[apb540Participant]

I stopped hating JJ Barea for a few days during the NBA finals but it didn’t take me long to remember why I never liked him. The bold claim this NBA midget just made reconfirms that. Crying to the media gets no respect from me. 

[Soulrebel15Participant]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/148459985.html

Article by: KENT YOUNGBLOOD , Star Tribune

After the Wolves said their All-Star won’t play again this season, J.J. Barea said roster changes are needed

Before Sunday’s game with Golden State at Target Center, the Timberwolves announced forward Kevin Love would not play again this season. After the Wolves had blown a 21-point second-quarter lead in a 93-88 loss, Wolves guard J.J. Barea suggested some of his teammates might already have stopped caring.

"We’ve got problems here," Barea said after his team shot 10-for-40 in the second half and struggled on defense. "We have a lot of guys that don’t care. On a basketball team, when you have a bunch of guys who don’t care, it’s tough to win games. We’re going to keep getting [losses] here until we get players that care about winning, about the team, about the fans."

The Wolves were without Love, again. He sustained a concussion when Denver’s JaVale McGee elbowed him in the head April 11. Despite being cleared to play, he was shut down for the season. The Wolves cited the time Love has missed and the lack of practice time to get him ready to return. Love is second in the league in rebounding (13.3) and fourth in scoring (26.0).

Still, the Wolves jumped on the Warriors from the start, building a 21-point lead late in the second quarter. But in the second half the Wolves cooled on offense and stopped defending. The Warriors — the first team since 2003 to start four rookies — have won three times this month. Two have come against the Wolves. Back on April 4, the Wolves blew a 20-point lead in a loss to the Warriors. Sunday the Wolves did that one point better. Or worse.

"The game was easy in the first half," Wolves coach RickAdelman said. "In the second half we acted like it was going to be like that the whole game, without working at it.”

Barea was far more direct after playing all 48 minutes because rookie Malcolm Lee was ill. Asked if he thought changes had to be made to the roster, Barea said yes but that it wasn’t his decision. "We come in here after the game and [act like] nothing happened," he said. "That’s what happens to a losing team. … It wasn’t my best game. I did OK, but it wasn’t one of my best. There are a bunch of us here who care and play hard. But there is a bunch that don’t care. We just have to change that."

Reaction to Barea’s comments was mixed. Michael Beasley said he didn’t necessarily agree.

"Until you point those guys out one by one, it doesn’t really matter," Beasley said. "That was a collective loss. … It’s disappointing that that’s even brought up, that guys don’t care. We have one more left. Guys who don’t care won’t be here next year."

Anthony Tolliver said the problem wasn’t a lack of caring but a lack of focus on team concepts. Everybody, he said, has to look in a mirror.

Nikola Pekovic, who scored 19 points with 16 rebounds, put it simply. "If you don’t want to win, go work in the office," he said. "Sit at a table and do whatever."

The Wolves led by 17 midway through the third, but Golden State finished the quarter on a 20-9 run, then opened the fourth on a 12-6 run to tie the score with 8 minutes left. Pekovic’s three-point play with 1:28 left gave the Wolves a one-point lead, but the Warriors scored the final six points.

Kahn returning

Wolves owner Glen Taylor said the team has already informed or is informing president of basketball operations David Kahn that it has picked up Kahn’s option for next season. That means Kahn will be back for his fourth season with the club. Kahn signed a three-year deal in May 2009 that included two more years of team options, each separate.

Etc.

• Pekovic said a May 15 date has been set for surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.

• Adelman said guard Luke Ridnour, who missed his 10th game because of an ankle sprain, likely would not play Thursday.

 

[omphalosParticipant]

Nice to see Kahn getting his due for putting together a pretty solid roster in the face of seemingly endless critcism.

I don’t think Beasley is sticking around somehow, Wes Johnson should be shipped, and a few more are likely to see the chopping block before the start of next season. I just hope Derrick Williams can bounce back from an underwhelming season and be given the opportunity to succeed, instead of playing erratically behind two other players at his best position.

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

barea is right…. he should be moved till he has some value (decreasing…. quickly).

I watched around 30 games of the wolves this year and the most disappointing player in the roster was barea. He never managed to take his place in the roster and contribute effectively. He was a mismatch nightmare for his own team on D and was awful in O (poor shooting decision)…. whereas johnson (also very disappointing) is a young player, barea as a veteran and a champion (and an 4 years 18M contract) should have found what his team needed from him and should have brought it. 

