The Minnesota Timberwolves became just the third team in history to lose to an international team on their home court in an exhibition game. Minnesota is also just the second team to lose in the United States (one of the three was vs. the Raptors in Toronto). The Timberwolves looked lethargic with tired legs to start this one as Moscow jumped out to an early lead that ballooned to an 18-point deficit in the second quarter. The Wolves shot just 27.3% from the field (6-22) in the first quarter, compared to CSKA's 52.6% (10-16). They had a lot of easy looks and gimmes that just wouldn't drop. The Wolves missed seven-straight field goals to begin this one, before Rubio was finally able to drop home a contested lay-in. The starters came out of the game after the first eight minutes. Adelman said prior to the game that he wouldn't bring his starters (Rubio, Martin, Brewer, Love, Peković) back into the game until the beginning of the second half. However, that quickly changed as this one got out of hand in a hurry and (as stated before) the deficit increased to 18. Thanks in large part to Martin, Brewer, Love & Peković, the Wolves were able to pull within 3 points (50-53) at halftime. Martin & Peković both had 6 points in the second quarter and Love, Brewer & Williams all added 5 points apiece, to outscore CSKA 33-28. The starters played for roughly the first nine minutes of the third quarter and then headed to the bench, where they would sit for the remainder of the game. This is where Adelman gave guys like A.J. Price, Othyus Jeffers, Alexey Shved, Derrick Williams and Ronny Turiaf a chance to play. Little did we know that when they entered the game towards the end of the third quarter, the four of them would be the lineup finishing this one. They played for the entire fourth quarter and all but the final few seconds of overtime (when Adelman subbed in Hummel for Turiaf and then seconds later, Turiaf for Jeffers). We got a good look at two players (Price & Jeffers) who are in the battle for that 15th roster spot (along with Hummel and Brown). They certainly made the most of their opportunities. Price showed he is very capable of running a team from the point guard position and is definitely further along offensively than I would have imagined (I didn't really watch much of him last season in Washington). Jeffers showed that motor and defensive intensity that tantalizes Minnesota's front office and coaching staff alike. The Timberwolves had a chance to win this in regulation, but Williams missed a contested shot at the hoop as time expired. The Timberwolves had a chance to send this one into a second overtime, but Shved missed a contested shot at the hoop and Jeffers secured an offensive board, but missed the heavily contested put-back to end this one. Team Stats...
The Timberwolves got off to a VERY bad start (27.3%) from the field in the first quarter as well as 16.7% from deep (1-of-6). Those numbers from the field improved as we went on in this one. Despite the Wolves playing the "Bruise Brothers" (Love & Pek) 28 & 26 minutes apiece, they both finished with 7 rebounds each (and MIN was led by Williams' 9 & Turiaf's 8) and Minnesota was still out-rebounded by CSKA Moscow. The biggest surprise for me was the turnover count. Despite playing a number of different guys and down the stretch (the team was run by Shved & Price for the majority of the second half and OT), they finished a 53-minute contest with just 11 turnovers. Moscow has played in nine preseason games already and it showed as they looked like the more cohesive unit throughout. They shot very well and despite finishing with a high team foul and turnover count, they were able to eek out a win over Minny.
Williams was very aggressive in this one and it was REALLY good to see. I wouldn't get too high on this performance though, Williams' NBA career has been all about inconsistency and until he's able to string solid performances together, there's not enough to get excited about. However, he did look quite slimmed down as I said he was VERY aggressive and he was finally asserting himself on the court (let's hope that's not because he wasn't going against an NBA team and mentality believed that he was better than the other team--which is the mindset he needs every night).
