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.
Showing posts with label Hoops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hoops. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Today's Secret Word is....
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.
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.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just Imagine...
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!
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!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
My Fair Losers
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.
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.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Alternative Programming
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?
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?
Sunday, November 4, 2007
After Further Review...
The first game is history.
After suffering through the initial hype of Taylor.org selling us on how exciting this season will be, the results weren't all that different from the last few years. Mental toughness and fourth quarter finishing are tough to develop and even harder to trade for, one year of Sam Cassell notwithstanding.
There were good signs though; low turnovers and decent interior defense from time to time, for example. I think it's a reality that the referees--treating us like most rookies entering the league--are not going to give us the benefit of the doubt, even at home. Respect will have to be earned. That will make it even harder to successfully finish out close games in the 4th. There will be little room for error, and given the early tendencies of our club, there will be only a few opportunities to take teams out; when it happens we must aggressively seize them. Otherwise, it's expansion team comparisons for the year, no matter what Jerry Zgoda says.
One thought however...is it any wonder that since the primary selling point of the KG trade has been Al Jefferson, after repeated missives from the Iron Ranger about how good Big Al is, and signing him to an major extension, that teams would actually pay attention and double/triple team him the entire game? Until the Wolves can develop better dribble penetration, ball movement and feed other low post options, it's jump shots in the 4th, baby. Teams will be naturally forcing other players to beat them. The disparity in free throws between the Nuggets and Wolves demonstrates this point. The ability to get to the stripe to stay in the game, and then take over in the 4th is textbook road winning procedure. The Wolves are still skimming the primer...or should I say perimeter?
Having said all that, seeing what Sebastian Telfair can do for the club while Foye is out is extremely valuable. Jaric may whine about wanting yet ANOTHER (sorry Mr. Robson, for using capital letters for effect) chance, but being able to evaluate whether or not you potentially want to be adding another big (see Hibbert/Georgetown) or hunt for still yet a true point guard for next year is important. Seeing Telfair play today in NY should be very interesting. Let's hope it brings back fond memories of his high school exploits.
However, the Knicks will rebound from their opening loss to the Cavs, and win by at least 10. I'd love for the club to prove me wrong. Put it this way...we're still doing better than the Bulls. How disappointed Chicago must be in their season start! (Sorry again, Britt, for the use of exclamation points)
After suffering through the initial hype of Taylor.org selling us on how exciting this season will be, the results weren't all that different from the last few years. Mental toughness and fourth quarter finishing are tough to develop and even harder to trade for, one year of Sam Cassell notwithstanding.
There were good signs though; low turnovers and decent interior defense from time to time, for example. I think it's a reality that the referees--treating us like most rookies entering the league--are not going to give us the benefit of the doubt, even at home. Respect will have to be earned. That will make it even harder to successfully finish out close games in the 4th. There will be little room for error, and given the early tendencies of our club, there will be only a few opportunities to take teams out; when it happens we must aggressively seize them. Otherwise, it's expansion team comparisons for the year, no matter what Jerry Zgoda says.
One thought however...is it any wonder that since the primary selling point of the KG trade has been Al Jefferson, after repeated missives from the Iron Ranger about how good Big Al is, and signing him to an major extension, that teams would actually pay attention and double/triple team him the entire game? Until the Wolves can develop better dribble penetration, ball movement and feed other low post options, it's jump shots in the 4th, baby. Teams will be naturally forcing other players to beat them. The disparity in free throws between the Nuggets and Wolves demonstrates this point. The ability to get to the stripe to stay in the game, and then take over in the 4th is textbook road winning procedure. The Wolves are still skimming the primer...or should I say perimeter?
Having said all that, seeing what Sebastian Telfair can do for the club while Foye is out is extremely valuable. Jaric may whine about wanting yet ANOTHER (sorry Mr. Robson, for using capital letters for effect) chance, but being able to evaluate whether or not you potentially want to be adding another big (see Hibbert/Georgetown) or hunt for still yet a true point guard for next year is important. Seeing Telfair play today in NY should be very interesting. Let's hope it brings back fond memories of his high school exploits.
However, the Knicks will rebound from their opening loss to the Cavs, and win by at least 10. I'd love for the club to prove me wrong. Put it this way...we're still doing better than the Bulls. How disappointed Chicago must be in their season start! (Sorry again, Britt, for the use of exclamation points)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Scrimmage Saturday Night
Sometimes, you just have to see--in the words of the immortal Marvin Gaye--what's goin' on. Traveling down to the Target Center to watch the new club practice without KG has absolutely a different feel to it. My impressions? A lot of bodies, instruction, whistles and semi-dinged players. This team right now is a bunch of guys all trying to make the "big difference" at the same time. The coaching staff drilled the boys on making extra passes...I'm not sure Gerald Green could even spell the word pass. But then again it is four letters, so maybe there's hope after all.
Other thoughts:
Al Jefferson is pretty good. How good is a huge question mark, and it will be a test of the point guards on this team to understand the asset they have. Players with low post skills like AJ tend to make the game easier on offense, and more consistent. One major problem with the Wolves in the last few years was their inability to score during large stretches of the game. When you have a jump shooting team that doesn't share the ball particularly well, what happens is that players have to work very hard individually to get buckets, or in the case of Ricky Davis, shoot quickly before the defense hardens. If the shots fall, great, but more often than not, especially in the fourth quarter, the shots stop falling and the other team makes a successful run to victory. Having quality low post scoring is like having the ace pitching stopper in baseball; a guy who can get a bucket when you need it and stop the other team's momentum. I think AJ can be that guy, but it's a mindset the team has to adopt, and they have a way to go to get there.
It's unfortunate Juwan Howard couldn't stay on this club. I think having a veteran presence of him, Walker, Doleac and Buckner on this team would have paid major dividends. Moving Jaric off the team, and acquiring a veteran third point guard for this club would have been the perfect scenario to help "grow" this club into respectability. As it is however, I'm going to give Walker the benefit of the doubt. He did not look terribly out of shape to me, and as he himself said, it looks like he's got a lot left in the tank. His contribution--either negative or positive--will be one of the keys to progress this year.
I also like the fact the Wolves have two dedicated centers available to them. Michael Doleac is not a whiz around the basket and runs like Herman Munster up and down the court, but although they lost KG, their low post presence overall is potentially better than anytime in the Wolves history. Of course, that's not saying much; it's kind of like saying Mark Blount was the best center in Wolves history to date...ouch! A lot will depend on how healthy Theo Ratliff stays. AJ will be playing a lot of center this year, so Smith, Gomes and Walker will see a lot of minutes at power forward, but the Wolves have a lot of versatility to play either big or small with this group.
Point guard play will also loom large for this club. Can either Foye or Telfair run the team and share the rock? It's pretty clear that Jaric's days as a major contributor should be over if he can't improve his assist to turnover ratio. As I mentioned before, one primary reason for the amount of turnovers on this club is because everyone is trying to make plays, and not letting the game come to them. The pecking order and team identity haven't been established as of yet, which the point guard position affects so drastically. Both Foye and Telfair have some skills; whether it's the type of skills that can provide stability and discipline to their attack remains to be seen.
So, who's gonna be the fourth quarter stud for the club? Your candidates are: AJ, Foye, McCants and--as a distant fourth--possibly Walker. Of course, given the fact they'll be down by 20 in many of the games this year by the 4th Q, this point may be moot. In terms of developing a team identity however, it is very important.
