NBAfan (Chicago): What's your take of the Timberwolves and more specifically, Rambis' job performance so far? I can't help but question him on a variety of fronts, i.e., the triangle offense with his personnel, erratic use of Flynn and Sessions and his use of Love from time to time off the bench. Just seems to me that he's failed from the get go in not adjusting his system to his personnel. But am I being unfair? Or would any coach look horrible with that team?
Kevin Pelton (Basketball): No, I think that's completely fair. There's a fundamental disconnect between the players the Timberwolves have brought in since David Kahn took over and the players needed to win in the triangle. Now, since Minnesota wasn't going anywhere this season, that may not be a big deal. (Sessions obviously was brought in to flip, though the fact that he's played so little and so ineffectively has destroyed his trade value.) But I think you're hurting Flynn's development by asking him to play a role so differently from what he'll do later in his career.
From Kevin Pelton at Basketball Prospectus.
about 1 month ago
Stop-n-Pop
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Pelton's Theory
“But I think you’re hurting Flynn’s development by asking him to play a role so differently from what he’ll do later in his career.”
Yet Rambis talks about “expanding” players’ games.
Now, I’m not sure what Pelton imagines Flynn doing later in his career, but it does seem clear that Rambis’ believes that the Triangle is a teaching tool and that it will teach Flynn about ball movement, how not to be ball-dominant, etc.
by littleboxes on Feb 3, 2010 12:13 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Agree
The thing that I think people outside of MN forget is that this going to be a 2-3yr process and according to Kahn we are going to be a player developing team. Going by this it makes perfect sense to put Flynn in the triangle system and teach him how to pass and be more versatile.
I question the strange subbing he often does too but I have to believe they have a plan in place and they are sticking to it. I think we should confidence in our coaching staff that they are doing the right thing, even if sometimes it doesn’t make sense.
by Far East on Feb 3, 2010 1:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
There also seem to be a lack of acknowledgement
that Rambis didn’t pick any of the pieces.
He is currently trying to jam a number of square pegs into round holes.
Having said that I still don’t understand why Ramon Sessions doesn’t get a more substantial role in this stage of Flynn’s development.
Free Alando!
by Auswolf on Feb 3, 2010 12:37 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Saying that he’s trying to run a system without having the pieces is looking at it the wrong way I think. The goal was never to win games this season, it was to develop.
As stated above, the triangle was probably put in to develop our players.
On top of that, everybody knows this is not the group were going forward with. There’s some more changes coming. I for one am absolutely confident we’ll get two very high quality wings. Once we get those the system will all of a sudden be great… and by that time the players that do stay will be accustomed to it.
In other words, gotta look at it long term, not season by season.
Official Kahn/Rambis band-wagon rider since 2009
by Wim (Belgium) on Feb 3, 2010 5:47 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Agree with all
Comments like these from the national press make me wonder how many games they’ve watched the Wolves play, or rather more specifically, how many games they watch the Wolves play from our perspective. What I mean is if you watch, on average, 40? 50? NBA games a week, you’re going to see an awful lot of the same types of things over and over and over again. Generally speaking I would imagine that the good teams all tend to do the same things well and the bad teams tend to do the same things poorly. So when watching a team like ours, when you don’t have a lot of time or necessarily energy/interest in them, you’re going to view them within the context of the other 40-50 games you’ve just seen. And so you’re going to see Flynn and think of the other half dozen guys you’ve just seen that he could be like and say, ‘Well, if Rambis just did this then Flynn would be able to what these other guys did.’ Same goes for personnel and substitutions – in essence, national writers are always going to critique back to the NBA mean as they see it (the ‘mean’ of how NBA teams and players perform when you watch 40-50 games a week or whatever), and from within whatever their own personal biases or attitudes about how the game should be played.
Now, doesn’t necessarily mean that his points are wrong. But I do think that most of us here have fully accepted that this is a flawed year for us in that it was never intended for all the pieces to fit and work together. It was a year of development and learning for the players, the coaches, and the FO. Most national writers don’t have the time to consider the fact that this organization is essentially completely revamping itself within one calendar year – almost all new coaches, heavy heavy turnover of player personnel, new POBO working with a FO staff and scouts he may gut pretty severely once their contracts are up. Not sure about the business side, but that’s about as complete of a new start as a sports franchise gets these days. It’s going to be a long process, and next year is the year when we can all start firing shots at this team and expect answers/responsibility taken.
"Come on Eddie, let's get serious."
by biggity2bit on Feb 3, 2010 9:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

















