Clown Patrol
by Stop-n-Pop on Jan 11, 2011 9:31 PM CST
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PrintThis was one of those games that just about makes you hate the NBA.
In their last match-up against the Spurs, Wolves fans were treated to the League Pass stylings of Sean Elliott, who spent the entire game talking about, among other things, the weight of the Wolves' players, their inability to read a scouting report, and, most notably, the refs' ability to call the game according to the better fortunes of Los Spurs.
In one instance, Elliott even made mention of the fact that the Wolves were robbed, but, oh well, that's just what young teams deserve.
Tonight, Wolves fans were treated to a barrage of technicals and mind-numbingly atrocious calls from the zebras. Would they have won with better reffing? No, but it was such a blatant part of the game that it turned what should have been entertainment into a tragedy. Watching Richard Jefferson get away with what was called against Luke Ridnour against the Celtics is not fun. Watching Tim Duncan run into Mike Beasley on a 3 point shot (spraining his ankle in the process), travel on the very next possession, and then jump up and down like a baby when a call didn't go his way is pathetic. His game is Hall of Fame, but...well, he was in full clown mode tonight.
As for the game, there are a few items of note.
First, Jonny Flynn is clearly hurt. This only adds to the pain involved with him not knowing how to play basketball. Tonight, in a span of about 5 minutes, he was able to run a series of switch-outs that left him being defended by Matt Bonner. Each time, he not only exhibited a complete lack of awareness of the mismatch, but he was unable to physically separate himself from the Red Rocket. That is an awful, awful thing if you are a sub 6 foot point guard. It's a one way ticket out of the league. With Flynn at the point, the Wolves may as well walk the ball across half court and throw it out of bounds. That's pretty much what is happening when he is out there instead of Luke Ridnour or the dearly departed (for reasons unknown) Sebastian Telfair.
Second, Martel Webster is an intriguing player. There seems to be something missing with his game--an inability to fully capitalize on the moves that get him into the lane--but he's the most complete natural 2/3 this team has had in quite a while. His effort tonight was outstanding and here's hoping he can really excel in an offense run by Ricky Rubio. The guy will be deadly in catch and shoot situations from beyond the arc--much more so than Wes Johnson, as Webster can put the ball on the ground.
Finally, Mike Beasley probably should not have played tonight. He gave it a great effort by trying to tough it out, but he was simply too much of a liability with his limited movement. It really is a shame that he reinjured his ankle.
That's about it folks. The officiating was the big story of this game and it really overshadowed any of the actual action. Too bad. What do you think deserves attention?
Until later.
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Really was a hard game to watch.
As you said, the Wolves probably wouldn’t have won this game, but it was a classic example of why people hate the NBA – sloppy play and horrible officiating.
The Commish had better watch out – any more games like this and the casual fan will drop this game like a hot potato when the lockout comes and won’t be coming back. I can already see ADs drooling about the money they’ll collect from being the only game in town.
I have no idea what we're yelling about!
Great Points
Awful officiating. Just really made for a terrible fan experience. I’m switching back to college hoops if they don’t get this figured out.
Great game by Webster.. let’s get him some starter minutes with Beas out.
I say take what you can get for Flynn on the market and roll with Bassy.
Ricky we need ya, bud..
"I haven't gotten back from the future yet." - Be-Easy
I don't think that Beas should have played tonight
but the Wolves really didn’t have a chance to beat the Spurs without him. As for the zebras, if there wasn’t money involved then there really is no excuse for the pathetic quality of their suckitude tonight! It’s like watching Congressional inquires into unethical conduct, you’re transfixed by the absolute corruption and amazed at the degree of accepted bad behavior! God, what I would give for the League to realize how poor their officiating looks to even the casual fan!
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." - Anatole France
I kept waiting for the Wolves
to close the gap but it never happened… What is Ken Mauer trying to prove? Maybe that just because he is from Minnesota he will never give the Wolves any calls? The dude is a donkey…
Bassy
Two months ago people were pissed at Bassy because he took 4 bad shots per game and played a terrific game (for $2.5M) besides that. I even specifically mentioned that people were forgetting how bad Flynn was. This is worse than even I expected, but this is exactly what I was talking about. Nice to see people (SnP excepted, he was on the Bassy train, IIRC) giving Bassy credit, even if it is two months late. Just had to toot my own horn on that one.
Anyone have a link to the Rambis postgame interview?
Whenever I'm about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing.
I searched for the presser
But I couldn’t find it anywhere. Anyone else?
by stuntmonkeys on Jan 12, 2011 12:00 AM CST up reply actions
its on youtube guys
subscribe to MNwolves on youtube its all there
"What the [expletive]? Who ordered this crap? I wouldn't feed this to my dog." - Randall Gene Moss
Sorry to take the thread off topic so quickly
But watching the new Onion Sportsdome on Comedy Central definitely was a great pick-me-up after that game. The fact that they’re making fun of sports and sports media makes it that much more relieving. One of the segments involved a “National Crystal Meth Hallucination League” in which a guy fought off 562 snakes. I think it’s safe to say I’ve got a new show to cheer me up after Wolves losses.
Maybe that's why Jonny dribbles so much
he sees those snakes, too! ;)
I have no idea what we're yelling about!
Check the teeth of those refs last night
they may be in this NCMH League as well.
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
Still from the Onion but more germane to our site
Cassell wants in on ’Melo megatrade
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
6th of the year
Dwight Howard led the league last year with 3…
by Cobra312004 on Jan 12, 2011 12:36 AM CST up reply actions
I was just thinking to myself
about how shocked I am if we make it to halftime and he’s only got, say, 5 or 6 boards. It’s pretty ridiculous at this point.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
Darko
gets absolutely no sympathy from the refs. Even some other Wolves will occasionally get a call in their favor but not Darko. They call him on everything and I’m pretty sure its because of his highly publicized “I F*@$ your mother” rant after the Serbian Greek game. All the refs know about it and they don’t like that he threatened one of their own and they’re determined to make him pay for it for as long as he plays basketball
With other players who’ve been in the league as long as he has there would have been some leniency either on the initial call, which was pretty borderline, or his reaction to it, which was less than what Duncan does after every call, but he got neither. And because of that the whole problem spiraled out of control, to the point where we ended up giving away five points in a potentially winnable game just as we had started to fight our way back into it.
