Hoop Springs Eternal

Last Call

2009-02-14T08:38:00.005-06:00

The current recipe for the complex cocktail known as the Timberwolves franchise:

1 part hopeful off-season
2 months disastrous start
1 firing of a head coach
Mix in demoted VP as new head coach, stir roster, then chill for 13 losses.
Add in 1 recovering month
shake franchise vigorously with unlucky injury

And there you have it... you can call this concoction Basketball Brutal. The first taste is pretty bitter, but after you get used to it, you tell yourself with a few tweaks (hold the Shaddy, add some Love), this is going to taste okay.

This is where I belly away from the bar, because unless the mixologist changes, the drink itself will never really change. The proprieters of the franchise consistently try to sell you on what good taste really is (30 wins, low playoff seeds, etc), and suggest you should be thankful for the product. The one year they had a great drink special, it was judged a failure. Go figure.

Well, while not quite the equivalent of a 12 step program, I'm going to go on hiatus for a bit and try to move in a different direction. I'm going to be writing for a site called American Chronicle, and expand my beverage selection. We'll see what happens...

See ya when I see ya.

No Al AND No Defense

2009-02-11T06:14:00.006-06:00

REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES)

"When you say let's play faster, that seems to be code for "You don't have to play defense.' I'm going to have a find a different way to say it."- Kevin McHale

It was inevitable that the Wolves would mourn the loss of their stud, Jefferson. The reality is however, Al wouldn't helped beat the Raptors, because--just like the other 33 losses they've suffered this season--this team doesn't play defense. Even with the loss of their own legitimate All-Star, Chris Bosh, who's equal or better than Big Al, Toronto won the smallball contest 110-102. A video recap of the game can be found here.

There are times when being stubborn is a good thing; when it's wrapped up in an arrogant vision of how a team--first as a franchise executive, and second as a head coach--should be assembled and play, then it has to be evaluated on it's own merits. Here's the essential flaw in an organization where cronyism is valued over results: there's no one who can apparently step back far enough to parse the details correctly. This team has let one good month go to their heads, because the alternatives apparently are too overwhelming to consider. And now since Al is shelved, they have great cover to stick their heads in the sand, apply for an exemption to grab a couple of D-Leaguers, and play the majority of minutes with no one over 6'9 in their starting lineup. Why? I guess because the Iron Ranger says so, with little to no push back at all, apparently. Here's a guy who has done little right in the last five years, and where--even with Al in the lineup--they are undersized at every position. Even with Al in the lineup, their defense is awful. Now, with Al out of the lineup, what's the solution? Go smaller, play less defense, and try to outscore another admittedly bad team who still is built on an European model, a lot of outside shooters and a couple of post players, when healthly. The mind boggles.

I'm not a huge Kevin Love fan yet, I think it was another draft miscue by the franchise, but the kid knows a lot about team play. It's obvious to even bloggers who are always accused of knowing nothing that if you leave him out on an island with no help or no size, the combination of additional minutes and battling solo against bigger opponents will wear a body down. I thought we wanted to develop the rook! When a broken down Jermaine O'Neal starts toasting you at crunch time, what's to be learned from that? Only that for the rest of the season, if Love remains at the five instead of the four, every big man and their cousin are going to run at him, because he doesn't block shots. They're going to try and get him in foul trouble, or create a consistent help situation where the opposition will just sit on the double team, swing the ball to the open perimeter shot, and score with impunity.

Even Kevlar doesn't offer unlimited protection over a hail of bullets.

Here's hoping for the rest of the season, they can put a bigger body out there to save the lad and actually have him gain some confidence over the last half of the season, because--with no other moves made--it's one of the things this club can do to retain hope the rest of the year. People WANT this kid to succeed. Having Love become another casualty of a mediocre basketball vision doesn't do anyone any good.

The bottom line is, with enough assets assembled for the next couple of years, the Wolves don't have to blow the team up again. But someone, anyone other than Kevin McHale needs to assert themselves into the franchise mix, and add a serious defensive attitude and presence to this club, as well as a little size. That's how real progress is going to be made, and enthusiasm is built, even with your primary offensive stud on the shelf.

Luck

2009-02-10T06:28:00.006-06:00

A few weeks back, while the Wolves were racking up wins against teams with injury-depleted rosters, I opined that their luck might finally be turning.

Oops.

Just for information sake, here's a couple of links talking about general ACL surgery:

http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm (somewhat old)
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/anterior-cruciate-ligament-acl-surgery

We don't know the extent of the injury as of yet, but I think while it might take awhile for Big Al to get back, the odds for him making a full return are good...if he's lucky.

There's that word again.

At the risk of being self-indulgent (I'm not sure there's any other definition for bloggers who write on a continual basis for free), I think Wolves fans are going over a little over the top on this. Al was a top notch offensive marvel on a bad team. Were they improving? Sure, but the goal here was modest: 30 some wins. Much like our economy, before Al's injury, they were going to need another "stimulus" to really make the jump to the next level, because frankly, Kevin Love probably isn't going to be it. He could turn out to be a nice piece on a 8-9 man rotation because the quality traits he does have--passion, fundamentals, and a great basketball IQ--is great for team play. At least we may finally get to see how good he can get in the last half of the year.

However, it was obvious that the club was going to still need major help across the board; Love and Jefferson are/were redundant at power forward. As a result, the Wolves have to depend on what has been their weakest link--personnel management--to pull them out of the doldurms.

Here's what I wrote on 1/24:

"A popular opinion about the Timberwolves franchise was that it is cursed, or unlucky at best. Such awful win-loss records, no #1 choice ever. Stephon Marbury. Tom Gugliotta. Joe Smith. Malik Sealy. Bad draft choices. Poor trades and mediocre free agent acquisitions. The evidence is substantial, when you think about it. While a lot of these results can be square put on the shoulders of human error and bad decision making, one has to consider that SOMETHING supernatural might have affected the franchise's fate up to this time."

Looking back on it, I was being kind. The truth is past the Sealy tragedy and bad ping-pong lottery bounces, you really do make you're own luck in this league. It's not about perfection, it's about the percentages; the ratio of good draft picks, free agent signings and trades to bad, the way talent is developed. The Wolves haven't been very good for years in that aspect; to overcome this unlucky break, they're going to have to significantly improve the ratio of good moves over bad.

In the end, that might just make the entire franchise--and their luck--more successful.

Insult to Injury

2009-02-09T06:18:00.003-06:00

Okay, losing to Houston on the road isn't the end of the world, in fact it was expected. Against New Orleans however, where the Hornets were missing two starters (Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler), one key reserve (Morris Petersen), and for the second half their other all-star (David West, in his premier as a WWE enforcer), that's insulting. On top of it, Big Al gets hurt.

If Jefferson is on the shelf at all, the fact that the All-Star break (no pun intended) is coming up is indeed fortunate. However, if it's more serious, where substantial healing time is needed, a little lemonade making will be in order. This will be a time where our dear Iron Ranger can have every excuse in the world to adjust his vision and put in a traditionally big lineup--albeit with journeymen-type bigs (Collins, Booth) at the five, and Love, Cardinal, Gomes at the four. This means no more cherry-picked minutes for young Kevin; he can demonstrate how he handles in part the ball running through his meaty hooks.

Folks have to remember that since Randy Wittman got fired, it's not just about restoring hope, it's about saving face. It's about Kevin McHale proving to the world that his version of smaller ball, up-tempo, not quite run and gun, five-guys-who-can-play-despite-their-size basketball can be successful. The dude is former President Bush stubborn. McHale's played his hand; people like Britt Robson in his latest post over at Secrets of the City may be getting annoyed at the fact no veteran big gets off the bench, but this is about proving everyone wrong. That's why he started Craig Smith and Rashad McCants in the first game post-Wittman, and that's why no one over 6-11 is getting in the game. If McCants wasn't such a knucklehead, he'd still be getting minutes. It's all about the Ranger.

Injury can change that, and give McHale the perfect cover for mixing things up.

If it sounds like I'm rooting for Al to be seriously hurt, I'm not. But Love had his half-season of getting used to the league. On an irrevelant team where he was a top five draft pick, he needs to start showing what he's got in ALL types of on-court situations. Similarly, to be able to throw in a big or two at the five in stategic points--setting picks, blocking shots--might just be a revelation for McHale. Given the fact that team has regressed to the point that Jefferson is the only one capable of creating any consistent offense, they'll probably lose "big" as well, but they're back to losing anyway. They know what they have in Jefferson, it's time to see who else can truly step up and play.

Blue Wednesday

2009-02-05T06:19:00.007-06:00

Looks like I picked the wrong day to watch Minnesota basketball. Both the Gophers and Wolves went down to defeat; the Gopher game was over in about the first three or four minutes, the Wolves took another disjointed, awful game and made it close until the end, losing 94-86. You can watch a video recap of the Wolves game here...it's safe to watch this one.

Even though Minnesota shot like they were charter members of a bricklayer's union (.364 for the game), this game was more entertaining than the Indiana contest, and was filled with subplots. We had the starting of Kevin Love, the resurgence of Mike Miller's outside shooting, and the return of Rashad McCants.

I'll be up front: I'm not a McCants fan. There are continual apologists out there who still try to sell the fact that at the time of their drafting, McCants and Indiana'a Granger was a pick-em game. I don't think that's true, but even if it was, passing up someone with size and shooting ability over someone much smaller and who had already been exposed as "mercurial" emotionally while still in college was a bad idea from the get-go. As I remember, Dick Vitale was the only one who stood up for McCants on draft night. That sealed the deal for me right there.

Having said all that, I'd rather see someone with Rashad's talent on the court; there must be a coach somewhere who can get that knucklehead to play the right way...consistently. Then again, JR Rider is out of the league, isn't he?

Rashad's appearance was an indicator that some proverbial walls had been hit. It's been offered that the Wolves were pooped after playing their third game in four nights, but it's more obvious that for whatever reason, the poor shooting of Sebastian Telfair was the primary explanation for a McCants sighting. As much as Telfair's shooting enhanced the effectiveness of the Hawks' zone defense and propelled Rashad into the line-up, it also meant Randy Foye had to play point guard in the fourth quarter, in a primarily half-court game. This is increasingly becoming the kiss of death for Minnesota. If the game is a free flowing, run 'n gun affair, that's one thing, but in the half-court with the game on the line...we need another point guard. Execution in the half-court against winning teams is one of the next indicators of progress for this club; finding someone in the off-season who can run the team and shoot for a higher percentage is crucial.

Love's starting appearance was a result of Craig Smith being hurt, still, in slightly over 30 minutes of play, the excuse NOT to play him at clutch time in the fourth quarter was officially because Atlanta went small. Here again...with as many shots as the Wolves were missing, and being the fact that night after night we hear endlessly about his rebounding ability, couldn't we have used that skill, and made someone adjust to US? Gomes was having a terrible night. When will the defacto third pick overall in the last NBA draft be given a chance--like all the other top rookies--to expand his game, particularly on an extremely mediocre basketball team? It's not like anyone is making a playoff run here. Set Love free!

With road dates in Houston and New Orleans coming up, the Wolves may be tarnishing their recent success a bit until after the All Star game, where they get to play Toronto and Washington. The dog days of the season are quickly coming upon us, it will be fascinating to see how the Wolves keep their mojo alive, in search of a 30 win season, and McHale's future potentially hanging in the balance.

10 Seconds of Porn Would Have Been Better

2009-02-04T06:06:00.006-06:00

During Tuesday's Wolves-Pacers game, I chatted with a NBA League Pass rep, asking them if they had the 10 seconds of porn shown during the Super Bowl. Anything had to be better than what I was watching on FSN. I would have taken even Cinemax soft porn, Showtime's L Word...anything.

Can any of the broadcasters, reporters or bloggers who advocate offense over defense justify a game like this? Does anyone objective still wonder why the Wolves can't consistently beat quality teams? From my Useless Press contacts, I understand even Norm Coleman is demanding a recount of the score...he feels jobbed.

No matter, the Wolves "won"116-111. Randy Foye, awful in the first half, (nine turnovers overall) made a couple of key defensive plays and scored five points in the fourth to secure the win. Secure is a term to be used loosely, because the club suddenly brain-locked late in the fourth and allowed the Pacers a chance to tie the game. TJ Ford, normally a great free throw shooter, bricked the back-end in two consecutive trips to the free throw line to prevent Indiana from extending the contest. I guess they felt the fans had seen enough.

Meanwhile our pro-wrestling television broadcasting equivalent--Jim Petersen and Tom Hanneman--continue to spin to a miniscule audience. Frequently guffawing when Kevin Love grabs a rebound, as if Love just won a tough man competition, Petersen hasn't quite realized that with a half year under the belt, most watchers have developed their opinion of dear, undersized, overweight Kevin. They even are trying to come up with a new nickname--Kevlar--to describe how "rugged" he is. Hanneman marvels what a year Love has had, even though he's only 20. Of course, he neglects to say that most quality college players now only play one or two years of NCAA ball, making them around 20 when they land in the NBA.

For the record, Love was born Sep 7, 1988. Taking a small sampling of those who actually MADE the Rookie Game roster All-Star Weekend, Rose, Westbrook and Lopez were all born in the same calendar year. There are a lot of young'uns making signficant contributions to their club in their rookie year, Tom. Kevin Love is not the baby Jesus, the second coming of Wes Unseld, or even Dennis Rodman. He's an above average rebounder who's at best a mediocre finisher. And, McHale is still cherry picking his minutes, as opposed to the before mentioned rooks who are making noise in the league.

But I guess there has to be some data the Wolves are getting that are telling them their audience is eating this stuff up. If true, it's once again a reminder that stats often don't tell the real story.

For those who really, really must...a video recap of the game can be found here. Here's a hint: Saw V is a classic compared to this.

Rock, Meet Hard Place

2009-02-01T21:52:00.004-06:00

Would McHale be this friendly with the opposition if it were Phil Jackson?

Photo by the AP, 2009-02-01

Okay Wolves fans, lets review the last three games:

Game 1 vs. Detroit. Unable to execute in the half court offensively with Randy Foye primarily at the point in the fourth quarter, or guard Rasheed Wallace either down low or behind the arc. They lose.

Game 2 vs. Lakers - Unable to outscore one of the top offensive teams in basketball, or stop the appropriately sized Andrew Bynum at center (Kobe's always a given). They lose again.

Game 3 vs. Boston - Unable to out rebound or compete with oneof the top defensive teams in basketball, even when the Celtics lost their intensity in the second half. They lose once more.

Three losses against one above average and two upper echelon teams. What does that say about this roster?

In the short term, not much. Kevin McHale has succeeded in putting this team back in alignment with expectations for this year, somewhere in the mid 30 win column, give or take a couple of games. Barring a total collapse or another January type month, they have restored some sembalance of hope. Who cares if they can't win against championship or playoff caliber teams, that will come later...right?

Rock, meet Hard Place.

It's pretty obvious to any objective viewer that the Wolves have neither the size or the defensive acumen right now to compete against the "bigs" in the league. The hope seems to be that one day in the near future, Love and Jefferson will channel the late 70's duo of Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes and restore the club to relevance. I was in my late teens at the time, but I seem to remember there was a ton of pot smoking in the league back in that day as well. So, as the Wolves gravitate toward mediocrity, the haze in the room only gets thicker, the vision gets blurred. It will harder and harder for the franchise to realize that a more sure way of re-emerging as a contender is to add front court size and skill, and commit themselves to defense.

Meanwhile, Al puts up big numbers offensively, gets excited a bit on defense when the game is close (but only for a time), and Love's starting to yap at the referees more. This will be entertaining for awhile, but for how long?

Homerism in Minnesota

2009-01-30T06:04:00.007-06:00

It's time again for another episode of "Minnesota Gets Shafted", where angst-ridden sports fans can vent about the injustices that professional sporting leagues have wreaked on our local franchises.

Today's topic: The NBA All-Star weekend -"LOVE AND JEFFERSON GOT JOBBED!"

Your host: the one, the only, our Chief Vindicator, Jim Petersen...

Nope, I'm not going to mock anyone today. But reading some of the local missives here in the Great Cold North, you'd think the wind chill had gone directly into the bloodstream. On the other hand, I had my first Chuck Norris shot last night, so maybe I'M the one hallucinating.

Did Love deserve the nod? Sure, but I can understand why he didn't make it. As I pointed out last post, it looks like the primary consideration was the quality of minutes played in the first half of the season. Here, actually I'm giving credit to the Wolves organization; they did the right thing by babying Love along. It looks like compared to Marc Gasol--who is older, more experienced and started sooner--Love's stats didn't get the benefit of the doubt. People who say that Love should have gone instead of say, Eric Gordon, aren't paying attention to the idea that probably the NBA doesn't want a roster full of lumbering forwards playing in a showcase exhibition. In the end however, I think the Wolves have no one else to blame but themselves in not letting Love develop on the court. If he continues his progress--and the Iron Ranger actually starts him sometime--he will represent the Sophmores next year, if they decide to actually continue that ridiculous event.

Jefferson, on the other hand, is an offensive, not defensive All-Star. Being that the All-Star game features absolutely no defense, his skills would have certainly been showcased for a nation of basketball fans. But politics, small vs. big market, and won-loss record all factored in when Shaq got the nod instead of Big Al. Don't forget that in the last few years that KG was in Minny, there were calls for him not to make the squad because the Wolves were awful. In that case, the politics and longevity angles worked for us.

So, put down the bias-ridden stats, grab a paper bag and breathe deep. Quit whining. Love and Jefferson were slighted a bit, but not jobbed. As the cliche goes, hopefully they will use it as motivation, since the best team in West is actually showing up for a game tonight.

BTW, how about the Gophs last night? It's amazing how a young team can overachieve when they play great defense...

Travesty at Target Center

2009-01-29T07:52:00.001-06:00

Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Not Wednesday’s game, of course, won by the Pistons 98-89. Who cares if the Wolves got slightly exposed in a primarily half court, playoff-like game where a historically unbalanced but talented veteran forward used his height and superior skills to torch our smaller front court in the second half? Nah, there's something else to get hung about.

Can you believe Kevin Love didn't make it to the Rookie Game on All-Star Weekend?

My...God!

I'm sure if we had our full contingent of Senators, or if our other elected representatives weren't busy trying to solve a massive budget deficit, or bring us back from imminent national financial default, we could get SOMEBODY to investigate this. Given the emotional devastation of players, coaches, broadcasters, reporters, if not bloggers over this slight, how will the Wolves handle a likely Al Jefferson All-Star snub, at the eve of probably their biggest game of the season? Ah, I love kidding this club.

Look, K-Love will probably be a decent player in this league. And generally all you need for these Rookie games is a consistent pulse to get in. But one good month doesn't an invite make, especially for a team where for much of the first half of the season they were awful, and Love sat a lot. Here are the rookie participants , their roles, and their minutes played to date:

Derrick Rose	Starter -37.4
OJ Mayo	Starter -32.2
Marc Gasol	Starter -30.4
Greg Oden	Starter- 23.3
Rudy Fernandez	Bench - 26.4
Russell Westbrook	Starter -31.0
Eric Gordon	Starter -32.2
Michael Beasley	Bench - 24.6
Brook Lopez	Starter -29.9

And, our own K-Love:

Kevin Love Bench - 23.0

The first thing that jumps out at me is that most of these players are actually starting for their teams--Beasley, Fernandez and Love do not. Unless Beasley was a total bust, one would figure he almost gets a automatic invite. Oden was the number one pick in 2007, so politically speaking, it would be hard to leave him off as well if he’s at all playing decently. Fernandez in my book is the arguable one, but he plays an entirely different position than Love. Plus, as has been pointed out, this rookie class is particularly good.

The moral of the story may well be that if Love had got thrown out by the Wolves a little more in the first half of the season, and not “nurtured”, given his steadily improving numbers, he might have gotten the nod. The other moral could also be an old, standard complaint: the Wolves tend to over value their own talent.

At any rate, the Wolves—especially Love and probably Jefferson—need to man up. If they continue to play well and win their share of games, the accolades will come. If they can’t play though and grind out games like Wednesday, the fact they’re playing in a small market, fly-over tundra like Minnesota won’t help them.

When you consider what else is going on in America today, is it ALL that bad?

Wolves Game Prep vs. Pistons

2009-01-28T06:29:00.005-06:00

Suffice it to say Pistons rookie head coach Michael Curry will never probably coach a run and gun, Euro-ball team:

"We shoot 50-something percent with five turnovers and 100-plus points and lost the game," Curry said of Sunday's loss to Houston. "What I told them today is: Don't worry about your offensive efficiency numbers. Be in the top five in field goal percentage defense and points allowed and ... you got a chance of being really good in the playoffs."

Of course, he probably won't be coaching the Pistons after this year, if they continue their mediocre season (24-19 overall, 5-8 in January). But it is refreshing to hear from someone who knows the difference between playing well in the regular season and succeeding as a playoff team.

As with the Denver Nuggets, Allen Iverson has not been the Answer for Detroit, although his expiring contract may help in renovating the team in the off-season. I can remember all the folks here in Minny that wanted him so badly...including KG. Looking back on the non-trade, I'm guessing that event was Garnett's initial epiphany that continued success in Minnesota wasn't going to happen.

For the moment, these two franchises are headed in opposite directions, though they may meet at briefly at mediocrity. Check out two Detroit Free Press articles: the current team mid-season grades, and the cyber complaining about the before-mentioned Curry. Hmm...bloggers unhappy with their coach...where have I heard THAT before?

The Wolves have another opportunity to catch a team on the downswing, or it could be Piston revenge for the drubbing a then bad Minnesota team gave them in Detroit back in November. Rasheed Wallace is a barometer for his club; if he's enthusiastic about defending Big Al, the game should be interesting. If not, Minnesota could come up with yet another January win. Detroit gets energy and scoring off their bench with both McDyess and Hamilton, we have no one that really matches up with the way Rip moves without the ball and curls off of screens. Our bench has been better most nights than the opposition, and Kevin Love should be able to continue his rebounding prowess against a underwhelming Pistons front court.

With the Lakers coming to town on Friday, this contest may prove to be a good warm-up to the premier statement game of the month.

Detroit Probable Starters:
Allen Iverson, Rodney Stuckey - Guards
Kwame Brown - Center
Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince - Forwards

Minnesota Probable Starters:
Sebastian Telfair, Randy Foye - Guards
Al Jefferson - Center
Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes - Forwards

Target Center, 7pm
Local TV Broadcast: FSN North
Radio: KFAN-1130

Getting Their Gloat On

2009-01-27T06:07:00.006-06:00

Photo by the Associated Press

The Wolves scored 27 points in both the second and third quarter to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 90-83 Monday night. A video recap of the game can be found here. Big Al led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds; Ryan Gomes played the able and clutch sidekick, scoring 22 points and delivering the knockout blow with a 27 foot, three point shot with 1:46 left to play. The game was primarily won on free throw disparity and the fact Milwaukee tried their best to channel their fallen star Michael Redd in jacking up the three-ball, but only went 1-14 from behind the arc, the Wolves finishing 8-27. Both teams shot poorly (.400) and were content to jump shoot their way to a potential victory, instead, it was the means by which the Bucks lost and Minnesota allowed Milwaukee to make a run in the fourth quarter, scoring only 16 points.

If you watched even a minute of the recent television broadcasts, you can't help but hear five primary themes the last few weeks, repeated ad nauseum:

1. The Wolves have the best record in the NBA since Christmas.
2. Al Jefferson should be an All-Star
3. Kevin Love was a great draft pick.
4. Jim Petersen is always right.
5. Other people don't understand.

Fair enough. Given this team has been bad for so long and have been criticized for so long, a little gloating is in order here...I guess. I mean, the team did have to trade it's Hall of Fame player last year, a potential Rookie of the Year candidate this year, fire a coach and release Randy Foye's latent basketball genes just to get to a point where they could have a dominant month. And, after well over a decade of second chances, Kevin McHale might have found his calling. Call me Pollyanna, but if I was a major player in a franchise with as poor of a track record as this one has had in recent memory, I'd be simply be happy and a bit relieved that the fans have a reason to watch us again. Instead, the team seems happy for only themselves, in a smug, self-serving sort of way, like if all the bad decisions George Bush had made as President had turned out to be good ones.

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that this cursed franchise might finally have found a little luck, because they have played many teams missing some very core players. However, if you think about it another way, this team is finally having some success, in the worst economy in recent history. Even if the fans wanted to come, they may not have the money to plunk down for a ticket. Talk about your luck!

It's just another reason why the club might want to tone it's smugness down a few degrees, and let success--and the product--speak for itself.

That's No Bull...

2009-01-25T22:18:00.005-06:00

Lacking energy in the first quarter and defense for nearly the entire game, the Wolves persevered despite a poor performance from their back court, coming back from an early first quarter, 16 point deficit for a 109-108 OT victory over Chicago at Target Center Sunday. With 13 seconds left in the overtime period, Minnesota actually defended Derrick Rose and survived a couple point blank tip-in attempts to pick up the win. A video recap of the game can be found here.

Now once again, who says defense doesn't matter? It was pretty clear by the middle of the fourth quarter that the team who could make the most stops was going to win this game, and that Sebastian Telfair's ability to play Rose straight up at the end of the fourth quarter as well as the OT period were huge for the squad. Those two possessions were about the only things the Wolves backcourt did well all night, as Big Al and Kevin Love flexed some serious muscle against a surprisingly tough Chicago front court of Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Aaron Gray, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni. Jump shooters need not have applied in this game; and as was correctly pointed out by Jim Petersen during the game, and Paul Allen at the FSN post-game wrap up, Jefferson was not in the mood to pass the ball out of the double and triple teams. Love showed some improved ability to finish in addition to his superb rebounding.

