tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19099404856780790472024-03-08T01:45:05.718-06:00Wolves Rubesnaakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-29734187151253452232012-04-06T08:49:00.002-05:002012-04-06T08:52:25.439-05:00Guest Post from Jimmy: the NCAA Tournament Genius<br />
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<i>The following is a guest post from Jimmy, who destroyed the rest of us the the Wolves Rubes NCAA Tournament Challenge. Congratulations Jimmy! Check out his Vikings blog <a href="http://mybloodrunspurple.blogspot.com/">HERE</a>. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/submissioncp3">@submissioncp3</a>.</i></div>
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Greetings WolvesRubes readers. I'd like to thank WolvesRubes for the
opportunity to express a bit of my views on the current turmoil that is our
Minnesota Timberwolves. Now we have ten games left. Three of which are against
current sub-.500 teams, 4 games against bubble teams, with OKC, LAC and Indiana
rounding out the top. So what does this all mean? That we need to beat those
four bubble teams so that Utah can eek their way into the playoffs.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's hope this year's draft finds better results!</td></tr>
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'What am I
talking about?' you may be asking yourselves. The wolves are five games out with
ten to play. The odds of making the playoffs the way we've been playing is
abysmal. So what about the Jazz? You're a Wolves fan, why should you care if the
Jazz make the playoffs? Well I'm here to inform that we are currently without a
first round pick for the upcoming draft. A draft that was very appealing at the
start of the season with so many kids staying for another year of college
(Barnes, Sullinger, T-Jones) and now isn't as appealing as it was speculating
all the guys staying and the one and dones this year. The point being that we
don't have a 1st round pick as it was traded back in 2005 when we got Sam
Cassell from the Clippers, but we could have one.</div>
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When we traded Al Jefferson to
the Jazz we got Kosta Koufos and a first round draft pick. It was top-16
protected last year and this year is Top-14 protected. So as long as the Jazz
make the playoffs we get their first round. Got it? </div>
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Also this tid-bit of
information came across my desk last night. The Wolves haven't won a game in
April since April 8th, 2009 when we defeated the Golden State Warriors 105-97.
We have a few more opportunities with the shortened season going deeper into
April.</div>
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Speaking of the shortened season and one last thought. I have enjoyed
immensely the turn around the Wolves have made. The playoffs would have been
nice but winning more games than we had last season with 16 less games is
awesome.</div>
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If you're a Vikings fan you can check out my Vikings blog <a href="http://mybloodrunspurple.blogspot.com/">mybloodrunspurple.blogspot.com</a>. Again I'd like to thank
WolvesRubes for the time and the plug and you kind readers for milling over my
thoughts. I'm sure you'll find yourself cheering for Al Jefferson once again (at
least for a short time.)</div>
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<em>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes"><span style="color: #114499;"><em>@wolvesrubes</em></span></a><em>.</em>
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</div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-86585939358856889682012-03-22T11:43:00.000-05:002012-03-22T11:43:12.816-05:00I Miss RickySince that Friday night against the Lakers, nearly 2 weeks ago now, the Wolves have lost 5 out of their last 7 games. I tried to talk myself into thinking that we would be ok with the chemistry that has been built here, Barea on his way back from injury, and Ridnour actually playing fairly well at the time. In what seems like an instant, Minnesota has gone from having sole possession of the #8 spot in the West, to 2.5 back and 3 teams in their way to get back to that point - in less than two weeks. In fact, their only 2 wins during the post-Rubio era have been against a team that is tanking this season to preserve their 1st round draft pick (Warriors), and a hot Suns team which we just outscored shooting 14-22 from 3 point range.<br />
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As expected, the lack of overall energy on both ends of the floor has been the most noticeable difference from then and now. What I think has been a little surprising has been the Wolves complete inability to defend effectively without Ricky around any more. I expected moving Ridnour back from the 2 to the 1, sliding Webster into the lineup would actually improve the defense. These last 7 games, the Wolves have given up 107.2 points per game. In the 41 games previous, the Wolves gave up an average of 96.5 points per game. Before Rubio got hurt, only 5 times did the T'Wolves even give up more than 107 points in 41 games.<br />
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The part about Rubio's game that I love the most probably cannot be tallied by any statistic. He brings effort, competitiveness, leadership, emotion, and this feeling that the team has a chance every night when he is on the floor. Sure, he's effectively flashy, but who knew how much of a defensive impact he has. Maybe this even stems from the confidence that he instills in the team on both ends of the floor, I don't know. Ricky Rubio may never shoot like Chris Paul, explode to the rim like Derrick Rose, or shut down an opposing point guard like Russell Westbrook. The truth is, however, that this team is completely different without Ricky Rubio. Offensively, he keeps everything in motion; defensively, his impact is beginning to show now that he's not around anymore.<br />
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I miss Ricky. Only 8 of the last 18 games are against teams not currently in a playoff spot. We have 9 at home, 9 on the road. I wish I could say that there is a comeback ready to protrude from this team, but it's looking pretty meek at this time without our favorite point guard. I never want to throw in the towel too early, but I really miss Ricky.<br />
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<em>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes"><span style="color: #114499;"><em>@wolvesrubes</em></span></a><em>.</em>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-26182352964317551222012-03-14T16:59:00.000-05:002012-03-22T11:47:04.228-05:00More Trade RumorsUPDATE: As I finished writing, now Beasley/Crawford/Lakers buzz is flying...I can't keep up anymore.<br />
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Over at <a href="http://www.canishoopus.com/">Canis Hoopus</a>, they referenced a couple more recent trade rumors that are being talked about this afternoon. One would involve a Michael Beasley/Jason Richardson swap with Orlando, and the other involving CJ Miles from Utah. One of the options involving CJ Miles is a three team deal where the Wolves would give up Ellington and possible draft picks, and receive Miles and Jamaal Tinsley in return.<br />
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Wait a second - Jamaal Tinsley is still in the league? Apparantly Tinsley has played 15 games for the Jazz so far this season. He is averaging 8.1 minutes per game, 1.7 points, and 2.3 assists while shooting a whopping 32.3% from the field. I'm assuming Tinsley is making next to nothing in Utah this season, so I'm not exactly sure why the Wolves would even take him as part of the deal, other than having another veteran presence on the squad - he is 33 years old and has 9 years of NBA experience.<br />
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Miles has played in all 41 Jazz games this year coming off the bench. In just under 19 minutes per game, he's averaging 9.4 points, 2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and is shooting 38.2% - 30% on 3's. He is a bigger guard at 6'6", 210, however his defensive numbers wouldn't suggest that he is a force on the defensive end even with his size (108 DRtg, 0.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, 2.0 rebounds). CJ Miles doesn't really excite me that much, even if the Wolves would only have to give up Ellington and maybe a second rounder to get him. Miles is only 24 years old.<br />
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Richardson is in his 11th NBA season, is 31 years old, and has started all 31 games he has played in for Orlando this season. He is averaging 12.2 points per game - a career low mark for J-Rich - and he is shooting 42% from the field (third worst of his career), 38.9% from 3. He averages 3.3 rebounds per game (career low), and 2.0 assists. He's also shooting a career low 55.4% from the line this year. To cut him some slack, he is only playing 29 minutes a game this year, which is about 5 minutes less than his career average. Richardson is solid, but aging, defensively, and has good size for a 2-guard at 6'6", 220.<br />
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I would be pretty indifferent to the Ellington/Miles-Tinsley deal, but I can't decide how excited I would be for the Beasley/Richardson deal. To me, a 23 year old Michael Beasley who could be easily re-signed for about 8M next season, is still better than a 31 year old Jason Richardson, who is locked in at around 6M for the next three years after this season. Would Richardson be a better fit for what we need down the stretch in order to make the playoffs? Probably, although I do like Beasley's ability to single-handedly win games for the Wolves with his scoring outbursts. Does Richardson make sense beyond this season and maybe next? I don't think it would be a good idea to take on his contract for the next three years, when he is already on the decline.<br />
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As mentioned by <a href="http://www.canishoopus.com/2012/3/14/2871170/trade-rumor-thread">Lycan over at Canis Hoopus</a>, I would be more inclined to deal involving JJ Redick from Orlando. Redick better fills the Wolves need for a shooter (45.6% from 3, 11.5 PPG in 26 minutes). Even though he wouldn't necessarily be an upgrade defensively, he does have more length at the 2 (6'6") than Ridnour has and they've survived defensively thus far. Redick's PER (player efficiency rating) is 15.9 this year - higher than Richardson (14.2), Ridnour (13.0), Beasley (13.9), Barea (13.5), Ellington (9.1), and Webster (10.6).<br />
