Timberwolves notes

[Big Daddy]

This was in today's St. Paul Pioneer press. Looks like the Wolves are ready to go.





Posted on Sat, Apr. 17, 2004





TIMBERWOLVES REPORT: Wolves crank it up in practice

BY MIKE WELLS and BRIAN HAMILTON

Pioneer Press


The Timberwolves won't play Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against Denver until Sunday, but the way coach Flip Saunders described Friday's practice, it appears they're ready.

Saunders cut practice short because he felt the team was too intense.

"Guys were a little bit edgy," he said. "Our second unit has played extremely well the last eight games, and that's how they played in practice. So we had to turn it back a little bit."

Practice intensity has been high for several weeks. The White unit, which is the second team, has two former starters ? Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi ? going against the starters' Black unit. What begins as a regular scrimmage usually picks up when players start trash talking, or when the second team gets the edge on the starters.

"I'll tell you, our practices are worse than some of the games we play," Kevin Garnett said Thursday. "Flip has to basically kick us out of the gym. It's not only helped me, but the whole team. We're deep. But at the same time, we're competitive. That's where it starts; it starts in practice.

"Believe me, we get after it more in practice because we have to carry that energy over to the game."

The competitiveness in practice usually starts with Garnett. Several players have said Garnett is one of the most competitive players in the league.

"Kevin competes every day," Latrell Sprewell said. "But when guys start talking trash to him, that just raises his level of intensity."

Buddy plan: So much for longstanding friendship. Sprewell and Denver center Marcus Camby were teammates with the New York Knicks from 1998-2001. They still talk frequently, but not since the Wolves and Nuggets fell into each other's laps for the first round.

"When you get on the court," Sprewell said, "it's all business."

Sprewell is not surprised by Camby's performance in Denver this season. In 72 games, he averaged 8.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. The previous season he was limited to just 29 games because of injuries.

"It's nothing new to me," Sprewell said. "Basketball-savvy people understand what he brings to the table, especially when he's 100 percent."

 

[Big Daddy]

Posted on Sat, Apr. 17, 2004





Playoffs sweet as 'Kandi'

After five years with the Clippers, Olowokandi ready to contribute to a Wolves championship run

BY BRIAN HAMILTON

Pioneer Press


Long after an intense Timberwolves practice ended, Michael Olowokandi remained, working on post moves while getting bumped, hacked and generally abused by assistant coach Greg Ballard. He then retired to the weight room, where he went through a heavy workout. A third straight weight room visit will take place today.

Call it a crash course in NBA playoff basketball for the Wolves center, who gets his first taste of the postseason this weekend after existing in the netherworld of Los Angeles Clipperdom for five years.

"Just getting ready," Olowkandi said Friday. "The intensity will go up, and the more durable you are over the course (of the playoffs), the better off you'll be. But other than that, I don't really think I should do anything different."

That is music to Minnesota's ears. Olowokandi's effectiveness in the postseason is as much an X-factor as any for the Wolves. He enjoyed a renaissance at the end of the regular season, averaging 9.2 points and 10.1 rebounds in 29 minutes over the last six games, including two double-doubles and coming up a rebound short of two more against Sacramento and Utah.

Now it's a matter of Olowokandi quickly grasping playoff basketball, and then sticking with the game plan that made him so effective in April.

"We expect exactly what he's been giving us ? defensive rebounding, protecting the paint, and the ability to score at times on the block," coach Flip Saunders said. "We're not going to ask him to do anything more."

"Playoff basketball is not all about scoring," point guard Sam Cassell said. "Changing a shot is sometimes better than blocking a shot. Changing a shot, most likely you're going to get the ball back. He has to understand that. It's brand new to him. He's never going to see intensity like this."

To Olowokandi's credit, he seems aware of what looms. He emphasizes the Wolves' need for a defensive presence in the postseason, and that presence in the paint is exactly what Minnesota wants from him.

"If you look at it in those terms, yeah, sure, I'm an X-factor, (Ervin) Johnson's an X-factor, (Kevin Garnett) is a huge X-factor," Olowokandi said.

Aside from the plates he has added in the weight room, he hasn't embellished much on his game from the past month.

"I don't think you can start incorporating something new to your game two days before the playoffs," Olowokandi said. "It'll be continuing from the regular season.

"I haven't been to the playoffs before, but I've seen enough games ? obviously playing with the Clippers, watching games on the tube ? to sort of know what to expect. But I guess before you get there, you don't really know what to expect."


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Brian Hamilton can be reached at bchamilton@pioneerpress.com.

 

[Big Daddy]

Posted on Sat, Apr. 17, 2004





Cassell willing to carry load

BY MIKE WELLS

Pioneer Press


Denver has Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. Dallas has Steve Nash and Marquis Daniels. Sacramento has Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson. The Lakers have the tandem of Gary Payton and Derek Fisher.

The Timberwolves? They have Sam Cassell and ? drum roll, please ? Darrick Martin.

Yes, the same Martin cut by a Nuggets team that won just 17 games last season. When asked if he thought that might motivate Martin, Wolves coach Flip Saunders cracked, "He's been cut by a lot of teams."

Martin will likely play only about 10 minutes a game in the playoffs, but it could the most important 10 minutes of the game as far as the Wolves are concerned.

