Howlin' T-Wolf

Great outing for the Wolves last night. They came out and stepped on the Clippers’ lowly hearts, just as I proposed they do. Way to go guys! Now let’s just continue that play into tomorrow night versus the New York Knicks, whom beat us badly on the 26th. Revenge anyone? Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• To the surprise of many, including me, Ryan Hollins made the start last night. It worked out quite nicely as he put up 19 points, tying his career high.
• The Wolves have had difficulty putting fans in seats but their new ad campaign contains billboards admitting to this year’s troubles.“An honest assessment of the past. A plan for the future”.

Truehoop Tracks:

• Take a look at Kevin Arnovitz’s take on last night’s butt-whooping of the L.A. Clippers.
• The match-ups between Boston and Atlanta this season have been great entertainment. Crawford stepped up big for the Hawks last night.
• A great game last night with the Bulls and Hornets resulted in a great finish. “And as you can see from the play-by-play, the game ended with a steal by Rose”.

Other Tracks:

• More on the Hawks-Celts game, it was actually a season sweep for the Hawks. That would be a fun pairing to watch in the NBA Playoffs.
• The Nets came so close to having an actual win streak going but a jumper from Earl Boykins with .4 seconds left buried any chance of that happening.

Wow. Wolves fans if you missed this game, I’m sorry. That was fun to watch, easily the most fun I’ve had watching this team all season. Can we play the Clippers every game? I don’t think I saw a mistake the entire first 6 minutes of the game!

The 34-20 Timberwolves on top of the Clippers first quarter was by far the best of the season with the only blemish being Al Jefferson’s 3 turnovers.

Take a look at the Box Score. Every single Timberwolf who played at least 10 minutes (Sasha went 0-2 in 7 mins.) had a great game. There isn’t a bad stat line anywhere to be found. It’s unheard of! I mean Ryan Hollins had a significant impact on the game. Corey Brewer continued his tear. Jonny Flynn looked like a legit NBA point guard and a guy who can run a damn good game from the point.

I can’t say enough about how good the Timberwolves play, especially early and late, was in this game. Other than Baron Davis willing the Clippers back into the game in the 3rd quarter with 23 points the Wolves dominated the rest of the game. The Clippers got to within 5 in the 4th quarter before the Wolves ripped off a 14-5 run to put it back out of reach. I was glad it got close because it tested the Wolves mettle to not give up the lead. And they succeeded.

I’ll have more thoughts later tonight but just wanted to get this up this morning.

I can’t wait to see what the “New Wolves” can do in their rematch with the Knicks tomorrow night!

Truehoop Network – Ricky Rubio as the European Jason Kidd

Seems like this youngster is really finding his game over there in Europe. I’ve heard a lot about him the past two weeks, and it’s been all good news.

The Wolves will be hosting the Clippers tonight in the final match-up between the two teams this season. The Clippers took the first three games but won’t take the fourth as long as the Wolves show up to play hard tonight at home. Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press is questioning whether teams in the league have any respect the Wolves. I would say that Lebron kicking water bottles and giggling on the sideline points to they don’t. “The Timberwolves are suffering enough this season with a 9-38 record, second worst in the NBA. Are they also struggling with a lack of respect around the league?”

Truehoop Tracks:

• Marc Stein reports that the Trailblazers are amongst the league’s buyers at the year’s trade deadline.
• I took this right out of Truehoop’s First Cup Friday:

Phil Miller of the Star Tribune: “There was a lot of merriment and goofiness on the Cavaliers’ side Wednesday night, from LeBron James’ dance-off with an usher to James, Shaquille O’Neal and Anthony Parker tickling Daniel Gibson after Gibson was knocked to the floor. Lots of laughter, not much competition in a routine blowout over the Timberwolves. In response, the Cavs’ hapless foils on Thursday vowed that someday, somehow, with heaven as their witness, they will extract their blood revenge by … Oh, never mind. ‘If we were in that situation, we’d do the same thing,’ Wolves forward Al Jefferson said. ‘It’s fun when you win. You’re smiling, joking — I don’t think they meant any disrespect.’ No, if there was any disrespect, Jefferson said, it was in how the Wolves have disrespected the sport lately with lethargic efforts. Minnesota has lost five consecutive games and is 2-10 in January. Worse, the Wolves were swept on their just-completed three-game road trip by a combined 74 points.”

