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Wolves Insider: Clash of elite classes

Nathaniel S. Butler, Nbae/getty Images

From left, Sebastian Telfair, Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay and Josh Smith of the East sat on the bench during the 2004 McDonald’s High School All-American Game in Oklahoma City. The East won 126-96, but that doesn’t settle debates about the class of 2004 vs. the class of 1995.

The McDonald's All-Americans of 2004 would give the elite class of 1995 an interesting game.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: January 6, 2008 - 11:20 PM

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WOLVES WEEK IN REVIEW

Record: 0-3

• The Wolves blew an 11-point lead after three quarters and were outscored 32-12 to lose to the Clippers in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. Their losing streak stretched to a season-long seven games with home losses Wednesday to Portland (their second loss to the young, hot Blazers in five days) and Friday to a Denver team that scored the game’s first 12 points.

STAR TRIBUNE STAR OF THE WEEK: Ryan Gomes, forward

Rather than pick Al Jefferson every week, we opt for the former second-round pick by Boston who provided double-doubles Monday in Los Angeles, Wednesday against Portland and then scored in double figures for the eight consecutive games with 15 points Friday against Denver.

THIS WEEK: Four games

Today: vs. Dallas, 2:30 p.m. Tuesday: vs. Miami, 7 p.m. Friday: at Houston, 7:30 p.m. Saturday: at San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.

• The season’s first Sunday matinee is followed by sinking Miami’s only Target Center visit of the season and the return of Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. The week concludes with a two-day, two-game Texas trip.

THE QUOTE

"Free Mark Madsen." -- Wolves guard Marko Jaric as he left a morning shootaround, referring to the veteran forward who hasn’t played since Dec. 22.

JERRY ZGODA

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The Timberwolves began anew by trading Kevin Garnett last summer. It's too bad they couldn't have done so with the collection of precocious players assembled the first time Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer and Sebastian Telfair played together.

Those three future Wolves arrived in Oklahoma City four years ago this March for the annual McDonald's All-American game that still ignites debate in NBA locker rooms everywhere whether the prep talent assembled that spring was the greatest ever.

"I used to argue about that with Paul in Boston all the time," Jefferson said.

Former Boston Celtics teammate Paul Pierce argued, of course, for his 1995 McDonald's All-American Game that also featured Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Ron Mercer, Stephon Marbury and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Jefferson's 2004 class included Dwight Howard, that year's No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, and future NBA players Josh Smith, Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, J.R. Smith, Brewer and Telfair.

"Gol-ly," Brewer said. "And that's just the East team."

The West team included LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland's second-year NBA forward who, like Gay, is a candidate for the league's Most Improved Player, as well as Marvin Williams, Shaun Livingston, Daniel Gibson, Glen (Big Baby) Davis and Arron Afflalo.

"It had to be a record, how many [NBA] scouts were at our all-star practices," said Josh Smith, the fourth-year Atlanta forward who averages 17.2 points and 8.1 rebounds. "Everybody you could imagine was there."

Howard, Jefferson, Telfair, Livingston, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith and Robert Swift all went directly from high school to the NBA. Jefferson uses the words "amazing," "unbelievable" and "unreal" to describe the depth of talent assembled.

"We'd be a little young," Telfair said. "But I'd take my chances in the NBA with that East team. There's a lot of talent there."

Brewer remembers wondering how he got from his hometown in the hills north of Nashville to prep basketball's biggest game.

"Coming from little Portland, Tenn., you never expected to be a McDonald's All-American," he said. "That was a great experience to play with all those guys for a week."

Telfair remembers the game itself, when J.R. Smith from Newark, N.J., shot it, and made it, from everywhere and when Telfair made sure the hot shooter got the ball in his hands. Smith scored 25 in the East team's 126-96 rout.

"I remember going for the assist record and I was giving J.R. the ball and he was shooting it from half-court," Telfair said, who had 11 assists in 20 minutes. "Actually, I think I missed it [the record] by two assists."

The topic was mentioned one night before a game in the Atlanta Hawks' locker room, and it launched a spirited 15-minute discussion between Josh Smith, Class of '04, and teammate Tyronn Lue, Class of '95, over which year's team would prevail in a game.

"It would be a good game," Smith said, "but you couldn't say they'd blow us out."

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