All in all, it will be tough to sit through a season of getting hammered, much like the expansion years. It's easy to continue to lambaste the Iron Ranger and Taylor.org for the job they've done mishandling the team over the last few years. However, if you're going to blow up the team, he's done what he has needed to do; it's the ultimate wait-and-see adventure now. Instead of being instantly negative, it's time to breathe deep and see what this group can bring us. In the end, it may not be as bad as I think it will be. I also think by the end of the season Boston fans will be asking why their new super hero KG isn't better in the clutch.
Time will tell.
Other thoughts:
Al Jefferson is pretty good. How good is a huge question mark, and it will be a test of the point guards on this team to understand the asset they have. Players with low post skills like AJ tend to make the game easier on offense, and more consistent. One major problem with the Wolves in the last few years was their inability to score during large stretches of the game. When you have a jump shooting team that doesn't share the ball particularly well, what happens is that players have to work very hard individually to get buckets, or in the case of Ricky Davis, shoot quickly before the defense hardens. If the shots fall, great, but more often than not, especially in the fourth quarter, the shots stop falling and the other team makes a successful run to victory. Having quality low post scoring is like having the ace pitching stopper in baseball; a guy who can get a bucket when you need it and stop the other team's momentum. I think AJ can be that guy, but it's a mindset the team has to adopt, and they have a way to go to get there.
It's unfortunate Juwan Howard couldn't stay on this club. I think having a veteran presence of him, Walker, Doleac and Buckner on this team would have paid major dividends. Moving Jaric off the team, and acquiring a veteran third point guard for this club would have been the perfect scenario to help "grow" this club into respectability. As it is however, I'm going to give Walker the benefit of the doubt. He did not look terribly out of shape to me, and as he himself said, it looks like he's got a lot left in the tank. His contribution--either negative or positive--will be one of the keys to progress this year.
I also like the fact the Wolves have two dedicated centers available to them. Michael Doleac is not a whiz around the basket and runs like Herman Munster up and down the court, but although they lost KG, their low post presence overall is potentially better than anytime in the Wolves history. Of course, that's not saying much; it's kind of like saying Mark Blount was the best center in Wolves history to date...ouch! A lot will depend on how healthy Theo Ratliff stays. AJ will be playing a lot of center this year, so Smith, Gomes and Walker will see a lot of minutes at power forward, but the Wolves have a lot of versatility to play either big or small with this group.
Point guard play will also loom large for this club. Can either Foye or Telfair run the team and share the rock? It's pretty clear that Jaric's days as a major contributor should be over if he can't improve his assist to turnover ratio. As I mentioned before, one primary reason for the amount of turnovers on this club is because everyone is trying to make plays, and not letting the game come to them. The pecking order and team identity haven't been established as of yet, which the point guard position affects so drastically. Both Foye and Telfair have some skills; whether it's the type of skills that can provide stability and discipline to their attack remains to be seen.
So, who's gonna be the fourth quarter stud for the club? Your candidates are: AJ, Foye, McCants and--as a distant fourth--possibly Walker. Of course, given the fact they'll be down by 20 in many of the games this year by the 4th Q, this point may be moot. In terms of developing a team identity however, it is very important.
All in all, it will be tough to sit through a season of getting hammered, much like the expansion years. It's easy to continue to lambaste the Iron Ranger and Taylor.org for the job they've done mishandling the team over the last few years. However, if you're going to blow up the team, he's done what he has needed to do; it's the ultimate wait-and-see adventure now. Instead of being instantly negative, it's time to breathe deep and see what this group can bring us. In the end, it may not be as bad as I think it will be. I also think by the end of the season Boston fans will be asking why their new super hero KG isn't better in the clutch.
Time will tell.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Truth or Originality?
"No, I don't quite understand why McHale still has a job. And I think he failed to take advantage of one of the greatest players in NBA history. Now do you want to tell me how this is even remotely qualifies as an original, interesting take on August 2, 2007?
What is interesting to me is that the guy I've been bashing has had three pretty good drafts in a row. That those drafts and the trade he just made point toward a philosophy of play he has always preached, one directly at odds with the two most influential figures in the Wolves' past success--KG and Flip Saunders." - Britt Robson, August 2, 2007
I would offer to Britt that what's unoriginal lies in the continual and long standing failure of the Wolves organization to acknowledge what the real problem is. Isn't it usually said when a coach gets fired, that it's easier than firing all the players? Well, in this case, both the coach AND the players are getting fired, with the core issue remaining...the Iron Ranger and Clueless Glen. There is absolutely no evidence that McHale's new Navy will be any better in the end. Why? Because it's not simply about the players; it's also how you treat them, how you work with their agents, what type of contracts you sign them to. It's a skill set beyond the hardwood, and the Ranger doesn't have it. We've seen this now for many years. THAT is what's unoriginal. We're still waiting for Godot, and it's time the play ends.
For the record, it's not because KG was traded that I harp on these facts. Some of the things KG said at the Boston press conference was incredible. Taylor showed plenty of loyalty and love to the guy, over 200 million worth. KG--while great--was an over priced talent, but never recognized his role in all this mess. He's content to play victim. Now as you, me, and many others have said, there are no excuses. But the fact remains everything negative about the Wolves has flowed downhill from the front office. Marv Wolfenson, Harvey Ratner, Bob Stein, Jack McCloskey, Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale. A wall of organizational shame.
Yeah, it will be interesting to see what happens, and I'll go to games, because I love basketball, and it will be a challenge for me to guess which referee is actually on the take. But even more than wasting a top talent like KG, the real tragedy is here ruining a basketball market with incompetence, arrogance, and spin. It's an old familiar theme; boring, unoriginal, but it's the truth.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Ticket to Ride
An era looks to be ending, I'm sorry to report. As much as I've enjoyed watching KG over the years, I guess everything has to end, especially in professional sports. The delusional behavior by just about everyone associated with this drama brought this to a head. Here's what I posted on Britt Robson's Rake blog:
"If you can only primarily deal with one agent and GM in any professional league, you're screwed. Somewhere along the line, Glen Taylor must have an on-the-road-to-Damascus epiphany and understand what damage he and McHale have wreaked on an unsuspecting basketball market. If that understanding ever is achieved, sackcloth and ashes aren't nearly enough for what has transpired here during KG's tenure. Given that scenario, this deal is pretty much the same as any other realistic offer. It won't solve the core issues facing this club. At least we might get our draft pick back from the last botched trade.
Fred Hoiberg can't fix this, neither will Jim Petersen, who I'm sure --just like the other Boston trade--will defend it for at least a year and half. And, just like the other Boston trade, he will be wrong. It will take a totally fresh look to build the scouting, dealing and coaching acumen to make this team a success.
However, KG is no Tim Duncan. If reports are correct, him asking to get paid another 100 million dollars over four to six years demonstrates we could have never found the resources to build around him anyway at this stage of his career. The T-Wolves needed to get salary relief from him if he was to stay in Minnesota for life. So fine Danny Ainge, give him one last big payday. There are no excuses left for KG; if those three are healthy, they should make runs deep into the playoffs for at least three years, given the East's reputation as the JV conference.
As for what we have now, I guess I wouldn't worry about the rebounding. Other than Ticket, we were getting dominated when it counted anyway. KG wasn't tough on the glass, he grabbed a lot of easy rebounds at the end of plays. We now at least have a couple of players willing to play in the low post. Consistently.
