The Minnesota Timberwolves started out smartly, hammering Oklahoma City 100-81 in their second game and winning in New York 109-100 in their third. But the Knicks turned out to be a terrible team, 3-9 now, and things have pretty much gone downhill for Minnesota since. After starting out 3-0, 5-2 and 6-3, they've lost 4 of 6 to drop to 8-7.
If the playoffs started today, they'd be missing out. This is not how things were supposed to be.
The Timberwolves score enough to win. But they simply cannot stop good offensive teams, or mediocre offensive teams, for that matter. They gave up 117 points at Denver, 104 to Washington, 112 at Houston, all losses.
They're 2-2 at home against teams with winning records, 0-2 on the road against teams with winning records, and 1-2 against teams with losing records on the road. It is only a schedule that has given them 4 home games against teams with losing records already that has kept them over .500.
And they don't play a team with a losing record at home again until Dec. 11. In the meantime there are 4, count 'em, 4 road games against teams with winning records starting Tuesday night in Indiana.
The way they're playing, 2-5 in their next 7 seems like a best guess, meaning they'll be 10-12 and further out of the playoffs by Dec. 11.
Showing posts with label Timberwolves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Timberwolves. Show all posts
Monday, November 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
T-Wolves Sign Chase Budinger, Kevin Martin
The Timberwolves and new president Flip Saunders are half-way there. The perennial gap at the 2 spot would seem to have been filled as the signings of Chase Budinger and Kevin Martin.
Now, re-signing Nikola Pekovic or otherwise filling the center spot would seem to be job #2. Anything else after that would seem to be gravy.
Budinger was of course a Timberwolf last year, but missed 3/4 of the season with an injury. He scored 9.4 points (his career average) in 23 games. The question with Budinger is whether 9 ppg represents his upper limit. In 4 years in the NBA he has scored 9, 10, 10 and 9 points per game in 20, 22, 22 and 22 minutes while shooting 44, 42, 44 and 41 percent from the field. At 6-7, he can play the small forward as well as the off guard spot so more than 20 minutes are probably available if he can up that shooting percentage a little bit.
But of course Kevin Martin will have something to say about that. Martin seems likely to take the starting 2 spot though he was 6th man for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year. In 11 years in the NBA he has scored 17 ppg on 44 percent shooting in 31 minutes. He's taken 12 shots per game (1 every 2.6 minutes) (Budinger by contrast takes 8 shots per game or 1 every 2.5 minutes. Budinger has also averaged 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover, while Martin has had 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 turnovers. So the fact is they are very nearly the same player; Martin has simply had more minutes and more opportunity to establish himself.)
The NBA is nothing if not deferent to its stars and its older players, so Martin will start and play the 2, while Budinger will come off the bench and play the 2 and the 3. Of course, Shabazz Muhammad will have something to say about that. And if Shabazz and Budinger are the only 3s, then Budinger could end up starting. But Derrick Williams will be in the mix at the 3, too, unless Flip moves him for a real 3, which could happen.
But if nothing happens except Pek is re-signed, the re-signing of Budinger and the signing of Martin makes this a most promised T-Wolves roster even with the current mix of forwards.
Now, re-signing Nikola Pekovic or otherwise filling the center spot would seem to be job #2. Anything else after that would seem to be gravy.
Budinger was of course a Timberwolf last year, but missed 3/4 of the season with an injury. He scored 9.4 points (his career average) in 23 games. The question with Budinger is whether 9 ppg represents his upper limit. In 4 years in the NBA he has scored 9, 10, 10 and 9 points per game in 20, 22, 22 and 22 minutes while shooting 44, 42, 44 and 41 percent from the field. At 6-7, he can play the small forward as well as the off guard spot so more than 20 minutes are probably available if he can up that shooting percentage a little bit.
But of course Kevin Martin will have something to say about that. Martin seems likely to take the starting 2 spot though he was 6th man for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year. In 11 years in the NBA he has scored 17 ppg on 44 percent shooting in 31 minutes. He's taken 12 shots per game (1 every 2.6 minutes) (Budinger by contrast takes 8 shots per game or 1 every 2.5 minutes. Budinger has also averaged 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 turnover, while Martin has had 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 turnovers. So the fact is they are very nearly the same player; Martin has simply had more minutes and more opportunity to establish himself.)
The NBA is nothing if not deferent to its stars and its older players, so Martin will start and play the 2, while Budinger will come off the bench and play the 2 and the 3. Of course, Shabazz Muhammad will have something to say about that. And if Shabazz and Budinger are the only 3s, then Budinger could end up starting. But Derrick Williams will be in the mix at the 3, too, unless Flip moves him for a real 3, which could happen.
But if nothing happens except Pek is re-signed, the re-signing of Budinger and the signing of Martin makes this a most promised T-Wolves roster even with the current mix of forwards.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
NBA Draft Goes South
What's Plan B?
For a lot of people, the NBA draft went south right outta the gate, when the Cleveland Cavaliers picked Tony Bennett with the 1st overall pick. Not that Tony Bennett. This one will be bringing his heart from Las Vegas to Cleveland, where Cavs fans hope he'll want to leave it after the 3 years of his rookie contract are done. We'll see how that goes.
But, there's hardly a draft observer who didn't say the Cavs would go big--meaning either Maryland's Alex Len, 7-1, or 7-footer Nerlens Noel of Kentucky. And almost nobody didn't say the Noel and Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore were the 2 top players in the pool in terms of long-term upside potential.
Well, there was 1 who said the Cavs would not go big, but I said they'd pick Georgetown forward Otto Porter, who ended up going to Washington at #3. But, no, the Cavs grabbed Bennett, and the next 6 teams in line suddenly were all going, "Holy sh*t! What's Plan B? I forget!" And based on what happened next, they weren't that hot on the 2 allegedly best players in the pool and were hoping like crazy that Cleveland and Orlando would get 'em off the table so they wouldn't end up getting stuck with 'em.
But Orlando at #2 went with Indiana guard Victor Oladipo, who went from about #100 to #2 since the start of the college season. Washington took Porter. And with Len and Noel still available, Charlotte had little choice but to go big. But they grabbed another Hoosier, Cody Zeller, who, unlike Len and Noel, has the mobility to play the big forward spot.
So, after 5 picks, the 2 best players in the pool (McLemore and Noel) and the 2 guys who figured to be #1 (Len and Noel) were all 3 still cooling their heels in the green room. But they fell no further and the reluctant recipients of the big 3 were Phoenix (Len at #5), New Orleams (Noel at #6) and Sacramento (McLemore at #7). But then, adding insult to injury, N'Awlins immediately moved Noel to Philadelphia for a dish of jelly beans.
Flip's Picks
But the fact is that all of this had absolutely nothing to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the Wolves and Flip Saunders the draft was humming along, exactly according to plan. It went out of order, to be sure, but by the 7th pick the top 7 were gone and the pool contained exactly the players Flip thought it would.
But that is when the draft went south for Flip Saunders and the Minnesota Timberwolves, when the Detroit Pistons grabbed the guy that everybody knew Flip coveted--6-5 shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of Georgia. Given what transpired later in the evening, you know that Flip called the Pistons on the phone and offered them a couple of draft picks for the rights to KCP. The Pistons presumably said no.
Now it was Flip's turn to go to Plan B. He picked a guy he didn't want, Trey Burke, but who he figured would have the best trade value, then found a trade partner (Utah) who had a pair of 1st round picks remaining (#14 and #21). So far, so good, I guess.
But the fact is he coulda picked the guy I had at #8, C.J. McCollum, 6-3, shooting guard, from Lehigh. Time will tell whether McCollum might have been a better fit. If he proves to be the 2nd coming of Stephon Curry, you'll know that Flip screwed the pooch. OK, C.J. is just 6-3 and Flip wanted some size. But Flip also wanted a shooting guard and McCollum is a shooting guard, whereas the Wolves' ultimate pick at #14 is not.
I mean, 2-for-1 looks good on paper, sure. But by the time the teams got down to #14 there wasn't a shooting guard in sight. Utah picked Shabazz Muhammad, 6-6, from UCLA, who is listed as a guard on the draft tallies but has really never played guard in his life. He's a small forward. Sergey Karasev, a 6-8 Russian picked at #19 by Cleveland, is listed as a guard, but he hasn't proven that he can play the 2. He's a small forward. And Tony Snell, 6-7 from New Mexico, is listed as a guard but has really been a small forward all his life.
If the idea was to find a shooting guard, #14 wasn't a very auspicious spot to do it, and that was easily foreseeable by the time the draft had wound its way to #9.
Shabazz Muhammad
OK, but now you've got the 14th pick and you gotta make lemonade. So, in Shabazz Muhammad the Wolves have ended up with a guy who is not (yet) a shooting guard and who has fallen from #1 in his class to #14 while Victor Oladipo went almost exactly in the opposite direction. Why? What happened? Well, he's a scorer, they say. And he better be, because he does not do anything else on the court. He does not pass the ball (less than 1 assist per game). He dogs it on defense--he had just 2.5 defensive rebounds per game, less than 1 steal and just 4 blocked shots all year. And, actually, he's not that great of a scorer, he needed a lot of shots to score 18 ppg in his 1st and only season at UCLA. He shot 44 percent from the field, and 38 percent on the 3. Over the last 3 games of the season, as UCLA's season unraveled (losing its final game to massively disappointing Minnesota), he shot 15-of-42 (36 percent) and 0-for-9 for 3 points. With 1.6 turnovers per game, his A/T ratio was 0.5.
And now it turns out that he (and his dad) had lied about his age for his entire life, just so he would look better in the basketball evaluations. 19, they said, but now we know he's 20. Which means there's less upside, less development, less improvement that's likely to occur.
If Flip hadn't rescued the guy, who knows how far he might have fallen.
And, again, he's not a guard, as far as we know. That's what they call him, but that's a wish, not a fact.
Gorgui Dieng
So with the 2nd pick at #21 Flip went big. And luckily there was some big talent on the board around #21, unlike scoring guards at #14. Immediately after Flip picked Dieng, the Nets took Mason Plumlee. Between the 2, I woulda preferred Plumlee.
Plumlee 6-10, 235, 23 years 17 ppg 10 rebounds 1.5 blocks
Dieng 6-11, 245, 23 years 10 ppg 9 rebounds 2.5 blocks
Another way to go, however, was this: Once you find yourself at #14 with no shooting guards available, and if you want a 2 and a big, just go ahead and go big at #14. Immediately after the Shabazz pick at #14, Milwaukee picked 6-9 Giannis Antetokuonmpo from Greece and Boston picked 7-footer Lucas Noguiera from Brazil. Of the 2, Noguiera is both the better prospect and the bigger of the 2 at 7-feet even. He's also bigger than either Plumlee or Dieng, and younger at 20 years, and he's got a massive 7-foot-5 wingspan.
Take Noguiera at #14 and at #21, well, you still don't have a real shooting guard available. So pick somebody you can trade, just like we did at #9!
Summary
So, personally, I think Flip blew it. I'm not a Shabazz fan and while I've got nothin' against Dieng, I like Plumlee better.
So the better play was 1) just take C.J. McCollum at #9 and be done with it.
Or 2) Go big at #14 with Noguiera and do some more trading at #21.
Or 3) take Karasev at #14 and Plumlee at #21.
As it is, I think it's fair to say that neither Shabazz nor Dieng is going to be much of a factor in 2014. We'll find out this weekend whether Nikola Pekovic is going to explore the free agent route or not, and just how much more rebuilding Flip is going to have to do. Trust me, there is more roster management to come. Has to be since the draft didn't plug any of the Wolves' obvious holes. But the Flip Saunders era hasn't started well. Maybe it's our fault (the media, the fans) for ever thinking that this draft would actually matter. But that still doesn't mean Flip didn't make the least of it.
For a lot of people, the NBA draft went south right outta the gate, when the Cleveland Cavaliers picked Tony Bennett with the 1st overall pick. Not that Tony Bennett. This one will be bringing his heart from Las Vegas to Cleveland, where Cavs fans hope he'll want to leave it after the 3 years of his rookie contract are done. We'll see how that goes.
But, there's hardly a draft observer who didn't say the Cavs would go big--meaning either Maryland's Alex Len, 7-1, or 7-footer Nerlens Noel of Kentucky. And almost nobody didn't say the Noel and Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore were the 2 top players in the pool in terms of long-term upside potential.
Well, there was 1 who said the Cavs would not go big, but I said they'd pick Georgetown forward Otto Porter, who ended up going to Washington at #3. But, no, the Cavs grabbed Bennett, and the next 6 teams in line suddenly were all going, "Holy sh*t! What's Plan B? I forget!" And based on what happened next, they weren't that hot on the 2 allegedly best players in the pool and were hoping like crazy that Cleveland and Orlando would get 'em off the table so they wouldn't end up getting stuck with 'em.
But Orlando at #2 went with Indiana guard Victor Oladipo, who went from about #100 to #2 since the start of the college season. Washington took Porter. And with Len and Noel still available, Charlotte had little choice but to go big. But they grabbed another Hoosier, Cody Zeller, who, unlike Len and Noel, has the mobility to play the big forward spot.
So, after 5 picks, the 2 best players in the pool (McLemore and Noel) and the 2 guys who figured to be #1 (Len and Noel) were all 3 still cooling their heels in the green room. But they fell no further and the reluctant recipients of the big 3 were Phoenix (Len at #5), New Orleams (Noel at #6) and Sacramento (McLemore at #7). But then, adding insult to injury, N'Awlins immediately moved Noel to Philadelphia for a dish of jelly beans.
Flip's Picks
But the fact is that all of this had absolutely nothing to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the Wolves and Flip Saunders the draft was humming along, exactly according to plan. It went out of order, to be sure, but by the 7th pick the top 7 were gone and the pool contained exactly the players Flip thought it would.
But that is when the draft went south for Flip Saunders and the Minnesota Timberwolves, when the Detroit Pistons grabbed the guy that everybody knew Flip coveted--6-5 shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of Georgia. Given what transpired later in the evening, you know that Flip called the Pistons on the phone and offered them a couple of draft picks for the rights to KCP. The Pistons presumably said no.
Now it was Flip's turn to go to Plan B. He picked a guy he didn't want, Trey Burke, but who he figured would have the best trade value, then found a trade partner (Utah) who had a pair of 1st round picks remaining (#14 and #21). So far, so good, I guess.
But the fact is he coulda picked the guy I had at #8, C.J. McCollum, 6-3, shooting guard, from Lehigh. Time will tell whether McCollum might have been a better fit. If he proves to be the 2nd coming of Stephon Curry, you'll know that Flip screwed the pooch. OK, C.J. is just 6-3 and Flip wanted some size. But Flip also wanted a shooting guard and McCollum is a shooting guard, whereas the Wolves' ultimate pick at #14 is not.
I mean, 2-for-1 looks good on paper, sure. But by the time the teams got down to #14 there wasn't a shooting guard in sight. Utah picked Shabazz Muhammad, 6-6, from UCLA, who is listed as a guard on the draft tallies but has really never played guard in his life. He's a small forward. Sergey Karasev, a 6-8 Russian picked at #19 by Cleveland, is listed as a guard, but he hasn't proven that he can play the 2. He's a small forward. And Tony Snell, 6-7 from New Mexico, is listed as a guard but has really been a small forward all his life.
If the idea was to find a shooting guard, #14 wasn't a very auspicious spot to do it, and that was easily foreseeable by the time the draft had wound its way to #9.
Shabazz Muhammad
OK, but now you've got the 14th pick and you gotta make lemonade. So, in Shabazz Muhammad the Wolves have ended up with a guy who is not (yet) a shooting guard and who has fallen from #1 in his class to #14 while Victor Oladipo went almost exactly in the opposite direction. Why? What happened? Well, he's a scorer, they say. And he better be, because he does not do anything else on the court. He does not pass the ball (less than 1 assist per game). He dogs it on defense--he had just 2.5 defensive rebounds per game, less than 1 steal and just 4 blocked shots all year. And, actually, he's not that great of a scorer, he needed a lot of shots to score 18 ppg in his 1st and only season at UCLA. He shot 44 percent from the field, and 38 percent on the 3. Over the last 3 games of the season, as UCLA's season unraveled (losing its final game to massively disappointing Minnesota), he shot 15-of-42 (36 percent) and 0-for-9 for 3 points. With 1.6 turnovers per game, his A/T ratio was 0.5.
