SB Nation - Oleksiy Pecherov

Walking Backwards: Grizzlies beat Wolves 97-87

djturtleface — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:28:21 -0000

by Nikki Boertman - AP

26 days ago: Minnesota Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer, left, defends Memphis Grizzlies forward DeMarre Carroll, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Tonight the Grizzlies beat the Minnesota Timberwolves at home in a bit of an ugly game, but a win is a win. The two young, losing teams were tied at half, but a respectable 3rd quarter put the game out of reach for the Timberwolves, who were consistently down by about ten points.

Marc Gasol played his heart out and grabbed some major stats on the game, but Sam Young was the game-changer. When Young was off, he was a ball-dominator who suppressed his teammates efforts. When Young was on, he broke upon the game with his aggressiveness.

The starters were effective, but played best in the lineup of Marcus Williams, Sam Young, Rudy Gay, DeMarre Carroll, and Marc Gasol. Rudy distributed a little bit tonight, getting 6 assists, albeit at the cost of 4 turnovers. O.J. Mayo played fine but did nothing memorable. Zach Randolph was in Isiah Thomas-mode tonight, starting out 0-7 from the field.

Rockness Monster: Gasol was 8-8 from the floor, the Grizzlies were +19 while he was on the court, he had 16 rebounds, and played great defense. Yes, he fouled out, but all that tells me is that he played hard on defense. And he dropped a three-pointer in the downtime after a foul call. Did I hear him shout, "Good."? Maybe.

Bitter Limon: Zach Randolph did very little playing against a frontcourt rotation of Ryan Hollins, Nathan Jawai, Oleksiy Pecherov, and Brian Cardinal, as in the Brian Cardinal of "The Brian Cardinal Contract" fame. He looked out of sync and was settling for the Zach Randolph turnaround way too often.

U-Turn: After a few really ugly outings games DeMarre and Sam Young finally put up a nice game. DeMarre still settles for jumpers too often, which should almost never happen, and Sam Young still thinks he's a star scorer. But tonight Carroll killed everyone on defense to make up for his shot selection, and Sam Young impacted the course of the game like a true blue sixth man.

Sleeping With the Enemy: Corey Brewer is starting to come into his own, which is a nice story after all he's been through. Dude moves like a snake and is a joy to watch, but he's got to control himself at times. After starting 6-7 by taking all the right shots, namely finishing and wide, wide open jumpers, he finished 7-19 and wasted too many Wolves possessions. Flynn didn't impress me; Gomes looked just acceptable, despite finishing with a nice line. Otherwise a completely uninteresting team without Love and Jefferson.

Not in the face!

Stop-n-Pop — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:58:53 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

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OK, this is something of a game-wrap record for me. I'm writing this with the score 106-73 in favor of the 1-6 Warriors with roughly 1:50 left to go in the 3rd quarter. Hanny has just said something about the season not being about wins and losses and he's even moved on to the hustle award for the night.

When I fired up the post editor Golden State had an astounding 48% oReb rate: 11 offensive rebounds on 23 misses. Awesome? I know. Flash forwarding to Stephen Curry's buzzer-beating 3 pointer to end the 3rd quarter and this is what the Four Factors look like:

	Pace (Poss)	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Minnesota	105.4 (79)	97.5	47.8%	19.4	33.3	22.8
Golden State		140.5	61.1%	31.9	33.3	10.1

I suppose you could take something of a moral victory away from the fact that the Wolves have pulled even in the oReb% category but keep in mind that the Warriors have a significantly smaller number of misses to fool around with.

Let's try something different for tonight's post. Let's talk about the positives. First and foremost is Corey Brewer. Here's what True Hoop's Henry Abbott had to say about Brew after the Portland game:

In the last few weeks, I have heard Corey Brewer mentioned three or four times as the butt of jokes. It's getting to be time for that to stop. He and Andre Miller both dared each other to shoot all night, but Brewer did it with purpose -- and was an effective help defender helping to keep Roy (who had one of his worst games as a professional) at bay. He's no All-Star at this point, but there's no doubt he's vastly improved. He's among the team's leaders in steals, assists, blocks and free throws attempted -- and his defensive talents and efforts are constant and not to be overlooked. When he hits a couple of 3s, like last night, he's hard to miss.

In tonight's game, Brewer got out in transition, was disruptive in the open court, and for the first time I can remember he d'd up an opposing wing with superior size (Stephen Jackson) without getting physically abused. I know what I am about to write doesn't seem like a big deal, but for those of us who have watched the Wolves over the past 2+ years, it is: Corey Brewer is an NBA rotation player. For a while there his game was pretty dicey and I wasn't sure I would ever write that. Yet, there it is. Hooray!

Hey, look at that: Oleksiy Pecherov finally got into the game! Can he trigger a 28 point comeback? That would be a gigantic positive.

Another positive is that we got our first extended look at Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions in the same backcourt. We'll have to wait for the PopcornMachine GameFlow to really break it down, but I believe the tally from the first stint was a +2 against the similarly undersized Warrior backcourt.

Did the Warriors really have a 66-33 run? Sorry, I have to get back to the positives. AC Law is making his 3rd appearance of the year. Good for him. See, another positive.

OK...more positives. (crickets)

Let's have some random thoughts to bring this thing on home:

This game will hurt the ol' defensive efficency ranking. It will also hurt the less-mentioned Pride Index.
It seems that the preseason optimism concerning free throws was both short-lived and ill-conceived. Getting Kevin Love back will help a bit but this team is generating zero offense going at the rim. This is problematic when you are not a jump shooting squad. With just over 5 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter the Warriors have taken 4 more threes than the Wolves have FTAs.
The Wolves aren't a very good team but their offense has faaaarrrr outpaced their defense in terms of ineptitude. Here are their Four Factor stats heading into the GSW game:

Team Four Factors
	PACE	OFFENSE					DEFENSE
TYPE	POSS	EFF	eFG	TO	OREB%	FT/FG	EFF	eFG	TO	OREB%	FT/FG
STAT	94.3	96.8	45.1	16.2	27.2	17.0	106.8	49.6	17.6	29.2	24.6
RANK	9	27	27	18	9	29	16	18	8	27	15

This team simply can't put the little orange ball in the bucket. Again, when you can't get to the line when you are not a jump shooting team, this is a tad problematic.

OK, AC Law just got a breakaway dunk. Really?
Nathan Jawai followed up his career performance in garbage time against the Blazers by getting worked on the offensive glass by Anthony Randolph.

OK, that about does it. The score is now 129-89 with Anthony Randolph at the line. Corey Brewer is still the only player out there who looks like this bothers him enough to do something about it. The problem here is that there is far too much to do and Mr. Brewer lacks the tools to do a lot of it. There is no other way to put this one other than it is the most embarrassing and frustrating loss since Dwane Casey's Revenge last year against Dallas. Who doesn't remember that classic tilt in which Minnesota built a 29 point lead shortly after the half only to watch the Casey-led Mavs claw their way back to not just a win, but a win where Minnesota conceded a 5 point game with 45 seconds to go. I think Kevin McHale's post game comments were something along the lines of "our guys had had enough by that point."

It's now 144-99 and I'm going to bed.

Until later.

UPDATE: The FSN studio crew has just told me that the Wolves have equalled the worst loss in franchise history as well as the most points given up. Now that's a positive!! A record setting performance!! Who wants to talk about cap space!!??

Game 7 Preview: Timberwolves vs. Blazers

Dave — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:26:03 -0000

Game Time: 6:00 p.m. Pacific TV: Comcast

Suffering through the latest in an interminable litany of rough starts to their seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves bring a 1-5 record into the Rose Garden tonight to face the Blazers. If this surprises you then you might also be shocked to learn that it's a little cold in Minnesota this time of year. And that hockey is popular there. And that if you want gravy with your meal you have your choice of white, off-white, beige, or cream...which is also the standard culinary color palette of the region. But that's OK, because all they eat is soup. Except in the summer, which lasts exactly 2.5 days in early August. That's when everybody flocks to the lakeshore to get eaten by mosquitoes. Well, except for the substantial portion of the population that can't get to the lakeshore because of all of the road construction they do in those 2.5 days. Gotta fix the potholes yanno. In Oregon "pothole" is that depression in your seat divider where you hide your stash, but in Minnesota they can literally swallow your car. This is not only bad for your shocks, it leaves nasty abrasions from the gravel that has collected at the bottom from last year's snow traction follies.

