, but for those of us who lament Rashad's stasis on the perimeter when he doesn't have the ball, it was a welcome sight. Of course, after that play he never did it again ;)