Postgame Thoughts: Memphis at Minnesota - 3.19.08

This game was like a heavywieght title bout between two fighters both represented by Don King.


Memphis and Minnesota fought the good fight and both teams exerted a lot of effort in the game. Unfortunately for Minnesota they just came up a bit short in the end. No Memphis didn't win the game. Memphis won the all important position battle for the ping pong balls in the Western Conference.

Memphis started out looking like a team that didn't care about the battle for the top position in the lottery. The Grizzlies opened the game on fire with Mike Miller scoring 10 points, Rudy Gay adding 6 and Juan Carlos Navarro chipping in with 5 pts as the Grizzlies built a 28-23 lead after one quarter. The second quarter was even worse for Grizz fans as the 2nd unit continued to show no concern for standings and the long term benefit of the franchise as their selfish play created a seemingly insurmountable hole with the Grizzlies leading 52-38. Minnesota was on top of their game in that quarter as the TWolves managed to score a mere 15 points and ended the half with 38 points against one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

It must have been a stirring half time speach by Marc Iavaroni that woke up the team. The Grizzlies came out of halftime and their lackluster play and poor shot selection created a nice 17-5 run by Minnesota to tie the game at 57. This has been the type of play Grizz fans have come to expect from a team competing for the top spot in the lottery for the 2nd consecutive year. Darco Milicic, taking one for the team, re-injured his left hand allowing the Grizzlies interior defense to completely disappear. After Milicic held Al Jefferson to only 7 pts in the first half the combination of Jason Collins, Hakim Warrick and yes even Kwame Brown helped insure the TWolves would have no trouble getting the ball to Jefferson and that Big Al would be completely unable to miss the shot by allowing repeated uncontested dunks.

Minnesota appeared to wake up to this threat once the score was tied. Suddenly Memphis was getting the uncontested shots while Minnesota went cold and Memphis ended the quarter on a miserable 11-5 run to fall into a 6 pt hole (i.e. lead) with one quarter to play. Memphis did manage to score only 16 points in the third quarter despite the weak play at the end. The Grizzlies came out fighting in the fourth giving up open shots and when Minnesota wouldn't take them, picking up illegal defense calls to force the TWolves to the line. The game progressed with both teams really expending a lot of energy to insure the loss.

Speaking of the line, that is where Memphis really showed their strength. The Twolves shot an embarrassing 82.9% from the line while Memphis was deadly hitting 63.6% to overcome the huge deficit they put themselves in from the floor shooting 41.5% compared to Minnesota's shot 39.3%. Both teams were doing their best from the 3 pt line with Memphis winning the battle 22.7% to 27.3% for the TWolves.

So Memphis worked hard, very hard in fact, and got the result that was best for the team. They didn't want to lose the game, they didn't try to lose the game (unlike Miami which put up 54 pts against Toronto last night...for the game) but the loss is better for the team's chances of getting a difference maker in the draft.

Probably the most encouraging thing from last night's game is the realization that two of the TWolves top three scorers were players drafted by current Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace while he was in Boston. The most depressing thing was not getting any shots of Marco Jaric's girlfriend in the crowd.

Interview with the Enemy: T'Wolves Blog

In the interest of lottery-bound teams sharing information, we traded questions with T'Wolves Blog about their team, their future and a certain Brazilian supermodel. A big thanks goes out to College Wolf and DeROK for their great answers. You can view the questions they asked us and our answers here.

1) In the off-season, Al Jefferson signed a 5-year, $65 million extension, which was actually less than what he was eligible to receive had he asked for a max contract. It was refreshing to hear a player say that he wasn't worthy of a max deal. What are your impressions of the young stud in his first season in Minnesota?

