In lieu of our upcoming home and home with the Minnesota Timberwolves, I chatted with Jonah Steinmeyer over at www.howlintwolf.com, a great Timberwolves blog. We discussed each other’s teams, the upcoming games, and the future fortunes for each franchise.
Here is what he had to say. Make sure to visit his site to see my answers to his questions about the Spurs and to learn more about the Timberwolves.
SpursDynasty: As a Spurs fan, Kevin Love terrifies me. He has torched us in the two previous games. Darko has also had a good start to the season. Is this a front court that you can build around moving forward? Do either deserve to be all-stars? What weaknesses can be exploited against those two? Do Wolves fans miss Al Jefferson, and did it really have to be him or Kevin Love that had to go?
Jonah Steinmeyer: Kevin Love’s on my team and he terrifies me! He plays the game with such an intense passion and hustle which is directly why his numbers, especially his rebounding stats, are so high this season. Not many guys can out-hustle this guy under the hoop. As for Darko, he’s the complete opposite. A lot of his movements seem robotic at times, it’s as if he simply does what he’s told rather than act on instinct and adrenaline. For this reason Darko has frustrated us all this year because there are times where Darko seems to have no emotion and as a result checks out of many games (He’s done this often lately.) To beat these two, you need to go straight at them. Both offensively and defensively, if you can out hustle Love and create problems for Darko by committing turnovers or drawing fouls, you’ve pushed them out of their comfort zones and have an opportunity to capitalize. I, personally, do not miss Al Jefferson. If you look at the numbers, Michael Beasley’s production has exceeded what Jefferson did on offense in Minny, and he, just like Love, was a liability on defense. One of them HAD to go and we luckily kept the right guy.
SD: The Spurs had Anthony Tolliver for a few months a couple of seasons ago. He seems to have found a home in Miinnesota, which makes me happy. How is he playing? What is his role on the team?
JS: Well, Tolliver’s been out with a sprained knee for quite some time and just made his return to the court Friday night against the Trailblazers. In that game, Tolliver elevated the defensive tenacity, hit open shots and energized the crowd. He truly is a jack of all trades, just one of those role players that winning teams need to have, so I’m very happy to have him in Minnesota.
SD: How do Wolves fans feel about Kurt Rambis? How is he doing? Anything we should watch for from him during the game?
JS: It’s hard to talk about coach Rambis right now. Recently, we’ve lost some very close games that haven’t ended the way intense, competitive games usually end. Normally, when a team has a final possession to win a game and a bunch of playmakers to convert on a play, they draw up some sort of play to deceive the defense, giving a best possible look at winning the game. But Rambis is as young and inexperienced as this team, and, in those moments, has failed to come up with anything useful whatsoever. Like I said, Rambis is learning just as much as our young team, so it’s probably too early to lose faith in him. It is worth noting that Rambis has the lowest winning percentage of all Timberwolves coaches all-time. That’s definitely something interesting when talking about Rambis.
SD: A few years ago the Wolves drafted 11 point guards. Now Luke Ridnour is starting for you, being backed up by Flynn and Telfair. What is the future of the PG role in Minnesota? Will Ricky Rubio ever play for the Timberwolves? Is this the weakest link on the Wolves roster?
JS: Let’s just say this: Timberwolves’ fans wished the point guard position was never created. Our miscues and inconsistency at the position has been the team’s downfall this season. Luke Ridnour’s play has elevated as of late, but the lack of a true back-up is a serious problem. Jonny Flynn needs more time to develop and is just a real headache for all fans alike. Sebastian Telfair has played well this season, but is far down on Rambis’ pecking order. A move should be in place to improve that position by the trade deadline or else the second half of the season will be long, stressful ride. I don’t have too much of an opinion on Rubio. His numbers this year have declined, thus proving he may have peaked too early. But still, if he ever were to come to the Timberwolves, or the NBA, Rubio’s playmaking ability will improve any team’s point guard position.
SD: David Kahn: easy punch line or secret diabolical genius?
JS: I’m gonna play it safe and say a healthy mix of both. I occasionally throw jokes at Kahn’s direction, but he’s got a vision to make this team an up-tempo, fast-paced offensive team. Some of those pieces are in play and the addition of Rubio will help his legacy tenfold. But I’ll believe it when I see it.
SD: The Spurs beat the Wolves twice in games that the Wolves should have won. Was it just talent winning out? Veteran savvy and execution down the stretch? Do the Wolves have issues closing games out? And if so, does that become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
JS: Both of the games against the Spurs were definite heartbreakers. But this has been a common occurrence all season long. The Wolves are just too young and inexperienced to win a majority of those close games. I firmly believe that you need to pay your dues before you’re allowed to win most of these nail-biters. The only question is when have those dues been considered paid? After 5 close losses? 10? After you reach the playoffs and realize how much a single victory actually means? Only time and more experience will help their late-game chances going forward.
SD: Thank you for your time, and good luck after the next 2 games with the rest of your season!
