Howlin' T-Wolf

Take a deep breath in… And release.

All Wolves fans can release a full and relieving breath of air tonight after the win over the Sacramento Kings. On the brink of pushing their losing streak to 17, as well as the possibility of tying the NBA’s longest losing streak ever at 24 games, the Wolves came through with an impressive victory at the Target Center. The victory was thorough in all aspects, besides a tiny meltdown in the fourth, but the Wolves did a good job of not letting up completely to allow the Kings to get back in this one.

After a tight first quarter, the Wolves jumped out on top in the second utilizing some intensity — mostly on defense — to take a solid nine point lead going into halftime. Now, normally, this is the point of the game that makes Wolves fans quiver with fear of a let-down or causes them to blow up with sheer animosity towards the players of coach Rambis for completely falling apart, as you throw your remote across the room. But not tonight. The Wolves came out of the tunnel and played the third quarter with their hearts on their sleeves, as if they were playing in the NBA playoffs. Passes were crisp. Shots were falling from all over and best of all, the defense looked as stout as ever.

Fans were probably in awe to see that the Wolves, at one point, owned a 20 point lead and looked as if they were going to cruise to victory. But, wait. Oh, no. Can it be? The fourth quarter starts and so does an 11-0 run for the Kings. Crap, here we go again.

As things got even closer, the Wolves started to buckle down as they told themselves that they would not lose this game. The Kings continued to get decent opportunities to keep hacking into the Wolves lead but made a few too many mistakes down the stretch and the Wolves capitalized. Corey Brewer scored the last 10 points for the Wolves, including a monstrous open-court slam, and the rest was history.

Probably the most profound thing to take away from this game was the fact that the three-headed monster — Al Jefferson, Kevin Love and Darko Milicic — played fantastic together. Together is the key word there. Usually, we see one, maybe two, of them go off for a good stat line, but not tonight. All three came up big and notched double-doubles against a paltry effort from the frontcourt of the Kings. Jefferson looked like he has returned to ‘08-’09 season form, especially when rebounding. He finished with 12 boards, which is three better than his season average. And who said the big guy can’t play defense? Jefferson tied his career high in blocks tonight with an astounding six rejections. Darko also had a good game on the defensive end. He finished with four blocks and also put up 15 points and 10 rebounds in a solid, and lengthy, 38 minutes. With the success of these two, you would think that Love may have had an off-night when going to check the box score. Well, he finished with a respectable 12 points and 11 rebounds in only 23 minutes. Sure, the amount of minutes he played is a bit alarming but the way he sounded after the game in his interview, he seemed pretty happy about the final outcome of the game no matter how many minutes he got to play.

I think this win was generated for a few reasons. 1) The Kings played poorly. They only turned it over nine times but shot 10% worse than the Wolves at 46%. Their frontcourt, which just pounded ours the last time these two teams met, didn’t seem nearly as aggressive or efficient tonight. Carl Landry, their new studly power forward, went 10-24 from the field and just didn’t seem like his-self out there. 2) As I stated earlier, the Wolves frontcourt dominated tonight and was rewarded with three double-doubles across the board. 3) But perhaps the main reason for tonight’s win and why the big men succeeded so well was due in large part to the play of Jonny Flynn.

Everyone has grown frustrated with Flynn, including himself, but he came up big tonight. He had five assists in the first half and ended up with eight. That’s his highest total dating back to the beat down in Phoenix on the 16th. Flynn was moving the ball to open people, and even open spots, on the floor. He was attacking the hoop, and maybe best of all, he shot around 50%. Hallelujah! And so with that said, MVP of the night goes to Jonny Flynn for his 18 points, eight assists and only three turnovers. He was what kept things together for the Wolves, and he was a key contributor to helping the Wolves establish that large lead in the second and third quarters.

Team defense is the name of the game and I quickly want to point out that this is the first time since February 24th that the Wolves have held a team under 100 points. Talk about a defensive improvement! Or the Kings’ own suckiness! Either way works.

Keep breathing, fans. Sure, things still aren’t looking peachy but isn’t it nice to get a breath of fresh air? For the first time in over a month we can all take advantage of breathing in some clean air; air that is not poisoned with the odor of suckiness, and simply inhale the sweetest scent the NBA can offer: A victory.

A toast to you, T-Wolves!

