What goes on in Vegas…Rockets 79, Wolves 65
Posted on July 12th, 2009 – 6:52 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
The Wolves’ summer-league team began its Las Vegas play today against a Rockets team that already had played — and won — twice.
Make that three times now.
Some details:
– Corey Brewer saw his first game action since he tore his ACL in a game against Denver last November and played 18 minutes. He was much better in the second half than his brief six first-half minutes, shooting the ball with some range and flair after halftime. He finished 4-for-11 (6 for 6 from the line) and had 14 points, five rebounds, an assist and a turnover in 18 minutes.
– Jonny Flynn looked quick, strong, alternately decisive and out of control and careless in his pro debut, with an 11-point (3-for-11 from the field), seven assist, seven turnover, 29 minute game. Played both on and off the ball. Let’s give him another summer-league game before we write off his career…
– Wayne Ellington, probably the only pure shooter on the team now that Mike Miller and Randy Foye both are gone, went 2 for 12.
– Gerald Henderson, who’s playing on the Wolves team because Charlotte isn’t fielding a summer-league team, missed all three of his shots and didn’t score a point in 18 minutes.
– NDSU’s Ben Woodside didn’t play because summer-league coach Jerry Sichting split point-guard time between Flynn and Bobby Brown. Woodside should get a look tomorrow against the D League Select team.
– The Wolves added 7-foot center Adam Parada, who has played in the D League as well as Jordan, Asia and Mexico, to their summer-league roster to replace Steven Hill. Parada led them in rebounding with nine.
– Kevin Love was on the web broadcast in the second half and said he’s been working hard on his body and mid-range jump shots. He isn’t playing in summer league but came to Vegas early to be around the Wolves team and to prepare for next week’s camp there with the U.S. national team collection of young NBA stars.
Sebastian Telfair, who I believe has a place in Vegas, and Ryan Gomes also are out there and with Love sat on the Wolves’ bench.
– While talking with Love, announcers Joel Meyers and David Aldridge suggested the team could lure a desirable free agent with all their accumulated cap space if the Wolves can approach a .500 record this season and prove they are an up-and-coming team.
Presuming Ricky Rubio doesn’t play in the NBA this season (I’d guess it’s more likely he doesn’t than does) and the Wolves don’t make some big, unexpected move, this roster is closer to the league’s worst team (one that’ll struggle to win 20 games) than a .500 team, isn’t it?
UPDATE: Here’s a Q-and-A for Monday’s paper with Jonny Flynn done before the Wolves went to Vegas.
154 Responses to "What goes on in Vegas…Rockets 79, Wolves 65"
Jerry - there are definitely more moves coming, but yes, Logical Thinker may be correct that the current composition of this roster could give the 76ers 9-win season a run for its money!
Yes, there will be more moves, but probably not any real substantial ones. That 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers comparison is a bit doomsday, but, as it stands now, I could easily see a team that wins between 15 and 20 games.
Jerry, no way are we .500 team, I agree. 20-30 wins with improving play over the year is really all we can ask.
I always pull for The Wolves to win as many games as possible, but at least 15-20 wins probably secures a Top-3 pick!
I thought Flynn looked good. He pressed a little but then again, the bigs he was playing with a hands of stones.
Pick-n-roll with Flynn will be a tough guard, and we haven’t had that since Terrell Brandon. (I can’t believe I am recalling Brandon - man we are desperate fans)
The interesting thing will be see how long a guy like Al Jefferson stays loyal to the program if the Wolves take a significant step backward this season. He hasn’t been on anything approaching a winner in his first five seasons and now looks like he’ll play through that first big five-year contract with a team that might not crack the playoffs until near the end of that deal.
it all depends on jefferson, love, brewer andtheir development with the rookies. the team has the talent to win more than the sixers did…
I don’t know. In 2007-2008 we did not have Foye or Mike Miller and we finished with 22 wins. I don’t think Foye or Miller had anything last year to do with our improvement to 24. With Al healthy we would have broken 30. Foye did win us some of those games. But Miller was a complete spaz the whole season. Once Carney started taking his minutes, we started winning more games. Remember it wasn’t that Miller was missing shots, he was missing wide open shots. Remember Mike Miller night?
As long as they play hard, they should be as competitive as the last two seasons. They were watchable in most games for the past two years.
Al wants to win now, that’s what he told Telfair.
I disagree, the only way you could call Miller a spaz was in his inexplicable refusal to shoot. Many nights he was the team’s most selfless, best all around player. I think his steadying influence and ability to make the right play with the ball in his hands will be missed in the short term.
Brewer did look pretty good in the second half. Flynn did have some turn overs, but they were not all his fault.
Well, then, where’s Al playing next season, Mike B?
Al will play next to one of the premeir bigs in the draft next year that we get, along with Joe Johnson and Flynn running the backcourt.
