The Rake Magazine

Road Game #6: Minnesota 103, Dallas 109

Season record: 2-11

1. The McCants/Jefferson Axis

The extent to which Rashad McCants and Al Jefferson create synergy on offense is perhaps the dominant storyline for the Wolves in this young season to date, and figures to remain that way at least until Randy Foye returns from his knee injury. I think it is reasonable to say that Jefferson should be the primary option in the Wolves' half court sets the majority of the time; and that in the current context, McCants should be regarded as the club's most explosive perimeter threat. Foye may supplant or otherwise skew that designation for Shaddy when he fully recovers. But there is also evidence that if McCants can curb his one-on-one tendencies more often and allow a creative point guard to serve as the fulcrum, he and Jefferson and Foye can build something. Ironically, proof of that occurred during tonight's torrid second-half comeback in Dallas, with Antoine Walker in the Randy Foye role.

I've already spent a fair amount of time on the McCants-Jefferson dynamic, but it was inescapable once again in the first half. As has been the case the past few games, the first play is run for Jefferson in the low block, and he converts it. And, as with the past few games, the half court offense ground to a halt in the first quarter whenever McCants owned the rock. There are few things more disspiriting for a young ballclub (and the people watching them) than to come off a rousing win where folks shared the ball and see McCants bent at the waist, staring down his defender and probing for lanes to drive with the shot clock ticking down, then finally hoisting up a jumper.

This has nothing to do with individual statistics, by the way. In tonight's first half, both McCants and Jefferson had nine shot attempts, with Jefferson making 5 and McCants making 4 but Shaddy getting to the line for 4-4 FT versus Jeff's one freebie. And both were minus -4 for a squad that was down 13 at the break. But McCants deadened the offense. His teammates stagnated, and he turned the ball over twice with zero assists. Jefferson likewise didn't drop a dime, but was getting his shots in the context of the offense. And as someone who has defended McCants in previous years against a legion of naysayers, I couldn't believe how differently he was playing, post-KG, as if he were the man that would make or break the offense on this team. The win over New Orleans less than 48 earlier offered a compelling rebuttal.

I say all this because McCants comes out for the second half and plays entirely differently, deferring fairly consistently not only to Jefferson, but to the point guard Jaric in terms of re-setting the offense and launching another play. Instead of making the stylish, risky bounce pass into the paint, he was taking a page from 'Toine and rifling it around the perimeter, creating a flow. The change was so stark that either somebody sent the message at halftime or Shaddy simply made up his mind to do something different.

But his teammates, including Jefferson, didn't seem to be able to convert what he was setting up. As that halftime deficit continued to grow, I was beginning to have sympathy for McCants's dilemma. Halfway through the third quarter, the Wolves had just 7 points for the period, 5 by Jaric and a couple of Jefferson free throws.

Then Coach Wittman went small and quick, replacing Mark Madsen and Ryan Gomes with Walker and Corey Brewer. And, as often happens with Walker in the game, the Wolves' spacing in the half court noticeably improved, and without Madsen in the game, the Mavs couldn't double-team Jefferson in the low block quite so blatantly.

But two things happened. McCants had generated some ball movement momentum earlier, during the inefficient time, laying the groundwork for the catalysts of Walker and Brewer. And Walker again came in and became the linchpin between perimeter passing and paint penetration, doing a lot of both without a whiff of selfishness. I hope Randy Foye was taking notes. Suddenly the personnel and the philosophy were in sync, and McCants not only deferred, to Walker and Jefferson, but enabled, running potential give-and-go's by Jefferson along the baseline that dragged his man with him and prevented double teams, and by not holding the ball.

A minute after Walker and Brewer entered, the lead was 20. Then Jefferson began to find a rhythm in the low block, and Walker started his dipsy-doodle cat-and-mouse schtick that Wolves fans should be coming to love by now. They were too quick for Dallas's bigs, and the subs Avery Johnson was bringing in couldn't stem the energy. He replaced Dampier with Diop, and then, rather quickly, changed it back, throwing Bass in for Nowitzki and Stackhouse in for Howard for good measure. Didn't matter. Both Howard (6-7, 210) and Stackhouse (6-6, 218) are players Brewer could defend with his length, and Jefferson was just owning the slow-footed Dampier down in the paint. By the time Jefferson and McCants left together, the lead was cut to a dozen.

With Smith and Telfair the new personnel, the Walker-led Wolves kept scrambling. Dallas, which had lost three in a row after winning 67 and then folding in the first round of the playoffs last year, were obviously rattled and started playing to lose. At one point in the fourth quarter the Wolves had hacked the lead back to 3, with 8 and a half minutes left to play. And while Nowitzki asserted himself and Jason Terry hit a big shot down the stretch to ice the win, it was a glorious second half for the Wolves. Jefferson went 6-10 from the field and, even more impressive, earned 12 throws in the second half alone en route to a season-high 31 points and 14 rebounds. McCants didn't turn the ball over once in more than 19 second half minutes, and managed to get up eight shots that were either in the flow of the offense or wisely aggressive in transition (an attempted left handed slam over Nowitzki on a fast break clanged off the rim). He wound up with 21 points on 7-17 FG and 7-7 FT. And after going minus -9 in the first half, Antoine Walker finished with plus +5, a testimonial to his impact in the second half.

