"Maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time
and hung me on a line
maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you" - Paul McCartney/Maybe I'm Amazed
Consider ME amazed!
I never thought any situation in real life could actually bring meaning to a Paul McCartney lyric. But those lines echoed in my head as I read Rick Alonzo's Q & A this morning with Glen Taylor in the PPress. Is there any greater friend/mentor/boss that Kevin McHale has than Glen Taylor? My goodness, what does one have to do to earn that sort of loyalty, or was it just kismet between those two? It inspires me to offer a new nickname for Mr. Taylor...the Human Deflector, or Mr. Deflector, to be respectful.
Why are all these folks throwing each other under the bus, just to curry public opinion? I'm sure C. Billups will be delighted to know--after all these years--that his current coach didn't think he was worth resigning in Minnesota. Is Mr. Taylor's spin that KG may have spoken with forked tounge on the subject of whether he supported Flip or not supposed to win us over to McHale's side? Who are we supposed to believe? Why should we care?
When you get down to it, isn't the real issue simply performance?
"maybe I'm a man maybe I'm a lonely man
who's in the middle of something
that he doesn't really understand...."
Even though it was hard for many to see KG leave in the manner he did, I think anyone with an ounce of sensibility should know that if the Wolves were suddenly able to post a winning record and compete for a championship within a few years, public opinion toward McHale would change for the better. Isn't that what fans are mostly plunking down their hard earned money for...a chance to see winning competition?
Maybe it's time for all involved to finally move on, and focus on the task of rebuilding the team.
Maybe that will help me understand...
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Scrimmage Saturday Night
Sometimes, you just have to see--in the words of the immortal Marvin Gaye--what's goin' on. Traveling down to the Target Center to watch the new club practice without KG has absolutely a different feel to it. My impressions? A lot of bodies, instruction, whistles and semi-dinged players. This team right now is a bunch of guys all trying to make the "big difference" at the same time. The coaching staff drilled the boys on making extra passes...I'm not sure Gerald Green could even spell the word pass. But then again it is four letters, so maybe there's hope after all.
Other thoughts:
Al Jefferson is pretty good. How good is a huge question mark, and it will be a test of the point guards on this team to understand the asset they have. Players with low post skills like AJ tend to make the game easier on offense, and more consistent. One major problem with the Wolves in the last few years was their inability to score during large stretches of the game. When you have a jump shooting team that doesn't share the ball particularly well, what happens is that players have to work very hard individually to get buckets, or in the case of Ricky Davis, shoot quickly before the defense hardens. If the shots fall, great, but more often than not, especially in the fourth quarter, the shots stop falling and the other team makes a successful run to victory. Having quality low post scoring is like having the ace pitching stopper in baseball; a guy who can get a bucket when you need it and stop the other team's momentum. I think AJ can be that guy, but it's a mindset the team has to adopt, and they have a way to go to get there.
It's unfortunate Juwan Howard couldn't stay on this club. I think having a veteran presence of him, Walker, Doleac and Buckner on this team would have paid major dividends. Moving Jaric off the team, and acquiring a veteran third point guard for this club would have been the perfect scenario to help "grow" this club into respectability. As it is however, I'm going to give Walker the benefit of the doubt. He did not look terribly out of shape to me, and as he himself said, it looks like he's got a lot left in the tank. His contribution--either negative or positive--will be one of the keys to progress this year.
I also like the fact the Wolves have two dedicated centers available to them. Michael Doleac is not a whiz around the basket and runs like Herman Munster up and down the court, but although they lost KG, their low post presence overall is potentially better than anytime in the Wolves history. Of course, that's not saying much; it's kind of like saying Mark Blount was the best center in Wolves history to date...ouch! A lot will depend on how healthy Theo Ratliff stays. AJ will be playing a lot of center this year, so Smith, Gomes and Walker will see a lot of minutes at power forward, but the Wolves have a lot of versatility to play either big or small with this group.
