Timberwolves Win, No Joke

Just when I thought the Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t going to win another game this season, they pulled off a victory in Miami beating the Miami Heat last night 111-104.

Sebastian Telfair was the star and it’s about time he steps into that role, but I think the real key was successful 3-pointers. I bought some Gopher Basketball tickets a few weeks back and saw the maroon and gold at The Barn. I made note that the Gopher Basketball team may shoot better for 3 pointers than any other team in college basketball right now and I think that is a big component to their success. Then when I saw the Timberwolves turn on the three point charm last night, I thought, hey they might be able to pull this off and they did!

Randy Foye had back to back threes which was a huge team morale booster as well. I say the Twolves should shoot more threes and just be sure to position some guys under the basket for the inevitable rebounds. A new strategy is definitely needed if the Wolves want to win even 5 more games this season, why not shoot for threes every time?

Wolves Lose Close Game

The Wolves suffered their first loss of the year (2009) last night vs. Miami Heat at the Target Center. It was a close game so I am not as upset as I have been at the other losses this season. The Heat just came on stronger in the final minute of the game edging out the Timberwolves 96-99. I noticed the poor performance, but I didn’t realize this stat that went along with it:

“Minnesota missed its last four shots and committed two turnovers in the final 1:26”

Oops. Sounds like the Wolves are up to their old tricks of not being able to finish out strong. I bet McHale will have a plan for that. Randy Foye played well as did Rodney Carney off the Timberwolves bench.

The Timberwolves now spend some time on the road – 3 games to be exact and 10 days until they are back on the Target Center floor. I hope they can keep up their tough playing ways and win a road game (or two).

Randy Foye to represent Timberwolves in summer outreach program in Turkey, How about Minneapolis?

Timberwolves point guard Randy Foye and assistant coach Ed Pinckney will head to Turkey in June as part of the NBA’s “Basketball Without Borders” program. Former Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey will also be with the group in Turkey – hmmmm. I wonder if that will be awkward. I don’t think Randy Foye is a super supporter of current Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman so perhaps Foye and Casey can spend a few days grumbling over the Timberwolves administration. That’s what I would do. Misery loves company.

It would be nice to see Randy Foye do more in the Minneapolis community as well. Perhaps a high school basketball clinic or something to raise Timberwolves and NBA support in the Twin Cities. I don’t think they sell too many Timberwolves tickets to Turkey residents, but if they got a little more involved in the community, perhaps they could sell some of those empty Target Center seats to Minnesotans. I always say, fans will rally around a team if the team can produce victories or if the team has likable personalities, but when you don’t have either, you don’t have fans.

Timberwolves beat Philadelphia 76ers

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated Philadelphia 76ers 104-88 last night to snap a five-game losing streak. That puts the Wolves record at 11-41, the worst record in the West, but the win was a definite morale booster for the team. Al Jefferson played hard and ended the night with 19 points and 14 rebounds against the 76ers and Randy Foye, who missed the first three months of the season with a knee injury, made his first start and finished with 13 points and 5 assists.

Timberwolves head coach Randy Wittman paired Foye and Sebastian Telfair in the backcourt, and said he's not sure how long he'll go with that experiment.

"They'll determine that for me,'' Wittman said. "When you put new combos together, they'll tell me how it's working by how they play.''

This Timberwolves fan enjoyed the combination and was just plain excited to see Randy Foye back on the court and looking healthy – let’s hope the rest of the season is as successful as this game was!

Randy Foye returns

Randy Foye is back on the floor, a good sign for Minnesota Timberwolves fans. After missing the first 43 games of the regular season, Foye saw action against the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night. He came in with 4:13 left in the first quarter and finally scored his first points of the season with 11:26 left in the second. His final line for the night included 11 points, two assists, one rebound and a steal in 17 minutes.

Randy Wittman gave the clichéd “rusty” quote, but he also said he played under control, which is a good thing. I don’t want to see additional damage to Randy Foye’s knee, because he has to come back healthy for next season. Randy Foye is back on the court Timberwolves fans, which means Al Jefferson might have an outside threat to compliment his inside presence.

Still no timetable for Foye

Randy Foye feels like he is getting back to being in the lineup, but he isn’t quite there yet. He has been working out with Fred Hoiberg and doing a lot of sprinting and shooting, but no contact workouts have taken place. If Foye wants to return this season, he has to make sure everything is 100 percent with his knee, because a setback would only prolong the recovery time. With the only reason to play this season being to avoid having the worst 82-game record of all time, rushing Randy Foye back wouldn’t be a wise decision.

