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On the Ball
The Three-Pointer: Finding A Way
Photo copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Game #41, Home Game #20: Minnesota 116, New Orleans 108
Game #42, Home Game #21: Minnesota 109, Chicago 108 (OT)
Season Record: 15-27
1. Begin With Bouquets
Timberwolves fans deserve the right to bask in the heat of a 9-2 record over the past eleven games, and 11-4 in the past month. Cynics who want to carp about the caliber of the opposition can throw in the murderer's row that Kevin McHale encountered when he took over: Six brutal games in an 8-day period--Utah, Denver, the Spurs, and the Lakers, then easy Sacto (but on the road a night after LA) and the Cavs--followed by Houston and a rematch with San Antonio. Minnesota lost all of them. Okay, they're 11-12 since the Iron Ranger involuntarily took his gimp to the sidelines, a 39 or 40 win pace for the season. Anybody got a problem with that? I don't know about the other writers in town, but I predicted the Wolves would be better under McHale and I'm still readying my mea culpa piece for the night he puts the team over .500 as coach, which could happen as early as Wednesday against Detroit.
The joy brought to the Target Center faithful this weekend including the flummoxing of Chris Paul on Friday and the claw-back from a 20-4 start to scratch out a thrilling overtime win over the Bulls this evening. I was far more impressed with the vic over a surprisingly scrappy Chicago squad than I was with the vanquishing of Sean Marks and Melvin Ely, with James Posey doubling as the power forward. Suffice to say that New Orleans with Tyson Chandler and David West able to play doesn't yield 52 points in the paint to the Wolves, but closer to the NBA-low 34 they were ceding heading into Friday's game. But there's plenty of time for criticism later in the column and there are bouquets to be handed out for performances from both tilts.
Friday was the inside-outside template made manifest. The Strib's Jim Souhan wrote a nice piece about the emerging Jefferson-Foye connection, and it was true, even if made easier by the fact that New Orleans rarely doubles down on a big when Chandler is available to defend the low block, and thus were caught in uncustomary scrambles. In the first period I noticed that when Chris Paul tried to trap Big Al from the perimeter, his man Randy Foye scampered to the opposite wing; Jefferson kicked it out on his side to Gomes, who rifled it over to Foye, who buried a trey before even Paul, a rapid recoverer, could arrive. High IQ in the half court from a Timberwolves team? Save for a brief stint last season when Antoine Walker was trying to get noticed enough to cajole a contender into trading for him, there haven't been a lot of chess-match checkmates by the Wolves since KG departed. But Minnesota is figuring it out, not through set plays so much as reactions to defense, which is the McHale Way, and tailor made for Foye and Jefferson.
Big Al had a few of the hockey assists like the one I just described, and his lone official dime came on Foye's game-sealing trey, which pushed the margin from 5 to 8 with 89 ticks to play. By then Foye had already added another chapter to his coming out month as a crunchtime game-changer. If he played suffocating defense in the first three periods like he does the 4th, his ambushes would be way fewer and less dramatic, but it was still electric to watch him swoop into Paul as the latter rose to attempt a jumper or pass down low, compelling CP3 to pull the ripcord in midair and contort his body for a lame sideways pass (lest he eat the basketball) that was plucked in stride by Rodney Carney for one of his cheetah jams in transition. You want to know how to start sucking the life out of a good team? Humiliate their best player (while their second and third best players are injured) into a lead-changing turnover with 7 minutes to play. Then, beginning with 2:05 to go and the Wolves up a pair, Foye sandwiched a pair of treys around a block of a fadeaway jump shot by Peja Stojakovic. As fabulous as that was, I almost expected it. Foye has mad hops--every now and then he'll sky over a forward and snatch a rebound--and Peja is slow as molasses and as traditionally toxic in the clutch as Foye has been recently golden.
And no, we haven't forgotten about Rodney Carney. He had that burst--a swirl of machine-gunned three-pointers from (mostly) the corner that were the more surgical complement to those wild slams, where his body looks like a cartoon character flying out of an explosion--that supernova stretch from Jan 7-16 that most everyone assumed would disappear just as abruptly as it arrived. And sure enough, the previous two or three games, Carney had been quiet. He checked into the Hornets contest with 45 seconds to play in the third without a point to his name in a mere 7 minutes of action, stroked a trey, and the fuse was lit anew. Just 2:28 into the 4th, he'd hit double-digits in scoring, and finished with 15, the corner surgeon and exploding cartoon both in full effect.
Beating the Bulls was more difficult. To say the Wolves were sluggish early is slanderous to slugs. In a manner reminiscent of their dozen-to-nil start that doomed them in Utah, they watched instead of guarded people, took a number and awaited their turn under the boards, and misfired from near and afar in going down 20-4 with 5:42 to play in the first. Thirty six seconds later, Brian Cardinal sank the team's first field goal. When Cardinal and his fellow geek squad members Mike Miller and Kevin Love are all on the court midway through the first period, the situation is dire. It was also undoubtedly the right move. After Foye's umpteenth recent heroics against New Orleans, I was poised to attribute the vast bulk of the team's improvement to him alone (it may still be true), but he was curiously out of sync for most of the game and certainly the first five minutes, when he clanked a couple of threes and couldn't decide whether he wanted to see Ben Gordon's shots go through the net over by Gordon or near the hoop. Meanwhile, Jefferson was getting waxed by Yannick (er, that's his dad, make that Yoakim) Noah and his suddenly inaccurate bad reputation. Noah was not fouling, not emotionally volatile, and not an offensive liability: He was a creature of blocked shots and putbacks.
Jefferson finished the first period with 2 points. By the end of overtime he had a season high 39. Noah did everything possible to stop him--he had 4 blocks and 5 fouls, and Jefferson's last, crucial basket in OT was a fortunuate bump-back of a partially blocked shot. Were there times he could have dished it back out? Not many. Sure, after he settled down from a wayward first stint the Bulls came at him with different double and triple teams from different angles, and by late in the 4th and pretty much all of OT it was no secret where the ball was going in the Wolves' half-court. But the majority of the time, Big Al 1-on-3 was preferable to the perimeter options. After shooting 0-3 in the first, Jefferson went 4-6 in the 2nd, 7-11 in the 3rd, 3-6 in the 4th and 2-3 in OT. Meanwhile, Randy Foye was 2-11, Bassy Telfair 3-10, Ryan Gomes 3-11, Mike Miller 1-4. Rodney Carney, who postgame TV commentator Paul Allen astutely noted was unfairly ignored in crunchtime in favor of Miller and Gomes, was 5-6, including 3-4 from 3pt territory.