Well put in that last line Jefferson.

Other Tracks:

• James is fined for kicking a water bottle during the game on Wednesday. This proves that the Cavs were just a little too playful in their victory over the Wolves.
• It’s fairly obvious that Amar’e Stoudemire’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors recently. But now his teammates think it could be getting to him and are questioning his “effort and focus” in games.

I said in Wednesday night’s recap that Kevin Love had put up impressive numbers but did it very quietly, under everyone’s noses if you will. Is this because he makes the plays that need to be made as opposed to making plays the fans want to see him make? Plays aren’t run for him all that often and the plays he makes are a result of hard-nosed hustle and end with offensive rebound tip-ins and quick step-out jumpers, instead of massive dunks or flashy plays. Here’s the facts:

Click on image to enlarge

Kevin Love is fourth on the team in Usage, which simply means three people have the ball in their hands more than Love over the course of a game, including Oleksiy Pecherov — weird, I know. So, if Love is ranked third in eFG%(Efficiency Field Goal Percentage) and first by a land slide in John Hollinger’s PER (Player Efficiency Rating) on the team, wouldn’t you expect the Wolves to want to get the ball in his hands as much as possible? I think the Wolves need to get him the ball at all costs possible starting tonight and let him do his work.

Notes:

• PER Player Efficiency Rating is my overall rating of a player’s per-minute statistical production. The league average is 15.00 every season.
• Usg Usage Rate is the number of possessions a player uses per 40 minutes. Usage Rate = {[FGA + (FT Att. x 0.44) + (Ast x 0.33) + TO] x 40 x League Pace} divided by (Minutes x Team Pace)

Courtesy of ESPN.com

Timberwolves: 9-38

Clippers: 20-25

The Timberwolves will be hosting the Clippers at a low point in both the team’s seasons. The Clippers lost to the lowly Nets Wednesday night and were sent packing for Minnesota with their heads down and tails between their legs. A sad, sad effort against the NBA’s worst team to say the least. As for the the Wolves, we’re coming home from a dissapointing road trip and looking to bounce back. The Clips might just be the right team to do that. The Wolves might be able to take advantage of their low morales but we can’t expect the Clips to come out and lay an egg either. The Clippers have been in the mid-low end of the Western Conference all season but aren’t a team to sleep on. They’ve actually defeated the Wolves three times this season already– the last being a 120-95 shellacking at home on Dec. 16. Flynn went 3-12 in that one but has recently improved on both ends of the floor. Basically, the Wolves will need to improve their shooting percentage if they want to defeat the Clips tonight. They shot only 38% from the field Wednesday against the Cavs. Although the Clippers don’t have the defensive ball-hawking ability of the Cavs, the Wolves will need to shoot at a higher percentage no matter what if they expect to win. Giving the ball to Love will be critical and allowing Brewer to do his thing would be a good idea with his recent numbers. Both teams are strong in the front court but the Clippers have more leadership and scoring in their backcourt. So, the Wolves will want to jump out on top early in this one, if possible. The Clippers are down, so why not kick ‘em? Especially early.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Baron Davis

Baron Davis is a bonafide veteran. He has proved day in and day out that he is one the league’s top point guards. Jonny Flynn will learn a lot tonight but probably won’t have the leg up in this one. Davis was off on Wednesday going only 2-10 but he’s an All-Star caliber player that will make the right plays, and choices, when his team needs him. And tonight will probably be no different.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Eric Gordon

Brewer’s number weren’t as impressive Wednesday night but the effort was still there. If he can get a few more shots to go down tonight, I think he will outscore Gordon and out-perform him in totality. Gordon can score from anywhere on the court and is quicker than Brewer, so look to see if Gordon can beat Brewer off the dribble. It won’t be easy to get through Brewer’s lanky limbs but if he can, he just may prove to be successful as well.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Damien Wilkins vs. Rasual Butler

Wilins has looked bitterly awful the last few games and Butler can make shots from around the floor. Not sure if Wilkins has much of a chance in this one but it would be nice to see him step up for a change. We could use him if we want to come out with the victory in this one. We don’t need much but more than what he has done recently will certainly suffice.