The rest of those lovable Wolves played better on Saturday on the road against the San Antonio Spurs. The Timberwolves actually had the lead going into the second half, but simply couldn’t hang with the Spurs. At least it wasn’t a fourth quarter downfall; this time the Wolves got outplayed in the third, easing the pain of defeat. The Minnesota Timberwolves return home tonight, and there is plenty of great seating left. Buy cheap Timberwolves Tickets.

Road Trip is over, Wolves prep for Portland

Another disastrous road trip is over for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now they come back home to the Target Center after the New Years and play the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers. The game should give Timberwolves fans another good look at what the Wolves could have had if they had kept Brandon Roy instead of trading him for Randy Foye. Foye might not even play a game this season, while Roy has done everything to help his team win during the Blazers improbable 13-game winning streak that ended on New Years Eve when the Blazers fell to the Utah Jazz. Perhaps the Wolves can play some good basketball at home and hand the Blazers something that hasn’t happened in a while for them – a losing streak.

Randy Foye still out

The Minnesota Timberwolves will have to do without Randy Foye for a bit longer. Doctors say the injury is healing, but Foye still needs 3 to 4 more weeks of rest before resuming basketball activities. Coach Randy Wittman is just kidding himself if he puts a positive spin on this. The Wolves need Randy Foye, the Wolves fans need a reason to come out to the Target Center and Randy Foye is a reason.

Randy Foye Injury Setback

What is going on with Minnesota sports teams? It seems every team has a star player (or two) hurt and now the Timberwolves have joined that club. First, the Minnesota Vikings with Tarvaris Jackson, then the Minnesota Wild with Marian Gaborik and now the Wolves with Randy Foye. On of my favorite Wild blogs has a message for Marian Gaborik to put his big girl panties on and tough it out and I agree! Now I know Randy Foyes knee injury is a little more serious than a pulled groin muscle, but the same principal applies. These athletes are paid tons of money to PLAY, not to sit in rehab. What is going on? These guys need to take better care of their bodies - its their source of income.

Foye, a second-year Wolves guard, will miss at least the first three weeks of the regular season because of a stress reaction on his left kneecap. The reaction, a sort of precursor to what might have become a stress fracture, was finally detected late Monday after Foye had both an MRI and a CT scan on the joint.

Randy Foye was one of the reason I had planned to buy Timberwolves tickets this season. The offense is built around his leadership and abilities. It will be tough for Sebastian Telfair (who isn’t 100% healthy either) and Marko Jaric to fill the hole.

It seems a dismal Timberwolves season just got more depressing.

Minnesota Timberwolves Training Camp 2007

The Minnesota Timberwolves training camp is in full swing. The Wolves spent week one in Istanbul, Turkey where they practiced and then played in the first ever NBA game in Turkey. The Wolves managed to beat Efes Pilsen (Istanbul) by a score of 84-81. The Wolves then said good-bye to Turkey and hello to England, London to be exact. The Timberwolves are practicing in London’s state of the art O2 center which can seat 23,000 basketball fans and has been compared to Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers.

While in London, the Timberwolves will play Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game this Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2. I know I will be tuned in to see what the Wolves look like in action.

My biggest concern for the Wolves so far (besides the fact we lost our “Big Ticket” and we are rebuilding) is that there are so many injured players. The Wolves are starting to look like the Twins did a few months back. Four Wolves players are "officially" injured - Craig Smith (sprained left ankle), Rashad McCants (sore right hamstring), Mark Madsen (right shoulder surgery) and Marko Jaric (sprained left ankle) and Randy Foye has struggled with tendinitis in his knee. Come on guys, get healthy and get ready to play some tough NBA games!

Foye Can be Top Dog

With the departure of Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves, there was some worry about the work ethic of the team being affected. But as Randy Foye begins to look, work and perform more like a leader, the Timberwolves work ethic might even improve. Foye has been working hard, really hard, on his game and physique this offseason. He has already garnered first team honors in the Las Vegas Summer League. If a player was going to screw up anywhere, it’s going to be Las Vegas, but Foye is all business. Now Foye is going to the gym twice a day and lifting weights everyday after the news that Garnett was going. If you just take a look at a recent picture of this guy, you’ll be amazed at how big his arms are. As of now, Foye wants to be the alpha Wolf, and despite his sophomore status, it looks like he has what it takes on a young squad.

Smith and Foye excel in Vegas

Craig Smith and Randy Foye were killer Minnesota Timberwolves rookies last season. Both players are still young, and participating in summer leagues are still a priority to the Wolves inside-outside duo. Thing is, they are some of the best young players in the league, and the competition in the rest of the Las Vegas NBA Summer League isn’t up to Foye and Smith’s talent level. Craig Smith has absolutely dominated opponents inside during the summer league, averaging 21.8 points per game and 6.0 rebounds. Foye boosted his coaches’ confidence considerably by shooting a lights-out 53.8% from three-point range. The Timberwolves haven’t had a consistent three-point threat since the Fred Hoiberg playing days, and the role desperately needs to be filled if the Wolves want to compete with run and gun teams like the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. Foye and Smith encouraged Wolves fans by putting up some serious summer league numbers, but time will tell if they can do it when it counts.

