GameThread 9: @ Denver
by wyn on Nov 16, 2008 3:48 PM CST
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PrintMinnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets, Nov 16, 2008 7:00 PM CST
Only thing that really matters tonight: Will the Wolves rebound mentally from the embarrassing loss last night?
Other relevant items:
- Check out Pickaxe and Roll for all your Denver Nuggets needs.
- Al Jefferson should be effective tonight. K-Mart's a better help-side and perimeter defender than in the low-post and Nene's better as an active, disruptive defender than bodying up. If the Wolves can get Al the ball down on the low block, he should have a field day unless Nene and K-Mart can effectively double-team him. If they are, then Mike Miller, Rashad McCants and Randy Foye better start hitting shots. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
- Speaking of our guards, if any of them would like to start playing well on a consistent basis, now is a really good time.
- Kevin Love has looked a little slowed winded by the speed and frequency of NBA games. That will not bode well for him playing an up-and-down frontcourt like Denver's. He's also been struggling mightily from the field, so his prospects on offense look better down low than on the elbow for the same reasons Al should have a decent night.
Game Time: 7pm Central
Broadcast: KSTC, KFAN
After last night's game I'm not sure who needs a win tonight more, the fans or the players.
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Please Please Please Wolves, could you get a win tonight
The Epic Choke Last Night hurts. Topped off with The Vikings Debacle today and the Gophers Failure yesterday…The Only Bright Spots are Tubby’s Squad, But they are playing lower 1A Schools and almost Blew the game vs Bowling Green Yesterday, Lucia’s Squad who had a nice 3-0 win over Michigan Tech Today after Blowing a 2-0 lead yesterday and ending up tieing at 2, But hey they are still UNDEFEATED!!!!!, And a Gaborikless Wild Squad.
Lineup has been reshuffled according to Zgoda
Jason Collins Will get the Start at Center, Al Jefferson Moves To PF because Kevin Love had some Issues in two Pre-Season Matchups vs Kenyon Martin, and Ryan Gomes replaces Corey Brewer at SF.
Telfair, Miller, Gomes, Jefferson, and Collins
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Jason Collins
How Long till Wittman Benches Him?, i Like the Guy but he will probably end up like Antoine Walker Last Year, Play Alot, then Start Playing Less and Less and then Finally Inactive every game.
You could have an 8 foot giant with a 40 inch vertical next to big al....
….and it still wouldn’t help him deal with jefferson’s issues on d. He’s just out of position on so many plays.
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I think he's giving about a 5 yard buffer on K-Mart
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K-Mart has a lips-shaped bruise on his neck
That is a bruise, isn’t it?
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are you watching the channel 45 broadcast?
those guys had a funny exchange about that – funny in the uncomfortable kind of way (best kind).
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 7:25 PM CST up reply actions
How is it possible to have more offensive rebounds than points?
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Wolves are getting their asses kicked
but I have to admit, I like this new starting lineup. Kudos to Wittman. I thought he’d really settled into the other one, I didn’t see this coming. Don’t know if it will work, but hell, they had to try something.
I’ve also been a fan of Collins since he basically outplayed Chris Bosh in the playoffs a couple of years ago. Anyways we’ll see how it goes.
wouldn’t be surprised if McCants saw about 0 minutes tonight (especially now that Ollie’s in)…sure seems like he’s on a different page from Wittman
yup
and he made another one of those infamous just-inside-the-line 2s
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 7:59 PM CST up reply actions
I can't tell you how frustrating that was to watch last night...
…he had 3-4 open 3s that he dribbled into a shot just inside the 3 point line. Sometimes with one foot beyond the line.
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I feel you
seemed like he was either shooting just inside the line, or passing up the shot entirely
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 8:01 PM CST up reply actions
6 shots just inside the 3
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/shotchart?gameId=281115016
I counted 3 in person that he dribbled away from an open 3.
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hey did the refereeing seem as f***ed up in person
as it did on TV? Beyond the Roy phantom calls, there were the Steve Blake punching-whoever-comes-near-me moments. Not making excuses for the loss, just an observation.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 8:05 PM CST up reply actions
holy crap!!!
a spot up 3 with ball rotation!!! imagine that!!!
