Problems

Kevin Love shirking his jersey, among other things. AP Photo.

1. Kevin Love

In the last three Timberwolves losses, Kevin Love was the prime reason Minnesota lost. Against Dallas on Dec. 30, he scored 36 points but was had a plus/minus rating of -4, and then he got fouled by Shawn Marion and the refs didn’t call it. One could argue that the no-call was a rip-off, but a smarter Wolves fan might argue that the refs just spared Love the embarrassment of having to choke on the clutch free throws… which is what Love DID do at the end of the team’s next loss on January 4 versus OKC. Four missed free throws in the final 30 seconds is not All-Star caliber play. And then in this latest loss to the upstart Phoenix Suns on January 9, Love goes 4-for-20 from the field. One could argue that Love botched an entire clutch game. Which is not a surprise because Kevin Love isn’t much of a clutch player.

And then blasting Barea and Cunningham after the Phoenix game to the press… after repeatedly calling out teammates in previous losses… ugh. All that move said to me was that Kevin Love isn’t brave enough to go up to Barea and Cunningham—two guys that I’d bet on 50-1 to whip Love’s ass in the event of a throwdown, despite giving away significant size—and tell them personally that he was disappointed that they didn’t join the team huddles at the end of the game. That was weak. Passive aggressive. Kevin Love isn’t much of a leader.

2. JJ Barea and Dante Cunningham

            There’s no excuse for those two vets to have pulled that immature b.s. last night. I don’t know what they could’ve been thinking. And I don’t care if you’re injured, ticked, or sick and tired of the prima donna Love to the point where you’d like to pummel him. You participate in that huddle. Take care of the injuries, complaints, or pummelings in the locker room, postgame.

3. Kevin Martin

            Oh how quickly Martin’s game’s worn thin round these parts. Martin disappears for quarters and halves at a time, does zero on defense or the boards, and plays with little or no heart. He’s at best an 8^th best player on a successful team. Flip should trade him to Sacto for Jimmer.

4. Ricky Rubio’s inability to score

            Shoot the ball, Ricky. Shoot the damn ball.

            Ricky Rubio can’t be as bad at scoring as he’s shown this season. I just don’t believe it. Not with that vision, accuracy, work ethic, physical acumen. I think he should just try to go for 30. There’s a flood of made shots in his body waiting to be unloosed. But if he won’t shoot it, he doesn't have a chance to make it, and opponents will play him to pass, making it easier to pick off dishes like the one he tried to throw on the Wolves’ third-to-last possession against Phoenix.

5. Rick Adelman

            Maybe he’s over the hill. Maybe he’s lost his clout. Maybe the players aren’t listening. But this team is crap in the clutch, and that reflects the coach. As do spoiled stars, disgruntled to the point of disrespectful vets, soft “scorers,” and non-shooting point guards. Clean us up here, Rick. We should’ve made the playoffs two years ago and have been contending this season.

Nate’sNotes…Had a hard time stomaching Gerald Green’s celebrations after he hit the luckiest jumpshot of his life to put the Suns up by one in the endgame. Such an amateur display of self-aggrandizing dipshittery hasn’t been seen at Target Center since the days of Ricky Davis, methinks. I would’ve said “since the days when Gerald Green played for the Wolves” but Green never hit any shots in 'Sota... Does it look to anyone else like Pek is unstoppable in the post lately?... Really like Jeff Hornacek as a coach and ain't all that surprised that the Suns are playing well for him… Jim Peterson—who’s much improved at articulating his basketball knowledge on the mic this year (even tho he has to put up with a thudding play-by-play man in Dave Benz)—mentioned that he thought Goran Dragic is the third-best PG in the West this season, and I agree… Hopefully Neon Chase Budinger and Rony Turiaf can assimilate super-quickly now that they’re back on the court. They give the Wolves a different look, for sure.