via rockymountainnews.com

Last time they faced the Clips, the Wolves were oh so close to a win. But Chris Kaman manhandled Minnesota down low and Rasual Butler, Eric Gordon and Baron Davis all scored in double figures. Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes each shot 29%, taking 21 and 14 shots respectively. It's just not a good recipe.

Tonight the Wolves won't have to contend with Gordon (out with a strained groin), but they'll be facing a Clippers team coming off of a big win in Denver. The key to getting off the 12-game losing streak will be what it has been for all 12 losses: teamwork. Limit turnovers (they beat LA 12-18 last time), move the ball to find open shots and force the feast or famine Clippers to take jump shots (Davis and Butler shoot less than 40%) all night by denying entry passes and collapsing on penetration (Kaman and DeAndre Jordan play well against the Wolves, unlike.... wait, like everyone else). I know, easier said (like, oh say, 13 times before) than done.

Can you tell it's getting tougher and tougher to imagine scenarios where the Wolves pull out a win?

See our brethren at Clips Nation for the other side.

via www.metromag.com

Hoopus readers and Wolves faithful alike, it's time to begin planning this year's Hoopus Night at the Target Center. Last year the team was generous enough to reserve a suite for people who bought a $25 ticket for Hoopus Night. It was a good night of drinks and commiserating, although we lost to the Suns.

This year, I'd like to get input for the planning to ensure that the event appeals to you all as much as possible. SO, I want to know your thoughts on the following:

• What opponent would you most interested in seeing?
• What day of the week would you prefer? Is opponent more important than day of the week?
• Where would you prefer seats to be?
• What's a reasonable price point for tickets? Is price more important than seat section and amenities?

Oddly, tonight is already the 3rd meeting between the Wolves and Blazers this season. Both previous engagements ended in 23-point losses for the Wolves. Now, they're 1-11. One and eleven. 1 win. Eleven losses. The Blazers, on the other hand, are 9-5. They are, though, a few years ahead of the Wolves in rebuilding (at least for this latest round of Wolves rebuilding).

Kevin Love will get no homecoming yet. The examination earlier this week indicated his fractured hand will need another 2-3 weeks to heal.

Unfortunately we won't get a look at Travis Outlaw, the type of slashing 3 Kahn has expressed interest in. Outlaw has a stress fracture in his foot and there's no timetable for his return. Nicolas Batum is out as well with a shoulder injury.

Blazers Edge is our friend.

via Getty Images

Oklahoma City's Sam Presti may be the new golden boy for fans of NBA General Managers, especially after the hubris and mediocre offseason Kevin Pritchard and the Blazers had (can't wait for the Blazers Edgers to drop by tonight). Both Presti and Pritchard, like Minnesota's David Kahn, undertook rebuilding efforts from the ground up. Houston's Daryl Morey, on the other hand, took over a team that had two high-paid, injury-prone stars in Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Including the playoffs and this season, Yao and McGrady have only played in 73% and 55% of the games under Morey. Neither have played yet this year and Yao is expected to be out all season (McGrady won't be playing tonight, but may return soon). All the while the star duo took up 48%, 50% and 54% of the Rockets cap.

But despite having his hands tied tighter than any other GM in the league, Daryl Morey went out and built teams that posted winning percentages of .671 and .646, made the West playoffs both years and, without 1 minute from either star, took the Lakers to Game 7 of the Semis last year. And so far this year, again without 1 minute from either star, the Rockets are 6-5 with wins against Portland, Utah and the Lakers. They also lost to Portland, the Lakers and Sacramento, but pobody's nerfect.

Make no mistake, these were Morey's teams: he served as Assistant GM from the Spring of '06 until he was hired as GM the next year. He had a huge influence on the acquisitions of Chuck Hayes and Shane Battier, then Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry and Luis Scola the next summer, and Trevor Ariza, David Andersen, Kyle Lowry  and Chase Budinger this past season and offseason. That's your 9-man Rockets rotation, with not an All-Star among them and only three 1st round picks (Battier #6, Lowry #24, and Brooks #26).

Daryl Morey is the General Manager King of Bootstraps. David Kahn has been under some serious fire lately, but if there's any consolation for Wolves fans in the Morey story it's that even the biggest of set-backs don't ruin team-building. Strong player evaluation, especially in the draft, and smart financial moves can be stabilizers against chinks in the armor.

For an opposing viewpoint see The Dream Shake

Tonight the Wolves will be without Al Jefferson as he tends to family matters. While trotting out a lineup of Flynn/Brewer/Gomes/Pecherov/Hollins may not be very attractive, tonight will give the Wolves a chance to operate the quasi-triangle without Big Al. Al's by no means on the hot seat right now but he hasn't looked like his old self yet this year. No doubt he's still feeling the effects of injury, but Al is no longer the focal point of the offense and ball movement hasn't exactly been his strength in the past.

As The 600 Project astutely pointed out today, this is the first opportunity Rambis & Co. have to take on an opponent they've seen before. There's no excuse for the Wolves' poor effort against Golden State, but it's also no small task for a coach to teach a difficult system to his assistants and young players. Pile on the fact that 2/3 of the roster is new this year and that quasi-Triangle is a recipe for 1-7. Let's see what kind of adjustments Rambis can make before getting the pitchforks out.

The Warriors game brought us the first regular season glimpse of the Flynn/Sessions tandem (at least that I've seen) and it didn't look that great. If the Blazers start two point guards against us again, I'd like to see us trot out our 2 point guards just the same. Part of teaching a new system is finding out how your roster pieces fit within that system. If Flynn and Sessions just will flat out not work together, it'd be nice to know sooner rather than later. At the risk of wanting it both ways, I still think it's way to early to make any concrete conclusions about the roster and system. If the All-Star break rolls around and we're still talking about terrible efforts and 20 - 40 point blowouts, I'll light your torch for you.

And, per the video above, since we've talked a lot about Rudy Gay on this site, what are your thoughts on Travis Outlaw as the uber-athletic 3 Kahn has said the Wolves are looking for?

Be sure to visit Blazers Edge for Portland coverage. They may enjoy ribbing us regularly, but it's by and large good-natured. Let's punish them for their weakness.

After last night, I figured Wolves Nation could use a reason to smile. That's why I've decided to resurrect an ancient Hoopus Tradition: the hilarious photo collection. If you don't like my selections, see for yourself.

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