Click here for the thread on tonight’s game against Denver.
Game previews:
“There definitely are some growing pains,” said Minnesota general manager Kevin McHale. “I saw where Oklahoma City was up 16 on the Suns, basically had it in the refrigerator and gave it away. We’ve had five or six of those ourselves.”
During a recent eight-game losing streak, Minnesota owned a double-digit lead in four losses.
“It’s hard losing NBA games when you’re up nine with 2 1/2 minutes to go,” McHale said. “You’re not used to that (playing on three NBA championship teams with the Celtics). You’re like, ‘Wow.’ But that’s some of the growing pains you go through. It’s tough but part of it.”
Wolves coach Randy Wittman said before Friday’s game that guard Rashad McCants, back Wednesday after three games away because of a back injury, was ready and able to play. But he never did, as Wittman instead went to a shortened bench that called more heavily upon Craig Smith, Corey Brewer, Sebastian Telfair and Kevin Love. Smith joined the starters on the floor to begin the second half, replacing center Jason Collins against a small Thunder lineup that played Jeff Green at power forward and Nick Collison at center.
Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations, accompanied the team on a road trip for the first time this regular season, and on a holiday weekend no less.
Don Seeholzer/Pioneer Press on OKC coach Scott Brooks:
Brooks, 43, is one of a number of current coaches who played on those early Wolves teams, along with college assistants Doug West (Villanova) and Tod Murphy (UC Irvine), to name just two.
The fact that all were backup players who had to fight and scrape to hack out a career might have had something to do with that.
“It’s very common that guys that are backup players or guys that have played minor leagues, they have to think the game differently,” Brooks said. “They’re not given a lot of opportunities to be the man on the team.”