Wolves assistant general manager Rob Babcock is in London with the team, continuing to check in with timberwolves.com via email to keep us filled in on the details from training camp. After writing all about what happened in Istanbul in his past four entries, Babcock sums up the Turkey edition by describing the game against Turkish giant Efes Pilsen. Now, he checks in from England.
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| Reserve center John Edwards gets a stretch at practice. |
PART VI
Our game in Istanbul did not start until 9:00 p.m. and we did not get back to the hotel until 1:00 p.m. Our flight the next morning to London was at 9:00 a.m., so most players slept very little. Coach Wittman felt it was time for a day off from practice. We had a film session, a good dinner and got a good night's rest. The NBA collective bargaining agreement does not allow two practices a day after the 6th day of camp, so from here on out we are practicing just once a day. After the two-a-days, this is like being on vacation.
We finally had an afternoon off and took a tour of London. We drove by all the main attractions and got out to walk around Buckingham Palace and tour the Tower of London. As a former history teacher, I am always interested in the history of a country. They have scaffolding on buildings here that is older than anything in Minneapolis. Here in Great Britain, we have the extra benefit of a special tour guide. His name is Chris Wright and he is the President of the Timberwolves. Chris is from England (about 240 miles north of London) and he knows London very well. Our tour continued later that night in Chris' favorite tavern called "The Prospect of Whitby". It was started in the year 1520 and used to be a big hangout for pirates. Those patrons to the tavern that tried to cheat the owner were hanged right outside. There is still a hangman's noose outside the tavern, overlooking the Thames River. To my knowledge it is not a working one and is only there as a remembrance of the history of the tavern.
The coaches were with us on this tour and I think Coach Wittman was a little nervous about the hangman's noose. Someone heard a rumor that the a few local football coaches were hanged there after bad losses. They take their soccer seriously. Chris Wright is a great tour guide and does a tremendous job as the president of our team. Chris is the only soccer player that I know that has risen to the position of NBA team president. I doubt if there are any basketball players running soccer franchises.
We had a solid practice today. Randy Foye was tremendous and Rashad McCants had his second strong practice in a row. We have a lot of players with little injuries (strained muscles, twisted ankles, etc.) and this is very normal for training camp. This is one of the reasons that you begin camp with 15-20 players. Our players came into camp in very good shape, so the injuries have been less than in many camps that I have been in the past. Tomorrow we play the Celtics, and everyone is paying a lot of attention to this game because of the trade. I really don't see anyone on our team (players or staff) getting worked up over this game. KG is no longer on our team and that is certainly something that everyone has to adjust to, but we are all professionals and once you toss the ball up, it is another game and everyone will give a 100% effort.
KG is still our friend and we wish him the best of luck (except vs. the Wolves). The NBA is like a big family. There are only 30 teams and everybody knows everybody. Over my 20 years in the league, there have been several players that have been on my team on three separate occasions. Trading players, cutting players, firing staff are all common in professional sports. It is a profession, but the players and coaches are still people and it is never easy to get traded or fired. You do the best you can, you make friends with your teammates, and if you get traded or fired, you just end up having more friends on other teams. Often, old teammates become teammates again. All said, I would be lying if I said that this game is just like all the rest. It will be strange and different, but also fun. I am looking forward to it.
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| Babcock, GM Jim Stack and Kevin McHale with the passionate "TurkishWolves". Thanks for the support, fellas! |
PART V
Every year the first game of exhibition is a game that everyone is anxious to play. We have been practicing against each other for seven days and it is important at this time to play someone other than ourselves. When you practice against yourself, the defense knows what the offense is doing and the players know the individual tendencies of each other well. Players are competing against each other for playing time, and it gets to the point where you really need to play a "real live opponent."
With that in mind, we were really looking forward to our game last night. There was the added anxiety of playing in a foreign country against an emotional home crowd and though international teams have proven that they are worthy opponents, there is still pressure for the NBA teams to win.
Efes Pilsen is the best team in Turkey and they are coached by one of the best coaches in the world in Dave Blatt. As the head coach of the Russian National Team, Dave led the Russians to the European Championship just last month by stunning the home team favorite, Spain. Born in Massachusetts, Dave has been a very successful coach at every step of his career. He has assembled a very good team here and has them playing a similar style to the game he learned as a player at Princeton under the legendary Pete Carrill. Efes Pilsen had multiple games under their belt going into our first game and it was quite evident early on as they executed their offense to perfection and we had the typical struggles that you would expect in our first game.
