Half-Way Point

[weasel]

With their game against Denver, the Wolves reached the half way point of their season. It's obviously a good time to look at how they are meeting any expectations we had going into the season.

For me, I was thinking they would play around a .400 win percent, so seeing that they are flirting with .500, I can say I'm happy with their record.

Considering all of the pomp and circumstance Rubio and Love had going into the season, the fact that they are both playing better than expected is HUGE. And Pek stepping up like he has looks like we can have a legitimate big three on our hands.

For as much as this board has a love/hate relationship with Beasley, I think he has been pretty solid since coming back from his injury and is slowly grasping what Adelman expects of him. He quietly put up a 17/7 night against Denver with zero turnovers. I am actually leaning towards that being more of an expected performance than a fluke right now.

The rest of the team has been so inconsistent it's tough to judge them. And unfortunately with the lack of practices, I don't think any consistancy can be expected.

As for Adelman, considering all of the injuries, all of the players who have been so freakin inconsistant, and the lack of training camp or practice time, the team is playing better than I expected so I take my hat of too him. I know the rotation issue has been questioned, but with the issues above I knew he'd have a tough time figuring out who can play, and who works good together. And lately it seems like he has buttoned the rotation down.

So, I'm happy with where the team is and I'm really looking forward to how much more the team can grow as the season goes on.

[Dewey]

They meet expectation if .500 or better, so looking good overall.

No problem with Beas if he's got no problem being a bench player ... $15-20 million over 5 years

Hats off to the Rube, Love, Pek, and RA.

I fear complacency moving ahead ... I'm not sure Kahn will swing the axe for a capable veteran SG. We're starting to push the rope on too many players that just dont have the pull. Need some upgrades.

[karch34]

Good OP. Definitely a lot of reasons to be pleased, but yeah there's also reasons to be frustrated too. Around .500 and in the playoff discussion a year after being the worst team in the league is probably all anyone would've hoped for before the season.

[mandurugo]

They meet expectation if .500 or better, so looking good overall.

No problem with Beas if he's got no problem being a bench player ... $15-20 million over 5 years

Hats off to the Rube, Love, Pek, and RA.

I fear complacency moving ahead ... I'm not sure Kahn will swing the axe for a capable veteran SG. We're starting to push the rope on too many players that just dont have the pull. Need some upgrades.

There's no chance Beasley signs for that amount.

[[RCG]]

They meet expectation if .500 or better, so looking good overall.

No problem with Beas if he's got no problem being a bench player ... $15-20 million over 5 years

Hats off to the Rube, Love, Pek, and RA.

I fear complacency moving ahead ... I'm not sure Kahn will swing the axe for a capable veteran SG. We're starting to push the rope on too many players that just dont have the pull. Need some upgrades.

There's no chance Beasley signs for that amount.

But only based on potential. Production-wise he has been crap. But then again we did get him on his rookie contract for 2 second round picks and he hasn't done a whole lot since that. It'll be interesting to see what he gets offered on the open market.

[mandurugo]

They meet expectation if .500 or better, so looking good overall.

No problem with Beas if he's got no problem being a bench player ... $15-20 million over 5 years

Hats off to the Rube, Love, Pek, and RA.

I fear complacency moving ahead ... I'm not sure Kahn will swing the axe for a capable veteran SG. We're starting to push the rope on too many players that just dont have the pull. Need some upgrades.

There's no chance Beasley signs for that amount.

But only based on potential. Production-wise he has been crap. But then again we did get him on his rookie contract for 2 second round picks and he hasn't done a whole lot since that. It'll be interesting to see what he gets offered on the open market.

No, even based on current production it is totally unreasonable to think he would sign for 3 or 4 million per year.

[Calinks]

Wings are greatly disappointing. Don't really have an issue with Beasley but I know it's not going to work out. He doesn't want to be a bench player at this stage in his career and he doesn't have to be. I don't see he and the wolve figuring out a role here they will both be satisfied with so he's gone. Overall, the team is doing a lot better than I anticipated so I am happy.

