11/1/06 (Season Opener) - Kings 83, Wolves 92

Timberwolves.com wrap-up

Video Highlights

Some pros from the game....

-Defense: The Kings only managed 4 fast break points and shot only 35%, and it seemed like the Kings hardly ever got a shot without a hand in their face. Trenton Hassell did a great job on Ron Artest, and Mike Bibby was held below his average.

-Offensive Distribution: The Wolves did a nice job spreading the ball around on the offensive end. KG, as expected, got his 24, but if you look down the stat sheet, it seemed like everyone had 10 points or so.

-Troy Hudson: With everyone focusing on Mike James and Randy Foye coming to the Timberwolves, people seemed to forget about Troy Hudson's return from various ankle injuries. Troy did a great job down the stretch, providing an offensive spark that helped the Wolves close it out.

Some cons from the game....

-Defensive Rebounding: Yes, a lot of them were off long three pointers and air balls, but still, the Wolves allowed 22 offensive rebounds. Cut that in half, and the Wolves win easily.

-Turnovers: Maybe it's just because everyone is still getting to know each other and everyone is still learning the system, but 21 turnovers is way too much, especially when the Kings managed 26 points off of them.

-Troy Hudson: I'm saying this just because I'm so apprehensive about Troy's game. A lot of the shots that he had down the stretch were what you'd call "bad shots"; shots that you're saying "no no no" until they go in. I'd prefer that Troy try to fit his attempts more into the offense instead of just dribbling around and trying to create his own.

General thoughts....

A decent opener. KG sparkled as usual, having his typical 24 and 12 double-double. Trenton Hassell also had a great game, shooting 6 for 10 with 13 points. Mike James and Ricky Davis had rather unextraordinary games, combining for 14 points on 7 for 17 shooting. With that being said, the more I think about this team (particularly the nucleus of Garnett, Davis, and James), the more it reminds me of the '04 Wolves, except much more athletic and younger. Speaking of young, Randy Foye only played for a few minutes with no points, but I'm not too discouraged about that. Craig Smith, on the other hand, got some pretty big minutes, but not unexpectedly, fouled out. Expect big things from him off the bench.

Other thoughts....

-Ron Artest is the best defender in the league. 7 steals, and shut down Ricky Davis everytime he went at him.

-The NBA wasn't kidding about the zero tolerance policy with whining....Mike Bibby was ejected in the space of about 30 seconds.

-Talking about the Kings, it's sad to see the "old" Kings style be replaced by this new grind-it-out, defensive style brought by Eric Musselman. Ho hum.

-We, as Wolves fans, are so lucky to have the broadcast team of Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen. They're as good as any NBA broadcasters I've ever heard.

-Mavericks-Spurs tonite, 7 pm on ESPN, should be great.

By the way, this will be the format for how I cover these games. Any suggestions would be appreciated and considered.

Wolves Overall Record: 1-0
Division Rank: 1st

Wolves' next game

Friday, November 3rd
@ Denver Nuggets
9 PM on KSTC 45

I LOVE THIS GAME!