What we have left are many gambles, but no safe bets. It will take much more hard work and fresh analysis to build the right mix of youth and veterans to compete in the Western Conference.
We're again at wait and see, with the Iron Ranger still at the controls. Given his performance at draft time, and Taylor's subsequent spin of this drama, why should we bother to trust anything they have left to say?"
"If you can only primarily deal with one agent and GM in any professional league, you're screwed. Somewhere along the line, Glen Taylor must have an on-the-road-to-Damascus epiphany and understand what damage he and McHale have wreaked on an unsuspecting basketball market. If that understanding ever is achieved, sackcloth and ashes aren't nearly enough for what has transpired here during KG's tenure. Given that scenario, this deal is pretty much the same as any other realistic offer. It won't solve the core issues facing this club. At least we might get our draft pick back from the last botched trade.
Fred Hoiberg can't fix this, neither will Jim Petersen, who I'm sure --just like the other Boston trade--will defend it for at least a year and half. And, just like the other Boston trade, he will be wrong. It will take a totally fresh look to build the scouting, dealing and coaching acumen to make this team a success.
However, KG is no Tim Duncan. If reports are correct, him asking to get paid another 100 million dollars over four to six years demonstrates we could have never found the resources to build around him anyway at this stage of his career. The T-Wolves needed to get salary relief from him if he was to stay in Minnesota for life. So fine Danny Ainge, give him one last big payday. There are no excuses left for KG; if those three are healthy, they should make runs deep into the playoffs for at least three years, given the East's reputation as the JV conference.
As for what we have now, I guess I wouldn't worry about the rebounding. Other than Ticket, we were getting dominated when it counted anyway. KG wasn't tough on the glass, he grabbed a lot of easy rebounds at the end of plays. We now at least have a couple of players willing to play in the low post. Consistently.
What we have left are many gambles, but no safe bets. It will take much more hard work and fresh analysis to build the right mix of youth and veterans to compete in the Western Conference.
We're again at wait and see, with the Iron Ranger still at the controls. Given his performance at draft time, and Taylor's subsequent spin of this drama, why should we bother to trust anything they have left to say?"
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Sun Spotted and Trader Kevin
Let's talk about the ladies first. A nice win, though the shooting was poor throughout for both clubs. Free throws are what won it for the team, which is another good sign: the ability to get into the paint and draw fouls. Nicole Ohlde went 7-14 with 8 rebounds, a welcome sign. Both Lindsey's shot poorly last night, with 4 for 14 nights. To be fair, Ms. Whalen is having a tough overall shooting year as well, with a 35.1% average, similar to Harding's 31.1%. Being the provincial homers Minnesotans often are, I'm guessing most fans here would be defending Whalen; instead we can criticize Harding's struggles. Suffice it to say that one reason both teams are struggling at this point (no pun intended), is that both PG's are not playing up to snuff. Of course, the expectations are much higher in CT than Minny, but along with a strong front court, a championship team needs decent production at the 1. Connecticut has already been at the doorstep, while Minnesota has barely touched the first round. Judging by last night's performance, both teams have a long way to go, with the Lynx second to last in the pack. The July 8th game against Houston is looming large as the two worst clubs in the league will compete to see which one is the more truly inept.
Speaking of inept, Kevin McHale made a trade today, giving up point guard bust Mike James and raw Justin Reed for the aging, slightly over the hill Juwan Howard. This is a decent trade if Howard has anything left to give. He can come in and score in the front court when KG sits, he can also be a decent tandem with KG late in the game. The speculation is that the Wolves now will draft a swing man, but this would be a mistake. Our club still has no front court shot blocking save KG; I've read all the rips against Noah on other boards, but he would be the best player available for this club, considering all the club's needs. The addition of Noah would give them 6 bigs on the squad (if you count Smith a big), and allow them to interchange more effectively, considering that Mark Blount is a one dimensional player, and can't do anything but shoot and occasionally show on defense. Swing men are a dime a dozen in this league; we have the opportunity to fortify our front court. Let's hope the Iron Ranger doesn't screw this one up.
Speaking of inept, Kevin McHale made a trade today, giving up point guard bust Mike James and raw Justin Reed for the aging, slightly over the hill Juwan Howard. This is a decent trade if Howard has anything left to give. He can come in and score in the front court when KG sits, he can also be a decent tandem with KG late in the game. The speculation is that the Wolves now will draft a swing man, but this would be a mistake. Our club still has no front court shot blocking save KG; I've read all the rips against Noah on other boards, but he would be the best player available for this club, considering all the club's needs. The addition of Noah would give them 6 bigs on the squad (if you count Smith a big), and allow them to interchange more effectively, considering that Mark Blount is a one dimensional player, and can't do anything but shoot and occasionally show on defense. Swing men are a dime a dozen in this league; we have the opportunity to fortify our front court. Let's hope the Iron Ranger doesn't screw this one up.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Exercises in Futility
I watched most of the game today on NBA TV, and it was awful. The team didn't score it's first field goal until there was 2:35 left in the first quarter. In the first half, they shot 21 percent. They ramped it up the second half, finishing at 31.5 percent. I'm not sure this can be said any other way: Coach Zierden is incompetent.
Why are the Lynx shooting such a poor percentage? Once again, they have to work very hard to create shots; there's no sense of sharing the ball whatsoever. Whether or not that indicates youth or poor chemistry, this team doesn't pass the rock. In the first half, they had only two assists. Two. They did better in the second half, with a total of nine, but it's clear they have no strategy other than to isolate or attempt to free up Augustus via screens and let her go to work. All the Sky did was trap and double team her to get the ball out of her hands, and they were sunk. Their other strategy is trying to use Harding's speed in the transition game, before the defense sets. The issue with that is of course, is that while the Lynx actually out rebounded Chicago, the Sky dominated the offensive rebounding stats, especially in the first half. You can't start a break if you don't have the ball. There are no easy baskets whatsoever in this offense.
Right now, Harding seems way over matched in trying to run what semblance of offense there actually is. I'll give her credit; she's taking her lumps like a true professional, but I don't understand the force feeding. It's not like she's the female second coming of Stephon Marbury, or Chris Paul. How exactly is she being setup for success?
At the risk of being extremely repetitive, the primary problem is in the front court. Ms. Ohlde's stats are deceiving; she is absolutely the worst low post presence--male or female--I've ever seen. The Sky let her off the hook by continually fouling her, and in the second half she was able to finally convert from the field, but as I've mentioned before, she needs to play the high post. She simply has no feel, touch or strength around the basket. It's embarrassing to watch her flail at the basket from 3 feet away in traffic. At least she hits her free throws. We've seen this now for three years running. McCarville is taking up space on the Liberty bench. We can't make some sort of trade for her or another who can play effectively with their back to the basket?
The Taylor group is missing a great marketing opportunity with this poor start. They should create a pool for fans to try and pick the first win for this club. At this point, have a sense of humor about
it, for Jim Pete's sake. You have to give the fans some fun in the middle of all this mess.