And now it turns out that he (and his dad) had lied about his age for his entire life, just so he would look better in the basketball evaluations. 19, they said, but now we know he's 20. Which means there's less upside, less development, less improvement that's likely to occur.
If Flip hadn't rescued the guy, who knows how far he might have fallen.
And, again, he's not a guard, as far as we know. That's what they call him, but that's a wish, not a fact.
Gorgui Dieng
So with the 2nd pick at #21 Flip went big. And luckily there was some big talent on the board around #21, unlike scoring guards at #14. Immediately after Flip picked Dieng, the Nets took Mason Plumlee. Between the 2, I woulda preferred Plumlee.
Plumlee 6-10, 235, 23 years 17 ppg 10 rebounds 1.5 blocks
Dieng 6-11, 245, 23 years 10 ppg 9 rebounds 2.5 blocks
Another way to go, however, was this: Once you find yourself at #14 with no shooting guards available, and if you want a 2 and a big, just go ahead and go big at #14. Immediately after the Shabazz pick at #14, Milwaukee picked 6-9 Giannis Antetokuonmpo from Greece and Boston picked 7-footer Lucas Noguiera from Brazil. Of the 2, Noguiera is both the better prospect and the bigger of the 2 at 7-feet even. He's also bigger than either Plumlee or Dieng, and younger at 20 years, and he's got a massive 7-foot-5 wingspan.
Take Noguiera at #14 and at #21, well, you still don't have a real shooting guard available. So pick somebody you can trade, just like we did at #9!
Summary
So, personally, I think Flip blew it. I'm not a Shabazz fan and while I've got nothin' against Dieng, I like Plumlee better.
So the better play was 1) just take C.J. McCollum at #9 and be done with it.
Or 2) Go big at #14 with Noguiera and do some more trading at #21.
Or 3) take Karasev at #14 and Plumlee at #21.
As it is, I think it's fair to say that neither Shabazz nor Dieng is going to be much of a factor in 2014. We'll find out this weekend whether Nikola Pekovic is going to explore the free agent route or not, and just how much more rebuilding Flip is going to have to do. Trust me, there is more roster management to come. Has to be since the draft didn't plug any of the Wolves' obvious holes. But the Flip Saunders era hasn't started well. Maybe it's our fault (the media, the fans) for ever thinking that this draft would actually matter. But that still doesn't mean Flip didn't make the least of it.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Timberwolves and NBA Mock Draft
Well, the T-Wolves managed for the 24th consecutive year to NOT improve their position in the NBA draft. Let's hope that that does NOT indicate that they're going to have a normal T-Wolves draft in the more important respect. That is, that they are NOT going to make some pick that quickly comes to be seen as an obvious faux pas, a lå Ndudi Ebi and Wes Johnson and Jonny Flynn and...and...and....
Toward that end, I'm here to help the T-Wolves and Flip Saunders make the right selection. Yeah, right. I'm the guy who suggested Wes Johnson a couple years ago, I admit it. If this was easy, then David Kahn could have done it. But it's not easy, not at all. But here is how the 2013 draft should go.
1. Cleveland. Those lucky Cavs. Only the 3rd worst team in the NBA but now proud owners of the 1st choice in the 2013 draft. Too bad 2013 looks like a historically weak and terrible draft. And, why not? How the hell do you know if Joe Blow can play in the NBA at the age of 19? It's like colleges recruiting 8th graders. You don't have a clue who's got the best future ahead at a point like that. But it's a free market and if 19 year olds want to play pro ball, who can tell 'em, No? The kids win, the teams lose. It's hard to argue against logic like that.
So anyway, Cleveland. They're not the worst team in the NBA, so they can actually draft to need. They've got a great young point guard in Kyrie Irving and couple of passable bigs in Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson. They have Dion Waiters at the shooting guard. So what they need is a classic 3. Well, sorry, the "best available athlete"is either a 5 or a 2. What to do, what to do?
I say, well, 1st, I don't like Nerlens Noel. And Ben McLemore, well, everybody says he has the most upside, but he's also a little bit passive and is a big risk. So, I say, pick to your need, since the guy universally regarded as the #3 pick fits your need, and he's a guy with virtually no downside. He may never be as good as McLemore, but he will not blow up in your face. The pick is Otto Porter, Georgetown, 6-9, small forward, who people compare to Tayshaun Prince. If you're going to live to regret this pick, regret pickin' the guy who you thought might have helped you right away, rather than some guy who's going to come into his own after Kyrie Irving has already passed his prime.
2. Orlando. OK, now Orlando, unlike Cleveland, really is the worst team in the NBA. Their best players are Aron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson and, I don't know, who? Nikola Vucevic? Tobias Harris? Let's be honest. It doesn't matter. This is a team where you would replace their best player if you had a lottery draft pick and that was the best player available. So, who is the best player available? Again, it comes down to Noel or McLemore. I'm not that high on either one, but #4 is not an option. So I would go with Nerlens Noel, Kentucky, 6-11, power forward-center. He gives you a credible defensive presence. Who would give you as much of an assurance of an offensive presence? If there is anybody out there, by all means, pick 'im. But, I think, there's not.
3. Washington. Another horrible team that needs to start just by adding 1 credible professional, don't care what position he plays. McLemore, Oladipo or Bennett? Bennett, Oladipo or McLemore. But their 2 best players are guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. You still want to pick a guard? But, hey, Tony Bennett is a big stretch at 3 except, I suppose, in that city by the bay. So it says here that Ben McLemore, Kansas, 6-5, shooting guard, doesn't fall any farther than this.
4. Charlotte. And I guess they're the Hornets, again? Oh, joy. Conjuring up images of those powerhouse Charlotte Hornets of the past. And being the 2nd worst team in the NBA last year and getting the 4th draft pick? How's that Hornets thing workin' for ya?
But, seriously, like Cleveland a year or 2 ago, they at least have the 1st piece, that being a 1, and that being Kemba Walker. Then there's Gerald Henderson, Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon, all sharing the 2. But the front court? Oy vey. So if the "best available athlete" is Oladipo, Bennett or Trey Burke, you go with the guy who can play in the front court, right? I mean, unless 1 of these other guys is Michael Jordan. But, you know what? He's not. So it's Anthony Bennett, UNLV, 6-7, power forward. Though at 6-7 and with an injury history, ya gotta wonder if that's the best that can be done at #4. And yet, Cody Zeller or Alex Len or Kelly Olynyk look like big stretches up here. So the newly re-christened Hornets will leave their heart with Tony Bennett.
5. Phoenix. With the demise of Steve Nash, everybody is waiting for the Suns to pick a point guard. And, as it happens, there's 1 lurking. But, seriously, the Suns' best player is a point guard. Goran Dragic. Surely you've heard of him. 15 ppg, 44 percent shooting, 7 assists, 3 turnovers. So who says Phoenix has to take a 1?
OK, but seriously, if Goran Dragic is your best player, you are not going to make the playoffs. But, again, you can make your best player be somebody better than Goran Dragic while replacing your 4th or 5th best player instead of your best 1, can't you. And that means Victor Oladipo, Indiana, 6-4, shooting guard, rather than his teammate Cody Zeller or Big 10 rival Trey Burke of Michigan . But, wait, seriously, Oladipo has more upside than Trey Burke? No, I didn't think so. But he also has much less downside, and he fits the need. So there you have it.
6. New Orleans. The Pelican briefs are another of those teams that would be happy to replace their best player if they could. Considering that would be Eric Gordon, they won't have the opportunity. The "best available athlete," depending on whether you like upside or the absence of downside, would have to be Michael Carter-Williams (a 6-6 point guard!?) or Cody Zeller. But in between there, with less downside that CW and more upside than Cody Zeller, you've got Trey Burke, Michigan, 6-1, point guard, and there are those in N'Awlins who see Burke as the next Chris Paul, or at least the next Kemba Walker. At a minimum he can upgrade the position over Greivis Vasquez.
7. Sacramento. I mean, Seattle. I mean, Sacramento. With Tyreke Evans, John Salmons and Isaiah Thomas, the Kings need some inside help a lot more than perimeter. At #7, that means Cody Zeller, Indiana, 6-11, power forward, who can help DeMarcus Cousins in the paint. Some people see the next LaMarcus Aldridge. Others wonder what they're smokin' but that's another conversation.
8. Detroit. After moving Tayshaun Prince, a forward would be an obvious need. Unfortunately, the 8th pick comes at a time when forwards are in short supply. The"best available athlete" looks like C.J. McCollum, Lehigh, 6-3, combo guard. So the Pistons will grab him, as they should. Maybe than can move a guard--whether Jose Calderon or Brandon Knight or Rodney Stuckey--for a bigger athlete.
9. Minnesota. Finally, the pick you've been waiting for. The conventional wisdom would be that the Wolves need a guard. I mean, their top 3 scorers last year on a ppg basis were Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and AK 47. But forget convention. You've already got a stretch 4 who is gonna hit a half dozen 3s for every dunk, and a 6-5 point guard from Mars. But, of course, there's no guarantee that the post from Jupiter is going to be back. What to do? Go unconventional some more. Pick Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse, 6-6, point guard. Put him out there with Rubio and dare his teammates to keep up. Especially if coach Rick Adelman comes back, he can figure out a scheme to make use of another unconventional talent. Of course, after Flynn and Johnson, the Wolves might be reluctant to pick another Syracuse player, and who could blame 'em?
10. Portland. The 'Blazers would seem to need somebody to help LaMarcus Aldridge inside. The only question is whether that would be Alex Len or Kelly Olynyk. Again, it's convention vs. un-convention, and upside vs. the lack of downside. I see Olynyk, for the record, as being unconventional and the bigger risk. So the team that took Damian Lillard last year (who?) can be counted on to take Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, 7-0, post, this time.
11. Philadelphia. Doh. Another team that needs some size and Alex Len, Maryland, 7-1, post, is right there for the taking. Philly has no reason not to take.
12. Oklahoma City. Aside from somebody who can keep Russell Westbrook healthy and in the lineup, the Thunderous ones would seem to need some size. Unfortunately, the size has all been consumed (Olynyk, Len) in this part of the draft. So why not just go with your strength. Another scorer. Shabazz Muhummad, UCLA, 6-6, small forward. Very unconventional.
13. Dallas. Don't get me wrong. The Mavs ain't bad. But they are ancient. So "best available athlete" would pretty much sum it up, and Dennis Schroeder, Braunschweig (Germany), 6-2, point guard looks to fill the bill. He would be a huge upgrade over Darren Collison and Mike James.
14. Utah. Another team that isn't bad, and yet they don't have anybody that's untouchable. "Best available" would seem to be Sergey Karasev, Triumph (Russia), 6-8, small forward.
15. Milwaukee. This would seem to be a club that could use a little size to go with guards Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. Some people like Rudy Gobert, but I'm not among them and I don't think the Milwaukee Bucks would miss something that is obvious even to me. So I think the Bucks go for Mason Plumlee, Duke, 6-11, power forward. There's not a tremendous lot of upside, but there's fairly little downside. What you see is what you get.
16. Boston. Another ancient team that can just as well grab the "best available" and start reducing the minutes of guys like Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce. "Best available" here is clearly Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia, 6-5, shooting guard.
17-18. Atlanta. A guy who can score would be good, followed by another guy who can score, or else a post. Gobert might be tempting here but Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State, 6-5, shooting guard is better. And then even just among the posts Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, 6-10, post might be a better choice. The pickin's are gettin' a little thin out here.
19. Cleveland. Having filled its greatest need, now's the time for the "best available." That would be Dario Saric, Cibona Zagreb, 6-10, power forward.
20. Chicago. A new athletic guard to run with Derrick Rose next year would be good, though it's true that you might have to reach a little right here. Still, Allen Crabbe, California, 6-6, shooting guard, is probably a reasonable risk.
21. Utah. I picked a small forward for them with their 1st pick. Now they could really use a guard, but there aren't many to choose from. Shane Larkin at 5-11? Not my cup of tea. Tim Hardaway? No. Maybe Erick Green of Virginia Tech. But still a reach. So let's go big. No, not Gobert, but Steven Adams, Pittsburgh, 7-0, center.
22. New York Nets. The truth is you're unlikely to upgrade anything at #22, but the Nets could hope to do so at the power forward spot. They could hope, but they wouldn't and couldn't accomplish it. Not that there aren't some power forwards out there, but they're projects, guys who probably won't contribute for 3-4 years. Still, Lucas Nogueira, Brazil, 7-0, power forward, is an intriguing talent and as good as you're gonna do at #22.
23. Indiana. How to get over the top, to compete with LeBron and Dwayne? Probably can't be done in the draft. But Shane Larkin, Miami Fla., 5-11, point guard, is about as ready to contribute as anybody. The upside is limited by his size, among other things, but he could play some minutes next year and add a little quickness to the Pacers bag of tricks.
24. New York Knicks. How to get over the top, to compete with Indiana? Size, size and more size would be nice. But, unfortunately, most of the size that's still available and projected to the 1st or early 2nd round is soft size. DeShaun Thomas, Ohio State, 6-7, combo forward, is undersized to be sure, but has the toughness to play inside, which is more than you can say for some of the 7-footers.
25. Los Angeles Clippers. How to get over the top...? The Clips also need size to complement Blake Griffin inside, and as we've already pointed out, the big guys who remain are a reach. But if you're gonna reach, reach for an old hand who's ready to go. That would be Jeff Withey, Kansas, 7-0, center.
26. Minnesota. Having added some size on the perimeter, the Wolves also will now be looking for size inside, and as we've already pointed out.... So Tony Mitchell, North Texas, 6-9, combo forward, is a bit of a reach in the sense that, while he's 6-9, he's probably a better fit out on the wing. But he's the best there is at this point.
27. Denver. How to get over the top...? Perimeter oriented in the extreme, Denver really needs some size. But finally you have to say, it ain't gonna happen. No more reaching for size. Best guy standing is Tony Snell, New Mexico, 6-7, small forward.
28. San Antonio. Here's a team that really can just take the best guy standing and at this point it's somebody with Michigan genes, either Tim Hardaway, Jr., or Glen Rice, Jr. I guess I prefer Glen Rice, Jr., NBA D-League, 6-5, swing man.
29. Oklahoma City. Ditto. I mean, having picked Shabazz Muhammad at #12, I guess size would be nice, but we've talked about that. So, now, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan, 6-6, swing man.
30. Phoenix. Having picked Victor Oladipo previously, again, size would be nice. So who has more downside, Rudy Gobert or Giannis Antetekuompo? Both have some upside, physically. Gobert has been projected into the lottery by some. But neither has really done a damn thing with all those physical gifts yet, and frankly I don't think either one will. But somebody will find 1 of them irresistible, and I suppose that would be Rudy Gobert, France, 7-2, center. Best case, he'll be ready to contribute in 2018.
So, all in all, this is indeed a weak draft, and not many teams will be better next year because of the draft.
Toward that end, I'm here to help the T-Wolves and Flip Saunders make the right selection. Yeah, right. I'm the guy who suggested Wes Johnson a couple years ago, I admit it. If this was easy, then David Kahn could have done it. But it's not easy, not at all. But here is how the 2013 draft should go.
1. Cleveland. Those lucky Cavs. Only the 3rd worst team in the NBA but now proud owners of the 1st choice in the 2013 draft. Too bad 2013 looks like a historically weak and terrible draft. And, why not? How the hell do you know if Joe Blow can play in the NBA at the age of 19? It's like colleges recruiting 8th graders. You don't have a clue who's got the best future ahead at a point like that. But it's a free market and if 19 year olds want to play pro ball, who can tell 'em, No? The kids win, the teams lose. It's hard to argue against logic like that.
So anyway, Cleveland. They're not the worst team in the NBA, so they can actually draft to need. They've got a great young point guard in Kyrie Irving and couple of passable bigs in Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson. They have Dion Waiters at the shooting guard. So what they need is a classic 3. Well, sorry, the "best available athlete"is either a 5 or a 2. What to do, what to do?
