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Timberwolves 2011-2012


Scott M

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Great win for the Wolves. Our strong bench is absent recently. They better be looking to find him some help until Luke, and JJ gets back. He just cant play 44 mpg for to long.

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Pek is learning to battle a little bit from Love, he doesn't have the body control but he's a decent sub. That's what you want from a 2nd round pick.

Wayne is likely going to stay in that 2 spot. He has good games then bad games. Nice effort tonight.

Love really filled it out from downtown. Another 30 point game. I think his deal was perfect. Flexibility for the franchise and the Wolves are on the hook to get better so they can extend him when he finishes year 3 and can opt out. And they still have their designated player option open. I still think they need a polished 2 guard and a defensive center. Imagine if they drafted Kendrick Perkins instead of Ebi. Or Steph Curry instead of Johnny Flynn. Wow.

I want to see this club be more consistent and beat bad teams. That's going to be hard in the next couple games, but it should be achievable over the course of the season. Then we could be talking about an 8 seed.

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We need to get healthy. Or we will wear out our starters. It is kinda hard to start a game with 8-9 players. I agree, this teams biggest weakness right now is the #2 position. We need a consistent starter at SG that can give us 15+ppg, and play a little defense as well. I like Ellington, but I like him off the bench more. A true center would be great, and I think the Bucks may be looking to get rid of Bogut, in the right package. We have some role players, and will more then likely have a mid-late 1st round pick we could toss them as well. But is he getting to be to injury prone?

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lol, ya I seen that right after I posted it. Figures grin

We have some tough games ahead of us for the next week, hopefully we can win half of them. It may be a little hard with our bench being short right now.

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Looks like we got back some players for tonight. Webster, Luke, and Miller should be playing tonight. Beasely is a game time decision. This is huge! I hope we can step up and knock down the Spurs tonight. I really think we have a chance. Then the Lakers on Sunday.

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Wolves had "the look" tonight, like they can beat anyone. If they keep getting better and healthier, I think they won't be dropping games to Atlanta and Milwaukee. Great all around effort. Lots of confidence now.

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It was nice to see Pek active, and play hard. Some good in the paint dancing. He must have amazed the refs so much with that foot work, they didnt call a travel. Rubio is playing like he has been playing for years in the NBA. The team was playing some good defense. Love was as good as always. But Beasely needs to stop with shooting, stop trying to be the man, he isnt. I wouldnt mind him in slop time, but during crunch time he needs to be sitting at the end of the bench, and only to come off to cheer on his team mates from the sidelines.

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Funny no one mentioned Beasley's contract extension deadline passed on Wednesday night. So did Randolph's. Both will be RFAs this summer. I don't think the Wolves will match other offers for either. After 2012-2013, Beas will be done with the Wolves unless he's traded first. He's too talented to be out of the league, but he's running out of chances because he has no D and can't do other things than score with a ton of shots. Randolph gets lost because Adelman likes to play the hot hand. He's a guy worth keeping around when you have a guy like Rubio passing the ball.

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Yea its too bad with Beasley. When he first came in the game and you see him just burn someone with his ability and talent its nice to see. He is the most "talented" offensive player on the team. But then he will just keep on shooting like he constantly has to prove himself amd then ends up taking bad shots. You could tell Peterson was getting upset he kept calling him a ball stopper. If the guy can figure it out he would be a great player. Ricky was outstanding.

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haven't contributed to the thread for awhile, but a few things:

1. Ricky Rubio would be the starter at PG for the all time Wolves team. As much as I'm wrong about a lot of things, I nailed this one. When all the media wonks were labeling him a bust before playing in the NBA, you could see in his game that he was being used wrong, and that he'd fair MUCH better in the NBA. He has. Kevin Love is the best player we have, but Ricky is selling tickets. He'll become the most popular athlete in MN in a few years.

2. Pek-Smash should start. his footwork is great and his defense is better than advertised. he's also not afraid to pass out if the shot isn't there. No center wants to play against him based on his brute strength. He should start every night. I like guys that do the dirty work and go unnoticed. He's quickly becoming my personal favorite (non-rubio) player.