Why are the Lynx shooting such a poor percentage? Once again, they have to work very hard to create shots; there's no sense of sharing the ball whatsoever. Whether or not that indicates youth or poor chemistry, this team doesn't pass the rock. In the first half, they had only two assists. Two. They did better in the second half, with a total of nine, but it's clear they have no strategy other than to isolate or attempt to free up Augustus via screens and let her go to work. All the Sky did was trap and double team her to get the ball out of her hands, and they were sunk. Their other strategy is trying to use Harding's speed in the transition game, before the defense sets. The issue with that is of course, is that while the Lynx actually out rebounded Chicago, the Sky dominated the offensive rebounding stats, especially in the first half. You can't start a break if you don't have the ball. There are no easy baskets whatsoever in this offense.
Right now, Harding seems way over matched in trying to run what semblance of offense there actually is. I'll give her credit; she's taking her lumps like a true professional, but I don't understand the force feeding. It's not like she's the female second coming of Stephon Marbury, or Chris Paul. How exactly is she being setup for success?
At the risk of being extremely repetitive, the primary problem is in the front court. Ms. Ohlde's stats are deceiving; she is absolutely the worst low post presence--male or female--I've ever seen. The Sky let her off the hook by continually fouling her, and in the second half she was able to finally convert from the field, but as I've mentioned before, she needs to play the high post. She simply has no feel, touch or strength around the basket. It's embarrassing to watch her flail at the basket from 3 feet away in traffic. At least she hits her free throws. We've seen this now for three years running. McCarville is taking up space on the Liberty bench. We can't make some sort of trade for her or another who can play effectively with their back to the basket?
The Taylor group is missing a great marketing opportunity with this poor start. They should create a pool for fans to try and pick the first win for this club. At this point, have a sense of humor about
it, for Jim Pete's sake. You have to give the fans some fun in the middle of all this mess.
"A Man's Got to Know His Limitations"
I've often used the famous line from "Dirty Harry" to describe Flip Saunders. I've also often described Flip as a younger version of Don Nelson--offensive mastermind, regular season wonder, but not NBA championship caliber. The bottom line: he's a very good, but not great coach. We saw that again last night, and actually for the last two years. The pattern continues; impressive regular season performances, but el-foldo in crunch time.
After hearing all of his excuses why he couldn't push the Wolves past the first round more often (lack of talent, poor seeding, etc.), he had two potential job options when the Wolves bounced him: the Bucks and Pistons. If you've convinced yourself talent was the issue, then the choice was simple, wait for the Pistons job to free up, then take it. The problem with that logic is the reality that with great talent comes great responsibility. The bar is much higher, and you're not going to be able to BS your way past a basketball community with a tradition of excellence like the Pistons. It's win or go home, which in this case means win or get fired. That's exactly where Flip is today, with many people in the Detroit community calling for his head. Joe Dumars is not Kevin McHale, and the Pistons aren't the T-Wolves. Based on his past activity, I have to believe Flip is history.
Saunders should have taken the Gophers job, an opportunity where he all he had to do is occasionally make a NCAA tourney, sprinkle in the NIT in rebuilding years, and the job could have been his for as long as he wanted it. Now with Tubby Smith at the helm, if Flip does indeed get released soon, it's broadcasting, a year off, or possibly the Sacramento job. Who knows, if he waits long enough maybe Taylor would finally feel comfortable letting the Iron Ranger go if he knew Flip would come back to be VP/GM.
Dumars has other challenges as well, and it could mean opportunities for the Wolves. The immediate buzz right now out of Detroit is that Billups should be resigned, and that the Pistons should make a play for Zach Randolph. I can't see why he would make a deal for Mini-Sheed. Yeah, he's a Michigan State alumni, but I don't think he plays the Pistons way: tough physical defense combined with clutch offense. With five straight Eastern Conference appearances and only one ring to show for it with this group, I would think it's rebuilding time.
If I were the Iron Ranger, I would see if a combination of our seventh pick and players could possibly motivate a sign and trade for Mr. Big Shot. I think that certainly would fire KG up. The reality is that if Dumars wanted to rebuild, he has much better options than to deal with us, but you never know until you ask...
After hearing all of his excuses why he couldn't push the Wolves past the first round more often (lack of talent, poor seeding, etc.), he had two potential job options when the Wolves bounced him: the Bucks and Pistons. If you've convinced yourself talent was the issue, then the choice was simple, wait for the Pistons job to free up, then take it. The problem with that logic is the reality that with great talent comes great responsibility. The bar is much higher, and you're not going to be able to BS your way past a basketball community with a tradition of excellence like the Pistons. It's win or go home, which in this case means win or get fired. That's exactly where Flip is today, with many people in the Detroit community calling for his head. Joe Dumars is not Kevin McHale, and the Pistons aren't the T-Wolves. Based on his past activity, I have to believe Flip is history.
Saunders should have taken the Gophers job, an opportunity where he all he had to do is occasionally make a NCAA tourney, sprinkle in the NIT in rebuilding years, and the job could have been his for as long as he wanted it. Now with Tubby Smith at the helm, if Flip does indeed get released soon, it's broadcasting, a year off, or possibly the Sacramento job. Who knows, if he waits long enough maybe Taylor would finally feel comfortable letting the Iron Ranger go if he knew Flip would come back to be VP/GM.
Dumars has other challenges as well, and it could mean opportunities for the Wolves. The immediate buzz right now out of Detroit is that Billups should be resigned, and that the Pistons should make a play for Zach Randolph. I can't see why he would make a deal for Mini-Sheed. Yeah, he's a Michigan State alumni, but I don't think he plays the Pistons way: tough physical defense combined with clutch offense. With five straight Eastern Conference appearances and only one ring to show for it with this group, I would think it's rebuilding time.
If I were the Iron Ranger, I would see if a combination of our seventh pick and players could possibly motivate a sign and trade for Mr. Big Shot. I think that certainly would fire KG up. The reality is that if Dumars wanted to rebuild, he has much better options than to deal with us, but you never know until you ask...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Fever Pitched
The streak continues to 0-5. As hard as the ESPN 2 announcers tried to say how much talent the Lynx had, the gap between the Fever and our ladies was obvious. As with the other games, poor defense, no real inside game to speak of, no ball movement, a few screens and a lot of Seimone Augustus. Coach Z has got to design a better offense. Everyone's standing around; there's way too much dribbling. SA is something though, a very good individual player. There were a few other decent signs; Lindsey Harding is starting to find her shot and Svetlana Abrosimova had some good minutes. It's apparent that Coach is still trying to find his rotation...I can help:
Tiffany Stansbury can't hit a free throw, and is not a long term solution, but should be playing the low post, Kathrin Ress is the back up
Nicole Ohlde should be playing the high post or be seated; she simply can't finish inside. Even the announcers noticed that tonight. When Tamika Raymond is healthy, she can rotate in
Svet can play small forward, Kristen Mann is the sub
SA can do what she does, Noelle Quinn comes in.
Harding plays the point, Amber Jacobs provides relief.
Right now, you've got to have a mix of veterans and your young stars on the court, to provide stability. Once again, we hear the phrase "playing hard", but there's nothing coming out of that, no real chemistry to speak of. They need to play better defense, so they can score easier baskets and hopefully let SA work in transition. You won't win many games shooting such a low percentage.
Everyone needs to step up a bit, especially the coaching staff. I've said it before; I can't believe this guy was ever on a Flip Saunders staff. Simply incredible.
Tiffany Stansbury can't hit a free throw, and is not a long term solution, but should be playing the low post, Kathrin Ress is the back up
Nicole Ohlde should be playing the high post or be seated; she simply can't finish inside. Even the announcers noticed that tonight. When Tamika Raymond is healthy, she can rotate in
Svet can play small forward, Kristen Mann is the sub
SA can do what she does, Noelle Quinn comes in.
