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Deron Williams, Al Jefferson Missing Games Due to Family Illness

Tom Ziller — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:05:00 EST

Filed under: Jazz, Timberwolves, NBA Injuries

Jazz star Deron Williams had to leave his team on a road trip to return back to Salt Lake City due to a family illness. He'll miss tonight's game in Philadelphia, but the Salt Lake Tribune reports he could rejoin the team in time for the Jazz's game in Cleveland Saturday. Jerry Sloan has named rookie Eric Maynor the starter in Williams's place; Andrei Kirilenko will also hilariously serve as a back-up point guard for the shorthanded Jazz.

Similarly, Al Jefferson is out for two games due to a family illness. The Wolves have been in bad shape with Jefferson, the team's best player, and Dallas figures to be an able foe tonight. If nothing else, Minnesota's second tier will have ample opportunity to prove itself in Jefferson's absence -- especially considering Kevin Love is still out.

Deron Williams, Al Jefferson Missing Games Due to Family Illness originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Pitfalls of Rebuilding Via Atom Bomb, Starring the Minnesota Timberwolves

Tom Ziller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves

Imagine a world where upon trading most of your veterans and turning the team over to unproven youngsters, you have growing pains and lots of losses. It's almost as if rebuilding entails some necessary and unavoidable period of truly sucky basketball!

This is all news to one David Kahn, boss of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who blew up the team this past summer.

After Monday's embarrassing dismantling at the hands of the (get ready for it) Golden State Warriors(!), Kahn, in quotes to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, seemed flabbergasted that his mish-mosh of raw players hasn't won many games.

The Wolves lost to Golden State by 41 points, leading Kahn to issue this warning.

"It's inexcusable and unacceptable, for any one game, for us not to put up the requisite fight. I hope it does not become a pattern. If it does, it will be remedied. We will not spend an entire season tolerating that."

How it will be remedied, of course, is left for the reader to imagine, though Kahn does defend his coaching staff. Minnesota has only one core player with more than two years of pro experience, and his name is Al Jefferson. I'm not sure Kahn is really ready to ship Al Fricking Jefferson out on a carrier pigeon because the season hasn't begun so smoothly.

(By the way, the Wolves responded to Kahn's threat with a 23-point home loss to Portland. It's almost as if the team just isn't very good!)

Who could be at fault for the bad start? Ramon Sessions, a point guard Kahn signed just a few months ago? Jonny Flynn, the point guard Kahn drafted in June? Corey Brewer, who despite shooting worse than a blind rifleman with epilepsy is having his best pro season and is the team's only plus defender? Ryan Hollins, a Kahn signee who can't rebound defensively or play defense well, despite being tall and athletic?

Jefferson has admittedly gotten off to a rough start -- 15/6 in 30 minutes a game, well off his recent production. But this is your star, the one proven commodity, the one (as of right now) potential All-Star. Are you really going to trade him, Mr. Kahn, because your young inexpensive team is 1-8?

There is no solution, of course, but patience. This is what happens with young teams.

Look at Portland, the team that waxed 'Sota Wednesday night. You think this squad bloomed overnight, like a shoot of grass? Basketball teams are trees, man, and while you have to start with good seed (Jefferson, Kevin Love and Flynn qualify) and add food (there is where that vaunted coaching staff comes in), it takes time to get something solid in place.

Patience, bro.

The Pitfalls of Rebuilding Via Atom Bomb, Starring the Minnesota Timberwolves originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 NBA All-Star Ballot Announced

Chris Tomasson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Lakers, Pistons, Rockets, Suns, Timberwolves, NBA All-Star Game

I wrote in September that perhaps there would be no worthy center to start for the West in the All-Star Game.

But this isn't the way I want to see that solved. Do it on the court, not with the ballot.

When the All-Star ballot came out Tuesday, Phoenix power forward Amar'e Stoudemire strangely was listed as a center. Yes, Stoudemire has played center before, but he's started all eight games for Suns this season at power forward, with Channing Frye being the starting center.

It is true the ballot, which was selected by six media members from around the country, had to be decided upon before the season began in order to provide time for printing. But it has been apparent since at least September that Frye would Phoenix's starting center, with Stoudemire at power forward.

Yes, the crop of centers in the West is not strong, with Shaquille O'Neal having departed from Phoenix to Cleveland in the East and Houston's Yao out for the season due to injury. Still, I don't think it's proper to move players on the ballot to positions at which they don't start.

Anyhow, so much for the Lakers' Andrew Bynum or Minnesota's Al Jefferson getting the starting nod at center for the West. Stoudemire figures to win the fan voting for the Feb. 14 game in Dallas in an election that conjures up memories of Nixon over McGovern in 1972.

Omissions on the ballot were Yao and New Jersey big man Yi Jianlian, but I have no problem with either. Yao is obviously hurt, so it would have been ridiculous to have listed him -- especially because he probably would have won. As for Yi, a 9.8 scoring average last season does not guarantee inclusion on the ballot.

Of course, let's find out now if Chinese-American relations have been damaged.

It was interesting to see two centers listed on the ballot for Boston in Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace. NBA teams love to tell their fans to vote for all their players, but a Celtics fan won't be able to vote for both Perkins and Wallace or else the ballot will be tossed.

Still, that was a difficult problem to solve. Wallace comes off the bench to play center and forward, and listing him at forward would have given the Celtics three forwards. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are the others, and they're obviously not going anywhere.

Ballot results will show how popular guard Allen Iverson continues to be. Iverson has been named a starter in nine of the past 10 years (he was a reserve in 2007 after having been traded in December 2006 from Philadelphia to Denver). That includes last season when, with Detroit, he was one of the most unworthy players in All-Star history to get a starting nod.

But now that Iverson is squabbling with Memphis and could be sent packing, could he become the first player chosen for the All-Star Game who doesn't have a team? Probably not since it would be stunning if he is voted as a starter again, but it certainly is worth following the results.

And more surprising things have happened before in elections. Don't dead people vote in Chicago?

Plenty of complaints have been coming out of Clipperland with the ballot omissions of guard Eric Gordon and center Chris Kaman, just named Western Conference Player of the Week. I can understand Kaman, who was hurt much of last season and is on a team that has another solid center in Marcus Camby, being left off. But the Gordon omission is a tough one.

Still, it must be noted it's not easy to put together an All-Star ballot. Gordon is more deserving to be on the ballot than Minnesota's Ramon Sessions. But each team must be represented three times, and Sessions was the third man for the Timberwolves.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com and on Twitter @christomasson.

2010 NBA All-Star Ballot

Eastern

Guards
Ray Allen, Celtics
Gilbert Arenas, Wizards
Mike Bibby, Hawks
Jose Calderon, Raptors
Vince Carter, Magic
Jamal Crawford, Hawks
Chris Duhon, Knicks
Raymond Felton, Bobcats
T.J. Ford, Pacers
Ben Gordon, Pistons
Richard Hamilton, Pistons
Devin Harris, Nets
Kirk Hinrich, Bulls
Joe Johnson, Hawks
Courtney Lee, Nets
Jameer Nelson, Magic
Michael Redd, Bucks
Nate Robinson, Knicks
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Derrick Rose, Bulls
John Salmons, Bulls
Rodney Stucky, Pistons
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Mo Williams, Cavs

Forwards
Michael Beasley, Heat
Chris Bosh, Raptors
Elton Brand, Sixers
Caron Butler, Wizards
Luol Deng, Bulls
Boris Diaw, Bobcats
Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Danny Granger, Pacers
Al Harrington, Knicks
Udonis Haslem, Heat
Andre Iguodala, Sixers
LeBron James, Cavs
Antawn Jamison, Wizards
David Lee, Knicks
Rashard Lewis, Magic
Troy Murphy, Pacers
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
Josh Smith, Hawks
Hedo Turkoglu, Raptors
Anderson Varejao, Cavs
Charlie Villanueva, Pistons
Gerald Wallace, Bobcats
Hakim Warrick, Bucks

