Erick Blasco

The Wolves will eventually need to ship out one of their power forwards who don't mesh together and get some range and athleticism on the team. Jefferson and Wilkins for Martin and Thompson sounds like it could work. If I'm the Wolves, I'd want Thompson or Casspi coming back the other way.

You're going to get outrebounded when you miss so many shots and your center can't jump.

The team is 1-0 with Salmons coming off the bench. Let's see how that works out for Chicago before you go for the guillotine. Remember what happened the last time a Chicago coach was fired needlessly early.

In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 105-89 victory over the New Jersey Nets, the Thunder showed the inexperience that has them hovering around postseason eligibility and the talent that will see them burst through the postseason door sooner, rather than later. Let’s examine which Thunder will be around when the lightning strikes. Kevin Durant—15-22 FG, 0-2 3FG, 10-12 FT, 5 REB, 2 AST, 5 TO, 40 PTS. There’s no player in the league, not Carmelo Anthony, not Kobe Bryant, that gets his jump shot off as effortlessly as Kevin Durant. With his towering length and graceful athleticism, Durant simply towered above any Nets defender. With his flawless shooting mechanics, it was a mild shock when one of his jumpers didn’t connect. Oklahoma City varied their methods of getting the ball in Durant’s hands. They positioned him in the midpost some where he’d look to turn and shoot, ran him off a few down screens, and used various baseline curl/fades aside from having him start stationary at the top of the key. Durant also executed several nifty backdoor cuts, and was unstoppable with the ball in his hands in early offense. If Durant had any major flaw, his high dribble was easily knocked away by smaller players when he drove through congested areas, particularly with his left hand. His defense was also below average, and he had trouble with Trenton Hassell’s long-range jumper and assortment of drives. Offensively though, the sky is the limit for Durant so long as he’s aware of his surroundings with his dribble and he keeps building up his frame to finish near the basket. It’s a matter of when, not if, Durant becomes the game’s next scoring leader. Jeff Green—2-5 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2 REB, 0 AST, 2 TO, 6 PTS. Green was a disaster. He was broken down defensively by Yi Jianlian and suffered early foul trouble. When he returned, he couldn’t establish any rhythm and wound up airballing a jumper, missing rotations, and being generally useless. Green’s jump shot is still a work in progress, and he struggles when he gets down early. Because he’s frail, he can be posted up, and he doesn’t put his quickness to use defensively. Offensively, he thrives by being longer than shorter forwards and faster than bigger ones. Against the Nets, he faced a similar player in Yi and didn’t have any mismatch advantage. Because Green doesn’t have a primary move he uses against all defenders, he’s limited to scoring only against select opponents and on broken plays. It says here that Green needs to work on some kind of automatic, fail-safe go-to move. A right hook in the post, a pull-up jumper going right, something that he has confidence in no matter the defender or situation. He also needs to stay involved in the game when things aren’t going his way. Russell Westbrook—4-12 FG, 0-2 3FG, 8-10 FT, 10 AST, 2 TO, 16 PTS Westbrook’s prime directive is to colonize the paint, no matter if it’s open for the taking or not. While Westbrook forced several drives and shots at the rim, he always charged the lane and looked to collapse New Jersey’s defense. While he didn’t have much individual success, he was able to draw and dish on isolations and screen/fades with Nenad Kristic, and he was able to earn 10 free throw attempts by assaulting the rim. If Westbrook doesn’t have three-point range and needs to be a better finisher, he did exhibit a reliable mid-range jumper. Defensively, Westbrook is a tough-minded, if clumsy defender. His overaggression lands him in perpetual foul trouble, but he’s long and willing to draw charges. Give him time to continue to learn the point guard position and to refine his defense and he’ll be a two-way star. Nenad Kristic—7-12 FG, 5-6 FT, 7 REB, 0 AST, 2 BLK, 1 STL, 1 TO, 19 PTS Kristic has a reliable 20-foot jump shot which makes him an ideal candidate to screen and fade, or to be a safety valve against collapsing defenses. Defensively, Kristic offered little resistance and doesn’t have the size or strength to be an adequate defender. When the Thunder become a playoff team, Kristic will be a backup. Thabo Sefolosha—0-2 FG, 1 REB, 6 AST, 1 TO, 1 BLK, 1 STL, 0 PTS While Sefolosha missed a layup and didn’t score a single point, he showed his athleticism by soaring to swat a Brook Lopez layup, and he moved the ball—six assists. Sefolosha has the tools to be a very good defensive player. If he can keep improving his three-point shooting, he’ll be the unassuming role player on a team of stars. James Harden—0-10 FG, 0-4 3FG, 3-4 FT, 6 REB, 1 AST, 3 TO, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 3 PTS Harden believed in the mantra, if at first you don’t succeed, fail, fail again. Harden repeatedly forced bad shots in the hopes that he’d lose the goose egg under his field goals made. While Harden is talented, he still needs to learn discretion and shot selection. Nick Collison—5-7 FG, 1-1 FT, 10 REB, 1 BLK, 11 PTS Collison’s hustle in the second half was a huge factor in Oklahoma City pulling away late in the third. In fact, of all the players who played, Collison had the best plus/minus ratio, an impressive plus-25 in 29 minutes. His presence on the offensive glass leaves him a valuable rotation player. Eric Maynor—1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 REB, 1 AST, 4 PTS Maynor overhandled and has difficulty running pro offenses, a reason why he was traded from Utah. Serge Ibaka—2-3 FG, 2-3 FT, 9 REB, 1 AST, 6 PTS Ibaka has awful hands, is totally ball-oriented on defense, and missed an all-alone putback. But, he’s a project and is fluid enough to take a flier on. What do the Thunder need to take the next step? A space eating centerA go-to move for GreenImproved jump shooting for Green and WestbrookA veteran backup point guard Most importantly, the Thunder need time to learn what they can, can’t, and must do. Give them two years and they’ll be a real handful.