Despite our poor FT shooting and 18 turnovers, we managed to pull out a win in a very close game. It was a tight game all the way and very competitive. Coach Blatt and his team played an outstanding game, led by Drew Nicholas from the University of Maryland. It was good to see Loren Woods (starting center and former Wolves 2nd-round pick). Loren struggled through several NBA seasons with many ups and downs, but he has never given up and has matured and developed into a fine center. As expected, we showed that we have much to work on, but we also showed a great deal of potential. Coach Wittman played a lot of players and everyone contributed. The players played hard and they played as a team. With the young talent that we have on this team, we will continue to improve as long as we play as a team, like we did last night.
One of the highlights of the game last night came as a complete surprise, and it was not from one of our players. There is a group of young men that call themselves the "TurkishWolves", and they gave us our own cheering section last night. These young Turkish men are passionate Timberwolves fans and come not only from Istanbul, but from Ankara and Izmir (both hours away). They have their own website and they designed and gave us T-shirts that welcomed us to Turkey. We were able to spend some time with them both before and after the game and it was a special feeling to see that kind of support in a foreign country half way around the world. We want to thank our new friends for their passionate support.
One thing that is a given in training camp is that your players are going to get injured. What you hope is that all the injuries are minor and that nobody misses any major time. The health of our players is crucial to the success of our team. Championships can be won or lost because of injuries. Many injuries cannot be prevented, they just occur because of the speed and contact in the game, but a good medical staff can do wonders in helping a team to a successful season. I feel that we have one of the best medical staffs in the NBA. Greg Farnam, our head trainer, is one of the best in the business and was selected by USA basketball to be the head trainer for the under 19 world Championships last summer in Serbia.
To be a top trainer, you not only have to know the medical aspects, but you have to be a good organizer and administrator, a psychologist, a big brother, a travel agent, and a very hard worker. Greg has an outstanding staff in Andre DeLoya, physical therapist with some of the best hands in the business, Dave Vitel, strength and conditioning coach (one of the best shooting strong guys I have seen), and Anthony Aldridge, assistant trainer, who came to us from the NBDL and has worked with the National Team from Senegal. We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Sheldon Burns as our lead doctor. His reputation in sports medicine is unmatched and he is the current team doctor for the USA Men's Basketball team and will be with the team in the Olympics next year. Our team orthopedic head is Dr. Dave Fischer, who is also very well known in the world of sports medicine and is one of the top people in his field. These guys are not only top in their respective fields, but they are all good people who enjoy their work and really care about the players. It doesn't mean that you won't have any injuries, but it is comforting to know that our medical staff ranks with the top in the world.
My next update will be from London, England.
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| Babcock says Gerald Green makes at least one "unbelievable athletic play" every practice. |
PART IV
One of the tough things about traveling for a living, is you miss being with your family and friends. I can't tell you how many birthdays we have celebrated on alternate days. Fortunately, my family is very supportive, and it helps that they are huge Wolves' fans. Both of my sons played basketball and now coach and my wife has developed a sense for the game over the 24 years that we have been married. Unfortunately, my wife hasn't picked up on everything in the NBA.
She recently joined us in Istanbul, and Clyde Drexler (here on behalf of the NBA), ran into her in the lobby. Clyde, being the gentleman that he is, went up to her and said "I remember you, you're Rob's wife, Laura." My wife replied, "Hello, it's good to see you, and who are you again?" I guess she pays more attention to the Wolves and not to All-Stars that are on every highlight film that is made. I guess she missed the week that Clyde was on "Dancing with the Stars". She certainly would have remembered that.
Drexler and Julius Erving are here as part of the " NBA Legends" program. We know that they were both outstanding players, but they are also outstanding people and are helping the NBA here with the "NBA Cares" program. Training camp is the thing that we are focusing on with our team, but we are here on behalf of the NBA to spread the game of basketball and that is both on and off the court. During this week we have participated with the NBA and our sponsors to open up a learning center at a school, and two court refurbishments. Yesterday, we participated in an event that made a major impact on all of us. Glen Tayor is deeply involved with the Starkey Foundation, which fits kids with hearing aids all over the world. Bill Austin, the head of the Starkey Foundation, runs these missions which find kids that have hearing loss and can not afford hearing aids. They fit over 50,000 kids a year. Good people, like Glen Taylor, not only fund these missions, but go on the trips and participate in fitting the kids with the hearing aids.
