Click here for the forum’s thread on tonight’s (final) preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Target Center.
That’s because your always-cautious Star Tribune commentator is ready to declare the trade for Kevin Love a budding disaster — and it’s being done a week before the start of his rookie season…
Meantime, the Wolves made their Target Center debut in their seventh exhibition on Wednesday night against Chicago. They scored nine points in the first quarter, duplicated that in the fourth and lost 85-75 in a display of NBA basketball (by both teams) that was beyond ugly.
And when it came to ineptitude, no one compared to Love. The rookie played 24 minutes and went 1-for-10 from the field. He was credited with five rebounds and two turnovers.
There was one glaring impression from the time Love spent on the offensive end: How is this rookie going to get the ball in the basket against NBA big men?
NBA teams don’t have to reduce their rosters to the regular-season limit until Monday, but Wittman said the Wolves would do so after tonight’s game.
Minnesota has 18 players on the roster and must get down to 15, any 12 of whom can be active on game nights.
Wittman said guard Sebastian Telfair’s three-game NBA suspension to start the season could influence the numbers.
“With Bassy’s suspension for the first three games, there’s some different things that we can do to protect ourselves,” he said. “You could look to go with, not counting Bassy, three guards still.”
Kevin Ollie and Blake Ahearn have been competing for the job of third point guard behind Randy Foye and Telfair.
More important than the Timberwolves’ winning exhibition record, owner Glen Taylor said, is his team’s new intensity on defense..
Taylor is in New York for NBA business meetings. Meanwhile, the Wolves have no trade talks going. Their biggest focus is trying to whittle from 18 players, all of whom they like. Teams are allowed to keep 15 players for the regular season, and 14 of the Wolves’ players have guaranteed contracts.
Taylor said his team’s goal is to get into the playoffs.
“We know that’s a huge challenge, but we’re going to put that before us,” he said. “I think they’ll hustle like they did last year; I’m not worried about that.”
His contract secure, Gomes has spent the preseason getting ready to do whatever it takes to get on the floor. At 6-7, he has experience at both forward positions. Though he has proven to be a solid outside shooter, other parts of his game have been just as valuable to the team.
Teams shot 47.2 percent against the Timberwolves a year ago, fourth-highest in the league, so coach Randy Witt-man has stressed defense all preseason.
One of Gomes’ jobs so far has been to maintain defensive sharpness.
He’s been one of our best team defenders,” Wittman said…
Not surprisingly, the Wolves didn’t get much respect from league general managers in NBA.com’s annual GM survey.
Forward Kevin Love didn’t make the top three in projected rookie of the year voting, having to settle for “others receiving votes” behind Miami’s Michael Beasley, Portland’s Greg Oden and Memphis’ O.J. Mayo.
Tom Powers/Pioneer Press on Coach Wittman:
It’s not his fault. He took over a lousy team here, just the way he did in Cleveland. Right now, it’s about small steps. Very small steps. There isn’t going to be any major turnaround this season. Why would there be? A major, turnaround type of player wasn’t added to the roster.
Kevin Love, swapped on draft night for O.J. Mayo, isn’t going to have an immediate impact. So far, he gets buried near the hoop. When his shot is off — he was 1 for 10 Wednesday — he doesn’t bring much to the table. Mike Miller, also from the Mayo deal, isn’t going to carry the team. Other than a few peripheral guys, it’s still pretty much the same team as last year.
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