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No matter what happens, I'm still in the "find a way to get Eric Gordon in here" camp. I would accept a guy like Redick though! After <a href="http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/14/reports-dwight-howard-tells-teammats-hes-opting-in-next-season/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter">this news</a>, the Magic may be even more interested in shaking things up in Orlando.<br />
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<em>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes"><span style="color: #114499;"><em>@wolvesrubes</em></span></a><em>.</em>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-3740005527851252292012-03-13T17:19:00.000-05:002012-03-22T11:47:11.828-05:00Future Timberwolves: Eric Gordon?As we draw nearer to the NBA trade deadline 2 days from now, more and more rumors are flying around involving Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Jamal Crawford, Michael Beasley, Pau Gasol, and just about every other player in the league it seems like. At this point I get the feeling more and more that Minnesota is going to stand pat this week with the roster they have. Unless they are overwhelmed by an offer for Beasley or Williams, I just don't see Kahn parting with either one of those guys with the team in this position in the Western Conference standings. The return from a trade by the Wolves would probably be in the form of draft picks, and I would be surprised if the chemistry on this team is disrupted this week - even with the loss of Ricky Rubio. Looking further ahead beyond this season and into the off-season, however, my eyes are set on one player: Eric Gordon.<br />
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If there is one player I would really like to see the Timberwolves go hard after this off-season, it would be New Orleans Hornets 2-guard Eric Gordon. Gordon has played only 2 games this season due to arthroscopic knee surgery, but he could still play again before this season is over. Gordon is a restricted free agent after this season, so New Orleans would be able to match any offer he gets from another team. Hopefully, this injury would make the Hornets even more cautious on how much money they throw at him, but they would dumb not to pay him whatever they can to keep him for another year - with no other star-type players on the roster. However, the Hornets are currently league-owned, which leads me to believe there would be some caution this off-season in terms of spending. He is only 23 years old, already in his fourth season in the NBA after one season at the University of Indiana.<br />
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Eric Gordon averages 18.1 PPG for his career in 198 games - the last wing to average that many points for the Timberwolves was Wally Szczerbiak (20.1 PPG) in the 2005-06 season. He shoots a solid 45.1% from the field and 37.1% from distance. There is no doubt that Gordon is the pure scorer the Timberwolves desperately need to play along side Rubio and Love for many years. He is athletic, and he can run, shoot, and create his own shots at will. He's also a very consistent scorer - in 56 games last season, Gordon scored less than 10 points only 3 times. Only 8 times in that span did he shoot more than 20 times in a game. Kevin Love this season has taken more than 20 shots 13 out of 39 games (25.7 PPG) This, to me, shows that he is a relatively efficient scorer. He also shoots 5.1 free throws per game in his career, which would only trail Kevin Love on this year's roster (8.6/game - top 5 in the NBA) - 2nd is Ricky Rubio at 3.8. His career PER (player efficiency rating) is 15.1, which would place him behind Love (24.9), Pekovic (21.9), Randolph (16.5), and Derrick Williams (15.8).<br />
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Although he seems to have all the physical abilities to be a good defender, other than his small size for a 2-guard (6'3", 222), it looks like he has struggled a little on the defensive end. For his career he averages only 1.1 steals per game, which would actually put him 2nd on this year's team behind Rubio (2.2). His career Defensive Rating is 113 points per 100 possessions. Out of our current guards, JJ Barea has the lowest defensive rating so far this year at 108. His career offensive rating of 110, however, would put him only behind Kevin Love (117) and Nikola Pekovic (116).<br />
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I think Gordon's game would go perfect with the nucleus we have right now of Rubio, Love, Pekovic, and Williams. I wish I knew what it would take to get him this summer. I would assume the Hornets will match any offers Gordon receives in free agency. Gordon has, however, already turned down a contract extension this winter, meaning the Hornets may be in the market to trade him for assets. The Wolves do have a couple extra future 1st round picks from Utah and Memphis in the next few years, as well as a few extra 2nd rounders. Outside of Love, Rubio, and Pekovic, if I'm David Kahn I'm willing to give up about any amount of money and others on the current roster to get Eric Gordon this summer. For now, let's stick with what we have and see how far we can go.<br />
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Note: Don't forget to submit your bracket for the <a href="http://wolvesrubes.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-madness-challenge.html">Wolves Rubes March Madness Challenge</a>.<br />
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<i style="text-align: left;">Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-22040018570303141082012-03-12T16:15:00.000-05:002012-03-22T11:47:25.989-05:00Reason for OptimismAs it stands this very moment, the Minnesota Timberwolves are still only 1 game behind Houston for the #8 spot in the West, a game and a half behind Dallas at #7, and only 2 games back from Denver at #6. On the flip side, Portland, Phoenix, and Utah are all within a game of Minnesota, with Golden State only 2 behind. In a shortened season, literally every single game is going to make a significant difference in the chase for that playoff spot which seemed to slip a little from the grasp of the Wolves on Friday night with 16 seconds left. Only 4 games now separate #6 through #14 in the West with a little over 1/3 of the season to go. Without Ricky Rubio's presence these final few weeks, I wondered if it's even worth it to consider a playoff run at this point, especially after the performance on Saturday night against the Hornets.<br />
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Then, I saw a ray of virtual hope in <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/playoffodds">John Hollinger's Playoff Odds on ESPN</a>. I don't know too many people who can accurately predict the future, so again, this is just a ray of hope. Hollinger's computers have the Wolves finishing in a 3-way tie with Portland and Houston for 8th place in the West. And, with the tie-breakers over both of those teams currently in favor of the T'Wolves, this would mean a first round matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even Hollinger's odds still had the chances of making the playoffs for the Wolves at only 43.9%, so it's not likely, but there's still hope. I also am not sure on how much Rubio's injury plays into how the computer's break down each game, but the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=playoffpredictor-081119">system does seem quite thorough</a> and at least gives us something to chew on.<br />
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What was a little more interesting to me from this prediction was that the #8 spot could be had by a team finishing 33-33. This would mean the Wolves would have to go 12-12 down the stretch to have a shot at that last spot. To me, that is still realistic to expect from this team. The Wolves have exactly 12 games remaining against teams that have a worse record than them, and 12 left with teams who have a better record. With only 9 home games remaining, versus 15 road games, it seems they would be at another disadvantage. However, the Wolves have been .500 both home and away this season, and seem to play just as well, if not better, on the road.<br />
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Another thing the Wolves have going for them is the recent struggles of the teams that are in the playoff mix with them. The Rockets have lost 6 of their last 7, and Kyle Lowry is now out for a few weeks as well. Portland is 7-12 since February 2nd after getting off to a hot start. Dallas has lost 8 of their last 10, and leads Minnesota by only 1.5 games. Utah is only 7-14 since February 1st.<br />
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Phoenix is a scary team coming up from behind. The Suns have won 5 out of their last 6 and just beat the Wolves by 9 a week and a half ago at US Airways Center. A victory tonight would put Phoenix back at arm's length again. Houston goes to Oklahoma City tomorrow night in what I would expect to be a Thunder win, putting the Wolves back in the #8 spot with a win tonight.<br />
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I am going to miss Rubio running this offense the rest of the season, but a win tonight in Phoenix would be huge to the team's confidence in their ability to move on now and continue in this run they are making this year. I really hope Rubio's lack of presence on the floor will not be the crutch that keeps this team from making it. I expect <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/rickyrubio9/status/179242958397255680">Ricky's positive attitude</a> through all of this to be an inspiration down the stretch. I hope I am not wrong.<br />
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Note: Don't forget to submit your bracket for the <a href="http://wolvesrubes.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-madness-challenge.html">Wolves Rubes March Madness Challenge</a>.<br />
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<i style="text-align: left;">Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-22401722290960207802012-03-12T10:33:00.001-05:002012-03-22T11:47:34.619-05:00March Madness ChallengeWhat a rough weekend for the Timberwolves. Rubio's done, we're back in 9th place, and we just lost to the New Orleans Hornets. Luckily, the brackets were set last night for the NCAA Tournament. Here at Wolves Rubes we want to have a little contest. We've created a group through Yahoo Fantasy Sports where you can fill out a bracket for this year's tourney. If you get the most picks correct out of 63 possible (play-in games aren't included), you get to write a guest post on this blog. Or, if you want a better prize than the fame and fortune of writing for us, please leave your ideas in the comment section and they will be considered!<br />
