SB Nation - Craig Smith

Discussing the Los Angeles Clippers with Kevin Arnovitz of ClipperBlog

erivera7 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:00:28 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Kevin Arnovitz needs no introduction but deserves one - he is an editor for TrueHoop and a writer for ClipperBlog, the latter being one of the best team blogs in the NBA. It's safe to say, in my opinion, that Mr. Arnovitz is one of the best writers who covers the league. Period.

As such, I can't help but remark on how much I admire Mr. Arnovitz's work and state how much it was a privilege for me to ask him a few questions a couple of days ago to preview tonight's game between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Chris Kaman got off to a quick start in the first couple weeks of November but, from looking at some of the numbers and reading some of your reports, has cooled off since then. What happened?

First, Kaman was inevitably going to come down to earth. There wasn't one 50 percent jump shooter in the NBA last season, and that's what Kaman was doing over the opening stretch of the season. Second, Eric Gordon went out with a strained groin. Gordon's absence allowed teams to sag defensively, which gave Kaman less room to work 15 feet from the basket. Third, the pressure to operate as the Clippers' primary scorer might be affecting Kaman's game. Kaman has an incredible collection of assets as a big man -- ambidexterity, good foot work, strength -- but managing those assets has always been a challenge. When Kaman was killing it earlier this season, he was thinking less. The past couple of weeks, we've witnessed his trying to think his way into a score rather than just scoring.

What has Eric Gordon meant to the Los Angeles Clippers this year, on offense and on defense?

The world. When Gordon is in the starting lineup, the Clippers crush their competition. He's the first perimeter player the Clippers have had in an eternity who can stretch the floor, create off the dribble, and defend the 2. He loves to draw contact and he's becoming increasingly effective in the pick-and-roll game. The fact that the aforementioned fall off of Mr. Kaman coincided with Gordon's absence tells you everything you need to know.

Can't forget about Blake Griffin. When he returns from injury, how do the team dynamics change?

I don't think they'll change a whole lot. Given the length of Griffin's absence, I suspect he'll begin with the second unit and claim some of Craig Smith's minutes. Mike Dunleavy has stated that he's interested in experimenting with Griffin at the 3 because the rookie can check small forward defensively, but that declaration might say more about the composition of the Clippers' roster (heavy on bigs, light on wings) than anything else. Griffin is an infectious player, so Clippers fans hope he can infuse the team with "energy," but tangibly, he'll be most valuable in elevating the Clips' rebounding rate above 50.0 percent.

Is this year, possibly, the end of the road for Mike Dunleavy Sr. as head coach/general manager? What is your opinion on his future with the franchise?

Within the organization, there's a feeling that, as badly as things have gone over the past couple of years, Head Coach Dunleavy probably deserves the chance to coach a healthy squad this season (though the supply of patience is measurably less than it used to be). Does he have a future beyond 2011? Let's see how the 2010-2011 team fares -- something that will depend greatly on how successful GM Mike Dunleavy is at leveraging the team's considerable cap space and constructing a winner.

I like to thank Mr. Arnovitz for taking the time to offer his insight on the Clips.

Pacers 86, Clippers 73: Better Late Than Never, Pacers Run Past Clippers In Fourth Quarter

Tom Lewis — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:59:28 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

All's well that ends well, like this dunk by Dahntay Jones.

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The Indiana Pacers were only half good again tonight, but this time they saved their best for last to beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 86-73.

After clunking and clanking their way to a 34-point first half, the Pacers used the third quarter to work their way back into the game and then just exploded for 31 points in the deciding fourth to cruise by the Clippers.

There were a lot of moving parts that had to come together to eventually create the winning combination. Leading scorer, Danny Granger was a late scratch and remains day-to-day after an MRI revealed the Pacers resident all-star has a sprained MCL in his left knee. But Granger's absence was no excuse for the ugly first half that saw both teams shoot in the low 30% from the floor.

In fact, the Pacers only scored 34-points in the first half, ironically matching the pitiful second-half point total in the last two home losses to the Knicks and Cavaliers. Fortunately the Clippers weren't much better and the Pacers only trailed by nine at the break. The game continued to creep along in the third quarter, but the Pacers cut the lead to four heading into the fourth.

At winning time, though, the Pacers answered big time, winning the fourth 31-14 in a game that became quite intense and a little chippy. At one point Baron Davis and T.J. Ford had a silly squabble of wills with neither wanting to flinch, but it added some juice to the game and although it woke up Baron Davis at the offensive end, it also engaged Ford at both ends as he included his teammates who put forth a great team effort to close out the game. I'm convinced Davis was initially upset because Ford was actually giving him some fits with his defense.

Ford was just one of several players who wiped away a poor early effort to finish strong and find a way to win. Whether it was foul trouble or poor shooting, nearly every Pacers was struggling. But they used a strong defensive effort to stay in touch until the offense came around. In fact, the defense created some easy offensive chances. For instance, Roy Hibbert rotated over to block a Craig Smith layup early in the fourth. The block slammed off the backboard, fueling a layup by Ford at the other end and pushing the lead to four points. The Pacers would never trail again.

More on the major contributions after the jump.

Dahntay Jones was a monster in the fourth quarter and his game highlights how this one went from start to finish. Dahntay had zero points and three fouls in the first half. He forced a couple of shots but just couldn't make a jumper to save his life. He even missed a couple of free throws. But he kept grinding in the second half and drew a couple of fouls on drives to the rim. The made free throws helped his rhythm and before long he was scoring from all over the court, finishing with 18 points in the second half. He even knocked down a classic Quisy three where you beg him not to shoot and then watch the ball go in. Jones also helped slow down Baron Davis after the T.J tango re-engaged the Clippers' point guard.
Luther Head was one player who deserves credit for playing well in both the first and second half. For a three minute stretch early in the second quarter, Luther scored eight straight points which kept the Pacers in the game. He also had a couple of assists later in the quarter including a sweet leave for Roy Hibbert as he rolled to the hoop for an easy bucket. In the second half, Luther continued his solid play with six more points to finish with 14. At one point, I thought JOB was going to ride Luther home, but eventually the foul-strapped Brandon Rush returned to the court.
Troy Murphy also weathered three fouls in the first half while not shooting it particularly well. He did play much better defense, though and rebounded pretty well, although Marcus Camby was a nightmare for everyone. In fact, after Camby closed the third with a 3-pointer (seriously) he had 15 points and 20 rebounds. But in the fourth, Camby could only muster up one rebound and zero points. Meanwhile, Murph continued to scrap on the glass, even keeping a couple of possessions alive on the offensive glass, and then found his stroke when it mattered most. Murph's two three pointers in the last five minutes (set up nicely by T.J. Ford) helped suck the life out of the Clippers. The final trey put the Pacers up nine and was the deciding dagger. Murph finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
T.J. Ford came out of nowhere to produce big time down the stretch in this one. Until the fourth, it was the same old, same old with Ford. Not exactly spilling his guts at either end and offering up a couple of mind numbing turnovers. But tonight when it mattered, Ford stood up to Baron Davis and wasn't going down without a fight. While he made a few key shots and finished a couple of nice drives at the hoop, his assists were the difference in the fourth. Ford had three key dimes in the final five minutes that all set up made three-pointers and buried the Clippers.
Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush were a bit up and down as they both tried to play through foul trouble. Hibbert only ended up playing 25 minutes and aside from a couple of nice pick 'n roll finishes couldn't make a shot. Hibbert did hold his own defensively though and scrapping with Chris Kaman and helping to hold the Clippers leading scorer to 10 points. Hibbert finished with 3 blocks.
Rush finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Like Luther helped bolster what little offense the Pacers had in the first half with a couple of three-pointers. He struggled down the stretch, missing two free throws that were a result of two possession-saving offensive rebounds by Murphy and Jeff Foster. Fortunately, it didn't come back to bite the Pacers. Rush also felt the wrath of T.J. Ford after the two weren't on the same page during a critical late possession. Dahntay Jones mediated with an arm around each as they made their way to the bench for a timeout.
Jeff Foster and Tyler Hansbrough did a lot of dirty work during their time on the court. They actually played some together for the second night in a row. As you can imagine, the combo keeps things lively on the court. At the time in the third quarter, the Pacers needed all of the juice they could get and they provided a little boost.
When the game started, I was wondering which players might step up to fill the void with Granger sidelined. As it turned out, nearly everyone did a little something at least a little better than they have been to combine to turn this ugly game and potential fifth-straight loss into a sweet victory. Now the turkey will taste a little better tomorrow.