I hope you guys took note of how Flynn played off the ball on more than a few possessions with Bobby Brown running the offense. I thought Flynn looked fine off the ball on offense.
Other thoughts?
Al’s comment to Telfair comes from the Aschburner article I think. I predict that if Rubio doesn’t come, and Love looks half-way decent next year, and the Wolves struggle, Al’s name will start showing up in trade rumors before the deadline, for better or worse.
I agree completely with Jerry Zgoda. Al is 25 years old this season, has never been close to the playoffs, and is coming off an injury where he probably worked his tail off to be healthy. He also now knows that his knee or some other part could give out at any time. It’s going to get uncomfortable around here if the organization accepts that it will be 3-4 years before we makes the playoffs. That would put his first playoff opportunity when he’s 28 or even 29.
First, I don’t think were one of the worst franchises, but we got some things to work on. Now to the summer league.
LOL, how are you going to conclude that Flynn is the real thing, that being for sure? Bryan If you concluded that from the game we just seen, then you are crazy. He has the things that it takes, but the real deal? Stats what, 11 points 7 assist, good, 7 turnovers! Those things will go down, no doubt, I hope, he was nervous, but got to the basket very well. Thats what he did best and assist, he needs to work on the shot and bad shot selection. He will be good, I agree to that though, good, maybe even better with time, but lets not call him the real deal yet, like he’s the second coming of Chris Paul, but look for a much better game next time around definitely, he does have a lot to prove and he is determined/will show better, I like him, just prove to be better then you showed.
Bobby Brown-I totally disagree, he is athletic and has a little size yes, thats all that looked well, he looked terrible and he played a long time in the game today. He did so many things bad, or not at all.
Corey Brewer- Drove hoop good, and some little mental ups and downs, thats it. I know hes coming off a injury, but he has way too much to prove. Still showed little shot, ball hogged, missed, but drove decent, keep working buddy, at least he scored more then others.
Ben Woodside-(Supporters)- Sorry the guy got no time and does look to be a roster filler at this point in summerleague. I hope after this game, they give Bobby Brown less time and give Ben a real chance, as bad as Bobby was I couldn’t believe I didn’t get to see how Ben played in this atmosphere. Look for him next game to get some time, I hope.
Kruz- Did pretty decent, has some range, he’ll get a serious look.
#20 looked ok, mostly big.
Ellington- too looked more athletic to me, wasn’t really scared to shoot, but shot poor, does need to add something, just nervous game for him, worries me a little, but I think he will do alright, just settle down, think on selections.
Now I don’t necessarily think we will do worse then last season, I think that might be a stretch. Guys will be more seasoned and work together fine, don’t write off after one summer league game. There will be improvement. Look for a better game Two and some change in optimism. Sometimes all we can do is hope, so lets hope, but we have opportunities.
We do need to make some moves, been a little slow, but lets go.
BTW,
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Check it out.
Flynn played well. His stats are deceiving because half those turnovers weren’t his fault. He was making brilliant plays that his own teammates didn’t see coming. Same problem Shaun Livingston used to have his rookie year.
More importantly he looked confident. I disagree with Jerry that he was out of control. He was just playing a step faster than anyone else on either team.
As David Thorpe said, he has a strong presence out there. Very clearly a guy used to running a team and confident he can do it at the NBA level.
this season will not be a good one, however next season is when we should make some leaps. Love will be in his 3rd season and should be established, Flynn will have a year of experience and learning the point in the NBA. we should be assured a top 5 pick based on this season and thus should get a quality player at 2 or C. That will make Al happy as he’s moved back to PF for at least a portion of the time and move Love to 1st back up to AJ, or shift AJ to C and give the rookie C a blow.
We will win more than 9 games this season, but it won’t be pretty. I think we have to get one more lottery pick this upcoming draft, then w/all the expiring contracts we will have roster space and $ to add significant meaningful pieces.
The biggest reason I want Rubio to play this year from a basketball standpoint is to see if he and Jefferson mesh. I think there’s some really legitimate concerns about whether their games are complimentary, and if not, it’d be best to find that out now when we have the resources and an upcoming draft that offers tons of options for a change.
I hate writing this, as a Gator, but Brewer is a tragedy in waiting when he has the ball. But an action thriller when he does not.
Corey Brewer back in action. Not sure his handle is though.david b. thorpe Flynn and Rob Kurz can be really good at pick and pops.
David Thorpe is twittering this stuff, lol, on Brewer
Did not get to see the game, but by looking over the box score just a couple of observations. 7 assts seems impressive given that non of them have played together before, no real offensive scheem, etc. the high TO are to be expected for those same reasons. Also while FG pct is low (33%) the team shot 8 of 17 from 3… not bad.
Marcus Williams had 17 assts for the Griz… WOW!