Point guard play will also loom large for this club. Can either Foye or Telfair run the team and share the rock? It's pretty clear that Jaric's days as a major contributor should be over if he can't improve his assist to turnover ratio. As I mentioned before, one primary reason for the amount of turnovers on this club is because everyone is trying to make plays, and not letting the game come to them. The pecking order and team identity haven't been established as of yet, which the point guard position affects so drastically. Both Foye and Telfair have some skills; whether it's the type of skills that can provide stability and discipline to their attack remains to be seen.
So, who's gonna be the fourth quarter stud for the club? Your candidates are: AJ, Foye, McCants and--as a distant fourth--possibly Walker. Of course, given the fact they'll be down by 20 in many of the games this year by the 4th Q, this point may be moot. In terms of developing a team identity however, it is very important.
All in all, it will be tough to sit through a season of getting hammered, much like the expansion years. It's easy to continue to lambaste the Iron Ranger and Taylor.org for the job they've done mishandling the team over the last few years. However, if you're going to blow up the team, he's done what he has needed to do; it's the ultimate wait-and-see adventure now. Instead of being instantly negative, it's time to breathe deep and see what this group can bring us. In the end, it may not be as bad as I think it will be. I also think by the end of the season Boston fans will be asking why their new super hero KG isn't better in the clutch.
Time will tell.
Other thoughts:
Al Jefferson is pretty good. How good is a huge question mark, and it will be a test of the point guards on this team to understand the asset they have. Players with low post skills like AJ tend to make the game easier on offense, and more consistent. One major problem with the Wolves in the last few years was their inability to score during large stretches of the game. When you have a jump shooting team that doesn't share the ball particularly well, what happens is that players have to work very hard individually to get buckets, or in the case of Ricky Davis, shoot quickly before the defense hardens. If the shots fall, great, but more often than not, especially in the fourth quarter, the shots stop falling and the other team makes a successful run to victory. Having quality low post scoring is like having the ace pitching stopper in baseball; a guy who can get a bucket when you need it and stop the other team's momentum. I think AJ can be that guy, but it's a mindset the team has to adopt, and they have a way to go to get there.
It's unfortunate Juwan Howard couldn't stay on this club. I think having a veteran presence of him, Walker, Doleac and Buckner on this team would have paid major dividends. Moving Jaric off the team, and acquiring a veteran third point guard for this club would have been the perfect scenario to help "grow" this club into respectability. As it is however, I'm going to give Walker the benefit of the doubt. He did not look terribly out of shape to me, and as he himself said, it looks like he's got a lot left in the tank. His contribution--either negative or positive--will be one of the keys to progress this year.
I also like the fact the Wolves have two dedicated centers available to them. Michael Doleac is not a whiz around the basket and runs like Herman Munster up and down the court, but although they lost KG, their low post presence overall is potentially better than anytime in the Wolves history. Of course, that's not saying much; it's kind of like saying Mark Blount was the best center in Wolves history to date...ouch! A lot will depend on how healthy Theo Ratliff stays. AJ will be playing a lot of center this year, so Smith, Gomes and Walker will see a lot of minutes at power forward, but the Wolves have a lot of versatility to play either big or small with this group.
Point guard play will also loom large for this club. Can either Foye or Telfair run the team and share the rock? It's pretty clear that Jaric's days as a major contributor should be over if he can't improve his assist to turnover ratio. As I mentioned before, one primary reason for the amount of turnovers on this club is because everyone is trying to make plays, and not letting the game come to them. The pecking order and team identity haven't been established as of yet, which the point guard position affects so drastically. Both Foye and Telfair have some skills; whether it's the type of skills that can provide stability and discipline to their attack remains to be seen.
So, who's gonna be the fourth quarter stud for the club? Your candidates are: AJ, Foye, McCants and--as a distant fourth--possibly Walker. Of course, given the fact they'll be down by 20 in many of the games this year by the 4th Q, this point may be moot. In terms of developing a team identity however, it is very important.
All in all, it will be tough to sit through a season of getting hammered, much like the expansion years. It's easy to continue to lambaste the Iron Ranger and Taylor.org for the job they've done mishandling the team over the last few years. However, if you're going to blow up the team, he's done what he has needed to do; it's the ultimate wait-and-see adventure now. Instead of being instantly negative, it's time to breathe deep and see what this group can bring us. In the end, it may not be as bad as I think it will be. I also think by the end of the season Boston fans will be asking why their new super hero KG isn't better in the clutch.