Why You Should Watch, Part 1: A Suns Fan's Cheat Sheet to the Rest of the League

Mike Lisboa — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:00:40 -0000

Coach Gentry cheers on the Suns at every game. You should, too! (Photo by Max Simbron)

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The Phoenix Suns are 11-3 and heading into a December full of must-watch games against top flight NBA teams. No Suns fan worth their salt is going to miss a match-up against the Lakers or Spurs or Mavericks. Those teams have been lifelong (or at least decade-long) nemeses to our beloved Suns and each of those games is like a basketball rite of passage.

But what about the rest of the League? Why should you watch the Suns beat up on the Timberwolves or Bobcats? And what about those random teams that never get any pub way out west like the Bucks or the Nets? Below is part one of list of things to look for and reasons to watch our Suns play every team in the NBA. Feel free to print it out and keep it on the fridge next to your official Phoenix Suns schedule or next to the remote so you can crib from it on gameday. Also included is each team's SBNation site if you'd like to learn more about them.

But mostly you should watch because it's the Suns!

Atlanta Hawks, Peach Tree Hoops: Another early season surprise, just like The Suns. The obvious angle here is former Sun, Joe Johnson, aka Daisy Buchanan aka The One That Got Away. While in past seasons, one could have argued that perhaps he was the only reason to watch the Hawks, this year Atlanta done went and put together a ball club. Josh Smith will put you on a poster after rebounding your miss that he nearly blocked on the other end and Jamal Crawford will go from 0-15 points in the blink of an eye. This is a fun team that, like the Suns, seems poised to make an unexpected run at an assumedly superior division rival (the Orlando Magic).

Boston Celtics, CelticsBlog: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce. For me those are reasons enough to watch them. For Suns fans, KG represents an alternative dimension where the Suns won the trade lottery a few years back and miraculously transformed into a defensive championship-winning machine. Ray Allen was a Suns assassin with the Sonics seemingly ending every contest against the Suns with a 3 as time expired. And Paul Pierce is the The Truth. Probably a little underrated around these parts, Pierce is a ferocious competitor and maybe the 3rd most important Celtic in history behind Bill Russell and Larry Bird. However, time is catching up to the Big 3 and this may be the last chance to catch them before they retire/go their separate ways. Oh, and for added Suns angles, former Sun/Sun Devil Eddie House is always conscienceless good times firing 3s off the bench and Rajon Rondo causes some current fans to look at Goran Dragic coming off the bench and cut themselves since he was in fact a Phoenix draft pick that the Sarver and company sold on eBay back in the day.

Charlotte Bobcats, Rufus On Fire: True story: I nearly canceled League Pass after coming across a Bobcats/Nets game a couple weeks ago. It was eye murder. That said, there's some fun to be had here. First, you can boo/cheer Boris Diaw as you see fit. Watching him play waffle croissant frustrate another team is much more liberating without worrying about how his 9 milli a year is affecting the Suns' cap situation. Raja Bell is gone, but in his place is former Suns division rival Stephen Jackson who should up the excitement quotient in the Queen City. And if you though Mike D'Antoni had a thing against young players, you can practically see the Charlotte faithful's collective head getting ready to explode as rookie lottery pick Gerald Henderson continues to ride pine even in garbage time.

Continued after the jump...

Chicago Bulls, Blog-A-Bull: Joakim Noah will make you eat your words. Derrick Rose is going to be a very good point guard for a very long time. Vinnie Del Negro has one of the best tans I've ever seen. He's the NBA's answer to George Hamilton. If you want something of a Suns angle, John Salmons shunned the Suns leading them to eventually sign Marcus Banks to one of the worst contracts in Suns history AND Luol Deng was also a one time Suns draft pick. Alternately frustrating and fantastic, there's a lot to watch any time these Bulls take the floor.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Fear The Sword: Little known fact about these Cavs... just kidding. If ever an NBA team suffered from overexposure, it's this year's Cavs. Whether or not, Shaquille O'Neal puts Cleveland over the top or drags them under, LeBron James' presence makes Cleveland must-watch basketball every time he takes the court... at least for another few months.

Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Moneyball: Well, well, well, if it isn't a rejuvenated Shawn Marion back in the Western Conference! With Jason Kidd and Tim Thomas on the roster, that's 3 former Suns who could make life miserable for their ex-team. Then there's notable Suns killer and former Wildcat Jason Terry who gets all Bill the Butcher on the Suns every time they play. And of course, Dirk Nowitzki is a straight up animal. New to the mix this year is rookie Frenchman Rodrigue Beaubois, who might be the only 6'0" player in the NBA with a go-to alley oop play drawn up especially for him. So, yeah, watch these guys.

Denver Nuggets, Denver Stiffs: This is quite simply an electric basketball team. Defensively suspect perhaps, this Nuggets team is simply terrifying on the offensive end. Carmelo Anthony's most dangerous spot on the floor is, well, the floor. From the baseline to the top of the arc, he is making opponents lives miserable this season. Off the bench, rookie PG Ty Lawson is quickly making a name for himself as a capable and dangerous back-up to Chauncey Billups' unwaveringly steady hand. These cats are slick and worth watching any time they take the floor.

Detroit Pistons, Motown String Music: The most exciting development in the world of Dee-troit Basketball is Will Bynum's transmogrification into the explosive substance, Bynumite. And he's a former Wildcat, too! Also, the Suns whupped them handily so they're good for the occasional Alando Tucker sighting. And I <3 a healthy Rip Hamilton.

Golden State Warriors, Golden State of Mind: There's a lot to like here: Steph Curry, Anthony Randolph, Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrens and hey -- it's Raja Bell! I was a big Anthony Morrow fan at Summer League and after one game, even D-League call-up Chris Hunter is making some noise. The problem is with Don Nelson running the show mailing it in, you never know what version of this team you're going to get. As a Suns fan though, with 14 games worth of hindsight, try and figure out how that rumored Amare trade would have worked out this season (my 2 cents: not well).

Houston Rockets, The Dream Shake: No T-Mac? No Yao? No problem. Sort of. After a hot start, the Rockets have cooled off to the .500 level in their last 10 games. What they lack in star power, the team is attempting to compensate for in effort and ingenuity. While that combination may make for a middling season, it also makes for smart, hard-fought basketball games that the Suns will have to earn.

Indiana Pacers, Indy Cornrows: Because Danny Granger is the brightest star you've never heard of. While off to a bit of a rough start in 2009, Granger is capable of taking over games and should not be slept on. Also, Tyler Hansbrough will help you find your dog.