[shangrila]

Yeah, I'm ok with Beas leaving now. I'd rather get a pair of veterans, like Kevin Martin and maybe Trevor Ariza (or someone like that), to play the wings while the team brings Williams along slowly from the bench, ala Harden.

As for the season, everyone has been inconsistent. Some, less so (Rubio, Love and Pek), while most tend to see saw around (Ridnour, Beas, Williams, Barea, etc). But considering there's a new coach that didn't have any time to truly implement his system, I'm happy with where they are now. Even if they finish below .500, even below .400 (maybe), I'd be happy with the season.

What I'm hoping to see going forward is more consistency from guys as they get more comfortable. I want to see Webster play solid, if unspectacular, minutes. I want Williams to start producing a bit more in his minutes. I'd like Beas to keep putting in the effort on the other side of the court and I want to see how good Malcolm Lee actually is. But also, a trade for a high level veteran would be great. They really don't have that on the roster as it stands.

[Chocobanana]

im looking at the strength of schedule stat, and minnesota so far has the 5-6th toughest schedule in the league. but im looking at their schedule in the second half, and it doesnt look any easier. the joy of playing in the western conference.

[weasel]

im looking at the strength of schedule stat, and minnesota so far has the 5-6th toughest schedule in the league. but im looking at their schedule in the second half, and it doesnt look any easier. the joy of playing in the western conference.

And in the Northwest Division.

And actually, right now we have the 5th best conference record.

[andyhop]

SI.com midseason grade


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/britt_robson/02/21/midseason.grades/?hpt=hp_t3

A- Minnesota Timberwolves (16-17)

One could predict that the Wolves would be vastly improved just by watching their first preseason game. Forward Kevin Love had dropped 25 pounds so that he was quicker without losing strength. Rookie Ricky Rubio proved that his underwhelming stats in Spain camouflaged his NBA-ready court vision and passing skills, with his underrated defensive savvy and competitive streak more apparent once the games started counting. And coach Rick Adelman introduced such previously arcane concepts as the corner three-pointer and defensive accountability into the Wolves' makeup. In the past few weeks, the emergence of center Nikola Pekovic has been yet another major upgrade. The situation is a long way from perfect -- the Wolves won a combined 32 games the previous two seasons -- as the team is getting anemic contributions at both ends of the court at the small-forward and shooting-guard positions, and No. 2 pick Derrick Williams hasn't earned Adelman's trust enough to play game-deciding minutes unless someone is missing or in foul trouble. But Minnesota fans finally have a team they can embrace for the first time since Kevin Garnett's departure in 2007, a club that might shock the league and sneak into the playoffs.

[Klomp]

im looking at the strength of schedule stat, and minnesota so far has the 5-6th toughest schedule in the league. but im looking at their schedule in the second half, and it doesnt look any easier. the joy of playing in the western conference.

It will only make our team that much better and tougher in the future.

[Dewey]

im looking at the strength of schedule stat, and minnesota so far has the 5-6th toughest schedule in the league. but im looking at their schedule in the second half, and it doesnt look any easier. the joy of playing in the western conference.

It will only make our team that much better and tougher in the future.

would be a lot more fun if we had a SG ... I wonder what beas will net us?

[Peezo]

Couldn't be happier right now. Truly. I've been thinking today about how fun it is to ride the wave upwards with a team that has been down in the dumps. We are really in the thick of things right now and it is crazy what a difference a year makes. Two nights ago in DEN vs. tonight against UTA really shows where this team is at. We are pulling out close wins at home and narrowly missing on the road. That is a great sign of a team that is improving, but still has work to do.

As for the Beas contract talk earlier, I wonder if he would stay for 4 years 28-30 mil? That is a lot for a bench/fringe starter, but he has pretty special scoring talent. I think he would also still be a moveable contract on that deal. Would people here make that deal? I still think we could pay for his upside, he is 23 years old and seems to be a team guy. If he would take that, so would I.

Now the big question about the halfway point is will we keep up this pace second half, dip lower, or improve? What an exciting time to ARRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOO

[Chocobanana]

looking forward to seeing some more pek + love. the best white frontcourts (and top 3 overall) in the nba!

