Which Pill Will You Take?
by Stop-n-Pop on Nov 10, 2010 12:40 AM CST
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Tonight's game against the Lakers should serve as something as a litmus test for the few remaining fans of this ball club. On one hand, the team has the league's worst Offensive Efficiency, Defensive Efficiency, and eFG to go along with the fastest pace (which is a recipe for a historic disaster of a season, btw). On the other hand, they played competitive ball against the best team in the league while showing some energy, enthusiasm, and short spurts of competence.
Which way do you choose to look at the hourglass? Did the Lakers simply take the night off? Do you sit back and enjoy an entertaining game? Is it worth it to ponder about the success of a team that runs out a PG rotation of Sebastian Telfair and Maurice Ager? Did we really just see an Ager, Corey Brewer, Anthony Tolliver, Lazar Hayward, Kosta Koufos 5-man rotation at the start of the 4th quarter? Do you take the blue ones or the red ones?
I learned something about this club tonight. There is no way I can enjoy watching them if I look at the stat sheet. I cannot take both the red and blue pills at the same time and watch this squad.
At the end of the first half, the Wolves and Lakers posted the following numbers:
Pace (Poss) Eff eFG FT/FG OREB% TOr
Minnesota 96.0 108.3 50.0% 8.3 51.7 25.0
LA Lakers 120.8 54.3% 17.4 44.4 18.8
The Lakers came into the game with a 118.4/53.2/23.2/31.5/14.1 line for those stats. The Wolves came in with a 96.4/42.1/25/31/18.1 mark. Against the Lakers in the 1st half, the Wolves had an eFG of 50% while collecting over 51% of available misses. In other words, roughly 75% of any shots that went up in the 1st half on the Wolves' end of the court either went in or were rebounded by Our Beloved Puppies. They still found themselves down by 6 to a Lakers team that really wasn't doing anything special or out of the ordinary. They got a 1/2 where they dominated the glass, made 50% of their eFG shots, where Darko went 4-9, and where Bassy shot 2-3 from beyond the arc and they still were behind.
At this point, were I to take the blue pill, the outcome of the game is obvious: this team is performing far beyond its aggregate abilities and they will come crashing down to earth in the 2nd half. Despite what we'd like to think about the cheap shots that the national media may take against our favorite squad, writers like John Hollinger are right: this team is the worst team in the league and it is so because it is the worst shooting and least effective offensive squad with the most possessions.
However, if I were to have swallowed the red pill, I could have watched the 2nd half while rooting for some of the night's Indy/Paul Milsap magic to make its way to LA and for the Wolves to buck the odds and eek out a victory against one of the top teams in the league.
Which way do you go with this franchise? Do you pat them on the head and say "good job" for being competetive or do you complain about the ridiculous rotations and stupid plays that lead to them being the way they are (above and beyond basic questions of youth, inexperience, and a general lack of talent)? Do you have standards for quality or entertainment? Do you want moral victories vs. defeated morals.
As is always the case with this team, its front office/ownership has created a situation where its fans cheer for table scraps. "Yes, but..." seems to be the MO for any realistic take on anything about the team. Do you really want to root for moral victories after watching 5 straight double-digit loses including the worst 3-game stretch in team history? Well, that one gets a "sort of, but..."
Last night's game ended with the following line:
Pace (Poss) Eff eFG FT/FG OREB% TOr
Minnesota 97.2 (97) 96.9 43.3% 17.8 48.1 25.8
LA Lakers 102.1 48.9% 13.5 33.3 18.6
Was the blue pill kicking in or was the red one wearing off? Will Jonny Flynn and Martell Webster help straighten things out or will the addition of 09's worst starting point guard and a guy who produces on the same level as Ryan Gomes simply result in a net productivity wash? Do we need to set up Canis Hoopus sites in alternate universes where red pill fans can avoid all contact with blue pill hoops addicts? Can the two coexist in the same reality without creating a black hole of cynicism?
Random game thoughts:
- Kosta Koufos took the worst shot of the year with about 7 seconds left to go in the 3rd and more than that remaining on the 24 second clock. 20 foot jumpers from 7 footers are not what you want in that situation.
- Mo Ager canned a a3/4 court shot with time expiring in the 3rd. The Magic Mo Ager Era ended 1 minute and 18 seconds later when he clanged a 5 foot shot off the front of the rim.
- The NBA's new technical complaining rules do not apply to a certain player. We'll call him K. Bryant. Nope, that's too obvious: Kobe B.
- The Lakers are believers in the blue pill approach. They refused to close out on Bassy all night long and eventually 2-3 from beyond-the-arc turned into 3-7.
- Wes Johnson played some decent defense on Kobe. He also ran baseline to baseline on offense for most of the night allowing Kobe the night off on that end of the court. The guy definitely shows some flashes but it's a long way to go on offense.
- It really is amazing that after drafting Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Ty Lawson, and Nick Calathes (yes, I know about the trades), and after signing Ramon Sessions and Luke Ridnour, that the Wolves ran out a Bassy/Ager PG rotation against the Lakers. This is more of an observation than a judgment. The Wolves will try out two no-name point guards tomorrow before the game with SacTown. I think their names are Seizmore Jabaflaz and Rockafort Turbofruit. Oh, Zell Miller too. Again, this is a blue/red pill moment. Are they more snake bit than incompetent, or is it the other way around?