Los Angeles Clippers, Clips Nation: This is a team on the verge of... something. They've got a solid if unspectacular commingling of veteran and youth presence in the starting line-up and on the bench and it will only get better once Blake Griffin joins the mix. Boom Dizzle and Eric Gordon make for an above average (and occasionally dynamic) backcourt. Chris Kaman is playing as if he is actually from another planet this year. Marcus Camby is ol' reliable and Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair are providing serviceable minutes off the bench. In short, these Clippers are ready to break out of the cellar and into the NBA middle class, but they won't because Mike Dunleavy is a terrible, terrible coach. So why should you watch? For the novelty of seeing a team whose locker room cancer is actually roaming the sidelines in a suit.

Los Angeles Lakers, Silver Screen and Roll: "Hate Leads to Suffering; Or, How I Learned to Stop Suffering and Appreciate the Los Angeles Lakers." I'm not sure when I stopped hating the Lake Show, but it's a relatively recent phenomenon. There's just too much good basketball happening when they're on the court. Kobe Bryant is the pre-eminent basketball technician in the league right now. Pau Gasol might be the most sophisticated power forward in the NBA. Andrew Bynum is morphing from man-child to man with each passing minute on the court. Lamar Odom is the Ghost of Earl Clark Future and Ron Artest has gone from dangerously crazy to lovably eccentric with a change in area code. Oh, and that guy on the sidelines has 12 rings (2 as a player... haters) to legitimize any complaints of "Fakerism." For weaknesses, Derek Fisher is showing his age and then some and that bench is the basketball equivalent of Russian Roulette (there's about a 1 in 6 chance they will cost the Lakers the game). But you know, watch for the hate. It feels good, doesn't it, young Skywalker?

Memphis Grizzlies, Straight Outta Vancouver: Because Allen Iverson is must-watch basketball! Watch these guys so that 2 years from now you can say you were there when... Rudy Gay announced his presence with authority, O.J. Mayo came into his own, Zach Randolph quietly resucitated his career, Marc Gasol began working his way out of Pau's shadow, Jamaal Tinsley was brought into stabilize (!) a team's roster, and Hasheem Thabeet began fading into obscurity. It's kinda like watching the X-Files before the X-Files was cool (and that also started in Canada!).

Miami Heat, Peninsula is Mightier: Because if you don't watch, Dwyane Wade will throw himself at you and you WILL be called for a foul. While it's easy to mock Wade's penchant for reckless drives and refs tendencies to bail him out, it's impossible to argue that he's not a hardwood hurricane when this team needs him to be. Without Wade, this team's win total is somewhere in the 30s, but with him, they're a dangerous playoff foe... which isn't to say there isn't some talent around him. Udonis Haslem defines "unsung hero" outside of Miami-Dade County. Jermaine O'Neal and Quentin "P90X" Richardson are both having mini-renaissances this season and youngsters Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley provide inconsistent if effective support to their leading man. But mostly, it's all about Wade being a force of nature that you can watch from the comfort of your home without worrying about losing your home in the process.

To be continued....

Game 8 Preview: Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Clippers

Zorgon — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:58:45 -0000

More photos » by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

We probably won't see D.J. White tonight, but that doesn't make his, "Puffer Fish" dunk any less hilarious.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 9:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

TV: KSBI-TV 52, Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Clips Nation, ClipperBlog

Backstory: More than anything else, the Los Angeles Clippers are known as the unluckiest team in the NBA. That moniker continues into this season, as they've had recent injuries to Black Griffin and Eric Gordon, all leading to an underwhelming start of 3-5. I mean, if I told you a team had a lineup of Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin, Craig Smith, Al Thornton, Rasual Butler, Eric Gordon, Ricky Davis, Baron Davis, and Sebastian Telfair along with a Championship Coach in Mike Dunleavy Sr. and the 2nd largest market in the US, you'd think I was talking about a championship winning Lakers team, right? Wrong. I'm talking about just another sub-.500 Clippers team.

Despite the talent-laden roster, this is a very winnable game. The Clippers have only won against the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies, who are possibly the 3 worst teams in the West. They've lost to the Lakers, Suns, Jazz, Mavericks, and Hornets. This game will determine exactly where we will be on the map for this season. Will we be lurking around the 12th or 11th seed, waiting for the lottery and mired in mediocrity, or will we be around the 10th-8th seed, fiercely competing for a playoff spot? Lets hope it's the latter.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Chris Kaman vs. Nenad Krstic

Chris Kaman is a better inside banger, and will probably get some crucial points against Krstic inside. Hopefully Krstic can pay him back with his mid-range jumper, but all of that will depend on if he's feeling hot or cold tonight. Still, I'd tend to think that Chris Kaman will have the better day.

Power Forward: Marcus Camby vs. Jeff Green

A mismatch if I ever saw one. Camby is a good ball handler for his size, but if Green can get hot from the perimeter, then it will be all over. If the Clippers can slow our game down I'd give the win to Camby, but otherwise, I think Green gets the win.

Small Forward: Al Thornton vs. Kevin Durant

Al Thornton is and will be a solid player, but he's no Kevin Durant. Thornton has been cold so far this season, so lets hope Durant can take advantage of that and exploit him.

Shooting Guard: Ricky Davis vs. Thabo Sefolosha

Ricky Davis is a good name, but he's not much more than a streaky shooter. He might drop more points than Sefolosha, but Sefolosha will beat him in every other area of the stat sheet.

Point Guard: Baron Davis vs. Russell Westbrook

Ah, the young versus the old. I used to watch Baron Davis on the Warrior teams of old, and it was good times. But now, he's trapped on one of the unluckiest organizations in history, and his scoring production has seen a serious hit. He'll beat Westbrook in assists, but it will be interesting to see who gets more rebounds and who can score more points, especially after Westbrook's cold performance last night.

Battle of the Benches

The Clippers have a deeper and more talented bench than we do for sure, but we have a more cohesive unit. Still, I think talent wins in this case.

Coaching and Intangibles

The Clippers have played 4 games in 6 days, and the Thunder are on the second game of a back-to-back, so both teams will be tired. The Clippers are at home, but they've had two crucial injuries, so I'd say this category is about even for both of us, unless you're counting the style points brought on by the suit of Mike Dunleavy Sr. In that case, the Clippers win.

Bottom Line

The Clippers are more talented, but they're older and bigger, so if the Thunder can exploit bad matchups, then they'll have a serious advantage. Remember when I said that if the Thunder lost to the Kings, it wouldn't matter that much? Well, if the Thunder lose here, it will put us 2 games in the hole, and it will matter.

Prediction: Thunder 97, Clippers 95

I feel like a homer here, but somehow I think that we can pull this one out against the Clippers, since their main scorer in Eric Gordon is out, and they have a lack of athleticism on their front line.

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I might be here during the game to drop my thoughts as well. Go Thunder!

Game Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

C.A. Clark — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:11:39 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

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Just a few short hours from now, your World Champion Los Angeles Lakers will finally take the court for the opening game of the regular season. Despite the fact that our fan base had a shorter summer than all the others, I think everyone would agree with me that it has been too long. For me, the months between an old season's ending and a new season's beginning pass like gall stones, slow and painful, and nothing can be better than the return of the NBA to my life.

So, without further ado, here are some quick thoughts regarding the Lakers and their upcoming opponents in tonight's contest, our cross-arena foes, the Los Angeles Clippers.

How do the two teams look coming into tonight's contest?

Since both teams have identical 0-0 records coming into the game, there isn't a whole lot to say about how the teams have fared recently. But I guess they play those preseason games for a reason, so we'll glean what we can from the 0th season. The Clippers had a very successful preseason, going 6-2 with standout victories against the Spurs, Hornets, Jazz, Trailblazers, and of course, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Since Israel is a couple seasons away from having an NBA franchise, it's clear that the actual results of these games don't matter. However, there are a few things that can be learned about the Clippers this season.