College Wolf - I can’t speak for all fans, but I’ve quickly become enamored with him. I’ve followed the Celtics for the past few years as my “other” team, so I already knew a good deal about “Old Skool” (as we affectionately like to call him.) Still, I did not foresee him coming in and immediately producing like he has been all season long. Before the season, if you would have told me that he’d average 20+ points, 10+ boards, and have the second most double-doubles; I would have said “no way.” Not only has his offense been superb, but we’ve seen him grow before our very eyes as a leader out on the court. He’s been much more vocal and passionate as the season has gone on, which is very exciting to see and is exactly what this young team needs in a leader. However, it is not all praise… because until he can improve his overall defense, he’ll never be considered a truly great player in this league.

2) How has the fanbase adjusted in the post-Kevin Garnett era?

DeROK - I would say for the first half of the season, most Timberwolves fans were still suffering from a KG hangover. The team's record was horrendous, hovering around the 5-30 mark, and none of the young players we received in the deal seemed to be living up to our expectations of them. There was honestly a point where I felt the Wolves had gotten completely taken in the trade and that Al Jefferson was nothing more than the next Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Then, things suddenly changed. It was right before the Wolves were scheduled to play Boston. As if someone had flipped on a switch, Al Jefferson began to completely dominate games and was consistently putting up the type of point totals we'd see Garnett score every two seasons. The team was able to build off of that momentum heading into the Celtics game and put on one of the best performances of the season. Had it not been for back-to-back meltdowns on inbounds plays, the last-place Wolves would have toppled the league-leading C's. After the game, Garnett had a celebratory tirade that didn't sit too well with most Minnesota fans. I think the team's gutsy performance coupled with Garnett's post-game reactions were what finally cut the last ties most of us had to the KG era. Garnett's still my favorite player and can't wait to see him in the playoffs again, but Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Corey Brewer, Randy Foye - those are "my guys" now. I'm happy with where this team's going and actually think we got the better end of the trade in the long-term. It really was the best thing for both the franchise and Garnett to part ways. I think almost every Wolves fan realizes this and, as a whole, we're at peace with the situation.

3) Rumors are that if Minnesota is looking to draft one of the top level PG's in the upcoming draft. Should they look to draft their PG of the future or is there someone you think they should trade for or sign as a free agent instead?

CW - This is a big bag of cookies that I’m not entirely sure we can fully dissect at *this point* of the season. There are still some “things” contingent on other “things” happening. I believe the draft is before the free agent signing period, so the front office needs to decide if they will be pursuing Telfair or not this off-season. That in turn affects whether they want to spend our lottery pick on a PG. Do they draft a second tier PG if Derrick Rose isn’t available? I’d say no. Do they draft Rose if he is available? I don’t see how they couldn’t… regardless of what they plan on doing with Telfair and Foye.

It wasn’t long ago that Foye was considered our “point guard of the future.” Who knows, maybe he will still end up becoming so. No one really knows right now. Much further evaluation is needed both upon the guys on our squad and the options available in the draft and free agency.

As for free agent point guards, I don’t really see any guys available (within reason) that I’m too interested in… especially considering our lack of available salary space. I’d prefer we don’t waste the MLE this season either. There’s nothing worse than spending the MLE just to spend it. I enjoy checking out fake potential trades and whatnot every now and then, but it’s largely a waste of time to pontificate about trades because our Front Office is just so unpredictable.*

* That was my nice term for “incompetent.”

4) Is Marko Jaric still dating Adriana Lima? If not, do you think you can get us her number?


CW - Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for the rest of us), yes, they are still dating. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but even if I had her number I’m thinking I probably wouldn’t share it with too many people. Here are some recent photos on The Big Lead of the seemingly happy couple. Extra Credit to Marko for looking like a stud in a flannel shirt.

5) Who is more maddening to root for: Antoine Walker or Ricky Davis?