Petersen worked the All-Star angle for Jefferson all night, and tried yet again to trumpet Love's stature by denigrating another rookie performer, Brook Lopez. On both fronts, I'm not sure the logic is accurate. First off, based on the lists I saw and heard from both national columnists and broadcasters alike, Jefferson is not on anyone's short list. Based on his offense, Jefferson is a worthy choice, but until the Wolves get closer to actually a winning record, it's going to be a hard sell. A consistent defensive effort would help as well. As for Love vs. Lopez, Petersen tried to make the point that the New Jersey center plays a lot more minutes than our rookie in comparing rebounding statistics.

Key Stats between Lopez and K-Love:

Player	Games	Minutes	FG%	RPG	BPG	PPG	Eff
Lopez	42	29.6	485	8.0	2.0	11.3	+15.31
Love	40	22.8	422	8.4	0.6	8.5	+12.65

Now, I'll grant that seven minutes a game is somewhat significant (but not THAT much). However, if you take a look at the fact that a top draft pick like Lopez can actually start for his team, perform actual center tasks like blocking shots, clogging the middle, be a better finisher--at least right now--AND would allow Jefferson to play his natural power forward position, still trying so hard to spin the Love pick is futile and premature. At least he's not trying to salvage yet another McHale pick--Rashad McCants--by saying he should play point guard, or worse, lead guard.

I'll be honest though; I don't see why Love isn't starting. I think he's more than proven himself capable, and, on a rebuilding team...why not? Isn't seeing what your players can or can't do part of the rebuilding process? How much of his own Celtic career does McHale want to channel through K-Love? I get the fact that by coming off the bench, he can play "center", allowing Brian Cardinal to play power forward, but they are undersized as it is. Simply sit Al or Kevin down and mix in either Cardinal or Smith as the matchups present themselves. Stop babying the rook and let him play.

Mike Miller is another issue, and a curious one at that. After getting hurt late, why did McHale leave him in the game? Especially in overtime, replacing Miller with Carney would have given the club a more reliable three point shooter to spread the floor with. Here's another example of Petersen spin; the guy came here to shoot, he's been in a slump, and now he's being touted as this all around baller. Britt Robson has been pretty vocal on the subject; it seems that what the Wolves have gotten is not Miller High Life, but Miller Lite. With the February trade deadline approaching, here's another storyline worth following...will this guy get moved?

In the end, one can't really bitch too much about this win. The fact Minnesota continues to find paths to victory is encouraging. As I pointed out, luck is again with them. With Milwaukee losing Michael Redd with both an ACL and MCL knee injury for the season, it will be fascinating to see if the team can show some energy in a back to back game--especially given the overtime stint.

The drama continues tomorrow...

The Healing of a Cursed Franchise

2009-01-24T08:06:00.004-06:00

"There is an old saying, "change your attitude and you can change your life". This especially applies when it comes to removing a curse. We believe that the most effective long-term solution to clearing a curse, jinx, or getting past a "black hole" in your life is rooted in a change in attitude." - Global Psychics.com

A popular opinion about the Timberwolves franchise was that it is cursed, or unlucky at best. Such awful win-loss records, no #1 choice ever. Stephon Marbury. Tom Gugliotta. Joe Smith. Malik Sealy. Bad draft choices. Poor trades and mediocre free agent acquisitions. The evidence is substantial, when you think about it. While a lot of these results can be square put on the shoulders of human error and bad decision making, one has to consider that SOMETHING supernatural might have affected the franchise's fate up to this time.

Could a little luck be finally moving in the Wolves direction?

Friday night the Wolves once again caught a break, dispatching the New Orleans Hornets 116-108, playing without the services of both David West and Tyson Chandler, two front court core pieces for NO. As the game played out, their absence turned out to be a deciding factor, when looking at the box score:

Overall FG% -
NO: 42-79, .532, the Wolves 40-78, 513 (3pt shots - 13-22, NO, 10-21, Minnesota)
Rebounds -
NO: 25, Minnesota: 42
Free Throws:
NO: 11-13, Minnesota: 26-34

New Orleans shot more times, with a slightly better field goal percentage, made more threes, and still lost the game. Why? No inside play, and a huge free throw disparity. Without their primary front court players--despite the best efforts of Sean Marks and James Posey--the Hornets tried to beat the Wolves by jump shooting, and lost. Without Chandler to patrol the middle, the Wolves substantially outrebounded and outscored NO in the paint, shared and moved the ball with 26 assists, matching them enough from the outside with clutch shooting from Rodney Carney and Randy Foye to win the contest.

Lucky for the Wolves? A little. But it's not all about luck. It's not just spin to say this club's attitude has changed with the removal of Randy Wittman. After a horrible start, the team has benefitted from shortening the rotation, not playing Rashad McCants, and continuing to develop core pieces in Jefferson and Foye. The team is fun to watch, and it's also a true statement that despite the absence of two primary Hornets players, Orleans could have won this game earlier in the year.

This improvement can be defined as progress.

One huge question (among many) still needs to be answered long term: is Kevin McHale the only person who could get any success out of this roster?

Hopefully, the Wolves will be lucky enough to find a real answer.

Picking on Al

2009-01-23T06:37:00.003-06:00

Boy, there has sure been a lot of nitpicking on old Al Jefferson these last few days, particularly over his defense. Yep, it's bad...but on this team there's more than a few bad defenders to pick from. And, with a hefty contract in hand, I'm sure he barely hears the refrain from folks like us, the last fans standing, watching an irrelevant franchise trying to rebuild. Since I have been haranguing broadcast commentators and bloggers alike about their arguments relegating defense to some back pew at the basketball cathedral, let me offer some perspective.

It seems to me that people who could be classified as winners--in any walk of life--mostly share a common trait: the ability to do what is necessary to advance and improve. Defense requires a tough minded outlook, it's hard, and often requires the cooperation of other teammates to do it really well. If that is a true statement, then watching how a team plays defense will reveal more about chemistry and identity than any color commentator can blather on about. Why should I believe a spin-creating, supposed insider who gets "special" access at shootarounds and practices, when I can watch the players perform on the court?

It's been a long time since the Wolves played any meaningful defense. KG was a great defender, but during this franchise's decline, only Trenton Hassell was anything resembling a defensive stopper. In the front court, creaky old Ervin Johnson played fundamentals well enough to compliment Garnett, but that was the exception and not the rule. Now Garnett is raising hell with the Celtics and we only have his replacement--Jefferson--to examine as the club tries to resuscitate the franchise. We love the way Al works down low on offense--as opposed to KG--but really wish he would pass the ball and be at least a more enthusiastic defender. In other words, what we really still want is the perfect Kevin Garnett. That obviously is unreasonable.

In the end it's not about one player, it's how the team accepts the challenge of becoming a winner. So Al's not a great defender; can he take the challenge to improve any shortcoming and show his teammates that he's willing to pay the price? Is Sebastian Telfair or Randy Foye willing to commit themselves to denying penetration on the perimeter? How about Mike Miller? What makes Brian Cardinal such an effective role player is that he takes whatever talent he has and adds heaping portions of hustle on top of it. It's the hustle, the ability to do what's necessary beyond the natural skills of the individual that will make the team better.

One can pick on Al all day long; you wouldn't be wrong, but the team as a whole needs help. This whole argument about whether you need to be top ten in offense or defense first is silly. My point has been that there's been a lot of talk about defense, but the results on-court have been disasterous. Trying to consistently out score NBA teams will only bring you a modicum of success. Seeing your supposed "core" players understand their limitations and accept the challenge to get better in any way possible will to more to put the team in a position to succeed than anything else.

In short, it's the effort to improve fans should be looking for at this point. When the entire team is pretty much chopped liver defensively, picking on one guy doesn't do any good. They all just need to get better.

Utah Tough

2009-01-21T06:52:00.003-06:00

Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

Utah head coach Jerry Sloan is a tough SOB. So are his teams. Monday night, his team wasn’t quite as hardened as in years past, but they were certainly tough enough to beat the Wolves 112-107. One can talk all about the 12-0 Utah run to start the game, or the substantial free throw disparity (11-16 for the Wolves, 27-29 for the Jazz), but if you aren’t a tough-minded team that’s willing to play some amount of defense, forget about it. Outscoring this bunch won’t usually work, at least with Minnesota’s talent level.

Once again, those local commentators and bloggers who emphasize offense over defense simply don’t get it. Jerry Sloan eats Europeans for lunch. Sloan and the Euros share some nice offensive strategies, like back cutting, pick and roll, and ball movement, but it’s the annoying, physical part of the game that would have any Spaniard or Lithuanian crying to the referee by the second half of any contest. Heck, by the end of the second quarter, the Wolves’ players were yelling at the refs, and McHale had picked up a technical.

A team playing away in Utah has to be focused, work through those irritants and simply outwork a Jerry Sloan team. To be fair, both teams played pretty bad defense last night, but Minnesota’s was worse. To their credit, Minnesota hung in, but couldn’t prevent crucial turnovers, or wrap their heads around the fact that it’s really hard to dribble in the paint against a team that’s looking to hack and strip you every chance they get.

Those folks who simply want a ‘Sota return to respectability are welcome to their opinion of course. As has been mentioned before, the club is playing a much better brand of basketball, especially on the offensive end. Randy Foye has rediscovered his game to some degree, and has shown he has another gear or level to his game when needed. If all this club wants to do is provide some face saving for the Iron Ranger, that’s their deal. Some fans will come back; they will see an entertaining brand of ball more nights than not, and the team will be in the majority of contests until the end. And, being that at least half of the league any given year is pretty mediocre, if the Wolves can beat a high percentage of those bad teams year in year out…that IS a recipe for a certain level of success. Hope will have been restored to the tundra.

But if you want to consistently beat a Jerry Sloan team, or do well in the playoffs, or even—gasp—contend for a title, it would be wise for this team to set it’s sights a bit higher, and not wait for respectability. To truly compete in this league long term, it would be wise to be Utah tough.

In a Game SOMEBODY Had To Win…

2009-01-20T07:41:00.002-06:00

(AP Photo/Phil McCarten)

The Wolves took care of the Los Angeles Clippers 94-86 on Monday afternoon. Being the “JV” game before the Lakers would take the court against the Cleveland Cavaliers later Monday night, it would have taken some energy and pizazz to get the laid back LA crowd into this one. Unfortunately, the Clippers were missing just about all their veteran talent (Baron Davis, Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby), and somehow, incredibly, Ricky Davis couldn’t blend well enough with rookies Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan—as well as second year three point specialist Steve Novak--so it quickly degraded into a game only hard core fans could love. A video recap of the game can be found here.

Our broadcasting crew started the game by telling us what a great practice the club had on Sunday, since the coaching staff was concerned about this young team getting caught up in the summer-like LA weather. For the first half of the first quarter, it seemed like the comment was accurate, with Craig Smith helping the Wolves to a sixteen point lead. The Wolves stopped attacking the rim and began jump shooting, which led to the Clips making a run in the last part of the quarter and keeping the game relatively close the rest of the way.

It was a mixed day for Jim Petersen, color commentator, who offered some on-target observations, and a couple of whoppers as well. The correct observation was that the Wolves were playing down to their competition. Given the thrilling victory over the Suns last Friday and the depleted Clippers roster, this game should have been easier. But after the first quarter run, the Wolves continually let the Clippers back into the game, primarily on the back of rookie Eric Gordon, and the shooting of Steve Novak. Mixed in was the interior play of rookie center DeAndre Jordan, an unpolished player from Texas A&M.

One of Petersen’s off-target comments was that Al Jefferson was going to dominate Jordan, a player who stock had seriously dropped in last year’s draft. That didn’t happen. With 8 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocked shots, Jordan wasn’t spectacular, but he was good. Eric Gordon was the consistent, solid player for LA; no one on the Wolves club could really stop him.

The other whopper was Petersen’s contention during the first quarter of the game that concerns about defense in the NBA are overblown. This flies in the face of just about every team that are considered contenders in the league; they become contenders by the type of balanced scoring we are now starting to see from Jefferson and Foye, but also by being able to make stops at least when necessary. Prime examples of this were on display in the fourth quarter of the Clippers game, as Mike Miller blocked Al Thornton’s shot with around two minutes left and Foye’s steal from Gordon with under a minute left to play. Foye is by no means a great defender, but during this streak of improved play from the Wolves he’s been able to make key defensive stops which has contributed greatly to Minnesota wins. Points are obviously important, but what separates NBA quality play from the D-League or Euro ball is the ability to play defense.

The Wolves have another opportunity to show their true improvement tonight against the Jazz. They have every excuse to lose; a back to back game on the road against a quality team, after all, so a win or competitive loss will be another sign of positive change for this team. Almost like an inauguration happening today…

Breaking News: McHale plans “I Told You So” tour

2009-01-18T14:21:00.004-06:00

(Useless Press Incorporated – Los Angeles, CA – January 18, 2009)

In a first for a demoted NBA basketball executive or newly hired head coach, Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Kevin McHale plans to announce during the half-time of Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers dates for a summer “I Told You So” tour, as a rebuttal for all those fans, journalists, bloggers and various media sports personalities who doubted his ability to put together a competent NBA roster as well as his coaching ability, according to an unnamed source.

“Yeah, it might be premature”, commented the source, “but I gotta tell you, he’s been chomping at the bit to do this. I mean, he’s been a triple threat exec for this franchise: broadcasting, vice-president, and coach. In fact, he’s proving that he’s just about the only one who can coach his selections. Everyone else just kind of falls short. He’s succeeding beyond even his wildest dreams.”

Among the plans for the summer tour, or caravan as it was called last year, is a reunion of the 70’s rock band Orleans, who will kick off the event with a theme of “Still the One”, one of their biggest hits. “After all the grief he’s taken over the years, I think this will be sweet justice, especially if they can make it back to 30 wins this season. He’s really proud of the fact Kevin Love and Randy Foye are starting to emerge as core pieces for this team. I have no doubt that if he wants it, he’ll be back as VP of this club before long, in addition to coaching. He’s even thinking of growing a beard like Popovich, just to give him that edgy, Van Gogh elitist look.”

More details to follow…

****UPDATE****

January 19, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA

According to sources, due to the MLK day celebration, the upcoming Obama inauguration, and at least a couple of more wins, Timberwolves Head Coach Kevin McHale has decided to postpone the official "I Told You So" announcement.

Po-Town Showdowns

2009-01-17T07:42:00.006-06:00

Julianne Viani passes the ball against Tania Kennedy of Saint Peter

Poughkeepsie (Po-Town), NY -

Talk about your victorious double headers: a Marist/Minnesota dynamic duo.

One of the true delights I have in bringing back my daughter to Marist College in Poughkeepsie for another semester is the chance to watch one of the best mid major women's basketball teams in the country, the Marist Red Foxes. Currently ranked 21st in the nation by the AP, this team is a well coached example of how a relatively small school (approx 5,000 students) goes about creating a success program that at times can compete with the majority of bigger, more well known programs. Their burly coach--Brian Giorgis--is a stern tactician that has brought this team to the NCAA tournament the last three years, reaching the Sweet 16 two years ago, and the second round last year.

This team plays the right way--tough defense, passing, exploiting matchups and giving your core players a chance to win the game. Friday night the Foxes pummeled Saint Peter 78-58. Rachele Fitz, currently 10th in the nation in scoring with 21.6 points a game, scored 22 points last night. Redshirt senior guard Julianne Viani added 18 points in a victory that at times had the Red Foxes up by nearly 30. Marist withstood Saint Peter's consistent full court pressure and excuted superbly; though without either Viani or Fitz in the game, the Red Foxes had problems getting into their offense.

Since their conference--the MAAC--only brings one team into the tourney via their tournament, it would be an upset of major proportions that any other team would make it to the women's Big Dance. Keeping Fitz and Viani healthy and on the court is going to be a key, especially if they are fortunate enough to land back into the tournament.

Of course, the other big story was the Wolves 105-103 victory over Phoenix. In a game where the club didn't die when the Suns went on a run to go up by 11 in the third, Minnesota took advantage of Randy Foye's five fourth quarter points, good offensive rebounding, and somewhat clueless play calling by the Suns to secure the victory.

Five players figured prominently in the win--Big Al, Craig Smith, Randy Foye, Kevin Love and Rodney Carney. Jefferson did his usual with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but I thought the real catalyst in the game was Carney, giving the club energy and athleticism off the bench with 17 points. Love's 14 rebounds were also huge, but the reality is that he, Jefferson and Smith are problematic as a playoff ready front court.

Why the Suns--who in the third quarter were having clear success with dumping the ball into either O'Neal or Stoudamire--started their usual jump shooting, getting away from what worked to build the 11 point lead is a head scratcher. Kevin McHale attempted to get Stoudamire in foul trouble by running continual plays for Smith in the third, but Steve Nash was not his normal clutch self in trying to score over the top against Minnesota, shooting only eight times, scoring just six points. Watching the game on NBA League Pass Broadband, Suns broadcasters Gary Bender and Eddie Johnson tried to offer the 4 am arrival time of the Suns back in AZ as a result of their last game against Denver as an excuse, but clearly the Suns let the Wolves off the hook, and to their credit, the Wolves hung around and showed more energy in the fourth quarter, racking up 32 points.

That Minnesota finished off a winning team in a game that was clearly theirs to have is another indication of progress. The Wolves have a long way to go, but this team has rejoined the ranks of watchable teams, and has renewed hope at least in the short term that they are head to somewhere other than oblivion.

All around, it was a fantastic night for basketball.

Heat Stroked

2009-01-14T06:29:00.004-06:00

(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Yep, it's true. The juggernaut known as the Minnesota Timberwolves finally lost a game in 2009, losing to Miami 99-96. It's also true that if Mike Miller (1-7, 4 pts) and Al Jefferson (4-14, 9 pts) had better games, the result might have been different. Truth is a curious animal however, a door that swings both ways. For example, it could very well be true that good teams--especially playing at home and full of confidence--should find a way to win games like this. Unsound fundamentals--bad passes by Love and Telfair with under 3 minutes left, Michael Beasley stealing a rebound off of a free throw with 8 seconds left--helped the Wolves lose this game.

Will the guys learn from their mistakes?

"That's just the way we play now," Foye said. "We get the ball out quick. Obviously, sometimes there will be mistakes. [Wolves coach Kevin McHale] didn't say too much about it because that's the way we play." - Randy Foye, via the StarTribune.

and...

"We're still confident," Wolves forward Rodney Carney said. "We won five in a row. We can start anew." - Rodney Carney, StarTribune

Okey-dokey. Enough said. Let's move on.

I won't get too negative here...as was pointed out in Britt Robson's post today, especially with around 8:49 in the second quarter, we witnessed great ball movement and scoring, a model for how ideally the game of basketball should be played. The Wolves now play with purpose and an emerging identity, dynamics that Kevin McHale can clearly take credit for developing. Did he sabotage or prevent Casey or Wittman from developing those same dynamics? Maybe, but as the cliche goes, I'll give credit where credit is due.

My only caveat here is once again the fan base is too beaten down with the Wolves' incremental improvement to see the familiar warning signs on the frigid horizon. Witness this excerpt from Jerry Zgoda's supporting piece in today's StarTribune, with our Iron Ranger discussing bringing in other players:

"Somebody asked Wolves coach Kevin McHale before Tuesday's game if Minnesota's infamous cold might drive free agents away.

"I can tell you right now, if you go to Detroit, if you go to Chicago, it's cold there, too," McHale said. "If you win, they'll come."

Miami rookie Mario Chalmers, a Timberwolf for about two seconds on draft night, was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and he called Tuesday's cold worse -- "Not even close," he said -- than anything he experienced growing up.

"He's crazy," McHale said. "I just saw Fairbanks is minus-45. I don't care, it's cold in Alaska, it's cold in Minnesota, it's cold in Chicago, it's cold all over the Upper Midwest. I don't think that's a big deal."

Here's where an objective sort might go...WTF? We couldn't surround KG with talent when he was here; the one year we did was labeled a "failed experiment". In the history of this franchise, we haven't signed a truly huge free agent. Those are simply the facts; to ignore them, and the person who supposedly gave up his VP slot to coach, would be pretty foolish. It IS cold here, the tax environment is uninviting, and it's a small market where it's harder to get endorsements and visibility for any young knucklehead who thinks he's the next Lebron James. Kevin McHale is repeating the same sort of cluelessness that drove this franchise into the ditch in the first place.

In the same article, a quote from Dwayne Wade:

"It's unbelievable cold," said Heat star Dwyane Wade, a potential marquee free agent in 2010 who will be well out of the Wolves' reach. "It shows me that I love Miami, I know that."

That's a stance you can take to the free agent lottery bank of 2010. Playing better and reaching a 30 win plateau is one thing, developing a true NBA contender is another. I'm all for positivity, but a healthy dose of reality mixed in is the key to true success.

Heavy Mettle

2009-01-13T06:27:00.004-06:00

met-tle
–noun
1. courage and fortitude: a man of mettle.
2. disposition or temperament: a man of fine mettle.
—Idiom
3. on one's mettle, in the position of being incited to do one's best. Example: The loss of the first round put him on his mettle to win the match.
Origin:
1575–85

So, as pointed out by my good friends at Canis Hoopus, we have games against Miami and Phoenix this week, a heavier test of the club's basketball mettle. We have, of course, the obligatory MSM story about another in a series of players who got away from the Wolves, one Mario Chalmers, drafted in the second round and traded to the Heat almost immediately. The "explanation" is that we had too many guards around, the team would have had to cut him.

Huh? With an entire offseason to make roster moves, and issues still at point guard regardless of Telfair's signing, they couldn't have held onto him longer? Ah well...there's been plenty of bile expressed about this trade already, so I'm not going to rant, but it's one more reason why McHale had better be a superior head coach--his personnel skills are mediocre at best. And, he's extremely G.W. Bush-like in his refusal to acknowledge his mistakes:

"I really like Mario, we liked him a lot," McHale said, shrugging when asked if he regrets the trade and its timing. "We said we'd trade that pick, and then everything changed. That's the way it is in this business sometimes." - StarTribune.

Enough about the Iron Ranger, let's talk about Miami for a second. At 19-17, the Heat are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference. With a rehabilitated Dwayne Wade at off-guard, pared with Chalmers at the point, this team will be a tougher test for the Wolves, especially considering Randy Foye will be primarily shadowing the gold medalist. Michael Redd ripped the lad on Saturday night; a more athletic Wade will be slashing his way to the basket if Foye can't find a way to stay in front of him.

First round (2nd overall) draft pick Beasley--as mentioned by this morning's Trib story--has yet to find his groove. He's averaging 13.6 PPG, in around 25 minutes per game, shooting nearly 46% from the field. Not game changing by any means, but not "bust" territory either. With other front court members Shawn Marion, Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem and Jamaal Magloire--not to mention the artist formerly known as the second best center in the Western Conference, Mark Blount--the Heat are serviceable, but underwhelming. Our former starting center is not playing much at all with Miami; I'm assuming the only "paint" he patrols are the brightly colored outdoor bar patios of South Beach. Big Al should be able to make a dent against this crew.

It may come down to whether the Wolves can control Wade at all, and make sure their bench perimeter shooters like Chris Quinn and Daequan Cook don't get off easily against Minnesota's defense. The Heat have more athletes than the Wolves; this would also be a perfect game to for Beasley to find himself and blister the Wolves.

A better indication of Minnesota's progress starts tonight. This is where the team's mettle gets tested.

Stuff You Can't Make Up

2009-01-12T06:54:00.004-06:00

I've been enjoying the Wolves victories against lower division rivals as much as anyone. Beaten down as this fan base is, the path to 30 victories is as exciting and dramatic as any championship run in recent basketball history, or so it would seem. There are moments though, where you simply have to stop, scratch your head (or other parts of the anatomy), and wonder what reality are people embracing at that moment.

Case in point: Sid's StarTribune column of today, Monday, January 12, and a few of quotes attributed to one Al Jefferson:

"Yeah, it was one of those games that we just had to grind it out," Jefferson said. "Even earlier this year, we would have given up and put our heads down, but we kept fighting. I fouled out, and my teammates stepped up and we got the win.

Okay, no real argument there.

"It's just being dedicated. We knew we had to play defense, and we knew we lost a lot of games that we should have won. I think guys just made up their minds to be dedicated and just go out and play hard and leave it all on the floor and play together, not give up. I think that's what turned it around."

I think delusion is starting to set in. Defense? Is that what you call defense? And more, commenting about "Fourth Quarter Foye":

"[Foye's] defense has been good, and he's been playing like an All-Star right now. His last 10 games, I think he's been averaging like 25 points a game," Jefferson said. "When he's playing the way he's playing, he really takes a lot of pressure off of everybody."

Randy's offense has been decidedly better, but as a defender, there's miles to go before he sleeps, or becomes close to an All-Star. I hear Milwaukee's Michael Redd is petitioning the league to play the majority of his games against Randy.

I wish the Magic/Spurs game played on Sunday would have been on national television, because if one wanted to see how perimeter defense should be played to close out a game, the Magic went to the head of the class. With under 20 seconds left and down by five, 103-98, the Spurs spread the court, in order to free up either Wolves killer Manu Ginobili or Michael Finley for a three ball. The ball was whipping around the perimeter, in order to find an open shot. The Magic contested every touch, and the Spurs ended up shooting two air balls and fouling Jameer Nelson to close out the game, the Magic winning 105-98.

Of course, with Dwight Howard in the middle patrolling the paint, it's easier to extend out to the perimeter, because it's not as necessary to double team an opposing front court stud. This is again why having both Kevin Love and Jefferson playing major minutes together will not be a recipe for playoff success, unless one or both decide to get serious at the defensive end. Sure, they might get to 40 or 45 wins eventually, but another big is going to have to get into the mix, and then the other players will have to hustle to guard the perimeter, much like the Magic did last night, if they want to be considered "contenders".

The first step however, is to not get too delusional about your current success, Mr. Jefferson. You folks have a long way to go.

