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Minnesota Timberwolves News

Jeremy Lin is no stranger to Timberwolves' Anthony Tolliver
February 12
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver might be one of the few people who had heard of New York guard Jeremy Lin before Lin became an overnight NBA sensation. Tolliver met Lin before the 2010-11 season when Lin agreed to participate in Active Faith, a company Tolliver helped start to promote religious awareness among pro athletes. "He's a humble guy and pretty well-grounded," Tolliver said of Lin before the Wolves' 100-98 loss to the Knicks on Saturday night at Target Center. "He's just like me when I was in and out of the NBA, just wanting a chance. He's taking advantage of it and doing really well." Tolliver and Lin had several stretches in the Development League before getting solid"
Ricky Rubio's pair of last-minute turnovers gives Knicks, Jeremy Lin edge in backcourt battle vs. Timberwolves
February 12
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"If Ricky Rubio and Jeremy Lin were in the same conference, a nice rivalry could be brewing between two of the NBA's more promising international players. Saturday night's game at Target Center was a one-time showing for the Timberwolves and New York Knicks in this lockout-shortened season, and barring realignment of the Eastern and Western conferences, the teams will meet only twice per season in the future. For the moment, Lin is one up on Rubio after the Knicks held on for a 100-98 victory in front of a charged-up crowd of 20,232 - the largest audience for a Wolves home game in eight years and fourth-largest in Target Center history. The deciding factor for Lin, the NBA's surprising"
Adelman's hiring pays off for Wolves, too
February 12
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 columnist Sid Hartman
"Glen Taylor hoped for a much improved season by the Timberwolves, who went only 17-65 last season, but he didn't expect the team to be playing close to .500 ball this early in the season, and for that the owner of the team credits coach Rick Adelman and his coaching staff. Taylor signed Adelman to a five-year contract calling for $5 million per season, and the new coach has proven beyond a doubt that he is worth it. "That's the market. It was one of those things that, quite frankly, we didn't debate with the coach on at all," Taylor said. "We knew what other coaches were being paid, that's what we offered and he took our first offer. I think it worked out very well for both of us." Taylor"
Turnovers turn a lead into a loss for Wolves
February 12
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Folks used lots of different ways to describe the Timberwolves' 100-98 loss at a packed Target Center on Saturday night. Here are a few: • Lethargic, said Kevin Love. This after Love (32 points, 21 rebounds) got his franchise-record sixth game with 30 or more points and 20 or more rebounds. Lethargic? Well, how else to describe a team that blew a seven-point fourth-quarter lead by managing only one field goal over the final 9 1/2 minutes? "We have to bring back our intensity," Love said after the Wolves had lost for the third consecutive time. "I'm actually happy we're going out on the road. We seem to play better [there]." • Lackadaisical, Wolves coach Rick Adelman said that after his"
Rubio: Lin gets the point
February 12
New York Post
 
"One entered the season with the weight of years of hype and anticipation of his arrival. The other could have walked down the street and gone unnoticed as recently as two weeks ago. Last night, point guards Ricky Rubio and Jeremy Lin went head-to-head for the first time, with Lin making one more play than his counterpart down the stretch to help the Knicks earn a hard-fought 100-98 win over the Timberwolves and stretch their winning streak to five games. "He's good," said Rubio, who finished with 12 points, eight assists and three steals for Minnesota. "[In] the first half he scored amazing baskets, and he's doing a great job. "Even with everybody talking about him, he avoids the pressure."