Yesterday, our entire team had the fortune to participate in one of these missions. To see the smile on a child’s face when they hear for the first time, and to see the tears in the parent’s eyes, is something we will never forget. In the NBA, as in all industries, we do have people that get in trouble and create negative images. However, the vast majority of our players are outstanding people that understand the value of being a good role model and believe in giving back to the community. The NBA Cares program, the individual team programs and the individual programs of our players have done wonderful things to help people all over the world. One of the things I enjoy most about working for the Timberwolves is that Glen Taylor is committed to helping others and using the status of the NBA in a positive way.
Now back to basketball. I have talked about what the coaches are trying to accomplish during training camp, so today I would like to discuss what the personnel people are trying to accomplish. The first and most important thing is to evaluate our own players. We need to know every little thing about our players. This information is used to make important decisions that impact the future of our team. Questions as basic as who is going to make the team must be answered, and there are always other questions regarding options, extensions and future moves. We must also understand what the coaches are doing and how the philosophy is being implemented on the floor. This is not only important in evaluating how our own players fit, but how players we are scouting might fit in the future.
Randy Wittman is deeply involved in this whole process and it is crucial for the success of the team that the coaching staff and the personnel people are on the same page. Training camp is the perfect setting for us to meet and share our opinions and make sure that we all are on the same page. We have a tremendous staff of good people that not only are talented, but come from a diverse background of experience that adds to our staff. We have ex-NBA players who have coached in college (Jerry Sichting and Ed Pinckney). We have people who have played in college and Europe (Jim Stack, Pete Philo, Zarko Durisic). Zarko and Alex Dzikic have coached in Europe. Bob Ociepka and I started out as high school coaches. Brent Haskins started out as a college coach. JB Bickerstaff was a college player who first worked with us in broadcasting. Mike Lindahl (video coordinator) started his career with the MCTC basketball program. Fred Hoiberg and Randy Wittman are ex-NBA players and of course Kevin McHale is an NBA Hall-of-Famer. All of these different backgrounds give each staff member a unique perspective on the game of basketball, and all are extremely helpful in making decisions and executing our plan for the future of this team. Good chemistry is not only important for our players, but for our staff as well. Training camp gives us all an environment where we really get a chance to get to know each other. Finally, Glen Taylor is on this trip, and there is no one that is more important to have on the same page with our staff. Glen believes in our philosophy and understands what we are trying to do.
Tomorrow, I will give you an update after our first exhibition game.
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| Big Al Jefferson goes up to contest a Mark Blount shot. |
PART III
It has been a few days since our last update, so there is much to talk about. Training camp is very tough on the players. Two practices a day really wears on your body. The coaches are managing the wear and tear on the body carefully. One practice will focus on teaching and skill work and the other practice will involve live action and a teaching scrimmage. Coach Wittman likes to teach game situations during the scrimmages.
For example: Red team is up 96-90 over the White team with 3:00 minutes left in the game. By changing up the situations our players learn what is expected of them during "crunch time". We work on last second shots from the sideline, baseline and full court, when to look for a 3-point shot, when and how to foul, how to protect a lead, etc. There is a lot to put in during the 28-day "training camp". You can never put everything in before the first game. There is constant teaching throughout the season.
This training camp is a major undertaking by many people. The NBA does a great job in organizing events. Our own staff is also outstanding. Our equipment manager, Clayton Wilson, is a legend throughout the NBA and the Twin Cities. He started out as a ballboy with the Twins and has been with the Wolves since the start. There is not a more loyal or hardworking man in the league. Besides being an outstanding equipment manager, he is also the resident comic, prankster, psychologist and he always manages to come up with some draft and trade advice. If you are a new player coming in, you better not get on his bad side, or you may not wear clean practice gear for several days.