Cliche Sunday

2009-01-11T07:07:00.004-06:00

Hmm...I wonder which cliche is most appropriate for the Wolves 106-104 victory last night against the Bucks:

1) It's better to be lucky than good
2) Let's give credit when credit is due
3) You can't argue with success
4) They made a living behind the 3-point arc
5) This team has finally learned how to win

For today's post, these five all fit, but feel free to search for your own. A handy reference site is SportsCliches.com, where you can look at a decent list of frequently used statements to explain your favorite team's victory or loss.

After "holding" the Bucks to 44 points in the second half, the Wolves used the three point shot and a resuscitated Randy Foye to eak out a two point victory against Milwaukee. This came after the Iron Ranger was booted between the first and second quarters, apparently for arguing over Al Jefferson's jump stop travel call late in the first, and a non call on Mike Miller. Watching the game on FSN Wisconsin, I saw McHale yelling at the referees to tell them Al's jump stop was legal, but then switched the channel to track the progress of the Carolina-Arizona NFL playoff upset. By the time I switched back, he was gone.

The Wolves played horrible defense in the first half, letting the Bucks score 60 without breaking any sort of sweat. In the second, Milwaukee started missing a lot of those same shots. It certainly wasn't because of any Minnesota defensive pressure; possibly it was result of playing the second night of a back to back, or the fact that holding onto leads has also been a problem for the Bucks, but 44 points for a half is still decent.

At any rate, when Big Al fouled out with 1:29 left to play, the Bucks inability to take advantage of the moment was a key point late in the game. Luke Ridnour--the last second scoring star of Friday's game against the Nets--missed a seven foot shot with 0:13 left. Michael Redd--who torched Foye all night long with 32 points on 12 of 24 shooting--missed a fall away 10 foot jumper with one second left. So the Bucks had their chances to tie and send the contest into overtime even after giving away the lead. It is at times, better to be lucky than good.

But give credit where credit is due. Minnesota hung in all night after the Bucks took an early lead and didn't show any signs of giving it up, especially in the first half. And, given that the Wolves "stars" were having relatively off nights--Al went 8 for 20 and fouled out with a -10 while playing matador defense the entire night, Foye was 4-12 and couldn't handle Michael Redd at all when playing the off guard possition--the fact that Rodney Carney stepped up with 4 three pointers, can't be overlooked. For once, instead of complaining about the Wolves lack of perimeter defense, the club was able to make a living behind the 3 point arc.

Again, even those their opponents have been relatively soft, you can't argue with success. At the lower, junior varsity levels of the NBA, the Wolves are beating who they're supposed to beat, and re-establishing some hope that in a season that was thought to be totally lost, progress can still be made. Until they start playing better defense, add a real starting point guard and can mix in more size in their front court, thinking this team could in a year or two contend for the playoffs is still a great stretch. But they are finally learning how to win, and that's a huge compliment for a team I've enjoyed mocking the last few years.

No question about it.

P.S. - I thought the FSN Wisconsin broadcasting team was a tad better than ours as well. Less spin, more analysis. Kudos to those gents, Jim Paschke and Jon McGlocklin.

BREAKING NEWS:T-Wolves Players Found in North Oaks, MN

2009-01-08T06:37:00.009-06:00

Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes smiling upon return to team
Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

(Useless Press Incorporated, Minneapolis, MN - January 8, 2009)

In a stunning reversal of fortune, the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves announced Thursday the entire return of their team. In a joint press conference held with regional FBI agent-in-charge James McGruder, it was revealed that the team was found in servant's quarters on the property of Kevin McHale's North Oaks, Minnesota residence. "Apparently, the entire team left Europe incognito during the Christmas holiday after contacting a number of their agents and discovering that many athletes who signed Euroleague contacts are having a hard time getting paid", McGruder commented. "We received an anonymous tip from a community resident on Tuesday complaining about too much 'Lil Wayne being played at all hours of the night."

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Head Coach Kevin McHale simply expressed joy and gratitude over the team's return. "It's a shame that we lost a coach and demoted another employee over this incident, but it's a credit to our organization that we were able to continue to hold games and partially fill our arena", said Taylor, wiping tears from his eyes. "I share Glen's sentiment, and will respectfully let the players discuss their own rationale for leaving when the time is right", offered McHale. "Obviously, since they were "found" on my property, there's more to the story than what's known at this time. Since I now have to talk to many of you almost on a daily basis as a result of my coaching assignment, I'm going to let someone else do the explaining to you guys."

Reactions were swift nationwide, and from around the globe. In a statement released by his transition team, President-elect Obama said "I'm pleased that the real team was found and is, by all indications, unharmed. No owner, coach or fan base should have to deal with this kind of loss, no matter the circumstances. I would have liked it even more if they had lost to Chicago last week, and am looking forward to the Bulls returning the favor in Minnesota later this month on the 25th. Hopefully, this is a good sign for the year to come."

In the United Kingdom, London street musician organizer Paul Garthwaite was thankful that the situation had been successfully resolved. "We had this American blogger bloke here over Holiday bugging us to help him raise money in order to find the mates", he revealed. "Football [soccer] is our passion, we hate basketball--NBA, Euroleague or otherwise. Still, we're going to hold a day of musical celebration; all the musicians playing in the Underground tube stations are dedicating one day of music to the return of the Minnesota team."

More will be reported as facts become known.

Street musician Gavin (no last name) performing "Irresistable"
at the UK's Day of Music celebration for the Timberwolves

Love vs. Lopez vs. Mayo

2009-01-06T06:35:00.007-06:00

There are some things people won't let go of. Norm Coleman isn't giving up the thought of being senator. President Bush's aides believe Americans will judge him favorably after, say, 100 years or so. Bill Maher hates religion and loves marijuana. Garrison Keillor will always be above-average.

For the Wolves and their so-called player development, up until one Kevin Love came to town, bloggers and fans were still spending a fair amount of time hating the draft day trade of a couple of years ago, when Brandon Roy was sent packing for one Randy Foye. That one has been a clear mismatch from the beginning; even after one year it was easy to proclaim that the Blazers got the better of the deal. As you know over the summer we had another such deal--this time with Memphis-- moving one OJ Mayo and a couple of bad contracts (Jaric, Walker) for Love, Mike Miller and one particularly bad contract (Brian Cardinal). For the record, Greg Buckner and Jason Collins were also swapped, but the main focus here was acquiring Love and Miller, as well as dumping those contracts.

Those that loved the trade--the good folks at Canis Hoopus, for example--called it highway robbery. One of their esteemed bloggers went so far to rather amazingly say he would have picked Love straight up with no strings attached. For that comment, he has a special place in the Kevin McHale/Jim Petersen personnel hall of fame. Those that disliked the Love pick--Patrick Reusse comes to mind--continue to rip the Wolves, and in one particularly premature column, Love himself. When OJ came to town last month in the Wolves first win against the Grizz, Reusse couldn't resist pining for young Mayo.

The deal has given Minnesota fans (what's left of them) a renewed sense of controversy and debate, as if the recent political campaigns weren't enough. Tuesday night, as the Wolves were winning their third straight--once again our Memphis trade partners were the victim, 94-87-- gave yet another opportunity to prove SOMEONE right or wrong.

It didn't happen.

Randy Foye was the star, playing clutch in the last few minutes of the game and for the night had 23 points. Mayo led his team with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists; Love had a quiet game with 6 points and 7 rebounds. The reality is that both Minnesota and Memphis are still bad teams, and it's going to be hard to proclaim a winner unless one of these clubs breaks from the pack with either Love or Mayo helping to lead the unwashed out of the wilderness. Mayo is clearly the more skilled and advanced player right now, Love is the monster rebounder and decent passer who is struggling in every other aspect of his game. Until Memphis has a stronger front court, and can play a stronger "inside-out" game, the Grizz aren't going anywhere. Until the Wolves develop consistency with someone else other than Al Jefferson on offense, and can play at least better team defense, winning against mediocre to bad teams is the best they can hope for.

With the current winning streak, it certainly can be argued that this is the Minnesota team we expected coming out of the gate. The Wolves tempo, ball movement, and offensive execution are much better under the Iron Ranger than under Wittman. For the fans sake, this is a positive development. However, proponents of smallball or run and gun play have no sense of NBA history...whatsoever. Since Minnesota's bar is so low currently, smallball WILL be an improvement, if the talent is there. But not unlike a recent political controversy, it's a bridge leading to nowhere. Spending all this time, talent and effort just to taste a playoff slot is illogical, on the verge of dysfunctional. It represents a fan base so beaten down with failure, that ANY improvement is met with a gush of hope and optimism, facts be dammed.

Based on those conclusions, I say again-- although very prematurely--that right now the better pick for the Wolves last summer would have been Brook Lopez, not Mayo or Love. He's rebounding better than Love, and like Mayo, has been able to break into the starting lineup and continue the Nets transformation they started with the trading of Jason Kidd last year and Richard Jefferson over the summer. With Devin Harris at PG and Lopez at the five, you have youth, speed, and size to build upon--whatever they decide to do with the overrated Vince Carter.

That's a better balanced approach, from both a personnel and an on-court perspective.

New Year's Revolution

2009-01-05T06:10:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a tough day for winning NBA teams. Both the Wizards and Knicks beat the Cavs and Celtics respectively, and the Grizz did what the Wolves couldn't do, hold on in the second half and beat the Mavs. Now, since we beat both New York and Memphis, does that mean we're better than the Celtics and Mavs? Of course not. Following a similar line of logic, does the fact we've won two straight against bad teams represent a corner turned?

If you believe that, there's a job in Norm Coleman's Senate office waiting for you. As we keep hearing ad naseum from just about everyone in the NBA, it's a long season. The great teams aren't always going to be great, and the bad clubs...well, they HAVE to play other bad clubs sometime. To their credit, Minnesota beat bad teams missing at least one or more of their core players. For the Warriors, it was Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette. For the Bulls, it was Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and Drew Gooden.

However, you just KNOW what will be spinning for the next couple of week from our favorite broadcast propagandists--Tom Hanneman and Jim Petersen. They'll be talking about all the naysayers who think the franchise is moribund and think Kevin McHale is an idiot. Petersen will in particular talk about how--based on his "inside" access--hard they work day after day, and just how good a teacher McHale really is. They'll talk about the energy and enthusiasm of the club now that they're believing in themselves again, confidence being everything. And, maybe as they did with Mike Miller during his recent injury outage, they'll spend a couple of second quarters talking about pheasant hunting and parenting. As was reported by the Useless Press a few weeks back, Roger Ailes of Fox News is looking for someone to go head to head with Rachel Maddow of MSNBC in the 8pm (Central Time) slot. Petersen, like every other conservative broadcaster alive in the world today, can never admit he's wrong, thus making him the perfect candidate for the position. I'm not sure he'd give up the Lynx assistant coaching gig for that job, but he should get an audition. He'd be perfect in that role.

Which leads me to my New Year's Revolution...maybe the first of many.

Exactly why are all NBA teams paying for television broadcasters?

Given the Wolves meager television ratings, it seems like money poured down a rabbit hole. Last summer, the Olympics had multiple basketball games simulcast, but only the lead game was broadcast by the NBC crew. All the other games had television feeds and real arena atmospherics, no talking heads at all. Simple inserts and pop-ups would give the audience stats, keep the score up-to-date, and should even allow analysis from the fans as well as an "expert", instead of those god-awful, softball, text messages Petersen and Hanneman field night after night (Example: Is Craig Smith too small to play power forward? Petersen: Great question!) It seems to me that in this digital, high definition age innovation should rule the day.

Think about it. A true interactive broadcast, with divergent points of view and little spin. Kind of like Britt's blog and Canis Hoopus, in hi-def. The mind boggles.

Vivacissimo Minnesota

2009-01-03T07:28:00.005-06:00

Grandmaster Starbury in the TC House Friday

According to Wikipedia, "tempo (Italian for 'time, movement') is the speed or pace of a given piece. It is an extremely crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece." Friday night, the Wolves played at a Vivacissimo (very fast and lively) rate, out running Nellie's Warriors, 115-108. A video recap of the game can be found here.

The political spin has reached the player roster; according to the Associated Press, Randy Foye mentioned that “we’re just happy to get one game, no matter three out of the last five.” Well...okay, the club is playing a better brand of ball, and is showing that it can kind of keep it together against bad teams. Let's give "Coach" McHale kudos for that, straight up. They are--for the moment--taking teams they should beat. Two clubs they have recently vanquished--the Knicks and Warriors--play absolutely no defense whatsoever, but a win is win right? Especially at 7-25, the second worst record in the league, and after a humiliating, team worst collapse against a decent, but not great, Dallas team. Put in the same situation, I'd be telling whoever wanted to listen that the franchise glass is a quarter full as well.

Everyone played fast last night; the Wolves shot 90 times vs. 80 for the Warriors, so even though their FG percentage was worse than Golden State's, the fact they were able to hit three more baskets (41 vs. 38) and five more free throws (25 vs. 30) offset the Warriors slightly better percentage from behind the three point arc (7-20 vs. 3-13). Al Jefferson attacked the rim much quicker than usual and was very decisive against Andris Biedrins, who out of all Nellie's roster is probably their best interior defender and shot blocker. In 40 minutes of play, Al went a dominant 11-22, with an excellent 10 for 10 in free throws, for 32 points and 10 rebounds, a superb +14 for the night. Starters Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye and Kevin Love off the bench also had great support for the big guy, with 21, 17, and 19 points respectively. Foye, playing off guard, had 7 assists, while Gomes and Love helped Al clean the glass with 18 rebounds between them--10 for Ryan, and 8 for Kevin.

The Wolves also showed some defense in stretches...but not a lot. There's not any great individual defenders on this roster, but team defense is more about effort, and the club showed it was interested in playing both ways from time to time. Given the Warriors shot a respectable .475 for the game, it was the decision to up tempo the game, stop GS just enough and create more scoring opportunities that allowed the Wolves to finish out their "masterpiece" successfully.

With Chicago coming in tonight, where do we go from here? Unfortunately, the Wolves can't schedule a competition against one of the premier high school teams coming to play today before the NBA tilt; they are still in basketball purgatory, not good enough to beat winning teams, but now starting to show life against losing teams. The fan attendance--especially in this economy--is getting worse by the moment, especially against teams like the Warriors and Grizz. They have one player(Jefferson) who can consistently play huge on the offensive end; everyone else is kinda-sorta, depending on the team and matchups. Kevin Love plays big against smaller, weaker opponents, but plays terribly small against bigger, stronger players. Randy Foye can't run an offense, but from the two guard position, keeps the ball moving and has a decent assist total. Gomes--as always--shows flashes of energy, but when the game gets tense against teams that can ratchet up their defense, simply disappears.

And, incredibly enough, "Coach" McHale is starting a 35 year old journeyman at the point, for a little on-court leadership. How's that for developing a roster?

Actually, this seems to be all about face-saving rather than rebuilding. Eak out some wins, prove that you're not the worst team in the league, and demonstrate that there are at least a couple of players who can contribute to a roster. With a better managed cap and draft choices...we'll see what happens. Play up tempo, try and entertain the rubes, and we'll go from there.

Not a great orchestration for the future, on any scale.

I'm Punch Drunk, So Hold the Mayo...

2008-12-31T05:27:00.012-06:00

One of the saddest sights I've seen in sports history was when champion boxer Larry Holmes pummeled an aged, over the hill Muhammad Ali in the corner of the ring, pleading for the referee to stop the contest in Ali's very last fight. It was one of those situations where an athlete was way past his prime, but either needed the money or couldn't admit to himself that he no longer was the greatest. I kind of felt that way about "Coach" Kevin McHale last night against the Mavs, as they literally imploded in front of our eyes and blew a 29 point lead, losing 107-100. There was the Iron Ranger as the meltdown continued, windmilling his arms like a baseball third base coach waving a runner home, trying--as he put it in the post game press conference--to restore pace in their game, and get back, get back to where they once belonged.

Who said this guy could coach?

Kevin, it's over. Much like Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker in the 1970's, who had to lead a small contingent of Republicans to the White House and tell Richard Nixon he could no longer be President, someone in the Wolves organization needs to man up here and be the one to walk up to McHale and tell him to leave. This doesn't mean he's not a great basketball mind, or that he wasn't a great player, or that he's not a loving father, or a superior hunter, or tall, or funny, or walks with a limp, but this guy is not a coach of a rebuilding team that one day could be contenders.

The response from the in-denial Timberwolves organization of course is that last night was weird, one of those days. The team was on a back-to-back game, with an overtime victory last night against the Grizz. Without Brandon Roy, the Blazers beat the Celtics. On Lebron's birthday, the Cavs lost to the Heat. The Israelis and Hamas are still fighting in Gaza.

Whatever.

From not calling enough time outs when the levee started breaking, to not making the adjustment of getting Craig Smith--who couldn't guard the taller Nowitzki if his life depended on it-- out of the game, to not getting Kevin Ollie or anyone to put a body or clamp down on Jason Terry as he was torching the club, McHale simply doesn't look into the coaching thing at all. He looks tired, spent, lost. Kind of like Ali did.

Mr. Taylor, throw in the towel and stop the fight.

Now, a quick word or two about the Grizz win:

My jet lag wasn't kicking in as of then, so I bothered to watch the Grizz and Wolves duke it out in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft Third Pick Superiority Bowl. The Wolves won it 108-98 in OT, with Big Al going for 38 points and 16 rebounds. The "real" story of course, is how OJ Mayo and Kevin Love did, given the draft day trade that swapped their franchise uniforms. Both did well, although Love's points (17, with 7 rebounds, and a +8 for the evening) were a bit of misnomer; Memphis had longer players guarding him (Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick), but no one bigger and stronger who could block his shot straight up, or prevent him from getting into position on the block. As we saw last night against the Mavs, guarded by folks like DeSagana Diop, Love was back to his poor shooting ways, not being able to hit the baby hook or shoot from the outside. Still, the fact that Love was able to hit outside shots and that pretty little jump hook repeatedly gave some insight into how the lug COULD play eventually. Mayo was also good (23 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists); late in the fourth tried to take over the game with seven straight points, but in the overtime session no one from the Grizz could hit their deep three pointers consistently and Al was simply dominant, scoring 7 points in the extra frame.

Columnists, bloggers and fans have been taking up the OJ vs. Love theme ever since the trade. Patrick Reusse wrote about Mayo yesterday morning; he's clearly on record about who got the better of the deal. For most other folks, the worse the Wolves were and the more Love struggled resulted in posts about how many points Mayo scored on a given night, and how once again the Wolves screwed up a major draft choice. I maintain that this is a false premise; that this whole situation isn't solely about OJ vs. Mayo.

Truth be told, right now it isn't Mayo that would have had the biggest impact for us in the draft, it's...(drumroll please) New Jersey Net and Stanford center Brook Lopez! Monday, the broadcast comedy duo of Petersen and Hanneman made a big deal about how Love is leading the rookies in rebounding, but overall Lopez is tied with Love at 7.8 rebounds a game, and is also scoring nearly 10 points (47.1 FG%) and blocking 2 shots in around 28 minutes per contest. Considering how small the Wolves front line is, a 7 foot, 260 pound functional center along with Big Al would have given the club a solid front court to build from. Mayo's a scorer, but considering the real gems in the draft were considered to be Rose and/or Beasley, everyone else was a "wait and see" pick, even at number three.

Again, truth be told, I didn't think the lumbering Lopez would be a great pick at #3; Petersen actually blocked one of shots in his pre-draft visit here to Minny; that in my book was the kiss of death right there. I also didn't like the way he moved up and down the court. But I was clearly wrong, this guy--not Love, not Mayo--would have been the right choice to make stand alone at pick three, or in this case, trade down a few slots, pick up another draft choice or some cash, and get his services there. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

And In The End...

2008-12-27T12:18:00.007-06:00

Parliament - London, England:

Well, that's it. Over a week in London, and not one confirmed Timberwolves sighting. You'd think a guy like Big Al or Mark Madsen would be conspicuous, but as I said earlier in the week, London is one of the most diverse places in the world. After talking to the authorities over here, helping me with my investigation was pretty far down their priority list. Go figure! One House of Commons member offered me his one free yearly psychological exam by British Health Services, although I didn't quite understand what he was getting at. I'm blaming that purely on cultural and language differences.

My very last hope was to consult an amateur Beatle expert, Richard--because of security purposes I can't reveal his last name--who took me on a walking Beatles tour to discuss my dilemma.

I reasoned since Paul McCartney died and was replaced back in the late 60's, besmirching Paul's good name by breaking up the Beatles and forming Wings in the 70's, he would be the perfect one to discuss my replacement investigation. Could there be a recording of a Timberwolf game I could play backwards that would give me hidden clues? Is Big Al left handed or right handed? Much like Barack Obama, which team member is trying to hide his cigarette obsession?

Sadly to say, he informed me that Paul did not actually die, that it was a huge joke on the part of the Beatles to have a bit of fun. Was he not such a good tour guide, and could show us the way back to our tube station, I would have hit him right then and there. I imagined it would be a lot like talking to Wolves broadcaster Jim Petersen, his sheer arrogance was staggering. Hadn't he listened to Helen Wheels or Silly Love Songs? In British parlance, I was simply gobsmacked!

Paul not dead...could it be I'm wrong about the Timberwolves as well? I guess there's something to ponder on my way back stateside. See you in a day or two.

Just Imagine

2008-12-27T03:10:00.007-06:00

"Anything worth having in life takes faith, and when that faith happens it's a beautiful thing. At the end of the game, I said, 'Thank God,' and I meant it. We needed that one." - Kevin McHale, after beating the Knicks, 120-107.

Bury -St. Edmond, England -
Well, that's the thanks I get! After actually going to Christmas Services at Westminister Abbey,

and then walking around the ruins, ancient cathedral and cemetary at Bury,

praying for the Wolves' redemption, this is all the credit I receive. I mean, they had police with semi-automatic rifles guarding the Abbey, for Pete's sake! And, though I was particularly praying for guidance as to the whereabouts of our missing roster, I did throw in a plea for a win...I mean, it was the Knicks after all; it was no heavy lifting for the Creator of the Universe, the one who made heaven and earth and brought Mickey Rourke back from the dead to star in another major motion picture.

A win against the Magic tonight (or an Oscar for Mickey) is asking a whole lot more...but one can imagine...

Working Class Heroes

2008-12-26T01:44:00.005-06:00

141 Brompton Road, England

Happy Boxing Day! What is Boxing Day, you ask? According to Wikipedia:

"Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society. Contemporary Boxing Day in many countries is now a "shopping holiday" associated with after-Christmas sales."

Yesterday, I gave gifts to the Timberwolves, folks who would be considered upper class--economically speaking at least. Well, what of the rest of us? Hard working, talented, but not quite as well off in the bank account as the before mentioned organization members. In the tradition of boxing day, I'm opening the Christmas box and offering these presents to some basketball related people I've met or read in the last year:

Wyn Douglas and Nate Arch - the Canis Hoopus guys
Two of the finer fellows I've met in a while; I wrote for time with these guys, but given the type of season the Timberwolves were having, I thought my brand of cynicism and irreverance would not mix with their growing readership. My gift to them is a substantial SB Nation financial dividend. Great work, guys.

Myles Brown - Slam Online
I only met this bloke once, but have read a lot of his stuff over the last year. A very good writer who really, really, really, really wants and believes having insider access is the key to quality work. I disagree, but he's clearly an up and comer who will be heard from in basketball circles the next few years. My gift to him is the hope of unfettered access and unbridled success.

Sonia Grover - First Avenue and TWolves Blog
Both gorgeous and gracious, it seems EVERYONE likes her, even the grizzled StarTribune writers, who describe every other blogger as guys who live in their mother's basement and post in their underwear. She's also an up and comer, someone who's networking her way to the upper heights. My gift to her is an executive position with the Timberwolves--if she wants it, of course. She would literally bring a new grace to that old boys dominated organization.

Jerry Zgoda - Star Tribune
An honest writer working for a nearly extinct newspaper, and covering a moribund team. Not good on any count. My gift to you to is continued employment at a decent wage equal to your considerable skills.

Britt Robson - Secrets of the City/Minn Post
The gold standard in Timberwolves coverage, and over the years, a staunch defender and worshiper of one Kevin Garnett. Much like Mr. Zgoda, dudes with their talent shouldn't have to scrape by in a broken journalistic model. But like just about everything else in this economy, that new model has yet to be found in this digital transition to...something. I have two gifts for him; a ragingly successful Minn Post and Secrets of the City, as well as the title of KG's official biographer, when the time is right. There would be no other individual on earth who could articulate Garnett's life and times like Britt.

Well, that's it...I'm off to Cambridge to visit my nephew at an American Air Force base. Hopefully, everyone listed above loves their gifts, and the rest of us don't spend too much time in long lines returning presents they didn't like!

Happy Christmas

2008-12-25T04:15:00.004-06:00

Knightsbridge, London -

As with most places, London pretty much shuts down for Christmas Day. We took the time yesterday to purchase food and drink, so we wouldn't have to try to find overpriced meals at the hotel restaurants that remain open for their customers. Thus over a little brie and homemade bread, with English tea and coffee, I unwrap my presents to the Timberwolves organization, some in abstentia, given the status of our missing roster.

Obviously, it's been another tough year for the club. A lot of dashed hopes, unrealized dreams and, in Randy Wittman's (if not Don Overbeck's) case, a lack of continued employment. With multi-year, multi-million contracts for NBA coaches, and a club membership that will keep him gainfully employed as an assistant coach, front office executive, or scout until he retires, weep not for Wittman...he'll be fine. It's the paying fans who have suffered the most this year, having seen extensive roster movement in the summer and the promise of more wins, only to see once again the front office being exposed as--I say this with all due respect and British reservation--less than adequate.

However, generosity of spirit and hope is part of the Christmas tradition. In that context, for the second year running, despite being overseas and ringing up impressive shipping charges, I offer these presents for some of the Timberwolves players (both fake and replacement) and staff:

Al Jefferson - Similar to last year, the gift of consistent defense. It will be what separates you from Zach Randolph of the Clippers.

Randy Foye - The gift of fourth quarter clutch play. Big Al needs a running mate...and Fourth Quarter Foye could use a reappearance.