How about no more Euros
(Ricky excepted). But weren’t Splitter and Pek supposed to take the league by storm this season? I’m all for giving players time (Heck, I’m still on the Wes bandwagon), but I think that arbitrary titles such as “Best Big Man in Europe” be taken for what they are, pretty meaningless. Yes, I know we have Ronzone, and a penchant for thinking we can hit a home run with a 2nd round pick, but I’m pretty much over fishing in that pool.
they're both less than halfway into their rookie season.
And they were drafted 28th and 31st, respectively. It’s not like these guys are colossal lottery busts. If they had actually been expected to “take the league by storm”, you would have seen them come off the board much earlier.
They’ve both spent years playing at Euro speed, with Euro rules (particularly when it comes to fouling). They’ve had 35 games to adjust to NBA speed, and NBA calls. They’ll probably meet and possibly exceed their expectations, given their draft positions, in their sophomore seasons.
Finding diamonds in the rough, often from Europe, late in the draft is what gives San Antonio their flexibility. To say “no more Euros”, especially when the best International scout is on our payroll, is just like saying “no more 7-footers” because Thabeet hasn’t worked out.
...I've been drinking...
by losDelFuego on Jan 12, 2011 11:25 AM CST up reply actions
Why does that remind me of a bad episode of Cops?
I don’t doubt that it may be true, but what does that say about the ability of officials to stand up for themselves? Is their natural reaction to nightstick into the fetal position anyone who might question their authority? How does that make them look anything but weak and afraid?
"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." - Anatole France
Do you mean a good episode of Reno 911?
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Ken Mauer
Ken Mauer, who’s entering his 25th season as an NBA referee, says finding resolution to a confrontation before it reaches the ‘technical’ stage is paramount. "If it’s something where I can say to the player before he overreacts, ‘Talk to me, c’mon, talk to me,’ now we’re talking," Mauer says at the NBA referees’ annual meeting in Jersey City, NJ, in mid-September. "I avoid an overreaction; therefore, it didn’t escalate."
by PoohRubio on Jan 11, 2011 10:12 PM CST reply actions 7 recs
Oh, finding this absolutely deserves a "rec."
By that point I was listening on the radio. At the time, was Mauer actually carrying a can of gasoline?
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Most interesting non-basketball moments of the game for me:
1. Right after the Target Center announced it was Latino Night, they decided to prove it by playing a Spanish version of Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle”.
2. B-Rite, who is normally the Lynx hype man but has joined Mike and Natalie for some Wolves games this year, introduced our cheerleaders by saying they were the “best entertainment in the WNBA”. Given how we were playing at the time, I’m still wondering if it was an accident or not.
3. After Darko picked up his third foul, he went to the bench and Beasley tried to high five him. Darko didn’t see him. So Beasley kept his hand up for a solid minute and Darko still didn’t acknowledge him. Beasley said something – couldn’t make it out from where I was sitting – and Darko flung his wrist out and finally hit Beasley’s hand. Darko then put his head in his hands and looked like he was literally crying. Pek gave him a pat on the back and Darko covered his head with his towel, emerging a good 20 seconds later. It was an interesting moment.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Darko's really competetive
He takes losses really hard. I’m guessing he has pride in playing well against the Duncans and Gasols. Look how pissed he is after missing a FT. I think his rule is “no hand slaps for bad plays.”
Yeah..
….they even talked about #3 on the broadcast. Even Hanny noted that he needs to pull himself together.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
#3 reflects pretty well on Beasley, I think.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Mike the announcer
I feel like he has an uncanny resemblance to Wally Szczerbiak. Is that just me or do other people see it too?
by Waucckhewww on Jan 12, 2011 10:25 AM CST up reply actions
Mike?
You mean Fake Wally?
I have growing concerns that being a fan of this team is making me more of a hipster than I ever intended to be.
To clarify
No, you are not alone.
I have growing concerns that being a fan of this team is making me more of a hipster than I ever intended to be.
Disagree
I think he’s the first person to ever have this thought.
I remember having a few too many pre-game beers and then yelling at Mike that we missed his shooting at a preseason game a few seasons ago.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
Heck yes!
My brother was apart of the “Blue Crew” with the wolves and worked along side of Mike aka fake wally. Apparently they mentioned it to him alot, they even did a short video that played on the jumbotron during a game that had mike suiting up in a Wally jersey and everyone went crazy!
Clown patrol
Sounds like some ICP juggalos or somethin
The San Antonio Juggalos
I like it. We should introduce this into the CH Lexicon.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
NBA calls I hate the most
Just off the top of my head:
1) big man shows on D on the screen. PG dribbles into him, flails around, gets the call. It’s pure BS. Sometimes the big man is there first. Darko is often there first, but never gets the call. One of the early losses, Manu got freaked out by how fast Darko showed, and lost the ball…..we got the PF.
2) sticking your foot under the 3 pt shooter accidentally and not getting the call. The shooter is vulnerable here. Bowen did this sometimes to Peja and Ray Allen. Ooops! Sprained ankle!
3) The Duran/Duncan/Webster moving your arms into the defender for a shot that you couldn’t make anyway….I don’t even like it when our guys do it.
4) New one for tonight: the quintuple technical
These are good
- is definitely a call I NEVER see in college and seems unique to the NBA….However, it’s tough not to call a foul. Defenders need to guard with their hands straight up or out to the side, not perpendicular to their body.
I would add a fifth one:
5) Player pump fakes behind the 3-point line and the defender leaves his feet but controls his body such that he would not create contact in the shooter’s natural shooting space. Shooter then goes out of his way to jump into the air-born defender and gets the call.
by Rascal Flatts on Jan 11, 2011 10:54 PM CST up reply actions
#5 really bugs me
I’ve termed it the Paul Pierce move since he’s practically made a career of it. A defender is allowed the space directly above himself to jump at the very least.
What was particularly bad...
