To Bleed Timberwolves

2008-2009 Season Home Opener

2008-10-27T14:51:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday Oct. 29th.

Ill be there in row A, so ill be here after to talk about the game. Imexcited, and apparently so are alot of people around here for the first time in awhile. As of yesterday there were only about 1,000 tickets left.

Hopefully we can continue what we did in the preseason, and start out 1-0.

Our projected starters are:
C- Jefferson
PF- Smith
SF- Brewer
SG- Miller
PG- Foye

however, thats not set in stone yet, as Whittman doesn't think very much about his starters, they just seem to be random players he chooses that night.

My first regular season prediction:

Wolves: 94
Kings: 86

Wolves go to 1-0.

SLOOOOW Offeseason

2008-09-08T16:19:00.002-05:00

So the Offseason started with a bang with the draft night trades and the resigning of our players, but everything has been moving slowly as of late. The biggest news is on the improvements of our players. Telfair apparently can make open layups now, and Foye is ready for a healthy season.

Big news has come out in the past month about the new jerseys. Instead of the hideous jerseys we saw on K-Love earlier in the offseason, we came out with jerseys that have really grown on me.

The Blue aways say Minnesota in order to remind opposing fans where we are from, while the home ones say Wolves (Which looks much better than the extremely long Timberwolves on a jersey) to look more fashionable. They are very different than most NBA unis, but they have many aspects of Minnesota culture and the Wolves' past that make them unique.

First the tree line near the neck symbolizes our most recent unis, while having the word Wolves on the front is a tribute to our original jerseys. The trees on the side are there to show the individuality of the team. The part I love the most, however, is the shorts. The trees on them are in the form of a river going up the shorts, which, if you know anything about Minny, lakes and rivers are everythere.

Overall, I give the new jerseys a B+. Mostly for not just making another generic jersey.

Mike Miller's "Game"

2008-08-05T09:26:00.002-05:00

Alright, so I read an article today on how one columnist was blown away at how incredible Mike Miller is at 3s. Reading what he wrote after that made me feel exactly the same way.

"In talking to Miller, I learned a few interesting things:

1) He made 36-straight threes to conclude Monday's workout. That's decent.
2) The former Sixth Man and Rookie of the Year (you forgot about those awards - be honest) goes at game speed throughout his workout, and he shoots more than just stand-still jumpers. Try step backs, curls, bumps, one-dribble pull ups and more (game situation shooting, basically).
3) For his warm up, Miller must make 10 shots from seven spots on the floor, and can't miss more than four shots (or he starts over).
4) He is the opposite of happy if he has to go back to a spot. He's like Ted Thompson after Favre said he wanted to un-retire.
5) There aren't many NBA players, let alone normal people, who could get through Miller's workout due to how many consecutive shots he has to make.
6) One of Miller's hardest drills is this: A three-point make is +1 and a miss -1, and he has to get to 50. So he could make 49 in a row, miss one and he'd need two straight makes to finish. Miss five, make five and you're at zero. Try that sometime with NBA threes ... Or you could dunk on Dwight Howard, out-swim Michael Phelps, beat Rafael Nadal on clay or broker a permanent peace deal between Israel and Palestine."

That is ridiculous... a +/- game with NBA threes??? I guess when you are great at something you should blow people away, and he has definitely done that to me here...

Well. Im off to the gym to see how close I can get to 50 (or -50, whichever comes first).

Wolves Offseason

2008-08-03T21:11:00.002-05:00

Coming into the 2008 Offseason, it seemed that the Timberwolves were going to be quiet. Making their draft count as the only upgrade in a year that had quite a few marquee free agents moving seemed to be our fate.

However, McHale, Hoiberd and Co. have made the time off quite interesting. They started with the infamous draft day deal of O.J. Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine "shimmyshake" Walker, Greg Buckner for K-Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins.

This deal on the surface seemed horrible to most Wolves fans, as we all got caught up in the pre-draft Mayo hype. However, after my nerves calmed down, and I was able to look at this trade through and through, there are nothing but positives that come from it.

First off, it's not a swap of Mayo for Love. It was the switching of a young 2 guard for a young 4/5 along with a sharpshooting 3 . Along with that, not only did the Wolves get a servicable center in Collins, but got rid of some horrendous contracts in Walker and Jaric (however, Jarics fiance will be sorely missed).

