The triangle hybrid is starting to take effect.  Now, the Wolves just need to starting playing in the first two quarters of games.  I remember that last year we constantly were being blown out in the third quarter of games.  Proof to me that Kevin McHale was a horrible in game tactician.  Now, we come out flat night in and night out-only to come on extremely strong late in games.

I’m not putting this on Rambis, at least not yet.  I think that the Wolves don’t come out with a professional intensity early in games and its been apparent enough that teams have taken note.  The Wolves can be beaten in the first ten minutes of any given contest.  Normally people say that the last five minutes are the only important minutes of a basketball game but for the Wolves its really the first five to ten that set the tone for a win or a loss.  I’m not saying that if the Wolves jump out on a team like the Lakers 15-5 that they’ll put them away right then and there but they can’t let teams like the Pacers handle them so easily early on like they did last night.

The Wolves are a work in progress and the good signs are there for them but at the same time there are still some extremely troubling trends.  Slow starts are one.  Their guards plus/minus numbers are also pretty stinky right now.  A lot of that has to do with the youth of Flynn and Sessions but it also has to do with their lack of quality and quality depth at the 2 guard.  If the Wolves had one serviceable guard at the 2 they would be in a lot more games.  I’m thinking more of a Derek Harper type then a Michael Redd type 2 guard.  Someone that isn’t expecting to put up 20+ a night but that you can expect won’t allow “Joe-bag-a-dough-nuts” 20+ a night either.  I know we keep hearing that Brewer is right there on the cusp and that we are going to have him around next year too, but right now he’s not the man.  When he plays a good game the Wolves tend to win but in an 82 game season 20-30 good games doesn’t make you a starter.  Brewer coming off the bench or filling in for a spot start here or there due to injury is a lot more palatable to this Wolves fan.

Outside of learning the new systems in their sleep the Wolves need to define their second scorer, find a more dangerous threat at the three, come up with an NBA quality starter at the 2, start playing games in the first quarter and give their young point guards time to mature.  Other then that I think we are about an eight seed in the west, that is if we get those things done first.

This entry was posted on 01/11/2010 at 2:20 pm and is filed under Basketball, Timberwolves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.