2. Complementary Pairs

Some guys just play well together. Brewer and Telfair enjoy an affinity, a need for pace and energy and the ability to take advantage of chaos, that was on display this evening. Brewer has been mostly MIA since being disciplined for being late to practice and, perhaps not incidentally, getting roasted by Caron Butler and Peja Stojakovic in his previous two starts. But tonight he was a team-best plus +10 in just 9:07, and, to be more precise, a gaudy plus +8 in the 3:19 he shared the court with Telfair. The rook chucked up five shots in that short 9:07 without sinking any, but it bears noting that two of those were frantic layups in transition after he or he teammates stole the ball from the rattled Mavs. It was exactly the kind of helter-skelter defense you want to see from your backups against a much more talented opponent, and although neither Brewer nor Telfair can be counted on to stick a jumper, they feed off each other's energy.

A more pressing problem is finding a front court mate for Jefferson. Theo Ratliff seems convinced that he's significantly injured despite a number of doctors not being able to find anything, so the search is on, Logic and conventional wisdom at the beginning of the year posited that Jefferson and Craig Smith were redundant low-block loads who couldn't coexist, but there are signs that the Rhino can make teams think twice about doubling Jefferson with a second big, and both like to bang. Smith has been slowly but surely making a case for himself being more prominent in the rotation--tonight he sank 8-9 FG and missed two of three free throws, and grabbed 7 rebounds in just 20:01. If the Wolves are going to leave Michael Doleac on the bench, Smith is a better sidekick for Jefferson when you want to banish double teams; Madsen the choice if the center and power forward are both offensive-minded. Tonight was that rare occasion when Jefferson thrived in the center slot, in part because Eric Dampier never met an up fake he didn't bite on; a tailor-made, cobweb-footed patsy for Big Al.

3. Quick Hits

After his best three game run as a Timberwolf, Marko Jaric fended off gossip about his Victoria Secret model girlfriend and then played a stat-sheet filled 40:26 that brought him back to earth: 12 points, 7 boards and 7 assists, but 6 turnovers, 5 fouls and minus -5. More significantly, he allowed jitterbug point guard Devon Harris to penetrate at will--Harris had four layups in the first quarter alone, and triggered a 19-4 advantage in fast break points for the Mavs in the first half.

DNP-CD for Trenton Hassell. Is that a better or worse line than the guy he was traded for, Greg Buckner, who was a game worst minus -10 in 15:23?

After 'Toine made one of his mincing-stepped drives to the hoop, announcer Jim Petersen called him Twinkletoes, the single-best laugh out loud line of the year thus far.

Finally, love the Twins trade, more for the shakeup than the substance. By sacrificing young pitching in exchange for a (at least formerly) troubled outfielder with a potent bat, new GM Billy Smith went against at least two of abiding principles in the Terry Ryan catechism.

^{photo by 2007 NBAE via Getty Images}

Road Game #5: Minnesota 103, New Orleans 94

Season record: 2-10

1. Revolt of the Back-Up Point Guards

While would-be Wolves cornerstones Al Jefferson, Rashad McCants and Ryan Gomes had performances ranging from disappointing to dreadful, the squad bagged its first road win primarily on the strength of the inexplicably calm, capable, and confident duo of Marko Jaric and Sebastian Telfair. For the third straight game, Jaric went to the hole with authority (a moderate surprise), supplemented it with an accurate outside J (a large surprise) and consistently well-considered decision-making (huge surprise). It was his best performance in a Timberwolves uniform.

Telfair likewise delivered a performance out of the ether, playing better defense on Chris Paul than Paul's numbers (31 points, 11 assists) might suggest; exercising excellent shot selection (the biggest surprise of all), putting pace into the game without losing the handle, and sinking his free throws in crunch time to ensure that the wire-to-wire Wolves lead never got too precarious. For the night, Jaric shot 8-12 FG and Telfair was 6-9 FG. Jaric had 6 assists, 3 turnovers and 2 steals; Telfair dropped 8 dimes versus 2 miscues and added a steal. In 38:41, Jaric was plus +9 in a 9-point win; in 36:40, Telfair was plus +13.

The key stat there is the respective minutes: Jaric and Telfair spent a lot of time together on the court, ranking first and second on the team in court time. Because they are players of complementary strengths, there was logical potential for synergy, but I also think there is something to be said for a couple of back-up point guards thriving by sharing the point guard responsibilities. That Marko didn't have to guard Paul all night did wonders for his confidence and gave him just enough durability to contribute some (but not nearly as much as the first three quarters) down the stretch. That Jaric is a capable ballhandler who was both burying his J and getting productivity in the paint relieved Bassy of the responsibility of always making something happen and let him settle into more of a natural, "take what they give me" rhythm. For him too, it was his best performance in a Timberwolves (and probably NBA) uniform.

Unfortunately, it should also be noted that Jaric and Telfair both benefitted from not having to play next to McCants much of the time. The ball movement and general flow of the offense was palpably enhanced when McCants was on the sidelines, unable to hoist shots out of rhythm, commit foolish fouls that retarded the sprightly pace, and look to beat his man either off the dribble or with a sudden jumper, both unsuccessful. Shaddy was 3-9 FG with one assist, two turnovers and 4 fouls in 21:38, during which time the Wolves were minus -2.

