Knick-knack paddy's got whacked

Minnesota 99 vs. New York 94

I thought we were tanking games.

Of course, when the team you're playing is an injured, still dysfunctional Knick team, you can't make it too obvious. As a result, even though they tried once again to blow a lead, they came up against a club even less mentally tough than ours. Tonight, given the back-to-back games, and the fact our boys love to stink it up in front of the home crowd, the pursuit of our own draft pick should be back on track.

Of course, I can't let the moment go by without mentioning the irony of two teams being led into the ground by two of the greatest stars of the 80's--McHale and Thomas. Which leads me to a point that I wish other boards and blogs (STILL rehashing the Spree/Cassell situation? Time to move on, for Jim Pete's sake) would take up in more detail: the gap between having professionally played the game and managing/evaluating a franchise. How many times have we heard Jim Petersen tell us he's played the game; the ordinary fan just doesn't understand the nuances of the game when evaluating talent. Or, we hear anecdotally about the Iron Ranger's distain for anyone's opinion other than his because he was on championship teams. I think the last few years have exposed both McHale and Petersen's stances to be arrogant and dismissive.

To be fair, we hear that from professionals in all fields, sports or not. And to some degree it is obvious. If I don't know anything about nuclear physics, it would be hard for me to evaluate someone's ability if I were hiring them for a corporate research position. But if that same candidate were, say, foaming at the mouth, or babbling off into incoherence when asked a question, I might be able to recommend that person NOT be hired, despite my lack of physics knowledge. And, given the nature of the actual job, the salary available, and the advancement possibilities, I might recommend a less accomplished candidate over another who's pedigree--at least on paper--might be superior. The major point in all of this is that there are many factors in running a team and evaluating players well beyond than on-the-court ability. There are other qualities in being a good executive, or talent recommender.

Humility is one key trait. This doesn't mean one can't be supremely confident in one's abilities. It does mean however that you have to understand your limitations, and hold yourself accountable when things don't go as well as planned. I'll admit I haven't heard every single minute of the Wolves TV broadcasts this year, but I haven't heard one retraction from Petersen about Mark Blount's abilities. Early on, especially in the first half of the year when the Blountser was going well, all we heard from Jim Pete and Hanneman was how Jim Pete was right about our front court hero. What about now? Where's the simple, direct and humble admission from Petersen that Blount is really a one-dimensional player? Where's any sort of simple, humble and direct statement from McHale about the lack of contract/player evaluation acumen, and his mis-management of his draft choices? A simple "my bad" would help--along with a new and creative strategy, of course--and would go a long way toward repair the damage he has created in the Wolves fan base.

Presently, it would be only his leaving, a tearful and humble good-bye speech, and about 10 years of inactivity that would revive his credibility in this market. It doesn't have to be that way, but given the stubbornness and arrogance of these individuals, I'm afraid that's the probable outcome. I don't think there's enough server space to talk about what a destructive force Thomas has been in basketball since he stepped off the hardwood.

The bottom line: Actions and results speak louder than platitudes and arrogance. Being able to actually learn from failure, and adjust strategy are critical success factors in many businesses, not just basketball. Being able to ADMIT failure is the first step in this strategy; this is what I'm personally waiting for out of McHale, Thomas, and to a much lesser degree, Jim Petersen. That's how you can resurrect a bad franchise.