CW - I think it’s hands down, Ricky Davis. I think the main reason is that he teases and tantalizes fans with his athleticism and the occasional “outbreak” game, only to revert back to his jumpshot clanging self the very next day. Seriously, RD has got to be towards the top of the list of players that could go out on any given night and either drop 40 points… or go 1 of 15 from the field. You know what you are getting out on the court with “The Toine.” Namely, a 31 year old player that looks like he’s 41, and plays like he’s 61. He can’t really shoot, defend, or do much of anything… hence there are little to no expectations. Anything he contributes is gravy. Ricky, on the other hand, is capable of averaging nearly 20 points a game, which has always baffled me. Another thing that made Ricky Davis more maddening to watch was the fact that he was basically our second option for a team trying to compete in the Western Conference. The most maddening thing about The Toine the past month has been his whining about not getting bought out…but I can live with that. I can’t wait to start referring to him as “Antoine Walker’s Expiring Contract” next season.

Again, a big thanks to the guys at T'Wolves Blog for commiserating our similar fates this season. Make sure you check out their quality blog for loads of great content.

Memphis at Minnesota - 3.19.08

Memphis is on the road again. Not that the road has been that friendly this season to the Grizz. This game will put a true face on who is tanking games and who is trying to win them. Memphis is currently half a game behind Seattle and tied with Minnesota for the 2nd worst record in the NBA. And people think it is tight at the top of the Western Conference!

Minnesota is actually winning games of late. 4-6 in their last 10 games, the TPups are seemingly starting to grow up but more likely are just getting healthy. The last two years have seen Randy Foye and Rashad McCants battle numerous injuries. Now healthy they are taking advantage of the attention that Al Jefferson draws down low to punish teams from the perimeter.

Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Randy Foye
This is an interesting match up. Randy Foye is more of a scoring guard than a true point guard like Conley but he is very good scoring the ball against weaker defenders and when he is hot he is close to unstoppable. His 41.6 FG% should tell you that he isn't hot nearly as often as he believes himself to be. Foye tied his career high of 28 points on March 8th however so he is playing well right now. Conley is a set up man who looks to others first. That isn't bad on a team that looks for their own shots first as well. Mike is not as good shooting the ball especially from long range.
Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guards: Mike Miller vs Marco Jaric
Mike Miller is still in Memphis but it is anyone's guess if he is happy about this or not. He's having the 2nd best year of his career but without Pau Gasol around the shots have been more difficult of late. His scoring and shooting percentages are both at low marks for the season right now. Jaric is a transplanted PG who can punish teams if they leave him alone but isn't looking to shoot first. His size should help him against Miller but his defense isn't good enough if Mike is feeling like playing hard.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Kirk Snyder
Kirk Snyder was a back up shooting guard in Houston and is now the starting small forward in Minnesota. He should feel good about getting into the lineup but seeing his old team run off 22 straight wins can't feel good. Snyder is undersized to play Rudy and will struggle to get his shot off as well. Rudy is struggling right now but should look at this game as a chance to shine a little.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Hakim Warrick vs Ryan Gomes
Both of these PF's are undersized at their position but only Hakim plays like he realizes this. Gomes (a 2nd rd pick of Chris Wallace's) has been working hard to justify his starting role but teams are learning how to play against him. Gomes has struggled to get his shot off inside and doesn't appear to have the range to hit from the outside. This makes it difficult for him to score and his rebounding is sub-par. Hakim has flourished in his starting role and is averaging nearly 17 ppg and over 8 rpg as a starter. The problem with Hakim is the team's defense suffers when he is in the game. He will have to focus on his job.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Darko Milicic vs Al Jefferson
Al Jefferson was a relative unknown a little over a year ago. He is unknown no longer. The second Wallace draft pick traded from the Celtics to the TWolves for Kevin Garnett to start, Jefferson is making Kevin McHale look a lot smarter than some people gave him credit for when he traded KG. Jefferson is averaging over 21 ppg and 11 rpg while being the only threat on the TWolves roster. Jefferson does a lot of damage on the offensive glass as well (2nd in the NBA in offensive rebounds). Darko has been up and down according to the opponent. Darko has done far better against the higher rated big men. It will take a big effort on Darko's part to contain Jefferson. The good news is that Darko seems to also have big games when playing against fellow Serbs and Jaric is from Serbia.
Advantage: Minnesota