Centers
Andrea Bargnani, Raptors
Andrew Bogut, Bucks
Tyson Chandler, Bobcats
Samuel Dalembert, Sixers
Al Horford, Hawks
Dwight Howard, Magic
Brook Lopez, Nets
Brad Miller, Bulls
Jermaine O'Neal, Heat
Shaquille O'Neal, Cavs
Kendrick Perkins, Celtics
Rasheed Wallace, Celtics
Western

Guards
Leandro Barbosa, Suns
Chauncey Billups, Nuggets
Aaron Brooks, Rockets
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Baron Davis, Clippers
Monta Ellis, Warriors
Manu Ginobili, Spurs
Josh Howard, Mavericks
Allen Iverson, Grizzlies
Stephen Jackson, Warriors
Jason Kidd, Mavericks
Kevin Martin, Kings
O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
Tracy McGrady, Rockets
Andre Miller, Blazers
Steve Nash, Suns
Tony Parker, Spurs
Chris Paul, Hornets
Jason Richardson, Suns
Brandon Roy, Blazers
Ramon Sessions, Wolves
Jason Terry, Mavericks
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Deron Williams, Jazz

Forwards
LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers
Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
Trevor Ariza, Rockets
Ron Artest, Lakers
Carlos Boozer, Jazz
Tim Duncan, Spurs
Kevin Durant, Thunder
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Jeff Green, Thunder
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Grant Hill, Suns
Richard Jefferson, Spurs
Kevin Love, Wolves
Shawn Marion, Mavericks
Kenyon Martin, Nuggets
Paul Millsap, Jazz
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Lamar Odom, Lakers
Anthony Randolph, Warriors
Luis Scola, Rockets
Jason Thompson, Kings
Al Thornton, Clippers
David West, Hornets

Centers
Andris Biedrins, Warriors
Andrew Bynum, Lakers
Marcus Camby, Clippers
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Spencer Hawes, Kings
Al Jefferson, Wolves
Antonio McDyess, Spurs
Nene, Nuggets
Greg Oden, Blazers
Emeka Okafor, Hornets
Mehmet Okur, Jazz
Amar'e Stoudemire, Suns

2010 NBA All-Star Ballot Announced originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bill Laimbeer Climbs the Coaching Ladder

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, NBA Coaches

MINNEAPOLIS -- A look of disbelief crosses Bill Laimbeer's face. After all, he spent years perfecting such expressions for NBA referees.

"I don't know what you're talking about,'' Laimbeer said when asked if he's teaching those on the young Minnesota Timberwolves to flop.

When it comes to flopping, Laimbeer made Manu Ginobili's moves today look rather amateurish. The former Detroit Pistons center was the all-time master.

That's something Timberwolves forward Brian Cardinal, one of the few Minnesota players who didn't watch Laimbeer's glory days through the bars of a crib, knows well about the team's new assistant.

"Absolutely,'' said Cardinal, 32. "All the good players are masters at something. ... Back in the day, that's how they played. They all played beat-them-up style. Everybody flopped and everybody got after it. But, when all was said and done, (Laimbeer) was a great player.''

Now, Laimbeer wants to go down as a great coach. He certainly was in the WNBA, leading the Detroit Shock to three championships. Finding out that wasn't enough to get a NBA head-coaching gig, he has become a Minnesota assistant under Kurt Rambis.

And, no, he hasn't gotten around to teaching the Timberwolves flopping or some of his infamous tricks that enabled him to get away with physical play.

"We're still working on baby steps,'' Rambis said. "We'll get to that. He had a lot of tricks.''

Laimbeer sure did while helping the "Bad Boys'' win NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. But it's important to note Laimbeer, who played from 1980-94, was a four-time All-Star.

While known by some more for being a flopper, a cheap-shot artist and a whiner, Laimbeer did have a potent outside jumper and was strong on the boards, once leading the NBA in rebounding. So there are plenty of things he can teach the Timberwolves.

"Bill brings a wealth of experience,'' said Minnesota president David Kahn. "Not only as a player has he come from a championship culture, but I respect the experiences he's had at the WNBA level.''

Kahn respected them enough to interview Laimbeer for Minnesota's head-coaching position during the summer. But he ultimately decided Laimbeer could use some NBA experience as an assistant.

"I called Bill to tell him that I would not be interviewing him a second time,'' Kahn said. "He was very close, and very capable of being a head coach. But I thought he should be an assistant in a culture outside of the Pistons and learn some of the other ways of doing things.

"When Kurt got the job, I said, 'No pressure, but I interviewed Bill for the head position and I told him he should be an assistant, and if you're interested in talking to him...' It caught me by surprise when he decided he wanted to hire him.''

Laimbeer, 52, was hired Aug. 30. He actually had resigned 2 ½ months earlier from the Shock, in part to pursue an NBA coaching position.

"I didn't want to do another job while saying, 'I want to be in the NBA,''' said Laimbeer, who took over midway through the 2002 season and led the Shock to titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008 before the team moved earlier this month to Tulsa. "I didn't want to compromise my players. ... I didn't want to do it like some people, like Michael Cooper would have done. Do two jobs, which you can't do.''

If you sense that is a dig at Cooper, whose Lakers squared off against Laimbeer's Pistons in the 1988 and 1989 NBA Finals and whose Los Angeles Sparks regularly battled Laimbeer's Shock, you're right. Cooper coached the Sparks in 2009 even though he already had accepted a job this season heading the USC women's basketball team.

But back to Laimbeer.

"That's my stated goal, yes,'' Laimbeer said of wanting to be an NBA head coach, adding that his Detroit teammates always "said I'd be a coach some day'' because "I see everything and I understand the game very well and rapidly.''

Now, though, he's learning. There are plenty of people willing to help.

Rambis has been an NBA head coach before. So have Minnesota assistants Reggie Theus and Dave Wohl.

"It would have taken a strong-willed general manager to pull somebody out of WNBA (as a head coach),'' Laimbeer said of going to the NBA as an assistant rather than remaining a WNBA boss. "I'm learning a lot, so it helps.

"It's understanding the personnel in the league. It's understanding the temperament of players, which is different with the guys. It's understanding the different style of how the game is played compared to how it was 15 years ago.''

Back in Laimbeer's day, players sometimes weren't even whistled for fouls for what now would get a suspension. With that in mind, how does Laimbeer want to be remembered as a player?

"A great complementary player,'' he said. "A great teammate. A fantastic group of guys that competed very hard, and I was an integral part of it. They always sum up (Laimbeer's career) with, 'world champions.'''

That sure sounds a lot better than "Flopper.''

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com

Bill Laimbeer Climbs the Coaching Ladder originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Hero of 09-10 Is ... Damien Wilkins?

Matt Moore — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EST

Filed under: Nets, Timberwolves, NBA Videos

The NBA isn't just made at Staples on Sunday afternoons under the lights, or in a Friday night showdown at the Garden. It's every night, players stepping up and making plays.

It's guys that will eventually be answers to trivia questions making huge shots that endear them and their teams to the hearts of young fans who first make a connection with this crazy, random, beautiful game.

The heroes aren't just the guys on posters and All-Star ballots, sometimes they are journeymen who show up every day, don't shoot a great percentage and get the job done.

Wednesday was Damien Wilkins' day.

The Wolves were out of their game against the Nets going into the fourth. Brook Lopez had dominated them, they couldn't get anything to fall, Kevin Love was out, and Ricky Rubio was somewhere across the sea, somewhere waiting for his fee. But somehow, someway the Wolves crawled back into it and had the final possession. And that's when Damien Wilkins showed up for the first buzzer beater of 2009-10.

First Hero of 09-10 Is ... Damien Wilkins? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kurt Rambis: The Minneapolis Laker

Chris Tomasson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Lakers, Timberwolves, NBA Coaches

MINNEAPOLIS -- Al Jefferson wasn't even born when the incident happened in 1984. But he's seen the old footage.

