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Minnesota Timberwolves 115, New Orleans Hornets 86

February 3, 2013 by
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jim Mone (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jim Mone (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Game Summary

Utter domination is not the sort of thing that the Minnesota Timberwolves have grown very used to this season. In fact, they have usually found themselves on the opposite end of such treatment. The Pups entered Saturday night’s contest against the New Orleans Hornets having lost 11 of their past 12 games, but with the help of some healthy bodies and a cold shooting night from New Orleans, the Wolves whooped the soon-to-be Pelicans by a score of 115-86.

Minnesota got in front early and held a comfortable margin throughout the entire game. The Hornets were without their scoring leader, Eric Gordon, as he sat due to soreness in both his surgically-repaired knee and also in his back. Since returning to action for New Orleans, the Hornets have gone 8-7 in games that Gordon has played in, a very encouraging mark that has New Orleans fans feeling very optimistic for the future, as they should. The young core of Gordon with first overall selection Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson, Greivis Vasquez, Al-Farouq Aminu and Austin Rivers should prove competitive for many years to come.

Tonight featured a marquee matchup of Spanish-speaking point guards, one Venezuelan and the other a Spaniard. Greivis Vasquez, a former late first-round selection by the Memphis Grizzlies, continues to tear it up this season averaging 13.8 ppg and 9.3 apg. Vasquez has proven himself to be a legitimate starting PG in the NBA, and appears to have found a good home for the Hornets. The 6-foot-6 Vasquez faced off against the 6-foot-4 Ricky Rubio, and Ricky ultimately got the better of the matchup on both ends of the floor.

Minnesota’s biggest lead came in the second quarter when they led by 30 points, and the momentum did not change for the rest of the contest. No single player played more than 27 minutes for the T-Wolves, and every eligible player saw minutes for Minnesota. Although I saw no problem with resting players and giving other guys chances in a game that was essentially decided in the first period, I am perplexed that Derrick Williams played only 14 minutes. Last night could have served as valuable minutes for D-Will to work on his 1-on-1 game and gain comfort in game situations, but despite playing well, he was the only starter not to receive at least 23 minutes of playing time. Yeah, Dante was playing out of his mind and deserved to stay on the floor. But couldn’t Derrick get some minutes at SF, or is that former hope now a pipe dream? Whatever the answer is, I do not understand it.

Minnesota’s frontcourt did a number on the Hornets opposing bigs, and Minnesota outscored New Orleans 58-32 in the paint. Nikola Pekovic added 14 points and 7 rebounds and Andrei Kirilenko contributed 12 points, 6 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. AK-47 was prevalent on backdoor cuts and was the beneficiary of some impressive Rubio passes, but largely because Andrei did such a good job of getting himself open. The Timberwolves newest fan-favorite, Chris Johnson, saw only 8 minutes at the end of the game but was still 3-3 from the field for 6 points. The Wolves other 10-day man, Mickael Gelabale, scored 11 points on 4-5 shooting while pulling down 5 rebounds in 21 minutes.

As a team, the Wolves shot 58.4% compared to only 40% by the Hornets. Once Minnesota got in control, New Orleans put up very little fight to get back into the game. The young Hornets finished up a 5-game road trip in Minnesota and fatigue appeared to be a factor in this one. All in all, a good win for the Wolves.

