Whelp, for the rest of the preseason, we’re going to have to rely on the radio/newspaper/box scores to evaluate the Pups…so here’s some general observations from the box score of Tuesday’s Atlanta game.
*Foye was a DNP, so Marko got the start at point guard…and he responded by shooting 0-5 from the field and picking up 2 assists in his 33 minutes of playing time. Marko was absolutely clueless at point in Casey’s first season, and two years later, it doesn’t seem as if he’s made any great strides at that position. I can’t say I’m surprised.
I’m hoping like crazy that Telfair pans out, so Jaric won’t be getting 10-15 minutes per game at point guard. There are few things in Minnesota sports that drive me as crazy as watching Marko run the point…so for the love of God, Sebastian, have a good freakin’ season. I don’t know if my psyche can handle another year of Jaric at point.
*Green’s been playing with more self-control since the Efes Pilsen game, in which he had 15 shots in 14 minutes- he put up 12 shots in 27 minutes against Atlanta. He shot 1-5 from beyond the arc…I know that Green can shoot the three, but that stat suggests he may have jacked up a few threes while being guarded pretty tightly.
It scares me that Wittman is coaching Green during this critical point in Gerald’s development. Green could be a phenomenal player if he had a no-nonsense coach who’s a great TEACHER…unfortunately, I don’t think Wittman has either of those qualities.
*Big Al dominated the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds (6 of them offensive). While it’s unreasonable to expect Jefferson to attain the rebounding prowess of KG on the defensive end, he’ll be able to provide the Wolves with some much-needed improvement on the offensive boards (in my opinion, a lack of second-chance points was one of the major issues with this team, last season).
*Rashad’s three-pointer wasn’t falling, but he did reach the free throw line several times, going 6-7 from the charity stripe. Rashad’s issue is no secret: He’s extremely streaky (speaking of which, the streaker at a recent high school football game I attended at least had the decency to wear skin-colored underwear. It was hilarious- they had this vehicle that chased the streaker around the field, eventually cornering him in the endzone).
ANYWAY, on any given night, Rashad seems to either be unstoppable or inept. Not much of a middle-ground with him. On the days when his shot isn’t falling, it’s crucial for Rashad to get some easy looks…the best way for a streaky shooter to get on track is to knock down a few 10-15-footers.