Hopefully they will give Woodside a chance to show what he can do. He has proven his doubters wrong time and time again. He is an excellent player and no one will hustle more than he does. I know he is only 5′ 11″ but he has proven that he can take it right at the big guys. Give him a shot. I believe that he can surprise a lot of people.
Marcus Williams is extremely talented, but lacks real fire and doesn’t keep himself in shape.
Still, given the Grizzlies’ complete lack of depth behind Conley, I’d expect him to stick there this season.
If “Al wants to win now”, maybe he should learn how to play defense.
No way this team only wins 9 games, there are too many other teams that on any given day we could beat. I think Jerry is being a little pessimistic with only 15-20 wins. Jerry, Randy Wittman won’t be coaching them this year (I hope).
Next Al will be 28 when his contract is up he will be in his prime so let’s not say its now or never. In one to two years the Wolves could be playoff contenders.
When Al went down, so did the Wolves season. We would have easily won 30 games, possibly 35 if he would have stayed healthy. We beat the Heat on the road, played tough against the Jazz and other teams. This year might be hard to watch because it will be hard for them to win 20 games.
I like that they got rid of McCants and Miller. I’m somewhat a little okay with them trading Foye, but I feel he started to find his shot, but yes there was a little inconsistency. However, I thought if you give him one more year he might be the kind of shooter we were looking for. But that is all in the past.
Sometimes it is a great thing to see some rookies develop. It will be fun to see Johnny Flynn in action and hopefully Brewer and Jefferson will be great coming off injury. Love has one year under his belt and I think Al being out, he had to really step up and he probably wore out at the end.
This will be a fun season to watch because I think we have a lot of talent on this team and I think Al wants to stay and he and Love are a perfect tandem.
Maybe a good signing or trade is in the works, but we’ll see.
I’m not worried about the wins for this year, I’m more curious about the development of the players we have.
Don’t care what team and who they play with rookies struggle in NBA. The more vets around the more the rookies learn. This suggestion that team just play young guys and they’ll be okay is laughable. Wolves right now are younger, less talented and overloaded with 4 men. 15 wins is optimistic. As I’ve stated it doesn’t matter who they drafted the rookies will struggle and to say “they have star” potential is premature.
Jerry,
Go to the Lakers and write for them. You definately are tired worn out on covering the Wolves. It shows in every piece you write.
I disagree with you JC about Al wanting to be here. I have a feeling that he’s going to be a pretty angry guy if this team doesn’t perform well. Did you see how mad he’d get last year when they didn’t get him the ball if he had position or if the team lost stupid games? The guy is competitive from what I can see. He’s not here to make friends and lose. I think he’ll ask to be traded if we win 18 games this year.
The Blazers are the youngest team in the league and won 54 games last year.
You get guys who know how to play the game, and age is just a number.
Foo- how do you know there’s more moves coming? Maybe Kahn is happy to settle with developing the talent we have? He certainly hasn’t shown any interest in acquiring free agents, and seems content to have Rubio sit in Spain. Maybe he’s just going to tank the year and hope for the #1 next year.
Oh, and heard that Kahn was spotted in Dallas last week. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but isn’t that where Del Harris lives? Interesting if that’s true.
If you read this board you’d think that Wolves should trade Big AL today. I disagree with Jerry Z that you can’t build around AL as a primary guy. The 2 & 3 men will have to be good but if they can average between 16 & 19 each then Al shines with his 23 & 11 then team will win big. Don’t ever see Rubio as big scorer jumper is funky.
A #1 player has to be able to command the game. Like Jerry said, it’s going to be tough to build around Al because he’s reliant on others to get the ball and can’t control the game defensively.
Age is a factor. Just look at average age of playoff teams. Blazers have enough vets sprinkled in to stabilize squad. This is the first time ever playing vs this type competition for youngsters… it takes time to get adjusted. The best news outta today is C-brew looked good. We need him badly.
Won’t his defense come along with age, though, Bryan? He’s pretty young. I would think that he’ll get better with time if he has a good coach.
What veterans? The Blazers don’t have anyone of their roster older than 29.
And again, it doesn’t always take time just because they’re rookies. LeBron James? Dwyane Wade? Chris Paul?
Kahn knows the Wolves are not going to win this year. Why go after a FA just because you can. See if you want to pick up the options of Gomes, Brewer, Pecherov, who to re-sign, who we get in the draft, what happens with Rubio, and have a boat-lode of Money for FA next year. The next year will tell us all we need to know about the team and Kahn.
Didn’t see the game, but saw the stats. Scary. Could be a long year if this game is any indication. Glad to see Brewer is looking OK. Let’s hope the coaching candidates aren’t scared off- we could end up getting the bottom of the barrel if that’s the case.
Seen- I hope that’s true about Harris. Need a vet coach in my opinion.
No, I don’t think Al will get markedly better defensively with experience.