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I'm really liking this half
Wolves are down but I like Wittman’s ideas – starting Collins, playing Ollie. Shows how dumb I am, I thought they shouldn’t play Ollie all year.
Notice where the double teams are coming from on Big Al
When Bassy is in there, they come from his guy. With Miller, Foye, Gomes, and Rashad, they come from Gomes’ guy.
I can’t say it enough: space the perimeter with Al on the low block. If you have a guy like Collins or Love in there, place him at the elbow, or, with Love, at the wing.
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If only he could pass better
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Last night at the game...
…it was very noticeable in person that he couldn’t recognize the pass quickly enough. There were a few times in the 1st half where he’d camp on the block and Portland would run a double across the baseline. This forced the Wolves into a 2 situation sort of play: 1- make the dangerous cross court pass to the man left open in the opposite corner or hit the cutter from Al’s 1/2 of the court. Brewer ran the cut on one and I think Shaddy had another but Al missed both men and he was unable to get the lob pass across court to the wide open guy on the other side. Even if he had attempted the pass, I’m not sure there was enough spacing on the weak side where it wouldn’t have been picked off by one of Portland’s athletic wings. Anyway, you’d at least expect him to look at the cutter or to drop step through the double (tough) and see what his options are then.
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hmm that's a shame
I thought one of the real positives so far this year (one of the few) was Al’s improved passing. Then again that was against teams like Sacramento and the like.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 8:25 PM CST up reply actions
whoa
Phx shooting 70% against Detroit at the half, up 15, Iverson 4 points and 4 turnovers
wonder how long it will take those Detroit guys to accept him, they can’t be very happy about the trade.
man
to that point Foye’s D on Billups had been great…then he leaves him open to double…who? Nene? Martin?
Just wait for the 12 point 4th
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yep...
…melo over his back….at least melo gave him a tap on the head to acknowledge the superstar treatment.
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this Overbeck guy's gotta go
plus they need to play that Celtics game just to get rid of these commercials
lol
yeah bring back the Sweetwater guy
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:00 PM CST up reply actions
Agreed...
….I saw that damn commercial for the 1st time last night and it was awful. I usually watch the opposing team’s league pass crew so I don’t get anything but NBA commercials during the break. It’s one of the benefits of signing up for LP in Little Rock, AR.
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Sooooo.....
…how much Miller and Love will we see in the 4th? My over/under is 6 combined minutes.
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most nights I'd agree on Love
but it almost might be better if he doesn’t play tonight
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:01 PM CST up reply actions
I almost wonder if it shouldn’t be Al/Collins tonight. Though you give up a lot on O that way
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:04 PM CST up reply actions
You know...
…after the stinker he put up against Portland, Foye is having a nice game.
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yeah...
I thought that Foye/Ollie backcourt in the first half was the best backcourt the Wolves have had all year. Good D too.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:02 PM CST up reply actions
Agreed...
…it looked 1/2 way professional.
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Brandon Roy gets that call...
…he got it all last night.
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those phantom calls for Roy
were driving me crazy. That and Blake punching everybody.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:05 PM CST up reply actions
It was really obvious in the arena that Roy was getting some...
…questionable calls. He had a few shots where he’d jump sideways into his defender.
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Shaddy's playing some nice d tonight...
…and it probably accounts for his PT
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9 threes and 2 Mike Miller shots
….when they lose, this is where I’m pointing.
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I was just about to type that
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yeah
that dude needs to think: When I’m the point guard, all I need to do is bring the ball up and make the entry pass to the wing or post – after that I’m a shooting guard again.
OK end of rant
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:11 PM CST up reply actions
Early shots in the shot clock....
….+ taking the open 3 on the kick out would do this team wonders.
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the guy closest to the whistle swallowed it....
…but the whistle comes from 1/2 court-
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yeah he only called it because Martin missed the dunk
ALRIGHT HERE’S OVERBECK AGAIN!