No video of the game vs. Orlando where he went 1-4 and made defensive plays like the one at the 27 second mark, where he makes some kind of half-hearted effort to stop ball penetration? http://www.nba.com/g...l#nbaGIboxscore <object width="388" height="394" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="ep"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.element/swf/1.1/cvp/nba_embed_container.swf?context=&videoId=games/rockets/2009/12/19/0020900389_okc_hou_recap.nba" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.element/swf/1.1/cvp/nba_embed_container.swf?context=&videoId=games/rockets/2009/12/19/0020900389_okc_hou_recap.nba" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="388" wmode="transparent" height="394"></embed></object> Or his 1-5 game against the Thunder? Or the -10 +/- he had in the loss to Denver? All you have is a game against the Clippers?

or Kobe Bryant

Just giving this article a bump.

They never wanted to play him at all, finally gave in and played him to increase his trade value, and then he complained that he wanted more minutes. When he found out against New Jersey that he wasn't going to play, he ditched the team and left. Morey and Adelman have more pressing concerns than pleasing the McGrady fanboys. If you've lost respect for the duo for taking a team of role players and having them play unprecedentedly good basketball because a soft player had his feelings hurt, then blame McGrady for ditching his team and not being mentally strong enough to contribute. Adelman knows that. Here's what he said about T-Mac today: Why do you want an underachiever on a team that wins solely by getting the most out of themselves? The Rockets will keep playing the right way without T-Mac. If it isn't good enough, it isn't good enough. They still have dreams of being a contender next year with Yao out and the season is inspiring confidence in the rest of the roster. If Houston's best isn't good enough, then it isn't good enough. So far, it's been plenty enough.

His midrange game isn't too bad, it's his range. He can't hit a jumper consistently outside of 20 feet.