I hate to say it, but I think Al is Zach Randolph. They’re basically identical in every way except attitude…same size, same build, same lack of athleticism and defense, same strengths, same weaknesses.
Al can certainly try harder on defense, but from what I’ve seen, being really good at it is something you’re born with. It takes just a lot of instincts you can’t teach. I’ve never seen a bad defender become a great one. The special ones always start out good to begin with.
C’mon Bryan, now you’re stretching….Lebron? Dwyane? Chris Paul? Are you comparing our new guys to them? Dream on, baby
That is an issue with post players, they need others to get them the ball. The trend now is wing play but that changes steady. 80’s was Kareem, Moses, Parrish, then it went I Thomas & Joe D, then MJ all perimeter guys early to mid 90’s, then again big with Hakeem Shaq and Duncan. It’s wing dominant now but that to will change. Always does. Get guys that can post feed, knock down shots & defend…. Big AL will shine.
The difference is all those big men you listed were/are exceptional defenders.
It’s like Al and Yao Ming or Al and Amare Stoudemire. What good does scoring 30 do if you give up 30?
WayneG
More of a rumor, but could be true.
Bryan, I like Al’s game and upside more than Randolph’s. He has some instincts you can’t teach- obviously defense is not one of them, however, he is coachable. I just think he’ll be more coachable if he sees that working hard on defense translates to some wins, and with this group, I’m not sure it will.
-WayneG
Those are just examples. There’s plenty of others who have more than held their own as rookies. I just figured I’d name the ones everyone will recognize.
Although, judging by the pre-draft talk, half the Wolves’ fanbase is convinced Flynn is Chris Paul anyway.
Janet- We’ll have a hard time drawing FA next year with 18 wins this year no matter how much $$$ we have. These guys like to win.
Let’s hope the fan base knows something that we don’t know. I’d love to see Chris Paul or his twin here.
Well put Greg, I know Al wants to win now and so does everyone else on the roster, but he also needs to realize that we need a lot more work and time to become a contender, our time will come soon but everyone needs to continue to improve each day including Al, most of all these players are still kids and will continue to mature. I know all Wolves fans have been waiting and it does get frustrating, but we are just one or two great players away from getting back to the playoffs.
We’ll have to see with Al. First thing is to just make sure he’s healthy.
I don’t buy that better perimeter defense will significantly help his defense though, nor that he’ll get significantly better on his own. I think we’ll need to bring in another big man to handle that aspect, which is fine and would help cover Al a lot. But I agree with Jerry and Kahn…I don’t see Al as a #1 guy on a contender.
We will struggle this year (Rubio or not), but I don’t think we will be the worse team in the league…..and definately not close to the all-time bad Philly team. Sacramento is going to be horrible, especially after adding the bust of this year’s draft in Tyreke Evans. The Knick’s roster looks pretty sorry as well.
WayneG,
How many teams are going to have money 5-6? Guessing, not sure, especially with the economics. David Lee will not get what he was thinking, either will Odom. Boozer, Okur etc., decided not to opt out because no money. Utimately money and MN and walkways don’t look so bad.
Generally agree on MM Jerry, Miller seldom stopped the ball night-in night-out. The problem was the need to get the defense get off the double- and triple-team on Al through effective parameter shooting, and MM was reluctant to take the shots afforded him. Barring a miracle, the Wolves will be fortunate to win 30 games this coming season. Some of the other bottom feeders (OKC, Memphis) are much improved.
I do see some CP3 in Jonny’s game. The TOs could be due to first pro game jitters. But he has a awesome handle and delivers the rocket with precision on the pick-and-roll.
Could be Janet, but I’ve seen guys take less money before to play for a warm-weather place or a contender. I hope you’re right.
This is only 1 game guys, but the thing that scares me is that this isn’t NBA competition, just a bunch of rookies and second year guys. Foye looked great against these guys, yet struggled when he faced the big leagues a few months later. I’m anxious to see how well we do the next few games here- although I’m not sure that the competition of a D-league team will be a fair assessment.
Tyreke Evans will be fine. I just don’t see him as a full time point guard.
All things considered though, the other teams down in the basement with us figure to be a lot better this year (except New York).
We have to give these guys a pass on the jitters factor. The next few games will be telling.
Wayne Ellington was clearly nervous. You could tell by the way he started trying too hard to make something happen towards the end.
Flynn actually was very good, just moving too fast. A lot of his turnovers were really the rest of the team’s fault.
Keep in mind too that Houston had already played two summer league games going into tonight. So they’ve had a little more time to get a feel for the makeup of their roster.
Jonny’s TOs were largely due to not knowing the guys he was playing with….first game.
Summer league means nothing. It’s not even close to a regular season practice much less game. So lets not get too up or down on guys. As far as money to free agents goes, show me a top tier player that went to a down and out team in the history of our league. I can’t think of one, but I’m sure here in the sunny, warm Mpls they’ll flock here. You’ll get 2nd level guys and over pay for them unless you get to 45 to 50 wins. You need to show you can win here at a big time level to attract quality free agents. This years team will be lucky to get 15 wins.