[lobishome]

I still haven't watched last night game but I'm happy for the great performance of the non-prima-donna players.

I've bet for positive W/L balance at the end of the season and I'm satisfied with the balanced W/L at the half of the season. Really we don't deserve more but I'm satisfied because this team fights every games until the last second. Except a few games, all teams had to sweat for beat us.

I don't know what is gonna happen in the second half because we have a very difficult calendar, specially at the middle of March. If the wolves can keep a balanced W/L at the end of March, the wolves will fight for the POs at the last 15 games and we are gonna to see if this young team can have some advantage over more veterans teams at April.

Recap : 34 games and 17 wins, last season 17 wins in 82 games. Words aren't needed.

[Twizman]

This has been the most fun Wolves season ever for me! I love supporting a middling team, you don't get bored of expected constant wins, and you don't get fed up with losses.

Like most people here, I'm fantasizing about Kahn's possible greatest ever move over the break

[southern wolf]

We're definitely above where I thought we would be pre-season. When I first looked at our schedule I was having some very negative thoughts. I never thought Rubio or Pek would be anywhere near this good so soon and there's been a few other pleasant surprises. There's still a lot of frustrating aspects of our game, but since this is the first time we've ever been out of that group of the worst of the worst in the NBA since I started following the wolves closely, I think I can find a way to look past the flaws.

[Basti]

They've more than exceeded my expectations. We're at .500 right now which is something I've never really thought of seeing. I had hoped it after Adelman joined the party but maybe I've been a Wolves fan for far too long to take a rather pessimistic approach. That's why I've been really enjoying this season.

The obvious three corner stones are Ricky, Kevin and Nikola. The latter has really surprised me, particularly on defense. Yes, he gets lost on pick'n'roll situations but this man weighs 290 lbs. He hardly gets light up anyway. Love, for all the great things he's done so far (not just this season) definitely needs a break. Did you see his facial expressions last night? Dude looked like he's studying for his finals pulling 5 consecutive all nighters. Ricky also looks like he has hit the rookie wall. Can't blame him for doing so as he's played many more games than he's used to. But Ricky has really exceeded my expectations, too. I knew he was going to be much more than a role player but I had thought he needed much more time to acclimate himself offensively (i.e. shooting wise). His FG% isn't that good but I honestly expected/feared it to be around 35% from the floor. The thing I like the most about him: he usually performs in clutch situations. Last night was different, though.

The rest of the team: really inconsistent. Can't blame them, though, considering the little time they have had to get used to Adelman's system, their roles etc. I'd like to see Wayne getting a few more minutes unless Ridnour/Barea don't give up too many inches defensively for once.
Can't say I'm disappointed in Williams, though. Yes, I hoped he'd get more minutes and he played better but he's not that good at the 3 spot, yet, and we have this 2 time all star starting at the same spot. I just hope the transition to the 3 spot will happen rather sooner than later considering his trade value.
Beasley had started the season horribly but after he came back from the injury, he's been so much better. He only had about 2 really bad games. The other games he was really putting in some work. I like to see that Mike.
For some reason I can't and probably won't give up my hope on Wes. I guess I've lowered my expectations that I see every made basket as a plus. But I really like his defense and ball movement. If he only had some faith in his shot...
Darko, Trolololololiver and Sad Dog Randolph haven't done anything either but unlike with Wes, I've given up on them. Although I wish Darko finds his pride somewhere hidden in a cabin up north when Pek takes him ice fishing.

[Northcoastmnfan]

This has been the most fun Wolves season ever for me! I love supporting a middling team, you don't get bored of expected constant wins, and you don't get fed up with losses.

Like most people here, I'm fantasizing about Kahn's possible greatest ever move over the break

I hear ya, RA has the team at .500 ahead of most expectations, with the west being as wide open as it is this year, with improved wing play, we could not only make the playoffs but be competative once there. In order to make the playoffs though, we need to get a deal done ASAP, our schedule gets tough after the break and if we wait until the deadline, I think we will be too far back. We need to be a few games over .500 at the end of March, our schedule is not bad in April and we could make a nice run. Kahn please get that trade done this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!