Harding plays the point, Amber Jacobs provides relief.
Right now, you've got to have a mix of veterans and your young stars on the court, to provide stability. Once again, we hear the phrase "playing hard", but there's nothing coming out of that, no real chemistry to speak of. They need to play better defense, so they can score easier baskets and hopefully let SA work in transition. You won't win many games shooting such a low percentage.
Everyone needs to step up a bit, especially the coaching staff. I've said it before; I can't believe this guy was ever on a Flip Saunders staff. Simply incredible.
FUBAR
In this case, it means fouled up beyond all recognition.
Anytime a team shoots and makes twice as many free throws as the opposition, usually the team going to the line more wins. There was a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth in Utah last night, and a Jerry Sloan ejection, but the Jazz have no one to blame but themselves. Especially in the second half, there were key times where the Jazz had the opportunity to go ahead in the game, but turned the ball over repeatedly. Both Carlos Boozer and AK-47 had trouble throwing outlet passes, and Deron Williams--who was still very good last night--could not catch a break when he penetrated and tried to create contact. I think the Spurs got the benefit from some calls, especially since Duncan got some ticky-tack fouls called in Game 3, but when it came down to crunch time, the Jazz simply didn't get it done.
Now for the real meaning of FUBAR. As I was watching the Jazz-Spurs last night, I decided to browse to the KFAN web site and check their on-demand audio section. Because of work, I usually don't get to tune into Chad Hartman, and sure enough, he had Jim Petersen as an in-studio guest last week, right after the NBA lottery selections. Anyone reading my contributions to Britt Robson's blog in the past knows I disagree with Petersen on just about everything. I've been told he's a great guy, but please as a public figure, I find him to be arrogant, a homer commentator, and really wrong on most issues related to pro basketball. What I heard from him last night was again one more reason for the Wolves NOT to consider him for any coaching or front-office position.
First, let's start with his defense of the Diaw-Amare suspensions in the Suns-Spurs game. Jim Pete mentions how Stern was absolutely right in his decision to suspend those two; bringing up--as Stern did--the "punch", Kermit Washington's vicious smack to Rudy T's face. David Stern is the boss, and therefore has the right to interpret the rule, but here's why their stated rationale is disingenuous. "The Punch" occurred in 1977. The NBA leaving the bench rule was adopted before the ‘94-’95 season. So, where was the concern for players during those missing years?
The current rule is not a direct result of that incident, it was an attempt to try and maintain order during an increasingly fractious and contentious period of the league. They had an image to protect after all, and it was getting worse at that time. So for Jim Pete and the Commish to defend it on "The Punch" is ludicrous. That's what spin artists do these days. They bring up the worst possible scenario or example to illuminate the point, instead of actually intelligently talking through the issue. It's flat out wrong not to punish the instigators more than players who broke the letter of the law by leaving the bench, but not the spirit of the law by going back to the bench and not getting involved. Isn't that the intended result of all these rules, not getting involved in a fight and throwing a punch?
The second issue is in his assessment that the top need for the Wolves is a big small forward or in hoops vernacular, a "three".
What?!
You've got a soft front-court with no offensive rebounding to speak of, no interior defense, very little shot blocking, and you're saying our primary need is a big SF? Let's review. Here's a guy that was spinning Mark Blount to be the second best center in the Western Conference at one time and a guy who advocated the signing of Mike James. Just like his right wing brethren, when has Jim Pete been correct about anything in the couple of years? Jeff Green as the Wolves #1? Please, not another wing man.
This is the true definition of FUBAR.
Anytime a team shoots and makes twice as many free throws as the opposition, usually the team going to the line more wins. There was a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth in Utah last night, and a Jerry Sloan ejection, but the Jazz have no one to blame but themselves. Especially in the second half, there were key times where the Jazz had the opportunity to go ahead in the game, but turned the ball over repeatedly. Both Carlos Boozer and AK-47 had trouble throwing outlet passes, and Deron Williams--who was still very good last night--could not catch a break when he penetrated and tried to create contact. I think the Spurs got the benefit from some calls, especially since Duncan got some ticky-tack fouls called in Game 3, but when it came down to crunch time, the Jazz simply didn't get it done.
Now for the real meaning of FUBAR. As I was watching the Jazz-Spurs last night, I decided to browse to the KFAN web site and check their on-demand audio section. Because of work, I usually don't get to tune into Chad Hartman, and sure enough, he had Jim Petersen as an in-studio guest last week, right after the NBA lottery selections. Anyone reading my contributions to Britt Robson's blog in the past knows I disagree with Petersen on just about everything. I've been told he's a great guy, but please as a public figure, I find him to be arrogant, a homer commentator, and really wrong on most issues related to pro basketball. What I heard from him last night was again one more reason for the Wolves NOT to consider him for any coaching or front-office position.
First, let's start with his defense of the Diaw-Amare suspensions in the Suns-Spurs game. Jim Pete mentions how Stern was absolutely right in his decision to suspend those two; bringing up--as Stern did--the "punch", Kermit Washington's vicious smack to Rudy T's face. David Stern is the boss, and therefore has the right to interpret the rule, but here's why their stated rationale is disingenuous. "The Punch" occurred in 1977. The NBA leaving the bench rule was adopted before the ‘94-’95 season. So, where was the concern for players during those missing years?
The current rule is not a direct result of that incident, it was an attempt to try and maintain order during an increasingly fractious and contentious period of the league. They had an image to protect after all, and it was getting worse at that time. So for Jim Pete and the Commish to defend it on "The Punch" is ludicrous. That's what spin artists do these days. They bring up the worst possible scenario or example to illuminate the point, instead of actually intelligently talking through the issue. It's flat out wrong not to punish the instigators more than players who broke the letter of the law by leaving the bench, but not the spirit of the law by going back to the bench and not getting involved. Isn't that the intended result of all these rules, not getting involved in a fight and throwing a punch?
The second issue is in his assessment that the top need for the Wolves is a big small forward or in hoops vernacular, a "three".
What?!
You've got a soft front-court with no offensive rebounding to speak of, no interior defense, very little shot blocking, and you're saying our primary need is a big SF? Let's review. Here's a guy that was spinning Mark Blount to be the second best center in the Western Conference at one time and a guy who advocated the signing of Mike James. Just like his right wing brethren, when has Jim Pete been correct about anything in the couple of years? Jeff Green as the Wolves #1? Please, not another wing man.
This is the true definition of FUBAR.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The James Gang
The whole cliche of putting a team on your back presupposes there's a team willing to be led, and and perform when called upon. The difference in the NBA ECF last night was clearly Lebron, but it was Daniel Gibson, the rookie out of Texas, who I thought made key contributions in the second half that helped put the Cavs over the top. James had his gang show up last night.
All along the conventional wisdom has been that James needed a couple of other folks to step up and eliminate the one on five mentality the Pistons were taking when guarding him. Drew Gooden was a part of the gang early, but by the fourth quarter was taking bad shots and getting too emotionally involved with the refereeing, getting a technical late in the fourth. When Gibson was in the game, the Pistons tried to exploit him on both offense and defense...and failed. He was able to withstand Billups' repeated attempts to post him up, and hit a couple of big shots when the ball was rotated to him. It will be interesting to see his development, since Cleveland paid big money to Larry Hughes to run the point.