Benches: Memphis vs Minnesota
Two teams building for the future through the draft and with young players. Memphis has 5 players 22 or younger who contribute on the team. Minnesota has Corey Brewer and Sebastian Telfair as the only players that young on their team. So why does Minnesota seem to be the younger team? Maybe because the Twolves have 7 players with less than 4 years experience in the league. Of course Memphis has 8 players that fit that bill. The TWolves bench is led by Rashad McCants and his 14.3 ppg. He is deadly from the perimeter. Craig Smith has improved on his rookie campaign but is looking closer to the top of his potential. Corey Brewer is struggling as most rookies do but plays excellent defense and has put up some big games (18 rebounds in a game for example). Whatever happened to Antoine Walker however? Memphis' bench is led by rookie Juan Carlos Navarro and 2nd yr (barely) Kyle Lowry. The front court is a mess off the bench with Collins, Brown and Cardinal looking to help out as much as possible but rarely doing much in that regard. Still two guards are better than one.
Advantage: Memphis

Relevant Blogs/Website Links
T'Wolves Blog
Timberwolves Today
Wolves Watch

Post Game Thoughts- Minnesota

My first impression is that Minnesota is a terrible team. That is probably true but they aren't as terrible as they played last night. Their schedule had them playing at Dallas Wednesday, at home Friday against San Antonio and then in Memphis Saturday. The TWolves played tough against Dallas and San Antonio but looked flat and listless in Memphis. Chalk this effort by Minnesota up to the schedule maker as much as anything else.
However Memphis still played a very good game. Using a tight 8 man rotation from most of the game, Memphis looked comfortable and confident. Minnesota wasn't that tired at the beginning (remember Memphis led in Toronto after one quarter in Toronto on Wednesday night) and Memphis still dominated play. The 26-21 score didn't tell the story of how dominant Memphis was in that quarter. Damon Stoudamire was on fire hitting three 3 pt shots in 1:21 seconds of game time. Mike Miller, who tied team records for rebounds in a quarter with 8 and a half with 11, was unstoppable on the boards. To me it seemed Mike's rebounds were a direct result of Darko and Pau blocking out the Minnesota big men and leaving Miller to clean up the board.

Speaking of Darko, his thumb isn't healed. He struggled catching the ball and shooting the ball but he knows the fundamentals of the game. He played great defense on Al Jefferson and set tough picks, blocked shots (5) as well as keeping Jefferson away from the offensive glass. Memphis is a far stronger and more physical team with Darko even if he can't catch the ball with that bad thumb.

Gasol was much more active with Darko back in the game but he also was active when Stro was in the game. One play in particular signified how much more active Gasol was tonight. Al Jefferson got a pass down low and faked Gasol into the air and then laid in a shot. Damon took the ball inbounds and promptly launched a long pass down to a streaking Gasol who had beaten everyone down court. The pass was a touch too long and Gasol couldn't finish the shot but the fact that he got from under the basket to the other end that fast showed how much more active Gasol was.

Stromile Swift was the #3 big man and had a sensational night. This surprised me a bit since at the start of the game Stro was sitting at the end of the bench. I was concerned that the return of Darko might put Stro into one of his infamous funks but he played hard from the minute he entered the game and the Grizzlies big men completely controlled the game. If there was a match up that concerned me it was the Minnesota bigs against the Grizzlies. Darko, Pau and Stro not only matched the TWolves but dominated them.

The point guard rotation isn't progressing as I expected and that is a very good thing for the Grizzlies. Damon Stoudamire benefited somewhat from not having to match up against 6-7 Marco Jaric who was not even on the bench tonight. I wonder where he was? On second thought after checking out his girlfriend again I wonder why he ever shows up!

Still Damon played good defense, passed the ball well and was on from outside which opened up the paint for the Grizzlies. His 25 minutes again may mean that he is establishing himself as the primary point guard on the team. I had expected his minutes to be declining not increasing heading into December. Not that Kyle Lowry didn't play well. He did. It is just that Damon seems to run the offense better and as long as he plays respectable defense his outside shooting adds an offensive threat that Lowry can't match.