I say, well, 1st, I don't like Nerlens Noel. And Ben McLemore, well, everybody says he has the most upside, but he's also a little bit passive and is a big risk. So, I say, pick to your need, since the guy universally regarded as the #3 pick fits your need, and he's a guy with virtually no downside. He may never be as good as McLemore, but he will not blow up in your face. The pick is Otto Porter, Georgetown, 6-9, small forward, who people compare to Tayshaun Prince. If you're going to live to regret this pick, regret pickin' the guy who you thought might have helped you right away, rather than some guy who's going to come into his own after Kyrie Irving has already passed his prime.
2. Orlando. OK, now Orlando, unlike Cleveland, really is the worst team in the NBA. Their best players are Aron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson and, I don't know, who? Nikola Vucevic? Tobias Harris? Let's be honest. It doesn't matter. This is a team where you would replace their best player if you had a lottery draft pick and that was the best player available. So, who is the best player available? Again, it comes down to Noel or McLemore. I'm not that high on either one, but #4 is not an option. So I would go with Nerlens Noel, Kentucky, 6-11, power forward-center. He gives you a credible defensive presence. Who would give you as much of an assurance of an offensive presence? If there is anybody out there, by all means, pick 'im. But, I think, there's not.
3. Washington. Another horrible team that needs to start just by adding 1 credible professional, don't care what position he plays. McLemore, Oladipo or Bennett? Bennett, Oladipo or McLemore. But their 2 best players are guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. You still want to pick a guard? But, hey, Tony Bennett is a big stretch at 3 except, I suppose, in that city by the bay. So it says here that Ben McLemore, Kansas, 6-5, shooting guard, doesn't fall any farther than this.
4. Charlotte. And I guess they're the Hornets, again? Oh, joy. Conjuring up images of those powerhouse Charlotte Hornets of the past. And being the 2nd worst team in the NBA last year and getting the 4th draft pick? How's that Hornets thing workin' for ya?
But, seriously, like Cleveland a year or 2 ago, they at least have the 1st piece, that being a 1, and that being Kemba Walker. Then there's Gerald Henderson, Ramon Sessions and Ben Gordon, all sharing the 2. But the front court? Oy vey. So if the "best available athlete" is Oladipo, Bennett or Trey Burke, you go with the guy who can play in the front court, right? I mean, unless 1 of these other guys is Michael Jordan. But, you know what? He's not. So it's Anthony Bennett, UNLV, 6-7, power forward. Though at 6-7 and with an injury history, ya gotta wonder if that's the best that can be done at #4. And yet, Cody Zeller or Alex Len or Kelly Olynyk look like big stretches up here. So the newly re-christened Hornets will leave their heart with Tony Bennett.
5. Phoenix. With the demise of Steve Nash, everybody is waiting for the Suns to pick a point guard. And, as it happens, there's 1 lurking. But, seriously, the Suns' best player is a point guard. Goran Dragic. Surely you've heard of him. 15 ppg, 44 percent shooting, 7 assists, 3 turnovers. So who says Phoenix has to take a 1?
OK, but seriously, if Goran Dragic is your best player, you are not going to make the playoffs. But, again, you can make your best player be somebody better than Goran Dragic while replacing your 4th or 5th best player instead of your best 1, can't you. And that means Victor Oladipo, Indiana, 6-4, shooting guard, rather than his teammate Cody Zeller or Big 10 rival Trey Burke of Michigan . But, wait, seriously, Oladipo has more upside than Trey Burke? No, I didn't think so. But he also has much less downside, and he fits the need. So there you have it.
6. New Orleans. The Pelican briefs are another of those teams that would be happy to replace their best player if they could. Considering that would be Eric Gordon, they won't have the opportunity. The "best available athlete," depending on whether you like upside or the absence of downside, would have to be Michael Carter-Williams (a 6-6 point guard!?) or Cody Zeller. But in between there, with less downside that CW and more upside than Cody Zeller, you've got Trey Burke, Michigan, 6-1, point guard, and there are those in N'Awlins who see Burke as the next Chris Paul, or at least the next Kemba Walker. At a minimum he can upgrade the position over Greivis Vasquez.
7. Sacramento. I mean, Seattle. I mean, Sacramento. With Tyreke Evans, John Salmons and Isaiah Thomas, the Kings need some inside help a lot more than perimeter. At #7, that means Cody Zeller, Indiana, 6-11, power forward, who can help DeMarcus Cousins in the paint. Some people see the next LaMarcus Aldridge. Others wonder what they're smokin' but that's another conversation.
8. Detroit. After moving Tayshaun Prince, a forward would be an obvious need. Unfortunately, the 8th pick comes at a time when forwards are in short supply. The"best available athlete" looks like C.J. McCollum, Lehigh, 6-3, combo guard. So the Pistons will grab him, as they should. Maybe than can move a guard--whether Jose Calderon or Brandon Knight or Rodney Stuckey--for a bigger athlete.
9. Minnesota. Finally, the pick you've been waiting for. The conventional wisdom would be that the Wolves need a guard. I mean, their top 3 scorers last year on a ppg basis were Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and AK 47. But forget convention. You've already got a stretch 4 who is gonna hit a half dozen 3s for every dunk, and a 6-5 point guard from Mars. But, of course, there's no guarantee that the post from Jupiter is going to be back. What to do? Go unconventional some more. Pick Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse, 6-6, point guard. Put him out there with Rubio and dare his teammates to keep up. Especially if coach Rick Adelman comes back, he can figure out a scheme to make use of another unconventional talent. Of course, after Flynn and Johnson, the Wolves might be reluctant to pick another Syracuse player, and who could blame 'em?
10. Portland. The 'Blazers would seem to need somebody to help LaMarcus Aldridge inside. The only question is whether that would be Alex Len or Kelly Olynyk. Again, it's convention vs. un-convention, and upside vs. the lack of downside. I see Olynyk, for the record, as being unconventional and the bigger risk. So the team that took Damian Lillard last year (who?) can be counted on to take Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, 7-0, post, this time.
11. Philadelphia. Doh. Another team that needs some size and Alex Len, Maryland, 7-1, post, is right there for the taking. Philly has no reason not to take.
12. Oklahoma City. Aside from somebody who can keep Russell Westbrook healthy and in the lineup, the Thunderous ones would seem to need some size. Unfortunately, the size has all been consumed (Olynyk, Len) in this part of the draft. So why not just go with your strength. Another scorer. Shabazz Muhummad, UCLA, 6-6, small forward. Very unconventional.
13. Dallas. Don't get me wrong. The Mavs ain't bad. But they are ancient. So "best available athlete" would pretty much sum it up, and Dennis Schroeder, Braunschweig (Germany), 6-2, point guard looks to fill the bill. He would be a huge upgrade over Darren Collison and Mike James.
14. Utah. Another team that isn't bad, and yet they don't have anybody that's untouchable. "Best available" would seem to be Sergey Karasev, Triumph (Russia), 6-8, small forward.
15. Milwaukee. This would seem to be a club that could use a little size to go with guards Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. Some people like Rudy Gobert, but I'm not among them and I don't think the Milwaukee Bucks would miss something that is obvious even to me. So I think the Bucks go for Mason Plumlee, Duke, 6-11, power forward. There's not a tremendous lot of upside, but there's fairly little downside. What you see is what you get.
16. Boston. Another ancient team that can just as well grab the "best available" and start reducing the minutes of guys like Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce. "Best available" here is clearly Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia, 6-5, shooting guard.
17-18. Atlanta. A guy who can score would be good, followed by another guy who can score, or else a post. Gobert might be tempting here but Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State, 6-5, shooting guard is better. And then even just among the posts Gorgui Dieng, Louisville, 6-10, post might be a better choice. The pickin's are gettin' a little thin out here.
19. Cleveland. Having filled its greatest need, now's the time for the "best available." That would be Dario Saric, Cibona Zagreb, 6-10, power forward.
20. Chicago. A new athletic guard to run with Derrick Rose next year would be good, though it's true that you might have to reach a little right here. Still, Allen Crabbe, California, 6-6, shooting guard, is probably a reasonable risk.
21. Utah. I picked a small forward for them with their 1st pick. Now they could really use a guard, but there aren't many to choose from. Shane Larkin at 5-11? Not my cup of tea. Tim Hardaway? No. Maybe Erick Green of Virginia Tech. But still a reach. So let's go big. No, not Gobert, but Steven Adams, Pittsburgh, 7-0, center.
22. New York Nets. The truth is you're unlikely to upgrade anything at #22, but the Nets could hope to do so at the power forward spot. They could hope, but they wouldn't and couldn't accomplish it. Not that there aren't some power forwards out there, but they're projects, guys who probably won't contribute for 3-4 years. Still, Lucas Nogueira, Brazil, 7-0, power forward, is an intriguing talent and as good as you're gonna do at #22.
23. Indiana. How to get over the top, to compete with LeBron and Dwayne? Probably can't be done in the draft. But Shane Larkin, Miami Fla., 5-11, point guard, is about as ready to contribute as anybody. The upside is limited by his size, among other things, but he could play some minutes next year and add a little quickness to the Pacers bag of tricks.
24. New York Knicks. How to get over the top, to compete with Indiana? Size, size and more size would be nice. But, unfortunately, most of the size that's still available and projected to the 1st or early 2nd round is soft size. DeShaun Thomas, Ohio State, 6-7, combo forward, is undersized to be sure, but has the toughness to play inside, which is more than you can say for some of the 7-footers.
25. Los Angeles Clippers. How to get over the top...? The Clips also need size to complement Blake Griffin inside, and as we've already pointed out, the big guys who remain are a reach. But if you're gonna reach, reach for an old hand who's ready to go. That would be Jeff Withey, Kansas, 7-0, center.
26. Minnesota. Having added some size on the perimeter, the Wolves also will now be looking for size inside, and as we've already pointed out.... So Tony Mitchell, North Texas, 6-9, combo forward, is a bit of a reach in the sense that, while he's 6-9, he's probably a better fit out on the wing. But he's the best there is at this point.
27. Denver. How to get over the top...? Perimeter oriented in the extreme, Denver really needs some size. But finally you have to say, it ain't gonna happen. No more reaching for size. Best guy standing is Tony Snell, New Mexico, 6-7, small forward.
28. San Antonio. Here's a team that really can just take the best guy standing and at this point it's somebody with Michigan genes, either Tim Hardaway, Jr., or Glen Rice, Jr. I guess I prefer Glen Rice, Jr., NBA D-League, 6-5, swing man.
29. Oklahoma City. Ditto. I mean, having picked Shabazz Muhammad at #12, I guess size would be nice, but we've talked about that. So, now, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Michigan, 6-6, swing man.
30. Phoenix. Having picked Victor Oladipo previously, again, size would be nice. So who has more downside, Rudy Gobert or Giannis Antetekuompo? Both have some upside, physically. Gobert has been projected into the lottery by some. But neither has really done a damn thing with all those physical gifts yet, and frankly I don't think either one will. But somebody will find 1 of them irresistible, and I suppose that would be Rudy Gobert, France, 7-2, center. Best case, he'll be ready to contribute in 2018.
So, all in all, this is indeed a weak draft, and not many teams will be better next year because of the draft.
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Big Game March 4--Miami Heat 97 Minnesota Timberwolves 81
It was 6:05 when my buddy Mase called to say that he couldn't use his Timberwolves tickets tonight. Let's see. I've got 55 minutes to finish dinner, change clothes, brush my teeth, find somebody to ride shotgun, and get my ass from Stillwater down to the Target Center for a 7 p.m. gametime. I must have hesitated because he added, I'm really pissed that I'm going to miss LeBron the one time he comes here all year long. I knew that. I'm good, I said.
Well, I never did find that shotgun, and I missed the first 1:30, enough time for the Wolves to take a 4-0 lead. Quickly it was 6-0 as Ricky Rubio hit a pretty reverse layup. Looks like a rout, I thought. NOT. This won't last is more like it, and it didn't. 6-0 was their largest lead of the night. 8-7 was the last lead of the night. Suddenly it was 15-8, then 20-12, then 29-18.
And don't let anybody tell you any different. Miami is LeBron and Wade, Wade and LeBron. For most of the night, Luke Ridnour guarded Wade while Mickael Gelabale guarded LeBron, each giving up 35-45 pounds. At one point in the 2nd half, I noted that LeBron and Wade had out-scored Ridnour and Gelabale 40-10. The final tally was 52-15.
Nevertheless the officials, especially #14 Ed Malloy, thought the Heat needed their help, and it was delivered. The Wolves fought back time after time, and trailed 71-68 after a 3 by Alexey Shved and 76-70 after a Shved layup at 8:19. Down at the other end Ray Allen clearly pushed off J.J. Barea with his off hand, then took off for the rim. Barea recovered and raced to intervene, which he did, giving Allen a bump, one that failed to knock Allen off his feet. Initially the officials called a flagrant-1 foul, which was totally inappropriate. But after Allen went after Barea, 5 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter, the officials asked Mr. Allen what would be his pleasure, apparently, and his pleasure would be a flagrant-2 and an ejection, and that is what Barea now got. Before they could get the clock started again, Adelman got a T.
It is dangerous, of course, to be right when the officials are wrong. So the next 2 times down the court the Wolves were whistled for offensive fouls. Shved hit a 3 and was clearly whacked across the arms. No call. In fact, when the Wolves shot a 3, Miami as often as not put the shooter on the ground. All night long, not a single call on a 3.
Bottom line: Miami plays physical, they play hard, they get away with shit, and they cannot be beaten when they are doing those 3 things. They go to the rim and when they do, their teammates find them for dunks and layups in large numbers: 24 of 38 FG tonight were dunks and layups. Their passing is impeccable. They out-scored Minnesota 21-9 after Barea's so-called "hit," with 15 of those 21 points coming on dunks and layups.
Miami shot 24-of-28 (86 percent) on layups and dunks, 14-of-46 (30 percent) on all other shots. LeBron 7-of-8 on dunks and layups, 2-of-8 otherwise. They're just another team when they're not dunking.
Player of the Day: #14 in the gray, official Ed Malloy, did what the Heat had been unable to do, he made sure the Wolves rally came to a halt
Well, I never did find that shotgun, and I missed the first 1:30, enough time for the Wolves to take a 4-0 lead. Quickly it was 6-0 as Ricky Rubio hit a pretty reverse layup. Looks like a rout, I thought. NOT. This won't last is more like it, and it didn't. 6-0 was their largest lead of the night. 8-7 was the last lead of the night. Suddenly it was 15-8, then 20-12, then 29-18.
And don't let anybody tell you any different. Miami is LeBron and Wade, Wade and LeBron. For most of the night, Luke Ridnour guarded Wade while Mickael Gelabale guarded LeBron, each giving up 35-45 pounds. At one point in the 2nd half, I noted that LeBron and Wade had out-scored Ridnour and Gelabale 40-10. The final tally was 52-15.
Nevertheless the officials, especially #14 Ed Malloy, thought the Heat needed their help, and it was delivered. The Wolves fought back time after time, and trailed 71-68 after a 3 by Alexey Shved and 76-70 after a Shved layup at 8:19. Down at the other end Ray Allen clearly pushed off J.J. Barea with his off hand, then took off for the rim. Barea recovered and raced to intervene, which he did, giving Allen a bump, one that failed to knock Allen off his feet. Initially the officials called a flagrant-1 foul, which was totally inappropriate. But after Allen went after Barea, 5 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter, the officials asked Mr. Allen what would be his pleasure, apparently, and his pleasure would be a flagrant-2 and an ejection, and that is what Barea now got. Before they could get the clock started again, Adelman got a T.
It is dangerous, of course, to be right when the officials are wrong. So the next 2 times down the court the Wolves were whistled for offensive fouls. Shved hit a 3 and was clearly whacked across the arms. No call. In fact, when the Wolves shot a 3, Miami as often as not put the shooter on the ground. All night long, not a single call on a 3.
