The Timberwolves don't get to the free-throw line much, and that is very evident by tonight's game. On the season, they rank 28th in free-throw attempts, dead last in free throws made and are 26th in free-throw percentage. So far in today's game, they are 4 of 7 from the line while the Mavs are 17-22, which is a big part of why the Mavs have stayed tight in this one.
-Scooter Hendon
The Mavs travel to Minnesota to wrap up a four-game road trip that started 10 days ago in Phoenix with a loss. They can go .500 for the trip with a win against the T'wolves, which is a decent possibility since they aren't very good. The Mavs have won seven straight against Minnesota and won their last game against them by 23.
Foye is finally back
Second-year guard Randy Foye (or as I like to refer to him "Not Brandon Roy") missed the first 43 games this season from a knee injury. He has played well lately and is averaging 14.7 points and 5 assists over his last three games. Backup point guard Sebastian Telfair had filled in decently most of the year, but Foye is the player the T'wolves are looking to develop as part of their core, and once he's healthy, that may start to happen.
Green out of town
Right after putting on an admirable defense of his slam-dunk crown, Gerald Green, who was part of the Kevin Garnett trade, was shipped off to Houston at the trade deadline for Kirk Snyder. Neither was contributing to their current teams, and Minnesota evidently obliged Green's request to be moved out of town. Snyder only played nine games for the Rockets and has yet to play for the T'wolves.
No unloading here
Green may have left town, but the Timberwolves didn't join their fellows at the bottom in Seattle and Memphis by shipping out big contracts and acquiring more youngsters. Many suspected that players like Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner or Marko Jaric could be headed out of town for youngsters and cap relief, but the T'wolves didn't do it.
Burning question
Can they hit windfall and win a top three pick in the lottery this summer?
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
The good news for the Timberwolves is that they've doubled their win total since the last time they faced the Mavericks on November 28. The bad news is that they only had two wins at that point, and now they have four, which makes them the worst team in the NBA. By far. The Mavericks have now beat them in six straight games, and there is no excuse for that streak to end tonight.
There's always a bright side
The Timberwolves may be 4-28 and have no hope of climbing out of that cellar this season, but on the bright side, Minnesota is finally on full-on rebuilding mode and no longer noodling along with Kevin Garnett and a team full of spares that have no hope of winning a title. Now, they're chock full of youngsters and well on their way to a top 4 draft selection next year. The seven players who have started 10 games or more average 2.2 years of NBA experience, and Marko Jaric's five years skew that upward quite a bit. The Timberwolves may not have gotten equal value for Garnett, but at least they finally got the guts to tear down the house and pour a new foundation instead of riding Garnett until the house burned down by itself. They'll be better off for it in the long run.
Jefferson playing like an All-Star
As the key piece in the Garnett trade, Al Jefferson is turning out to be one of the premier young big men in the league and is one of five players in the NBA currently averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. In fact, his overall numbers are top 15 in the league. But, since the T'Wolves are so stinky, he probably may not find his way to the All-Star team through a crowded field of West forwards. If he can keep it up next season, he should find his way onto the team, but waiting your turn is just a part of development. Hey Al, you and Chris Kaman can cry together about how you got snubbed.
The other 6
Outside of Jefferson, it seems to be a nightly rotation of six players who step up and tries to get that elusive fifth win for Minnesota. Rashad McCants, Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes, Antoine Walker, Sebastian Telfair and Marko Jaric have all had impact throughout the season. Lately, Gomes has been the man and has averaged 14 points and 10.7 rebounds in his last three games with a 17-point, 15-rebound performance against the Clippers on New Year's Eve. We'll see which of these six guys steps up tonight to try and break that seven-game losing streak.
Video evidence
Random useless fact
Minnesota's assistant general managers are Fred Hoiberg (former T'Wolves three-point specialist) and Rob Babcock (the guys who ruined the Toronto Raptors as GM for two years).
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
Young rebuilding teams have two tendencies. One is that they are prone to getting blown out. The second is they play hard.
The Timberwolves lost for the 11th time in 13 games tonight, but they did not embarrass themselves, and actually they haven't done that much this year. Only four of those 11 losses have been by double digits and they played reasonably well against the Mavericks.
Dallas still won the game 109-103, but the Wolves reduced a 20-point deficit midway through the third quarter to three points midway through the fourth quarter. Avery Johnson is not going to be that happy, but then neither are the Wolves.
-- Jan Hubbard
The Mavericks didn't do a great job of blitzing the Wolves early, but they've taken control of the game in the second quarter. Dallas led by only two points with 2:01 left in the first quarter, but closed with a rush and led 30-22 after one.
With 4:20 left in the second period, the Mavericks have taken a lead at 47-34 so they are taking advantage of their superior talent.
-- Jan Hubbard
After losing three straight games to Eastern Conference teams, the Mavericks will try to end their woes against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And what better team to get back on track through than the second-worst team in the NBA? The Mavericks have won their last five against Minnesota, but history is a bit irrelevant in previewing a matchup with the current T'Wolves squad. Because...
KG out, youngsters in
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston this off season, leaving the T'Wolves in full-fledged rebuilding mode. Of all the offers that were rumored to be floating around out there, the one they accepted from Boston was likely the one that fit their organizational direction best. In case you forgot who was involved in the trade:
Timberwolves send to Boston: Kevin Garnett
Celtics send to Minnesota: Forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green; guards Sebastian Telfair; center Theo Ratliff, two future first-round draft picks
Jefferson developing nicelyFourth-year power forward Al Jefferson was the biggest piece Minnesota received, and he's a very promising big man with loads of potential. Jefferson made a huge jump from his second year in Boston to his third with his production going up almost 220 percent. Since moving to Minnesota, Jefferson has stepped up even further and is putting up solid numbers and developing quickly. He even boosted his free throw percentage from 67.4 percent in his last season with Boston to 79.4 percent so far with Minnesota.
McCants starting to pan out
Minnesota's first rounder in 2005 (and their second first-round pick since 1999) Rashad McCants has also started to come into his own after two seasons of slim playing time and low production. McCants is the Timberwolves second leading scorer behind Jefferson and scored a career-high 33 against Sacramento earlier this season.
'Toine with another home
Just when you thought Antoine Walker might have landed on one team for the rest of his career, he gets traded again. From Boston to Dallas to Atlanta, then back to Boston then Miami and now Minnesota, Walker has bounced around quite a bit in the last five years. Traded just before the beginning of the regular season for Ricky Davis, Walker comes into a situation he was familiar with in his short stint with Atlanta. He's started to step up as a team leader and will likely work as a mentor to many of the T'Wolves' young forwards. He is the team's leading three-point shooter and third-leading scorer. Look for him to be amped up against his old team.
Video evidence