- Comment of the night, courtesy of TimAllen: "There are two kinds of open: regular open and Sebastian Telfair open.
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It's nice to see a game
where Bassy gets a bit of credit. Though it stopped and reversed after he didn’t keep up the 2 of 3 from beyond the arc. I wonder if people notice scoring more than anything else…
Personally, I don’t think he played any better or worse this game than any other game, but hey, he got more time and scored slightly more points and got a couple more assists than his career per36 average (in 39 minutes). He also turned it over more and didn’t take a single free throw. Apparently Telfair’s legacy (did he ruin it???) will live and die by the three ball. So… dead it is.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
There was a long stretch where he definitely played really well
He wasn’t jacking stuff up, he wasn’t turning it over, and he was hitting wide open guys. Outside that stretch he had a few bad TO’s and made a few bad shot choices. So, in the end, he probably played about how he has been…but that stretch when he hit a few shots and didn’t do much of anything poorly…was very nice. I defended the wide open 3’s that came in the flow of the offense – I think he was 3-5 on those. Maybe 3-6.
It's a trick. Get an axe.
Oh absolutely
those wide open threes need to be taken. He is probably a bit better than most people think from range anyways, .311 career. Higher than that in all but his first year with us.
And at least one of his turnovers was a borderline highlight assist to Darko cutting down the lane… if only he hadn’t tossed it behind him.
Agreed about the bad shot selection though. Bassy’s biggest issue, by far. Nice to see him not replicating that in an important game.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Kobe passed the ball to Gasol twice all game
I’d say that one observation says everything that needs to be said about the game. We did play competitive ball, but did it doing things that don’t normally happen, and the Lakers clowned around most of the night.
That said, there’s still things to take from tonight….particularly Wes’ defense….that are encouraging.
I also thought Darko did pretty well overall. I think this is the kind of game he’s consistently capable of if he can find a comfort level and focus. 10-7-2-2-2 is pretty good. I think that can become more like 14-8-3 with improved confidence.
I don’t know if I can fault Rambis’ rotations either. We’re so short-handed. Yes, that Koufos/Tolliver/Brewer/Hayward/Ager lineup was bad, but what choice did we have? I suppose we could have played Love, Beas and Wes 40 minutes, but we have another game tomorrow and LA was all scrubs at that point too. In a healthy world, Koufos/Tolliver/Brewer/Hayward/Ager is really Koufos/Tolliver/Brewer/Webster/Flynn, which isn’t too bad.
And I also believe that the shooting will improve. I’m not worried about the offense. Defense is the concern.
I don’t see what the team sees in Koufos though. I don’t see any potential to be significantly better than he is now. If he was a 6 minute player, then fine, but the team normally doesn’t play Darko 30+ minutes and Pek is fouling out after like, 10….we can’t survive if Kosta is going to be out there 14 minutes a night. We have to find someone better if that’s going to be the case.
Anyway, I’m a red pill guy. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. I guess the blue pill could be called reality, but it also sort of assumes we won’t get better. I think it’s just as cynical to think the youngest team in the league won’t get better as it is to look at how bad we are now. Tonight was enjoyable. There were things about the team that could become normal with work and experience.
Really?
I must have been watching a different reaction than you. I saw Kobe and Gasol shaking their heads muttering to themselves and watch Phil Jackson with a stern frown on his face (okay, more stern than normal).
And, like Jerry Zgoda, I’ll blame it on Magic Johnson. At the behest of Rambis, Magic spoke to the team before the game.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
for the record
as a proud rock rib conservative, I’m inclined toward the red pill.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
now where's my guns and Bible
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Flagrant IS the rich, chuckd
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 10:00 AM CST up reply actions
never forget that people pay taxes
so when you tax a corporation, some person has to pay those taxes. Now, in the case of taxes on corporations how does a corporation respond? Well, being the greedy fuckers that they are (hey, that’s their job!) they try to maximize profits given the taxes. So they raise prices if they can, lower wages if they can, and skirt some safety regulations if they can, and if they absolutely fucking must they might lower the salaries of some executives or perhaps elect not to open that plant in Indiana, etc.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
Yes, but...
They do that whether we tax them or not.
You think if they are not taxed the CEOs will behave any differently? Maybe they’ll take less bonus money if we are nice to them?
Which reminds me of an interview with Michael Lewis, the guy who wrote an excellent book on the crash of our financial system and the subsequent bailout — and the behavior of the bankers after they had been bailed out.
He said: “We have socialism for the capitalists and capitalism for the rest of us.”
Which reminds me of something Obama said about the bankers during that period. He said:
“They want to get paid like rock stars but their only lip synching capitalism.”
I a big believer in free market capitalism
except for essential services. Just remember Enron.
It isn’t that big a deal if someone overcharges for something that you want. You have a choice to not buy it. However, it is a huge deal when someone overcharges for something that you need.