And yet, incredibly enough, Jefferson was merely the co-player of the game. The guy chosen by commentators Hanny and Pete as player of the game, the guy who coach McHale gushed about the most in his postgame press conference, was the fast-rising rook, Kevin Love. Tonight was the first pro game where I can say Love was absolutely comfortable shooting from anywhere on the floor. He finished 8-11FG, mixing putbacks on Jefferson's misses with step out jumpers from as far out as 17 feet on the wing. When the Wolves were down 7 with 3:54 to play, the edge of desperation time, he corralled Jefferson's errant shot-put and slammed it home with authority, saving enough adrenaline to singe the twine on that aforementioned jumper the very next possession. This was leadership by example, the kind of performance of grit and finesse when it matters most that gets your teammates treating you a little bit differently in the locker room. When it was over he had 15 rebounds (including 5 offensively) to go with his 19 points, bettering the 18 and 12 he posted against the Bulls in Chicago. And he played the best low-post defense of anyone on the team.
In lieu of bouquets, a tip of the cap to Telfair for being the only starter capable of steadying the ship in that woeful first period, and for hounding wunderkind rook Derrick Rose during the final plays of regulation and OT, both of them resulting in missed shots. And an acknowledgement that while Foye had his toughest shooting night in a few weeks, especially from long range, he beat arguably the two best Bulls defenders in Noah and Theo Sefolosha on the game-winning blast-from-past right lane drive with the rainbow banker off the glass.
2. Nitpicking the Rotation
I was going to spent most of my time second-guessing McHale's substitution patterns, but the hour is late and I've appropriately expended most of my energy on the positives, so I'll give you the abridged version and perhaps revisit it soon--the Wolves have a game Monday night in Milwaukee, after all.
The first complaint is an old one--too much smallball hurts the defense. At the beginning of the season I thought a Jefferson and Love frontline might not be sufficient to defend NBA bigs, and while the jury is at least partially out (or permanently hung) on that, the irony is that Jefferson-Love is the best defensive tandem of bigs McHale deploys, and he doesn't do it nearly often enough. Successful second-round picks are always a feel-good story, and I know McHale loves Craig Smith for the "matchup nightmare" of it all, so I'll avoid the obvious play on words there in describing the 12-0 and 20-4 starts the Wolves have suffered in the past week (even the depleted Hornets put up a five point lead in the first) in part because Smith doesn't match up with Okur or Milsapp or Tyrus Thomas. A front line of Big Al and the Rhino is a blatant weakness for a team supposedly building a solid foundation for the future, even one that has emphasized pace and offense to mount its surge in recent weeks.
The minor tragedy of this is that the future is Kevin Love, wasting time on the pine. No burn for Jason Collins or Mark Madsen means that McHale can't afford to go with his best pair too long because he's got nothing of substance to play in the paint behind them. It is ironic that McHale has proved his point, at least at the offensive end--Jeffeson and Love are marvelous complements, with Jefferson getting squirrelly missed-shot assists by magnetizing defenders, meaning Love has more room to do what he does best and crash the glass. Now that Love is finding his midrange and learning how to put up shots in the flow while driving baseline (saving the crucial milliseconds that beats the shot-blocker), the pressure on Jefferson will continue to be less maniacal when Love is on the other block.
But the way McHale has set up his rotation, he absolutely needs either Jefferson or Love on the floor at all times, and the times when Jefferson sits and Mac's gone with a front line pairing of Love and Gomes, it is a smallball strategy that more often than not is injurious to Minnesota's chances of winning. On Friday against New Orleans, Love was minus -9 in the 12:12 he played without Jefferson and plus +9 in the 9:55 the bigs were on the floor together. Tonight versus Chicago, McHale knew he needed to make up the 11-point gap from the first period, so the Jefferson-Love duo got a good first-half stint together as well as their usual time together in crunchtime (which was extended out tonight through overtime). As it was Jefferson and Love were plus +11 tonight in 22:13 together, and, due mostly to Love's monster game, he was also plus +5 in the 11:09 he played without Jefferson.
Getting Madsen or Collins just 5-7 minutes in one of those 2nd or 3rd quarter stints might enable Jefferson and Love to sit out together, so they can play longer together--maybe even at the beginning of games. Are we really going to continue to go through this "he has to earn it" charade with Love? Guess what? The earning has happened.
The second nit-pick involves getting more time for Rodney Carney, at the expense of either Mike Miller and/or Ryan Gomes. I've been hard on Miller the past few times and thus feel duty-bound to report that McHale, like Wittman before him, loves to play him as much as possible, and that tonight he had a team-high 7 assists and was second to Love with a plus +14 in 35:45 of play. Carney, on the other hand, had zero assists but 13 points and was plus +8 in 20:50.
Bottom line, I'm not sure what the long-term purpose of heavy minutes for Miller would be right now. He is very transparently pressing over his inability to shoot well from mid to long range, and he's trying to overcompensate in a variety of ways. Friday night down the stretch he ostenatiously called all his teammates together by the foul line to dispense advice or cheerlead or something; this shortly after he'd charged, barreling down the left lane. It felt like a little bit of a reach on a team that clearly belongs to Jefferson and/or Foye. You can say Miller is doing many of the "little things," but he's doing them in a very noticeable way too--unlike Gomes, or even recent-vintage Telfair, you aren't surprised by the contributions on the stat sheet. He is the only player on the Timberwolves who routinely turns down good, wide open looks, and to detract attention from that fact he frequently embarks on kamikaze drives to the hoop that are usually short-circuited by sharp passes to the wing or down on the block. It looks good and, as his assists attest, it often ends well, but so would knocking down a open jumper, Sooner or later, scouts are actually going to start advising opponents to lay off Miller and dare him to jack--an unthinkable strategy for almost all of his career up to this year. Meanwhile, Miller remains a subpar defender. He doesn't get out on jump shooters on the perimeter--with his lack of foot speed, he can't afford the commitment. That's how Morris Peterson and Luol Deng and Ben Gordon get open looks--and they shoot the ball.
Finally, call me a hater, or tasteless or whatever--I probably am--but this grimacing and howling and bending over in pain due to something that has happened to his ankle or knee or elbow is getting old when Miller insists on either staying in or rushing back in if he's pulled out. Tonight he drove for an important basket in crunch time, missed it and crumpled to the floor. The ensuring histrionics indicated that he needed to head for the sideline and be evaluated by a trainer. And indeed, Gomes replaced him--briefly. But there was Miller, back in the game a possession or two later. And when the ball sailed out to him after a scrum down low, and there was little time on the clock, he jacked up a ball that barely hit the rim. All the while, Carney--a better defender, who had knocked down three of four treys, wasn't clinging to a body part like it was about to fall off, and has demonstrated that the Wolves need a larger sample to see if this recent boomlet warrants awarding him a contract next year--languished on the bench.
Ironically, Carney is doing exactly what was expected of Miller--floating open on the perimeter and then firing without hesitation when he receives the rock. He and Foye have definitely helped ease the absence of Shaddy McCants and the old Mike Miller, two guys who were expected to spread the floor and provide a huge dividend in half-court spacing for Big Al. Until and unless Miller regains his shooting touch and demonstrates with his body language as well as his verbal language that he is physically ready to go, I'd flip that 35 minutes/20 minutes ration between Carney and Miller. (Or, in non-OT games, 32 and 18.)