Kevin Love still waiting for his three-point shootout invitation
February 11
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Kevin Love's participation in the Three-Point Shootout during NBA All-Star Weekend has not been confirmed, but the Timberwolves forward hopes to compete in the contest. Love is still waiting on a formal invitation, although he said Thursday night during his all-star selection teleconference that he would be participating. "It's being talked about," said Love, who leads the Wolves with 42 three-pointers. "I'm trying to get the invite. If I'm invited, I'm bringing sexy back to the three-point contest." Love was 0 for 3 on three-point attempts in the Wolves' 104-97 loss to Dallas on Friday night and is shooting 36.8 percent (42 of 114) for the season. His percentage is not among the top 50 in"
Sloppy play dooms Timberwolves as Dirk Nowitzki leads Dallas win
February 11
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Instead of rejoicing in Kevin Love's return from a two-game suspension, the Timberwolves are thinking about looking in the mirror again and wondering how their performance could have deteriorated so fast. Friday night's 104-97 loss to Dallas before 17,119 fans at Target Center was so discouraging that coach Rick Adelman had painful flashbacks to earlier in the season, when the Wolves couldn't shake an obsession with turnovers and mental errors. Adelman saw his team commit a season-high 28 turnovers and enough defensive mistakes to question its attention span in what should have been a festive occasion on the club's home floor. "We just slipped backwards," Adelman said. "I was very"
Defending champion Mavs too much for Wolves to handle
February 11
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The last time the Timberwolves threw the basketball around so recklessly, at least their coach didn't have to watch it. The Wolves trumped the 26 times they turned the ball over during the season's second game at Milwaukee by committing 28 turnovers in Friday's 104-97 loss to Dallas. And this time, Rick Adelman saw every one. The Wolves could have moved into winning territory for the season and swept the Mavericks for the first time since the 1995-96 season, when a scrawny kid named Kevin Garnett was a rookie. They could have if they weren't so careless with the ball and if Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki didn't look every bit the player who on Thursday was voted into his 11th All-Star Game"
Kevin Love is relieved that his break is over
February 11
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Al Jefferson broke a television while watching his Timberwolves play as he rehabilitated from knee surgery at his Golden Valley home a few years ago. Only Kevin Love's kitchen speakers didn't survive the two-game NBA suspension that ended in time for Friday's home loss to Dallas. Love blew out his speakers when he turned up the volume at the end of Tuesday's two-point victory over Sacramento, which he watched from his Minneapolis high-rise while providing running game commentary on Twitter. On Friday, the league's leader in minutes played went back to work after getting some much needed, if forced, rest. "It's got to help him some, but it's a heck of a way to help, though," Wolves coach"
Wolves roar out of hibernation
February 11
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"On his way out from work last Saturday, Chris Wright stepped onto the sidewalk outside Target Center and joined the downstream flow of humanity exiting the arena after the fourth basketball sellout of this young season. The Timberwolves president crossed the street and passed the First Avenue nightclub, where an early concert had just ended. Then he walked down the block and met the confluence of the theater crowd leaving the Orpheum. "To see all these people ... it's the way downtown Minneapolis on a Saturday night should be," he said. "It was breathtaking." This from a guy whose job -- selling Timberwolves tickets -- was, not long ago, not all that far up the list from Brazilian mosquito"
Kevin Love is an NBA all-star again
February 10
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Kevin Love didn't have to wait for a phone call this time from NBA Commissioner David Stern. Leading the NBA with 22 double-doubles and having established himself as one of the league's most consistent players, it was a safe assumption that the Timberwolves forward would be one of seven reserves named Thursday to the Western Conference roster for the Feb. 26 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Fla. The season-long endorsement of TNT analyst Charles Barkley hasn't hurt, either. Barkley has labeled Love the "best power forward in the NBA," making Love's second all-star selection even more of a formality. Now Love has one more reason to celebrate when he rejoins the Wolves (13-13) for tonight's"