Things that should not be left to free markets are
education
water
electricity
Rubio, who art thou savior.
care to add national defense
or perhaps public safety or a fire department? and do libraries count as education or not?
how about roads? should we have interstate highways?
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
I'm a big fan of the Sherman Antitrust Act
Competitive markets, in the econ 101 sense, lead to all sorts of good outcomes, but they are not necessarily a naturally occurring phenomenon.
I’m also a big fan of regulating public goods, such as the environment. Firms that do not have to pay the costs associated with their pollution will over-pollute (relative to the socially optimal amount of pollution, which is not zero) in pursuit of profits.
Yes, the owners of capital will try to max profits whether we tax them or not
this is true.
But, my point, is when we tax them, and they do nothing differently after the tax than they did before the tax, their profits are lower. Thus, if they can, after a tax they will have wages lower, skirt safety regulations more, etc. Of course, they may not be able to shift all the taxes.
My larger point was and is: That people pay taxes. A corporation cannot pay taxes.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
I think they were frustrated, for sure
But I also think they were playing lazy, particularly in the first half. By the time they realized we weren’t going away, we were in a zone they couldn’t get us out of
I posted a similar defense for the rotations in the game thread..so I agree
Also, the bums entered down 7, and left down 7. And our starters played nearly 40 as it was.
Koufos played 9 minutes and Pek 1:26. Pek will get it, he’s just a rook.
It's a trick. Get an axe.
I was thinking
Pek was being rested for Samuel and DMC tomorrow.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Hmm...maybe
But he played 86 seconds and looked like a) he was blind, b) he was drunk, c) he was overwhelmed by the Lakers aura d) had never played hoops before.
On the other hand, really, really looking forward to Pek vs DMC. What are the odds of multiple contentious interactions and techs? 1:5? Cannot wait to see what happens when DMC meets a full grown man tank with a huge tattoo of a knight standing on a pile of skulls and an attitude to match.
It's a trick. Get an axe.
Assuming they don't both foul out after 8 minutes
DMC’s having as much trouble staying on the court as Pek
Maybe they should only be on the court
simultaneously, and see who can last the longest.
FOULDOME!
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who wins in a deathmatch
damn you claymation, where are you when I need you.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Nov 10, 2010 8:52 AM CST up reply actions
How long til one of them scored in one on one? Might be like Pitfall, simple no end to the game.
by fanslaststand on Nov 10, 2010 11:53 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
I think the team has decided to make Pek prove he won't be a defensive liability before putting him on the floor
And the same with Koufos, which is why Darko played 35 minutes instead of the normal 20
Given how bad we are defensively, it’s not entirely a bad idea. We stand to gain more by pushing Darko to establish himself offensively while benefiting from his defense than we do playing center by committee with 2/3 of the committee being a liability most of the time
Agreed
I will also say that I agree with the first part of this quote, and think we should be very happy with it. The second part strikes me as a reach and not necessary to the team’s goals (they’d be better served with Darko facilitating more instead of trying to score in the low to mid-teens):
I also thought Darko did pretty well overall. I think this is the kind of game he’s consistently capable of if he can find a comfort level and focus. 10-7-2-2-2 is pretty good. I think that can become more like 14-8-3 with improved confidence.
Discussing homerism since 2008!
by biggity2bit on Nov 10, 2010 11:17 AM CST up reply actions
Darko will not average 14 and 8
But I’ll settle for 10 and 7, I mean come on, Darko’s been in the league for 7+ years, and averaging 5 and 5 this year, what makes people think he will start to average 14 and 8, his confidence is shot right now.
Cali
thanks for the facts. It’s clear the early fourth quarter rotation did not lead to a huge Laker lead. But, here’s the rub. We don’t know what a “better” wolves line up might have done. Maybe putting in Beasley for Lazar leaves the wolves down only 3 at the end of the stretch and gives them a better chance to win. of course, and to your point, maybe Beasley gets tired or was tired and the lead is not narrowed, etc. Lots of unknowns. Known unknowns and of course the unknown unknowns….
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 10:06 AM CST up reply actions
Well at least this is not the usal I want DMC, curry etc.
I will break it down. The reason why we are not efficient is because all the new players young and inexperienced. 2 we are playing a complicated offense. 3 of the starters are playing out of position.
Wow..
….what a fantastic defense of the coaching and front office abilities of this team. Young players playing a complicated offense that puts most of them out of position. Fantastic! ;)
Red pill: Once these guys get older and figure out how to play out of position, it’s all gravy.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
2 players are playing out of position
Wes is a 3 and Beasley is a 4
To quote someone who broke it on down in the first place:
" 3 of the starters are playing out of position."
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Darko is starting?
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Nope
Bassy is a SG.
Discussing homerism since 2008!
by biggity2bit on Nov 10, 2010 11:17 AM CST up reply actions
Iggy
A Love for Iggy trade would solve a lot of these out of position problems by allowing Wes to play the 3 and Deasley to play the 4. Although i’m sure the 76ers, despite their 2-5 start, would immediately hang up the phone on Khan.
