This one hurts. In order to dull the sting, let's bullet point this bad boy:

• Randy Foye is playing some terrible basketball. While there was much rejoicing when he finally made it back to the hardwood, the payoff has been bad point play and stunted team ball. Last night's 4th quarter was about all you need to see to draw some mighty negative conclusions about Foye's ability to be the 1-guard in the NBA. First, there was the garbage dribbling at the top of the key. Outside of providing him no real advantage or lanes to the basket, he actually had the ball stripped from him with the shot clock running down to zero, forcing him to jack up a no-prayer shot. I wonder what it must be like to defend such a thing; between the legs over and over while the belt buckle remains in the same spot. Whatever works, I suppose.

  A second 4th quarter offense came when Foye had laser eyes for Al Jefferson on the post, passing up a wide-open Marko Jaric, waving his hands just beyond the 3 point line. This was hardly the first missed look; one of the highlights of the night was when Corey Brewer (who seemed to be everywhere on the court) hustled for a nice blocked shot, passed the ball to the point, sprinted ahead of the defense and was promptly rewarded for his efforts by Foye making the alley-oop that sent the packed house into a state of insanity...oh wait, that last part never happened.

  Missed passes, laser-eyes on the post, an inability to drive his man in the lane, basic entries to the post, garbage dribbling, passing around the perimeter...the list goes on and on. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Foye's performance at the point was that this was the 2nd game that he has taken minutes exclusively from Sebastian Telfair. This worked out alright in the first 3 quarters but when the kitchen got hot, 4th Quarter Foye laid an egg that was absolutely cooked by the Celts. It baffles the mind why he was given as long a leash as he was during the period.

• For the life of me, I will never understand why Randy Wittman called a timeout for the last offensive possession and then ran out a lineup consisting of Big Al, Brewer, Jaric, Telfair, and Craig Smith. Can you tell me where the outside shot is coming with that particular group of players? Why call the timeout? Why not use the speed on the floor to take advantage of a slower Celtic squad in transition? Why not forego a tricky inbounds pass in the half court setting (remember last time)? None of it made any sense, but not making sense makes plenty of sense with Witt's coaching...if you know what I mean. To give Witt the benefit of the doubt, Foye was not on the floor because he a) can't shoot and b) can't run a big-league offense. His other perimeter threat...well, that's another story.
• Defensive rotation is a beautiful thing. It's a sign of b-ball knowledge, maturity, and teamwork. Somewhere along the line (I didn't write down the time in the game...sorry, I was holding a pretzel), Shaddy failed to rotate and the Celts got a highlight reel pass and dunk. Witt immediately called a timeout and came out on the court yelling at McCants for his poor d. Shaddy walked right past him to the bench, ignoring his coach and then annoying his teammates while pleading his case from the pine during the next few possessions. This is the 2nd time in the past few games where Shaddy has clearly FUBAR'd something on the court, been called out for it, and then pitched a hissy fit. You can read about the last snit here. It would have been nice to have McCants in on that last play. He's the club's only legit perimeter threat. He's also the club's only legit head case and the team should pull a lesson from the Utah Jazz and send this clown packing a'la Gordon Giricek. He let the club down again because of his poor play and attitude and there's simply no reason to keep a redundant player (see Foye, Randy) like that around. Maybe Charlotte will take him. I hear they want to reunite the last UNC championship team.
• Corey Brewer and Bassy went a combined 4-18 from the floor with 13 points. Outside of the poor shooting they combined for 2 blocks, 7 assists, 3 steals, 10 boards, and only 3 turnovers. They were the best defensive players on the Wolves side of the ball and they were able to facilitate proficient team play more than their subs: Foye and McCants. In a year where fans were told that youth and player development were the most important products on the court, Bassy and Brewer have shown more development and youth than the squad's hopeful starters. Both Brewer and Bassy are 2 years younger than their counterparts. They have shown development on the court as well as maturity off it. They play team ball and they do not appear to have any ego; precisely the thing you want in your glue guys. Along with Marko, I think it is becoming abundantly clear who the best guards on this team are and who just doesn't get it.