Ryan Gomes - The gift of energy. Since signing that significant contract over the summer, I don't see you as much anymore. Co-incidence?

Mike Miller - The gift of aggression. This is a bad team. You're a good shooter, and a mid-westerner. This team goes for stretches on end without being able to score. Be a good fellow and step it up...when your ankle heals.

Kevin Ollie - The gift of leadership. I'm told young players listen to veterans once in awhile, and this is a role you'd like to play. Are any of these guys listening...at all?

Kevin Love - The gift of a made basket off an offensive rebound. If you reject this gift young man, your NBA career will be mediocre at best. The Timberwolves obviously fibbed when they told us you had a 35 inch vertical jump; you must show guile and skill around the rim. For essentially the third pick in the last draft, fans will expect no less from you.

Rashad McCants - The gift of another team's employment. You sir, having rejected last year's gift of recognition, need to leave and see if another club can stir your passion and stifle your conceit. Right now, you're not that good.

Sebastian Telfair - As with last year, the gift of a consistent, outside shot. If at first you don't succeed...

Jason Collins - The gift of regular rotation time. You didn't ask to come here, and it's obvious you won't stay when your contract is over. You'll rust if you don't see a little burn now and then.

Brian Cardinal - The gift of...well, what I can give a player who already has more than he should have? Carry on, good sir.

Mark Madsen - See Brian Cardinal. The most I could give otherwise is a spot with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Rodney Carney - See Jason Collins. I kind of like you, you just need a little smoothing around the edges. If not here...good luck to you sir.

Craig Smith - See Al Jefferson. Your offensive skills are great, your defense blows. You must play taller than you are and make people adjust to you.

Corey Brewer - As with Randy Foye last year, the gift of healing. You showed progress until you got hurt. Heal well young man, and we'll see you next year.

Calvin Booth - The gift of continued employment and space for another tattoo. What else is there to say?

Our coaching staff, front office and broadcast crews:

Kevin McHale - I give you the Rashad McCants gift of recognition. Your basketball knowledge is immense, but your organizational awareness is poor. It's over; much like the GM executives, you don't know when it's over. If you bow out with dignity, it won't be long until you'll be one of us again, and can back slap and quip with the guys.

Glen Taylor - The gift of silent partnership. Hire someone qualified to run the club and stay out of their way. Your franchise is at stake, good sir.

Jim Petersen and Tom Hanneman - Stalwart team players, I give you the gift of honesty. We're smarter than you think, and when it comes to team quality, we've had it right the last couple of years. There's only so much you can spin.

Alan Horton and Kevin Lynch - Best wishes to you both. You're lucky to be where you are.

Wolves Assistant Coaches - The gift of networking. I think by the end of the year you may need it.

Jim Stack, Rob Babcock and Fred Hoiberg - Until further notice, I guess you're it. I give to you the gift of infallibility. For once, I'd like to see someone know what they're doing in these positions. All these draft choices, so little talent and time...

Well that's it for now. Seriously, in these troubled times and new hope awaiting us, I wish everyone the happiest of holidays. Be good to each other.

Can't Buy Me Love

2008-12-24T03:45:00.005-06:00

Piccadilly Circus - London

I ask you, if you were a missing NBA player with a huge multi-million guaranteed contract, time on your hands, and a sense of retail (or a daughter who's studying the fashion industry at a East Coast college) where might you go? Carnaby Street, of course! This Central London location--center of late 60's fashion--was packed full of traffic and full of last minute shopping. According to BBC reports, retail is down by double digits in London; as a result, even though profits are off, shopkeepers are being forced to match sale pricing by other stores, just to keep market share. This is fabulous if you have cash, not so good if your business has to continue to cut prices at the same time you're losing money.

Carnaby is a small street, but folks come here by the droves, to hang, eat and shop.

There were a lot of empty seats at this indoor complex, but the weather has been remarkably mild the last week here in London Town, so a lot of people stayed outside in other cafes. Minnesotans would be proud. There were no signs of our players, as the replacements lost again in San Antonio 99-93. Since Christmas is coming upon us, I'm going to pray for heavenly guidance, as to where I might search next...

P.S. - Following my new tradition, tomorrow will also be my day for gift giving to the entire Timberwolves organization!

Here, There, and Everywhere

2008-12-23T03:34:00.009-06:00

London -

We've had quite the few days searching for the lost Timberwolves. We've looked at the Tower of London:

at Camden Market, interrogating the locals:

even at taverns, where young comics dressed up in horrible movie costumes--in this case Stallone's Judge Dredd--were working in their upper room for free.

add to that the before-mentioned Speakers Corner at Hyde Park, and we've nibbled around the edges, following every lead, turning over every cobblestone. We've searched here and there but not quite everywhere.

Nada.

I'm beginning to think these players don't want to be found. In a city as diverse as London Town, they could blend in anywhere. Hope is giving away to resignation, that the players we have now might well be the ones we have for the rest of the season. Just think, the rest of the NBA, locked in a battle with the Thunder, Wizards, and Clippers among others, battling for the worst record in the league, to gain yet another high draft choice, with Coach McHale, Jim Stack and Rob Babcock all waiting to make another scintillating pick in the hopes of rebuilding the franchise...

Okay, okay, I'll keep looking!

For the Benefit of Mr. Jones

2008-12-22T03:24:00.003-06:00

Hyde Park, London -

Remember Sweetwater Jones? I found his ghost yesterday in this gentleman, over at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. He was talking about the evils of the working world, how we have sold our freedom and souls to the slavery of employment. I tried my best to get him to say "Sensational!", but he looked at me rather curiously, like I was raving mad.

Now, that could be true.

It was a thin day at the Corner, Mr. Jones being the only one to step and offer an oratory about the world and what was wrong or right about it. It's a popular Sunday morning tradition for this area to hold an impressive number of folks who hoist themselves up on a platform (that being the rule) and declare their opinions to the surrounding audience. Actors, comedians, philosophers...I'm told a whole variety of people stand up and get their proclamations on. This is holiday over in England of course, and so Mr. Jones was the solo attraction. These few words are offered for his benefit. Well done, sir.

Helter Skelter Ramblings

2008-12-21T01:56:00.007-06:00

Telfair?

London, England -

I thought I had two possible Timberwolves sightings near the Tower of London on Saturday, but I couldn't get close enough to verify any of my suspicions. One was jogging by the River Thames at a fast pace, in a blue uniform, resembling a Euroleague or soccer player with the number "2" on his back, the other a standing guard near the Crown Jewels . We are headed to Hyde Park today, in hopes of gathering more information.

The Brits are very educated about the goings on in America, sometimes even more than we Americans are. I've heard jokes about Sarah Palin and Watergate, and a general relief regarding the transition that will occur in January. Like many of the liberals in America, they quite can't understand the whole Rick Warren invocation thing, but are so happy that Bush is leaving, they are more than willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt.

As I mentioned in my last post, only the tip of the economic iceberg is believed to be melting down here. Folks are starting to outright lose jobs, getting pay cuts, or taking days off without pay to save their companies. There are so many tourists here however, that everything seems normal. Harrod's is bustling, there are hoards of people in shops and restaurants, and the nightlife here is impressive. And, even in 40 degree weather, people will sit outside to drink, smoke and eat. Mass transit in this town is simply remarkable.

Meanwhile, it looks as if the replacements lost again to the Rockets, 109-102. Fake Al tried his best with 34 points and 13 rebounds, but in the end, it looks like the Wolves lack of perimeter defense did them in. And, Mike Miller gets his ankle dinged again. Much like our economy, all the years of poor decisions, lax oversight, and arrogant behavior have caught up with this franchise. Even with the "genius" of McHale coaching, this team is totally exposed, hope is being decimated with each loss. That reality makes me more determined to find our real players and bring them home. Our fans, our state deserve much better than what we're getting now...

Nowhere, Man

2008-12-20T00:10:00.003-06:00

London, England -

The first day here in London has gone by without major incident, and no progress to report on the status of the missing Timberwolves. We were simply trying to get heat in our rented flat upon our arrival, and considering the effects of black mold exposure during our 10 day investigation.

The UK economy sucks--a major funiture manufacturer just announced the closure of all their stores and the loss of 1400 jobs--but there is a stoicism in the Brits that I've met, and a bustling, energized community ready to celebrate Christmas. They've seen bad times before, and are dealing with it.

Only a few folks here have heard about the Timberwolves plight; they know about the NBA, and how bad the team is, and that KG got traded away. In fact, other people didn't know KG ever played for the Wolves; only remembering he's playing for the "fake" Boston. Apparently, original 13 colony humor is prevalent in the UK. That and room temperature ale.

My daughter has quite an investigative itinerary planned in search of the boys, so I"m hopeful we can come up with something. Meanwhile the currently plummeting replacement club plays back in Minnesota against the Rockets. Houston's on the end of a back to back, having decisively beaten Sacramento (who pummeled us) last night, 107-96. Yao Ming ought to take our small ball front court and rip it to shreds, not to mention Tracy McGrady getting any shot he wants against our porous perimeter defense.

The Wolves are going nowhere, man.

London Calling

2008-12-18T09:01:00.004-06:00

I have decided to take matters into my own hands. Seeing no progress as to the whereabouts of our missing Wolves roster, I am following whatever leads there are and heading to London, England, to search for the missing club. According to reports, there have been at least three sightings of different Wolves players at GB Euroleague games; I can't judge the accuracy of these reports, but frankly I can't make any worse progress than what already has--or hasn't-- been made.

The only thing I'm afraid of is after the pasting the replacements received last night at the hands of Cleveland, some of the replacements will be following me.

I'll try to provide updates of the search if possible...

Kevin McHale, All-American

2008-12-16T06:13:00.006-06:00

Text of Kevin McHale's halftime locker room speech last night in Sacramento (adapted from KNUTE ROCKNE- ALL AMERICAN (1940) http://archives.nd.edu/rockne/speech.html):

"Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say. You're playing a great game...all of you. Great game...at least offensively."

[He tries to smile, knowing the Kings shot well over 60 percent in the second quarter]

"I guess we just can't expect to win ‘em all."

[McHale pauses and says quietly]

"I'm going to tell you something you've known for years...most of you know I like to Quip. It started long before your time, back in my Timberwolves broadcasting career. It's become a tradition here in Minnesota...I thought you boys could use cheering up."

[There is a gentle, faraway look in his eyes as he recalls his last smile and quip...the beginning of the 3rd quarter of the Denver game]

"And the last advice I'll give tonight: boys, this half, when you'll be up against it -- and the [fast]breaks are beating you and Foye, you just go out there, with all you got and win just one for me, the Quipper..."

[McHale's eyes become misty and his voice is unsteady as he finishes.]

"I don't know what state I'll be in, Wolves", he said, "but I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."

There is a hushed stillness as McHale and the crowd of players look at each other. In the midst of this tense silence, McHale quietly says "Alright," to the men beside him, and he limps slowly out of the dressing room.

PLAYER # 12--tonight, being played by Kevin Ollie:

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

[With a single roar, the players throw off their blankets and rush through the doorway...]

The Wolves go on to lose the game in a lackluster, passion-less game 118-103 to the Kings. They can't finish fast breaks, they can't stop anybody defensively, and--despite that dramatic plea from their head coach--they give an awful effort in the embarrassing loss.

After scoring 22 in the first half, Al Jefferson barely touches the ball in the second half. McCants does his usual "score when we're far behind" trick, finishing with 21 points in the game. Talk about lack of identity: the first half they're setting up Al in the low block, the second they ignore him and run up and down the court like a bunch of middle schoolers. However, middle schoolers are taught by coaches to stop dribble penetration at the perimeter. Randy Foye is hopelessly lost against middle to upper tier point guards.

The Wolves are wiping the smile right off of McHale's face. So much for great talent and genius coaching. All that's left is to someday, somehow, win one for the Quipper.

Futility, Inc.

2008-12-15T06:23:00.004-06:00

Feeling good about that new coach yet? Does anyone not in denial believe we have a chance to get substantially better this season? Since the Iron Ranger was reinstated as coach we have lost four straight against good teams, the latest being the Lakers 98-86 somnambulant victory over the Wolves. The Lakers played mediocre, disinterested basketball the entire game, shooting under 45%, getting outrebounded (16-9 on the offensive end), made one less free throw and hit less from the arc than the Minnesota club, yet found a way to win by 12.

Why?

Try shooting 36% percent from the floor, and committing 17 turnovers, mostly in the first half. Even when the Wolves tightened their act up in the second half turnover-wise and moved the ball around--especially in the third quarter--one never had the sense that the Lakers felt any sort of urgency to respond...until they did in the fourth.

Okay, you can say it's the Lakers, with talent and veteran leadership to spare. But it's also the story with the Jazz, Nuggets, and Spurs. They all took Minnesota's best shot, then kicked in another gear when they had to and won those games, just like in those expansion years we're "celebrating" in this our 20th anniversary. When they play tonight against the Kings, will the Wolves respond to a team who is closer to them in talent and experience, or will they continue to make excuses, as McHale did again last night about them not being in shape to run his desired tempo?

Yeah, right.

The problem isn't tempo, it's defense and finishing. Game after game, we hear about how Love and Jefferson are such dynamic rebounders, but I ask you, what good is rebounding if you can't make a basket? This is especially true with Kevin Love, who is being pounded down our throats by our television broadcasting crew. Here's the deal; Love may be serviceable to pretty good one day, but he has to do three things:

1) Find different and creative angles to score in the low post after an offensive rebound. Kicking it out to an open player helps as well, but given the scrums down low, if he can't put it back up for a basket after grabbing an initial carom, then all you're doing is padding stats, and giving Jim Petersen a good orgasmic stroking. If he can convert a higher percentage of his rebounds directly to points or assists, he could be better than good.

2) Hit a mid-range shot. Love showed good range in college, but has been terribly inconsistent to date in the pros. The majority of college ballers usually take a year or so to adjust their shooting skills to the pro game; as a result, it's not surprising that Love is struggling. But part of this whole undersized front court Al-can-play-with-Kevin sort of thing was based on Love's ability to play the high post, make the mid-range basket, draw out the defense, and use his passing skills to help distribute the ball. That hasn't happened yet, especially when McHale is stubbornly trying to justify his selections of other mediocre draft choices like Craig Smith and Rashad McCants.

3) Play some damn defense. He's shown some aptitude, but unless both Love and Jefferson commit to an urgent, consistent two-way style of play, this undersized concept of McHale's simply won't work. I'm on record as saying it won't work anyway, but these guys do have some talent, it's just not consistently at both ends of the court.

The essential problem with this team is that McHale's primary focus seems to be proving to the rest of the world his roster can play at a higher level. That means trying to rehabilitate folks like McCants, Smith, and Foye. Love is essentially behind two pecking orders; one is the normal rookie-has-to-justify-his-spot process, but the second is the-coach-has-to-demonstrate-he-picked-the-right-players-or-he-loses-his-job siutation. That's a recipe for futility, because as we've seen against the good to great teams all year long, both the coaching and talent level isn't up to snuff.

We'll have another indication tonight, on the road against the Kings.

Stockholm to Minnesota?

2008-12-12T06:06:00.005-06:00

(Useless Press Incorporated, December 12, 2008, Minneapolis, MN)

A University of Minnesota professor has announced his findings regarding why Minnesota Timberwolves basketball fans are not more incensed over the retention of Kevin McHale anywhere in the NBA organization.

Dr. Irving Nevrgotany, a renowned sociologist, had been conducting a five year long study on sporting fans relationship to their teams. He said it's pretty clear why a core group of fans, bloggers and press are willing to give McHale another break.

"It's a variation of the classic Stockholm Syndrome, where people held hostage start to become loyal to their captors", explained Dr. Nevrgotany. "This situation is different of course, being there's no real abduction, but the mere fact that [Owner] Glen Taylor refused for years to make the core changes to the Timberwolves necessary to relieve the fans' frustration, in effect he was holding these fans hostage. They are beaten down, psychologically exhausted from the negativity surrounding the franchise. When the change to McHale came, even though in the end it might prove to be one more useless move, it was enough for many fans, bloggers and press to rally around the franchise. They can't withstand any more negativity, especially during these bad economic times, and of course, the holiday season."

This variation of Stockholm Syndrome is so distinct, says Nevrgotany, that he has given it another name. "I'm calling this Mankato Madness", proclamined Nevrgotany, "after Glen Taylor's home base of operations. In this case, the name seems very appropriate."

The Wolves play San Antonio tonight, 7 pm, at Target Center.

Who's the Clown?

2008-12-11T06:27:00.004-06:00

(Useless Press Incorporated, December 11, 2008, Denver, CO)

Newly installed Timberwolves head coach Kevin McHale announced after Wednesday's loss to Denver (116-105) that "Rimshot" Davis, a local Minnesota stand-up comedian and comedy writer, will be joining the team as Comedy Coordinator. "I think everyone can see after two games, that I'm not much of an X's and O's type of guy", commented McHale, when asked about the hiring. "I mean, not having a decent out of bounds play at the end of the Utah game, and last night when Carmelo [Anthony] went off for 33 against us, geez, I went into a zone to make Anthony shoot over the stop instead of a double team to try and get the ball out of his hands and make someone else beat us. In baseball terms, that would be a swing and a miss on my part. Realistically, even though I still have the highest winning percentage in Timberwolves history, I have only coached 33 games, so there's a lot to learn here. My humor and letting the guys have fun are the primary tools I have to help the replacements here, and maybe, just maybe if the real roster is watching, we get them back home. Rimshot's a funny guy, he also went to the U [University of Minnesota] back in the day, so I think I'll be able to trust him."

Davis, when reached by phone, said while this is the most unique situation he's been in, the money's good, and he has a plan. "Comedy is hard work and timing, much like basketball", he said. "It's knowing the particular audience you're trying to affect, and then when to say something. Using a line on an older referee, or Violet Palmer (the only female referee in the NBA), will be much different than saying something to a bunch of young players. We'll bring in content from the last 40 or so years, index it, do a little pre-game prep--call it a "laugh-a-round"--and then rely on Kevin's sense of delivery and timing to make it work. He's a true natural at this."

Glen Taylor, owner of the Timberwolves franchise, remains skeptical, but is willing to go along with the experiment for now. "As a rule, Republicans aren't very funny", said Taylor. "I mean, there was Bob Hope, and now Drew Carey, Dennis Miller, and maybe even Pat Sajak who's had some success, but on the whole, people laugh at us than with us, if you know what I mean. Where we generally get the last laugh is when we own the companies the real comedians work for. That always sobers them up. However, Rimshot's done a lot of private holiday parties for my other businesses, and he assures me that he can give Kevin all the material he needs to keep everyone loose. I hope the fans will recognize that we're pulling out all the stops to make our brand of basketball fun again. And, we want our real team to come home."

Davis will begin work immediately, in preparation for Friday's game with the San Antonio Spurs at Target Center, 7 pm.

Media News: Fox News President Roger Ailes, Jim Petersen Discuss National On-Air Role; Britt Robson to Write Advice Column

2008-12-10T06:05:00.010-06:00

Roger Ailes, Fox News President

(Useless Press Incorporated, December 10, 2008, Minneapolis, MN)

Jim Petersen may be fair and balanced after all. Reports out of Minneapolis have Roger Ailes, Fox News President, and Minnesota Timberwolves television broadcaster (and Lynx assistant coach) Petersen in discussions to join Fox News as a political/sports commentator. Rumors of the discussions have been going on for weeks, according to sources, but have heated up after Ailes watched a live broadcast of the Minnesota Timberwolves loss to the Utah Jazz, 99-96.

The source, who requested anonymity, said Ailes caught the broadcast while channel surfing for MSNBC's Countdown. "He was stunned by Petersen's ability to take minor facts and make them important", said the source. "Roger almost fell off his chair when he heard how Petersen praised Kevin McHale's [newly installed Timberwolves Head Coach] winning percentage, even though he had only coached 31 games. He flat out stated that if Petersen had been hired to talk about Sarah Palin's [Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] foreign policy experience, the election would have turned out differently. The mention from Jim's sidekick [Wolves play-by-play announcer Tom Hanneman] about Petersen being fair and balanced lit the bulb in his head. Ailes immediately called Karl Rove and promised he would send a copy of the broadcast to him. Roger really wants this guy."

Petersen could not be reached for comment, but given his political leanings, according to the source, Fox News would be a perfect fit. "Kind of like Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty for the 2012 Presidential election, this guy is an up and comer."

--Robson to Give Sports Advice--

In an Useless Press exclusive, it will be announced today that the online news source MinnPost will begin a sports advice column written by Britt Robson, MinnPost content provider and long time Minnesota Timberwolves reporter (City Pages, The Rake, Secrets of the City). This after recent comments to a popular blogger on his "On the Ball" blog regarding negativity toward the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA basketball franchise.

In a response to the blogger Robson wrote: "Demanding the pound of flesh that will never be exacted is a self-destructive attitude."

"When I saw Britt's reply", said Joel Kramer, Editor and CEO of MinnPost, "I knew he would be the perfect person to write this column and start changing the tone of sports blogging around here. It was like he was that blogger's father, or psychologist at least. I mean, Britt has no formal training, probably knows little about the blogger's background, whether he's a stable, intelligent family man who runs a very successful blog of his own, or just a raving lunatic, but the empathy Britt showed in that response was remarkable. We here at MinnPost are always looking at expanding our content. I think telling people how they should feel about a subject--regardless of how well they state their frustration or argument--is the perfect avenue to head down. It will make the journalistic community feel like elitists again."

No details will be given today on when the column will start, but according to sources, it is slated to start the first quarter of 2009.

Pleas for Progress, Patience and Prayers

2008-12-09T06:20:00.005-06:00

NBAE/Getty Images

(Useless Press Incorporated, December 9, 2008, Minneapolis, MN)

Timberwolves Owner Glen Taylor and newly installed Head Coach Kevin McHale made an impassioned plea to the world community as to the whereabouts of the real Timberwolves team. "Look, I know Randy yelled a lot, but at the time we told him our young players needed tough love. He was the bad cop, now Kevin will be the good cop", Taylor said at a press conference announcing the firing of Randy Wittman, and the new coaching assignment for McHale. "No matter the circumstances, we're praying for the roster's safe return."

McHale looking ashen and forlorn, basically agreed with Taylor's sentiments. "Look, I love basketball, so even with replacements, if it gives me an excuse not to travel to the in-laws during holiday season, I'm there. The fact is though, I want to be successful with our real team, the kids and players I brought here. I want to show every last one of you [the press] just how good I am as personnel evaluator and a coach. So, I say to any of my guys out there, for whatever reason you've left...please, come home."

Taylor, when asked if he really wanted the team back, given the potential of a government subsidy via the Athletes in Absentia act if the real players remain missing, scoffed at the suggestion. "That's ridiculous, we have no guarantee that we qualify for such funding anyway", reasoned Taylor. "Our fans deserve the very best, that's why we want our players back, and that's why I decided to make a change at this point to make Kevin our head coach. I'm not driving people away to sell the team, or any absurd notion like that."

Fake Al Jefferson, attending the meeting, said no matter the circumstances, he'll play hard for the new coach. "It's too bad we couldn't save Randy, and it's terrible the team has gone through the wringer the last week, but we'll play for the new dude, no doubt", said the faux Jefferson. "Playing the NBA has been a dream of mine, so maybe if the players one day do come back, maybe I'll still have a job."

Timberwolves televison commentator--and Lynx assistant coach--Jim Petersen fought back tears when he said the franchise was at a crossroads. "This situation has been so difficult, I'm proud of what Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale have done today. How many people could both address the short term and the long term issues this team has with one front office shift and press conference? These guys are so amazing, I'm proud to be working with them in any capacity. I only hope that if I ever get the opportunity to head coach or run a team, I can do it with the class of either of these two individuals."

Updates were scarce regarding the disapperance case itself, according to James McGruder, regional FBI agent-in-charge. "We continue to work all the leads, the cooperation we're getting from the Timberwolves franchise has been nothing short of fantastic. This is my first sports related press conference...I could get use to this", McGruder commented.

Anyone having information as to the whereabouts of the real Timberwolves roster can still call the established 800 number: 1-800-Who-Left.

Meet the New Boss...Same as the Old Boss

2008-12-08T23:02:00.003-06:00

Okay, I remain skeptical. How is Jim Stack going to make a player deal for Kevin McHale? How is Fred Hoiberg or Rob Babcock going to recommend draft picks for Kevin McHale? How is the Iron Ranger going to put up with all those idiot media types and travel? How is this guy going to work with younger players?

This move is:

a) a beginning baby step for Glen Taylor away from his BFF (Basketball Friend Forever)
b) a way to hold McHale responsible for his player acquisitions

c) one the more cynical events in recent Minnesota sports history.

I think McHale will do a better job than Wittman with this club, but remember, they're still replacements, stand-in's for a real team.

Right now, there's only one thing left to say to Glen Taylor and the Wolves organization:

We won't get fooled again.

The Timberwolves Council of Elders - Fire and Hire Edition

2008-12-08T06:18:00.009-06:00

Present: Glen Taylor, Kevin McHale, Fred Hoiberg, Jim Stack, Rob Babcock, Jim Petersen, various members of the Timberwolves ownership group

Glen Taylor: Elders, before we start...the secret handshake...

(silence, the flutter of robes)

Glen Taylor: Gentlemen, we are gathered here in this emergency session to determine the future of our brother, Randy Wittman...

Kevin McHale: I don't want to coach!

Glen Taylor: Kevin, you'll have your turn soon enough. Now, as I was saying, our team once again is under performing. Fans are staying away in droves, resentment is in the air, and it seems we are prematurely forced to take action. The obvious move here would be a coaching change, but I need your wisdom and sage advice in this dire hour.

Ownership group: Ask for a bailout!!!

(Fists repeatedly pound on the table)

Glen Taylor: That comes later, gentlemen. We have to assure the fans that we can make the necessary changes in order for the team to be successful, or I'm afraid all is lost.