I have never been a huge fan of him but respected him as a player in the past. This year ridnour in a much more difficult situation (with rubio’s arrival) has found his status in the roster and adjusted to it. He has played great all year and has been very effective wether with rubio or not.

Barea has to be traded with maybe other pieces (randolph, beasley, johnson….?) to bring a real sg and find back his basketball. 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

If they trade Randolph and Beasley they can move Wes Johnson to backup small forward.  They can see how he does there.  Wes Johnson doesn’t have much trade value anyway so they need to give him one more year. 

Trading those two will declutter their roster and leave them with Love, Pek, and Derrick Williams up front with Rubio, Ridnour, Barea in the backcourt as their core.  Anthony Tolliver, Darko, Wes Johnson, Martell Webster, and Wayne Ellington are their rotation guys. 

They could use a backup center and a legit shooting guard.  I think they could use Randolph, Beasley, and their pick from Utah to help out with these concerns.  They might need to trade Darko too.  He would be ok as a backup center on a contender.  OKC or Miami might be ok.  Or Chicago if Asik signs somewhere else. 

They have players they can move to add some pieces but they can’t expect a whole lot from them.  They really have to cash in on that Utah pick and any other picks they could get in trades.

 

[TyroberParticipant]

 Not sure how Barea even got to talk to the media. Their two best players are out. I am sure some are just ready for the heartache to be over. Losing Rubio and Love is devastating 

[JunkYardDogParticipant]

 @Memphis Madness : no  need to trade randolph they declined the QO for next year… he will be an unrestricted FA.

 

[Johnny Chill]

How/Why did they win? They were down 16 points at the half to the Wolves yesterday. There is no way the Warriors defense can hold any team to 33 points in a half. I thought the Warriors are tanking to get into the 7 spot, granted that doesnt guarantee them to be in the top 7 in the draft because teams can jump ahead of them, but why win? Or are the Wolves tanking now?

[phila9012Participant]

 Berea is dumb. He was overrated and over paid when they signed him. When you take the 2 most important and best players off a team and you are out of the running for the playoffs this is what happens. It would have been nice if someone (derrick williams or anyone else) had stepped up, but the season was definatly over once love went out. Hopefully the bounce back healthier and improved next year.

[TomShoeParticipant]

 Dear J.J.,

Who cares. Shut up and tank.

-David Kahn

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

No shit no one on the wolves care. There 2 bestplayers are done for the season and B-easy is too busy rollin blunts. 

Honestly i dont know why they didnt trade hime for nothing at the deadline

[butidonthavemoney]

The Wolves don’t have their own pick, so they have no reason to tank this year.

[river09Participant]

 I think Barea should be shopped in the off-season. He hasn’t brought anything new to the team, he is competitive but with Rubio Ridnour and Malcolm Lee (who I am very high on, he’s an excellent defender and has shown promise on the offensive end) I don’t see where he fits in. That said no other team has been so riddled by injuries.. This was a team who was competing for a playoff spot a month ago.. Now they have absolutely crumbled with Barea running the point (and defending Charles Jenkins, who has torched the Wolves twice now)… 

[CavsFan07Participant]

Every single time I watch a Timberwolves game I always ask myself, "I wonder how many blunts Beasley smoked before this game?"

I wish I could say I was kidding. 

[Johnny Chill]

He cant be that dumb, have you see his financee? He is doing something right.

[TheArtistPaysthePriceParticipant]

After Rubio hit the ground running, I thought JJ was going to be exactly what the doctor ordered, when he got healthy. They could run a two point guard offense full of fast breaks and penetration.

Not so fast my friend. It never really worked out and then he got into it with Love. Anybody who gets into it with Love, even Kahn (Love didn’t exactly appreciate the contract extention he got), would probably be out next season. Luckily Kahn decided to give Love the opt out to appease him. 

They probably tried to trade him at the break but a spark plug with a bad hammy is not a great asset. He only makes like 4 to 5 mil a year so somebody will want him, those arent bad numbers in the new CBA. This team with a healthy Brad Miller and Berea would have been real good, like 4th-5th seed good.

In the end they are tanking and everyone found out that Diet Dr. Kahn tastes just like regular Dr. Kahn.

[Author]

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