Grizzlies 113, Wolves 101
Posted on April 7th, 2008 – 12:01 AMBy Jerry Zgoda
Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson recorded 49 double-double games in his 67 games this season. In the last nine, he has had two, a disparity his coach attributes perhaps to the toll of carrying a team on his broad shoulders for an entire 82-game season.
Jefferson took just one shot in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Memphis at Target Center and still finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, a drop-off in offensive production that began to show in mid-March.
That’s about the same he began to show interest in developing, at coach Randy Wittman’s urging, his defensive and playmaking skills. In the second half Sunday, Wittman saw what he considered the real offensive Al Jefferson.
“That was his doing,” Wittman said of Jefferson’s two points in the first half. “He was catching the ball 18 or 20 feet from the basket. We’re not going to throw him the ball there. The second half was the first time in a while that he’s really attacked and been Al Jefferson. He demanded the ball.”
Jefferson remains on pace to play every game for the first time in his career. Until this season, the most he has played is 71 games in his rookie season, 2004-2005.
“I think a little bit of it is fatigue,” Wittman said. “But you’ve gotta learn to play through that. This is the first time he’s played this many games. We’ve
Wittman said the fatigue of playing every game might be showing.
“But you’ve gotta learn to play through that,” Wittman said. “This is the first time he’s played this many games. To play 82 games, we had a guy here for a long time who did. The good ones do it a lot if they’re lucky enough not to have injuries. He’s striving to do that, but I think he’s seeing what it takes to play 82 games.”
22 Responses to "Grizzlies 113, Wolves 101"
Last nights loss was huge for the Wolves. Not only are they now 2 games behind the Grizzlies and the Knicks but they are only one game ahead of the Sonics who beat the Nuggets last night. If the Wolves can manage to lose the rest of their games they could tie the Sonics with the second worst record.
My predictions for tonight’s game is
Memphis 77 … Kansas 62
I think it will be a little closer game with Kansas able to score inside. I’ll go with…
Memphis 79
Kansas 71
I wish a team would play a zone against Memphis. They have virtually no outside shooting and score 75% of their points in the paint, via dribble drive. Why didn’t UCLA play a zone at all against them?
Did anyone else see Kansas destroy the best team in the country in NC? Kansas 75 Memphis 68. Chalmers is big enough to guard Rose.
Tonight is Rose’s baptism as the 1st pick overall, or where he falls to the number 2 pick.
Watching him play… tonight I think he solifies himself as an NCAA Legend as a Freshman, and ends up as the number one guy in the draft.
Mephis 81 Kansas 71.
Rose 23 pts 7 assists, 4 boards, and 3 steals 1 blocked shot.
Boom
Wolves take Beasley with second pick and Rush in round 2?
Way to go JOE…..nice job picking…so much for the Memphis….I can’t see Rose as the top pick after his performance last night….
What was wrong with Rose’s performance last night? Here was his line from last night:
18 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals. And the negative 5 Turnovers and 7-17 shooting, 1-6 from 3Pt
He almost single handedly brought Memphis back in the second half. Yeah he missed a crucial Free Throw but CDR, a 1st team All-American, missed his last 3 Free Throws.
People,
Don’t get too excited. remember, McHale will be involved in any selection, therefore it will not work regardless of who the Wolves pick.
Haven’t you figured this out yet?
This franchise will never win with McHale and Taylor.
Get over it.
Jama, Yeah Rose played very well but during the first half it was as if he disappearred. For a number #1 pick of the entire draft, I’d expect a bigger impact. Someone that can carry a team as Rose did during most of the 2nd half.
Look at the past number 1 picks. Franchise type players. Can Rose be that type of a player. Iam not sure. He is young and has a tremendous upside.
For my number #1 pick I still want Beasley. Rose is definetly a upside from Foye but not that much better than Telfair strictly as a point guard.
People are overreacting to one game. Both Beasley and Rose are going to be superb NBA players. If the Wolves get the #1 pick, they need to go through every game they played with a fine-tooth comb, sit down with them and understand their personalities, and make a determination.
Sportsjunkie — Beasley disappeared in the second half of K-State’s game against Wisconsin. Where was his impact?
You can pick out stretches of time that will work for or against any one player versus the other. As I said above, you have to look at the whole record.
Last 5 #1 picks in the NBA draft:
2007- Greg Oden-Injured did not play 1 game
2006- Andrea Bargnani- Average NBA player
2005- Andrew Bogut- Not a “franchise” player
2004- Dwight Howard- A man beast. Best Center in the league
2003- Lebron- Probably the best player in the league
2002- Yao Ming- Good but always injured.
2001- Kwame Brown- Enough said
My point is that of the last 7 #1 picks as of right now only Lebron and Dwight Howard are what I would consider “Franchise Players”. Oden could be and Yao is debateable. I don’t expect the Wolves to get lucky enough to get a guy that is a franchise player all they need is a very solid starter that contributes on a nightly basis.
Sorry last 7 #1 picks not last 5. My point is that the #1 pick doesn’t guarantee that the team is going to get a can’t miss player.
Did somebody seriously say that Rose isn’t much better than Telfair at point guard? Do you even watch basketball?
jama,
How about a detailed list of some of McHale’s selections?
That will get the fan going. And I do mean FAN….singular.
The franchise is a flippin joke, and you know it.
Whatever…You replace Telfair with Rose, the team won’t be that much better. A rookie point guard won’t come in and make that much of an impact on a bad team unless the other broken pieces are fixed first. Yes. Telfair is a decent point guard and can become even better with an improved line-up….I think Telfair is a better PG over Foye and Jaric anyday….
Obviously one rookie can’t turn around a bad team right away…we know that. Immediately, Rose would only slightly improve the team. That’s why it’s called building a team.
But here’s the thing: Rose is 19 YEARS OLD!!!! He’s a COLLEGE FRESHMAN! And look at the way he changes games already. Chris Paul didn’t turn around the Hornets right away, but after only a few years they’re contending in the west. And the comparisons are obvious: the floor presence and the passing and play making ability. But consider the fact that Rose is bigger, stronger, quicker, and a better shooter and scorer than Paul ever was in his college career…as a freshman.
The kid is going to be a superstar. While Telfair has proven he can be a solid backup…that’s it. When picking that high in the draft, you don’t pass on the best player available just because you “don’t need a point guard.” Ever heard of Sam Bowie? Great players build great teams, not average players spread out evenly across all the positions.
sportsjunkie
If you added any of these soon to be rookies to the Wolves would it make that much of a difference the first season? Beasley wouldn’t add more than at most 10 wins to this team. Where would they be then? That’s right the draft lottery. As pointed out above it takes more than one player to turn a franchise around.(Unless it is Lebron) This is an ongoing process and it is going to take another year or two before this team even becomes competitive.
sportsjunkie:
Ya well obviously Rose would help take us to the NBA Finals in his rookie year, but in about 3 years who would you rather have, Rose or Telfair? I know who i would take