With Yao Ming out for the season, and Rick Adelman wanting nothing to do with a recuperating Tracy McGrady, it’s a wonder how the Houston Rockets win any games at all. In their 98-93 victory over the miserable New Jersey Nets, the Rockets struggled to put away the worst team in the NBA for many reasons. The Rockets missed no less than 15 layups (15!) with Trevor Ariza (4), Kyle Lowry (3), Chuck Hayes (2), Carl Landry (2), Luis Scola (2), and Aaron Brooks (2) being the culprits.Aside from bricking four layups, Ariza never found the stroke on his jumper—1-8 3FG—was timid around the basket, and didn’t show a world-class handle. He isn’t talented enough to be a go-to scorer on a great team.Brooks forced at least a half dozen shots and drives, while Lowry also jacked up a number of too-quick shot attempts.Lowry couldn’t find the basket with a map—1-9 FG, 7 PTS.Houston had difficulty with Brook Lopez’ size and strength around the hoop.Landry, Scola, and David Andersen were repeatedly beaten off the dribble by Yi Jianlian.Because the Rockets rarely sell out their weak-side help to avoid going into rotations, Yi’s drives, and several Nets screen/rolls resulted in layups.Included in Andersen’s horrible defensive lowlight reel was allowing the offensively challenged Josh Boone to drop a right hook over him.Luis Scola can score in the post, but he needs sufficient space and multiple spin moves to do so.Houston gave up too many open looks from downtown late that the Nets couldn’t capitalize on.Shane Battier was beaten backdoor by Courtney Lee three times, resulting in five points.Houston had trouble completing one-on-one offensive moves, as evidenced by their missed layups. Most of Houston’s success came off of execution of sets. If a team can choke off those sets, Houston becomes vulnerable offensively. So how possibly are the Rockets winning? Carl Landry—9-14 FG, 8-11 FT—is a big time scorer in the post. He has explosive feet, brute strength, and never backs away from physicality, as evidenced by the dental work he’s needed after losing so many teeth in collisions. When Houston needed a basket, Landry was the guy they turned to.Battier knocked down two of his patented corner triples, came up with a key block on a Devin Harris fast break, and didn’t get in the way.Luis Scola was automatic with his mid-range jumper, knocking down five J’s in six attempts.Aaron Brooks—5-13 FG, 17 PTS—can scoot anywhere he wants, and shoot over anybody.Even if he had a bad game, Lowry is as tough as iron.David Andersen has legit three-point range—2-3 3FG.The Rockets spaced the floor well and took advantage of New Jersey’s overreacting on ball penetrations. Whenever Ariza isolated on the baseline and a big man dropped down to show help, a pass to the top of the key would result in open shots for Scola and Andersen.Andersen and the Rockets took advantage of the Nets fronting Landry by clearing out the weak side, and having Andersen flash to the free throw line where he made a nifty entry pass to Landry for a basket.If Ariza couldn’t find the range, his teammates responded from downtown. Houston went 8-19 from downtown, but not including Ariza, that number jumps to 7-11.Houston’s unselfishness and execution is evidenced by their high assist ratios—25 assists, 34 field goals, 10 turnovers, excellent numbers.Houston’s effort level is best displayed by their rebounding totals, 51 to 39. More impressively, Houston grabbed 16 offensive rebounds while holding New Jersey to six offensive retrievals.For the most part, Houston can defend straight up without going into scramble mode. This makes it easier for them to defend the perimeter, and New Jersey only shot 4-16 from downtown. And when opponents do shoot, every shot is contested. In other words, because Houston prepares diligently, concedes nothing, focuses on executing, and plays smart basketball, they maximize the talent level and get the most out of themselves. In that case, Houston is winning because of some combination of Rick Adelman’s coaching, Landry’s unheralded pivot game, Battier’s leadership, and a collective maturity in order to play tough, smart basketball. While it’s unclear if Houston can simply work their way to a playoff series victory, they’re an example of how much a collection of individuals can succeed if they trust each other and do their homework. Or to put it more succinctly, they’re the embodiment of why no team is allowed to make excuses.