"The only thing I knew about Kurt (Rambis) from him playing is the highlight of Kevin McHale knocking him out,'' said the Minnesota forward.

Jonny Flynn wasn't born when Rambis won the last his four titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988. But Flynn has seen the highlights as well.

"I remember he had the high socks, the thick glasses and the short shorts,'' said the Timberwolves point guard. "That was my first impressions about him. I said that when we first talked on the phone, and we got a good laugh about it.''

That was in August when Timberwolves president David Kahn finally completed his epic search for a coach, and Rambis was introduced as the replacement for, yes, McHale. So perhaps 25 years after McHale, a Boston star, clocked Rambis in the NBA Finals, Rambis knocked out McHale.

But it will be a different Rambis on display when he makes his Timberwolves debut in Wednesday's opener against New Jersey. The glasses are long gone, with Rambis having Lasik eye surgery a decade ago, and he laments that, with summer having long disappeared in Minnesota, his tan is going as well.

Yet there are some things unchanged. What made a Rambis a feisty overachiever while playing in the NBA from 1981-95, including nine seasons with the Lakers, he has brought to being a head coach.

Call him the Minneapolis Laker.

"I'm excited about this opportunity,'' said Rambis, who was the Lakers' head coach for most of the 1998-99 lockout season and for much of the past decade was a Phil Jackson assistant with the Lakers. "It's going to be a challenge. We know we're a few years away. We know we're a few pieces away to get this team and this organization back to where we want it to be. But we have goal, and we want to do everything we can to achieve that goal of some day winning a championship.''

Rambis knows about titles. He won rings with the Lakers in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, providing a blue-collar element to "Showtime.'' He was in the Lakers' front office for championships in 2000 and 2001 and on the bench with Jackson for titles in 2002 and last season.

Many believed Rambis would be the eventual successor to Jackson, who is no guarantee to coach beyond this season, when his contract will have expired. But Lakers owner Jerry Buss offered no assurance that would happen, leading Rambis to pack up the few parkas he owns and head to a rebuilding situation in Minnesota.

"Phil already came out and said that's what he wanted to happen,'' Rambis said. "I talked to the owner about it see if some commitment could be made. But Dr. Buss wants Phil to coach as long as he can. That commitment wasn't around the corner. I understand Dr. Buss not willing to make a commitment. This was an opportunity that came up right now so I had to take advantage of this opportunity in front of me.''

Sacramento also courted Rambis during the summer to take over a similar rebuilding project. But Rambis declined an offer, and the job eventually went to Paul Westphal.

"I like the Maloofs (the team owners, brothers Gavin and Joe Maloof), but they were only willing to make a two-year (contract) commitment,'' Rambis said. "I just felt that it was going to take longer.''

It's going to take a while in Minnesota. But Kahn was able to lure Rambis away with a four-year contract worth about $8 million, with a team option for a fifth year.

"I don't think you can ask somebody to go into a rebuilding situation, knowing it's going to take several years (with a long-term deal),'' Kahn said. "I want him to be the coach of this team during the rebuilding period and then some and beyond. That's why length of term was so important.''

So was taking time in making a decision. McHale was relieved as coach June 17 and Rambis wasn't introduced by the Timberwolves until Aug. 11.

"I wanted to be thorough,'' Kahn said. "There was no reason to rush it. You could make an argument it's the most important decision I'll make for a long time, and I felt more than doing it fast, we needed to do it right. And I think we got it right.''

The Timberwolves went 24-58 last season. Even equaling that mark could be tough.

Sent to Washington for the No. 5 pick in last June's draft were veterans Randy Foye and Mike Miller. It remains to be seen the wisdom of that move since the pick was used on point guard Ricky Rubio, who has elected to remain in Spain at least for the next two years.

Minnesota, though, did take another point guard with the No. 6 pick in Flynn, 20. He's looked good while seizing the starting job.

Just about wherever Flynn looks, there is additional youth. Jefferson, the team's top player, might be entering his sixth season, but he's just 24.

Joining Jefferson in the post is second-year man Kevin Love, 21. Well, Love eventually will be joining Jefferson considering he's out until at least late November due to a broken hand.

"You just move forward. It's all just a little blip,'' Rambis said.

That's because Rambis knows it will be a long journey to turn around the Timberwolves. At least Rambis, 51, believes he is much better prepared to be a head coach than he was when he unexpectedly took over the Lakers during the chaotic lockout season, going 24-13 with a team that would win the next three NBA titles under Jackson.

"I like challenges,'' Rambis said of why leading the young Timberwolves appealed to him. "I like the pieces in this team very much. Al Jefferson is one of the best back-to-the-basket players that's in the NBA. Jonny Flynn has a chance to be very special point guard. I'm excited about the possibly of Ricky Rubio. I love Kevin Love. He's so talented in many areas. (The length of contract) gives me the time, when we have all the pieces that we've added, to develop and grow this team and turn it around.''

To help with the cause, it looks as if Rambis is auditioning for the show I Love the 80s. To fill two of his assistant coaching spots, he brought in a pair of other mainstays from the 1980s in feisty center Bill Laimbeer, a four-time All-Star, and flamboyant forward Reggie Theus, a two-time All-Star.

In describing Rambis, Theus uses the word "astute.'' Laimbeer calls the head coach "meticulous.''

"He knows what he's looking for with the exactness of his scouting reports and his attention to detail,'' Laimbeer said.

Rambis, who is implementing portions of Jackson's triangle offense in Minnesota, spent his first seven NBA seasons playing under Pat Riley and the bulk of this decade coaching under Jackson. It's hard not to learn from those two, who have combined to have coached 15 of the past 28 NBA champions.

"He's using the mentality from back in the day when he played for his coaching philosophy from the standpoint that he played hard and expects his players to play hard,'' said Timberwolves forward Brian Cardinal. "He expects everybody to give it their all.''

While playing for the Lakers, the 6-foot-8 Rambis was a gritty, hard-working forward. But in a city where flashy players always have been the most loved, Rambis gained cult status due to his hustling nature and because he wore glasses on the court.

These weren't googles, mind you. They were nerdy glasses.

"It was born out necessity,'' said Rambis, who said he never liked the feel or the vision he got with contact lenses. "When I was kid, I wanted to play sports and I couldn't see without glasses. But my dad was always taking me to the store because I was always breaking my glasses. Then one time we went to the store and he found this indestructible pair of glasses. He stuck these on my face and said, 'You wear these all the time.'''

Soon born out of that was "Rambis Youth,'' a group of youngsters who showed up at games wearing horn-rimmed glasses similar to the ones donned by their hero. To this day, there's the Website www.kurtrambis.com that professes to be "uniting Kurt Rambis fans around the world.''

"I took it as a compliment,'' Rambis said of the cult status he attained. "But I didn't wear (glasses) for that. I just wore them so I could play.''

Minnesota wasn't even in the league during Rambis' heyday with the Lakers. But Rambis said the "older set of people'' in the area "remember me with the glasses.''

But so do some of his younger players. And they don't hesitate to rib him about it.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Kurt Rambis: The Minneapolis Laker originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Flynn Finds His Way With Timberpups

Chris Tomasson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:20:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, NBA Preseason

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves spent the offseason loading up on point guards as if they were stocking a fallout shelter during the Cold War.

They drafted Ricky Rubio with the No. 5 pick, Jonny Flynn at No. 6 and Ty Lawson at No. 18, although Lawson soon was shipped to Denver. Then, with Rubio electing to remain in his native Spain, they signed free agents Ramon Sessions and Jason Hart and traded for Antonio Daniels, although Daniels won't join the team.

The chaos has settled, and Flynn has become Minnesota's starter. The reviews so far are mostly good, and credit Flynn for realizing how difficult it is to learn to become an NBA point guard.