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:16 PM CST up reply actions
Hooray!!!
A real coaching call!!!
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still only 9 threes and 3 miller shots
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McCants...
…waited too long on the p-n-r and he just blew a double team leaving JR Smith
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hehe
he’s actually not a bad rebounder is he?
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:23 PM CST up reply actions
Looking at ESPN, he was pretty mediocre until last year
I guess I never realized he got on the ball, as it were.
Jefferson is a terrible weak side rebounder...
…watch him when he’s on the opposite side of the shooter….he just stands there and doesn’t seal his man
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Boy...
…Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, and more Love. How many more rebounds do you want to see Smith lose?
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I get that they're running him off and on Melo....
…but still…the rebounding is getting ugly.
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yep...
..the rebounding has been an issue for the last 5 minutes.
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All these dead balls
Bring in brewer for miller — you know you’re getting a timeout after this, whatever happens.
That was Foye's fault....
…look at Witt get after him too.
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What on earth is a point guard...
…giving the ball to Miller in the middle of Collins and Foye in that small of a space? What was he supposed to do?
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These are some pretty f'ing basic concepts at point
spacing, spacing, spacing, and more spacing. angles, angles, angles, and more angles.
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I have to see the replay of that
because I don’t follow. You mean where he got the ball to Miller on the wing and Miller was called for the offensive foul?
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:31 PM CST up reply actions
He dribbled to the wing and basically handed it off to miller who was closely guarded....
….Foye’s man had him blocked off from running away quickly enough to give Miller space and Collins was there with his guy. It was a 6 man traffic jam on the wing with a guy who can’t dribble through close spaces.
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yeah, but I think the basic plan is to get Miller the ball on the wing -
don’t you think the onus is on him to wait until some space clears? There’s no reason he needs to put it on the floor.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:33 PM CST up reply actions
Well....
….after seeing him kind of weakly break away and then watching Witt lay into him….my guess is PG FUBAR.
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yeah maybe.
I thought it was for the play earlier where he overpenetrated (I thought) and then kicked it out to Gomes on the baseline, who missed. But I think you might be right.
Anyways I do think Foye’s not the PG for the end of the 4th. It’s a shame, I think he did fine there for much of the game…but for whatever reason, he’s not setting a really nice tone here. I’d go with Ollie, that was their best backcourt.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:37 PM CST up reply actions
sorry...i was off by one...
…they’ll have a 13 point quarter
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yup. Game over.
Can’t go under that screen on Billups if you’re Foye either.
by plinytheelder on Nov 16, 2008 9:31 PM CST up reply actions
Miller shoots in the 4th !!!!
AMAZING!!!
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Miller still in there....
…no defensive subs. This is mind numbing. You know you need to foul. You know there will be a dead ball. You can get Miller back in there.
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6 of 8 losses...
…with leads in the 4th.
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If Miller isn't going to shoot....
….why have him out there? Please explain.
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Only 11 3s
Denver is shooting 33% from the floor but 10-23 from beyond the arc. Shoot the f’ing 3.
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2nd game in a row....
….where the opposing team sleep walks through 2/3 of the game and still wins.
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Devil's Advocate....
….if Love isn’t going to play in the 4th, and Big Al clearly needs a backcourt buddy to help win late games, is the Mayo trade a defacto loss for the Wolves simply on the basis of the way the coach is playing the personnel?
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Don't forget...
the wack-o, ineffectual play of Mike “See My Trade Value Plummet?” Miller.
What a messed up organization. I’m beginning to think it doesn’t matter if they had kept Roy; if you’re drafted here you’re doomed. When even previously decent guys like Miller come in and suddenly appear completely lost, what can you do?
I'm so sick of these end-of-game smirks on opposing teams' faces...
…basically saying “we sucked and still won, lucky we were playing the Wolves”
What do you know...
…we get outscored 25-17 in the final quarter and lose by six. Another blown game, and eight straight losses.
Still not enough to ditch Wittman? Come on Glen, we promise we won’t be mad.
by Twins Territory on Nov 16, 2008 10:03 PM CST reply actions
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