Timberwolves Nov 2001 Archive

• Teams ready for face the Wolves zone

  | Nov 29, 2001

  Everywhere the Timberwolves go, with every team they face, the lights burn longer at the practice facilities.

• Barry carries Sonics

  | Nov 28, 2001

  The Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-102, Tuesday night behind a career-high scoring night and near triple-double from Brent Barry.

• No questioning Wolves' success

  | Nov 28, 2001

  Why are the Wolves 10-2 for the first time in franchise history and atop the Midwest Division, entering tonight's game at Seattle? "Defense,'' Wolves coach Flip Saunders said.

• Payton is suddenly right for Seattle

  | Nov 28, 2001

  The downside with Gary Payton -- and the reason the feisty Seattle SuperSonics point guard was shopped around last offseason to teams that included the Timberwolves -- always had been his temper, his impatience and a burning desire to do most things, most of the time, his way only.

• A new attitude: With trade talk in the past, Payton a team player

  | Nov 27, 2001

  When the ball goes up tonight at KeyArena, Terrell Brandon, Wally Szczerbiak and Rasho Nesterovic will be playing for Minnesota.

• Capsule preview: Sonics vs. Timberwolves

  | Nov 27, 2001

  When: Today, 7 p.

• When it comes to Payton, no move might have been best move

  | Nov 27, 2001

  Here is the test, Timberwolves fans.

• Forgotten man hurts Spurs

  | Nov 26, 2001

  Who is Rasho Nesterovic? Said Robinson, shaking his head, "He was the X-factor tonight.

• Teammates starting to believe in Nesterovic

  | Nov 26, 2001

  You see the confidence in Rasho Nesterovic's moves, his body language and his words.

• 'Sho-time: Wolves grab first

  | Nov 25, 2001

  In a game in which the Wolves (10-2) held Spurs forward Tim Duncan to two points in the first half and held San Antonio to 40.

• Rasho, Rasho, he's our man

  | Nov 25, 2001

  Even after the game was over, even after looking at a boxscore that, next to Nesterovic's name, registered 24 points, 23 shots and 12 rebounds, there was the overwhelming sense that it must have been some sort of Slovenian sleight-of-hand, even a mirage.

• Brandon a built-in tutor

  | Nov 25, 2001

  Gary Trent wasn't happy with the results he had been getting at the foul line, so he asked for some help.

• J.R. Rider: Gone, but not Forgotten

  | Nov 25, 2001

  J.

• Wolves face important showdown with Spurs

  | Nov 24, 2001

  So for now, what the Timberwolves see as their heated rivalry with the San Antonio Spurs remains, well, in the eyes of the grudge-holders.

• Rider saves energy for more idle threats

  | Nov 24, 2001

  A Denver basketball writer thought he had been inducted into an exclusive club last week when Isaiah Rider, freshly cut by the Nuggets, gave him the Mike Tyson stare and ominously hinted that their paths would cross again.

• Schedule gets more difficult for Wolves

  | Nov 23, 2001

  The seven tuneup games the Timberwolves played in October to gauge their work in training camp was otherwise known as the preseason.

• Hunter, Magic Sting T-Wolves

  | Nov 22, 2001

  The Magic played without Horace Grant (back spasms) and practically without Patrick Ewing on Wednesday night against a team that had whipped them on the boards four nights earlier.

• McGrady, Armstrong lead Magic victory over Timberwolves

  | Nov 22, 2001

  Twelve games into this season, the Orlando Magic have as many wins as they do losses and have done very little to answer the lingering questions regarding their legitimacy as a championship contender.

• Wolves get off with shorts warning

  | Nov 22, 2001

  Nine NBA players, including Orlando's Tracy McGrady and Andrew DeClercq, were fined $5,000 each by the NBA for wearing their shorts too low during games.

• Some think the Smith fiasco was for the best

  | Nov 21, 2001

  Some wise guys in the Twin Cities have suggested that, in the end, the Timberwolves are better off for getting busted by the NBA in the Joe Smith salary-cap circumvention case last year.

• Preview: Magic at Minnesota Timberwolves tonight

  | Nov 21, 2001

  Who: Orlando Magic (5-6) vs.

• Garnett comes as close as possible to perfection

  | Nov 21, 2001

  Here's the real ending to the James Naismith story.

• Tuesday: Timberwolves at Heat

  | Nov 20, 2001

  When/where: 8 p.

