Waiting for Wonderboy

 

   The Timberwolves recently endured a rough four-game road trip out West, losing three games (vs Portland, Golden State, and the L.A. Clippers) and winning just one (vs the quite hapless Sacramento Kings). The Wolves were in every one of the games—in fact, they took leads into the third or fourth quarter of every contest—but they had major problems finishing, a direct reversal of the way they had finished games the first nine games of the season. Otherwise known as the period before Kevin Love came back from his hand boo-boo.

     Am I saying the Wolves are worse with Kevin Love in the line-up? Not exactly. But I do believe that, though Love is a smart player, he isn’t smart enough to realize that all the individual stats, awards, social attention, and big money isn’t what drives a winner on the court. Look at the way he pouted and insinuated leaving the Wolves after signing a rich four-year contract last year with the Wolves that wasn’t quite rich enough for Kev. This’ll be a problem a few years down the road.

    Anyway, skill combined with unselfishness combined with supreme game awareness is what drives a winner. Lucky for the Wolves, Ricky Rubio knows this (or at least hasn’t let fame or money or jealousy get in the way of his understanding…yet), and as it was announced Wednesday night, he’s been cleared to practice. This means he’ll probably be back in a week or so, in my estimation. That means the Wolves can soon finally look forward to legitimate improvement.

     For now, I’ll assess the roster, individually, with the 6-8 T-Wolves 14 games (or 17%) into the season.

GUARDS

Luke Ridnour – C-

If The Matador isn’t hitting his shot, he’s a major liability to this team. And he has only shot ) . What’s worse, he has been missing more open threes, important free throws, and crunchtime shots in general. On the Western road trip, he was mostly responsible—along with KLove and JJ Barea—for each of the three losses. Against Portland, he got chewed up by rookie Damian Lillard and shot . Against G.S., he was waylaid by Steph Curry, a player in his exact mold but slightly younger and shot . Against the Clippers, he wasn’t much of a match for Chris Paul or Chauncey Billups or Jamal Crawford, and he had four turnovers, including a blundering one during crunchtime.

J.J. Barea - D

This guy is simply overused by the T-Wolves. He should be a twice-a-game, 5-6 minute-stint-at-a-time, change-of-pace pawn. Instead, the Wolves are playing His Delicateness for long stretches where we have to watch him rabbit-dribble away the shot clock and either horse up some fadeaway garbage that gets blocked or falls short or finally pass to a teammate who is forced horse one up to ward off a shot-clock violation. Also, since the NBA warned him for flopping, he’s gotten zero calls from the officials. Kind of a major problem for a little guy who’s game is predicated on drawing fouls.

Malcolm Lee – B+

The second coming of Trenton Hassell (that’s actually a compliment when you remember that the 2003-04 Hassell was the starting 2-guard on the most successful Wolves squad in franchise history) could carve out a nice niche for himself on this team by simply remaining healthy, continuing to play tenacious defense, and developing a more consistent jumper from, say, 15 feet.

Alexey Shved – A-

Shved, mon homme. You are playing better than anyone thought you would (except for me, of course). You have a wealth of all-around skills that make you look a little like Toni Kukoc. You have a new haircut that makes you look like Toni Kukoc. You have earned the trust of Coach A—no small task (ask Derrick Williams). You are not afraid to make a play in the endgame. You are also a favorite character in my fictional bedtime stories to my sons, a character who never understands what Coach Adelman is saying to him and has to ask Kirilenko to translate, is constantly speaking in Russian: Moscow, vodka, Molotov, nyet, nyet, nyet, and going to the mall to try on new American clothes yet likes to throw sweet passes and hit threeballs when not going over to Ricky Rubio’s house for bubble gum ice cream after practice.

Brandon Roy – D+

Honestly, Roy probably helped the Wolves to two wins in the five games he saw action before hitting the DL with a knee injury. Crap, a knee injury. Santa, please bring Roy some new knee joints for Christmas, would you? If he’s somehow healthy enough to play even 20 minutes a game down the road, his steadying hand improves this team tremendously.

Will Conroy – A

Congrats on playing in the NBA. A win, in my book. Would love to see this good guy catch on again, if not with the Wolves, with somebody else.