Barea puts hamstring injury behind him
February 10
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Considering that the Wolves posted season lows in points in the second quarter, first half and for the game in Wednesday's 85-80 loss in Memphis, there isn't much of a silver lining to be found. But the play of point guard J.J. Barea comes close. Barea was one of five reserves that coach Rick Adelman -- upset with the pace of the game -- put on the court for the entire fourth quarter. Barea ended with a season highs in points (17), assists (six) and steals (two). "He played aggressively, and he played well," Adelman said. Barea, who has battled a hamstring injury much of the season, has played in five consecutive games since his most recent return, all off the bench. He has scored in"
Love knows he belongs among All Stars this time
February 10
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Western Conference coaches on Thursday invited Timberwolves forward Kevin Love to his second NBA All-Star Game, one year after Commissioner David Stern named him as an injury replacement for his first. "It definitely feels different," Love said on Thursday evening. It feels different because his team has won more times in 24 games during this lockout-shortened season than it did in the first 48 games a year ago. It feels different because he had an "inkling" coaches would select him and because he was invited Thursday morning to appear on TNT's announcement show hours later that night. He'll also soon accept an offer to participate in All-Star weekend's three-point shooting contest. A year"
Williams able to share some good news with family
February 9
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"It was a pretty good day to be Derrick Williams Wednesday. Williams and fellow rookie teammate Ricky Rubio were named to the Rising Stars Challenge game over All-Star Weekend. Later that night, Williams got his second start -- against the Grizzlies -- with Kevin Love serving the second and last game of his suspension. Williams finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. In attendance at FedEx Forum to watch him play? About 20 members of his extended family, including his grandfather, L.G. Moore. This was a pretty big deal. Moore, who grew up in Winstonville, Miss., never had seen Williams play in person. He'd been able to watch Williams on YouTube at times. Williams' mom (and L.G.'s"
Little for Wolves to like in drab loss to Grizzlies
February 9
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"For the entire fourth quarter, the starters sat, coach Rick Adelman dug deep into his bench and a group of reserves turned a blowout into a loss that, on the surface, looked at least a bit easier to take. It wasn't. A three-game Wolves winning streak came to a grinding halt Wednesday at FedExForum. It ran right into a wall in an 85-80 loss to a Memphis team that had lost three in a row and seven of nine entering the game. It was a loss in which the Wolves set season lows for points in the second quarter (13), first half (34) and for a game (80). Playing the past two games without the suspended Kevin Love, the Wolves turned in two of their three lowest-scoring games of the season."
Memphis Grizzlies end 3-game skid, beat Timberwolves, 85-80
February 9
Memphis Commercial Appeal
 
"When the Grizzlies look around the NBA it's not the injuries or amount of games that catches their eye. The unsung hero that emerges on any given night is what grabs their attention. "All across the league, people are getting chances to do things," Griz forward Rudy Gay said. "In New York, you see Jeremy Lin doing things. Everybody needs that kind of kick sometimes.""
Jason Kidd could return to Mavs' lineup Friday vs. Timberwolves
February 9
Dallas Morning News
 
"Jason Kidd said he hopes to go through the Mavericks' full practice Thursday in Minnesota and could return to action Friday against the Timberwolves. "We had a good day today,'' Kidd said of his workouts on Wednesday. "We'll see how it goes [Thursday] and hopefully have another good day. We don't know. If I feel good, I'll give it a shot Friday. If not, there's no timetable right now. We just want to make sure I'm 100 percent when I come back.''"
