[外電] Foye the man in final second
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16678691.htm
In his first career start Sunday, Timberwolves rookie point guard Randy Foye
had the ball in his hands, the shot clock winding down, the game on the line.
He dribbled toward the basket, drew the attention of two defenders, then
found Ricky Davis alone in a corner for an assist on the game-winning shot as
Davis' 18-foot jumper with 0.2 seconds left gave the Wolves a 109-107 victory
over the Boston Celtics at Target Center.
Mark Blount ran over to Davis and put his arm around him as they paraded
around the court, the victory all but ensured. All that was left was an
inbounds pass that didn't leave Delonte West enough time to get a shot off
before time expired.
"Witt told me yesterday," Foye said of the moment he learned from coach Randy
Wittman that he would be starting. "He brought me in after practice. I had a
good practice. He just said I think we need a change, and he asked was I
ready. And, obviously, I'm not going to say no, so I just said yeah."
Foye turned out to be ready on that play, anyway, helping to send the Celtics
to their 18th consecutive loss.
"That's what we rely on him to do: break guys down and find the open guy,"
Davis said. "He's still growing. He's going to be good for us."
Foye finished the game with 10 points, eight assists, five rebounds and one
turnover in 34 minutes.
Wittman said he doesn't know for sure whether Foye will be the long-term
starter in place of Mike James. It appears Foye will start for the
foreseeable future. It wouldn't make sense to yank him in and out of the
lineup.
"Let's see how everybody adjusts to it," Wittman said. "Going into the Denver
game, we are going to stay with it. You have to give it some time to see how
everybody adjusts to it. Is it permanent? Players tell you, as a coach, if it
is permanent by their play on the floor."
Wittman said it was a gut decision to make the change to Foye.
"This is not a reflection on Mike," Wittman said. "I just thought maybe if I
could get him going in the second unit; our second unit has struggled when
(Kevin Garnett) goes out, and I have two rookies in Randy and Craig (Smith)
playing on that second unit with Marko (Jaric) and those other guys who come
in."
Wittman said he thinks James' experience can energize the reserves.
"It wasn't because one guy is outplaying the other; I just wanted to change
to see if I could help both of them."
For those having trouble keeping track, Foye appears to be the Wolves' fourth
Point Guard of the Future in the past two seasons.
Foye's first start might pave the way for him to take over the role down the
stretch. It's a role that has been in flux since the beginning of last
season, with Jaric, Marcus Banks and now a half-season of James, the latest
demoted starter.
The Wolves thought they had found their answer at point guard in the summer
of 2005, when they executed a sign-and-trade deal for Jaric. Then after a
half-season with him, they opted to evaluate Banks as the starter last season.
But Banks apparently wasn't the answer, so they signed James last summer to
stabilize the position, provide swagger and outside shooting, or so they said
at the time. And after a half-season with James in the starting lineup,
they've made yet another change.
Foye didn't give the Wolves much of a spark early against Boston. Minnesota
trailed by 10 points in the first half.
In the third quarter, two former Celtics brought the Wolves back, with Davis
scoring 18 of his 28 points in the quarter, and Blount adding 10 points. The
Wolves went into the fourth quarter leading 87-85.
"It was just a great feeling when me and Mark went out there in the third
quarter and got busy," Davis said.
James played much of the fourth quarter until Foye came in with about four
minutes remaining and the Wolves locked in a tight game. The Wolves trailed
107-105 after Al Jefferson scored on a dunk, but Garnett tied the score with
two free throws with 1:06 left.
Garnett helped make Foye's starting debut a success with a triple-double: 26
points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
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