Wednesday Cup of Canis

Dario Saric got the start against the Clippers Monday night, and it sounds like he will continue to do so going forward. It was a rough start for Saric, who picked up two quick fouls, but in the end it worked well, and not just for Saric personally who shot it well and had a strong game.

This is a continuation of what we’ve seen in shorter bursts since Saric joined the Wolves: These two are a good pairing. They are +3.7/100 per NBA-Wowy.

Another interesting aspect of the rotations on Monday was that, even though Towns was in foul trouble and limited to 27 minutes, Gorgui Dieng logged only 14. We saw some Saric-Taj Gibson minutes instead. This makes some sense, as the DIeng-Gibson combo is at least theoretically worrisome, with neither able to space the floor nor make plays from the perimeter with the ball. In a small sample, however, they are actually positive together.

• Since Ryan Saunders took over, Luol Deng has appeared in 13 games, averaging 18.7 minutes per contest, and delivering 16 and 6 per 36. It’s a remarkable resurgence for a player who essentially didn’t play for a season and a half. He’s shooting it well (52 percent from the field) and showing that he’s still capable of guarding guys. His +2.3 per game is impressive under the circumstances.

What’s not so great: With Robert Covington out injured, Luol Deng might be the Wolves most reliable wing player.

• The Wolves end their pre-All Star break schedule tonight at home against the Rockets. Always a tough match up for the Wolves, though one of their best wins of the season was a comeback against the Rockets back in early December.
• Yesterday in Champions League action, Roma 2-1 Porto, and enjoyably ManU 0-2 PSG.

Today, it’s Ajax-Real Madrid, and the big one: Spurs-Dortmund. COYS!

During the break, we’ll start looking at draft prospects (yes it’s that time) and other things as well.

What’s going on today?