So it was a nice win for the Grizzlies. This team can't afford to lose a home game to Minnesota and they didn't. The blowout was as much as scheduling victory as a team victory but the tea still did what they had to do to win. Last season there weren't a lot of games that the Grizzlies were expected to win. It is nice to see this year's team do what was expected and so convincingly as well.

Other Postgame Recaps/Reviews
TWolvesBlog.com
Beyond the Arc
Commercial Appeal
The Sports Network
St. Cloud Times
The Canadian Press

Interview with the Enemy: Timberwolves Today

This is something new we hope will be a regular feature for 3 Shades of Blue where we get a chance to interview bloggers from other teams so that we can learn what other fans think of their own teams.

Today we have Neil from Timberwolves Today who was kind enough to answer some questions from ChipC3.

ChipC3: First off let me say I was at the Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus concert with my 8 yr old daughter last night. I feel like I drank two pan galactic gargle blasters without the lemon twist. If you don't know what that is go read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

First question I have for you is simple. Minnesota traded Kevin Garnett for a group of players that probably attended a Hanna Montana concert this year and didn't bring their daughters. Do you think Kevin McHale has got the team on the right path with the young players or was this a terrible move for the franchise?

Neil: While every Wolves fan will miss everything that KG brought to the court night in and night out, the time was right for McHale to deal KG. Due to his enormous contract we could not bring in the help needed to be a legit contender in the wild west. After this season he would have opted out of his contract and we would have been left with nothing but cap space. When you look at past All-Star trades, (Shaq, AI, others) the team dealing the superstar, never gets back equal value. You can never expect to get back what KG offered. That being said, I think we did amazingly well with the deal we did get. Young prospects, draft picks and cap space is what we were asking and that is what we got. Al Jefferson is one of the brightest upcoming stars in this league. Gomes, Telfair and Green are serviceable role players. Two first round draft picks will boost our rebuilding process, and Theo Ratliff is 13 million coming off the books after this season. Sure we have the worst record in the league, but our current squad is young, energetic, and they play hustle ball all night. We have a core, anchored by big Al that could be something special in a few years.

ChipC3: Explain the hiring of Randy Wittman to me.

Neil: Randy Wittman has had a few tours as an assistant coach with the Wolves, as well as a couple failed seasons with Cleveland. He was hired after McHale canned Dwane Casey halfway through last season. It was kind of an in-house promotion for Wittman. It was always assumed that he would someday be a Wolves head coach if Casey did not pan out. In my opinion Casey should still be around, but alas Wittman is in charge. Randy Wittman is known for his no nonsense, hard-nosed philosophy. Times are tough right now in Wolvesville and the key word is patience, this must be applied to the head coach as well. Even if we end up with the worst record in the league this season, Randy Wittman's job is safe at least through next season. McHale and owner Glen Taylor are committed to giving Randy time to mold this team and realize that it will not happen overnight.

ChipC3: On a serious note, a small but serious group of Memphis fans were hoping that the Grizzlies would draft Corey Brewer in the last draft. So far I have not heard a lot about him. What do Minnesota fans think of the Brewer selection and will he be an impact player in the future or are his destiny more along the line of a defensive player who can't shoot?

Neil: Corey Brewer is a huge part of our rebuilding effort. Right now he is very rough around the edges on the offensive end of the court. His shot is simply not falling. However he has earned a decent amount of playing time due to his sheer hustle and defensive energy. He is a hawk in the passing lanes, swooping in and disrupting the oppositions offense, and wants to run the fast break every chance he gets. He will be a special player in the future, but to really be complete he has to work on that shot and his offensive decision making.

ChipC3: Finally, what do you think McHale has on the Minnesota owner to keep his job? Is it incriminating photos? Perhaps some information on his personal finances he doesn't want revealed? It can't be that the owner likes his sweaters can it?