Finally, I have been pimping a Wolves/Bulls trade for quite some time now. You can read the latest breakdown here. One of the things that the Wolves need the most from any big man that would join Big Al in the frontcourt is an ability to make the interior pass. Well, I just found this little ditty on ESPN's rookie tracker:

One of Joakim Noah's best talents is his interior passing ability, but that strength is mostly wasted on this Bulls team. He has consistently made sharp passes to Ben Wallace -- ones that would lead to dunks, and 1's or other easy finishes for most NBA centers -- but they only amount to an occasional Big Ben dunk or, typically, a missed shot.

Exactly. What. The. Club. Needs. At this point the Bulls are tied with the New Jersey Nets for the final playoff spot in the East. That being said, both of those teams suck and they have some massive long-term problems. Let's sweeten up the deal a bit:

To the Bulls
-Ratliff
-Shaddy
-Smith
-Celtic and Heat 1st round picks

To the Wolves
-Ben Wallace
-Joakim Noah

Here's next year's rotation:

1- Telfair/Jaric/Foye
2- Foye/Brewer/Jaric
3- Gomes/(Beasley/Green/Budinger/Gallinari)/Brewer
4- Big Al/Big Ben
5- Noah/Big Ben

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Alright, that about does it. Until next time.

PS: Check out the new version of ESPN's Trade Machine.

What better way to celebrate Rookie Appreciation Day than with the second worst loss of the year (1st place goes to the November 23rd contest against Denver)?!

It was a soul sucking (not searching) affair where the appreciated rookies played a grand total of 27 minutes with 1 point and 1 rebound. Speaking of ones, Corey Brewer put up the Wolves line of the year with 1 FGA, 1 FTM, 1 REB, 1 PF, 1TO, and a –11. Hey, it’s all in the numbers for our 1st round pick. Ed note: Corey, we sympathize with you: not every player gets lucky enough to play for the Wolves.

Anywho, once again the Puppies show the importance of the four factors:

• Mavs eFG: 50%
• Wolves eFG: 44.6%
• Mavs REB: 44
• Wolves REB: 36
• Mavs FT: 19-24
• Wolves FT: 19-27 (Moral Victory!!!)
• Mavs TO: 9
• Wolves TO: 15

Mavs starting forward Josh Howard went for 22 points and 8 REB. Nbudi Ebi is still signed with Israeli Premier League Bnei Hasharon. At least he’s not playing for the Blazers or Celtics.

Since there is really nothing else to write about concerning the Wolves’ latest loss, let me engage in a bit of end-of-the-year blogger nonsense and go through some favorites from 2007. Hey, I may be late but at least I am thorough.

Best Movies:

1. The Bourne Ultimatum- I know it’s not fashionable to put action movies at the top of a movie list, but I had no more enjoyable time at the movies than during this outstanding popcorn flick. Liquor free James Bond with balls and a purpose. Who can go wrong with that?
2. Eastern Promises- David Cronenberg is on a roll. After A History of Violence, the director has continued with his study into the ethics of tradition and (surprise) violence. I’m a sucker for character studies into why people do what they do; it is much more interesting than having a clearly defined plot to point the way. If this sort of movie making floats your boat, give this movie a turn on Netflix.
3. Zodiac- OK, now that I have my chase movie out of the way with Bourne, let me take a moment to pimp a movie that completely forgoes shootouts and action for old fashioned psychological suspense. A murder mystery that unfolds over decades is a tough one to pull off and David Fincher does a masterful job of making it happen.

Next post: another Wolves loss and the best music of 2007.

Those of you who still pay attention to the Wolves may have noticed a disturbing trend developing in the past few games: Randy Wittman citing a lack of quality guard play as the reason why the Wolves are losing. With that in mind, what do the following stats have in common?

Min Pts Ast
20 2 8
37 20 8
39 10 6
48 27 11

If you guessed Sebastian Telfair and Wolves victories, you are correct. If it were not for Bassy--a player viewed at the time as a worthless piece of the KG trade--the Wolves would likely have 2 wins instead of 4. I know it’s not much, but it is something to think about when you hear Witt calling out the team’s guard play (which is, admittedly, not good). What on God’s green earth do you expect when you start a guy who has a career shooting percentage of 38.8%? What do you expect when you start him along side of a guy who has a career mark of 40.6% and zero handle(Marko Jaric) and/or an undersized rookie (Corey Brewer)? Combine them with 2 power forwards who can’t pass the damn rock and you really have to question whether or not effective guard play has anything to do with the Wolves’ current offensive woes...to say nothing of the fact that Marko and Bassy are shooting career high percentages from the f'ing floor (Bassy is actually a negligible .02 below his career high with Portland). However, we all know that Witt is even less likely to call out the Iron Range Ape than was Mr. Casey so he has to make up shiite as he goes along.

