Wolves In Mexico City
The Minnesota Timberwolves will tip off against the Houston Rockets in Mexico City tomorrow night.
We hope.
Last season the game got “smoked out.” It was a disappointment, obviously, for both the teams who traveled to play, but more so for the fans. Players described the scene in Mexico City for their game as almost like a Super Bowl atmosphere.
(I’m not sure if any of the players on last year’s roster had actually attended a Super Bowl, but whatever. You get it. It was a big deal for the people there.)
It’s probably fair to complain a little bit about the Wolves being the “home” team for the second straight year in Mexico City. Last season, the Wolves were home against the Spurs.
Minneapolis is 1,781 miles from Mexico City via flying. San Antonio is 689 miles flying, while Houston is 749 miles
Yeah, I don’t really understand it either. But I’m not going to question anything because I think Adam Silver is awesome and I wear an NBA logo on my shirt. Whatever decision has its reason.
Regardless, this is a special opportunity for both teams and the fans in Mexico City.
Head coach Flip Saunders spoke to reporters today and discussed just that.
“We were disappointed we didn’t play and we were disappointed that the people of Mexico City didn’t have an opportunity to see NBA basketball,” Saunders. “We’re excited about being able to come back here. I know the league has done everything it can to make sure the game goes on without any glitches. We’re excited about it. “
Our team has Alan Horton and John Focke there from the radio side of things. We hope to give you plenty of great content today and tomorrow before the contest.
The game airs on ESPN (NATIONALLLLLL TV!!!!!) and 830 WCCO at 9 p.m. (maybe take a nap during your lunch break tomorrow).
I’m having some friends over and having chips and salsa while taking shots of tequila for every time James Harden plays defense.
Just kidding, bosses. Thursday is a work day. Just Gatorade and Diet Pepsi for this guy.
Rubio's Injury
Injuries stink.
Ricky Rubio injuries stink more.
Maybe it’s because he always seems to have a smile on his face. Maybe it’s because he kind of looks like he belongs in One Direction. Or maybe it’s because his injuries occur right around the time when it seems he’s going to turn the corner.
If you were watching the game on Friday night against Orlando, your heart probably sank when you saw Rubio drive to the lane and violently roll his left ankle. It looked like it was bad. Like probably broken bad.
Fortunately, we were told after the game that it wasn’t broken but instead a major sprain. A sprain that will likely keep Rubio out around six weeks, although a time table on his injury hasn’t been set yet.
In his five games (including the injury), Rubio averaged 9.4 points, 10 assists (career-high), 5.6 rebounds (career-high) and 1.2 steals. What Wolves fans liked the most was Rubio’s shooting and his confidence. He was shooting 42.6 percent (20-of-46) from the field. That’s a small sample size, but his shooting late in the game against Brooklyn last week was pretty awesome to see if you’re a fan of the Wolves.
You could complain that there were 12 seconds left on the shot clock, sure. But you’re being a negative Nancy. Enjoy the moment.
This does mean more playing time for rookie Zach LaVine, so if you’re looking for silver lining, that’s it.
We’ll get to see LaVine live and learn on the run here.
With that said, most fans would love to see Rubio leading this offense like he did during the first five games. Rubio has had just one negative +/- game this season and that was during the first game against Memphis. In the two wins over Brooklyn and Detroit, along with the loss to Chicago, Rubio averaged a +/- of 11.9.
The Wolves are better when No. 9 is on the floor. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.
Catching Up With KCP
I forgot to write about this after the home opener, so I guess I’ll do it now.
Second-year guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and I talked for a bit before Minnesota beat Detroit at the Target Center on October 30. If you remember, Caldwell-Pope was rumored to have ties with the Timberwolves when it came to the 2013 NBA Draft. For better or worse, the former Georgia star was taken one slot before Minnesota picked. Ultimately, the Wolves traded back for Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.
That move is looking pretty smart for Saunders now being both Dieng and Muhammad are rotational players.
KCP, though, is learning a bit now that he’s starting at the shooting guard position with Jodie Meeks out.
“I fit in well. We all have different roles and if we all play them well, that’s what brings us together. (It) brings chemistry to the team. We’re just trying to keep it that way.”
That was only the second game of the season, so things may have been going well. Since then, though, KCP has struggled... And so have the Pistons. In seven starts, he’s averaging 12.4 points, but is shooting just 36 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from the three-point line, something he was supposed to excel in. The most frustrating thing, though, is that with all those attempts, he’s getting to the line just 2.6 times per game. To makes matters worse, he’s making just 55.6 percent of his FT attempts.
He’s playing under Stan Van Gundy, so things will probably get better. SVG has probably told KCP that shooting 19.1 times per 100 possessions, isn’t the recipe for success in Detroit.
Caldwell-Pope seems like he’d be better as a heat-check type of player with the second unit. We’ll have to wait and see until Meeks gets back.