While most of the elite teams in the Western Conference play-offs don't have a drastic drop off when they go from the starting point guard to the backup, the Wolves will go from a 2004 all-star to a journeyman who has shuffled in and out of the league.

"I'm just going to take the same approach I've always taken ? try to maintain the level of pace we have in the game or increase it," Martin said Friday. "Fortunately, we have good guys in the second group that can come in and make a few plays. If we can take the lead to maybe 8-12 points, K.G. and Spree can come back in and extend it to 20."

Martin has spent parts of three seasons with the Wolves, and he's been to the playoffs with Sacramento twice and with the Clippers. He had two 10-day contracts with the Wolves earlier this season, so he's familiar with Saunders' system.

Martin's third stint with the Wolves this season began March 31, earning a spot on the roster for the remainder of the year. He appeared in 16 games, averaging 10.8 minutes and 3.4 points per game.

"He just comes in, runs the team, doesn't do anything over the top," forward Kevin Garnett said. "Plays real basic, has a lot of confidence in himself and his shot, which is good. And he knows what he's here for."

Martin is Cassell's backup because Troy Hudson's bad ankle finally forced the Wolves to take him off the playoff roster. How he plays will likely have an impact on how far the Wolves go in the playoffs. As well as Cassell has performed this season with a makeshift backup, the intensity goes up in the playoffs ? and opposing teams aware of his age (34) will likely pressure him the entire length of the court as often as possible.

It may be difficult for Cassell to play at a high level while dealing with that throughout a seven-game series. Cassell disagrees.

"I've been doing it the whole year," he said. "It's nothing I get discouraged about. I like it, in a way. I understand I'm going to be out there. I can't get in foul trouble. I'll be very cautious in that aspect. ? I have to make (opponents) adjust to what I like to do. If can get them to adjust, we'll be fine."

If he manages to survive the young legs of Miller and Boykins, who have had fairly good success pushing the tempo against the Wolves, the second round will present Nash and Daniels or Bibby and Jackson.

Dallas coach Don Nelson left veteran Travis Best off the playoff roster in favor of Daniels, only a rookie but averaging 26 points over the past four games. Jackson missed 28 of the past 29 games but is expected to play in Game 1 on Sunday against Dallas.

"Sam is going to play 40 minutes," Saunders said. "There's not a lot of teams whose backup point guard ? is going to be able to fill in and do the same things that your main guy does. Those things only come into play when there's an injury. Let's hope there's no injuries."

The Wolves will be helped by two off days between each game, limited travel and the fact that television timeouts are longer in the playoffs. The Wolves also will use Garnett at the point to cause matchup problems.

"We're going to approach it the same way we always have," Saunders said.


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Mike Wells covers the Timberwolves and the NBA. He can be reached at mwells@pioneerpress.com.

 

[Big Daddy]

Posted on Sun, Apr. 18, 2004





POINT GUARD: THE MATCHUPS:


If Troy Hudson were healthy, the Wolves would dominate. But the Nuggets have a chance to compete because their backcourt tandem of Andre Miller and Earl Boykins matches up well with Sam Cassell and Darrick Martin. Cassell gives the Wolves the advantage, however. It's the playoffs, and Cassell has a reputation of being a big-time player in big-time games.

SHOOTING GUARD

Former Gopher Voshon Lenard against Latrell Sprewell. Lenard is a one-dimensional player. His strongest asset is his jump shot. Like Trenton Hassell, Sprewell is always up to the challenge on defense. And like Cassell, Sprewell knows what it takes to succeed in the playoffs.

SMALL FORWARD

Nuggets rookie Carmelo Anthony averaged 15.5 points against the Wolves in four games during the regular season. Hassell is the Wolves' perimeter defensive stopper. He has put the defensive clamps on the likes of Boston's Paul Pierce and Orlando's Tracy McGrady this season. But Anthony has the better all-around game. The Wolves would have the edge if they could combine Wally Szczerbiak's offensive game with Hassell's defensive game.

POWER FORWARD

This is a no-brainer. No one can stop Kevin Garnett. Garnett should have a field day against Marcus Camby or whoever the Nuggets decide to throw at him. Garnett averaged 25.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists against the Nuggets. It wouldn't be surprising if he eclipses those numbers.

CENTER

Neither team has a dominating presence. Nuggets center Nene is averaging 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. The Wolves' tandem of Ervin Johnson and Michael Olowokandi isn't counted on to score. Their main job is to defend the lane and pull down rebounds.

BENCH

Both teams have a 10-player rotation. The difference is that the Wolves have players coming off the bench who could start for other teams. Szczerbiak and Olowokandi can heat up and take over a game. Denver doesn't have a player coming off the bench who can score 30 points.

INTANGIBLES

The Wolves enter the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak. They're on a mission, and their roster is full of veterans who know what it takes to win in the playoffs. Minnesota is determined to advance after seven consecutive first-round exits. The Nuggets are an up-and-coming team.

COACHING

Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik was rumored to be on the brink of losing his job after the season. Now he has his team in the playoffs, and Carmelo Anthony wants him to return next season. Wolves coach Flip Saunders hasn't been mentioned as a coach-of-the-year candidate, but he led Minnesota to the second-best record in the NBA despite dealing with injuries all season. This is the year that he finally leads the Wolves out of the first round.

PREDICTION

Wolves, 4 games to 1


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? Mike Wells