….about tonight’s game was the complete lack of consistency. I can deal with normal NBA officiating if it is consistent. It’s like dealing with an ump with a wide strike zone. As long as you know they go both ways, you can adjust accordingly. Tonight’s game was all over the map.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
this happened tonight, as well
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2011/1/11/1930005/the-kings-vs-the-wizards-clock
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
This was explained
Not sure if adequately explained but explained.
You can't dust for vomit.
yeah
It could be a number of things, including ones that have to do with the tv production and not the score keepers.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
by Stop-n-Pop on Jan 12, 2011 8:23 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
great take on the kings vs wiz
I want to pull my hair out sometimes.
It is amazing how this stuff gets overlooked many times.
"You got alotta Flubber, but I love you brother!"
When Stanley Roberts dunked on Luc Longley and the Wolves defeated the Bulls for the first time. (1997-1998)
Isn't it enough already?
My brother is a HUGE Wizards fan. every time they come to town he’s in the front row, as he will be on thursday. I don’t think i’ve ever heard him curse more than when he’s yelling at the NBA for their obscene transparency with favoring teams. Sadly, for my Brother, his two teams (wiz and pups) are two of the teams that repeatedly get screwed over game after game, and frankly the two that get screwed the most in my mind!!
If this doesn’t change soon, i"ll be begging for a lockout just to see some change in the NBA.
Justice has to be consistent and proportionate.
When it’s all over the place and wildly disproportionate, then it’s just an instrument of someone’s power.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Sportscenter
Mentions the Wolves techs, and doesn’t call it bad reffing, the only word critical of it was that it was a little “comical”. Also, it shows the play where Beasley gets hurt and says it is landing awkwardly and no foul on Duncan. I hate national media and the Spurs.
Hell
Wolves made the “A” section of my Yahoo news page, right up there with all the other important non-sporting news of the world.
Well, they say there isn’t such a thing as negative publicity…
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
Just remember when you're mad about the Wolves
and you think it can’t get any worse…
…the Cavs are losing to the Lakers 57-25 at the half. J.J. Hickson is the Cavs’ leading scorer with 5. They’re shooting 26%. Oh, and Kobe only has 2.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
That's without mentioning
That that Varejao is out for the season, and they’re playing some old veterans that are getting big minutes. Ugh, that has to suck, especially after losing (arguably) the best player in the NBA.
66-27 now. What's the record for the widest margin ever?
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
OMG
they’re up by 46 now…….and Kobe’s starting to heat up…..
Huh
It’s the Cavaliers beating the Heat 148-80 in 1991. Wouldn’t be surprised if the tables were turned and the Heat put that kind of win on the Cavs this year. Probably won’t happen, but there’s that big of a talent disparity.
Well, it's 51 right now. I doubt they'll get to 68
but…the Cavs could challenge the record for fewest points in a game, which is 49. They’ve only got 35 right now with 1:40 left in the 3rd. They scored 12 in the 1st and 13 in the second.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Wow
LeBron just tweeted, “Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”
What an a-hole.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
55 point win
That tweet will lead Sports Center tomorrow. Sad, but true.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
what a relief that is.
We also beat them this year, but only by 40.
"You got alotta Flubber, but I love you brother!"
When Stanley Roberts dunked on Luc Longley and the Wolves defeated the Bulls for the first time. (1997-1998)
by kevinharlan on Jan 11, 2011 11:45 PM CST up reply actions
He's just going straight-up WWE villain right now.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
I've hated the Boston Celtics since I was about
5 years old. But if the Heat and Celtics meet in the ECF, history will be made when I root for Boston.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
I hate both the Celtics and Heat
I’d really like to see a team like Orlando knock one of those guys off, but it’s probably gonna be Celtics/Heat in the ECF.
by WolvesFan03 on Jan 11, 2011 11:51 PM CST up reply actions
The Bulls
I think they’re the only team that can take them down.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
My personal nightmare is
Heat vs Celtics
with winner to face
Lakers vs Spurs
Speaking of tweets
Mo Williams, “This shit is embarrassing. I feel like I can’t even show my face in Cleve”
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
I was 7 rows behind Mr. Mauer
and I told him he needed more hair gel. If he could have given me a tech he would have.
Beasley + Love = BeLoved.
can NBA refs eject fans?
someone got thrown out of a Brewers game by an ump because he was offensively heckling Yadier Molina. First and only time anyone had seen that happen.
Kenny's Fanclub
Who’s with me? Seriously, he goes out of his way with us to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is not favoring his hometown or his hometown team? It is ridiculous how anti-homer he is.
Is it knowable when he will be reffing a game at Target Center in advance?
If so, please let me know your source. I will be making multiple signs for Kenny.
Hyperbole will be on display the next time he comes to town.
Perhaps I will get thrown out for mockery.
In the end, I will tip my hat to him. He got the crowd into the game. Up to that point, apathy reigned.
"You got alotta Flubber, but I love you brother!"
When Stanley Roberts dunked on Luc Longley and the Wolves defeated the Bulls for the first time. (1997-1998)
nba.com posts referee assignments by 9-9:30 AM on gamedays
…also, Shooter had a blurb in his weekend column that Kenny would be working the Wolves-Spurs game. Not sure if the ref info is public knowledge any earlier than that.
by sidjunior on Jan 12, 2011 10:52 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
He got the crowd into the game..
And Ridenhour immediately got them out of it with that stupid “touchdown” pass into 2 defenders he tried to throw…
sigh….
a few things...
I wont even go into the excruciating officiating, it will just make me pull out more of my hair. I was at the game tonight with my college buddy,.I had season tickets for 10 years growing up, been to about 12 games this season, including 3rd row seats to Love’s 31-31 game against my 2nd favorite team (the Knicks), and i have NEVER heard the target center so loud, and it was booing! nuff said on that.
I remember when Flynn was still hurt and i was “awaiting” his return thinking it was a good thing….highly misguided thoughts!! He is an embarrassment, i highly hope me trade him before everyone finds out how pathetic he is. sorry johnny!
Webster looked fantastic tonight, as long as Beasley is out (hopefully thats not long) he is without a doubt in my starting lineup.