But the biggest goat of the game for the Wolves was Gomes, whose sour play has gone from temporary mystery to odd dilemma to legitimate concern. He started well with a solid couple of games, resurrected himself a bit in the Cleveland loss and has returned to the tank. He remains a shrewd player in many facets of the game. He knows how to move without the ball and get open, for example, but there isn't a player on this team who has missed more wide open looks thus far this season. After shooting 48.7% and 46.7% his first two years, he is currently at 38.9%. It's not because he's shooting more treys either--his long range percentage is over 40 and comprising an increasing slice of his total shots--not a good sign for someone 6-8, 250. But the real bugaboo tonight was turnovers: He had 5, versus one assist, in just 17:37, which is why he registered a whopping minus -11, meaning the squad was plus +20 in the 30 minutes he sat.

The third of the misplaced cornerstones tonight was Big Al, who was much more productive and conducive to the positive outcome than either Gomes or McCants, but hardly the bedrock commensurate with his talent and contract. Against Atlanta the other night, Jefferson began the night with 18 points on 6-6 FG in the first half and then went 2-7 FG in the second half. Tonight it was 4-6 FG in the first half, with a resounding slam dunk and a nice dish to McCants right out of the gate, and then another 2-7 FG in the second half, beginning with a missed bunny in the paint, a blown crunchtime slam after a gorgeous bounce pass feed from Jaric on a pick and roll (he claimed he was fouled), and a crunchtime bailout on another bunny right in front of the hoop where Tyson Chandler was whistled for the foul (and may indeed have brushed the elbow on the followthrough), but Jeff was hardly going strong to the hoop on the play. The point is, Jefferson was supposed to be the beast in the paint that rendered 4th quarter scoring reliable and we're seeing less evidence that he can overcome defenses designed to take that away. By the way, he missed those two free throws after the Chandler foul, at a time when the Hornets were mounting a serious comeback, and was a minus -6 on the evening in 32:13 of play. That means the Wolves were plus +15 in the 15:47 he sat.

I love Al Jefferson's game. Just not quite as much as I did a week or so ago.

2. Davis for Walker: A Minnesota Steal

When the trade with Miami came down just before the season started, it was easy to look at it in terms of Antoine Walker and Mark Blount, in that in order for us to accept 'Toine's bloated contract, the Heat had to cart away Blount's absurd deal, and his carcass besides. But as the season has progressed, it has become plain that the swap in reality has 'Toine providing more than a few of the things RD used to bring, but with just a fraction of the corrosive bullshit and yo-yo inconsistency.

When Walker, Jaric and Telfair were on the court at the same time tonight, the Wolves produced by far their prettiest offense of the season thus far. The ball zipped around and yet all three players performed with the confident knowledge that they could take their man off the dribble if things bogged down. But even more than Jaric or Telfair, Walker has the experience and the wisdom to enable his teammates. You can tell he's enmeshed in a fairly constant internal war over whether to try and take the game over himself (an impulse he resists more effectively than McCants but still succumbs to a fair bit) or not, but I love that he often resolves it by massaging his ego with the notion that he's the daddy mentor out there, showing the young'uns how to share the ball, spice up the pace, and, above all, compete. The trimphant bellow and fist wave he gave when he drove baseline on the behemoth Chandler, missed the layup short but immediately went back up for a successful tip-in, spoke volumes. 'Toine knew, and Jim Petersen correctly identified, that it was the pivotal play of crunchtime, enlarging the lead to 9 with just a few minutes to go rather than watching it shrink to two possessions with another unanswered Hornet basket. After the Saturday night choke, that would have been a hairy prospect.

And you could see it again, in the half-second the camera caught his disgusted grimace when Jefferson missed the two free throws--Antoine Walker is busting his ass. The guy who played a key role on an NBA championship team just 18 months ago and was feted in glitzy South Beach for his efforts. The guy who then got traded as nothing more than a contract equalizer to a woefully inexperienced club picked to finish last in its conference while playing up in the freezing tundra. He's been something of an all purpose glue guy (with occasional dashes of mustard, relish and catnip, of course). If you can't appreciate the context and the content of his contribution, you're either way too cynical or not paying attention. Tonight he had 17 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, two steals and zero turnovers in 30:28, finishing with a plus +11.

3. More Kudos

Speaking of fabulous glue guys, how about Greg Buckner thriving under the radar tonight? In 29:25, he garnered a team-high 9 rebounds, doled out 6 assists, and was a game-high plus +18. It brought back memories of Buck's very strong opening week for this team. What I most remember is him laying a body on Melo Anthony and working him over like his elbows and knees were rubber hoses. Tonight, Peja Stojakovic got similar treatment. Put simply, the other aspects of Buckner's game seem to elevate a notch when his defensive assignment calls for a good physical scrap. That's not a bad attribute to have on your bench.

Tonight was also a reprise of the vintage Craig Smith, the guy who mud wrestled in the paint for offensive rebounds and improbably fluttery putbacks, committed smart fouls and played pick and rolls like Rhino Astaire. (You get the sense that the Wolves had solid bench play?)

