Coach Randy Wittman changed up his starting lineup for tonight’s game at Denver.
Center Jason Collins joined Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes in the front court, replacing rookie Kevin Love and Corey Brewer.
Randy Wittman has made a couple changes in tonight’s starters against a Nuggets team that has thrived since acquiring Chauncey Billups from Detroit: Jason Collins gets the start at center after making his season debut with 13 minutes in Saturday’s home loss to Portland and Ryan Gomes goes in at small forward next to Al Jefferson at power forward, replacing Kevin Love, who had matchup problems against Kenyon Martin in two preseason games.
Though he’s far from being the tyrant that his mentor Bobby Knight was, Wittman has become increasingly short tempered this season. A player’s failure to properly rotate, box out or move the ball, amongst other little things, will almost immediately result in a seat on the bench as Al Jefferson and Rashad McCants can attest to…
Now, first, it’s extremely hard to fully know the complex decision-making and personal dynamics that go into coaching in the NBA. And I think members of the press and public are much too quick to judge coaches when the full array of information is not really available. Second, it’s plainly up to the players, as highly paid pros, to avoid the kinds of mental and physical lapses that have cursed the Wolves late in games this year. As Coach Wittman put it after the game, it’s on the players to be “on the same page, doin’ what they’re supposed to be doin’.”
That said, there are a few things I want to point out…
Despite seven straight losses, also unlike Murray, Wittman added that there is no need to put him on suicide watch.
“Nope. Definitely not,” he said. “We’ve just got to continue to work and we’ve got to make the plays at the end.”
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