wolves/nba
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Wednesday (Derrick "Did Not Play-Coach's Decision" Williams) edition: Wha' Happened?
Posted by: Michael Rand under Wolves news Updated: November 28, 2012 - 10:32 AM
The elephant in the room is getting larger.
Since Kevin Love returned early from his hand injury, the sporadic playing time for second-year forward Derrick Williams has become more like non-existent playing time.
He has played a total of 11 minutes in the four games since Love has been back -- all of them against Golden State on Saturday. That means three of four games were dreaded DNP-CDs, including last night against Sacramento when the Wolves broke their five-game losing streak.
The odd thing is Williams' most recent game before Love's return was his best, at least offensively, of the season. He scored 23 points in 37 minutes, adding seven rebounds and four blocks. Against Golden State, too, he had a reasonably efficient 10 points in those 11 minutes.
But he has been horrendous in other games, failing to finish with alarming frequency. He still looks lost on defense, even if his effort has at times been better. And there is this staring us all in the face:
The head coach doesn't seem to have much use for him.
Kevin Love played 44 minutes last night. Andrei Kirilenko played 41. Ideally, you would slice 6-7 minutes off each total. Ideally, Williams would at least get those minutes.
But if he's not going to get them, the Wolves are in a box. His trade value diminishes with each game he sits. But it also diminishes with each game in which he plays poorly. He is a player who needs time to develop, but he is coached by a man who has had a ton of previous NBA success and who wants to win now.
Rick Adelman is the coach -- a good one, and one who will be here for the forseeable future. If Williams can't crack his rotation now, with the Wolves still banged up, maybe the elephant in the room needs a change of scenery.
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