Opener now just four days away
Posted on October 25th, 2008 – 3:18 AMBy Jerry Zgoda
The Wolves will take today off and then return to practice Sunday at their Target Center facility to prepare for Wednesday’s season opener against Sacramento. Now that the final cuts have been made — barring a late move before Monday’s final roster deadline — injured center Jason Collins is expected to return to practice sometime next week, possibly starting Thursday.
Randy Wittman said he still doesn’t know exactly what Collins will provide because he hasn’t coached him yet.
“I haven’t had that interaction with him,” Wittman said. “Does he pick things up quick? Is he alert? I think he can help us, no question. He has size, experience. He has been a starter. He has come off the bench.”
Collins also has played in the NBA Finals, with New Jersey.
“Huge, huge, to be out on that floor in that type of situation is unbelieveable.”
On another topic: Did you see that almost-Timberwolf Shaun Livingston played in Miami’s final two preseason games, going 16 minutes in Friday night’s victory at San Antonio and making 4 of 8 shots from the field? And guess who hit the winning shot at the buzzer: Rookie Mario Chalmers, technically a Wolf for a few fleeting moments on draft night who had a double-double (11 points, 10 assists, four turnovers) while starting at point guard.
10 Responses to "Opener now just four days away"
If it isn’t Twins time I turn off the Minnesota sports scene. Somebody wake me when spring training rolls around in February.
Hahahaha ! “Boy these pretzels are making me THIRSTY !”
Every 3rd quarter Jerry !
And to the regular Jerry…you can stuff your sorries in a sack mister.
Woooooooooolves.
Livingston I regret not signing, but I can hardly blame the Wolves for that. Shaun made his own decision, it sounds like that one was out of our hands. Chalmers….eh, not impressed. He’s not a real point guard and honestly, if it weren’t for his game-saving shot in the NCAAA championship, there would be nothing special about him.
Jerry, and word on a starting lineup?
Jerry, have you heard anything about the court? Will it be a new design or are they going with the same one they had in preseason?
If I had to bet, I’d say Gomes-Jefferson-Brewer-Miller-Foye for a starting lineup Wednesday. I think that’s the one they started in the last preseason game, against the Bucks, and it seems like the one that makes the most sense until they deem Love ready to move in there at power forward.
I knew we should have signed Livingston, we should have thrown more money at him with a minimum games played clause, apparently he will be playing before December. I don’t know who said that but he looked pretty good moving around in the highlights and he is probably only 80% or so, I said from the first day of free agency we should sign Shaun Livingston. He might have wanted to play for Miami but we should have given him an couple extra million reasons to think twice about it. As long as Madsen doesn’t start we should be ok, they would just sag off of him and Brewer and Al and MM would be doubled. GL Wolves you might need it.
Livingston would have been nice, but I’m actually very curious about Raymond Felton. DJ Augustin is the future at PG in Charlotte and Felton is quietly on the trade block. Larry Brown wants Kevin Ollie. Obviously, nobody is trading Felton straight up for Ollie. But I’d like to see a deal of Ollie, Carney, one of our stock-piled 1st-round picks and Calvin Booth (just to make the salaries add up) for Felton and a 2nd-round pick or something.
What do you guys thing? The Bobcats are still in building mode, so I think they could be interested in something like this because it clears the way for Augustin, gives Larry Brown one of “his guys” in Kevin Ollie, frees up some cap room after 2008 and brings them a future 1st-rounder.
I wouldn’t mind that trade but then Felton and Foye in the backcourt could be a problem. Interesting thought though, lets just have the science classes at MNSU to spend some of Taylor’s grant money and clone Magic Johnson and he can start at PG for us.
Did we waive Harrison? Why? Why keep Cardinal or Booth? Seven footers seem difficult to come by, and he at least had some potential.
Dan, yes Harrison is gone, and there are enough scares at Halloween time without waiving the word potential about. 
Harrison, if healthy, would have been a nice guy for the Wolves to have at the end of the bench, but he’s had some time in the NBA to prove his “potential”, and showed more of a negative personality than a positive on court contribution. Last report I read had him going to China to play for the season.
