Looks like Minnesota was definitely starving for some good basketball. With the Gophers playing a cupcake schedule and the Lynx season done, the Timberwolves were able to play in front of a sellout crowd, their first since 2007. Despite falling 104-100 to the Thunder, there was definitely an optimistic outlook for the rest of the season.
The offense definitely looked capable of scoring at a far more efficient rate than last year. Even against a team loaded with defensive stoppers (Sefalosha, Harden, Ibaka and Perkins) the TWolves managed to pile up a 100 points. However, there are some points of concern, primarily the outside shooting of the team (3-22). This will certainly look to go up as the year progresses as the Timberwolves were among the league leaders in 3-PT percentage. It also seemed to stall whenever Ridnour was running the point. There wasn't too many forced shots during the game but they always seemed to occur with Luke running the point. It seems that it is just a matter of time before Rubio takes over from the steady veteran.
The defense obviously still needs plenty of work, but Coach Adelman's coaching has obviously shown through. Love actually rotated on help defense and took a charge, a very rare occurrence. We happened to be playing against the likes of Durant, Westbrook and Harden who absolutely destroyed the Timberwolves. On a good note, Beasley looked like he was working his butt off trying to stay in front Durant, no matter how futile that might be.
Barea: 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 27:06
Barea picked up where he left off last year. He penetrated at nearly at will and had one of the plays of the game with a sky-high finger roll that just kissed the net. He also was able to pester Harden and Westbrook into committing fouls, even though they both got away with a couple of no calls. Grade: B+
Beasley: 27 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 36:27
B-Easy had a game typical of last year: High-volume, low-efficiency. However, this game was particularly inefficient, with Beasley only getting to the free throw line 3 times on 11-27 shooting. He was definitely taking some bad shots and ill-advised drives but I believe this will help in his maturation towards (hopefully) becoming the Alpha Wolf. His hard work on the defensive end versus Durant will eventually pay off, just not against the reigning scoring champ. Grade: C+
Johnson: 5 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in 24:43
Wesley was arguably the worst player of the game. He attempted to make plays that weren't demanded of him, i.e. the drive towards the basket and consequential turnover, and looked lost on offense. Even his defensive technique looked rusty as he seemed to rely too much on his athletic ability rather than fundamentals. Overall a very poor start. Grade: D-
Love: 22 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists in 41:01
The reigning Most Improved Player didn't have his greatest game, despite what the stats show, but still put together a pretty solid game on paper. He missed a couple of open shots and had Ibaka and Perkins draped over him the entire game. He did manage to go the line 12 times and even played respectable defense in the post. He must feel a bit awkward with other players actually trying to rebound the ball and all. Grade: B
Milicic: 12 points, 3 rebounds and 0 assists in 19:48
This is the Darko Milicic that the Timberwolves need. He played fantastic defense and set the tone for the game when he knocked down Kendrick Perkins in the game. He didn't force anything that wasn't there and was surprisingly efficient on the offensive side of things. Darko unfortunately didn't play as much as usual due to early foul trouble. Grade: B+
Randolph: 2 points, 1 rebound and 0 assists in 3:20
Randolph was the lucky recipient of a beautiful Rubio pass... and that was pretty much it. Might be the odd man out if the Timberwolves decide to go with a nine man rotation. Grade: I (Incomplete)
Ridnour: 2 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in 17:51
Luke unsurprisingly played the least amount of minutes of the start 5. When he did play, the offense sputtered and stuttered, yet somehow Ridnour managed to somehow put together solid numbers. Ridnour looks like he will drop back into his traditional role as the steady backup veteran point guard once Rubio is ready to take the reins. Grade: C
Rubio: 6 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 26:18
Timberwolves fans, meet your future!! Rubio played a near flawless debut with very few mistakes. On offense he wowed the sold-out crowd with his slick passes and court vision. On defense, he appears to have solid potential, but went up against one of the best guards in Russel Westbrook. Rubio may not put up 20 points every night, but that's not his game. He will, and always be a distributor first, second and third. He might be a scorer fourth. Grade: B+
Tolliver: 0 points, 2 reboounds and 0 assists in 19:36
This game showed how important Tolliver is to the Timberwolves. Despite not scoring 0 points, any reasonable intelligent critic/fan could tell you that Tolliver had a good game. With a major block late in the game, he no doubt established himself as the Timberwolves' glue guy. He takes charges, sets picks, and does whatever is needed to win the game. The only thing hurting him is that he missed all of his shots in the game. Grade: B
Williams: 13 points, 6 rebounds 1 assist in 23:48
The Timberwolves' number 2 pick turned in an above-average performance yesterday. The recipient of most of Rubio's passes, Williams flashed some solid athleticism. However, he seems to slow down greatly when handling the ball and doesn't have the speed to guard small forwards. There are plenty of places for improvement, but there are also plenty of sources for optimism. Grade: B-
The offense definitely looked capable of scoring at a far more efficient rate than last year. Even against a team loaded with defensive stoppers (Sefalosha, Harden, Ibaka and Perkins) the TWolves managed to pile up a 100 points. However, there are some points of concern, primarily the outside shooting of the team (3-22). This will certainly look to go up as the year progresses as the Timberwolves were among the league leaders in 3-PT percentage. It also seemed to stall whenever Ridnour was running the point. There wasn't too many forced shots during the game but they always seemed to occur with Luke running the point. It seems that it is just a matter of time before Rubio takes over from the steady veteran.