Or visa versa
Not sure Kahn would make that trade. Beasley is an undersized 4. He’d solve nothing for us defensively by sliding him over there and he’s never proven to be as efficient of a scorer or rebounder as Love. There really is no debate as to who the better player is to date. Beasley’s destiny is either as a starting 3 or a combo forward that comes off the bench. He’s not a starting 4 in this league unless he’s lining up next to Dwight Howard.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 3:09 PM CST up reply actions
If Beasley is the 4..
…who rebounds the ball?? He had one measly rebound last night. grant , KLove was a vacuum possessed, but even Darko managed 7boards.
It would be ugly
Darko and Beasley would be a very poor rebounding frontcourt.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 6:28 PM CST up reply actions
I know I'm late to this
But if there is one lesson from last night’s game, it is exactly this. There is a causal relationship between the players we have on the team, how they are coached and the offense that is being run, and the results on the floor (crappy shooting percentage, FT disparity, and high turnovers). What we’ve seen is that this “blueprint” is really a plan that results in getting blown out by 20+ points on the road most nights. Last night is going to be the exception, not the rule, in my opinion.
What’s crazy is that if SnP is right, the business people need to see progress in attendance, and the only way to do that is to win. But of course you’ve turned the keys over to a POBO who’s best pick (so far) is playing in Spain and our best trade has netted us a volume 4 who is playing the 3. And you’ve given a 4 year contract to a coach who runs a system that only seems to work well with highly experienced players and top-level talent.
While I’m not so sure we won’t luck our way into something that’s in the best long-term interests of the team (one of these years we’ve got to get lucky in the lottery, so Harrison Barnes, here we come!), it ain’t going to show up on the court this year, no matter how many of Rambis’ ex-teammates give pep talks.
And while I don’t thik it makes you any better than the Pacers in the long run, there is the obvious other path: the Skiles, A. Johnson, B. Scott path, where you take a team with lesser talent, run a system that is more suitable to their strengths (or at least hides their weaknesses), place an emphasis on minimizing turonvers and bad shots, and getting them to play hard. It’s amazing what happens when you do that — you hurt your lottery position (bad) but your point differential goes from the negative teens to the low single digits, and wins come in multiples of what the wolves seem to be on pace for.
by Sterno on Nov 10, 2010 2:36 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Well put
At some point you need to ride the horses you’ve got and maximize their talent. We’re are now up to our gills in young talent with flexibility to get more (another lotto pick this year, Rubio in the pipeline, cap space, etc.). We need wins, not moral victories or dogmatic system and positional philosophies.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 3:13 PM CST up reply actions
it is well put
If we want to give Rambis and Kahn any credit…
it does really seem like they are swinging for the fences here in that they are going all out for a championship team. It’s just so god damn unlikely. Here me out.
They’ve got cap space to get a top level talent. They’ve got the draft picks to trade to get a top level talent. They’ve got the absolutely horrible team to get more ping pong balls in the lottery. They are running the freaking triangle offense.
But they have to do everything right. I just don’t think it’s even remotely likely. But if you care to dream…
They could get a dynamic game changing wing in the draft. Harrison Barnes. Rubio comes over, they use cap space to add a talented athlete and defensive presence to the front court.
Then you’ve got all the role players knowing how to play the triangle already and you’ve got the dynamic fast break PG and you’ve got the dynamic wing, and you’ve got an elite rebounder, and you’ve got an athletic big man. You are a championship contender. There is no learning curve for the triangle. Rubio will get it. Everyone else knows it. Barnes don’t need it. They are off and running.
Will any of that actually happen. Probably not. Does it represent a plan? Not really? Does the team, however, have an opportunity to pull it off? Yes they do.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
And I don't want a Pacers / Bobcats-like team
That is competitive on most nights but an easy out come playoff time (or a late lotto team). I want the OKC or CHI route — get that superstar in the draft (Durant / Rose(?)) and surround him with complimentary pieces. Build your way to a championship caliber team. Make the right trades / signings at the right times. Sounds like the Wolves for one year in the mid 200s. So long ago.
The part that has me POd is that Khambis seemed so confident this was a better team than last year (now eerily similar to Brewster’s boasting of his team’s talent). How do they have any credibility? They sold us a bill of goods, namely that this team was going to be competitive on most nights. Hasn’t happened, and I don’t think it will, even when (if?) they get healthy. We can joke about Brian Cardinal and Ryan Gomes, but I think they are better fits as a role players in the triangle than some of the young guys are, no matter how much more talented the new guys are.
And it’s impossible to ignore how much luck is involved. If anyone hasn’t seen it, it does look like Brandon Roy may be facing chronic knee issues (could McHale have been right?). Portland is going from the #1 challgener to LA at the beginning of last season (when everyone was healthy) to potentially having the second coming of Alan Houston signed to an albatross of a contract.
TO BE CLEAR: I WISH NOTHING BUT THE BEST FOR B. ROY. He seems to be a consumate professional on and off the court, as they say. The point is just that he’s inked to an $80 million deal and his skills may already be in decline. If that’s the case, would you trade the Wolves’ roster for the Blazers’? And no fair including the coaching staff, ownership and FO. . .