Garnett Trade Speculation Still Swirling

Is it true that any press is good press? The national media coverage on the possibility of Kevin Garnett getting traded is more depressing to me than anything. The most recent speculation has the Boston Celtics sending over four garbage players and the fifth overall draft pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Please, not another trade with the Celtics. It has been confirmed that the Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves are in contact, but are not close to a deal. Even more depressing to think of is regardless if the Wolves pull the trigger on a trade involving Garnett, it is most likely going to be a long season. If Garnett stays, Timberwolves fans will once again be unsure if the club is in the rebuilding process. The Wolves will be full of young talent however. Will fans buy Timberwolves tickets to see Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and possibly Corey Brewer?

Wolves on Search for Second-Rounder

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been inviting prospects to work out in front of the team’s front office in recent weeks. The team is trying to decide who to take with their second round 41st overall pick. Some of the possible players that the Wolves could take include Wisconsin guard and former Minneapolis North star Kammron Taylor. However, it unlikely the Wolves will take another point guard in the draft after taking Randy Foye last year. The Wolves are also extensively looking at big men, which they are in dire need of. On Monday, the Wolves worked out 6’10’’ Providence forward Herbert Hill, 6’9’’ Florida center Chris Richard and 6’9’’ Creighton center Anthony Tolliver. Hill was the Big East’s Most Improved Player last year and lead the Big East in scoring at 19.9 points per game. Richard came off the bench to back up Joakim Noah and Al Horford on the National Champion Florida Gators team and Tolliver ranked First-team all-Missouri Valley Conference his senior season.

Wolves Get What They Expected

The 2007 NBA Draft lottery was exciting for about six seconds before the Minnesota Timberwolves were neither rewarded nor penalized with the seventh overall pick in the draft. The seventh pick was the Timberwolves pre-lottery position. The 18.31 percent of a chance the Wolves had to land in the top three made the lottery worth watching, but Randy Foye's facial expression when the Wolves were announced at number seven said it all: The team will have its work cut out for them in selecting a player at number seven.

Chinese seven-footer Yi Jianlian is a surprise second favorite on the Wolves website poll behind Corey Brewer from Florida. The poll asks site visitors who they would like to see in a Timberwolves uniform. Brewer got the most press from his college team's championship run, but Jianlian might be the dark horse candidate to be the next Minnesota Timberwolf. Either way, I hope they choose an exciting player that can help sell Timberwolves Tickets before all the Timberwolves basketball fans give up.

Timberwolves send Foye to the Lottery

The NBA's draft lottery is scheduled for Tuesday night in New Jersey. The Minnesota Timberwolves are sending rookie point guard Randy Foye as their good luck charm at the annual pingpong ball pop-up. The lottery will take place a mere 10-minute drive from Foye's home. Though 23 years old with only one season of service in the organization, Foye volunteered to represent the Timberwolves and although he doesn’t consider himself a lucky person, he is hoping to bring the organization some much needed luck.

The odds that the Minnesota Timberwolves will get the first or second pick are definitely slim as Minnesota will only have 53 ping pong balls in the hopper out of 1,000 balls. The Memphis Grizzlies, who finished with the league's worst regular-season record, will have 250 balls. Let’s just hope Foye can bring the Wolves more luck in Jersey than he did on the court.

Foye and Garnett, Peas in a Pod?

I regularly read the Minnesota Timberwolves mail bag section on their website to see what other fans are curious about. One of the questions last week was: “What does Randy Foye like to do in his free time and are he and Kevin Garnett friends?” The answer was: “Randy Foye is the definition of a "pro's pro," as his main goal is to be the best basketball player he can be. Thus, you won't see him out partying or running around.” I guess that little incident in February with local police doesn’t count as running around? I suppose it is in the best interest of the Timberwolves mail bag to paint a positive picture of the team. The mail bag continued to answer by saying, “Foye is very close with Kevin Garnett, and has said repeatedly how much he looks up to the Big Ticket, how much he appreciates his council and how blessed he feels to be playing with him. Garnett looks at Foye like a little brother, and does everything he can to help him as a player and a person. It's a great relationship.” Well, this Timberwolves fan hopes that relationship can develop into more baskets and not just PR mumbo jumbo. Let’s go Wolves!