Loved that Brewer got the start again tonight, he is our only chance to stop Nick Young on thursday. P.S. Young scored 43 points tonight, my hopes that we trade for him are out the window!
Starting lineup for thursday. I give Ridnour the start, but if he can’t keep up with Wall (no way he can) i stick Bassy in there as long as the reason he hasnt touched the hardwood is cuz he’s injured. Brewer at the 2 to shut down Young. Webster at the 3. Love at 4. and Darko starts at Center but if McGee proves to be too athletic for him i"d stick Tolliver on him to play some gritty foul heavy defense, McGee seems to shy away from physicality inside.
Last thing, another 20-20 game from Love. if the kid isn’t an All-Star this year i will use every cent i have to sit down with the commish just to slap him in the face…
+1
"You got alotta Flubber, but I love you brother!"
When Stanley Roberts dunked on Luc Longley and the Wolves defeated the Bulls for the first time. (1997-1998)
by kevinharlan on Jan 11, 2011 11:47 PM CST up reply actions
Noy yet cathartic enough
Can someone who is particularly clever and mean say some very hurtful things about Ken Mauer? It might make me feel a little better. What a douche!
I’m officially never buying a car from Mauer Chevrolet. This even makes me like Joe less.
Tony Dungy will have a serious talk...
…with Ken at the next alumni dinner.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
I would love to see Tony say
You’ve GOT to be kidding me! (that is apparently his trademark frustrated phrase)
by running with Twolves (and scissors) on Jan 13, 2011 11:10 AM CST up reply actions
Maybe
when all this snow melts Mauer’s house in Stillwater will fall in the river.
Maybe
I will see Kenny Mauer in Stillwater the next time I’m out that way. I’m going to follow him around giving him techs. I better remember to bring a whistle with me. This would make me happy.
by stuntmonkeys on Jan 12, 2011 12:16 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Please please please
video tape this.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
he'll be fine if he brings a friend
blow your whistle at the friend and call technical fouls. You and your friend’s schedule just happens to coincide with Kenny’s on that day. Now, you can prosecute someone for anything if you know the right folks (see: “disturbing the peace” and “sprinkling crack on him”) so be careful.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
Ha!
I suspect I could get a fair amount of whistling done before the cops would see fit to arrest me. I think any video could serve me (the defense) as much as the prosecution in the event of a citation.
by stuntmonkeys on Jan 12, 2011 6:13 PM CST up reply actions
I'm just picturing you
following him around and blowing your whistle and making a really exaggerated “T” gesture at him when he spills his beer on the floor or orders his cheeseburger medium-well. I would fall off my chair laughing.
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
so no one knows why bass was gone?
trade or anything?
Worst Ref'd league
Crowning moment of the Stern era is getting the media to forget about the Donahue scandal. SNP is right that the Wolves might not have won regardless but basically they had no chance tonight. But hey, at least the Spurs covered.
And apparently we've even forgotten that his name was Donaghy.
My mother was a lovely woman, rest her soul, but she never saw the irony in calling me a "son of a bitch."
- Jack Nicholson
SnP
I think after tonight, you may want to add Jimmer Fredette to your Hoopus Score Draft Board thing. 47 points on 28 shots and 6-of-9 from downtown.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Fredette is like the Allen Iverson of Utah
The ball is always in his hands and he makes all the plays for that team, and it isn’t just 3s.
But in the NBA, he’ll be used as a backup point guard who can shoot.. I can see him carving out a Steve Blake-esque career.
I say SHONDA you say WOLVES" SHONDA! WOLVES!
by Eric in Madison on Jan 12, 2011 8:46 AM CST up reply actions
33.001
Good for 11th on the board. Is he more Curry or Ben Woodside?
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Hmmm, is he available...?
I have growing concerns that being a fan of this team is making me more of a hipster than I ever intended to be.
Gigantic
He did everything for that team.
38.369
This is where traditional scouting would step in and say “Excuse me Mr. Hoopus Score, Ben Woodside plays in a weak conference, is 22 years old, 5’11” and very little athleticism." The guy played almost 85% of his team’s minutes while ending 1/3 of their possessions with a TS of 60.4%. That’s awesome. This would also be one of those instances where I’d love to be able to break things down more vs strength of schedule. I just don’t know where to get those numbers so I have to go with aggregate ones. With someone like Steph Curry, you could a) see how his game would translate to the pros (pick and roll/fantastic shooting/great passing/adequate frame and athleticism) and b) actually pull up his performances against top shelf college talent.
The big red flag for Woodside was that he was this itty-bitty guy who thrived on getting to the line at the college level. He had a FTrate of 54.6. That’s an enormous number of points/possessions that simply aren’t going to be available to him at the next level. Even with a gigantic Hoopus Score, I’d put him near the bottom simply because he doesn’t pass the eye test. There’s simply no way he can maintain that large chunk of his game at the NBA level.
Jimmer seems to be a bit more stable. His FTr is around 30 and he’s a better shooter. His game isn’t nearly as predicated on contact like Woodside’s was. I don’t think Woodside is close to Curry, but I think he’s a lot more viable than Woodside. I’d hope the Wolves don’t draft him. If they want another PG and they’re in the mid first: McCamey, McCamey, McCamey.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Thanks
It’s been clear to me from what you’ve said about the Hoopus Score that it can’t be the only thing you look at. I assumed that Woodside would both have a high score and not be a real prospect, I was just curious how well he graded out.
In the absence of disaggregated data, I’m not sure that there’s much you can do without just building in an assumption that certain types of schools can’t produce good prospects.
a thought: can you add some conference indicator variables
or even a one variable that equals 1 if the player plays in a “real conference” and 0 if they don’t? That could give guys like Woodside a penalty.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
Like I said above
you’d be building in an assumption that some schools just can’t have good NBA prospects. It might make a cosmetic improvement to the Hoopus score (downgrading the Woodsides of the world), but it seems like some sort of model ought to be able to identify the next Scottie Pippen. I think we knew that Woodside wasn’t that guy without modifying SnP’s model.