Finally, after numerous telecasts compelling him to paint lipstick (and the rare irreverent mustache) on porcine performances, Wolves' color commentator Jim Petersen was given a relative embarrassment of riches to detail and not surprisingly nailed nearly every one. Only Buckner's stealth performance improperly escaped adornment by Jim Pete's satchel of gold stars. He was lightning quick pointing out the synergy of Jaric and Telfair together, correctly identified the unsung value of Madsen's defense and communications skills, and, perhaps his best insight, lauded the Wolves' vastly improved pick and roll defense. Getting a rare quality performance from this diaper squad ballclub is by itself a pleasant surprise. Receiving astute analysis as it happens is gravy that further enriches the experience.

There won't be a three pointer on the Wolves' dreadful collapse against the Hawks Saturday night. Frankly, it didn't bother me as much as the pig-headed play and lack of effort that fostered Minnesota's loss to a thoroughly disinterested Denver Nuggets squad the night before. At least the Atlanta game found the Wolves playing inspired ball for an entire half. What happened in the second half was a team-wide choke, but veteran Wolves' watchers have certainly seen it before in previous years. As it was, spitting up a 21-point lead was only the third largest edge the team has sacrificed in franchise history. In other words, more talented and seasoned squads than this one have choked on larger advantages.

Or maybe my outrage meter redlined against Denver and it made more sense to put this sorry squad into perspective again.

Still, if not a full-blown trey, we should note a few items. Al Jefferson had a stunning 18 points on 6 shots from the field in the first half (6-6 FG, 6-6 FT), plus 11 rebounds. When Atlanta adjusted its coverage and put two or three guys on Jefferson, the Wolves were flummoxed and the offense stalled. Coach Wittman has discovered that his most intelligent offensive player, the guy who can best "make something happen" in the half-court sets, is Antoine Walker. But Witt's adjustment has been to slide Jefferson over to center and install 'Toine at the power forward slot. This allignment is deadly to the front court matchups at both positions. As Paul "ikrushsots" so helpfully pointed out with statistics from 82games.com in the comments sections of the last trey, Jefferson's effectiveness plummets at the center position. And Walker simply can't guard quality power forwards, like, for instance, Atlanta's Josh Smith.

Minnesota's huge el foldo act isn't just limited to that substitution. As the Wolves coughed up the lead, Jefferson was rushing his shots, especially on putbacks of offensive rebounds. That would have happened whether he was a "4" or a "5." And the growing backlash against the horrible, and selfish, shooting performances put in by Rashad McCants the previous three games certainly had him reluctant to pull the trigger on his own shot during crunch time (at least I assume that's what held him back). Finally, the ability of Hawks' point guard Tyrone Lue to get his teammates involved in the offense dramatizes how crucial heady point guard play can be. And while Marko Jaric had a second good game in a row, and actually went to the hoop with authority, he is not on even the mediocre Lue's level when it comes to seeing the court and enablign good half court possessions.

For most of the season, I've been pleasantly surprised that Wittman hasn't been incompetent. That is not to say that he's been especially competent either, but last year's 12-30 mark and constant carping about discipline while the inmates still seemed to run the asylum (and yes, Pretty Ricky Davis, I'm talking about you and your boy Blount) set the bar pretty damn low for Wittman. And he's still above that nadir.

But without Theo Ratliff on your roster, how do you leave Michael Doleac in street clothes? Doleac is a larger body than Mark Madsen, and, while not as quick, bangs very well. More importantly, he can pop out for a little 12-15 footer and nail it 50 percent of the time. That's a good counter to teams who double Jefferson with a couple of bigs. Do you think it is a problem for Atlanta to double Jefferson with Madsen's man? Me neither. And as I said, Walker at power forward makes for a lousy defensive front line. The statistics indicate that Jefferson suffers at center; so do the eyes of anyone watching these games. Why doesn't Wittman see it; or, if he does, why doesn't he respond?

Here's another criticism of the coach. He strongly lamented the inability of his ballclub to penetrate to the hoop for most of the second half. He seemed mystified that it would happen. During the postgame press conference, I mentioned that Marko seemed to be penetrating well, and the coach jumped in before I finished my sentence, saying (and I paraphrase because I wasn't taping): Yeah, in the first half, and on the first possession of the third quarter. But not after that. We stopped penetrating until we had given up the lead and there were two minutes left.

Okay, fine. What is the one attribute that Wittman was cited for as the reason to keep him on board this year? His ability to run a tight ship, to discipline his players, keep them on the same page, eliminate the bullshit. So why wasn't he able to emulate Gregg Popovich (a much better example than Witt's mentor, Bobby Knight) and simply call a timeout, sit across from the players and tell them if they didn't start fucking going for points in the paint he was going to bench their asses and find people who could? Because that's what Pops says when his squad isn't playing defense to his liking. And he backs it up by sitting them down. Instead, Witt watched it happen for what he claims was almost all of the second half, a 24-minute stretch when the squad scored 24 points after getting 63 in the opening 24 minutes, and couldn't stress how important penetration was to the game; either wouldn't, or couldn't, get through to them. And this happened, by the way, in the immediate wake of Wittman telling the press that Rashad McCants didn't take bad shots in his 1-15 performance against the Nuggets the night before; a game in which Shaddy consistently jacked it up from outside rather than engaging in dribble penetration.

