The team faced a challenge from their opponents from the same division at home the next day.

After Artest left, the Kings have completely announced that they have entered reconstruction this season. Apart from Kevin Martin, there are no decent stars on the team.

Because it was a back-to-back game, the team did not play for conservative principles, and McDace did not return in this game, and Craig Smith was the team's starting power forward.

However, the situation did not improve as everyone expected. The team not only made frequent mistakes, but also because of back-to-back, the team's veterans seemed a little slow to warm up.

Against the backdrop of John Salmons, James Percy seemed to have grown ten years old overnight. Not only did he make no contribution on the offensive end and score zero, but he was also hit by the opponent Salmons on the defensive end with 24 points.

Brewer's restrictions on Kevin Martin are quite successful, but because the team lacks the inside frame protection, the Timberwolves are often at a loss once they are pushed into the inside by the Kings.

In this game, the Timberwolves rebounded by the opponent. The rookie Spencer Hawys, who was the same class as Li Rong, caught 12 rebounds, and this year's rookie Jason Thompson also scored 10 rebounds.

The Kings led the Timberwolves with 48-37 rebounds. In fact, the team's touch improved in the second half, but because of the continuous loss of frontcourt rebounds, they finally lost the victory.

96-98, with Billups missing the final buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Timberwolves ushered in the second defeat of the season and the fifth consecutive defeat since the preseason.

In this game, the team owner Glen Taylor also came to the scene. He watched the game in the private room and was cold and said nothing.

The team manager McHale was also extremely disappointed. The Timberwolves had not been out of the quagmire for many years. If this offseason operation cannot bring the team back to the playoffs, he would not have the shame to stay in the manager's position without Taylor saying hello.

Billups and Percy have a contract period of not short. In addition, if Jefferson, who has just renewed his contract, cannot return to the playoffs within two years, Li Rong's three-year minimum salary contract expires. Apart from paying high luxury taxes, the team has no room for operation.

The key is that by then, these two veterans of the team are not young, and they will not be able to do this year, and there will be even more chances next year and the next year.

The next day, McHale asked Whitman to talk to him for two hours behind closed doors.

No one knew what the two talked about, but everyone could see that Whitman looked ugly after coming out of McHale's office.

"We have to do a good job of defense!" Whitman kept emphasizing the importance of defense to the players on the training ground.

Especially Jefferson in the inside, Whitman was very dissatisfied with his performance on the defensive end in the last game: "Al, you are our starting center. You must protect the basket and grab all those damn rebounds in your hands!"

Jefferson was a little dissatisfied. He was still the best player in the team in the last game, scoring 21 points and 10 rebounds, and rarely contributed two blocks.

But Whitman still disliked him for not working hard enough in defense, and it was his responsibility to lose the team?

Li Rong also knew that he was not working hard enough. It was already very good to be able to do these things due to the limitations of innate conditions.

If inside players want to become a defensive gate, they either have tall and long arms like Mutombo, and jump well; or they have to have a huge body like Yao Ming, which Jefferson does not have these two points.

The team has too many problems now, and defense is just one aspect.

Others such as chemistry, offensive methods, etc. are not mentioned.

Another thing that is most easily overlooked is that the starting lineup is extremely lacking in athletic ability and is playing hard.

Whitman's use of people is too conservative. McGee only got less than 25 minutes of playing time in these two games, and Jordan Jr. was even more indifferent to the bench.

The team had no record pressure last season, and Whitman gave Li Rong some playing time after the team lost five consecutive games.

This season requires results, and I'm afraid the two insiders will find any good opportunity to play in the short term.

After two days off, the Timberwolves lost another away game to the Dallas Mavericks.

In this game, the Timberwolves' team's touch fell to freezing point, and the team shot less than 40% of the shooting percentage.

Jefferson made 5 of 15 in the inside, Li Rong made 0 of 5 from the outside three-point line, and Billups also made 3 of 14 under Kidd's defense.

The three big guys of the team performed like a piece of shit, and the other players' situation was not much better.

Mike Dyce, who made his career debut in the Timberwolves, was the player with the highest starting shooting percentage, making 4 of 10 shots.

Percy's touch has improved and contributed 10 points, but this score is still not enough to help the team win.

85 to 95, the Timberwolves suffered a three-game losing streak at the start of the game.

This game was a national live broadcast of TNT. After the game, Barkley, who had always been unyielding, began to crazily tease the Timberwolves' performance on the court.

"Is the Timberwolves preparing to participate in the nursing home league?" Barkley smiled and said, "My grandma runs faster than these people on the court. I think TNT's plan to broadcast the Timberwolves 20 games this year should double. Watching their games has excellent hypnosis effect, which is a good thing for insomnia fans."

"Charles, be merciless," Kenny Smith said. "They still need time to get used to it. I believe this is not their true strength."

"Time?" Barkley shook his head and said, "The Nuggets, the eighth-ranked Eastern Conference last season, won 50 games before entering the playoffs. The Timberwolves have not won a game so far. Let's calculate how long it will take for them to run in the lineup? 20 or 30 games? If they lose more than half of the games in the first 30 games, according to the 50-win standard, they need to win 35 games in the last 52 games. Unless a miracle like the Rockets' 22-game winning streak last season, they will definitely miss the playoffs!"

"I admit they did have some difficulties right now," Kenny Smith defended the Timberwolves, "but they will definitely win a playoff ticket for themselves, which I can guarantee. They have Chauncey, there will be no big problems in the locker room, and they have Jefferson and Lee Rong, who can do it."
Chapter completed!