Who will be the Wolves' New ALPHA?

Written by Erik

Monday, 09 February 2009 20:30

The Minnesota Timberwolves just lost their Alpha and now the question is who will step up and try to lead the pack.

wolf-howl

Al Jefferson is out for the season with a knee injury (torn ACL). Obviously this is terrible for the Timberwolves as they lose their dependable powerhouse in the paint. His fantasy owners are grimacing in pain as well, as I am sure that Big Al was a true cornerstone as far as their teams were concerned. 23-11 and 1.8 Blocks at less than 2 TOs (1.8) per game is very hard not to pine for.

The Inspiring Pup?

kevin-love-growl

As far as fantasy ramifications go, it looks like rookie Kevin will now get some fantasy "LOVE." He may be a pup, but he sure ain't the runt in this pack. It's unfortunate that it had to happen this way, but that's the way the ball bounces. Kevin was already reinserted into the starting lineup lately (3 games) and was even producing fantasy-acceptable boosts to teams' big man numbers. Some points here and there at decent percentages and of course rebounds, not mention the occasional block.

His current stat-line is 9.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.4 TOs, at 45 FG% & 77 FT%.

It is not unreasonable to expect Kevin to average a meager double-double by season's end, 12.4 and 10.2 would be great. It would be nice to see him average a full block per game as well. Along with extended playing time and increased touches comes the greater chances for errors that Kevin WILL make rookie and veteran alike. His TOs may actually hit the 2-zone or more.

Both Kevin Love and Ryan Gomes will be pulling extra duty in the paint. Most of it will go to Kevin as Ryan's diverse game sometimes finds him closer to the three-point area than in the shaded one.

The Beta Male?

foye dive for ball

That was from the team's front court perspective. Throughout the season it has been combo-guard Randy Foye who has been the "Beta Male" of the pack, taking care of the scoring from the back court will the Alpha took care of things in the paint of both sides of the court. 15.9 PPG, 4.7 APG (most of which were targeted at and completed by Al), 1.4 3PG. Based on existing pack hierarchy Randy should be the prime target for a fantasy boost. He will score more that's for sure. He will also need to improve on his FG percentage. The problem is he is a scorer first and foremost. - A younger Ben Gordon, if you will. He, not that much more of a veteran than Kevin will have to mature as a player and a person in order to be the Wolves' true new leader.

Miller Time?

mike miller

Another thing that cannot be discounted is that with Al Jefferson's loss, the entire dynamic of how the T-Wolves operate may change. Mike Miller, a veteran scorer who just hasn't had the right chance to fit in with the rest of the pack. Mike's had leadership experience with the Grizzlies when it was but a skeleton of a squad. To date, Mike Miller has been far less than impressive. 9.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, and possibly a career-low of 1.1 3PG - definitely not the efficient multi-cat three-point shooter's line a lot of people drafted at the start of the fantasy season. He will now have a chance to see where the flow of the Wolves' game takes him and where he can find opportunities to be productive. He is now the "veteran leadership" that his teammates may look to when push comes to shove on the court. So he may be soon inserted into the starting 5 and be asked to lead the team. The question is, "How will the rest of the pack, take the new guy leading them?"

In the end, we will have to wait and see who the new real life and fantasy Alpha will be as he emerges from the aftermath of Al Jefferson's loss for the season.