3. Points of Discussion
I understand the push for Jefferson to be in the All Star game, especially after his monster game tonight. But there remains too much indifference in his defense. It is curious to me that Kevin Love has to pass some threshold to earn the starting lineup assignment while Jefferson--who has exhibited minimal improvement on D--needs no such threshold in that regard to become an All Star. The best argument for Jefferson to make it is the inclusion of Amare Stoudamire, who may in fact be among the ten worst low post defenders in the league. Boris Diaw was one of the latest to toast Amare, getting 26 and 11 against his old team the other night. As for who should go if Jefferson doesn't, I'd pick Tyson Chandler. I understand that 8 points and 8 rebounds a game aren't impressive, but if you watch basketball, surely you can see what a dominant force Chandler is on the defensive end of the court. Put it this way: A straight up swap of Jefferson for Chandler would in my opinion help the Wolves and hurt the Hornets. And that's less of a knock on Jefferson than an endorsement of Chandler.
Does anyone know why the hell Vinnie Del Negro lifted Noah, enjoying one of his best-ever games as a pro, for Chicago's final offensive possession? Noah was shooting 7-10 FG and had two putbacks in addition to 6 offensive rebounds. Hulking journeyman Aaron Gray, who muffed the decent-look tip-in try of Rose's shot, scored 2 points on 1-3 FG with one offensive rebound (I assume the one before his final shot) in 14 minutes.
Due to the early start, a heavy workload and feeling a bit under the weather, I stayed away from the Target Center for the first time this year and caught the game on cable. And when the Wolves went into a deep hole early, as they had done against Utah, color commentator Jim Petersen turned into a blatant homer in his complaints about the refs, as he had done against Utah. Yeah, the refs missed a couple, specifically hacks on Jefferson and Love, respectively. But equally obvious blown calls went the other way too, and Petersen didn't utter a peep. And he really went off on their failure to give Nocioni a flagrant foul on either of two hard fouls down near the hoop--the first one was more borderline, the second one hard but clean--while not mentioning that Craig Smith fell on the back of Tyrus Thomas's ankle, sending him out of the game for over a quarter, without a foul being called. I happen to think Petersen is better than most at what he does, but his homerism has begun to show more obviously as the team has improved. Don't know how others feel, but I don't appreciate a double standard just because of who is wearing what uniform. Finally, is it possible for sideline reporter Telly Hughes to ask a question that can't be paraphrased as "Why are you so wonderful?" You know, something that indicates he's just watched the game and that might provoke a smidgen of insight.
Other than that, I'm a real happy camper.
53 Reader Comments
First of all, I'm going to have Pulp Fiction nightmares after reading this line:
"Okay, they're 11-12 since the Iron Ranger involuntarily took his gimp to the sidelines, a 39 or 40 win pace for the season."
;)
Did he have a rubber ball?
Secondly, take this with as many grains of salt needed from a guy whose highest level of organized basketball was being the starting point guard on the 1998 Pacific-Rim military league runner-up (go Osan Defenders!), but how in the hell is VDN an NBA coach? He seems like Wittman squared...no, cubed. I see the same things from the Bulls that I saw earlier in the year from Witt's Wolves: a bunch of guys looking over their shoulder hoping that they can run the right play. Also, as a 1st year coach with zero experience, I'm sure VDN is attempting to cash all sorts of leaderships checks without sufficient funds in the bank. The guy seems like an absolute clown and I'm almost surprised that he's made it this long.
A few other things:
1- Carney ended last night's game with an eFG of 1.083. I can't remember the last time a Wolves player went above 100% with their shooting.
2- I know I don't watch a lot of Bulls games but how in the world do they not see what they have in Noah? It's too bad Craig Smith plays so poorly against Chicago. I'd love to see Noah on this squad. He's literally the perfect 4/5 backup for Love and Jefferson and between the 3 they could lock down the 96 minutes at the 4/5 for years.
Britt--
Excellent summary of the last two games. It's been a LONG time since there's been that much excitement in Tarjay, and since its based on a young nucleus, you'd really have to go back to the early KG years (specifically KG/Marbury) to find something like it. I'm not saying that the players we have today compare to those, simply that definitely some of the optimism/excitement is enhanced by the fact that young players (Al, Foye, Bassy, Love, Carney) are all playing better before our eyes. For those of us who've been fans a long time, it's great to see, but of course we wonder if it can last.
Just a couple of other thoughts:
1. I was happy to see McHale finally do some offense/defense subbing late in the game. That's the first time I can remember him doing it. He should be doing more of it, or, as you suggest, simply playing Carney when he's hot and Miller isn't. But he's going to need to do some more of it, particularly if teams go small late in games.
2. While I'm excited about the team's stretch, it's pretty remarkable the breaks we've gotten in terms of schedule/injuries. Now Redd is out (and FYI, Byron Scott says Chandler will be out through the all-star break, so no trip to Phoenix for him), which makes the Bucks more vulnerable. It will be interesting to see how the team competes after a hard-fought OT game the night before.
3. The other thing you didn't mention about the Love/Jefferson combination is that there are stretches where they absolutely OWN the glass. Some of it is because teams like NO and Chi go small at the 4 and then they can't keep Love off the glass, but it's still a pretty remarkable rebounding combination. There was a stretch in the game last night where the Wolves grabbed like 9 of 10 rebounds (of course, there were a couple of possessions where the Bulls got 3/4 offensive rebounds of their own). Still, while they lack some size, the fact that they can sweep the glass on both ends helps their offense/defense significantly.
4. And how about that outlet pass to Carney?
Great stuff, Britt. It sure is more fun to break these games down than it was six weeks ago.
Love-Jefferson does need more time on the floor, together. Another way of improving the rotation, however, would be to add a capable center, so each player can play power forward for more minutes. To continue recent criticism of passing on DeAndre Jordan in the 2nd Round, I'll just point out his 20 rebounds against Golden State, last night. Perhaps he could've been that center to fill out a 3-Big rotation for the future.
Carney is selling me on this consistent shooting of late. Whenever he fires a trey from the corner, or even the side, I'm confident that it's going in. Will Wolves fans ever feel confident about Brewer taking an open shot--let alone a three? I'm still afraid of over-paying Carney, this off-season, but if he really keeps it up and establishes himself as an all-around player, it might be tough to pass up.
I was impressed with Foye's game, last night. When was the last time that he couldn't hit a three to save his life, and yet he managed a good floor game with multiple great assists? Also, (and I can't remember if this was in the 4th or OT) he played great defense on a big stop against Gordon. Like Brandon Roy, the player to whom he'll always be compared, he played well in other areas and was crucial to the win.
