Wolves practice, with pomp mixed in

Associated Press

Clay Bennett, chairman of the new Oklahoma City NBA franchise, unveiled the team name, Thunder, in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday. Sept. 3, 2008.

While Wednesday marked the coming out party for the Oklahoma City franchise, the Wolves staff tuned out the fanfare and stuck to its to-do list.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 8, 2008 - 11:32 PM

BILLINGS, MONT. - Two nights after they opened against an opponent that sent half its team home because of a headache or other maladies, the Timberwolves met the new Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in a preseason game that offered a hint of regular-season pomp.

A team looking to make a forceful first impression made its debut at a Montana rodeo arena where the flies and the dust from the last horse show through town still swirled.

The team formerly known as the SuperSonics brought live television and radio crews to town to commemorate the franchise's first game since it packed up and left Seattle last summer.

More importantly, the Thunder brought much of its real roster, including reigning Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant and first-round draft pick Russell Westbrook, to face a Wolves team that played Milwaukee's junior varsity on Monday night.

"Another test for our defense," said Wolves coach Randy Wittman, whose team won the game 88-82.

Wednesday's game at Rimrock Auto Arena and Friday's game at Denver both will give Wittman more indication if training-camp emphasis and time have made the Wolves a better team getting back on defense than they were a season ago.

Both the Thunder and the Nuggets like to push the ball, a trait that troubled the Wolves in a season when they won 22 games. On Monday, the Wolves held the undermanned Bucks to 79 points and 33.8 percent shooting in a 38-point victory.

Now, the pace of play picks up.

"Transition defense, that's a point of emphasis whether we're playing Oklahoma City, Denver or Detroit, who walks it up," Wittman said. "We've got to get better there. That was one of our weakest things last year. To play good half-court defense, you have to stop them in transition and our bigs were not very good at getting back down the floor last year.

"That's still a step I haven't seen significant progress in, wherein other areas of our defense I have so far."

It hasn't been so far apparently from a lack of preaching. Star Al Jefferson isn't in game shape yet after missing more than two weeks because of a sprained knee ligament. Rookie Kevin Love still is adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, which Wittman calls "unlike any speed he has ever seen." Forward Craig Smith sat out Wednesday's morning shootaround after a knee that underwent surgery in August swelled during the team's flight to Montana on Tuesday night.

"It's the first two steps," Wittman said. "If I can get the guys to understand it's your first two steps that gets you out of there [in the transition from offense to defense]. If you're slow with your first two or three steps, you'll never be able to catch up. I do want them to go attack the offensive boards because we've got guys who can do that.

"You just have got to run 90 feet sometimes if you're underneath the rim. You have to sprint. You have to get out of there."

Wittman watched for that Wednesday night in Billings.

"There aren't any scouting reports for these games," said Wittman, who calls the Wolves' preseason games practice. "I'm not using these games like, 'We've got Durant, who's going to do this tonight.' I'm really making our guys concentrate on what we have to do."