3. Michael Beasley tried to lose the game by being....Michael Beasley. He has no idea what we are running out there. Can't pass and quite frankly can't shoot.

4. If Webster can stay healthy, Wes can relax a little. leading us to a lineup of:

Rubio/Ridnour

Webster/Johnson/Lee

Williams/Beasley

Love/Tolliver/Randolph

Pek-Smash/Dorko

all of a sudden our starters and bench become formidable this year. upgrade SG next year and we're back.

5. I'm struggling deciding between Pek-smash and Peksquatch. the bulldozer one they use on FSN doesn't really do anything for me

6. Statement game Sunday: lakers play tonight and are 1-6 on the road. Beat the lakers to get to .500? Target center will go nuts.

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Quote:

3. Michael Beasley tried to lose the game by being....Michael Beasley. He has no idea what we are running out there. Can't pass and quite frankly can't shoot.

.

I agree with everything you wrote, especially #3. What is he doing out there?

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haven't contributed to the thread for awhile, but a few things:

4. If Webster can stay healthy, Wes can relax a little. leading us to a lineup of:

Rubio/Ridnour

Webster/Johnson/Lee

Williams/Beasley

Love/Tolliver/Randolph

Pek-Smash/Dorko

all of a sudden our starters and bench become formidable this year. upgrade SG next year and we're back.

5

Where do you have Ellington in this mix? he needs to be in that mix also IMO.

Also what about JJ?

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IMO Pek is a solid backup center. I've seen way too many missed bunnies and bonehead plays. He still fouls at too high of a rate. I can still remember last year when he stopped mid-play to tie his shoe and gave up a fast break. You could argue he was a rookie last year, but he was 25 years old!

If you could put Pek's footwork in Darko's body, you'd have something, although they both hack too much. Wolves need a good "protect the rim" defensive center. But I think a good 2 guard is a bigger need.

It's fun to dream again, like the ticket and steph days.

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Quote:
Where do you have Ellington in this mix? he needs to be in that mix also IMO.

Also what about JJ?

you'll have to forgive me, I don't get to sleep from Fri morning until Sat night. Ridnour can be either great or awful, in a perfect world he's moved with Beasley and or utah/mem 1sts. I'd insert Barea as Ricky's backup (not really a fan of them on the court at the same time for defensive purposes. If beasley is moved I'd have Ellington be the primary backup to Webster and let Johnson try out the 3 as a backup.

but its all subjective, its just fun to be able to watch games again

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Tough loss, but the Wolves battled hard. Rubio's gotta hit some shots, 2 for 13 ain't cutting it. Webster didn't shoot too hot either. Bynum gave Pek some props at the end of the game, nice game for him in his first start.

Revenge game in Houston. Gotta have a nice little winning streak if they want to sneak into the playoffs. Short season will end soon!

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We almost left at 73-55 or whatever it was at that point, they looked totally lost. I actually joked and said it looked like I was on the floor with them, but with Webster and Miller not practicing much, it's not that far from the truth really with new people in the mix.

Glad I didn't bail but point being this continual fall behind rut and battle back is gonna wear guys out. It's not just Rubio's 2-13, it's the 5 or 6 looks a game from 15-17 he should drain (Ridnour does well) that he doesn't even shoot that hurt just as much. He needs to keep a defense honest. I really like his game but the shooting is a big opportunity, as many shots are not even close.

Beasley: First seven touches on offense, straight to the shot. No pass.

Williams needs to step up. Big time.

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I know Beasley is having a good night, but I can't hardly take it. Something about the guy just irks me. Does the guy know that he needs to play both offense and defense? NOT a big fan.

ESPN insider had a good article on the Twolves today too. It's all about how they are building a contender much the same way that OK City did. Lots and lots of young talent, with a solid coaching staff.

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Beasley is on fire tonight give him some credit. If the coaches can keep him playing like this every night we won't need a trade. We need a guy who can create his own shot like this whenever he wants to. Nice game for Ricky and Kevin too.

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It is good to see Beasely have a good game, I wouldnt mind him off the bench like tonight, this way if he is hot, keeping in there, if he is not, keep in out.

