Progress and Positivity
by Stop-n-Pop on Feb 16, 2011 10:26 PM CST
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PrintYou have to hand it to David Kahn. Most people said that the D-League could never survive in the hustle-bustle of a major metropolitan area. Mr. Kahn is proving those doubters wrong.
Tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the D-League's newest and most impressive team, battled hard and gave their hometown fans a never-ending series of long, athletic, high-flying action.
Mr. Kahn's biggest coup for the fledgling franchise was wooing the esteemed Kurt Rambis away from the NBA's reigning World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Mr. Rambis will now have the opportunity to hone his skills in the semi-pro league much like his mentor, Phil Jackson, did in the former CBA.
"I'm really excited to provide the loyal basketball fans of Minnesota with this high quality product," said Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.
The Wolves were unable to pull out the game against the professional Clipper team, who was on the last game of a grueling road trip and without its leading scorer. However, they used this opportunity to showcase the talents of their elite D-League talent against the pros.
Rookie Wes Johnson showed flashes of brilliance in his 8 minutes of play. He was held scoreless but he physically looked like an NBA player. The team hopes that it can add an untested teenage European point guard next season to throw him many ally-oops.
The rookie wasn't the only player that had a hard time making buckets against the superior competition. The team ended the contest shooting a collective .365 from the field.
"We just need to get a little longer and more athletic for things to really click," said Kahn following the loss.
It's hard to argue with that logic.
In his post-game press conference Coach Rambis talked about his young team needing to become a bit more determined and cocky if it hopes to compete with the professionals. "I really look forward to the upcoming break in the schedule so we can have a fresh start." "We just need to have a few more veterans on this team in order for us to figure out how to play the game of basketball."
If there is a negative to be found with this young and exciting team it might be discovered in Rambis' curious approach to both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Coach Rambis learned his trade at the feet of the Zen Master, Phil Jackson, and he believes that young players learn best through osmosis and a complete lack of negative reinforcement. Rambis often spends breaks in the action removed from the huddle drawing up motivational sayings on his ever-present whiteboard. "At some point in time, it's just going to click for these guys," says Rambis.
The Wolves get back to action against yet another professional team next Tuesday in Milwaukee. It is sure to be another exciting affair.
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This reads like an Onion news article
and we are the punchline to every joke.
Timberwolves: Where Stats and Advanced Stats Ruin Basketball
Bad teams, like us, shouldn’t put any stock into statistics.
I don't think this post mentioned anything about advanced stats?
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
And you agree wholeheartedly with Kahn on that point.
He said almost exactly that in one of his first in-game chats last year. Asked about what sort of stats he tended to look at, he said that measurements didn’t apply so much to losing teams – and that the ones he did look at were more long-term trends, whatever that meant.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
As someone who is skeptical of a lot of advanced stat metrics
even I am confused as to why they would be more or less valuable for winning teams or losing teams.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
As someone who is at least familiar with most ways of looking at teams, and ways of looking at stats,
even I had no idea what Kahn was talking about. He definitely implied that he looked at “trends” in some sense, but you’d think we would at least recognize the sort of stuff he was talking about.
If, asked about scouting, he’d said he was using the “brain type” guy Kevin McHale brought in, I’d have at least known what he meant. You know? I usually recognize even the left-field stuff. Here… Nope.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
that sounds
like a Sarah Palin response.
by Zeitgeister on Feb 17, 2011 12:49 AM CST up reply actions
The number of political veins we're opening lately: one more sign of the apocalypse.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Draft picks were having their heads lopped off in the background, too, now that you mention it.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
The biggest discouragement for me right now is the Target Center.
The place was actually pretty loud for the first 1/3 of the season. But the past few games have been dreary. Fans aren’t getting up at all. The loudest pops tonight were for Griffin’s dunks. It’s turning back into last year’s atmosphere.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Hopefully I can be ther on the 27th
I’ll change that
I'm Trill, I'm running w/ the WOLVES
by running with Twolves (and scissors) on Feb 16, 2011 10:47 PM CST up reply actions
Awesome. Sunday games are usually pretty well attended.
Hopefully, we can put a whoopin’ on the Warriors.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Hopefully the dead crowds
will finally get Glen Taylor to force some kind of change. I don’t even care what the change is anymore, as long is something changes.
One of my biggest worries...