Timberwolves' No. 1 surprise is Nikola Pekovic
February 8
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Who was that wearing No. 14 for the Timberwolves? That No. 14 fellow had 23 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. He schooled hotshot young center DeMarcus Cousins. And once he even stole the ball at midcourt and drove for a layup. My roster sheet says No. 14 is Nikola Pekovic. Really? I'm surprised. "I surprise myself a little bit how I run," big Pek said after the Timberwolves' 86-84 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Earlier this season I compared Pekovic to a tree. And not in a good way. It wasn't that at 6-11 Pekovic was tall like a tree. Or that he projected a certain calmness, a certain serenity like a tree. No, I was suggesting that Pek's"
Playing three point guards has merit
February 8
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has broken convention this season by starting point guards Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour in the same backcourt. So, how about three instead of two? Adelman played all three point guards -- adding J.J. Barea to the mix -- at the end of Tuesday's 86-84 victory over Sacramento, just like he did in the Wolves' previous two games. He did so because he wanted yet another ball handler and high-percentage free-throw shooter on the floor with the lead. "I just think those guys are really effective," Adelman said. "When you have Ricky with the ball in his hands, now he's kicking it to Luke or J.J. When you have guys who can hurt the other team, it's harder for them to"
Wolves made poor choice in character vs. talent
February 8
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 columnist Jim Souhan
"David Kahn should send Nikola Pekovic a gift this morning. Maybe a dessert. Whatever Serbian bouncers wearing skull tattoos on their arms enjoy after a big meal, like the bones of their forefathers' enemies. Pekovic, now the Wolves' unquestioned starting center, dominated his matchup with could-have-been Wolf DeMarcus Cousins on Tuesday, giving Minnesotans temporary respite from regret. Those who don't overreact to individual games should still groan every time they remember the night of June 24, 2010, when Kahn, the Wolves' basketball boss, bought a ticket to the light rail instead of taking a ride on the crazy train. At first, the debate over the fourth pick in the 2010 draft revolved"
Williams starts, finishes strong as Wolves go over .500
February 8
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Timberwolves survived without suspended star Kevin Love on Tuesday night, beating Sacramento 86-84 at Target Center in a game that was notable for just who tweeted and who didn't all evening. While Love sat home providing commentary in 140-character dispatches from his Minneapolis riverside condo, his replacement, rookie forward Derrick Williams, this time spoke for himself only with his play. While teammate Nikola Pekovic carried the Wolves to a threshold of victory with a dominating performance over Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, Williams took his team the rest of the way by providing the crucial, go-ahead three-pointer from the right corner that busted open a tied game with 57"
Rally falls short; win streak ends
February 8
Sacramento Bee
 
"Kings coach Keith Smart has said repeatedly his team has no superstar and any given night a different player could show up as the star of the game. Tuesday night, those players came off the bench and nearly rallied the Kings to their fourth consecutive win. But Donté Greene's three-point attempt hit the rim just before the final buzzer as the Kings lost 86-84 to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center."
Timberwolves 86, Kings 84: Nikola Pekovic scores, Ricky Rubio assists in Minnesota's victory
February 8
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Center Nikola Pekovic had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and point guard Ricky Rubio contributed six points and a season-high 14 assists to lead Minnesota past Sacramento on Tuesday night at Target Center. Marcus Thornton led Sacramento with 22 points. MEANING: The Wolves proved they could win without Kevin Love, who missed the first game in his two-game suspension for stepping on the face and upper body of Houston forward Luis Scola on Saturday night. The Wolves had a solid team effort, particularly on the boards, where they figured they would miss Love the most. The Wolves outrebounded Sacramento 49-48."
What makes for a good point guard?
