Game Report - Wolves v. Griz

[Lipoli390]

I've been at the last three home games. Unfortunately, I've dropped th ball on my usual game reports. But I can't think of a better game to relaunch my reports than the wolves win over the Griz last night. It was another relatively small crowd last night. And it was a quiet crowd too at the beginning -- the kind of quiet where Mo will hear you when you shout out telling him to stay in front of his man. But the crowd got plenty loud as the game progressed and especially in the 4th, filling the arena with a lot of energy. The last three games have been great fun.

Obviously, the main story-line of last night's game (the last two games) was Ricky Rubio. So I'll start with the indisputable fact that we're an entirely different team with Ricky back in action. Of course, that's not a great revelation. He elevates the play of his teammates when he's on the court through his incredible playmaking ability on the offensive end and his tenacious defense on the other end. He is far and away the best playmaking PG in the League - in the tradition of Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd. And he has clearly shored up his shooting to the point where he's a scoring threat as he showed last night with his 50% FG shooting, and 75% 3-point shooting, including his clutch three late in the 4th.

But what I noticed last night was that his positive impact isn't limited to his time on the court. The team actually plays better with Ricky on the bench as an active player than they did when he was in street cloths. They play with more energy and more confidence. When Ricky limped off the court last night, the by-then loud crowd fell silent. It was like the energy was instantly sucked out of the building. But it wasn't just the crowd. The entire team seemed to lose its energy, its competitive spirit and its confidence. Soon thereafter the energy came flooding back into the arena and into the players when Ricky came running confidently up the ramp and back to the Wolves bench ready to play. At that point, as a fan, I thought we'd win the game. I suspect that moment had the same impact on the psyche of Ricky's teammates.

A few more thoughts:

1. Great to see this team play some good defense. They have played much better defensively the past three home games. Guys are playing with more energy defensively and closing out more quickly on shooters. We still allowed Memphis to shoot over 50% from the field last night, but we limited their possessions with much better defensive rebounding and by forcing turnovers. Someone wrote that Zach Randolph didn't play hard and that's why we won. My take is that It was the Wolves defense that took Zach out of his game. He was clearly bothered by the ball-hawking and quick hands of Ricky and Thad. And he had a hard time getting good low post position against Pek. Zach ended up turning the ball over 5 times. He got to the point where he seemed afraid to put the ball on the floor for his typical short drives through the paint because of the presence of Ricky and Thad.

2. Much better rebounding overall from the Wolves - in spite of the fact that Pek had only 3 boards. You can see that Flip has told the guys that they all need to crash the boards and rebound better as a team.

3. Wiggins had a fairly quiet game, but he was productive and critical to the win. You can see that he's still figuring out how he fits in the offense with Ricky back in action. But nevertheless, he scored 18 points on better than 50% shooting while hitting 6 of 7 from the line. That's what I would call productive and efficient. Add to that his 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Nice game from Andrew.

4. Nice game from Thad too. He's a very different player with Ricky on the floor. Ricky's presence means less ball-handling by Thad, which is a good thing. :). He's no longer getting repeatedly stuck by Mo Williams with the ball at the top of the key with the shot-clock about to expire. Ricky and Pek both help him defensively. And like everyone else, he plays with a lot more confidence since Ricky's return.

5. Bennett again showed his considerable potential. Some have been far too down on this guy. He'll need time and coaching, but he will ultimately become a very good player in my view. I talked privately to some folks in the organization about Bennett. They said there is no problem with his work ethic or basketball IQ. They said he's a hard worker and very coachable with a high basketball IQ. They also said he doesn't have the Derrick Williams problem - i.e., loving the NBA lifestyle more than the game. They said his problem is confidence. Apparently he's very sensitive and tends to get down on himself and overthink things. They said the Cleveland experience was really hard on his confidence as he endured a constant barrage of attacks from fans and media based on expectations that go along with being the top pick in the draft.

6. The last two games show us that Martin is expendable if we can get the right deal for him. He was 4-11 from the field and 1 for 6 behind the arc last night with only two trips to the line. Not good enough for our starting SG, especially given our lack of three-point shooters, Martin's contract and his injury propensity. I don't mind keeping Martin, but I would certainly shop him.

Bottom line is that the future looks bright so long as Ricky can stay healthy. No tanking. I want this team to win as many games as they can the rest of the way this season.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Great report, Lip. I got a verbal report from my daughter and son-in-law, and they echoed what you said about the difference in energy at the start and end of the game. So great to have the fun back in home games!

It's incredible the impact that Rubio has on the team. We see it on the court, we see it in the numbers, and now that you pointed it out, the team does play better even when he is in uniform on the bench. What we have in Ricky is something we have longed for here...a true leader who makes everyone else better.

Thanks for the comments about AB too. I really agree with the team's assessment that his is an issue of confidence, not a lack of skill or effort. I truly believe there is a monster inside him about to burst out, and boy will it be fun to watch when he gets his confidence. There were some comments on the GDT last night that I tended to agree with...basically frustration that AB doesn't seem to understand how big and athletic he is, or how much better he can be. Who knows...he may never get it. But I hope they give this kid some time to recognize his enormous potential.

[Coolbreeze44]

Yeah I said it would be great if AB woke up one day and realized what a big man he is.

Lip, good point on Martin. He's too soft and we don't need him anymore. No matter how well he plays this year it isn't going to help. And in future years he's just going to be in the way.

[bleedspeed]

I thought Z-Bo looked like a soon to be 34 year old that need s the all-star break to get here so he can get a break.

I can see the confidence thing with AB. He looked good and confident then he had to play center and he got man handled by gasol and koufus. Then he just didn't look the same. I think that is bad coaching and roster management. He should be put in a position to succeed.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Great point about AB having to play center. He looked like a deer in the headlights when Flip told him to take Gasol!

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Great point about AB having to play center. He looked like a deer in the headlights when Flip told him to take Gasol!

I watched the whole game and I'm having much trouble remember Bennett ever guarding Gasol. He got stuck with Koufos for a little stretch, but that's about it.

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Ricky's style is the exact style I want the PG to play. Run the offense, get your guys great looks, play good defense. He is a huge key for us taking the next step. Having him running the offense and Wiggins growing into an elite two way player are huge keys going forward. We need to nab our third cornerstone type in the draft. We have to hit on this pick if we want to be a top team.

I also agree with trading Martin. He is a good trade piece. If we can acquire a quality PF before the trade deadline that would be huge. We got good pieces in Martin, Young, and maybe even Pek to trade.

[Papalrep]

Bleed-----I can see the confidence thing with AB. He looked good and confident then he had to play center and he got man handled by gasol and koufus. Then he just didn't look the same. I think that is bad coaching and roster management. He should be put in a position to succeed.

Tom Kelly (who has one it all two more times than Flip) said his job is to put his players in a position to succeed. Playing a second year man with a confidence problem is not doing that.

[Papalrep]

out of position

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

We have a Lipoli sighting! Nice of.you to come out of hibernation for a game report!

Do you have any inside info on Pek? Do we plan to keep him?