On to another thing that has my undies in a twist. As those of you who read the comments know, I have been a little peeved at the ill will expressed toward KG's new ballclub, the Boston Celtics, both in terms of observers disliking and underestimating the accumulation of talent on the team. There is a Garnett backlash happening, and I imagine it has to do with owner Glen Taylor's interview with the PiPress's Rick Alonzo, and even with my comments in an interview on Dan Barreiro's radio show, where I pointed out how Garnett was two-faced about his support for Flip Saunders and his disdain for Kevin McHale.

I stand by those comments--just as I did when I originally wrote them, both back when Flip was fired, and when KG went off on McHale at the beginning of either last season or the year before. And I also believe KG was a lousy general manager with respect to his advocacy of Troy Hudson and Mike James. Garnett isn't perfect, by any stretch. But man, his positive impact on the Timberwolves is larger than any one player's impact on any one franchise that I can come up with in all of team sports. And, it should be remembered, it was management's decision to trade him. Now, for reasons I have stated, I endorse the trade, and by now I'm sure KG endorses the trade, if he didn't at first. But this backlash business is bullshit.

The latest example is a column in today's Strib by Jim Souhan, a writer I happen to like better than most of the people I talk to about him (or maybe bitching about the Strib guy is just the nature of the business for most folks). First a little background. On Thanksgiving Day, Souhan wrote a piece about Torii Hunter signing with the Angels, entitled "An unhappy adieu, but a wise decision." As the subhed indicates, the thrust of Souhan's column was that "it didn't make sense for the Twins to pony up the money to keep him." Funny, that was the argument I was making with Souhan on the radio this summer, and he was forcefully disagreeing, going so far as to say it would be preferable to trade Johan Santana and keep Hunter if one or the other must go.

Anyway, having agreed with Hunter's departure, Souhan felt the need to balance it by paying tribute to the Twins' longtime center fielder two days later. And he allowed his fondness for Hunter's sunny disposition to besmirch his perspective in a significant way. Here are his first three paragraphs:

"Tori Hunter's departure creates more than a void in the Twins lineup-- it creates a void in Minnesota sports.

"In the past decade we've heard Latrell Sprewell complaining that a three-year $21 million contract wasn't enough to help him feed his family. We went through the Love Boat scandal. We watched Sam Cassell dog his way out of Minnesota, and Randy Moss make even a team desperate for star power and talent eager to dump him.

"We've watched Kevin Garnett sulk while playing under the terms of a record-setting contract, watched Kyle Lohse take a baseball bat to his manager's door, watched A.J. Pierzynski talk his way out of town. [emphasis mine] Through it all--and since he first signed with the Twins back in 1994-- Hunter made himself our model athlete by bringing to life all the cliches about persistence, perseverence and passion."

That's right: To better glorify Torii Hunter, Souhan lumps KG in with, in order, Sprewell, Fred Smoot and the Love Boat crew, Sam Cassell, Randy Moss, Kyle Lohse and AJ Pierzynski. Apparently Garnett did not bring to life "all the cliches about persistence, perseverence and passion." He was too busy sulking.

It just so happens that the very same day that this tripe appears, Sid Hartman also had a column in which he quotes at length a recent interview he had with Hunter:

"Had the Twins' three-year offer for $45 million been five years for $75 million, he might have considered it, Hunter said, but on the other hand he wanted to play with a winner. He said he doesn't think the Twins are going to have the talent to win in the future.

"...'I was going to get what I was going to get. I just wanted to make sure I was with a team that wants to win, that's going to try to win day in and day out...I just didn't feel the Twins were that ballclub.'

"It will be hard for the Twins to attract free agents, Hunter added, because the new stadium lacks a roof.

"'People aren't even thinking about this,' he said. 'I wouldn't play in Minnesota unless my career was at an end and I had to go to Minnesota to play the game...People think that's not true--that's 100 percent accurate. This is coming from a player, so I'm telling you.'"

See, all the talk about wanting to remain with the Twins, and especially being able to finish his career playing on that wonderful grass in the new outdoor ballpark, that was Hunter's passion--not to mention his persistence and perseverence--coming through. I mean, at least he wasn't like that sulker Garnett, who took less money than the market would pay him so that his local franchise could go out and sign better players. If he made that challenge to management, I'm sure Hunter would have backed it up the way Garnett did, by going out and earning the MVP Award when management stepped up and got those players. And Hunter certainly would have been his same old honest, effervescent self if he'd then watched the franchise make a series of disastrous personnel moves and cost his squad any chance of competing for a championship three years running. I mean, just because he took a poke at Justin Morneau the last time the Twins didn't make the playoffs and he didn't have an expiring contract for his escape doesn't mean the guy would sulk in that situation--at least not the way that bad Garnett sulked. Isn't that what you remember about his 12 years in town?

Later in Souhan's piece he offers up these pearls of wisdom:

"What do we ask of our best athletes? To play hard. To play hurt. To recognize how lucky they are to be wealthy, to take care of their families and invest wisely. To be a good teammate. To work on their craft. To show a little joy. To care about winning

"Hunter did all of that."

If Souhan doesn't realize that KG also did all of that, while performing at a level beyond Hunter's grasp, then he ought not to write about things he doesn't understand. Like hoops. And human character.

