Wolves vs Celtics in Montreal

[60WinTim]

A little over an hour away. It's on NBA-TV.

Kevin Martin is back. And we've heard all week about how the starters are gelling quite a bit more. It'll be good to see the starters play well, and we might read a few more tea leaves on Williams, Johnson and the 4 guys fighting for the 15th roster spot.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

D-Will starting at the 3 tonight.

[60WinTim]

D-Will starting at the 3 tonight.

Yup. He needs to make the best of this opportunity!

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

D-Will starting at the 3 tonight.

Yup. He needs to make the best of this opportunity!

No doubt. This will be the first game this pre-season where I can watch the entire game. Hopefully D-Will impresses me.

[60WinTim]

No doubt. This will be the first game this pre-season where I can watch the entire game. Hopefully D-Will impresses me.

I'll be happy if he just "blends in with the starters". I don't need him to impress me, just don't disappoint me!

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Thought we played OK for the first three and a half quarters. Won by 15, though. Can't complain. Love and Martin had 20+ and Rubio had 15. Kept saying while watching it that I guess I should feel encouraged that we were winning all game even though we weren't playing up to our ability.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Decent game tonight. Rubio started sloppy but then asserted himself and the team rolled behind him. No doubt Martin's defense is questionable but he makes up for it on offense. Love is returning to beast mode. Pek started to get it going. Things are looking up.

Was starting D-Will tonight a showcase for a possible trade? He was OK tonight but overall I still think Brewer is a better fit with the starting unit.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I think we saw flashes of what this team is going to be this year...some good, some bad. I'm not sure why Adelman started Williams at the 3, but other than that, this looked like a true tune up for the regular season. A few observations on today's game:

1) Kevin Martin can score 20 points a game on this team. I had forgotten that he is not just a jump shooter, but also has some nice moves going to the basket. He could be a prolific scorer creating on his own and drawing fouls, curling off of screens, and spotting up for threes. A perfect fit with Adelman and Rubio.

2)But as good as Martin is offensively, tonight we saw why Martin and Williams cannot be on the court at the same time...way too risky defensively. I like Brewer's energy off the bench, but barring a trade that brings in a starting SF (Evan Turner), Corey needs to start next to Martin.

3) They were 10-25 on threes tonight (40%), and I don't think that is an aberration. I think we will see both more attempts and certainly more makes this year.

4) I saw more energy and joy from Rubio and Pek tonight, and it was reflected in their results. I think my concerns here were premature.

5) This is a good rebounding team, especially when Corey contributes like he did tonight. I think we will see 54-40 rebounding edges like tonight a lot this year.

6) Although he is not skilled as a shooter, Turiaf will be a good contributor this year when Pek needs a blow. I like the way he plays the game. Always hustling, always in the right place. Nice 18 minutes tonight with 3 boards, 2 assists, a steal and a block.

7) Dante Cunningham doesn't get a lot of love, but he will be just fine backing up at PF this year. He never forces anything, but knows that his best scoring chance is that 12 foot elbow jumper...and both Ricky and JJ know how to find him there. I liked his 5 points and 7 boards in 12 minutes...just what we need from him.

Boston isn't very good, especially with Rondo out, but I still saw a lot to like tonight.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Was starting D-Will tonight a showcase for a possible trade? He was OK tonight but overall I still think Brewer is a better fit with the starting unit.

I suppose Adelman wants to give him a fair shake at competing for the starting SF position. I happen to agree with you that Brewer is the better fit with our starters. We saw how tonight he ended up taking the most shots of the second unit guys. We do NOT want Brewer in a role where he has to create offense. D-Will on the other hand is more of a scorer and not a whole lot else. We could use his scoring punch off the bench. As far as energy is concerned, we get plenty of that off the bench from Barea, Turiaf, and Cunningham.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Not sure how great of a test this was tonight, but I'll take any positive momentum this team can generate. And most importantly, no injuries!