http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/15939250.htm
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A couple of big names float around the Timberwolves'
locker room these days when rookie Craig Smith is mentioned.
Forward Kevin Garnett compares Smith to a "poor man's Charles Barkley."
Coach Dwane Casey said he thinks of Bernard King.
Barkley is the easy comparison because Smith has a big body and is an
undersized forward — a description that fit Barkley. But the King reference
is a little more obscure, and it stems from the way Smith releases his shot
quickly, which reminds the coaching staff of King.
Barkley or King, either way, Smith is flattered.
"I'm a big fan of his," Smith said of King, "and Charles Barkley. Those guys
were tenacious, you know?"
Smith, 23, would seem to be an unlikely King fan, given his age. But he
remembered watching King score 42 points in a game replayed on NBA TV.
"I was like, man, he has a nice little shot, and I've got that nice shot,"
Smith said. "When I used to go play pickup, you make a shot, and somebody
says I remind them of Bernard King a little bit."
In basketball terms, Smith is known as a tweener, too big for a small forward
and too short for a power forward. His skills overlap the ideal
characteristics for both positions.
The belief that he didn't fit a position was a big reason Smith
(6 feet 7, 272 pounds) wasn't a first-round draft pick in June.
He was believed to be too short to play power forward and not skilled
enough on the perimeter to play small forward.
"That was the major concern coming in: Could he go against length in the
league, 6-11 power forwards," Casey said. "He's proved he can. That's been
a pleasant surprise."
Smith has averaged 16.3 minutes in the first three games of the season.
Casey said he is one of the best passers on the team. Smith doesn't have
any assists this season, but he reads the game.
"He has a feel for where everybody is and what they're supposed to be doing,"
Casey said. "That's hard to teach. The game is in slow motion a little bit,
and that's rare for a rookie."
Smith has a crafty one-handed shot he uses near the basket, and it's
difficult to block. He is agile enough to create a shot or slip past
defenders to get easy baskets.
During Minnesota's 112-109 victory Friday night at Denver, Smith scored
20 points in only 16 minutes. That made him the first Wolves player to
score 20 points in fewer than 20 minutes since Chauncey Billups in April 2001
at Dallas.
Smith's scoring average of 11 points a game ranked third among NBA rookies
entering Sunday. His 61.5 percent shooting was No. 1.
Opponents probably hadn't paid much attention to Smith during film sessions.
But his hot start might give teams reason to guard him more closely, which
could make it more difficult for him to score. But he said he's ready for
the challenge.
Bulletin board material: The Portland Trail Blazers apparently drew
motivation from an unexpected source, Wolves veteran Ricky Davis, en route
to their 88-86 comeback victory over the Wolves on Saturday night at the
Rose Garden. A report in the Oregonian stated that Davis called the Blazers
"a pack of roaches" during the second quarter with Minnesota leading by 11
points.
Portland's Martell Webster said Davis' comment provided fuel at halftime in
the Blazers' locker room.
"That win goes against that entire team," Webster told the paper. "If you
have any dignity, if you have any pride, hearing something like that puts
a chip on your shoulder."
Blazers coach Nate McMillan, a friend of Casey's, said he was offended.
Davis wasn't available for comment after Sunday's practice.
"A lot of time coaches will use anything to motivate their team," Casey said.
"I don't know what was said, so I can't comment on it... . You don't want to
ever give bulletin board material, but I don't know what said or what came
out. Getting beat 88-86 is enough bulletin board material for me."
Briefly: Guard Troy Hudson had played a major role in the Wolves' two
victories, but he played only nine minutes against Portland.
"Usually Huddy is in the game, and he controls that second unit a little bit,"
Garnett said after Saturday's game. "He didn't get the minutes tonight.
I thought it messed up the flow a little bit. He's a veteran point guard.
I put a lot of responsibility on him to be in there and control that second
unit. He didn't have those minutes in the second half, so the responsibility
sort of fell back on the starters."
Said Casey: "I thought Mike (James) and Trenton (Hassell) and that group had
a good thing going in the fourth quarter. It's going to be different people
different nights. That's how we flow. That's how we've got to play."
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