Rewriting History

Attention (and memory) spans are so short these days.

I didn't watch much of the Wolves broadcast last night--took in the Black Eyed Snakes at the Cedar Cultural Center --but I got back just in time to hear a brief discussion about Brandon Roy vs. Randy Foye. To paraphrase the announcers (on court and in the studio); they mentioned how unfair it was to compare the two players right now. Mr. Petersen attempted to put the situation "in context", saying that at the time of the draft, the Wolves needed a point guard, and that when healthy, Randy Foye will exist on the same level as Roy. Another catch phrase--"Fourth Quarter Foye"--was thrown out.

Hmm...I smell a whopper.

A quick journey in the Wayback Machine reveals that the Roy/Foye transaction indeed happened on draft night, June 28, 2006. A few weeks later, on July 13, the club made their big free agent acquisition....Mike James, a point guard. "We are pleased to sign a veteran player like Mike who brings the ability to score, shoot from the perimeter and run our offense", the Iron Ranger said at the time. Boy, it sounds like the team wanted Mike James to be the point guard, not Foye. What was the role for dear Randy? Here's where I'll stray from the facts to insert my opinion: the Wolves wanted the next D-Wade...a Mini-D, if you will. What does a Mini-D do? He slashes, passes, cuts, and scores at crucial times of the ball game. Other than Wade himself, what young, emerging player actually available to the Wolves is currently displaying those qualities? Why, none other than Brandon Roy, traded away on draft night. Since our resident superstar KG was at times a tad deferential, we needed to find a dynamo who could grow in that role.

That's context for you.

I'll go even further and present a "Big Picture": when a team displays the level of ineptitude both in the front-office and on the court that the Wolves have in the last few years (bad trades, disastrous free-agent signings, questionable draft picks), folks are going to second guess. Fair or unfair, that's human nature. Fans only hear the "buck-stops-here" mea culpas at coach firings and end of season press conferences. I guess that's the arrogant way of acknowledging that mistakes were/are being made.

So, returning to the original Foye/Roy issue, if one takes it out of that larger context and looks at the issue individually, is the criticism unfair? Yeah, at least until Randy is healthy, it is. However, put the thread back into the larger tapestry of failure the Wolves continue to weave, and it makes perfect sense why a fan or fans would bring it up. Them's the breaks fellas. Rewrite history all you want, but given the Wolves track record, losing breeds that sort of behavior. It makes folks skeptical.

When you give us some actual success to celebrate, you can puff out your chest, slap backs, and proclaim vindication for the Iron Ranger. I'll personally be happy to be one of those ordinary fans "who just didn't get it", cancel my NBA League Pass, and be excited to watch professional basketball in these parts again, as opposed to the JV stuff you're trying to sell now. Until then, suck it up, smile, and don't insult the fans you have left. Rebuilding is hard on everybody.