Andrew Katz/Dime Magazine talked to Corey Brewer as he was finishing up rehab on his torn ACL yesterday.
Dime: How are you dealing with the torn ACL?
CB: This has been the longest time I’ve been away from the game. I’m trying to take it in and learn. I’m trying to get back to full strength, and get better at things I need to get better at. I’ve been doing a lot of upper body lifting. I’m trying to put on weight now, and learn how to play at a higher weight. I’m on the bench press, lot of curls. I’m putting up two plates, definitely.
Andrew Thell/Empty The Bench on the Rookie Challenge snubs.
The omission of Minnesota’s Kevin Love is a real noodle scratcher. How often does the fifth-overall pick not get an invitation? If he were an international project big man, then maybe, but there’s no arguing that the kid is producing. On a rookie squad overloaded with guards and centers it’s hard to imagine how the guy leading all rookies in total rebounding, offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, rebounding rate… well, he’s leading rookies in every rebounding metric we have. But forget rookies, Kevin Love is seventh in the entire NBA in offensive rebounding despite playing just 23 minutes a game. It’s been impressive, especially when you consider that he didn’t really start to come on until mid-December.
From David Thorpe/ESPN:
One aspect of Love’s game that needs to improve is how he rushes some shots in the paint. This is a very normal issue for young players, one that is noticeable in Greg Oden and Jason Thompson as well.
When Love gets the ball in traffic with an angle to the rim, he often shoots the ball quickly so as to avoid getting blocked. But too often he is unable to finish because he doesn’t set himself first. The better play most of the time is to gather and then finish strong. Not only will more shots be made this way, but more fouls will be drawn too, making it a higher-reward play to counter the increased risk of getting blocked.
Tim Kawakami/Mercury News on candidates for his NBA All No-Defense team.
Al Jefferson, Minnesota. His stats aren’t terrible this season, actually. He’s only a slight minus as a defensive player, though still definitely a minus. (Statistically, the worst T-Wolve player on defense appears to be Randy Foye.)
From Chris Mannix/SI.com:
Miller is having an off year, but his track record as a shooter puts him in demand. Minnesota’s youth movement makes Miller expendable. Reports have linked him to New Jersey and Cleveland.
Benjamin Polk/City Pages on this week’s loss to Atlanta:
There were some lifts in the fog. Rashad McCants saw his first floor time in nearly a month and proceeded to clock some of his best minutes of the season. He played aggressive defense, he hit a three, he attacked the rim (although the fact that he was begging for the ball after just one make suggests that his relentless ball-stopping and self-martyrdom can’t be far off.) And, trailing by 11 in the fourth, after weeks or months of cold shooting and passing up eminently makable shots in favor of less makable ones by less accurate teammates, Mike Miller finally started gunning, stepping back to hit consecutive 25-footers. With Foye regressing back to the mean, lets hope this newfound gumption is a trend.
As Jefferson is one of only a handful of players who at this juncture of the season to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, Jefferson offers Minnesota fans some hope for the future.
Considering Jefferson just turned 24 years old, and is under contract for the next few years, if they can manage to find another effective scorer on the wing, this team could be a factor for a few years to come.
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