….early on this year was that the excellent folks in the marketing team were doing too good of a job selling a product that just didn’t fit what people would eventually end up seeing. I know, I know, that’s their job, but as someone put it earlier on this year: nothing kills a bad product quicker than good marketing. As this post can provide an example as/to, cynicism runs deep with this squad and no matter how hardened of a cynic any one of us might be, each of us had a bit of a Charlie Brown moment at some point or the other during Kahn’s tenure. We want to believe that it can turn around. Badly. I really do but it’s hard to get worked up in a positive light for this product. I know explaining the joke kind of ruins it, but the point here was to show that any positivity I could muster for this team would have to be if I believed it to be something other than what it is. I feel kind of bad about it already. Kind of mean spirited.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
On the bright side, it seems that DJ Mad Mardigan got a promotion.
He’s not just the DJ anymore. They’re using him as an in-arena host, too. Talk about player development…
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Inside info?
The other guy, B Right or whatever his name is smokes him.
No Natalie tonight. Bummer.
BTW, it was a halfway decent crowd in there. they really wanted to get into the game..but the wolves wouldnt let them.
Really? That's sad. Mike's a good guy.
Natalie got a job doing traffic on some morning TV show, which is why I think Mardigan got his boost. I think out of all the turnover that’s happened over the past two seasons, losing those two might be the saddest ones for me.
That might be sad all by itself.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
I thought I heard him say that he and Natalie were...
…“training their replacements” earlier on this year and I think there have been more hints on his Twitter feed. I’ll ask. Definitely good people.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
I would train Natalie's replacement...
….if you know what I mean.
by CoffeeJanitor on Feb 16, 2011 11:16 PM CST up reply actions
In picture form please.
Us plebeians don’t always infer the right meaning from your fancy words.
I read somewhere he is heading to California next year
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Feb 17, 2011 12:07 AM CST up reply actions
do you believe in fairies?
“If you believe, clap your hands; don’t let Tink die.”
by brick layer on Feb 16, 2011 10:57 PM CST up reply actions
Crunch plays Nana, the Newfoundland who looks after the kids, in this version. Yes?
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Honestly, though...
isn’t our ball-movement that much better without no 8? I think we just need to surround Love with other players that can get him the ball.
"Rookie Wes Johnson showed flashes of brilliance in his 8 minutes of play."
oh man, that one really got me.
beasley and love are pro players
the rest are catch and release back into the pond.
keep toliver, pek, maybe ellington ( 5 of 15 tonight? all 3-pointers? weird.) cheap bench players.
The coach and gm are catch and release also.
There was a moment in the 3rd
Where Foye made a kamikaze drive down the right side of the lane about 3 possessions after Gomes hit a 22 foot jumper. Old times.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Does it make me a bad fan
That I don’t watch the games at all, but only follow the team on CH? I feel confident that I’m not missing anything.
by Catalinawinemixer on Feb 16, 2011 10:58 PM CST reply actions
Haven't watched a game in weeks
and won’t until our POBO does something to improve this horrid team he designed.
Trade for Iggy!
Fire Kahn!
Don't worry a lot of us do the same
I try to watch no more than one game a week, doctors orders. It keeps the blood pressure down.
Randy Foye for 21 and 6
I… uh… um… well…
by midlife crisis on Feb 16, 2011 11:03 PM CST reply actions
All Star Break couldn't come soon enough
Forgetting about the GM or coach for a sec, you can tell that these guys are a wreck right now. Wes, Webster, Ridnour & Beas have probably never been on losing teams before. The confidence is gone for everyone. And you need confidence to be able to learn and progress. The whole team needs to regroup and get back to basics. If you can make a shot, then play defense. Nasty defense. This is the only way out for these guys.
by Rodman99 on Feb 16, 2011 11:06 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Rambis had a quote in the post game..
…about him never being around a team that needed a break more than this one. He also actually talked about them needing to be cocky. I didn’t make that part up ;)
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Yeah, those were pretty strange quotes.
I think the Lakers might need a break a wee bit more than one of the youngest teams in the league.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Go Cavaliers. That result cheered me up.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
What the team needs is...
talent (which requires a new GM) and a new coach. That will give them confidence.
I think just the starting lineup itself
Combined with Jonny sits tells you Kurt is in panic mode. This team actually was fun and exciting the first few weeks. Anything but at this point.