Time will tell.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The Wheels Under the Bus Go Up and Down...
"Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry" - Don Henley
While classic passive-aggressiveness is more of a personality disorder, it's common understanding here in Minnesota is the ability to be nice and/or complimentary to someone's face, then inherently criticize and rip them when they aren't around to defend themselves. In the Twin Cities professional sports community, we've seen a lot of that, especially when it comes to the Timberwolves. Early this off-season, we heard Jim Petersen take a swipe at Mike James--a player he advocated acquiring-- now the latest comes from Chad Hartman, who with the trade of Ricky Davis decided to talk about Ricky's trials with Dwayne Casey on his radio show this week. It seems a tad uncivil to me. If after his on court play, his actions in the both the Pistons and Boston games of last year didn't give us an indication Davis was a cancer, then someone wasn't paying attention.
By contrast, his mention of T.Rex Chapman's locker room blowout directed at Wally and KG seems appropriate, because it was reported at the time, kicked around in the media, and T. Rex was given an opportunity to explain his actions on KFAN within days of the incident.
What I'd like to see is more aggressive reporting when events actually occur, and not wait until someone leaves to dump all the garbage out. Given the state of MSM sports media in this town that may well be impossible, but I think we as a Midwestern community are above throwing someone under the bus simply to justify our athletic transactions. James, Davis, and Blount all demonstrated on the court why they weren't good for the Wolves. Somehow--at least in most cases--that should be enough.
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry" - Don Henley
While classic passive-aggressiveness is more of a personality disorder, it's common understanding here in Minnesota is the ability to be nice and/or complimentary to someone's face, then inherently criticize and rip them when they aren't around to defend themselves. In the Twin Cities professional sports community, we've seen a lot of that, especially when it comes to the Timberwolves. Early this off-season, we heard Jim Petersen take a swipe at Mike James--a player he advocated acquiring-- now the latest comes from Chad Hartman, who with the trade of Ricky Davis decided to talk about Ricky's trials with Dwayne Casey on his radio show this week. It seems a tad uncivil to me. If after his on court play, his actions in the both the Pistons and Boston games of last year didn't give us an indication Davis was a cancer, then someone wasn't paying attention.
By contrast, his mention of T.Rex Chapman's locker room blowout directed at Wally and KG seems appropriate, because it was reported at the time, kicked around in the media, and T. Rex was given an opportunity to explain his actions on KFAN within days of the incident.
What I'd like to see is more aggressive reporting when events actually occur, and not wait until someone leaves to dump all the garbage out. Given the state of MSM sports media in this town that may well be impossible, but I think we as a Midwestern community are above throwing someone under the bus simply to justify our athletic transactions. James, Davis, and Blount all demonstrated on the court why they weren't good for the Wolves. Somehow--at least in most cases--that should be enough.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Second Best Center in the Western Conference gets Traded
Mark Blount wasn't so good after all? Hmm, looks like many fans were right, and Jim Pete was wrong... again.
Before the rampant speculation and the unrealistic trade offerings continue, let's step back one moment and appreciate just how bad the first Boston trade was. (Silence)
Okay, now let's give credit where credit is due. The Iron Ranger has done well with this trade. No matter if it's junk we received in return, Davis and Blount had to go. There's still the obvious problem with too many contracted bodies, but let's wait and see if the implied promise of further deals ring true. Something has to happen.
After reading the various boards and regular commentators, buy-out mania has taken hold. I would offer that very few players still get bought out. For the most part, it's a move of last resort. No one wanted Troy Hudson given his baggage, so that was an easy call. Buyout amounts are still spread over the remaining length of the player's contract, and count against the cap. As a result I would guess that Glen Taylor wouldn't want too many of those on his ledger sheet. Therefore it makes sense the Wolves front office would try to make deals outright to reduce the body count; only after failing that would he and McHale choose the buyout option. Juwan Howard, Marko Jaric, John Edwards, and possibly one of the Miami players are prime contenders to be cut or moved at this point.
