Linkage: Canis Hoopus / T'Wolves Blog / Timberwolves.com
2010 NBA Pre-Season
4-1
vs.
3-2
October 17, 2010
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
7:00 PM CT
Radio: 1250 WSSP TV: None
Probable starters:
Luke Ridnour
PG
Brandon Jennings
Corey Brewer
SG
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Michael Beasley
SF
Carlos Delfino
Kevin Love
PF
Drew Gooden
Darko Milicic
C
Andrew Bogut
Another day, another preseason game where we're left guessing who might actually be in uniform. Namely: no word yet on Andrew Bogut's availability a day after suffering a migraine shortly before the Bucks' 91-77 loss in Memphis.
Feeling Minnesota
David Kahn might be crazy, but you can't accuse him of assembling a boring roster. With Al Jefferson gone, Kevin Love is deservedly starting and putting up some sick double-double numbers through five preseason games (14.8 ppg, 11.2 rpg in just 25 mpg). Dude's gotta play. I can't say the same of Darko, but thankfully I'm just an interested observer of the Wolves, not an actual fan.
Professional enigma Michael Beasley has been starting at small forward and has been shooting enough to put up points (13.8 ppg in 21 mpg, 41.8% shooting)--for whatever that's worth. I don't particularly care if Beasley ever lives up to his potential, but as an old fan of Glenn Robinson I can't help but be a bit curious how his story plays out. Both guys were lights out scorers and double-figure rebounders as collegiate power forwards, and both struggled with the challenge of being too small to be full-time 4s in the NBA. I'd peg Beasley as both more athletic and less emotionally stable than Big Dog, who was never great but at least had the decency to be a 20 ppg guy from day one. One thing to remember: Beasley is still just 21 years old, a full 18 months younger than third overall pick Wes Johnson. Both guys are part of a crowded group battling for minutes at the SF spot, which also includes previous lottery reaches Martell Webster (acquired from Portland this summer) and Corey Brewer.
Then there's former Buck Luke Ridnour, now the last man standing at point guard in Minneapolis. Kind of ironic given the volume of PGs Kahn has drafted (Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio) and signed (Ridnour, Ramon Sessions) over the last 16 months. He's been solid in the preseason (8.8 ppg, 4.4 apg, .472/.400/.800 in 25 mpg), but realistically he's just keeping the seat warm until a long-term solution is found. Whether that might actually be Rubio (still in Spain), Flynn (out for months following hip surgery), or someone else is to be determined.