"It's definitely a tough situation,'' Flynn said in an interview with FanHouse. "It's the toughest position on the floor to be a rookie. First, a guy has to have leadership and to have everybody on the same page.''

It might help Flynn that it's not as if he's trying to tell a bunch of seasoned veterans what to do. Flynn, 20, is the youngest player on the team, but key Minnesota players Al Jefferson (24), Sessions (23), Corey Brewer (23) and Kevin Love (21) also only recently moved on to solid food.

"That definitely makes it a lot easier that some of your peers are the same age,'' Flynn said. "When you bark on somebody 35 years old, he might be looking at you as 'you're young enough to be my son' or something like that.''

"He has a great ability to change directions, to shift gears, to change speeds. It's just very difficult for players to be able to do that and he can do that."
- Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis Of the eight top scorers in the preseason for the Timberpups, all are 27 and younger. You better believe this is a youth movement, which is why new coach Kurt Rambis only would take the job if he got a long-term contract. He did, getting a four-year deal with a fifth year that is a team option.

With Rubio remaining in Spain, the keys to the offense have been handed to Flynn. Or, make that, the reins to the Wolves' sled.

"He's been terrific,'' Rambis said of Flynn. "He has a great ability to change directions, to shift gears, to change speeds. It's just very difficult for players to be able to do that and he can do that. He's still learning the most difficult position in the NBA, and coming out of school early (after his sophomore season at Syracuse) he has that much more information to gather.''

In six preseason games, Flynn is averaging a solid 13.8 points. But his assists-to-turnover ratio is 4.2 to 2.8, so there's obviously some learning to do.

In the first quarter of Tuesday's game at Denver, Flynn shot 4-of-5 and scored nine points as Minnesota trailed just 31-28. But Flynn was mostly paranormal the rest of the game, shooting 0-of-2 for four points as the Timberwolves were walloped 129-100.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game for Minnesota was Flynn being paired with Sessions for the first 3:13 of the fourth quarter. Excluding a three-second stint in one game, it was their first such pairing of the preseason.

It didn't go too well as the Timberwolves were outscored 14-5. It's no wonder Rambis has said the pairing of the two young point guards hasn't looked too good in practice.

But one assumes the Timberwolves will want Sessions, who signed a four-year, $16.4 million offer sheet last month as a restricted free agent that Milwaukee didn't match, to get minutes this season beyond just backing up Flynn.

"I think it will definitely work out,'' the 6-foot Flynn said of being paired with the 6-3 Sessions. "I would love it to. He can create so much and I can create for myself. That will be a deadly combination.''

Perhaps it will offer a preview of how gung-ho the Timberwolves will be about keeping Rubio or whether they will seek to trade his draft rights. Minnesota president David Kahn, after all, has said regularly that Flynn and Rubio can play together.

As for Flynn, he's getting some good reviews from some respected players.

"He's a good player,'' said Toronto point guard Jose Calderon. "He's got good moves. He's strong. As a rookie, the first year is always the toughest one. But he's talented.''

"He's fast,'' said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony. "He's quick and can score the basketball. He's going to be a good point guard.''

Anthony, though, is biased. Prior to Flynn's selection, Anthony, who went No. 3 in 2003, was Syracuse's last lottery pick.

Anthony and Flynn developed a rapport after Flynn joined the Orangemen in 2007 and debuted with 28 points to break Anthony's school record for most points by a freshman in a first game. Anthony has dispensed wisdom about playing in the NBA.

"He just told me, 'Take care of your body. Eat right. Get your rest. This is your business. Your body is your business. Take care of it, and you'll have a long career,''' Flynn said.

It's not surprising Flynn has turned to Anthony for some NBA advice. At 25, he's a wily veteran compared to most of Minnesota's players.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Flynn Finds His Way With Timberpups originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Timberwolves Not Worried About Al Jefferson's Latest Injury

Chris Tomasson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:15:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, NBA Injuries

DENVER -- Big Al's health is no big concern.

At least that's the word from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Minnesota star center Al Jefferson missed Tuesday night's 129-100 preseason loss to Denver at the Pepsi Center. But Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said the primary reason was Jefferson being under the weather rather than the sore left Achilles that kept him out of practice Monday.

"Yes, he would of if this was an important game,'' Rambis said when asked if Jefferson would have been able to play Tuesday had he not taken ill and been left at the team hotel in Denver.

Fantasy Spin: Injured Love and Big Al | Play Fantasy Basketball

Rambis said there's a good chance Jefferson, whose health is being watched carefully after he was lost for the season last February due to a torn right ACL, will be play again in the preseason. The Timberwolves close with games Thursday at Detroit and Friday against Toronto in Sioux Falls, S.D.

"I anticipate yes, but I don't know how sick he is or how sick he will become,'' said Rambis, whose Timberwolves got 23 points Tuesday from guard Corey Brewer while forward Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 24.

Rambis called Jefferson's ailment flu-like symptoms while Minnesota president David Kahn dubbed it a cold. Kahn does not anticipate Jefferson's Achilles problem or his sickness keeping him out of Minnesota's regular-season opener Oct. 28 against New Jersey.

"No,'' Kahn said in an interview with FanHouse. "I think we were lucky to this point that he hasn't had any kind of minor setback. (The Achilles problem) is a minor setback, and, until he misses a regular-season game, I'm not going to worry about it.

"His Achilles is not on his knee side (on the leg opposite of his knee injury). It's been tender. So it's a precaution. He's resting. He also had a terrible cold, so he's at the hotel resting. He's fine.''

Rambis said Jefferson's sore Achilles could be but is "not necessarily'' related to his knee problem. Taking precautions due to Jefferson's recovery from knee surgery, the Timberwolves have limited Jefferson in the preseason, sometimes not using him in the second half of games.

In the meantime, the Timberwolves are quite thin up front. Power forward Kevin Love underwent surgery Tuesday on his broken left hand and is out six to eight weeks.

Minnesota on Tuesday acquired center Nathan Jawai from Dallas for a conditional 2012 second-round pick. But Rambis said that deal was being discussed before Love got hurt.

Rambis considers Jawai a project so it's unlikely he'll be used much anyhow. Because the Mavericks wanted to shed the salary of Jawai, who played 19 minutes in six games last season as a Toronto rookie, all they took back was a pick protected through the 55th draft spot. So it's highly unlikely Dallas, which also sent the Timberwolves cash in the deal, ever will receive anything for Jawai.

No D-League for White

In the event James "Flight'' White gets cut by Denver, he's not planning on any flights back to the D-League.

"I would probably go overseas,'' said White, a forward who averaged 25.9 points last season for the Anaheim Arsenal. "I'm not going back to the D-League. It's more financially. It's a not a good thing (financially). If I haven't proven myself from the D-League and (an NBA) team doesn't like me from being in the D-League last year, I don't think I can improve my status from the D-League. I played great last year in the D-League, and did all I can do. My best bet is to go overseas.''

The Nuggets will complete final cuts as soon as Wednesday, and it's not looking good for White, who has a non-guaranteed contract and played just 42 minutes while getting into three of Denver's first six preseason games. He didn't play Tuesday.

The Nuggets might start the season with the NBA minimum of 13 players, with swingman Joey Graham all but certain to make the opening-night roster on a non-guaranteed contract. Locks to be cut by Denver are center Kurt Looby and guard Dontaye Draper, which gets them down to 14 players..

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Timberwolves Not Worried About Al Jefferson's Latest Injury originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Al Jefferson Out Indefinitely

Brett Pollakoff — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, NBA Injuries

Things went from bad to worse for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, when Al Jefferson joined Kevin Love on the sidelines due to an injury. Jefferson sat out practice with a sore Achilles' tendon, which limited him to just six minutes during the second half of the team's preseason game against the Bucks on Saturday.

While Love's broken hand is expected to have him back in six to eight weeks, there's no timetable yet for Jefferson, and you can bet the team is going to be extremely cautious when it comes to green-lighting his return to the court.