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To enter, follow this link to the <a href="http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/register/joingroup">Wolves Rubes NCAA Tournament Challenge</a>.<br />
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Then, click on "Join Group".<br />
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Group ID: 117009<br />
Password: rickyrubio<br />
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Create a name for yourself and your bracket and fill everything out before Thursday morning! Invite your friends, relatives, enemies, co-workers, and complete strangers to join in. We sure will appreciate it.<br />
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Let the madness begin!<br />
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<i style="text-align: left;">Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-61160113304951075702012-03-09T14:45:00.000-06:002012-03-13T17:20:37.593-05:00Wolves/Lakers - Beat the StreakThis past Tuesday, March 6th, marked my fifth anniversary. Nope, not my wedding anniversary - that's not for a few more weeks. Tuesday was the 5 year anniversary of the last time I saw my favorite basketball team beat the LA Lakers. That night at Target Center, Ricky Davis was 2 assists shy of a triple-double (33 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists), KG poured in 26 and 17, Rashad McCants played 22 minutes off the bench, and Marko Jaric and Mark Blount started at the 2 and 5 respectively. Kobe had his usual performance against the Wolves, scoring 40 points, 13 boards, and 8 assists. Even Smush Parker scored 24 that night, but it wasn't enough as the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 12-2 in the 2nd overtime to win 117-107. It's been 17 straight Laker victories since that night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what Kobe thought of Smush Parker.</td></tr>
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I have a good feeling about tonight. Streaks have to end someday, and the Timberwolves have a little mojo going right now after 3 straight quality victories at Portland, and then at home against the Clippers and Portland again. Pekovic is back tonight, but Barea will be sidelined with the left ankle injury. In my opinion Barea isn't near as vital against the Lakers as Pekovic will be. The way the matchups work out, it will be tough to ride the 2-point guard lineup very long tonight. With Ridnour having to guard guys like Ron Artest (his other name is just dumb, so I still call him Artest) all night if he plays more at the 2, I'm guessing he'll get more time spelling Rubio at the 1 tonight. That means more of Wes Johnson, Martell Webster, and Michael Beasley tonight. The bigs will have their hands full again tonight, with a much-needed Pek, Love, Milicic, and D-Will rotating through trying to keep Bynum and Gasol at bay. Who knows, maybe we'll even see a little bit of that Anthony Randolph guy and that Anthony Tolliver character tonight - do they still play for us?</div>
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I think one of the biggest keys to watch for tonight is how effective Wes Johnson will be, coming off a very solid performance on Wednesday against Portland. In the first two games against the Lakers, Wes is 4-11 from the field for 9 points in 31+ minutes. He has 3 rebounds, 0 assists, and an alarming +/- of -40 in those two games. The Wolves absolutely need him to step up tonight offensively and defensively, overcome his timidity, and accept the challenge from his workout buddy #24.</div>
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In the paint, the Wolves desperately need Pekovic to stay out of foul trouble on the defensive end, and use is physical presence on the offensive end to cause the Lakers' bigs to get into foul trouble and get them off the court. Pekovic is -37 in the two meetings over 45+ minutes, while Gasol and Bynum have been dominant. Gasol has 43 points and 10 rebounds and is +39 in those two games. Bynum has gone for 34 and 20, with a +/- of +26. Darko Milicic may be a significant factor inside tonight, just because of his length and defensive presence. He's shown how effective he can be defending other quality scorers like Blake Griffin. Milicic did not play in the first meeting because of an illness, but was quietly effective in game 2.</div>
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I believe tonight may be the night Ricky Rubio starts to break out of his slump. Derek Fisher is not of the same quality of point guards that Rubio has been facing lately (Chris Paul, Raymond Felton, Ty Lawson, Steve Nash), and a premier opponent like the Lakers in front of a white-out crowd at Target Center I think will bring out the best from our Spanish sensation. He has looked so tired lately, but this stage will give Rubio an energy boost, especially if Love, Wes, and Luke knock down open three's in the 1st quarter. If I were the Lakers, I would consider using Kobe defensively on Rubio rather than Artest or Fisher, using Kobe's length, athleticism and competitiveness against Ricky. If that happens, the Wolves desperately need Wes to be aggressive against Artest, who has definitely lost a step defensively.</div>
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I expect the Wolves to hang in there the entire game tonight, and an emotional late run behind Love and Beasley down the stretch will beat the streak and propel this team deeper into the playoff mix. They say you win by the 3 and die by the 3. Tonight Love, Webster, Wes, Luke, and D-Will have an opportunity to lift this team to a victory over the Lakers, the first in over 5 years.</div>
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<i style="text-align: left;">Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>
</div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-73598075542540334802012-03-08T16:52:00.000-06:002012-03-13T17:20:49.744-05:00Barea Out, Welcome Malcolm<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/JerryZgoda/status/177859056109752320">Per Star Tribune Timberwolves writer Jerry Zgoda</a>, JJ Barea will have some time off here this weekend to allow his left ankle to heal. Pekovic will be back, thankfully, to help with the twin towers from LAL. Also, Malcolm Lee will be on the bench on Friday night in case of foul trouble at either guard spot. I've really been looking forward to Lee making his NBA debut, if nothing else, because he's something different that's already paid for. I really don't know much about him, though, aside from his UCLA background. So, who is Malcolm Lee?<br />
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Malcolm Lee will wear #3 for the Wolves, which already puts him at a slight disadvantage. Previous owners of the #3 were: Scott Roth, Chris Smith, Charles Smith, Stephon Marbury, Dennis Scott, LaPhonso Ellis, Loren Woods, Oliver Miller, Marcus Banks, Sebastian Telfair, and most recently Damien Wilkins. Outside of Marbury, it's tough to say if any of those players have made a significant impact on this team. Luckily, it doesn't really matter what number is on the back of Lee's jersey.</div>
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Malcolm played 3 seasons at UCLA, leaving early after his junior year. He could be described as a combo guard, with the handles to play the 1 and the size to play the 2. He averaged 9.7 points per game for his career - 13.1 as a junior, and 12.1 as a sophomore. Lee shot 44% from the field in his career there, just under 28% from 3, and 71% from the line. He averaged 2 assists (3.1 in his sophomore season), and 3 rebounds (again, 4.4 as a sophomore) per game for his career. In his 3rd and final season, Lee averaged a +3.7 +/- helping UCLA to a somewhat disappointing 24-11 record - losing to the Florida Gators in the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament.</div>
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<a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/players/_/id/19274/malcolm-lee">Chad Ford of ESPN</a> projected Malcolm as an early 2nd Round pick in last year's draft, and he ended up going #13 in the 2nd Round to the Bulls, and he finally made his way to the Wolves. Ford described Lee as "long and athletic, excellent in transition, very quick laterally, and an elite perimeter defender." On the other side he questioned Lee's basketball IQ and called his jumper "inconsistent".</div>
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His jumper has definitely been consistent so far in his time with Sioux Falls of the NBADL, though - consistently bad, unfortunately. Lee is currently 0-12 from distance shooting only 35.7% from the field. He has been very active, however, despite his shooting woes. In his 6 games, he is averaging 4.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.</div>
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Overall, I'm not too sure how excited to get about this kid, and I don't think anyone can really know what to expect out of him. I like his size at 6'5", 200 lbs. His apparent defensive prowess is definitely appealing too. If he can be the kind of lock-down defender he is supposed to be, I could see him finding his way into a playing rotation for this team with maybe even some spot starts. This year and maybe next, however, his time may be limited unless he is able to develop a consistent jump shot. A guy that defends well and can run and slash has his place in the NBA on a good team, and I hope the Wolves are a good team for years to come that can really utilize a role player like Malcolm Lee.</div>
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>
</div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-80143131007114880082012-03-08T09:44:00.000-06:002012-03-13T17:21:08.627-05:00Sit Back and Relax Mr. KahnAs one of our most esteemed followers noted after last night's victory, I too am hoping I am not just reacting to one night's performance when I say this. At this point, unless the Wolves are acquiring a 1st or 2nd scoring option before the trade deadline, I really hope no significant deals are done to disturb what's going on with this team right now. Are the T'Wolves on a path toward the NBA Finals? I think that is probably quite a stretch. However, the type of player it would take to get to that level would take a trade piece with the names "Rubio" or "Love" on the back of the jersey to make that happen.<br />
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I don't think there's any question David Kahn has no interest in letting either one of these two kids go unless the Thunder call offering Durant and Westbrook. The other trade pieces we have - Ridnour, Beasley, Williams, etc - just aren't going to be enough to get the type of real impact player that would significantly improve this team. Rumors have flown from Jamal Crawford, to Anthony Morrow, to Monta Ellis, to Pau Gasol, and OJ Mayo. With the chemistry that is evolving within the current Timberwolves roster, I would be very hesitant to break that up.</div>