In any case, even though the ‘Wolves have hit the NBA pothole from hell, to their credit they've only been blown out twice, actually generating a close finish against Boston and a reasonable one against Phoenix. But close only counts in prom dancing and federal budget planning. 1-5 is 1-5 and the Blazers should be prepared to take this team out early and never let them back in.

One of the chief sources of Minnesota's woes, besides never being able to live down having elected an ex-wrestler to the state's highest office (darn you, Iron Range!), has been the shaky recovery of star forward Al Jefferson from knee and Achilles problems. Jefferson is back into the rotation this year but he's shooting 39.6% from the field. That's a bad number for your gunner guard. From the forward-center upon whom you depend for superstar production it's a disaster. Like the Jell-o running out before supper. Or Gary Anderson missing his only field goal of the year just when you need those three points to take you to the Sup...uhhhh...sorry. Too soon? My bad. Jefferson has had a couple nice games but he's been inconsistent. Naughty or nice, he's not been able to lead them to wins. They've just gotten closer when he's played better.

One of the bright spots of the young season has been rookie point guard Jonny Flynn, whose name sounds like he should be the lead character in a Broadway Musical. "What are you doing here, Jonny Flynn?" "Why I'm here to court trouble, and woo a girl, and build the most fantastical contraption the world has ever seen!" Flynn's fantastical contraptivating has propelled him to a 51% shooting clip and 15 points on 10.5 shots per game. He's been averaging only 3.2 assists per game though, coupled with 3.3 turnovers. Stop me if you've heard this one before. A Minnesota GM walks into the draft and says, "Give me a point guard who's more of a scoring guard and can't really take care of the ball." That said, Flynn has more promise than Randy Foye or the boatload of point guards who preceded him and is likely to be a nice pick-up for the team.

Another new arrival is forward Oleksiy Pecherov, late of the Washington Wizards. He's got a sneaky offensive game, gives energy, and can rebound some. He's been doing both for the ‘Wolves and appears to be blossoming in his new home. Less successful has been point guard Ramon Sessions who can't seem to get used to the new system, new teammates, and the expectations that have been put upon him. He's falling deeper and deeper into the rotation. 7-footer Ryan Hollins also comes off the bench to provide a small scoring boost.

A couple stalwarts from past years remain with the team. Ryan Gomes is a 6'7" bruiser with range who always gives the Blazers fits. Corey Brewer is an energy guy with no offensive game...and often not much energy.

The ‘Wolves had a difficult time last season in part because they started three forwards and no center. Their solution to the problem this year is to start four forwards and no center. Having ditched Foye in the backcourt they now send Brewer out there. For the record that's one small forward, one swing small-power forward, and two power forwards plus Jonny Flynn. But don't worry, that'll only last until Kevin Love's hand heals. Then they'll probably get rid of that pesky small forward and just go with four power forwards and Flynn.

Fielding that lineup it's little surprise that Minnesota is coughing the ball up like a loogie in the snow. They're also shooting an anemic percentage from the field and an abysmal percentage from the three-point arc. They're giving up more foul shots than they generate. Their shot blocking can best be described as "Minnesota Nice". They're only barely holding their own on the boards. It's a bigger nightmare than that time they caught revered columnist Sid Hartman French kissing a llama in the janitor's closet at the Star-Trib. Ewwwww...the flashbacks are the worst.

If Minnesota is going to win they need you to make a ton of mistakes, pay no attention on the boards, and they need to get hot from the field. That's a pretty tall order. Let's hope the Blazers aren't in an obliging mood.

Pivotal Points of the Game

1. If you hound their point guards, who else is going to handle the ball? Or make a pass? Or do anything good besides put up a possibly awkward shot?

2. Even though you want to make it tough for Flynn and company to move the ball you can actually relax if their point guards score. They'll not win the game on their own. The only guy who can possibly do that is Jefferson. Don't let him wake up and you have the ball game.

3. This game should be an offensive buffet for Portland. They have no shot-blockers, so get the ball inside. Posting with Oden is good. Driving guards are good. They pretty much have to commit extra men to stop any aggression. When they do that, flick the ball outside. They'll not recover from the perimeter and you should be able to feast on threes all night long. If your offense is struggling you stopped you. They won't do it.

4. The only other key is not to get lazy or complacent. Any team can grab offensive rebounds and score off of misses. Any team can run out and convert your careless turnovers. Play professional basketball, walk away with the win. Don't let them think they have a chance.

Check out the Minnesota point of view with our old friends at CanisHoopus.

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Love Hurts

Stop-n-Pop — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:45:09 -0000

OK, it's starting to add up. Losing Kevin Love and his .208 WP48, 4.1 FTA/game, league-leading 15.1 oreb%, top-10 dreb%, and #2 overall reb% hurts. The team is already in the performance hole with the loss of Mike Miller's minutes at the off-guard, but losing Love's 30+ mpg to Oleksiy Pecherov and Ryan Hollins is costing this team the production it should have when the White Hole and Antigravity replace the minutes formerly used up by Craig Smith and Shelden Williams/Jason Collins. Yes, the two 7-footers are putting decent numbers, but they would even better if they were moved down a notch on the depth chart.

Last night the Wolves were a -9 on the offensive glass. It was even uglier when you calculated the percentage of available misses grabbed by the X-mas tree color clad visitors. The Bucks grabbed an astounding 36.2% of available misses on the offensive end of the court compared to the Wolves' 19%. If you can grab 1/3 of your misses, and you have a big beastie like Andrew Bogut in the paint, chances are a decent number of those misses are headed right into the bucket.

In just 6 short games the Wolves are getting destroyed at the 4/5 in the rebounding department, averaging -7.4 reb/game between the two positions. Last year, the team was a net 1.6 positive at the power forward and center. Granted, you can't view these numbers in a vacuum and the loss of Mike Miller is going to cause opposing bigs to get their grubby mitts on a few extra balls per game, but the overall point I'm making here is that losing one of the NBA's top 2-3 rebounders hurts in a bad way and the Wolves are starting to see the effect of this much production lost over even a short period of 6 games. We're already approaching the time where we can start talking about how Love's departure has cost the team 1 win. Of course, what they are losing in rebounding they could be making up in defense and we'll have to wait and see how the balance plays out. There are a lot of factors that play into something like this and I don't want to make a blanket statement, but I'll say it again: losing a top-flight rebounder when trying to rehab a center on the fly next to two new frontcourt players is going to have an impact, possibly a big one...relatively speaking.

Speaking of stats, Knickerblogger and 82Games are now updated for the current season. The early returns are that the White Hole is playing pretty well and that Jefferson is a pretty average (at best) player right now. Corey Brewer isn't rebounding his position nearly as well as Mike Miller did, Ryan Gomes has picked up some of the rebounding slack, and Jonny Flynn is a good scorer but a, thus far, lousy facilitator.

Speaking of Mr. Flynn and the anticipated PGBR (Point Guard Battle Royale), he scored 12 of his 20 points in the final 9:40 of the game, well after the game was decided. This isn't a complaint. Rather, it's a hope that the Wolves quickly figure out that Mr. Flynn can get pretty much wherever he wants to go with the ball in the 1/2 court and that he might be the team's best scoring option when the offense isn't clicking. In other words, when they start a quarter on a -8 run and nothing seems to be working, Flynn might be a more attractive offensive option than what Big Al is currently bringing to the mix. Flynn's PPR is a terrible -4.5 at the moment. Hopefully he'll begin to figure out the facilitation thing but for the time being he's a scorer, and a fairly decent one for having just 6 games under his belt. What I'm getting at here is that if Flynn is going to be a scorer, part of his development will be to figure out when to take it to the rim on 4 or 5 straight possessions when the game is still on the line, not when it's already decided. BTW: Here's hoping and praying that 4th Quarter Flynn never makes its way of the Wolves' PR Department's lexicon.