Let’s give Flynn another game before we write off his career? Instead, let’s give him a coach before he starts his career.
Hey, folks, the write-off-his-career line was extremely tongue in cheek, satirical. It was my playful reference both to people’s obsession with summer-league play (and their eagerness to believe you can really tell anything from it) and to my colleague Pat Reusse’s column last preseason where he did so with Kevin Love after just one game. It’s too utterly ridiculous a statement to actually believe, isn’t it? At least I thought it was…
And lighten up, Janet.
Interesting answer Flynn gave to the question about his size:
Q. Can you defend taller point guards in this league?
A. At my size, every point guard in the NBA is bigger than me. I’m going to have to get used to that right away.
Very similar to the answer Chris Paul gave his rookie year to that question.
“Fortunately enough, I’ve been small my whole life so there were always those people that told me I can’t do this and I can’t do that, so it’s always been motivation.”
We should be part of this 3 or 4 team deal with Por, Utah, and Chicago to balance our team out a little
Ellington and Flynn can roughly equate to the contributions of Foye and Miller. Sadly, it’s true. If Jefferson and Love stay healthy I see no reason why this team won’t have a better record than last year.
You’re asking a lot of two rookies — picked 6th and 28th overall in a mediocre draft at best — to step in and equal a former Rookie of the Year who’s been in the league a decade (and is a pretty darn good player for all his stubbornness in refusing to shoot last season) and a seventh overall pick heading into his fourth season. It doesn’t work like that very often. It’s probably a good trade for the long term, but it’s a significant step backward for next season, particularly if Rubio is playing in Malaga come November. No way Flynn and Ellington roughly equate Miller and Foye next season unless Jonny Flynn is Derrick Rose, and then some.
I’m not defending MM or Foye but Foye averaged 16pts and Mike Miller often led the team in assists and was almost a triple double waiting to happen
10, 7, and 5 for Miller every night so that is a lot of production for rookies to account for
If Flynn can average 6 assists a night and only 2-3 TO’s I would be very happy
Jerry beat me to it by seconds, lol
Like I said last week, summer league is such a tease. These games and the NBA have zero resemble. Maybe one or two guys from each team will actually play more than 15min a game this season. For most of these guys it is a tryout, everything is a mess.
Craig Smith and Foye made the 1st team in 2007.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Flynn equals Foye’s production. He can easily average 16ppg if he gets major burn (and he will…we have no choice but to play him), but even if he doesn’t you gotta believe he’ll average more than 4 assists.
10ppg and 7apg is the same as 16ppg and 4apg.
It’s just going to be great to have a real point guard out there. It’s been so long since Cassell I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like (and apparently so has a good portion of this blog, since some of you can’t seem to tell the difference between a real PG and Foye….)
I think Flynn will more than equal Foye’s assists stats, but as for scoring avg on the season? doubtful, especially w/AJ down low. Its going to be typical up-down season for the wolves b/c of Flynn and Ellington. Ellington’s troubles will come on defense, he’ll do fine catch-shoot.
Besides I see Brewer taking up quite a few minutes at 2-guard as the season goes on strictly b/c of defense. It’d be smart to sit Brewer when the Kobe/LBJ/Wade/etc of the world sit and then plug ellington in.
I don’t see the wolves getting involved in any trades/deals/FA’s as Kahn is on the road…someone would have to call us and i don’t see that happening. esp since its gotten out and understood we’re not trading rubio.
I think Flynn starts out at 20min ppg max for the first 2months, Telfair will get the rest. Brown will ride the bench and be used in the 2g rotation with Ellington on some nights ie GSW.
I’m definitely interested to see how Flynn and Telfair are handled. Logically Telfair would start and make Flynn earn his spot, but then again, Kahn made it clear that Rubio starts the second he comes to town. Does he see Flynn in the same light?
I don’t think there’s any question Flynn is better than Bassy (he’s ironically what everyone expected Bassy to be)….it’d be easier to figure this out with a coach…
I think that was just fodder to provide more incentive to get Rubio over here. There is no way Rubio starts and plays 35-40min + from day 1. Especially next year when we should be headed for major leaps. like 10-15 more wins than we tally this year.
Did Kahn actually say publicly that Rubio would start when he got here? There is another statement, if true, that is a concern to me about how much Kahn knows about the game. The first being Flynn/Rubio = Ainge/Johnson…. You absolutely lose the team if start a player that doesn’t win the spot as a rookie. That wouldn’t effect Kahn but it would kill the poor coach. After 30 days of camp lets say Telfair and Flynn both out play Rubio but opening night you start Ricky, the players who saw every minute of play, think the coach is blind, stupid or scared. The players are not looking long term they want open and honest competition for playing time. Especially for rookies. Statements like that are things people who’ve never been in a locker room say. That won’t fly with NBA players.