Keys of the Game

  • Transition Defense - Minnesota committed 18 total team turnovers, but gave up only 7 points off turnovers. In other words, their transition defense was very impressive, and New Orleans did a very poor job capitalizing on the Pups mistakes. The Hornets had very poor spacing in transition, which allowed Minnesota defenders to deflect passes and get steals.
  • Rebounding - The Pups were back to their old ways of dominating the paint and out-rebounded New Orleans 44-28. No single Pup got over 7 rebounds, but rebounding was instead a group effort for Minnesota.
  • Passing - The Wolves tallied 30 assists as a team while New Orleans was held to only 15. Rubio did a tremendous job of penetrating the Hornets’ half-court defense and was able to find teammates breaking to the hoop. Alexey Shved added 8 assists off the bench as well.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Dante Cunningham - Cunningham hit all 9 of his field goal attempts and had what might have been the most efficient game of his career. DC Hustle was absolute money from mid-range and even showed off his athleticism with a high-flying alley-oop from Rubio that got the Target Center on it’s feet. Cunningham was a ridiculous +27 on the floor in 26 minutes, and finished his perfect shooting night with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
  2. Ricky Rubio - Ricky made a tough matchup against Vasquez look easy as he made fans “ooh” and “ahh” due to some spectacular alley-oops and fancy dribbling. To be honest, Rubio looked every bit of his former self last night and was even attacking the hooping and looking to get his shot from the get-go. As good as Rubio was on the offensive end, he was every bit as good on defense, shutting down Vasquez and limiting New Orleans’ primary facilitator. Because of the blowout, Rubio was only asked to play 23 minutes, but in the limited time on the floor he was able to record 9 points (3-5 FG), 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and only 1 turnover.
  3. Alexey Shved - Enough cannot be said about how much Shved has meant to this ballclub in only his rookie season. The way Shved operates in the offense, he looks more like a veteran than a rookie. This is due to his tremendous floor awareness and instincts, as he is so good at finding open teammates off the pick-and-roll. The Russian revelation finished with 12 points (4-11 FG), 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 25 minutes.

 

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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New Orleans Hornets, 2/2/13

February 2, 2013 by

Pelican BrowSetting the stage:

The Timberwolves and Pelicans (Hornets) face off for the third time this season on Saturday night at the Target Center.  The teams have split the two earlier match-ups, with the Wolves winning on 12/14 and then New Orleans returning the favor on 1/11.  This will be the Pelicans first trip to Minnesota this season.

The Wolves come in on a six game losing streak and have lost eleven of their last twelve.  To say this season has turned sour might be an early contestant for “understatement of the year – 2013”.  After losing to the Lakers on Friday night, there isn’t much more that needs to be said about how or why this team is struggling.

The Pelicans come into the game losers of three straight and are also coming off of a loss Friday night In Denver.  While the team remains in the cellar of the Western Conference, things have slightly picked up for the team since the return of Eric Gordon.  The good news for Pups fans is that Saturday’s game comes at the end of a back-to-back for the Hornets and Gordon may not be playing as a precaution.  (We’ll keep you posted via the comments below if/when there is official word from the club.)

Player to watch:

Anthony Davis – Despite being the #1 pick and having a pretty solid rookie season to date, I have not paid much attention to Anthony Davis at all.  His first performance against the Wolves was right around his season averages, putting up an 11 & 7 evening.  However, he had a tough second game, finishing with 9 points but 0 rebounds.  It will be interesting to see what Pekovic can do in the paint.  If Pekovic can get Robin Lopez in foul trouble, he should be able to beat up Davis in the paint.

Match-up to watch:

Ricky Rubio vs. Greivis Vasquez.  The only similarities between these two might be their body frame and facial hair.  However, both are critical to their teams’ respective success.  Vasquez has dominated the Pups in the two prior games this season, finishing the games with 15 & 16 (points & assists) and 18 & 13 several weeks ago.  Rubio will need to contain Greivis Saturday night if the Pups have any hope of breaking this losing streak.

Predictions:

This has to end at some point, right?  Right?!

Final score prediction: Twolves 106, Pelicans 101

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. Ricky Rubio
  2. Nikola Pekovic
  3. Greivis Vasquez

Let’s go Wolves!

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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 1/30/13

January 29, 2013 by

rickyrubio_blakegriffinFor the third time this season and for the second time in two weeks, the Timberwolves will be playing the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night.  The game begins a much needed, six game home stretch for the Pups as they look to right the ship that sails into the second half of the season.

The good news: it looks like Rick Adelman will be returning to the sidelines for the Pups!  The team was 2-9 during his extended absence in January to be with his ailing wife.  Let’s just say that it is good to have Coach Adelman on the sidelines.

Bonus good news: Pekovic and Shved returned to practice this week and may be available to start this stretch of home games!  Please cross your fingers.

The bad news: The Wolves have been beaten by the Clippers in each of their meetings this season, with the latter game on 1/17 being a complete dress-down for the Pups.  The only reason that game was remotely close (90-77) is because the Clippers looked like they took a few minutes off from time to time.