I'd trade our entire roster
for LMA.
It’s been a while.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Exactly littleboxes
Go for it and in the mean time cultivate the young talent. I love watching this strategy play out (even during these losses) as opposed to following a mediocre team with a decent chance of winning during the season but which would surely go down in round one or two of the playoffs at best. Losses in the near-term don’t bother me when winning huge in the end is a possibility.
And despite whether you agree with it or not, I’m amazed that people contend we don’t have a plan. It might be a risky, bold and arguably stupid plan, but I find it incredibly refreshing after the McHale era.
Agreed
Well at least this is not the usal I want DMC, curry etc.
Or the usal Kevin Love is overrated or DMC is a bigger Al Jefferson. Followed by: “I told you guys this a hundred times”. Thanks for breaking it down this time
Is just disinformation…
by Son of Gerald Green on Nov 10, 2010 7:32 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
You forgot
“That’s why I’m moving to Asia.”
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he's quiet, folks, but rest assured he's reading...
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 10:07 AM CST up reply actions
I think the real key to the wolves staying in the game
was the pregame jinx that SnP delivered with that delicious looking recipe. Since we never know what to expect from the Pups, when we predict a blowout of epic proportions, of course we get a close game. I look for more tailgating recipes prior to gametime.
Dear Alex Gordon:
I still think you will be awesome, but for the love of God, please stop getting hurt.
Sincerely,
RF
I was thinking it was the $5 I had
on the Lakers to cover the spread.
"I’d rather be losing to Orlando by 32, than be Indiana losing to the 76ers by 26 at halftime." -dropstep
by losDelFuego on Nov 10, 2010 10:56 AM CST up reply actions
I like the red ones
…but they give me tachycardia and keep me awake at night.
Two things that I was giddy about was Darko challenging everyone on D rather than disappearing when his annoying baby hook wasn’t falling and especially Love getting fouls on the Lakers frontcourt, to the point that they even doubled him late in the game (which should be qualified that he was being doubled off of Telfair).
I’m moderate on Bassy. He played a ton of minutes, an experience he’s not particularly familiar with, with only really melting down for about 5 minutes. I sort of give him and Rambis a pass because Bassy was gassed and Rambis didn’t have anyone else.
And to show more disdain for the blue pill: who needs offensive sets or skill if we can collect 50% of our misses. In the red pill world, that continues for the rest of the year.
Rambis should make a deal with Darko
every time you miss a shot I need to see one of four things in the next 2 minutes or you are out of the game
1. An immediate sprint back on defense
2. A blocked shot
3. A charge taken
4. A rebound
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 10:09 AM CST up reply actions
5. A made shot
For Pekovic:
1. The opposing team on the ground in tears.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
I would say everytime he even attempts a baby hook within 4 feet of the hoop
He needs to be shocked with an electrical charge. Those need to be dunk attempts.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:09 PM CST up reply actions
someone check the rule book
can players where a dog collar or a choke chain during a game? I think Stern might balk at the imagery and only allow white players and coaches to participate in the choke chain experiment.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
I blame Love
He didn’t leave many for anyone else :)
Together
Love and Beasley had 24 rebounds. That’s pretty good!
%
by midlife crisis on Nov 10, 2010 8:49 AM CST up reply actions
Love is too damn good at getting rebounds
This is what happens when you have Beasley playing the 3
So Beasley at the 3
makes Love too damn good at getting rebounds?
I think we’ve found Beasley’s natural position, people!
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Darko shall now be referred to as "Dunko"
so that he’s reminded what to do with the ball when he gets within five feet of the rim.
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Dunko and 10-10-10 in the front court
noShoot & noDrive in the backcourt
by midlife crisis on Nov 10, 2010 8:50 AM CST up reply actions
Absolutey...
I dont understand this mans aversion to dunking the ball. Its a much higher percentage shot.
Darko thinks dunking is "unbecoming" of a gentleman.
It’s our duty to convince him that he’s not a gentleman.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
Darko is afraid of the contact
Even if he misses on those dunks, he’d probably get fouled a lot of the times. When you are 8 feet and beyond from the rim, go over the defense. When within 5 feet, go through it!
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:12 PM CST up reply actions
Random thought
Lazar’s dive over the bench was a great display of how hard this team can work. Once we get some team chemistry (less than 20 TO’s) that kind of effort can win us games.
As much as I liked watching that
that was an incredibly stupid play. The announcers were talking about that for a bit afterwards too. The ball was already lost, there’s no need to risk your neck (literally) to make Kurt know that you are hustling and deserve to be on the floor.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Then again
nothing like getting your team fired up. These guys are playing for their own pride right now more than anything. If they feel they need to be scrappy and tough, then I’m all for guys diving every which way for loose balls. It’ll be interesting to see which team shows up at Arco tonight – the prideful Wolves or the blown out Wolves.
Discussing homerism since 2008!
by biggity2bit on Nov 10, 2010 11:20 AM CST up reply actions
During Ager/Hayward/Brewer/Tolliver/Koufaspalooza...
We didn’t get blown out…but we lost a ton of chances as well. The Lakers weren’t hitting shots, but it didn’t really matter because the Wolves were running their offense through Corey Brewer.