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Even though the Wolves roster doesn't contain one player who can realistically take over a game, every game, down the stretch; it seems like every night a different player is stepping up to help Kevin Love out. Last night Wes Johnson lit up the scoreboard from the opening tip and looked like the guy the Wolves expected coming out of Syracuse. Derrick Williams has had nights where he took guys like Kenyon Martin to school down the stretch. Michael Beasley has his nights when he is into it to give this team a lift on the offensive end. Luke Ridnour, no matter how frustrated I have been with him in the past, has really gelled into a likeable option on the offensive end - fairly consistently. Rubio, Barea, and Pekovic (when all three are healthy) are a pesky combination on both ends of the floor every single night. Even Martell Webster has nights when he looks like he could shoot with anyone in the league. And then there's Darko, who seems lost all the time - except against Blake Griffin, which could have a significant impact if we can just hang on to a playoff spot down the stretch here.</div>
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Are the Wolves still very inconsistent? Definitely. I just think making a trade right now as the NBA season starts to wind down would only make this roster more inconsistent. I feel like as the season has gone on, the wing players (namely Ridnour, Wes, and Webster) are starting to gain a little more confidence each night where this team can become a legitimate playoff team - a team to be feared even just a little by the higher level teams in the Western Conference.</div>
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Again, I don't know if it was because Ridnour and Johnson played so well last night and the team is on a little bit of a roll; or if it was because Jamal Crawford, the latest rumored future Timberwolf played so terrible last night. I just don't think there is a realistic trade option out there this year that will significantly help this team make a playoff push. I think free agency will be the way to go this off-season. That will probably mean saying good-bye to Michael Beasley, but I could see the Wolves trying to keep him too. Hopefully free agency will mean saying hello to Eric Gordon, OJ Mayo, Nick Young, or even JR Smith. Or, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, a guy like Austin Rivers through the draft.</div>
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Maybe all of this talk is for not because Wes Johnson's career did a 180 last night. There I go dreaming again...</div>
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>
</div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-4145849173270351462012-03-07T21:06:00.000-06:002012-03-13T17:21:15.885-05:00Jamal Crawford... No thanksI heard today that the Timberwolves are making a run at acquiring Portland guard Jamal Crawford - probasketballtalk.com has more <a href="http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/07/reports-minnesota-making-push-get-crawford-from-portland/">here</a>. Oh and what do you know? We get a firsthand look at Crawford tonight. Although with all due respect to Crawford, a pro basketball player who hits jump shots at clutch times in front of thousands of opposing fans, he's not playing very well tonight.<br />
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We as Wolves rubes have been pining for a wing player who is a threat to score at any time (I'm still holding out hope for Michael Beasley to grow up, but so is everybody in the world). And here, a team is saying to us, "Here, have our 2-guard that can score. We know you need one, and we got one. Now give us Pek.." Well Portland, we appreciate your concern; however, at 20-19, we are starting to get greedy. We don't need your Jamal Crawford! Actually, we don't really want him.</div>
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Jamal Crawford has a higher ceiling than any wing player we have on the roster. He is a legitimate and proven NBA scorer. He is no stranger to Sportscenter because the guy can score the basketball.... sometimes. I said Crawford has a high ceiling. But he likes to spend time in the basement as well. There is a reason he has started only %50 of games in his career. There is a reason Portland is his 5th NBA team he has played for (Chicago, New York, Golden State, Atlanta, & Portland). What that reason is, I don't really know. Can I say he doesn't have it? No? Ok. But he still is missing something. And he's not about to find that something in the shadow of Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams. Also, the guy is less than a month from being 32 years old. </div>
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Even before watching tonight's game got me emotionally charged about Wesley Johnson being a living, breathing NBA player, or Luke Ridnour being a semi-consistent veteran presence on a young team, or even holding out hope for sparks from Webster and Beasley. Yes, I can honestly say that before all this, I didn't want Crawford. It may be overly Rube-like to say that we have the chips that require more in return than Jamal Crawford, but we don't have to make a trade just because we are legitimate playoff contenders. Unless of course, as I continue to dream for, we get Eric Gordon... or Ray Allen. </div>
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</div>baakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15622711045523332853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-17182924745671815822012-03-06T10:40:00.003-06:002012-03-08T11:39:39.977-06:00Breaking Down the Wolves Ownage of the ClippersWell, our favorite NBA team continued their success last night against the NBA's version of the Philadelphia Eagles. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see last night's 3rd of 4 meetings in what I would call a budding rivalry between K-Love and the Wolves and Blake Griffin and the Clippers. There was a lot of talk about how Love's game winner about 6 weeks ago was lucky and the Clips were without Chris Paul, but that jabber has slowed with the completion of the Lob City Sweep last night. Here are just a few observations from this 3-game set so far with LAC.<br />
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First of all, we have to look at the comparison between what many call the best two power forwards in the game right now: Kevin Love and Blake Griffin. Love scored 66 points, Griffin 77. Love shot 41% from the field, Griffin shot 50%. Love was 7-15 from distance, Griffin shot is only 3 pointer of his career (exaggeration) and missed. Love grabbed 38 rebounds, Griffin had 29. Love's +/- was a combined total of -6, while Griffin's was -4. Love had 4 turnovers, Griffin turned it over 10 times. Love played about 104 minutes, Griffin played 113. K-Love had the game winner 6 weeks ago, Griffin got owned by Darko 3 straight games. Love got knocked out of Game 2, Griffin tried to end Luke Ridnour's career last night on a ridiculous play on a fast break. You stay classy Blake Griffin. Love's team won 3 games, Griffin's team found it impossible to beat the Wolves.<br />
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The Timberwolves out-scored the Clippers 85-69 in the 4th quarter in the 3 meetings.<br />
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Derrick Williams was +43 in the first two meetings before posting a -18 last night. Williams still finished with 51 points in the series.<br />
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Ricky Rubio struggled in all three games, shooting an abysmal 11.5% from the field (3-26), dishing out 21 assists, and turning the ball over 7 times. Chris Paul had 45 points and only 11 assists in the 2 games he played in. Rubio posted a +/- of -1 over the three games, while Paul was a surprising -12 in his two appearances.<br />
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Caron Butler proved his value shooting 1-16 in the two games he played in, but was actually +3 altogether.<br />
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The Timberwolves were 27-65 from 3 point range in the three games for an impressive 41.5%, while the Clippers shot only 18-55 for 32.7%.<br />
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At the beginning of the season, I saw the Clippers as an intriguing, exciting, young team that would be fun to watch. After seeing this series with the Wolves play out so far, I view the Clippers as an arrogant, over-confident, bullish team that thinks it can just take what it wants. They complain and bully their opponents and the officials assuming they can do anything they want. The Timberwolves out-worked, out-hustled, and out-energized the Clippers down the stretch of every one of the 3 matchups. As long as the Wolves hustle back on defense and take away the run to the rim, and force Griffin at least 6 feet away from the basket; I like the Wolves to take the season sweep April 12th at Target Center. Now, if only the Wolves could have this kind of success against that other team from LA.<br />
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<i style="text-align: left;">Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-14259387363130437522012-02-29T11:17:00.002-06:002012-03-08T11:39:30.984-06:00Darko 2, Blake 0.Leading up to last night's tilt with the Clippers, hope was at an all-time high and I couldn't wait for the 2nd half of the season to see what my favorite basketball team could do as they push for the playoffs. More specifically, I really wanted to see the match-up between our best power forward, Kevin Love, and Blake Griffin. Just to throw this out there right off the bat, I am not a big fan of Blake Griffin. I never have been and never will be. My opinion of Blake Griffin before last night was that he was really good at dunking a basketball, and not much else. So, last night I was really hoping Love would dominate Griffin all-around to validate my opinion.<br />
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Well, to say the least, I didn't feel too good after the first half. Griffin went over, around, and through Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic to the tune of 24 points. He was making 20 foot jumpers, free throws, and And-1's galore. Griffin actually really impressed me with his footwork in the post, and his ability to consistently knock down mid-range jump shots - the one part of his game I really didn't think he had. I did get pretty frustrated with the love he was getting from the officiating in the first half, as opposed to the beating Kevin Love took all night without any help from the stripes whatsoever. I'm not sure exactly what Blake Griffin has done in his short career to garner that much respect already. Oh well. I'm really trying hard to look beyond the NBA officiating this year, as I know it is a very difficult job - and I definitely would never want to do it.</div>
