Timberwolves Territory

A force to be reckoned with……

Many can say that the NBA has had some of the most prominent forwards to boast about. The new generation of forward can be said to be Blake Griffin, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and the like. With that said…the Timberwolves could add one of their own to that list,  Kevin Love.

Kevin Love was the 5th overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Memphis Grizzles and right after the draft he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzles trade was the Timberwolves diamond in the rough. In his rookie season; Love had 29 double/double’s, was 9th in the league in rebounding, first among rookies, and ranked 3rd in total offensive rebounds.  He was named to the 2009 NBA All-Rookie team and finished 6th in the Rookie of the year voting.

Since then; Kevin Love has been a rebounding machine as well as having increased his shooting percentage. Coming into this season Love lost 20 lbs, and looks as though he has committed to doing whatever he can to help the Timberwolves become a great Western Conference team.

With that said, Love has signed a 4 yr extension on his contract. He will be around for another 4 years and with the way he is playing…everyone will have to take notice; that Kevin Love is here, he is here to stay….and he will become one of the premier forwards in this league.

Sheri Crockett

Too soon to compare??

The NBA is known for its fast paced game, spectacular plays, and the right team chemistry to get to the finals to win a championship.  The media for the NBA, myself included, has been known for its comparison of players. For instance; Kobe Bryant on several occasions has been compared to Michael Jordan. John Stockton and Karl Malone was one of the best guard/forward combinations in the league. I believe we will have one to add to that…Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.

Currently, Love has 15 double/doubles (points and rebounds) and Rubio is averaging 11 points per game and 8 assists. To see these two play off each is very reminiscent of watching Stockton and Malone. Love sets a screen for Rubio;  rolls of the screen and there it is -  Love’s bucket and Rubio’s assist. They are very exciting to watch.

The Timberwolves are now 7-9, and look to get another home win on Monday night when they host the Houston Rockets. As always, the arena will be packed and cheers of  “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” while Rubio is in and the noise Love brings every-time he touches the ball is something to be witnessed.

Rubio and Love;  in time will become a household name…just like Stockton and Malone.

Contender or pretender??

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 5-8 after 13 games; and one may begin to wonder can they contend for a playoff spot…or will they just be exciting during the regular season?

According to Coach Adelman; it is too soon to tell the true potential of the team because of the injuries that have plagued them so far. Guard Malcolm Lee underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on Dec. 30th, center Brad Miller had microfracture surgery on his left knee in Mid-May, and guard Martell Webster underwent  microdiscectomy surgery on Sept. 28th. All 3 of these players have been sidelined indefinitely.  However; it appears that all 3 are rehabbing and could return soon.  Also on the injured list is Micheal Beasley. He has been on the injured list since Jan. 6th with a right midfoot sprain, and JJ Barea sprained his ankle on Jan 10th, and has been listed doubtful.

Even with those injured players, others have stepped up and played exceptional. Ricky Rubio has started 2 of the last 3 games they played and Luke Ridnour has shown his veteran leardership and play. Kevin Love of course, is playing very well this season and the bench has played just as well.

Coach Adelman continues to tell his team, no matter what they have to earn respect. Respect…hmmm; not easily given in the NBA.  As time goes on, and the team gets healthy, the Timberwolves will earn respect.

They have earned the respect of the fans, and probably have turned some non-believers into believers.  Contenders or pretenders…hard to say at this time. Keep your eyes open though….the Timberwolves may surprise you.

Sheri Crockett

A work in progress

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the following current statistics after 10 regular season games.

3-7 record · 2-5 home · 1-2 away · 2L streak · West Conf Rank 13

Is that a bad thing?  Basketball just like anything, is a game of who is ready at the right time, and even though their record shows them at 3-7 after 10 games;  how they play is not indicative of that record.  Even though they may be young, they have all have great basketball knowledge.  Coach Adelman has done a great job at coming in, learning his team and playing them at the times where he can get the most productivity out of them.

The team played Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. Chicago started out fast paced and aggressive. Coach Adelman then changed the line-up in the 2nd quarter and the team that was in (Love, Rubio, Randolph, Williams, and Barea) went on a 20 – 2 run to close the lead Chicago had to 6 points at the half .  That same team started the third quarter with the rotation of Tolliver and Ridnour, and it pretty much stayed that way throughout the rest of the game.

Question on the table now…when will Ricky Rubio start? He had a great showing on Tuesday night against Chicago, however;  Coach Adelman said that at this time he has no plans on changing the current starting line-up. ( Michael Beasley will be replaced in that line-up due to a right foot injury)

According to Tolliver, “We know what our job is, come in, play with lots of energy, play defense and hopefully expand on leads or get the lead,” “Just do better. At the end of the day, the starters have done decent so far. But as the bench unit, our goal is to do even better. We’ve had some success, and it’s been fun playing with Ricky and JJ coming off the bench.”

They have been fun to watch. To know that this team only has to go up from here;  I think they will be just fine.

Sheri Crockett – Writer

A young team on the rise

The Minnesota Timberwolves may have been considered underdogs coming into this season, especially with the season they had last year. (17-65 under Kurt Rambis)  With the additions of a few new faces; Ricky Rubio, JJ Barea, Derrick Williams, and Malcolm Lee,  a slimmed down Kevin Love (he lost 20 lbs in the off season) a dread-less Michael Beasley and  a new pack leader in Rick Adelman and his crew of assistants Terry Porter, Jack Sikma, T.R. Dunn, and Bill Bayno the Wolves have shown that they are not going to be underdogs, and should be taken seriously this year.

Due to the NBA lockout that occurred; the season has not been the same.  Not only for the fans,  but for the players and coaches as well.  Shorter preseason, hardly any practice time in between games to get ready for the next one, and the back to back games are more than just an  every once in a while occurrence.  However;  the Wolves have proved to be just as tough as any other team in the league facing those same obstacles.

In the first 3 games the Wolves lost by a combined total of 9 points, and their first win came in front of a home crowd against the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. They went on to get another win against another well experienced team in the San Antonio Spurs. They fell short against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Sunday January 08, 2012 they went on to win 93 – 72 against the Washington Wizards. They play again tomorrow night Monday January 09, 2012 against the Toronto Raptors in Toronto. Let’s see if they can take the momentum from today’s game and add to their 3 – 5 record.

They may be young, they might even be called underdogs, but looking at the filled arena at every home game, and the energy that this young group brings….this Minnesota Timberwolves is definitely on the rise.

Sheri Crockett – Blogger