Baron Davis is in fantastic shape. I have no idea whether his new fitness regime will translate to him deciding to actually drive to the basket instead of simply hoisting another 3 point shot. I have no idea if his new found figure is a commitment to turning the Clippers into a successful team, or just part of his master plan to get more sponsorships for diet plans. But Davis has shown in the past that he can be an elite player when his heart is into it, and if his commitment to fitness this season is any indication, he's ready to reaffirm his elite status.
What about the rest of his team? They were a motley group last season, thrown into a funk by the betrayal of Elton Brand, and coached into the 7th circle of hell by Mike Dunleavy. I don't ever remember a team quitting on the season as early as the Clippers seemed to ... or was that just Baron Davis. Regardless, the Clippers have a fair amount of talent. Kaman has shown that he's one of the few true centers in the league, and he's got a decent array of post moves. Eric Gordan looks like a real winner. And Blake Griffin has shown glimpses of a tremendous amount of athleticism and ability. In short, the Clippers future is bright ... or at least it would be, if they weren't cursed worse than the Pirates of the Caribbean. Which brings us to our next point.
Blake Griffin blew out his knee. Not to get to Simmons-esque on you here, but what percentage of people saw Blake Griffin's inevitable injury coming? 50%? 80%? 100%? Simmons himself predicted it. As tragic as it is, there can't be a single person surprised by it. Clippers fans should unfortunately know better than to believe in their team. There is always something that will screw up this franchise. If they aren't willing to do it themselves with poor play, poor coaching, and poor personnel decisions, then God has repeatedly proven to be willing to pick up the slack in keeping the Clippers' franchise down. It brings me no joy to see this happen to that franchise time and time again. I'd love for the Clippers to be good. If nothing else, a serious cross-town rivalry would add a unique flair to our experiences as fans. But the writing is on the wall, and its been there for the entirety of the Clippers existence.

After the jump, some Lakers thoughts, and the matchups for tonight's game.

We've already given you much more information than you needed to know about how the Lakers look coming into this season, so these thoughts are specifically related to what should be a special night in Staples Center

The main event for Lakers fans tonight isn't even the game itself, but the ring ceremony which will precede the game. We already know just how special this championship was for the team, especially the team leaders: Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, and of course, Kobe Bryant. While it won't have quite the same magical feel to it as when the team held up the Larry O'Brien while Kobe lifted his first Finals MVP, tonight will be a re-affirmation of all the hard work the Lakers went through last year, and it should be a relatively emotional night. Besides, any time you get a chance to see ridiculous amounts of bling, it's always a good time.
There's a potential for a letdown tonight, with the double dose of getting championship rings and playing the lowly Clippers. But it's the first game of the season, a season in which the Lakers know a very strong start is mandatory in order for them to set the pace for the rest of the league, so it seems nearly impossible that the Lakers start the season off flat.
Pau Gasol might miss tonight's season opener. It's a game time decision, but it looks more and more likely that El Spaniard will sit this one out. Since the Clips front line is also depleted with the loss of Griffin, it shouldn't cause too much trouble for the Lakers tonight

Matchups

With Griffin out, the Clippers will likely move Marcus Camby into the starting lineup, giving the Clippers a starting 5 of Baron Davis, Eric Gordan, Rasual Butler, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman. The obvious strength of the lineup is the backcourt, as Davis and Gordan are probably the two best players on the team, without Griffin. Assuming Gasol also doesn't play, the Lakers will trot out Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. It's the first game of the season, so forgive me for not knowing exactly what kind of rotations the teams will use, but the Clippers are likely to bring Ricky Davis, Al Thornton, Anthony Roberson, and Craig Smith (who absolutely killed the Lakers in the preseason) off the bench. For the Lakers, you'll see the usual suspects, Farmar, Brown, Vujacic, Walton, and a little bit of Mbenga and Powell thrown in for good measure.

Obviously, the matchups favor the Lakers, since they have a pretty large talent advantage over the Clippers. With Gasol out, you can count on a large early dose of feeding Bynum in the post and on the secondary fast break to start the game. The coaches will be looking to set Bynum up with the same kind of starts he's been seeing all preseason, and it should come as no surprise if Bynum is in double figures by the end of the 1st quarter. Other then that, Odom should have a significant speed advantage over who ever is guarding him, as the Clippers don't have any other athletic 4s waiting behind Griffin. The Clips also don't have an elite perimeter defender, so Kobe will get whatever Kobe wants, or the Clips will be forced to double team, leaving wide open shots for the rest of the team. The only matchup that will cause the Lakers problems is the point guard position. Baron Davis' new, svelte, body should have no problem getting by Fisher's old bones, and it'll be important for Odom and Bynum to protect the rim without picking up fouls, because foul trouble for either one causes the Lakers to have to use Josh Powell or DJ Mbenga for significant amounts of time, and the drop off in talent there is tremendous. Also, Kobe needs to just stay home on his man tonight. I don't like Gordon's chances to blow by Kobe, but if Kobe leaves his man, Gordon will drain the open 3.

Off the bench, it'll be important for Powell (or Walton if the Lakers go smaller) to focus all of his energy on boxing out Craig Smith so that Smith doesn't repeat his ridiculous preseason line of 26-7 in 22 minutes. Other than that, the Clippers bench looks pretty ugly, and the Lakers bench should theoretically have an easy time dominating this rag-tag group. In other interesting bench news, tonight will be our first real glimpse of how PJ intends to handle the rotation in a game that actually counts. After the questions about Ron Artest fitting in, and Bynum achieving results in line with his potential, the bench rotations qualify as the 3rd biggest question surrounding the team this year. Who's the first guard off the bench? Do the Lakers go small with Brown and Farmar together? Do they go really small with Brown, Farmar, and Sasha? These questions won't be answered definitively tonight, but we'll at least catch a first glimpse of reality instead of grasping at straws from meaningless preseason games.

In the end, this should be a comfortable Lakers victory, and I expect nothing less on Ring Night.

FYI, since it's the first night of the season, and there happens to be a pretty fantastic opening game, and we'd like to give you all the time you need to re-adjust to live blogging the games, our game thread will start with the first game at 5 P.M.

2009 Season Preview

Stop-n-Pop — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:00:25 -0000

Team Name: Minnesota Timberwolves

Last Year's Record: 24-58

Key ~~Losses~~ Additions By Subtraction: Calvin Booth, Bobby Brown, Rodney Carney, Jason Collins, Randy Foye, Mark Madsen, Rashad McCants, Mike Miller, Kevin Ollie, Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Shelden Williams, Kevin McHale.

Honorary Member of the Addition By Subtraction club: Mark Blount.

Key Additions: Wayne Ellington, Jonny Flynn, Ryan Hollins, Sasha Pavlovic, Oleksiy Pecherov, Jared Reiner, Ramon Sessions, Damien Wilkins, Kurt Rambis, Bill Laimbeer, Reggie Theus, Dave Wohl.

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

Grab a chair folks, this could take a while.

