When Superstar Treatment Ruins an Outcome

  We don't like Kobe much in our house. To my kids, he's the guy that broke Ricky's knee. So when Kobe fouled Ricky but the refs didn't call on a potentially game-tying 3ball last night when the Lakers came to town, much booing ensued as the Lakers won 120-117.
  The whole damn season's been a prolonged gut punch, but this one especially took the air out. You know, with the Lakers having beat us the last 200 times. And Kobe being the hero even though he didn't deserve to be. Remember how the officials blew the call by not calling Bryant for a charge against Rubio on the knee injury play last year bout this time? And then Kobe saying: "That's not a foul. They ain't calling that shit. I don't think I got him."
  Replays clearly show Kobe did smack Ricky. The NBA would be 200 times better if refs would just have the guts to make the right call. Like on traveling. Or intentional fouls. Or Ts. On when giving a veteran star a free pass.
  And then Kobe's cocky response after a reporter asked him what would've gotten the call, hit the FTs, and forced OT? "We would have gone into overtime and won the game. It's as simple as that."
  I think I just found a way to like Kobe even less.

Spur Stomp

A rare moment of congratulations from
Leader of the Pack Rick Adelman.

  Yes. Now that was fun. That's how you play some ball. That's how you sock it to the best team in the NBA.
  The T-Wolves' 107-83 win over the Spurs included more highlights than the previous month's-worth of games, most often thanks to Ricky Rubio, he of the 21-12-13 triple double, the first of his NBA career. Two of Ricky's plays were top ten of his career so far, including a heady behind-the-back bounce job to D-Will in the first half and a double behind-the-back dribble drive and lefty scoop in the second half. Ricky Boy is playing better and better, and that includes his defense, which is enthrallingly anticipatory to the max, and, on this night anyway, his shooting. He even threw in a nice halftime buzzer-beating banker after getting fouled a couple times with no call.
  Chris Johnson provided a jolt in the paint for the Woofers, recording 5 blocks in the first half and a sideways alley jam that you probably ought to youtube, or, better yet if you want great hightlights, nba.com.  Even Alexey Shved came out of his shell to knock down 6 of 8 from the field with 7 assists in the best game he's played since the All-Star break, hands down.
  All in all, it was the most pleasant Wolves effort I've witnessed in a long time, and a breath of fresh air.

NATE'S NOTES...Speaking of fresh air, Nick Healy came over for the game with his younguns, Harry and Erin. Great peeps. I don't honestly remember the last time the Wolves lost when I watched a game with Healy... Healy said that Chris Johnson's "fly swat" reminded him of the legend of Dave Winfield supposedly swatting a shot into the upper deck at Williams Arena back in his Gopher Hoops days. Could that have really happened? I've also heard Healy tell about the legend of a youthful Paul Molitor once throwing a snowball over St Paul's Cathedral. I've also read a lot of Healy's fictional short stories... I'm not getting paid by Summit to write this, but I'd just like to say that what they did with that Saga Unchained offering was something wonderful. Summit Sagas go well with Wolves wins.

Nuggets With Sauce

  Denver can play. For the record, I'd pick them right now for my de facto NBA darkhorse that could easily surprise any and everyone in the coming 2012-13 playoffs. From an excellent, cancer-beating coach in George Karl to a well-rounded team that's as good on offense as it is on D to a deep bench to a fierce home-court advantage, the Nuggets got it going on.
  The TWolves are actually one of only three teams to beat the Nuggets in 31 games in the Mile High City this season. They played tough in the first half and then fell apart a little in the third quarter, but--as often is the case--mounted a gutsy comeback in the fourth quarter.

Rubio, most likely milliseconds before
having McGhee toss his shit five rows up.

  The game, which ended up 111-88 in Denver's favor, turned for good with roughly nine minutes remaining. The Wolves had been down hard with Denver threatening to throttle them when the Luke Ridnour found himself with a wide open threeball in the left corner that, if converted, would've cut the Nuggets' lead to six. Luke, though, clanged the back iron and failed to get back on D as the ball bounded long and the Nuggies threw a TD pass to former Wolf Corey Brewer (he of a solid-looking big boy beard that gives him a much needed edge to that ever-smiling face, if not a bit of extra weight) for the cramberry jam. Another Sota "empty possession" (droll Wolves play-by-play stooge Dave Benz's verbal tic of a phrase for when the Wolves fail to score...which happens, uh, a lot) and a threeball by Ty Lawson (draftee of the TWolves in the Rubio-Jonny Flynn draft) later, and the Wolves are down fourteen, just like that. Another minute and a half later the gap balloons to 23. So, yeah, could have easily been a six-point spread with 9 minutes but ended up being 23 with 6 minutes. A quick death. An inglorious guillotine of a demise for the Wolves.
  Go Nuggets. Beat the Thunder and Spurs.