While you very well might be right, Britt, that Hornets get worse and Wolves get better with a Jefferson-Chandler trade, I think that would have a lot to do with the way each would mesh with their new frontcourt mate (West for Jefferson, Love for Chandler) than the true value of each player. Jefferson is an All-Star before Chandler, because he consistently gets 20 and 10, and often carries his team down the stretch of close games. Chandler has veteran superstars around him and is a defensive specialist. In a hypothetical, NBA Fantasy Draft, Al Jefferson gets picked before Tyson Chandler, since it's easier to find that 9 & 8 guy with good defense than it is to find a superstar low-block scorer.
December 26, 2008 - January 25, 2009 has been the best and most fun month of Timberwolves basketball since April - May 2004. Anybody got a more recent candidate?
Your Yannick Noah mis-print is great. I spent the second half behind the basket on the floor and yelled "Yannick" at Noah in my Rube-like attempt to get under his skin.
Miller and Foye were 0-7 behind the arc. Bassy and Hot Rod 4-6. Wow.
Almost every week Kevin Love insinuates himself more and more into the fabric of this team. What a pleaseure it is to watch him blossom and develop.
I saw low post moves last night from Al that I have never witnessed on a basketball court before. I see a future Dancing with the Stars Championship in his post-career future.
Let the good times roll...
I thought McHale showed some honest to goodness coaching balls in the Chicago game. He saw the flat start, called a very early time out, got the TV time out, still had nothing, and did the complete whole sale change. (Bassy was the only one left in). That to me showed that he is starting to pay closer attention to the in game management side of coaching. If he could get that part of his coaching skills set just up to average (from its current very poor), McHale could be a really, really good coach. Glad to see a step in that direction.
I disagree, Bassey get a bouquet too. Down 20-4 with the lineup he had, there was no offense on the floor. He forced the action for himself and it got us back into the game. If he does not di it, we definitely lose. We tend to forget that he is a young guy who has never had serious, regular minutes in the NBA. I like what I am seeing and really hope that McHale doesn't muck it up in a few weeks when Ollie returns. The Telfair start with the Foye back up is working well and needs to stay put.
The rotation thing that has me puzzled is that the 1st half it is Love/Cardinal which I think is quite effective for that 5-6 minute Big Al restpite; yet the 2nd half is Love/Gomes which, as you point out, is just too small. Anyone have any insight as to why Cardinal now seem to get only 1st half minutes? I don't understand it.
Singing to the choir here but more Carney less Miller is my choice too. I am just wonder how many fewer baskets/free throws Deng scores in the final 3-4 minutes being guarded by Carney rather than Miller. Maybe enough to allow us to win in regulation?
Anyone needing to know why Possey is always coveted by contending teams down the stretch simply needs to watch the highlights of Friday's game. Anyone that big, who shoots that well, has unbelievable value.
Finally, there is some honest to goodness energy in the Target Center for the 1st time in 3 years. The row I sit in was FULL Friday night for the first time in years. Even Sunday night, we had a pretty strong crowd. Maybe we will even get home court advantage before the year is out.
I've been reading The Three Pointer since December, and it's been a godsend. After Aschburner got his walking papers from the STrib, I was waiting around for Charley Rosen to write a couple sentences on the Wolves a couple times per season for any readable Wolves coverage. Discovering TTP has been almost as great as the recent Wolves turnaround. Simply: Thanks Brit Robson.
I agree about Peterson's homerism and Telly's third-grade "insights" and "interview questions." I do like the way Telly often tents or clasps his hands in front of his body, though, and he's pleasant and looks huggable. Also, the Fox broadcasts go to the under-the-hoop cam way too often (especially on live fast breaks), the replays are consistently started so late that viewers are missing live action buckets, and often there is something messed up with the sound (game sounds overwhelm the announcers--though this doesn't bother me since not being able to hear Hanny and Pete enhances my experience).
We don't get KSTP games in Mankato, so I don't know if the coverage is different on the games I (frustratingly) miss.
SnP-
I think you're right about Noah. I hadn't seen much of his pro career, until recently. I saw a game at United Center(their TNT game vs Cleveland, which was a lot of fun) and Bulls fans do not like the guy. It's not MN-Shaddy-caliber hatred, but there are scattered boos when he's introduced and the fans that I sat with said he's terrible. Since those sentiments might mean he's got low trade-value, and he seems to be a logical fit next to Love and Jefferson, I think a trade could be accomplished. Something like Rhino and one of our 1st Rounders (not the lottery pick) could be a win-win for each team.
The whole "reuniting college teammates" thing hasn't proven to be a great model for success (See Webber-Howard, Felton-May) but maybe Brewer-Noah would help each guy out. They sure were winners, together at Florida.
Andy G
As one who has championed the Noah for Smith (plus reasonable extras)for over a year, I think the time for that deal has passed us by. Chicago would be foolish to make the trade. Noah is a far greater talent than Smith and is starting to show it by his play. Yeah, Noah is quirky (to say the least), but he has legit size, certainly hustles, and has learned to finish around the rim. Would love to have him as T-wolve as I see a player in that mode being the perfect long term fit for the Big Al/KLove front court. But just don't see why Chicago would considering trading him now (especially for Smith).
My one beef with this board:
Why does talk inevitably disintegrate into preposterous trade talk about some player on the Wolves' most recent opponent's team? I can find that junk elsewhere.
The discussion a couple of weeks ago about Durant was outstanding because it focused on the merits.
My plea to the otherwise awesome contributors here: Ricardo Mantalban is dead. Let's bury Fantasy Island on this board! Thank you.
You're probably right. It would certainly be a good trade for Minnesota. Chicago would have to be really fed-up with Noah and desiring a mid-1st Rounder like Miami's to send him packing like that.
S+P and AK--
Unintentional comedy is the inevitable byproduct of banging these babies out in the wee morning hours. The gentle way I am treated by my readers for grisly Pulp Fiction reminders and tennis dad gaffes is probably god's way of telling me to leave Telly Hughes alone, lest I run out of panes for my own glass house.
Andy G--
We could have a long argument about Jefferson and Chandler. You've got your thumb down on one side of the scales calling AJ a "superstar low block scorer and your palm up on the other side referring to Chandler as "a 9 & 8 guy with good defense." Chandler's ability to defend in the low block is every bit as rarefied as Jefferson ability to score in the low block, and because you can minimize and hide a sub-mediocre scorer more easily than a sub-mediocre defender, Chandler is the player more likely to produce success--that, as much as teammate matches, is why the Wolves would get better and NO worse in a straight swap. All that said, it would hardly be a travesty if Jefferson were named to play in Phoenix. I just wonder if that would enable him to postpone the due date on his defensive focus.
Sterno--
Agreed on the unbelievable luck. Although Redd may have been the most one-dimensional and undeserving Olympian since Steve Alford on the original Dream Team, even he was getting after it on D under Scott Skiles. I think perhaps the best game Minnesota has played in this current stretch was the home win over Milwaukee, who looked great that night.