February 7
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Terry Porter's NBA career lasted 17 seasons, 1,274 games and 35,354 minutes played. He's seen a lot. He knows what it takes to play point guard. The leadership and unselfishness that's required, the ability to control the flow of a game, the pressure of being a coach on the floor. Sometimes look to score too, if that's what the team needs. Point guard is a position — the "1" in basketball parlance — but really it's an identity. "You have to be a leader," said Porter, a two-time NBA All-Star and current Timberwolves assistant coach. "You can't worry about yourself. You've got to have a pretty good feel for your personnel. Then, you have to be vocal at times. You've got to be willing to"
Williams waiting for a chance to roar
February 7
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Derrick Williams tweeted a seven-word message Saturday night that didn't require too much effort reading between the lines. "Anybody ever felt like a caged lion?" the Timberwolves rookie wrote. Williams smiled when asked after Monday's practice if it's time for the lion to be released with Kevin Love set to begin his two-game suspension for planting his size-19 shoe on Houston's Luis Scola's chest and head. "That's funny," Williams said in a tone that suggested he didn't find it funny at all. "That's why you guys are here. I've been ready. I just want to get out there and play a little bit more. I think everybody does. But at the same time, I can't do nothing about that. It's not my"
After stomp and suspension, Love vows to manage emotions
February 7
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"His coach didn't think so, but Timberwolves forward Kevin Love called Monday's NBA-imposed, two-game suspension "warranted" and vowed he won't step on anybody's face and chest again. Just when the Wolves have reached a .500 record, Love will miss Tuesday's home game against Sacramento and Wednesday's game at Memphis because of a moment in Saturday's victory over Houston in which the league deemed he drove his left sneaker into Rockets forward Luis Scola's chin and chest. Game officials didn't call a foul on the play, but the league ruled it a flagrant foul type 2 on Monday. Love will also be docked a corresponding $83,000-plus from his paycheck for the two-game suspension. Love said he"
NBA suspends Love for two games
February 6
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The NBA on Monday suspended Wolves forward Kevin Love for two games for stepping on Houston's Luis Scola's face and chest during Saturday's victory at Target Center. He will miss Tuesday's game against Sacramento and Wednesday's game at Memphis. By my calculations -- and my engineer brother will tell you I'm lousy at math -- he will lose about $83,636 in pay. The league termed Love's action "driving his foot into the upper body and face" of Scola and upgraded an incident in which no foul was called Saturday to a flagrant foul type 2. Love's stepped on Scola's face after he heated trips down the floor, one when he scored on a third-effort putback after shouldering Scola to the floor and the"
Rubio saves his very best for last: The fourth quarter
February 6
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"It seems that just about every time the Timberwolves play point guard Ricky Rubio does something worth noting. Rubio entered Saturday's game against Houston having amassed 28 assists and just two turnovers in the second half of his past five games. Against Houston, Rubio scored eight of his 13 points and got five of his 11 assists in the second half. He did commit two turnovers. Still, in his past six second halves Rubio has 33 assists and four turnovers. Clearly, he already is a clutch performer. Late in Friday's victory at New Jersey, Rubio made play after play and then grabbed a deflected ball -- this after he'd been screened out of a play the Nets ran to get a final shot that could"
Love's story — he had nowhere else to put his big feet … won't fly. Suspension for Kevin Love should be coming.
February 5
Houston Chronicle
 columnist Jonathan Feigen
"Despite their best efforts, Kevin Love and the Timberwolves should have no chance of convincing the NBA it was just a Love tap. Love went Savion Glover on Luis Scola's face. Love might be one of the league's best young players, but the league presumably still frowns on players treating other players' faces as starting blocks. Knowing he is in jeopardy of getting hit with a suspension – and this should be a no-brainer one-game suspension — Love did his best to spin the answer. In fact, he danced around it so well, he could have tap-danced on the head of a pin, which makes it difficult to buy his argument that he has feet so large, he just could not miss Scola's face. He did, however,"
Credit for Nikola Pekovic goes to Kevin McHale
February 5
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"The rapid improvement of Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic doesn't surprise Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who selected Pekovic in the second round of the 2008 NBA draft when McHale was the Wolves' general manager. Pekovic played two more years in the Greek League before joining the Wolves last season. Foul trouble limited his production last season, but the native of Montenegro is averaging 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds and shooting 62.5 percent in the Wolves' past seven games. Pekovic started Saturday night and had 11 points and nine rebounds in the Wolves' 100-91 win over Houston at Target Center. "I liked him a lot when we drafted him," McHale said of Pekovic before the game."