I’ll give Rambis the benefit of the doubt in this, because I know he’s not used to giving his best players extended minutes. That’s always been a tough concept for him to grasp. Having said that, I would hope that in the future we leave Beazley or Johnson in with that group.
I'm ready to be swayed Wesley Johnson!!
I don't think Johnson helps much
We need someone who doesn’t need to be setup.
And I think you always need Love or Beasley playing the 4 during the whole game. I know Tolliver has good energy but you have to choose Beasley playing his best position over Tolliver.
by midlife crisis on Nov 10, 2010 8:53 AM CST up reply actions
You're probably right...
Johnson won’t work that well if Mo Ager is out there setting him up.
I'm ready to be swayed Wesley Johnson!!
Pekovic...
Did anyone see what Pek did to get the quick hook? I know he got a TO, but was that it? We definitely could have used him during the end of the 3rd/early 4th to help create some offense.
I'm ready to be swayed Wesley Johnson!!
I think Pekovic
has played his way out of the rotation lately with his fouls. If he isn’t scoring and drawing fouls, he’s a liability. I had high hopes for Pekovic this season as a major X-factor off the bench, but he just hasn’t panned out. Let’s hope he adjusts.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:14 PM CST up reply actions
I for one really enjoyed the game last night
I think LA was at least putting in 75-80% effort and were irritated they couldn’t put the Wolves away in the 3rd. Love and a few others were just outworking them on the boards.
Kinda bummed to come to CH this morning and see so much negativity. Since the KG trade and beginning of the various rebuilds, we never really seen any growth. Mostly just bad play followed by roster reshuffles.
Perhaps this game will be the start of a slow but noticable improvement of play. I think the Wolves should get some positive attention for improving.
The key will be tonight in Sacto. If the team brings even 95% of the same effort, I think they have a great shot at beating SAC. And then we could celebrate an actual victory vs. a moral one.
PS: I really do not like the way Telfair plays in general. I think he shoots too much and dribbles too much. But I have to give him credit last night. He is not feeling 100% either but was putting in a ton of effort.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
Negativity is a Minnesota Fan's defense mechanism...
We’re all too jaded to initially invest, but if the growth continues we’ll gradually see more fans buy in.
I'm ready to be swayed Wesley Johnson!!
Actually,
that’s called being a frontrunner and goes a long way to explain why MN sports fans are generally lame.
There's a thin gray line
between “loyalty” and “stupidity.”
See also Green Bay Packers, Fans of
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agreed
talk about a damn buzzkill. I was just stoked they didn’t get blown out. Looks like some people had someone piss in their coffee this morning. I like the overall maturity level. Classy. Speaks well of us MN fans (yes we have plenty to gripe about).
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Nov 10, 2010 8:55 AM CST up reply actions
someone pissed in my coffee? Again!
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 10:11 AM CST up reply actions
I checked out the game thread after the game was over
and had no interest in commenting.
It would be nice to hear someone say, “gee, maybe it makes sense for Rambis to yank starters when they don’t play up to their potential.”
Right now it’s not about winning games, it’s about building a team that can win games.
Have I said Darko! lately?
Umm...
I posted a rather elaborate defense of the Rambotations in the game thread. There were only 900+ posts, I don’t see how you missed it.
Started here:
http://www.canishoopus.com/2010/11/9/1804705/game-thread-8-pre-game-meal-edition#51596425
and more elaborate here:
http://www.canishoopus.com/2010/11/9/1804705/game-thread-8-pre-game-meal-edition#51599365
I’ve consistently argued these points in a vein similar to what you suggest. Even last year.
It's a trick. Get an axe.
I'm betting TMiss was in what one might call a bit of an altered state when perusing the game thread
and that would explain him missing your excellent posts.
They really are excellent.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 11:15 AM CST up reply actions
I'm kinda feeling sorry for the guys who are taking this hard
I had a blast in pre-season. Two games so far have been at least partially satisfying.
I guess I’d rather be looking at the positives. Otherwise, I’d have to find another team to follow, or maybe another sport, like curling.
But we can always focus on food!
+1 on Bassy
I don’t think he dishes the ball very well either – the ball may get to the target most of the time, but guy catching the ball has to adjust to the pass way too much instead of catching it in rhythm.
by Breaking Ankles on Nov 10, 2010 12:41 PM CST up reply actions
Bassy's shooting and dribbling
might be directly correlated to the deficit of those skills in his running mates. As long as we have stationary shooters that have a hard time putting the ball on the floor and making plays, someone with handles has to break down the defense. I don’t like it either, but so far our passing/motion-oriented offense has produced the most inefficient offensive production in the NBA this year.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:18 PM CST up reply actions
Good Effort
That’s the type of loss that we hoped to see this year. Too many mistakes, but a good energy level with some highlight material mixed in.
Love was awesome — deserved every one of his minutes.
I liked Telfair’s game. He was not hitting those open 3’s during his first stint in Minnesota.