I don't put it into the equation
But I do have a list of red flags that I use at the end of the process to suss things out. Age, position flexibility in the NBA compared to what they did in college, strength of schedule, etc.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
One thing I did like
Is Wes off the bench. I feel like when he got into the game he gave more energy and more (or tried) hustle plays. He even went up for a dunk tip off a rebound. He didn’t get the ball or the board, but it’s a good thing to see.
Likewise, at this moment, Corey does more for us in the starting lineup. His energy will always be there, and hopefully it will stop us from coming out flat at times. Really we score at a pretty good clip, for us to win we need to defend and get more 50/50 hustle balls. If Corey can bring that from the tip, and Wes can bring shooting off the bench, I’m all for it.
And Rambis
He is starting to get a lot of criticism around here lately. In my opinion it is unwarranted and too quick, but I can see the angle. Anyhow, I feel he deserves credit for two big things as of late.
One is changing up the starting lineup. Brewer can be a liability at times, but the overall mentality he brings is something that would be very good for everyone to catch onto. This is maybe less a basketball move and more a personality move, and a bit of a sign to the rest of the team as to what he is looking for. Either way, it was a smart thing to do, whether it is permanent or not.
Two is getting a thrown out in this game. He is a very hands off coach, and sometimes that can backfire, or at least get a whole T-Wolves community mad at you. But it was really good to see him stick up for his players, and show he has their back. That should also pay off in the upcoming games.
Interesting
Brewer’s hustle, as misguided as it can be at times, provides a vivid example for Wes Johnson. In fact the boys in the broadcast booth shared the same sentiment. Wes has all the physical tools (long arms for one) to make mischief on defense, but he needs shock treatment.
I watched a bit of the coaches chat (Gardy, Tubby, Richards, Rambis) and think Rambis took Gardy’s comments to heart. Tonight, Rambis performed like Gardy does in protecting his men. Not that it prevented 5 Techs in 10 seconds, in fact Rambis will need to talk to guys like Love, Darko, etc. to tell them to let him take on the refs.
Jonny Flynn (projected All Star one day) will have a hard time keeping a spot on the roster with play like tonight. If he’s hurt, fine, go rehab. But Flynn and Beasley killed the Wolves tonight.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Effort and defense
always means you’re OK in SeaWolf’s book.
by SeaWolf on Jan 12, 2011 1:48 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
See, i had the exact opposite take
Rambis shoudl be protecting his players, a la Gardy — Gardy gets thrown out BEFORE his players, so he keeps them in the game.
Rambis got two techs after his players ALREADY got two. At that point you’re just hurting your team. To me it was more proof that he really doesn’t know what he’s doing.
But the techs basically started the incident in this case
impossible for Rambis to preempt that without a crystal ball. And based on my opinion of Rambis, getting him off the bench for whatever reason is never a bad thing.
I'm on Team Laimbeer/Ronzone!
I think Darko (especially) and Brewer were reacting
To a bunch of crappy calls before the incident. Darko’s foul happened a few secs earlier. If you want to protect your players, get the tech then. If you’re actually pissed about the officiating (which is when Gardy blows up), then don’t wait til the palyers get techs. If he was complaining about the techs, then it’s just idiotic. Once you’ve given the other team two free throws, it hardly seems worth it (or protective) to give them two more.
I did like the “FU” Rambis gave. That was caught on the feed perfectly.
Too quick?
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/coaches.html
He’s in the Wolves’ firing sweet spot.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Very interesting
The Sid Lowe, Jimmy Rodgers, and Bill Blair eras all seemed much longer in my memory prior to reading that.
Makes me wonder if my other perception is on – that our talent level today is far beyond what it was under each of the three of them, but that the players aren’t performing. Part of this is overall decline in hoops fundamentals and team play amongst players, so that talented players underachieve. But I also don’t think Rambis is in any way up to the task of leading/running a team.
In fairness
and as I have pointed out before, Rambis inherited the 2009-10 roster concocted by Kahn before his August 2009 hire.
Moreover, Casey had the final two years of KG and an assembly of veterans on the team. Rambis has had two virtually rebuild teams who hadn’t played together before. Moreover, as we all know all too well, this year’s version of Wolves are the youngest in the NBA AND hadn’t played together before.
I suspect Kahn knows this all too well and is in no hurry to fire Rambis given that Kahn is equally complicit in forming this year’s team.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
He is also barely above Sid Lowe in win %, and behind Rodgers and Blair
Those were the Laettner, Rider, Doug West, Michael Williams, Chuck Person days. You can certainly spread the blame between Kahn and Rambis, but you could take someone off the street as GM and/or coach and not do much worse than only winning one out of every five.
I had visions of a Sid Lowe/Jimmy Rodgers scenario when Rambis was ejected...
If only Laimbeer had pulled off the comeback.
I wasn't swayed
The best mid-game assistant comeback ever?
http://www.canishoopus.com/2008/12/30/705640/dwayne-casey-s-revenge
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
unfortunately, the basketball gods still demand more punishment for the wolves
more, more, more!!
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
That game..
….to me, is still the biggest embarrassment of the past few years. The biggest one since Madsen’s 3 point barrage.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Wrathful, Old Testament Basketball Gods
they be
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
S-N-P stood up for us like Rambis
So far he has been a big critic and, more or less, a Wolves detractor. However, on this day, to show that he is still our faithful leader, he has stood up for his following and challenged the authorities with a very critical blog post. I knew he was on our team all along.
by TO12 on Jan 12, 2011 1:13 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
+1
"You got alotta Flubber, but I love you brother!"
When Stanley Roberts dunked on Luc Longley and the Wolves defeated the Bulls for the first time. (1997-1998)
Well said on Wes Johnson
If you could combine the skills of Brewer and Wes Johnson you’d have a fine player, maybe even a decent starter at the wing. However, we can’t do this.
With Wes, if the shots aren’t falling (which has been the case lately), he’s not a valuable player. Not fast enough / harassing enough on defense, and is never heady (I think of the Boston game where lil Nate ran off almost 10 seconds while Wes was confused and supposed to be guarding him).