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What a third quarter! 42 points.

Nice game for B Easy. 34 points on 10 of 14 shooting in 30 minutes. That is the type of player he is capable of.

Wes Johnson is really struggling. 2-7 shooting, 4 points, 6 turnovers in 20 minutes. Ouch. That 2 guard deficiency is glaring.

Love with 29 and 7. The shocker is that he didn't reach double figures in rebounds.

Rubio 18 and 11.

Pek with 8 and 7 in 17 minutes in the start. Nice job in place of Darko. He's very efficient but fouls a lot.

I wish I could go to the next game Wednday night at Target Center against Indiana. Indy is a good Eastern conference team and the dual throwbacks are going to be cool.

Wolfies are clawing their way into the race, but it won't ever get easier with pacing of games and the level of competition and parity in the league right now. Can't afford throw away games like the Hawks game or Milwaukee.

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ESPN insider had a good article on the Twolves today too. It's all about how they are building a contender much the same way that OK City did. Lots and lots of young talent, with a solid coaching staff.

The Minnesota Timberwolves went into Sunday night's showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers believing the time was ripe to shatter a 15-game losing streak against the former denizens of their fair city. The setup seemed perfect. Los Angeles was on the back end of a back-to-back while the Wolves spent Saturday resting up. Minnesota had won five of seven to climb within one game of .500, while L.A. had dropped four of five. The Wolves hadn't beaten L.A. since Kevin Garnett was still around, but that was supposed to change on Sunday.

It didn't. The crowd at the Target Center was treated to an outstanding game, but in the end it was just another loss to the franchise that abandoned the Twin Cities and headed for the Pacific in 1960. (Taking with them a nickname that no longer made any sense. Oh well.)

A key sequence in the third quarter on Sunday was telling: Kobe Bryant had heated up from the field, as he is wont to do, and the Lakers moved out to an 18-point lead. After a Michael Beasley 3 cut the lead to 14 and threatened to swing the momentum, Bryant spotted up unguarded at the 3-point line, took a pass from Derek Fisher and seemingly killed Minnesota's run with a flick of the wrist.

But these aren't the same sad-sack Timberwolves. With Ricky Rubio directing the show, Minnesota streaked back into the game and led in the fourth quarter before faltering down the stretch. There were behind-the-back passes from Rubio, spot up 3s from Beasley, Kevin Love crashing the offensive glass, Anthony Randolph dunking off lob passes. Even though the Wolves ended up losing, there were some positives. For example, Minnesota outscored the Lakers 16-0 on fast-break points and 32-10 on second-chance opportunities. Sunday's game gave fans a glimpse of where the Timberwolves might be headed, but also demonstrated why they still have plenty of work to do to get there.

Symptoms

The tone of the "Diagnosis" series is typically negative. After all, you aren't ever diagnosed with something when you're healthy. This week is a bit of a departure because we're looking at the league's most improved team. Therefore, we're asking what Minnesota needs to do to continue its climb up the NBA's proverbial ladder. With the Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks getting old, the West could be wide open in the years ahead. The Oklahoma City Thunder might emerge as a perennial power. Could we someday see an Oklahoma City-Minnesota rivalry at the top of the West?

Diagnosis

There really is no easy answer for a team still in its gestation period. The Timberwolves play fairly fast, but reside in the middle of the efficiency pack on both ends of the court. That's good news. Great news, in fact, because Minnesota has ranked in the bottom third of the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency in each of the past five years. Right now, the Timberwolves are mediocre with a bullet.

Prognosis

Certainly, with the talent and youth they feature, the Timberwolves should continue to improve and will remain fun to watch. However, to eventually become an elite team, how much do they need to tinker with their roster?

Treatment

The rise of the Thunder is the perfect path for Timberwolves general manager David Kahn to follow. Turns out, he's already been mimicking OKC, though few have seemed notice. Minnesota has basically been a year or two behind Oklahoma City every step of the way. The similarities are striking.

David Kahn, Ricky Rubio

David Sherman/NBAE/Getty ImagesGM David Kahn is banking Rubio becomes a star and a franchise cornerstone.