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Thankfully, Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley helped keep the game close in the 2nd quarter to keep the Wolves within 3 at the half. The 2nd half was owned by Darko Milicic. Darko Milicic you say? With Kevin Love in the locker room, Darko Milicic took on the task of guarding Blake Griffin for much of the 2nd half. While Beasley and Williams absolutely lit it up on the offensive end, together scoring 54 points on 20 of 25 shooting; Darko Milicic forced the Clippers offense out of the groove they were in the first half.</div>
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With the help of some pesky double-teams from Barea, Rubio, and Ridnour, Griffin was forced away from the basket or into difficult shots going to the basket. The Wolves forced the ball into the hands of guys like Randy Foye (who actually played pretty well) and Caron Butler. I'm not sure why Butler was on the floor for nearly 29 minutes and much of the 4th quarter, really. The guy couldn't make an open jumper, and Beasley abused him on the other end.</div>
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Griffin scored only 6 points the entire 2nd half with Kevin Love on the bench much of that time. It was interesting to see how much of Griffin's game really comes from his overall confidence. Once he missed a few shots inside, he became more hesitant on his outside jumpers - which he nailed in the 1st half. It seemed like Griffin even started releasing his jumper on his way down in the 2nd half, almost like he second-guessed himself all the way until he finally just let it fly. That just showed how much the hustle and physicality of Darko and the rest of the team defense can have on a player like Griffin. Once the Wolves hustled back on defense, it took away a lot of the alley-oops. Once they started pushing him away from the basket and brought help from the top of the key, he dribbled away from the block and passed it to guys like Caron Butler.</div>
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I know much of the praise last night needs to go to Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams for their amazing production offensively down the stretch. But, Darko Milicic was +17 last night! The first match-up against the Clippers, Darko torched Griffin for 22 points on 10 of 15 shooting and blocked 2 of Griffin's attempts on the defensive end. It's pretty rare that Milicic gets the best of anybody, but in two appearances against the Clippers this season? Darko 2, Griffin 0.</div>
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Other quick thoughts...</div>
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I have a tough time really appreciating what Kobe Bryant does on the basketball floor sometimes because of the constant whining to the officials. But, does anybody whine more than Chris Paul? I've always liked CP3, but he was embarrassingly annoying last night. I jokingly tweeted last night that he thought he got fouled during Del Negro's halftime speech inside the locker room last night. Every time he touched the ball, which was every possession, it seemed like he was flailing, falling over, and making gestures at officials trying to get a call. He just seemed like the spoiled rich kid on the playground that has had everything handed to him his whole life, and doesn't get it when he doesn't get his own way. I felt like the Clippers team as a whole even had a little bit of that aura. That made the win last night oh, so much sweeter.</div>
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Nights like last night make it pretty tough to imagine a trade involving Beasley or Williams. I know it was only one night, but I really don't want to use Williams as trade bait after that showing. Beasley showed how important he was to this team in the 4th quarter taking over a game that seemed like the Clippers had in the palm of their hand for 3 quarters. On the flip side, if both play like this or even close for a few games here, their trade value has to be increasing. I am glad I am not David Kahn.<br />
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i> </div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-37566105638575473472012-02-28T17:00:00.000-06:002012-03-06T11:18:32.092-06:00Future Timberwolves: Anthony Morrow?According to <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/DarrenWolfson/status/174536366078689280">Darren Wolfson of KSTP</a>, the latest rumor out there involves the Timberwolves interest in New Jersey Nets guard Anthony Morrow. In the same tweet Wolfson commented that the Nets did indeed plan on keeping him, but this rumor sure is intriguing. After all, Morrow made 8 3-pointers and scored 42 points when the Wolves beat the Nets about a month ago. That kind of shooter is right up the alley of the Wolves current needs. Let's break down the numbers on Anthony Morrow.<br />
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Morrow is a 6'5", 210 pound shooting guard in his 4th NBA season, after spending four full seasons at Georgia Tech. He went undrafted in the 2008 draft, but was signed as a free agent by the Golden State Warriors. After two seasons with the Warriors, Morrow was traded to the Nets in 2010 for a 2nd round draft pick, which the Warriors never received (it was top 55 protected). I guess that means the Warriors basically gave him to the Nets. That's an interesting point because in his two seasons with the Warriors, Morrow shot 46% from 3-point range and averaged 11.6 points per game. Why would they give him away for nothing?</div>
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In the last season and a half with the Nets, Morrow has averaged 13.1 points per game, playing about 30 minutes a night. He is a career 44% 3-point shooter, 89% free throw shooter, and averages 15.7 points per 36 minutes. His career field goal percentage is nearly 46%, which is very solid for a 2-guard. Outside of flat out shooting the basketball, though, his game offers very little.</div>
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His career line outside of his shot looks like this: 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. His career ORtg (Offensive Rating) is 114 points per 100 possessions, which has been very consistent all four seasons. His DRtg (Defensive Rating) however is 115 points per 100 possessions, which has also been steady his whole career. To give a comparison, Wesley Johnson's career ORtg is 97, while his DRtg is 110. Luke Ridnour's career numbers look like this: ORtg = 109, DRtg = 111.</div>
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Morrow can flat out shoot the ball, there is no question. However, defensively it seems he would be a downgrade from even the likes of Luke Ridnour.</div>
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I don't know what it would take to get a guy like Anthony Morrow. I would assume Beasley would be more than enough, and maybe the same would go for Derrick Williams. Who knows if the Nets would be willing to give Wes Johnson a shot. I know if I were the Nets GM, I wouldn't take Wes for Morrow. There would definitely need to be more to that trade, probably in the form of draft picks. The Nets do have a pretty high salary number right now in the $64M range, so maybe they would take just a 2nd rounder in return considering they aren't in playoff contention at this point. They are probably also looking to make room under the cap to sign some big free agents - Deron Williams included - when they move to Brooklyn next year. That could be the one thing in the Wolves favor here, even though Morrow is only making $4M this year and next.</div>
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As we mentioned in the beginning, it's not likely that the Nets would be willing to trade Morrow in the first place. If they were, I definitely wouldn't move Beasley or Williams for him. If an offer of Morrow for a 2nd rounder came up, however, it would be tough not to jump on this guy. He sure can light up the scoreboard, and would give the Wolves a legitimate 3-point threat.<br />
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i></div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-11388188253185477212012-02-27T20:46:00.003-06:002012-03-06T11:18:25.649-06:00Welcome Back Wolves! From: the NBAWell that was fun! It was nice to have an NBA All-Star weekend that you felt good about. Yes, we have made ourselves know throughout the past few years in the Rookie/Sophomore game - thanks to our 6 picks in the top 7 over the past 5 years. Yow! And once again the Wolves made their presence known in the first Shaq vs. Chuck game with some spectacular highlights from Ricky of the Year. But even before Rubio shined in the Rookie challenge along with Derrick Williams, or D-Will hopped over Crunch's bike in the dunk contest, or K-Love stood toe-to-toe with the world's best 3-point shooters and won, or K-Love having an impressive showing on Sunday night with some big 3's, (Wow, 'Sota was legitimately represented at All-Star weekend!) the Wolves were having one of their most exciting 1st halves of the season in team history. Momentum is on the side of the Timberwolves right now.<br />
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This just in from the NBA: Dear 'Sota, hope you enjoyed that. If you guys are legitimate though, it's time for you guys to take the training wheels off. Your not sneaking up on anyone anymore. We know about the Spanish kid, and we know K-Love is legit. And that Serbian guy isn't somebody to be messed with. We're not laughing at Kahn anymore, he actually seems like he knows what he's doing. No more jokes. Best of luck in the 2nd half. Although just for good measure, we're going to send you out to L.A. to get things started... on back-to-back nights... and then we're going to send you to Phoenix after that... to complete the back-to-back-to-back. Sincerely, the NBA.</div>
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Well, thanks I guess. The T'Pups have their work cut out for them these next 3 nights. The Clippers are getting hot as CP3 is making a serious case at MVP (if not for LeBron and KD35 doing serious damage this year, of course), and the Lakers own us until we prove we can beat them instead of just play with them. Oh, and although the Suns had a tough 1st half at 14-20, and Steve Nash is not an elite PG anymore, they will have had 7 days between games up to hosting the Wolves. Yes, that's right - Phoenix will have a week off after the grind that was the first half, and 'Sota will be coming into town for their 3rd game in a row after a back-to-back against Lob City and the Lake Show. Oh boy.</div>