Meanwhile DeMarcus Cousins is a head-case but it took him a month+ to become essentially a 20-10 guy. Still think that’s 10x more valuable than Wes Johnson even if it led to having to trade DeMarcus because of personality issues or fit (and I’d think he’d fit fine, they’d play him next to Love and he’d be a beast). That said, Darko at times has manned the center post well, so DeMarcus wouldn’t be a huge upgrade this year (but going forward he would have been a perfect C option as he is young).
Conewalker
www.wolvesdenhoops.com
Cousins not essentially a 20-10 guy, yet.
Through 35 games:
5 games of 20+ points
8 games of 10+ rebounds
1 game of 20+/10+
He did have a nice stretch of production going until last night’s stinkbomb of 4-19 shooting, 4 turnovers and 8 rebounds in a loss to the 10-26 Wizards.
That's right
DMC had a horrid game last night. Who knows right now how he will level out.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Don't like making comparisons this early
DMC has been up and down all season as is most rookies. Johnson is being challenged right now to diversify his game in order to get more playing time.
It’s a fluid situation that requires considerably more time before a true comparison can be made.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
I think Rambis could start with Wes by telling him the next time he smiles in the middle of a game he’s going to the bench. Wes’ attitude needs some intensity and some mean put into it. When Wes is giving his best version of Minnesota nice smile in the middle of some really intense play, I want to scream at him to pay attention to the game.
that needs to be made into a gif
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
by Stop-n-Pop on Jan 12, 2011 8:18 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
One great play...
was Michael Beasley’s skip pass to Luke Ridnour, for a corner three. Not many guys can make a pass like that. LeBron does it better than anybody (ever?). Anyway, hope to see continued improvement from Beasley, once he gets those ankles healthy.
Beasley actually made a number of nice passes
Maybe being hurt he felt he needed to play more of a facilitator role. But he seems to have the skills. Love bobbled a nice interior pass; was probably not expecting it.
However, Beasley gets so lost on D. You wonder if this is something he can grow out of. I don’t think it is necessarily effort – seems more like a struggle to concentrate on one thing for 48 mins (2.5 hours real time).
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Jan 12, 2011 8:32 AM CST up reply actions
Beas' defense has been up and down.
I didn’t notice last night if he was having trouble. I know he was partly responsible for the Wes Matthews explosion, the other night.
Yes.
That one play where they diagrammed Beasley’s complete obliviousness when his man screened Love under the basket was not, unfortunately, an isolated incident. It was a great illustration of how Beasley’s court awareness on defense can be crazy bad. It’s odd too, since he seems to have good awareness on offense. I guess having the ball in your hands tends to focus you a bit. Well, unless you’re Corey Brewer. Or Darko.
When Beasley makes a pass
He really sets guys up beautifully. They either have a wide open three in rhythm or an easy lay-up. I just wish other guys would set him up more like that. Maybe he needs to move more, or his defender never leaves him. Or both.
He really does have great "touch" a lot of the time.
The contrast with a certain second-year point guard’s passes is striking.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I actually think Flynn is a good passer
Right now he’s gone all Chuch Knoblauch on us. He’s got the yips. He’s not in the moment playing. I really feel for the guy.
In all seriousness the Wolves need a good sports psychologist. Darko and Flynn really need some help. Webster and Wes too.
That makes a decent comparison.
Do we have the option of moving Flynn to left field, though?
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Sadly no there isn't
Let’s just hope he’s not getting pelted with hot dogs anytime soon.
I witnessed
Hot dogs being thrown at him. At the dome.
I believe this is the source of the new Twins vs. Yankees curse
Knoblauch was an ass, but he was a damn fine baseball player for about 10-11 years and played a huge role on the 1991 world series team and was a solid professional while with the Twins. Such an asshole move to throw hot dogs and/or batteries at him. If it’s any consolation, I also heard that the Billy Goat was a real jerk.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
I was at the game
The one were the announcer (blanking on his name) scolded the fans repeatedly for throwing things (hot dogs) on the field. Crazy, crazy game.
by stuntmonkeys on Jan 12, 2011 6:18 PM CST up reply actions
Some one needs to put together
a montage of clips of ref’s making bad calls that clearly favor one team over another where the games outcome covered teh spread because of those bad calls. count up those games and show that there is still a statistical corrilation to betting and officiating in the nba. cause Donohugh (sp) is clearly not the only nba ref that is as corrupt as Hoffa.
Will the Real Thor Please Stand Up ... ?
Got one here
Some disgruntled Milwaukee fan got tired of being sh*t on by refs all the time, so he compiled a whole lot of statistics on it.
If it wasn't for Jordan Farmar and that guy Kevin Love, I would've killed somebody!
Okay, on the one hand that's fun.
On the other, I’m a little concerned for our “disgruntled” fan. That person needs to get a little more gruntled, stat.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
At least in Boxing
it is the boxers that get paid by the mobsters, and not the Ref’s or judges.
Will the Real Thor Please Stand Up ... ?
Wolves not getting great looks out of tricycle
Wolves fought hard but they could not get good looks out of their offense in the 4th. Lots of passes and still get long contested jumpers. Duncan ‘accidentally’ put his foot under Beasley while he was coming down from a 3 point shot, putting him out of the game with a re-twisted ankle. I’m sure it was an accident each and every time Bowen did it.
Flynn was beyond bad. I swear I could have come in and played better. Maybe his agent told him to go on a suck strike, where he intentionally sucks so much he forces Kahn to trade him before he has negative trade value.
Love fought hard but got stuffed repeatedly in the paint. Beasley made some very nice passes on O, but lost his guy and got burned for easy baskets several times on D.
I think the Wolves should just shut down Beasley for a few games and let Wes start at SF with Brewer at SG. Wes started trying to do more late in the game and didn’t look too bad. Some drive & shuttle pass stuff. I just think he needs to play PF and needs to be more of the #1 or #2 option for us to see what he can do. I could be completely wrong, which happens a lot.
I dunno what is ailing Webster, but he moves like a 35 year old guard at the end of his career right now. No lift. He is playing pretty hard, but looks completely unathletic.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
Referee Ken Mauer Gone Crazy, Called 5 Technicals In 10 Seconds (video online)
Foenixx posted this on youtube. I’m guessing the NBA will request youtube remove it out of embarrassment, but use copyright infringement as the excuse. The “F you” shout out is at 1:20.