Johnson looks to be the best wing defender that we’ve had since Trenton Hassell. I thought Brewer could be that guy, but he’s more disruptive than he is solid or consistent, on defense. His style is best suited to come off the bench.
Now, we should win tonight. No moral victories versus the Sacramento Queens.
Just because I think Bassy takes too much crap
I’ve got to defend him even when people are complimenting him :)
On 2.8 attempts per game in 2008-09, Telfair shot .346 from behind the arc.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
That was pretty bad, though...
because that was 34.6 percent on wide open treys. Last night he took 7, and while I can’t remember exactly I think probably 5 or 6 were wide open. He made 3. That’s 50 percent or better, which is what an NBA guard should shoot when given 10 feet of space.
The issue with Bassy in 08-09 wasn’t his shooting percentage as much as it was his inability to make teams pay for leaving him wide open. His percentage didn’t reflect how terrible of a jumpshooter he was, compared to the average NBA guard.
He might have proven me wrong and improved it, despite no improvement in his mechanics.
True
but hey, I’ll take 34.6% from three from Telfair any way I can get it.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Go back and look at 82games.com and the +/- stats
Every single player that was paired with Bassy played better with him than without him on the floor. That says a lot about his ability to make an offense tick, even if he himself struggles with his own offense. We’ll see if that trend continues this season.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:21 PM CST up reply actions
yeah, I remember the Mavs stats guy from a couple years back
saying Telfair was one of the best PGs in the NBA
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
didn’t read all the comments but what I thought was really showing is that we don’t have that deep a bench. There were just too many players out there that are good players but should never get the amount of minutes that they did.
Also .. what is UP with DARKO. Omfgz if you throw one more close shot on the back of the iron I’ll come fly down to Minny and show you myself … COME.ON
Don’t get angry at yourself … FOCUS
Make sure you drop us all a line...
cause it looks like you’ll be in town by tomorrow’s happy hour.
by midlife crisis on Nov 10, 2010 10:15 AM CST up reply actions
I
didn’t really think that one through the whole way did I ;)
by Wim (Belgium) on Nov 10, 2010 10:53 AM CST up reply actions
"just remember that David Kahn drove you to do drugs"
I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOU THE TIMBERWOLVES!!!
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I'm just glad I have a new excuse
The “George Bush drove me to do drugs” line was wearing a little thin.
"Pinch-bunters don't have a ton of value, even with the Twins"
by Steven Ellingson on Nov 10, 2010 9:56 AM CST up reply actions
Little known fact
Kurt Rambis, with hair died a dark brown and without glasses, plays the dad is that commercial. Ironic, I know.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Nov 10, 2010 10:20 AM CST up reply actions
Exactly! And non-Korean...
…let’s keep this alive!
how about a recipe for a Minnesota burrito — Swedish meatballs wrapped in lefse, with fried onions, jalapenos & cheddar cheese.
How about a meatball..
…lefse, fried onion, and cheese hot dish?
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
mac and cheese pizza
Can’t be that hard and with the abundance of cheese in the area I have to imagine everyone could make a mean pizza. It is comfort food afterall.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Nov 10, 2010 10:36 AM CST up reply actions
Mac & cheese pizza on lefse
Heart stopping, I know
There's a really good lefse...
..place in Rushford that has a lefse wrap with essentially hamburger helper inside of it. I haven’t tried it but it was called something like hotdish in lefse:
http://www.norslandlefse.com/
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Dont' forget the jello dish
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
in the game thread comments
Caliwolf had a nice summary of Rambis’ post game comments on Love and Beasley.
Rambis interview
What did you learn about Love?
If he plays hard he’s plays great.
If he plays with a maximum effort it is hard to take him off the floor.
He needs to learn how to do that night in, night out. When he learns that he’s a true pro and when he figures it out his career will soar.
Beas has a love for life and loves to ;play, we want to keep him on the floor. He is learning the 3, in new situations. When he gets comfy and sees where his opps are and aren’t. When he sees that his career will take of as well.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
Lakers Broadcast
I watched the game on the internet last night (i don’t live in mn) and it was the Lakers broadcast. Ordinarily I hate listening to other commentators especially when they are going against the Wolves with all the genaric insults, but these guys were quite good. They really liked the way the Wolves were playing and absolutely loved Love’s game. They even said that Love was the story of the game, they almost said that Love was the best player on the court last night. They also mentioned a number of times that the Wolves are the youngest team in the league and often said it in connection to the turnovers. I think those guys are actually more positive about the Wolves than many of the readers on here, which is prett sad.
by Ineffable on Nov 10, 2010 10:51 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
P.S.
I forgot to mention that after the game they interviewed Lamar Odom and right away he said that Love was the guy of the night and they should be interviewing him instead. He clearly was amazed at how well Love played. Love just dominated Odom in the game and that is a huge reason that the game stayed so close.
Agree
Don’t know if it was the same as the league pass (but it can’t see how it could not be). They said some negative things as well but they were all accurate in relation to what happens on the court. If I want to read ESPN I’ll … read it. These guys told stuff but in relation to the game.
by Wim (Belgium) on Nov 10, 2010 10:56 AM CST up reply actions
As a LBP..
