| 09 February 2009
And the hits just keep on coming for the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise.
It's been a rough 10 years for this once promising and future-championship-contending organization. There was the Stephon Marbury saga that took away the next generation's Stockton to Malone and replaced it with Terrell Brandon (who was probably a better point guard at the time but riddled with injuries). Then the T-Wolves lost out on the 1999 draft by taking Wally Szczerbiak over Richard Hamilton and feeling like they had to take William Avery over Ron Artest because they needed a point guard and Baron Davis, Jason Terry, and Andre Miller were taken before their second first round pick. Then they stupidly signed an under the table and illegal (in the NBA collective bargaining agreement sense of the word, not the "what in the world did Isaiah Rider do now" use of illegal) agreement with Joe Smith that stripped the Wolves of their first round picks in four of the next five drafts. In the same off-season when this was discovered, their talented role player, Malik Sealy, was killed by a drunk driver while driving home from Kevin Garnett's birthday party (which is clearly far more serious than any of the other stuff that I will mention in this article).
When they did finally get a first round pick, they took Ndubi Ebi out of high school instead of Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, and Josh Howard. They traded for Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell, made the Western Conference Finals, and then lost Sam Cassell to a hip injury, which helped them lose to a Lakers team that weathered the attack of Troy Hudson and Kevin Garnett. Because of Hudson's phenomenal play in the playoffs, he received the Tony Delk treatment and was given a contract that didn't justify the level of player that he was because of a nice run in the playoffs. They replaced Flip Saunders with Kevin McHale mid-season the following year, had their chemistry ruined by failed contract negotiations with Cassell and Sprewell, and missed the playoffs. Then they traded Sam Cassell AND a first round pick to the Clippers for Marko Jaric who was given a contract that again didn't justify the level of player he was. Throw in a couple of bad seasons with Kevin Garnett being tortured by losing and eventually it led to the trade of KG to Boston.
Then Kevin McHale decided it would be fun to give his friend Randy Wittman a shot at coaching this franchise despite the fact that he appeared to have the coaching equivalent of a behavioral problem in his brief stint coaching the Cavaliers. And you probably could have guessed it even if you didn't follow basketball that Wittman failed miserably as the Wolves coach in less than a year and a half. But there appeared to be a light at the end of this Hell Tunnel.
To read the rest of this article, click the link. The Link 
Let's Recap All of the Games from Last Night
By Zach Harper
There seems to be some happy sentiment towards the covering of every game in a brief recap. So we'll stick with that for now. Here are the games from last night:
Philadelphia 76ers 108, Phoenix Suns 91 in Philadelphia-
This is not the way you want to see the Suns play if you're a fan of this team. There were terrible, careless and lazy turnovers. There was a fog of disinterest permeating throughout the team as they let the Sixers do whatever the hell they wanted on the court. It would have been a more acceptable loss for Suns fans if the team collapsed after halftime and just given way to a young team with fresh legs. But that wasn't the case. The Suns simply didn't show up. They shot poorly from the field, turned the ball over like they were shaving points, and allowed rookie Marreese Speights to break out for 24 points off the bench. There's a bad thing happening in that Suns locker room right now and it feels like a change is necessary just to consider making the playoffs.
Charlotte Bobcats 94, Los Angeles Clippers 73 in Charlotte-
The week of the All-Star festivities is always a tough one to watch. There usually aren't a lot of great games to wet the appetite for the big spectacle at the end of the week. Guys usually don't play hard because they're busy thinking about their time off if they aren't participating in the weekend. And this night was a classic example of all of this. This particular game was tough to watch unless you're a die hard Bobcats fan. This was a tough one to watch the whole way through and the main noteworthy item was that Vlad Radmanovic scored 13 points in his debut with three three-pointers off the bench.
Milwaukee Bucks 124, Houston Rockets 112 in Milwaukee-
With Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd down for a long, long time, the Bucks are basically comprised of Richard Jefferson and a lot of role players. Lucky for them, those role players came to play against the Rockets and took control of the game in the third quarter. Houston was hit with a barrage of scoring led by Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions as the Bucks slapped a 34-point third quarter on the Rockets. The Bucks ended up with four players (Charlie Bell, Charlie Villanueva, Ramon Sessions, and Richard Jefferson) scoring at least 21 points and Milwaukee shot 52% from the field, 50% from three-point range, and finished the game with just eight team turnovers.
Memphis Grizzlies 85, New Orleans Hornets 80 in Memphis-
This started out as a spectacular game to watch as the two teams battled in the first quarter. But the second quarter nearly put me to sleep until my girlfriend could home and attempt to wake me so she would have someone to watch The Bachelor with. But the second half of the ball game picked up the pace, O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley both had very nice games and they held off a beat up Hornets team. Hornets dominated the boards with a 64-38 advantage and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds. Even O.J. Mayo had 16 rebounds from the shooting guard position as the Hornets' frontline of Sean Marks, Ryan Bowen, and Peja Stojakovic got out-hustled inside all night. 