You can sit back passively and watch Kobe, Shaq, Michael, Pippen “work through it” because they are all top 50 ever players.
These guys need an energetic positive and negative reinforcing in your face grill coach.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 12:23 AM CST up reply actions
"Wes, Webster, Ridnour & Beas have probably never been on losing teams before." At least three of them have been on bad/terrible teams so you probably just made that up.
When Wes played at Iowa State for two years the team never finished .500, Webster played for a Blazers team at one time that was Zach Randolph(I believe Ruben Patterson was decent at that time) and little else I think they won 20+ games his first year and 30+ his second, and Ridnour played on some bad teams teams before the Supersonics were shipped to OKC and I don’t believe he made the playoffs his first year in Milwaukee.
I really don’t believe that there is any amount of getting back to the basics that could make this group of mostly bit players winners. They simply lose games because guys who shouldn’t be on an NBA roster or aren’t anything more than 10-15 minutes a game players are playing a lot of minutes, they just aren’t that talented.
(Martell Webster was one of Ricky Davis's "roaches.")
He had been on that 05-06 team that won 21 games.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Some more food for thought
http://arturogalletti.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/the-best-player-in-the-league-hands-down/
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Wow, very cool. It bodes the question
are we spoiled with Kevin Love? How many wins would we have without him?
What you just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your entire rambling incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
by Percy Harvin My Fav! on Feb 16, 2011 11:20 PM CST up reply actions
What's really crazy..
…is that he was weighed down early on by Darko and since the beginning of February by Flynn. Take a look at this chart:
http://arturogalletti.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/the-wild-wild-west-and-a-roster-by-roster-breakdown/
Scroll down to the Wolves’ roster. 53% of their minutes are being played at D-League level (hence the spoof post) and 22% are at bench level.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Question
I apologize for interrupting the Love-fest, but isn’t it a tad sad that our all-star can’t cover other power forwards? I know how SNP feels about “El Busto”, but it seems to be that he deserves a bit of credit for taking the harder matchup night after night…
Every team and player has their weaknesses
I’ll start worrying about Love’s when the guys he plays against a) out perform the Wolves at the position and b) when the opposite can be asked of his opponents: “Why don’t they grab nearly a quarter of all available rebounds, have a TS% near .600, carrying the highest FT/FG rate on their team while, at the same time, having the lowest TO% on the their squad?” Let’s complain about that for a while, because whatever it is Love is doing on defense, the guys defending him are letting someone get away with historic numbers. When it comes to Love, the can’t-cover-the-other-power-forward problem is much more pronounced for the other guys than it is for the Wolves.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Not the problem, not the solution...
also not the MVP of the league. Portland fans would argue vehemently that he’s also not an All-Star, but I think that’s at least a closer question.
The Wolves have been gifted an amazing thing
They have a player who is able to produce at super star (yes, super star) levels without having anything run for him. They essentially have a gimmie on the roster. They have a position where they do not have to set aside any out-of-the-way resources to have a guy produce like nobody else in the league. They have a guy who requires as many offensive plays as Brian Cardinal but who produces like Dirk Nowitski.
The solution for Kevin Love is to surround him with an extremely high usage guard who can a) run a bit of the point, b) hit from outside, and c) run the hell out of the pick and roll. This was as obvious as the nose on my face about 1/2 way through his first year in the league. They have a completely unique player and they don’t know what to do with him. Kahn’s first thought was that he was a bench player. Rambis thought he was a 6th man and they went about building around Ricky Rubio. Completely unique. They have a completely unique player who doesn’t have to have anything run for him yet produces like a guy who has everything run for him. Where else are they going to find a player like that? What more could they possibly want? Yet, they continue to build the team in a way that does nothing to play to the fact they have this type of player. They run a gimmick offense and are building for someone who is not even with the team. They should be scouring the league for a guard who fits the bill and then surround them with as many defensive players as possible while doing everything they can to have Beasley anchor the 2nd unit. Curry, Ellis, (big gap), Nick Young, Roddy Beaubois, hell, dust off Devin Harris and see if he has anything left. Anything along those lines is what they should be looking for. Instead, they’ll add an untested point guard who can’t shoot to the mix. They absolutely don’t get what they have.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
by Stop-n-Pop on Feb 17, 2011 8:03 AM CST up reply actions 3 recs
BTW
While looking for a quote about Love that I couldn’t seem to find, I came across this Grandpa Sports nugget from draft night 2008:
The media got fooled into thinking the Timberwolves rated Southern California guard O.J. Mayo and UCLA center Kevin Love even in ability, and that it was going to be tough to pick between them with the third overall choice in Thursday’s NBA draft.