“Drink it in! It always goes down smooth.” – The Anchorman, Ron Burgandy, a.k.a Will Ferrell

Timberwolves: 14-60

Kings: 24-51

Could this be the last chance for the Wolves to pick up a victory and stop free-falling into one of the worst losing streaks in NBA history? Possibly. After tonight’s game, the Wolves have seven games left; four of which are against teams contending for, or already have, playoff spots. If this is one of the last chances for the Wolves to break their streak, things don’t look too good. The last time these two teams met, the Kings worked the Wolves over on their way to a 114-100 win. Tyreke Evans was one rebound short of a triple-double that night and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t get one tonight. He out-plays Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions in all aspects of the game, proving that he is the league’s top rookie. Where the game could make or break itself for the Wolves, though, is the guys underneath. Al Jefferson, Kevin Love and Darko Milicic have not gelled well since being paired into a three-headed monster that has to take turns attacking the enemy, as opposed to using team-work to wear down the opposition. They fail at excelling on the court when two of the three on the floor together, thus proving that David Kahn will have some decisions to make this offseason about who will remain a Timberwolf. Well, no matter who is out there tonight, they will have difficulty stopping the Kings’ own three-headed monster: Carl Landry, Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson. Last game they went off for a combined 36 points and 22 rebounds and just seemed to outplay the big men of the Wolves. Match-up problems lie all over the place for the Wolves tonight, so production from any direction will be much needed in this match-up.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Tyreke Evans

Flynn has played better as of late, but still not well enough. His field goal percentage needs to improve until fans can deem him a decent point guard to say the least. On the other hand, Evans is this year’s best rookie and one of the league’s best point guards already. Good luck, Flynn.

Advantage: Sacramento

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Beno Udrih

Udrih doesn’t play a true shooting guard positions and neither does Evans play as a true point. I would classify them both as just guards, or “ball-handlers”. With that said, depending on who is defending Udrih tonight, they will have a difficult time with the quick, little speedster. Udrih has been playing great lately, especially in the absence of a recently injured Evans. He can sneakily score a good amount of points on you and very quick, so don’t let him get off your radar if you’re a Wolf. As for Corey, his game has seen a slight declination ever since the end of his three-pointer streak, but who’s game hasn’t fallen off if you’re a Wolf? Basically due to match-up problems, the Kings just have a better backcourt, period.

Advantage: Sacramento

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Donte Greene

Both Greene and Gomes are good role players for their squads but the advantage goes to Minnesota here because the Kings are a little down on depth at the position.

Advantage: Minnesota

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Carl Landry

Who will you play tonight, coach Rambis? You know what Al can do when given the opportunities at a constant rate and you know what Love can do when given the proper amount of minutes. The frontcourt is such a crap shoot for the Wolves right now, so I’d go with the solid combo of Landry-Thompson any day.

Advantage: Sacramento

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Spencer Hawes

I like Darko, I truly do. But did you know the Wolves are now 1-17 with him on the squad thus far? Yikes. Makes you think twice about this whole possibility of re-signing him thing…

Advantage: Sacramento

The Kings are coming to town looking to dethrone the Timberwolves from, well, nothing I guess. Make sure you all tune in though because the season is on its final leg and it will be over before you know it (Thankfully?) Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• Probably the last goal of the Timberwolves for this season is to get Corey Brewer noticed by the NBA as this year’s Most Improved Player of the year. Make sure you check out www.brewersblend.com to support Corey.
• Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune has an article expressing how we all feel right now as Wolves fans. What’s the point anymore, right?
• As I said, the Wolves only goal this season is to help Corey in his M.I.P. race but the New Jersey Nets have other goals/plans.

Even though it will keep them from setting any more dubious records, the Nets were not satisfied after winning their 10th game on Monday night. Several of them brought up the possibility of catching the Timberwolves and not finishing with the worst record in the league.

• The ad space located on the Target Center’s outside wall, directly facing the all-new Twins home, Target Field, has been won by the Timberwolves, which means millions of dollars in advertising.
• Local news station, Kare 11, tours the home of Kevin Love.

Truehoop Tracks:

• Even NCAA teams are using a quantitative approach to preparing for games. Meet the head coach of Butler, Brad Stevens.
• Nets Are Scorching discusses whether the Nets are better than the Wolves. And should they be?
• The Spurs are getting older but time won’t slow down for them. What do they do next?

Other Tracks:

• Bulls’ Derrick Rose made a BIG promise the other day. “We’re still going to make it,”
• Dwayne Wade is even good at winning legal battles!