At the end of the day, all this nonsensical blubbering has turned out to be nothing more than the team throwing Brewer under the bus and taking pot shots at the most improved player on the squad. You stay classy Minnesota Timberwolves.

One really has to wonder if Witt timed his remarks during Brandon Roy’s visit to Minneapolis for comedic effect.

Think of the message that this sort of BS sends to potential Wolves. Not only will the front office select the wrong type of player, but once in place, Coach Chucklenuts will call him out in public.

Anywho, let’s get back to the action.

The first thing I wrote after tip off vs the Nuggets was this: “wtf is up with this starting lineup? The Nuggets are going to have 20 blocked shots.” They ended up with 12 against an overmatched and out of position Wolves squad. All in all, the Wolves played a true center (if Chris Richard can fit this bill) for a grand total of 7:03. Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, and Antoine Walker all took turns at the 4. Denver responded with healthy doses of Nene, Marcus Camby, Linas Kleiza, and tiny Eduardo Najera (6-8/235). Surprisingly, the Wolves outrebounded the Nuggets 44-42 but they were killed by the quick outlet pass that opened up a tremendous fast break where the B&G were outgunned by 20.

The Denver game was a classic example of the importance of the four factors. 1- The Wolves were outshot 54.3% to 44.9%. This negated their advantage in pace and offensive rebounding. 2- The Wolves outrebounded the Nuggets 44-42, but as mentioned before, they failed in their transition defense to turn their four-factor victory into something meaningful. 3- The Wolves were outgunned at the free throw line (26-35) to (20-29). Again, this works against the team’s pace and rebounding advantages. 4- The Wolves won the turn over battle 12 to 10 but thanks to wide margins in FG% and FTA/FTM, it didn’t matter at all.

Note: the NBA doesn’t provide eFG% on their stat website. You can calculate your own as follows: eFG%= (FGM + [0.5 x 3PM])/FGA. Tempo-free measurements are good indicators of performance and I really wish the NBA would include them in the official stat line. Back to the game…

Have the last few games left you asking the following questions: Where is Brewer? Where is Richard? Will they see the floor during rookie appreciation night? Well, the rookie night isn’t all that important but both Brewer and Richard have seen their minutes drop like rocks in the past week or so. Why? I honestly have no answer with Richard. His two man tandem stats from 82 Games indicate that he is a tremendously effective teammate, especially on defense. Richard is one of only 3 active Timberwolves to have a positive Roland Rating, which is a measurement of on-court vs. off-court success. Again, his defensive on/off numbers are what really take the cake: opponents average 101.8 points per 100 possessions while he is on the court vs. 113.7 while he sits in Witt’s doghouse on the bench. Granted, Richard nearly had a 17-Trillion in the game against New Orleans but this well-coached and fundamentally sound big man has seen his surprising rookie play rewarded with 3 DNP-Cds and a total of 33 minutes played in the last 6 contests. Who ever said the Wolves were interested in player development?

Corey Brewer’s case is almost as befuddling. In the last 7 games, Brewer has seen minute totals of 16, 27, 29, 37, 27, and 7. Since being shifted to the 2 spot, Brewer has seen his minutes, rebounds, and shots decline. In the case of his shooting, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, since the Indiana victory, Corey is shooting 42% (12-28) from the floor. He has improved his shot selection while reducing turnovers and increasing steals and assists. Granted, his 16 and 7 minute totals were against the Warriors (Stephen Jackson) and Nuggets (Carmello Anthony) but surely he could have seen the floor more against these two Western Conference contenders.