Well, there never was any doubt. Wolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg verified Thursday night that Mayo was their choice all along.
Hoiberg said the Wolves never came close to making a trade. The truth of the matter is they think so much of Mayo that they wanted him on the team.
“Our people thought that Mayo had far more upside than Love,” Wolves owner Glen Taylor said. “And very important was the fact that Fred played for Tim Floyd at Iowa State, and we knew Floyd [who coached Mayo at Southern California] was going to give an honest scouting report on Mayo.”
I had completely forgotten that they walked Fred down to tell everyone the good news about Mayo.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Pretty sure that was the straw
That broke McHales grip on the front office. Turns out to be his signature move, and somehow memphis believed Fred’s take and gave up the farm to get mayo
by midlife crisis on Feb 17, 2011 9:37 AM CST up reply actions
Everyone loves to point out that the Wolves "don't run plays for Love"... but it's misleading
Because it implies he creates his points on his own, which isn’t the case.
What he does, and does well, is get open. Then people pass to him for open layups.
If he trails the offense and sets up for a three and someone passes to him and he shoots, is that really all that different from “having a play run for you”? Or if he cuts to the baskets and Beas passes to him for an easy lay-up, it’s essentially the same thing as having a play run for you.
I must confess what I find so annoying about the love for Love, is every part of his game is so over glorified. He’s a good basketball player. Great to have on our team. But he’s not a legend.
You spend untold posts saying others are inappropriately negative,
and when they’re positive about a player on the team who’s doing freaky things out there, you can’t stand it. It grates at you.
That’s an interesting combination.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I prefer a balanced viewpoint
These guys aren’t the worst ever, he’s not the best ever.
Others prefer the poles. I like the middle.
This is called an "undercurrent."
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
The middle is not a destination
Neither is balance. Somehow, those two things have become destination points rather than helpful guides for the journey.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
But yes I do laugh at myself
At how annoying I find it at the excessive fawning over Love.
Just ruins it for me.
I noticed this, too.
Let us get the complaints straight:
1. SnP is too negative about the Wolves
2. Except about Kevin Love, about whom SnP is too positive
It’s funny to think about being on the receiving end of either complaint, but the humor disappears when both complaints are coming from the same user.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
The humor never disappears.
What we need as a fan base is humor. And potentially some unexpected music. As in, not the usual proud pop Jock Rox crap, but music that’s maybe from some completely different genre. Shostakovich.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Are you referring l'il ol me?
All I merely attempt to clarify is that:
- we don’t have a team of D-League players
- Rambis may indeed look so pathetic because he is missing several key pieces to a good team, and unless you have an off the charts superstar you cannot win in the NBA with such a young team
- Kahn for all his smugness and questionable draft choices, could only be only a few smart moves from having a great young roster
- it’s too soon to make final judgment on our draft picks
- Kevin Love isn’t the greatest PF in 50 years
Is that too much to ask?
But I suppose I should just let it go. Not going to change anyone’s viewpoint anyway.
by Rodman99 on Feb 17, 2011 10:02 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Wow. Just, wow.
Kahn for all his smugness and questionable draft choices, could only be only a few smart moves from having a great young roster
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
It's true
If we got a great guard, defensive center, and veteran, we’d be pretty good.
We’ve got cap room, draft picks, and some tradeable assets.
A good GM could certainly pull that off. Now is Kahn a good GM? I think these moves will determine that.
there are about 8 to 10 teams for which this would not be true
If we got a great guard, defensive center, and veteran, we’d be pretty good.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Feb 17, 2011 10:26 AM CST up reply actions
True, but we have the assets and cap room to get them
Unlike most other teams.
So, other teams
are going to trade their good players for the Wolves’ bad ones, and then Glen is going to lose another $10 mill a year more on paying those good players?
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
My hope
Is times are desperate enough that: another team is willing to dump a good player with a high salary on us, and Glen goes for it, because we are sucking so bad.