Just A Fan--
How about two flowers with that tip of the cap for Bassy? You're right about the kudos. Most impressive is that he's willed himself into being less of a liability with his shot. Mike Miller should take notes about how he used the dribble-drive to bolster confidence for his outside J. For some reason, MM hasn't finished the second part of that equation. As I alluded to obliquely in the trey, Bassy has become like Gomes in that his positives are sneaky, and you need at least a player or two like that on every successful squad.
B75--
The channel 45 games (at least that is the station up here in the Twin Cities) are much less thoroughly covered than on FoxSports, but sometimes that is addition by subtraction. But let's face it, we all have our love/hate relationship with the favors and foibles of our TV "friends." At what point does it turn into unqualified love a la the way Cub fans feel about the wretched Ron Santo? Don't know. I will say that Hanny has grown on me in recent years, in that he'll occasionally dip into some punny wordplay and otherwise demonstrate the intellect that he mostly coats in vanilla for the sake of unruffled continuity--give me more ruffles. And one thing that drives me nuts--something Hughes has picked up too--is when they throw it back and forth, it isn't "thanks" but "thank you so much." Please don't tell me how much.
You play Miller more minutes now to show case him for a trade at the deadline. The TWs future is not now and Miller still has value as a trading chip. I have no idea why he's had so much trouble with the TWs(or I have too many ideas), but he has been a much better player before this year, and I think many GMs would take a flyer on him for a playoff drive.
Britt,
Probably the most impressive thing about Bassy's play: He forced his offense when he had to, but otherwise played within the flow. How many times had we seen him make a couple of shots and then wildly force his offense the rest of the night thinking that he was "hot" and would carry the team? A few too many. The maturity he showed after his spurt to continue using the higher value options, rather than try to keep forcing it himself, was great to see.
B75:
I live in Kato too and the Channel 45 games are blacked out in League Pass Broadband so don't waste your money there. The cut off for showing blacked out games is 90 miles and we're just inside the line. Check out places like atdhe.net or justin.tv/sports for game threads. There has only been one game this year that hasn't been streamed in one of those 2 places. Over at Hoopus in the game threads we usually have a few links come game time.
I'm reading a lot about the inadequacy of Smith and the match-up nightmare he creates, but I'm wondering what the best course of action is. Do we try to find another 4 that can play interchangeably with Love, or do we go looking for a legitimate 5 and move Jefferson to the 4 when the two are playing together. This franchise has never really had a legitmate Center on the team, and if we could get that player that would demand the opposing team put their "big" on our 5 then Jefferson would be matched up with the 4 and could become an even more dominating player.
Although I agree with you in your frustration of Mike Miller, the fact that he is trying to do other things to contribute is impressive. It's obvious that his only problem is that he is thinking about it too much. You can see him initially get the pass in rythym and get ready to shoot and then in a split second change his mind because he remembers all the trouble he is having from beyond the arc. Nothing is wrong with his shot, and it's a pure confidence problem that he is having, which is also shown by his poor % from the FT line. As soon as Mike Miller makes a 3 and expects to make the 3, he'll be fine. In addition,
I think we can all agree that the Timberwolves as they stand now are not going to be winning any NBA championships in the near future, but I do think we are one solid draft day away from being a legitmate force in the conference.
Thinking outside of the box: suggest to Mike Miller that he take a break from his marathon shooting drills and use the same system to focus on ball-handling and post moves. Put him back into the role of the 6th man and have him play some small forward (he loves to rebound) and point guard (he is already looking for assists). Now you have a combo player a la Marko or Brandon who can fill whatever gap needs filling. His newfound competency in these areas will bolster his confidence and take his mind off his long-range bomb for a while. While we are in Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory, add some footwork drills to his daily routine to enhance his defense as well. A little more (not a lot more) work in the weight room will round out the total package. Mike will learn that shooting for him is like riding a bicycle and it will be there when he is done with the experiment. Look how Magic's size and versatility made him a matchup nightmare. Miller may never be Magic or B-Roy, but with his smarts and experience, he could be a coach on the floor doing whatever it takes to win.
It seems to me that we are on a path of success that will leads us to becoming the 11th or 12th worse team in the league and losing our first round draft pick to the Clippers.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I'm not sure. We could really use one more high draft pick, but it is hard to argue with implementing a winning tradition with a team.
DeAndre Jordan had 20 boards the other day.
Just a little rain on the parade, because I'm not used to this much enthusiasm.
I think the calls for Miller to be traded or benched are a bit premature--though he should not have been on the floor at the end last night. I'm firmly in the school that good shooters don't just forget how to do it. He's ice cold. And the answer is to keep his confidence up (he's earned it) and eventually he'll get his mojo back. But as long as he's doing the other things he does out there, the Miller-Carney split is fine.
I'm really enjoying watching Love, but, like Carney and Miller, I like the energy he brings off the bench. It's always good to have a couple of first-line caliber players off the bench because being able to come in and integrate yourself in the flow of the game is an underrated skill in of itself. Lot's of good players struggle to do that.
The reason I think Bassy should get a bouquet is not because he got the team back in the game with his timely scoring, but those defensive stops were downright clutch.
For a guy who has been dogged his entire career for not being able to defend or keep guys in front of him, his defense was a decisive factor last night. Like Williams and Paul in the subsequent games, Rose got what he gets on a nightly basis. But when it came down to it, Bassy defended him like the steady, savvy pro I dare say he's becoming at the age of 23.
Even the slightest bit of hand contact on one of the game's fastest players would have sent Rose to the line to close out the game. And you KNOW Rose was going for the contact. In my book, those clean defensive stops were as big as Foye's runner.
Bassy will make a bad pass, miss a few more shots than he knocks down and struggle with unfavorable defensive matchups, but when complimented with guys who can score the ball and rebound, he's proving that he can run the show and deliver the big jumper or clutch stop. And if he's not a starter, than the Wolves better find one helluva PG in the draft.
I'll opine that this week's games (against the Bucks, Pistons, Lakers, and Celtics) will give us all a sharper focus on what this version of the Wolves is really capable of. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be a pretty sight by Sunday night.
I, for one, am very pleased to see Carney progress and sincerely hope that he ripens into a well rounded, dependable ball player. He's got athleticism to burn, and that's a commodity that the Wolves have almost never possessed.
And in an extremely rare offering of kudos to McHale, I am glad to see him continue to keep Love's minutes per game at a relatively low number, despite Kevin's excellent production rate and continued development.
But I am still left to wonder mightily: If Jason Collins is (as recently opined by McHale himself) a "world class kid" and has done "nothing" wrong, then why won't McHale put him on the floor? "We" know that Craig Smith is not a "nightmare matchup" at the 4, other than it gives me nightmares...