Thanks Jerry Z for the “team will struggle” this year. To think that Flynn/Ellington would equal Foye/Miller’s output is ridiculous and unfair to put on those two kids. No one is talking about influence of K Ollie and J Collins. From all accounts GREAT teammates and stabilizers in locker room. The infatuation with guys who’ve never played a minute of NBA ball is mind blowing.
Kahn did say that Rubio would be the starter the minute he walked through the Target center doors. He said this in his letter to season ticket holders right after the draft.
LT: rubio is alot like Magic at this point, deft passing skills, incredible vision. not much of a shooter. Flynn also has great talent.
So did Cleveland lose the team when LBJ walked in and started? oops. I don’t think Kahn meant literally, walk in the door and you’re a starter. I think he meant it as you are the franchise soon as you arrive here. He, or any coach, isn’t going to throw any 18y/o kid out into the NBA 35-40min ppg from the get go. There’s just no way. I think Love was handled brilliantly last season..steady minutes the first couple of months, get a taste. Increased w/production and maxed out at about 25min ppg (not counting increase w/ AJ going down).
Some players will be looking long term–like the ones who just got drafted. If you can play and do, players have no problem w/you playing. matters not if you are a rookie or a 15yr vet.
Flynn can easily produce Foye’s numbers 10ppg 6assts is very doable for Flynn esp w/the minutes he’s projected to get w/virtually only him an Telfair. Ellington can match Millers ppg easily as well..make three 3pts ppg and its done, rebounds/assists might be a bit more challenging for ellington.
Collins? not sure i want him influencing anyone on the wolves. Ollie? don’t really see him as the savvy vet either. Porter would be a savvy vet to bring in and teach flynn/rubio the tricks/nuances.
Stabilizers in the locker room? who do we have that is a problem in the locker room that would need stabilizing? please.
Its called hope genius, not infatuation. its the first good draft we’ve had in..well hell i can’t remember. when was the last time you walked away from the draft thinking the wolves got a steal?
The infatuation of saying the team is in danger of challenging Philly’s record is mind blowing to me…
did i mention how i love irony so?
fellas, you can start the game, and thus be a ’starter’ and still only play 20min/game. it is possible. no one is going to throw an 18y/o kid into the NBA starting at 40min/g. he’s going to take a beating as it is, never mind trying to keep that pace for 82 games.
I think what Kahn meant is that the keys of the franchise will be essentially in Rubio’s hands.
Rubio is going to help this team win as an 18-year-old? Come’on Jerry, even KG couldn’t do that.
Arenal I thought you were the guy that was advocating drafting T Hansbrough #1 overall over Blake Griffin. I thought you would be disappointed we didnt take him.
No moron, i said we should take Hansborough in the first round, since we got love last year there was no need.
Anyone know if and where i could watch the wolves summer league game today.
If you think players are thinking like “oh it’s okay to start a guy who doesn’t earn cause it’s best for team” you’ve never been in a locker room. Won’t happen. Magic was 6-9 245 coming into the league and coming off a national championship. he played bully ball with his size and vision. He also had Kareem, Jamal Wilkes, Norm Nixon Bob Mcadoo and a team full of vets. Rubio is 6-4 180 and from what I can gather played on a middle of the pack team in Europe. I’m all for hope just have a small dose of reality with it.
Or if its not on TV when do they start airing on the television???
Thanks for any help!! I really appreciate it!
Not being carried by NBA TV this year. You can get it on line thru NBA.com. IT’s like watching a bad old movie at times jumps and skips.
Hit a little too close to home Jerry?
I asked this question a couple of times and haven’t got a response yet. Can anyone tell me the last time a top tier free agent went to a bad team for the money? I hear that Wolves have a ton of money to spend on free agents and they’ll get a big time player. I just want to see where that has happened in the past so I can start drinking that kool-aid.
It was a sign and trade, but off the top of my head I think of Joe Johnson leaving Phoenix for Atlanta. Joe will definitely be following the money next summer.
Not exactly, Janet. Get your head out of the clouds.
I was thinking the same. If Joe Johnson would have stayed with the Suns they had a really good chance at being the champs. I remember everybody was shocked.
logical
Baron Davis signed with the Clippers. He was one of the top FA’s last off season.
When Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill signed with the Magic they were an average team at best with no superstars on the team.
Ah
I love this game. Summer Run is just that, RUN. Just nasty attempts at NBA ball by rookies, wantabees, no-leaguers. Now these games are nice for all of us wanting some games to talk about. Although we’ve seen that it doesn’t transfer to real life NBA.
Still interested in watching todays game. I’ll look at simple improvements on first game mistakes as a positive in this environment.
I think we’re speculating way to much about AL’s feelings towards to club.
