Brian Stensaas/Star Tribune on Kevin Ollie:
The Timberwolves veteran point guard, out of the lineup and away from the team since dislocating his elbow Jan. 3, keeps in touch via text messages. His correspondence ranges from updates on rehabilitation to providing encouragement after games.
“He really loves this team,” guard Randy Foye said. “For him to be rehabbing — trying to get back — and texting guys, that means he’s still watching. He’s not watching these teams on TNT, he’s still watching us on NBA Package.”
Ollie, playing for his 11th team in as many seasons, is scheduled to have his elbow re-evaluated by the team next week. Even if he is cleared to resume practicing, it will likely be some time before he gets back into games.
How about Rodney Carney in the second half – particularly the fourth quarter? Talk about putting the past behind you. Carney shot 14 percent against the Clippers and followed that up by going oh-fer against the Jazz on Tuesday. He then scored three points in the third quarter against the Hornets (30 seconds before the buzzer) and followed that up by dishing out 12 more over the final 12 minutes. He had a few fast breaks – and I mean FAST! I’ve seen him make dunks like he did in the fourth before. But it never gets old. I’m apparently not alone. The fans sure got up for it, too. Or, as coach Kevin McHale said after the game, Carney’s dunk “juiced” the crowd.
From RandBall:
But it’s worth noting that Love started perking up right about the time Mayo started falling down. Indeed, in January when Minnesota has won seven of nine games, Love is averaging 11.4 ppg and 10.4 rebounds despite playing an average of just 23.1 minutes. The overall raw numbers between he and Mayo are hard to compare because Mayo still averages 15 more minutes per game. But one reasonably fair measure is John Hollinger’s Player Efficiency Rating stat. Love is fourth among rookies at 16.45, while Mayo is 11th at 15.52. In short, both players have been about what we thought they were. This is not Brandon Roy/Randy Foye redux (though that gap is also shrinking … but we’ll pick our battles today), particularly when considering the trade as a whole.
How young are the Wolves?
Friday’s game was forward Craig Smith’s 200th with the team and he celebrated with 15 points.
Guard Rashad McCants and veteran forward Mark Madsen are the only current Wolves to have appeared in more.
For the record: The Wolves are 14-27 at the midway point compared to 7-34 last season.
From Randy Hill/Fox Sports -Gauging the impact of the new coaches:
Minnesota Timberwolves: Eliminating (or at least reducing) Kevin McHale’s role in personnel matters is victory enough. But with the substandard talent he acquired, McHale has gone 9-12 after predecessor Randy Wittman started the season at 4-15.
If McHale is allowed to continue making hiring decisions, he might consider keeping himself on the bench.
In what might become a familiar victory ritual, Foye sought out Jefferson after his three-pointer with 1:29 ended the drama and buried his face in Jefferson’s chest.
That play — Jefferson drawing, then passing out of a double-team to a teammate who has learned to read his eyes and body language — stood as testament not only to their development as dynamic young players but to the coaching of Kevin McHale.
“I was in a tough situation early on,” Foye said. “There was a lot demanded of me in the beginning, let’s just put it like that. And when it didn’t happen, I was snatched off the court.
“Now I can make a mistake and still play my game. One hundred percent, all my success, recently, goes to Kevin McHale.”
Along those lines, Olympiakos Thursday rejected an overture from veteran guard and free agent Troy Hudson, formerly with Golden State, Minnesota and several other NBA teams, based on his lack of European playing experience.
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