Lebron was the show though, and his dunk late in the fourth was a highlight to last his entire career. He's undergone some of the same criticism KG has during his career; the difference is at 22, Lebron listened, KG really hasn't. King James' aggressiveness and refuse to lose posture last night got them three more baskets than Detroit. Just about everything else stats-wise was roughly similar. The superstar rose to the occasion. It's what we've been begging KG to do for years--go hard to the basket, try and get easy baskets or get to the line. The NBA rewards aggressiveness.
In the end we see a contrast between winning and losing teams: superstars needing other players to step up, when they do, the superstar then fiercely and aggressively leads the team into competition. No excuses; it's clear what the pecking order is. If Lebron can perform at that level the rest of the series, for the Cavs to win his gang will need to show up. If the Wolves are going to regain respectability, if a team can be assembled around him (a BIG if), he must approach leadership with a fierceness that he hasn't displayed, despite all the talk to the contrary.
I still think Flip gets his team into the Finals against the Spurs, but we may be seeing one of those emerging moments where a superstar gets to be Nova class, and a team rises to yet another level. It's something Minnesota basketball fans have always dreamed, but seen little of.
All along the conventional wisdom has been that James needed a couple of other folks to step up and eliminate the one on five mentality the Pistons were taking when guarding him. Drew Gooden was a part of the gang early, but by the fourth quarter was taking bad shots and getting too emotionally involved with the refereeing, getting a technical late in the fourth. When Gibson was in the game, the Pistons tried to exploit him on both offense and defense...and failed. He was able to withstand Billups' repeated attempts to post him up, and hit a couple of big shots when the ball was rotated to him. It will be interesting to see his development, since Cleveland paid big money to Larry Hughes to run the point.
Lebron was the show though, and his dunk late in the fourth was a highlight to last his entire career. He's undergone some of the same criticism KG has during his career; the difference is at 22, Lebron listened, KG really hasn't. King James' aggressiveness and refuse to lose posture last night got them three more baskets than Detroit. Just about everything else stats-wise was roughly similar. The superstar rose to the occasion. It's what we've been begging KG to do for years--go hard to the basket, try and get easy baskets or get to the line. The NBA rewards aggressiveness.
In the end we see a contrast between winning and losing teams: superstars needing other players to step up, when they do, the superstar then fiercely and aggressively leads the team into competition. No excuses; it's clear what the pecking order is. If Lebron can perform at that level the rest of the series, for the Cavs to win his gang will need to show up. If the Wolves are going to regain respectability, if a team can be assembled around him (a BIG if), he must approach leadership with a fierceness that he hasn't displayed, despite all the talk to the contrary.
I still think Flip gets his team into the Finals against the Spurs, but we may be seeing one of those emerging moments where a superstar gets to be Nova class, and a team rises to yet another level. It's something Minnesota basketball fans have always dreamed, but seen little of.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sky's the Limit
It's official: we're the worst team in the WNBA. It's early, but losing at home to the Sky--a second year expansion team with no wins previously--is inexcusable. Kudos to the front office, coaches, and players for taking up the challenge and delivering. Opposing teams are shooting over 50% against us, a sure sign of bad defense and lack of chemistry. Poor shooting percentages on offense, no bench scoring to speak of, save for new addition Tiffany Stansbury, who also had 13 rebounds last night, and no energy. All of those elements add up to a bad team, at least for right now.
Lindsey Harding played a better game against lesser competition, but a two person game won't cut it in this league, and I'd like to see Harding play well against better clubs. We finally out rebounded a team, but even those stats are deceiving. If a team shoots as badly as we do, there will be more offensive rebounds available to grab. We dominated that stat last night 19-6, which helped keep us in the game, along with Seimone Augustus. But in the end, it was the failure of our low post players to finish and poor defense that did us in last night.
At least for the near future, it's a season of moral victories, playing hard, and pleas for patience. If this continues, I would fully expect Augustus to ask for a trade, or an increase in salary, merely because she's trying to do the work of two or three players. Ever since the Katie Smith trade, our rebuilding efforts have plummeted us further down the abyss. Not only are we unable to create a team chemistry that has failed to provide hope, but we failed to add any local talent (Lindsey Whalen, Janel McCarville) that would help keep people in the seats until we could see signs of progress.
Other key failures that can't be passed over are the contributions of both of our U Conn #1's--Svetlana Abrosimova and Tamika Raymond. While not total busts, they have not been close to performing at the level expected when they came out of that storied program. Add to that the mediocre play of Ohlde and minimal contribution of Vanessa Hayden while she was ON the team, and you have four major reasons why the team is exactly where it is today. One star player, a bunch of others, and one rookie guard trying to show some promise. Kind of reminds you of another Minnesota professional basketball team, doesn't it?
Lindsey Harding played a better game against lesser competition, but a two person game won't cut it in this league, and I'd like to see Harding play well against better clubs. We finally out rebounded a team, but even those stats are deceiving. If a team shoots as badly as we do, there will be more offensive rebounds available to grab. We dominated that stat last night 19-6, which helped keep us in the game, along with Seimone Augustus. But in the end, it was the failure of our low post players to finish and poor defense that did us in last night.
At least for the near future, it's a season of moral victories, playing hard, and pleas for patience. If this continues, I would fully expect Augustus to ask for a trade, or an increase in salary, merely because she's trying to do the work of two or three players. Ever since the Katie Smith trade, our rebuilding efforts have plummeted us further down the abyss. Not only are we unable to create a team chemistry that has failed to provide hope, but we failed to add any local talent (Lindsey Whalen, Janel McCarville) that would help keep people in the seats until we could see signs of progress.
Other key failures that can't be passed over are the contributions of both of our U Conn #1's--Svetlana Abrosimova and Tamika Raymond. While not total busts, they have not been close to performing at the level expected when they came out of that storied program. Add to that the mediocre play of Ohlde and minimal contribution of Vanessa Hayden while she was ON the team, and you have four major reasons why the team is exactly where it is today. One star player, a bunch of others, and one rookie guard trying to show some promise. Kind of reminds you of another Minnesota professional basketball team, doesn't it?
Monday, May 21, 2007
Standing Pat
Or, insert the names of Lauren, Lindsey, Nicole, or Amber. Or just about anyone on the Lynx other than Seimone Augustus. Did this coach actually serve under Flip Saunders? Watching last night's game was fun, especially in the second half, but as feisty as it was, the tilt was never in doubt. Teams that stand around like the Lynx did on offense last night deserve to get beat. Flip at least believed in ball, if not player movement. No screens, no moving the ball from side to side, it was awful. And, no post play. The first adjustment I'd make is to sit Nicole Ohlde down. She's not able to physically compete with veteran championship-tier post players. No physical or mental toughness whatsoever. I always thought she was quick to the basket, but a poor finisher. Last night, she could do neither, and her paint play was HORRENDOUS. She's been in the league three years now; overall, women's post play in the WNBA has improved, she has not kept up, as was demonstrated last night. Kathrin Ress from BC would be a much better starting center at this point. She's got the wider body, intensity, and though she will probably get in foul trouble in the beginning, you can tell she's got a lot of upside to her, being only a rookie.
It's early yet, but you won't win games just by giving the ball to SA and getting out of the way. And, I would hold back the ROY for Lindsey Harding; she's got a LONG way to go to be a top notch point guard in this league. Again, she has some intensity, but a team that disrupts people defensively like the Monarchs do has to move something--either the ball or people. The coach and PG are the ones who need to get it done.
