Wolves Updates 12/14

Click here for the forum’s thread for tonight’s game at Utah
Game previews:
From Jonathan Abrams/New York Times: In Triangle Offense, Cuts Are Sharp and So Is Learning Curve
It is a learning process. Most nights, Minnesota looks like a 3-21 team with a rookie point guard as its conductor. The Timberwolves are 27th among the league’s 30 teams in scoring at 92.5 points per game.

“The biggest thing is they don’t manipulate the players,” a Western Conference scout said. “One of the things that makes the triangle tough is, pretty much besides the center, every other piece is interchangeable. The Timberwolves have it, but it doesn’t look as crisp. As you get better talent, the triangle looks better.”

From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune: Love taking and making more threes
“I forget the coach’s name, but at the beginning of the year last season he didn’t want me shooting any shot outside of 10 feet,” Love said. “So that kind of threw me off. I’ve shot the ball well my whole life. Now this season, I have a coach who trusts me and wants me to shoot outside. It feels a lot better knowing he has faith in me out there because I can knock that shot down all day.”

Somebody told Love he’d go through the Timberwolves media guide’s history of coaches to recall who coached the team way back then.

Turns out, it was Randy Wittman.

“Yeah,” Love said. “No comment.”

Now that he’s an assistant coach, Laimbeer is hesitant to talk about himself — “I’m just a peon; write a story about Corey Brewer,” he said Saturday in Sacramento — he still carries himself with a swagger. Charged with mentoring the Wolves’ post players, he has their respect.

“Kurt’s probably a little more nurturing than he is,” Kevin Love said, “but he’s still a pretty laid-back guy, a good dude. But when it gets time to step to those lines, or coach, or battle with the big guys in practice, he’s tremendous.” And while Laimbeer has different aspirations now, he does miss certain aspects of coaching women.

“They listen more, there’s no question about that,” he said. “They want to be coached; they want to be taught. They appreciate their opportunity in the professional ranks, where the guys probably feel it’s deserved. The women appreciate it because they haven’t had it that long. It’s important to them.

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