Wolves: Which way is up? - 明尼蘇達灰狼 Minnesota Timberwolves

http://www.startribune.com/511/story/985704.html

In the moments following a back-to-basics practice Tuesday, Timberwolves
coach Randy Wittman was trying to move away from the emotional edge he had
approached the night before.
And what of the players who had helped push Wittman's blood pressure to the
red line? Ricky Davis left quickly after practice and was unavailable to
reporters. Rookie Randy Foye lingered, talking at length with Wittman before
expressing his desire to help the team out of its recent funk. Mike James? He
was terse, a bit contrary.

Things feel a little tight over at Target Center in the wake of Monday's
105-77 whipping in Houston, one that pushed the Wolves' losing streak to four
games.

With his team struggling, Wittman benched James and Davis to start the second
half. After the game was over, he took issue with his team, especially the
point guards, and suggested changes in the lineup could be on the way.

After a sleepless Monday night, Wittman took a step back.

Changes? He said he hasn't decided yet and would know more today. Wittman's
message Tuesday was much more on the positive side. Monday's loss was less
about a lack of effort than a lack of direction, he said. No matter who is on
the court, Wittman said, he has to do more to help his players --
particularly the guards -- get on the same page with him.

"I have to help them more than probably I have," Wittman said. "Getting us in
things, in the flow. Even in transition, try to give them a couple things to
concentrate on and not stray from that. We worked a little on that [Tuesday].
We don't want to walk the ball up the floor, we want to flow into things.
I'll have to be more active on the sidelines in helping get something in
their ear as they're going by."

But the question is, does he have the ear of this team?

After practice both Wittman and Foye talked about the challenge Wittman has
given the point guards, giving them more responsibility to get the team into
the offense than former coach Dwane Casey had.

"We do need to get more out of the guards," Foye said. "Because [Kevin
Garnett] gives us everything. Mark Blount gives us everything, Craig Smith,
Mark Madsen. Then we have players with ability like me, Ricky Davis, Mike
James, Marko [Jaric], Trenton [Hassell] I think we could help out the big men
a little more."

But a little later, James nearly scoffed at the notion that things were that
different between Wittman and Casey.

"There is really no difference," James said. "It's about playing a game.
That's it. He says there's a difference, but there ain't no difference."

Asked whether he believed it was appropriate that Wittman sat he and Davis
down to start the second half, James said: "That's how he felt, what he felt
he needed to do. That's what he did. He's the head coach; you follow up
whatever his decisions are."

Wittman wants his team to take better care of the ball, flow, not walk itself
into the offense. And he wants his team to be tougher mentally.

"Physically, we're not going to change who we are," he said. "We're not going
to be a grind-it-out, bang-it team. We don't have those players. But mentally
we have to be able to fight through bad stretches, all right? And we don't do
that all the time. That's a concern."

There is no question the team's energy level fluctuates; how else to explain
why the Wolves have a better record against teams with a .500 record or
better (14-15) than they do against losing teams (8-11)?

"What has happened has happened, we can't dwell on the past," Wittman said.
"We have to learn from it, as I told the guys. Our opportunity is now. ... I
wanted this to be an upbeat practice for us, to look ahead, knowing now is
the time for us to come together and help each other fight through this. It's
a tough time."


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