Wolves Updates 1/30 Part 2

From Jason Fleming/Hoopsworld:

When it comes to the Western Conference All-Star reserves it seems that Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony and Minnesota Timberwolvescenter Al Jefferson are regarded as the biggest snubs, while many are questioning the inclusion of Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal and New Orleans Hornets forward David West.

From Tommy Beer/Hoopsworld:

Big Al gets my vote for the most egregious exclusion. Frankly, it is ludicrous that Jefferson isn’t on this team. His averages speak volumes – 22.7 PPG (on 49% FG shooting), 10.5 rebounds, and 1.6 rebounds. In fact, Jefferson is the only player in the entire League averaging over 22 points and 10 rebounds. Some will point to the Timberwolves poor record as the reason why Big Al got passed over; but chew on this: Guess who had the NBA’s best record this year heading into Wednesday night? Answer: The Minnesota Timberwolves (12-2). Bottom line – it’s tough to find too many legitimate reasons why Al Jefferson shouldn’t be named an All-Star. Shaq has had a surprisingly effective season, and I know the game is being played in Phoenix; but picking Shaq reeks of the old ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and he simply doesn’t deserve a spot over Big Al… First Kevin Love gets left off the Rookie team, and now this. Tough week in Minnesota -what’s next? Is Adrian Peterson going to get his Pro Bowl invite revoked?

From Benjamin Polk/City Pages:

So, judged on the merits alone, this could’ve gone either way. Unluckily for Big Al, though, as its name suggests, the All-Star Game is mostly a fame contest, the Oscar’s of the NBA. And Shaq, with his litany of successes, his catalog of organ displacing dunks, his simply beloved sense of humor Shaq is nothing if not hugely famous.

From Brett Pollakoff/Fanhouse:

For some reason, playing in the state of Minnesota has made Jefferson completely invisible to everyone as far as the All-Star game is concerned. Big Al has better numbers than Shaq, and his season averages of 22.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game have been the main reason the Timberwolves had the best record in the entire league this month before last night’s loss to the Pistons. Jefferson is by far the biggest snub in the West.

From Peter Vecsey/New York Post:

Cynicism aside, any assistant coach who failed to list Love in his mind ballot on the same pedestal of Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo clearly demonstrated three things: Doesn’t know the game; hasn’t watched the Timberwolves play in person or on TV over the last six weeks; and rarely glances at box scores…

From Steve Aschburner/SI.com:

“I thought about the Rolling Stones and how they said, Time Is On My Side. Y’know what, they were lying to you. Time goes by,” Timberwolves coach Kevin McHale said.

From a John Hollinger chat on ESPN:

Daniel (Lawrence, KS): As of today, the Timberwolves are going to have an enormous amount of cap room in 2010. Any chance they can land one or two quality players to play alongside Jefferson?

John Hollinger: Look, when it comes to cap space the NBA is a two-tiered system. The first tier is teams like Miami, LA and Phoenix who have great weather and lots of night life and can get a player in free agency even if another team offers just as much. Minnesota is pretty much at the other end of that spectrum, thanks to the frigid winters … so you can’t count on free agency unless you’re willing to grossly overpay somebody. So a better option for Minny is to use that cap space in trades and try to build the team that way … it’s harder, but it can be done.

UPDATE

Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site previews tonight’s game.

Mike Trudell/Lakers site talks to Jim Petersen about the major influence of Kevin McHale, the development of Al Jefferson and the progress of Kevin Love.(audio).

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Wolves Updates 1/30 Part 2

Alan Draper

Alan Draper

Alan Draper