Then we hit with a draft pick. Based on the law of averages we’re due, aren’t we?
Sadly,
your unlikely scenario stands as the best hope for major improvement.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
So there's a chance?!
Lloyd: Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! I came a long way just to see you, Mary. The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
Mary: Not good.
Lloyd: You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?
Mary: I’d say more like one out of a million.
[pause]
Lloyd: So you’re telling me there’s a chance… YEAH!
In other words..
…if they just overhauled 3/5ths of their starting lineup, they’d be fine. I’d agree with that.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
by Stop-n-Pop on Feb 17, 2011 10:38 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
lol You got it, but we may only need 2 more players
Rubio
Great Guard
Beas
Love
Tough Center (either center or guard must be veteran)
Ridnour/Flynn
Webster/Ellington
Wes
Tolliver
Darko/Pek
I actually think the best they could hope for at this point...
..is to get either Curry or Ellis and to throw a ton of money at DeAndre Jordan over the summer while talking Beasley into the 2nd unit.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Not a bad plan
And you brought up another of my sore spots… DeAndre Jordon. He was such an obvious pick then. A young guy with a load of talent we could have taken slowly. Is he a RFA?
He and Noah are two of my sorest spots from draft history.
He's a 2nd round pick
He’s up for his 2nd contract. I don’t know how a new CBA will affect him or if he’ll want to stay in LA, but 2nd round picks are not on the rookie scale like 1st rounders are. I’m not the person to talk about Jordan. I thought he was going to be a bust.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Good to know
That’s the beauty of 2nd rounders. They can be a bust, just roll the dice.
Also the reason that I think Miami got a good deal for Beasley. Two high 2nd rounders that you can pay whatever you want. Perfect for their cap situation.
If we added Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, we'd solve our wing problems.
Your logic is impeccable.
Unfortunately the first part of what you said, about how the Wolves’ current front office guru has demonstrated “questionable” draft-day acumen, only underscores the weirdness of the supposed optimism of the last part.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Why so cranky today, feral?
Come on GM, let’s here your plan.
I'm hardly failing to suggest stuff on this site.
The problem here for me is that we’ve got an organization that does not learn. Not from its failures, and not from its successes. Suggesting moves on the level of “If only we added a great guard” is ridiculous in the face of that at some point.
Weeks before draft night last summer, I was saying: Cousins was the superior talent; if you’re wary of him for “character” reasons, you can’t sit still at 4. You trade down a notch and take another of the available wings – a Paul George. Wes Johnson by contrast was an extremely passive choice, and is unlikely to emerge given his characteristics and his age. And so on.
I really honestly don’t want to be rehashing the old stuff. The biggest letdown, easily, was draft night this year; I really wanted, wanted to believe that Kahn was capable of moving actively to rework his roster, like say Pritchard did in the Roy draft, and instead he blew three years’ worth of my suffering as a fan out his ass to get Martell Webster and Wes Johnson’s nice tailoring. As each of his “windows” slams shut, the cumulative effect is heavier on me, but draft night was a huge turn for the worse. I logged off the site for a while.
The ludicrous stuff that passes for optimism on this site right now,
If we got a great guard, defensive center, and veteran, we’d be pretty good.
included, is testament to how long this franchise has been adrift in the doldrums, throwing cargo overboard to try to catch a breeze.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I too thought about the trade down option
What would we have gotten? A second rounder maybe. I think after the debacle the year before, we had to just take the player we wanted regardless of draft position. It also assumes that we passed up such a deal, and maybe no one wanted to trade. Last year, we need (and still do) an impact player, and by trading down we would all but guarantee we would not get one.
Now it doesn’t seem like it worked out. But I can’t fault Kahn for the Wes pick. Sometimes the draft simply is luck. And with Wes’s good shooting mechanics, I think he can have a great shot in a few years. So he’s not the worst pick ever.
Finally, I did’t mean to imply that you don’t contribute good content, but rather was more interested in your thoughts about what you’d do now, rather than rehashing our old mistakes. And I don’t think it’s being overly optimistic to say we still have an open window to make something of this team. Even more so with the healthy cap and new CBA coming out.
The fact that Indiana offered us their #10 pick (P. George) for Flynn
really really bums me out. No offense but I think there are very very few people who don’t see how bad this kid is and we were offered a lottery pick to take him off our hands.