I think the best way to illustrate just how much has happened here in Wolves Land is to take a look at last year's opening day starting line up:

Randy Foye
Mike Miller
Corey Brewer
Ryan Gomes
Al Jefferson

...add in the key reserves:

Kevin Ollie
Rashad McCants
Rodney Carney
Craig Smith
Kevin Love

...compare them to the line up and reserves from the last game of the 08/09 season (and yes, Kevin McHale thought it would be a good idea to give the paying customers at the Target Center their own special version of a Seniors Night):

Kevin Ollie/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown
Mike Miller/Rodney Carney
Brian Cardinal/Ryan Gomes
Mark Madsen/Kevin Love/Craig Smith
Jason Collins/Shelden Williams

...before finally taking a peak at the rotation in the team's first 2009/10 preseason game against Milwaukee:

Jonny Flynn/Ramon Sessions/Mustafa Shakur
Corey Brewer/Sasha Pavlovic/Wayne Ellington
Ryan Gomes/Damien Wilkins
Kevin Love/Brian Cardinal
Al Jefferson/Ryan Hollins/Jared Reiner

Let's take a quick peak at those starting/closing day lineups with the dearly departed x'd out of existence:

~~Randy Foye/Kevin Ollie~~
~~Mike Miller/Rashad McCants~~
Corey Brewer/~~Rodney Carney~~
Ryan Gomes/~~Craig Smith~~
Al Jefferson/Kevin Love

~~Kevin Ollie/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown~~
~~Mike Miller/Rodney Carney~~
Brian Cardinal/Ryan Gomes
~~Mark Madsen~~/Kevin Love/~~Craig Smith~~
~~Jason Collins/Shelden Williams~~

And no, I do not believe there is another team in the league with only three remaining players from the rotation of their final 08/09 game. Only the Raptors come close.

What did the Wolves lose?

Net Production by Position

Position	FGA	eFG%	FTA	iFG	Reb	Ast	T/O	Blk	PF	Pts	PER*
PG	-0.5	-.061	-1.5	0%	-1.9	-0.7	-0.2	-0.0	-1.1	-3.8	-7.0
SG	0.1	-.034	-0.1	4%	0.1	-0.3	-0.2	-0.0	-0.3	-1.1	-2.4
SF	-3.5	+.001	-2.5	-1%	0.9	0.5	-0.5	0.1	-0.8	-5.5	-4.2
PF	0.3	-.016	-0.3	8%	-0.2	0.3	-0.6	-0.9	-0.3	-0.5	-2.3
C	6.1	-.057	2.1	4%	1.8	-0.9	0.2	-1.1	0.8	6.0	+2.4

They gave up a whole lot of nothing at the point, a Randy-Foye-January-fueled-it-was-really-worse-than-the-final-numbers-suggest basket of crap at the off-guard, a bowl of ineptitude at the 3, some holy-crap-there-is-nobody-behind-Love at the 4, and Al Jefferson and Kevin Love at the 5.

Enter David Kahn.

While I think it is safe to say that most Wolves fans who were paying attention at the time of his hiring (all 1,700 of us) were upset that the team seemed to have bumbled its way through its most important new addition in years (Kahn seemed to be a secondary choice and candidates from the Blazers and Spurs appear to have walked away from the position), The Demolition Man quickly and confidently made a series of moves that have placed the Wolves in a position to win.

He turned Kevin McHale, Jerry Sichting, and Dean Cooper into Kurt Rambis, Reggie Theus, Bill Laimbeer, and Dave Wohl.
He turned two moderate-sized expiring contracts into Ricky Rubio.
He turned a Sebastian Telfair/Kevin Ollie point guard rotation into a Jonny Flynn/Ramon Sessions one.
He picked up an athletic big who can play the reserve 4/5.
He drafted the 2nd best shooter in the draft late in the 1st round.
He cleared (probably) between $13-15 milion in 2010 cap space.
He picked up another 2010 first round pick.

Best of all, Kahn has made the Wolves interesting again. The process has been full of goofy quotes, funny interviews, nearly weekly roster moves, and the entire Ricky Rubio saga, but the bottom line for Kahn and the Wolves is the results:

Their core is good and tremendously young.
They have drafted the 2 best Euros in the past 2 drafts and stashed them overseas.
They have 3 likely 1st round picks in the 2010 draft.
They will have in the neighborhood of $15 million below the cap in 2010 free agency.
Chances are, they now have a functional point guard on their roster.

This thing is clearly still a work in progress (the team needs help on the wing and the Rubio situation still needs to be resolved one way or another) but it is also clearly pointed in the right direction.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

Rebounding. Rebounding. Rebounding, and more rebounding. Kevin Love is one of the league's top 3 rebounders, Al Jefferson's game is built to be close to the bucket and he collects a net positive on the offensive boards, and Corey Brewer can hold his own at either the 2 or 3. If there is a player from last year's squad to get a little chippy about his departure, it is Mike Miller. Despite not shooting the damn ball, Miller was a very solid defensive rebounder and it will take a well above average effort from Pavlovic, Brewer, and Gomes to match Miller's efforts on the glass at the 2/3. Miller was the team's 3rd best rebounder and he did so from the wing. That's going to be harder to make up than what I think most people first realize, especially with the crew of Pavlovic, Brewer, Gomes, and Ellington trying to make up the difference. Ramon Sessions should make up for some of the lost rebounding production vis-a-vis Sebastian Telfair, but Miller's loss probably will have some effect on the glass. How much is something that remains to be seen.

In theory, the Wolves should also be a very good free throw shooting team this season. Last year Ramon Sessions had the 25th best FT/FG rate in the league at 36. Kevin Love was 18th at 39. Big Al was all the way down at 154 with 19. By all accounts in college, summer league, and his small sample of preseason games, Jonny Flynn has all the makings of a high-contact guard who will draw a lot of fouls in an up-tempo system. Last year the Wolves had one fairly legit threat of getting to the line at a high rate: Kevin Love. This year they have 3 players who should draw a ton of contact with one guy (Jefferson) who will have a modest rate but a high volume due to his number of touches.

It's pretty hard for me to overstate just how big of a deal improved free throw shooting will be for the Wolves. Last year the Wolves averaged 2.3 fewer FTAs than their opponents. The year before that they were a league-worst -6.9 in that category (which should give you an idea of the relative merits between Kevin Love and Craig Smith). For a team with a -4.9 point differential these are points that simply cannot be left on the board. With the addition of Sessions and Flynn, and with the continued development of Love, the Wolves appear to have addressed one of their biggest weaknesses of the past 2-3 years and turned it, hopefully, into a positive. For those readers who are just casual fans of the game, I cannot stress enough how important the free throw differential is to the bottom line. I also cannot stress enough just how bad the Wolves have been on this front over the past several years.

The final thing the Wolves are going to be good at is physicality. This is something that will be pretty hard to define over the course of the year but I have a pretty good feeling that they are going to be scrappy. One of the most striking things about their play in camp was they way in which guys like Love, Brewer, Sessions, and Ryan Hollins were getting after it. This has a chance of positively impacting the play on the end of the court they need help with the most. I'm not saying that they are going to be a defensive dynamo, but this year's squad has the opportunity to run out a rotation of Sessions, Brewer, Pavlovic, Jefferson/Love, and Ryan Hollins, which is a fairly significant defensive upgrade over anything they were able to offer up in the 08/09 campaign. This especially becomes the case if Brewer develops into the plus-defender we all hope he can morph in to. Sessions/Brewer/Pavlovic has the potential to turn the epic defensive weakness of Telfair/Foye/Miller into a positive for this club. It's probably not a lineup you'd run out there for long stretches of time, but it is something that this club did not have at its disposal under McHale. All three of those players held their 08/09 opponents to below their average production. The same could not be said for Telfair (-0.009% of opponents' average), Foye (whose opponents went 10.8% over their average production against the former Villanova star), and Miller (a mere 5.6% over average production). If you throw Ryan Hollins into the mix, the Wolves may have something approaching an effective defensive unit that they could trot out on the floor for 4-8 minutes per night.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Defense, wing play, turnovers, and outside shooting. I don't really know if there is a good way to break this down in much greater detail but the Wolves are still going to have problems on defense; their 2 and 3 will be manned by a rotation of Corey Brewer, Wayne Ellington, Sasha Pavlovic, and Ryan Gomes, and their backcourt will be led by 2 point guards who will be in their first year with the team. David Kahn has been pretty frontal in his assessment that Gomes and Brewer are both in put up or shut up years. Pavlovic is on a 1-year contract. Nothing is promised or owed to any of these players and if they can't figure it out this year, I think it is becoming more and more obvious that when the Wolves do cash in their draft/free agency chips, it will be for a wing player. At media day and during camp both Gomes and Brewer said enough to make everyone well aware of the fact that they too know the score. As you can see from the positional chart listed above, the score on the wing isn't exactly in the Wolves' favor to begin with.

