David Thorpe/ESPN puts Kevin Love at #5 on his list of the top 10 rookies heading into the season.
Love was acquired by the Wolves based more on talent and less on fit, so it’s going to take time to create a good situation for him in Minnesota, which is loaded with beefy inside players. His strong hands will enable him to grab rebounds and score effectively inside.
However, he has not been much of an enforcer, defensively. Still, I like his upside on D, where he can learn to use his excellent feel — and, hopefully, a soon-to-be-leaner body — to cover ground more quickly.
From SLAM Online:
The point is not that one pretty good preseason game means Kevin will be a great NBA player — neither I nor the guy who drafted him nor anyone else knows quite how Kevin Love will turn out. The point is that condemning a rookie based on one bad preseason game is absurd.
The point, as it always seems to be, is that people are stupid. Particularly when those people are sports columnists.
Center Jason Collins, who missed the entire exhibition season while recovering from elbow surgery, participated in practice and will be able to start contact work after Wednesday’s game, Wittman said.
Center Calvin Booth saw his first game action in the 95-76 win over Milwaukee, scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds in nearly five minutes.
“He played like a veteran, like he’s been around,” Wittman said. “I was pleased with the minutes he gave us out there.”
Steve Aschburner/SI.com on Calvin Booth:
That was just one of several financial windfalls that have graced Booth’s professional life, making him a blue-collar player with a Robb Report portfolio. In fact, a strong case can be made he has been paid more, for less, than almost any NBA player in history. At least among those whose careers weren’t abruptly ended by injury. (By the way, we’re not picking on Booth here. We stand in awe of him, and shine this spotlight his way only in a Don King “Only in America!” or a Yakov Smirnoff “What a country!” tribute.)
Looks like the Charlotte Bobcats won’t get a chance to claim veteran point guard Kevin Ollie off waivers. He made it through the Minnesota Timberwolves’ final cuts Thursday.
The Bobcats contacted Ollie’s agent, Bill Neff, anticipating that Ollie might be waived. Coach Larry Brown wants a veteran third point guard, and Ollie played well for Brown in Philadelphia.
Neff said Brown spoke with him several times this summer, expressing interest in Ollie. But the Bobcats didn’t make an offer, so Ollie signed an unguaranteed deal with the T’Wolves.
Could Troy Hudson, another former Magic point guard, be in the mix? He’s available and his camp has reached out to the Magic.
Minnesota still will not contend for a playoff spot anytime soon as the Western Conference is extremely deep and the team is still a work in progress. The Timberwolves are projected to have four starters at age 25 or younger.
But the lofty expectations of Jefferson are legitimate and the team should be able to grow a bit more and improve on its worst finish since it went 21-61 during the 1994-95 season – ironically, the year before Minnesota drafted Garnett.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