Martin looked terrific on O. Maybe a small part of it was because Minnesota hasn't had a decent shooting guard since Sprewell, but it was a joy to see him go to work with his repertoire: floaters in the lane, step-back fadeaways, three-pointers and aggressive drives to the rack, while also getting to the line at will. Who Else I Liked... --Ronny Turiaf's energy and defense. I wasn't sold on the move that brought him here this summer, but in a small sample size, I already like what I see and I know he's going to be a big part of this team's success both on the court (and maybe more importantly) in the locker room. --Corey Brewer looked terrific on the fast break with a number of passes from Rubio and more than half court outlet passes from K-Love off a defensive board, that finished more than once with an easy layup. His defense and the corner-three he nailed, were also VERY good to see. Like Turiaf, his energy and defense will be key to a lot of Minnesota W's this year. --"Bruise Brothers" I just loved seeing Love & Pek take the floor together. It's been too long that both those guys have had clean bills of health and I can't wait for them to do some serious damage this season. Love played some solid defense on former NBA center Nenad Krstic in this one, too. In two consecutive possessions, Love stripped the ball/forced a turnover and came up with the ball while covering Krstic. Who We Didn't See Tonight... --Chase Budinger (knee): Didn't see him tonight and may not see him till November/December. --J.J. Barea (personal): Wasn't with the team for a "personal reason", but it sounded as though it isn't a situation that'll keep him out for an extended period of time. --Dante Cunningham (flu-like symptoms): Despite seeming in good health in warmups, because Dante hadn't practiced the day before, he was held out of this one, he should be good to go on Wednesday vs. Toronto. --Lorenzo Brown, Chris Johnson, Gorgui Dieng (Coach's Decision): Adelman didn't play them, but there's a VERY good chance we'll see them all sometime during these next two games. Who We Saw in Limited Minutes... --Shabazz Muhammad: played just 6 minutes, but managed 0-2 FG/3PT, 1 turnover and 3 fouls. --Robbie Hummel: also played just 6 minutes and hit a couple of shots (a deep two and a three-pointer). Robbie finished with 5 points on 2-3 FG (1-2 3PT). That's all I've got for now, the Wolves will be back in action on Wednesday evening vs. the Raptors in Toronto, Canada. That one will tip at 6pm and we'll have the full gameday recap following the final horn, thanks for reading and GO WOLVES!
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And so it begins again! HOWL is back and back to our Game Previews. This season (at least for this first month or two) HOWL will try doing a weekly preview: a preview that features the upcoming games for the week, usually posted on a Sunday or Monday. Last season we did a gameday preview and recap for every single game (yes, there were 164 posts here last season!). We'll try this for the first month or two and then decide if this works. So, without any further ado, our first Weekly Preview! The Timberwolves play four games this week... October 7 vs. CKSA Moscow, 7pmCT October 9 @Toronto Raptors, 6pmCT October 10 vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 7pmCT October 12 vs. Toronto Raptors, 7pmCT Let's take a look at the Timberwolves' likely starting lineup for these four games (there is a good chance that Rick Adelman switches up the lineup at some point, to give his main guys a rest)... MISC. NOTES: The stats listed below are from the 2012-13 regular season. Rubio played 57 games a season ago. Martin played 77 games off the bench in 27.7mpg with the Thunder. Brewer played in all 82 games, off the bench in 24.4mpg with the Nuggets. Love played in just 18 games a season ago. Peković played 62 games a year ago. October 7 vs. CKSA MoscowThe Wolves begin the preseason with a game vs. Alexey Shved's former team: CKSA Moscow. That one will tip on Monday night at 7pmCT. This is the only preseason game the Wolves play this season that isn't against an NBA team. Alexey Shved played for CKSA Moscow for six seasons 2006-2012, before joining the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. Now he’ll try to aid his new team over his former friends. One note on Shved: Adelman says he will play both guard positions throughout these four games, however he may be featured mainly backing up Rubio as the second unit floor general (PG). Rick Adelman has said that he doesn’t really like these preseason games against non-NBA teams, but as noted before, this is the only matchup versus a non-NBA squad. It is nice that it’s a team that has some NBA talent, however. CKSA Moscow is headlined by four former NBA players: Nenad Krstic who last played with the Thunder & Celtics in 2010-11; Sonny Weems who last played with the Raptors in 2010-11; Viktor Khryapa who last played with the Bulls in 2007-08; and Jeremy Pargo who last played with the Sixers in 2012-13. Oct. 9 @Toronto & Oct. 12 vs. TorontoThe Minnesota Timberwolves’ first NBA opponent