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Pekovic is ready to prove his 1st half was a trend and not a mirage.</div>
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So it is not realistic at all to think that Minnesota will start off the 2nd half by taking all 3, right? How about 2? I didn't think so. A 1-2 start? Even that will be a lot to ask. As much as it hurts to say, there is a good likelihood the Timberwolves could start the 2nd half 0-3 (hard to beat the Clippers at Staples twice in a row, hard to beat Kobe anywhere if your Minnesota, and hard to beat a very fresh team on the road while you're playing your 3rd night in-a-row). But as Chris Berman would say, "That's why they play the games!" I think we hope for 1, try to steal 2, and if we get 3... WE COMIN! <br />
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<i style="text-align: left;">Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>
</div>baakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15622711045523332853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-62157477789152511842012-02-27T14:12:00.000-06:002012-03-06T11:17:57.582-06:00Future Timberwolves: Lakers 1st Rounder?Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press noted on Saturday that the Timberwolves are serious about <a href="http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_20046079">the possibility of trading Michael Beasley for a 1st round pick from the LA Lakers</a>. On the surface, that sounds like a great idea, knowing that Beasley was acquired from the Miami Heat for a 2nd round pick. Good job, Kahn! Right?<br />
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The Lakers currently own their own 1st rounders every year moving forward, and they also own Dallas' 2012 pick - top 20 protected. If the season ended today, the Lakers pick would be #21, and Dallas would own #22 (which means the Lakers would get it this year). So, the question becomes, is a #21 or #22 draft pick worth acquiring in this upcoming draft for Michael Beasley?<br />
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Let's take a look back at the last few drafts, and see what kind of player usually comes out of those slots in the NBA draft.<br />
2011: #21 - Nolan Smith, #22 - Kenneth Faried<br />
2010: #21 - Craig Brackins, #22 - Elliot Williams<br />
2009: #21 - Darren Collison, #22 - Victor Claver<br />
2008: #21 - Ryan Anderson, #22 - Courtney Lee<br />
2007: #21 - Daequan Cook, #22 - Jared Dudley<br />
2006: #21 - Rajon Rondo, #22 - Marcus Williams<br />
2005: #21 - Nate Robinson, #22 - Jarrett Jack<br />
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We have to go all the way back to 2006 to find a player from those two slots that has made a significant impact in the NBA. I'm intrigued by Faried, Collison, and Anderson; however, all but Rondo are just role players, and will probably always be just role players during their careers. This is not to say that Michael Beasley may not ever be more than a role player, but I would think Beasley has quite a bit more value than most of the players on that list.<br />
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Looking at <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/top100/_/year/2012/set/1">Chad Ford's top 100</a>, the #21 and #22 players on his list right now are <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/players/_/id/19694/tony-wroten-jr">Tony Wroten Jr.</a> from Washington, and <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/results/players/_/id/19653/austin-rivers">Austin Rivers</a> out of Duke. Obviously, these ratings don't directly transpose into draft order, taking into account team needs. This does, however, give us a little bit of insight into the quality of player we could expect to be in this year's coming draft. Not being a die-hard college basketball fan, I am definitely not the guy to evaluate college talent at this point in the year. The name Austin Rivers definitely grabbed my attention though, being Doc Rivers' son. If that type of shooting guard was available in the 2012 draft where the Lakers would be selecting, now this trade becomes much more appealing.<br />
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This definitely was not the most scientific way to determine how excited to be about the potential trade for Beasley, but if I am David Kahn I have to at least consider this. Can Beasley be part of this team's future beyond this year? As a 6th Man, I think that's absolutely the case. He is the type of scorer that is necessary many nights off the bench in the NBA. If Beasley finishes the year with the Wolves, is there a possibility that he might be gone for nothing? That's also true. To me, that draft pick in the #20 range might just be tempting enough to take. If the Wolves start off hot to begin the 2nd half of the season, do the Wolves want to go and dump their 6th Man to invest in the future? I'm guessing Beasley will be staying put in that situation.<br />
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-36563023178242707992012-02-24T13:22:00.000-06:002012-03-06T11:18:12.063-06:00Breaking Down the Remaining ScheduleLiving in a state where my favorite baseball team won 38.8% of their games, and my favorite football team won 18.7% of their games; I have to say it feels pretty good to say that my favorite basketball team is .500 at the All-Star break and within 1 game of a potential playoff spot. As you would expect in a 66-game condensed schedule that almost feels like an MLB regular season, the first half absolutely flew by. Knowing that sometimes a 5 day break can do weird things to a team, let's take a look at the remaining schedule and try to figure out what to expect from these last 32 games. Will the Wolves continue to compete like they did in the last week winning 4 out of their last 5? Or will they run out of gas in the end and miss the playoffs for the 8th straight year?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Can Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio lead the Wolves to the Playoffs?</span></div>
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The Wolves finished the first half of the season an even 10-10 at home, and 7-7 on the road. They were an impressive 12-8 within the Western Conference, thanks in part to a 2-1 record against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks, and a 3-1 record against those rival Houston Rockets. With the victory over Utah on Wednesday night, they improved to 1-3 against divisional foes. Against opponents who would currently be playoff teams if the playoffs started today, the Wolves were 9-12. 21 of their 34 games so far have been against would-be playoff teams.<br />
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Looking ahead, only half (16 out of 32) of the remaining games are against would-be playoff teams. 6 of their first 7 games after the break are against the Lakers, Clippers, and Blazers - 1 on the road and 1 at home against each. Their first 17 games after the break are against Western Conference opponents, and 28 out of the last 32 games are against the West. Hopefully, their success so far this season against conference foes will translate into the second half. The Wolves will have plenty of chances to move up in the standings every night going against the very teams they are competing for playoff spots with.<br />
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The biggest thing that jumped out at me from their schedule was the last month of the season. Only 4 of the last 12 games of the season are against current playoff teams. And, 3 of the 4 playoff-caliber opponents are home games against the Clippers, Thunder, and Grizzlies. The biggest scare of the schedule is a stretch from March 12th until April 2nd where they play 11 of 13 games on the road. As we've seen so far, though, the Wolves have been just as competitive on the road as they've been at home. Those long road trips may have a significant impact on the outcome of the season though.<br />
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In the past 5 seasons, the #8 seed in the Western Conference has had an average win percentage of .575. In a 66 game season, that would equal 38 wins. Using that as a guide, the Wolves would need to go 21-11 down the stretch to reach that mark. Currently, there are only 6 teams in the conference that are even 5 games over .500, so I don't know if we'll need to get to 38 wins; but I wouldn't be too confident in anything less than 35 (which would mean going at least 18-14 in the 2nd half).<br />
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Let's hope the Wolves can hang in there the first couple of weeks after the All-Star break. If they can stay around .500 going into the last month, they should be primed to make a move toward the playoffs in April!<br />
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-70518108236024444282012-02-23T08:21:00.001-06:002012-02-27T16:28:22.841-06:00The JJ Barea Show<br />
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The first 42 minutes of the Wolves/Jazz game last night felt
like that commercial from about ten years ago where a tall guy has his hand on
top of the head of the short guy holding him at arm’s length. The short guy says “Don’t make me…sweep the
leg.” Of course he can’t reach him
because his legs are too short. Maybe it
was a movie – I don’t remember. The last
6 minutes however, were the JJ Barea show.<br />
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In my opinion Barea absolutely controlled the 4<sup>th</sup>
quarter after a pretty frustrating night leading up to it. Barea got elbowed, run over, slapped, shoved,
you name it. It happened to Barea. If not for Martell Webster stepping in, one
of the referee’s life may have been in danger after a no-call in the 3<sup>rd</sup>
quarter when Al Jefferson knocked him over going to the basket. JJ led the comeback though, knocking down
three’s, finding open looks for Ridnour and Webster, and getting to the line
and making free throws. Excellent night
for JJ!</div>
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Ricky Rubio, on the other hand, had one of his toughest
nights of the year. His teammates
weren’t knocking down shots he created in the 1<sup>st</sup> quarter, and
outside of 2 3-pointers in the first half, he really struggled with his own
shot. I want him to succeed so bad, it
almost feels like he’s my little brother.
