MVN: Most Valuable Network

We're over a month into the season, but the Wolves have finally started to show signs of improvement as opposed to taking steps backwards.  Although playing .500 ball won't get you into the playoffs in this conference, it's a hell of a lot better than the .000 winning percentage the Wolves had from Nov. 1st to the 19th.  Since then, the Wolves have had three wins and followed up with a loss all three times.  Two of those wins have come on the road, a good sign for a young team. 

We can only hope that getting a win here and there will make for a hungrier team and *ahem* string together more than one victory at a time.  Until then, I'm glad to see that the Wolves were able to get at least one win this week, albeit on a buzzer beater that, had it missed, would have been potentially been the second time we lost to the now 2-16 Thunder.  The losses to Phoenix and Denver hurt, but those aren't teams that most people would expect us to beat.  An emerging playoff contender wins games they aren't supposed to, but the Wolves simply aren't there yet.  Getting wins against the weaker teams who are more on par with where the Wolves are at, talent-wise (such as the Thunder), is a way to boost morale when the going gets rough.

Speaking of said game in Oklahoma City, wasn't it nice to see the Mike Miller that we traded O.J. Mayo for?  Miller had 17 attempts for the game and was hitting down the jumpers that I'd grown accustomed to seeing him knock down while a member of the Grizz.  Not only that, he's shown the ability to hit that important shot at the end of games that the Wolves so dearly need.  The hair is something I will probably never fully accept, but it's a little bit easier to tolerate when he's playing well. 

One weird thing about Friday night's game: it's probably one of the only times you'll see Craig Smith's name at the top of the list of leading scorers by game's end.  Smith's free throw shooting could have been better in the fourth quarter, but he was still getting important points at a crucial time for his team.  Chris Wilcox definitely seems to have our number and was big for the Thunder again tonight, but his impact on the game was offset by Smith.  Wittman still seems to be reluctant to use Jason Collins, but the unique frontcourt of the Thunder with Durant and Wilcox/Collison had more to do with the decision to go with a smaller lineup, and it's something the Wolves can get away with when they get an effort out of Smith like they got on Friday.  Durant was very impressive in the fourth quarter and has made good on the expectations the franchise had of him coming out of college, and his perimeter game isn't something our frontcourt is equipped to defend.

It'd be nice to see somebody in a Wolves uniform with as bright a future as Durant has, but none of our young players look like they have that kind of potential.  I think it's obvious by now that Corey Brewer will never be the asset on the offensive side of the ball that Durant is in his second year.  Kevin Love still has a long time to develop and prove himself as an NBA player, but Durant already has the scoring ability that Love would probably have if he reached his ceiling.  They obviously have different styles, but Durant is the franchise centerpiece that the Wolves seem to be lacking right now.  The Thunder haven't yet been able to put the right pieces around Durant (that sounds familiar), but he's got a chance to be a perennial All-Star if they do.  

With one divisional opponent behind them and another W in the standings, the Wolves went home and...fell apart.  We've seen the same script too many times already this year - competitive for one half and inept for the other.  The Wolves found themselves down just 3 in the third quarter against Denver and proceeded to allow a 14-0 Nuggets run that resulted in a 17 point deficit by quarter's end.  When the team is always getting outplayed and outcoached in the second halves of games, their 4-11 record is by no means surprising.  The team's record after 15 games last season was a miserable 2-13, and having two more in the win column in no way means this team's chances going forward are any better than they were last year.  I still think they'll end up with more wins than they finished with a year ago, but I don't foresee it being a significant enough improvement to warrant the retention of Randy Wittman.  If you can't beat the better teams within the division, you're no closer to the reaching the team's long term goal of getting to, and succeeding in, the playoffs.

Looking to the week ahead:

There may be a few wins on the horizon with games against Charlotte, New Jersey, and the Clippers coming up on the schedule, but the first two are going to be road games, something that doesn't bode well for this team.  The Wolves posted the second worst road record in the NBA last year and have gone just 2-5 away from Target Center this year.  New Jersey and Charlotte are by no means dominant on their home court, but bear in mind that the Nets will have 2 off days leading up to the games against Minnesota while the Wolves will be playing a tough opponent in Orlando on Wednesday night before flying to Jersey for the game on Friday night.  Hopefully the quick turnaround back to Target Center for the Clippers on Saturday night won't make for a letdown against a struggling Clippers team, but I wouldn't put it past our Wolfies.  It's better than the meat grinder that we'll go through in the middle of December - from Dec. 9th to the 23rd, the Wolves will play Utah, Denver, San Antonio twice, Houston, and the Lakers, not to mention a game at Arco Arena in Sacramento on Dec. 15th.  Think we'll be waving the white flag after that?