The folks over at
TWolves Blog were kind enough to answer to a handful of pregame questions about tonight's game, and I returned the favor
over there. Check out their answers for a glimpse of the game, and the team, from guys who follow the T-Wolves religiously.
Depressed Fan: As a T-Wolves fan, did it drive you insane seeing Love's minutes limited earlier in his career?
TWolvesBlog: Our expectations around young guys getting the minutes they need to develop had been set to low in recent years, so there was very little shock to it. It was more frustrating this year when we appeared to be going down the same path again. Thankfully the injury bug hit, forcing Rambis to play Love and Beasley.
DF: Andre Iguodala has been completely shutting down All Star wings all season long on the defensive end. Assuming he plays, what problems will Beasley present for Iguodala? Does he use his size particularly well at the three?
TWB: Beasley has a few games off to try to get his ankle right again. I can't say as I've seen Beasley contained this year by anything other than himself being off. The Iggy matchup was one I'd welcome seeing as it pits Beasley up against a big-time defensive threat.
DF: What's your long-term outlook for Wes Johnson? Happy with the pick?
TWB: It is hard to be too angry about it. As talented as Cousins is proving to be I just don't know if you can build around a certified A-hole. It has actually been a relief to me that Turner hasn't been fantastic because that was the guy the Wolves were obsessed with going into the draft.
DF: If you could undo one thing Kahn has done since taking over, what would it be?
TWB: Flynn. He's been a complete bust in Rambis' system. When you consider that the Wolves could have drafted Stephen Curry instead, it's easy to classify the Flynn pick as a draft blunder. Then when you consider the implications it may have had on Ricky Rubio coming over from Spain, it becomes a complete disaster of a draft pick. The Wolves honestly may have been better off just forfeiting that pick.
DF: If you could trade Kevin Love straight up for Blake Griffin, would you do it?
TWB: Personally, I would. Although, I'd probably be in the minority amongst Wolves fans. Especially considering Love's insane numbers this season (leading the league in rebounding while also top 10 in 3PT %, second in the league in win shares, etc), and was also eventually named to the All-Star game. Because of Love's bad-to-terrible defense, lack of athleticism, and the fact that he doesn't really make anyone else better offensively, I just can't see him being the centerpiece of a contending team. I'd say go ahead and "sell high" now, before we have to pay him a max extension. Is Blake Griffin that "contender leading" guy? I'm not entirely sure because he hasn't even been in the NBA for a full season yet, but I think he has more of a chance than Love does of leading a team to contention. Blake Superior is just so much more dynamic, versatile, and straight-up amazing. His explosive ability and all-around skills are already off the charts, and he's been doing this as a 21 year old rookie coming off knee surgery. I honestly think the sky is the limit for him, whereas Love can probably keep compiling his great stats, but I don't think he'll really get appreciably better. Factor in that Griffin is still on a beneficial rookie contract and selling out basketball arenas across the country... I think the real question is, would the CLIPPERS trade Griffin for KLove? I'm not so sure that they would.
DF: What do you expect from tonight's game? Prediction of the final score.
TWB: After a miserable couple of weeks the Wolves appear to be tightening it up again. Close game but they lose. 103-99.
Many thanks to
TimberWolves Blog, and be sure to check out the
other half of the Q&A over there.
"As talented as Cousins is proving to be..."
Damn straight.
Heh, knew you'd love that.
Yeah, where was the follow-up question? The, "no, Cousins isn't talented; have you seen his TOR and dismal TS%?" question.
Liked reading these on both sites, nice feature
This was really interesting, from both sides. How many other teams' blogs are you in contact with, Brian?
Not many, and it's sporadic. If I had the time, I'd do these more often, the credit for this one should really go to them, they contacted me earlier in the week.
Enjoyed this a lot. Would love to see it done again with other teams.
Good stuff Brian, thanks a lot for doing it with us! Enjoy the game tonight as well.