While I mentioned the possibility of a fairly solid perimeter defensive rotation with Sessions, Brewer, and Pavlovic, the fact remains that there is nothing on this team to suggest a significant overall improvement in defensive efficiency. Until we see some improvement in action, it's hard to believe it in theory. Ryan Hollins gives them a lengthy shot blocker but he fouls a ton. Corey Brewer has the potential to be an A+ defender but he is coming back from injury and is close to completely ineffective on the offensive end of the court. Ramon Sessions is a slightly above average defender at the point but he could end up with a lot of minutes at the 2. The point here is that even with the defensive positives the Wolves have some issues when it comes to weighing their best overall lineups against their best defensive ones. I'd be peachy keen with anything close to a neutral OE/DE ratio.

It can also not be overstated just how bad of an outside shooting club the Wolves are going to be this year. Wayne Ellington is probably their best shooter, their likely starting two guard (Brewer) has a career .250 three point average, their best point guard has 41 career three point attempts (with a .220 average), and Sasha Pavlovic's numbers from beyond the arc have seen a four-year fluctuation of .365, .405, .298, and .410. Could Ryan Gomes be the team's best outside shooter? If that's the case, then the Wolves are in for a long, long year from a perimeter shooting perspective. It's already proving to be a big problem in their limited preseason action.

4. What are the goals for this team?

a- At least a neutral OE/DE rating. Last year the Wolves had a -5.3 point gap per 100 possessions. While this was an improvement over the -7.4 point gap per 100 possessions from the year before, it still is a giant pile of suck. With the addition of a real starting point guard, and the maturation of Kevin Love, here's hoping the Wolves can pick up 2-3 pp/100 poss on the offensive side of the ball and that the return of Brewer and the addition of Sessions and Pavlovic can gain a point or two on the defensive side of things.

b- An increase in pace and shots within the first 10-15 seconds of the shot clock. If the Wolves' new offensive is going to pay dividends we should see an increased pace with more shots taken in transition. 36% of the Wolves' shots in 2008/09 were in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock and 26% came in the next 5. If those numbers go up, it means the Wolves are running and getting opportunistic buckets. Last year the Wolves finished 15th in the league with 91.6 possessions/game. That number needs to go up.

c- Free throw neutrality (or more). As mentioned above, the Wolves should have an increase in free throw attempts this season. I have been harping on this point for two years now: You can't win games while losing by a mile at the free throw line. It can't be done. Between Kevin Love, Ramon Sessions, and Jonny Flynn, the Wolves have three guys who can really draw contact and get to the charity stripe.

d- Injury free.Will Kevin Love break the Wolves' 2nd year injury curse? From Shaddy to Foye to Brewer, 2nd year draft Wovles draft picks have all suffered season-ending injuries in their 2nd campaign. This is one curse that needs to be broken this year. (UPDATE: Of course, as this goes to post, Kevin Love breaks a bone in his left hand and will likely be out 6-8 weeks.)

5. Did David Kahn screw the pooch on draft night?

Let me begin by giving a simple yes or no: No. However, the (excellent) addition of Ramon Sessions begs the question of whether or not the Wolves could have walked away from the Draft with Rubio and, say, Demar DeRozan instead of Jonny Flynn. Sure, it would have been a big bet to wait out for Sessions, and who knows what would have happened with Sessions' negotiations if Rubio stayed in Europe and Flynn wasn't sitting there as a sure replacement, but..well, it's pretty hard to ignore the fact that the Wolves had two big first rounders and a free agent signing over the summer and they were all at the same position. Yes, it's at a position that has killed the Wolves since the days of Sam Cassell but isn't there a nagging little thought in the back of your head that is whispering "it could have been done better?" I think Kahn has done a terrific job but it will ultimately depend on which point guard(s) stick around in 2-3 years and how much he can get with the one (or two) that gets sent away. Will that equation end up being more valuable than the previously mentioned Rubio/DeRozan/Sessions combo? Who knows?

Projected Finish: 31-51

Poll

How many games will the Wolves win this year?

Less than 15

28 votes

16-20

83 votes

21-25

147 votes

26-30

183 votes

31-35

83 votes

More than 35

30 votes

554 votes | Poll has closed

Thoughts in Advance of the Weekend Games

Steve Perrin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:22:44 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Blake will likely get another start against the Jazz.

Browse more photos »

I stopped by Playa Vista today and got to watch a fair amount of the Clippers' practice. Unfortunately, I also got to see Craig Smith sort of roll onto Marcus Camby's ankle and watch Camby hobble off the court. (I guess my iPod touch wasn't connected to the Wi-Fi after all, because I thought I sent a quick Tweet out about that, but it didn't get sent. Fortunately Lisa Dillman got the job done.) I don't think it's serious - I've seen a lot of ankle injuries and it wasn't a full force, step on a foot, roll the ankle with all your body weight on it thing. Smith fell, and sort of rolled into Marcus. It was actually the kind of play that could produce a very serious injury, like a hyper-extended knee or something. But since the team has said it's a sprained ankle, I'm actually relieved. If it's a sprain (i.e. if x-rays were negative) I don't think it's a bad one.

Sebastian Telfair practiced today, but coach was non-committal on whether or how much he'd play this weekend. He wanted to wait and see how Bassy responded to the practice today. He was also pretty inscrutable regarding rotations - wouldn't say who he was thinking of resting, though he did say that he'd like to start working back to a more normal rotation. Of course Camby will be out for these games - no reason to rush him out there, especially when DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are probably the two players who benefit most from the pre-season reps. The weekend is further complicated by the back-to-back, not to mention the crazy mini-tournament format. Since the team doesn't yet know who they're playing Sunday, they haven't done any prep on that team. So they'll just have a walk through about Sunday's opponent Sunday morning, and that will have to do.

For those who want to look for clues in the practice about what the coach is thinking about his lineup, he's not tipping his hand yet. During three-team drills today, the first team remained the same - Kaman, Camby, Thornton, Gordon and Baron. When Camby limped off, Griffin switched his jersey, as you would expect. DJ remains on the second unit, deservedly so, with Craig Smith being forced down to the third unit. The Clippers are just deeper at the big spots, and I expect Smith to get rotation minutes, but he's the fifth guy up front. Ricky Davis remains on the second unit, pretty much by default - they are thinner on the wings.

As for Saturday's opponent, Utah is one of the playoff teams from last season that the Clippers hope might possibly slip up this season and open the door. The Jazz are pretty hard to explain. They went to the Western Conference Finals in 2008 - and then with the same team, and nice improvement from young players like Deron Williams and Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap, they regressed last season. Like the Clippers, they suffered some injuries - but also like the Clippers, injuries don't seem to completely explain their issues. In fact, Utah was finally fully healthy at the end of the season, which is exactly when they were playing their worst ball. They went 4-8 in their last dozen games, and fell to the eighth seed and a first round matchup with the Lakers, who promptly ended their season. And to complicate matters, they had a strange off-season. Carlos Boozer by most accounts has one foot out the door, but because of the salary cap and economy, decided to play his option year rather than becoming a free agent (same for Mehmut Okur). That left the Jazz in the position of having to pay to retain Paul Millsap, Boozer's backup and heir apparent, while still paying Boozer, who they've been trying to move. So for now, the small market Jazz have one of the biggest payrolls in the league and are going to be taking a massive luxury tax hit. And that's a situation that won't last long.