A few bullet points to wrap things up:

Al Jefferson was absolutely manhandled by Andrew Bogut.
Luke Ridnour won the PGBR.
Andrew Bogut went to the bench with 2 fouls with just under 5 minutes to go in the 1st quarter. The Wolves were up by 7 at the time and they couldn't take advantage of having the big guy on the bench. This is where the game was really lost. The Wolves could have put the Bucks away in the later part of the 1st and the opening part of the 2nd. Instead, we were treated to some of the ugliest ball of the year: bad shooting, turnovers, terrible decisions, and so on and so forth.
Speaking of awfulness, this game probably had worse reffing than the Celtics tilt. My favorite stretch was when Big Al swiped at a ball in Bogut's hands, missed, and hit him in the face. This happened right in front of the Bucks' bench and Scott Skiles went nuts and got a technical. A minute later Big Al made a nice drive to the hoop, was hacked by Bogut (which would have been his 3rd foul in the 1st half), and was not given a whistle...in other words, it was the 3rd or 4th makeup call of the night in a managed game that 100% absolutely did not need to be managed. The refs didn't cost the Wolves the game but they did make a hefty contribution to the unentertaining nature of the contest. I'm putting my vote in for the makeup call being the worst thing in the NBA.
After a 4-16 effort from the floor, Brandon Jennings saw his FG% dip from .429 to .395. As was mentioned in yesterday's preview post, Jennings takes around a quarter of his shots from beyond the arc. Yesterday 4 of his 16 shots were from beyond the arc and he is down to .409 from .440. He is going to be an exciting player but the shot just isn't there and I think it's pretty obvious that he simply had a hot 3 game streak to start his career. That being said, his facilitation game is clearly ahead of Flynn right now. This may have a lot to do with the different systems being run by the Wolves and the Bucks (Jennings looked great running plays that Flynn would run were he on the Bucks).
Comment of the night:

This game is kind of spooky...

Like watching us play ourselves.

by mutleyil on Nov 6, 2009 8:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Indeed.

Yesterday I put up a post about Rick Kamla's questionable comment about Yi Jianlian and my disbelief that he could continue to do interviews on outlets like KFAN and not be questioned about his remarks. In the interest of a greater context, I would like to point out that there is a much, much, much bigger black eye in the NBA right now and his name is Donald Sterling.

Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Donald Sterling, owner of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Clippers, agreed to pay $2.73 million to settle a U.S. government lawsuit in which he was accused of housing discrimination.

The payment is the largest ever obtained by the government in a discrimination case involving apartment rentals, the Justice Department said today in a statement.

"Housing is a basic human need, and yet decades after passage of the Fair Housing Act far too many still encounter barriers like discrimination," Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said in the statement. "The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act."

The government sued Sterling in August 2006, saying he discriminates against black and Hispanic prospective tenants in buildings he owns in Los Angeles’s Koreatown area. Sterling owns about 119 apartment buildings in Los Angeles County, according to the Justice Department’s statement.

Sterling is a slumlord who likes to pay for sex:

Donald Sterling, the miserly tycoon who owns the Los Angeles Clippers, testified last year that he regularly paid a Beverly Hills woman for sex, describing her as a $500-a-trick "freak" with whom he coupled "all over my building, in my bathroom, upstairs, in the corner, in the elevator." Sterling's graphic testimony--which came during a two-day pretrial deposition in connection with a lawsuit he filed against the woman, Alexandra Castro--will surely nettle basketball commissioner David Stern, who normally has to explain away the behavior of 20-something athletes, not married 70-year-old club owners worth nearly a billion.

It kind of puts the dress code in an entirely new context, doesn't it?

There's more. The ultimate must-read article in the Sterling collection is this ESPN ditty, which contains the following gems:

"For years he has run semianonymous ads (crude design jobs he reportedly locks up himself) seeking 'hostesses' for Clippers events and his private parties. ... According to testimony Jaksy gave under oath, Sterling touched her in ways that made her uncomfortable and asked her to visit friends of his for sex. Sterling also repeatedly ordered her to find massage therapists to service him sexually, telling her, 'I want someone who will, you know, let me put it in or who [will] suck on it.'"

And:

"When Sterling first bought the Ardmore, he remarked on its odor to Davenport. 'That's because of all the blacks in this building, they smell, they're not clean,' he said, according to Davenport's testimony. 'And it's because of all of the Mexicans that just sit around and smoke and drink all day.' He added: 'So we have to get them out of here.' ...[Kandynce] Jones had repeatedly walked to the apartment manager's office to plead for assistance, according to sworn testimony given by her daughter Ebony Jones in the Housing Rights Center case. Kandynce Jones' refrigerator dripped, her dishwasher was broken, and her apartment was always cold. Now it had flooded. Davenport reported what she saw to Sterling, and according to her testimony, he asked: 'Is she one of those black people that stink?' When Davenport told Sterling that Jones wanted to be reimbursed for the water damage and compensated for her ruined property, he replied: 'I am not going to do that. Just evict the bitch.'"

Deadspin has more. As long as this man owns an NBA team, anything that comes out of David Stern's mouth about player conduct should be taken with an appropriately large grain of salt. BTW: It's kind of amazing that such a big stink was made about Rush Limbaugh owning an NFL team when guys like Sterling are around.

BTW: Here are the Four Factors of last night's game:

	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Milwaukee	91.0	95.6	45.7%	14.6	36.2	20.9
Minnesota		79.1	41.9%	13.5	19.0	23.1

Recap: Bucks 87, Wolves 72

Frank Madden — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:37:15 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

Throw it down, big fella!

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Box Score

Flashy rookies? High-scoring games? Who needs 'em. For the Redd-less Bucks, ugly might as well be the new pretty.

Following a lackluster first half, the Bucks turned the screws defensively in the third quarter and found their offensive rhythm long enough to turn a five point halftime deficit into a double-digit lead. Andrew Bogut easily outplayed Al Jefferson on his way to a second straight double-double (17/10, four dimes, two blocks, two steals), and Hakim Warrick and Luke Ridnour came up big in the second half to balance out the Bucks' attack..

The big story coming in was understandably the Brandon Jennings/Jonny Flynn matchup, but the two rooks were relatively quiet until Flynn (20 points on 17 shots, one assist, three steals, three turnovers) went off for 12 points in the final 7 minutes. Jennings (nine pts, 4/16 fg, six rebounds, three assists, one turnover) wasn't even in the game at that point, as Luke Ridnour's strong shooting night (6/9 fg, 16 points) allowed Skiles to rest his starter for the entire fourth quarter. Before that point, both rookies showed occasional flashes of their talent, but neither got into a real rhythm until the Bucks had put the game away.

Three Bucks

Andrew Bogut. The big guy typically feasts on undersized teams. and tonight was no different. Just as in Chicago, the Bucks tried to use Bogut in some different ways and it worked to good effect. Bogut took Jefferson and Ryan Hollins off the dribble as well as down in the post, and Jennings also found him for a couple easy buckets off well-devised back-screens. By the end of the game Minnesota was doubling Bogut every time he touched it, a welcome sign given how rusty Bogut looked in the opening two contests.

It was a bit less enjoyable watching Bogut take a couple hard falls in the process, but despite some pained looks he refused treatment from the Bucks' bench. And it also didn't stop him from taking a handful of charges as well. Just as importantly, Bogut helped the Bucks control the boards and did his part to keep Jefferson from going off on the other end.