I don't remember what the final score was but they held the Pistons in the 60's. That's mind boggling that Toronto could do that. The East is so bad that all Toronto has to do is play reasonable defense and they should have enough talent to slip into a low seed. They're playing a little better, let's see if they can sustain it.

One of the problems is that Miami is such a fun city that people choose to do other things. LA's bigger than Miami and has much, much more of a basketball history too where going to Lakers games is a big deal. Also, Miami is a middle of the road team that prides itself on defense. Not the kind of team that attracts casual fans. I'm shocked too though, I'd assume people would come out to see Wade. And with the Marlins, the rain makes it tough for people to come to the game. It's annoying to go to a stadium that's ugly for baseball, to watch three innings, and then to wait inside because it's pouring for an hour or two. A domed stadium might make a big difference.

I think it's time that I came out and admitted that I'm a fan...of good basketball

I don't remember where I saw it but Kupchak doesn't want to add salary beyond this season. LA's going to be way over the cap this year and will pay a ton in luxury taxes. They can't go much higher than what they have now.

That means that they've given up on Farmar as PG of the future. Also, they'd only be able to get another expiring contract back for Farmar since the Lakers don't want to take on extra salary. What player could the Lakers get that's cheaper than Farmar, has an expiring, and fills a need? Morrison is a better candidate, but the Lakers would again only want to take back an expiring contract. Here's a good article on Lakers trade scenarios. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/309782-so-you-want-to-see-the-lakers-make-a-trade-dont-hold-your-breath

And he's not a horrendous defender against strong opponents. He did reasonably well against Carmelo last year, and will be a plus when he returns this year. And Odom needs to pick it up. He's been poor all season.

I'm surprised they don't play Farmar at the two. LA has no conventional backup two-guard behind Kobe, but it's clear that Vujacic isn't the answer, and the Lakers don't have the assets to trade because nobody wants Vujacic or Luke Walton's contracts, and the only players with value are crucial to the Lakers' success.

