Wolves: Madsen says labor suit filed to make a point

By Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

Last update: December 4, 2006 - 10:07 PM

When the NBA Players Association filed two unfair-labor-practice charges Friday against the league, Timberwolves forward Mark Madsen said, it knew it risked looking bad.

Five weeks into the 2006-07 season, union members still are fussing about the new synthetic basketball? Do players actually prefer a league that doesn't have "zero tolerance" on complaining to referees about their judgment? The NBPA filed its charges to the National Labor Relations Board in New York in what Madsen, the Wolves' union rep, said was as much about principle and protocol as it was specifics of the complaints.

"The goal of our union is not to be an adversarial relationship," Madsen said. "It's to communicate and represent.

"We recognize that [commissioner] David Stern and the NBA have done the best job possible in making this the greatest sports league. Right now, this is just a feedback situation through the proper channels to continue the dialogue."

In other words, the union is objecting to these and other unilateral moves by the NBA, such as last year's dress code, that don't acknowledge the 2005 collective bargaining agreement between the NBPA and the league. It seeks player input into such decisions.

Madsen said that, compared with a month ago, referees and players seem to have calmed down regarding the "zero tolerance" rule.

Cradle that ball

The Wolves lost three in a row while averaging 17.3 turnovers last week and broke that skid in spite of their 25 giveaways at Philadelphia. For a team that aspired to average a mere 15 turnovers back when the season began, their recklessness is unacceptable.

And that was the message in practice Monday. "We worked on outlet passes, entering the ball on the wing passes, entering the ball on the post passes," Wolves coach Dwane Casey said. "All the details that created turnovers. Spacing -- making what I call the A-B-C passes and not skipping over [the middle pass]. No-look passes. Those are the types of passes that got us in trouble. Those are the things we've got to eliminate if we're going to get something good going here."

If Casey never sees another no-look pass, it will be too soon. "You don't want to take away the fun for the players," he said, "but if you're no-looking and throwing them away, it's going to [hurt you]."

Rookie gets respect

Craig Smith, who drew two charging fouls on Philadelphia players Sunday for what Casey called "momentum breakers," thinks that NBA refs are learning and showing respect for his brand of physical play. "I think a little bit," he said. "They're noticing my game, that I'm getting there and I'm already in position."

Being the ball

Here's Casey on guard Mike James, who scored 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting and hit three of five three-pointers: "Once you get one to go down, if you're a shooter, it looks like a big wash tub. ... The next two or three come easy. You get all sorts of confidence, flow and rhythm."

The executioner's song

Smith continues to dunk on all comers, from savvy vets to fellow rookies. Sometimes he makes them, sometimes not -- he had one pinned against the rim, from behind, by 76ers center Samuel Dalembert -- but Smith isn't about to stop.

"If I get a chance to take your head off," the burly rookie said, "I'm going to try to take your head off."

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com