Bottom line: Miami plays physical, they play hard, they get away with shit, and they cannot be beaten when they are doing those 3 things. They go to the rim and when they do, their teammates find them for dunks and layups in large numbers: 24 of 38 FG tonight were dunks and layups. Their passing is impeccable. They out-scored Minnesota 21-9 after Barea's so-called "hit," with 15 of those 21 points coming on dunks and layups.
Miami shot 24-of-28 (86 percent) on layups and dunks, 14-of-46 (30 percent) on all other shots. LeBron 7-of-8 on dunks and layups, 2-of-8 otherwise. They're just another team when they're not dunking.
Player of the Day: #14 in the gray, official Ed Malloy, did what the Heat had been unable to do, he made sure the Wolves rally came to a halt
Friday, February 15, 2013
NBA 2013 Mock Draft 1.0
It's that time of year again when the Timberwolves have nothing left to play for, and so Minnesota basketball fans' thoughts turn to the NBA draft and dreams that maybe the Wolves can find an answer to their torpor thereby.
Well, good luck with that. It's probably the weakest draft class in a decade, among both the U.S. and international pools. Of course 1st comes the lottery in which teams better than Charlotte, Washington and Orlando will swoop in and grab the top 3 picks. But that's a crapshoot. Can't forecast that unless you're willing to be tried as a witch and very likely burned at the stake. So, just pretending that the draft actually goes in reverse order of W-L, excepting of course for those picks stupidly traded away by lousy teams for lousy veterans....
1. Charlotte (currently .220). Well, the Bobcats held on to their pick and their reward is Shabazz Muhammad, 6-6, small forward, UCLA? That's right, I am not kidding. A smallish front-court guy with Tourette's Syndrome. Well, let me just say that the Tourette's didn't kill him. He's scoring 19 ppg as a true freshman at UCLA and he is said to remind people of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, meaning among other things great work ethic in practice and on game day. But equally, Charlotte actually has some players for such an awful team. Kemba Walker, for one. Ramon Sessions for 2. So what's needed is some help in the front court. I'll grant that Muhammad might not be the most likely suspect based on size alone. But he will play the forward spot and he will score. In a weak draft, that's enough, for the Bobcats, at least.
2. Washington (.286). Washington needs everything, even a point guard, despite having picked one with the overall #1 pick a couple years ago. Still, I had 'em going for Nerlens Noel, 6-11, power forward, Kentucky, until he tore his ACL and went out for the season. I'm thinking he stays in school another year, but either way he either drops down or out of the draft. So, another 6-11 power forward gets the call. Cody Zeller, 6-11, power forward, Indiana. A sophomore Zeller is just slightly more ready. He reminds people of LaMarcus Aldridge with his 17 points, 8 boards and a block line, and he also runs the floor.
3. Orlando (.294). Another outfit that needs everything but a shooting guard, and so Ben McLemore sits some more. Here, that means Alex Len, 7-1, center, Maryland, the 2nd sophomore to be picked in the top 3. He reminds people of Zydrunas Ilgauskus, and I mention that only to remind you of what I've now said twice (and, now, 3 times), this ain't much of a draft. Len's line so far this year is 13 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks.
4. Cleveland (.314). OK, we're now starting to get to teams that have something to build on. In Cleveland's case it's Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao, a couple of tent-poles, no less, though Varjao will be coming back from an injury. And they used their #1 pick last year on shooting guard Dion Waiters, but they still need scoring, so again McLemore waits while Anthony Bennett, 6-7 small forward, UNLV, who oddly enough reminds people of Larry Johnson, gets the call. He's scoring 19 points with 9 boards as a true freshman. In a perfect world, of course, Bennett would go to Golden State, where he would be known as Tony, and everyone would live happily ever after. Ain't gonna happen, Tony, er, Anthony. Hey, does anybody know any songs about Cleveland? I didn't think so.
5. Pheonix (.327). When the lottery is announced and we know who's really gonna pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd (and my guess is L.A., New York and Miami but, hey, what do I know), the picks above will change. As noted, this is a weak-ass draft. Ask 30 teams who's #1 and nobody gets more than 10 votes. So teams will be picking to need. But the guy who would get the most votes (about 9, to be exact) would probably be Ben McLemore, 6-5, shooting guard, Kansas. It's just that the teams listed above are far worse off elsewhere than at shooting guard. So, Phoenix, in this particular scenario, gets lucky and gets probably the freshman with the least downside, the least likelihood of blowing up in your face. He's averaging 16 points and 6 boards as a true freshman, and reminds people of Ray Allen. (By the time Pheonix picks McLemore, in this particular universe, Charlotte will probably already be having buyer's remorse and will be calling to offer Muhammad straight up for McLemore, to which Pheonix will say, No thanks, then WTF, these people are crazy.
6. New Orleans (.333). The Pelican Briefs need a small forward and 6-8 sophomore Otto Porter, small forward, Georgetown, beckons. Porter reminds people of Stacy Augmon with a line of 13 points, 8 boards and 3 assists. But his claim to fame initially is as a lock-down defender. Who doesn't need some of that?
7. Sacramento (.365). The soon-to-be Seattle SuperSonics will pick a point guard. But which one? The candidates are Marcus Smart, 6-4, point guard, Oklahoma State, a freshman, and Michael Carter-Williams, 6-6, point guard, Syracuse, a sophomore. Smart is the smart pick, Carter-Williams the daring pick, and who can't be a little bit daring when you've got a 6-6 point guard out there. He's averaging 12 points, 5 boards and 10 assists, and reminds people of the young Shaun Livingston, before the knee. (This pick breaks the Timberwolves collective hearts, by the way.)
8. Oklahoma City from Toronto (.373). What could the Thunder possibly need? Well, aside from replacing James Harden? And I know just the man for the job. That would be Alex Poythress, 6-8, small forward, Kentucky. I mean, no, he's no James Harden. Nobody in this draft is James Harden. But Poythress, with his 14 points, 6 boards line as a true freshman, at least reminds people of Thaddeus Young, and that will have to do.
9. Minnesota (.375). So, finally, the Timberwolves. Detroit is on their heels (at .385, but it's gonna take a real winning streak to catch Dallas at .440, so hopefully the pick will be no worse than #10. But we'll say #9 for the moment. What do the Wolves need? Don't answer that. But obviously you build around Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio. And yet, and yet, not only is the best athlete remaining in the draft a point guard, the guy who fills the Wolves' needs the best is a point guard, Marcus Smart, 6-4, point guard, Oklahoma State. With all due respect to Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea, the little fellows with the big hearts, well, enough with the little fellows already. Here's a guy who can back up Ricky Rubio and play, well, defense, anyway, like Ricky Rubio, and maintain some continuity in terms of your game plan when the Great One is on the bench. One of the other guys can still be Mr. Instant Offense in the 4th quarter but one of them becomes trade bait, Barea probably having more value than Ridnour. Maybe Barea and Derrick Williams, together, can bring in another shooter.
And after that--after the Timberwolves make their pick--who really cares, right? We'll finish the lottery and maybe the whole first round some day, probably after the high school state tournaments.
But for now we will just note that the Wolves have a 2nd 1st round pick that figures to come in somewhere between #18 and #26.
Then there's this. Most of the mock drafts that go the full 2 rounds have 4, count 'em, 4 Minnesotans listed:
• Nate Wolters, from St. Cloud Tech and South Dakota State, is generally the highest rated
• Rodney Williams, Cooper and Minnesota is next
• Then Trevor Mbakwe of Minnesota
• And finally Mike Muscala of Roseville and Bucknell. He is probably the 4th among this group by consensus, but he is the only 1 I've seen in the 1st round, though only 1 time.
Well, good luck with that. It's probably the weakest draft class in a decade, among both the U.S. and international pools. Of course 1st comes the lottery in which teams better than Charlotte, Washington and Orlando will swoop in and grab the top 3 picks. But that's a crapshoot. Can't forecast that unless you're willing to be tried as a witch and very likely burned at the stake. So, just pretending that the draft actually goes in reverse order of W-L, excepting of course for those picks stupidly traded away by lousy teams for lousy veterans....
1. Charlotte (currently .220). Well, the Bobcats held on to their pick and their reward is Shabazz Muhammad, 6-6, small forward, UCLA? That's right, I am not kidding. A smallish front-court guy with Tourette's Syndrome. Well, let me just say that the Tourette's didn't kill him. He's scoring 19 ppg as a true freshman at UCLA and he is said to remind people of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, meaning among other things great work ethic in practice and on game day. But equally, Charlotte actually has some players for such an awful team. Kemba Walker, for one. Ramon Sessions for 2. So what's needed is some help in the front court. I'll grant that Muhammad might not be the most likely suspect based on size alone. But he will play the forward spot and he will score. In a weak draft, that's enough, for the Bobcats, at least.
2. Washington (.286). Washington needs everything, even a point guard, despite having picked one with the overall #1 pick a couple years ago. Still, I had 'em going for Nerlens Noel, 6-11, power forward, Kentucky, until he tore his ACL and went out for the season. I'm thinking he stays in school another year, but either way he either drops down or out of the draft. So, another 6-11 power forward gets the call. Cody Zeller, 6-11, power forward, Indiana. A sophomore Zeller is just slightly more ready. He reminds people of LaMarcus Aldridge with his 17 points, 8 boards and a block line, and he also runs the floor.
3. Orlando (.294). Another outfit that needs everything but a shooting guard, and so Ben McLemore sits some more. Here, that means Alex Len, 7-1, center, Maryland, the 2nd sophomore to be picked in the top 3. He reminds people of Zydrunas Ilgauskus, and I mention that only to remind you of what I've now said twice (and, now, 3 times), this ain't much of a draft. Len's line so far this year is 13 points, 8 boards and 2 blocks.
4. Cleveland (.314). OK, we're now starting to get to teams that have something to build on. In Cleveland's case it's Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao, a couple of tent-poles, no less, though Varjao will be coming back from an injury. And they used their #1 pick last year on shooting guard Dion Waiters, but they still need scoring, so again McLemore waits while Anthony Bennett, 6-7 small forward, UNLV, who oddly enough reminds people of Larry Johnson, gets the call. He's scoring 19 points with 9 boards as a true freshman. In a perfect world, of course, Bennett would go to Golden State, where he would be known as Tony, and everyone would live happily ever after. Ain't gonna happen, Tony, er, Anthony. Hey, does anybody know any songs about Cleveland? I didn't think so.
5. Pheonix (.327). When the lottery is announced and we know who's really gonna pick 1st, 2nd and 3rd (and my guess is L.A., New York and Miami but, hey, what do I know), the picks above will change. As noted, this is a weak-ass draft. Ask 30 teams who's #1 and nobody gets more than 10 votes. So teams will be picking to need. But the guy who would get the most votes (about 9, to be exact) would probably be Ben McLemore, 6-5, shooting guard, Kansas. It's just that the teams listed above are far worse off elsewhere than at shooting guard. So, Phoenix, in this particular scenario, gets lucky and gets probably the freshman with the least downside, the least likelihood of blowing up in your face. He's averaging 16 points and 6 boards as a true freshman, and reminds people of Ray Allen. (By the time Pheonix picks McLemore, in this particular universe, Charlotte will probably already be having buyer's remorse and will be calling to offer Muhammad straight up for McLemore, to which Pheonix will say, No thanks, then WTF, these people are crazy.
6. New Orleans (.333). The Pelican Briefs need a small forward and 6-8 sophomore Otto Porter, small forward, Georgetown, beckons. Porter reminds people of Stacy Augmon with a line of 13 points, 8 boards and 3 assists. But his claim to fame initially is as a lock-down defender. Who doesn't need some of that?
7. Sacramento (.365). The soon-to-be Seattle SuperSonics will pick a point guard. But which one? The candidates are Marcus Smart, 6-4, point guard, Oklahoma State, a freshman, and Michael Carter-Williams, 6-6, point guard, Syracuse, a sophomore. Smart is the smart pick, Carter-Williams the daring pick, and who can't be a little bit daring when you've got a 6-6 point guard out there. He's averaging 12 points, 5 boards and 10 assists, and reminds people of the young Shaun Livingston, before the knee. (This pick breaks the Timberwolves collective hearts, by the way.)
8. Oklahoma City from Toronto (.373). What could the Thunder possibly need? Well, aside from replacing James Harden? And I know just the man for the job. That would be Alex Poythress, 6-8, small forward, Kentucky. I mean, no, he's no James Harden. Nobody in this draft is James Harden. But Poythress, with his 14 points, 6 boards line as a true freshman, at least reminds people of Thaddeus Young, and that will have to do.
9. Minnesota (.375). So, finally, the Timberwolves. Detroit is on their heels (at .385, but it's gonna take a real winning streak to catch Dallas at .440, so hopefully the pick will be no worse than #10. But we'll say #9 for the moment. What do the Wolves need? Don't answer that. But obviously you build around Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio. And yet, and yet, not only is the best athlete remaining in the draft a point guard, the guy who fills the Wolves' needs the best is a point guard, Marcus Smart, 6-4, point guard, Oklahoma State. With all due respect to Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea, the little fellows with the big hearts, well, enough with the little fellows already. Here's a guy who can back up Ricky Rubio and play, well, defense, anyway, like Ricky Rubio, and maintain some continuity in terms of your game plan when the Great One is on the bench. One of the other guys can still be Mr. Instant Offense in the 4th quarter but one of them becomes trade bait, Barea probably having more value than Ridnour. Maybe Barea and Derrick Williams, together, can bring in another shooter.
And after that--after the Timberwolves make their pick--who really cares, right? We'll finish the lottery and maybe the whole first round some day, probably after the high school state tournaments.
But for now we will just note that the Wolves have a 2nd 1st round pick that figures to come in somewhere between #18 and #26.
Then there's this. Most of the mock drafts that go the full 2 rounds have 4, count 'em, 4 Minnesotans listed:
• Nate Wolters, from St. Cloud Tech and South Dakota State, is generally the highest rated
• Rodney Williams, Cooper and Minnesota is next
• Then Trevor Mbakwe of Minnesota
• And finally Mike Muscala of Roseville and Bucknell. He is probably the 4th among this group by consensus, but he is the only 1 I've seen in the 1st round, though only 1 time.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Big Game Feb. 13--St. Mary's women 70 St. Ben's 62
St. Mary's and St. Ben's both went into Wednesday night's game at 16-4 and tied for 2nd place in the MIAC. St. Mary's came away with a 70-63 win, still tied for 2nd and in contention for a 1st round bye in the playoffs. The host Cardinals took the lead for good on a 3 by reserve Shelby Auseth at 44-43 at 14:42, and led by as many as 12 down the stretch. Jessica Thone led all scorers with 20 and added 4 assists and 3 steals. Morgan Dale had 17 points and 8 boards for St. Ben's.
Player of the Day: Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves, 24 points and 16 rebounds in a 97-93 home loss to the Utah Jazz.
Coach of the Day: Mandy Pearson, St. Mary's women
Player of the Day: Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves, 24 points and 16 rebounds in a 97-93 home loss to the Utah Jazz.
Coach of the Day: Mandy Pearson, St. Mary's women
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Big Game Feb. 11--Minnesota Timberwolves 100 Cleveland Cavaliers 92
I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about this one. This being The Big Game. Or, A Big Game. Part of me says that the Timberwolves aren't playing Big Games these days, and probably won't until next fall.
But on the other hand, hey, they broke an 8-game losing streak, and won on the road for the 1st time in 6--count 'em, 6--weeks, or since Kevin Love went out with a hand injury for the 2nd time this year.
And, if this turns out to be the 1st game of a massive winning streak, well, I would feel bad if I hadn't marked the occasion. I mean, the Wolves are 5 games out of the playoffs with 33 games to go. And Love is making noises about coming back from his injury again. And, and, and, hey, Ricky Rubio is starting to look like Ricky Rubio!
Ricky! scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, with 10 assists and 5 steals and played Kyrie Irving (20 points, 7 assists, no steals) almost to a stand-still. The only problem with this claim is 7 Rubio turnovers to 3 for Irving, though each team ended up with 20 of 'em.
But the big star was Ricky's running mate Luke Ridnour with 21 points including a big 3 at 1:43 that stretched the Wolves lead from 92-89 to 95-89. Rubio assisted, then followed with a 2. Game over.