Finally, in memory of the Wolves latest collapse, I present some typically compelling info from stat guru Paul Swanson (apologies for what I'm sure will be a somewhat garbled transfer):

2007-08 4th Quarters
(through November 24)

NBA Wolves Wolves
Average Offense Defense
------- ------- -------
Points 24.5 21.2 26.7
FG Pct 44.0% 34.7% 46.6%
3Pt Pct 35.6% 41.8% 37.5%
FT Pct 74.9% 75.0% 79.0%
FT Att 7.8 7.3 9.1
Off Reb 2.8 3.6 3.3
Def Reb 7.6 6.3 8.6
Tot Reb 10.4 9.9 11.9
Assists 4.7 3.6 4.4
Steals 1.7 1.5 1.8
TOs 3.6 3.5 3.3
Blocks 1.2 1.2 1.5

*

2007-08 Minnesota Timberwolves
Individual 4th Quarter Statistics
(through Nov. 24)

Player Min FGM-A FG% 3FG-A FTM-A Reb Ast Stl TO Blk Pts
Jefferson 92 17-42 .405 0- 0 11-14 30 4 3 8 2 45
McCants 63 11-29 .379 6-14 8-10 8 3 3 4 0 36
Jaric 61 7-19 .368 2- 5 8-10 5 6 3 2 2 24
Gomes 57 5-17 .294 4- 8 10-12 7 4 1 2 0 24
Walker 81 7-30 .233 4-13 5-11 20 5 1 5 0 23
Telfair 68 9-26 .346 3- 6 2- 2 5 7 1 3 2 23
Brewer 65 4-11 .364 0- 2 7-10 10 4 1 2 2 15
Buckner 61 4-13 .308 3- 5 3- 4 8 2 2 5 0 14
Green 33 6-12 .500 1- 2 0- 0 4 4 1 4 1 13
Ratliff 24 3- 4 .750 0- 0 3- 3 6 1 0 1 3 9
Smith 46 1-12 .083 0- 0 3- 4 6 0 1 1 1 5
Richard 7 1- 1 1.00 0- 0 0- 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Doleac 2 0- 0 .000 0- 0 0- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wolves 75-216 .347 23-55 60-80 109 40 17 38 13 233
Opponents 97-208 .466 21-56 79-100 131 48 20 36 16 294

Road Game #4: Minnesota 93, Denver 99

Season Record 1-9

1. Time To Get Angry

Okay, that's about enough patience, enough leeway for a basketball team that is playing with stupidity as well as incompetence, and showing very little character in the process. During the off-season, Kevin McHale remarked that any team that really plays hard and within themselves can win nearly forty games a season just by picking up a dozen or more victories left lying around by opponents that for one reason or another don't bother to show up. Well, Denver didn't show up tonight. The Nuggets knew they had allowed themselves to get down by double digits in the Wolves' season opener in Minnesota and still managed to tuck the game away in the second half. And so they played without respecting the Wolves; jacking up a lot of dumb shots from the perimeter, not defending with vigor, and generally lazing around until there was 2:45 left and the Wolves were up by 3. Then, after plopping himself on the bench like a somnambulant toad for the entire game, Nuggets coach George Karl called a timeout and presumably told his squad that it was time to expend the requisite energy to put this sorry Minnesota squad where it belongs, cluelessly flying back home with a .100 winning percentage.

It was all Fox Sports analyst Mike McCollow could do not to blatantly rip the Wolves; the disgusted look on his face and his accurate statement that Denver "laid an egg tonight," said it all. And if it didn't, the postgame interview with Denver's Eduardo Najera--who has more grit than any three Timberwolves combined--sealed it. "We came out flat; I don't know what it was," Najera said with a grin and a shake of his head. "Maybe we ate too much for the holiday." He was apologizing for the six-point triumph.

Let's start calling people out. Rashad McCants played like a punk, like a kid who, despite all evidence, refuses to believe he's not the best thing on the playground. McCants shot 1-15 from the field, a stat uglier in reality than it is on paper. His only make was a waltzing, uncontested layup after a teammate made a steal and delivered him the ball while Denver conceded the hoop. Of the 14 misses, maybe 3 or 4 were in the paint, and at least one of those was a stumbling toss-up prayer after McCants drove expecting a foul that never came. That leaves about ten jumpers, the sort of chemistry-corroding shots that would have had his teammates irked at Wittman for not sitting him if McCants hadn't benched himself with a series of fouls. He got to the line just three times; once after a technical foul on Denver, and once on the next possession after Wittman explicitly instructed his squad during a timeout that they needed to take it to the hoop. Otherwise, nada.

Since his 33-point breakout against Sacramento, Shaddy has converted 15 shots (in 57 attempts) and committed 16 turnovers. Over the last three games, he has mounted a 8-41 brickfest--less than 20% shooting. His defense tonight was actually good in spots, but his offense game was so ugly, so selfish, that it is hard to give him credit for that positive contribution.

Al Jefferson is an easy player to love for his precocious footwork, realistic self-assessments of his foibles, and strong work ethic. But aside from his low-post offense, Jefferson remains woefully inconsistent. He can be a bulldog on the boards for two possessions and a negligent terrier the next. He can flash hard on the pick and roll two out five times, and bollocks it up the other three. He can spot open teammates out of the looming double team two or three times per period, but might as well be wearing blinders 60-70 percent of the time. On top of all that the recent injury to Theo Ratliff has further exposed him as being a converted power forward instead of a center when he's forced to play the pivot. Despite all the good things he does and the admirable way he acts, there is a reason why he was a game-worst minus -14 tonight and the Nugs' center Marcus Camby was a game-best plus +16.