Wow
I didn’t see the game so this is the first I’ve seen this sequence of events. Just wow. The travesty is the fact that the refs swallowed the whistle on the two Blair fouls (the one on Love on the rebound and then the illegal pick. If that were Pekovic setting that pick, you better believe he would have been called for the foul). It could even be argued that Brewer was fouled when he was undercut by Manu when going up for that outlet pass that ended up going out of bounce. So not only do we get called for the multiple techs, but we don’t even get the benefit of the same fouls that they had just called on us.
by Rascal Flatts on Jan 12, 2011 10:42 AM CST up reply actions
How about Beasley, laughing and clapping afterward?
There’s a sort of buoyancy to Mike B. I like that.
Jim Pete is dead on there. The whole point from a ref’s point of view is to defuse the thing, and he’s pouring gas on the fire. That’s some strange, strange officiating there.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Seems good officiating would defuse the thing
No make up calls. No ridiculous technical foul sprees. Just good clean officiating. Call Darko for the block. It was a block. Just make certain to call it fair. I don’t have a problem with calling Luke for his three steps in Boston. It was a travel. I have a problem when it’s so blatantly biased.
If they whistle Blair for the foul on Love things settle down. But when they don’t call that and then throw fuel on the fire by giving Love the tech and then miss the obvious call on Blair again on the moving screen it’s beyond ridiculous. We have a lot of character guys on our team. That’s good because a couple nut jobs and I could see things getting violent.
It makes me wonder
If after all of that commotion, Mauer starts to overthink which calls he should be making in the aftermath. Like “Try not to have a quick trigger finger here, they’ll think you’re just calling this to make up for it.” Instead of having a clear mind to focus on what he thinks is the proper call, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was thinking about making the right call instead of actually calming down and just doing it.
Hey guys
I still have to come by and say good game. The Timberwolves have a lot of talent and their play isn’t reflective of your record.
I know this wasn’t as close as the other 3 games we played, but if you didn’t have injuries then it would have been another close one for sure.
Also, I have to say that you guys are more rational than Spurs fans. I just mentioned the idea of changing our logo and\or name, and PTR just banned me. I now know why people hate the Spurs, it’s because of our idiot fans like in PTR.
Spurs #1 in the NBA!!! --- Eagles Win NFC East!!!! Vick-Tory!!
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Jan 14, 2011 6:57 AM CST up reply actions
First, let me qualify this by saying that I respect the Spurs’ front office and coaching staff for implementing a system that has been so successful for almost 15 years despite having just 1 lottery pick in that time (sure, it was Tim Duncan, but it’s still amazing). With that said:
It’s fucking embarrassing that a team that acts like 5-year-olds every time a foul is called on them gets so much preferential treatment, to the point that if they had “reacted” like any of the T’ed-up Wolves did last night, they wouldn’t receive the same treatment. Their team should be one of the reasons why the new T rules are there in the first place; instead, they benefit like they’ve always benefited. The worst of them all was the non-call on the Beasley 3. So let me get this straight, NBA: it’s a foul when a 3-point shooter kicks out his leg and a defender grazes it, but it’s not a foul when a guy crowds under a shooter after he releases a shot, which not only draws contact but also leads to the shooter immediately hopping off to the locker room? At some point, Rambis has to use the Phil Jackson technique of ribbing the officials in a passive-aggressive way so things like last night don’t happen again. At least other leagues recognize when their officials make mistakes.
by pagingstanleyroberts on Jan 12, 2011 9:27 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
There is no way
Mauer would not have the balls to call 5 technicals on the Heat or Celts or Lakers…. (if someone made this point already, then ditto). A guaranteed call from the commish’s office if he did that. Biggest frustration with refs is “the different strike zone” for teams and for particular players. It is not misjudgment on their part but willful. Refs in any sport are there to ensure fairness and objectivity.
I hate Ken Mauer
He screwed us last season on a call late in the game against OKC as well. That was actually a game-deciding call. I’m on board with the fact that this is exactly why many people jumped ship on the NBA. I want to watch a basketball game, not a bunch of acting, whistle-blowing, technical foul calling horsecrap like what I watched last night. Seriously, I’m grossed out. As far as Ken Mauer goes, I hope he has a terrible 2011.
Is it just me
or has K Love dropping a 20/20 game becoming commonplace and not getting enough credit for just how hard that is. I believe there has been 14 20/20 games this year and Love has 6.
I thought
that I heard them say the rest of the league only has 10
Neither count's right as of today, anyway.
Here are the counts of 20-rebound games in the NBA this season.
Love has 7 games. The rest of the league has 18 put together. Dwight H. and Z-Bo each have 3.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
You're forgetting the 20pt qualifier
16 is the magic number, of which 6 belong to Kevin.
So TO12 had it right.
I have growing concerns that being a fan of this team is making me more of a hipster than I ever intended to be.
(Slaps forehead.) Duh.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Does anybody know the last time we won
I do Bassy ran the 2nd unit and Flynn was hurt please trade him Kahn correct your mistake and admit it.
Wolves fan in Ohio
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201101010MIN.html
Flynn has now played in 14 games. The Wolves have won 2 of them.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/flynnjo01/gamelog/2011/
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
I guess
But Flynn isn’t single handily making us lose. Basically everyone on the Wolves has played in those games too.
"Flynn isn’t single handily making us lose."
He’s sure trying to.
He’s like a human momentum shift.
I remember
his play where he had a wide open layup and tried to be too fancy and dropped it off behind him to brewer who didnt know it was coming and the Wolves didnt score.
Wolves fan in Ohio
I just call it being dumb
Don’t drop a dipsey doo pass on a wide open layup when you don’t know where your trailer is..
Interviewer: Can you understand why teams value potential ahead of experience and accomplishment in the draft? Wes Johnson: "Yeah. I understand. It’s the youngness of everything – older guys like young women, so it’s the same way."
About the techs
Obviously a number of blown calls but….