Timberwolves get physical and find their way back to .500
February 5
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"The last time the Timberwolves played on their home court, they were pushed around by the Indiana Pacers and showed symptoms of not being tough enough, mentally or physically, to be considered one of the Western Conference's most improved teams. But during the Wolves' 100-91 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 19,356 at Target Center, there was evidence that the Wolves had erased those perceptions. Kevin Love used his size-19 left foot to step on the face of Houston forward Luis Scola after Scola had fallen to the floor in a battle during a tense third quarter. In the fourth quarter, after almost blowing an 18-point lead in the third, the"
Love pleads innocence over stomp on Scola
February 5
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"There were about 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter Saturday when Houston's Luis Scola put the ball on the floor and drove towards the basket. Timberwolves forward Kevin Love appeared to foul Scola, though none was called. But what happened next was on YouTube within minutes and had people talking after the game. Scola went to the floor. Love, as he was getting ready to run up court, stepped on Scola's face and chest with his left foot. Referees didn't see it. But that moment changed the tenor of the game. At the other end, the Rockets bench got called for a technical for complaining about the no-call. Luke Ridnour hit the free throw, extending the Wolves lead to 13. Emotionally"
Wolves step on Rockets to finally reach .500 mark
February 5
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"It's only been five years, that's all. Almost exactly, by the way. The last time the Timberwolves stood at .500 more than two games into a season, Kevin Garnett was still calling Target Center home and Kevin Love had yet to arrive. The Wolves beat Houston for the second time in a week, a 100-91 victory Saturday that featured a strong start and a fairly controversial third-quarter play that dialed up an already intense game to the physical extreme. But the Wolves withstood a late Houston run to improve to 12-12. The Wolves have had a few chances to reach that level lately. Finally, at home, they did it. "We responded, and we needed to respond," said Love, who scored 25 points and had 18"
Pekovic stands out in a big way for Wolves
February 4
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"A locker-room visitor before the Timberwolves' 108-105 victory at New Jersey on Friday night sensed something strange in the air when he found backup center Nikola Pekovic surrounded by a gaggle of reporters while Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio sat alone at their locker stalls. Three hours later, big Pek really drew a crowd after a 27-point, 11-rebound night. It was by far his biggest breakout night in the NBA but probably wasn't such a big deal when he starred in Europe, right? "No," he said, his eyes widening. "I mean, the game is shorter. It's shorter like eight minutes. Whenever you score so much like tonight, it is a big deal." And indeed it was on Friday, when the Wolves outlasted the"
Love's All-Star fate in coaches' hands
February 4
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"So now, Timberwolves forward Kevin Love and every other remaining All-Star Game hopeful waits for NBA coaches to cast their ballots for the Feb. 26 game's reserves to be announced Thursday night on TNT. In this strange, condensed season, there's a very good chance Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki won't be invited and Memphis' Marc Gasol or Utah's Paul Millsap will. "I think you're going to have to take everything into consideration because it's a different year," New Jersey coach Avery Johnson said before Friday's 108-105 loss to the Wolves. "You don't have as many games to evaluate. It's going to a combination of what they've done this year, and I'm assuming coaches also are going to take into"
Nets can't handle Timberwolves' Pekovic
February 4
New York Post
 
"As the Nets continue to try and land Dwight Howard, they saw first-hand what size can do in last night's 108-105 loss to the Timberwolves. Timberwolves backup center Nikola Pekovic destroyed the Nets in the paint, finishing the game with 27 points and 11 rebounds on 11-for-14 shooting from the field. Most of the 6-foot-11 Pekovic's damage came off the offensive glass, as he finished the game with seven offensive rebounds that turned into easy putbacks over the Nets' smaller frontline of Shelden Williams and Kris Humphries. "He had been playing pretty good, and you've got to remember, most of our guys on our front line are pretty much 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9, and we just don't have a lot of"
Slow home starts still a problem for Timberwolves
February 3