Earlier Ridnour had scored 8 points in a 16-7 Wolves run that broke a 76-all tie at 8:59 and gave Minnesota a 92-83 lead at 3:55. Cleveland scored 6 straight, but then the Wolves closed it out at 8-3 for the win.
Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 10 boards.
Player of the Day: Ridnour
Coach of the Day: Rick Adelman, Timberwolves
But on the other hand, hey, they broke an 8-game losing streak, and won on the road for the 1st time in 6--count 'em, 6--weeks, or since Kevin Love went out with a hand injury for the 2nd time this year.
And, if this turns out to be the 1st game of a massive winning streak, well, I would feel bad if I hadn't marked the occasion. I mean, the Wolves are 5 games out of the playoffs with 33 games to go. And Love is making noises about coming back from his injury again. And, and, and, hey, Ricky Rubio is starting to look like Ricky Rubio!
Ricky! scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, with 10 assists and 5 steals and played Kyrie Irving (20 points, 7 assists, no steals) almost to a stand-still. The only problem with this claim is 7 Rubio turnovers to 3 for Irving, though each team ended up with 20 of 'em.
But the big star was Ricky's running mate Luke Ridnour with 21 points including a big 3 at 1:43 that stretched the Wolves lead from 92-89 to 95-89. Rubio assisted, then followed with a 2. Game over.
Earlier Ridnour had scored 8 points in a 16-7 Wolves run that broke a 76-all tie at 8:59 and gave Minnesota a 92-83 lead at 3:55. Cleveland scored 6 straight, but then the Wolves closed it out at 8-3 for the win.
Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 10 boards.
Player of the Day: Ridnour
Coach of the Day: Rick Adelman, Timberwolves
Saturday, January 19, 2013
The Big Game Jan. 19--Mountain Iron Girls and/or Hockey Day
Now and again even a basketball fanatic has to say, It's Hockey Day.
And, I don't know about you, but I'm not even talking about those greedy bastards who run the NHL.
I'm talking about the Gopher men and the Gopher women.
The Gopher Men
The men settled for a 4-4 tie in their last regular season game against the North Dakota Fighting Whatevers for awhile. Last night it was 6-1 Minnesota. Tonight, not so much. And with the Gophers moving to the Big 10, the two won't be playing again anytime soon unless it's in the post-season. This after playing pretty much every year for 83 years. Their loss.
The Gopher Women
The women, on the other hand, hammered Mankato State 6-0. Last night it was 8-1. And as a result, the Lady Gophers (can I call them that?) have tied the NCAA record of 32 consecutive games without a loss. And guess who they're tied with? Wisconsin. And guess who we play next weekend with the record on the line? You guessed it.
But, wait. There's somethin' fishy about that record. The Gophers have WON 32 straight. And now they say we've tied the record of 32 games unbeaten? Well, those are 2 different things. Apparently Wisky had a tie or two in there, so if you ask me, we've already got a record.
And then on top of that Amanda Kessell scored her 200th career point last night, making her the 6th Gopher and 24th in NCAA history to do so. And she's still just a junior. So the school record of 247 points, held by Natalie Darwitz, looks like a goner.
For those of you who don't know, here's a tip. After a basketball game, any basketball game, the best sports show in town is Gopher women's hockey at Ridder Arena. Do yourself a favor and check 'em out. It's a great atmosphere, and for the most part the Gophers are just a bunch of nice Minnesota girls. But what's even better is that Kessell is from Madison, WI. Her dad, Phil, was a Minnesotan who went to Wisky to play college hockey, but now his daughter has returned the favor. And so the Badgers, NCAA champs in '06, '07, '09 and '11, now they're lookin' up at us. Last year we beat Wisky 4-2 in the NCAA final at Duluth.
And Then There's This Other Team
Apparently some other hockey team is playing in St. Paul tonight.
Basketball Game, Team, Player and Coach of the Day
But, hey, I've still gotta come up with some hoops stars for the day. The Game of the Day saw the Mountain Iron-Buhl girls, rated #1A, defeat #3A Maranatha in a replay of last year's state final. The score was 65-57 as 8th grader Chelsea Mason scored MIB's 1st 9 points and 21 for the night (with 4 boards, 4 steals and 2 assists). Just to keep things simple, MIB is the Team of the Day and MIB coach Jeff Buffetta is Coach of the Day.
But the Player of the Day is the Timberwolves Andrei Kirilenko with 21 points, 11 boards and 3 steals as the Wolves surprised the Houston Rockets 92-79.
And, I don't know about you, but I'm not even talking about those greedy bastards who run the NHL.
I'm talking about the Gopher men and the Gopher women.
The Gopher Men
The men settled for a 4-4 tie in their last regular season game against the North Dakota Fighting Whatevers for awhile. Last night it was 6-1 Minnesota. Tonight, not so much. And with the Gophers moving to the Big 10, the two won't be playing again anytime soon unless it's in the post-season. This after playing pretty much every year for 83 years. Their loss.
The Gopher Women
The women, on the other hand, hammered Mankato State 6-0. Last night it was 8-1. And as a result, the Lady Gophers (can I call them that?) have tied the NCAA record of 32 consecutive games without a loss. And guess who they're tied with? Wisconsin. And guess who we play next weekend with the record on the line? You guessed it.
But, wait. There's somethin' fishy about that record. The Gophers have WON 32 straight. And now they say we've tied the record of 32 games unbeaten? Well, those are 2 different things. Apparently Wisky had a tie or two in there, so if you ask me, we've already got a record.
And then on top of that Amanda Kessell scored her 200th career point last night, making her the 6th Gopher and 24th in NCAA history to do so. And she's still just a junior. So the school record of 247 points, held by Natalie Darwitz, looks like a goner.
For those of you who don't know, here's a tip. After a basketball game, any basketball game, the best sports show in town is Gopher women's hockey at Ridder Arena. Do yourself a favor and check 'em out. It's a great atmosphere, and for the most part the Gophers are just a bunch of nice Minnesota girls. But what's even better is that Kessell is from Madison, WI. Her dad, Phil, was a Minnesotan who went to Wisky to play college hockey, but now his daughter has returned the favor. And so the Badgers, NCAA champs in '06, '07, '09 and '11, now they're lookin' up at us. Last year we beat Wisky 4-2 in the NCAA final at Duluth.
And Then There's This Other Team
Apparently some other hockey team is playing in St. Paul tonight.
Basketball Game, Team, Player and Coach of the Day
But, hey, I've still gotta come up with some hoops stars for the day. The Game of the Day saw the Mountain Iron-Buhl girls, rated #1A, defeat #3A Maranatha in a replay of last year's state final. The score was 65-57 as 8th grader Chelsea Mason scored MIB's 1st 9 points and 21 for the night (with 4 boards, 4 steals and 2 assists). Just to keep things simple, MIB is the Team of the Day and MIB coach Jeff Buffetta is Coach of the Day.
But the Player of the Day is the Timberwolves Andrei Kirilenko with 21 points, 11 boards and 3 steals as the Wolves surprised the Houston Rockets 92-79.
Friday, January 18, 2013
L.A. Clippers Show T-Wolves How It's Done
Who says the Minnesota Timberwolves can't catch a break? The L.A. Clippers came to town with the 2nd best record in the NBA but with perhaps its (the NBA's) best player, point guard Chris Paul, hurt. But, of course, the T-Wolves can cover Paul with Kevin Love and raise 'em Chase Budinger, Malcolm Lee and Brandon Roy.
On top of that, Nikola Pekovic left the game with a "quad contusion" at 3:39 of the 3rd and Alexey Shved went out with a sprained ankle at 5:40 of the 4th. It's not yet known when either will be back, but they're expected to miss practice on Friday at a minimum. The Wolves trailed by 5 when Pekovic went out.
Minnesota, in short, hung around. L.A. led by 5 at the 1st quarter break, 4 at the half, and by 5 after 3. But a 16-6 run to open the 4th quarter put the game out of reach for the Wolves. And the fact is that at no time was there a sense that Minnesota could or would win this game.
L.A. played methodically rather than with flair, well, unless you consider a dunk-fest to be colorful. The Clips had 6 dunks in the 1st half, and 6 other lay-ups. Meanwhile, the Wolves were actually having to work for their points. So it never felt like the Clips were in any danger of losing.
It is true that the Wolves actually won the possession game, however, 13-11 off the offensive glass and 14-18 on turnovers. But the Clips shot 46 percent to the Wolves 36, and 38 from behind the arc to the Wolves 21. The dunks were 8-3 Clips, and L.A. had a total of 18 dunks and layups, Minnesota 11. And because the Wolves were not as strong to the rim (or because L.A. defended the rim), Minnesota missed 8 layups. L.A. missed 4.
In other words, L.A. shot 18-for-22 on layups and dunks, we shot 11-of-19. They scored 14 more points from point blank range and won by 13.
Think of it this way. L.A. shot 17-for-55 (31 percent) from outside the little circle, the Wolves 19-of-65 (29 percent). This game ain't so hard if you can avoid giving up the layup, but it's damn hard if you can't get to the rim yourself.
Luke Ridnour was the Wolves' best player, scoring 21 points with 5 assists. Andrei Kirilenko scored 15 with 4 steals, Derrick Williams 10 with 7 boards and 2 blocks. Nikola Pekovic was held to just 4 points before leaving in the 3rd quarter, and Ricky Rubio had 4 points and 6 assists. There was no matchup anywhere on the floor that the Timberwolves won.
Blake Griffin was a bully inside, scoring 20 points, but Jamal Crawford was even better, a stiletto to Griffin's meat-ax, with 22 points. Caron Butler added 12, Ronny Turiaf 11 and Matt Barnes 10. The L.A. bench out-scored the Wolves' reserves 45-23.
On top of that, Nikola Pekovic left the game with a "quad contusion" at 3:39 of the 3rd and Alexey Shved went out with a sprained ankle at 5:40 of the 4th. It's not yet known when either will be back, but they're expected to miss practice on Friday at a minimum. The Wolves trailed by 5 when Pekovic went out.
Minnesota, in short, hung around. L.A. led by 5 at the 1st quarter break, 4 at the half, and by 5 after 3. But a 16-6 run to open the 4th quarter put the game out of reach for the Wolves. And the fact is that at no time was there a sense that Minnesota could or would win this game.
L.A. played methodically rather than with flair, well, unless you consider a dunk-fest to be colorful. The Clips had 6 dunks in the 1st half, and 6 other lay-ups. Meanwhile, the Wolves were actually having to work for their points. So it never felt like the Clips were in any danger of losing.
It is true that the Wolves actually won the possession game, however, 13-11 off the offensive glass and 14-18 on turnovers. But the Clips shot 46 percent to the Wolves 36, and 38 from behind the arc to the Wolves 21. The dunks were 8-3 Clips, and L.A. had a total of 18 dunks and layups, Minnesota 11. And because the Wolves were not as strong to the rim (or because L.A. defended the rim), Minnesota missed 8 layups. L.A. missed 4.
In other words, L.A. shot 18-for-22 on layups and dunks, we shot 11-of-19. They scored 14 more points from point blank range and won by 13.
Think of it this way. L.A. shot 17-for-55 (31 percent) from outside the little circle, the Wolves 19-of-65 (29 percent). This game ain't so hard if you can avoid giving up the layup, but it's damn hard if you can't get to the rim yourself.
Luke Ridnour was the Wolves' best player, scoring 21 points with 5 assists. Andrei Kirilenko scored 15 with 4 steals, Derrick Williams 10 with 7 boards and 2 blocks. Nikola Pekovic was held to just 4 points before leaving in the 3rd quarter, and Ricky Rubio had 4 points and 6 assists. There was no matchup anywhere on the floor that the Timberwolves won.
Blake Griffin was a bully inside, scoring 20 points, but Jamal Crawford was even better, a stiletto to Griffin's meat-ax, with 22 points. Caron Butler added 12, Ronny Turiaf 11 and Matt Barnes 10. The L.A. bench out-scored the Wolves' reserves 45-23.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
The Big Game Jan. 13--San Antonio 106 Minnesota Timberwolves 88
Hope is slipping away from the Wolves, replaced suddenly by hope that the Minnesota Wild can accomplish the turnaround that was hoped for and even expected from the Wolves, but seems to be expected no more. The Wolves hung with San Antone for 3 quarters, trailing by 3, 5 and 7 after each of the 1st 3 quarters. But the Spurs quickly pulled away in the 4th quarter. San Antone shot 56, the Wolves just 37. No Minnesota player scored more than J.J. Barea's 15 points, and Alexey Shved and Ricky Rubio shot a combined 0-for-13.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Kevin, Ricky, Wolves all going backward
Perhaps the high point of the Minnesota Timberwolves' season came on December 17 when Ricky Rubio returned from an ACL tear and 9 months of inactivity to lead the Wolves over Dallas 114-106 in OT. Kevin Love missed that game due to, well, he had injured his thumb the previous game and was listed a day to day. In the end, he sat out not due to his thumb but because of the flu. It was the start of a wacky period of ball for the Wolves.
The Wolves were 11-9 when Rickey came back, and you'll remember that Love missed the 1st couple of weeks of the season. The win over the Mavericks in Rubio's 2012 debut, without Love, raised hopes that Minnesota was ready to become a good NBA team. The playoffs were pretty much assured. They'd hung in there without their 2 big guns. Now, who could stop them?
Well, Orlando. Miami. The Knicks. Houston. Just to name 4.
Of course, the fact is they've yet to have Love and Rubio both available for 2 consecutive games. But when they've had the both of 'em, they've lost 2 of 3. Overall, they're 2-4 since Ricky returned, good for 13-13 overall. They've dropped from 6th place in the West into a tie for 8th, 9th and 10th and, most likely, dropped out of the playoffs, as of today.
Rickey has played in 5 of 6 games since he returned. He is averaging 18 minutes, 4 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, a steal and 2 turnovers. He has made 5-of-21 FG attempts, or 24 percent.
In the same period, Love had played in 4 games, and is averaging 17 points, 14 boards, 2 assists, 1.5 steals, a block and 4 turnovers. He has made 24-of-64 FGA, or 37 percent.
That compare unfavorably with 21 ppg before Rickey's return though his other stats are about the same before and after. Surprisingly his 37 percent shooting over the past 4 games is better than his season percentage of 36. This compares with his career average of 45 percent. Well, hand and eye problems will do that to you, I guess.
In 3 of their 4 recent losses, they've led in the 4th quarter. They've looked like the Wolves of old in getting outscored 57-28 down the stretch of those 3 games. In 2 of the 3, the opponent had a "go to" guy and we didn't. Carmelo Anthony scored 19 4th quarter points for the Knicks the other night, while James Harden scored 13 tonight. Orlando had 4 of 'em--Glen Davis and J.J. Redick scored 3 buckets each, Arron Afflalo and Gustavo Ayon 2 each.
For Minnesota, only J.J. Barea has scored as many points in 3 games as Anthony or Harden did in 1. Barea scored 19 points in the 4th quarter of the 3 losses. Other T-Wolves include:
• Shved 8 points
• Cunningham 6
• Derrick Williams, A. J. Kirilenko and Rubio 5
• Ridnour 3
• Love 2
This is for 3 quarters of basketball, with the game on the line.
I guess they need some reps with Kevin and Ricky out there, or something. But right now, they're not as good of a team as they were before Ricky came back. With the exception of Barea, everybody is pulling a disappearing act in the 4th quarter, which is not how you win in the NBA.
The Wolves were 11-9 when Rickey came back, and you'll remember that Love missed the 1st couple of weeks of the season. The win over the Mavericks in Rubio's 2012 debut, without Love, raised hopes that Minnesota was ready to become a good NBA team. The playoffs were pretty much assured. They'd hung in there without their 2 big guns. Now, who could stop them?
Well, Orlando. Miami. The Knicks. Houston. Just to name 4.
Of course, the fact is they've yet to have Love and Rubio both available for 2 consecutive games. But when they've had the both of 'em, they've lost 2 of 3. Overall, they're 2-4 since Ricky returned, good for 13-13 overall. They've dropped from 6th place in the West into a tie for 8th, 9th and 10th and, most likely, dropped out of the playoffs, as of today.
