Keys To the Wolf Den: Growth and Inexperience from Minnesota T-Wolves

"Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard." -Kevin Durant

"I can't be as good as I am unless I help the team." -Kevin Garnett

A side note: I've decided to do most of my articles on Bleacher report starting with "Keys to the Wolf Den," so that fans will know it's my writing.

The Timberwolves have impressed despite dropping three of their last five games, all closely contested, and in which the Wolves would have won the game on the stat sheet.

In every game during this stretch, the Timberwolves have outrebounded, shot over 50 percent from the field, and has put together amazing runs that would suggest the Wolves are better than what their record (3-19) would suggest.

However, there is one element to their game, despite their stellar play that is constantly haunting the young pups, and that is simply put, their inexperience.

As a Wolves fan, one can look at the game and see a quarter of complete dominance and stellar play featuring a triangle offense that looks better each game they play. As a Wolves fan, one can look at the game and see the momentum shift, and it is the Wolves being hunted when they cannot bounce back and regain their composure.

After watching the Wolves win quarters, and then come back and lose the game, it really says alot about the youth of the squad.

We won't go into statistics or anything of that nature, but it can be said that when the Wolves are howling, they are howling.

They move the ball well, dump it inside and score efficiently, they don't turn the ball over and they take smart shots due to the triangle offense.

It can also be said that when the Wolves aren't on the same page, it's almost a physical manifestation of Deerfly Fever for the Wolves in a basketball sense.

Turning the ball over, not moving without the ball, taking ill advised shots, and not following a game plan.

One can say that head coach Kurt Rambis is the reason to blame, but I think not. The Wolves are finally competitive, and every single game, he puts it very blunt. "If they stick to the game plan, they'll be fine".

Oh have they been fine only when it doesn't count.

One example would have to be the first half of the Wolves against the Hornets, in which the Wolves held an eleven point lead to stun the Hornets, yet lose the game by 1 in the second half due to poor execution, sloppy ball movement and turnovers.

Yet when they "stick to the game plan," they win games.

I for one am very tired of the losing.

I'll leave Wolves fan's on this note. "Those pups need to grow up".

They put themselves in positions to win ball games, and it's a missed pick and roll, or dagger three, or getting three offensive boards without being able to score on a single possession.

It's not that anyone is demanding the Wolves to do something that they can't do. They beat teams like the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz, yet drop to the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors.

Once again. "Those pups need to grow up."

Thanks for reading!