• Smith's building a charge account

  | Nov 20, 2001

  If there is an art to taking a fall, Timberwolves forward Joe Smith is quietly becoming the basketball version of Monet.

• Labor concession sinks in

  | Nov 20, 2001

  Thursday marked the first of 12 payroll deductions by the NBA, which will ultimately represent a 10 percent chunk of each player's salary.

• Wolves' reserves making their mark

  | Nov 20, 2001

  Without question, the Wolves' non-starters deserve credit when assessing the reasons behind the team's 8-1 start.

• Hammonds' retirement is official

  | Nov 20, 2001

  The Timberwolves completed the buyout of Tom Hammonds' final season, enabling them to waive the 6-9 forward Monday in conjunction with Hammonds' announced retirement.

• A tall order for Heat

  | Nov 20, 2001

  Facing the Sequoia-like front line of the Minnesota Timberwolves without your two top front-court players is like facing a Randy Johnson fastball with a fly swatter.

• T'wolves bring zone to Miami

  | Nov 20, 2001

  The Heat tonight gets an extensive look at the NBA's most significant offseason rules change: legalization of the zone defense.

• Smith remains a take-charge guy

  | Nov 19, 2001

  Sooner or later, some NBA wiz kid is going to catch on to Joe Smith's act.

• Wolves pick up the pace

  | Nov 17, 2001

  It took double overtime for the Timberwolves to beat the Pacers 120-113 Friday night.

• Magic scouting report

  | Nov 17, 2001

  Tonight: Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 WHERE: Target Center.

• Wolves are zoned out

  | Nov 15, 2001

  The Timberwolves got a taste of their own medicine Tuesday night.

• Wolves' chance to emerge is stuffed

  | Nov 15, 2001

  Just when the Wolves were beginning to get some national acclaim, just when their 6-0 record was starting to capture the imagination of the nation's NBA fans and demand attention from the likes of USA Today, ESPN and other media outlets, they got beat at home by the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers.

• Smith makes Wolves look like a winner

  | Nov 15, 2001

  The NBA raised what it calls the mid-level salary cap exception to $4,538,000 for this season.

• Wittman doesn't rate high with former team

  | Nov 14, 2001

  The Cavaliers are losing and losing big.

• Timber! Cavs topple Wolves

  | Nov 14, 2001

  Road sweet road.

• Wolves' Wittman still fond of Cavs

  | Nov 14, 2001

  Winning can be a soothing balm.

• Murray, Miller spark a surprise

  | Nov 14, 2001

  - Things went very badly at the start, but very well at the end.

• Perfect mix has Timberwolves pumped

  | Nov 12, 2001

  After the Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 98-82 Saturday night to improve their record to 6-0, everyone had a different take on why Minnesota is off to its best start in franchise history.

• Wittman knows Cavaliers

  | Nov 12, 2001

  Randy Wittman probably thought he felt pressure last season, straining to improve on his 32-50 debut season with Cleveland while coping with a flurry of injuries to key players.

• Heady stuff: 6-0 start

  | Nov 11, 2001

  Wonder why the Wolves blew out the previously undefeated Bucks 98-82? Wonder why they're 6-0 for the first time in franchise history? "Everyone's focused on the team's objective," Garnett said, referring to home-court advantage in the postseason and playing beyond the first round of the playoffs, at least.

• Karl downplays Przybilla-Garnett rivalry

  | Nov 11, 2001

  In a matchup fit for a comic book, it was Da Kid against The Fake Thug again Saturday night in Milwaukee.

• Nurturing a mean streak

  | Nov 10, 2001

  Last season it appeared as if Nesterovic, a native of Slovenia, was struggling with Basic Skills 101, because he was failing Confidence 101.

• Bucks must answer call of the Wolves

  | Nov 10, 2001

  Ordinarily, a game between undefeated teams in the second week of the National Basketball Association season might not merit scrutiny.

• Record rout

  | Nov 9, 2001

  If the Timberwolves' 127-74 victory Thursday night at Target Center isn't enough proof of how far the former six-time NBA champions have fallen, here's an example from the game: The Wolves secured a franchise-record 53-point victory and improved their record to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history because, as Wolves coach Flip Saunders said, "we put the pedal to the metal and never let up.

• Garnett pounds home defense

  | Nov 9, 2001

  It's an adage: Offense wins games, defense wins championships.

• McHale tries to pump up Nesterovic

  | Nov 9, 2001

  Time and again, Rasho Nesterovic would catch the ball hard off the glass, then slam it home, cranking down the breakaway rim on his repetition.