And really when hasn’t this club struggled to get wins? (2-4) Western Conference Finals.
Anyone know what happened to Steven Hill on the summer roster?
Arenal wanted Tyler Hansbrough with the 1st overall pick. Just admit it you dimwit. That’s all you talked about on these boards last year. You also said you played baskeball professionally but said that league was at the YMCA. You are fricken dimwit Arenal.
Nevermind that idiot Arenal. He gets off on making himself look stupid.
Joe Johnson is a good name. Clippers would trade Baron for a sandwich if someone would take him. I guess there’s hope. Orlando was home for T-Mac I think. As I stated before Mpls is not a destination city for NBA players. I hope we can get a quality player person here but not holding my breath.
AI is reportedly signing w/the Griz.
LT: point is, if you can play the current players will have no problem w/a rookie walking in and starting. You think the team would erupt if Flynn started game 1? me thinks not. If you can play the players will welcome you, want you, on the court. its as simple as that. Kind of like when Jimmy Chitwood decided it was time to start playing ball. 
Someone is having fun with the glitch in the system. That was not my post.
Jimmy Chitwood, Tyler Hansbrough, Kevin Love does anyone see a pattern to Arenal’s stupid takes?
logical
I completely agree that it’s going to be beyond difficult to bring in a top tier FA and I don’t expect them to get a top tier FA like LeBron or Wade. The people they should be focusing on are the second tier players that are or soon could be All Stars. Players like Hedo and Artest should be who the Wolves are targeting. The guys who aren’t going to get max contracts but who would be a top 3 player on the Wolves.
Chitwood was a baller. got a problem w/that? speculate all you want jackass. no skin off my scrot. Hansborough will be a nice player–like a Milsapp.
T’wolves will struggle…mightily. They need to make one or two more subtle moves this offseason to balance out the roster…just don’t take on any contracts that jeopardize next year’s free agency. Obviously, we all know they will have the cash next year to get a real quality player. The question is who wants to come? I think you go after Joe Johnson real hard. He will want the money and he’s damn good. Also, get Rubio over here…don’t trade him. We need to let practice/play sort out the minutes and who plays what position. The Wolves just need to add talent anyway they can regardless of position…many pieces away from even a playoff team.
If by subtle moves you mean 1 year deals then A-Ok.
Nice to see Brewer back on the floor. (Or at least read about him being back on the floor.) One of the biggest downers from last season was his lost development time.
I do. Don’t take on anything longer unless the player or contract makes sense. I’m just saying the roster is messed up right now…big time. If you want to try and win at least a few games next year, we need some sort of a guard that can score.
-logical thinker
You could argue that Hedo went to a bad team this year, although the Raptors should be pretty good this year. You could kind of argue Ben Gordon did too.
But ya, generally a big free agent won’t sign unless the team is winning or shows strong signs of winning soon.
The Wolves will not be able to attract top free agents–that much should be obvious. The value of the cap space is to be able to take on a good player’s salary in trade. We’ll see if that works out.
This team is going to be terrible this year as it stands; 20 wins would be a good number. As I’ve said before, I don’t think that’s a good thing; development is hard when a team is really bad.
My guess on the opening night lineup is Telfair, Brewer, Gomes, Love, Jefferson.
Yikes.
what was Janet talking about?
The Wolves don’t need to be attractive to all FA’s, but just one or two, who are the right fit. If we have a good coach and Flynn or Rubio show potential and fit well with Al and Love, then we will become a desirable destination for some.
The marquee FAs will be locked up before any other team has an attempt at them. They aren’t going anywhere. These are the franchise builders. The second tier will be comprised of fast-fades, role players, and miscasts. The whole notion of waiting until 2010 FA to turn the corner is a misconception. The strong only get stronger; the weak weaker. It’s all about winner.
Study your history. Where did KG, LeBron, Kobe, D-Howard, CP3, etc. come from? The draft.
No one knows how well Ellington and Flynn will play this season. But Foye was woefully inconsistent from game-to-game and MM was brought in to make the defenders guard him at the parameter rather than double- or triple Al Jefferson. MM was reluctant to take open shots, which defeated the intent for getting him. As for Rubio, at 18, the equivalent of a college freshman, he has considerable upside.
McFly — I’ll concur that free agency isn’t likely to be the solution for the Wolves. Trades and the draft will be. That is where the Wolves can be effective — using that cap room to facilitate teams looking to rebuild or those who think they can sign a major free agent.
KG and Kobe were traded to the teams for which they won their world championships, after all.
Eric,
What’s your reaction to a starting lineup of Telfair, Foye, Gomes, C. Smith, and Jefferson? Yikes?
That’s the starting lineup from last January. Granted, they weren’t as good as their record in that month, but I also don’t think it was a 9- to 20-win team.
