GameThread #52: @ Sixers
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TIMBERWOLVES: David Kahn: Midseason Update
Long but very very interesting interview with Kahn on many issues: if you are interested in the wolves, I suggest you read the interview in its entirety.
a few of many key points:
1) Pekovic is similar to Al in playing with back to the basket and limited length. But adds much more strength than both Al and Kevin. Khan not sure about his defense.
2) Expects $13 to $14 million of cap space.
3) wants to see who we get in draft (up to 3 picks) before deciding on free agents needs.
4) Not trading core before trade deadline - my reading between the lines later this includes - Al, Kevin, Flynn, Brewer, Rubio, Gomes, Sessions
5) Has initiated no trade discussions about Al or any of the core.
6) Future "exclusive" use of triangle is very overstated. We will be a fast breaking team that also passes well. We will use the talents of our players. So post moves by guys like Al, pick and role and even isolation for wings if we had that type of player. We want our offense to be a passing offense at its core, but not limited to that. We will find ways to use the talent of players on the team.
7) Kahn surprised Sessions hasn't played more. Rambis using Sessions minutes as means to influence flynn's behavior.
8) Thinks Pekovic can play in the NBA now, but not clear if Wolves have minutes for him.
9) Says we are 2 or 3 years from playoff team and 3 or 4 years from being one of the best in the league. [My feeling he is setting expectations that he hopes we can exceed.]
10) Gomes is a good rotation player for a very good team. Not clear he is more than that. Might be traded this summer to bring in other talent depending on what we get in draft [my interpretation of what he said.]
11) Expects to have at least four new faces next summer.
12) thinks there is lots of talent in the draft at wing and athletic big man, so our needs in the draft can be met.
13) Wants to see who we are as a team in last 30 games. Can we keep improving as shown by our recent 4 game winning streak. Thinks jefferson playing much better in last 6 weeks. Brewer making big strides. Flynn learning, Kevin has been good all season. Wants to see if team has truly turned a corner with recent play. If we play well, we could also help attract free agents.
14) thinks its a very deep draft
15) no regrets about letting Lawson go. [again my reading between the lines.] Lawson is a fine player, but Flynn has more upside and we also had Rubio.
Again, I recommend reading the full interview, so you can make your own interpretations. I also didn't cover everything.
Vote Corey over MJ NOW!!!!
This will only be around for the rest of the day, but if you see this then you should follow this link and vote for Corey Brewer's posterizing dunk over MJ's dunk. This may be Corey's only shot at greatness. It kind of stinks that he's going against Jordan in the first round though, doesn't seem to stand much of a chance.
Here's the link...Link
The other dunks on the list are pretty good, but I think the worst omission is Vince Carter over Fredrick Weiss. Now that was a dunk!
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Prowling the NBA: Feb 7 - BOOM SHAKALAKA
Alright. Last week I said this week’s theme was going to be Amare Stoudemire. And I completely intended it to be...BUT…
Amare is going to be relevant next week, when the trade deadline finally hits. So the Stoudemire op-ed is getting pushed back to next week to make this week’s theme the breaking news of this week.
Which, of course, is the return of everyone’s favorite NBA video game franchise: NBA Jam.
That’s right people. The game where players jump 30 feet in the air, shove each other to the ground, and literally light the nets on fire (HE’S ON FIRE) is back, in next-gen glory complete with real player models, faces, and out of control action.

If only Kevin Love could really jump that high, right?
The downside is that, in two weeks, even this NBA Jam roster selection could be out of date. The NBA’s trade deadline is fast approaching (February 18th) and as always, the twittering in this 11th hour has reached a level that rivals actual Twittering.
Also on the docket this week, more NBA All Star news, coaching news, an interview with Kevin McHale, and something that will lead us into next week’s update and impact the league for years….the first bit of news on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Let's just say not everyone's happy about that one...
So let’s get started. And for the first time in a month, there’s nothing on Gilbert Arenas.
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Congrats to Mike. His ad was featured during tonight's Super Bowl.
2 days ago
Stop-n-Pop
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Enjoy the season

These last few seasons have been rough, I know. Even before KG left, Wolves fandom was more about cap space, draft positioning, and wondering whether or not Papa Glen would continue to lose large sums of his wedding invite money on a decreasingly interesting product or sell the team to out-of-state interests.
Throw in a pinch of poor front office roster management, a heaping of silly drafting, a dash of a coaching carousel, and a bucket of genuine bad luck, and you have a Charlie Brown fan base that feels like it has had the ball pulled out from underneath it a time too many and is all too willing to retreat back into the safe havens of draft speculation and cap space punditry instead of actually paying full attention to what is right there in front of their noses in the here and now.
At some point, and no matter how good the odds were/are that the Lucy ball-pulling would continue, things eventually have to get better. After all, continual bottoming out simply cannot happen in a league where other GMs seem to be in active pursuit of the league's basement.
My question to you, and my lead-in to the game wrap is this: When will you start enjoying the on-court product more than the possibility offered by cap space, stashed Euros, and future draft picks? This, to me, is the key question to moving beyond the Lucy/Chuck Brown days of Wolves fandom. Personally, and without sharing the exact number it will take to make it happen, I will know things have turned the corner when a) FanPost section is more Blazer's Edge game wraps than county swap meet and b) when I don't feel the need to fuel the fire with seemingly weekly Draft Board posts. My hope is that we catch the change before the disconnect in our site's discourse and the team's on-court play becomes too big to cross with any credibility, and I firmly believe that we are not yet there, but I'm kind of interested in hearing all of your thoughts on the subject.
Actually, I left out the biggie. The main indicator for turning the corner will be a firm and wide-spread rejection of the lottery ball fetish that could accompany the team on its journey away from the 2nd worst record in the league. Last night against the Griz, the Wolves won their 4th straight and moved into a tie with Golden State for the 3rd worst record in the league. Sacramento is only 3 wins away and then the real fun begins with Washington, Detroit, Indy, New York, and Philly all within striking range.
Anywho...
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