I'm also rooting for the twolves

[Tr1boy]

They have three of my fav celtics in their team(al, gomes, mchale)and i think by next year they can be a playoff contending team. Its also too bad corey brewer got injured.

Their problem all along has been they have alot of talent but has bad coaching.

Big al, gomes, foye(becoming more like a pg) have been really good lately. Love looks like he will be a good 6th player for the future.

I think mccants is lost and is the odd man out. They could package him with say craig smith and get a real decent defensive oriented center/pf back

Great win tonight against GS

[Rondo_is_better]

And then there's that dazzling rookie O.J. Ma-- hup, nevermind.

[Who]

I think the Wolves would need to make a lot of changes to be a playoff team next season ... and I'm not sure how they make them.

Unfortunately, they look like they're traveling a long road to recovery.

[Tnerb02]

I would feel much better about the Wolves future if they kept Mayo. They traded both Mayo and Roy on draft night for highly inferior players... McHale should be fired.

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

they arent going to be a playoff team anytime soon...the team has never won 20 games without KG on thier roster, and why dont you go convince timberwolves fans that those ex-celtics are playing good, half of them want big al as trade bait, mchale should be fired and gomes....well hes not very good

[MBz]

Gomes not very good?  Since when?  He may not be a starter in this league, but I'd have no issue taking him on the Celtics bench. 

[cornbreadsmart]

mchale has been bad(even though EVERYONE was saying randy foye was the next dwyane wade). but i'm rooting hard for them.i'd like to see him make his bashers eat it the way ainge did. i guess it's a little late for that.

[twistedrico]

I don't what the guy that said Ryan Gomes isn't very good is talking about. I would love to have him back on the C's.

[amenhotep04]

The Wolves aren't going to be a playoff team anytime soon.  They don't play defense.  Al's defensive skills, or what they were of them when he was here have regressed so much. They don't have a legitimate center. Love looks lost most of the time out there, with the exception of playing against Golden State. Brewer wasn't playing well before the injury.  Foye is inconsistent.  Telfair dribbles so much even the fans yell at him at home to pass the ball.  Gomes is a decent back-up, but is starting.  Smith is a way undersized four. 

They're a mess. Aside from money, I don't know why anyone would want to play in Minnesota right now.

[miraclejohan]

I'm rroting for them too.  Since I moved to Milwaukee, and obvuiously can't be a Bucks or a Bulls fan, I chose my favorite teamof ex-celts to root for.

What's been so strange is that it is exactly like watching the Celtics of 2006-2007.  Most of the time they show up, compete, sometimes take a lead (or a 29 point lead over the mavs) and then blow it in the 4th.  I keep on feeling as if I've watched this all before.

I do think they have all the potential they ever did (and I was drinking gallons of the youth movement kool aid in boston) but they need someone to bring it out of them.  McHale has led them to 3 recent wins, but I don't think he's the answer.  He's being ushered out the door anyway, unless he can pull his team together.

That said, if Love develops and the coach starts running plays for Mike miller to get open looks (which he hasn't had all season), AND they start playing something that resembles defense, this team could surprise a lot of people.  Playoffs?  Not this year.  Next year?  I could see it.  

I will say, however, after starting to watch the twolves this season, it became ever more glaringly obvious what Garnett did for the celtics as far as defensive intensity and personal accountability.  The Twolves have neither right now and they are still playing into the "if we take a playoff team to the 4th quarter we did our job," establishing the self-fulfilling identity that defines them as a non-playoff team.    

[miraclejohan]

The Wolves aren't going to be a playoff team anytime soon.  They don't play defense.  Al's defensive skills, or what they were of them when he was here have regressed so much. They don't have a legitimate center. Love looks lost most of the time out there, with the exception of playing against Golden State. Brewer wasn't playing well before the injury.  Foye is inconsistent.  Telfair dribbles so much even the fans yell at him at home to pass the ball.  Gomes is a decent back-up, but is starting.  Smith is a way undersized four. 

They're a mess. Aside from money, I don't know why anyone would want to play in Minnesota right now.

I am going tohave to disagree with you on several points.  First, Gomes is not starting, though Craig Smith is no better).  Second, Brewer was visibly progressing before his injury and was the wolves' only defensive minded player (tony allen anyone?).  Telfair does dribble to much, but doesn't Rondo?  Would Rondo  be dribbling too much if he didn't have 3 HOF players to pass it to and hit their shots?  (NOTE: I am NOT equating Telfair to Rondo).  Love does look and play lost a good deal of the time, but he always rebounds and his offensive game will become more consistent as he gets more confidence. 

To be fair, I have always loved underdogs and kool aid, so, admittedly,  this is an overly-optimistic view.

all that being said, I agree with you about the lack of defense, and that I don't know why any FA would want to play in Minnesota right now.

[Big Ticket]

Beating Golden State at home does not a great win make.

And Playoffs??  I want to see that franchise have a 30 win season without KG before I start entertaining any ideas about making the playoffs without him.

[QuinielaBox]

Al Jefferson is a wonderful low post player who has a variety of moves on the blocks a la Kevin McHale. Ryan Gomes knows how to play but will only be a successful journeyman in this league. The Western Conference is so tough right now that Minnesota is going to have to wait it's turn to get in the playoffs and then there ceiling is one and done when matching up with the Lakers and the Trailblazers in the world.

I think McHale has struck out as a GM being forced to trade KG.

But yea I Minnesota (as well as Oklahoma win games) just to pull for the I-35 teams north of Dallas.

[WayneKreklow]

Have had the chance to watch the Wolves play a lot over the Christmas holidays and was pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time:

- Gomes has added range to his shot. Nice to see him taking and hitting the 3 with confidence.
- Big Al still gets frustrated too easily, taking him out of his game.
- Bassy continues to baffle -- looking great one minute, then horrible the next. His game against the Knicks makes you wonder why he can only dominate in games with a chip on his shoulder.
- Foye looks completely lost on the court
- For a team that needs a scorer so desperately, the lack of plays for Mike Miller is surprising
- Then again, the lack of offensive play sets also surprised me.

I feel bad for such a talented and impressionable lineup of guys, to have no discipline, poor coaching and no veteran leadership to kick some butt.

[RebusRankin]

Imagine how good they'd look if McHale had just kept Mayo and Chalmers this year.

Chalmers
Mayo
Brewer
Smith
Jefferson

With Gomes, Telfair off the bench isn't too shabby.