Are Foye and Miller worth that many wins? (For the record, during January Foye played 37 mpg, Miller played 27, and Telfair played 36.) People complain that Foye was a bad defender who scored inefficiently, yet somehow the sky is falling now that he’s gone.
OMG! Benny Woodside is in the game!
im pretty sure Love will be starting…
They’re trying to post up Flynn–without success.
paul harris is looking good on the defensive end
Dizzam, Wayne Ellington is ON today.
Flynn looking great through 1st half… Quick with the ball, making the right choices (6 ast/2 TO so far), gets to the hole and finishing despite contact. Ellington missed the first couple but has his stroke back now.
1st time I really see Pechorov play. I can see him spreading the floor for AJ.
Thanks to whoever it was who mentioned channelsurfing.net they are broadcasting the game live
Flynn just made the Phoenix GM stop mid sentence to make an “oh my!” proclamation.
That wasn’t me posting above.
Jerry could you look into having commenters register on the board? It’s irritating having people post as you to try to stir things up.
Wow. We got slaughtered in the third…
Flynn now has 5 TO’s, and we look bad but who is that lumbering Center
Nice drive by Ellington and Flynn has 10 asts to go along with 5 To’s but some guys seem to be missing easy ones that could have Flynn’s assists up even more
Well, that’s an improvement from yesterday, when no one ever finished those plays.
If we didn’t have Al Jefferson, I would suggest that we play a run and gun type of offense but that doesn’t fit Al or Love’s game
Brewer just finished on another Flynn dime. He’s at 12 dimes at least.
C-note: we can still run and gun–brewer, carney, ellington can all get up the court. Delayed break with love, AJ. not there, pull it out and set it up. Not to mention i see Flynn drawing 2 defenders with his penetration on such breaks.
If Carney stays, but it would look nicer on the fast break with Marion and Amare trailing Flynn, Brewer and Ellington but now I’m dreaming, lol
Flynn’s teamates have definitly cost him on some dimes. It will be nice to see him play with some guys that can actually catch the ball and jump. Having AJ on the floor does not prevent us from playing a run & gun. If the quick drive/shot is there you take it if it is not you pull it back and let AJ do his stuff.
Ellington is just strokin’ em!
Not that I want Marion and Amare instead of Love and Jefferson, just saying that that was a lot of fun to watch in Phoenix back in the day
Arenal and I must be on the same wavelength
I know they can pull it out and dump it to Al but I was just getting at how we could be a shoot before the shot clock hits 16 every time but not when Love and Jefferson are the last ones up the court. If Jefferson moves the ball better the offense could be good with back door cuts, double screens and a lot of movement
Anyone else think B. Brown looked absolutely lost out there? trying to do too much?
Well, I can see where the Chris Paul comparison comes from now with Flynn…
He will probably not play with Flynn and Telfair ahead of him in the regular season
Remember that Love likes to start the break, and looks first for the streaker on the outlet. It works if everyone is on the same page, but if no one breaks on the miss it’s a worthless skill.
C - Note - Are you nuts ? Up tempo game with Love is perfect…rebounding and outlet passing. Boom.
Yeah, I was getting at that it won’t ever be as good as a Phoenix or others because as of now, you don’t have a big finisher following, like Marion, Amare, Howard or any other quick athletic big, if another team gets a couple guys back or even a PF or C it will be tough for Flynn, Ellington, or Brewer(who already doesn’t finish well) to finish the break, and Love might not even start, who knows, it will be interesting though when THEY FINALLY GET A COACH, so we will no what type of team to look forward to and who will be on the floor at the same time, aka rotations
I agree… I’ve never understood why people think you need running big men to play a running game. Sure it helps, but how many real running big men are there out there? A handful, at most. Their role is mostly to get the rebounds and key the break with a quick outlet, which Al and Love are well-suited for.
And Swan, I may be crazy but now I can see your nuts- Austin powers, jk but yeah I may be a little crazy
We all have to be a little crazy to be such die hard t-wolves fans after all the crap
AJ can be a big finisher, assuming his knee is 100% w/no lingering effects, and we should get a top 10 pick in next years draft. I can see us w/a good break–carney/brewer sprinting straight to the cup, ellington same or spotting up, delayed break w/the bigs. Smith and Gomes can also run. Gomes also has a nice catch-shoot J.
Think you are thinking to much.
The most dynamic running game ever was the Magic-led Showtime era in Los Angeles. And their running big man finisher was….
Rambis!!
Kurt Rambis?
I didn’t see Arenal’s, (the oracle) post.
The Wolves lost to a bunch of players from the NBS Developmental League today. ROFLMAO!!!! Hey Kahn, maybe you can make and even up trade for those D League players.
Meant to say NBA Developmental League, but then again it is doubtful that the Wolves could beat the NBS if it had a team.
Alan. You’re an idiot. It is the T’Wolves summer league squad. Not the actual team. Many of the players are not even D-League talent.
