1. Theo In the Pivot
Let’s begin with some positive news, eh? Theo Ratliff, valued first and foremost for the $11 million he will take off the books when his contract expires at the end of the season, is alive and swatting, providing the best interior presence this franchise has ever seen, at least as long as this 34-year old seven-footer fresh off a 44-minute 2006-07 season due to a bulging disc in his back can remain healthy. He had four blocks and 5 boards in 20:53, and the ballclub has a totally different feel when he’s patrolling the paint. Coach Randy Wittman says if it was a regular season game rather than a warm-up during tonight’s 95-106 loss to the Pacers, he would have gotten more burn. Against large opposing front lines, it’s possible we’ll see 28-35 minutes from Theo, for as long as it lasts, and probably half that when teams go small and quick.
Who expected this when the blockbuster KG trade was made?
Now, the cavaets. As much fun as it is to watch a legit panther-poacher looming around the hoop, Ratliff is almost destined to break down if he gets the kind of playing time his current upside merits. And even if he doesn’t, will it help the Wolves’ grand rebuilding to rely on a guy who will almost certainly be either retired or toiling for a contender as the 2009 version of Mutumbo or Mourning? Probably not. But this is the equivalent of Eddie Griffin on blocks, without EG’s emotional seesaw, screwy shot selection, or clueless pick and roll D. So let’s savor the tastes we get this season, some rare sweetness amidst the tart and tough rebuilding campaign.
2. Ricky At the Point?
The best stretch of play for the Wolves vs. Indiana was when Witt threw Ricky Davis on Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley in the third quarter. In the first quarter, Pretty Ricky languished while Mike Dunleavy sped to the corner to receive a pass and bury a trey en route to an 8-point first frame. And he committed five, count ’em five, turnovers, compared to just one assist in those opening twelve minutes. But matched against Tinsley to start the second half, Davis naturally rose to the challenge. Thus engaged on defense, he also doled out five dimes (versus just two turnovers), four of them to pivotmen in the paint (three for Al Jefferson, one for Ratliff) and one out to Marko Jaric for a trey.
After the game, I asked Wittman why–if Davis is going to lead the team in assists (he did tonight with seven) and guard the point guard in crucial stretches, and if Minnesota is already without a pair of points in Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair, resorting to Greg Buckner as the backup to Jaric–he doesn’t officially make Davis the part-time point guard. The coach essentially answered that it takes a lot out of Davis and robs the Wolves of Davis the scorer at shooting guard.
Bah. If anything, I worry about the Wolves relying on Davis too much this season, as he and Ratliff provide a double boost of contract expiring glory on their way out the door. Hey, if you’re playing Greg Buckner at the point and you’ve got last year’s assist leader more poised and primed when he’s guarding the point and controlling the rock, who cares if his minutes get cut? Isn’t that a good thing; easing the sting on RD’s ego and opening up time for the young’uns who are expected to carry this franchise when Davis takes his yo-yo show on the road to some other teased out sucker next season?
Meanwhile, point guard remains the biggest obstacle to this squad reaching 30 wins. Maybe Randy Foye will become The Most Improved Player in the NBA, as more than one national magazine has predicted (albeit some of them fantasy-oriented stat-freak pubs). But right now he and Telfair have lost two-thirds of the preseason games to injury and you have Al Jefferson filling the Garnett role of barking loudly at Jaric in the second half of last night’s tilt. The Strib’s Kent Youngblood asked Jeff about it after the game. “We’re just playing ball,” Big Al replied diplomatically. But stick another small shiv in Jaric’s chances of getting a lot of point guard time when Foye and Telfair are healthy. And let the team’s best passer and largest potential malcontent run the squad every now and then to keep his focus up and his mood chipper.
3. Gomes, the New Glue
Ryan Gomes didn’t have a very pleasant first half, especially a horrid stretch in the second period when Danny Granger got in a rhythm and burned a guy most of us expect to play stolid defense for a bevy of quick baskets. But come the fourth quarter and the chance to log time at power forward beside Jefferson instead of chasing Granger around the perimeter, Gomes put on a nice little understated show, canning 5 of 7 shots, grabbing three rebounds and dishing two assists–all team highs for the period, and all done with an economical anti-flourish that is destined to make Gomes a purist-fan favorite.
Like Theo and Davis, Gomes has an expiring contract, and an appreciative mass of fans who saw his handiwork the previous two seasons back in Boston. That’s the franchise with three stars and a great need for a large swingman with glue-like qualities. So let’s hope this isn’t merely an appetizing rental.
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