Ricky Rubio – I

We need this guy back. Too bad the Lockout wasn’t this year instead of last year. I truly feel like everybody will play better once Rubio is back. Ridnour, Shved, Kirilenko, and Love in particular.

FORWARDS

Dante Cunningham – A

Guy is way better than I thought. Averaging 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 23 minute per game. Big hustle, ducks in a row, sticky fingers, defensive force, knack for coming up with loose balls AND can shoot from 16 and in. Great pick-up in the trade for the lackluster Wayne Ellington, now averaging 5 ppg and playing 14 minutes per game in Memphis.

Derrick Williams – C-

I’d say Williams could have a legitimate gripe about his grade. Teacher won’t give him a break. I don’t know what’s going on with Adelman and Williams, but I hope it pays off for Williams down the line. Picking up Josh Howard was either a slap in the face to Williams or just a dumb move by the brain trust. I think Williams can play. Maybe the development of some sort of legitimate midrange game would help, because he has been doinking a lot of threes and getting his shit thrown at the rim. Who’s taking Williams under his wing on this team?

Kevin Love – D

I have three major problems with Love so far this season. One, that knuckle injury was real stupid, no matter how he really got it. To have the gall to complain this offseason about the Wolves not signing him to a bigger contract and bitch about the Wolves never having made the playoffs in his tenure thus far and then leaving Minnesota in the lurch with a dumb injury was foolish. Two, now that he’s back, he seems content to fling up short, flat bricks until his hand starts feeling better. How about just grabbing 30 rebounds a game instead and throwing it to guys who can make it, or are at least open? Three, it’s time to grow up and start playing some real defense. His one-on-one D is average at best, and never intimidating. His help D is appalling, considering his supposed smarts and ability to hustle after rebounds. Where’s the hustle, Kev, when Ridnour or Barea get ceaselessly beat to the rim? His rebounding has been nice, but that’s all the good I have to say at this point.

Andrei Kirilenko – B+

Probably the MVP of the team thus far, he carried the Wolves to their early-season burst. But, like the Wolves, he’s slipped in the games since then, right down to his absence from the last game of the road trip due to back spasms. Love the hustle, the backdoor cuts, the defense, the blocks and steals, the excellent game-winning pass vs Indiana, the veteran influence. But I saw the Boy With the Dragon Tattoo On His Back, Or At Least Dragon Wings Coming Out From Under His Jersey At the Shoulders play much better, consistently, for Russia in the Olympics this summer. I think he’ll be a great match with Rubio.

Josh Howard – C

Why did the Wolves sign him when they needed a guard? I do not know. He seems about as average a player as there is right now. Wish he was Mickael Pietrus.

Chase Budinger – C

Early-season A gets downgraded to C with knee injury that could keep him out the majority of the season. I liked the spring in his step and stroke in his three, but that’s all moot, for now.

BIG GUYS

Nikola Pekovic – B

His excellent toughness, tattoo, ability to draw fouls, and hairline have recently been overshadowed by his glaring inability to shoot with any accuracy outside 6 feet from the hoop.  Would love to send him over to McHale for some work. Except that McHale’s in Houston, now. Jack Sikma’s words of wisdom will have to suffice.

Greg Steimsma – B-

Steimer had a nice couple of games early on before getting buried on the bench. Love his defensive ability, but I think his hands are worse than I thought. Did you see that sweet pass he received cutting to the basket last night? Neither did he!

Louis Amundson – B-

Interesting little piece FSN did on Lou recently where we discovered that he loves to get into philosophical arguments with his look-alike sister and has a weird fear of getting his hair cut. I was hoping he wasn’t quite so one-dimensional (big defensive bod), but he seems to be. Quite.

Coach Adelman – B

Had an A in my book until Love came back. Since then, the Wolves slip in every second half. That’s on the coach. On a side note, what was he sucking on during all the games out West? Cough drops? Peyote? A sore tooth? His cud?

P.S.: Great to see that Fox Sports North is finally ridding itself of Robby Incmacrappski. Never seen such a brown-nosing, ramblingly repetitive, dumb-question-asking dinkus since…well, I have seen lots of people like that. But they shouldn’t draw paychecks as professional sports sideline reporters. Adios, Dingleberry… Now if they can fire the broadcast director who keeps going to the under-the-basket angle at all the wrong times.