Uh-oh: Wolves fall to 1-2 with bitter 88-85 loss at Oklahoma City

Posted on November 3rd, 2008 – 1:19 AM
By Jerry Zgoda

Before you write off a season after three games — a tempting thought after the Wolves blew a 12-point lead tonight and surrendered 25 second-chance points on 19 offensive boards allowed — remember this: They’ve gotten practically nothing from their point-guard spot other than Kevin Ollie’s occasionally steadying hand.

Sebastian Telfair returns from his three-game suspension Wednesday against San Antonio. His return either will give Randy Wittman a real alternative to Randy Foye, who has shot 3-for-24 in losses Saturday to Dallas and Sunday to the Thunder, or might spur Foye to find his game, or at least his shot.

After he watched his team allow those 19 offensive rebounds and permit a 13-0 Oklahoma City run that ended the third quarter and began the fourth while Al Jefferson was resting, Wittman was asked if he will continue to let Foye play through his mighty struggles as the team’s starting point guard.

Wittman answered by saying his team doesn’t play again until Wednesday, meaning he has time to make that decision. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Foye had five turnovers Sunday and six assists to go with an 0-for-10 shooting night.

Afterward, he was nearly speechless when asked about such a start to his third professional season.

“I don’t know,” he said, repeating the thought two more times. “I just can’t make a shot.”

If Foye had given them even a little something, the Wolves would be at least 2-1. You’d think either he’s going to play better — he’s got to because it’s almost impossible not to — or he won’t be playing all that much.

Some other things:

– Kevin Love’s plus-minus, if you believe in such things, dove after he was plus-20 in the opener, even Saturday against Dallas and minus-nine against the Thunder because he was on the floor for that 13-0 run that came right after Jefferson went to the bench late in the third. The blame there, though, goes to three consecutive turnovers on bad passes by Craig Smith, Mike Miller and Foye that gave the Thunder not only a 7-0 burst that ended the quarter, it also gave them hope.

– I’m still not sold on wow…WOW’s contention that Kevin Durant is a franchise player. You’d think so given his size, his raw talent and his young age, but he’s still got a long ways to go. Every time I’ve seen him play the Wolves, he gets his points, but like tonight, he needed 21 shots to get those 18. He’s going to score, got to score, on such a bad team.

– The guy I was much more impressed with is Russell Westbrook, who showed why the team made him something of a surprise pick with the No. 4f selection in the draft. He’s bigger thank you’d think, and oh so quick. He’s a different kind of point guard, much like Derrick Rose is. Love thinks Westbrook’s even a little bigger than Rose and just as quick. “And he’s not even 20 yet,” Love said.

– It’s all well and good that Miller is trying to be an all-round player, but the Wolves need him to score. He’s averaging 11 in the first three games after scoring 10 Sunday. He’s got to be their No. 2 or (preferably) 3 piece to Al Jefferson’s No. 1 and right now, there aren’t any obvious candidates for either spot.

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