Neil: My insiders tell me that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has a huge fetish about Wolves mascot, Crunch. Only McHale truly knows exactly what goes on between Crunch and Taylor, but I have heard some alarming things. This is why McHale still is, and will always be the GM of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Pregame: Memphis vs Minnesota - 12.1.07

KIDS FREE NIGHT! DANCE TEAM POSTER GIVE AWAY!

Don't Forget the Owners Experience Ticket Package!

Memphis strutted into Toronto on a high after winning their 2nd game on the road this season in New Jersey. After one quarter they had the game being played at a pace that favored the team and even had the lead. Then came the 2nd quarter. 10 points later the Grizzlies walked into the locker room without any shred of confidence and never really mounted a challenge against the Raptors in losing 103-91 which made the game look closer than it really was. How do you explain a team shooting over 50% in the previous two games shooting 3-19 in the 2nd quarter? Mike Miller and Rudy Gay never amounted to much in the game and Gasol seemed to quit in after the first half. Juan Carlos Navarro continued his excellent play but while playing large he wasn't big enough to overcome the total lack of team effort.

Minnesota is tired of being portrayed as the worst team in the NBA. However they are tied for the fewest wins in the league at two with Seattle, another team rebuilding after unloading the face of the franchise. Minnesota is rebuilding with promising talent including Al Jefferson, Randy Foye, Corey Brewer and Rashard McCants. That much youth without any veteran leadership rarely produces good results right away. Minnesota is suffering the growing pains like most teams. This game will be Minnesota's third game in four days after playing at Dallas and San Antonio so it won't be easy for the TWolves against a rested Grizzlies team.

4 Things on Zack's Mind

-- Need a win to get to .500 at home. Right now the Griz are 3-4 at home. IMO, it is a must for a team to have a winning record at home. Against the lowly T-wolves, this win is a must. A repeat of the last Sonics game would be preferred.

-- Defending Al Jefferson. The matchup I am most interested in is Al Jefferson versus the Memphis interior defense, who will likely be missing Darko for an 8th straight game (3-4 in his absence). Although it is likely Pau and Swift guard Jefferson the most tonight, I will not be surprised when Rudy takes his turn. Iavaroni has shown no hesitation in having Rudy guard any post player on the other team. And Al versus Rudy on the block is a matchup I don't think is in the Grizzlies advantage. IMO, Al demands an immediate double team to get the ball out of his hands and back in the hands of his sub-par supporting cast. I will be interested to see how early and how often Iavaroni calls for the Griz to double Jefferson (if at all).

-- How big will the free throw discrepancy be? The Griz average 8 more free throw attempts per game than the Twolves (28 for Griz to 20 for Twolves). But what might make the discrepancy even more tonight is the fact that the Twolves opponents average 32 free throws per game (Grizzlies opponents average 22). After our pathetic shooting display against the Raptors, I expect the Griz to have a concerted effort to attack the rim and hopefully some hometown officiating can get Kyle, Rudy, Pau, and company to the line in bunches.

-- Need our shooters to be shooters. Make no mistake about, Navarro has no hesitation on hoisting up shots. I like his confidence and don't mind him shooting alot. I would like to see Miller be more aggressive in getting his shot off (he is coming off a season low 5 FG attempts against the Raptors, all misses). The Grizzlies have 4 guys (Miller, Navarro, Damon, and Casey) who's best skill is shooting from the outside and worst skill is defense. For those guys to earn the combined 93 minutes they average per game (or roughly 38% of the available playing time) they need to shoot confidently and shoot well. In wins, that group is averaging 14.2 made shots in 29.8 attempts (47%) versus 11.7 for 28.2 (41%) in losses.