Hakim Warrick. Despite a favorable matchup against Oleksiy Pecherov, Warrick was nowhere to be found in the first half. No shots. No free throws. But with Jennings' shot not falling, the Bucks needed somebody other than Bogut to provide a shot in the arm, and Warrick seemed to get the message with an 11 point third quarter (5/6 fg) that featured a flurry of dunks off nice looks from teammates. He made one more free throw in the final period, but overall that one quarter of energy and aggression was enough.

Luke Ridnour. Before the season started I had assumed we'd see Ridnour finishing off a decent share of games. Can't trust rookies, right? Then after three games that started to seem kind of ridiculous.

Well, the vet can still get the job done from time to time. Though Flynn lit him up in the waning minutes, Ridnour stepped up with 12 points late in the third and early in the fourth, stroking a series of jumpers that helped the Bucks' reserves improbably expand the lead after Bogut and Jennings sat down. And when we might otherwise have expected Jennings to check back in, Skiles opted to reward his vet with some more burn. Judging by Flynn's success against him it may have been time to give Ridnour a rest, but overall it's tough to complain.

Three Numbers

51. Even without Kevin Love, Minnesota looked far more active on the glass in the early going and grabbed six offensive boards in the first quarter. Fortunately, the Bucks got their act together, grabbing 17 offensive boards and winning the battle of the boards 51-38.

+2. Defending without fouling? Imagine that. The Bucks didn't get to the line much (12/18 ft), but Minnesota was largely content to hoist jumpers and never really tested the Bucks' mettle inside. Minny made only 4/14 from deep and shot just 39%.

29. No Buck cracked 30 minutes, which is a nice thing to see on the front end of a back-to-back.

Three Good

D'ed Up. The T'Wolves aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut, but holding an NBA team to 72 points is still something to be proud of. The Wolves were never able to generate consistent offense from any source, whether it was on the block with Jefferson or in PnR with Flynn, and the Bucks as usual managed to deflect, scrap and hustle their way into forcing 20 turnovers. Bravo.

Glass Crashers. The Bucks' loss in Chicago was largely a product of their inability to protect the boards, so it was encouraging to see a better performance this time out. Bogut led the way, but everyone else was active, as seven players had at least four rebounds.

Containing Big Al. Jefferson was consistently catching 15 feet away from the hoop, which was crucial to limiting his impact on the game. The Bucks also did well to avoid bailing him out with fouls when he chose to drive. Novel concept. Of course, even when Jefferson did get to the line he looked off, missing four of six from the stripe. It might have been a different story if Jefferson was at 100%, but whatever. Jefferson's been a double-double machine in recent years, so any night you hold him to single-digit points (8) and rebounds (8) on 12 shots, you've gotta be happy.

Three Bad

Brandon's shot...and Jodie's game. They're still rookies I guess. We knew Jennings would have a bad shooting night eventually, but we can take solace in the fact that it came on a night when Ridnour couldn't miss. For the most part he was getting good looks, but he still airballed a couple jumpers and rushed a couple early in the shot clock.

Jode Meeks also got his first extended minutes of the season, playing 19 minutes but mostly just showing why Skiles had been hesitant to give him any burn up until now (2/8 fg, 0/2 3fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 3 to, 6 pts). He mishandled a couple passes in the early going before he scored his first hoop on a transition layup near the end of the first quarter, then missed a series of good perimeter looks. His only other field goal was an exceptionally difficult catch-and-shoot from the left corner that he buried while slightly off-balance and with a guy in his grill. Hopefully it was mainly just an issue of nerves tonight, because his perimeter shooting could be of real use with Redd out and Bell/Delfino misfiring.

Refs. They weren't as noticeable in the second half, but it seemed like the refs were determined to make sure neither team got into any rhythm in the first half. Lots of chintsy fouls, lots of makeup calls, and a million moving screen calls. It didn't seem to favor either team, but it still managed to take away from the game. Well done, Derrick Stafford, Brian Forte, and Gary Zielinski

Scorekeepers. Jennings had at least five assists by my count--ie passes that immediately led to dunks, layups or made baskets with no dribble or hesitation--but the Minnesota scorekeepers apparently aren't big on assists. They might not be biased, either, considering that the home side was credited with just 11 dimes. Fittingly, the live box score was also screwed up much of the night, and Jim/Jon reported inconsistent numbers coming from the arena stat system.

Flat Celts Get By

Green17 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:33:25 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

Wolves are pesky!

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The Celtics were flat tonight. How flat were they? In case you missed it, Tommy Heinsohn, Mr. Celtic, the homer announcer that every non-Celtics fan absolutely loathes on league pass called the Celtics elderly. Elderly. He said this in the context of the second night of the road back-to-back. Hopefully, Tommy is wrong and the Celtics are still working on their legs, but clearly they lacked a bounce in their step tonight - for example, Eddie badly air-balled a rhythm three at the start of the fourth and Paul's turn-around with 20 seconds to go to ice it was woefully short, barely scraping the front rim.

Not to take anyting away from the Timberwolves. They came out with energy and basically had an answer for every Celtics run. It's a pleasure to watch Al Jefferson. Jonny Flynn seems very much legit (I still don't get the Rubio pick). Ryan Gomes is just a solid NBA player - except for that ill-advised three with 50 seconds left. Oleksiy Pecherov has some interesting hair, and a better jumper. Wolves fans might be upset with the tie up call with six seconds to go, but honestly, what is career 38% shooter Corey Brewer doing with the ball there?

The Wolves really controlled the game, up until the middle of the 3rd quarter when they decided to stop guarding Rajon Rondo. Rajon found a few creases down low, made the bunnies and carried that energy into his defense with a few steals. He sparked the team tonight. With an "elderly" core (in basketball sense) the Celtics are really going to need to lean on the young legs of Rajon and Marquis Daniels to carry the team at times this year. Rajon did that tonight for the Celtics. He pushed this team over the hill.

Box score after the jump.

Boston
Starters		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
R. Rondo	G	34:53	8-16	0-0	2-2	0	2	4	6	2	3	0	0	3	18
R. Allen	G	33:13	6-13	1-7	1-1	-2	0	3	5	1	0	0	0	0	14
K. Perkins	C	31:57	6-7	0-0	1-2	-2	1	8	1	2	0	3	0	1	13
P. Pierce	F	41:24	3-12	0-1	4-4	-2	1	2	5	1	0	0	0	2	10
K. Garnett	F	35:18	6-13	0-0	0-0	-1	2	11	2	1	1	3	1	1	12
Bench		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
R. Wallace		19:13	2-7	2-7	1-2	+2	1	5	0	1	0	0	0	3	7
M. Daniels		17:32	2-5	0-0	2-6	0	0	1	3	0	2	0	1	2	6
E. House		13:16	2-8	2-4	0-0	+5	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	0	6
S. Williams		9:24	2-2	0-0	2-2	+2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	6
B. Scalabrine		3:50	0-0	0-0	0-0	+8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

Totals			37-83	5-19	13-19		8	36	23	9	9	6	2	13	92
Percentages:			.446	.263	.684		Team Rebounds: 7

Minnesota
Starters		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
C. Brewer	G	39:08	6-16	0-2	1-1	+2	0	3	5	1	1	0	1	3	13
J. Flynn	G	33:10	4-6	1-1	1-1	+3	1	5	5	2	0	0	1	1	10
A. Jefferson	C	36:09	8-17	0-1	2-3	+3	0	4	3	2	1	0	2	2	18
R. Gomes	F	34:41	5-7	0-1	1-2	+6	1	7	3	1	2	0	0	1	11
O. Pecherov	F	34:10	9-14	1-4	5-5	+12	1	8	1	2	1	0	2	3	24
Bench		Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
R. Sessions		14:50	2-3	0-0	0-0	-5	0	4	2	3	0	0	0	1	4
R. Hollins		13:41	2-5	0-0	0-0	-11	2	4	1	2	0	2	0	4	4
S. Pavlovic		13:19	2-3	0-1	0-0	-8	1	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	4
B. Cardinal		11:51	1-3	0-0	0-0	-5	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	2
D. Wilkins		5:06	0-1	0-1	0-0	-8	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	1	0
W. Ellington		3:55	0-0	0-0	0-0	+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Totals			39-75	2-11	10-12		6	40	22	17	5	2	6	18	90
Percentages:			.520	.182	.833		Team Rebounds: 7

Bad Ball

Stop-n-Pop — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:21:54 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Timberwolves' Corey Brewer scores as Cleveland Cavaliers' Mo Williams looks on in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 in Minneapolis. Brewer scored 11 points in the Timberwolves' 104-87 loss to the Cavaliers. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Near the bottom of last night's comments a few important things were pointed out:

Anthony Parker

has 6 points from 2/7 shooting and was +23

That statistic has very definite limitations.

