Game Report - T'Wolves at Knicks.

[WildWolf2813]

Well I said I wasn't gonna hold back.

First of all, my seats were awesome. 8 rows behind the Wolves baseline. The girls nearby me really like Ryan Saunders, but anyway.

The first half was everything we hate about this team. Awful subs, missed outside shots, bad shots, and poor defense. The team was in it and then Sam leaves his starters on the bench again. Ricky Rubio had 4,4 and 3 yet Sam yanks him out. He's not coaching with any in-game feel.

Towns was trying to do too much and it showed early. Once he calmed down, wow. He played so well. 25/10. I don't have the stats with me so bear with me, but Towns was a man possessed in the 2nd half. That two man game with Rubio and Towns was borderline unstoppable and that's with Ricky being the shooter he is. Melo almost had a triple double but once the crowd got wind of the possible quadruple double Ricky had they were impressed.

Bjelica is in such a funk that it worries me whether he'll snap out of it soon. This team is in such a need of a win but really a win where Bjelica can work through mistakes without feeling like he's hurting the team because we needed Professor Big Shots tonight and he wasn't here.

I can't stress it enough with Wiggins. 23 points but without those Euro steps I wondered whether he was playing. He damn sure didn't bring it defensively. His numbers just feel so empty given what he can offer. As for LaVine, he had his moments. He still takes dumb shots, but he's not gun shy. It's the one quality he has that I wish everyone else had: unbridled confidence. He DEFINITELY plays better with Rubio, so him starting alongside him is the next phase.


Andre Miller had no business being out there tonight and Sam relying on the vets cost us dearly. Prince looked like an amateur out there. Miller was trying to post up everyone he saw with nowhere to go. It led to nothing. It's time we throw Tyus Jones into the shallow end of the pool and let him wade a bit with the 2nd unit. We could use that spark. Also, have him do it on the road so he doesn't feel so much pressure to impress at home.

Dieng couldn't stop anything at the basket but he was our best shooter for sure. If they don't start LaVine I can deal with Dieng... For now.


Bazz played pretty well all things considered. He wasn't our worst defensive player tonight. I was scared he'd get the boot after that elbow but it lit a fire under him. Sam must do a better job of mixing and matching because he could benefit especially in a small ball run and gun lineup which we never run.

John McEnroe and Floyd Mayweather were at the game which was pretty cool. Saw some of the players boarding the bus after the game. They seem in good spirits even though they took the loss hard on the bench.

Some hearty Wolves fans at MSG and many of them will be back Sunday when we play the Nets. If they play the next game like they did this 2nd half I think we'll get back on track, but it is so hard to gain any confidence in Sam at this point.

[worldK]

Appreciate it wildwolf. Look forward to your nets game report.

[Lipoli390]

Great report, Wolf! A number of your observations were very similar to what I've noticed live at Target Center - especially your observations on Wiggins and Prince.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

That was a fun game to watch. Sucks to lose, but it had so much more action than many of our recent games. Rubio and Muhammad were playing with a lot of energy. I also thought Payne was bringing it for the couple minutes he was in there. Tough to win when you dig yourself a 22 point hole by not playing defense for an entire quarter.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Good report. The second half was encouraging. Seeing Rubio dishing to Lavine almost brought a tear to my eye. It's so obvious that Zach is our starting shooting guard right now, everybody sees it except Sam. He needs to get over his own ego and make that change, otherwise he should be fired immediately.

Seriously though, can the youth movement finally begin? It's time to start Zach and Gorgs, and play to our strength: speed and athleticism. Yes, Wiggins needs to add strength to play the 3, same with Zach at the 2, but those are going to be both players' natural position sooner than later, so why not start now?

If we're going to lose, lets lose running up and down the court, trying to fast break and dunk on people, meanwhile creating chemistry between a five man unit that might actually still be playing together a few years down the road.

Sam Mitchell, arrrrrrrg. Can't see the forest for the trees.

[Coolbreeze44]

Good report. The second half was encouraging. Seeing Rubio dishing to Lavine almost brought a tear to my eye. It's so obvious that Zach is our starting shooting guard right now, everybody sees it except Sam. He needs to get over his own ego and make that change, otherwise he should be fired immediately.

Seriously though, can the youth movement finally begin? It's time to start Zach and Gorgs, and play to our strength: speed and athleticism. Yes, Wiggins needs to add strength to play the 3, same with Zach at the 2, but those are going to be both players' natural position sooner than later, so why not start now?

If we're going to lose, lets lose running up and down the court, trying to fast break and dunk on people, meanwhile creating chemistry between a five man unit that might actually still be playing together a few years down the road.

Sam Mitchell, arrrrrrrg. Can't see the forest for the trees.

Damn Misty, great post. Couldn't agree more.