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"The Timberwolves would like to make quick work of the New Jersey Nets tonight, then return to the Twin Cities for Saturday's game against Houston to deal with a more pressing matter. Three times this season, the Wolves (10-12) have had a successful road trip but lost their next game at Target Center. With a 5-4 road record, the Wolves join Oklahoma City (9-3) and Denver (7-4) as the only Western Conference teams with a road record above .500. Wolves coach Rick Adelman shakes his head when he thinks about why his team is 5-8 at home. "I wish I knew," he said. "Maybe the players get per diem. I've always had teams that played well at home." The Wolves' sluggish performance at Target Center"
Adelman wants more than just pick-and-roll offense
February 3
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Wolves coach Rick Adelman loves the pick and roll. Really, he does. But it is time for his team to diversify. That was the message during practice Thursday. Nearly the entire session was spent working on the half-court offense. "We're not getting enough out of our half-court offense," he said. "We're not patient in it, and we're relying too much on pick and rolls. We have to get more baskets out of our half-court offense. So that's all we did today. We told them, 'This is what we want to do. We've got to do it consistently.' That's going to make the game easier for us." This had been coming for a while. The combination of a shortened post-lockout training camp and the compressed schedule"
David Kahn is winning over Timberwolves fans
February 2
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Your average Timberwolves fan should be in a jar on a shelf at the University of Minnesota psychology department. What a fascinating case study in mood swings. Six months ago, those fans saw nothing but hopelessness. They were angry, frustrated and utterly negative about all things Timberwolves. Fire everybody! Better yet, blow up Target Center. It wasn't a love/hate relationship. It was more of a hate/really hate relationship. Currently, those same fans are skipping through the corridors, grinning as if they had money in the bank. Life is grand. The team is fun to watch and actually winning its fair share of games. The cash customers are filled with hope and goodwill. Yes, well,"
Beasley wears super-sub role well
February 2
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley came off the bench for a third consecutive game Wednesday against Indiana, two nights after he delivered a monstrously efficient 34-point night at Houston. He's in that role because he missed 11 games before that because of a sprained right foot. But bigger picture, do Beasley's scoring proclivities and defensive liabilities make him a perfect candidate for permanent sixth-man duties? Coach Rick Adelman doesn't want to answer that question so soon after Beasley's return, although he said earlier this season that he has discussed that idea with his coaches since he accepted the job in September. Beasley said he has never considered or been interested in"
Wolves' chance at .500 goes thud in loss to Indiana
February 2
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"The Timberwolves and Pacers went old school on Wednesday night in their throwback attire evocative of a defunct league that once popularized both the three-point shot and the slam dunk, and of a time lost long ago when a really hard foul wasn't separated into two categories. And when it was over and the Pacers had prevailed 109-99 at Target Center, Wolves forward Kevin Love liked the visitors even less than he did when the evening began with both teams wearing vintage uniforms from the American Basketball Association. The Pacers denied the Wolves the opportunity to reach .500 for the first time this late in the season -- the term "late" is used loosely here -- since Dwane Casey coached"
Target Center deal bound to a 'mistake'
February 2
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"They call it an albatross. A mistake. Worst decision ever. These are some of the ways Minneapolis leaders describe the bailout of Target Center in 1995. Minneapolis owes roughly $55 million from its purchase of the arena. But the home of the Timberwolves -- which is managed privately -- also has taken annual operating subsidies of about $1.6 million from the city. New figures released last week predict that the city will have to spend more than $32 million over the next decade to keep Target Center up to date. Now Mayor R.T. Rybak's push to subsidize a new Vikings stadium in a deal that also renovates Target Center and retires its debt has highlighted how the arena has become the bane of"
Granger stoked to score big in Pacers' win over Timberwolves
February 2
Indianapolis Star
 
"It wasn't that long ago -- three weeks to be exact -- that Indiana Pacers small forward Danny Granger had the undistinguished honor of sitting at the bottom of the league in field goal percentage. Granger is doing his best to make that a distant memory while helping the Pacers win games. He didn't let Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love slow him down Wednesday night. Granger, inspired by a skirmish with Love, continued his recent surge with a season-high 36 points to help the Pacers beat the Timberwolves 109-99 at the Target Center."