Fantasy Spin: Injured Love and Big Al | Play Fantasy Basketball

Jefferson suffered a torn ACL last season, which caused him to miss his team's final 32 games. While the sore tendon has nothing to do with the recovery from the knee injury, the fact is it could be a sign of something worse if not taken seriously. This likely means that Big Al will be on the sidelines until everyone is absolutely certain that he's in no danger of once again suffering an injury that could take him down for the season.

As for how the injury bug is affecting new head coach Kurt Rambis, he's decided to focus on the players he has available, and not the ones who are on the sidelines. Still, he has to account for absences as large as the ones of Jefferson and Love, and when asked who was going to step up to fill those voids, well, let's just say Rambis is expecting a collective effort.

"Everybody. Whoever's left," Rambis said.

Now optimistically speaking, Jefferson did travel with the team to Denver for their next preseason game, so "indefinitely" could obviously just be a few days, if the soreness should go away relatively quickly. But the fact that the team is reportedly going to acquire Nathan Jawai from Dallas might mean they expect this to be something that lasts at least a little bit longer.

Al Jefferson Out Indefinitely originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Down Goes Kevin Love: Broken Hand, Out 6-8 Weeks

Tom Ziller — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, NBA Injuries

Minnesota figured to struggle this season. The roster is young, the coach (Kurt Rambis) is new, and there are plenty of holes through the roster. But there's always an extra challenge in 'Sota, and this year that extra challenge comes in the form of a fracture of the fourth metacarpal bone in the left hand of Kevin Love that will reportedly sideline the power forward for 6-8 weeks.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Love's hand smacked against the elbow of teammate ~~Stewie Griffin~~ Oleksiy Pecherov as Love collected a rebound. Fitting, that the injury would happen on a rebound, considering Love is one of the league's brightest young board hoarders. His absence will force cohort Al Jefferson to be even more of a vacuum on the glass.

No word on how Rambis will tweak the line-up heading into the opening month or so of the season with Love missing. Given the roster's relative depth, you might expect Jefferson (a center next to Love but otherwise a power forward through his career) to end up at the four, with Ryan Hollins and Pecherov splitting center duties. Alternately, Jefferson could stay at center and Rambis could slot Ryan Gomes (a more talented -- but smaller -- offensive player in comparison with Hollins and Pecherov) at the power forward position.

All of those three scenarios are not optimal. But Jefferson's season-killing ACL tear last year wasn't optimal. Nor were injuries to previous Wolves lottery picks Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and Corey Brewer. (All three were injured pretty seriously in their second season with the Wolves. Transport Jonny Flynn in bubble wrap next year, please.)

Down Goes Kevin Love: Broken Hand, Out 6-8 Weeks originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shockingly, Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn Can't Really Play Together

Tom Ziller — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:23:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves

When new Minnesota GM David Kahn made a play for free agent point guard Ramon Sessions, there were two ways to look at it. On the surface, the Sessions deal (four years, $16 million) is a fair price for a solid young playmaker. Given how bad Minnesota's backcourt has been, Sessions can't hurt, right?

But Kahn famously selected two high-profile point guards within the top six picks of the June draft, Spaniard Ricky Rubio and Syracuse's Jonny Flynn. Rubio stayed in Barcelona, all while Kahn insisted the plan was for the pair to play together in Minnesota. When Kahn signed Sessions, the plan was to play him and Flynn together. The problem, which I noted at the time of the signing, is that neither Sessions nor Flynn has any business playing off-guard.

It seems Wolves coach Kurt Rambis has now arrived at the same conclusion.

Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes that Sessions and Flynn have not played together at all in three preseason games, and that Rambis has said he doesn't like what he has seen from the two-PG lineup in practice. The quote Zgoda got from Rambis is actually pretty great.

"We looked at it a little in practice. I didn't go, 'Oooohhhhhh.' I went, 'Ehhhhhhhhh.'"

Again, this is not a surprise. Sessions has a bad jumper he doesn't trust. Flynn is less than six-feet-tall, and is stylistically purely a point guard. Playing either off the ball is unnatural. Just as it would have been with Rubio and Flynn. I'm all for apositionality ... but planning to play two point guards together a lot is the opposite of that. It's called "outsmarting yourself."

In the immediate, if Rambis doesn't relent and deal with the on-court ramifications of the two-PG lineup (something he hardly seems inclined to do), one of the players is going to get the short end of the stick, unless the coach moves to a true platoon. Although I'd argue that in that case, Sessions would be getting the short end of the stick.

So, in case you need a reminder: In 2-3 years, two of Sessions, Flynn and Rubio will be on the market. Assuming a sane GM has taken over the Wolves.

Shockingly, Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn Can't Really Play Together originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tip-Off Timer: 14 Teams Without a Title

Matt Watson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bobcats, Cavaliers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Jazz, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Raptors, Suns, Timberwolves

Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Tuesday, there are 14 days remaining.

For everything the NBA has done to level the playing field -- the draft lottery, the salary cap, the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax -- only a select handful of teams have a legitimate chance to win the championship in any given year.

I know optimism is supposed to reign supreme in October, but here's a harsh dose of reality: in the past 26 years, only seven different organizations have hoisted the Larry O'Brien, and six of those teams have won more than once. In fact, in a league where fluke success is rare and dynasties are the norm, there are 14 teams that have yet to win a title.

Will any of these perennial losers buck their unfortunate losing streaks in the near future? While the Lakers, Spurs and Celtics (winners of nine of the last 11 titles) would disagree, it's a very real possibility.

While many expect the Lakers to repeat -- and at least one Celtic has predicted Boston will win 72 games -- the Magic and Cavaliers have re-tooled through trades and free agency after finishing last season as the two strongest teams in the East.

In fact, this might be Cleveland's last chance in a long time -- if LeBron James can't close the deal this year, he might bolt via free agency (surely you've heard, right?), adding a sense of desperation to their usual motivation. If the Cavs can't separate from the pack early, don't be surprised to see Danny Ferry make wholesale changes by the trade deadline.

The Magic are somewhat better positioned for long-term success, although they mortgaged their future by swapping the promising Courtney Lee in a package for the aging Vince Carter. It also remains to be seen how they perform with the expectations of being an elite team now that they're no longer able to play the underdog role, although you can never accuse a Stan Van Gundy team of being unprepared.

But if Cleveland and Orlando fall short, are we destined to watch yet another dynasty stamp their name in the NBA record book? The Denver Nuggets, who took the eventual champion Lakers to six games in the Western Conference finals last year, beg to differ, as do fellow non-champions like the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Hornets.

As for the Clippers, Grizzlies and Timberwolves? They all fall into the never-were and never-will-be categories (or at least not-anytime-soon). Same goes for the Suns, who don't seem to know if they're building for the future or playing for today, as well as the Nets and Pacers, who have some interesting building blocks but not much else.

The Raptors and Bobcats hope their rebuilding process is nearing completion, but they'll be considered a success if they simply reach the playoffs, let alone win a game or two in the first round. And if there's anything we can learn from past champions, it's that the real winners are built to last and are never content to simply be there.

Tip-Off Timer: 14 Teams Without a Title originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Al Jefferson Has Sights on Team USA

Chris Tomasson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, USA Basketball, FanHouse Exclusive

MINNEAPOLIS -- After going down in a heap last February and being lost for the season with a torn ACL, Al Jefferson is no longer black and blue.

Now, he's thinking red, white and blue.

There likely will be an opening for a post player on Team USA for next year's World Championships in Turkey and quite possibly for the 2012 Olympics in London. The Minnesota center has volunteered his services

"I would love to play for USA Basketball,'' Jefferson said Thursday in an interview with FanHouse. "I would love to play. Two summers ago (2007), I was in (Las) Vegas helping the team practice and they go off and wind up winning the (Olympic) gold medal the following year (in Beijing).