Just wanted to point out that you cannot be a journeyman when you're in your second season and they've both been with the team that drafted you.
Love needs to be starting! You don't draft someone #5 overall and then plan to play him as the first option off the bench.
Britt:
Did you see the McHale quote in Sid's column about Mike Miller not being on the trade block? Perhaps it's just a reflex for him to answer personnel questions but I wonder how Jim Stack feels about his coach stepping all up into his business? Perhaps I should take this with a grain of salt because it is just a Sid column but, to me, this seems a tad out of place. Either he still has more pull than he should in the front office or he spoke way out of turn. Do you have any opinion on the matter or do you think this is a bunch of nothing? It certainly fuels the Reussee conspiracy angle.
Hello Y'all...
I enjoyed watching the game last night--good to see the Wolves win a game that was so ugly—and Britt, thanks for calling out Miller on his antics, definitely getting to be over the top…
Deng finally looked like the player all those rumors said he was back when the Kobe to Chicago conversation was happening (even when they were stockpiling assets, he was untradeable, right?)
I agree that Pete was a homer last night, but other teams are certainly no better and typically worse. Only color guy who I can really remember being far and away better than Peterson is Eddie Johnson in Phoenix. Pete has done a good job of calling out Al and Miller for their not passing out of triple teams/not shooting…
it will be fun to see how we do against better competition in February, now that the team has found a bit of an identity and the Target Center is gaining strength. I'd love to see the Wolves go .500 in February. I compiled the %ages to illustrate the obvious--January was easy, even when it should have been hard (back-to-backs)...February will be harder, and the back-to-backs will be tougher...
January:
WP of Road Games: .403
WP of Home Games: .430
Opp. WP-2nd night, Back to Back: .387
February:
WP of Road Games .589
WP of Home Games .559
Opp. WP-2nd night, Back to Back: .589
Last thing--February ends with 7 games in 11 days...
Dan Nicholson--
Perhaps you're under the impression that journeyman take a journey? Check the first definition under this link:
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861623329/journeyman.html or consult your local dictionary.
S+P--
Yes, I noticed McHale's assumption that it would be up to him whether Mike Miller stays or goes. Perhaps it is old habit, perhaps the usual Sid filter, and perhaps Stack is puffing his role in his comments to me. The idea that Glen Taylor is giving Kevin McHale a raise for his demotion downstairs was also illuminating.
One of the things I'll get around to talking about here, and which you have dabbled with at time to time on your fine site (canishoopus.com for those who don't know), is how you upgrade the front office if McHale decides he wants to stick around, as he's clearly earned the right to do thus far in a coaching capacity. Does McHale the coach keep McHale the GM's foot in the door in terms of clout surrounding personnel decisions? And if so, both eminent graybeards and up-and-coming hotshot assistants are going to be leery of stepping into that drama.
S-n-P,
I'm not sure what you can glean from Sids jounalistic pronouncements, but from his column the quote by McHale is a tad ambiguous.
"The thing everybody looks at is he's not making shots right now. These are shots he normally makes. He's going to make those shots, I'm not worried about that. Mike Miller is not on the market. Someone told me that; that is not true."
Someone told him what? That there was a rumor that he was foing to be traded or that the rumor is not true. If the latter, then who? Stack?
But, yes, its from Sid, so I wouldn't read too much into it.
A bulls fan's take on Joakim Noah:
Don't be fooled, Minny faithful. You witnessed Joakim Noah's best game as a pro. I promise you that the rest of them aren't like that.
Andy G's right - we don't like the guy. I question any claims about his "legit size" - he's 6'11", but rubbery. The lack of strength or indeed any athleticism makes most Real Bigs a serious problem for him. In fact, our entire front line corps gets chewed up by guys like Jefferson or, God forbid, Dwight Howard.
Past his slight build, Noah's bereft of any kind of offensive game. He's a scavenger who relies exclusively on putbacks to score, and I ask you: do you want a hyena or a lion down there on the block? Animal kingdom aside, there's a very real effect on your half-court offense when the other team knows you only have four guys who can score. This is a phenomenon we're familiar with, considering Ben Wallace's stint here. Even Tyson Chandler, whose off. skillset is a meager as Noah's, manages to dunk his tip ins, as well as wheel to the hoop for CP3 alley-oops. Having a guy like Noah who can contribute NOTHING really hurts, as other teams can rotate more freely. Also, it encourages malevolent chuckers like Ben Gordon to hoist a few more threes.
Britt - can you really commend Noah for his effort when his assignment went off for 39? I didn't catch the game, so maybe you can. If so, that feels like pretty faint praise.
Someone told him that Miller was on the market. Instead of giving the boilerplate "Mike is a great guy to coach on and off the court and I look forward to coaching him as long as both he and I are here, but as for the trade stuff, you'll have to talk to Jim" answer, he gave an answer that a) is problematic for any potential hotshot GM to ignore (as Britt nicely points out) b) is downright unprofessional for a guy who was demoted out of the position his quote clearly places himself in and c) ...well, it's just a goofy quote from a guy who should either know better or have more respect for the guy now in his old spot. What if Stack did want to move him? Now his former boss is on record saying he's not. That's a problematic relationship at best and if the Wolves ran a tight front office ship, that quote wouldn't have seen the light of day...even from Grandpa Sports. If it did, it should have Jim Stack's name attached to it.
I still think the quote is ambiguous. It could be interpreted as someone told him that Miller was on the market because of the previous sentence, but if you interpret his statement "Someone told me that" by the folowing sentence "That he is not on the market," then he it can be interpreted that he is responding that someone (from the front office?) has told him that Miller is not on the Market. Regardless, it is an interesting topic about how much control and pull McHale still has with front office decision making. I just don't think Sids quote lends much to the conversation and the idea that the Wolves should be running some kind of tight ship, like we are talking about the Bush Presidency instead of an NBA organization is sort of ludicrous to me. McHale should be able to say whatever he wants and Taylor should let him say it. Just let the guy coach and talk to the press. Who cares what comes out about the front office decision making and what McHales role is, especially with the success they are currently having. I just don't think it matters like it did a couple of months ago. Maybe it two weeks we'll be back where we started, but for now it looks like everything Taylor said about McHales future role is still true. He'll be given as much consideration for front office decisions as past coaches were given. Obviously, the more he wins the more consideration and input he will have. And thats a good thing, not a conspiracy.
I'm curious about what the community think of the Corey Brewer/Rodney Carney/Mike Miller triumverate.
Personally, I love Brewer, and wouldn't be sad to see a rotation of him and Carney, fairly long-term. I suppose if that were to happen though, we'd need to draft Magic Johnson or maybe Jason Kidd to be contenders, ever.
How would Corey be fitting in right now? No one thought Carney could shoot either--I wonder if Brewer's jumper would have progressed...
It's weird to see Carney doing what I hoped would happen to Brewer when we got Love--leak outs for easy baskets to get warm, leading to some nice jumpers and aggressive defense...