Love exceeded expectations in summer league, and was able to show his modeling abilities all in the short time he has been with the team.

The other big trade was the one we did with Philly.
"The Sixers sent swingman Rodney Carney, veteran center Calvin Booth, a protected first-round draft pick and cash to Minnesota for a conditional second-round draft pick. The Timberwolves used a $2.8 million trade exception gained from a trade last December with Miami to make the finances match.

The first-rounder is one Philadelphia acquired in a trade with Utah for shooter Kyle Korver last season. The Wolves will get it if the Jazz pick lower than 22nd in 2009, 17th in 2010, 15th in 2011, 16th in 2012 or 16th in 2013."

So basically since our second round pick is conditional to the point that they have .00001% chance of getting it, we have gotten a young slasher in carney and a 1st round pick for nothing! What a deal!(not to mention the sixers ended up sending money to cover both the contracts as well!)

The other deals we have done are resigning Telfair, Gomes, and Smith. All have 2 years guaranteed, which was important, since we want to head into the 2010 offseason with maximum flexibility to do whatever it is we want at that time. Basically, we kept the guys we needed to to keep our team competitive until we make our move to become a top team.

I like the way this team is headed!

Antoine Walker

2007-11-13T16:19:00.000-06:00

You would expect that an off day for the Wolves would be a good thing. Let the kids rest after their back-to-back losses, get some chemistry in practice, let guys know their roles. The list is endless of what can be done. However, apparently one man on this team hasnt been paying attention. That shimmy-shaking man is Antoine Walker. He complained to the press today saying he did not know his role on this team, and that he "doesn't know what he's doing here". It's pretty simple. The Wolves traded for him to lose a year on Mark Blount's contract. Thats it. Not to give him significant minutes, make him into a star, or even to let him jack up 10 threes in under five minutes. However, all those things seem to be what he expects out of coming to a rebuilding team. He said originally that he would love to take a leadership role on a rebuilding team. The only problem is that he is a horrendous basketball player, and, from seeing how he reacts to the MSP press, is also a horrendous leader.

If McHale knows what hes doing, he should look to buy this guy out before he turns for the worse, and asks for a trade. No one in their right mind would want this guy, so meet up with his agent, tell him he won't be playing here anymore, and ask a price for a buy out.

On the note of a buy out you must note that Antoine should not get more than two years pay since we can release him after next year. However, while in discussions, McHale should be using the "he will get another large contract this year from a team looking for that final piece" in order to drop that price even farther. If we can get him to drop his price even 1 million, I see it as a win-win situation, and I know I'm not the only one.

...In other buyout News around the NBA Stephon Marbury the "supposed championship piece alongside KG" from back in the day is reportedly asking to be bought out, or traded from the Knicks. Marbury has also said earlier this year he wanted to play overseas, which would make for a huge shift in the NBA. An all star going overseas to play while still in his prime.

Lost In The Crowd

2007-11-11T16:01:00.000-06:00

All the games the Wolves have played have been close. Until the fourth quarter comes around. These kids are young, thats for sure, but if they want to get any recognition, they need to come up big in one of the next few games. Not only are we looking for a win, but the Wolves need a motivational game. One where not only is our offense clicking on all cylindars, but the other team is very off. It will happen at some point this season, but for Wolves fans looking to win soon, it needs to happen NOW.

When The wolves took on the Magic at home for the third game of the season, the media in the MSP area were hyping up the Jefferson-Howard matchup. Three quarters into the game, however, it seemed it was all one sided. After three quarters, Jefferson only had 13 points and 4 rebounds. Not only was Howard dominating the matchup, but he was getting into Jefferson's head. However, when the fourth came around, something clicked, and Jefferson picked it up a notch. Or five. Jefferson got 12 points and 6 rebounds in the fourth, and kept Minnesota within two with a few minutes left in the game. However, Lewis decided to start hitting shots, and hit some key threes to keep the Wolves down. The Magic pulled through, winning 111-103.

Lesson 3: Give Jefferson the ball. Its instrumental to the success of the team, and right now with Foye out and McCants with an injured ankel, we need Al to step it up offensively to stay in games.