Advantage: Los Angeles

Power Forward:

Ryan Gomes/Kevin Love vs. Marcus Camby

The Wolves seem to be sticking with Gomes in the starting spot and I can’t complain. Plus, Love’s production off the bench is much needed, so it’s not a bad move. Camby is one of those few guys that can really match Love’s physicality in the league. He’s grabbing nearly 12 rebounds a game and draws attention in the paint defensively. He is not much of a threat offensively unless Love or Gomes fail to show up and match his intensity. Otherwise, I think Love will continue his tough play and have another good game tonight.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Al Jefferson vs. Chris Kaman

Listen, the “Big Cat” has looked terrible and it’s truly a sad sight. Kaman is a better player right now and if Jefferson can’t slow his game down, Kaman will beat him all night long.

Advantage: Los Angeles

From Chat with John Hollinger – ESPN:

guinness (NY, NY)

Was Flynn over Lawson for the rookie game the right choice? It seems Lawson got snubbed…

John Hollinger

(2:20 PM)

Lawson should have made it over Curry. Unfortunately rookie game picks have been far more dependent on minutes than productivity; Curry hasn’t been bad but Lawson has been vastly better.

Jon (NYC)

Lawson over Flynn, not Curry. Lawson; Curry; Flynn.

John Hollinger

(2:28 PM)

You can make a credible argument that way, yes.

Mark (Shoreview, IL)

Would Kevin Love merit ASG consideration if he had been healthy all season?

John Hollinger

(2:38 PM)

I think he’d have a strong case. Of course he’;d have no chance of getting votes because of his team’s record, but Love’s per-minute production this year is off the charts.

David Kahn (MN)

So you’re saying you’e not impressed that I drafted three point guards in the first round this year and the worst one is the only one on the roster? It’s not that easy to do.

John Hollinger

(2:48 PM)

I know they’re trying to rebuild and take the long view in Minny, but the draft-day shenanigans don’t look any less head-scratching today than they seemed at the time and the pieces they have are fitting terribly.

Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• The European season has ceased and Ricky Rubio has helped lead his team to the top of the league. Being only 19, Rubio has elevated his play and shown why he won’t be a fluke.

Pro: I believe Rubio truly has the court vision of an all-time great. Stockton, Magic, Nash – name who you want. I think Rubio sees the floor on that level.

Con: Rubio just cannot finish at the basket at all, and he doesn’t really score in the lane, either.

• Brewer’s number are starting to catch the eyes of fantasy basketball players. Maybe Brewer could become a waiver wire wonder for some championship team out there.

Truehoop Tracks:

• Here’s a video from Kevin Arnovitz on how the Clippers were brutally beaten last night by the lowly Nets.
• This is John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog\’s take on last night’s game.

Other Tracks:

• The punishment has been declared: Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton are banned for remainder of season.

The Cavs truly showed that they are the better team tonight despite a mini comeback attempt by the Wolves in the fourth. It was too little too late for the Wolves as they ran out of time to make a come-back against the Lebron and the quite playful Cavaliers. The Cavs notched their 36th win of the season and move to 18-3 at home.

The most complete team in the NBA, in my opinion, shot nearly 55% from the field while holding the Wolves to under 100 points and 38.9% in shooting. Sadly, the Wolves let this one get out of hand in the second quarter. After hanging with the Cavs bucket for bucket in the first, Lebron opened up the floor and started carving the Wolves’ defense with assist after assist.

Lebron had somewhat of an off night scoring with only 12 points on 3-8 shooting. He didn’t need to score though as his teammates picked up the production around him while he sat back and conducted a beautifully orchestrated game. Lebron ended up with 11 assists, the 12th time this season with double-digit assists, and he didn’t even play much in the fourth. Forward J.J. Hickson was a special surprise tonight and filled in for Lebron’s scoring lapse quite nicely. He finished with 23 points and ripped eight boards down along with it. He was shooting from outside and attacking the rim to grab rebounds away from the Wolves’ frontcourt.

The Wolves had trouble getting open looks against the NBA’s 6th best team in defensive efficiency. They did only give up eight turnovers but the Cavs had five blocks, including a nasty chase-down swat on Brewer’s breakaway lay-up from Lebron himself. The bench I can say was non-existent. Love didn’t start but he played nearly the whole game and quietly posted a 20-10 night for himself. Quietly is the key word there. This guy is such a solid player but his games seem to be so under the radar, it’s easy to miss. This is why I don’t know if this guy can become the leader on this squad or the face of the franchise as badly as everyone wants him to. Prove me wrong please. Now as for the rest of the bench, they combined for 4-18 and 11 points. Pathetic, I know.

