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Practice No. 1 done: The new era begins in Mankato
Posted on September 29th, 2009 – 2:28 PM
By Jerry Zgoda

The Wolves took the floor for Kurt Rambis for the first time this morning at — where else? — the Taylor Center in a 2 1/2-workout which didn’t flow as quickly as the new coach had hoped.

He focused mostly on installing aspects of his fast-break offense — which will include aspects of the triangle offense but isn’t the triangle offense, if you get what I mean — and touched only briefly on defense.

David Kahn pointed this out: Rambis opened practice with a series of drills included one of batting balls off the backboard that former Lakers coach Pat Riley used to call the “Rambis drill.”

The surgically repaired knees of Al Jefferson and Corey Brewer appeared to hold up fine.

“I was just happy to put on a uniform today and come out here and practice,” Brewer said. “I hadn’t practiced for real in a long time. For me and Al, it was good for both of us.”

Afterward, Jefferson said it was not his knee that proved troublesome and said he’ll use this preseason to get his conditioning improved as he recovers from February knee surgery.

“It felt real good, real good,” Jefferson said. “It’s more about my lungs than anything. My knee felt great. It feels good to be back out here with the team.”

The Wolves practice again at 4 today, an earlier evening-session start than the rest of the week so the team can finish and then head to owner Glen Taylor’s house for dinner.

For those of you looking for specific info on who’s looking how, it sure looks like Rambis is only going to allow media members in to watch shooting and sprints near practices end.

Apparently, it’s the Phil Jackson/Lakers way.

revprodeji wrote:If Sessions is ok being the 6th man why not? or it could just be because the 2nd unit needed a point guard.

big3_8_19_21 wrote:

revprodeji wrote:If Sessions is ok being the 6th man why not? or it could just be because the 2nd unit needed a point guard.

Yeah, I doubt Rambis wants Sessions and Flynn sharpening their skills against Jason Hart/Mustafa Shakur.

Also...is that video not working for anyone else?

--Big Al ran the floor with ease. The Wolves’ star post player returned to the court in his first official practice session after suffering a season ending knee injury last February. The svelte Jefferson dropped 30 pounds during the difficult rehab process and his hard work should result in improved quickness inside the paint. Oh, and he also dunked several times to prove there is no hesitation in his game.

--Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions looked comfortable running drills together in the backcourt. Most fans are intrigued to see if the two guards can co-exist this season. Both players displayed extreme speed on the fastbreak and should develop chemistry throughout the week.

--Ryan Hollins is an athletic freak. The seven-foot center threw down the hammer countless times during the practice session, which was impressive to see in person. Fans are going to love the energy and athleticism that Hollins possesses.

--Assistant coach Bill Laimbeer jumpstarted drills by shooting free throws so the team could practice transition basketball from the dead ball. By my count, Laimbeer only missed one free throw attempt and had the quote of the morning, “All day, everyday.” The mix of Dave Wohl, Reggie Theus, and Laimbeer immediately brings credibility to the practice court with their vast NBA experience.

--Wohl made subtle but important points on Tuesday by stressing the emphasis on the “little things.” Championship teams in any sport are fundamentally sound and Wohl made that abundantly clear to the players. He also expressed the importance of gaining numbers on the defensive side of the floor to halt any easy opportunities from the opposition.

klomp44 wrote:

big3_8_19_21 wrote:

revprodeji wrote:If Sessions is ok being the 6th man why not? or it could just be because the 2nd unit needed a point guard.

Yeah, I doubt Rambis wants Sessions and Flynn sharpening their skills against Jason Hart/Mustafa Shakur.

Also...is that video not working for anyone else?

Use IE7

Vega06 wrote:Taste of the starting lineup? Black jerseys today were reported to be:

Flynn
Brewer
Gomes
Love
Al