The Wolves organization should take note of the buzz this activity has created. In lieu of having a contending team, moving pieces around to give at least the illusion of hope is core to rebuilding the fan base. A reasonable contract extension for Big Al would help as well. The dealings of the remainder of this pre-season will be a telltale sign to see if Taylor.org can compete with the other functional NBA front offices.
Before the rampant speculation and the unrealistic trade offerings continue, let's step back one moment and appreciate just how bad the first Boston trade was. (Silence)
Okay, now let's give credit where credit is due. The Iron Ranger has done well with this trade. No matter if it's junk we received in return, Davis and Blount had to go. There's still the obvious problem with too many contracted bodies, but let's wait and see if the implied promise of further deals ring true. Something has to happen.
After reading the various boards and regular commentators, buy-out mania has taken hold. I would offer that very few players still get bought out. For the most part, it's a move of last resort. No one wanted Troy Hudson given his baggage, so that was an easy call. Buyout amounts are still spread over the remaining length of the player's contract, and count against the cap. As a result I would guess that Glen Taylor wouldn't want too many of those on his ledger sheet. Therefore it makes sense the Wolves front office would try to make deals outright to reduce the body count; only after failing that would he and McHale choose the buyout option. Juwan Howard, Marko Jaric, John Edwards, and possibly one of the Miami players are prime contenders to be cut or moved at this point.
The Wolves organization should take note of the buzz this activity has created. In lieu of having a contending team, moving pieces around to give at least the illusion of hope is core to rebuilding the fan base. A reasonable contract extension for Big Al would help as well. The dealings of the remainder of this pre-season will be a telltale sign to see if Taylor.org can compete with the other functional NBA front offices.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Blinded by the Light?
"The farther one travels, the less one knows"...George Harrison, "The Inner Light".
Although George was referring to heavenly pursuits, not a small market professional basketball team, the theme has ripples of truth to it when applied to the Wolves circumstance.
What we don't know...
- Can they remove their cancer-causing agents--namely Mark Blount and Ricky Davis?
- Will they be able to pare down their roster without buying out veterans (Greg Buckner) who would add stability to the team?
- Can they find decent point guard play?
- Will they find other players outside of Jefferson they can build around?
- Can they find someone in the low post who would complement Big Al, in terms of added defense and rebounding?
- Will Wittman be able to successfully coach a young group of players?
- Can a front office unable to build around a hall-of-famer suddenly be able to rebuild a franchise?
- Will this group of young players ever be able to share the ball and play defense at a playoff level?
What we do know....
- Jefferson has the potential to average a low post double-double (points/rebounds).
- Outside of Al, the low post play has been extremely inconsistent
- As with last year with KG on the roster, the Wolves have no fourth quarter mental toughness. There's no extra late game gear on this club to kick into, as of yet.
- Their defense is terrible
- Their offense is turnover laden and immature
- There is no clear leader on the team
- Corey Brewer needs serious work. He showed glimpses of flash last night, but he has a long way to go, as opposed to Noah, who's fitting right in with Chicago.
- The front office again is flirting with an embarrassing situation of ineffective roster management. Will they have to send one or two players down to the NDBL (Brewer/Richard) who they wanted to keep on the current roster this year, because they can't get rid of previous mistakes?
This is just a sampling of course; I'm sure there are many other issues out there I haven't thought of. The primary issue is as the season progress whether the Wolves can find any answers or continue Harrison-esque toward even more uncertainty? How long will it take to see any light at all?
Although George was referring to heavenly pursuits, not a small market professional basketball team, the theme has ripples of truth to it when applied to the Wolves circumstance.
What we don't know...
- Can they remove their cancer-causing agents--namely Mark Blount and Ricky Davis?
- Will they be able to pare down their roster without buying out veterans (Greg Buckner) who would add stability to the team?
- Can they find decent point guard play?
- Will they find other players outside of Jefferson they can build around?
- Can they find someone in the low post who would complement Big Al, in terms of added defense and rebounding?
- Will Wittman be able to successfully coach a young group of players?
- Can a front office unable to build around a hall-of-famer suddenly be able to rebuild a franchise?
- Will this group of young players ever be able to share the ball and play defense at a playoff level?