Player to watch:

Ricky Rubio – Rubio had his best performance of the season on Saturday night in Charlotte, finishing a game high +23 for the evening with 14 points, 8 assists, and 5 steals.  Let’s build on this!  Hopefully, Ricky is becoming more comfortable with his legs and his teammates so that we can start to see more of these types of performances much more frequently.  (Side note: the team desperately needs them.)

Match-up to watch:

Andrei Kirilenko vs. Caron Butler.  Without knowing who is in and who is out at the time of writing (Monday night) here is the match-up to watch.  Caron had a miserable performance against the Wolves back on 11/28, going 1-8 from the field for 2 points.  However, Andrei missed that game due to injury.  Two weeks ago Butler fared a little bit better with 12 points and putting in a few rebounds and assists going against AK47.  That said, Kirilenko got the better of him, finishing the game with 15 points on 7-12 shooting and adding in 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

Predictions:

With the return of Coach Adelman and the extended break between games, I say the Pups take Wednesday night’s game at home against the Clippers!

Final score prediction: Twolves 104, Clippers 97

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. Ricky Rubio
  2. Andrei Kirilenko
  3. Blake Griffin

Let’s go Wolves!

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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves at Washington Wizards, 1/25/13

January 23, 2013 by
Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

This Friday’s game sends the Timberwolves to the nation’s capital to face the Wizards.  The Pups enter the game with a 17-22 record and are coming off a loss at home to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.  Ricky Rubio was not pleased with sitting the entire 4th quarter in Wednesday’s game, so we’ll see where this season goes next with this news. It probably isn’t a good thing for an assistant coach to tick off the number one draw for the franchise.  Just a thought…

While the Wizards have the worst record in the league, their season has seemingly turned the corner with the recent return of John Wall to the lineup.  At 9-31 on the season, the team is clearly playing for pride and to show fans what the future may have in store.  Friday’s game also allows Pups fans to catch another glimpse of their former head coach, Randy Wittman.

For tonight’s preview we’re working with Abdullah Sharif from the WizardsExtreme.com team blog.  As you may have seen here on Timberpups.com, we have put together Q&A sessions with a writer from the opposition in an effort to get some inside perspective on what to expect on Friday night game nights.

Here’s our Q&A …

Wizards Question #1 for Abdullah:

First and foremost, John Wall is back in action and looks like he is close to 100% already.  What have you noticed thus far in his play – strengths, potential weaknesses, where he may be struggling, etc.? 

Abdullah:

Wall’s return has posed an immediate impact on the team, as the Wizards find themselves playing with a refreshing sense of aggression and fluidity that’s been rare to the Wizards faithful up until his recovery from the stress fracture in his knee. Over the past week and a half, the Wizards have won 5 of their last 7 games, including wins over Oklahoma City, Denver and Portland. Wall has defied several concerns regarding his conditioning, physical strength, and his overall rust from being away from the game for so long. While he displays the same speed and agility we’ve been used to, Wall has also been facilitating the offense in a more disciplined manner.

However, Wall has also proven that he still has some improvements to be made. His mid-range jump shot remains questionable, although his form has clearly improved. At times, Wall finds himself underestimating his speed down court, which usually results in making the wrong decision in transition, leading to a charging foul or a turnover. But overall, Wall’s long absence has proven his worth, as the Wizards now find themselves in the midst of newfound success, with John Wall being the catalyst.

 

Pups Question #1 for John:

How frustrating has the health of Kevin Love been this season and how have the Timberwolves been able to fill the void with the absence of his inside presence as well as threat as a shooter around the perimeter?

John:

Kevin Love’s broken hand from knuckle push-ups essentially set the tone for what was yet to come this season for the Timberwolves.  This freak accident started off a stretch of terrible luck in the injury department that has hit the vast majority of the lineup.  To be honest, before losing Budinger, Roy, Pekovic, and/or Shved (not to mention Josh Howard or the random games that JJ Barea and Andrei Kirilenko have missed … yes, this is all in a half a season) the Wolves were doing “OK” and treading water in Love’s earlier absence from the team.

However, the roster is far too deep in the water at this point and it is hard seeing this team stay afloat while Love recovers from the surgery and extended amount of time he’s now scheduled to miss (8-10 weeks after the surgery, which happened about a week after the injury occurred.  This was due to … the surgeon being sick and out of the office.  You can’t make this stuff up with how the season is going.)