Rickey has played in 5 of 6 games since he returned. He is averaging 18 minutes, 4 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, a steal and 2 turnovers. He has made 5-of-21 FG attempts, or 24 percent.
In the same period, Love had played in 4 games, and is averaging 17 points, 14 boards, 2 assists, 1.5 steals, a block and 4 turnovers. He has made 24-of-64 FGA, or 37 percent.
That compare unfavorably with 21 ppg before Rickey's return though his other stats are about the same before and after. Surprisingly his 37 percent shooting over the past 4 games is better than his season percentage of 36. This compares with his career average of 45 percent. Well, hand and eye problems will do that to you, I guess.
In 3 of their 4 recent losses, they've led in the 4th quarter. They've looked like the Wolves of old in getting outscored 57-28 down the stretch of those 3 games. In 2 of the 3, the opponent had a "go to" guy and we didn't. Carmelo Anthony scored 19 4th quarter points for the Knicks the other night, while James Harden scored 13 tonight. Orlando had 4 of 'em--Glen Davis and J.J. Redick scored 3 buckets each, Arron Afflalo and Gustavo Ayon 2 each.
For Minnesota, only J.J. Barea has scored as many points in 3 games as Anthony or Harden did in 1. Barea scored 19 points in the 4th quarter of the 3 losses. Other T-Wolves include:
• Shved 8 points
• Cunningham 6
• Derrick Williams, A. J. Kirilenko and Rubio 5
• Ridnour 3
• Love 2
This is for 3 quarters of basketball, with the game on the line.
I guess they need some reps with Kevin and Ricky out there, or something. But right now, they're not as good of a team as they were before Ricky came back. With the exception of Barea, everybody is pulling a disappearing act in the 4th quarter, which is not how you win in the NBA.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Ricky's Back
After 280 days on the sidelines, and with his team trailing 28-18, Ricky Rubio returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves lineup Saturday night with 1:47 left in the 1st period. In the next 7:31 of the 1st half, Rubio threw 3 or 4 of those passes that only he can throw, scored 4 points with 4 assists, and the Wolves roared back to a 54-45 half-time lead.
With Kevin Love out with a new hand injury, the Wolves had looked totally out of sync for most of the 1st quarter. Rubio made and makes the Wolves a different team--a better team, obviously--even without Love. "When he has the ball in his hands, I'm a lot better coach," Minnesota's Rick Adelman said.
In the 2nd half, the Wolves pulled out to as much as a 70-55 lead (on a 52-27 run) when it was Dallas' turn to get it together. Minnesota still led 93-85 with 6:08 to go, but Dallas was moving the ball effectively and getting good looks, while on the other end, Dallas' quickness was forcing the Wolves to take (and make) some very tough shots. But Dallas finally caught up at 97-96 on a Derek Fisher 3 + 1, as Shawn Marion got away with pushing Rubio into the shooter. Minnesota tied it up at 98, 100 and, finally, at 102 on a Nicola Pekovic layup from Rubio at 0:49.6.
Rubio, limited to 18 minutes by his doctors, sat out the OT, but a couple of fast-break buckets (Shved from Kirilenko off the opening tip, and a Kirilenko 2 + 1 from Pekovic) helped the Wolves to a 10-point margin and they never trailed in OT. The final was 114-106.
For Rubio, there were 8 points on 1-of-4 shooting; 9 assists, almost every one of them a memorably pretty play; 4 boards, 3 steals and 2 turnovers.
The difference, really, was Minnesota's big guys, who out-scored Dallas 59-44. Minnesota scored 50 points in the paint to the Mavs' 36. But the Wolves went through long stretches where they simply couldn't guard the quicker Mavericks, especially against a small lineup in the 4th quarter. The 2nd difference in the game was when Derek Fisher and Vince Carter fouled out late in the 4th quarter. It was the loss of their 3-point shooting that doomed the Mavs.
Prospectus
Now the vigil is on for Kevin Love, but it is said he would have "tried" to play last night but was actually scratched due to the flu. So, assuming he is "day to day" at worst, the Wolves' prospects are very very good. They've now survived the pre-Love, pre-Rubio portion of the schedule at 12-9 and with 4 straight wins, good for 6th place in the West--that is, the 1st playoff appearance since 2004.
35-26 the rest of the way would make Minnesota 47-35 overall (.573), probably good for 6th place and a 1st round match-up with a division champ not named Oklahoma City (L.A. Clippers or San Antone?) and a probably 1st round loss.
The fact is the Wolves guards remain small and slow, as Dallas showed last night at times. Small and slow, but smart.
So, then the focus moves to 2013-2014. Can the Wolves stay healthy? Can they (i.e. can Kevin Love) stay happy? If so, home court advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs becomes the realistic goal.
But for now, yeah, I know. One day at a time. Let's get Love back, let's keep Ricky healthy. Let's keep AK47 healthy. The margin for error remains small.
With Kevin Love out with a new hand injury, the Wolves had looked totally out of sync for most of the 1st quarter. Rubio made and makes the Wolves a different team--a better team, obviously--even without Love. "When he has the ball in his hands, I'm a lot better coach," Minnesota's Rick Adelman said.
In the 2nd half, the Wolves pulled out to as much as a 70-55 lead (on a 52-27 run) when it was Dallas' turn to get it together. Minnesota still led 93-85 with 6:08 to go, but Dallas was moving the ball effectively and getting good looks, while on the other end, Dallas' quickness was forcing the Wolves to take (and make) some very tough shots. But Dallas finally caught up at 97-96 on a Derek Fisher 3 + 1, as Shawn Marion got away with pushing Rubio into the shooter. Minnesota tied it up at 98, 100 and, finally, at 102 on a Nicola Pekovic layup from Rubio at 0:49.6.
Rubio, limited to 18 minutes by his doctors, sat out the OT, but a couple of fast-break buckets (Shved from Kirilenko off the opening tip, and a Kirilenko 2 + 1 from Pekovic) helped the Wolves to a 10-point margin and they never trailed in OT. The final was 114-106.
For Rubio, there were 8 points on 1-of-4 shooting; 9 assists, almost every one of them a memorably pretty play; 4 boards, 3 steals and 2 turnovers.
The difference, really, was Minnesota's big guys, who out-scored Dallas 59-44. Minnesota scored 50 points in the paint to the Mavs' 36. But the Wolves went through long stretches where they simply couldn't guard the quicker Mavericks, especially against a small lineup in the 4th quarter. The 2nd difference in the game was when Derek Fisher and Vince Carter fouled out late in the 4th quarter. It was the loss of their 3-point shooting that doomed the Mavs.
Prospectus
Now the vigil is on for Kevin Love, but it is said he would have "tried" to play last night but was actually scratched due to the flu. So, assuming he is "day to day" at worst, the Wolves' prospects are very very good. They've now survived the pre-Love, pre-Rubio portion of the schedule at 12-9 and with 4 straight wins, good for 6th place in the West--that is, the 1st playoff appearance since 2004.
35-26 the rest of the way would make Minnesota 47-35 overall (.573), probably good for 6th place and a 1st round match-up with a division champ not named Oklahoma City (L.A. Clippers or San Antone?) and a probably 1st round loss.
The fact is the Wolves guards remain small and slow, as Dallas showed last night at times. Small and slow, but smart.
So, then the focus moves to 2013-2014. Can the Wolves stay healthy? Can they (i.e. can Kevin Love) stay happy? If so, home court advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs becomes the realistic goal.
But for now, yeah, I know. One day at a time. Let's get Love back, let's keep Ricky healthy. Let's keep AK47 healthy. The margin for error remains small.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Love Returns, Teammates Take the Night Off
Kevin Love returned to the Timberwolves' lineup last night unexpectedly, and just in case you thought he was Superman, Love scored 34 with 14 boards in his appearance of the 2012-2013 season.
The Denver Nuggets won at the Target Center, however, 101-94, putting both teams at an even .500, out-shooting the Wolves 44-38 percent. Minnesota had a comfortable 58-44 half-time lead, but got ripped 57-36 in the 2nd half.
Love led all scorers, but Denver had 5 players in double figures to just 3 for Minnesota. After Love's 34 came Barea with 12 and Pekovich with 10. Like Love, Barea and Pekovich are also just back from injuries. Everybody who hadn't been out with an injury shot 14-for-44 (32 percent).
In the 1st half, the Wolves shot 22-of-48 (46 percent) with Love at 10-of-18 (56 percent). And after Pekovic hit a layup at 11:14 of the 3rd quarter, it was 60-47. Minnesota missed its next 10 shots until another Pekovich layup made it 65-61 Minnesota at 6:10. Denver took the lead 69-68 at 2:11 though the Wolves went back up 73-69 after 3.
In the 4th, the wheels just came off. Minnesota made 7-of-21 (Love 1-of-3). Denver tied it up at 75, and went ahead at 78-75. They only took the lead for good at 90-87 but the Wolves only made 3-of-7 with 2 turnovers the rest of the way.
You could say that Barea and Pekovich weren't great. What with their foot injuries, maybe their conditioning was weak and they ran out of gas in the 2nd half. Love, of course, had a hand injury and was said to be in good shape, but it seemed as if he too ran out of gas. But what can you say about their teammates? Ridnour 3-of-8, Kirilenko 2-of-7, Shved 3-of-9, Lee 1-of-8 in 24 minutes. Lee's 24 minutes ought to approach zero very soon.
And what of Derrick Williams, who did play zero minutes now that Love is back. Is the Williams era all but over? Is the die cast on Derrick? Is he the next Michael Beasley? A guy who can do anything but doesn't know what exactly to do? For the record, the starting 5 were +5, the bench was -40.
Or maybe nothing means nothing except the Wolves shot poorly. They won the possession game with +3 offensive boards and -5 turnovers. We won't have to wait long to see what the trend line is gonna be. We're at Portland tonight, Golden State Saturday, and Sacramento and the L.A. Clippers Tuesday and Thursday, before returning home to face Milwaukee a week from today.
The Denver Nuggets won at the Target Center, however, 101-94, putting both teams at an even .500, out-shooting the Wolves 44-38 percent. Minnesota had a comfortable 58-44 half-time lead, but got ripped 57-36 in the 2nd half.
Love led all scorers, but Denver had 5 players in double figures to just 3 for Minnesota. After Love's 34 came Barea with 12 and Pekovich with 10. Like Love, Barea and Pekovich are also just back from injuries. Everybody who hadn't been out with an injury shot 14-for-44 (32 percent).
In the 1st half, the Wolves shot 22-of-48 (46 percent) with Love at 10-of-18 (56 percent). And after Pekovic hit a layup at 11:14 of the 3rd quarter, it was 60-47. Minnesota missed its next 10 shots until another Pekovich layup made it 65-61 Minnesota at 6:10. Denver took the lead 69-68 at 2:11 though the Wolves went back up 73-69 after 3.
In the 4th, the wheels just came off. Minnesota made 7-of-21 (Love 1-of-3). Denver tied it up at 75, and went ahead at 78-75. They only took the lead for good at 90-87 but the Wolves only made 3-of-7 with 2 turnovers the rest of the way.
You could say that Barea and Pekovich weren't great. What with their foot injuries, maybe their conditioning was weak and they ran out of gas in the 2nd half. Love, of course, had a hand injury and was said to be in good shape, but it seemed as if he too ran out of gas. But what can you say about their teammates? Ridnour 3-of-8, Kirilenko 2-of-7, Shved 3-of-9, Lee 1-of-8 in 24 minutes. Lee's 24 minutes ought to approach zero very soon.
And what of Derrick Williams, who did play zero minutes now that Love is back. Is the Williams era all but over? Is the die cast on Derrick? Is he the next Michael Beasley? A guy who can do anything but doesn't know what exactly to do? For the record, the starting 5 were +5, the bench was -40.
Or maybe nothing means nothing except the Wolves shot poorly. They won the possession game with +3 offensive boards and -5 turnovers. We won't have to wait long to see what the trend line is gonna be. We're at Portland tonight, Golden State Saturday, and Sacramento and the L.A. Clippers Tuesday and Thursday, before returning home to face Milwaukee a week from today.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
T-Wolves 90 Orlando 75, but it wasn't that close
It's that time of year when a team's prospects can go from zero to 60 and back again in a hurry. Just last Sunday the young Orlando Magic, rebuilding after the loss of Dwight Howard, were 2-0 and feeling pretty good about themselves. That same night the Minnesota Timberwolves trailed the Brooklyn Nets 71-49 in the 3rd quarter, and look every bit the part of a mediocre 1-2 club.
Instead the Wolves put a miraculous comeback on the Nets, out-scoring them 32-10 in the 4th quarter to win. Then on Monday Orlando lost for the 1st time in Chicago. And now, after the Wolves put a big hurt on the Magic, Orlando is a mediocre 2-2 while Minnesota is 3-1 and it is the Wolves who are feelin' all right.
Yet the Wolves struggled for 2-and-a-half quarters. An early 25-10 lead was dissipated as Minnesota missed its next 12 shots and turned it over 5 times. By half-time Orlando was back within 38-34.
It was more of the same in the 2nd. The Magic scored the 1st bucket of the 2nd half to make it 38-36, then the Wolves ripped off a 15-4 run for a 53-40 lead. Sure enough, Orlando clawed back to within 58-53.
But now...Minnesota closed the 3rd with a 10-2 run for a 68-55 edge, then followed it up with an 18-4 advantage over the 1st half of the 4th quarter. 86-59 at 5:11, game over. Back-up post Greg Stiemsma keyed the 28-6 run with 4 buckets in just 1:14 in the final minute of the 3rd and the 1st minute of the 4th period. J.J. Barea assisted on all 4 of Steimsma's buckets.
Stiemsma finished with 10 points, 3 boards and a block during the run, while Chase Budinger added 8 points and Alexei Shved 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
For the night Luke Ridnour led the Wolves with 19 points, while Derrick Williams, Stiemsma, Nikola Pekovich and Budinger also scored in double figures. Williams added 6 boards and 2 steals. Brandon Roy scored just 3 points but added 9 assists.
The Wolves slowed the tempo just a bit on the run 'n gun Magic, making it a 90 possession game vs. Orlando's 3 game average of 100 possessions. Minnesota shot a respectable 45% and shot better than 50% in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters while making just 5-of-19 in the 2nd. Orlando shot just 35% and a miserable 35% on 2-pointers.
Ridnour was the Wolves' best player, running the show for 31 minutes and badly out-playing Orlando's E'Twaun Moore, starting in place of the oft-injured Jameer Nelson. Ridnour sometimes gets manhandled, but against guys his own size he is a heady, steady, smart guy who takes what the defense gives. As was the case last night.
Then came Derrick Williams, who was solid in every phase of the game, which came as frankly a bit of a surprise. And he certainly was Mr. Highlight Reel among a bunch of guys who are more stiletto than sledgehammer.
Then I would say Budinger and Kirilenko at the small forward. They didn't have a great night offensively, but combined to hold Orlando's leading scorer, Glen "Baby" Davis, to just 4 points.
Then came the posts, Pekovic and Steimsma, with 23 points between 'em. I would have to guess that the "points in the paint" were decisively slanted toward Minnesota. Orlando's starting front line scored a total of 13 points.
It was a tougher night for guards Brandon Roy, Shved and Barea. Roy and Shved were out-scored by the Magic's off-guards Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick 28-10, but they did contribute 12 assists. And in fairness, Roy was #2 on the +/- chart after D. Williams at +19. But his shot looks forced, he just doesn't look comfortable out there,
But if we're talking about uncomfortable, there's the Orlando Magic, who would appear to be a truly dreadful NBA team. Maybe the loss of Jameer Nelson is that big of a deal, or maybe they really are dreadful. The fact is the Wolves sleepwalked through large portions of this game, yet led 86-59 in the 4th. The final was 90-75, but in reality it was nowhere near that close.
Instead the Wolves put a miraculous comeback on the Nets, out-scoring them 32-10 in the 4th quarter to win. Then on Monday Orlando lost for the 1st time in Chicago. And now, after the Wolves put a big hurt on the Magic, Orlando is a mediocre 2-2 while Minnesota is 3-1 and it is the Wolves who are feelin' all right.