Neither Sebastian Telfair nor Marko Jaric can be a starting point guard on a successful team--it just won't happen. There is a point guard gene missing--a different one in each player. Telfair can provide pace and a probing spirit with his passes; Jaric has marvelous hands and good anticipation on defense, and was one of the precious few Timberwolves that heeded Wittman's admonition to penetrate into the paint. But past failures have fed the demons in both of their psyches, and there are glaring flaws in each of their games that inevitably buzz kill their most painstaking efforts at kindling some personal momentum. Put it this way: You don't want either one of them bringing the ball up against a zone trap, and you don't want either one of them with the ball in their hands in the closing seconds of a game with their team down a deuce. And that, folks, are precisely the two situations when point guard play is most crucial. The Nuggets deployed a full court press that coughed the ball from Telfair twice late in the first half, likely robbing the Wolves of a double-digit lead at intermission. Jaric, as I say, actually played one of his better games, but he's been in the league long enough to know what you've got and it's not enough to fortify this callow squad. There are roles for both Jaric and Telfair, but all the opportunities that Randy Foye's injury have provided dramatize that those roles should be smaller than the ones they currently occupy.

2. The Better Gomes

Ryan Gomes also belongs on the "disappointing enough to be pissed at him" list thus far this season, but it took one of his vintage games tonight to remind us of how far he'd out of our consciousness. Before the season started, I expected Gomes to be the Wolves' second-best player behind Jefferson. He fulfilled that promise for the first time in more than two weeks by toting up 18 points in less than 25 minutes simply by flowing in the course of the offense--moving without the ball, and seeking out seams in the opposing defense in a way that Flip Saunders would salivate over and utilize to the tune of 20 points per game if he had him. Or maybe not, because Gomes has clanked way too many wide open jumpers this year. Tonight he made 7-13 FG, including 4-5 from beyond the arc. His defense on Melo Anthony game but only partially effective--Melo's 31 points on 22 shots were boosted by a hot hand early (6-7 FG on mostly contested jumpers in the first period) and trips to the line late (11-11 FTs for the game).

Which Gomes will we see over the next few games? The Wolves desperately need it to be the Good Gomes, because the the schedule ahead is road-wearying and folks who "play the game right" are at a premium.

3. A Plus and a Minus

For about the fifth or sixth time in this brief season, Antoine Walker demonstrated more competitive spunk and both blatant and subtle court savvy than anyone else in a Wolves uni. One might even think the dude is playing to earn himself a ticket to a contender later in the first few months of 2008. It is probably poetic justice that 'Toine must endure McCants's pig-headedness, having had his own bouts on many occasions early in his career. Even tonight, his 15 point first half bore an interesting stat within the stat--1-5 from outside the arc, 5-5 shooting two-pointers. It should also be noted that Walker is getting a lot of his points and rebounds using his half-court quickness against opposing power forwards, an advantage that is quickly reversed when the big boys take him into the paint at the other end of the court. Kenyon Martin more than doubled his 7.9 ppg average with 18 tonight.

See the theme? Walker at the 4 and Jefferson at the 5 are both overmatched on defense, but Walker is one of very few Wolves who can not only get his own shot, but create one for a teammate in the half court, especially because he understands how opponents will concentrate on Big Al and space himself accordingly.

Yes, it is true that Minnesota really misses Foye and Ratliff, and the failure of players to fill those voids is valuable, if depressing, information for the future. But it must also be said that this squad is *not"--repeat *not* making progress, a fact dramatized by the opening night opponent playing demonstrably worse in their Game 10 rematch and winning just as handily. Almost any NBA player can jump up and have a good game, or two or three good games over a 10 game span. But the glimmers of consistency, the slow but steady signs of progress, are what this 2007-08 must be all about.

And where are they? Did Corey Brewer get a mere 2:04 tonight because Gomes were going well, because he's now missed four free throws in a row, because that late to practice stunt still has him in Witt's doghouse, or because the past two opponents have been LeBron and Melo? Why is Mark Madsen a better bet to start versus Camby than Michael Doleac, who is larger and has more range on his jumper (which is to say he can shoot one)? Has anybody yo-yo'd in minutes and productivity like Craig Smith, who led the Wolves with a plus +8 tonight and had 5 rebounds to go with his 7 points (3-6 FG) but only got 15:52 (likely another victim of the Walker-Jefferson tandem)? Is McCants going through a rough patch or going down for the third time? What do we really know about this team other than they have won once in their first ten games and let an indifferent opponent that had contempt for their ability loiter through the motions and then, after the coach finally sounded the alarm, tromp down the throttle and outscore them 15-4 in the final 2:45?

It's not cute anymore.

Home Game # 6: Cleveland 97, Minnesota 86

Season record: 1-8

1. Shoddy Shaddy

After the Wolves had been LeBronned by 11 Wednesday night at the Target Center, Coach Randy Wittman said in edgier, more frustrated tones what Antoine Walker had calmly laid out after Minnesota's previous loss Saturday night. There's no fight in this team, Wittman stated; if the opponent goes on a six or eight point run, the Wolves hang their heads and don't respond. "When we get punched in the mouth we get down," he added, saying that the five guys who were playing most of the 4th quarter--Al Jefferson, Walker, Greg Buckner, Corey Brewer, and, surprise, Gerald Green--at least "threw some haymakers" in response.

