| Minnesota Timberwolves Five Vibe Games 1 – 5 Authored by Adam Winegarden - November 10, 2005 - 6:11 pm
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1. Highs and Lows
The highlight of the first five games of the season was game number five.
Minnesota held the L.A. Lakers and Kobe Bryant to season lows in points scored. The Timberwolves finally showed the defense that has been rumored to become a staple of the team under new coach Dwayne Casey. Not only did the Timberwolves hold Bryant under 30 points for the first time in the 2005-2006 season, but they also managed to hold team that hadn’t scored less than 99 points all season to just 74. It was clearly the team’s best performance so far.
On November 2nd, Kevin Garnett missed the team’s annual civic luncheon. This in and of itself would not be the low point of the opening week of the season if it hadn’t sparked speculation from Los Angeles to Bristol that Garnett’s days in Minnesota were numbered. The timing of this renewed speculation could not have been worse as the team attempted to begin a new chapter and philosophy.
2. Casey Consequences
Through the first five games of the 2005-2006 season the impact of Coach Casey has already been seen. Casey repeatedly emphasized defense and has experimented with his rotation quite a bit. He has recently gone to using a smaller lineup that consists of three point guards, Marko Jaric, Anthony Carter and Troy Hudson. Jaric’s size and Carter’s strength have allowed this lineup to cause match up problems for opponents. This lineup was used prominently in games three, four and five.
3. Surprise Stud
Free agent acquisition Richie Frahm wins the first Surprise Stud award. In the season opener against his former team the Portland Trailblazers, Frahm was the spark Minnesota needed to start the season right. Frahm was 5 of 6 from the three point line and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe, which tied him with Garnett for a team high 18 points. Frahm also added 4 rebounds and 4 assists. With Rashad McCants and Trenton Hassell going a combined 4 for 19 from the field, Frahm’s contribution saved the Timberwolves from an embarrassing defeat.
4. Rookie Report
Bracy Wright and Dwayne Jones were front page news in the first week of the season. Unfortunately they were on the front page of NBDL.com instead of NBA.com. Wright and Jones were some of the first players to be sent down using the NBA’s new rules that allow for first and second year players to be allocated to certain NBDL teams. Minnesota hopes that the increased playing time allows Jones to become accustomed to the physical nature of the NBA.
Wright will hopefully spend most of his playing time as a point guard and would be the first called up in case of an injury to any of the guards.
Rashad McCants had an up and down week as expected. It seems that McCants is fighting with Richie Frahm for minutes. He had season highs in shots taken and minutes played in the season opener and then found himself caught on the bench in games two, three and four. In game five he made a solid contribution and saw his minutes increase. His biggest struggle so far has been from beyond the three point line, he is 0 for the season behind the arch. If McCants can improve his outside shooting and use his superior athletic ability as a defender, his minutes should increase.
5. Statistic of the Session
Latrell Spreewell’s 2005-2006 line:
0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, $0, several hungry mouths to feed and one rejection from the Atlanta Hawks.
Ouch. |