Is that actually a fact or a rumor?
If so, doesn’t look good. But did Flynn even have the hip surgery then?
I think it was confirmed
by both Kahn and Bird.
But just imagine trading 4 + 16 (or 23) for 3 and taking Favors. Then Flynn for 10 (George).
A team of:
Favors
Love
Beasley
George
Ridnour
would be so much better than we have now and in the future.
Kahn dismissed the offer out of hand.
Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com tweets confirmation that the Indiana Pacers contacted the Minnesota Timberwolves in regards to Jonny Flynn:
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
We couldn't have made a Flynn for #10 trade, no matter how much we may have wanted to.
There is no way Flynn would have passed his physical – and Kahn had to know that.
The only answer he could give is that he turned it down immediately. Why upset a guy you can’t trade by telling him you wish you could.
by Simitar on Feb 17, 2011 1:03 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Good answer
No way he passes the physical. And no way Kahn was ready to make public the injury.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 1:39 PM CST up reply actions
And the counterargument you offer is that we couldn't have done anything better anyway.
That works as a rationalization of failure. It doesn’t exactly amount to anything remotely approaching a reason for optimism, however.
Do you see the difference?
I can fault Kahn for the Wes Johnson pick. Having pointed out the reasons for which that was an iffy and passive decision before it happened, at length, I am not willing to accept “It’s luck at some point” as a reason not to be critical. That’s weak. There were better approaches to take, if you’re playing the odds trying to get lucky. The probabilities are and were against Wes being a strong NBA starter, let alone star.
Why take my word for it, though. Here’s David Kahn to tell us why that was a bad pick on those terms:
First, from a philosophical standpoint, I believe that teams should select players in the top 10 of the NBA Draft who have the chance — and I underline the word chance — to be special later in their careers. You do not use the fifth and sixth picks to select rotation players, but only players that figure to be starters, if not out-and-out stars.
So, we were committed to taking two players who fit that description, and we were less concerned about the positions they played, assuming they were not power forwards.
’Don’t draft for need high in the draft, and try for the players with the best chance to be a star.’ That’s him in the letter he sent us after the Rubio-Flynn draft. The next year, he tried to take a safe pick in a position of need.
“He’s not the worst pick ever” is the sort of endorsement that makes me absolutely avert my eyes. Yeesh. “He has good shot mechanics” does exactly nothing whatsoever to address the problems with Johnson’s game that made people wary, so how’s that supposed to reassure me?
You want to talk about an “Open window.” Kahn:
I don’t think we’ll have everything put together the way I see fit for another 17 months… What I mean by that is, I’m talking about the team and everything. We have a lot of opportunities, starting with this draft, through this summer with free agency, trade deadline, next summer’s draft, next summer’s free agency. We have several windows of opportunity to really transform the team and add some significant pieces.
– Kahn, June 2009
All those windows are over now. I well remember that, because they closed on my fingers. And remember his “singular move” quote?
At this point, I can safely say that the rebuilding of the Timberwolves roster is, at long last, nearly complete.
…However, if one of our players fails to emerge, we will be prepared to find more talent for our team — and we will seek a singular move rather than a series of moves, as we did these last 14 months.
– Kahn, September of last year
Check out that first line, about how things are almost done. And hey, how about the singular move to come?
Kahn said it’s “likely” the Wolves will make a deal by the NBA’s Feb. 24 trading deadline, but said it’d be a “tactical” and “surgical” move.
“I don’t expect it to be big,” he said.
– Zgoda, 2/10/2011
Yep, things are lookin’ up!
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
by feral on Feb 17, 2011 12:26 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
Not knowing what he's doing..
…plus making it up as he goes along. What an awesome combo.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
And topped off
with a restriction on the amount of money he can spend.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Yep
Although, I can at least understand why a guy losing millions of dollars per year would not want to hand any more money over to an incompetent.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Unfortunately, yes
Kahn doesn’t get much right, but the singular move was the one thing they really needed.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
What's the deal with the Big Al trade execption
Or whatever it is… Does it go away after the deadline?
They simply have enough cap space....
….to absorb any contract in the league.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
There has to be one owner that cracks in the next six days
Who’s it going to be? And Glen open the wallet?