NATE'S NOTES...Some entertaining sauciness from both Adelman and Karl in the fourth quarter when both of them nearly busted a respective nut in picking up fourth quarter Ts. Karl, in partic, really spazzed out and had to be briefly restrained from charging the ref, who was walking away and didn't even really see Karl's eye-bugging reaction... JaVale McGhee made the play of the night when he (an athletic albeit clodhoppin' 7-foot-plus behemoth) picked the pocket of Rubio (a ball wizard if ever there was) on the perimeter and then went coast to coast for a turkey dinner. He also had two or three other demoralizing dunks and sit-yo-ass-down swats... Wolves center Chris Johnson is athletic, but damn raw. He gives the Wolves more of a chance to compete than, say, Greg Stiemsma, but he gets mad or embarrassed and loses his mind fairly easily and often, most likely goaltending shots or taking huge, swinging swipes on block attempts that simply aren't necessary... Dave Benz is my new Robby Incmacrapski. He's just straight up clueless about hoops and has zero feel for the game. I can see him on the speech team in about ninth grade, wishing he could be on the ball team. He tries hard, sure, but come on Fox Sports North. Jim Peterson, no trophy talker himself, seems pissed he has to work with Benz and constantly reel him back in from constant bonerific statements. But Peterson gets no pass, either. I've had it up to here with his intolerance of Alexey Shved. Jim, he's a rookie, he's from Russia, he's hit the wall, he gets no calls. But he's been healthy all season, he's got game, and he should figure heavily into the Wolves' rotation the next few seasons--give him a damn break. Or better yet, go interview his ass and get his perspective.

Overtime Ouch

  This game was only enjoyable to the stout of heart, the bounciest of basketball enthusiasts, and maybe Wes Johnson's mother. To your average fan, the awful-shooting, low-scoring, sloppy-handling, third-rate efforts turned in by both the Suns and T-Wolves in the Suns' 94-93 overtime victory was less than impressive.
  I watched the game partly because I hadn't tuned in for a few games, and because I wanted to see if former T-Wolf Michael Beasley would do anything. Beasley, my 4-year-old son's former favorite player, and the subject of many a made-up bedtime story the last couple years, was such a non-factor (13 minutes off the bench, 4 points, some tight cornrows), it's like he barely played. Wes Johnson, another former T-Pup, had a nice game with 14 points, 9 boards, and a key assist late in regulation that made me shake my head in frustration since those kinds of efforts when he was with the Wolves the last two years were total rarities.

Kirilenko bull-charges the rim, to little avail.
Andrei injured his calf in only ten minutes of action.

  Both teams started off extremely poorly with the Suns leading 16-15 after the first period. The scoring didn't really spike until the 4th quarter when the Wolves finally had a decent run and outscored the Suns 26-19 to send the game into OT.
  Once there, both squads resumed apathetic displays of...basketball (?) and muddlingly threw up bricks, including a shot by Alexey Shved that stuck between the rim and backboard. It was really that kind of night.
  Most notable for the Wolves in OT was the decision Coach Adelman made to yank starting PG and team leader Ricky Rubio with just over a minute remaining. After the game, Adelman said he did it because he thought Rubio was "tired"--but anybody could see he was pissed with The Rick for tossing cement at the hoop (2-12 for the game, including an airball from 16 feet that could have won it for 'Sota in reg) and giving the ball away (6 turnovers). It doesn't bode well for team morale when a coach gives the hook to a team leader like that, but it WAS tough to watch Ricky struggle down the stretch. I just think the alternative--more Barea and Ridnour--doesn't ready you for next year like keeping Ricky in at the end does. And I know it kills Ricky, who lives and dies for that end game. I think Adelman should've left Ricky's ass in there--give him a chance to win it at the buzz.
  One ray of light was Derrick Williams. The Wolves second-year forward led all scorers with 21 tallies (many on hard-driving shots at the rim) and a respectable 12 boards (many of which he snatched with a newfound authority). The kid's only 21, you gots to remember. It looks like he's gaining momentum and figuring it out a little bit.

Flexing The Pek

  It was sure nice to see Nikola Pekovic bulldozing the Wolves to victory Wednesday night over the 76ers. The Big Montenegran With the Scary Tattoo whomped Philly for 27 points, 18 boards (7 offensive), 2 blocks, and 5 meaty personal fouls, and prompted a great quote from his point guard, Ricky Rubio, who said, "If you play physical with Pek, you're in trouble because he hits the weight room. His arm is as big as my head."

Pek battling Philly's Allen

  Another thing I liked hearing about Pek was that he stayed in Minnesota over the weeklong All-Star break to go ice fishing. Not to warmer climes to sit on the beach, not to Vegas to gamble and cavort with strippers, not back to Montenegro to visit family. It's a fine thing to immerse yourself in your current setting, to "be" as Henderson the Rain King proclaims as healthy in Saul Bellow's novel. Pek "was" in the game last night.
  Ricky's playing better and better, too--always about 20 times more aware than everyone else on the court, seemingly. He's getting those sniping steals to go along with his unsurpassed surveyability, and he's even hitting a J or two. Derrick Williams has improved, too. You can see the confidence starting to come with more successful drives to the rim and board-crashing decisions. Still wish he'd sharpen his elbows a little, metaphorically. Wonder if the Wolves are plumping his trade value.
  Would love to see these guys go on a tear to get back to a .500 record in the next month or so before KLove returns. Would love to be in that playoff mix.