Kevin McHale: Look guys, I'm feeling a bit like KG back in the day here; not only do I have to assemble the best young talent in the NBA and manage the cap, but now I have to coach again too? Veteran mercenaries I can coach, but young players, before the holidays? Can't we get Stack or Sichting to close out the season, then decide?

Jim Petersen: I could coach, I'm a Lynx assistant now...

Glen Taylor: Jim, this isn't a time to joke around. We're in trouble here. Look Kevin, my balance sheet is looking pretty poor. If we fire Randy now, I'm on the hook for his salary, and I just got rid of Dwayne's. If you haven't noticed, our team--like the economy--is in recession. You told me we had up and comers. You told me we'd be 20 games better than last year, and it seems you had a reason for saying that, so being that no one else here seems to get the blueprint you're creating, it's up to you to fix this. Gentlemen, do you agree?

(Fists repeatedly pound on the table)

Fred Hoiberg: Sir, if I might...

Glen Taylor: Of course Fred, you have the floor.

Fred Hoiberg: Kevin's a Hall of Famer to be sure, but if we take one more step back, I think there's a pattern developing here. When we traded Cassell and acquired Marko, Kevin told the media via Sid that we had the talent to make the playoffs. When we made the first Boston trade, he said that Marcus Banks was the key to the deal...

Jim Petersen: Mark Blount was the second best center in the Western Conference!

Fred Hoiberg: Yeah, right Jim. Then he trades a Hall of Famer and acquires talent that never won anything or even progressed in a second Boston trade, but yet Kevin is telling everyone how good they're going to be. Now, last off-season, he says we should be better by 20 more games. I think the evidence is getting clear...

Glen Taylor: That we should keep our mouths shut when we make deals?

Fred Hoiberg: No, no, that maybe Kevin isn't up to the job of VP.

Kevin McHale: You traitor...I knew I couldn't trust anyone outside of Stadium Village!

Fred Hoiberg: Look Kevin, you were a great player, and an awesome announcer. But I have to say, your track record is not getting any better here, and we're all being dragged down...

Rob Babcock: I'd love the VP job...I could hire Sam Mitchell all over again.

Fred Hoiberg: Whatever...Glen, all I'm saying is that firing Randy is one thing. Some of our fans will take that as a good sign. But maybe Randy isn't the entire problem, just like Dwyane wasn't the entire problem, or Flip for that matter, maybe it's Kevin...or maybe even us.

(the elders gasp)

Glen Taylor: Ah Fred, you're displaying your corporate naivete...rule one, always have a fall guy. I'm very comfortable with a simple coaching change right now, as long as Kevin's willing to show us the path back to respectability here, and because I love Kevin like a son. (leans over and kisses McHale on the cheek) Otherwise, we could kick this fall guy thing up another notch. Gentlemen, what say you?

Ownership Group: Aye!!! Down with Wittman, up with McHale!!!

Glen Taylor: Kevin, there's the deal. What say you?

(the plot thickens...)

Timberwolves Lost - Day 5: Possible Defections?

2008-12-07T07:33:00.006-06:00

(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

(Useless Press Incorporated, December 7th, 2008, Minneapolis, MN)

The mystery of the missing Timberwolves roster continues, as their replacements/imposters lost Saturday night to the lowly Los Angeles Clippers 107-84. With this loss coming after a lopsided beating in New Jersey, players, coaches and front office all expressed frustration at the situation.

"It's pretty bad when even the replacements don't want to play hard", seethed Head Coach Randy Wittman. "I watched my son's team [Cornell] get waxed in the second half against the Gophers this afternoon, but they played hard, despite the odds. I thought I had my team ready, and since these were the Clippers dammit, this was a game we could have had, even with this roster."

The fake Al Jefferson, who led the team with 28 points and 8 rebounds for the evening, was sympathetic, but disagreed with his new coach. "I understand coach has his shorts in a bundle right now, but I think if anything we need to play together more on defense, and hit our open shots. If I get a little more help from my teammates and stay together, we'll be fine."

One Timberwolves staff member was still optimistic, even after such a devastating loss. "I simply don't get the gloom and doom around here", commented television broadcaster Jim Petersen. "I see signs that Kevin McHale has done a great job managing the situation, and in selecting these replacement players to fill in for the missing roster. Every time I see the new Love kid touch the ball, I'm amazed. He's a little undersized--just like the real Love--and he doesn't finish real well around the basket, given all the rebounds he gets, and his small area quickness hasn't helped him much on the defensive end, but his instincts for the game are awesome. I'm sure Kevin McHale--after this episode is all done--will be vindicated and revered for the superior basketball mind that he is."

Meanwhile, the search continues for the real Timberwolves roster, lost on December 2nd in Orlando during a light practice session in preparation for a contest with the Magic. FBI regional agent-in-charge James McGruder, attending the Wolves/Clippers game with his family, offered an informal update to reporters. "First of all, a big thank you to the Wolves organization for the Full Meal Deal tickets here in the upper level", said McGruder. "Since most of the fans who actually showed up are sitting in the lower section, it's like we have this section all to ourselves. The investigation is continuing, we are tracking leads both in Boston and over in Europe as to where the players might have gone and who might have them. In some aspects this incident is similar to reports about soccer teams playing for totalitarian governments who as an entire team defected from their country. Being this is a NBA franchise and not a government does make it different, but the "team was here, now they're gone" aspect does offer a framework theory from which we can operate. I can't be any more specific than that at this time, plus my son needs a hot dog."

The defection angle does have benefits for the Timberwolves franchise, according to legal experts. The "Athletes In Absentia Act", which encouraged Western sports franchises to welcome defecting athletes to join their teams by offering substantial financial support, is being sought by the Timberwolves to assist them at this time, according to an unnamed source. "It's not a bailout", commented the source, who requested to remain anonymous, "but we are looking into whether or not the rules of the act fit this situation. Obviously, we are suffering significant attenance losses as a result of this action, whether it be kidnapping, defection or resignation. These are perilous times for everyone, not just Wall Street bankers, mortgage owners, state governments, hedge fund managers, small business owners, the auto industry, school districts, universities and colleges, as well as everyday citizens. We're hemorrhaging money, and we can't just can't go out and buy a Costco or Wal-mart to help our cash flow."

The Timberwolves continue playing through this situation on Tuesday, December 9th, against the Utah Jazz at Target Center.

Day 3: Still Missing

2008-12-05T06:21:00.002-06:00

(December 5, 2008, Meadowlands, NJ - Useless Press Incorporated)

With no leads and little information coming in, authorities have been increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress in finding the real Minnesota Timberwolves players, as the franchise again prepares their replacements for a game against the New Jersey Nets.

"To put it bluntly, we're stumped", admitted James McGruder, FBI, Minneapolis regional agent-in-charge. "They fell off the face of the earth, and it seems like absolutely no one cares."

A glimmer of hope surfaced Thursday when a hand crafted note made of newspaper advertisements was sent to the Minneapolis FBI, the note saying "Fire coach, or else". Both the newspaper ads and the note itself were traced back to a Mankato location, where it was discovered that it was simply a prank by a disgruntled former employee of Taylor Corp, who's owner--Glen Taylor--also owns the Timberwolves franchise.

"We half expected that", said McGruder, "we actually expected many more fakes, but the apathy about this case is nothing short of remarkable."

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves front office and coaching staff continues to prepare the existing team like nothing has happened. "Honestly, given the start of the season, there's not much difference between the team we lost and the one we have now", explained Kevin McHale, vice president of operations for the Timberwolves. "Of course, we hope to find the lads, but until then, we've got to fight through this with the players we've been given."

The game is 6:30 pm tonight, Central Daylight Time, at the IZOD Center in New Jersey.

Team of Minnesota Imposters Post Same Result

2008-12-04T07:00:00.008-06:00

(Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)

If Useless Press reports are to believed, a group of Minnesota Timberwolves imposters went out and lost against the Orlando Magic Wednesday, 100-89. After carefully inspecting the evidence, this observer could find no difference between the missing roster and the one that showed up last night. The player masquerading as Kevin Love has a nice game with 16 points and 12 rebounds, a +4 for the night. In fact, he and the faux Al Jefferson were the only players playing significant minutes that were in the plus category. Fake Al had 19 points, with 8 rebounds, good for a +6.

Regardless of the real or fake opposition, despite having three players in their rotation out due to injury (Jameer Nelson, Keith Bogans, Michael Pietrus), the Magic showed superior athleticism and ability the entire evening. Point guard Courtney Lee, a rookie out of Western Kentucky, had 19 points off the Orlando bench, and could not be stopped by any of the Wolves guards. It's regrettable that if one were to have replaced this motley Minnesota bunch, they could not find anyone who could play the perimeter better than the originals. In fact, the entire Minnesota defense once again was horrible, allowing the Magic to shoot nearly 57% for the evening. Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis all did their normal damage against the Wolves, Minnesota had no answer for any of them.

Unfortunately, our television broadcasters were all too real. Bright, shiny and optimistic, Jim Petersen and Tom Hanneman continued to put whatever lipstick they could on this animal. When the Mike Miller impersonator went down with an ankle injury, then came back in the third quarter, it was as if Willis Reed had once again graced Madison Square Garden in the 1970 NBA finals, coming back to inspire his team to victory. Unfortunately, reality bit down hard, as Orlando put the game away that quarter with a 26-12 advantage. I think it was at least two or three times Hanneman mentioned what a quality addition Miller has been to the Wolves roster. Petersen was also at his political spin best, especially when comparing the two franchises, since they came into the NBA together in the late 80's. "It's the luck of the draft", opined Petersen, obviously meaning the ability to have drafted O'Neal and Howard with the overall first pick in their respective drafts, along with Penny Hardaway, who was a third pick by Golden State, then traded to the Magic for the rights for Chris Webber. He forgets however, that we have had potential game changers available to us in at least two of the last four drafts, and we have failed to obtain them, or in Brandon Roy's case, hold on to them. Is that luck or incompetence?

All that being said, according to reports, the search is still on for our missing team. I will keep you updated on the search as time allows...

Breaking News: NBA Coach Loses Entire Team

2008-12-02T22:38:00.008-06:00

Randy Wittman
DAVID MAXWELL/Getty Images

(December 2, 2008, Orlando, FL - Useless Press Incorporated)

For the first time in modern sports history, a professional basketball coach has lost his entire team. Head Coach Randy Wittman of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, reported to Orlando police Tuesday afternoon that his entire team was no longer at Amway Arena, where they were going through a light practice before Wednesday's game with the Magic. 30 minutes after reporting the team missing, Wittman told a quickly assembled group of reporters that he was talking intensely about their 100-90 loss Monday night to the Charlotte Bobcats, turned his head briefly as a result of a loud bang heard in the foyer area, then found that his entire contingent of players were gone.

"I looked around in the lower section and locker rooms, thinking they were playing a joke on me", said an incredulous Wittman. "But, I couldn't find them anywhere. My assistants didn't see a thing, either. I'm simply flabbergasted."

Kevin McHale, Vice President of the Timberwolves who had been accompanying the team on this current road trip, petitioned to the league for cancellation of Wednesday's game, but the NBA executive board turned him down, offering instead to assemble a D-League roster and get them to Florida in time for the game. "They told me three of them look a lot like Big Al, Mike Miller and Randy Foye", explained McHale. "They mentioned that given our 4-12 start, they actually might be doing us a favor. I still think, if we can't find our original team, we should be able to win 30-35 games with whatever we're given."

Immediate steps were taken to perform a nationwide search for the Timberwolves roster. Anthony LaPaglia, star of the CBS series "Without a Trace", has been hired by the league to make two 60 second commercials pleading for the safe return of the roster. The 2008-2009 team photo has been given to milk producers all across the country to put on their cartons, in hope of generating some leads, as well as an 800 number being made available for citizens to call.

"This is a tragedy for sure", continued McHale. "As much as I am a huge fan of Randy's, no coach should lose an entire team like this. I just hope we find them in time to save the season, if not their careers."

If you have seen any of these players, or have information leading to the whereabouts of the Timberwolves roster, please call 1-800-Who-Left.

Back to the Dismal Future

2008-12-02T06:32:00.006-06:00

As I watched the latest Wolves debacle--a 100-90 loss to Charlotte--I pinched myself. Many times. Mind you, I'm generally not into that sort of thing--pain really isn't pleasurable, if you get my drift--but as I listen to the broadcast, then compare it to what I'm watching, there's something alternative going on. Not cool, sensitive, or edgy alternative; it's like my HDTV has become a flux capacitor, and I'm Doc Brown, being transported back to the expansion years...

Was it last night that I heard that someone thought Randy Foye and Mike Miller were supposed to be options 2 and 3 for Al Jefferson, and that part of the problem this season is that they haven't quite fulfilled those roles? Seems to me outside of Miller's poor performance vs. Denver, those guys are playing well of late, at least on offense. Al was the problem last night, as well as the fact that as a team, they can't play any defense.

Was it last night that I heard about how down the team was regarding Corey Brewer, and how that could be affecting their performance? I simply have to wonder about what led to the other 11 losses, and the emotional stability of well paid professionals who know injury is a part of the game, especially when it happens to a six or seventh man coming off the bench. Yes, it is a shame about Brewer, who was starting to improve, but the team was losing with him, as well as without him.

Was it last night that I heard about Kevin Love already hitting all these "mini-walls", and how rookies--except for the special ones--need at least a year to adjust to the professional game. Seems to me at one time Love was labeled "special", someone who wildly succeeded at every other level--grade school, high school, college, etc.--and that we traded our 3rd pick in part because Love knew how to play at this level? After watching PG DJ Augustin play pretty well against our club last night, as well as other rookies such as Brook Lopez, Jason Thompson, and Derrick Rose make major contributions for their teams, it makes me wonder if this isn't making another excuse for yet another under developing or over valued Wolves draft choice. I don't necessarily disagree about the whole rookie wall thing, but it usually happens later in the season...way later. We haven't been through a quarter of the season yet!

In this alternate, quasi-expansion universe I'm sucked into when watching a Wolves broadcast, this team is a bunch of up and comers, where there are a number of legitimate reasons why they aren't competing and winning at a higher level. With this team, there's always an excuse around the corner. One day it will all be better, we're told. Just like the expansion years, except no Kevin Harlan, or Trent Tucker.

Of course back in the present, my alternative explanation is they're a bad team. Poorly assembled, coached, and marketed to a dwindling fan base weary of the same old BS.

Could it be that simple?

Obama Repeats Call for College Football Playoff Series, Repudiates Use Of The Term "Lead Guard" In NBA Blogs.

2008-12-01T06:27:00.004-06:00

Win McNamee/Getty Images

(Useless Press Incorporated, December 1, 2008 - Chicago, IL)

In a wide-ranging interview with reporters from three local Chicago television stations, President-elect Barack Obama once again displayed his deep passion for sports related issues, renewing his call recently mentioned on "60 Minutes" for a college football playoff championship series. In the 42 minute, 38 second interview, he also discussed a number of other sports related topics pertaining to the NBA, blogs, and second chances for Michael Vick and Stephon Marbury.

"If we didn't have one minute to waste with all the other profound economic, social, and military challenges left to me by my predecessor", said Obama, "I would be much more vigorous in my advocacy of a college football playoff series. I'm a huge fan of college basketball's March Madness, and I think you certainly could find a way for football teams to playoff for the championship, as opposed to what we have today. There's a chance, for example, for an undefeated team--Ball State--to have to play an also ran Big Ten school--probably Minnesota--in the Motor City Bowl. Although they would be underdogs in playing anyone better, say a USC or Texas Tech, or even Northwestern, the fact they are undefeated should allow them to compete in a playoff system, to see just how far they could go."

When asked about the outsourcing of news--particularly sports journalism--to unpaid bloggers, Obama replied "it's a sad day for everyone who loves sports that we can't find an economic model to support these great writers who have spent years honing their craft. However, with change comes great opportunity, and I find some of these blogs very entertaining, if not informative. I would simply say to these enterprising folks, that if they want to be more respected, they should use proper terminology. For example, in a bunch of NBA related blogs I've seen the use of the term "lead guard" in describing NBA point guards. Now, "lead guard" is a term more suited to high school, college or even YMCA league basketball. It has no place in the NBA vernacular. To think a "2" guard, for example, could be a "lead guard" on a NBA professional team, well, maybe they should be writing about European basketball instead. The proper terminology for a NBA point guard is either point guard or combo guard."

Obama ended the interview with a sincere hope that Vick--former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, arrested on dog fighting charges--and Marbury--petulant point guard for a number of NBA teams--would be able to rejoin society in a meaningful way. "Michael's situation is much more serious than Stephon's naturally, and, while it is entirely true that their own actions have caused much pain and sorrow to themselves and people around them, if they are willing to be truly repentant, or in Stephon's case play in Italy, then I think part of the change that I'm talking about for us all is the ability to forgive, and not be so angry. As you can see, I have forgiven Hillary--and Bill--for all the nasty things they did and said to me on the campaign trail. As a result, I have a place for her in my cabinet. We should all be ready to move on, when the time is right."

Breaking News: Statistician Nate Silver hired to perform Timberwolves Regression Analysis

2008-11-30T11:39:00.007-06:00

Nate Silver - FiveThirtyEight.com

(Useless Press Incorporated - November 30, 2008-Minneapolis, MN)

Emerging media and statistical phenom Nate Silver (FiveThirtyEight.com) has been hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves to use his regressive analysis technique in assessing the club's current performance.

"I'm not a big believer in stats", said Kevin McHale, Timberwolves VP of Operations. "But I have been very impressed with the accuracy of Nate's work, even though it predicted that my guy [failed Republican candidate John McCain] would lose. So much of this game has changed since I played it. It used to be we put on our shorts, played hard, and won or lost. Now, I think we need an extra edge--in addition to a couple more really great draft picks--to put us over the top. Nate will give us a more precise context for us to do our decision making."

Silver--in town to monitor the Al Franken/Norm Coleman Senatorial recount--was surprised by the Timberwolves offer. "Politics are my bread and butter, but when the call came, I reviewed Minnesota's operation and found that in terms of their performance--both front office and on-court--they are just about as political of an organization as a sports franchise can get, without actually running for anything. I've been impressed with their political spin type approach to every facet of their operation, right down to their broadcasts. The danger of course, is when organizations start to believe their own hype. I think in that respect, I can help. I'll be an honest, factual, information broker. I'll spare no algorithm in trying to figure out how to get this team back on track."

National media and basketball experts, however, remain skeptical. "I've always said stats are for fans", commented Kenny Smith, former NBA player and now TNT basketball analyst. "They may get better information to make decisions, but the problem hasn't been the information, it's the decision makers themselves." Charles Barkely, fellow TNT analyst, agrees. "Minnesota ain't no damn good. I love Kevin McHale, but he's been terrible for this franchise. Glen Taylor needs to ship him off so he can play more golf with me."

Unnamed sources close to the Timberwolves say that Silver will use his technique in a number of operational areas, from the number of times Head Coach Randy Wittman says in post-game comments that "the team just has to play though this" (an indication of the team's lack of confidence in his coaching abilities), to a projected weight of 2008 first round draft pick Kevin Love in 2012, when the first decision regarding his contractual status is due.

"This will be a great stretch for me", admitted Silver. "If I can actually help the Wolves, it will provide me with substantial work between election cycles. I can't wait to get started."

Evidence Based Basketball - Part 2

2008-11-28T08:01:00.005-06:00

Continuing on from last post, the Wolves have put themselves in a pickle with the way they have begun this season, if you truly believe change is coming to Minnesota. With a 3-10 record, (a .231 winning percentage), they are on track to win 18-19 games. To reach the level where most dedicated fans, bloggers and MSM thought they were going to be--somewhere between 30-36 wins--they are going to have to win at around a .400 (28-41) or .500 (35-34) pace in their last 69 games. Not impossible by any stretch of the imagination, but my contention is that there's no evidence that they can or will perform at that level.

Tonight's game with OKC notwithstanding, the Wolves are one win ahead of the 07-08 pace; they were 2-11 on exactly this date last year. They went 20-49 the remainder of last season, roughly a .290 winning percentage. We were sold at the time that one primary reason why they were losing was Randy Foye's injury. If one immedately jumps to 1/29/08--the first game Foye was back in the rotation--the Wolves finished the remaining 38 games 14-24, a .368 winning percentage. Fast forward to the present, with Foye healthy and getting major minutes in the rotation, the Wolves are losing at a similar rate to last year. In fact, what is advertised to be the core of this team really isn't much different than '07-'08. It would suggest that as a long-term solution to the Wolves' problem--Foye ain't it.

This dilemma parallels the current economic crisis we're in, as well as the two approaches offered by our Presidential candidates in the recent election. Either Vice President McHale can tell us that the fundamentals of the franchise are sound, or he can concoct a personnel or coaching stimulus package to jolt the fortunes of the team. He can hope that one or more of his existing "core" (probably someone other than Big Al) dramatically improves their game(s), then continue to add talent primarily via the draft, or he can attempt to change the dynamic by adding or subtracting players or coaches.

If McHale "stays the course", and keeps the team's nucleus and coaching staff in place, there's little evidence to suggest that they will substantially improve. The previous McHale draft choices the last four years--McCants, Foye, Brewer, Smith, Richard, and now Love--have failed to add anything other than mediocrity to the franchise. Brewer and Love can still be considered projects, but the others--particularly McCants and the now departed Richard--have made little positive impact on the team. In Rashad's case particularly, he's approaching "Mini-JR" status; with his selfish, brooding, turnover prone game, he's a growing cancer on this roster. With neither the handle or the mindset to play anything but the "microwave" role, he could be considered one of the Iron Ranger's biggest draft mistakes--right alongside William Avery and Ndudi Ebi.

Jolting the team via coaching change has already been tried, but it's an inevitable tool to be used if the Wolves continue to lose at their current rate. Even though the evidence clearly suggests the main problem is at the strategy and talent acquisition level, Glen Taylor, not Kevin McHale, would need to step in and provide the stimulus jolt. Considering the enormous investment in the current strategy--undersized front court, struggling point guard play, poor defense--for him to step back and actually admit failure at this time and make the systemic changes needed to reverse the franchise fortunes would be remarkable indeed.

The evidence just isn't there...yet.

Evidence Based Basketball

2008-11-27T09:17:00.005-06:00

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Question: How can a team that shoots 23 more times than the opposition, out rebounds them by 13 (with a staggering 21 to 3 offensive rebound edge), has seven more assists, and hits three more three pointers actually LOSE the game? To a team on the back-end of a two game swing no less? At home. Bueller...anyone?

Answer: when you're the supposedly progressing Minnesota Timberwolves.

As they lurch into December, we're getting closer to the time--on a normal, impatient NBA team--that plug pulling would be necessary. Of course, this is not true with the Wolves. Having watched recordings of all President 43's speeches and campaign appearances, admitting front office mistakes and re-crafting strategy is not part of their operation.

We've already seen two teams--OKC (a team that played much better against the Suns, BTW), and Washington--fire coaches who are decidedly much more accomplished than our current sideline leader. Of course, we've already employed that strategy, having burned through three head coaches (if you count McHale himself) in the last four years. Could Wittman be the fourth? An optimist could say, however, that we have more wins than the Thunder or Wizards. If we win against Oklahoma on Friday(certainly not a given), we will have a winning record in our last five games, which considering the 1-8 start, is a sign of progress, considering two of those wins were against "quality" opponents (Philly, Detroit). After a rough start, we still could hit the 30-35 win stride most thought we would be at this year.

Even though I thought progress was supposed to be measured against last year, and not just the fact they're slightly less awful in the last few games than the first eight... point taken.

As they say on those countless CSI shows, we should look at the evidence. What has really changed from last year? I would argue that the Wolves have changed only incrementally--possibly bordering on excrementally--at best. Right now, the Wolves are on track to win 18-19 games, with their 3-10 start, and .231 winning percentage. Given the "improvement" in the last four games, if they play around .500 ball their remaining 69 games (35-34) they will be at 38 wins, which would be just about the plateau for the Iron Ranger to hang a "Mission Accomplished" banner at Target Center. Bloggers everywhere would be celebrating, given their improved salary cap situation, and the stockpiled draft choices they have coming up. If they go 28-41--around .400--they'll be at 31 wins, the low end of pre-season expectations. Die-hard fans would be cautiously optimistic.

Question: does anyone truly believe the Wolves will win at either of those percentages the rest of the season?

More to come...

"We Were Looking Ahead to Minnesota"

2008-11-25T22:07:00.006-06:00

Photo by NBAE/Getty Images

(Useless Press Incorporated - Oklahoma City, OK, November 25, 2008)
Matt Barnes hit the winning shot with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the Phoenix Suns held on to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-98, in Oklahoma City. The Suns, playing without Shaquille O'Neal, who was a DNP-Coach's Decision, were behind the majority of the game, playing lackluster ball until late in the fourth quarter.

"Between having no energy and holding Shaq back to rest, we were lucky to win", commented Suns coach Terry Porter. "I think we were looking ahead to Minnesota tomorrow, given the juggernaut they're assembling up there. Look what they did to the Pistons. Even though they took advantage of some pretty cold outside shooting last Sunday, I know they're thinking they've turned the corner, especially Randy Foye. As little as that team has won the last few years, I know I would be selling that if I were Kevin McHale and Randy Wittman. I was up there for a couple of years, so I know how McHale thinks."

Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 22 points and 7 rebounds, going a +15 for the night. "Yeah, I might have been looking ahead to tomorrow night just a bit," said Stoudemire. "I heard about how the Wolves broadcasters keep saying Al Jefferson torched me last year, and that was the reason why they brought Shaq in. Hopefully, the big fella can go tomorrow night, but if he can't, I guess it's time to see if he can do it again. I've got tickets to First Avenue tomorrow, so I'd like to see--unlike tonight--if we could close them out before the fourth quarter. I like to at least catch part of the show."