All of this is pretty irrelevant to pre-season - who knows if we'll even see Williams and Boozer in this game? But the Jazz are a team to watch when the season starts. They have plenty of talent. But the way the closed last season, plus the strange off-season they had, makes you wonder where their heads will be this season, especially with Boozer and Okur in contract years with little chance of being re-signed.

The Jazz, like the Clippers, are 3-1 in pre-season so far. If the Clippers don't give anyone the night off, I would expect Griffin to replace Camby in the starting lineup with Baron, Gordon, Thornton and Kaman. But Baron is due for a night off soon, so don't be surprised if Bassy gets the call in one of these games.

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Minnesota Timberwolves - Donde esta Senor Rubio?

R Dizzle — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:00:18 -0000

Senor Rubio,

Donde esta mi ago? You were drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with this 5th pick back in June, and yet unlike Eddie Murphy in a fine film, you did not end up Coming to America.

Instead you decided to stay despite wanting no more from your former team, DKV Joventut. So you got them to trade your rights to Regal Barcelona, and poof, you signed a 6 year contract with them. Does this mean you're staying there all 6 years? No. But it does mean it will be a while before you end up coming to the States.

Now what you ask?

Listen Ricky, I get it. I understand why you didn't want to be a part of the T-Wolves. Although they have a great fan base (if you haven't I suggest checking out our SB Nation brother Canis Hoopus), they don't really have a great team. Let's be honest, a record of 24-58 is pretty hard to go to. They lack a superstar and an all-star, but hey, there's potential right? Trust me, I know how that feels.

Gotta love potential.

But let's look at what this organization did for you without even signing you!

Key additions:

Ramon Sessions,Antonio Daniels, Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington, Oleksiy Pecherov, Chucky Atkins, Damien Wilkins, Ryan Hollins, Mark Blount, Sasha Pavlovic

Key subtractions: Randy Foye, Mike Miller, Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, Mark Madsen, Kevin Ollie, Q-Richardson

Essentially, the T-Wolves traded away two capable players (Foye and Miller) to the Wizards in order to draft you at number 5. They hired a new coach, former Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis. New T-Wolves GM , David Kahn, even made plenty of trips to Spain in order to speak with you and your family as well as DKV about a potential buyout. They even claim that the details were worked out. It would have been hard since due to the rookie pay scale, the buyout clause from your DKV contract would have prevented you from making any money directly from the T-Wolves. But hey, there would have been crazy endorsement contracts to sign and you would have made some good money.

Nonetheless, I can see your point. Why go to the T-Wolves? They're a terrible a team, especially since losing KG. That trade was straight up silly, but hey, whatever works to get the Celtics a championship, right? Furthermore,with the T-Wolves original pick at #6, they chose another point guard! Jonny Flynn + Ricky Rubio = weird back court. I get that. But so does Stephen Curry + Monta Ellis, right? Take a look at the Warriors, it's going to be a great year for us!

Moreover, I get that you want to be the focus of the town. Kinda hard when some old guy keeps wavering around a comeback all summer and then finally decides to join a team mid-training camp. No names to be mentioned here. Only pictures.

WHY WON'T YOU GO AWAY?!?!?!

Gotta respect the T-Wolves, though. They didn't really want to only have Jonny Flynn this offseason, so they picked up restricted free agent Ramon Sessions. Great player if you ask me. Lots of us in the Bay love him too. Best of luck for that.

So what's it going to be Senor Rubio? Well let me break down my predictions about the 'Wolves.

Win less than 27 games
Sessions + Flynn = strange back court, but somehow it manages to work
Kevin Love has another monster year
We all see a ton of potential

Like I've said, I get it. You want to come out to USA, but not to Minnesota. Ending up in California, New York, or somewhere on the coasts is ideal for all of us. Luckily, us Warriors fans (well, most of us) enjoy Sunny California. Maybe we'll see you out here, maybe we won't. Most likely, you're not ending up with the 'Wolves. All good, I wouldn't want to either.

See ya in 2011!

Your amigo,

R Dizzle

For more on the Minessota Timberwolves check out Canis Hoopus :

2009-2010 Around the Association

Introduction
Atlanta Hawks: Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. The Hawks are for real.
Boston Celtics: Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Charlotte Bobcats: They Do Exist
Chicago Bulls: Ring Around the Rose-y
Cleveland Cavaliers: Now or Never
Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Denver Nuggets: If it ain't broke...
Detroit Pistons: The Return of the Bay Boys
Houston Rockets: Yao-ch!, that's gotta hurt
Indiana Pacers: A One Man Show
Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Los Angeles Lakers: Big Brother, Little Brother
Memphis Grizzlies: Going Back to Vancouver
Miami Heat: Need to get the point
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets: The Year of the Yi
New Orleans Hornets: Two first names, one great point guard
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Super Sonics
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia Sixers
Phoenix Suns
Portland TrailBlazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Rewind

Poll

Fill in the blank. The Minnesota Timberwolves are....

Going to have a Rubio + Flynn backcourt in 2011.

73 votes

Never going to see Rubio in a T-Wolves jersey.

559 votes

Going to win the NBA title this year.

78 votes

710 votes | Poll has closed

My Team Is Better Than Yours: Minnesota Timberwolves Edition

BlaseE — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:17:29 -0000

We go from Memphis to Minnesota. We saw one awesome sophomore in the last edition (O.J. Mayo), and now I get to look at one I like even better (Kevin Love). I like Al Jefferson a lot too and think that Minnesota has him in a Spursian type contract of great value for the right price. I've always had a preference for Corey Brewer as he was touted as a long armed, 3 point shooting, defensive specialist when he was drafted. I've read his progress is sketchy though. I know Randy Foye and Mike Miller are gone, but I'm not too sure who is new. I'm really curious to do this one.

George Hill blocks Kevin Love's shot (via dvyoung05)

No research was done on Kevin Love's twitter so this may not be up to date. Please comment if I'm wrong on anything he has updated on his twitter. I do know Rambis is their new coach though.

I have a feeling most people on here wouldn't like this band, but the music for this one is Taking Back Sunday's Timberwolves at New Jersey. It is one of my favorite songs by the them.

FSN Season Stats Head to Head

They gave up 102.7 points a game. Can I stop there?

Guess not. They shot the second worst at 44.1% and gave up the 5th worst percentage at 47.4%. They are a good offensive rebounding team. They ranked low in offensive boards given up and defensive boards per game so I figure those stats are skewed by their poor defensive shooting numbers. They were 5th in offensive boards and 18th in defensive boards given up.

They were the second most blocked team and had the 3rd least blocks on defense. We're number 4 though. The Wolves were pretty average in assists and turnovers.

Last Season's Games

Wed, November 5 @ Minnesota We win 129-125. "Parker's jumper sends game to second OT as Spurs win"

We had lost our first 3 games going into this one. It took two overtimes and 55 points and 10 assists from Parker to get our first win. Mason and Duncan added another 56 points. Al Jefferson (30) and Mike Miller (25) put up 55 for the Wolves. Kevin Love was very impressive for a rookie in his 4th game.

Tony Parker (55 points 10 assists) (via iDarthVader)

Fri, December 12 @ Minnesota We win 98-86. "Spurs hand Wolves eighth straight loss"

Al Jefferson goes off for another 29 on us. Mike Miller is held to 3 points though. Manu is back, and players still on our roster account for 88 of 98 points. Kevin Love only scores 4 points but gets 10 boards (5 offensive) in 25 minutes off the bench.