As many of you probably know by now, Corey Brewer is being considered as a candidate for this season’s NBA Most Improved Player Award. In a race with some pretty stiff competition and the Wolves not exactly stealing headlines, Brewer could have some trouble creating some buzz around his name and new-and-improved game. Well, maybe this video will help!

Also, please visit www.brewersblend.com to help support Corey in his quest to become this season’s Most Improved Player.

Marc Stein’s Week 22 Power Rankings:

We warned the Wolves what would happen if the Nets ever managed two wins in the same week. The fact that Sota is the first team since the ‘97-98 Nuggets with two 15-game skids in the same season left us no choice.

Yesterday, after I had already posted our lovable, daily Wolf Tracks, ESPN released Marc Stein’s weekly Power Rankings. Probably to the surprise of no one, the Wolves have finally hit rock-bottom. No longer are the New Jersey Nets playing like, well, the New Jersey Nets. They’ve grown up and surpassed the Wolves to no-longer be the worst team in the NBA. Only four games behind the Wolves in wins, could the Nets also break the ice and finish the season with a better record — but less ping-pong balls — than the Wolves?

By the way, this is the only significant Wolf Track that I could track down today. Anything else you can find, shoot me suggestions via email or comment.

The streak has been pushed to 16 in a row but under the dark cloud of weary faces and gloomy performances, the Wolves found a gem in the sand: Kevin Love. Wait, we already knew he was a gem. So, why does coach Rambis finally figure to play him last night? Huh, weird. Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• The Suns just proved to be too much for the Wolves, yet again, in their win last night, 111-105.
• Kevin Love straight up balled last night. Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press had this to say:

Kevin Love’s 23 points and career-high 22 rebounds off the bench Sunday night impressed Rambis, who has had to adjust Love’s role a few times this season. Love has started and come off the bench, a role he has questioned but accepts.

“Kevin is working on continuing to play hard,” Rambis said. “When he keeps his head up and plays his (bleep) off, when he doesn’t let things bother him, he’s an All-Star caliber player. He has to stay that way.”

• Straight out of Henry Abbott’s First Cup: Monday:

Phil Miller of the Star Tribune: “The Timberwolves have been gruesome for six months now, but Sunday they attached the imprimatur of history to their ineptitude. Wherever Bill Blair and Sean Rooks and Greg Foster and Isaiah Rider are today, someone should let them know they officially have company in the record books: The Wolves have lost 16 in a row once more. ‘Everybody is frustrated,’ coach Kurt Rambis said after Phoenix extended Minnesota’s skid with a 111-105 victory at Target Center. ‘I’m frustrated, the coaches are, the players are, the front office is, the fans are.’ Yet here’s the odd thing about these modern-day Minnesota misadventurers. Even as their failures stretched over a fifth consecutive week without respite, the Wolves found signs of hope amid the despair, glimmers of progress under the avalanche of L’s. What does it say about a team that can point to a franchise-record losing streak — and see improvement?”

• The Wolves plan on unveiling their plans to get Corey Brewer his well-deserved M.I.P. Award.

Other Tracks:

• J.J. Redick stepped in for injured Vince Carter and helped the Magic prevail over the Nuggets, 103, 97.

Well Howlers, last night we saw the third game in a row that Wolves were overmatched by a more athletic and skilled basketball team. First it was the Bobcats with their 3-headed monster of athleticism of Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, and Tyrus Thomas. Then it was Dwight Howard and the never ending group of specialists the Magic have put together with Ryan Anderson and J.J Redick being the shooters off the bench that hurt the Wolves the most. And finally last night we had the Suns amazingly good pick-and-roll game featuring Amare Stoudemire tearing through the Wolves front line along with Channing Frye bombing away from the 3-point line (5-10) to the point that it didn’t matter Jefferson and Love combined for 42 points and 38 rebounds.

So what do we know after the last 3 outings and even more broadly over this horrendous 16 game losing streak? How bad is bad?

Last night’s loss, even with the Wolves amazing third quarter that somehow cut a 22 point Suns halftime lead all the way down to 1, showed that the Wolves just can’t shoot the basketball at the level it takes to win games in the NBA. 45%/30%/70% just don’t cut it in this league. Looking at the numbers from last night:

• 10 missed free throws on 37 attempts (Hollins 0-2, Brewer 3-8, and Jefferson 7-10), 73%
• 12 missed 3’s on 16 attempts, 25%
• 57! missed 2’s on 94 attempts, 39%

We still have no idea what it going with the rotations and the minutes being distributed by Coach Rambis.