At this point, they aren’t able to make up for Love’s absence.  Earlier in the season, Kirilenko, Dante Cunningham, and Derrick Williams were filling in admirably and rotating nicely based on match-ups.  Unfortunately, that isn’t happening anymore.  To your last point, the team is abysmal from beyond the arc.  Love’s hand injury led to a lot of his own struggles here when he was playing, but there really isn’t another player on the current roster that can consistently hit a three pointer right now.

 

Wizards Question #2 for Abdullah:

Tell us how you feel about Randy Wittman, but please keep it PG-13.  As a former coach for our Pups, I remember Wittman driving fans criminally insane in Minnesota.  Has he made any improvement whatsoever?  Would you like to see him return as coach next season? 

Abdullah:

Wittman’s tenure in Minnesota is very similar to his current one in DC. Besides the short stint he had coaching Kevin Garnett in 2006 and then-rookie Kevin Love in 2008, Wittman’s basketball teams have been sorely untalented. When his predecessor Flip Saunders was fired 17 games into the season last year, Wittman was called upon to take over a squad in complete disarray and misdirection. If you follow DC sports, you’ll clearly notice the blame for the team’s failure is directed more towards the men in upper management, as opposed to the coach himself. While Wittman does endure scrutiny for his questionable player rotations and strategies, many consider Wittman to be a victim of a bad culture and a coach who has had very little talent to work with. Wittman’s Wizards finished the season last year riding a six-game win streak, but several key injuries and managerial mishaps led to an underachieving lineup and the worst start in franchise history.

As mentioned in my previous answer, the Wizards are now back at full strength with John Wall back in the lineup, along with a healthy Nene and a vastly progressing rookie in Brad Beal. In his short time as Wizards coach, Wittman has proven that with the right tools and personnel, he can make for a respectable coach in the NBA.

 

Pups Question #2 for John:

What are the general outlook and opinion of Ricky Rubio and his potential success as a member of the Timberwolves? How much of a difference maker is he when on the floor and how does his game compare to John Wall’s?

John:

(Disclaimer: I’m a huge Rubio backer)

Rubio is struggling to find his form right now as he continues to fight his way past the torn ACL injury from last season.  He is passing up too many open shots and then when he is taking them, they are consistently falling flat and drawing iron.  He has shown flashes of brilliance, but you won’t see it in the box score on most occasions, as the team has been very strict in limiting his minutes and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Ricky is very clearly who David Kahn and company want to build around.  Assuming he shakes the rust off over the course of the rest of this season and comes back to form (and beyond) to what was seen in his rookie year, you can expect a maximum offer on the table waiting for Ricky to sign.  There are a lot of “what if” scenarios to play out between now and then though, so it is impossible to say whether or not he remains with the team through all of that.

His potential success is off the charts.  On the court, his vision is bar none.  He almost singlehandedly made the bounce pass cool again in the NBA last season.  From what is seen from afar, teammates love playing with him.  You can sense his leadership on the court and it seems to carry over to practice and the day to day life with teammates.

I believe he is more “valuable” than Kevin Love.  I’m not saying he is “better”, but I do believe he is more valuable to winning games for this franchise.  Frankly, they need each other to succeed in Minnesota, but Rubio definitely makes everyone else around him better and I can’t necessarily say the same thing about Love.

 

Wizards Question #3 for Abdullah:

Rumors swirled recently that Bradley Beal might be available for the right price.  What do you think of the rookie and his play thus far?  What does he need to improve on to become a complete player for this franchise (or another)?  Can the team build a contender with both Wall and Beal? 

Abdullah:

Bradley Beal got off to a bit of a slow start to his NBA career. As a player who was touted for his deadly shooting and abilities to create scoring opportunities, Wizards fans initially observed a player who lacked aggression and shot poorly from the field. Just a few weeks later, Wizards fans observed a player who was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December. During that span until now, the 19-year old has found his comfort on the floor and is no longer shy about attacking the rim. Beal shows great poise and confidence. His skill set is starting to take great shape as he has shown his ability to create offense and find open space for high percentage jumpers. These factors all led to the dismissal of potential trade offers and the decision to keep him in DC with the pursuit of eventually constructing one of the more dangerous backcourts in the league along with John Wall.