New York Knicks (21-29) at Golden State Warriors (17-35) 7:30pm PST
By Brandon Gallawa
To jog you memory, this was the game where the Knicks played a 7-man rotation. The game where David Lee had a career-high 37 points to go along with a career-high 21 rebounds. Chris Duhon dished out a franchise-record 22 assists. Al Harrington chipped in 36 against his former team. The Warriors had three players score over 20 points led by Corey Maggette's 32. No one played any defense. And they combined for over 260 points in regulation.
Both teams are relatively healthy, so injuries shouldn't be an issue. Andris Biedrins sprained his ankle last week, so we'll see if he is able to play. Even if he can't, that would just mean shorter rotations and bigger scoring nights for the players involved. Look for Monta Ellis to have a big scoring night and David Lee to grab somewhere between 15 and 42 boards. Al Harrington will love sticking it to Don Nelson, so he should have another nice game. Stephen Jackson has been on a tear as of late, so he should carry that into this game.
These teams are going to score more than Chazz Reinhold after a funeral, and I can't wait. I had proclaimed their earlier match-up as one of the most fun games to watch of the last 10 years and a throwback to basketball in the 80s (minus the short-shorts and hideous jerseys). I'd expect more of the same tonight. I expect both teams to have scored over 75 by halftime, and I expect the final score to be somewhere around 180-172. If it is anything less than that, I'm definitely asking for a refund on my League Pass.
Key Match-Up: Scoring versus More Scoring
I'm quite intrigued by quite a few match-ups in this game. Wilson Chandler and Stephen Jackson both playing undersized power forwards. David Lee showing Andris Biedrins what a real rebounder looks like. Jamal Crawford going at Quention Richardson while dropping Moesha references on him. Nate Robinson and Al Harrington coming off the bench against Corey Maggette and C.J. Watson should be fun. No matter what the match-up, people are going to score and struggle defensively.
Prediction: Points...a lot of points.
How about you get caught up in some Week 16 Power Rankings?
By Zach Harper and Brandon Gallawa
In the latest Power Rankings from Talkhoops.net, we've got a new number one and a new number 30 and some movement in between. Who moved where? Why did they move there? Are we morons who don't know how to rank teams? Read on to find out:
Week 16 Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Lakers | Record: 41-9 | Previous Rank: 3rd | Last Week: 3-0
Upcoming Schedule: OKC, at UTH
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: The 'Stache is coming to Hollywood! Even if they had lost all of their games this week, the fact that they acquired the 'Stache would have vaulted them to number one. -- Zach Harper
2. Boston Celtics | Record: 42-11 | Previous Rank: 1st | Last Week: 2-2
Upcoming Schedule: at NOH, at DAL
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: The Celtics fell apart against the Spurs down the stretch on Sunday. They lost a winnable game at home against the Lakers and needed last-second heroics to beat the Sixers. Not a terrible week but not good enough to stay #1. -- Brandon Gallawa
3. San Antonio Spurs | Record: 34-15 | Previous Rank: 4th | Last Week: 1-1
Upcoming Schedule: at NJ, at TOR
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: With the current economic climate and the NBA starting to take such a hit financially, I don't expect there to be many trades by next Thursday. However, I fully expect R.C. Buford to find a way to acquire Marcus Camby and Shawn Marion without giving up anything significant in return. It's just what he does. -- Zach Harper
4. Cleveland Cavaliers | Record: 39-10 | Previous Rank: 2nd | Last Week: 2-1
Upcoming Schedule: at IND, PHX
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: LeBron just can't get over on the Lakers this year. They game-plan him perfectly and have him settling for fall-away 20-footers by the middle of the second quarter. Nobody would confuse this Lakers' team for a top-notch defensive club, yet LeBron has been shut down in both games. -- Brandon Gallawa
5. Orlando Magic | Record: 38-12 | Previous Rank: 5th | Last Week: 2-1
Upcoming Schedule: DEN
Potentially Inflammatory Comments: I'd like to thank Jameer Nelson for dislocating his shoulder in order to help my fantasy team. How did he know that I was surviving off of Raymond Felton being my only real point guard all season and that I could use a bunch of assists the rest of the way with Hedo Turkoglu? Thanks, Jam! -- Zach Harper
For the rest of the Week 16 Power Rankings, click the link. The Link
By Zach Harper
"Here I'll do what I do best. Being a Laker was a great experience, but it was also frustrating not knowing when and how I'd play. Phil's system, great as it is, doesn't give a role player much opportunity. For Kobe Bryant, it's great. For Pau Gasol, it's great. But role players don't do much." -- Vlad Radmanovic on his trade from the Lakers to the Bobcats.