Judd: "...I've since watched some Steven Seagal movies and I realise that pressure points are no laughing matter.".

by Auswolf on Oct 31, 2009 12:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

...

Hey, everyone:

This was a game against one of the top 3 teams in the league, 0-2 start be damned.

I think we would all benefit by making literally no — not a single one ~~- definitive statements about the team after this game. Of course Flynn was going to have a terrible +/~~. Of course we were going to look bad. Do not worry about it. Hold your judgements for when we get blown out by a bad team.

Thank you, and good night.

by LoveTo on Oct 31, 2009 12:53 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

There are going to be a few things that we all need to keep in mind when discussing the Wolves this season:

They are going to put up some crooked stat lines.
+/- is going to be even more flawed than usual as a stand-alone stat used to gauge individual game performances. The Wolves are going to take it in the chin this year on more than a few occasions. That doesn't mean that individual players won't play well within any given blow-out (Brewer played decent during last night's atrocity). It also doesn't account for the roles that certain players inhabit (Ramon Sessions as a backup point; Sasha Pavlovic as a defender off the bench) or the fact that the team's two best players are either inactive or playing at 70%. +/- is a nice part of the equation but it will need to be downgraded this year as the Wolves, as a whole, are going to be going through some bumps and bruises beyond what was expected last year when they had the ability to trot out a relatively respectable and experienced lineup of Sebastian Telfair, Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Kevin Love, and Al Jefferson. Also, we're really, really, really early in the season and until we see how some of these lineups look over the course of 10-15 games, +/- is going to have some pretty hefty limitations and should be used in conjunction with other observations/stats. For instance, Jonny Flynn ended last night's game with a -23 in 25 minutes. This is a bad, bad number but it could mean that he was on the court with the team's most ineffective front court (Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, and Damien Wilkins) and LeBron James for a long period of time. It could also mean that Jonny Flynn is not an NBA point at the moment and while he can score until the cows come home, he has some fairly big issues facilitating the offense. Or, it could be a combo of the two factors. Either way, simply citing +/- isn't going to cut it with this team right now.
Al Jefferson is not anywhere near 100%. Yes, it looks like he has no business being in the new offense and he is the last person on earth you want directing traffic out of the high post, but a serious injury is still a serious injury and the Jefferson Discount should be taken into account when discussing his overall worth to the squad.

I'm sure we can come up with a few more gentle nudges for game discussion but these are the ones that have quickly risen to the top in the first two games of the season.

Enough about the Wolves for a second. The most notable thing about last night's game, for me, was the composition of the Cavs. This team is not as good as it was last year and it is not a championship contender. The most glaring issue that they have is that even with LeBron on the squad, they are the most unathletic non-Wolves starting-5 team I have seen in a long, long time. Shaq and Ilgauskus may be the slowest and most earth-bound frontcourt duo in the league and their non-LeBron wings stand around the three point line and do not crash the boards. This team will be taken apart by any other squad with two players who are both athletic and above 6'10" Witness Toronto, Orlando, and Boston. Witness the change in the game when Ryan Hollins entered the contest. Hell, even Nathan Jawai was able to change the pace of the game for a few moments. This team will always have a decent shot at winning any single game because of LeBron James (who I firmly believe is the best player in the world). However, any team that is thinking about giving 80-90 minutes of court time to a Shaq, Varejao, Ilgauskus front court trio doesn't have the top end to compete with the Bostons, Orlandos, and yes, even the Torontos of the world over a 7 game series. They don't need a Steven Jackson; they needed a Rasheed Wallace or a Marcin Gortat. Mike Brown will eventually take the heat for what happens to this squad but it's the damn Dukie who did the damage.

Let's wrap this up with a few bullet points:

There is no reason on God's green earth to front or double Shaq at this point in his career. This didn't stop Al Jefferson from trying the former and Damien Wilkins from attempting the latter (off of LeBron James, no less). Make them go over the top and if they beat you with Boobie Gibson, so be it.
The FSN game was apparently brought to us by Bret Michael's November appearances at Grand Casino.
The Wolves' starting front court (Jefferson, Gomes, and Wilkins) went 0-for-their-starting-stint. The first front court bucket was made by Ryan Hollins. Sasha Pavlovic was the next front court player to score followed by the White Hole himself, Oleksiy Pecherov. The starting FC ended the game on 9-28 shooting. This comes on the heels of their 9-30 effort against the Nets.
My first Wolves prediction of the year: Ryan Gomes plays himself out of his team option at the end of the year. David Kahn isn't going to pick up a $4.2 million tab on a guy who can't really play the 3 or the 4 in a year where guys like Josh Childress, Hakim Warrick, and Travis Outlaw could be on the open market.
Speaking of options, today is the day for the White Hole and Corey Brewer. Will their options be picked up by the team? I think Brewer gets his but my money is against Pech. Putting the last two points together, ESPN currently has the Wolves with between $8.9 and $12.5 million in 2010 cap space. This is with a cap projected between $50 and $53.6 million. According to the definitive Hoopus cap page, the Wolves are on the books for roughly $37.5 in pre draft pick 2010 salaries. If they decline the options on Pech and Gomes, they can reduce that number by roughly $6.5 million. In other words, by not picking up Pech and Gomes, the Wolves can be sitting at $31 mil at the start of the 2010 free agent without taking into consideration slotted 1st round draft picks. Could the Wolves be in the Mark Stein ballpark after it's all said and done with? Yes, but they also could be at the top of the heap with about $15-18 mil to spend even after all the draft picks are signed. We think Stein and ESPN underestimate the amount that the Wolves could have to spend at the end of the year, especially if Pech and Gomes are voted off the island.
How sad is it that we're already talking offseason cap space and draft picks? Yes, it will be a long year. An entertaining one at times, but a long one nonetheless.
There was a play in the 2nd half that really illustrated just how not-there Big Al is at times. The Wolves were about to enter the bonus when the Cavs got a fast break opportunity. Instead of making his way down the court to contest the shot, Al fouled the Cavs player at half court, conceding the foul and the trip to the line. If you are willing to give the foul and the trip to the line because of the bonus, why not contest the shot?
To say one good thing about Al, he did blow by Shaq on one play like Shaq was a 37 year old 360 lbs oaf....oh wait.
Corey Brewer played solid defense on LeBron when he wasn't spending time on the dangerous Anthony Parker. I know that LeBron can get his against anyone in the league but it would have been nice to see Brewer get a bigger crack against the guy.

Well, that about does it for the game wrap. What did you notice about the game? What guidelines will you have for critiquing the team's performances? Do you think Pecherov's option gets picked up? What about Gomes at the end of the year?

Until later.

Britt Robson's 2009-10 Timberwolves Thumbnail Season Preview

wyn — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:36:37 -0000

This is the first post at Canis Hoopus by one of the best NBA writers in the nation, and hands down the best in Minnesota. Since we hope it won't be his last, please welcome Britt Robson with open arms and thoughtful comments. Or else!

First of all, my apologies to readers who wondered what happened to my Wolves writing. This summer I was approached by sportsillustrated.com regarding a regular column about the NBA in general. Since my last half-dozen items for Secrets of the City had been done gratis (through no fault of the site’s owners; it is a brutal economy and they carried me through the end of last season), this was a perfectly timed opportunity.