"So I already have been part of it. Then I got hurt last year, and I couldn't do much. But I would love to play with my country if they invite me.''

More: Timberwolves Season Preview

Jefferson, 24, almost certainly would have been selected to be one of the 22 young players for USA Basketball's minicamp last summer in Las Vegas had he not injured his right knee.

But Jefferson is healthy now. While the Timberwolves took no chances by using him for just the first half, he scored 14 points in 16 minutes in his preseason debut last Sunday against Milwaukee.

"I'm feeling good,'' Jefferson said. "I look at it as (being) 100 percent. I've just got to get in better shape, but that is going to hopefully come the rest of the preseason.''

Next summer, the 6-foot-10 Jefferson hopes to fill a likely opening for a big man on the World Championships team.

For last year's Olympics, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo opted to go with just three post players. He might go with a fourth for Turkey.

Orlando's Dwight Howard and Toronto's Chris Bosh are looking good for two of the spots. But Colangelo recently told FanHouse that Utah's Carlos Boozer, the third post player on the Olympic team, will join Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd as Olympic holdovers who "will have competition'' to retain their spots.

When it comes to up-and-coming NBA post players, the list is not long. Other candidates include Portland's Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge, New York's David Lee, the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin, New Jersey's Brook Lopez and Utah's Paul Millsap.

If he remains healthy, Jefferson, who averaged 23.1 points and 10.0 rebounds in 50 games last season before being hurt, could be regarded as a more desirable option than any of those.

"I think he'd be excellent for (USA Basketball),'' said Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis. "Players today just don't play the way that Al plays. There's just not too many big guys that play and are comfortable and have the offensive prowess that he has with his back to the basket. I think he'd be tremendous (for USA Basketball). That's always a threat in any offense when you have somebody that's that capable that close to the basket.''

Rambis said Jefferson tweaked an ankle in practice earlier this week but his "knee isn't bothering him at all.'' With Jefferson expected to be fully ready by the Oct. 28 regular-season opener, Rambis wants Jefferson to take another step this season.

"I'm asking him to do a lot of things that have never been asked of him,'' Rambis said. "Step away from the basket, be able to put the ball down on the floor, be able to let the offense run through him, involve his teammates ... and just stepping up his defense. In a lot of respects, at times (last season) he saved himself on the defensive end (for offense). ... He's got to make that commitment to shore up our defense.''

Jefferson also hopes to help shore up the inside for Team USA.

"Who wouldn't want to?'' said Jefferson, who perhaps was not paying close attention as late as 2004, when numerous top players weren't interested in playing. "If they invite me, I'd be happy to do it.''

Colangelo has told FanHouse he will assemble a list of 25 candidates for the World Championships by the end of the fall. The list will be pared to 14 to 16 players being invited to training camp next July in Las Vegas. Twelve ultimately will be picked to play in Turkey.

Vegas odds might suggest Jefferson has a solid chance to be wearing red, white and blue.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Al Jefferson Has Sights on Team USA originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jonny Flynn's Interesting Debut

Brett Pollakoff — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:51:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves

The Timberwolves rolled in their first game under Kurt Rambis, beating the Bucks in what was the preseason opener for both teams. Minnesota is likely to care a lot more about these exhibition contests than most, considering they have a new head coach, their best player returning from a knee injury, and a rookie point guard running the team offensively.

That's a lot of things to mesh together before the season starts, but Minnesota looked further along than one might have expected, at least in this initial outing.

One especially interesting item from the box score was the line belonging to Jonny Flynn. Because while the rookie was solid in his debut, and finished with 14 points and seven assists, he did so without making a single shot from the field.

Flynn shot 14-for-15 from the free throw line, but missed all five of his field goal attempts. He's not exactly Corey Brewer out there from an offensive standpoint, it's just that he was repeatedly able to get to the rim, thanks in large part to the big screens being set by Kevin Love and Al Jefferson.

The free throws were the most by any Minnesota player, but were only a fraction of the eye-popping 56 total attempts that were taken by the T'Wolves. The Bucks shot 38 free throws of their own, which no doubt made the game quite a treat for the fans who were in attendance.

Back to Flynn, who did an excellent job breaking down the defense and drawing the defenders. The only thing that his coach would like to see is more of him getting his teammates involved, but with all of those free throw attempts -- along with the seven assists in just 26 minutes -- there are a lot of positives to be taken from the rookie's first taste of NBA action.

Jonny Flynn's Interesting Debut originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Player to Watch: Corey Brewer

Tom Ziller — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Corey Brewer has not been a good NBA player. Taken seventh in the solid 2007 draft, Brewer joined a team in Minnesota desperately in need of quality on the perimeter. That the franchise spent its three highest picks in the recent 2009 draft on guards tells you that this problem has not been solved, by Brewer or anyone. Brewer played a bunch in his rookie season, failing to make a great impact on the floor, unless you consider being something between a calamity and a disaster on offense to be of great impact.

Billed as a potential stud defender, Brewer watched the effort around him lag, and his own energy can only do so much in the absence of expertise. Billed as a future Tayshaun Prince or Shawn Marion, Brewer has come off more like a devolutionary Joey Graham. It hasn't been exactly spectacular, right?

But there is hope.

And that hope, like it or not, comes with change. The wholesale brand of change David Kahn and Kurt Rambis have brought to Minnesota. To wit:

* Minnesota has had the worst guard line-up in the league over Brewer's career. Brewer missed most of 2008-09 with an injury, but nonetheless, here is a list of the NBA guards he has had the pleasure of sharing the court with: Marko Jaric, Sebastian Telfair, Kirk Snyder, Randy Foye, Greg Buckner, The Artist Formerly Known as Mike Miller, Rashad McCants and Kevin Ollie. This season, exactly zero of those players are expected to start anywhere in the league. Only three (Miller, Foye, Telfair) are expected to be legitimate rotation players, and only five of the seven have jobs (that includes Ollie, who inexplicably received a guaranteed one-year deal). That is a truly awful guard line-up.

Not only does it matter because there's been no one of suitable talent to get the ball to Brewer for easy baskets over the life of his NBA career, but also because a lack of stability in the backcourt clouds everything that happens on the floor. Team defense needs stability. Team-oriented offense needs talent, yes, but also stability in the backcourt. The Minnesota guards have been able to do nothing but feed Al Jefferson over the past two years. And while that's a noble duty, Brewer is the type of player who desperately needs help getting off his shot. Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn figure to be a big boon for that.

* Of course, even if Sessions and Flynn are able to feed Brewer, he hasn't been a particularly elegant scorer. In fact, as the chart to the right shows, he has been so dreadful that in 2007-08, his rookie season, Brewer was objectively the least efficient scorer in the league, with an effective field goal percentage worse than noted clankers Ben Wallace (then with Cleveland), Brevin Knight, defensive specialist Quinton Ross and he, Yes He, the one and only Larry Hughes.

Again, there's good news on this tip. First, Brewer was a rookie. It isn't as if he has some history of woeful inefficiency like Hughes or Wallace. Despite what Derrick Rose would have you believe, most rookie perimeter players struggle to adjust to the bigger-faster-better-stronger NBA. Brewer was no exception.

The real issue going forward is that, despite being a horrid jump shooter, Brewer took a ton of jump shots as a rookie -- some 68% of all his field goals attempts came from the perimeter. (He had an eFG% of .323 on those jumpers. Egads.) That's too many for most small forwards, let alone long small forwards with quick first steps and shaky jumpers. I dare say Brewer and his coaches identified that as a problem, and before the injury took 80% Brewer's 2008-09 season, the forward did attack the rim more, taking only 61% of his FGAs away from the hoop. Progress!