Every time he turned it over or missed one of his 5 missed free throws,
I felt terrible for the kid. With the
way he played, I am still not too sure why Adelman threw him in there in the
last minute, knowing the Jazz were going to foul. Beyond that, why did Barea pass up an open
Ridnour to get it to Rubio, knowing he would get fouled? I wonder if Adelman planned that wanting his
young point guard to have an opportunity to redeem himself with some clutch
free throws. Pretty risky if you ask
me. It was good to see Rubio playing
co-head cheerleader along with Tolliver during the comeback in the 4<sup>th</sup>. The kid is going to be a great leader as the
years go by.</div>
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One last observation from last night is that I actually
thought Wes Johnson had a decent performance, even in the limited minutes
again. He hit a couple jumpers, got to
the rim, deflected a few passes, and even had a blocked shot or two. He seemed a little lost on a few plays in the
first half on defense, though, which is obviously concerning knowing that his defense
may be the only reason he sees the floor right now.</div>
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I’ve never been much of a fan of Luke Ridnour, but he’s
growing on me as long as he doesn’t try to take control of the offense. Congratulations to Luke, though, on a
fantastic game-winner. He has perfected
that little 10 foot floater, and it was one of those shots that you know was
going down as soon as he let it go.</div>
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What a great comeback win for the Wolves (the first
divisional win of the season) to get back to .500 before the All-Star
break. On a night when Love, Rubio,
Beasley, and Pekovic were pretty quiet, I was very impressed how their
teammates picked up the slack against a pesky Jazz squad. Hopefully they can carry this momentum into
the second half of the season, and make a nice run at the playoffs!</div>
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One more thing I almost forgot: I thought Kevin Love did an
excellent job on Al Jefferson down the stretch defensively despite Al’s
production. Al made some big shots, but Love was in his face the entire 4th quarter and nothing came easy for Big Al. Way to step up to the
challenge on the defensive end K-Love!<br />
<br />
<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i></div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-44525854005021759142012-02-22T12:26:00.001-06:002012-02-27T16:28:33.357-06:00Future Timberwolves: Monta Ellis?There are an awful lot of rumors starting to fly around regarding the Timberwolves these days, as we are about 3 weeks away from the trade deadline. This morning I heard about the Wolves putting in a call about Monta Ellis. In my opinion (and I would assume many of yours), the Wolves are in desperate need of a scoring wing; so whether this rumor is true or not, let's take a look at the possibilities here.<br />
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Ellis has always been one of my favorite players outside of Minnesota, mainly because he's pretty exciting to watch. The knock on him would probably be that he's a smaller 2-guard at 6'3", 175. As far as I know, not many would consider him a great or even good defender. My other fear would be that Ellis puts up really good numbers on a team that isn't good at all, and so questions arise about whether he just isn't as good as his stats imply. Then I thought about Kevin Love. Love put up record-setting numbers last year on a really bad team, and I don't believe for one second that Love isn't as good as his numbers say he is. So, I'll give Ellis the benefit of the doubt on that one.<br />
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The one thing Monta Ellis can do without a doubt is create on the offensive end. He can shoot, penetrate, dish, and electrify on the offensive side. He's the kind of scorer that would sure be nice to have in a Wolves uniform.<br />
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Let's dig a little farther into the numbers...<br />
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There's no question Ellis would be an immediate upgrade at the 2-guard offensively, right? Ellis is currently averaging 22.3 points, 5.8 assists, and shoots 81% from the line. I was disappointed to see that he's only shooting 43% from the field and less than 31% from deep.<br />
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Defensively, Ellis does average 1.4 steals per 36 minutes (Rubio averages 2.4), but his Defensive Rating is 110 points per 100 possessions. Even Michael Beasley currently holds a 102 defensive rating. Defensively, you would have to take Wes Johnson at the 2 over Monta Ellis any day.<br />
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Overall, Ellis' PER is 19.3, which blows every other option we have out of the water. Wes Johnson currently sits at an abysmal 5.7, JJ Barea is at 14.1, and Ridnour 12.8. With a 15 PER being the average, you can see we currently have close to 0 quality options at the 2.<br />
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Now, what would it take to get Ellis? Last year the discussion included Beasley, Pekovic, and the pick that became Derrick Williams. If that were the same case this year, there's no way that would happen the way Pek has played. I would think it would probably take Beasley and/or Williams, maybe they would take Wes to get salaries to match up, and I would assume we'd be talking draft picks as well. Once again, Wolves draft picks are not necessarily increasing in value like they were last year.<br />
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Would I do it if I were David Kahn? It's hard to say yes, despite Ellis being such a dynamic scorer that this team needs. Defensively, we could probably survive with Rubio guarding the opponent's 2 guard, but that is not ideal at all. Offensively, would I rather have Ellis than Ridnour? Yes. Wes? Yes. Ellington? Yes. Would you give up Derrick Williams or Michael Beasley to get him? Obviously it would take a bold move like that to get a guy like Ellis, but I don't know if he is the right fit for the Wolves knowing the struggles we already have defensively. I think if you're going to make a big deal, you need to get either a bigger 2 or an athletic scoring 3 (sure would have been nice if Wes was that guy). What do you think?<br />
<br />
<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-70882227534646717552012-02-21T11:38:00.001-06:002012-02-27T16:28:46.868-06:00Linsanity Ruins the Day for the Wolves<br />
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The Timberwolves have now dropped 11 of their last 13 games
at the Pepsi Center in Denver, dating back to the 2005-06 season. What a frustrating loss it was last
night. The Wolves were 6-27 (22.2%) from
deep, shot 36.4% overall on the night, missed a bunny in the end, and watched
Martell Webster go in for a dunk down 3 with time running out. It’s hard not to be a little depressed this
morning knowing that a win last night, combined with Portland’s loss to the Lakers,
would have put the Wolves in a nice little tie for the #8 spot in the Western
Conference with Denver and Portland. As
it stands, once again the Wolves are held at arm’s length 2 games back from
Memphis and Denver, currently in the #7 and #8 spots in the West.<br />
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One of my favorite stats in basketball is the +/- statistic,
which measures how the team did when that particular player was on the
floor. It definitely isn’t the undisputed
champion of basketball statistics, but it does give you some basic insight to
how well a player was playing. Last
night, the +/- showed some interesting “nuggets” that are fun to talk about the
morning after a tough overtime loss.</div>
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First of all, Andre Miller quickly became one of my least
favorite players last night. What was
that guy thinking? Ty Lawson goes down
with an ankle injury, and Andre Miller is absolutely dominating (despite his
0-8 shooting night). Miller finished +15
in just under 29 minutes last night, but gets himself ejected with the 4<sup>th</sup>
quarter remaining in a virtually tied ballgame.
What a terrible show of leadership on a team going down the stretch and
into overtime last night with something called Julian Stone playing the point.</div>
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Also, Anthony Tolliver had a ridiculous -17 showing in 8.5
minutes last night. I love Anthony
Tolliver as a person – he seems like a really good guy. Last week in Charlotte AT was -7. In less than 2 minutes of playing time! For being a defensive stopper, bad things
sure happen when he’s on the floor right now.</div>
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Our 2-guard combo of Ridnour, Barea, and Webster was -3, -6,
and -3 respectively. Even more
significant than that, our wings (Johnson, Ridnour, Barea, and Webster) went a
combined 1-14 from distance last night.
How much better could this team be with any kind of scoring option on
the wing? The only thing that kept me
from absolutely blowing up over our wing play last night was that I looked
across the court and their stood our boy Corey Brewer. Every time the Nuggets had a chance to put
the game away, it seemed like Brewer was launching – and bricking – another
three pointer.</div>
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My final thought from last night is Linsane. I propose that Jeremy Lin may have had a hand
in it if the Wolves do not end up making the playoffs this year. How?
