I don't really have a lot to write about this weekend, but the geeky elves and I are working hard at awesome new features on the site (which is also hampering the writing). In the meantime, I wish everyone happy holidays. Check out the holiday wish list of all NBA bloggers over at Hickory High. Mine was pretty simple:

Patrick Minton – The NBA Geek – @NBAGeek - I feel like this one is super easy. Just give the team perfect health. It’ll be really fun to see how good this team can be when all its players are healthy at the same time. And that includes Kevin Love’s hand, he’s clearly still having tons of problems with it. So, Santa, just so we’re clear: no back spasms, no broken appendages, no sprains, no stomach flu, no stubbed toes…I don’t want to even see a scab from someone cutting themselves shaving, k?

Well, that did not last long.

Looking at his eye after the game, it looked like that map of the infection in the movie Outbreak when they’re showing how the red/affected areas (the disease) on the map spreads after 48 hours then 72 hours then a couple of weeks. Love’s eye was headed toward that “couple of weeks” map for sure.

Last night I had a dream that Kirilenko and Shved were in a car accident, Love's eye was a long-term thing, Rubio slipped in the shower and broke something, and the Team traded everybody else but Derrick Williams for a bag of potato chips. Or something. I'm obviously fuzzy on the details because I have never been good at writing down my dreams in the middle of the night but I do remember the salient detail that Williams was the only guy left on the roster who could play. Here's hoping that the Wolves' injury luck turns around before we reach that level of absurdity.

Categories: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves, Injuries

Remember the days when @CanisHoopus used to call the Timberwolves the 'Zombies'? That nickname might become relevant again, albeit for different reasons. Here are the currently injured Timberwolves' 2011-12 season:

The injured wolves accounted for 25.2 wins produced last year. That's right, if you pro-rate it to 82 games, the injured Timberwolves are essentially a 30-win team, more if you pro-rate Rubio to a full season. This is nuts. There's bad injury luck, and then there's just the basketball gods ripping your spleen out, seasoning it with some salt and vinegar, and making you eat it raw.

On the plus side, there's Andrei Kirilenko playing like an MVP. He's essentially saying "Hey, don't worry, I'll carry the team on my back tattoo until you all get back." Again, pundits are not noticing because he's not doing it by scoring 25 points a game, but that does not make his performance any less impressive. The difference when AK is on the bench is amazing; he has a transformative effect on both offense and defense.

On the further plus side...I'm pretty sure this Shved guy can ball. He's surprisingly confident for a rookie -- I liked when AK was about to shoot a T and Shved walked up and tapped him and said "Dude, I got this." He's more trustworthy with the ball than Luke Ridnour, who has a tendency to try too many passes at bad angles (the kind of passes that get picked off at Y pickup games, much less when pro athletes are defending), and he's also much better in the high pick-n-roll; Ridnour is too easy to double and pressure there in late game situations. He hasn't been shooting fantastic but has shown a great knack for getting to the foul line, and he's a good passer. Similarly to Rubio, being a pro is just not new to him, and it shows.

Sadly, all bets on the Wolves being .500 or better until Love returns are off if Pek's ankle is turned badly, but I'll predict that Kirilenko will make most games competitive.

Categories: Chase Budinger, J.J. Barea, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic, Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves, Injuries