• Kevin Love is still coming off the bench but last night led the team in minutes played.
• We still haven’t seen Jonny Flynn run the offense like Ramon Sessions does.
• We’ve seen Darko be a potentially integral piece for the Wolves on the front line but only at the cost of keeping Jefferson and Love off the floor together. On the other hand those minutes were Ryan Hollins’ before so at least Darko is an improvement.
• Ellington has played pretty well and been a bright spot in terms of shooting, but still can’t crack the starting line-up.
• Brewer’s shooting has improved but he isn’t playing or shooting the way he did WAY back when the Wolves won 4 in a row.

The triangle offense is being run correctly about 4-5 times a game. Sometimes less. Last night I saw Love and Sessions hook up for a great pinch post cut and pass for a lay-up that was nice. I just wish I wasn’t shocked to see it. I think the Wolves have sufficiently proven that the triangle offense cannot be run with two pick and roll point guards, a non-passing low post specialist, and a group of spotty outside shooters. The Wolves will either have to get rid of the system (my preference) and switch to say a pick and roll based offense similar to what we saw the Suns running last night OR just about gut this team this summer in exchange for personnel that can play in the triangle. It will be interesting to see which way Kahn and Rambis goes. My guess is they will go for the latter, assuming they get decent value for the Wolves’ “assets.”

On the other side of the ball the Wolves have shown they simply are not athletic enough to defend NBA teams. As good as Love and Jefferson can be as rebounding and low-post scoring specialists, they do not have the athleticism to defend most NBA front-lines. Those that will point to the two’s great play last night will need to go back and watch Love grab more than half of those rebounds while only battling Grant Hill or Jared Dudley down low. Not to mention it’s always a shock to see the Wolves rotate on the perimeter on defense.

So how bad is bad? Well it’s pretty bad. The Wolves will need to find a way to pull themselves together and win one more game of the last 8 to not finish with the lowest win total in franchise history. If it doesn’t come Wednesday night against the Kings I really don’t know where they’re going to get it.

BTW for those that didn’t see it, John Hollinger’s Per Diem (ESPN Insider) last Friday covered the Wolves’ futility and brought up just about everything we’ve been seeing from our team. Terrible rotations, mis-fit personnel in the trinagle, calling into question Flynn and Sessions over Curry and Lawson, not having anyone on the wing that can create their own shot, and much more. If you’re wondering if anyone in the national media noticed just how bad the Wolves are, Hollinger proves the answer is clearly yes.

The Wolves head to Orlando tonight but it will be no vacation nor spring break for the Timber Puppies. They take on the one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the Magic and Dwight Howard has been looking hungry as of late. Good luck! Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• Here is a game preview from the Orlando Sentinel.
• Amidst potential summer trade rumors, the recovery of knee surgery and yet another lost season, Al Jefferson is proving to be a bright spot for the Wolves.
• Did you know Kevin Love played only 22 minutes on Wednesday night? Play him already!
• Speaking of minutes, Darko Milicic played 33 on Wednesday and is demanding even more as well as a starting job for next year, if he were to come back to Minnesota instead of bolting for Europe. Sure, it’s undeniable that Darko has played well since becoming a Timberwolf but he’s been here for, what? 13 games? How long is this current losing streak? Oh, yeah that’s right…
• The city of Minneapolis is pushing for improvements to the Target Center.

As Target Field gets ready for its big debut next month, an older neighbor that shares the same first name is quietly waiting for a series of improvements that would — in the city’s view — make the arena “viable” for the next two decades.

• An interview between Stephen Litel and David Kahn sheds some more light on our European prospects and offseason assets.
• Jerry Zgoda dissects the loss to the Bobcats on Wednesday night.

Truehoop Tracks:

• More on Gilbert Arenas. He will be sentenced in court today, if you didn’t already know.
• Brook Lopez has come alive for the Nets and even helped them win a game this week. It truly is “March Madness”.
• The Wolves aren’t alone when it comes to losing; the Wizards are now at 13 in a row.

Other Tracks:

• One of the best games I’ve seen in college basketball became in an instant classic to the eyes of many. K-State and Xavier had a thrill-ride last night.
• Gearing up for the sale of their team, the Wizards are believed to be worth about $550 million.

