And Charles Barkley said that they would not make the playoffs If the season ended right now, I think KG would be the MVP. But I do not understand why they are starting to click now. This T-wolves team is the same team they put on the floor in 2000 right. Joe Smith was there. Why didn't they click then? Chuancey Billups joined the T-Wolves last year, and this year he is showing why he was the 3rd pick of the 1997 draft. Uh, I think they will finally get out of the first round this year.
It's all downhill from here. I think they'll be out in the first round again. If you look at their team, most of the role players are aging veterans. I doubt they'll be around much longer. And I still think that Garnett will wimp out in the playoffs, and pass the ball to Nesterovich for the last five minutes of a close game. However, I do despise the team, so don't expect impartiality from me.
Didn't Joe Smith have a vacation in Detroit last year.... and Kevin McHale one THIS year... at home?!!
I agree with ZRB, and I'm still not sold on this team getting out of the first round. We've seen teams tear it up in the regular season, but when you need more options in the playoffs they fall short. What's different about this year's team then past teams? Maybe they're playing better ball early then later, don't be surprised if the T-Wolves hit a slide late in the season.
I agree with RocksMillenium who agrees with ZRB. I'm so not sold on how effective Garnett can be as a leader in the postseason. Any way...I hope they get ousted in the first round. I have a pecuilar disliking toward the T-Wolves.
The Wolves are right there with the Jazz, Spurs, and Kings as one of my four least favorite teams. I especially hate the way Szczerbiak constantly screams and congratulates himself during the course of a game- same with Garnett. The Wolves make me sick.
This really bothers me as well. I know the Rockets have players who jump around and celebrate similar to Szcerbiak (I won't mention Moochie's jersey removal of late...oh wait, I did), but for whatever reason, Wally World's self congradulation pisses me off WAY more than any other role player I have seen in the league.
Playoff leadership and on-court congratulations or not, KG is having the best year of his career and probably deserving of the MVP thus far in the season.
I'm sold. IMO, they are as balanced as any team in the west(Besides the Spurs), of their top 12, only 3 are in their thirties:Terrell Brandon(32), Antony Peeler(33), and Sam Mitchell(38), so I don't know where the old statement came from... They have 5 players scoring in double figures, 2 at 9 ppg, and 1 at 7.5. Garnett is All-NBA at 22, 12, and 6. and Wally pitches in near 20 ppg and 5 rpg.
Because Garnett is getting better, and CHEMISTRY. How did the Rockets go from the lotto to the Conference Semis in '93? Was Robert Horry that good? How did Philly go from a 5th seed to the best record in the East in one year? How did Sacramento suddenly become a contender in one year? None of these teams made major changes-- their best players just improved and they added small pieces, while developing their chemistry. Chemistry and the improvement of your best player matter more than adding talent.
They are not the same team this year. As you mentioned, Billups wasn't with the team in 1999-2000, Wally was a rookie as was Nesterovich. Trent is contributing greatly (although he just went on the IL). They have continued to grow as a team and they haven't made a huge number of changes every year. They seem to add a solid player into the mix each year. The lack of a number of changes increases continuity. Unfortunately for the Wolves, they won't be judged by anything except what they accomplish in the playoffs.
I'm not 100% sold on them yet. If I remember correctly they had a 12 game win streak going into the All Star break last year. They were 4th or 5th in the West, and looked very strong (I might be wrong about what seed they were prior to the All Star Break). After the All Star game they went on a long losing streak, and barely made the playoffs only to get knocked out in the first round. So in other words, I'll believe it when I see it.
Balance, depth, chemistry, coaching and KG is their key. They have 5-7 scorers, each position is 2 deep with 4 players that play multiple positions. Piece by piece they've been adding players somehow someway. It's amazing with all the crap that they've been through, and all the sanctions against them that they put together this years team. Gary Trent is playing huge for them. Since he's out for 2-4 weeks, they SHOULD struggle a bit. Then again they've been playing without two "starters" for the entirety of their 8 game streak. Whatever, the season is long. KG could twist a knee anytime.
