The Timberwolves were on fire in the first quarter and they lead by 19 at one point in the first half. Ricky Davis was hitting everything, Garnett had a few buckets and the ball was just going in the hoop. We started to fall back to earth and the Wizards took back the lead with one huge 25-4 run in the 2nd quarter. They actually lead by half-time and the Wolves made a few pushes to try to regain the lead but never could get back. I missed the second half of the game but I did see the first half and I have to say, I was not impressed with the way the team responded to adversity. The team had a huge lead and within 3 minutes it was cut in half.It's time for a gut check. Dwane Casey needs to get in the face of every player and ask him if he is going to lay his body on the line night in and night out for this club. Only the players who will bust their butt for this team should play. If you aren't hitting the hardwood, you aren't trying and if you aren't trying you aren't playing. Bottom line. It's time for the guys who want to change the outcome of the season. I'm frustrated just like everyone else. I'm sure Garnett is frustrated. I'm sure Madsen is frustrated. It's time to start fixing our issues instead of underlining them and complaining about them. It's taking a toll on everyone, it's awful.RecapBox ScoreGod damn, this team is just taking a lot out of me.
You guys got killed in the second half and KG turned it over 7 times. Do you think KG needs to demand the ball more or do you think it would hurt matters? Also, is Anthony Carter starting because of his hard play or how he runs the offense...Because i'm sure many want Banks out there because of his talent..etc.
Getting the ball to Garnett has been a problem for this team all season long. Rookie coach Dwane Casey has struggled to find ways to get Garnett the ball on the left block, Garnett's favorite place on the floor. Teams are just fronting Garnett and playing a man or two back so the team can't lob it into Garnett. They need to start setting some back picks for him so he can move to the spot and get the ball, instead of standing there and letting the defense sit on top of him. They have become better at it but they are still struggling to get him the ball in crunch time. You have no idea how many times it has been a close ball game and the team can't get Garnett the ball. It's frustrating, to say the least.I don't think getting Garnett the ball could hurt. He is the best player on the planet, in my opinion, and he makes smart decisions with the ball. He has the court vision where if you cut to the basket or find the open spot in the zone he'll find you. The problem I have with the offense is there is no movement. It's either give the ball to Ricky Davis and let him go one on one or give the ball to Trenton Hassell and let him post up or face up his man. It's either that or playing a two man game with Garnett. It's hard to play consistent offense when you aren't using all five guys. If there were two things I could instantly improve with a magic wand it would be the ball movement and the ability to get Garnett the ball on the left block. Those are two things the team has done for 8-9 years under Flip Saunders. In a way, we were spoiled with his offensive schemes. Flip is an offensive mastermind. Coach Casey is a rookie and he is making rookie mistakes. You have to correct them, though.As for Anthony Carter, he's starting simply because he's our best option right now. I'd like to see Marcus Banks start and I think before the season is over we will see Banks starting at point guard. Coach Casey is just trying anything right now and Anthony Carter is the kind of guy you can depend on for 100% effort every night. You can't depend on his jump shot or his decision making, but you can depend on his effort and Coach Casey likes that. The same thing can be said for Mark Madsen.What does Carter bring to the team? He pushes the ball every chance he gets. Sometimes the play isn't there and he tries to force it, but we need that here in Minnesota. The team will take any easy basket it can get. He is also one of our best perimeter defenders so he can really help the team push the tempo and create turnovers, but offensively he can't knock down shots and team's tend to leave him open and double Ricky Davis and Kevin Garnett. That's the problem with the Timberwolves. We have too many specialists and not enough people who can do it all. It's probably something that will need to be addressed in the off-season.
