So, What Now For The Wolves?
The Wolves just got home from a 13-day road trip, and really, things went about has bad as they could have gone as far as health goes. I’m not even really talking about the five-game losing streak and defensive collapses to the Pelicans and Mavericks over the weekend.
The Ricky Rubio injury during the Orlando game hurt pretty badly, although the team is grateful it wasn't a fracture.
The timing reminds me a bit of the ACL tear Rubio suffered during his rookie season against the Lakers back in 2012. Right when Rubio started playing well and with tons of confidence, this happens. Watching Rubio in that Brooklyn win was spectacular.
It looks like Rubio will be back with the team this season, although we’re not really sure when. Expect head trainer Gregg Farnam and the medical team to get a look at the ankle this week or early next week to make another prognosis on it. Right now it’s listed as a sprain and that he’s out indefinitely. That’s the truth. We’ll know more when the swelling goes down.
Then there’s the Nikola Pekovic ankle issue that’s been a recurring theme for the last two seasons. Pekovic looked like he aggravated the same foot injury on Saturday that caused him to miss 28 games last season. Pekovic has struggled throughout his career early in the season and this season was no different, but for some reason he didn’t look the same at all this season. Maybe it had to do with pain in that ankle.
We’ll know more after Tuesday’s practice this week on his status moving forward, I would imagine.
There are some silver linings here, sure. This means more time for rookie Zach LaVine who has looked better than most thought, playing point guard for the first time in his career. It also means more playing time for Gorgui Dieng, who came on strong last season when Pekovic was out.
But if you’re a Wolves fan, it kind of stinks to have two of your best offensive players out this early in the season.
Make sure to stay tuned in on the site for updates on Pekovic and Rubio.
UPDATE: Rubio attended Monday's practice. He was on crutches, but appeared to be in good spirits. Pekovic was out for personal reasons, according to head coach Flip Saunders.
Will Derrick Rose Ever Be Healthy?
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Speaking of injuries… Oh my, Derrick Rose.
Rose, of course, has missed the better part of the last two seasons due to knee injuries.He’s still trying to get his feet underneath him and has yet to look completely comfortable on the court, which is completely understandable. For a guy who relies so much on his athleticism, two major knee injuries will do that to you.
The former MVP has already tweaked his hamstring and his ankle(s) this season causing him to miss time. When he has been on the court, though, he’s been solid, though not to his standards. In five games, Rose is playing 28 minutes (8.5 below his career-average) to go with 18 points (2.8 below), 5.4 assists (1.3 below) and 2.8 rebounds (1 below) per game. He’s shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from the three-point line.
It’s a frustrating thing. Fantasy owners and fans are calling for Rose’s head.
He’s not tough enough. Doesn’t he want to play?
And then Rose said this:
Is that the smartest thing to say to fans who haven't seen you for the better part of two seasons? Probably not, but at the same time, you can't really blame Rose. Listening to his body is more important than listening to fans. That rule should always hold true. Right now a lot of what he's doing with is probably mental. It looks like he's going to miss tonight's game with a hamstring injury.
Let's hope we see Rose back sooner rather than later. It doesn't have to be and likely won't be the old Rose, but for a guy who has gone through so much, it would just be nice seeing him healthy for the majority of a season.
Heslip For President… And For Three!
Brady Heslip might not look like your prototypical NBA player. He’s not uber athletic. He's undersized for a guard.
But there’s one thing Heslip does about as good as anyone: Shoot.
You might remember Heslip from playing with the Wolves in Summer League and Training Camp. Actually, we hope you remember. That was only a few months ago.
Heslip didn’t make the team’s final roster, but he’s doing everything he can to get another crack in the NBA. I received an email from Paul Swanson, our stats guru here with the Wolves, last night at 9:36 p.m. Normally he emails at 4 a.m. because I’m convinced he never sleeps, but that’s another story.
Last night Heslip finished with 38 points with 15 of his 18 three-point attempts coming from either the left (2-of-7) or the right (4-of-8) angles. He finished with 38 points, going 11-of-23 from the field, 9-of-18 from deep and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. His Reno squad beat Grand Rapids 127-116.
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Lucky game, right?
Not so fast… During his D-League Debut on Nov. 15, Heslip finished with a game-high 40 points off the bench in just 24 minutes of play. He shot 13-of-24 from the field, 11-of-18 from deep and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
We know from his Baylor days that Heslip can shoot. It’s no secret. If you can’t do a little bit of everything in the NBA, it helps to be really, really good at one thing. Shooting is Heslip’s thing – along with having fantastic hair.
I talked to him during Training Camp and asked him about his ability to hit three-point shots and just how important it was for an undrafted player to have a quality that is wanted and needed so much at the NBA level.
When I asked him that, he almost sounded offended. He wants teams to know that he’s more than just a three-point specialist, or he wants to be at least. It’s something that Heslip has been, fair or unfair, pigeon-holed into.
The Timberwolves, more than most teams, know that crazy things can happen when it comes to injuries. If Heslip keeps up his hot play (obviously 40 points per game is not realistic… we don’t think), he could get a call from the Wolves if anything does happen.
I know he impressed Saunders with his work ethic and attitude during Camp. Something to keep an eye on.
As always, thanks for reading. Enjoy your week.