• Szczerbiak happy NOT to be a Bull

  | Nov 9, 2001

  "Oh, yeah" was the response Timberwolves forward-turned-guard Wally Szczerbiak answered when asked if he was glad he didn't become a Bull this past offseason.

• 53 point loss has Oakley questioning Floyd

  | Nov 9, 2001

  Is Oakley's stay in Chicago over already?

• Risky business

  | Nov 8, 2001

  When the Timberwolves drafted Kevin Garnett out of high school six seasons ago, they never expected this.

• Bulls' rookies still taking baby steps

  | Nov 8, 2001

  In Chicago's first three games, Chandler and Curry played little.

• Taylor offers to help Twins

  | Nov 7, 2001

  Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said Tuesday he does "not necessarily" want to be part of an effort to buy the Twins, but he would be willing to help keep them in Minnesota if his help is needed.

• Eastern stretch to test Wolves

  | Nov 7, 2001

  Since the Timberwolves became playoff contenders several seasons ago, fans have liked to play the what-if game, as in, "What if the Wolves played in the Eastern Conference?" They will get a taste of it during the next two weeks, as Minnesota plays eight consecutive Eastern Conference opponents, including Tuesday night's game against the New York Knicks.

• Garnett contributes to historic piece

  | Nov 7, 2001

  Though only 25, Garnett has a grasp of the league's lore far beyond his years.

• Wally World Wouldn't Mind Setting up Shop in New York

  | Nov 7, 2001

  Wally Szczerbiak has been a walking trade rumor for the past year or so.

• Knicks' Struggles Continue

  | Nov 7, 2001

  One Wally Szczerbiak was better than two Knicks All-Stars.

• Knicks Crash and Burn in Wally's World

  | Nov 7, 2001

  Call it Wally's revenge.

• Poor Free-Throw Shooting Sinks Knicks

  | Nov 7, 2001

  Wally Szczerbiak said it did not motivate him.

• Billups scores points as Wolves' point man

  | Nov 6, 2001

  "I missed playing (point guard)," said Billups, whose team plays the New York Knicks tonight at Target Center.

• Wolves rookie Woods looking to make some noise

  | Nov 6, 2001

  Rookie center Loren Woods made it clear he holds the Knicks responsible, along with every other team that passed on him in the 2001 NBA draft, for his slide down to No.

• Timberwolves' Wittman, Sichting share duties without friction

  | Nov 6, 2001

  The Timberwolves have no such pecking order.

• Time is on their side

  | Nov 5, 2001

  The NBA this season has shaved the 10-second rule to an eight-second rule, meaning teams must advance the ball past the center line within eight heartbeats or face a turnover.

• Zone has helped Wolves

  | Nov 5, 2001

  Eventually, the rest of the league is going to catch up to the Timberwolves in their use of zone defensive concepts.

• Garnett declines U.S. invite

  | Nov 4, 2001

  Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett said he was invited by USA Basketball to play in next summer's world championships in Indianapolis, but he declined, for now.

• Trent coming along slowly

  | Nov 4, 2001

  The Wolves want to play it safe with Trent as he strengthens his legs and works into top condition for what, after all, is a very long NBA season.

• Garnett, Wolves nip at Rockets' Achilles' heel

  | Nov 4, 2001

  My what big moves Kevin Garnett had.

• Garnett lights the fire

  | Nov 3, 2001

  After six seasons in the NBA, Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett has come to an important realization: When he plays with energy, so, for the most part, does his team.

• Team faces first back-to-back test

  | Nov 3, 2001

  The Timberwolves get their first test tonight in an area where they failed miserably last season.

• Grizzlies now try following Wolves' blueprint to success

  | Nov 2, 2001

  The Memphis Grizzlies have a new home, different uniforms, a core of new players and a luxurious arena in the works.

• New-look Grizzlies show their claws

  | Nov 2, 2001

  There aren't many bears in Memphis, so eventually, the nickname might change.

• "Beast' puts up beauty of a shot

  | Nov 1, 2001

  "St.

• Wolves await Rasho's arrival

  | Nov 1, 2001

  "He's shown flashes," Wolves assistant coach Jerry Sichting said.

• Nets sign Slater

  | Nov 1, 2001

  Reggie Slater, the Minnesota free agent who felt thr squeeze of the Luxury Tax, has finally found a team.