Rambis on goals for the rest of the preseason, praise for the team's preseason performance and more
From Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site: Head coach Kurt Rambis provides an injury update for Milicic and Webster after the two players missed the contest on Tuesday. He also chats about the goals for the remainder of the preseason. (VIDEO)
From Tom Haberstroh/ESPN:
Bad teams tend to go through an overhaul in the summer, either through trades or high lottery picks, and the preseason provides the stage to get the new pieces gelling before the regular season. For rebuilding teams, what you see in the preseason tends to be what you get in the regular season. The preseason has less value for 50-win teams (think the Magic and the Lakers) since they tend to stand pat in the offseason and consequently know what they'll get from their key players. Sub-30 win teams just can't afford to let young and unfamiliar teammates sit on the bench during the exhibitions.
One such team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, has won five of its seven games in this preseason. A handful of preseason games won't exonerate David Kahn's recent dubious deals, but it's certainly a much-needed glimmer of hope for Minnesota fans.
From Jason Fleming/Hoopsworld: Preseason Surprises and Disappointments
It's not a surprise Minnesota power forward Kevin Love is a good rebounder, but what is a surprise is him leading the entire league in rebounding rate with 11.5 boards a game in 25.8 minutes, just ahead of Orlando's Dwight Howard.
From Ray Richardson/Pioneer Press:
After seven exhibition games, the Wolves lead the NBA in three-point shooting, hitting 59 of 133 attempts for a .444 percentage. Perhaps the most significant factor in the Wolves' early success is that four of the team's top six three-point shooters were not on last year's roster, a group that ranked 26th in the league in long-range shooting.
Newcomers Martell Webster, Anthony Tolliver, Sebastian Telfair and Wesley Johnson have made a combined 32 three-pointers, validating the efforts made by Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn and coach Kurt Rambis to upgrade the team's perimeter play.
"Our three-point shooting has changed our whole identity," said Wolves forward Kevin Love, who ranks sixth in the league (13 of 22, .591) during the exhibition season. "It doesn't allow teams to just pack it in the paint on us. It opens up a lot of aspects to our offense. Teams will have to play us different."
From Mike Durkin/FOX 9 News: Three’s Company: Young Shooters Light Up Target Center
From Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site:
Boeheim, Gerry McNamara, and Derrick Coleman watched Minnesota dispatch the Pistons on the Syracuse floor and former Orange great and Mayor of Detroit tossed the ball at the opening tip. The game was secondary for the fans as they had a chance to pay homage to their beloved players.
"I love them both," Coleman proudly stated. "First time I saw Wes, instantly off the bat, I knew he was a pro. And to watch Jonny on TV and then to come to the games and see him in person, just the way he can get to the basket and his shot is being consistent. I think they are going to be great pros. It's Syracuse man, c'mon they don't make it better. We are the Orange."