 

Pups Question #3 for John:

With the halfway point of the season approaching, the Wolves are just a few games out of the final playoff spot. What areas do the Wolves need to address in order to make their second half push and secure that spot?

John:

Simply put: Health and good luck.  Unfortunately, the former is nowhere to be found and it isn’t coming back to this roster anytime soon.  With Budinger out until February/March, Love out until March or so, Roy out indefinitely (and probably done), and Rubio still working out the kinks, it just seems like too much to overcome.  The team’s recent play suggests that they have finally hit that threshold where enough is enough.  They have not looked very good over the past few weeks and I fear that there isn’t an end in sight to this.

It also doesn’t help that Rick Adelman has left the team to be with his ailing wife and the sidelines have been left to Terry Porter.  (To clarify this so it isn’t interpreted incorrectly – Adelman needs to do whatever it is he feels best for his family.  The point I’m making here is we are very clearly “trading down” when going from Adelman to Porter on the sidelines.)  While a tremendous amount of the current situation is due to injuries, you will likely get a chance to see a few head scratchers from the coach in Friday night’s game.

To be honest, I’ve already talked myself into the fact that this team is not going to make the playoffs again this season.  Going into the trading deadline, I don’t expect to see a significant move made.  However, I wouldn’t be shocked if JJ Barea or Luke Ridnour is moved for more of a true SG.  In the offseason, I do expect at least one of them moved, potentially with Derrick Williams, as the former #2 pick in the draft will have a new home for the ‘13/’14 season.  Hopefully, those one or two moves provide the team with a significant upgrade at the SG or SF position to move into next season with.

 

We hope you enjoyed the preview for this Friday’s match-up between the Pups and Wizards.  Again, you can read more from Abdullah at WizardsExtreme.com and/or follow them on Twitter.  You can read more from John on Timberpups.com and/or follow him on Twitter as well.

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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets, 1/19/13

January 19, 2013 by

MN HoopsSetting the stage:

For the second time this season, the Timberwolves host the Rockets at the Target Center.  Back on 12/26, the Rockets stunned the Wolves with a heavyweight performance from James Harden in the 4th quarter.  Harden scored 17 of his 30 points in the final frame and helped put his team over the hump.

Saturday’s match-up is going to look quite different for the Wolves, as injuries continue to ravage the lineup.  Add Nikola Pekovic to the list of injured Pups who will not be playing in Saturday’s game.  Pekovic went down with a strained quad on Thursday night and the team announced he is likely to miss the next 7-10 days.  Alexey Shved will likely be a game time decision with his sprained ankle, which also occurred in Thursday’s loss to the Clippers.  This would be funny if it weren’t so depressing.

Adding insult to injury, the Pups come into Saturday’s game on a five game losing streak.  The bandwagon has seen a mass exodus over the past few weeks.  While there is no official news on Mickael Gelabale (as of writing this on Friday night) it is expected that he will take the place of Lazar Hayward on the roster.  If he is in the United States, I hope he is ready to suit up tomorrow night and put in a few minutes on the court.  Beyond Gelabale, you can start throwing names against the wall and see what sticks.  Here are a few worth mentioning: Jonny Flynn, Ryan Gomes, Troy Hudson, Kenyon Martin, and Michael Redd.  Any and all of these guys need to be, at the very least, considered right now.

Would you like a bit of good news?  The Rockets are actually on a slightly longer losing streak right now than the Wolves are.  So there’s that.  As seen the night after Christmas, the Rockets are clearly led by James Harden and everyone else has a role to fill.  Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik bring it on most nights, but beyond these two, there are a lot of question marks throughout the roster.  The Rockets are currently right there for that 8th slot in the Western Conference and will be looking to put more distance between themselves and the Wolves Saturday.

Player to watch:

James Harden – Not knowing who is playing for the Wolves night in and night out is going to mean that these previews will largely focus on an opponent for some time.  As mentioned above, Harden is clearly the catalyst for this Rockets team.  With Shved either not playing, or at the very least, hampered by his sprained ankle, it will be interesting to see what the Wolves do on the defensive end of the floor.  Paging Andrei Kirilenko, please move over to the SG position for an evening.