The defense obviously still needs plenty of work, but Coach Adelman's coaching has obviously shown through. Love actually rotated on help defense and took a charge, a very rare occurrence. We happened to be playing against the likes of Durant, Westbrook and Harden who absolutely destroyed the Timberwolves. On a good note, Beasley looked like he was working his butt off trying to stay in front Durant, no matter how futile that might be.
Barea: 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 27:06
Barea picked up where he left off last year. He penetrated at nearly at will and had one of the plays of the game with a sky-high finger roll that just kissed the net. He also was able to pester Harden and Westbrook into committing fouls, even though they both got away with a couple of no calls. Grade: B+
Beasley: 27 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 36:27
B-Easy had a game typical of last year: High-volume, low-efficiency. However, this game was particularly inefficient, with Beasley only getting to the free throw line 3 times on 11-27 shooting. He was definitely taking some bad shots and ill-advised drives but I believe this will help in his maturation towards (hopefully) becoming the Alpha Wolf. His hard work on the defensive end versus Durant will eventually pay off, just not against the reigning scoring champ. Grade: C+
Johnson: 5 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in 24:43
Wesley was arguably the worst player of the game. He attempted to make plays that weren't demanded of him, i.e. the drive towards the basket and consequential turnover, and looked lost on offense. Even his defensive technique looked rusty as he seemed to rely too much on his athletic ability rather than fundamentals. Overall a very poor start. Grade: D-
Love: 22 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists in 41:01
The reigning Most Improved Player didn't have his greatest game, despite what the stats show, but still put together a pretty solid game on paper. He missed a couple of open shots and had Ibaka and Perkins draped over him the entire game. He did manage to go the line 12 times and even played respectable defense in the post. He must feel a bit awkward with other players actually trying to rebound the ball and all. Grade: B
Milicic: 12 points, 3 rebounds and 0 assists in 19:48
This is the Darko Milicic that the Timberwolves need. He played fantastic defense and set the tone for the game when he knocked down Kendrick Perkins in the game. He didn't force anything that wasn't there and was surprisingly efficient on the offensive side of things. Darko unfortunately didn't play as much as usual due to early foul trouble. Grade: B+
Randolph: 2 points, 1 rebound and 0 assists in 3:20
Randolph was the lucky recipient of a beautiful Rubio pass... and that was pretty much it. Might be the odd man out if the Timberwolves decide to go with a nine man rotation. Grade: I (Incomplete)
Ridnour: 2 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in 17:51
Luke unsurprisingly played the least amount of minutes of the start 5. When he did play, the offense sputtered and stuttered, yet somehow Ridnour managed to somehow put together solid numbers. Ridnour looks like he will drop back into his traditional role as the steady backup veteran point guard once Rubio is ready to take the reins. Grade: C
Rubio: 6 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 26:18
Timberwolves fans, meet your future!! Rubio played a near flawless debut with very few mistakes. On offense he wowed the sold-out crowd with his slick passes and court vision. On defense, he appears to have solid potential, but went up against one of the best guards in Russel Westbrook. Rubio may not put up 20 points every night, but that's not his game. He will, and always be a distributor first, second and third. He might be a scorer fourth. Grade: B+
Tolliver: 0 points, 2 reboounds and 0 assists in 19:36
This game showed how important Tolliver is to the Timberwolves. Despite not scoring 0 points, any reasonable intelligent critic/fan could tell you that Tolliver had a good game. With a major block late in the game, he no doubt established himself as the Timberwolves' glue guy. He takes charges, sets picks, and does whatever is needed to win the game. The only thing hurting him is that he missed all of his shots in the game. Grade: B
Williams: 13 points, 6 rebounds 1 assist in 23:48
The Timberwolves' number 2 pick turned in an above-average performance yesterday. The recipient of most of Rubio's passes, Williams flashed some solid athleticism. However, he seems to slow down greatly when handling the ball and doesn't have the speed to guard small forwards. There are plenty of places for improvement, but there are also plenty of sources for optimism. Grade: B-
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