On to Los Angeles. Going into the game, the coaches and players all knew we had to contain Kobe to be in this one. We played well all game, but forgot to do one thing. Contain Kobe. The wolves took their usual early lead, and then got taken over quickly, as the Lakers lead from the second quarter on. Our defenders let Kobe get 30 7 and 7, which took any momentum we may have had at any point away. However, McCants did not play at all, so I don't think anyone expected the Wolves to even be close. The only reason it wasn't a blowout was the stellar play of Telfair and of course, Jefferson. Telfair went for 15 3 and 3 in his first game off the bench (Marko started), and Jefferson had his usual 24 and 15 game. The Lakers pretty much showed us what they can do to a team with no offensive players, beating us 107-93

Lesson 4: In order for a team to win, they must be healthy

After being demolished by the Lakers we got to see how this team fared on a back-to-back game. The team flew up to Sacramento, where they met another team that has been struggling early on, in the Kings. This matchup seemed like a decent chance to get our first win, as they were coming off a game the day before as well. However, like most games, the Wolves lead early, and gave in in the end. Brewer was a big reason the Wolves were in the game, as he hit a few key shots and ended with 15 points. If he can average around there soon, we may have quite the young lineup, as he is known more for his outstanding D. Watching this team play you can't help but wonder what our record would look like if we had our number 1 or 2 guy Foye in the mix, but after Kevin Martin put us away for another disappointing loss, we stand near the bottom at 0-5. Looks like our young guys need more time.

Lesson 5: Get a go-to guy. Right now Jefferson can be that some games, but the Wolves need a reliable 4th quarter man to get points and win this team close games. Hopefully that man will be Foye.

New Look Wolves Learning Lessons

2007-11-04T22:17:00.000-06:00

The post-KG era has begun in the land of 10,000 lakes, and its outlook is not as gloomy as many have perceived. After only two games this season many people have taken notice of this club, as what was supposed to be an easy win for our first two opponents ended up being a dogfight to the end.
In the Wolves home-opener, which I attended we showed much promise out of the gates. McCants lead the team to big first quarter leads, and made the sellout crowd roar when the lead grew to 14. The starting lineup, which had been in limbo all preseason seems set (until Foye returns) as all starters played very well. Our final starting five was:
PG: Telfair
SG: McCants
SF: Gomes
PF: Jefferson
C: Ratliff
As I said before, McCants seemed to be the emotional leader on the floor, while other players (Gomes and Telfair) took lesser roles. Jeffersons shot seemed off all game, but he still ended up with a double double to show why we just payed him the money! Ratliff (a pleasant surprise) Showd an array of post moves that were unexpected from a player acquired just to make salaries work in the KG trade. The team played well together, but couldn't consistantly get to the line, the biggest difference in the game, as Denver got to the free throw line twice as often and made twice as many. Denver hit some key shots, and our youngsters missed a few. It was a great learning experience.

Lesson 1: How not to close out a game.

Game two was almost the same story. Vs. the Knicks you expect to be able to drive the ball well and get to the free throw line, as their bigs are horrible defenders (Curry and Randolph). However, we only ended up with 10 free throws to their 39! That is something this team needs to work on to win games. Otherwise, we got off to another great start, and played well. McCants fouled out on a questionable call, but the Wolves still rallied back to be down 3 with 11 seconds left. Our tying attempt went to Antoine Walker (WHY!?!?) and he bricked the three. Overall a very well played game once again.

Lesson 2: Get to the free throw line!

Overall after two games people have found that this team will not be an easy 20 point win night in and night out as many suspected, but with Foye back in the lineup, could maybe contend for an 8th seed (that may be pushing it). However, for now, we will take it one game, and one lesson, at a time.

Writer

2007-11-04T12:04:00.001-06:00

To Bleed Timberwolves Author: Matt

Matt has been following the Timberwolves since the year they were inaugurated, and has attended hundreds of Timberwolves games in person not only in Minneapolis, but Boston, Chicago and Phoenix as well. Matt has had an opinion on every move made by the franchise, and until now, posted his thoughts on message boards, the most recent being EBSports.net where he is a moderator in the Wolves' forum. On most message board sites his name is either KG4MVP2004, KG4MVP, or more recently Matt43.

Born in a twin cities suburb, Matt played basketball and football through high school, and dreamed as a child of becoming an NBA star. As the dream faded, he simply became a fanatic in all forms of the word. Living and Dieing by the hand of the Wolves, Matt has seen the ups and downs of the franchise. Following all sports teams in the Twin Cities, but focusing on the Timberwolves, he has grown into one of the franchise's biggest fans.