Another good night for Brewer — he really is starting to come around and is drawing national attention with his staggering numbers recently. Tonight the numbers weren’t as impressive, but Brewer went 8-19 and put up 22. His charisma and heart are fun to watch but now that his game is starting to back it up, I’m starting to come around a lot more!

Flynn was a not much of a factor in this one but did put a smile on my face at one point. He stole back a potential steal from Anderson Varejao, then with the shot-clock running down, he hurls it up from way beyond the three-point line only to watch it swish through while he jogged back with a grin from ear to ear. Sweet.

As for Jefferson, he did tally the double-double I was hoping for tonight but it wasn’t pretty by any means; 14 points, 10 boards on 6-18 shooting. Some could look at that stat line and say it isn’t so bad but when we’re talking about an elite center in this league, that’s not acceptable. Jefferson looked tired, sluggish and emotionally frustrated from the start and was forcing very bad shots. It wasn’t until about seven minutes left in the fourth did he regain some confidence but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t help that he had to face Shaq — whom by the way looked to weigh about 400 lbs. tonight. Shaq put up 13 on him but seemed to fill and dominate the entire paint alone. The Cavs actually had 34 points in the paint in the first half alone as the Wolves had difficulty covering the simple pick-and-roll from the top of the key. I think Jefferson will appreciate going back home for a day of rest before the Wolves play the Clippers on Friday.

So much for a successful road trip. The Wolves will be coming home from a depressing tenure against a few Eastern Conference teams. They get a day off and then host the L.A. Clippers on Friday night.

From Chat with David Thorpe -ESPN:

AKA a Wolves chat with questions on other teams sprinkled in… Has to be a record for most Wolves related questions in a chat!

Torrey (Minnesota)

Corey Brewer’s been playing the best ball of his professional career the past few weeks. His confidence seems at an all time high. What do you think his ceiling is?

David Thorpe

(12:20 PM)

Been watching them a lot. He’s been playing much better since late November. I see him as a 14-17ppg guy who is also a good teams best defender and energy guy. He’s also their best passer in the triangle offense. Needs to be a tighter dribbler, but 48% from 3 this month? C’mon!!

Shawn (La Habra)

Mr. Thorpe. Coach Rambis should slide Brewer to 3 and start Ellington at 2. That will spread the floor and will make them much more potent on both ends! What’s your take?

David Thorpe

(12:31 PM)

Considering Brewer has been a 3 most of his life? I totally agree. And I like Ellington more than most others do.

Chad (Minneapolis, MN)

I know a lot of John Wall questions out there, but the Wolves have the 2nd best shot at getting him. Question is that I know he’s the best in years, but with that said, the Wolves would have to trade Flynn or Rubio’s rights for sure, and who would have more value and who should they trade if by a chance they land the #1 pick.

David Thorpe

(12:41 PM)

They’d trade both is my guess, though I love Flynn in Lawson’s role off the bench, as more of a scorer.

Greg (San Diego)

Rubio is going to be unbelievable, can we get him on the Lakers?

David Thorpe

(12:43 PM)

That would be sick.

dylan (alaska)

think the twolves traded the wrong point guard to the nuggets? (they should have kept lawson)

David Thorpe

(12:45 PM)

Without doubt.

Sergio (Madrid)

Not sure if you watch international tapes… but do you think OKC and SAC will one day regret not picking him Rubio?

David Thorpe

(12:47 PM)

OKC no, they have Westbrook, maybe Sacto. But Memphis? Yes. Rubio is 27-2 over there, maybe 27-3 now, and is 3rd in assists in the Euroleague behind two guys who are at least 10 years older than him.

George (NY)

come on, there’s no way Ty Lawson wins games on the T Wolves. it’s easy to be pure energy off the bench when you play 23 mins a game. cut Flynn a little slack.

David Thorpe

(12:49 PM)

That’s not my job. Calling it like I see it.

Casper (Minneapolis)

If forced to choose, do you move forward with Kevin Love or Al Jefferson if you're the Wolves? Or do you think they can make it work defensively if they can get the team scheme down like OKC has (surprising 5th in defensive rating)?

David Thorpe

(12:56 PM)

I’d move Al.