| Minnesota Timberwolves Five Vibe Games 6 –10 Authored by Adam Winegarden - November 25, 2005 - 1:55 pm
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1. Highs and Lows
With a 109-89 victory over the streaking Wizards, the Timberwolves avoided a three game slide. The Wizards weren’t prepared for Michael Olowokandi who scored a then season high of 14 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Richie Frahm scored 16 points and continued to be the Wolves’ only outside shooting threat, going 4-5 from the three-point line.
The low point of the session was losing to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Paul and West show. Kevin Garnett was his usual brilliant self and Michael Olowokandi continued his inspired run, but the lack of overall offense struck again. The Timberwolves simply can’t win with Wally Szczerbiak, Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants scoring a combined 19 points. Jaric was brought in to be the primary distributor – a job he seems to be losing to Troy Hudson. Jaric played only 9 minutes in the game and seemed to be unable to handle a quick point guard like Chris Paul. At this point, the Cassell/Jaric swap is looking very lopsided in the Clippers’ favor.
2. Casey Consequences
Casey still seems to be looking for a consistent rotation. While Casey’s rotation patterns tend to be influenced by game situations, it seems that only Garnett, Szczerbiak and Hudson are able to garner consistent minutes. Jaric, McCants, Anthony Carter and Eddie Griffin have all experienced an extreme range of playing time, from starter’s minutes to DNPs. While substitution patterns are always impacted by game situations, Casey needs to find a consistent rotation to give the Timberwolves a more defined sense of roles.
3. Surprise Stud
Much maligned center Michael Olowokandi had a startlingly productive week. Over the five games, he scored double figures four times. Olowokandi was dominant in the win over Charlotte with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. The most impressive factor could be Olowokandi’s newfound passion for defense; as a result, he has averaged at least 2 blocks a game over the past four games. If Olowokandi can maintain this level of production through the rest of the season, he could put himself in line for a large contract in the off-season.
4. Rookie Report
McCants began to show some potential on defense, and his minutes have begun to increase. He had a career high in points against the Nuggets and a career high in minutes against the Bobcats. His performance against his former North Carolina teammates Sean May and Raymond Felton was the highlight of the season. He played well on both ends of the floor and filled more of the box score than he had previously, including grabbing 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Unfortunately, McCants was unable to build on that performance in the following game, logging only 9 minutes in the game against the Hornets.
5. Statistic of the Session
0-4. The Timberwolves continue to be winless on the road. Teams that can’t win on the road inevitably end up in the lottery. |