A little observation - but Brian Cardinal's play has shrunk to single digit minutes as of late. He had played more and well for them when they first started to string these wins together. I wonder if they should start giving him more minutes again when the Wolves need to size up and get more reach in the front court.
I hammered Wittman for having too random of a rotation and playing too many guys, but it's looking to me that Mac wants to play an 8-man rotation. I wonder if that's too short in today's NBA game or if that's just the right amount when trying to get every five man combination to play as a unit.
Oops, the following sentence is "That is not true." I meant to say that this sentence is in reponse to "Someone told me that" with "That is not true" and that is that he is not on the market. See, Sid will do that.
Whatever, I think you follow your first instinct ands take it all with agrain of salt, although I still think the speculation on what McHales future role is is fascinating. I just hope he continues to have success coaching and decides to come back as coach next year. I think the only justifiable conspiracy fear is that he will not want to coach next year and will go back to his GM position. I take Taylor for his word that it ain't going to happen. But, as far as him having some say in future decisions if he is coaching, as long as he continues to get wins out of the talent he assembled, why not let him have a say in what direction the team should go as long as he is not Coach/GM, but rather coach with a direct line to the GM office.
Great stuff again, Britt. The Wolves are viable and watchable again, but the announcing, especially after the game with Telly, is just so hard to take. After watching the OT win, you want to stay with the telecast to get a few more feel good nuggets, whether that is a player interview, or the McHale presser; something to feel like you have had your dessert after the game/meal. With our FSN North group, it's like serving up syrup of Ipecac shots to finish off the night. Yuck!
If I was Telly's boss, I would make him write down some generic questions - maybe 3 total - and make him memorize them and have those ready for the postgame interviews. Just sub in the name of the lucky player good enough to talk to this goober, and actually sound somewhat legit when you stick the microphone in their faces. Most of the time, and this goes for most of the FSN sideline reporters (Telly, Marnie, Gorg, etc), they just say something for the player to react to, and there isn't ever a question that actually gets asked. You think if that was your chosen profession you could actually formulate a real question.
I think they should trade Miller and go with Carney and maybe get Shaddy some minutes pulling the trigger. According to JimPete, Miller is having a tough time making shots. I say Miller is having a tough time taking shots - he won't frickin' do it. Trade Miller, and then try to work on getting Shaddy in the mix again; who knows, maybe they can figure out a way to move Shaddy in the off-season, too.
Erik,
Even with 39 pts, I agree with Britt - Noah played big Al very well.
Al was pushed out to 17 ft numerous times - much farther out than he normally likes. By my count, Big Al launched 9 shots from ~17 ft and made 4. Big Al also had 5 offensive rebound baskets, several when Noah left Big Al because he was forced to help. Plus Big Al made several very well guarded, rather impossible shots in traffic that just somehow crawled over the rim. Finally, Noah did not guard Big Al all game either. It bet Big Al had 1/3 of his points against the other posts.
So all in all, I think he played Big Al rather well. Certainly better than 90% of the rest of the league.
Noah's strategy was great - he stayed on the ground, did not take any of the fakes, and made Big Al shoot over him. Several times, Big Al made like 3 different fakes (a couple of times losing the ball in the process) and never got Noah to bite.
With maybe the exception of Andrew Bynum and a motivated Shaq, who in the league has the weight/strength to cover Howard? That is a pretty step mountain to climb to justify his value.
In his last 5 games, Noah has averaged 26 minutes, 7 pts on just over 50% shooting, 10 rebs, 3 blocks, an less than 1 turnover. And, those averages includes his stinker in Toronto when he fouled out and played less than 15 minutes.
If you have any influence, tell Paxson we would be happy to take him off Chicago's hands : )
Okay, this crops up in most treys, but the quality of comments here is off the charts. Just thought I'd remind everyone.
I think we can all agree that McHale the coach has a much better track record so far than McHale the GM. But do you really want a coach who has little to no input on personnel? If McHale desires to keep Miller (he traded for him, after all), then he should get to coach him for the rest of the year. This was the plan when Witt failed - make McHale prove the squad he assembled can compete. He's done so, and any tinkering without McHale's input gives him a free pass if we take a step backwards.
Second, while Carney's development has been a very pleasant surprise, let's not forget that his minutes in the last two games have come due to poor play from Ryan Gomes. Gomes isn't a player I'm used to seeing boneheaded play from, but last night especially he looked lost. I think he'll turn it around, and when he does, I'd like to see Carney slid over to the 2 guard for a few minutes alongside Gomes at the 3. This is as close as we get to a shutdown swingman tandem.
Also, the lack of Cardinal time is a good thing for one reason - McHale only brings him in when the ball movement is stagnant. If we're moving the basketball well, or just straight dumping to Al, there's no need for Cardinal. We do need him when guys stop moving and start thinking about isolations instead of team play.
As for tonight's game, it should be interesting to see how the Bucks respond to Redd's absence - they really don't have another SG aside from Charlie Bell, so I'm expecting them to go with bigger lineups, moving Jefferson over for some minutes at SG. I'm keeping my eye on our bigs to see how they handle Mbah a moute, the latest in unheralded and undersized 4s who are surprisingly effective.
Britt --
To play devil's advocate, what if the recognition and the opportunity to play with the best players helped him figure out what he needs to do to be a great player? There will be a lot of conversation to an extent that doesn't happen during regular season games, at least I'd guess so. Maybe something sinks in. Also, whether it's because it would be his first time or because his game doesn't fit in an All-Star setting, he probably won't see many minutes. That might give him an inkling that, while he's doing well, there are some things he needs to do to improve. Not sure if these things will happen, but it's possible.
I've really liked McHales coaching, and one thing this mini run has shown is that maybe he wasn't he's only a toxic GM when it comes to coaching choices and not so much player choices. Yeah, McCants was horrid, but he was chosen when we still had KG and he played well with KG. With the exception of Craig Smith (who might be showcasing for a trade), it seems like the collection of "basketball players" are suddenly in moving the ball (and themselves) and mismatches are popping up all over the place.
Also, although this is dated, I loved the pick & roll defense played on Paul in the second half of the NO game. Instead of Big Al showing hard to prevent Paul from turning the corner, he sagged off to meet him in the lane. Paul wasn't able to get to the glass like that and without West/Chandler, the big wasn't getting the ball to score.
I'm shocked to find out that in any conversation about the homeerism of Jim Pete, nobody thought to mention the multiple time during the Bulls' game that we called Rodney Carney the fastest player in the league. At first it seemed like a throwaway line, and not really a big deal, but he went back to the comparison multiple times. I'd given up on objectivity from Jim Peterson around the same time he began beating the drum for the greatness of Mark Blount (a sickening white noise to the background of any televised game in the nine months or so post Wally trade), but am taken aback by the amount of chutpah he has on a nightly basis.