Yet the Wolves struggled for 2-and-a-half quarters. An early 25-10 lead was dissipated as Minnesota missed its next 12 shots and turned it over 5 times. By half-time Orlando was back within 38-34.
It was more of the same in the 2nd. The Magic scored the 1st bucket of the 2nd half to make it 38-36, then the Wolves ripped off a 15-4 run for a 53-40 lead. Sure enough, Orlando clawed back to within 58-53.
But now...Minnesota closed the 3rd with a 10-2 run for a 68-55 edge, then followed it up with an 18-4 advantage over the 1st half of the 4th quarter. 86-59 at 5:11, game over. Back-up post Greg Stiemsma keyed the 28-6 run with 4 buckets in just 1:14 in the final minute of the 3rd and the 1st minute of the 4th period. J.J. Barea assisted on all 4 of Steimsma's buckets.
Stiemsma finished with 10 points, 3 boards and a block during the run, while Chase Budinger added 8 points and Alexei Shved 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
For the night Luke Ridnour led the Wolves with 19 points, while Derrick Williams, Stiemsma, Nikola Pekovich and Budinger also scored in double figures. Williams added 6 boards and 2 steals. Brandon Roy scored just 3 points but added 9 assists.
The Wolves slowed the tempo just a bit on the run 'n gun Magic, making it a 90 possession game vs. Orlando's 3 game average of 100 possessions. Minnesota shot a respectable 45% and shot better than 50% in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters while making just 5-of-19 in the 2nd. Orlando shot just 35% and a miserable 35% on 2-pointers.
Ridnour was the Wolves' best player, running the show for 31 minutes and badly out-playing Orlando's E'Twaun Moore, starting in place of the oft-injured Jameer Nelson. Ridnour sometimes gets manhandled, but against guys his own size he is a heady, steady, smart guy who takes what the defense gives. As was the case last night.
Then came Derrick Williams, who was solid in every phase of the game, which came as frankly a bit of a surprise. And he certainly was Mr. Highlight Reel among a bunch of guys who are more stiletto than sledgehammer.
Then I would say Budinger and Kirilenko at the small forward. They didn't have a great night offensively, but combined to hold Orlando's leading scorer, Glen "Baby" Davis, to just 4 points.
Then came the posts, Pekovic and Steimsma, with 23 points between 'em. I would have to guess that the "points in the paint" were decisively slanted toward Minnesota. Orlando's starting front line scored a total of 13 points.
It was a tougher night for guards Brandon Roy, Shved and Barea. Roy and Shved were out-scored by the Magic's off-guards Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick 28-10, but they did contribute 12 assists. And in fairness, Roy was #2 on the +/- chart after D. Williams at +19. But his shot looks forced, he just doesn't look comfortable out there,
But if we're talking about uncomfortable, there's the Orlando Magic, who would appear to be a truly dreadful NBA team. Maybe the loss of Jameer Nelson is that big of a deal, or maybe they really are dreadful. The fact is the Wolves sleepwalked through large portions of this game, yet led 86-59 in the 4th. The final was 90-75, but in reality it was nowhere near that close.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Wolves Comeback Is for the Ages
It's just game #3, and here the Timberwolves have already played perhaps their most remarkable game of the year. In case you missed it, they hammered the host Brooklyn Nets 32-10 in the 4th quarter to roar back from a 15-point 3rd quarter deficit and defeat the Nets 110-103.
3 quick buckets by Chase Budinger, Alexei Shved (a 3) and Andrei Kirilenko got the Wolves within 10, forcing a Brooklyn timeout. The Nets increased their lead to 12, but 3 more buckets by Dante Cunningham (off the offensive glass), Budinger (a 3) and Shved (another 3) made it 99-93 with still 6:29 remaining. Then a Cunningham block forced a shot clock violation, and a Cunningham bucket from Shved made it 99-95, forcing another Brooklyn timeout.
Still the Wolves kept coming, mostly with Pekovic, Cunningham, Budinger, Barea and Shved on the floor. A Nikola Pekovich 2 finally tied it up at 1:32, a Budinger 3 not quite a minute later gave the Wolves the lead at 106-103, and 2 FT each by Luke Ridnour and Shved iced it. Inside of 5 minutes it was 13-2 Minnesota.
Shved contributed 10 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal during the 4th quarter, Budinger 8 points, 3 boards and an assist, and Cunningham 6 points, 6 boards and a key block. None of the 3 is a starter for coach Rick Adelman. Pekovich was the only starter on the floor through the heart of the 4th quarter.
After 3 Games
The Wolves are 2-1, and who could ask for more after 3 games with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, and during which both point guards have had injury problems. Well, did they really have to stink it up that bad in game #2 at Toronto? But anyway, here's the scouting report after 3 games.
Center
Pekovic 29 minutes per game, 15 ppg, 50% FG shooting, 7 boards
Stiemsma 14 minutes, 5 points, 46%
Stiemsma was the star of game 1 but Pek has reasserted his claim to being number 1 at the position. 20 points, 10 boards and C+ defense between 'em is an acceptable contribution.
Power Forward
D. Williams 22 minutes, 9 points, 29% shooting, 9 boards
Cunningham 23 minutes, 7 points, 42%, 7 boards
Cunningham is a pretty good back-up. Other than that, Kevin Love, please hurry home. Not only will Kevin give the Wolves' offense a boost but the defense, too.
Small Forward
Kirilenko 31 minutes, 14 points, 68%, 8 boards, 5 assists
Budinger 23 minutes, 11 points, 48%, 5 boards
Budinger is now getting some time at the off guard. Both can play. Kirilenko is Minnesota's best overall player so far.
Point Guard
Ridnour 24 minutes, 9 points, 56%, 3 boards
Barea 22 minutes, 12 points, 50%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Barea would have more minutes but for getting bounced out of the Toronto game after only 8-and-a-half minutes of play. He has been a solid contributor. Ridnour less so, though both are shooting out the lights. Defense is not good.
Off Guard
Roy 26 minutes, 7 points, 29%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Shved 18 minutes, 6 points, 29%
Budinger starting to get a lot of these minutes. Roy is not working out, though the guy, remarkably, given his knees, can and does play D.
Summary
The Wolves are mostly shooting well except for the 29 per centers--Williams, Roy, Shved. But they're giving up a nice percentage, too, and especially they're getting hammered from 3 point range. We're getting to the FT line--27 times per game to just 17 for the opponents.
And they're losing the possession game, though by a slim margin. They're turning the ball over 15 times per game, the opponents 11.
Strengths--2 point FG shooting, getting to the FT line, Kirilenio, Budinger, Barea
Weaknesses--3 point shooting, turnovers, Williams, Roy
I picked the Wolves to be right around .500. It won't take too many 4th quarters like that to exceed my expectations. A good start but, again, Kevin Love, please hurry hurry hurry home.
3 quick buckets by Chase Budinger, Alexei Shved (a 3) and Andrei Kirilenko got the Wolves within 10, forcing a Brooklyn timeout. The Nets increased their lead to 12, but 3 more buckets by Dante Cunningham (off the offensive glass), Budinger (a 3) and Shved (another 3) made it 99-93 with still 6:29 remaining. Then a Cunningham block forced a shot clock violation, and a Cunningham bucket from Shved made it 99-95, forcing another Brooklyn timeout.
Still the Wolves kept coming, mostly with Pekovic, Cunningham, Budinger, Barea and Shved on the floor. A Nikola Pekovich 2 finally tied it up at 1:32, a Budinger 3 not quite a minute later gave the Wolves the lead at 106-103, and 2 FT each by Luke Ridnour and Shved iced it. Inside of 5 minutes it was 13-2 Minnesota.
Shved contributed 10 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal during the 4th quarter, Budinger 8 points, 3 boards and an assist, and Cunningham 6 points, 6 boards and a key block. None of the 3 is a starter for coach Rick Adelman. Pekovich was the only starter on the floor through the heart of the 4th quarter.
After 3 Games
The Wolves are 2-1, and who could ask for more after 3 games with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, and during which both point guards have had injury problems. Well, did they really have to stink it up that bad in game #2 at Toronto? But anyway, here's the scouting report after 3 games.
Center
Pekovic 29 minutes per game, 15 ppg, 50% FG shooting, 7 boards
Stiemsma 14 minutes, 5 points, 46%
Stiemsma was the star of game 1 but Pek has reasserted his claim to being number 1 at the position. 20 points, 10 boards and C+ defense between 'em is an acceptable contribution.
Power Forward
D. Williams 22 minutes, 9 points, 29% shooting, 9 boards
Cunningham 23 minutes, 7 points, 42%, 7 boards
Cunningham is a pretty good back-up. Other than that, Kevin Love, please hurry home. Not only will Kevin give the Wolves' offense a boost but the defense, too.
Small Forward
Kirilenko 31 minutes, 14 points, 68%, 8 boards, 5 assists
Budinger 23 minutes, 11 points, 48%, 5 boards
Budinger is now getting some time at the off guard. Both can play. Kirilenko is Minnesota's best overall player so far.
Point Guard
Ridnour 24 minutes, 9 points, 56%, 3 boards
Barea 22 minutes, 12 points, 50%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Barea would have more minutes but for getting bounced out of the Toronto game after only 8-and-a-half minutes of play. He has been a solid contributor. Ridnour less so, though both are shooting out the lights. Defense is not good.
Off Guard
Roy 26 minutes, 7 points, 29%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Shved 18 minutes, 6 points, 29%
Budinger starting to get a lot of these minutes. Roy is not working out, though the guy, remarkably, given his knees, can and does play D.
Summary
The Wolves are mostly shooting well except for the 29 per centers--Williams, Roy, Shved. But they're giving up a nice percentage, too, and especially they're getting hammered from 3 point range. We're getting to the FT line--27 times per game to just 17 for the opponents.
And they're losing the possession game, though by a slim margin. They're turning the ball over 15 times per game, the opponents 11.
Strengths--2 point FG shooting, getting to the FT line, Kirilenio, Budinger, Barea
Weaknesses--3 point shooting, turnovers, Williams, Roy
I picked the Wolves to be right around .500. It won't take too many 4th quarters like that to exceed my expectations. A good start but, again, Kevin Love, please hurry hurry hurry home.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Oh Boy!
The Minnesota Timberwolves remain snakebite. Kevin Love will miss 6-8 weeks of the 2012 fall season with a broken hand, joining Ricky Rubio on the sidelines for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 8 years.
So for about 25 games the depth chart will look like this:
C- Pekovic, Stiemsma or Amundson
PF- D. Williams, Amundson or Cunningham
SF- Kirilenko, Budinger
PG- Ridnour, Barea
SG- Roy, Shved
Brandon Roy better be ready to score 20 a night. I figured the Wolves to go 42-40 this year. Now I'm thinking more like 37-45 which would not be a playoff record.
So for about 25 games the depth chart will look like this:
C- Pekovic, Stiemsma or Amundson
PF- D. Williams, Amundson or Cunningham
SF- Kirilenko, Budinger
PG- Ridnour, Barea
SG- Roy, Shved
Brandon Roy better be ready to score 20 a night. I figured the Wolves to go 42-40 this year. Now I'm thinking more like 37-45 which would not be a playoff record.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Hey, Kevin Love Says We'll Make the Playoffs
The T-wolves open 2012-2013 pre-season play tonight with hopes high. No less than Kevin Love says that he believes in this team and that we'll make the playoffs for the 1st time since 2004, 9 long years ago! Is his optimism justified?
Well, of course, we don't know. But first, let's look at those roster moves. Did they really improve this team?
Center
Nicola Pekovic came to camp light but stronger, and should be poised to go from solid to stardom. Last year he was the T-wolves #2 scorer with 14 ppg based on 56 percent shooting, and was also the #2 rebounder with 7 per game. all in just 27 minutes per game, the team's 4th best, on the floor.
The roster move here was to replace Darko Milicic with Greg Stiemsma as Pek's bad boy back-up. Milicic scored 5 ppg in 16 minutes, Stiemsma 3 in 14 minutes, so it's hard to see a big improvement there. The improvement will be Pekovic and it will be significant.
Center: Improved a bit
Power Forward
Here again, Kevin Love returns. But unlike Pek, it's hard to see the guy improve a whole hell of a lot. He is already the best 4 in the NBA. Last year he clocked in art a team high 39 minutes, 26 points and 13 rebounds, on 45 percent shooting.
Here the improvement will come from the back-up, presumably Derrick Williams. Last year the #2 pick from the 2011 draft scored 9 points with 5 rebounds on 41 percent shooting in 21 minutes of play. He was considered a disappointment, playing somewhat aimlessly, good minutes followed by long periods in which he would disappear. He's come into camp, like Pekovic, slimmed down, and he has said that he intends to be more aggressive, and he has played that way to date in the fall camp.
If it doesn't pan out, the Wolves have 2 new bodies to throw into the breach. Lou Amundson scored 4 points with 4 boards in 12.5 minutes at Indiana last year, while Dante Cunningham scored 5 points with 4 boards and an assist in 18 minutes at Memphis.
But while Williams expects to improve, are Amundson and Cunningham really an improvement over Beasley, Randolph and Tolliver? Don't know. But, frankly, if Love and Williams play as expected, it might not matter. There may not be any minutes available to Lou and Dante, and that would be fine with me. If Williams fails to earn coach Rick Adelman's confidence again, well, then one of the two will have to step up and, let's be honest, they're not savior types.
Power Forward: Improved a bit
Small Forward
Here's where things start to get interesting. Andrei Kirilenko and Chase Budinger will share the spot this year and--whaddaya know--it is their natural position. Last year it was shared mostly by a bunch of power forwards, principally Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams, but also by Wes Johnson and Martell Webster, for whom this was their natural spot. They scored 32 points with 16 boards in 91 minutes. (Most of them played other spots on the floor as well.)
Kirilenko and Budinger combined for 21 points, 9 boards and 4 assists last year (actually 2 years ago at Utah for Kirilenko, who sat out last year)(and at Houston for Budinger). So on paper there's not a big improvement. And Kirilenko is old enough that one wonders if he's still got it after sitting out a year, except that he seemed just fine playing for Russia in the Olympics this past summer.
This is addition by subtraction as much as by addition as things sometimes ground to a halt with Beasley out there. Chances are that Kirilenko and Budinger will be where coach wants them on the floor about 50 more often than last year's duo, and will hit their teammates with crisper passes, and move without the ball a bit more. So they may not be better than Beasley and Williams, but their teammates will be better with them out there.
Small Forward: Improved a bit
Point Guard
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Ricky Rubio contributed 11 points, 4 boards and 8 assists in in 34 minutes. This year, who knows when he'll return to the floor, and at what percentage of full speed, after a devastating ACL injury last spring?
It will again be Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea filling in in Rubio's absence. Will the T-Wolves again be a totally different and lesser squad with them out there instead of Rubio? If that's the case, then this season and Love's promise of a play-off birth will be lost before Rubio is back.
Well, the one hope is that Alexei Shved will be the one filling in for Rubio and he'll be a stud out there. But the expectation is that the 23-year-old will need at least 1 year to get comfy in a new league and to become Ricky's back-up.
The other hope is that the improvements at the other positions will put us over the top even with Ridnour and Barea out there. But even then, it will feel like treading water. The Wolves need Rubio back in the worst way, and he will have to be at his best.
Point Guard: Regressed with Rubio recovering from a bum knee
Shooting Guard
Now things get really really interesting. I mean, Brandon Roy and Malcolm Lee in place of Wayne Ellington, Wes Johnson and Ridnour and Barea whenever one of the two was not occupied at the 1 spot. Ellington and Johnson scored 12 points in 42 minutes. Each shot 40 percent,
Meanwhile Roy, the former all-star, has sat it out for a year due to a bum knee. In fact, he had retired until Adelman gave him a call.Two years ago he scored 12 points with 3 boards and 3 assists on 40 percent shooting. Previous to that, of course, he was a 20 point scorer. Is there any way he is a 20 point scorer again? No, I didn't think so. The likelihood is he is Ellington and Johnson with 12 points and 40 percent shooting.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Lee scored 3 points in 13 minutes of play and shot 39 percent. Is this not the real Malcolm Lee?