If Jeremy Lin had not gotten the chance to play, the Knicks may not have
gone on their 7 game winning streak, propelling them into strong contention
again. If the Knicks had not been in
contention, J.R. Smith may not have signed with the Knicks. If J.R. Smith doesn’t sign with the Knicks,
it’s my understanding that the Wolves had about as much money to offer as any
team. If a miracle happens and J.R.
Smith actually signs with Minnesota, boy our 2-guard situation looks a lot more
promising. I know that's a lot of "if's", but thanks Jeremy Lin.<br />
<br />
<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i></div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-45859640983012418442012-02-20T16:07:00.000-06:002012-02-23T10:52:14.888-06:00Electronic Mail and that Twitter ThingIf you haven't already, we would encourage you to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">Wolves Rubes on Twitter</a> or follow via E-Mail by clicking on the links on the right side of the page. We are @wolvesrubes on Twitter. If you don't have a Twitter account, you should get one. It's really cool. If you still don't want to have a Twitter account, we'll email you every time we post something on here if you type in your email address under "Follow by Email" to the right. If you don't even have an electronic mail account, tweet us your mailing address and we'll send you a hard copy of every blog entry.<br />
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<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3379/3638204140_e955a8f4a3_z.jpg%3Fzz%3D1&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/svartling/3638204140/&usg=__hwlJWMx6M_9lNjagsJ6QVFk3CCc=&h=640&w=640&sz=62&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&tbnid=mb2zfnsZdv0mJM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=137&ei=DcRCT9OUGabY2gXuydG5CA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtwitter%2Blogo%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4ADFA_enUS437US437%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1"><img height="137px" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQrt33xJzLe_f_Tw-DSiF9iJHClKLr2EQVXjqrYFt45KPwUlZ4XmhXGmhQJjg" width="137px" /></a></div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-35219335165281313912012-02-20T12:26:00.000-06:002012-02-27T16:29:00.637-06:00Future Timberwolves: Pau Gasol?<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the NBA trade deadline less than a month away (March 15th this year), rumors are beginning to fly like Derrick Williams in the dunk contest. Kobe Bryant </span><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-lakersdiscontent"><span style="font-family: inherit;">stirred the pot</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> yesterday with his comments about Lakers management, saying, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s just tough for a player to give his all when you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow,” Bryant said. “So I’d rather them not trade him at all. If they were going to do something, I wish they would just … do it. If they’re not going to do it, come out and say you’re not going to do it.” There was a rumor of a trade offer of Pau Gasol for Kevin Love right after the CP3 deal fell through, and there have been musings since of Pau finding his way to Minnesota. The only problem is that Love has now signed his extension, which means there is virtually no chance he will get traded any time soon.</span><br />
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So, 2 questions arise now that Love's contract has been solidified. Who would we have to give up in order to get Gasol? And, maybe even more importantly, do we even want/need Gasol?</div>
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To answer the first question, without Love in the equation, I would assume Ricky Rubio would be the next Laker target. There's no way that would happen. To look at it from the Wolves side, would the Lakers take on a guy like Michael Beasley? Derrick Williams? I would assume it would take much more than that to bring in a guy like Pau. Maybe if there were a few draft picks thrown in the mix, the Lakers would take that in order to compile picks in a run for Dwight Howard. However, with the improvement the Wolves have made this year, our draft picks aren't exactly increasing in value at the moment. In the 2012 Draft, we actually own Utah's 1st rounder (top 14 protected) and Oklahoma City's 2nd round pick. We do also have a lottery-protected pick from Memphis next year, which gives us 2 1st rounders next year to work with. There may be some potential there, but only through draft picks, and only if the Lakers actually decide to make a run at Howard in the next 3 weeks.</div>
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Now, onto the second question. Do we want/need Gasol at this point with Pekovic playing so well with the opportunity he has been given? Gasol is 5 years older, with 9 more years of experience in the NBA. Gasol's FG% has been declining every year since joining the Lakers in the 2007-08 season, and currently has a career low in PPG (16.6) this season as well has his 2nd worst shooting season (49.6%). Pekovic, who is an inch shorter and 20 pounds heavier than Gasol, is shooting 61.5% from the field, leads the league in Offensive Rebounding Percentage at 17.9% (compared to Gasol's 9.9%), and is averaging 18.6 points per 36 minutes (Gasol = 16.2). Pek's PER is also better than Gasol's, 22.6 compared to 21.0. Is Gasol a better jump shooter? No question he is. Is Gasol a better shot blocker? You would think so, but Pek actually averages 1.2 blocks per 36, while Gasol averages 1.3. Would Gasol be a great fit with Rubio? Absolutely; however, we already know Pekovic fits in great! In this case I don't think it matters that Rubio has been friends with Gasol for years.</div>
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In my opinion, I like our chances with Pek at the 5 this year and moving forward. The guy was a top 10 pick back in 2008 that fell in our lap the beginning of the 2nd round because of his overseas contract situation. Obviously teams knew he was good back then, and he has seized his Lin-like opportunity this season. If we are going to use draft picks to swing any deals, I would like to see a 2-guard in the mix, rather than another big - even if it is an All-Star like Pau Gasol. Shooters like Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo, or even Kevin Martin would sure look real good in Minnesota.<br />
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<i>Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>.</i></div>naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-78015860693579047142012-02-19T13:13:00.000-06:002012-02-22T14:03:40.842-06:00Reason #6,355 We Love Ricky Rubio! (he's not like anyone else)<div style="text-align: center;">
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We've seen young players that have huge impacts on teams right away in their career. Ricky Rubio is not unique in that sense. But watching him play I realized something: Ricky Rubio plays like he has been with his teammates since they started their traveling team in 3rd grade. His understanding of where each player is on the court, and his understanding of the individual strengths of his teammates - Wes Johnson included - is one of the aspects that makes his game so unique. </div>
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Especially with younger playmakers, you see them almost guessing as to where players are supposed to be, or where they are going to be. And if I'm wrong on this, I blame my ignorance to any mistakes that Ricky has or will ever make - but he doesn't turn the ball over because he thought someone was going to be there, or because he thought someone should've been there. Ricky no doubt turns the ball over (3.3 TO/game), but those aren't happening due to the plays we talked about earlier (guessing, not knowing where guys are, expecting a guy to roll instead of pop, etc.). And when you consider the plays that he makes - no look passes, behind the back passes, bounce passes between opponent's legs, unnamed-because-they-are-so-awesome-and-we-haven't-seen-them-before... passes, it really is remarkable that he doesn't turn the ball over more, right?</div>
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Looking forward to seeing what Ricky Rubio & the Timberwolves do once they have played together for a year, 2 years, 3 years, etc. Let's continue to be patient with these young Wolves, but I think we can also begin to raise expectations in 'Sota. Thanks Ricky.</div>baakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15622711045523332853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-25930125386168525002012-02-19T12:03:00.000-06:002012-02-22T14:01:08.218-06:00Former T'Wolves in the News: Gugli-outta here!<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7zhHTpzJMpE?fs=1" width="480"></iframe></div>baakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15622711045523332853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1909940485678079047.post-86034031835558141542012-02-17T14:25:00.000-06:002012-02-23T10:21:39.087-06:00Who Loves the Timberwolves?We love the Timberwolves. That's why we will be taking our blogging skills to the internet.<br />
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Wolves Rubes is coming to you from the same people that brought you <a href="http://twinsrubes.blogspot.com/">Twins Rubes</a>. We're brothers and we've actually been alive long enough to see the very beginning of the franchise (unlike the Twins). This morning we decided it would be fun to expand our blogging into the NBA world. We don't do it for the glory, the cash, or the nice cars. We do it because we love the Minnesota Timberwolves - and it gives us a medium to vent about the no-call when Lebron wins the game against us.<br />
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You can "follow" us on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/wolvesrubes">@wolvesrubes</a>, and you can also subscribe via email on the right hand side of this page. I would encourage you to tell your friends, enemies, family members, and pets about us; we really want this to be as interactive and fan-based as possible. Our hope is that Wolves Rubes can be a place you can turn to when times our good, and a place where you can climb out of the hole after a 4 game losing streak and be encouraged by some positivity.<br />
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Enjoy!naakrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01734624968504438110noreply@blogger.com4