Just like the Lakers aren't the favorites to win the West. They were before Christmas, on Christmas, and despite the loss, are the favorites after Christmas. But aside from a bunch of wins over mediocre teams, the Lakers don't have much a resume right now aside from wins over the Suns and Hawks. The team played scared up front. I haven't seen Gasol play that poorly since the Celtics series. No surprise the common element of the two teams is a strong two-deep frontcourt. Without the Lakers length advantage they looked ordinary. That isn't something that will be a major deal (how many teams have two seven footers to match up with LA?) most of the time, but you bet it will be important to see how the Lakers combat Boston's and Cleveland's frontcourts when they play again. Fisher used to be a very good post defender. Getting posted by Mo Williams is a major problem, and so is the lack of a backup behind him. Bynum's always been poor against complicated offenses and he was a disaster. These are things the Lakers still need to correct. They have plenty of time to. This isn't the end of the world. But if those flaws aren't corrected, it will be the end of their chances to repeat.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ 102-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers was an embarrassing defeat that revealed all of LA’s major flaws, many of them, the same flaws that doomed their quest to win a championship in 2007-2008. The Lakers interior rotations were soft or non-existent. It appeared as if Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum were scared of Shaquille O’Neal’s and LeBron James’ boulder-crushing strength.That Bynum was lost and confused on defense—offering no resistance on off-ball screens, late in his help assignments, gambling and missing entry passes—is simply par for the course for the mistake-prone youngster. However, Gasol played defense like a timid rookie, a characteristic not seen since the Lakers’ humbling Finals defeat to the Celtics two postseasons ago.Bynum (2-5 FG, 4 PTS and Gasol 4-11 FG, 11 PTS) were visibly bothered by the Cavs’ size and length up front. Without the overall length advantage the Lakers normally have, Bynum and Gasol were pushed around under the hoop, and Gasol couldn’t find the range on his jumper.Kobe Bryant forced a number of shots and passes and couldn’t find easy baskets against Cleveland’s collapsing defense. Worse, Kobe let his frustrations get the best of him by complaining to the referees on every call that didn’t go his way.The Lakers spent more time complaining to the refs than rotating on defense.Derek Fisher—3-8FG, 1-4 3FG, 0 AST, 3 TO, 7 PTS—looked ready for the glue factory.The Lakers got nothing from their bench. Lamar Odom was invisible for too many stretches, Shannon Brown was lit up on defense, Jordan Farmar forced two shots and couldn’t keep up with Mo Williams and Delonte West, and both of Sasha Vujacic’s field goals came deep in garbage time.If Lamar Odom isn’t playing well, the Lakers simply don’t have enough firepower from their second unit to beat elite teams. Farmar hasn’t taken the next step in his development, and Vujacic wets the bed. The Lakers needs production from their second unit that nobody is giving.The Lakers spent too much time playing one-on-one basketball, and didn’t trust the offense to generate open looks.The Lakers’ scrambling defense was picked apart by Cleveland’s snappy passwork, well-timed cuts attacking the middle of the paint, and skip passes across the paint. The Cavs never stopped passing, but the Lakers often stopped playing defense.The Lakers were also beaten backdoor far too frequently with little backside help.Ron Artest did an effective job against LeBron James‘ on the ball, but couldn’t keep up with James off of weak-side curls. To make matters worse, the Lakers’ bigs made only cursory efforts to show on James after the cuts.Derek Fisher was posted and toasted by Mo Williams on three occasions.The Lakers, used to bullying opponents with their extreme size and length, looked scared to face an opponent that could stand toe-to-toe with them up front. Cleveland’s massive frontline of Shaq, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, and LeBron played extremely well, particularly on the defensive end.The only Laker who played with any sort of zest was Artest who wrestled for every loose ball (on one occasion going toe-to-toe for an offensive rebound with James and leaving his highness on the floor), operated the triangle as if he’d been playing in the system for years, attacked mismatches by posting in transition, and playing commendable defense. Too bad he missed three free throws and was guilty of loafing down the court in transition at least once.The Lakers collectively lost their cool way too easily.What was the best thing to take away for the Lakers? They couldn’t possibly play any worse. In many regards, the game was the first real challenge the Lakers have faced all season. With an extremely generous home schedule, the Lakers have coasted to the top spot of the NBA standings, but before the Cavs game, they hadn’t faced the Cavs, Celtics, Magic, or Spurs this year, and lost to the Nuggets and Mavs by double digits. Needless to say, their first test against one of the Eastern Conference behemoths was a resounding failure. On the other side, being tested so few times early means that the Lakers will have plenty of opportunities to right the ship as the season continues. However, don’t simply count the Lakers as the best team in basketball because of their record. If they prove over the next few months that Pau Gasol will play more like the 2009 version than the 2008 version, Andrew Bynum will show up against the better offenses, Kobe won’t jack up bad shots when the going gets tough, Lamar Odom will play consistently well, the Lakers bench provides something (anything), and Derek Fisher reverses the aging process, then the Lakers are the favorite to win a second straight title. But if not, and the Lakers play more like their 2008 selves than their 2009 versions, then any talented, physical, mentally strong team will be prime to dethrone the Lakers and proclaim a new king.

Plus, Brewer's nowhere close to the defender Marion is, and you're right, the triangle is a horrible system for Brewer until he learns how to shoot. Golden State wouldn't be the answer though because he can't shoot. He does cut well which helps in the triangle, and he's an athletic finisher along the baseline. Plus with his wingspan and athleticism, there's a load of untapped potential there if they can redesign his defensive mechanics so he's more disciplined and gambles less. His potential to pick up steals is one of his strong points. He's still young enough and shouldn't be written off with his natural gifts. And he's not a selfish showboat so he should be able to improve. He's more athletic than Carney and has more upside. Honestly, the reason why Brewer's a huge part of Minnesota...have you seen the rest of the Timberwolves wings?