Let's hope these are simply growing pains, the result of five rookies on the roster. Otherwise, it's hard to think this club could win five games this year, if any.
It's early yet, but you won't win games just by giving the ball to SA and getting out of the way. And, I would hold back the ROY for Lindsey Harding; she's got a LONG way to go to be a top notch point guard in this league. Again, she has some intensity, but a team that disrupts people defensively like the Monarchs do has to move something--either the ball or people. The coach and PG are the ones who need to get it done.
Let's hope these are simply growing pains, the result of five rookies on the roster. Otherwise, it's hard to think this club could win five games this year, if any.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Setting Suns and Missing Lynx
Last week was something wasn't it? NBA suspensions, controversial playoff close-outs, Jerry Falwell passes away...wait, that's not sports related. Nonetheless, all the hubbub around these events made for an interesting week. For anybody who cares, check out the exchange between Christopher Hitchens and Sean Hannity regarding Falwell's death. You'll find it on You Tube. Very corrosive and revealing.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, the NBA decided to pay homage to the letter of the law instead of common sense. That's their call, and there's no use whining about it. Hopefully they'll change the rule in the off season to reflect the desired outcome of the initial effort--no additional players contributing to a fracas. The Suns played hard, but there was no way they were going to match up with a pretty deep Spurs team. I noticed Jalen Rose and Marcus Banks never got off the bench. D'Antoni was hinting in the Phoenix papers today about chemistry problems on his team. Hmm...wonder where those problems came from?
Still, the major impact of that series for me was the dwindling respect for the Spurs as an organization. Again, I thought Popovich's response to the whole Horry debacle was disappointing and unprofessional. Who I am I to be calling Pop unprofessional? I am no one in particular. As a fan and ardent follower of the NBA, however, I think there's a time and place for ordinary people to stand up and voice their displeasure regarding those who refuse to hold themselves accountable in events that degrade the events we hold dear. In the end, it really doesn't mean much in the scheme of things that the Suns were screwed; with all that's going on the world, it's a small blip. But it's one more tattered fiber in society's tapestry; leaders who refuse to publicly acknowledge mistakes and flaws in organizational or personal behavior. We all can have different perspectives on the issue, but the fact is on that night, Horry did something by all accounts thuggish and cheap. Whether Nash flopped after getting knocked down to dramatize the act by no means lessens the initial action. I haven't heard Pop apologize for that initial act, or criticize Horry for it. I think admitting the mistake and showing actual remorse for that type of cheap shot is the least he could do, especially since he's got Bruce Bowen on his team--the dirtiest player in the NBA. I thought Pop had more class than that, but it appears not. He's still a great coach, but maybe just a little less of a human being.
Moving on to our Lynx team...wow, what a start! And we're hearing familiar strains from the organization, regarding the lack of low post presence. Despite unanimity in the national media regarding Lindsey Harding being ROY in the league, couldn't they have found a way to get some more low post help?
Glen Taylor is ruining basketball in this market. His failure to hire people with any sort of clue in running a basketball operation is truly disturbing. I'm happy for Katie Smith, who won a championship last year with the Shock. I might eventually have the same joy for KG; but it's a little more apples and oranges with him, because of the salary he's making. My contention all along is that it's not only loyalty, but money that's at the heart of his issues. It's much easier to move women star players around than the men, because of the drastically lower salaries. Katie got traded, we got a bunch of draft choices, and for the last two years we essentially got the two #1's in the draft. What are we going to have to show for it? Despite the two quality backcourt players we obtained, until we get those few missing pieces in the front court, it's still looking pretty cloudy for this team's future.
Last night, we actually out rebounded the Fever, but couldn't shoot fish in a barrel. Our star of last year--Seimone Augustus--may be out for a while with a knee injury. We're still relying on Nicole Ohlde to find out how to gain enough upper body strength to actually FINISH a play around the basket which illuminates the bigger issue: both Minnesota teams can't get off the jump shooting team ethic. If you can't find a way to get easy buckets, through great defense, offensive execution, or low post excellence, then there will be nights where the shots simply don't fall, creating inconsistency. People who have played ball in grade school through YMCA leagues understand this--why can't they? Until you strike the right balance, our teams will never break through.
I love watching sports in downtown Minneapolis on a summer night. Put the Twins fairly close by and the warehouse district should be buzzing and an attraction for years to come. I hope the Lynx can find a way to stick around, despite the buffoonery of their front office. When it's right, women's basketball is a fast, team oriented game. It doesn't play much above the rim, and the shooting percentages have to be better, but the athletes are getting better by the year. Given the ticket pricing and playing season, it's a game for the rest of us. Based on those dynamics, I'm willing to go out and give my money to even a bad team, if they have some hope for the future. That's why I'm going this year...in search of hope.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, the NBA decided to pay homage to the letter of the law instead of common sense. That's their call, and there's no use whining about it. Hopefully they'll change the rule in the off season to reflect the desired outcome of the initial effort--no additional players contributing to a fracas. The Suns played hard, but there was no way they were going to match up with a pretty deep Spurs team. I noticed Jalen Rose and Marcus Banks never got off the bench. D'Antoni was hinting in the Phoenix papers today about chemistry problems on his team. Hmm...wonder where those problems came from?
Still, the major impact of that series for me was the dwindling respect for the Spurs as an organization. Again, I thought Popovich's response to the whole Horry debacle was disappointing and unprofessional. Who I am I to be calling Pop unprofessional? I am no one in particular. As a fan and ardent follower of the NBA, however, I think there's a time and place for ordinary people to stand up and voice their displeasure regarding those who refuse to hold themselves accountable in events that degrade the events we hold dear. In the end, it really doesn't mean much in the scheme of things that the Suns were screwed; with all that's going on the world, it's a small blip. But it's one more tattered fiber in society's tapestry; leaders who refuse to publicly acknowledge mistakes and flaws in organizational or personal behavior. We all can have different perspectives on the issue, but the fact is on that night, Horry did something by all accounts thuggish and cheap. Whether Nash flopped after getting knocked down to dramatize the act by no means lessens the initial action. I haven't heard Pop apologize for that initial act, or criticize Horry for it. I think admitting the mistake and showing actual remorse for that type of cheap shot is the least he could do, especially since he's got Bruce Bowen on his team--the dirtiest player in the NBA. I thought Pop had more class than that, but it appears not. He's still a great coach, but maybe just a little less of a human being.
Moving on to our Lynx team...wow, what a start! And we're hearing familiar strains from the organization, regarding the lack of low post presence. Despite unanimity in the national media regarding Lindsey Harding being ROY in the league, couldn't they have found a way to get some more low post help?
Glen Taylor is ruining basketball in this market. His failure to hire people with any sort of clue in running a basketball operation is truly disturbing. I'm happy for Katie Smith, who won a championship last year with the Shock. I might eventually have the same joy for KG; but it's a little more apples and oranges with him, because of the salary he's making. My contention all along is that it's not only loyalty, but money that's at the heart of his issues. It's much easier to move women star players around than the men, because of the drastically lower salaries. Katie got traded, we got a bunch of draft choices, and for the last two years we essentially got the two #1's in the draft. What are we going to have to show for it? Despite the two quality backcourt players we obtained, until we get those few missing pieces in the front court, it's still looking pretty cloudy for this team's future.
