Queen City Hoops hosts round 10 of the blogger MVP and ROY rankings.
Wolves point guard Sebastian Telfair practiced Monday for the first
time since spraining an ankle March 7 in Sacramento. He said he will
play again this season, but coach Randy Wittman said it won’t be until
Friday at Orlando at the earliest.
"I want them to be leaders," Wittman said of Foye and Jefferson. "Are they leaders yet? That’s debatable. I want them to be leaders. That’s what I’m trying to find here, too. I’m putting a little bit of a demand on those two right now, No. 1, to see how they handle it, and, No. 2, to see if they have the ability to do that."
Until this season, Jefferson never had played more than 71 games in an
82-game NBA season, and that was in his rookie year with Boston when he
averaged 14.8 minutes a game.
82-game NBA season, and that was in his rookie year with Boston when he
averaged 14.8 minutes a game.
This time around, he has played in all 76 games so far, placing 36
minutes a game under his feet and a franchise upon his shoulders.
minutes a game under his feet and a franchise upon his shoulders.
His body, his mind, his demeanor and his statistics all recently have
displayed the demands of approaching a goal that both Jefferson and
Wolves coach Randy Wittman set for him.
displayed the demands of approaching a goal that both Jefferson and
Wolves coach Randy Wittman set for him.
Explaining the slide, Jefferson said his rebounding
numbers are down because he said his teammates are doing a better job
of helping him.
numbers are down because he said his teammates are doing a better job
of helping him.
But he believes he has to improve his conditioning
this summer. Before his breakout performance last season in Boston,
Jefferson lost weight, and he attributed that as part of the reason for
his success. Now he has to take the next step.
this summer. Before his breakout performance last season in Boston,
Jefferson lost weight, and he attributed that as part of the reason for
his success. Now he has to take the next step.
Benjamin Polk/City Pages on Randy Foye:
Basically—and I know the sample is still pretty small considering the
injury that kept him out for most of this year—he has not yet shown
whether he can be an NBA point guard. He could play the two, but the
Wolves already have an undersized, ball-dominating, defensively average
shooting guard in Rashad McCants. How long should the team wait for
Foye to figure things out? It’s a tough call and one that will be made
even tougher if the Wolves find themselves in a position to draft a
serious point guard, like, say, Memphis’ frighteningly good Derrick
Rose.
injury that kept him out for most of this year—he has not yet shown
whether he can be an NBA point guard. He could play the two, but the
Wolves already have an undersized, ball-dominating, defensively average
shooting guard in Rashad McCants. How long should the team wait for
Foye to figure things out? It’s a tough call and one that will be made
even tougher if the Wolves find themselves in a position to draft a
serious point guard, like, say, Memphis’ frighteningly good Derrick
Rose.
Pssst: The Timberwolves have been focusing on Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose, should they end up with the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, since the start of the season.
Previews of tonight’s game at Charlotte:
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