I have no idea who Turner or Pekovic are. I don't watch the college game at all. Gay would help immensely because he can get his own shot off from the perimeter, and JJ makes everyone better. If possible, they should sell out for Johnson.

Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 103-99 victory over the New Jersey Nets, the young Wolves are a team playing for the future and not the present. They struggle to run the triangle, employing some of the preliminary speed cuts after throwing the ball in the post, and using the two-man game on the weak-side of the triangle to post Al Jefferson. Still, the roster is more conducive to drive-and-kick basketball as opposed to the jump shooting necessary to run the triangle. Because of this, it will be interesting to see how coach Kurt Rambis responds to his team’s skill set. Will he tweak the triangle to allow more screen/roll and isolation action, or will he stay tried and true to geometric principles. No matter how much the T-Wolves struggle, Rambis will remain on board for another year as his team adjusts to the nuances of his offense. Let’s see which other Timberwolves have futures in Minnesota. Al Jefferson is a bear in the pivot—13-23 FG, 1-2 FT, 7 REB, 3 BLK, 27 PTS. Because of Jefferson’s massive upper body, he creates all sorts of space for his feathery right hooks and duck under counters. He’s also expanded his game exponentially where he now has an extremely quick and reliable short jumper, a myriad of convincing ball and shot fakes, and expanded range on his jump shot. He even knocked down an 18-footer! Jefferson isn’t an exceptional passer, but didn’t force passes into traffic and recognized where the open man was after being doubled—hence his four assists and no turnovers. If AJ blocked three shots on defense, they were shots right at him that didn’t require much lateral movement or jumping. Jefferson did work hard on Brook Lopez and held him to 2-8 shooting, but Lopez’ own ball fakes vexed Jefferson and coaxed out the majority of his six fouls. Still, there’s no doubt that Jefferson has an All-Star caliber offensive game. As he continues to improve his passing and learn the triangle, he could become a passable equivalent of Shaq when the Big Diesel played for the Lakers. Even defensively, Jefferson has made strides to the point where he’s now a passable defender. Jefferson will be even more of a force when he plays with teammates that can create the spacing needed for AJ to work down low. With such a poor shooting team around him, defenses simply collapse on him and force his lesser teammates to hurt them from the outside. In this case, it’s up to the T-Wolves players to improve their jump shots, or for management to surround Jefferson with a few more shooters. Johnny Flynn used his creativity with the ball to dazzle—9-19 FG, 3-4 FT, 1-5 3FG, 5 AST, 3 TO, 4 STL, 22 PTS. Flynn’s lightning-quick, can drive with either hand, and is an acrobatic finisher under the basket. He consistently got into the paint and made the right decision in the shadow of the basket. Flynn’s jump shot needs to be more dependable—1-5 3FG—and he needs to speed up his decision making. Many times, Flynn would dribble away instead of making passes that imitate the various defensive responses and offensive triggers that operate the triangle. Also, Flynn refused to give the ball up after a steal late in the game with a teammate well ahead of the pack and Devin Harris a half-step behind him. Instead of getting a layup, Flynn was fouled and missed a free throw that could’ve been costly. Flynn also forced several shots and drives. Flynn’s defense relies totally on gambling, but he has quick hands and his steal of the careless Harris pass mentioned above was instrumental in Minnesota retaining their lead. Give Flynn time to speed up his decision making, to learn the triangle, and improve his jump shot. If he’s not a classical triangle point guard, he’s too talented to give up. Kevin Love vacuums up rebounds—16 REB—has great hands, is an exceptional passer—4 AST, 2 TO—and is an accurate mid-range jump shooter. However, he’s a non-athlete and has trouble finishing around the basket because of it, missing four layups. It’ll be difficult for Minnesota to play effective defense with both Love and Jefferson in the front court because the team has no athleticism to provide