What we do know....
- Jefferson has the potential to average a low post double-double (points/rebounds).
- Outside of Al, the low post play has been extremely inconsistent
- As with last year with KG on the roster, the Wolves have no fourth quarter mental toughness. There's no extra late game gear on this club to kick into, as of yet.
- Their defense is terrible
- Their offense is turnover laden and immature
- There is no clear leader on the team
- Corey Brewer needs serious work. He showed glimpses of flash last night, but he has a long way to go, as opposed to Noah, who's fitting right in with Chicago.
- The front office again is flirting with an embarrassing situation of ineffective roster management. Will they have to send one or two players down to the NDBL (Brewer/Richard) who they wanted to keep on the current roster this year, because they can't get rid of previous mistakes?
This is just a sampling of course; I'm sure there are many other issues out there I haven't thought of. The primary issue is as the season progress whether the Wolves can find any answers or continue Harrison-esque toward even more uncertainty? How long will it take to see any light at all?
Saturday, October 20, 2007
An Affair to Dismember
...With apologies to Deborah Kerr, a fine actress who died this week.
According to Patrick Reusse, the Wolves are starting their media blitz to re-connect with their fan base this week, the official kick-off to "See What They Can Do". When you add that to the their familiar Midwestern themes of chemistry and loyalty, neither the sum or the parts seem particularly attractive. When you're losing big or blowing leads as they have been doing in the pre-season, how does that build any zazz at all? I'm not sure a Chamber of Commerce luncheon will overcome years of incompetence, trading your hall-of-famer, and encouraging all of us to reach deep down and discover our inner cynic. It's time to be bold and fresh.
For example...if you're going to sell youth, how about using Nat King Cole's song, "Too Young"?
"they tried to tell us we're too young"....update the song, put it against a video montage of the Wolves young guns dunking and defending, and at least you have a little something with energy and spirit. You have elements that can attract an older crowd and a younger, hip-hop community if you, for example, split screen old Nat with a new, up and coming artist. Since KG is throwing shots at you anyway, why not begin with him saying at the Boston press conference 'I don't do young"? Edgy and imaginative, a marketing middle finger back at the Ticket.
That's the problem with the front office--no zazz, no energy, no cool. Who'd want to rekindle an affair with THAT bunch?
If you're going to lose games big--as the first pre-season indications look like--Taylor.org is going to have to work that much harder to prove that progress is being made. Otherwise, you had better do what the loyal fan base (what's left of it) has been begging you to do for years: cut the country club to shreds and start over.
According to Patrick Reusse, the Wolves are starting their media blitz to re-connect with their fan base this week, the official kick-off to "See What They Can Do". When you add that to the their familiar Midwestern themes of chemistry and loyalty, neither the sum or the parts seem particularly attractive. When you're losing big or blowing leads as they have been doing in the pre-season, how does that build any zazz at all? I'm not sure a Chamber of Commerce luncheon will overcome years of incompetence, trading your hall-of-famer, and encouraging all of us to reach deep down and discover our inner cynic. It's time to be bold and fresh.
For example...if you're going to sell youth, how about using Nat King Cole's song, "Too Young"?
"they tried to tell us we're too young"....update the song, put it against a video montage of the Wolves young guns dunking and defending, and at least you have a little something with energy and spirit. You have elements that can attract an older crowd and a younger, hip-hop community if you, for example, split screen old Nat with a new, up and coming artist. Since KG is throwing shots at you anyway, why not begin with him saying at the Boston press conference 'I don't do young"? Edgy and imaginative, a marketing middle finger back at the Ticket.
That's the problem with the front office--no zazz, no energy, no cool. Who'd want to rekindle an affair with THAT bunch?
If you're going to lose games big--as the first pre-season indications look like--Taylor.org is going to have to work that much harder to prove that progress is being made. Otherwise, you had better do what the loyal fan base (what's left of it) has been begging you to do for years: cut the country club to shreds and start over.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Reality Bites
Ben Stiller was right, after all. When it comes to the Wolves, reality does bite. Fans can tell themselves they're braced, even enthused, about rebuilding but when you see it on the court...yikes!
