http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_5475672 If a player dribbles a basketball when Randy Wittman is talking, he can expect to hear about it. If there's laughing or joking around in a serious setting, Wittman will let players know in no uncertain terms that's not acceptable. From shootarounds to practices, Wittman holds players accountable for their behavior and focus. "If you're out there (messing) around, he'll definitely let you know about it," veteran Ricky Davis said on the eve of tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns. "You definitely have accountability and have to pay attention." Wittman's direct approach is a reason he was chosen to take over the team when Dwane Casey was fired. The organization's leaders felt Wittman's authoritative personality would be good for the team. But the Wolves' ups and downs have underscored the challenges Wittman has faced. Wittman said his college coach at Indiana, Bob Knight, did an excellent job of keeping players focused. And Wittman has tried hard, too. "When your focus slides a little bit, you take shortcuts," Wittman said. "I just don't believe you can shortcut this game and be successful at it." Franchise player Kevin Garnett agrees Wittman's approach is good for the team. He said players respect Wittman's honesty. The question then becomes, why hasn't Wittman's influence translated into more success on the court for the Wolves, who are slipping out of playoff contention? That's something Wittman and the players can't answer. Wittman wondered whether players are holding themselves accountable enough. "That's (something) I don't think happens all the time," Wittman said, "whether it's yourself as an individual or me as your teammate also holding you accountable when things go south. We don't have a quote-unquote leader that's going to control the locker room. That when stuff's going on that shouldn't be going on, that somebody stands up and says, 'Hey, all right, enough of this.' I don't think we have that." There's only so much a coach can do if players aren't looking within themselves. The 28-37 Wolves are in the midst of a 10-game road losing streak and are 8-17 under Wittman. Maybe that lack of leadership is why the players' attitude on team plane rides after losses is more carefree than might be expected, as if the players had just won, not lost. It was that way on the flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix following a 109-102 loss to the Lakers, and that's certainly not rare. "What we do on the plane doesn't have anything to do with what we do on the court," Davis said, explaining that the players take losses seriously. "I don't think there should be a disciplinary act if we lose, you can't play music, you can't play cards, something like that. What we do on the court shouldn't (directly influence) what we do on the plane. If the music's blasting and we're out there laughing and joking and we got beat, it's a different story." Times have changed. It used to be common for players to keep much more to themselves on trips after losses in decades past. But there's been a change even in Davis' nine years in the NBA, he said. "We went from grown men, 35- and 40-year-olds, to 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds," Davis said. "You can probably find one or two vets on a team that have been in the league more than seven, eight years. It's much different. When I came in the league, guys couldn't really use phones on the bus. That was the Pat Riley thing (rules in Miami). It all depends on a guy's system." Some teams, like the 1980s Boston Celtics, had players with freewheeling personalities. But the players held themselves accountable when situations warranted, said Wittman, who played against those successful Celtics teams. "A coach can't police everything," Wittman said. "He can't police the bus, the locker room, the game, the practice, the airplane. There comes a point where you as a group say, hey, we all know when things have gone too far or things have gotten out of hand, that it's not right. "The simple fact of (a player who is a leader) stating it, I'm telling you, goes a long way. It might not have an effect right away during whatever the situation is at hand, but I guarantee you five, 10 minutes after that, it's like, wow, he stood up and (said something). I don't think we have that, the ingredient that I think good teams need to have." Wolves co-captain Trenton Hassell believes Garnett is this team's clear-cut leader. He's just not the vocal leader who will hold other players accountable at all times. He leads by example. "It don't matter if you have somebody (vocal) like that, if the other players don't want to do it, they're not going to do it," Hassell said. "Ticket's our leader. He does the right things. It's up to the players to follow him, yes or no. We have a leader on this team. As far as vocally, maybe not, but action-wise, we've got a leader." Garnett isn't that type of vocal leader in part because he didn't have to be throughout most of his Wolves career. Players such as Terrell Brandon and Ervin Johnson had leadership styles that, when they spoke up, players listened. And there were others. The Wolves, remember, brought veteran Vin Baker on board during training camp for his leadership, though he didn't make the team. And Garnett has always liked to play with veterans, often stating publicly he wished this team had more veterans, not just for their experience on the court but off. Wittman isn't afraid to point out mistakes on the court or during film sessions. He names names, too. In front of the team, he will point out an individual and say, "you have to fight over a screen," for instance. That's called coaching, Wittman said, not criticism. Some players aren't completely comfortable with teammates listening and watching, and Wittman knows it. But he said it's something he must do. "I've got to hold Kevin Garnett accountable for not coming over on a weakside play and taking a charge as well as Mike James," Wittman said. So far, accountability hasn't meant more success on the court. "It's something we all have to look at the end of the season," Wittman said, "and what has to change to make that better." --

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