Role players don't do much in Phil Jackson's system. Let me rattle off a few names for Vlad and see if any of them ring a bell. John Paxson, B.J. Armstrong, Steve Kerr, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Trevor Ariza, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, and some guy named Robert Horry. Any of those sound familiar? Any of those guys have a ring or three or five and seem to have made a nice career for themselves as a role player of Phil's system? Basketball much like life is what you put into Vlad. Have fun in Charlotte.
Top 3 of the Night
1. Emeka Okafor - 19 pts, 16 rebs, 3 blks, 8-14 fg
This wasn't a line from going up against Steve Novak, DeAndre Jordan, and Paul Davis. Okafor battled Marcus Camby all night and still controlled the paint. If he can consistently put up efforts like this, even if they don't result in the same stats, he'll be an All-Star next year.
2. Mike Conley - 18 pts, 8 asts, 6-14 fg
If last night is any indication of how Mike Conley is beginning to understand how to run a pick-and-roll, then the league has a problem on its hands. Conley made great decisions much of the night and seemed completely comfortable running the offense.
3. Charlie Villanueva - 25 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls, 9-18 fg, 5-10 3fg
He took over this game and threw a flurry of points at the Rockets that they simply couldn't handle. It's frustrating seeing games like this from him on an inconsistent basis because he has more than enough talent to do this every night.
Bottom 3 of the Night
1. Tracy McGrady - 3 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts, 1-9 fg
Welcome to the twilight years of T-Mac.
2. Rasual Butler - 8 pts, 6 rebs, 3-17 fg
Sure, Chris Paul is out and it's tough to get into an offensive flow while Devin Brown is throwing the game. But a shooter going 3-17 is inexcusable.
3. Steve Nash - 2 pts, 8 asts, 3 tos, 1-8 fg
This is not a happy Steve Nash.
Here are the Top Blog Posts from yesterday.
1. From Basketball Prospectus-
Kevin Pelton tackles basketball's 00's
2. From Fanhouse-
Matt Watson informs us that Rip Hamilton rides the pine in introductions.
3. From Ben's Suns Blog-
Does the blame matter for the Suns right now?
4. From Thoughts From the Jock Strap-
Why America Hates the Lakers
4. From The Hoop Doctors-
Nextology of MJ Part 2 -- Grant Hill
In today's Ask a Blogger, we see how Nate (aka Stop'N'Pop) from Canis Hoopus, my favorite T'Wolves blog. As a T'Wolves fan, I understand the daily thoughts and musings of Nate as he covers and analyzes the franchise that has tortured me for about 20 years. Unfortunately, I did this quick Q&A with Nate a couple of days ago, well before the Al Jefferson injury so none of that will be discussed here. For his take on it, be sure to check out this link. But I did ask three poignant questions about the state of the Wolves. Here's what he had to say:
One of the biggest misconceptions about the Mayo/Love swap was that the deal was another Roy/Foye trade, or a comparison of apples and apples. The reason why the Wolves could make the trade was because they believed they already had an O.J. Mayo in Randy Foye. The Wolves needed a big man. Prior to the trade they were looking at a front court rotation of Al Jefferson, Antoine Walker, Mark Madsen and Craig Smith. If there is a complaint to be made about the trade it is that they didn't explore a deal with New Jersey for Brook Lopez. However, as long as Randy Foye is performing at a fairly high level, the Wolves filled a need that was much more pressing (another front court player) than a combo guard they already had (with great cost; Brandon Roy is the alternative) on the roster.
Kevin Love is going to be a double/double machine. Over his last 10 games he is averaging 12.8 points, 9.8 boards (3.8 of them offensive), and .556 shooting over 25 mpg. This is all done with nothing run for him. He is 2nd in the league for rookie PER (17.94) and he is among the league leaders in OReb% (16.9) and Reb% (21.7). Because of an injury to Craig Smith, he is now in the starting lineup. Since McHale took over I think you would be hard pressed to find another rookie brought along better than Love. He is being placed in situations where he can succeed and improve...and he is doing so.
Finally, you are 100% correct that McCants is an extraneous piece on this squad. Bassy, however, is showing that he can be a solid backup point in this league. His numbers don't tell the story of how he can control the tempo of a game and get all of Minnesota's players involved. In their last win against Indiana, the Wolves had 7 players in double figures. Bassy can't shoot to hit the broad side of a barn, but he is a true point and will continue to get 20+ minutes with this squad for the foreseeable future.
2. What's your take on the Mike Miller situation in Minneapolis? Is he someone who could realistically be a key piece for this organization when they are finally a playoff team again? Should the Wolves look to move him? Why has his play been so uninterested in the fact that he seemingly doesn't want to shoot?
I have no idea why he seemingly doesn't want to shoot. It is absolutely baffling.
3. Where does Al Jefferson fit in for this team? Clearly, he's the centerpiece to build around but does he have a future as a center in this league or would the team be better off finding a big man that could allow Jefferson to move back to power forward?
Thanks for reading today's Eight-Second Violation. Any comments, criticisms, or words of praise can be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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