rate as a one-armed fighter was pretty remarkable, DiBella sa

MINNEAPOLIS -- With a roster full of some of the best young talent in the league and a new, playoff-tested coach to lead them, the Minnesota Timberwolves entered this season as a trendy pick to finally end a 12-year postseason drought.Ten games into this still-young season, Tom Thibodeau finally erupted after watching his team give away yet another double-digit lead in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets that dropped them to 3-7.Its not that the Timberwolves are losing games this season that has angered him. Its how they are losing them, with the same mistakes occurring over and over again, particularly during the third quarter of nearly every game.A big part of learning is trial and error. So when you go through something and it doesnt work, you should learn from it, Thibodeau said after a 115-108 loss to the Hornets on Tuesday. The second time around, it shouldnt be the same way. That has to change and it has to change fast.The Timberwolves have been one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, with Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine all showing skills that have fans cautiously hopeful that the franchise is finally ready to return to relevancy.But they have been a disaster on defense and atrocious after halftime. They have been outscored by 91 points in their 10 third quarters this season, by far the worst margin in the league. Only one game this season have they outscored their opponent in that period -- a 36-point win over Memphis in which the Grizzlies were resting stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.The devastating ball movement that leads to wide open shots disappears, too. Thibodeau said his players start holding and dancing with the ball, which bogs down the flow. Contested jumpers lead to missed shots, which open up transition opportunities for their opponents.The defense at the rim and on the perimeter is nonexistent. Layups, dunks and 3-pointers rain down on their heads as they scramble to get things under control. Wash, rinse, repeat.Were playing really well and it just turns and ruins the whole game, LaVine said Wednesday. It ruins all our spirits. Going into the next game, you feel like youve got it figured out. Were up 15, 12 points and were going good and its a nosedive.The results are familiar to fans. Target Center announced just 10,349 fans for the game against the Hornets on Tuesday. Average attendance during the five homes games is just over 13,000 per game in a building that holds close to 20,000, certainly not what the organization expected in the highly anticipated run-up to the season.There are only so many promotions, so many giveaways, so many marketing tools the business side can use to sell tickets and spur interest. With a team that has been bad for this long, the fans are going to make them prove that things are different before they start investing.This is the best team Ive ever been around, said point guard Ricky Rubio, in his sixth season with the Wolves. I get mad thinking that were wasting time. Were not learning. Its time to change.The Wolves do have things to comfort them. They are the best team in the league in point differential in the first quarter, first in 3-point shooting percentage and fourth in offensive efficiency. Thibodeau is considered a defensive mastermind, so it could just be a matter of time before his new charges start to execute his system the way he wants to see it done.But if they do want to make the playoffs and end that interminable drought, they know they have to get going soon.There is no easy way out. Its work, Thibodeau said. Were more than capable of doing it. We just have to get it done.---This story has been corrected to show third quarter combined deficit is 91 points. Replica Jerseys China . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Cheap Jerseys Review . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. https://www.cheapjerseysreview.com/ . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Cheap Jerseys For Sale . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Wholesale Jerseys Online .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Heavyweight world titleholder Deontay Wilders 2016 fight schedule is over.Although Wilder retained his belt with a one-sided, eighth-round knockout of Chris Arreola on Saturday night at Legacy Arena, the two significant injuries Wilder suffered in the bout will keep him out of the ring for the rest of the year, promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN.com on Sunday.Wilder, who broke his right hand and suffered a probable right biceps tear, spent most of the night at UAB Hospital. He will be back at the hospital soon, likely for two surgeries, one to repair each injury, DiBella said.Hes definitely going to need surgery on his right hand, DiBella said. He will have it as soon as is practical. He will likely also require surgery on his biceps.After the fight, Wilder, who was obviously in pain, winced as his right glove was removed and had ice put on his biceps. Then he came to ringside and told media members that he believed his hand was broken and displayed his disfigured biceps. Later in the dressing room, Dr. David Williams, an Alabama commission physician, diagnosed the broken hand and said Wilder also had a probable distal biceps tear.The 30-year-old Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs), one of boxings biggest punchers, has broken his right hand at least twice previously. After a first-round knockout of Travis Allen in 2009 (Wilders seventh professional fight), Wilder had the hand surgically repaired; pins were inserted to stabilize it. Wilder suffered a stress fracture in the same spot during his world title victory against Bermane Stiverne in January 2015, although he did not require a second procedure.Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, likely suffered the injuries against Arreola (36-5-1, 31 KOs) in the fourth round, when Wilder badly hurt Arreola, knocked him down with an onslaught of shots, including a big right hand, and then nearly stopped him in the final seconds of the round.Deontay is definitely out for tthe remainder of the year, but we will know more in the next few days, DiBella said.ddddddddddddWilder fought through the injuries but essentially stopped using his right hand after the fourth round. But he was strong enough with his left jab and hook to continue breaking down Arreola, 35, of Riverside, California, until his trainer, Henry Ramirez, asked referee Jack Reiss to stop the bout after the eighth round. Arreolas left eye was swollen closed, and he had a bad cut over his right eye.These are very significant injuries and he was hurt early in the fight, so the fact that Deontay kept up his work rate as a one-armed fighter was pretty remarkable, DiBella said. He put such a beating on Arreola with one arm. Some damage was done early, but Deontay showed huge heart and will. He has the heart of a lion, the heart of a champion. Theres no reason to think he wont be back and be fine in 2017.Also on Sunday, Wilders team, including DiBella, co-manager Shelly Finkel and DiBella attorneys Alex Dombroff and Judd Burstein, met for about two hours with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman and others from the sanctioning body, whose title Wilder holds, to discuss the situation related to the failed drug test of mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin of Russia. DiBella declined to discuss the specifics of the meeting.Wilder was supposed to fight Povetkin on May 21 in Russia, but Povetkin tested positive for trace amounts of the banned substance meldonium and the fight was called off nine days beforehand. The WBC then permitted Wilder to have an optional defense, which came against Arreola.About two weeks ago, Povetkin and his team met with WBC officials to present their side of the story. The WBC has to decide whether Povetkin will keep his mandatory status and if there will be any punishment. ' ' '