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Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:21 pm
by shrink
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/01/30/telf ... index.htmlWas it Telfair's absence that caused our collapse in DET?
nba.com wrote:Sebastian Telfair's increasing importance to the Minnesota Timberwolves never was more evident than in their loss to Detroit on Wednesday night.
With their point guard and catalyst on the bench with a bruised thigh, the Wolves let an 11-point third-quarter lead slip away in a 98-89 loss to the Pistons that snapped a three-game winning streak.
nba.com wrote: Throughout this much-improved month, the Timberwolves have thrived on playing in transition. Telfair has been the one most responsible for setting that pace, and it simply wasn't there while he watched most of the second half from the bench.
"He keeps us up-tempo. He keeps us moving," forward Kevin Love said. "Yesterday even on the defensive end we were slow getting up the court."
The Timberwolves managed just four fast-break points for the game and only created seven turnovers.
With Kevin Ollie still sidelined by an elbow injury, Telfair is the only healthy true point guard on the roster. Randy Foye slid over from his shooting guard spot to run the show, which had an adverse effect on his game. Foye finished with a modest 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
"Bassy gets a lot of guys involved and he can score too," forward Al Jefferson said. "He gets Randy shots and when Randy's at the point, it's kind of difficult for Randy to get his own shot off because he's trying to get everyone else involved. That's why I like the idea of Bassy at the (point) and Randy at the (shooting guard)."
I've noticed Telfair's improved play this month, but I hadn't thought about him as crucial before. I don't know if I agree with the article, but it gave me a different perspective. What do you X-and-O guys think?
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:33 pm
by PeeDee
Interesting POVs. I also wonder why we don't let Love run some of the offense in the high post more often. I know he's got those passing skillz.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:35 pm
by john2jer
The obvious answer is in the paragraph about Foye sliding over to the point. They don't have a true healthy point without Telfair. Foye's best when his only concern is attacking the basket. He falls out of his game when he's required to set everyone else up as well. When your 2nd best player and most dynamic scorer now has to worry about things other than what he does best, it's going to effect your team. As weird as it is to say, Telfair's become vital to this team's winning.
Jefferson explained it well.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:59 pm
by C.lupus
Just underscores how important the PG is to the team's success. Getting a quality PG should be a high priority this offseason. If the Wolves are this good with Bassy, think how good they would be with Rubio.
Or at least a Teague or Maynor type prospect.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:00 pm
by Biff Cooper
john2jer wrote:The obvious answer is in the paragraph about Foye sliding over to the point. They don't have a true healthy point without Telfair. Foye's best when his only concern is attacking the basket. He falls out of his game when he's required to set everyone else up as well. When your 2nd best player and most dynamic scorer now has to worry about things other than what he does best, it's going to effect your team. As weird as it is to say, Telfair's become vital to this team's winning.
Jefferson explained it well.
Agree completely. I figured we were going to suck big time when Ollie went down. Telfair has really stepped up his game and decisionmaking to let Foye concentrate on what he's good at.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:43 pm
by Foye
Telfair is important for us as long as he does not shoot too much...send him into the gymn with all bigs of our roster next offseason and let him work on contested lay ups - he misses them too often. He also has to work on his jump shot - if he wasn't so mediocre on shooting I believe he would actually be a solid point guard in the nba. I mean he needs like 15 shots to make one...
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:25 pm
by WallyWorld
You know who may be an underground catalyst, and our true barometer? Rodney Carney. He may push the tempo better than any Wolf not named Sebastian, and the Love-Carney outlet just about always shifts the momentum, and gets even the most casual fan excited. When he has a quiet night, the Wolves struggle to find their niche and spark in the 2nd unit (Love has been playing with the first team quite a bit so its harder to see him as a "bench sparkplug" quite in the Carney high flying mold).
When that boy is on, the Wolves never lose it seems. He may be one of the most energy inspiring players I have seen don ANY basketball uniform (former Gopher bruiser Zach Puchtel gets a distant 2nd place nod from yours truly). With the score differential stagnant vs. Detroit, an ice cold Carney prevented the Wolves from shifting the momentum early by taking an ill advised three in the second. He should stick to scoring in transition, where he truly excels. This, in my eyes, had an equal impact compared to Sebastain.
Would be interesting to see how Carney plays at home vs. on the road, and I hope he acts as an X factor against Ariza.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 9:31 pm
by Howler21
Watching Detroit struggle as they have is proof of this theory in reverse.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:01 pm
by Calinks
Telfair is very valuable to us because he is a true floor general. Foye can play well at PG in stretches but he doesn't have command of the floor, the ability to dictate the ebb and flow of an NBA game like a true PG can such as Telfair.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:03 pm
by Krapinsky
Hmm... what's Bassy's FG% again?
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:18 pm
by Calinks
Scoring isn't everything.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:51 pm
by nc21tarheels
Somebody shoulda told Steph that!
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:01 am
by Calinks
nc21tarheels wrote:Somebody shoulda told Steph that!
Good Lord I must be seeing things. I KNOW that isn't Tarheels coming out of the blue.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:10 am
by nc21tarheels
Calinks3 wrote:nc21tarheels wrote:Somebody shoulda told Steph that!
Good Lord I must be seeing things. I KNOW that isn't Tarheels coming out of the blue.
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:57 am
by bostonfan34
Dr.Krapinsky wrote:Hmm... what's Bassy's FG% again?
haha.. yeah, we all know FG% is a great indicator of how good a PG is
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:19 am
by jdub114
If he was getting consistent playing time from the start he would have had a % greater than or equal to 40
Re: Telfair's Importance
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:57 am
by TrentTuckerForever
^Uh, no. He started 50 games last year and barely got to 40%. It's not even really his stroke that's the problem, IMO. He's too small, and his game too based on the drive, for him to convert a truly high percentage. He'll never be a Nash-type finishing point.
He is valuable, but imagine if he was coming off the bench behind a big, defensive minded point. Wolves would have Carney, Telfair (and Love, for now) coming off the bench, a real running 2nd unit.