Steve Nash,who had 15 assists along with 20 points, is also looking forward to tomorrow's game. "What can I say, it's close to Canada", Nash offered. "I can't wait to see if Randy Foye is for real, after his game against Detroit. I know a lot of fans up there are still upset they gave up Roy to get him, but maybe he's finally coming out. This should be fun."

The game will start at 6pm, Mountain Time, on Fox Sports Arizona.

It Must Be The Footwork

2008-11-24T06:27:00.003-06:00

(Photo by Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

(Useless Press Incorporated - Monday, November 24, 2008)
Minnesota showed superior footwork in pasting the Pistons 106-80, at the Palace in Auburn Hills, MI Sunday. While actual statements can't be verified, it was rumored by many in the locker room that some in the Wolves brain trust thought they hadn't seen such footwork since the Magic Johnson led Lakers of the 80's. Johnson, in Los Angeles, preparing for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, could not be reached for comment.

That the Wolves--identified as perennial league doormats--could pick up their first road win against quality opposition, wasn't lost on the Detroit fans. "First no government bailout, then this", commented Beretta Axhandle, long time Pistons season ticket holder. "Maybe we should get Flip back", he continued, remembering former coach Flip Saunders, fired by the Pistons in the offseason. "Of course, the real problem are Sunday games. I see these guys partying all the time down in the bars Saturday night. They've been losing on Sundays a lot lately, and AI isn't much of a team leader yet."

Back in the Minnesota locker room, comparisons ran amok between the coaching staff and players celebrating their victory. The Wolves' Randy Foye, a much maligned, still developing point guard, broke out for 23 points and 14 assists, going a gaudy + 25 for the night. He immediately was compared to recent departed guard Chauncey Billups (Mr. Big Shot), now playing for Denver. Ryan Gomes--who scored 20 points with seven rebounds, a +16 for the night--was compared to Satch Sanders, the former Boston Celtic, a real "glue guy". Al Jefferson, (18 points, 8 rebounds, +25) who has already been compared to Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone in recent days by Wolves announcer (and Lynx assistant coach) Jim Petersen, was heard attempting to add Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed and Walt Bellamy to his resemblance list. One unnamed Timberwolf official put it this way: "until these guys actually turn the corner, we'd compare them to minor deities if we can sell tickets. Yeah, they stunk against Boston, but just like Senator McCain said in the last days before the election, we've got teams just where we want them. 3 and 9...hell no, we're STREAKING, having won 2 out of the last 3. In these poor economic times, any sign of hope is marketable. We've trying to lower the bar enough to make mediocrity palatable."

In a weekend where OKC Thunder head coach PJ Carlisemo was fired, and increased rumors about Reggie Theus' job in Sacremento are surfacing, the Detroit win gives Coach Randy Wittman a little breathing room. "Yeah, I know Dwayne Casey got fired for inconsistency. And honestly, between our terrible home game against Boston and our win tonight, what could be more inconsistent? But, I've been around here a long time, and folks know me here. Dwayne didn't have the benefit of being on the inside, so while he might have been the victim of a double standard, he DID have KG around. Of course, I did too and I couldn't do anything with him either. I think a few wins a month represents real progress. What's KG doing with his ring this year anyway, beside torching us and picking on the opposition's smaller players? Not much. People in the state know I have the REAL challenge ahead of me. I'll be fine."

The Wolves continue their streak against Phoenix on Wednesday at home, 7pm.

The Pretenders

2008-11-22T07:16:00.007-06:00

(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Both Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone were embarrassed by Boston last night. As the broadcast of the Celtics trouncing our Woebegoners began, Chief Vindicator (and Lynx assistant coach) Jim Petersen immediately took pains to compare Al Jefferson to the two Hall of Fame centers, saying that Jefferson's footwork was the best he's seen since the Dream; the way Big Al tapped in his first basket reminded him of Moses Malone. In comparing Garnett and Al, I think I actually heard him say Jefferson was going to be in the Hall of Fame one day. I can't be sure I heard that statement correctly however; by that time I was in my kitchen vigorously working my martini shaker. I had a feeling I was going to need a sip or two to watch this "contest". As the game continued, I was correct. So much for comparisons.

It would be easy and I think even a tad classless to rip the Wolves, after all, given that they followed up their first win in November against Philly with such an awful, moribund, amateur, lifeless and confuzzled performance, the team must be beating themselves up. I mean, they dedicated an entire Don Overbeck commerical, hired Verne Troyer's stunt double to pose as a leprechaun, and were able to sucker an announced 19,000 plus into the Target Center, only to watch KG and the Celts waive to our club in their rear view mirror. Talk about your buzzkills! Yep, it would be easy and classless, so I'll do it.

What exactly is it about the Wolves current brain trust that they can't see the damage they are inflicting on their own franchise? Is it the hubris of wealth, the promimently Republican leadership, midwestern stubborness, a combination of the three, or something else? When all is said and done, one day Glen Taylor will probably sell this team at a profit, even with the mounting losses he must be taking on right now. He can continue to sit in the front row at TC, smile, and tell anyone who will listen that while he's not happy with their season start, he has faith that things will turn out. It's the same words our owner's been saying now for years. And, you know, he's right, it WILL turn out...for Glen Taylor. Like a lot of other upper bracket capitalists in this economy, even in failure he'll get paid. At least Taylor is not asking for a bailout...yet.

By the time they get around to actually being successful, the only people left following the Wolves will be a bunch of bloggers (gamely, but incorrectly insisting Kevin Love is a fantastic player), purists who simply appreciate professional basketball at any cost, and the dance team. If you can't get a deal on a ticket, why would a casual fan show up? Last night, you can see when a team is assembled the right way--defense, then offense--how excellence is achieved. Sure, we all expected the Wolves not to make the playoffs this year, but they're regressing--not progressing. This team--night in, night out--can't guard anybody. Even when they traded for an above average low post player to replace Garnett, they're still a predominately jump shooting team who can't get decent shots when pressured. And, when the shooting percentage is .313...in Mafia terms, forget about it. Against quality teams, they can't generate enough defense to keep them in the game until they find some semblence of offense to steal a win.

If anyone thinks once again tanking this year to acquire a Ricky Rubio or Brandon Jennings in next year's draft is going to solve the problem, well, I have a couple of full price Wolves lower level tickets I'd like to sell you. Who says even if the Wolves COULD draft those players, they would? There's GOT to be another player that McHale will think is better that he'll draft--despite the "Council of Elders" approach they've got working now. At the core of this failure is the inability to assess talent and hire the right coach to implement a vision--any vision.

The one thing this club did right last night was not wait until the fourth quarter to lose the game. For those folks simply wanting to see KG once again in person, they could have left at the start of the fourth quarter, beaten any traffic home, or had a late dinner/nightcap at any one of several fine Warehouse District establishments. That's real consideration, in my book. How exactly is it that a team of veterans on the back end of a two game stint has more energy in the second half than the young'uns with a day off in-between their game? The mind boggles.

According to reports, the OKC Thunder have fired PJ Carlesimo, after their 1-12 start. Given their new location novelty, that team could sit on their hands, do nothing, and still have a great attendance year. Yet, they care enough about the club to see--after only a season or two--that PJ wasn't going to get it done. Even the Clippers are making moves, for Jim Pete's sake. Yet the Wolves--faced with the increasingly obvious evidence that this group is on a court to nowhere--are refusing to budge. They'd much rather spin at this point, and compare Jefferson to Hall of Fame centers, instead of building an environment where he could one day achieve that plateau.

That's the mark of pretenders, not contenders.

Philadelphia Freedom

2008-11-20T06:25:00.005-06:00

(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

For one night, the Wolves are free to celebrate an actual victory, having stayed tough against the 76ers 102-96 at Target Center. The post-game jubilation was not unlike the video clip of their very first franchise win against the Charles Barkley led Philly team 20 years ago, shown at halftime on FSN. It seemed as if the Sixers were content to try and win it in the last six or so minutes of the game, playing lethargically other than the first quarter where they jumped out to a double digit lead. But when you're 1-11 from the three point line, and only 15 of 23 from the free throw line, chances of a road victory--any road victory--are reduced. They came into Minnesota, thought it was going to be an easy win, and suffered the consequences.

The Wolves, on the other hand, did some nice things last night. Freed from having to play Rashad McCants any meaningful minutes (out with back spasms), they shared the ball very well with 29 assists. Craig Smith came off the bench with some great energy and scored 21 points, going 7-9 from the field. The fact he had zero rebounds was somewhat mitigated by his five assists.

In the fourth quarter, the club finally found Big Al, and in return Al found Mike Miller for a huge trey at the end of the game. Jefferson scored 8 points in the quarter, and seem determined to put the team on his back...as long as he could touch the ball. Miller had a nice overall game, with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, and was able to play good enough defense not to be a liability at the end of that floor.

This club still is a mismatch of personnel; their two primary front court players (Jefferson, Love) play primarily at the same position, and are too small to play together consistently. For the night, the Sixers outrebounded the Wolves 40-33, and especially in the fourth, were able to drive to the hoop consistently. As has been pointed out in other blogs, adding Smith to the mix only makes them more susceptible to defensive breakdowns, where they have to aggressively double-team down in the block, only to have good teams swing the ball around for open looks on the perimeter. Because Brand had a bit of an off night (9-21 shooting), Dalumbert isn't a offensive force inside, and the Sixers weren't hitting their three point shots, the Wolves weren't exposed in this manner last night.

But small ball won't work consistently on this club. Overall team transition speed--especially in the front court--is mediocre at best, and would expose more of the club's weaknesses than play to their strengths. Furthermore, the NBA seems to being moving away from the D'Antoni-Nelson, glorified All Star game type of ball, where everyone runs and no one plays defense. If that's true, thank God. Save that type of junk for the D-League, college or European leagues. I love a good fastbreak, but let's play at both ends of the court please. Good defense can lead to great offense.

In the end--despite having to be told TWICE on the FSN broadcast about Jim Pete's appointment to the Lynx coaching staff--this win was one to savor, because there aren't many coming the Wolves way just yet...and the champs are coming to town on Friday.

Above Average?

2008-11-19T06:18:00.008-06:00

"But give me a perennial contender over a magical season or two. I know this isn't the predominant view. I was one of the rare Target Center attendees who was very happy with the Saunders/Garnett tenure here." - Britt Robson, Secrets of the City

Ladies and gentlemen...I present your Lake Wobegon Timberwolves! Where, in this current professional sporting environment, leagues move franchises if cities don't pony up public financing for local arenas, increase ticket prices for even the most awful of teams, as well as charge full price for preseason games, above average performance--not championships--is the goal.

Of course, this begs a few questions:
1. Were the Timberwolves true contenders during the Garnett/Saunders years?
2. Would Garnett/Saunders themselves be content with their tenure in Minnesota?

In my view, the answers would be: Only one year, and, of course not.

3. Was it my imagination or was one of the reasons Garnett became increasingly dissatisfied with this franchise was its inability to truly compete for a title?
4. Why, after the Wolves fired him in 04-05, Saunders rejected a Milwaukee Bucks rebuilding offer to take a high risk, high reward coaching job with the Pistons?

The answers: it wasn't my imagination, and, the Pistons job offered him a better chance to win a ring.

Ultimately, if teams at the professional level don't consistently strive for excellence, they stagnate, and the great players--becoming increasingly concerned with their sporting legacy--look to achieve greatness elsewhere. In this small to mid market, where there are four professional teams competing for an increasingly expensive ticket, if teams can't legitimately compete for a title, they stagnate, and the fan base dwindles slowly over time.

This doesn't mean they have to win it all. Utah is a great example. During the Malone/Stockton years, they were at the doorstep, but never won. Now they have retooled, and again are in the mix in the competetive Western Conference. Despite being the only major league team in their market, they haven't taken themselves--or their fans--for granted. With so much riding on professional franchises--tax revenue, public subsidies, the surrounding businesses who depend on the fan base for increased patronage and profits--is it too much to ask that our teams strive to perform to the highest level, and be judged on the result?

Any standard lower than that seems rather D-League to me.

Groundhog Day or Space Jam?

2008-11-17T06:29:00.003-06:00

In only nine games, this is what the Wolves season has been reduced to, a discussion about which movie is analogous to their awful 1-8 start. Given the similarities in a majority of the losses, in which the Wolves hold decent leads, only to wither in the clutch, Coach Wittman has offered the 1993 movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray as their model for futility. Ever the contrarian, I respectfully disagree. Another Bill Murray movie--Space Jam--would be my pick. Why? Two reasons:

1) I truly believe aliens have stolen the basketball souls of our players.
2) Only Michael Jordan could save us now.

By the end of their game against Phoenix on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (11/26), the chances our club will be 1-12 are excellent. Looking on the bright side of life, we do have a great opportunity to once again matchup against our hated bottom dwellers--the OKC Thunder--in a 11/28 road battle to determine which team is the absolute worst in the league. Thankfully, there ARE other options that holiday weekend--Ike Reilly at First Avenue on Wednesday (for charity), and a prime repeat of the Ghost Whisperer on Friday (7:00 pm, your local CBS station). Given the dwindling crowds at Target Center, and the miniscule ratings the Wolves are currently pulling in on our local television outlets, the chances of a basketball fan "Wolves opt-out" are substantial.

Of course, a true fan might look at the Wolves ongoing dilemma as a continuing prime-time soap opera, a basketball version of ABC's Desperate Housewives. Call it Desperate Franchise, the story about an owner and his struggling team trying to gain respect in an elite league of sporting excellence, fame and wealth. Maybe we oould convince Eva Longoria Parker to join the show, in the hopes her husband wouldn't again torch us for 55 points.

Since there's no crying in basketball--for the players or the fans--humor is our only defense when witnessing a debacle of this proportion. On the other hand, there's also prayer...

From Good to Awful

2008-11-11T06:42:00.012-06:00

"Greatness is not a function of circumstance; it is clearly a matter of conscious choice."
Jim Collins, From Good to Great

Earlier in this decade, the Wolves were good. They wanted to be great, and had a great player in Garnett, but never, as a team achieved greatness. Now, with KG gone and the team plummeting, fans are wondering: where did the Wolves go wrong? What can be done?

Mind you, I'm not the biggest fan of all these trendy business philosophy books. Given the Wolves 1-6 start however, it may be time to look past the stats and the on-court issues to the core organizational philosophies that have created this losing brand in the first place. I realize Glen Taylor is a successful, wealthy businessman. He doesn't need some full figured, five figure, anonymous figure to tell him how to be a successful sports executive. That would be presumptuous. But why not at least compare some core tenets of one of the more popular--and adopted--business tomes of our time to the current abyss known as the Wolves basketball organization:

1. Whether someone is the right person has more to do with character and innate capabilities than specific knowledge, skills or experience.

For years, we've been hearing folks like Kevin McHale and Jim Petersen tell everyone how knowledgeable they are about basketball. Petersen particularly during Wolves broadcasts has droned on about his own insider status, the fact he's played the game, the fact that McHale is one of the greatest players of our time. Okay, point taken. I would humbly reply that the list of great players who have mediocre to poor sports executives is long and deep. Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Wes Unseld, Willis Reed, Elgin Baylor...I could go on. The principle here is that superior basketball knowledge alone is not enough to be a great sports executive, there are many other skills a person needs to be successful once they step off the hardwood.

2. Every good-to-great company had “Level 5” leadership during pivotal transition years, where Level 1 is a Highly Capable Individual, Level 2 is a Contributing Team Member, Level 3 is the Competent Manager, Level 4 is an Effective Leader, and Level 5 is the Executive who builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

Is Kevin McHale a Level 5 executive?

3. Level 5 leaders display a compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated. In contrast, two thirds of the comparison companies had leaders with gargantuan personal egos that contributed to the demise or continued mediocrity of the company.

Uh, I think the answer to the above question would be....no. Humble would not be a trait to describe the Iron Ranger. He's pretty folksy about his arrogance, but it's still arrogance.

4. The Level 5 discovery is an empirical, not ideological, finding.

Here again, at some point, the facts speak for themselves. After some early success, and Forbes Magazine notwithstanding, Glen Taylor should face the reality that McHale's track record--especially in the last few years--is not improving, but decaying. His judgment, especially in personnel matters, has been poor, and has diminished the Wolves brand.

5. Good-to-great companies focus on what Not to do and what they should stop doing.

One could certainly argue that the Wolves have tried to change their "blueprint" in the last two years. They jettisoned the strategy of finding KG's side kick, then acquired and re-signed young talent thought to be the new core of this team, at reasonable prices. The problem is, most of that talent has proven to be pretty mediocre, a clear failure of personnel evaluation. The latest move, acquiring Kevin Love for OJ Mayo, gave the Wolves much needed salary cap relief, a veteran personnel overhaul, and someone who had potential to be both a decent addition and a fan favorite. Love has shown signs of being serviceable to good, and has been described as already the second best player by some in the Wolves community, the first of course being Big Al. On a 1-6 team, who cares? It's becoming clearer that they essentially play the same position: power forward. Mayo, on the other hand, is meeting all expectations, and has become a core piece of the Memphis team. This storyline has a long way to go before it's finished, but when you consider the other significant draft picks--McCants, Foye, Smith, Brewer--it's clear that a primary failure of this club is picking talent, especially when players like Josh Howard, Danny Granger, Brandon Roy, and now Mayo were left on the table.

6. Good-to-great management teams consist of people who debate vigorously in search of the best answers, yet who unify behind decisions, regardless of parochial interests.

Here's another example of where the Wolves organization could be changing, at least in terms of bring more people to the table. I would suggest however, that if McHale--or Glen Taylor--is the Level 5 unifier, that's where the problem might be. Parochial interests might be described as the "one of us", or "country club" syndrome. Are the Wolves vigorously in search of the best answers? Who debated the Foye for Roy decision, or even the Mayo for Love deal on draft day?

Last night's game against the Warriors is another indication of the futility of this franchise. Last year, despite the lack of defensive acumen, we were told by McHale and Petersen that what the team primarily needed was outside shooting. In the off-season, they acquired Mike Miller and declared they were going to be able to spread the floor with shooters like McCants, Foye and Miller to provide relief for Big Al in the front court. Yet in the fourth quarter, against a zone defense, the Wolves spread the floor with those players, but couldn't hit a shot OR find Al underneath. Rashad McCants was primarily culpable last night, missing two shots in the last 28 seconds of regulation, then losing Stephen Jackson on defense for a dagger three pointer in overtime. It should be clear to everyone by now that Shaddy isn't a clutch scorer, and a poor defender. Randy Foye, thought to be the point guard of the future, can't run the team in pressure situations. What's the use of having shooters if they can't score or distribute?

I suggested in another blog that the Wolves go with the flow and, since they can't play defense consistently, simply find a coach like Flip Saunders who could refine their offense and make them entertaining. I was half-joking of course; if you can't play defense in this league, you're not going to win consistently. They played better defense last night, but lack any sort of closing confidence to finish games. From talent evaluation to coaching selection and execution, the Wolves have not been able to develop any winning strategies. One could say it's bad luck, but again if you find the "good to great" philosophy credible, organizations make their own luck. Through all the roster changes, coaching replacements and blueprints for the future, there have been two constants: Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale. Once they were good, but now they're awful. It's time to recognize that real change--and a path to greatness--starts at the top.

A Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

2008-11-06T05:57:00.005-06:00

Haven't we seen this before? The Wolves lay an egg against a beatable opponent (Sunday's effort against OKC), then rebound with an entertaining yet futile effort against an elite, albeit struggling team. It's fitting that we are celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the franchise, because it's expansion time all over again, baby. Any thought the Wolves might just surprise a few folks and actually compete for a low seed playoff slot are being dashed quickly. Our club had no answer for Tony Parker, who scored 55 points, with 10 assists in San Antonio's 129-125 victory in double OT.

Right now, after four games, it's hard to be on the fence about this team. Those who have bitten into the "McHale can rebuild this club" apple will point to individual performances by Mike Miller, Kevin Love, Corey Brewer, Sebastian Telfair and Al Jefferson as reasons to keep hope alive. For anyone who's in that camp, shouldn't those players be the starting five right now?

For those in the "nothing's changed" camp, we can look at poster children Randy Foye and Rashad McCants, along with coach Randy Wittman and the incessant spin of the Wolves broadcast team. Let's start with the coach. Given Parker was insane the entire night, I would certainly buy into the argument that there might have been nothing anyone could have done to stop him. No Wolves point guard or Brewer could even slow him down. However, at key points of the game--especially at the end of the first OT, couldn't the coach have tried to double team him to get the ball out of his hands or--gasp--deny him the rock? The fact is that time and time again Wittman has no answer for what the other team is doing.

Then there's Foye and McCants. Foye has been awful this year, but despite having a better game against the Spurs, he made two crucial turnovers at the end of the fourth quarter to once again cast doubt that he will be a star or core role player for this team. And of course, we have Shaddy. Here's a guy with all the physical talent in the world, but as immature as anyone named J.R. Rider. Last night he played no defense and made little effort to move the ball around to other teammates, being content to immediately jack up shots when he touched the ball.

Blogs across the Wolves community have presented viewing these two players as an "either or" proposition, as in one should stay and one should go. I've said it before and will say it again: how about dealing the both of them? It would of course be another blow to McHale's reputation as a personnel evaluator to do so, but given they have Telfair signed and a decent backup in Kevin Ollie along with other offensive weapons, why not get those two out of here? Jamaal Tinsely would be a better point guard than Foye at this juncture, and he probably has a better arsenal of handguns for this concealed carry state. It's getting more obvious by the day that as long as Randy Wittman is coach here, McCants will continue to have a short leash. They both still have the label "potential" etched into their resumes, why not send them packing, while they still have value? In Portland and Indiana, I'm sure Brandon Roy and Danny Granger are so thankful they didn't get drafted by this club.

Then there's my favorite whipping folks--the Wolves broadcast crew. This bunch can't call a game or produce any media without spinning how great everyone in the organization is, from draft picks to front office, to coaches, to ballboys, to trainers, to themselves. Could we at least get back to an 8th seed playoff slot before the heavenly proclamation declaring excellence is produced? Jim Petersen better get a room with Kevin Love, because he hasn't show this much affection toward a front court player since Mark "Second Best" Blount left the team. If I were Big Al, I might actually be jealous.

Here's the deal: Love has some good instincts, but the Spurs, like the Wolves, are pretty much a half-court team. Where the rook has been exposed is when matched up against any big who can run the court. Love played well against Duncan in the first half, but strangely wasn't matched up with him when Timmy heated up in the second half. K-Love is showing himself to be a good weak side defender, for example, but to state that he and Jefferson are going to be "dominant, at both ends of the court", is a huge stretch, and has that desperate, oversold feel to it, like having told us Mark Blount is "the second best center in the Western Conference" a couple of years ago. To both Petersen and Pat Reusse, I would simply say let's wait and see, it's a long season.

So once again we have lines being drawn here; you can either be taken with efforts like last night, or you could take a step back and say--not unlike David Byrne--"same as it ever was". Because it's only four games, I remain a glass half full guy at this juncture, but I could certainly understand why fans would not want to support this team, until actual, un-spinnable progress is shown by the Wolves.

Change in Plans

2008-02-09T09:29:00.000-06:00

Folks,

I'm taking my show on the road over to Canis Hoopus (www.canishoopus.com), at least for the time being. I'll be known as finewein, and we'll see what happens beyond that. If I have the time, I might use Hoops to do strictly women's and college bball--especially with the tournaments close, and my Marist women's team doing so well. And of course, I'll never forget about our Lynx team. Check me out over there, and hopefully I can a bit of levity and irreverence to their site.

"The Answer My Friend, is Souhan in the Wind..."

2008-01-31T06:31:00.000-06:00

When it comes to the Wolves, Star Tribune columnist and Wolves Live commentator Jim Souhan is a modern day Sybil. In December, when the Star Tribune published a headline about the Wolves possibly being the worst team ever, he defended them both in print and on the next Wolves Live broadcast. Then after a stretch of particularly horrible games, Sunny Jim rips the club in the paper.

Excerpts from a 12/21 column:

"This team has a purpose. This losing, with any luck, will land the Wolves their choice of dynamic players in the next draft. And what else could matter for this team, other than landing a franchise player to pair with Al Jefferson?"

The Wolves trotted him out the next telecast to help defend the Wolves--in a tizzy over the "Worst Team Ever?" headline--after a rare win over Indiana.

Excerpts from a 1/7 column, written after a particular putrid Sunday effort against Dallas:
"It's been written here that the Wolves might as well lose a lot this year, to maximize their chance at the top draft pick -- but there is a difference between losing with purpose and losing all credibility.

It's been written here that a season spent developing young players can be healthy, but that assumed the Wolves would develop young players and win more than once a month, not implode."

Now, with the current modest improvement in the team, he's back on the airwaves, supporting the notiion that the trades the Wolves made in the off-season were GREAT for the club, kind of back to the original 12/21 premise.

Well, which is it? Is nine wins with a little hope more credible than four wins with none? What if the Wolves go off on a mini tear, and hurt their chances for a higher draft choice?

We all are happy the Wolves are winning more; one can only bitch about losing so much. I think it's important for the fans to have hope for the future. Consistency however--especially in the mainstream media (MSM)--is important. Just because you're getting an extra stipend from the organization you criticize in another venue doesn't make it right..or professional.

Sometimes on Sunday

2008-01-28T06:28:00.000-06:00

I was going to title this post "Never on Sunday", based on the Wolves poor performance yesterday against the Nets. As history has proven, they have a hard time getting up for these "day-of-rest" contests.

Of course, they proceeded to win the game.

All along, I've been looking for signs of progress, and ranting that losing in and of itself is not a great teacher, stealing the line from George Karl. Yesterday was a good moment, a victory snatched from Nets team looking for answers and sliding into oblivion or in this case dissolvement, since pieces of their Big Three--Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson--may well get dealt to other teams. Up until the last minutes of the game, Big Al was the only player to show up on the Wolves. His performance was stud-like, and has been noted both in the MSM and blogosphere, the defense was better as well.