With a bird in the hand I went off looking for a place to post my Wolves stuff on a regular basis. Without boring you with the details, the rotten economy and the current low interest in the Wolves combined to make it extremely difficult to write about this team for even my relatively low wage (and yes, I understand many quality bloggers don’t get paid at all). The alternative is to set up my own site and ask all of you to chip in while soliciting corporate sponsors. But I’m lousy at that kind of thing, and frankly I’m so busy with other sports, music and politics assignments right now that not having the obligation of constantly doing the Wolves beat is a temporary blessing.

That said, I’ve been on this beat since 1991—coach Jimmy Rodgers was making his Wolves debut and the Twins were headed to the World Series when my first City Pages cover story on the team was published—and I want to keep it going in some way shape or form. Where, specifically, I still don’t know. But since I’ve always admired the guys and commenters at Canis, I decided this would be a good place to put up a necessarily quick and dirty Wolves preview. I’ve got a podcast today at si.com and when they asked me who else I wrote for, I impulsively said canishoopus.com. I guess I better get something up!

So, that’s three paragraphs about myself (now four) and nothing thus far about the Wolves. That’s what happens when you hit the big time.

The team you will see tonight is a disrupted work in progress. There are injuries large and small, roster imbalances, stylistic incompatibilities, and the abiding issue that the front office doesn’t even try to hide, which is that winning games is a distant third on the priority list, behind developing talent and securing future pieces (like a choice lottery pick). It is frequently going to be ugly.

In that sense, the preseason was predictably discouraging. The two best backcourt players by a wide margin—Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn--are very similar, and apparently too small to play together very often. The two best frontcourt players by a wide margin—Al Jefferson and Kevin Love—are likewise similar and undersized as a tandem, with the added detriment of, respectively, recovering from injury and being injured. A fifth player, Ryan Gomes, is a quality glue guy, a coach’s dream, who would be a valuable complement for any team in the NBA.

With the possible exception of Brian Cardinal, none of the players on the rest of the roster would make the nine-man rotation on a quality contender.

I understand that this noticeably excludes Corey Brewer, who after a woeful start shooting the ball, has had a fine preseason. I admit that a lot of my bias against Brewer is visual—he may be the skinniest NBA player I’ve ever seen, a virtual pencil from his neck to the ankles. It is great to see him begin to play with more confidence—his insecurity vied with his fundamentals as the main saboteur of his offense in previous years—but I don’t think he gets the call on those kamikaze drives to the hoop during the regular season, and I think as the regular rotation guys now hog the minutes, he is going to wear down and become less effective. That said, on this team he probably has an upside of 15-22 minutes as an energy boost and defensive irritant, so long as he cuts waaay back on his shots and exercises better judgment at the offensive end.

I also understand that I am dismissing some players for whom the jury should still be out, particularly seven-footers Ryan Hollins and Oleksiy Pecherov. While Kevin Love’s broken hand was extremely discouraging for Wolves fans—the fourth year in a row the first-round pick has been waylaid; Flynn and Rubio out to bubble wrap themselves throughout the next autumn—it does have the benefit of showcasing these big men for the next 6 weeks or so, and perhaps even allowing the slimmed-down Al Jefferson to play where he belongs. Of the two, Hollins seems to have the far greater upside—he actually wants to play the pivot rather than off-guard-- but even he lacks court vision seems surprised and mentally ambushed by the traffic whizzing and bashing by in the paint. Pecherov is a Euro big man, which is to say he can shoot far better than he can defend and seems more comfortable in general the further he gets from the hoop.

But it isn’t just the inexperienced kids. Interior defense is going to be a horrible flaw for this ballclub all year long. Jefferson has shown very little inclination to improve that part of his game, so let’s get this out in the open right now. Whether it is Wittman, McHale, Kahn, or Rambis, the credibility really suffers when a stir is made about what Big Al "has to do" on the defensive end. No, he doesn’t. He can play half-assed defense and still be tops on the pecking order. And that is a fundamental reason why this team should be docked a notch when you’re looking at preparations and readiness for future improvement. Quality franchises commit to defense.

Then there is the issue of what to do with the triangle offense. It is a complex scheme that takes months to develop for even savvy veterans. The question remains whether the Wolves have the right personnel to implement it this year—outside shooters and deft-passing bigs are two key components to the system. Yeah, Kevin Love in the low block is a good fit in terms of ball movement, but I would imagine that Rambis is more interested in Jefferson as high post facilitator and Love as one of the orbiters cutting and spotting out at the corner baseline. Not only is Jefferson’s skill set much better suited to the two-man game and the clear-out isolations, but the clearcut strength of both Sessions and Flynn is in getting to the basket via penetration. So, it will be interesting to see going forward how much and how thoroughly the principles of the triangle are tried.

One thing I will credit Rambis and Kahn for is living up to their notion of a running game. The Wolves aren’t the Suns nor Warriors by any stretch, nor should be they be (both of those teams will be dreadful this season). But they raced for more than 16 fast break points per game in the preseason, after getting less than 11 last year. Running, even controlled running, is a way to get easy buckets or to draw the foul. Those whistles have thus far been the biggest upgrade in the regime switch from Wittman/McHale to Rambis/Kahn. Minnesota shot a whopping 62 more free throws—nearly 8 more per game—than their opponents this preseason. That, as much as anything, is why they were able to post a 3-5 record despite shooting just 41.9% from their field while allowing their opponents to nail 48.8% of their shots.

So, to recap, Love is hurt, Jefferson is dinged, Flynn may be felled with the flu tonight and a long season awaits. The squad has two quality point guards and no off guard; two quality power forwards and no center. They are thin, talent wise and physically. They have a tremendous amount to learn and many of the people learning it won’t be around in a year or two.

I’ve generally liked the whirlwind of change Kahn has wrought, but that stuff always looks better in the offseason than when the actual games are being played. The honeymoon for the new regime should probably still be in effect, but it will be a very very small gathering for most of the season, as casual fans decide they’ll check in when the wins start mounting, which is no time soon. Meanwhile, while replacing Kevin McHale was indeed the correct move and is endorsed by most of the fan base, die-hard and casual alike, the coterie of McHale loyalists aren’t without ammunition even this early in the year.

They are right to wonder, for example, how viciously McHale would have been roasted for dealing away Ty Lawson, who had a fabulous preseason and may end up being better than both Flynn and Ricky Rubio. Perhaps they watched the Wizards upset the Mavs last night in large part because of the play of Randy Foye off the bench, and the value of no-shoot Mike Miller on a squad that doesn’t have enough touches to go around. Or maybe they saw Bassy and the Rhino provide a non-embarrassing element to the Clippers’ bench depth in the loss to the Lakers.

Would the status quo under McHale won more games than the 20-25 the current configuration will probably register? Most likely, yes. Is the long-term future for this franchise brighter than it was a year ago? Slightly, yes. But only slightly, because throwing away the bad and setting the table for the good are important but relatively the easiest part of the rebuilding process. Getting the right, synergistic personnel—the top star or two, the vital secondary piece or two, and the appropriate glue around that core—that’s the hard part. And the work ahead.

2009/10 NBA Blog Preview: Washington Wizards

Mike Prada — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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This post is a part of the annual NBA Blog Preview series, sponsored by Celtics Blog and SB Nation. The project asks prominent NBA team bloggers to write a season preview for their respective squads. You can find links to all the other previews here. Today is the date for all the Wizards previews, so here is ours. Make the jump to read the whole thing.

Team Name: Washington Wizards
Last Year's Record: 19-63
Key Additions: Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto, Flip Saunders. If you want to be clever: a healthy Gilbert Arenas, a healthy Brendan Haywood, a healthy DeShawn Stevenson and $2.5 million from selling the 32nd pick in the draft
Key Losses: Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas (not key), Oleksiy Pecherov (not key), whoever was available with that fifth pick in the draft, the chance to draft DeJuan Blair.