Yeah, the second pre-season game--against real competition--was pretty bad. However, we're going to have a wait quite awhile, probably a season or two, before this whole thing shakes out. But the underlying premise still remains:
Why would anyone think acquiring young talent from a previously awful team--Boston--would yield significant dividends?
Sure, we got Big Al, and maybe Ryan Gomes will be a great glue guy, but seems at first glance that we've created a real mess, and have added many more questions than answers. Plus, we still have the Iron Ranger and Clueless Glen at the helm who created the mess. Even Donald Sterling looks more competent than we do. And, after all the comings and goings, it looks like we STILL need a point guard.
It's early yet, but unless we see real progress--beyond the moral victories--it's going to be hard not to be negative about the direction this club is going. It could be the Wolves will go the way of Winona Ryder, swiftly descending into mediocrity, bordering on irrelevance.
Yeah, the second pre-season game--against real competition--was pretty bad. However, we're going to have a wait quite awhile, probably a season or two, before this whole thing shakes out. But the underlying premise still remains:
Why would anyone think acquiring young talent from a previously awful team--Boston--would yield significant dividends?
Sure, we got Big Al, and maybe Ryan Gomes will be a great glue guy, but seems at first glance that we've created a real mess, and have added many more questions than answers. Plus, we still have the Iron Ranger and Clueless Glen at the helm who created the mess. Even Donald Sterling looks more competent than we do. And, after all the comings and goings, it looks like we STILL need a point guard.
It's early yet, but unless we see real progress--beyond the moral victories--it's going to be hard not to be negative about the direction this club is going. It could be the Wolves will go the way of Winona Ryder, swiftly descending into mediocrity, bordering on irrelevance.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
What 200 Million Plus Buys
As the occasional one or two readers of this blog knows, I'm no fan of the Taylor organization. What I'm hearing out of Europe from our dearly departed KG and from former Wolves, now Raptor head coach Sam Mitchell however is beginning to get outright irritating. It almost makes me want to be a homer again.
Witness the quotes from this morning's Boston Globe:
"But while visiting with Mitchell, now Toronto's coach, Thursday night, Garnett told his old teammate that the way things are done in Boston seems to be a lot better than what he was accustomed to in Minnesota. Tonight, a rejuvenated Garnett makes his Celtics debut against the Raptors in their preseason opener at the PalaLottomatica.
Mitchell seems to be no better. Here's a guy that probably wouldn't even played in the league if it weren't for expansion, and who came BACK to the Wolves after a stint at Indiana. If top management was so horrible at the time, after "seeing how other people do things", why didn't he just sign with someone else? Was it the combination of Flip Saunders and KG that made the organization palatable at the time, or was it that he probably wouldn't have found a job anywhere else?
Maybe the two should just shut up, and thank God the Wolves organization--for better or worse--came along when they did.
In today's world, it's not revenge but gratitude that seems to be a dish served cold.
Witness the quotes from this morning's Boston Globe:
"But while visiting with Mitchell, now Toronto's coach, Thursday night, Garnett told his old teammate that the way things are done in Boston seems to be a lot better than what he was accustomed to in Minnesota. Tonight, a rejuvenated Garnett makes his Celtics debut against the Raptors in their preseason opener at the PalaLottomatica.
"I'm a little bit revived," Garnett said after yesterday's press conference at the Rome mayor's office. "It's good to be around excellence. It's cool . . . The organization, everything so far has been first-class. Obviously, the guys on the team [and coach Doc Rivers have] been phenomenal. In 13 years, this is the best camp I've been involved with by far . . .
"I've never experienced a lot of things that have been going on. But you can definitely tell a difference in the organizations. It's revived me, I will say that. I'm having a lot of fun."
and:
"[Garnett] loves being in Boston, loves his teammates," said Mitchell, the winner of this year's Red Auerbach Trophy as Coach of the Year. "He said if he knew the NBA was like this, he would have wanted to be traded a long time ago . . .
"I just think everybody does things a little different and he just enjoys it. When you've been in one place your whole career, you forget how other people do things and he's never seen how other organizations work. I think he's very impressed with the way Boston treats their players and how they do things."