Matchups

Point Guards: Damon Stoudamire vs Marco Jaric
Marco Jaric has size to the nth degree and is dating a Brazilian bombshell (Adriana Lima) so excuse him if his legs are a little too tired to actually use his height advantage by posting up down low. Damon has been consistent as the starter averaging around 6 pts and 4 assists in just under 20 minutes. If anything his minutes have actually seen an increase lately but his shooting is still very suspect despite his 3 pt average. He needs to hit more shots inside the rim to get more PT.
Advantage: Minnesota

Shooting Guards: Juan Carlos Navarro vs Rashard McCants
Juan Carlos Navarro starts his second month in the NBA most likely destroying my prediction of his winning 6th man of the year not because he isn't playing well but because he has played so well he is starting instead of coming off the bench. Navarro has rapidly become a crowd favorite. His fun loving style of play hopefully will rub off on some other veteran players too. McCants has battled injuries since turning pro after his national championship at UNC and he finally looks to be getting comfortable. His shot is still terrible (41% from the field) but he can get hot from the perimeter (36%). Too offensive minded players but Navarro has the higher basketball IQ.
Advantage: Memphis

Small Forwards: Mike Miller vs Ryan Gomes
Mike Miller may be starting his last game at SF for a while with the anticipated return of Darko Milicic. If anyone has seen a decrease in effectiveness from Navarro's development it has to be Mike Miller. Ryan Gomes is a physical SF or an undersized PF depending on your outlook. He looked promising in Boston although unable to get consistent minutes. Minnesota was happy to get him in the KG deal but he hasn't really found his comfort zone yet. His shooting is pathetic inside the arc although his 3 pt shot has really improved. If he can find his range and muscle up Miller, Gomes could be effective in this game. If he struggles keeping up with Miller on the perimeter and can't hit his shot then Miller should go for big numbers. Miller needs a big game as well.
Advantage: Memphis

Power Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Mark Madsen
Rudy Gay has been thrust into the Phoenix 4 role and struggled at times to adjust. His range should give Madsen fits and his speed and athletic ability should be difficult for Madsen to keep up with. Madsen is a glorified thug in the NBA. He's willing to throw his body at anyone for any reason and picks up a lot of junk by simple intimidation but he isn't the ideal player for an uptempo game. Rudy should feast on this match up if he stays aggressive and focused.
Advantage: Memphis

Centers: Pau Gasol vs Al Jefferson
The only match up than Memphis should fear. Al Jefferson is a space eating, rebound grabbing animal who can score out to 12' with relative ease while absolutely punishing weaker players in the middle. He is intimidating as hell. Gasol shrinks from players such as this. If Darko is even close to healthy the Grizzlies need to consider him as an option in this game. Al Jefferson is the closest thing the NBA has to an answer for Dwight Howard and he is only 22 yrs old. Is Jefferson really that good? Ask Dallas where Jefferson put up 31 and 14 against the Mavs on the road! Boston may win a title with Garnett this year but Minnesota has a great player for the next 10 years to grow around.
Advantage: Minnesota

Benches: Memphis vs Minnesota
Minnesota has a plethora of big name players on their bench like Antoine Walker, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green and Corey Brewer. the problem is they either haven't learned how to handle the NBA (Telfair, Green, Brewer) or they have lost what star power they used to have (Antoine Walker). Minnesota's name recognition is high but their basketball talent is in question. Memphis' bench had been developing nicely until the 2nd quarter of the Toronto game. The complete disgrace of that quarter will do one of two things: Convince Iavaroni to shorten the bench even more or make the bench realize they have to play better if they want to play at all. It is too soon to know exactly which way the bench will turn but it bears intense scrutiny in this game. Warrick, Swift and Lowry have played well most of the season. Jacobsen has struggled and Kinsey is obviously nipping at his heals for playing time. With the anticipated return of Milicic something has to happen because Iavaroni doesn't want to play 10 players and don't forget Conley could be back next week as well. Memphis' speed off the bench may be too much for Minnesota to handle after playing Dallas and San Antonio over 2 of the last 3 days.
Advantage: Memphis

Update (11.30.07, 10pm)
I heard on the 6pm news that Darko will be available against the Timberwolves. Good news.

Other previews/blogs
Timberwolves Today
TWolvesBlog.com
Wolves Watch
Grizzlies.com

Got a prediction? Leave it in the comments.