The late contributions of Corey Brewer, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes can't be overlooked. Richard Jefferson was a thorn in the Wolves side all day long, but Wittman finally got a clue and put the bigger Gomes on RJ and his production dropped considerably over the second half. Brewer and Green played opportunistically; they hustled and delivered at both ends of the court. Considering the Celtic blunders on Friday, this was the best way to respond, against a struggling team.

Now what?

More to come...

"How do I lose thee, let me count the ways..."

2008-01-20T10:47:00.000-06:00

If Elizabeth Barrett Browning had been a basketball fan, I'm certain our Wolves would have challenged her muse.

From being again outclassed on Friday night after one quarter's effort against the Suns, to last night's Rocky Mountain futility, our club has lost about every way possible. I'm having a hard time keeping up--was last night a good loss or a bad loss? Watching Antoine Walker clang free throws, Al Jefferson get technicals, and Randy Wittman put his face in his hands is the stuff only a nihilist could love.They have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that--at least for this organization--there is no order, no ethic, no meaning to their professional lives. As I have mentioned before, they simply have taken all the fun out of watching pro hoops.

We're almost at the halfway point of the season. What have we learned?

1) Jefferson needs to stay a power forward. This has been widely discussed and accepted among the fans, yet the Wolves stubbornly still play Big Al major minutes at the five.
2) McCants is a poser. Here's a guy who scores when it's easy, and talks big, but has proven time and time again he's someone you can't rely on. Too many fouls, too many misses when the game is on the line. He's a head case, pure and simple.
3) Telfair is a reliable backup. He will be our Jacque Vaughn, if ever we can find a better point guard.
4) Gomes is okay. I'm still on the fence with this guy, but his play in the last month has been one of the few bright spots for the club.
5) Smith can't start for this team. The only way he can start for an NBA club is if there's a dominant center playing with him. He's one of my favorites, but he's a smaller version of Big Al, and defensively puts the Wolves at a serious disadvantage. Plus, he still gets no love from the referees.
6) Wittman is not the coach for a developing team. He's part of the fraternity, and that's the problem.

That's it. Richard hasn't played enough, Green probably won't be with the club next year, Foye's still on the shelf and the veterans are interchangeable bench parts. We'll get a top three draft choice next year, but at this rate it will take YEARS to develop a winning combination, given the front office we currently have.

Meanwhile, the fans remaining on board with the club are showing signs of desperation. I've read suggestions to put McCants at the point, for example. How bad of an idea is that? One of the reasons why the Celtics are looking for a point guard to assist (no pun intended) young Rondo is the fact that Eddie House has to come off the bench and play distributor, instead of doing what he does best, which is shoot the ball. I would put Rashad in that same category. I'm advocating dealing him, but if he stays on the team, he's a scorer, plain and simple.

I'm also seeing a lot of statistical comparisons and analysis, as well as a lot of draft talk about up and coming college hopefuls. The loyalty and support this fan base has demonstrated for a moribund organization like the Wolves has been nothing short of remarkable. Folks, the Wolves don't deserve us. Get ready for the hard truth however: outside of taking our money to watch a game, they don't care about us. They have gone out of their way to demonstrate their knowledge of the game, and our lack of it. They've told us we should have enjoyed the days when they were winning more, instead of being dissatisfied with illegal, franchise crushing free agent signings, and an inability to surround KG with talent to go deeper in the playoffs. Not exactly the most fan friendly approach in the world, to be sure.

In short, they may be the most arrogant 5-34 team in the history of professional sports. An optimist would say there's no where to go but up, but that's the problem, we haven't seen any reason to be hopeful. That's the fun--and work--of rebuilding.

With or Without Youth

2008-01-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Two perspectives on youth:

Without freshmen guards Al Nolen and Blake Hoffarber, the Gophers don't win their game against Penn State yesterday. After watching Hoffarber knock down shots, and Nolen play defense and distribute the ball, I had the feeling that whatever success the Gophers have this year will be dependent on how well those two play. The three key seniors--McKenzie, Tollackson, and Coleman--had decent stat lines, but the critical plays belonged to the two youngsters.

Let's be clear: Penn State lost this game. They missed 7 of 8 free throws in crunch time, which would have put them over the top. Jamelle Cornley and Geary Claxton--PSU's two best players--were often men among boys, but didn't deliver when their team needed it. As good as the Gopher defense was, they couldn't seem to locate Danny Morrissey for most of the game, who like Hoffarber was knocking down threes. Penn State's offensive rebounding was the key to breaking open what had been a close game in the first half, and had created the prime opportunity for Penn State to win the game in the last seconds. This was a moral victory waiting to happen, but when the Nittany Lions stumbled, Nolen was there to seize the moment. He slid into the passing lane, intercepted the feed and got intentionally fouled as he was breaking away for the score. He was able to do what Penn State couldn't: knock down 3 of 4 critical free throws for the win.

As was repeated frequently throughout the last two broadcasts, Coach Smith doesn't trust freshmen. For Hoffarber and Nolen, he has recognized their skill level, put them in a position to maximize their talent, despite their inexperience. On the college level, it's where superior coaching makes all the difference in the world.

For the Wolves, their attempts to manage youth has been inept and disastrous, a buzzkill for the ages. After 36 games into the season, the Wolves are left with filling sections of their broadcasts with revised history snippets of analyst Jim Petersen's journeyman NBA career, instead of focusing on the team itself. Why? How many ways can one say they're terrible? There's no stabilizing force, no veteran or coach available who can provide a thread of continuity that would lead to progress.

Whatever fans felt about trading KG, what I've been to able to glean from all the postings and blogs is that most get the rebuilding concept. They are patient, willing to give the benefit of the doubt IF progress is demonstrated. That's the problem. What progress HAVE they demonstrated? What do they know that they didn't at the start of the season? They get blown out at Houston, show up for a half at San Antonio, only to have the Spurs finally awaken and put them out of their misery. All this after a win against Miami, where they finally demonstrate --for one game only--they MIGHT be able to the little things that win basketball games: defense, sharing the ball, creating opportunities for easy baskets. We've seen this all before.

The worst thing you can say about this club right now is that they've taken all the FUN out of watching. For example, as loathe as I am to say this, why not accept the fact they play lousy defense and put the scorers--primarily Gerald Green and Rashad McCants--together to try and outscore the other team? Or, don't worry about the nightly matchups, but establish a defined rotation where Jefferson will STAY at the four, and bring the two centers (Richard and Doleac) in for regular minutes? Make something fun for the fans, give them something to talk about, other than abject failure. Give us hope, don't expect that we will generate our own in the face of such incompetence.

The bottom line here: one organization has optimized their youth and made it a key to their success, the other hasn't and continues to use it as an excuse for the lack of progress. Win or lose with Tubby this year, we will be excited to watch the froshes play, because he has a plan and we can already see progress. With the Wolves, we're still waiting....for anything.

Today's Secret Word is....

2008-01-12T11:13:00.000-06:00

ENDURE.

That's the word guest spin-meister Clyde Drexler used in the 2nd quarter of last night's game, while the Wolves were getting thoroughly toasted by the Rockets. Paraphrasing his message, we have the talent, but we'll have to simply ENDURE this stretch of basketball, while they learn how to play together.

Hmm...kind of like the University of Houston fans did during his coaching tenure, going 19-37. Drexler seems to be one of those NBA players whose obvious on court greatness can't translate to anything else basketball-related but an analyst stint for the local club. Can't coach, and obviously shaky on personnel issues.

Other moments we had to ENDURE from The Glide last night were in the pre-game chat with Jim Pete, mentioning something to the effect that if Petersen were playing now, he'd be one of the premier power forwards in the game today. And, the manly bit about how they would hang out together in their younger days, working out and taking care of their bodies. Last night's love fest between Petersen and Drexler certainly exercised my patience. Maybe THAT'S what happened to the club last night; they all went down to the local fitness club to work out with Jim and Clyde, and simply tuckered themselves out.

Coming off a win against a terrible Miami club, you'd think the Wolves would have hung in a little longer than they did last night, like, at least past the first few minutes of the game. The darling of the week--Rashad McCants--once again proved why he's not someone to be trusted with leadership or a prominent role on a winning basketball team. He's a quote machine to be sure, and by all accounts works hard, but micro-fracture surgery or not, it's time to deal this guy, before he loses all value. He needs veteran leadership around him to be successful, and to smooth out the steep inconsistencies in his game.

How can a young team who's last game was Tuesday come out with so little energy? The Rockets were beating the kids down on the court, getting whatever shot they wanted. Scola looked like a superstar against Jefferson. After 29 assists against the Heat, they had 13 last night, and got outrebounded by a huge margin. With all due respect to Drexler, we don't have much talent on this club, only spin and excuses. Glide's got it half right though, it is something we'll have to ENDURE.

Just Imagine...

2008-01-10T06:39:00.000-06:00

A team...sluggish and down in the first half, able to use defense to create offense.

A team with limited talent...sharing the ball and looking for weaknesses in the defense.

A coach...able to make in-game adjustments and maintain a 10 person rotation.

A coach...able to use youth for success, not as an excuse.

A coach...despite acquiring a 9-22 roster, inspires hope in the face of adversity.

Hey!!! Stop dreaming! You know I'm talking about Tubby and the Gophers.

Northwestern, albeit feisty, is a bad team, but as has been pointed out by many already, they for the most part owned Dan Monson's teams. In watching victory last night, it was great to see the coach have enough resources to bring in Hoffarber to break the zone, then apply pressure at the half court to disrupt the Northwestern offense in the first half.

Even though the Gophs shot over 50 percent for the game, the game was closer than the final score.Two distressing factors: streaky offense and poor free throw shooting. Against superior opposition, those are items that Tubby will need to slow an opposition run, or stay in the game. Both Damien Johnson and Spencer Tollackson will have to do a much better job of converting free throws. As it happened last night, teams will not be afraid to hack at those folks in the paint, knowing they struggle from the stripe.

While Dan Coleman make get a look-see from NBA types, this team has primarily four year talent. No early departures, even for guys like Al Nolen, who has a chance to develop into a nice player, but is going to need a full tenure with Tubby to truly blossom into next level potential. This means their go-to players (Coleman, McKenzie) will be spotty, and not always come through in the clutch. But as I've mentioned in other posts, despite the obvious flaws, people will stick with this team despite the wins or losses, because they have a plan, play hard, AND play the right way. That's how rebuilding is done, both on the floor and with a dwindling fan base.

Onto Penn State!

Whopper Alert!!!

2008-01-08T06:40:00.000-06:00

An e-mail I wrote this morning:
"Dear Mr. Zgoda,

Imagine my excitement this morning to read in the Strib that our Iron Ranger finally was acknowledging/accepting fault for assembling too young of a group to compete this year. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" sort of thing.

But wait...pardon my remedial ability...but where does he actually say that he made a mistake? He says they should have won more games (not his fault there), they played terrible on Sunday (not his fault there), this is professional basketball, not a church league (stating the obvious, praise the Lord) and that if a veteran bunch lost this much, they wouldn't be as resilient as this young bunch (no blame there).

He goes on to say he's happy with Witt, and the usual trying to find a few good men out of this bunch

Where does he actually say anything resembling that he made a mistake in assembling this young of a team? Is there a direct quote you left off the article, or is this wishful thinking on either yours or the Strib's part?

The Wolves organization is like the Bush administration...some general acknowledgment of oops, but no specifics on any particular issue.

Thoughts?"

It's always good to get clarification from your local news organization.

Flip 2.0

2008-01-05T09:19:00.000-06:00

The road to irrelevance continued through Target Center last night, as the Nuggets outclassed our feckless youth 118-107. As I was watching both the Pistons and the Celtics gear up for their rematch tonight as well as our team, I didn't get to hear all the comedy stylings of our television broadcast crew. The broadcasts on KSTC seem almost subdued as opposed to the endless spin-presented-as-analysis efforts on FSN North. If you combine the last couple of broadcasts with the MSM media reports in addition to the blogosphere however, I'm fascinated with where this train is headed.

In the last few days we've heard both the coach and Chief Vindicator Jim Petersen talk about the need for better jump shooters. In fact, during the Portland broadcast, Petersen went so far to say jump shooters are what we should be looking for in the offseason. Commenting in Britt Robson's blog, I worked myself into my usual lather (role playing only, I assure you...I am NOT a curmudgeon!). My reasoning? It seemed to me that what was being hinted at here was Flip 2.0: another team who valued perimeter play and scoring over the hard work of playing defense, sharing the ball and developing the tough mindedness that comes with those traits.

As we've seen with Flip teams, he knows how to win in the regular season--it's the playoffs where he's been exposed. I've often said he's the junior version of Don Nelson--another offensive genius who will win a ton of games, but has failed somewhat miserably to demonstrate that his brand of basketball succeeds in the second season. I thought the whole reason of trading KG and "rebuilding" (if that's what you can call it), was to develop the "smashmouth" style of ball: points in the paint, tough defense, etc. Since both Petersen and Wittman were soft, jump-shooting players back in the day, it seems that in the face of adversity (4-28 is the definition of adversity, isn't it?), people will go back to what they know and value the most.

Last night's game demonstrates why they are mistaken. Of all the assets the Wolves need right now, jump shooters are about 4th or 5th on the priority list.

Who was the difference maker last night? Yeah, Anthony and Iverson did their usual damage, but it was Anthony Carter--a guy who couldn't get regular playing time here--who stepped up and set the tempo for the Nuggets. A +17 in the stats last night, 7 of 9 from the field, with 11 assists, he initiated fast breaks, shared the ball, finished, and played tough defense. AC is a 39% percent career FG shooter, similar to Our Man Telfair, who is at .388 for his career. This year, AC is currently hitting FG's at a 53% clip. What has caused that dramatic improvement? My guess is the style of play. The Nuggets are an aggressive, shot blocking club. They create opportunities for transition buckets and easy scores, which improves shooting percentages. Last night, the Nuggets also had 30 assists, to the Wolves 21. Denver dominated the fast break point total, which again leads to point blank shots and higher FG%.

The Wolves--even with 21 assists last night--don't share the ball particularly well. They don't stop anyone on defense, and don't create opportunities for easy baskets. They have one player who scores well in the paint, but as with all the other young knuckleheads on our club, seemingly feel they have to take the team on their shoulders to win the game. You'll rarely see Jefferson pass the ball back out to reset his position; he goes through all these low post moves to score. It's often a beautiful thing to watch, but in the context of winning basketball, it's only one piece.

What's needed first on this club are players who understand the dynamics of winning basketball, not just jump shooters. When they have a team who can do the little things and make each other better, and are able to post a few wins as a result, trust builds. When trust builds, and you have solid team play, then you can go and add individual pieces that might improve the club's chances. We just got rid of two jump shooters -- Mark Blount and Ricky Davis. Those guys could score, but didn't do much else and weren't particularly good team players. (They ARE making a huge difference for the Heat aren't they?)

Cut it from any angle you wish and the general feeling still is obvious: losing sucks. No matter who's doing the talking--Owner, VP, Coach, Broadcaster, Columnist, Blogger or Fan--losing often brings out all the worst qualities in humans. Blame and finger pointing touch all aspects of the operation; players, coaches, strategy, acquisitions and probably even the quality of vendors at Target Center. As I've said before, rebuilding is hard work. But you can't lose your focus. The answers are out there, it just takes the right folks to understand what they are.

That's the primary problem.

I certainly would be more charitable in this rebuilding process if I were confident a real plan was in place. What I've seen so far is pretty distressing: a broadcaster who's been consistently wrong about personnel and trades still acting as mouthpiece for the club, a VP who will take general responsibility for the team's demise, but fails to acknowledge specific mistakes he's made during his tenure and seems doomed to repeat them, an owner who continues to permit these mistakes to happen.

So, when I hear about needing Flip 2.0, I just shake my head. When will these folks ever learn?

New Year's Losing Eve

2008-01-01T10:19:00.000-06:00

The only thing more painful than viewing the Timberwolves on New Year's Eve was switching the dial to watch Dick Clark. On the other hand, he does have more tenacity and courage than our club. In both cases, there's some letting go to be done.

With dear Mr. Clark, it's time for him to walk away. Coming back from the stroke to broadcast one time was inspiring. Now, it's embarrassing. There's plenty of ways he can contribute to HIS broadcast without having to be a rotating anchor.

As for our club, if they weren't so bad, one might think they were tanking these games. What's remarkable about many of these losses is how quick it happens. We can see the bullet coming. For three quarters, they play good to mediocre against a bad Clippers club. Then late in the 3rd Cassell starts going to work, ably assisted by Maggette, Mobley and Kamman in the 4th, and voila, you have another loss. In the post game comments Wittman torches the guard play, but in truth the defense is as awful as the offense, and the coaching not much better. At 4-26, they stink.

However, a cynical fella at this point might be still be thinking, "Hmm...they did hold their best player out of games at the end of two straight seasons. Why not hold one of your top players out in the BEGINNING of the season, ensure yourself of a high draft choice, and make a little run at the end to build a little buzz..." No, that can't possibly true...can it? A little more specificity from our coach and front office might help to ease those suspicious nerves.

For example, we were told at the beginning of the year one primary goal was to find a few good men to build around--outside of Jefferson and Foye. After 30 games, I think it's safe to begin to evaluate our feckless youth, and establish a rotation that resembles being able to--in the words of the immortal Sweetwater Jones--separate the wheat from the chaff.

Happy New Year!!!

Rewriting History

2007-12-29T08:56:00.000-06:00

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.

Miracle on 1st Avenue

2007-12-24T09:00:00.001-06:00

I come bearing gifts today to the Wolves organization. It's been a tough year for the club, and I would guess the frustration level must be rising within the Target Center - 600 1st Avenue North. Thus, in my best Edmund Gwenn/Sebastian Cabot/Richard Attenborough mode, I offer presents that should bring cheer if not emotional relief to the team:

Al Jefferson - A gift of interior defense. You sir, are an offensive wunderkind. Match it on the defensive end and you will be a max contract player.
Sebastian Telfair - A gift of an consistent outside shot. You sir, have shown both growth and grit in the last few months. The ability to knock down a pull up 18 foot jumper consistently--especially in the fourth quarter--will separate you from players such as Jacque Vaughn and bring you the success your high school days promised.
Ryan Gomes - A gift of a handle. You sir, are the classic tweener. You possess shooting ability from three point range, as well as decent post-up skills. What you are NOT is a dribble penetrator. I haven't charted it out, but I would guess the majority of your turnovers come from trying to put the ball on the floor. My gift alleviates that problem, and allows you to progress into the upper echelon of NBA playerdom.
Rashad McCants - A gift of recognition. You sir, have told the press your intention to be a leader on this club. To date, I think that definition equates to jacking up as many shots as one can, and stunting any offensive ball movement. This has gotten you mostly a seat on the bench. To display true leadership you must understand you are NOT the offensive rhythm--and that making your teammates better will increase your opportunities to score, and to win. Since I had imagined you received this gift while winning an NCAA championship at North Carolina, consider this a licensed upgrade: Recognition 2.0.
Randy Foye - A gift of healing. This one's easy. I can't give you anything else until you can get on the court and show what you've learned from last year. Get better dude.
Craig Smith - A gift of a referee's love. You sir, have been a favorite of mine since your days at BC. I was considering giving the gift of a few inches of height, but that present would probably get you a league suspension. Since your domain is the painted area of the court, you absolutely need to get more calls from the refs.
Corey Brewer - A gift of increased muscle and bulk. You sir, also need a consistent outside shot, but unlike Mr. Telfair, you still have years and a option. This gift will not only help make you an upper echelon NBA player, but also differentiate you from Stacy Augmon and/or Keon Clark.
Antoine Walker - A gift of stability. You sir, have stability issues both organizationally and on the court. Watching you shoot from the arc without your feet set resembles watching mortar shots from the beach sequences of Saving Private Ryan and Flags of our Fathers. Organizationally, you have been handed off to different teams like the proverbial hot potato. From what I can see, your contribution here has been nothing short of a class act. Thank you. Hopefully, my gift will ensure your NBA employment into your mid-30's, if not longer.
Marko Jaric - A gift of discipline. You sir, have a reputation for the nightlife and are reportedly dating a super model. Thus I offer this gift on the basis of hearsay. This year, you have shown flashes of brilliance, but mostly your career here has been inconsistent and underwhelming, given your contract. Reject this gift at your own risk, but you do have some serious, needed skills to offer. I believe a little more discipline toward your craft might help smooth out those consistency issues. It certainly couldn't hurt.
Micheal Doleac - A gift of quickness. You sir, because of your size and ability to bang in the paint, probably will have a roster spot on an NBA club until your mid to late 30's. This gift will help your chances of consistently staying in a regular rotation.
Gerald Green - A gift of basketball IQ. You sir, have undeniable athletic ability. Your understanding of the small details of the professional game needs work, and threatens your continued employment. This club needs your offensive game, but not at the expense of everything else. This gift, taken seriously, might make you more than just the slam dunk champ. It might make you relevant.
Chris Richard - A gift of patience. You sir, have the talent and dedication to last in this league for at least a decade. Your time will come. Be patient, and learn well.
Mark Madsen - A gift of finishing. You sir, have the heart of a lion. Hands like one too. That's the problem.
Theo Ratliff - A gift of health. You sir, have only a couple of years left in your career. Either here or somewhere else where a playoff opportunity exists, this gift will help you exit on the court, and not on the inactive list.
Greg Buckner - A gift of leadership. You sir, I don't know well, but have shown the ability to play hard on defense and contribute on offense. This team needs your continued veteran leadership.

And for the front office and broadcasters:
Randy Wittman - A gift of professional luck. You sir, need better luck if you're going to have continued employment as an NBA head coach. Others might say you need skill, but that would be uncharitable this time of year, and given the two teams that have employed you, arguably unfair. Life unfortunately is not fair however, and your win-loss record is not impressive. Everyone can use a little luck now and then.
Wolves Assistant Coaches - A gift of a full year of employment. Sirs, let's hope your club has a better second half than the first. Ouch!!! I'm sure you'll land on your feet if the worst happens, but continued employment is always the gift that keeps on giving.
Jim Petersen - A gift of humility. You sir, have undeniable basketball analytical ability. However, I would not let you near a basketball personnel job, and your inability to admit error puts you in the same league with the Bush administration. Furthermore, as I have repeatedly said in the past, you have a penchant for prefacing your analysis with--and I'm paraphrasing here--statements like "what fans doesn't realize". Given the recent failures of this club to do anything meaningful and your whoppers, you need to cut the more critical of the Wolves fans some slack, and admit now and then when you've been mistaken. This gift will help you on the road to recovery.
Tom Hanneman - A gift of excitement. You sir, were the best sideline reporter and half-time host in the business. Now, along with your broadcast partner, you're mere shills for a poor product. Your idea of calling a game is coming up with corny catch phrases in a monotone which neither generates excitement or tension. You'll never be Kevin Harlan, but this gift might help you with your broadcasting dynamics.
Alan Horton & Billy McKinney - A gift of the Wolves television broadcasting assignment. You sirs deserve a chance to "see what they can do".
Fred Hoiberg - A gift of options. You sir, seem to be a stand-up fellow, and could get employment with many different basketball organizations. Why this one?
Rob Babcock - A gift of personnel evaluation ability. You sir, after your Raptor stint, seem to have the professional luck Coach Wittman lacks. Can anyone say Rafael Araujo?
Kevin McHale - A gift of absence. You sir, need to leave. Other NBA legends (Isiah Thomas, Willis Reed, Wes Unseld, Elgin Baylor, etc.) have failed to transfer their on-court basketball acumen to the front office. In this case, stubbornness is NOT a virtue. Your status as a Minnesota icon is secure; within a few years you'll be able to freely slap backs and call folks numb nuts in any venue of your choosing.
Glen Taylor - A gift of common sense. You sir, have admirable loyalty qualities, and have built wealth the majority of us can only dream about. I understand you have been able to combine those those two qualities successfully in your Mankato operations. The NBA seems to have a different ethos; and your competition is leaving you in the dust, or snow in this case. Can't you see that? If not, this gift will assist you in developing that vision.

I'm off to give real gifts to my family and friends. Given the bad weather and the resulting loss of life in the last few days, it's good to stop and remember what's truly important in life, because sometime it's all too fleeting. Happy holidays to everyone!!!

A Tale of Two Teams

2007-12-23T10:03:00.000-06:00

Love to use Dickens...

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities - 1859

Life, or in this case, Sport, imitates Art. We're witnessing two teams--the Gopher men's basketball team and our Timberwolves--trying to rebound from previous performances judged to be anywhere between mediocre to rock-bottom awful. In both cases, there is controversy; with the Gophers, a team who's coach walked out on them last year (Dan Monson) hires another coach (Tubby Smith) from a basketball program increasingly dissatisfied with his performance. With the Wolves, after trading KG, they are in rebuilding mode, and presently at 4-22, they are increasingly sensitive to criticism about said performance. Once again last night, they open their broadcast with Friday's Star Tribune front page article about potentially being the worst professional team ever. It was--using the overused metaphor used by the club this season--a punch in the mouth.

The verdict so far: for the Gophers, it well may be the best of times. For the Wolves, the worst.

Truth be told, as I've mentioned before, it's an apples to oranges comparison. In the college game, a coach can have much more of an immediate impact on a team. Witness the Gophs now 8-1, with predominately the same personnel as last year's 9 win squad. A lot of cupcake teams to be sure, but last year mid-major Marist put a whuppin' on our club. I don't think that would happen this year. Looking past the wins and losses however you see a team with an entirely different philosophy, and I might add intensity, from previous years. On defense: constant pressure, often times full court. On offense: sharing the basketball, using ball movement to exploit the weak points in the defense. Truly, it is the game being played the right way, regardless of talent or league level. Recruiting has been promising; it seems with an icon at the helm, players may actually want to come to the frozen tundra. Playing out the actual Big Ten schedule may temper fans' enthusiasm, but given where the Gophers were at this time last year, hope is alive and well on the U of M campus.