will be against our friends North of the Border: the Toronto Raptors. The Wolves made a number of moves this offseason and with it their starting lineup this season has changed. That’s not the case for the Raptors. While they did trade Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks, the group they trotted out a season ago, remains largely intact. The Raps’ likely starting lineup… The best battles should be Brewer & Gay as well as Pek & Valanciunas. Rudy Gay is one of the NBA’s premier small forwards (Top 5-7 at his position) so we’ll get a chance to see if Brewer can be the defensive stopper that everyone is labeling him. Nikola Peković is one of the very best big men in the League. These past three seasons, Nikola has gone from a big man who could look at an opponent funny and get whistled for the foul, now he’s adjusted to the game and he’s undoubtedly the NBA’s strongest and most physically-imposing player. He’ll be going up against a young and upstart big men: Jonas Valanciunas. Pek may get his shot blocked a few times by Jonas, however I’m incredibly excited to see Pek impose his will. With the aid of Kevin Love & Kevin Martin helping to spread the floor, will give Minnesota SO many offensive weapons. There’s really no doubt whatsoever that this TWolves team will be (barring injuries) an offensive juggernaut, the biggest concern will be Defense. The Wolves have a handful of solid individual defenders: Ricky Rubio, Corey Brewer, Dante Cunningham, Ronny Turiaf and Gorgui Dieng. All of those players are known to posses above-average defenders or players known solely for their defense (minus perhaps Rubio’s playmaking and Dante’s mid-range jumper). The Raptors finished 2012-13 with a 34-48 regular season record. They were one of the worst rebounding teams a season ago (40.2 a game, bad enough for 28th in the NBA). With much of the same cast (minus Bargnani and plus Tyler Hansbrough), the Wolves should look to pounce on this advantage. Kevin Love & Nikola Peković are two of the best rebounding bigs in the League and should easily manhandle Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, Jonas Valanciunas and Aaron Gray in the post. October 10 vs. Milwaukee BucksMinnesota will have another preseason matchup (like the past two seasons) against their foes to the East: the Bucks in Milwaukee. Unlike the Raptors, the Bucks made a lot of moves this season. Milwaukee acquired Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton from the Pistons in a sign-and-trade that sent Brandon Jennings to Detroit. They signed free agent guard O.J. Mayo. Traded for Caron Butler. Re-signed Larry Sanders. Landed former Wolf Luke Ridnour in a trade that netted the Wolves Kevin Martin. Signed free agents Gary Neal, Carlos Delfino and Zaza Pachulia. And hired Larry Drew as their new head coach. Let's take a look at their likely starting lineup... MISC. NOTES: Brandon Knight played in Detroit last season; O.J. Mayo played in Dallas; and Caron Butler played with the L.A. Clippers.
It seems as though a lot of Milwaukee's offensive focus this season will be on their two new swingmen: O.J. Mayo and Caron Butler. Larry Drew recently said that Butler has been a fourth or fifth option offensively the past few seasons (in LAC), but that won't be the case this season in Milwaukee. There's no doubt that he's got quite a bit of offensive skill as demonstrated during his time in Washington and Dallas. One big headline this season was the Bucks re-signing Larry Sanders to a 4-year, $44million contract. Their über-athletic big man was a double-double machine and one of the NBA's best rim protectors and shot-blockers. He'll have his hands full with Nikola, but I fully expect LARRY SANDERS! to finish with at least 4 blocks in this one. The Bucks finished 2012-13 with a 38-44 record and were one of the NBA's best rebounding teams 44 rebounds a game (good enough for 5th in the League) that should translate well to this season as the majority of their big men are returning. The Bucks also finished 9th in the NBA in assists (22.9) as well as 12th in points (98.9), however with a new backcourt and a lot of new pieces those may not transition that easily. It will definitely be strange to see Ridnour return to Minnesota with a Bucks jersey on...again. Through these first four games of the preseason, Rick has said that he'll play 12-13 players a night and rotate his rotations so that over the span of these first four games we'll see everyone on the floor. I expect Rubio, Martin, Love & Pek see at least 20-30 minutes together in the first game and then they'll use the next 2-3 games to see some of the younger guys and get a grasp on the battle for the 15th roster spot, which is now four guys competing for one spot: A.J. Price, Lorenzo Brown, Othyus Jeffers or Robbie Hummel. We'll have our first gameday recap following Monday's bout with CKSA Moscow. Stay tuned for that, thanks for reading HOWL and GO WOLVES! |
Cody D. AndersonA Wolves fan bringing you Gameday Recaps all season long! 2014-15 Game ArchivesGameday Archives
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