Granger goes off while the Pacers add another enemy to the list
February 2
Indianapolis Star
 columnist Mike Wells
"Danny Granger could have easily tried to play the role of Superman without thinking about his teammates. He could have used Kevin Love's hard (could have been a flagrant) foul as an excuse to disrupt the offense by jacking up shots. This isn't a few years ago, Granger says. Back track to last season and Granger would have definitely started trying to get back at Love and the Timberwolves by shooting the ball over and over again."
Norm Nixon sees progress in Michael Beasley
February 1
St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
"Former NBA star Norm Nixon watched Michael Beasley's performance the past two games from his Los Angeles home. The former Los Angeles Lakers guard has been mentoring the Timberwolves forward, and the recent results made him feel like a "proud parent." "I'm very happy for him," Nixon said of Beasley, who averaged 26 points and shot 59 percent off the bench against Houston and the Lakers. "You can tell he's starting to relax more on the floor. He's doing things he's comfortable with. Now he just has to keep it up." Beasley, who had missed 11 games with a right midfoot sprain, has been so impressive in his return that he might have put Wolves coach Rick Adelman in an interesting situation for"
Beasley at the 2? Or at the 6?
February 1
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Right now I'm sitting next to Michael and he's wearing all kinds of brown. Brown loafers with lighter-brown shoes with some kind of brown-check pattern, all of which mesh nicely with his brown jacket and pink shirt. So, I'm jealous. Fashion aside, I wanted to touch on something I tweeted last night while watching the Wolves dominate Houston. I've always thought that Michael Beasley's best role would be as a Microwave-style sixth man who could come in with the second unit, jack up shots and be pulled if the opposing coach started running plays to victimize his defensive weaknesses. But maybe the easiest solutions are the best. Maybe Beasley, a gifted shooter and driver who also can be a"
Wolves face a nice problem
February 1
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"It was not the first time Wolves coach Rick Adelman had expressed some exasperation. But the question had to be asked, right? So, Monday night, after Michael Beasley had come off the bench to score 34 points against Houston, Adelman was asked: Is it time to move Beasley back into the starting lineup? Cue the eye roll. "I'm not going to answer that," Adelman said. "Let's just let that lie and just take this win." It was a fair request, given the way the Wolves had dismantled a Rockets team that has been very good at home. The Wolves set a franchise record with 42 third-quarter points. Beasley matched a franchise record for points off the bench with 34. The Wolves scored a season-high 120"
Rubio to Bryant: Spain will take gold in Olympics
January 31
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Sunday's Timberwolves-Lakers game was long over when there was a neat moment captured on video. Wolves guard Ricky Rubio was in the hallway at Target Center talking to Lakers forward Pau Gasol, his fellow Spaniard and good friend. Kobe Bryant came out of the Lakers dressing room. "You talking about London?" Bryant asked, referring to the Olympics later this year. "Oh, yeah," Gasol replied. Rubio asked Bryant if he would be there with Team USA. Bryant said yes, so then the Wolves rookie made a prediction: "You know you're getting the silver medal," Rubio said. "You know that." Meaning, of course, that Spain would win the gold. A brash statement? Perhaps. But not outlandish: Spain won the"
Beasley's big night leads Wolves past Houston
January 31
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
"Michael Beasley joked afterward that he really had no choice. It was there for him. Beasley, coming off the bench for the Timberwolves on Monday, already had shown that this was going to be one of those nights scorers have. Houston coach Kevin McHale had tried one thing after another, finally asking Courtney Lee to try to slow Beasley down. "Good defender," Beasley said. "But — and no offense to Courtney Lee — he's almost a foot shorter than me. It's just common sense." So Beasley attacked. He jumped, spun, leaned. And when the dust cleared at Toyota Center, Beasley had 34 points and led the Wolves to a 120-108 victory over a Rockets team that had won nine of its previous 10 games,"