Last night, we actually out rebounded the Fever, but couldn't shoot fish in a barrel. Our star of last year--Seimone Augustus--may be out for a while with a knee injury. We're still relying on Nicole Ohlde to find out how to gain enough upper body strength to actually FINISH a play around the basket which illuminates the bigger issue: both Minnesota teams can't get off the jump shooting team ethic. If you can't find a way to get easy buckets, through great defense, offensive execution, or low post excellence, then there will be nights where the shots simply don't fall, creating inconsistency. People who have played ball in grade school through YMCA leagues understand this--why can't they? Until you strike the right balance, our teams will never break through.
I love watching sports in downtown Minneapolis on a summer night. Put the Twins fairly close by and the warehouse district should be buzzing and an attraction for years to come. I hope the Lynx can find a way to stick around, despite the buffoonery of their front office. When it's right, women's basketball is a fast, team oriented game. It doesn't play much above the rim, and the shooting percentages have to be better, but the athletes are getting better by the year. Given the ticket pricing and playing season, it's a game for the rest of us. Based on those dynamics, I'm willing to go out and give my money to even a bad team, if they have some hope for the future. That's why I'm going this year...in search of hope.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Whoa Nellie!
My two most overrated coaches--Flip Saunders and Don Nelson--hit the fork in the road over the weekend. Flip is well on his way to the Eastern Conference final, while Nellie is fading into the Bay Area sunset. The Pistons have the look of championship stock right now; I thought the Bulls would play them much harder. Whether they can maintain the defensive intensity they need to get them to the finals is really a benchmark of Flip's progress as a coach. What happens when a team can stand up to that intensity and still execute? These playoffs have been intensely physical, and there's a significant difference between those teams who win the regular season and those who thrive in the post-season. Both Flip and Nellie strike me as better regular season coaches, because of their reliance on offensive strategies.
The Warriors-Jazz series has been most fun to watch, and is a case in point. Here we have two coaches--Nelson and Jerry Sloan--successful players in the 60's and early 70's, who have been among the elite in pro basketball for many years. Nelson's the offensive genius who never knew quite what to do with a center, Sloan is the tough, no-holds-barred coach who focuses on defense and team play. Both haven't won championships as coaches, and both are in the last years of their career. The Warriors are coming off their big upset of the Mavs and come in with their philosophy of spreading the floor, three point shooting and new found intensity. The Jazz have a new, younger cast of characters, but still have the Sloan lunch pail ethic--grinding, fouling, physical, and equally as intense.
Last night, bodies were literally being thrown around at each other in the paint, which favored the Jazz. The Warriors physical ethic is more of the individual thug variety, as witnessed by both Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Davis has been generally spectacular in the post season, but hit the wall last night and delivered a cheap shot to Derek Fisher after Fisher hit a couple of crucial threes in the fourth. Jackson's attempts to "take over the game" in the second half--trying to split defenses off the dribble and create contact in the paint--cost the Warriors last night along with poor team free throw shooting. Jackson and Davis are the poster children for today's NBA--a lot of individual talent, occasional flashes of brilliance, but in the end, punks. The Jazz's physicality is based on a team philosophy and effort--everyone gets into the act. It has a mental toughness strategy to it--grind it out for four quarters and we'll see who's on top. Even guys like Mehmet Okur--European style big men who like to play away from the basket--play physical and board on at least one end of the court. Mark Blount would be at the end of the bench on a Jerry Sloan team.
In the end, because coaches like Nellie and Flip have sacrificed defensive intensity for offensive execution, they have never been able to reach that final level. Sloan hasn't won a championship either, but at least has been in the finals; he was unlucky enough to run up into Jordan at his prime.
The other coach who has successfully advocated an offense-first approach--the Suns Mike D'Antoni-is also down against the Spurs. Of the three, it looks like Flip has the best shot to reach the Finals, but it will be because of the Pistons defense, not their offense.
The Warriors-Jazz series has been most fun to watch, and is a case in point. Here we have two coaches--Nelson and Jerry Sloan--successful players in the 60's and early 70's, who have been among the elite in pro basketball for many years. Nelson's the offensive genius who never knew quite what to do with a center, Sloan is the tough, no-holds-barred coach who focuses on defense and team play. Both haven't won championships as coaches, and both are in the last years of their career. The Warriors are coming off their big upset of the Mavs and come in with their philosophy of spreading the floor, three point shooting and new found intensity. The Jazz have a new, younger cast of characters, but still have the Sloan lunch pail ethic--grinding, fouling, physical, and equally as intense.
Last night, bodies were literally being thrown around at each other in the paint, which favored the Jazz. The Warriors physical ethic is more of the individual thug variety, as witnessed by both Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Davis has been generally spectacular in the post season, but hit the wall last night and delivered a cheap shot to Derek Fisher after Fisher hit a couple of crucial threes in the fourth. Jackson's attempts to "take over the game" in the second half--trying to split defenses off the dribble and create contact in the paint--cost the Warriors last night along with poor team free throw shooting. Jackson and Davis are the poster children for today's NBA--a lot of individual talent, occasional flashes of brilliance, but in the end, punks. The Jazz's physicality is based on a team philosophy and effort--everyone gets into the act. It has a mental toughness strategy to it--grind it out for four quarters and we'll see who's on top. Even guys like Mehmet Okur--European style big men who like to play away from the basket--play physical and board on at least one end of the court. Mark Blount would be at the end of the bench on a Jerry Sloan team.
In the end, because coaches like Nellie and Flip have sacrificed defensive intensity for offensive execution, they have never been able to reach that final level. Sloan hasn't won a championship either, but at least has been in the finals; he was unlucky enough to run up into Jordan at his prime.
The other coach who has successfully advocated an offense-first approach--the Suns Mike D'Antoni-is also down against the Spurs. Of the three, it looks like Flip has the best shot to reach the Finals, but it will be because of the Pistons defense, not their offense.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Beware the Lynx's Jinx
Okay, anyone see a pattern here? The Wolves, with a multitude of guards on their roster, and the Lynx, with a multitude of guards on their roster. Don Zierden, long time member of the "TC Club", (ex-officio while he was with the Pistons), is now coach. Statements made before and after an event (draft, games, playoffs, etc.) not matching up.
And furthermore:
Zierden said before the draft they needed front court help. Then they go out and draft guards with their top selections, trade the forward they obtained in the Charlotte draft (which could have been McCarville, but wasn't), then say in Saturday's paper they decided to take the best talent, see where they're at, and draft for front court help next year. If Donnie says all the Lynx need are a few "tweaks" to the roster to win the championship, then we'll know that there's no difference in philosophy between the men and the women's teams--other than the fact that the Lynx traded their major star (Katie Smith) awhile back. Of course, the Wolves may achieve that in this off-season.
At least SHE won a championship!
And furthermore:
Zierden said before the draft they needed front court help. Then they go out and draft guards with their top selections, trade the forward they obtained in the Charlotte draft (which could have been McCarville, but wasn't), then say in Saturday's paper they decided to take the best talent, see where they're at, and draft for front court help next year. If Donnie says all the Lynx need are a few "tweaks" to the roster to win the championship, then we'll know that there's no difference in philosophy between the men and the women's teams--other than the fact that the Lynx traded their major star (Katie Smith) awhile back. Of course, the Wolves may achieve that in this off-season.
At least SHE won a championship!
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