1. What significant moves were made during the off-season?

Two days before the draft, the Wizards swapped the fifth pick and some frontcourt deadweight for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, two guys that certainly bring something to the table, but were overextended on an awful Minnesota Timberwolves team. Once Ricky Rubio slipped to the fifth pick, the trade was labeled as the Wizards "choosing" two role players over Ricky Rubio. This is a mischaracterization because neither Minnesota nor the Wizards expected Rubio to slip - keep in mind that the Timberwolves were desperately trying to swap the fifth and sixth picks to move up to the number two slot - but it is fair to say the Wizards went for proven guys rather than rookies. Ernie Grunfeld didn't want to draft a prospect that would need to develop, so he took sure things even though they might have lower ceilings.

As to whether the Wizards got as much value as they could ... that's a tough one. On the one hand, it was the league's worst-kept secret that the Wizards were going to swap that pick. Grunfeld certainly wasn't operating out of a position of strength, so it's impressive that he at least got two solid guys like Foye and Miller in a weak draft. On the other hand, Foye and Miller certainly aren't difference-makers on the level of, say, a Vince Carter, who was swapped for arguably a less enticing package that the Wizards could have put together. In addition, why do the move two days before draft day, when you don't know which players will slip? Maybe that fifth pick becomes more valuable once a team like Golden State or the Knicks or someone else sees Rubio dangling.

To this day, I'm not sure how to answer that question.

The underreported thing about the move is that Grunfeld was able to improve the team while shaving off some long-term salary. Miller and Foye both have contracts that end this year (though Foye has his qualifying offer), and by making this trade, the Wizards were able to eliminate the extra year on Darius Songaila's contract and the cost of paying the fifth pick from their payroll. This can be viewed either as a major coup for Grunfeld or a sign that the Wizards have conflicting priorities (winning and also saving money). The answer will probably depend on what happens down the road.

Regardless, the Wizards picked up two guys that fit into new coach Flip Saunders' system and the general win-now culture of the organization, though Foye has struggled to remember how to play the point guard position during the preseason. They'll improve the team in the short term, that's for sure.

If you're confused, let me try a poker analogy. (Maybe that confuses you more, we'll see). If this is the Wizards' idea of an all-in move, then it's very underwhelming. It's like shoving in 30 big blinds before the flop on Ace-Jack offsuit. However, if this is instead one of those plays you make to alter your table image in a way to help you make a bigger move later, or if this is one of those pots you go after in order to build your stack to become a difference-maker later in a tournament, then it's a worthwhile one. Here's hoping the Foye/Miller trade is a prelude of something bigger rather than a final move.

The Wizards also signed veteran Fabricio Oberto for the biannual exception to serve as an insurance big man and a good example to some of the young players on the team. Oberto had an excellent preseason, and I suspect he'll be a very good fit and a helpful piece to the puzzle. That said, it's tough for Wizards fans to look at the Spurs right now and see DeJuan Blair tearing things up in preseason. The Wizards could have drafted Blair with the 32nd pick, but instead sold it for $2.5 million in cash. That cash helped serve as a financial windfall for owner Abe Pollin for paying the luxury tax, and it made it easier to drop another $4 million if you include luxury-tax payments to sign Oberto, but Blair certainly provides a lot of elements (rebounding, toughness, a paint presence) the Wizards have lacked for years. Right now, one can't help but think that passing on Blair was a missed opportunity.

Am I forgetting something? Oh yeah, the Wizards hired a new coach, bringing in Saunders in late April. Saunders was clearly the best coach on the market, and that's even if Avery Johnson would have decided to leave his cushy ESPN job.

Saunders' balanced approach is perfect for this roster. He'll make subtle changes on offense to make the Wizards even more deadly in the half court, and he is a significant upgrade as a defensive coach over Eddie Jordan. He commands respect from the players because of his track record of success, and that's significant, because I don't know if this cast of veterans would have respected a young coach. Critics say that Saunders doesn't have a particularly great defensive reputation, but while he may not have as pronounced effect on his teams' defense as, say, Scott Skiles, the record shows his teams have been pretty solid defensively. Grunfeld was looking for a coach that could maintain the teams' offense while simultaneously upgrading the defense. Saunders fits the bill.

Saunders is also perfectly equipped to coach Gilbert Arenas. He's done a great job of involving Arenas in the team's decision-making, talking to him regularly over the summer and being completely transparent with his expectations. His offense is also known to improve the productivity and "pureness" of point guards. Just ask Stephon Marbury, Terrell Brandon, Troy Hudson, Sam Cassell and Chauncey Billups. Saunders is low-drama and all business, which sets a perfect tone in a locker room that may have gotten a little too crazy in recent years.

I'd venture to say Saunders is a bigger addition than any player the Wizards could have acquired. He's that good as a coach. The fact that it took me this long to remember to mention him shows you how much of an imprint he's already made on this organization.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

When healthy, this has always been a team that could score a lot of points. Now, with Saunders in tow, this should be a team that will score even more efficiently than before, spreading the ball around more than they used to and maintaining the proper floor balance to help fix their poor transition defense.

Saunders' grand plan is to put the ball in Arenas' hands and have him create a vast majority of the scoring opportunities. This is consistent with what Saunders has done with his point guards in the past, and it's a subtle, but significant change for Arenas. In Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense, Arenas was asked both to make plays on his own and score off others. He was essentially playing two roles - the point guard and the shooting guard. Saunders will instead use Arenas exclusively as a point guard, asking him to set up others more and do his own bidding off the dribble. Arenas has always been a better passer than he's perceived to be, and of course he's a spectacular scorer when healthy, but he often has struggled to balance those skills properly in such a way so that his teammates can play off him. Saunders' offense should simplify things for Arenas, and I expect him to have a very good year if healthy. He will likely lose some points off his scoring average, but I suspect he'll pick up more assists.

Saunders' offense should also help Caron Butler because Butler won't be asked to have the ball in his hands as much as before. Butler is not a bad creator, but it's clearly not his strength. Saunders should have him getting his touches in his comfort areas - 17 feet and in, on the baseline - rather than having him at the top of the key carrying the burden to create for everyone. It should help Butler's game and his longevity, as Butler has been hampered by nagging injuries in recent years.

Otherwise, Saunders' system, which emphasizes making the extra pass and getting the ball to the hot hand, should help a Wizards teams that has a lot of scorers, but hasn't really played much with each other. It's not that the Wizards are selfish - Miller, for example, was too unselfish last season, and Foye and Butler are good passers for their position - but they are still learning about each other's strengths. Saunders' pro-style system should ease the learning curve.

The Wizards are also a very deep team, though much of their depth is focused on the wing positions. They have several guys who have started games in the past couple years coming off their bench, and have some multi-position guys that can give Saunders the chance to trot out a ton of different lineups. It's a bit unclear how Saunders plans on using his depth, because he's favored tight, short rotations in the past, but he's an innovative guy who will figure out a good solution.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Staying healthy. But that's a given. (Of course, two days after I write this, Antawn Jamison goes down for the first month with a shoulder injury. Boo karma).

Clearly, defense remains a weakness. Saunders is definitely a better defensive coach than Eddie Jordan. His Minnesota teams played very good defense, and I suspect the reason Saunders focused on offense so much in Detroit was because he knew offense, and not defense, was Detroit's weakness at the time. However, Saunders doesn't have a Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace or Rasheed Wallace that can inspire the rest of his team to defend. The closest thing he has is Brendan Haywood, who is a tremendously underrated defender, but isn't the type of guy to light a fire under everyone else on the team.

There's actually a legitimate argument the Wizards are worse defensively than in the past on paper. DeShawn Stevenson, previously the team's stopper, might have his minutes squeezed with the additions of Foye and Miller, neither of which carry positive defensive reputations. Long, athletic Dominic McGuire started 57 games last year with all the injuries, but is unlikely to get too many minutes. Oberto is a solid position defender who is probably the best defensive backup to Haywood this team has seen in years, but he can't guard quicker post players and might not play much anyway.