Well, isn't that special? I would think after two substantial contracts one would not take outright shots at former management, especially when the first contract was a substantial advance for NBA players, if not KG's own pocketbook. He talks loyalty and old school values, but walks an entirely different path. Say what you want about Taylor, he took a substantial risk with Da Kid, and for awhile it worked out for both of them. 200 million or so later, he gets traded to a team that has a shot at doing something special. That is, if he's up to it. Whether he is or not remains to be seen.Mitchell seems to be no better. Here's a guy that probably wouldn't even played in the league if it weren't for expansion, and who came BACK to the Wolves after a stint at Indiana. If top management was so horrible at the time, after "seeing how other people do things", why didn't he just sign with someone else? Was it the combination of Flip Saunders and KG that made the organization palatable at the time, or was it that he probably wouldn't have found a job anywhere else?
Maybe the two should just shut up, and thank God the Wolves organization--for better or worse--came along when they did.
In today's world, it's not revenge but gratitude that seems to be a dish served cold.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
07-08 T-Wolves: Back to the Future - Part II
Hype and spin are so ubiquitous these days. Let's start with our dearly departed KG, who initially nixed a trade to Boston, and now is waxing eloquent about the tradition and history of the Celtics. Is it real, or is it the fact that he was able to sign another significant extension and now has two upper level stars to play with? Next, we have the Iron Ranger who after years of acquiring soft, jump shooting talent to surround KG, now is claiming smash mouth basketball is the style du jour. Moving on to our broadcaster extraordinare, Jim Petersen, who last year during the first half of the season proclaimed Mark Blount the second best center in the Western Conference. We can only hope that if Bad News Blount gets moved, Petersen will remember his words and not throw him under the bus as he did Mike James recently--another player who Petersen recommended the Wolves acquire. Finally, we have the Wolves organization as a whole, selling all the new players, pushing Al Jefferson as one of the next breakout stars, while simultaneously lowering the bar for the team.
What are we, the ordinary, uninformed, "never-played-the-game" fans supposed to believe? For the sake of selling tickets and keeping the franchise relevant, there's a whole lot folks at Club Timberwolves who want you to drink the kool-aid, and believe something special is beginning. Whether any fan chooses to believe is totally an individual decision, but I think we all should be asking ourselves questions along the way to keep things honest. For example, why would a team acquiring a majority of talent from one the worst teams in the last couple of years suddenly be "hype worthy"? Why would a VP who has utterly and completely failed to support a fabulous Hall of Fame type of player in his prime years now be able to build the right chemistry and talent to make a run at championship? As for Boston, why would three superstars who have yet been unable to make a significant dent in their post-season careers immediately be able to make a run at a championship?
What cuts through hype and spin are results, evaluating the gaps between promise and performance. Based on previous results, I would say the chances of the Wolves being worthy any time soon are poor. And, because the East Conference is still weak, Boston may take a run deep into the playoffs, but they won't win a ring.
Don't take my word for it though. See and judge for yourself, and don't believe anyone's sell job. We're better (and smarter) than that.
What are we, the ordinary, uninformed, "never-played-the-game" fans supposed to believe? For the sake of selling tickets and keeping the franchise relevant, there's a whole lot folks at Club Timberwolves who want you to drink the kool-aid, and believe something special is beginning. Whether any fan chooses to believe is totally an individual decision, but I think we all should be asking ourselves questions along the way to keep things honest. For example, why would a team acquiring a majority of talent from one the worst teams in the last couple of years suddenly be "hype worthy"? Why would a VP who has utterly and completely failed to support a fabulous Hall of Fame type of player in his prime years now be able to build the right chemistry and talent to make a run at championship? As for Boston, why would three superstars who have yet been unable to make a significant dent in their post-season careers immediately be able to make a run at a championship?
What cuts through hype and spin are results, evaluating the gaps between promise and performance. Based on previous results, I would say the chances of the Wolves being worthy any time soon are poor. And, because the East Conference is still weak, Boston may take a run deep into the playoffs, but they won't win a ring.
Don't take my word for it though. See and judge for yourself, and don't believe anyone's sell job. We're better (and smarter) than that.
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