It is my belief that a team loses the minute they get more distracted by the refs than in playing the opponent. Refs don’t change their calls no matter how shitty they are. Having Manu parked at the free throw line ringing up uncontested free throws is not the way to win games.
On a related matter, does Mauer understand Serbian?
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Players get hurt.
It’s a problem. It’s a physical game. The rules are there largely to protect players. When the Wolves players are being physically abused while the opponent faces no consequence and the Wolves are ringed up with ticky tack fouls while trying to just play legal basketball it’s a problem. Players get emotional primarily when they feel threatened or cheated. The Wolves are routinely both physically threatened by the physicality (wrestling, moving screens, over the back, under cutting etc) their opponents are allowed and cheated (primarily out of playing time for players like Beasley and Darko as well as points in the unbalanced FTAs given out)
Am I over-reacting? Hardly. Shitty officiating may cost Rambis his job. Whether or not this is a good thing is beside the point. It’s also cost us the first Bobcats game, the first Thunder game, the first Spurs game for starters. It helped us loss the remaining three Spurs games and the Boston game. If the Spurs get close to the 72 game record it’d be a huge joke.
Kevin Love is a tough dude, but he’s going to get hurt. It’s unavoidable so long as the refs allow players to grab his arms with two hands and hold him when he’s going for rebounds. He’s going to fall awkwardly or end up pulling something in his shoulder or elbow. I’m amazed at how many one handed rebounds and one handed shots he has to put up. He gets the call if he gets the shot off, but it’s the sort of flagrant foul committed against one of our players every night that gets ignored and never T’d up.
It’s sad when the Wolves can get T’d up 5 times in 10 secs and my bigger problem is with the no calls on things that might hurt players. I’ve basically accepted that the outcome will be influenced (not always determined) by officiating and am just asking for the officials to protect players.
Yes, sure but
Have you ever seen a ref change his call on the basis of a player freaking out? The answer is no.
Do shitty calls get made invariably on both teams? The answer is yes.
Do players get hurt in this “physical” game irrespective of referee calls? most assuredly.
But the correct person to anticipate and make protests to refs is the head coach. It’s hard to anticipate sometimes when a player is going to go off on the refs, but it will be clearer to Rambis as he becomes more familiar with reading his players.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
Your first question is the wrong one
Duncan freaks out to get future calls, not the one just made.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
And, you're proof is
nothing. Not that I disagree but impossible to prove.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
with a few noteworthy exceptions
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
I don't know if it would be impossible
Just very hard. Look at the amount of techs the Spurs receive. You could even break down their overall call averages based on reffing crews. I can’t remember the name of the site, but someone out there definitely keeps track of refs.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Agreed that's it's not the players role to be the ones questioning refs, but the shitty calls are a problem
Never seen the call changed, but we refer to “make up calls” nightly. The refs can definitely be manipulated.
Shitty calls happen, but inconsistent shitty calls in favor of one team shouldn’t be tolerated.
Players get hurt during legal play. My poorly articulated point was that shitty reffing can increase the likelihood of players getting hurt. The number of no calls with dangerous play is stupid. I may dislike Manu, but I don’t want him hurt because moving screens are tolerated.
“The correct person to anticipate and make protest to the refs is the head coach.” I agree, but it’s not the enforcement of fouls or technical fouls that makes me upset. It’s the blatant bias and favoritism that has dominated the league for years to such a degree that it’s shrugged off most of the time.
Make-up calls, star calls and no calls (on obvious violations) are fine for a reality television, but poison to a sport. I hate to think the NBA may qualify as sports entertainment, but not a legit sport.
But players
last night were given techs for calls not made. And, for good measure, they lost the battles and the war (can I still use that analogy?).
When the focus becomes the refs and not the opposition, you lose, especially to a superior team.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
I think what upset Darko was
that he was getting called for fouls, which were fairly legit, except my pet peeve (showing on the screen and the guard flops)…..BUT, when he took it to the rack and got hit upside the head, it was a no call. He lost it shortly thereafter….
Cousins mom was on record before the draft of basically saying
He son didn’t have a real problem with anger etc. The problem was that officials let her son take a hell of a beating routinely and this frustrated him greatly. She talked about the number of times he needed his front teeth replaced. He supposedly lashed out because it’s the sane thing to due when you are attacked repeatedly and the authorities allow it.
I swear the money is the only thing keeping bloodshed off the court.
It's pretty amazing how peaceful the NBA is.
We talk about things almost getting out of hand last night, and if you look at the clip of those 5 Ts, the players aren’t even raising their arms or gesturing wildly. That was no bench-clearing brawl in baseball.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I've been beating that same drum forever
It’s crazy how much flak the NBA gets for relatively minor altercations, while it’s celebrated in hockey, football, and baseball because it’s “part of the game”. I love all of the sports, but I do think their are some silly double standards applied to basketball. Throwing a hard projectile at somebody’s head (I don’t care if it’s a few feet away) at 90+ isn’t seen as that crazy of a thing anymore. What would normally be considered aggravated assault (punching a guy in the face repeatedly) is given a 5-minute penalty in a box, and the fans love it. Andre Johnson punches Cortland Finnegan in the back of the head multiple times – though I have no sympathy for Cortland – and it’s not seen as too much of a big deal.
Maybe it’s because of the proximity and visibility of the players (some website, probably FreeDarko, pointed this out) in basketball being heightened at an NBA arena, maybe it’s because it feeds into the narrative of tattooed and “lazy” NBA players as thugs, maybe it’s the rarity of such things that makes them seem worse. Either way, it’s pretty silly that violence is so tolerated and encouraged in other sports, while the relatively peaceful NBA gets battered for it and goes into over-the-top image control and player-policing.
I think it's because the NBA has a history of the violence spilling into the stands,
If we had plexi-glass between us and the players I think more would be allowed. I don’t want the plexi-glass or the violence. Just good clean officiating.
Never before and never again...
will a Minnesota sports blog be filled with so much hatred of a Mauer.
by Andy G on Jan 12, 2011 11:46 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
Ever been to a Twins blog
during one of Joe’s playoff at-bats? The guy makes Chris Webber look clutch.
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