As bad as Jim Pete can be, I was hearing worse from the Milwaukee announcers last night. Not homerism, per se, but clearly they were showing a lack of NBA knowledge. One announcer kept trumpeting the virtues of having a big like Jefferson paired with all of the "great" outside shooters MN has, specifically pointing out Bassy.
Perhaps I should forgive them, given they probably don't catch much WC basketball. But, Bassy?
Yeah, I don't think it's at all acceptable for pro announcers to not have any idea what they're speaking of. I mean, you have to study 12 names 82 times a year, and if you have any passion for the job that's just a plain ol' good time. But Jim Peterson is clearly smart with a sharp basketball mind and the rather rarified ability to convey what he's trying to say (where the wheels fell off the wagon on TT) a fact that makes his shilling all the harder to take. It's what one expects from Hanny (a guy who can watch someone hit two layups in a row and say they're having a special game), but Jimbo should be something more- for the sake of his own career.
Of course that isn't as bad as just not really being a knowledgable fan of the pro game. Like in the Clippers game where Kevin Lynch couldn't stop himself from getting excited about DeAndre Jordan- to such an obnoxious level that it was clear he'd never even heard of him before that very day. Okay, sure, DeAndre was a 2nd round pick, but he was well known by anyone who followed the draft even a little, and even came into Minnesota for a tryout. There was a time when he was a shoo-in lottery pick; what small amount of intellectual curiousity do you have to have about the game to not have him on your radar?
I really hate these announcers locally.
One thing this stretch of inspired play has borne out is that these young Wolves are learning how to play as a team. Whether this has been in part inspired by McHale's leadership on the floor I don't know, but the players are clearly starting to believe in one another.
Many posts have been written here regarding the flaws of these players and the need for more talent on the squad. These are indeed glaring weaknesses for the team. However, these past few weeks have shown that well executed team basketball can indeed trump individual weaknesses.
FlingerofPoo:
I can explain the Kevin Lynch business. He went to Bloomington Jefferson. Unless show prep suddenly becomes the cool thing to do in Eden Prairie (and thus engaging the massive envy muscle inside the head of every Jaguar), he'll just stick to Sports Center thank you. J-Pete went to a real Lake Conference school and can therefore be trusted to do things like work hard, prep for shows, and stay out of his parents' medicine cabinet; all of which are major life hurdles for those west-of-France Bloomington denizens.
;)
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned McHale's stint as color man. For about 1 year or maybe even less, McHale and Kevin Harlan did the Wolves telecasts. The team was terrible (I wanna say it was '94) but the broadcasts were great and McHale was the best color guy ever and of course Harlan was great in a way he never gets to be on TNT. That was the last (and maybe the only) time I remember really noting the commentators in a good way. It's been a long, slow decline in quality.
I remember McHale wanted the wolves to drive the lane in the latter part of a game against San Antonio because David Robinson had a triple double plus nine blocks and McHale said, "I really want to see a quad"
Googly-oogly-oogly, baby!
Harlan on the radio was a thing of beauty.
going from him to chad was a real qualitative reduction in working conditions back in my pizza driving days.
I have to agree, Harlan and McHale were the best commentators I've ever heard. While often silly, they captured the excitement of big plays and helped us longtime fans in the long darkness of being a Timberwolf supporter. Losing Harlan has really hurt, pairing him with anybody is leagues better than the current product.
I also have noticed that Peterson homerism has grown significantly over the season. I want even handed description of the plays and insight into what is going on in players and coaches heads, I don't want to watch a replay that clearly shows a wolve's player fouling somebody and hearing about how the refs screwed up calling the foul.
On the radio side of things I think the team took a hit by losing Billy McKinney. Adam Horton is better than Chad Hartman but Lynch is not transitioning well.
Excellent West Bloomington reference Mr. Stop and Pop. As someone who grew up just west of France avenue, I can't help but agree. I'd like to consider myself an exception to the cult that was and still is. Birds of a feather I guess.
To whoever suggested we give McCants another shot over Miller...well I just don't have much of a comment there. Moving on:
But how about Kevin Love getting the rookie game snub? Even Oklahoma City gets three player representation in that game. Not to mention 2 Blazers and 2 Grizzles. A bit of a travesty if you ask me, and I think the NBA needs to do a better job understanding there are 30 teams out there. the icing on the cake will be Shaq's 15th all-star invitiation tomorrow night. I sense it will be a negative two days for the Wolves loyal in that department (hopefully some wins will nulify our sorrow).
I wouldn't count on a nice game from Kevin tonight, as he gets discouraged about things like this. Maybe his newfound mentality will produce a double double, in which case I will be the first one to shout drunken praise at him during Friday's LA Barn Burner.
I feel like Love got burned on the deal, he should have been in instead of Gasol. By the same token, it isn't the most absurd thing in the world to not put him in there after what he didn't do in late November and much of December. Let's not forget that for much of this season Love was beating himself up over every missed, er blocked, layup- followed by a stint where he hardly left the bench in lui of guys like Madson and Collins. (And then there was the absurd concept that he hit the wall eight games into his pro career).
I guess this roster spot is a reward to the entire 1st half of the season, not just January.
WallyWorld:
Thanks. I was trying to figure out how to work in a Lane Kiffen and Normandale reference but I just couldn't close the deal ;)
I'm from the side of town where kids play at Hrbek field. Actually, I just thought of a Kiffen tie in. Back in 9th grade ball Kiffen was the big dog on Jefferson's freshman squad. He had frosted hair and talked like Vanilla Ice. Being that we were playing ball in Bloomington (and all of the good athletes were on the ice) we matched up in the front court as 6 foot 1/6 foot 2 power forwards at the BEC. I don't remember the exact game situation but he blocked my shot and then proceeded to call me a "pisshock". I remember laughing at him because I had no idea what in the hell a pisshock was or why he would say it like I just punched his mom in the throat. It was some of the worst trash talking I have ever heard but it, along with a few other basketball related run-ins at Normandale and other assorted temples of Bloomington b-ball, provided a firm base for me 100% believing whatever Al Davis said about the guy. ;)
PS: I should also mention that lots of wonderful people live and work west of France but...well, I think you use "cult" correctly. I've always believed West Bloomington pharmacists to be among the most lucky people in the world.
Agree that the omission of Love is the big oversight, but it's hard to tell if that's my homerism or not. He could easily replace Marc Gasol, Beasley, or Lopez. Mario Chalmers could probably be on the list too, but he isn't better than the other PGs on the team.
Random fact for the old-school fans - Chalmers is a cousin of former Wolves G Chris Smith.
Last note, since I'm figuring this will be buried by a three-pointer tomorrow, that Bynum hit was totally cheap. I don't have a problem with playing physical, but I do have a problem with not making a play on the ball in that situation.
Excellent story on one of Bloomington's finest. And no there arent that many wonderful people ;)
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