Unless he developed a jumper over the summer, he needs to be closer to 50%, not just avoid to avoid the incessant sound of clanking (Advil ain't cheap!) but to also use his tools properly. Fortunately, as a part of the regime change in Minneapolis, Rambis has insisted that this team will run more. Jefferson has slimmed down substantially, Flynn can fly, and to be honest I'm excited to see what Brewer can do in a Marionesque transition role. The Wolves have been middle of the pack in pace the last few seasons; while Telfair is quick, a lack of stability and ... well, energy, to be honest, and a focus on Big Al in the post has stunted any attempt at up-tempo play. Rambis seems committed to running, and that can only mean good things for Brewer.

* Where Brewer will make his name, though, is defense -- hence the Marion/Prince comps. Brewer has shown more promise here, as the team has been better defensively with Brewer on the floor. Honestly, there's only so much he can do so long as the Jefferson/Kevin Love duo fails to defend the paint sensibly. But the defensive improvement in the backcourt -- Telfair was tiny, Foye is limited defensively, and Miller was quite lethargic all last season -- can help, and it's not insane to think this team could end up in the middle of the pack on defense. That requires big things from Brewer, especially in the passing lanes. If Rambis imports his flood defense from the Lakers -- a defense led by another Brewer hologram, Trevor Ariza -- our protagonist could very well boost his steal rate and by extension improve the team's transition game, which of course helps his own offense.

It's all a lot of ifs and maybes, but hope springs eternal for the bright eyes of the league. Tell me you don't want to believe in this kid's future.

Player to Watch: Corey Brewer originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Preview: Timberwolves

Matt Steinmetz — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Timberwolves, NBA Preseason, NBA Previews

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

For the Timberwolves, this year is likely going to go down as the year Ricky Rubio didn't come to Minnesota. The only way that's not going to be the case is if first-year coach Kurt Rambis can get his young and unproven team to overachieve and contend for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Like we said, this will end up being remembered as the year Rubio didn't come to Minnesota.

Not that Rubio would have - or could have - made too much of a difference with this group. But his mere presence in the Twin Cities would have sprinkled in a much-needed dose of optimism for the 2009-10 season.

What the Timberwolves would like to recapture is their January from a year ago, when they went 10-5 and then-coach Kevin McHale was honored by being named Coach of the Month.

Step 1 would be for Al Jefferson to get back to being the player he was during that time. But that might be wishful thinking considering it was only February when Jefferson tore his ACL.

Jefferson, who had been averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds at the time of his injury, has worked his way back. But it seems unrealistic to think the Timberwolves are going to get the same player back right away, particularly since Jefferson's minutes and progress will be monitored closely.

Plus, while Jefferson's individual game took noticeable strides last season, there are still some holes in his game, and they're going to take some time to correct. Not only does Jefferson struggle to pass out of the low post, he often can be turned over with some aggressive double-teaming. Jefferson has taken steps in this area, but even last year he had fewer assists (79) than turnovers (92). That did mark the best assist-to-turnover ratio of Jefferson's career, but he's got a long way to go when it comes to efficiency.

And any less reliance on Jefferson means more responsibility for the rest of the T-Wolves, and that's where the real trouble comes in. Minnesota is young, very young. And among its veterans, there isn't an impact player of the bunch.

Rookie point guard Jonny Flynn and second-year power forward Kevin Love might very well be nice pieces down the line. But for now, it's tough to see Flynn making a monster contribution and some of Love's effectiveness goes hand in hand with what Jefferson does.

What will hold back the Timberwolves more than anything are their veterans. Damien Wilkins, Sasha Pavlovic, Ryan Gomes and Antonio Daniels are simple role players who have been given the unfair responsibility of trying to be more than that.

It's very possible the Timberwolves could improve on their 24-win season from a year ago. But not by very much. They're still a few years away from being a good team. Maybe they'll be one by the time Rubio comes around.

Last Season By the Numbers

Record: 24-58 (4-15 under Randy Wittman, 20-43 under Kevin McHale). Finished 4th in Northwest Division, tied for 11th in Western Conference.

Offense: 106.1 points per 100 possessions, 24th in NBA. 28th in shooting, 18th in turnover rate, 12th in offensive rebounding, 24th in free throw rate.

Defense: 111.4 points per 100 possessions, 25th in NBA. 27th in shooting defense, 27th in opponent turnover rate, 5th in defensive rebounding, 24th in opponent free throw rate.

Top Performers: Al Jefferson was the top per-game scorer and rebounder at 23.1 points and 11 rebounds per game. Sebastian Telfair, Mike Miller and Randy Foye each averaged at least four assists per game. Jefferson led the team in PER at 23.1. Rookie Kevin Love finished second with 18.3.

All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.

Player to Watch

FanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Ziller's post on Wolves forward Corey Brewer.

Where Brewer will make his name, though, is defense -- hence the Marion/Prince comps. Brewer has shown more promise here, as the team has been better defensively with Brewer on the floor. Honestly, there's only so much he can do so long as the Jefferson/Kevin Love duo fails to defend the paint sensibly. But the defensive improvement in the backcourt ... can help, and it's not insane to think this team could end up in the middle of the pack on defense. That requires big things from Brewer, especially in the passing lanes. If Rambis imports his flood defense from the Lakers -- a defense led by another Brewer hologram, Trevor Ariza -- our protagonist could very well boost his steal rate and by extension improve the team's transition game, which of course helps his own offense.

See Ziller's full post on Brewer.

Offseason Tracker

IN: Jonny Flynn (draft), Ramon Sessions (free agency), Ryan Hollins (free agency), Antonio Daniels (trade), Wayne Ellington (draft), Oleksiy Pecherov (trade), Damien Wilkins (trade), Sasha Pavlovic (free agency).

OUT: Mike Miller (trade), Randy Foye (trade), Craig Smith (trade), Mark Madsen (trade), Sebastian Telfair (trade), Bobby Brown (trade), Shelden Williams (free agency).

FanHouse Preview: Timberwolves originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Joe Johnson's Future Be in Atlanta?

Matt Moore — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bobcats, Hawks, Knicks, Timberwolves

Since arriving in Atlanta in 2005, Joe Johnson has been the resident star of the Hawks. Josh Smith draws the oohs and aahs with the highlight reel dunks and eye-popping stat lines, but Johnson has been the only player to really approach greatness, his finest moment coming in the 2007 playoffs, which we mentioned a few days ago.

It's long been expected that Johnson would sign an extension within the last few weeks, to lock him up with the Hawks for the forseeable future, without any question of him going elsewhere in the summer of 2010.

Turns out: not so much.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports today that Johnson has elected not to sign the extension the Hawks have offered and will become a free agent next summer. In doing so, Johnson has rejected a four-year, $60 million offer from the Hawks, which is kind of a lot of dough. You could make a lot of pizzas with that. You could feed all the Ninja Turtles pizza, including Michelangelo, almost a dozen times with that much dough. And Johnson feels he can do better.

Though Johnson has an impressive set of skills, being able to play as a shooting guard running point as well as filling time at the the three in a pinch, it's hard to argue with his age (he'll be 29 when he hits the market next year), minutes, and history that he's worth a max-max-max contract. He was 13th in scoring this year, and had an abysmal playoff run, especially when compared to the year before. It's hard to see teams lining up offers the same way they will for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and others in the '10 free agent class.

Still, even if the offers are dimmed for Johnson more than he seems, electing not to sign the extension may have been the best move. If he and his agent can generate a perception that the interest is out there, he can translate that into a bigger contract from the Hawks, which is probably a pretty likely scenario. Hawks blog Peachtree Hoops outlines the possibilities for Johnson and comes to much the same conclusion, though they're hoping Johnson signs for less money.

There are other options, though, if we whip out our crystal ball.

New York is obviously focusing all its intentions on LeBron. But in order to lure him to the Big Apple, they'll need someone else to show as his sidekick. You know, the player that the Cavs have failed to provide him with since he was drafted. Signing Johnson would pretty much make it so that as long as they have a breathing point guard (which is essentially all Chris Duhon is), and anything resembling a frontcourt that can just rebound (kind of like the Cavs have now), James will not only be facing the lure of the bright lights of the city, but a solid chance to compete with a talented and flexible roster IF Johnson signs.

