Crawdaddy! reviews a recent Stephen Malkmus show:
Throughout the show, Malkmus maintained a pretty casual demeanor, taking the myriad requests in stride and entertaining various questions that came up. In reply to an inquiry about how his favorite basketball team (the Minnesota Timberwolves) was doing, he said, “Al Jefferson… that’s all I’m gonna say.”
The NBA circulated a memo to all teams before last week’s trading deadline projecting a likely salary-cap reduction for next season, but Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said that won’t alter the team’s free-agency plan.
“Not for us,” Taylor said. “We anticipated all those things and have positioned ourselves really well. That was more for some of the other teams who are right in that border area. That will affect us, but only in a very minor way compared to some other people. We have anticipated that and have built in enough wiggle room so that whatever that figure will be I don’t think it will be anything that will take away very many prospects for us.”
In the memo, the NBA reportedly projected a 2009 salary cap of $57.3 million, down from this year’s cap of $58.68 million.
McHale didn’t have much to say about the signing of former Wolves guard Stephon Marbury by the Boston Celtics.
“I wish him well,” McHale said.
Asked if he had talked to his old teammate, Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, about Marbury, McHale said, “I talk to Danny quite a bit about a lot of stuff.”
Pressed on what he had to say on Marbury, McHale said: “We talked about a lot of stuff. That was between Danny and myself.”
Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune on last night’s loss to Portland:
Kevin Love’s 2-point, 3-rebound night was his fewest points since he went scoreless at Dallas on Dec. 30 and his fewest rebounds since he had two against Houston on Dec. 20.
“Kevin had a funky game,” McHale said. “He’s a 20-year-old kid, played a lot of games this year. I assume that wall’s going to come up and break his nose a couple of times on the way home here. But you know what? That makes you tougher…Nothing to be concerned about. He’ll battle back.”
Sam Amick/Sacramento Bee on Rashad McCants:
Despite having hardly played in the two games since being traded to the Kings, the fourth-year guard with the reputation as Minnesota’s me-first menace has gained early affection from his new team for his team-first attitude and unlikely leadership.
The Kings’ coaches first took notice during halftime of Wednesday’s game, when Sacramento trailed Charlotte 55-41 and the voice of reason came from the most unlikely source in the locker room. McCants, the player who was widely blamed as the problem personality for a Timberwolves team that improved after he was benched by coach Kevin McHale this season, shared his thoughts with his new teammates without any prompting. He did it again a day later, speaking up after Thursday’s practice and offering an outsider’s perspective on the team he hopes can help with his redemption.
Friday’s lopsided 102-82 loss afforded McHale a chance to get his first game look at new Timberwolf Shelden Williams and to play Bobby Brown for an extended stretch. Williams made his first appearance since last week’s trade with Sacramento in the fourth quarter, when the Wolves trailed by 20 points. Brown played 17 consecutive minutes in the third and fourth quarters and scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting.
“I think we have 17 games in March, practice time just becomes so sparse,” McHale said about trying to integrate new players into his lineup. “That’s the tough thing about this time of year.”
Whatever happens over the remainder of the season, the statistical nuts will evaluate the Timberwolves based on PER, +/-, and a panoply of other new-fangled data-driven segregators, and come up with all sorts of conclusions. But like air and water, a team’s value is composite and elemental.
What the Timberwolves need is fire, whether Jeff plays or not, and whether we win or lose.
Friends and peers alike can attest to my being a ‘Wolves apologist for a long damn time. But such time has passed. Hell, my Pop — a season ticket holder since the Inaugural ’89 – didn’t re-up for this year, and I couldn’t blame him. For reasons that could encompass about 186 of these articles, the Timberwolves are one of the sorriest franchises in the entire sporting world. Yes, they have a cache of ensuing draft picks. Yes, they have a committed owner who by all accounts is also a good man (some might say too good). Yes, they have a quality place to play with a cool, new floor. Yes, they have talent and one guy that will likely retire with superstar credentials.
But isn’t this the type of thing apologists say?