Don't lose hope... yet.

I think I may be too optimistic because I see your post and my instant reaction was that you were very pessimistic, but ultimately I realized objectively rational.

A few points on how I see things.

1. Turner is already talking to Agents, hence no longer allowed to go back, so I think this was just an April Fools thing.

2. I don’t think anyone is convinced except the national media that Minnesota is the issue for both Pekovic and Rubio but rather it was Euros in terms of what they could earn in Europe versus the NBA factoring in not having to pay a buyout to stay in Europe. If Pekovic refuses to come over this season when he has no buyout, or if Rubio chooses to come over after any lockout, I might be swayed otherwise but until then no sense screaming “the sky is falling”

3. Clearly Darko Milicic and Brian Cardinal both seem to like Playing for Minnesota. We got a Barrista, a Custodian, an a Eastern European, that’s only 2 characters short of a crazy sitcom pilot.

5. Every time I see KG swearing at people, Tom Heinsohn bitching about the referees, or KG with a bionic knee brace, I realize most completely that KG is a fading memory

6. Flynn definitely isn’t the PG I hoped he’d be, but then again we aren’t running the Pick and Roll offense we saw in the summer league and what I’d thought we’d run. This is shocking compared to my expectations of the season, but I think I am beginning to get on board with installing the triangle, and changing personnel to fit around a system. Now if there are no significant roster changes and we either (a) continue to run the triangle with the wrong personnel or (b) change the offense to suit the current personnel after failing to change the roster this summer, I will be upset with the direction of the franchise and the wasted year. I don’t think you can argue that the most successful franchises are those that have kept a system and coaching philosophy in place for the long term.It’s only fair to give Kahn the chance to set up his system, which so far I interpret as the Triangle and more specifically Rambis, who is a huge part of this system both from a coaching execution standpoint but also from a scouting standpoint. The thinnest part of Kahn’s resume to me was his Basketball Knowledge so I suppose it’s encouraging from my point of view that he is giving Rambis serious input on the personnel side which can only help execute a shared vision.

7. I think its obvious that Evan Turner is the prospect that best fits both the Triangle and the needs on the roster. As great as Wall is, i still find it hard to justify not choosing Turner no matter where we pick if he is on the board.

8. I think Rubio stays in the plan because he’s Kahn’s first draft pick, and he fits ideally in the triangle. Corey Brewer seems like a decent Trevor Ariza type at the SF, and I agree he seems like a rotation player to me now that he is reaching his peak having turned 24 in March. The triangle has integrated low post scores like Shaq, Bynum, and Gasol, even though Gasol can also play the high post as well. In trying to review Jackson’s Bulls and Lakers teams, I can’t find a similar player to Kevin Love. Dennis Rodman is probably the best rebounding comparison, but he was much better on defense and much more limited on offense. Rodman also resembled the defensive bigs that have been prevalent in triangle rather than having offensive minded bigs. Big Al’s block % is the lowest it’s been in his career at 2.9% this season while his career average is 3.3%. Kevin Love blocked 1.9% as a rookie and is down to 1.1% as a sophomore. As bad as Big Al is at defense, Kevin Love is even worse. I think that’s why he’s in the doghouse. The fact that Love will be more tradeable due to age, contract, and stats I think point to Love bieng on the way out. I agree that Flynn can be a good backup point guard as an instant offense guy off the bench when Rubio comes over as a worst case scenario, and he’s still young enough and mature enough to develop into something more. With Rubio, Flynn, Ellington, Brewer, Al, Darko, Hollins and the draft picks with Turner being ideal, along with a veteran acquired from Sessions, Love, and Pekovic as your assets, the team will hopefully be much better in 2010-11. If it’s not, Kahn will deserve all the criticism in the world.