Timberwolves: 14-57

Bobcats: 36-34

The Wolves hit the road again for a small two-game trip that starts in the Tar Heel state tonight. No matter where they’re playing, the Wolves’ woes continue to strangle coaches, players and fans alike. The losing streak has now hit 13 after the loss to the Raptors on Monday. The Wolves haven’t lost 14 straight games since a 16-game skid in 1994 and 1993. On the other hand, the Bobcats are gearing up with a new owner to head into the franchise’s first postseason appearance. The pieces do seem to be fitting into place with the likes of Stephen Jackson on offense and a stout defense led by Raymond Felton, Tyrus Thomas and, of course, Gerald Wallace, who has returned from an injury that set him back for a few games. The Wolves will need to play physical tonight in order to squeak out a win. In order to do that, we need good help defense from everyone on the floor. Darko Milicic will need to pose as a Godzilla like creature inside, swatting basketballs as if they were pesky, little fighter planes down to the ground. The offense has looked good, but defense, not so much and that’s where it starts tonight. No improvement on defense equals 14-game losing streak.

Match-ups:

Point Guard:

Jonny Flynn vs. Raymond Felton

Flynn has had two games in a row in which coach Rambis has allowed him to create off the dribble and, frankly, its working well. Only problem now is to make sure he can shoot more efficiently while adding this slashing dimension to his game. Felton is a very good lock-down defender, so Flynn could have trouble blasting by him tonight.

Advantage: Charlotte

Shooting Guard:

Corey Brewer vs. Stephen Jackson

Jackson can be a bonafied stud, on a good night that is. His offensive numbers rely on how well he can create a shot and take advantage of it. Brewer does a good job of playing the pest and keeping his counterpart from getting easy shots off. As for offense, Brewer, despite breaking his long consecutive three-pointer streak, is still shooting and playing well. I like his chances tonight. Not to mention he’s due for a big game. Another reason Minnesota gets the advantage, two words: Wayne Ellington.

Advantage: Minnesota

Small Forward:

Ryan Gomes vs. Gerald Wallace

Wallace has returned from a minor injury only to elevate his already high-passion way of playing the game. He plays hard on both ends of the court, especially when on defense. Gomes has done well in the month of March but Wallace’s defensive prowess and overall strength may have him beat tonight.

Advantage: Charlotte

Power Forward:

Al Jefferson vs. Boris Diaw

The power forward play of the Wolves has been good but only in certain stretches of the game. Usually, the start of the game is Jefferson’s limelight, where he goes 4-4 to start the game and ends the first quarter with around 8-10 points. Problem is that the Wolves then stop feeding it to him in the post and we run into lapses on offense. As for Kevin Love’s time, usually he comes in during the first, sucks, then hits the bench. Then his second time on the floor, he kills it. That just seems to be the trend I’ve been noticing as of late. If we can get a consistent performance from both of these guys tonight, Diaw, and many other power forwards in the NBA, don’t have a great advantage here.

Advantage: Minnesota

Center:

Darko Milicic vs. Theo Ratliff

The soon to be starting center of the Wolves for the ‘10-’11 season has been dominating lately. Passing, shooting, rebounding and best of all a defensive threat in the paint, have all added a certain dynamic the Wolves have been missing before the trade for the seven-footer. The Bobcats are a little light at the center position, as noted by their starter. Tyson Chandler provides solid minutes off the bench but doesn’t provide the type of production they need.

Advantage: Minnesota

The Wolves head to Charlotte to take on Air Jordan’s Bobcats. Here are today’s Wolf Tracks:

Timberwolf Tracks:

• According to Accuscore.com, the Bobcats are heavy favorites, 85.3% to be exact, to beat the Wolves tonight.
• Jerry Zgoda tweets. You know things are bad when the beat writer for the Wolves doesn’t even want to get on the right plane to travel with the team.
• T-Wolves D-League affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce has one of the best bigs who is most NBA ready. Meet Alexander Johnson.

Truehoop Tracks:

• Guns in arenas? That’s a no-no!
• HornetsHype blogger Sarah Tolcser complains about how NBA games are not very family friendly because of all the skimpy dancers and what not. Well, don’t turn to football or anything anytime soon. I know guys who go to football games just to catch a glimpse of the Dallas Cowboys’ cheerleaders!

Other Tracks:

• Today’s Daily Dime questions why Knicks center David Lee is not a keeper for them.
• Denver Nuggets’ coach George Karl suffers a setback in his fight against cancer and won’t be back with the team until postseason.