Tue, December 23 Minnesota We win 99-93. "Parker, Spurs send Wolves to 13th straight loss"

Players still on our roster score 92 of the 97 points led by Parker's 36. Al Jefferson drops another point from the previous match up and only gets 28, but we hold him to 6 rebounds. Randy Foye put up 26. Mike Miller didn't play. Kevin Love was held to zero offensive boards. Our bench let this one get closer than it should have losing the 4th quarter 26-16. Anthony Tolliver got 11 minutes if that gives you any indication of the rotation.

George Hill's vicious dunk in slow motion (Timberwolves @Spurs) (via dvyoung05)
This dunk cost Hill many minutes in the playoffs....Nice pass by Manu though. Hopefully this highlight serves as an appetizer for '09-'10 full of Hill and Manu off the bench highlights.

Tue, March 17 Minnesota We win 93-86. "Without Duncan, Parker helps Spurs gain ground in postseason race"

No Duncan, Manu or Al Jefferson is just a gut punch as an NBA fan wanting to see good basketball. 61 of our 93 points are still on the roster. Parker scores 24 to lead all scorers. We are terrible from 3 and Minnesota outshoots us but we win by outshooting them on the charity stripe and getting offensive boards. That felt weird to write that. Kevin Love starts in Jefferson's place and goes for 17 points and 19 boards (3 offensive).

Wolves Roster Changes

They drafted Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington, and Henk Norel. A lot of people are crazy for Ricky Rubio. Last I read, he is definitely getting out of his current contract, but that doesn't mean he is playing in the NBA. I've also heard he is trade bait. I somewhat doubt this. Jonny Flynn is another PG, out of Syracuse. According to DraftExpress, he led the NCAA in assists per game and 19th in points. He is said to be turnover prone but he seems to be an offensive weapon, creating for himself and others. Wayne Ellington is a SG out of UNC. I'm not sure if his 3 pointer has NBA range, but by his college numbers, the guy appears to love to shoot. DraftExpress says he was the most efficient shooter they looked at in the draft, but he had half as many possessions as some of the other guards they looked at. Henk Norel is a 21 year old PF/C from the Netherlands. He is 6'11" but only 212 pounds. DraftExpress says Norel is a best case Jeff Foster and worst case Oberto. He supposedly has great touch and movement off the ball but lacks offense. I don't know if he will be playing in the States next year or not. They have the roster spots but he may be better served to stay in Europe.

They also traded Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Mark Madsen, Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith, and Etan Thomas for Darius Songalia, Oleksiy Pecherov, Quentin Richardson, Chucky Atkins, and Damien Wilkins. Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair are all notable losses as they accounted for 46.1 points, 15.2 rebounds, and 14.5 assists per game. Songaila is a solid addition. Richardson is a decent addition. He can score. Atkins is a great veteran presence to back up their young guards and hopefully serve as a mentor. Someone needs to tell Pecherov he isn't Dirk. He is 7' and has taken just under half of all of his FGA's from the 3 only making ~30% of them. He will see limited minutes behind their front court though.

Kevin Ollie and Shelden Williams left in FA, and Rodney Carney and Jason Collins are still unsigned FA's.

The Match-Up

Starters

PG: Tony Parker versus Ricky Rubio: Advantage Spurs: Tony gets to show a 19 year old European top PG prospect what the NBA is like. This should be a fun match up because of the international hype these two bring.

SG: Roger Mason versus Damien Wilkins: Advantage Spurs: This is who ESPN says will start for you, Minnesota. I think you would be better off with Ellington or Richardson here. Wolves fans, please comment on this position. Mason is better than all of them at this point though.

SF: Richard Jefferson versus Ryan Gomes: Advantage Spurs: I know very little about Gomes. On a stat comparison, I'm going with RJ. Gomes will definitely be in a position to up his scoring and take on a big role if he has it in him.

PF: Antonio McDyess versus Kevin Love: Advantage Wash: Looking at Kevin Love, he is a younger McDyess. They are a statistical tie. I give Love the advantage on athleticism and Dice the advantage on veteran knowledge.

That is a block. via www.nba.com

C: Tim Duncan versus Al Jefferson: Advantage Spurs: Duncan gets the advantage, but this is the closest match up we have had for him yet. As a basketball fan, I hope Jefferson stays healthy all season and that he dominates like I think he can (just not against us). He went for 29.0 and 11.0 last year against the Spurs.

Bench:

Point Guard: Hill vs Flynn, Bobby Brown, and Chucky Atkins: I'm going to give this to Minnesota. They have two players that can take good minutes off the bench. Atkins is a smart veteran and Flynn is a top prospect rookie. Hill is more than welcome and more than capable to prove me wrong though.

Wings: Manu, Finley, Hairston, and Williams vs Wayne Ellington, Corey Brewer, and Quentin Richardson: Spurs win this one hands down.

Front Court: Blair, Mahinmi, Bonner, Haislip, and Ratliff vs Darius Songaila, Brian Cardinal, and Oleksiy Pecherov: Songalia is decent but so is everyone on our much deeper rotation.

Coaching: Advantage Spurs. Back in the very early 90's when I was 7-9 years old, my older brother started collecting basketball cards. Kurt Rambis was like a bad omen card. My friend and I burnt one, ripped it to shreds, and flushed it down a toilet when we were teenagers upon finding it amongst our other non-binder worthy cards. That fills my terrible Kurt Rambis/ teenage pyro anecdote quota for the year.

Result: Spurs win all three games. We get to see some exciting front court match ups if everyone is healthy, but the Wolves back court is too unproven and just not deep enough.

The Schedule

Tue, Dec 29 vs Minnesota: After a back to back of @ Bucks and @ Knicks, we have one day of rest before this game.

Fri, Mar 12 at Minnesota: First of a back to back with Clippers at home next. After the Clips, it is one day off and then another back to back (@ Heat and then @ Magic.

Mon, Apr 12 vs Minnesota: Last home game of the season.

So that is the Spurs-Wolves preview for next season. Next up is the Golden State Warriors.

Past entries in this series: Grizzlies, Thunder, Clippers, Wizards and Kings.

Poll

What is the top Spurs-Wolves match-up story line for '09'10?

Just Duncan vs Jefferson

71 votes

Parker vs Rubio (he better be in the league after all that hype)

49 votes

Duncan, McDyess, and our front court vs Jefferson, Love, and theirs

32 votes

Can Parker go for 56 and 11?

42 votes

Just 3 more SA wins.

71 votes

Sophomore Impact Showdown: Hill vs Love

8 votes

Rookie Impact Showdown: Blair vs Flynn/Ellington/Rubio

15 votes

Spurs backcourt is going to destroy the Wolves without Miller and Foye.

41 votes

329 votes | Poll has closed

Week in review/Great off-season performances

Stop-n-Pop — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:00:26 -0000

Jaguars and Eagles getting along. Viva the poor school!

It was a busy week in Wolves-ville. Craig Smith, Mark Madsen and Sebastian Telfair were sent to the Clippers in exchange for Quentin Richardson. David Kahn went to Spain:

Mad Dog wrote a letter. Jonny Flynn has a cool YouTube Summer League highlight reel. Hoopus attempted a podcast. Oh, the Minnesota Lynx continue to be the best professional basketball organization in town.

In non-Wolves news, the WNBA gets high marks for diversity. Small forwards are kind of important. NBA salaries in context. Why you need to know about American Needle.

Finally, I will be out of town from the 1st to the 11th. It is time once again for our grand loop of middle-America; driving from Omaha to Oklahoma City to Fort Worth to Little Rock to Saint Louis to Kansas City to Ames to visit family, friends and everyone in between. If any of our readers are feeling frisky when it comes to longer fan posts, that would be the best time to publish them. Wyn will be around to bump things to the front page.

Until later.