Match-up to watch:

Ricky Rubio vs. Jeremy Lin.  Linsanity vs. Rubio-oops.  Neither has necessarily set the house on fire this season but it is the most intriguing matchup among the expected starting fives.  Rubio provided a few quotes after Thursday’s loss and you can sense his frustration with losing and not performing to what he is accustomed to.  I don’t see Rubio as someone who will press himself and play worse (like Barea).  I see this actually being a good thing / turning point.  (Because my Pups predictions have been fairing so well these past few weeks…)

Predictions:

Despite the Rockets playing on Friday night in Atlanta, I just have to see the Wolves win a game before I believe it, given the latest injury news.

Final score prediction: Twolves 82, Rockets 94

Three stars of the game predictions:

  1. James Harden
  2. Ricky Rubio
  3. Omer Asik

Let’s go Wolves!

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Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans

January 11, 2013 by
Photo Credit: NBA.com

Photo Credit: NBA.com

I’m back from Mexico City in time to carry on the “tradition” of Friday night game previews for Timberpups in collaboration with bloggers from opposing teams.  The scheduling gods have put the Timberwolves in New Orleans on a Friday night with off days prior and immediately after.  Hopefully Bourbon Street is kind to Ricky Rubio.  I digress.

Given this is the second Friday night game against the Hornets/Pelicans; we have reconnected with Christian Blanks again from Swarmandsting.com.  Both teams have been hit by the injury bug time and again this season, so this should give us a chance to get the latest from the Hornets’ side of things.

The Pups come into Friday’s game off of a blowout loss in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, moving the team back to .500 on the season at 16-16.  The Hornets enter the game on a three game winning streak but with a 10-25 record on the season.  Can the Twolves stay at or above .500 despite the injury to Kevin Love, who is scheduled to miss 8-10 weeks with a broken hand.

Let’s just move on, here’s our Q&A …

Hornets Question #1 for Christian:

How has Eric Gordon looked so far this season since returning from his injury in late December?  Should we expect him to look a little rusty?    

Christian:

Eric Gordon has been playing exceptionally well. I don’t think anyone could have expected him to be playing as well as he is considering all the time he has missed. Gordon has played in 4 games so far and is averaging just over 18 points and 4 assists per game. While Gordon is producing, his field goal percentage could improve greatly. Right now, Gordon’s shot percentage is a mere .35%.  In the Hornets previous win against the Spurs, Gordon shot 9-22 from the field, although he was 6-6 from the free throw line and scored 24 points.

So “Yes”, expect Gordon to be a tad rusty, but he will still play like the star player that he is. Gordon will not shy away from taking his shots, it is just a matter of how many of them will he make. 

Pups Question #1 for John:

The Hornets have been on a little hot streak with Eric Gordon in the line-up, winning 4 of his first 5 games back. With Kevin Love out, do you see the Timberwolves having the same chances of beating the Hornets as they did in their first match-up? Who will be the Timberwolves key player that makes the difference?

John:

As this season wears on, I’m having a tougher and tougher time predicting Wolves’ wins and losses.  We just don’t know who is going to be playing and who isn’t, night in and night out.  With Love now officially gone for an extended period of time, this is Derrick Williams’ time to shine.  Over the past few games he has produced admirably.

As long as Ricky Rubio is playing on Friday night, the Wolves should be able to pull out the win.  Ricky’s defense is going to be needed against the Hornets guards and his floor leadership is the key in getting the ball to the remaining healthy bodies where they need it on the floor.  I do expect a win on Friday night from the Wolves, preventing them from falling under .500.

Hornets Question #2 for Christian:

In our first Q&A you had mentioned that you didn’t expect Austin Rivers to necessarily show marked improvement by this game, but would think it should start to happen in the spring?  I’ve seen a few clunkers from him in the past few weeks.  Any update on his progress or overall thoughts on what is / is not working for him?

Christian:

Despite Austin Rivers exploding for 27 in the Hornets first meeting with the Timberwolves, he has not improved at all since we last talked. He had a few solid games here and there but those should be expected of a player if he is starting and playing 25-40 minutes a night consistently. In more recent games, Rivers has taken an expected back seat to Eric Gordon and has not seen the floor as much. This may be a good thing as Rivers just simply needs more time to develop.  At one time the Hornets were expected to go out and get another shooting guard to fill the void while Gordon was out. Rivers will find his place with the Hornets to make him more effective; he is use to being a primary ball handler and that is not his role on this team. Rivers just needs to become a better stand still shooter and learn how to drive the lane in the NBA.

