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Battle of the Bloggers No. 4 - Response



Mike Trudell
Wolves Reporter

Last week, we asked the bloggers to choose the 2-on-2 squad that would most likely emerge in a Timberwolves-only tournament. For tiebreaker purposes, the writers told us who they thought would win a league-wide 2-on-2 tournament.

Before we get to the scoring, here are the timberwolves.com answers:

Wolves Tourney: Ricky Davis and Al Jefferson
NBA Tourney: Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan

Here are this week's results, followed by comments on the respective answers:

7 points: Stephen Litel, (22 total): minnesotabasketball.blogspot.com; hoopsworld.com
6 points: Kate Doan, (16 total): mnsportsfans.com
5 points: Anthony Hall, (20 total): twolvesblog.com
4 points: Alex Halsted, (9 total): Twolves Wordpress
3 point: Dave Kelsey, (16 total): twolvesblog.com
2 points: Derek Hanson, (13 total): twolvesblog.com
1 point: Sonia Grover, (16 total): twolvesblog.com

WEEK FOUR QUESTION:
What two Timberwolves would win an intersquad 2-on-2 tournament, and why?
Tiebreaker: What two NBA players would win a league-wide tournament?

ANSWERS:

LITEL: Ricky Davis and Al Jefferson
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard
- OK Litel, I have to give you the win on this one, as you were surprisingly the only blogger to nail the Davis-Jefferson combo. Your point that Davis is the best all-around perimeter player on the Wolves is right on (as of today). Ricky's a deadly shooter, led the team in dimes last year and is a terrific perimeter defender. Of course, Jefferson just can't be matched in the paint. I almost docked you for twice questioning Ricky's motivation ... "Focus" might be a better buzzword, but he works his tail off.
-- Only Doan had you beat on the second answer. Kobe's as automatic a 2-on-2 choice as "The Bachelor" is to have at least one girl cry per episode, and I love the Howard pick ... he is the opposite of small. That said, he can't play defense like Tim Duncan, isn't as good of a passer, can't hit a 15-foot jumper and isn't as savvy as the player who dominated the 2007 NBA playoffs.

DOAN: Randy Foye and Al Jefferson
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan
- Foye-Jefferson is the second-best option here, and your analysis as to why they'd work well together is sound. Jefferson is definitely the "anchor" to any Wolves 2-on-2 squad, so I'm glad you mentioned that specifically.
-- Absolutely 100% correct on the Bryant-Duncan combination. This brilliance allowed you to narrowly jump Hall.

HALL: Randy Foye and Al Jefferson
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: LeBron James and Kevin Garnett
- If I didn't like the rest of your answer so much, I would have docked you for saying there would be chances for easy transition baskets in a 2-on-2 game. Where are you playing 2-on-2 buddy! It's half-court, make it-take it action with NO transition opportunities. That's why you need a big man! Fortunately, you had Al.
-- LeBron is a freaking beast, and his DNA should be checked. It would be impossible to stop him in 2-on-2, so we like this choice. However, he still isn't the defender that Kobe Bryant is. More on KG later.

HALSTED: Al Jefferson and Gerald Green
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: Kevin Garnett and LeBron James
- I like your buck-the-trend answer here, and you're smart to consider the familiarity aspect of these two while Jefferson and Foye have yet to play a lot together. You said it'd be "too easy" to pick Al and Randy, so you went with Al and GG. But it would have been smarter to pick Al and Ricky Davis, who spent a year in Boston with Al, and I think is the better pick to compliment the big fella.
-- Sure, I love KG too, but there are a few other bigs I'd take over the Big Ticket in this format: Duncan, Howard and Stoudemire in particular. Duncan could force him to shoot jumpers but still post him up, while Howard and Stoudemire gave KG more problems than anyone else in the league in these past two seasons.

KELSEY: Ricky Davis and Ryan Gomes
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant
- You're a big Ryan Gomes guy, aren't you? I actually like this answer, but dropped any answer not including Al Jefferson. My big problem is where you say "score from anywhere on the court" for Ricky and Ryan. Well, they can't score at will in the low post if Jefferson is there, and there's no better or easier place to score.
-- The next two answers also had KG and Kobe, and it would certainly be a tight matchup. I'm sticking to my guns, though, and leaving the Big Ticket off my top twosome.

HANSON: Randy Foye and Ricky Davis
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant
- I'll get into this more in the Grover explanation, but you need a big man. Period. You did some solid research and made some good points in your number crunching, but you missed the biggest key to a 2-on-2 game.
-- A few other teams that would be fun to watch in a 2-on-2 setting: Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire; LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki; Steve Nash and any All-Star big (well, offensively); Dwyane Wade and Shaq; Allen Iverson and Yao Ming.

GROVER: Ricky Davis and Randy Foye
NBA 2-on-2 Champs: Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant
- Sorry Sonia, but we have to disagree with your comment that a big man isn't a necessity. Who's going to guard Al Jefferson or Craig Smith? Sure, the big men would have to guard Ricky, but it's always a better basketball play to make someone shoot a jumper than to toss in a three-foot baby hook.
? -- OK, I get it. You all love KG. It's an emotional pick, but fair enough. I'm still taking Duncan.




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