We are progressing very well in camp. Our injured players are coming along. Craig Smith has started running and Mark Madsen can now do shooting drills. The young guys are doing well. Cory Brewer is everything that we expected, bringing defense and energy to our team. Sebastian Telfair has shown the ability to pressure the ball and run the team. Gerald Green makes an unbelievable athletic play every practice. Chris Richard brings a physical presence inside and is not afraid to bang against anyone. Randy Foye has the confidence of a year under his belt and the new players from Boston have added savvy and experience as well as low-post scoring. Our only incident so far was last night when Chris Richard dunked the ball so hard that it broke a bolt in the rim and we had to cut practice short. I don't think he did it on purpose, but the players were tired and didn't mind the early finish.
That's it for now. Off to another practice.
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| Pushing the product ... |
PART II
Those of you that read my travel log last year are probably concerned about my "Bagatitis" and wondering if my bag made it. Our first stop was a scouting trip in Serbia and we had three flights on three different airlines to get to Belgrade. I was certain that my bag would not make it, but Zarko (being from Serbia) was convinced that it would be there. To my surprise, my bag was the third bag out. Every successful bag check helps keep my "Bagatitis" in remission.
Today we are in Istanbul and the team has arrived. We are staying at a hotel that was once a palace in the "Ottoman Empire". Istanbul is a fantastic city. There are 17 million people here and it is a very diverse "international" city. This is where Europe meets Asia and our hotel is right on the Bosphorus and we look across the water to the Asian side of the city. There is much to see here, from historic forts and palaces to the Blue Mosque (pictured above) and the Grand Bazaar. Unfortunately, we will not have much time to see the sites. We will be practicing "two a days" for the first four days and besides the practices, the coaches have meetings and film sessions. We have a lot of new players and young players, so there is a lot of teaching to do in this training camp.
Our first practice was at the Target Center, but tonight (Sunday) is the first practice that I was able to observe. Coach Wittman runs an excellent practice. Very organized, everything with a teaching point, everything relating to our team philosophy, intense and passionate. Everyone was able to go accept Craig Smith (sprained ankle) and Mark Madsen (shoulder surgery). Mark is such a hard worker. When he didn't have to listen to a teaching point, he was running sprints on the sideline, doing defensive slides and a host of other things to make sure that he is in shape when his shoulder is ready to go. Even from the sidelines, he is a team leader. After practice, we returned to the hotel for dinner and everyone (almost everyone) went right to bed, still suffering from jet-lag. When I got back to my room, at 11:00 p.m, I looked out over my balcony and down to the pool below and
there was Craig Smith, running in the pool under the direction of Dave Vitel, our strength and conditioning coach. Things like that get you excited about this team. We may be young, but these guys are hungry and they are anxious to learn and improve.
After a long day, I decide to take a shower and go to bed. For those of you that have traveled outside the USA, you know that there are at least 10 different ways to operate a shower. Well tonight, I experienced the 11th way to operate a shower. Turn the first knob towards the apparatus you want to operate, turn the second knob to adjust the water temperature, turn the third knob to get the water going and finally pull the fourth knob out to change the water flow from the tub to the shower. There is always something new to learn, even for us "Old Guys."
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| Istanbul's Blue Mosque is among the many beautiful sights the Wolves will see in Turkey. |
PART I
Welcome to the 2007-2008 season. For me this is one of the most exciting times of the year. We have drafted players, made trades, and now we get to put it all together and see how it looks. Trading KG was difficult for all of us. He was a great player for us and we will miss him not only as a player, but as a friend. We wish him the best in Boston.
As tough as it was to make the trade, it was the right thing for the future of our franchise and we are excited about the young players, the future draft picks and the financial flexibility to build for the future.
As you may know, we open training camp in Istanbul, Turkey. Zarko Durisic and I left on the 24th of September to get a little scouting in before camp starts. We are currently in Belgrade, Serbia, where we are watching practices and some games. There are not a lot of games right now because of the recent European Championships. Teams are starting later than usual. However, we were fortunate to see an exhibition doubler-header in Vrsac (an hour and half from Belgrade) and we have seem some very good practices here in Belgrade. We will finish up here tomorrow and go to Istanbul a few days early to help with final arrangements for camp.
I will be sending updates from camp throughout the whole month and get you an inside look to how an NBA camp operates. The coaches and players have been working hard preparing for the season and I am looking forward to a very competitive camp. Though we are young, we have a lot of depth and it will be very competitive earning playing time. Now I am off to another practice and I will update you once we arrive in Istanbul.
Rob Babcock