The Wolves? The most charitable thing that can be offered is no one said rebuilding was going to be easy. All along, it's been advertised that smash mouth ball is in, but this group is still primarily a jump shooting team that plays poor defense and doesn't share the ball much. Thus the point differential, foul shot disparity, fourth quarter shooting percentage, assist totals and resulting final scores are all generally NOT in the Wolves favor. The biggest gap in logic here is the "youth" angle. Yeah, the majority of core players on this team are chronologically young, but they're not rookies. In fact, many of them are in their make or break third or fourth year, where you find out whether or not they are interchangeable parts on an NBA team's bench, or important parts of a winning rotation. These aren't the new Baby Bulls; a lot of players come directly from a squad that lost 18 straight last year.

The fact Randy Foye hasn't played yet has mitigated some of the cynicism, but again, watching Brandon Roy as current lead stud on the Blazers offers room for doubt about the front office acumen. And, while Randy Wittman has proven himself to be a loyal member of Taylor.org's golfing buddy challenge, his overall record has to date suggests his value as an assistant coach.

In the end, folks will be true to their own nature. Those who see a glass half full will preach patience; they are the Wolves best friends. Others who have seen a load of BS and missed opportunities come from the club will--with each resulting loss--have fodder for increasing derision. The important results --regardless of any spin you might hear--will be on the court. Where do they show improvement? Are they more consistent? Can you see an identity emerge?

Right now, it's easy to see that in the Gophers, harder to see in the Wolves.

And that is our tale so far.

Stripped Gears

2007-12-20T06:33:00.000-06:00

It's apples and oranges, but...

this team is reaching depths of Brewster proportions. I know the guy has to watch his repaired back, but I can see Wittman at the end of the game, laying flat and prone on the hardwood, trying to will a free throw or a last minute shot into the hoop. It's that bad, and getting worse, especially on defense.

After reading this morning's boards and MSM, one would conclude that:

1) Wittman would like to challenge someone to a parking lot brawl
2) Jefferson has grown tired of being told they're young.
3) Mr. Robson enjoys beginning his blog with an accolade about himself. Of course, he does share a tip of the kudo to his readers, which is a credit to him.
4) Stephen Litel wants to be like Britt Robson.
5) The Iron Ranger is giving everyone the silent treatment, at least until mid-season, victory 10, or the end of the season, whichever comes absolutely last.

People can once again blame illness, injury, incompetence, or basketball IQ for another loss, but the key to winning is forcing the other team outside their comfort level. After having a halftime lead, the Wolves knew the Warriors were going to step it up, especially on offense. At that point, the team needed to play rock steady defense, and not turn the ball over. They could do neither, and when you combine the fact that seemingly everyone on the Wolves club--offensively speaking--wants to demonstrate leadership by jacking up shots, you have the perfect equation of a loss. The Wolves needed to force the Warriors inside the three point arc, not give them easy buckets via transition, and force them to make baskets under duress. However, a little of what Wittman said post-game was correct; they hung their heads and folded. Defense is all about intensity; you can't be be feeling sorry for yourself and expect to play good D. Baron Davis showed the club how much he respects them by draining a three at the very end of the game. If that doesn't make someone angry...

At the core, the Wolves have no extra gear to kick into, no mental toughness. It's been that way for a long time, but with this cast of characters, it's all too evident. No toughness, no strategy, no execution. Just losing games in embarrassing fashion. Like Tim Brewster.

Bottom Feeding

2007-12-16T10:35:00.000-06:00

At what point does promised development become mere futility?

Say what you want to about our club, but if you compare the Wolves to another rebuilding club--the Sonics--who would you judge is farther along, especially after Friday's loss? After trying to sell the notion in the preseason that all those players we got from Boston equaled the number of lost # 1 draft choices in the Joe Smith debacle, the Wolves are running out of outrageous lies. You can blame injuries, or roster turnover but the farther the season progresses the more obvious it becomes: this organization is the worst in the league. We are true bottom feeders.

One could claim the Knicks are truly the most dysfunctional, and if you include all the off-the-court incidents that well may be true, but how can any one say that personnel wise Isiah Thomas has been worse for his team than Kevin McHale? Only putting the "rebuilding" tag on our efforts gives any rebuttal reasonable cover. Once again, compare us to Seattle, Charlotte, Memphis, even Philadelphia. We have even surpassed our own ineptitude, in losing to the Bucks last night. As incredible as it may seem, we have begun to make the Wolfenson-Ratner-Stein era look good in comparison.

In watching the game and reading the recaps this morning, it seems we are more than halfway to a shrug of our shoulders. Instead of being more determined and challenging each other to play better, there seems to be a general resignation to the situation and praise for the close defeats. I'll put it to you another way: if you want to see an under-talented team play hard and develop, Williams Arena is your venue. Tubby Smith is taking roughly the same team from last year and renewing optimism. How? By hard work, discipline, and an actual strategy on both offense and defense. That man can coach. I would estimate that by the time the actual Big Ten season is over, the Gophers will not have won many games in the regular season. You can tell however, that they headed toward success, just in the approach Smith is taking to the game. He can legitimately sell hope for the future. Right now the Wolves can't.

It is a waste of time trying to analyze this club. All the plus-minus, popcorn machine statistics are worthless. Even the most casual fan can watch a game and see the lackluster defense, the poor chemistry, and the resulting hard sell from the broadcasters. Folks know ugly when they see it. Right now, you couldn't even put lipstick on this pig, it would melt right off.

Based on their progress, it's going to get a whole lot worse, but will it ever get better?

My Fair Losers

2007-12-02T09:33:00.000-06:00

What can you say about our club this week? The die-hards ARE trying to be patient. Britt Robson spoke of an "honorable" loss at Dallas, while again defending KG in a mini-rant rebutting Jim Souhan's remarks regarding the Ticket in giving Torii Hunter a fond farewell. Ever the Ticket's defender, even in absentia. Other boards have remarked how good of a teammate Antoine Walker is turning out to be. I guess you can defend all those points, but the losses still pile up, with huge fourth quarter collapses and errors in performance and judgment.

Last week, I suggested the tale of the Wolves' exploits would be well suited for a Heroes sequel--with the writers strike and all. This week, given our continuing fourth quarter foibles, I'm suggesting a different theme: an adaptation of My Fair Lady, called My Fair Losers. Imagine Randy Wittman as Professor Henry Higgins, with the entire Wolves roster playing the part of Eliza Do-Little (my take on the name. Kinda fits, doesn't it?):

Scenario:

The Wolves coach--believing he can make a youthful, unsophisticated bunch of individuals into a upper echelon team--addresses the group in a coaching session:

Wittman/Higgins: "Team, repeat what I just told you...
Team/Do-Little (in unison): "A pass 'cross lane will cause us to lose the game"

Wittman/Higgins: " I think they've got it!...Mr. Telfair...have YOU been paying attention?"
Telfair/Do-Little: "Yes, 'guvenor, I rightly believe so!"

Of course, on Friday with about 4:30 left in the fourth quarter against San Antonio, Telfair attempts a cross court pass, which is promptly intercepted and a resulting three is made by the Spurs. I switched channels at that point.

He didn't have it.

To paraphrase Trent Tucker (who was very good in Gopher color commentary yesterday), this game is very simple. When you swing the ball from strong side to weak side and play good defense, good things happen. The Wolves share the ball well in the win against NO, with over 20 assists, but revert back to form in losses to Dallas, SA, and last night in Memphis. So coming back in the second half from playing crappy defense and not sharing the ball in Dallas is honorable? I think not. In fact, it's a regression, an indication that the Wolves aren't learning from their many mistakes and few successes. If you're going to sell development, then develop; the first rule being trying to establish some consistency in your approach to the game. If the Wolves are trying to convince people they're coming together as team--especially in the fourth quarter--then ball (and player) movement is key. As opposed to all the tortured fighting analogies Sleepy Tom and Arrogant Jim are offering during the broadcast, intelligent fans will sit up and take notice. And, be patient.

Alternative Programming

2007-11-25T09:42:00.000-06:00

My daughter--home for Thanksgiving, now on her way back to NY--is trying to get me hooked on Heroes, the NBC Monday night comic book drama. Since the writers strike is as of this date not settled, reports are that shows are running out of first run episodes, and will either broadcast reruns, or find other reality based programming to show.

Civic minded pop culturist that I am, I'd like to propose an alternative. A spin-off of Heroes, based on the exploits of our own Minnesota Timberwolves, I present to you...Zeros.

Our storyline so far...

Local billionaire saves franchise from relocation, and along with a hall-of-fame sports icon turned vice-president (VP) and his youthful sidekick Flip, seeks to re-energize team by an infusion of fresh DNA and changed uniforms. A club is formed--Taylor.org--with the belief that parochial front office networking with former Gopher, Big Ten and Celtic greats will be the key to greatness. For a brief time, hope is high, as a threesome emerges to compete for the hearts and minds of the Minnesota sporting public. Success is fleeting, however, as front-office foibles and foul-ups cause two of the three to journey both west and east, leaving only one super-human alone to languish without help for years on end. The billionaire--seemingly under some sort of mind-meld emanating from our hall of famer--does the VP's bidding, signing mercenaries of reported disrepute to assist our one withering asset. For a single glorious year, order is restored and national fame is achieved. However the mercenaries--when not paid their excessive booty--rebel against our valiant club, causing the franchise to implode, nearly taking out loyal sidekick Flip, who after months of healing, wanders to Detroit to find his coaching "chi" again.

Meanwhile, our lone super hero begins to show signs of CLD--Chronic Losing Disease. Symptoms include looking wasted and hopeless in the 4th quarter along with paradoxical thinking, like using available Taylor.org resources to re-sign associates with limited talent, and demanding salary extensions that would extinguish any hope of acquiring the help needed to once again bring happiness to a restless and suspicious public. Tension between the VP and our lone hero grows, as the CLD only gets worse and the affliction threatens to spread throughout the entire organization, the irony being however that the VP is the carrier of the CLD--NOT the superstar. Increasingly besieged and isolated, the VP increases the intensity of the mind-meld on the local billionare, and begins to develop a plan. He must rid himself of the lone superstar before it's too late!

In the summer of 2007...the deed is done. Our one hero is dispatched to Boston, before the disease is irreversible. Within months, he is back to near peak health--with salary extensions intact. The Boston sporting public, having previously received gifts from other Minnesota sporting franchises, is thankful and energized. Having nearly rid themselves of all signs of their own CLD, they are looking forward AND upward to the rafters, where signs of previous glory hang from the ceiling.

News is not so good for the Midwestern homeland though. Trading the superstar did not halt the spread of CLD. In fact, much like an earlier transaction with the East Coast franchise, the CLD has only intensified and again threatens the entire organization. Our billionaire begins to show early signs of his own, giving bizarre interviews to local media, in hoping to convince the cynical public that time and the continuing expertise of our VP will be all that's needed to rid ourselves of this horrible affliction. The television color analyst takes the role of Chief Vindicator and attempts to misdirect the public. He often begins statements with "What people don't realize", or "what the ordinary fan doesn't know", in hopes of convincing the public that this affliction is not CLD, but merely a three to six year rash. Some of "the cultures" they received this time from Boston--along with local strains already developed, will prove themselves, he claims.

On the court, however, the results get only worse. "The cultures" sent from Boston sometimes show promise, only to fail by the 4th quarter. Turnovers, poor defense and shooting, and lack of execution all are taking it's toll on our team. To date mostly zeros exist.

Who will save us? Who will save them?

Just like Coach drew it up...

2007-11-22T09:56:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just before the actual game telecast on Channel 45, JB Bickerstaff was showing exactly how the Wolves were going to defend LeBron James that night. He spoke of how King James liked to work the left side, how the Cavs were going to clear space to exploit the defense, and how the Wolves were going to converge and make him give up the ball.

Wow. Who won that battle of strategy?

Yeah, they forced him to shoot jump shots in the second half, but the reality is he's a great closer, and he toasted the Wolves with clutch shot after clutch shot. James was a +14 for the night when only a few others on his injury riddled team decided to show up. The Wolves--by contrast--also have a few nicks, but again showed why this year is going to be rocky at best. They played harder than they did the last two games, and also notched 20 assists for the first time this season. However, the Cavs shot 20 more free throws than the Wolves, out rebounded the Pups, and had a slightly better field goal percentage than our club, in addition to having a player who's not afraid to take over the game when necessary.

In fact, I find LeBron is the perfect reply to those KG fans who ramble on about how Ticket didn't get the help he needed in Minnesota. Here's a guy that truly has taken lesser talent and at the right time, takes over games to lead his team to victory. Contrast that to KG, who plays maestro for three quarters, and now hands off the game to Ray Allen or Paul Pierce. KG may be an all around better player than James, but where he can't match the King is in those singular moments where the star has to shine brightly for the team to win. Five years into his career, James has done it many more times than KG has done it in 13. A primer for smaller market franchises: if you're going to pay one third of your cap to a single baller, then make sure he can do what James is doing for the Cavs. Seemingly, KG never quite understood the need to take significantly less money (not just the "discount" he took to get Sprewell and Cassell here) because, despite his greatness, he couldn't deliver in that one category--clutch 4th quarter shooting.

As for the Wolves, no one save Corey Brewer had a plus rating last night; technically Corey was at zero, but at least it wasn't negative. Jefferson had a good-to-great game, but also had five turnovers. Gerald Green probably will get some burn over the next few games off his performance as well. From a team viewpoint however, the Wolves are a collection of parts who are still trying to do too much individually on offense, and who don't defend well on defense. As time wears on, anyone paying attention to the players can see that, for example, Ryan Gomes should not be putting the ball on the floor--he's a spot up shooter. McCants is a talent, but not as talented as he thinks he is. No one on the club save Jefferson is a clutch finisher, which truly hurt the club last night.

Taking all these aspects into consideration, what improvements should we be looking for this year, since we will probably set the NBA single season record for losses ? The key will revolve around their identity. We hear a ton of talk from the Iron Ranger and Wittman about smash mouth basketball and throwing punches--real manly type of talk. The reality is right now the Wolves are still primarily a soft, jump shooting team. They have one true post player, and their offensive rebounding is better, but no team that gets to the line so infrequently, and plays as soft of defense as this club does can be labeled smash mouth or tough. At the end of the year if we have a core of players who have committed to that identity and know how to realize it, that should be one critical indicator of success.

If the fans can see progress in a core of players who show real commitment to developing and improving in all the "mental toughness" areas: defense, sharing the ball, 4th quarter play, etc, then hope can be legitimately sold. If what we've seen of the last three games is going to play out for the entire season, then I'm not sure a high draft choice will be enough to give any fans a sense that the current regime has any more clue than it did when KG was here to rebuild the team. It'll be like the Bickerstaff "chalk-talk" last night: great on paper, a failure on the court.

The "Weak" in Review

2007-11-18T16:23:00.000-06:00

It's gonna be a l-o-o-o-n-n-g season.

After winning their first game last Wednesday, and watching the first three quarters of the Washington game on NBA League Pass, I thought I was witnessing growth on the part of this club. Whoops. This was the "take one step forward, two back" type of effort from the Wolves. One thing the Iron Ranger said after the KG trade has come true: players are jockeying for positions of leadership and dominance on this team, and it ain't working.

Case in point: Rashad McCants. He was number one all night against Sac-town, but played like number two against Washington and New Orleans. If he can stay healthy and keep his head on straight, he can be a second or third option on this club, and maybe a designated dagger on some nights. But his shot troubles me, to the point where if adjustments aren't made, I'm wondering about his long term future in this league. If you look closely at his shot, his arc toward the basket is not the classic rainbow, nor is it as flat as KG's when he first came into the league. I've noticed him starting to front rim more shots, which is indicative of what happens when people start to lose their leg strength, especially long-in-the-tooth veterans. He seems to have his quickness back, but if another micro-fracture incident occurs, I think his shot drops off dramatically. I would start working on putting more arc (and touch) on his shot.

Then there are the turnovers. Currently he's 8th in the league with 3.7 turnovers, and a turnover to assist ratio of .46. For a team that wants to transition to a more smashmouth type of game, clearly this gent can't be the main option. It's sexy to fall in love with his shot when it's falling, but the rest of his game hasn't developed. I think his game flourishes when AJ learns how to pass out of the double team better, and draws folks in. It's great that he wants to be a leader, but leadership doesn't necessarily mean BMOT--Big Man on Team.

Other issues: Defense.

The Wolves have actually gotten worse the last five games in their point differential; they've allowed their opposition 10 more points than they have scored. True, the last two games have skewed that average, but for a team struggling to win, this almost seemed like they took a night off Saturday. Already. Their defense--particularly around the perimeter--is awful. They can't stop dribble penetration or prevent teams from getting a great look from downtown. Their zone is very soft, not good when you're trying to establish some sort of identity or chemistry. This can be possibly be explained by more playing time together, but as has been pointed out before, the Wolves have never been particularly good at team defense.

Issue #2: Sharing the ball.

I've harped on this from the beginning, but the club is still under 20 assists a game. Not that I'm a big Hoosiers fan or anything, but that whole three passes things before shooting generally isn't a bad idea. And, there are simply too many times where AJ doesn't touch the ball. Rashad--and the rest of the club--need to defer to him, and he needs to respond in kind with passes out of the double or triple team.

Issue #3: Coaching. For a supposed young team in search of identity or chemistry, early on it's the coach who makes the difference. How? By setting goals, establishing boundaries and being consistent in his or her message. Wittman hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been that great either. The reality is that he himself doesn't have that much head coaching experience. You see this in being unable to establish a true rotation or enforce a pecking order, and not being able to make adjustments, especially in the fourth quarter, where good teams always step up and make a run. It's early yet, but Coach Wittman needs reinforce his vision by clear decisive moves. He's made a lot of moves, but they're very random, like he's searching for something--anything--to work.

Finally, Issue# 4: Veteran leadership. Here's where I think Buckner, Ratliff and Antoine Walker have been pretty good, Walker in particular. Antoine has played hard, not settled for just the three, and seems like--at least so far--a pretty good teammate. Contrast that to the train wreck in Miami, where Ricky Davis has continued his quick shooting ways, and the player formerly known as the second best center in the Western Conference is causing heads to scratch everywhere, except in Minnesota and Boston. That trade doesn't look so lopsided now!

One last comment: Another subject I harp on way too often, but I can't help but notice the arrogance Jim Pete has for the common fan. Often, you will hear him preface many remarks with "what people don't realize", or "what the average fan doesn't understand". Mr. Petersen, actually I think a lot of us do understand more than you give us credit for. Let's be clear once and for all; you were absolutely mistaken about the first Boston trade, and about Mike James and Mark Blount. I'll give you your due because you played the game at the pro level, but you were a journeyman at best, and have been wrong enough in your player evaluations and insights into the game to make you no better than a garden variety knowledgeable person who's kept up via stats, occasional arena appearances, and blogs. You're fortunate to be at the broadcast table, so treat the dwindling Wolves fan base with some amount of respect. The way the club is playing, you're going to need every last one of us.

The Lost Weekend

2007-11-11T10:25:00.000-06:00

Doug Collins is right.

We are the worst team in the league.

Seattle may still give us a run for the money, but after watching the club this weekend, we "win" by a sprained ankle. Randy Wittman, mouth agape like someone just killed his dog in the front yard, must be checking the karma scope for what he did in his past lives to deserve two "set-up to fail" NBA head coaching opportunities. Membership in Taylor.org does come with some responsibilities though; he's been around here long enough to understand that. Every group needs the Fall Guy...Randy's time is now; his tenure may run for at least this year and the next.

The optimists in the room might offer that there are plenty of 0-fer teams still in the standings. Taking a look at the statistics, teams like Washington are solidly ahead of us in giving up points per game. I ask anyone, who would you pick to win in a Wizards-Wolves match up? How about the Heat or Warriors? Only Seattle makes you stop and think about it for a second.

The fallacy of the whole youth argument is that the players we received in the KG trade weren't rookies, each of them have enough years in the league for evaluators to know whether or not they have an upside. Their chronological age may be young, but most of the folks are in their make or break 3 or 4th year. In the case of Jefferson and Telfair, this is their 4th year in the league. Green and Gomes in their 3rd. Given that any team--except Boston, it seems--generally needs time to mesh in cases of extreme roster upheaval, these first five or so games provide a ready made excuse for those who bought into the starting over argument. But players should be figuring it out by this time in their professional career. It's the amount of games--not chronological age. This is where the hype of Taylor.org does deserve credit for lowering the bar. Youth and roster upheaval--what can we possibly expect? Keep those dollars flowing folks...after a couple of years, we'll maybe get back to playoff contention. It's up to us as fans to expect--and demand--more, namely:

1) Defense. It's sexy to have a shot blocker for those 4 or 5 plays a game where the ball gets swatted away. Theo's fighting the good fight, but what about the other 40 or so other plays that get run? Jim Pete correctly pointed out last night that the perimeter defense of the Wolves has been traditionally bad. This is not a particular coaching problem, it permeates the entire organization. How about a little smash-mouth at the defensive end of the court fellas? It's also clear that if anyone was planning to have AJ play the 5 for more than 10 minutes a game, they should have their head examined--since firings seem to be few and far between at Taylor.org. I enjoy watching Jefferson on the low block and rebound, but his defense is suspect, especially at center.

2) Sharing the ball. If it's true--as Britt Robson offers--that we lack talent, then finding the way to share the ball is paramount. We're averaging just under 20 assists a game; teams such as the Jazz and Celtics are around 28 and 26 respectively. We need to move the ball and establish the pecking order, to find match ups we actually can exploit. Inside out with AJ as first option. Like his defense, he will have to be better at passing the ball out of double teams, but there's the All-Star challenge for the young man. And, not much pick and roll so far. Sharing the ball is an aspect of chemistry and BBall IQ, so one would expect if they really do want to win, instead of reverting to "me-first on the playground" ball this should be hammered home for the entire season. Anyone who wants to stay here should make that commitment.

Those two dynamics are indications of effort--not talent. If you want to threaten people with watching what could be a historical amount of losses for one season (Doug Collins was on that team, BTW), then instead of merely selling chemistry and loyalty in your marketing campaign, how about actually displaying it?

Early Results Just In...

2007-11-08T06:18:00.000-06:00

I was flipping the channels last night, courtesy of NBA League Pass and ESPN...

Boston is on an early season mission, their latest conquest being the Nuggets. Even though they pummeled Denver, it was more of the Nugs not showing up than anything the Celtics were doing. Hall of Famer Bob Cousy joined the Celtics broadcast, and both he and Homer Heinsohn were remarking how bad Denver's defense was by the middle of the second quarter.

What is remarkable about this version of the C's is that these guys are really sharing the ball. Last night they had 32 assists. True they had 21 turnovers, but when you shoot over 60% for the game and out rebound your opponent, you can afford those turnovers, at least against regular season, indifferent competition. One sign of concern for the Celtics--James Posey went down with an injury. It didn't seem serious, but injuries will be the test of this club, because their bench is still suspect. They are going to have to keep the Big Three and their major role players healthy come playoff time, to have any chance of making a deep playoff run. One bright spot off the bench has been Eddie House. Traditionally not much of point guard, he's come in and given them decent play, and also has been able to hit his usual long ball in the early games. At the post-game press conference, you can tell KG is enjoying being in the limelight again.

As for the Nuggets, not to show up for a game against major competition--even on a back-to-back--this early in the season is pretty troubling. Are they overrated? They've got a lot of talent on their team, but also plenty of attitude. I think Karl has a lot on his hands right now.

My new nickname for Shaq is the Big Drop Off. Yeah, he doesn't get his motor running until the playoffs, but he looks really OLD and disinterested out there right now. I think the Miami folks are figuring out maybe Davis and Blount weren't that good of additions to their squad.

Robert Swift of Seattle resembles a 2K version of Bill Walton, when he was with the TrailBlazers, a mountain man with major tattoos. He has had major injuries, but he looks like he's coming around. Kevin Durant on the other hand, looks lost. Against Memphis he was shooting out of rhythm, and jacking up shots left and right. As bad as the Wolves are, the Sonics may be worse. Wally is doing a pretty good job for them coming off the bench, but he looks a step slow. He's still clapping his hands for the ball out on the perimeter, however. Some things will never change.

See How They Can Lose

2007-11-07T06:25:00.000-06:00

Both the MSM and alternative media are going pretty soft on the Wolves right now. The StarTrib's Souhan literally gushes about Big Al and takes another shot at KG. Britt Robson is more detailed and substantiated, offering that Randy Wittman is doing a good job of getting the Wolves ready to start the game, not mentioning the job he did the last three quarters. Okay, they're looking for positives, evaluating rationally...it's a long season after all.

Whatever.

In last night's loss, it wasn't anything that Wittman did, it was Orlando who let up and allowed the Wolves back into the game, as opposed to the coach "wanting the game". The Wolves announcers were throwing their hands up in resignation when Lewis was draining clutch threes, but how about a defensive adjustment, maybe even attempting to deny him the ball, or run the gent through a couple of hard picks at the other end? How about picking up Arroyo closer to half court and applying some on ball pressure? That's smash mouth, intense basketball, not the sort of namby-pamby stuff we've seen so far.

I'll agree with Wittman's take on playing better straight up defense and being more aggressive, but when the only bitching you hear from the Wolves section is the VP a few rows up, it's Casey's disease all over again. How about the coach getting a little intense and leading by example? Please, at least a technical or two...throw in a good cheap shot at Dan Crawford, telling him all bets are off now, he can go back to calling the game. Respect comes not only from aggressiveness, but letting the refs know YOU know what's going on here--the same old crap entry level teams get in this league.

Losing is contagious; you have to fight with every weapon you have in your arsenal to make sure you're not irrelevant by December, developing team or not. Until that little spurt in the fourth, why should the fans who attended the game come back?

Maybe Sweetwater Jones should have been activated for the game. He's got a little fight in him.