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Game previews:
The Wolves in return received a veteran who didn’t complain when he didn’t play and who has contributed with his defense, his ability to make the right play and even with his three-point shooting, whether he plays five minutes or 35. He has made seven three-pointers in the past three games.
“The last game, he had three steals, and he took three charges,” McHale said. “That’s six possessions. That’s huge.”
He did so Saturday with a package of abilities Cardinal acknowledges is heavy on will and seemingly light on skill.
“I’m not the greatest of athletes, the greatest of jumpers,” he said. “The list of things I’m not very good at goes on and on. I try to make up for that with hard work and just knowing the game. I try to make people somewhat uncomfortable. Anytime you’re in your comfort zone, you’re at your best. So I try to make the other guy uncomfortable.”
Love said Cardinal has a great sense of humor, as long as you’re not on the receiving end, and that the nine-year veteran has been a big help to him this season.
“I sit next to him on the plane, so it’s not like I’m only talking to him about basketball,” Love said. “You know, he does things the right way. He’s undersized for his position, but he gets it done.”
McHale calls Cardinal a “glue guy” and valuable role player on a young team trying to improve.
“Glue guys are called glue guys for a reason,” McHale said. “You don’t put glue on a four-foot gaping hole. You put glue on a small crack. Those guys help when teams are functional. No one’s going to help a dysfunctional team.”
Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown wonders what it will take to earn the respect of NBA referees…
But it was Minnesota forward Brian Cardinal’s foul on Gerald Wallace, knocking him to the floor on a drive to the basket, that most troubled Brown.
“No matter whether they say you went for the ball, if you hit a guy in the head” it should be a flagrant foul, Brown said.
Aldrich spent part of last summer back home working with Mike McCollow, a former college and NBA assistant coach who now serves as a Timberwolves analyst for Fox Sports Net. McCollow, who coached with Self at Oklahoma State for one season, worked out Aldrich twice a day, five days a week for several weeks.
From Jonah Ballow/Timberwolves site: Monday Practice Note (with audio from Kevin McHale and some of the players)
Randy (St. Paul): Do you think Rodney Carney could be a rotation guy for a good team? Whenever he gets playing time, he has played pretty well.
David Thorpe: It’s possible. But I’ve never been much of a fan.
But McKnight hadn’t always wanted to be a singer. He revealed that he dreamt about becoming a doctor, a video game programmer and even play for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA.
From Bill Dries/The Daily News:
Saturday is the annual Jack Jones Shootout, a series of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball exhibitions that give high school standouts their first chance, in many cases, to play in an NBA arena…
“Jack Jones loves kids and basketball,” said Ernie Kuyper, who coaches the Memphis team of high school sophomores and seniors known as M33M. The name is a reference to Kuyper’s cousin, former Memphis Grizzlies star Mike Miller. Miller remains involved in the shootout event even after his trade earlier this year to the Minnesota Timberwolves. M33M is the name of Miller’s foundation and clothing line.
Jones said the Grizzlies and Miller “cannot be congratulated enough for the work they have done to make this game a success on every level.”