If you're opting for the smaller markets, there's Charlotte or Minnesota. Both teams will have at least some cap space (depending on what the Bobcats do with Raja Bell and Raymond Felton), and signing Johnson would fill their most obvious need at small guard. Minnesota presents a young talented roster that figures to be on the rise over the next few years, with a glaring hole at two-guard. Minnesota also will have the money to throw at Johnson. Cold winters may not spark the interest of Arkansas' sixth or seventh favorite son, though.

There are other options if you put your imagination to the test (Boston, Houston, and Chicago to name a few), but the most likely scenario is still Atlanta. He's built a home and identity there, and if he can't drum up the interest elsewhere, making a home there could be his only option. It's a gamble Johnson has made, and this year represents his only chance to improve his odds.

Will Joe Johnson's Future Be in Atlanta? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does the West Have an All-Star Center?

Chris Tomasson — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Clippers, Hornets, Jazz, Lakers, Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Warriors

Bylaws have been checked. Rules have been scrutinized.

And, yes, it has been determined the West must start a center in February's All-Star Game in Dallas.

So, gentlemen, lace up your high tops. The race to be the starting center for the West is as wide open as the Yukon Territory.

Houston's Yao Ming, who has been voted by fans the starter the past seven years (he did miss the 2007 game due to injury), won't play before the All-Star Break due to a fractured foot. It will be interesting to see if he's even on the All-Star ballot. If so, he'll probably win the voting without stepping on the court.

Shaquille O'Neal, an All-Star last season with Phoenix, has moved to the East with Cleveland. So he's out of the mix.

Who's left?

Not a lot.

The only candidate with previous All-Star experience is Utah's Mehmut Okur, named an injury replacement in 2007. Keep in mind, though, that was the year All-Star had a very loose meaning in the West considering four injury replacements were named.

One presumes Minnesota's Al Jefferson again will be on the ballot at center even though he really is a power forward who often is forced to play out of position. But it remains to be seen how Jefferson will be come back from a torn ACL that ended his season last February after he had averaged 23.1 points and 11.0 rebounds. But for now, even though the Timberwolves should still be subpar, let's make Jefferson the favorite.

There's another guy in the mix who was hurt much of last season. The Lakers' Andrew Bynum, who at least did return late in the regular season from a knee injury before stumbling around in the playoffs, might be a year away from truly being All-Star worthy. But Bynum, helped by being with the Lakers, was third in fan voting last season behind Yao and O'Neal.

Want a darkhorse candidate? Denver's Nene averaged 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds last season, and could be even better now that he has fully recovered from testicular cancer surgery in January 2008.

"My motivation is different than last year,'' Nene said. "Last year, I was trying to overcome cancer, and I surprised myself (with his play). This year is different. ... But my goal is not to be an All-Star. My goal is to help the team go farther than last season (the Western Conference finals). But, if I deserve (to be an All-Star), I will be there.''

Nene is fully healthy after suffering a broken left arm in Denver's last playoff game. He took about six weeks off, and said now his "arm is perfect."

The native of Brazil also got his Green Card during the offseason. He's working to become a U.S. citizen, while also maintaining his Brazilian citizenship, although that is still a few years off.

Want some other West All-Star center candidates? Golden State's Andris Biedrins is a Latvian double-double machine. Portland's Greg Oden is still raw, but don't count him out yet.

There's the two-headed Clippers monster of Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman, who strangely were both listed on the All-Star ballot last year at center, which meant Clippers fans weren't allowed by rules to vote for both. There's New Orleans' Emeka Okafor, who arrived from Charlotte for Tyson Chandler in a swap of big men.

By the way, don't dare call Tim Duncan a center. The committee that drew up the All-Star ballot two years ago tried to put him on at that position. The complaining was so loud from San Antonio he soon was switched back to power forward.

So there you go. Every possible West All-Star starting center candidate has been mentioned (and, yes, Erick Dampier, you were intentionally excluded even though the All-Star Game is in your home city). As for a reserve in the game who's a center, that's probably not going to happen.

The rules call for NBA coaches, who vote on reserves, to select a backup center. But coaches are allowed to vote for somebody who doesn't play the position regularly. So, with top-notch centers in the West as common as Halley's Comet sightings, they'll likely just slide a power forward over to that spot.

But somebody who's listed as a center is going to have to start the game for the West. For any big man out there who wants some day to tell his grandchildren he once started an All-Star Game, now's your chance.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Does the West Have an All-Star Center? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bucks Won't Match Sessions' Offer Sheet

Matt Steinmetz — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Timberwolves

It's official: Ramon Sessions is heading to Minnesota.

Bucks general manager John Hammond confirmed to the Journal Sentinel earlier that he will not match the Minnesota Timberwolves' four-year, $16.4 million offer sheet for Sessions.

The Timberwolves signed Sessions to an offer sheet after they failed to lure point guard Ricky Rubio, whom they selected with the No. 5 pick in the June draft, over to the NBA from Europe.

What it came down to for the Bucks was an unwillingness to go over the luxury tax, which is what would have happened had they matched the offer for Sessions. Earlier this week, Hammond told FanHouse that he was exploring ways to shed payroll in an effort to match Sessions' offer -- another report indicated the Bucks were in talks with the Mavs -- but obviously a deal couldn't be struck.

Matching for Sessions also would have made for a full-fledged glut at the point guard position. The Bucks are already sitting with Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour and Roko Ukic.

Flashback: Talking With Ramon Sessions

Sessions would seem to be a nice fit for the Timberwolves because of his ability to play both guard spots. At 6-foot-3, Sessions has the size to defend two-guards, which will likely come in handy considering he'll be paired in the backcourt for long stretches with 6-foot-0 rookie Jonny Flynn.

Sessions averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists last year for the Bucks and as a restricted free agent had drawn interest from a variety of teams.

Bucks Won't Match Sessions' Offer Sheet originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could Mavs Swap Lead Bucks to Match Offer for Sessions?

Tom Ziller — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:55:00 EST

Filed under: Bucks, Mavericks, Timberwolves, NBA Rumors

The agent for Ramon Sessions has told FanHouse he does not expect Milwaukee to match Minnesota's four-year, $16 million offer sheet for the point guard. But a new trade rumor leaves open the possibility that Milwaukee is trying to cut enough salary to fit Sessions back into the equation.

DallasBasketball.com reports that the Mavericks are discussing a deal to send Greg Buckner to Milwaukee. Buckner is a great little asset right now: he's on the books for $8.2 million over two seasons. But only $2 million of that is guaranteed. If his team waives him by November 30, Buckner is only owed $1 million this season -- and that applies to the cap space he takes up.

DB.com proposes Buckner to Milwaukee for veteran big Kurt Thomas, who could certainly help the Mavs. The trade (and a waiving of Buckner by the Bucks) would allow Milwaukee to match the Sessions offer without exceeding the luxury tax thresold. The Bucks have until the end of Friday to make a decision on Sessions.

Of course, that doesn't mean the Buckner trade has to get consummated Friday -- teams have until the trade deadline, effectively, to sneak under the tax threshold. Provided Bucks GM John Hammond feels comfortable that he can make a deal to get under the tax, using Buckner or one of the three teams currently under the salary cap, he can match Sessions and worry about the rest later.

Hammond may not be in such a position of faith, though. Earlier this week he told FanHouse's Chris Tomasson that the Bucks will absolutely not pay the tax this season.

Thomas has still proven to be a valuable defender, despite his advanced age. (He'll turn 37 during the preseason.) He was arguably the Spurs' second best defender last season; San Antonio desperately needed offensive help, and swapped away Thomas, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto in exchange for Richard Jefferson. The Mavericks' frontline currently features Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier, Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas (seriously) and Nathan Jawai.

Could Mavs Swap Lead Bucks to Match Offer for Sessions? originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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