Getting back to the guards, to give Witt some credit, the guard play on this team is terrible. From bad shooting to dribbling into double teams in the low post to entering the ball into Big Al too late in the shot clock, the Wolves’ guards really don’t seem to have a basic understanding of what good guards can offer a squad. It pains me to say it but the only time you see flashes of what this team could be is when Rashad McCants decides to play a 2 man game with Big Al. These two could be a pretty damn effective in/out 2-man matchup and it is exciting to see them “get it” every now and then. In the spirit of Witt’s revolutionary brain storming sessions (you know the ones: where he sits Richard and plays Doleac for 7 minutes a game) I’d like to suggest a crazy line up shakeup: Shaddy at the point. He can’t possibly be worse than Marko, he shoots better than Bassy and he has enough handle to be just as effective bringing the ball up the court as any other active guard on the roster. How about this for a soul searching line up:

PG: Shaddy
SG: Brewer
SF: Gomes
PF: Big Al
C: Richard

Marko, Bassy, and Smith are your first men off the bench and Green and Walker are rotated in (together) when the opportunity arises.

Misc.

In a continuing series of brainstorming trade possibilities, I offer the following:

The New York Knicks are at $90 million with 13 guaranteed contracts going into the 2008/09 season. I’m not really sure how they’ll be able to keep a 1st rounder with that crew but it may be worth a phone call to see if the Wolves could buy a pick or send them Ratliff (expiring 11 mil) for their draft pick and one of their 6-8 million players with a player option in 09/10. They are in salary cap hell and they are 2 years away from the free agent apocalypse when 9 of their players have options. Plus, if there is any NBA executive stupid enough to part with a draft pick for cap space, it's the Iron Range...I mean, Isiah Thomas.

Phoenix should also get a call as they’re sitting with Atlanta’s 1st rounder and they don’t want to hit the luxury mark. The Wolves have a $5 million dollar trade exception from the Mark Blount trade and they could absorb a player like Brian Skinner or (gasp) Marcus Banks while getting a pick (likely in the high teens/low 20s) in return. If Taylor really wants to buy this team back on the right track, he should offer to take Marcus Banks and Phoenix's 1st rounder off the books for the trade exception. Buy out Banks (it hurts, I know; but it’s a bit of karma) and either package the Phoenix and Heat/Celtic picks to move up or hope like hell that a solid point (DJ Augustin) or big man (Devon Hardin) falls down to the pick.

Finally, Jerry Zgoda of the Strib had a nice article about the 1995 and 2004 McDonalds All America Games the other day. Unmentioned in the article is that the current Celtics squad has two players from each class: Paul Pierce and KG from 95; and Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis from 2004.

In the spirit of getting more players from the 2004 squad on the Wolves' roster, and to fulfill Greg Buckner’s Denver dreams, How about Buckner, Green, and Cash to the Nuggets for JR Smith and Von Wafer? If the Nuggets want to keep Smith, they'll have to go way the hell over the luxury mark for a guy who is not seeing all that many minutes in mile high. That’s about all you want from Denver. Smith is the only player worth taking in, both for talent and contractual reasons. Long shot, I know, but a man can dream, can’t he?

Until next time.

PS: Isiah Rider got arrested again.

Randy Wittman's back is back. While he'll need to use the bench a bit more with 2 back-to-backs in the next 5 days, will Wittman stick to the rotation that worked so well for Jerry Sichting? Will that rotation work against Washington? What about Milwaukee's front line?

Pay special attention to Corey Brewer vs. Caron Butler in tonight's game. Last time around, Brewer was man-handled by the larger Butler. Even if he rotates over to the shooting guard, DeShawn Stevenson isn't a favorable physical match-up for our favorite buck-85 Gator. Washington is one of the worst personnel-wise match-ups for the Wolves in the entire league. They're big across the board and off the bench.

I don’t care if the Suns were tired, that they shot a Corey Breweresque sub 30% from the floor in the 2nd half, or that both teams combined for 26 points in the final quarter (after going for 60 in the 1st), the victory against Phoenix was a hard fought win, an entertaining match-up, and the best product the Wolves have put on the floor all year.

As always, let’s dispense with the bad before the good:

I no longer know what to say about Rashad McCants. When he first came off the bench I wrote the following in my notes: McCants, if he recognizes the opportunity, has a wonderful career ahead of him as a high-energy reserve. Check the career path of Vinnie Johnson.