I don't even know what to write after Saturday's loss to the Grizz and last night's scrimmage against the varsity squad. There's really nothing to say about the Grizz game because it wasn't on TV and I was saved from hearing it because down here in south central MN there was a MSU hockey game on the station that usually carries the Wolves (KTOE). There's probably just as little to say about last night's mess...and I watched 1/2 of it.
First of all, I know it was snowing like nobody's business, but the Target Center was damn near empty last night. Both teams reciprocated the gesture by not really showing up to play. The Lakers suited up 10 players and Kobe Bryant played for less than 30 minutes. The Wolves played without Marko Jaric, Theo Ratliff, Randy Foye and their Coach, Randy Wittman. Big Al may as well taken the night off to rest his knee because he didn't really show up either (results, not effort). It's nights like this that make people hate the NBA. Guaranteed money with no guarantee for effort.
I suppose you could take a few positives from the losses. Sebastian Telfair is proving himself to be an NBA point, and it should once again be noted that he's a 22 year-old guard with no college experience who has shown constant and consistent improvement when given the chance to prove himself on the court. He's increasingly showing himself, along with Toine, to be the only Wolf that understands the importance of changing his game to fit what he brings to the court on any given night. Last night, Bassy's shot wasn't working early so he went to the rim; knowing that he wasn't going to hit any threes and that he could get by his slower opponents at the 1. He didn't force a shot that wasn't working and he fell back to option 2. That's a damn revelation with this group of players.
Has anyone noticed that Craig Smith has hit 70% from the floor during his last 5 games? He may have had some trouble guarding Odom last night, but the favor was returned on the other end of the court.
That's about it. There's nothing to write home about with these games. The Wolves are entering a particularly tough stretch of their schedule, they are banged up, their coach is in the hospital, and it's frickin' snowing. Again: this season will be measured by ping-pong balls, Foye's (eventual) proficiency at the 1, McCant's ability to play the 2, and the expiring contracts of Ratliff, Michael Doleac, and (hopefully) a large chunk of the young Celtics. As long as the players don't go insane, they are doing their job. This year (and the next) is about getting through 82 games without taking on additional salary and avoiding a win total that would knock the team out of the top 3 picks in the 2008 Draft.
As if to cap off the night's suckiness, the match up between OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose was ugly as sin.
Yikes indeed.
PS: can we officially stop pretending that Ryan Gomes is a decent player?