weak side help. The Wolves simply need good basketball players so Love’s a keeper for now, but as the team improves he may have to be dealt to shore up the weaknesses of having too landlocked players in the frontline. Damien Wilkins cut well, knocked down his short and mid-range jumpers, and sank two free throws late that helped put away the Nets—5-11 FG, 1-4 3FG, 3-3 FT, 3 AST, 1 TO, 14 PTS—but lacks three-point range and isn’t a difference maker. He’d barely be a rotation player on most other teams, and doesn’t have any long term future in Minnesota. Corey Brewer’s reputation as a defensive stopper is a fabrication. He’s totally mesmerized by the ball to the point where simple give-and-go’s leave him eating dust. His three turnovers in the game were a result of a sloppy handle and a high dribble that he hasn’t corrected since his college days at Florida. Brewer also lacks range on his jumper. His effective numbers—7-11 FG, 17 PTS—were a result of athletic baseline cuts, an accurate short-range jumper, and a nifty lefty layup late in the game that effectively closed out the Nets. If Brewer has a future in Minny, it’ll be as an up-tempo sixth man off the bench. Nathan Jawai is a ballerina shaped like a bowling ball—1-3 FG, 4 REB, 1 TO, 2 PTS. His offensive game is very crude, but he did show an ability to guard the post effectively. He’s an interesting long term project. Wayne Ellington snaked along the baseline for offensive boards, finished at the paint, and was accurate from the midlands—3-6FG, 7 PTS. He’s also a keeper. Sasha Pavlovic doesn’t want to be in Minnesota and played like it, jacking up two awful shots in three minutes—0-2 FG, 0 PTS. He’s an absolute goner. Brian Cardinal picked up three fouls in just over a minute. He too is a goner. Ryan Hollins made some clever passes—3 AST, 1 TO—and is the team’s only weak-side shot blocker. A keeper as a backup center. Ramon Sessions is a drive-and-kick guard with nobody to kick it to—1-2 FG, 2 AST, 2 TO, 2 PTS. Without the driving lanes he saw in Milwaukee, Sessions has struggled creating for himself and others in Minnesota. He also makes fundamental mistakes, like jumping in the air to pass, and buying shot fakes on defense. No wonder only Minnesota offered him a contract as a restricted free agent last offseason. Sessions needs to escape the triangle and play on a team with three-point shooters. However, unless Ricky Rubio migrates over to the United States, Sessions is Minnesota’s only backup point guard. Because of that, he’s a keeper, but only until Rubio comes over, if he comes over at all. Overall, the Timberwolves need many things: Patience to learn the triangleAthletes in the frontcourtThree-point shooters at every positionWings who can create their own shotA defensive-minded backup point guardAntacids for Kurt Rambis However, with Jefferson, Flynn, and maybe Love and Brewer, the Wolves have a respectable core going forward. Until the talent level around that core is upgraded though, the Wolves will be a bottom-feeder.

James and Durant score more, James and Nash have more assists, James and Nash have better shooting percentages, James plays much better defense, and James and Nash are transcendent offensive playmakers. You can argue Ellis and Durant but most people would argue that Durant is the better scorer. Most importantly, all three play for teams significantly better than the Warriors.

Exactly. Salmons has struggled with the speed of the two-guard position. He's had trouble isolating against smaller guards , and isn't a prototypical three-point shooter. Last season, when Salmons played the three in Sacramento and in Chicago with Gordon, he thrived. Chicago could bump Deng to the four, Salmons to the three, insert Hinrich or Pargo at the two, and hope to play super small. They'd get killed defensively with that lineup but they need a shakeup. They can try to trade Tyrus Thomas for a two-guard who can shoot. But whatever happens, Chicago has no offensive spacing and no outside shooting. Plus Del Negro lacks imagination on the offensive end. Blaming everything on Salmons is blind-sighted. He was the player who put the Bulls over the edge in last season's run to the playoffs. Don't scapegoat him because of a poorly constructed roster.

Or, you can just sign a shooting guard, move Salmons to the three and solve that problem.