Rebuilding invariably starts with losing a ton of games, but you also have to get lucky. In Seattle, the Thunder/Sonics lost 51 games in 2006-07. Not a good year, and just four teams lost more often. It took plenty of luck to get the Thunder/Sonics the second pick of the 2007 draft. It took more luck to get Kevin Durant with that pick after he was passed over by Portland in favor of Greg Oden. Similarly, Minnesota lost 60 games in 2007-08, setting it up for getting Love in a draft-day swap with Memphis for O.J. Mayo in 2008. That's worked out nicely.

So after Year 1, both teams had their franchise cornerstones. Yet the losses kept coming in bunches. For the Thunder, the continued futility allowed them to draft Russell Westbrook at No. 4 in 2008. For Minnesota, it meant Rubio at No. 5 in 2009. Rubio's overseas commitment prevented him from jumping into the fray right away, as Westbrook did with Durant. That and the flurry of non-Rubio point guards drafted by Kahn obscured the overall picture taking shape in Minnesota and slowed the process a bit.

Both Oklahoma City and Minnesota also stockpiled draft picks. Beginning in 2007, the Thunder drafted 15 players in four drafts. Many of those players never played for the Thunder, but instead were moved to add incremental pieces and assets to the organization. General manager Sam Presti drafted Glen Davis, Carl Landry, Rodrigue Beaubois and Quincy Pondexter, among others, and moved them all for trinkets like expiring contracts, cash, more draft picks and even actual basketball players. Kahn has adopted a similar strategy, taking 16 players over the past four drafts, just five of which are on this year's roster.

You even have each team hitting on an international big man beyond the lottery. Oklahoma City took Serge Ibaka at No. 24 in 2008. Minnesota got Nikola Pekovic at No. 31 in that same draft.

Let's assume that Minnesota's current Pythagorean record (the forecasted mark based on point differential) is the team's true talent level for this season. Over an 82-game season, the Wolves' differential would typically get you 45 wins. In 2009-10, Oklahoma City jumped from 23 to 50 wins. The Timberwolves would be jumping from 17 to 45 wins -- basically the same improvement. They're a few wins behind Oklahoma City's pace from a couple of years ago, but, then again, Durant is a step up from Love.

The key here for Kahn is to recognize the path his team is on and just get out of the way. Stay the course. Let his core mesh. Let his fans enjoy the improvement while coach Rick Adelman sorts out his roster. Wayne Ellington, Martell Webster or Wesley Johnson … who's a keeper, who's redundant? Can Beasley learn to accept a supporting role? Can Derrick Williams become more than an athletic marvel? Does the progressing Pekovic have the defensive chops to be a starting pivot in the NBA?

The Timberwolves might not have a first-round choice in the 2012 draft, depending on what happens with a pick that might be coming from the Utah Jazz. (Minnesota's own 2012 pick was traded way back 2005 to the Clippers along with Sam Cassell, but the Jazz owe a pick to the Timberwolves that would be moved this year if Utah makes the playoffs.) That doesn't mean the Wolves can't add talent. If a clear Love-Rubio-Williams triumvirate is set at the end of this season, complementary pieces can be added via free agency. Or perhaps one of the other young players on the roster emerges, as Ibaka did with the Thunder.

No, there is no fix for Minnesota per se. Kahn just needs to keep doing what he's doing. The improvement for a roster this young will come from within. That's what happened with Oklahoma City.

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I have my cut of the season tix package for Wednesday against the Pacers, should be fun!

Rubio showed a lot of poise, changing his game a bit coming off Sunday night with the penetration moves. I'm even more inpressed with his game, Love didn't get his dub-dub because we actually shot well and there were less offesnive boards.....

Beasley: He's a wild card, I still like B-Easy, we saw the Beast he can be tonight, plus being perfect from the line sure didn't hurt.

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I wish I could go to the next game Wednday night at Target Center against Indiana. Indy is a good Eastern conference team and the dual throwbacks are going to be cool.

My sister is going. Unfortunately for me, I'll be watching from the couch....and watching her kids. smirk

I'll get to one of these next upcoming games.

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