Leaving aside the tortured fighting imagery--if you want to watch jerks literally try to injure each other and thump their chests with gap-toothed bravado, NHL hockey is being played across the river--I thought the coach's words might be foreshadowing why Rashad McCants only got 3:49 on the court during the second half. What do you need to see from McCants that you didn't tonight? I asked. "He's got to continue to *play*," Witt immediately shot back. "Very seldom does everything go right for you in a game."

On to the locker room, where McCants was holding up his right arm as a Wolves' cleanup guy affixed a bag of crushed ice to the inside of his elbow with circular motions of clear tape. When did you do that? I asked. "Practice," McCants said. Wow, did it affect your stroke any tonight? I said. "Well, I went 5 for 16 tonight; what do you think?" Shaddy said testily. His mood was sour enough, and my belligerence meter low enough, that I didn't supply the natural rejoinder: Well, how smart was it to jack up 16 shots in less than 24 minutes with a bum elbow?

As if the misfired gunning wasn't bad enough, McCants did not visit the free throw line. "When [Cleveland big men] Ilgauskas and Gooden switched out on our 1 or 2, we've got to be able to go to the basket," Wittman lamented.

2. The Gerald Green Bandwagon Is Taking Passengers

Exploiting Shaddy doldrums was Gerald Green, who more than doubled the 16 minutes he'd been allowed to play in Minnesota's previous 8 games, and canned more shots in half as many attempts as McCants while registering 13 points (6-8 FG in 20:15). Opinions on what Green has to offer, both now and in the future, vary more widely than perhaps any other player on the team. As one comfortably ensconced in the "hater" camp, I'm nevertheless happy to report that GG had a fine showing that is destined to get people clamoring for more court time for last year's slam dunk champion and super-athlete.

One of those people is Jefferson, who watched McCants jack up jumpers even when undersized Wolves castoff Dwayne Jones was defending him down low. Asked if he agreed with Wittman's comments about not rallying back, Jeff said, "Yeah, I totally agree. We get in the habit of putting our heads down, myself included." Then Jefferson unilaterally brought up his teammate with the Celtics and Wolves. "Green came in and gave us huge energy. We've got to be in a fighting mood and Gerald gave it to us. He gave us the lift we needed." When I voiced the conventional wisdom that one reason for Green's lack of minutes was him not knowing the plays, Jefferson frowned and disagreed. "No, I think it is just his shot, his shot selection sometimes and then him getting down on himself. But he put that away tonight."

Yes, he did. Entering the game in second quarter, Green still had to be told where to go on defense by Buckner during the first play, and he still has a tendency to wander at both ends of the court. But he also closed out for a nice, partial block on a long-range jumper and then continued downcourt to receive a pass for a slam that ignited the crowd. And most of his jumpers were in the context of the offense. He added three boards and two assists, without a turnover, although his minus -2 for the game put his season-long plus total in jeopardy. (He still remains plus +1 for the season, the only Timberwolf on that side of the ledger.)

The doubts I've expressed about McCants--the need to get his own shot, overconfidence creating tunnel vision--are magnified with Green, and that's before noting that Shaddy is miles ahead of Green on defense, as a passer, and in his general knowledge of the game. I believe Green closely resembles Troy Hudson--a player who can single-handedly win you a game, and do some dazzling things out on the court, a player who can become electric; but also a player who will lose you twice as many games as he'll win because, for whatever reason, he either can't or won't figure out how to best enable a team concept out on the court.

And I'd love to be wrong about this, because Gerald Green has pogo sticks for hamstrings, and a sweet looking jump shot.

3. Quick Hits

Corey Brewer didn't play the entire first half. "A little team discipline today. Corey missed the shootaround this morning," Wittman explained after the game. Actually the beat writers said he was there when they were allowed in late in the practice, so he must have been tardy. But the media wasn't aware of the penalty until after the game.

Antoine Walker had lousy game, twice throwing the ball into the stands in unforced errots (one was an out-of-bounds play), and too quick to jack up treys as the Wolves were trying to come back and he had a hot Gerald Green mentally pleading for the rock elsewhere on the perimeter. Also, whether by accident or design, there were about a half-dozen possessions when the 6-9 'Toine was being guarded by 6-3 Eric Snow in the half court and I recall only one basket resulting from that matchup.

Those who continue to claim that Kobe Bryant is the NBA's best player owe LeBron an apology. His drives to the hoop were effortless down both the right and (his preference) left lane, and he nailed six of 10 from beyond the arc in addition to 9-16 elsewhere. Throw in 8 free throws, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks (there were 4 turnovers too) to go with those 45 points--and the team lead in minutes for a defense that once again ceded less than 90 points to an opponent--and you've got the stats of the real best player in the NBA.

Mark Madsen is back from injury. And Michael Doleac made it off the bench and into the starting lineup, Neither one attempted a shot in a combined 32:19 of play. Shrewd move by Madsen, but for a team struggling on offense and becoming increasingly reliant on the Jefferson-McCants combo, Doleac's 13-footer is a viable option that should be utilized.