… connoisseur, I can tell you that the Lakers announcers are some of the best in the league and they LOVE them some Rambis. They are also pretty good about acknowledging when their guys get some breaks. In that regard (and in many others), they are the opposite of Boston.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
I wasn't on here after the Rockets game...
because I had the will to live beaten out of me.. But did anybody else think those were the two worst announcers in history of speaking aloud?
When you're rich you don't write checks...Straight Cash Homey!
by NuthinBurger on Nov 10, 2010 1:23 PM CST up reply actions
Clyde Drexler..
…and Bill Worrell are their announcers. Clyde is hyper-critical of the bad teams in the league and Bill is kind of a gomer. The Suns used to have the best TV crew in the league before Eddie Johnson went to the bench. They’re still very good. The Clips have a surprisingly good crew. My least favorite is the Blazer homers.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Ah the Blazers announcers..
Last year, when the Blazers blew out the Wolves in Target Center, I remember vividly the Portland announcer saying:
“The Minnesota fans aren’t leaving; I think they enjoy watching that the Blazers are REALLY an up-and-coming young team.”
Yeah, that’s definitely why they hadn’t left in the 3rd quarter.
Joel Meyers baby, he's awesome
I believe he does Summer League games as well, so he should be familiar to most diehard Wolves fans since that tends to be the apex of our “season” each year.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:28 PM CST up reply actions
I certainly can’t blame them for being slanted a bit towards the Lakers but it really was refreshing to hear some positive things about the Wolves from non-Wolves fans.
They did mention that Kobe was complaining a lot about not getting foul calls but they never (that i heard) said that all of his complaints were justified.
Just don't..
…ever listen to the Spurs broadcast against the Wolves. They HAAATTTTEEE our favorite team.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
I have NBA LP BB as well
And I would say at least 1/2 of the broadcasters are laughable. They are like guys working for a newspaper who are stuck in the 1970s thinking their only readers are people within delivery truck distance.
As a result they:
- Don’t know the names of Wolves players
- Criticize them for how they look or how their name is spelled
- Dump on the Wolves energetically for past failures committed by people who no longer play or work for the Wolves
- Whine about every single call that goes against the home team
- Never hilight anything good a Wolves player did on a play
Boston, despite being a major media market, has that Tommy and his embarassing homerism and whining. Last year the Bulls had a guy (Stacey King?) who went on a long diatribe about how lame Crunch is. As mentioned above, Sean Elliot for the Spurs is amazingly biased against the Wolves – questioning the manhood of current players based on stuff that happened 5 years ago.
Seriously … guys … the world is not flat and is greater than 50 miles across. People from both teams are listening to the ridiculous things you say.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Nov 10, 2010 12:55 PM CST up reply actions
I'm a big fan..
…of Tommy and Mike Gorman. Yeah, he’s a huge homer but you know that going in. Stupid and boring homers are terrible. Entertaining and smart ones are worth the price of admission. Gorman does a wonderful job keeping the tempo going and giving Tommy room to make it all entertaining. Plus, he’s not afraid to tell it how he feels with no sugar coating:
Elliot is a definite grudge holder. I remember a game in the McHale era where the team flat-out stopped playing with about 2 minutes to go. Elliot couldn’t let it go the rest of the year and into the next.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Give me the red pill and don't judge me....
Thought they put up good effort last night. I hope that continues – that should win them a few games shortly.
by Breaking Ankles on Nov 10, 2010 12:31 PM CST reply actions
The Wolves really got under the skin of the Lakers last night
with their effort:
Wolves, it's time to "switch the flip".
Nice to see
Phil calling out Kobe on his forced shots last night.
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
In addition,
anyone want to take bets on if Kobe gets fined for his comment about the calls last night?
Asked about Phil’s “forced shots” comments, Kobe thought PJ was missing the bigger issue. “He needs to be lobbying for some calls,” grinned Bryant. “That’s what he needs to do. That was ridiculous. I think that’s illegal in some states.”
Video provides more context, but he was clearly addressing what he considered poor officiating (he ran into the lane twice in transition and wasn’t gifted a call on either one. Not something he is not used to).
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
The Brewer call...
was as bad as you’ll see — Brew was in position and Kobe shouldered him into the ground… for a blocking call. Came at a point late in the game when we could have used the turnover, too.
Did Kobe just say ass?
You're not letting natural selection take its course! You're like the guy who invented the seatbelt...
Kobe
conveniently forgot about the call he got earlier in the game – his up fake near the end of the first half where Lazar went straight up to challenge him and then Kobe initiated the contact and made the shot. It was just barely a brush since Lazar did a good job controlling his body as he came down. The official hesitated at first, then saw that it was a rookie guarding Kobe and proceeded to blow the whistle. I absolutely HATE that call.
by Rascal Flatts on Nov 10, 2010 2:33 PM CST up reply actions
The only thing more amazing than the call...
was Kobe’s “I gutted my way through contact and sacrificed my body to make the play” look.
by midlife crisis on Nov 10, 2010 3:48 PM CST up reply actions
did he grab his wrist too?
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Nov 10, 2010 4:14 PM CST up reply actions
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