Wolves host Miami tonight...Sessions happy with his role...Wolves among least financially efficient...Ellington makes most improved rookie list...Blogs post Ricky Rubio video highlights...
Previews of tonight's game against Miami:
From Phil Miller/Star Tribune: Wolves' Sessions stays positive at the point
Then he came to Minnesota, and began running coach Kurt Rambis' triangle offense as the backup to starter Jonny Flynn.
The result? Sessions, who plays seven fewer minutes per game than he did in Milwaukee, has scored 20 points only twice all year. He's reached eight assists twice as well, and he has zero double-doubles.
And he swears he's just fine with that.
"That's not what they want me to do here," said Sessions, who averages 7.8 points and 3.1 assists with the Wolves. "I wouldn't say it's been a down year. I wouldn't say last year was better. It's just a different offense."
From David Thorpe/ESPN: Rookie Watch: Who's most improved?
5. Wayne Ellington, Timberwolves
Remember, this is a most improved list, not a list of the best players who have improved, and Ellington has improved a great deal in the one area the Wolves needed him to most: Shooting. Through 2009, Ellington made just 14 of his 57 3-point attempts (24.5 percent). But after making 2-of-3 on New Year's Day, he's now 45 of 93 in 2010 (48.3 percent). It's not a huge sample size, but it's enough to suggest that he might be the best longrange shooter in this class, which would be an enormous accomplishment with Curry in the mix.
From Ian Thomsen/SI.com: Countdown: Which teams get the most, least out of their payroll?
4 Least efficient teams...
• Minnesota Timberwolves, $62.8 million payroll, $4.19 million per win. By signing coach Kurt Rambis to four years and using the No. 5 pick on Ricky Rubio, who won't be available to leave his Spanish club until 2011, the Wolves proved they are rebuilding patiently for the long term. Going into the draft, they'll shed almost $28 million in payroll with as many as 10 names vanishing from the books next season. They'll have space to make an anticipated run at Gay or another free agent this summer to go with another high pick in the draft. And in the meantime, they've continued to develop Kevin Love, rookie point guard Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer, a candidate for the Most Improved Player award.
Benjamin Polk/City Pages on the team's campaign to have Brewer voted MIP:
Corey Brewer plays on a team that has won 15 games this year, hasn't once been seen on national TV, and is seen as a strange joke by most of the rest of the league. Hate to say it, but it probably ain't gonna happen.
From Keighla Schmidt/Savage Pacer: Timberwolves fans find love on, off court
From Matthew Hayden/Bleacher Report: Controversy in Minnesota: Timberwolves Bench Kevin Love For Darko Milicic
From Kurt Helin/ProBasketballTalk: Timberwolves owner not so patient anymore
From A Stern Warning: Ricky Rubio's Top 5 Plays
From Ball In Europe: Euroleague games four highlight clips, starring Rubio, Belgrade fans and a buncha Reds