The Wizards are hoping that a new voice will inspire a better defensive performance. Saunders has talked extensively about having one set defensive philosophy rather than several gimmick defenses to hide the teams' weaknesses, which is essentially what Jordan did. That should help a ton and eliminate a lot of confusion. It should be noted that, while Saunders is a big proponent of matchup zone, we haven't seen the Wizards practice it or go to it in games much, probably because Saunders wants to instill a core defensive philosophy first.

The Wizards are also hoping that a renewed commitment to defense in practice will help. Several players have said that Jordan didn't emphasize defense much in practice, and as skeptical as one should be with that statement, it is true that the Princeton offense takes a lot of time to pick up, meaning it needs to be practiced more than most offensive systems. With only a finite amount of time to practice, the more time spent making sure the players understand Jordan's complicated offense, the less time spent on practicing defense. Then again, the Wizards have used this rhetoric before. It means nothing until they prove it.

Those changes, along with reduced minutes for Arenas, Butler and Jamison and a healthy return for Haywood could easily vault the Wizards to the middle of the pack on defense. However, as we all know, unless your offense is historically good (think Phoenix circa 2005-2007), you need to be better than average on defense to be a legitimate championship contender. The Wizards are light years away from that status.

In particular, the Wizards are weak inside, at least compared to the other top teams in the league. Haywood is tremendously underrated, and Jamison is still very productive, but questions remain behind them. Andray Blatche is heading into his umpteenth must-produce year, and while he doesn't get enough credit for his diverse array of skills, he also has yet to show he can consistently be a role player for this team. Oberto is an effective player, but at 34, he is too old and in decline to be an effective third big man. Youngster JaVale McGee is a highlight player, but he still doesn't understand basic fundamental defense well enough to stay on the floor, and the Wizards have less patience for his mistakes this year than they did last year. A trade might have to happen to shore up this weakness in the short term.

The other potential problem is that there's just too much newness to adjust to quickly in a short period of time. Saunders still hasn't decided on a regular rotation, which hurts youngsters like Nick Young, McGee and Blatche because they're pretty inconsistent to begin with. Jamison's shoulder injury doesn't help because it's yet another thing to adjust to early in the season. I worry that, while the Wizards may be very dangerous late in the season once they've all learned to play with to each other, they may give up some games and key playoff seeding to get there.

4. What are the goals for this team?

I suspect the Wizards are thinking about this season like it's an Eastern Conference Finals or bust campaign. There's all this vague talk about "advancing in the playoffs," but the standard for organizational success seems to be making the NBA's Final Four. Still, with Boston, Orlando and Cleveland all making their move now, that's probably a pretty unrealistic goal to have. The Wizards could make a big trade and still be running fourth in a three-horse race. Unless one of those three suffers a rash of injuries, I have a hard time believing the Wizards will crack the top three in the East.

A more realistic goal would be to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, win their first-round series and put up a decent fight against one of those top three teams. What would a "decent fight" entail? I'm not sure, but I think it's safe to say it would be a better performance than what Atlanta gave against Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs last year. The Wizards could then more easily justify another round of going over the luxury tax, which would include re-signing Haywood, Miller and maybe Foye while making a talent upgrade.

5. Why isn't Gilbert Arenas talking to the media? Isn't this a problem?

Two reasons. One, he wants to be a little more serious about his game, and maybe he feels talking is a distraction. Two, he feels like they took advantage of his crazy personality to write unfair things about him. His logic is, if he doesn't talk, nobody will be able to twist his words.

Does it make sense? No, not really. Most of the league finds a way to talk without getting their words spun out of control. But that's just Gilbert. He always has to position himself on one extreme or the other.

Does this all matter? No, not in the slightest. All that matters is his health. Arenas is still the most important player on this team, and with so few options behind him at point guard in a point guard-heavy offense, one could even argue he's more important than ever. We've already talked about why he fits in well with Saunders' offense, so as long as he's healthy, I suspect he'll have a great year. For now, his knee looks good, but this is clearly as much of a long-term question as a short-term one. We'll just have to hope for the best.

Projected Finish: 47-35

3 In the Key - Toronto Raptors Game-Day Preview vs. Timberwolves

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:42:28 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

One of Minny's two core pieces won't be playing tonight, and it's time for the Raptors to take advantage.

Browse more photos »

Franchise takes a look at tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves and what he expects from the Toronto Raptors, in their last game of the pre-season...

This is it.

Last game of the pre-season.

Last chance to use the old "oh, these games don't count" excuse.

The Raptors take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight to conclude their pre-season experience; one which has been met with mixed reviews.

On one hand, there's the record of course, an unpleasant two wins and five losses. On the other, the hope that the real goal of the pre-season has been realized, that is to say, the team has used these past few weeks to learn Jay Triano's offensive and defensive schemes, while acclimatizing themselves to each other on and off the court.

The reality is that until we start seeing some real action, no one really knows just how the latter has gone, and so as fans, we're stuck with looking at the former. And unfortunately as some have recently pointed out, so far team's pre-season records seem to be a good indication of how they'll do come regular season. The hope is that the Raptors are the exception to this rule.

And why not?

After all, the Denver Nuggets, a team expected to challenge for a top spot in the West, would miss the playoffs based on their current 3 and 4 record.

And in the East, the Miami Heat have equalled Toronto's record of futility as well. I don't think anyone's expecting them to finish second last in the conference (barring a major injury to Dwyane Wade of course.)

So let's put pre-season records aside and forget that tonight represents the battle of the 2 and 5 teams. Yes, Minny sits in the West's basement with the exact same record, although it could be argued that they haven't faced the same level of competition as Toronto. Instead, here are the three key points the HQ team is going to be keeping an eye on this evening:

1) Defence.

One of the biggest areas of concern for most fans going into the season is the big D. The Raptors in the past few seasons have struggled in this area, and so far this pre-season hasn't given much reason for optimism. With Antoine Wright back at last, and considering the offensive woes of their opponent, I'm expecting to see Toronto finally show some ability in this area this evening. That means making Al Jefferson work extra hard for baskets, and keeping players like Ryan Gomes and Damien Wilkins from getting easy looks on the perimeter.

2) Rebounding.

Oooh, we're hitting all the basics aren't we? The sad thing is the Dinos have only won the battle of the boards twice in pre-season play, once in their win over Washington and then last Sunday (however only 38 to 37) in their loss to Boston. Along with defence, this is probably the area that the team needs to focus on the most come regular season. The offence should get their eventually, there's too much talent for that not to happen, but this team needs to learn to become a much better rebounding team. For individuals, especially those not predisposed to the boardwork like Andrea Bargnani, that means fighting the urge to stand around when a shot goes up and instead, making it second nature to crash the glass. And on a team level, it means understanding where the rebounding threats are on the court at all times, and ensuring they don't get to loose balls.

To put it plainly, there's no way Toronto shouldn't lose the rebounding fight this evening. Kevin Love, one of the league's best rebounders already, is on the shelf for Minny due to injury, and outside of Gomes and Jefferson, there's just not a lot of rebounding muscle.

3) Cohesive Play.

Not only is there a lack of rebounding prowess on Minny, there's simply a lack of talent and Toronto should be able to win this game without too much trouble. In my estimate, the Timberwolves are going to be fighting it out with the Jersey's and Sacto's for the league's worst record this year, and that's with Kevin Love.

So instead of worrying about match-ups (unless for some twisted reason you're pumped to see the Corey Brewer- Sonny Weems, or Oleksiy Pecherov-Andrea Bargnani contests), let's see this Raptor squad start to put some of the pieces together out there. Fast-breaks, good ball rotation, nice cuts to the hoop...all those things that have been trademarks of the Raps' offence in years past when things were going well. I'm suddenly expecting to see a blur of 3-man weaves tonight for easy looks, but it would be nice in the team's final match to start showing some signs that they're on the right track.

And again, especially considering their opponent.

No excuses, it's time to see this Raptor team make like Big Daddy Kane, and get the job done.