Pups Question #2 for John:

Were you expecting Ricky Rubio to take this long to get it together? I wouldn’t say he is playing “bad” but he is certainly not the same player he was before the injury. Do you see him making progress toward that point or has his role changed with all the time he has missed?

John:

I’m not really sure what my expectations were for Rubio outside of the fact that the team needed him on the court to lead the offense, as well as being somewhat of a better defender than anyone previously available on the roster at the PG spot.  You’re right though, he isn’t the same player he was last year, but that should be somewhat expected.  Hopefully his confidence continues to grow in the leg and his ability to make cuts on both ends of the floor.

I absolutely see him making progress through the remainder of the season as he adjusts his playing style, becomes more confident in the knee itself, and acclimates himself to all of the new members of the Wolves roster.  I would like to see him taking (and making) more shots as this season progresses as well, given the scoring we are now missing with Love and others out of the lineup.  Acclimating himself to his new teammates is crucial for Rubio, who can make the difficult passes look easy.  Once he begins to pick up on teammates’ tendencies, he’ll look better and better as the weeks go by.

Hornets Question #3 for Christian:

Greivis Vasquez is starting to win me over.  Where did this play come from?  Were there signs that he could play at this level in the past? 

Christian:

Yeah, I’m sure Greivis is winning over a lot of people at this point. I would have to say it’s quite impressive that Vasquez has 14 double-doubles thus far in the season. I’m sure Vasquez has always been capable of this kind of production he just needed the confidence and opportunity. He showed signs of this at the end of last year when the Hornets were giving their younger players significantly more minutes. Vasquez has always been playing behind Jarret Jack who is definitely a starting PG in this league. This season the Hornets traded away Jack for pretty much nothing (his contract expires after this season) and put the ball and team in Greivis’ hands. It was a huge responsibility and Vasquez has responded very well.

Pups Question #3 for John:

With all of the unexpected injuries the Timberwolves have to be eyeing some possible trades before the deadline. Do you see the Timberwolves possibly being able to pull off a trade that would still allow them to make a run at the playoffs? I’m sure the injuries have lowered the short-term value of many players on their roster so do you see any positive outcomes for the T-Wolves in making their team better for the playoffs?

John:

I consistently go back and forth on this one.  This season has been completely derailed by injuries, particularly Love’s and Budinger’s.  Anyone could have predicted Roy would miss some time, but it is concerning to see just how much he is missing already.  Ricky’s return was very much needed, but as mentioned above, he isn’t anywhere close to 100%.  This doesn’t even account for the games Pekovic and AK47 have missed here and there, Josh Howard’s season ending injury, and whatever is going on with JJ Barea.

The playoffs are still a possibility, but I can’t see this team doing anything once it gets there without everyone being at or near the top of their game.  That wasn’t my opinion just a few weeks ago.  With Love’s latest injury, I do think it is possible for Kahn to pull off a small deal, but I don’t see the team dealing Derrick Williams at this point.  You might see Barea or Ridnour sent out for a more complementary player for the roster (a SG/SF).  However, if I were Kahn, I wouldn’t be willing to throw in any picks or make a panic move to “ensure” the team makes the playoffs.  I’m currently of the belief that the team should do a minor tinkering move or two if they are available to balance the roster, but I would rather just ride this season out and see what happens vs. doing some type of high risk / reward move.

 

We hope you enjoyed the preview for this Friday’s match-up between the Pups and Hornets.  Again, you can read more from Christian at swarmandsting.com and/or follow him on Twitter.  You can read more from John on Timberpups.com and/or follow him on Twitter as well.

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Minnesota Timberwolves 108 – Atlanta Hawks 103

January 9, 2013 by
Photo Credit: (Hannah Foslien/Associated Press)

Photo Credit: (Hannah Foslien/Associated Press)

These Timberwolves know how to battle through adversity. With the news that Kevin Love may be facing season-ending surgery on his injured right wrist surfacing in the media, the Wolves battled past the 20-12 Atlanta Hawks 108-103 backed by strong offensive performances by Nikola Pekovic, Andrei Kirilenko and Derrick Williams. With Rick Adelman missing the game due to personal reasons, Terry Porter coached the Timberpups in a decisive victory that rejuvenated Target Center fans in need of a lift.

