I drove home, turned on the game and watched the Wolves climb their way back into the game in the second and third quarters. I thought as the fourth quarter began and the Wolves took a lead that they just might pull out a come-from-behind victory over the lowly Wizards.
Normally this wouldn't be cause for celebration, but considering the absence of Big Al, any victory is a good one.
There was, however, one major problem: Randy Foye tried to do too much.
If there was anything we learned during November and December, it is this: Randy Foye isn't a point guard. I like him as a person. I like him as a shooting guard. But when he has to handle the ball for extended periods of time, the Wolves offense turns far too much into 1-on-5 or 2-on-5.
That's exactly what happened in the last five-plus minutes against the Wiz.
Because even though Bassy was on the floor, it was like he didn't exist down the stretch. Bassy would dribble to halfcourt, pass the ball to No. 4 and, on several possessions, would quite literally go to the right wing and stand and watch.
It was confusing while watching it in real time. When I went back and watched it again off of the DVR, it made me want to pull my hair out.
There is clearly more pressure on Foye to score in Jefferson's absence, that is not in dispute. Maybe the natural reaction is to give him the ball in the fourth quarter and let him drive. But to me, that doesn't seem to make any sense in the least. Part of what made Foye so dangerous during January was his ability to get the ball on the perimeter after Bassy penetrates and pithches.
From there Foye could shoot or he take it to the basket against an offense that had just adjusted to a Telfair drive. That is a whole lot different than driving the ball against a defense that is set. The path to the basket isn't nearly as clear in that case. The opportunities to get the ball to a big guy with a dump down aren't as plenty.
Just as damaging is that Foye doesn't get anybody else involved when he runs the offense from the outset. Looking at the Popcorn Machine game flow from last night, two things stand out in the fourth quarter.
1. KLove re-entered the game with 5:16 to play and didn't attempt a field goal (though he did get to the line for two free throws). Really? Seriously? While some of that is on Love, I put most of that on Foye.
2. Mike Miller took one field goal in the last 6:34 and that was a three after the outcome was pretty much decided. It has become pretty clear that other NBA teams know the reality when Foye is in the game: Stop 4's drive and he'll try to force something because he probably won't find the right open guy in the right spot.
Perhaps the highlight of the night came when Adrian Woj at Yahoo posted a piece that indicated that the Wolves are potentially interested in a three-team deal that would send Kirk Hinrich to Minnesota. Considering the potential deal would cost the Wolves little more than Jason Collins' expiring contract, I love it. This would be a serious upgrade for the Wolves at point guard and would move Bassy to a backup role. I like Bassy, but I'm not sure that he's good enough to play 30-plus minutes a night. Last night was further evidence that McHale doesn't trust him when the game is on the line.
I like securing Hinrich rather than going for a PG in the draft for the simple reason that Bassy and a rookie would be a position battle next fall. With the exception of Ricky Rubio, I don't know that there is a PG in the draft that would be immediately able to come in start from the onset. Hinrich, while certainly not an All-Star, would immediately create a pecking order at PG.
And clearly establishing a true depth chart at PG is a priority. The loss to the Wizards proved that.
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