TRADE WINDS... Would anyone else trade DWill straight up for Evan Turner if the 76ers agreed? We need a 2-guard, and they need to replace Andre Iguodala ... Would anyone else trade KLove for Pau Gasol right now? They're both hurt, coming back at similar times (in about a month), making similar coin. Yeah, Love's much younger, but Gasol seems to fit the Adelman Plan of Win Now. I'd do it, and it seems like the Lakers are desperate. It'd open up a spot for DWill, at least, if we keep him, and give the Wolves legit experience, something sorely lacking since Brandon Roy, unfortunately, never panned out in that role of salty veteran... Would anybody deal JJ Barea and/or Luke Ridnour for any of the following: JJ Redick, Ben Gordon, Jordan Crawford, or Kevin Martin (all said to be on the block)?

Suite Life at Target Center

Contributed by guest columnist Dan Best

The Wolves came up short again last night thanks to a marginal effort for the first three quarters.  The final score will indicate a tight two-point loss over the now reformed Jailblazers, with a big stat line for Rube.  That, however, was not at all indicative of the quality of the game.  I happened upon a ticket as part of work related function, which usually means a suite, or at least premium seating, and seems to be the only way I take in professional sports anymore.  Having grown accustomed to such treatment and amenities, I find it exceedingly hard to plunk down any of my own earnings for the cheap seats (which really aren’t that cheap).  This means that last night was my first game of the season (actually first in a couple seasons). 

Kieran’s was the pre-game gathering spot.  As I finished my last pint I glanced through the window and reflected on a fine evening or two spent across the street at O’Donovan’s before the Block E monstrosity went up and also wondered at the necessity of two Irish bars in such close proximity in a land still largely populated by Scandinavian-Germanic descendants.  Plied with drink we proceeded across the skyway to the warm embrace of a corporate suite and a mish-mash of the standard sports bar/arena fare.  After a pass or two through the mini-buffet we were briefly descended upon by a small gaggle of cheerleaders, who dutifully chatted up the guests and gave their most cleavage-baring poses for a quick round of pictures before moving on.  They were unfortunately the only things lively about the place.  A small, lethargic crowd in an ugly facility does not provide much of a home court advantage. 

By this time, the Wolves had limped out to healthy ~10 point deficit, which they managed to maintain into the half.  Perhaps, had the home team come back out with some of the effort on display during the halftime musical chairs contest, they wouldn’t have built themselves as a big a hole to dig out of in the fourth quarter.  As it was, they tried to make a game of it down the stretch thanks to some solid individual play from Rick (apart from his final shot attempt of the evening) and JJ over the last three minutes when things finally got rolling.  Unfortunately, the conclusion was less than satisfying. 

While I’ll be the first to admit to a lack of complete attentiveness throughout much of the game, it seemed a very quiet 14-assist night for Rick.  Cunningham was also quiet in padding his stat line, thought it was certainly welcome since we were down a Russian for a sizeable chunk of the game.  Lilliard was involved and aggressive for the Blazers, if not a bit reckless.  Didn’t look like ROY material to me, but a small sample size on my part.  As for the Wolves, still some pride and effort, but they seemed doomed to another lost season until they start playing a full game on an every-night basis.

Positive Signs of Life

The T-Wolves gave a pair of oft-inspired performances over the weekend, one resulting in a loss to the Lakers and one versus New Orleans that added a victory to the ledger.
 The game against the Lakers started off ominously with Sota getting down by, oh, about thirty points before Ricky Rubio and Co. turned up the voltage in the second half to storm back and nearly steal the game. But Kobe "Ima Bust Your ACL" Bryant had a crucial rebound and stickback in the endgame to win it for L.A.
  Versus the Hornets--or are they re-named the Pelicans yet?--the Wolves lit out early and kept N.O.L.A. at arm's length throughout the game to whip ass 115-86. Alexey Shved led the charge with 18 tallies, including 5 threeballs, which he's been shooting with more confidence and draining with more regularity. The game's highlight, though, went to point man Ricard Rubio who pulled off a move last popularized by Ed Cota in his halcyon UNC days (check the 2:30 mark) of the late 90s that consisted of a fake right-handed pass behind the back that turns out to be just one big looping dribble back to the right hand and involves the defender getting faked out of his Bike. Rubes finished the sneaky move with a generous dropoff to Pek for the deuce. Ricard's been pulling more of these moves again as his knee bounces back, and he's been shooting better, too--15-for-32 from the field in his last four ballgames.
  So, you know, better ball is hopefully on the way.