Game Summary

Atlanta presented favorable matchups for Minnesota, as the Hawks’ offense is heavily dependent on three-point shooting and struggles in the interior. Luckily for the Pups, Atlanta turned the ball over 15 times to only 9 by Minnesota.

This game was won on the low block, where the Wolves scored nearly half of their total points (50) in the paint. The Hawks saw strong offensive performances from both Josh Smith and Al Horford, but received only 12 points from their second unit frontcourt. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s bigs led by Pekovic, Kirilenko and Williams did work in the half-court offense while Dante Cunningham and Greg Stiemsma provided excellent interior defense in 27 and 13 minutes, respectively.

A statistic that pops out to me is the Timberwolves 29 assists as a team on 40 made field goals, exclipsing their season average of 21 assists per game by 8. This is not meant to be a knock on K-Love, but the fact remains that the ball tends to move much quicker laterally without Love’s one-on-one offensive mindset on the floor. Obviously, this team misses Love’s versatility and ability to score one-on-one, but it is very nice to see this offense clicking through effective cutting and ball movement. Ricky Rubio led the team with 8 assits and Alexey Shved notched 7 dimes.

One may not have noticed from watching the game, but the Hawks actually out-rebounded the Pups 44-43 despite coming into the game as one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Granted, many of their boards were the result of long rebounds of missed three-point attempts, but K-Love’s absence in the paint was definitely felt by Minnesota.

Entering the game as the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA, the Wolves initially appeared to be at a great disadvantage against the 6th ranked Hawks from deep. However, Derrick Williams stepped up and knocked down 3 of his 5 attempts from range, including 7 of his 13 attempts from the field. D-Will leads the Timberwolves in three-point shooting percentage and is now sitting at 40%. Pretty impressive improvement from the 21-year-old.

Following his 18-point fourth quarter against Portland, Williams scored 17 points in only 21 minutes and now owns a PER of over 16. Although he has failed to provide a large sample of sustained efficiency, the trends of late cannot be ignored. I like the current rotation of Cunningham as starter and Williams as the 6-man, but if Derrick continues to shoot as well as he has been, it will be hard for coach to keep him out of the starting lineup.

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Nikola Pekovic: With Kevin Love injured, Nikola continues to keep this team competent on the low block and used his brute strength and footwork to dominate opposing center Al Horford. Pek thrived when rolling off of screens and did a tremendous job of catching and shooting quick looks near the rim leading to 25 points on 9 for 15 shooting. Facing a relatively soft Atlanta frontcourt, Pek made the most of his chances and did a good job of staying out of foul trouble which allowed him to record 35 minutes of playing time. Not to mention he hauled in 18 rebounds (6 offensive) while turning the ball over once, Pek took everyones minds off of Love with his superior play.
  2. Andrei Kirilenko: Despite failing to record his 1,000th career steal, AK-47 enjoyed a hyper-efficient night shooting due to a favorable matchup against the defensively-incompetent Kyle Korver. Kirilenko operated well cutting weak side and finding open teammates on backdoor cuts. Statistically, AK was nearly perfect: 21 points (7-11 FG, 2-2 3FG, 5-5 FT), 6 rebounds and 5 assists while not recording a single turnover or personal foul. He was also extremely active on the defensive end and closed out his three-point shooting opposition effectively.
  3. Ricky Rubio: I have gravely missed watching Ricky put on performances like he did tonight. Playing only 19 minutes given his recovery from not only knee surgery but most recently back spasms, Rubio put on a passing clinic as he tallied 8 assists in as short of a time while also swiping 4 steals. A game-high +10 on the floor, Tricky Ricky was a large factor in Derrick Williams’ success as he continually set him up for open looks and fed his confidence shooting the ball. A remarkable thing to note is that while Rubio held the highest +/- of any player on the floor, he was 0-0 from the field and scored only 4 points (points are superficial, right?). The key for our favorite Catalan going forward will be staying healthy and gradually building up his minutes on the floor, because it will not help anybody if he reinjures himself by pushing too hard when he shouldn’t (see: Kevin Love).

 

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