Shooting Guard: Trouble.
Summary
So the Wolves have perhaps improved a bit at all 3 front court positions, but the guard spots will be a problem until Rubio is back. Is that a much improved team?
Of course, the real idea is that Adelman now has players who suit his game plan, and the whole will be so much greater than the sum of the parts.
And let us acknowledge that, yes, as the T-Wolves seek to upgrade, the fact is they've already upgraded at coach, they've already got the best game coach not named Bill Musselman that they've ever had, and probably therefore the best all-around guy ever.
Still without Rubio, this is more like the team that went 9-23 down the stretch. And when Rubio returns, they'll be more like the team that went 17-17 to open the season.
Forecast
So just for the sake of symmetry, let's say it's 42 games before Rubio is at full strength (last year he played 34 games and then missed 32) and 40 games with him back in the saddle. For the 1st half, .500 is too much to ask, I think. A bit of an improvement from 9-23 makes 'em 17-25 at that point. Then over the final 40 games, a bit of an improvement over .500 equals, say, 25-15. Total record 42-40. I can't imagine anything better than that, can you? Historically in the West that's pretty borderline for the playoffs. Sorry.
But, yes, they'll beat Indiana tonight.
Well, of course, we don't know. But first, let's look at those roster moves. Did they really improve this team?
Center
Nicola Pekovic came to camp light but stronger, and should be poised to go from solid to stardom. Last year he was the T-wolves #2 scorer with 14 ppg based on 56 percent shooting, and was also the #2 rebounder with 7 per game. all in just 27 minutes per game, the team's 4th best, on the floor.
The roster move here was to replace Darko Milicic with Greg Stiemsma as Pek's bad boy back-up. Milicic scored 5 ppg in 16 minutes, Stiemsma 3 in 14 minutes, so it's hard to see a big improvement there. The improvement will be Pekovic and it will be significant.
Center: Improved a bit
Power Forward
Here again, Kevin Love returns. But unlike Pek, it's hard to see the guy improve a whole hell of a lot. He is already the best 4 in the NBA. Last year he clocked in art a team high 39 minutes, 26 points and 13 rebounds, on 45 percent shooting.
Here the improvement will come from the back-up, presumably Derrick Williams. Last year the #2 pick from the 2011 draft scored 9 points with 5 rebounds on 41 percent shooting in 21 minutes of play. He was considered a disappointment, playing somewhat aimlessly, good minutes followed by long periods in which he would disappear. He's come into camp, like Pekovic, slimmed down, and he has said that he intends to be more aggressive, and he has played that way to date in the fall camp.
If it doesn't pan out, the Wolves have 2 new bodies to throw into the breach. Lou Amundson scored 4 points with 4 boards in 12.5 minutes at Indiana last year, while Dante Cunningham scored 5 points with 4 boards and an assist in 18 minutes at Memphis.
But while Williams expects to improve, are Amundson and Cunningham really an improvement over Beasley, Randolph and Tolliver? Don't know. But, frankly, if Love and Williams play as expected, it might not matter. There may not be any minutes available to Lou and Dante, and that would be fine with me. If Williams fails to earn coach Rick Adelman's confidence again, well, then one of the two will have to step up and, let's be honest, they're not savior types.
Power Forward: Improved a bit
Small Forward
Here's where things start to get interesting. Andrei Kirilenko and Chase Budinger will share the spot this year and--whaddaya know--it is their natural position. Last year it was shared mostly by a bunch of power forwards, principally Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams, but also by Wes Johnson and Martell Webster, for whom this was their natural spot. They scored 32 points with 16 boards in 91 minutes. (Most of them played other spots on the floor as well.)
Kirilenko and Budinger combined for 21 points, 9 boards and 4 assists last year (actually 2 years ago at Utah for Kirilenko, who sat out last year)(and at Houston for Budinger). So on paper there's not a big improvement. And Kirilenko is old enough that one wonders if he's still got it after sitting out a year, except that he seemed just fine playing for Russia in the Olympics this past summer.
This is addition by subtraction as much as by addition as things sometimes ground to a halt with Beasley out there. Chances are that Kirilenko and Budinger will be where coach wants them on the floor about 50 more often than last year's duo, and will hit their teammates with crisper passes, and move without the ball a bit more. So they may not be better than Beasley and Williams, but their teammates will be better with them out there.
Small Forward: Improved a bit
Point Guard
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Ricky Rubio contributed 11 points, 4 boards and 8 assists in in 34 minutes. This year, who knows when he'll return to the floor, and at what percentage of full speed, after a devastating ACL injury last spring?
It will again be Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea filling in in Rubio's absence. Will the T-Wolves again be a totally different and lesser squad with them out there instead of Rubio? If that's the case, then this season and Love's promise of a play-off birth will be lost before Rubio is back.
Well, the one hope is that Alexei Shved will be the one filling in for Rubio and he'll be a stud out there. But the expectation is that the 23-year-old will need at least 1 year to get comfy in a new league and to become Ricky's back-up.
The other hope is that the improvements at the other positions will put us over the top even with Ridnour and Barea out there. But even then, it will feel like treading water. The Wolves need Rubio back in the worst way, and he will have to be at his best.
Point Guard: Regressed with Rubio recovering from a bum knee
Shooting Guard
Now things get really really interesting. I mean, Brandon Roy and Malcolm Lee in place of Wayne Ellington, Wes Johnson and Ridnour and Barea whenever one of the two was not occupied at the 1 spot. Ellington and Johnson scored 12 points in 42 minutes. Each shot 40 percent,
Meanwhile Roy, the former all-star, has sat it out for a year due to a bum knee. In fact, he had retired until Adelman gave him a call.Two years ago he scored 12 points with 3 boards and 3 assists on 40 percent shooting. Previous to that, of course, he was a 20 point scorer. Is there any way he is a 20 point scorer again? No, I didn't think so. The likelihood is he is Ellington and Johnson with 12 points and 40 percent shooting.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Lee scored 3 points in 13 minutes of play and shot 39 percent. Is this not the real Malcolm Lee?
Shooting Guard: Trouble.
Summary
So the Wolves have perhaps improved a bit at all 3 front court positions, but the guard spots will be a problem until Rubio is back. Is that a much improved team?
Of course, the real idea is that Adelman now has players who suit his game plan, and the whole will be so much greater than the sum of the parts.
And let us acknowledge that, yes, as the T-Wolves seek to upgrade, the fact is they've already upgraded at coach, they've already got the best game coach not named Bill Musselman that they've ever had, and probably therefore the best all-around guy ever.
Still without Rubio, this is more like the team that went 9-23 down the stretch. And when Rubio returns, they'll be more like the team that went 17-17 to open the season.
Forecast
So just for the sake of symmetry, let's say it's 42 games before Rubio is at full strength (last year he played 34 games and then missed 32) and 40 games with him back in the saddle. For the 1st half, .500 is too much to ask, I think. A bit of an improvement from 9-23 makes 'em 17-25 at that point. Then over the final 40 games, a bit of an improvement over .500 equals, say, 25-15. Total record 42-40. I can't imagine anything better than that, can you? Historically in the West that's pretty borderline for the playoffs. Sorry.
But, yes, they'll beat Indiana tonight.
Friday, June 29, 2012
NBA Draft Winners include MN T-Wolves
The MN Timberwolves waited longer than Perry Jones for their name to be called in the 2012 NBA draft last night and, yet, there they are among the winners. The point being that somebody (Houston) gave up a proven NBA contributors--a guy who has played as many as 22 minutes per game and scored 10 points per game while shooting 40 percent from 3 point range--for a #18 pick, which then fetched a 20-year old power forward "who disappeared for big stretches" as a college sophomore.
In other words, a guy who can and will play for the T-Wolves in 2012-2013 for a guy who wouldn't. Not bad.
The question, of course, is who is the fellow in question, Chase Budinger, going to take those 22 minutes from? The Wolves are said to be ready to dump Martell Webster, who in 2 years with the Wolves proved only that he is never going to be physically fit for NBA play. Shockingly, then, he actually played 24 minutes per game this past year, though only in 47 games. But there's Budinger's time, basically. Still, Budinger said he expects to start and the fact is it is hard to see him sharing the court with, say, Michael Beasley. More moves would seem to be in line.
Meanwhile, Back at the Draft
Meanwhile the draft provided enough surprises that Yahoo Sports took down and otherwise buried its mock draft at the 1st opportunity. They had Thomas Robinson at #2 (so did I) and he went at #5. They had Andre Drummond at #6 (I had him #5) and he went #9. They had Perry Jones at #15 (I had him at #9) and he fell all the way to #28.
On the plus side, they had Terrence Ross going to the T-Wolves (they never quite caught up to the Budinger trade) at #18. He went #8 instead. (I had Ross at #14). They had Dion Waiters at #11, and the Cleveland Cavs swooped in to grab him at #4. (I had him at #20. Ouch.) Both of us had Royce White at #23. Despite his widely publicized fear of flying, he moved up to #16.
But while Perry Jones was the draft's biggest loser, his team--the Oklahoma City Thunder--is one of the big winners. Imagine getting the 2nd best player in the draft, which some people said Jones is, at #28. And imagine being able to bring the guy along slowly under the wing of Kevin Durant. 5 years from now people will be saying, You got him at # what????
And it's likely they'll be saying the same thing, but for the opposite reason, about one of the following. I mean, there's always a draft bust and this year it will be Waiters (#4) or Harrison Barnes (#7) or Drummond (#9) or Meyers Leonard (#11) or White (#16) if he doesn't learn to love air travel.
Along with Jones, the biggest steal will come from among Jared Sullinger (#21) or Arnett Moultrie (#27). The same can be said of Sullinger as of Perry Jones. A year ago both were expected to go in the top 5 but neither came out. Now they're worse than #20? Were the scouts wrong last year or are they wrong now? It's obvious that somebody is/was wrong and it's not obvious they're not wrong now. If so, that makes the Boston Celtics, who picked Sullinger, winners in the 2012 draft, along with the 76ers, who picked Moultrie.
This most likely to be embarrassed include the Cavs (Waiters), the Warriors (Barnes), Detroit (Drummond), Portland (Leonard) and the Rockets (White). It will be interesting to see if #11 Leonard really proves to be better than #27 Moultrie.
Meanwhile, the Rockets stockpiled #14, #16 and #18 in hopes of moving up, then got stuck with those 3 mid-level picks, which they parlayed into Jeremy Lamb, White and Terence Jones. Surely one of them will prove to be a player? Please!
Finally the T-Wolves made a feel-good pick of Robbie Hummel, 6 year-man at Purdue due to persistent leg injuries, at #58. Good for Hummel, who is never ever going to play in the NBA.
In other words, a guy who can and will play for the T-Wolves in 2012-2013 for a guy who wouldn't. Not bad.
The question, of course, is who is the fellow in question, Chase Budinger, going to take those 22 minutes from? The Wolves are said to be ready to dump Martell Webster, who in 2 years with the Wolves proved only that he is never going to be physically fit for NBA play. Shockingly, then, he actually played 24 minutes per game this past year, though only in 47 games. But there's Budinger's time, basically. Still, Budinger said he expects to start and the fact is it is hard to see him sharing the court with, say, Michael Beasley. More moves would seem to be in line.
Meanwhile, Back at the Draft
Meanwhile the draft provided enough surprises that Yahoo Sports took down and otherwise buried its mock draft at the 1st opportunity. They had Thomas Robinson at #2 (so did I) and he went at #5. They had Andre Drummond at #6 (I had him #5) and he went #9. They had Perry Jones at #15 (I had him at #9) and he fell all the way to #28.
On the plus side, they had Terrence Ross going to the T-Wolves (they never quite caught up to the Budinger trade) at #18. He went #8 instead. (I had Ross at #14). They had Dion Waiters at #11, and the Cleveland Cavs swooped in to grab him at #4. (I had him at #20. Ouch.) Both of us had Royce White at #23. Despite his widely publicized fear of flying, he moved up to #16.
But while Perry Jones was the draft's biggest loser, his team--the Oklahoma City Thunder--is one of the big winners. Imagine getting the 2nd best player in the draft, which some people said Jones is, at #28. And imagine being able to bring the guy along slowly under the wing of Kevin Durant. 5 years from now people will be saying, You got him at # what????
And it's likely they'll be saying the same thing, but for the opposite reason, about one of the following. I mean, there's always a draft bust and this year it will be Waiters (#4) or Harrison Barnes (#7) or Drummond (#9) or Meyers Leonard (#11) or White (#16) if he doesn't learn to love air travel.
Along with Jones, the biggest steal will come from among Jared Sullinger (#21) or Arnett Moultrie (#27). The same can be said of Sullinger as of Perry Jones. A year ago both were expected to go in the top 5 but neither came out. Now they're worse than #20? Were the scouts wrong last year or are they wrong now? It's obvious that somebody is/was wrong and it's not obvious they're not wrong now. If so, that makes the Boston Celtics, who picked Sullinger, winners in the 2012 draft, along with the 76ers, who picked Moultrie.
This most likely to be embarrassed include the Cavs (Waiters), the Warriors (Barnes), Detroit (Drummond), Portland (Leonard) and the Rockets (White). It will be interesting to see if #11 Leonard really proves to be better than #27 Moultrie.
Meanwhile, the Rockets stockpiled #14, #16 and #18 in hopes of moving up, then got stuck with those 3 mid-level picks, which they parlayed into Jeremy Lamb, White and Terence Jones. Surely one of them will prove to be a player? Please!
Finally the T-Wolves made a feel-good pick of Robbie Hummel, 6 year-man at Purdue due to persistent leg injuries, at #58. Good for Hummel, who is never ever going to play in the NBA.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
T-Wolves in the Draft After All
The T-Wolves have no 1st round draft pick of their own, but now with the Utah Jazz sneaking into the playoffs the final weekend, the Wolves get the Jazz' pick at #15. So what I wrote a month ago in my mock draft becomes pretty interesting. I speculated that maybe a #15 choice could be had in a trade. Here's what I said.
"Still I suppose they could move up with a trade. What do they need? Oh, yes, somebody that won't get hurt. Good luck with that. But seriously, if they could package Beasley and Wesley, well, that surely doesn't get you a lottery pick, but say a #15, even, is there any way you make that trade? Well, sure, because you can't use Beasley and Wesley. But if you just end up with another guy you can't use.... But, is there a gem of a guy hidden at #15 or thereabouts? Well, you know, maybe Terrence Ross. Maybe is the guy that Johnson and Ellington and Webster isn't, a guy who brings a little instant offense off the bench and picks up the tempo a little bit. But seriously, who the hell is going to take Beasley off our hands? Once upon a time you could call the Clippers. Now I don't think so. Joisey? N'awlins? I dunno. But the one opportunity worth watching for is Terrence Ross at somewhere around #15, give or take a couple. But it's addition by subtraction. Dumping some dead wood is as much or more a rationale for such a deal as the draft pick himself."
I also had John Henson as the Jazz' pick at #15, and Austin Rivers at #16 though most people think Rivers will go much higher than that.
"Still I suppose they could move up with a trade. What do they need? Oh, yes, somebody that won't get hurt. Good luck with that. But seriously, if they could package Beasley and Wesley, well, that surely doesn't get you a lottery pick, but say a #15, even, is there any way you make that trade? Well, sure, because you can't use Beasley and Wesley. But if you just end up with another guy you can't use.... But, is there a gem of a guy hidden at #15 or thereabouts? Well, you know, maybe Terrence Ross. Maybe is the guy that Johnson and Ellington and Webster isn't, a guy who brings a little instant offense off the bench and picks up the tempo a little bit. But seriously, who the hell is going to take Beasley off our hands? Once upon a time you could call the Clippers. Now I don't think so. Joisey? N'awlins? I dunno. But the one opportunity worth watching for is Terrence Ross at somewhere around #15, give or take a couple. But it's addition by subtraction. Dumping some dead wood is as much or more a rationale for such a deal as the draft pick himself."
I also had John Henson as the Jazz' pick at #15, and Austin Rivers at #16 though most people think Rivers will go much higher than that.
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