Given that, I suspect dealing Beasley is the major route to a big "add."
That way you get one of the impending extensions off the future books. Dealing him for Evan Turner or the like, you know? A rookie contract that goes further out, and roster realignment.
I don’t really want to do that, myself. Not that B-Easy’s not an awkward fit and a give-and-take player on the court – but he’s buoyant in a way I find hard to send away.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I hear ya about Beas
I got a feeling he will forever tease us…but he got too much potential to trade just yet.
I have a pet theory that that massive amount of red dye #2 he consumes each game in his Skittles is holding him back.
I really like the kid.
But other players, too, have potential.
One thing I’ll say in Kahn’s defense: He trades players away in ways that are good for those players. I’m not joking about that, though it sounds wry. Even with guys like Bobby “My Prerogative” Brown, he sent the player someplace he wanted to go.
Yes, it’s a straight line, but that’s not the poison touch that the guy’s supposed to have.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
The timing for the singular move is ripe now
Have no problems with not making additional moves up until now. There’s been so much turnover, we had to see what we have. And IMHO, our most glaring is a stud SG (think it’s been our most glaring need for about 15 years but I digress).
Wes, Webster, Corey, obviously not the killer from outside we hoped. It’s also clear Rubio will not be a scorer.
One of his more curious traits as a GM
is that he’s a wheeler dealer in the summertime, but sits tight during the year. I can see justifications for that, for sure, but the contrast is jarring.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
You analysis is fair and quite steller
But you still don’t say what you would do NOW!
Come on, there’s a lot of smart people here. Let’s figure out what to do and say it over and over again so it gets to Kahn and he does it. (For all is smugness I suspect he’s somewhat malleable.)
It's not stealing
if it’s for the greater good.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Oh, and make sure
that when you’re discussing all the “moves” and “windows,” you please mention that the best move Kahn has made so far (“not trading Kevin Love for 15 cents on the dollar”)is in fact just a failure of his attempt to do so.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Just imagine Javale McGee...
…running up and down the Target Center court, all long and athletic-like at the 4 instead of that slow guy.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Check out Javale McGee on Basketball Reference
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcgeeja01.html
Someone sponsored advice for him. That’s awesome. We should chip in and buy a few pages.
Here are the costs
Jonny Flynn: $30
Darko: $90 (doubt he checks it)
Love: $200
Beasley: $85 (less than Darko? Ouch.)
Wes: $30
Webster: $25
Ridnour: $35
I'll pay for Flynn's
but we’re going to have a contest to see who can come up with the best copy to put in the ad.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
+10000000
But it has to be constructive! Help the poor guy out. As painful as it sounds… we need him.
If Jonny is looking for
encouragement from his Basketball Reference page, our words are not powerful enough to offset his numbers.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Please learn to play Basketball
doesn’t work?
Love had one after his rookie year
to do with how his numbers suggested he was actually better than Mayo. Kooky “advanced stats” goofballs.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Let me quote a few Haikus from the latest Bullets Forever postgame thread:
javale can’t rebound
cartier can’t shoot jump shots
sink to depression
Young JaVale Mcgee
Can’t tell between up and down
Another goaltend
Blatche is bad player
D.Howard kept dunking wow
Blatche McGee still party
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Have to give some props to those
That’s some sophisticated mockery.
Don't forget this awesome quote from the Rubio/Flynn letter
And I also believe that there is a tendency in the NBA for all of us (myself included) to become too formulaic in our thinking. If you think of the Detroit Pistons backcourt during their championship run, with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson, or the Celtics with their backcourt of Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson (and before Ainge there was Gerald Henderson), or the Lakers with Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, or the Knicks with Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe, there are many instances of championship success that is not so paint-by-the-numbers.
It can and will work.
He continues:
At the 18th pick, we did not believe we could identify a player who would be worthy of that rookie scale slot and become part of our core nucleus, so in an attempt to further stockpile assets, we traded it for a future first-round pick with only modest lottery protection. This will prove to be valuable. We also traded one of our two second-round picks for a 2010 second-round pick.
Yeah, that Ty Lawson character is crazy. Better trade the pick so you can later trade it for another version of Ryan Gomes.
Best hindsight quote (highlights are mine):
Finally, we selected Wayne Ellington with the 28th pick, one of the stars off the North Carolina National Championship team. Wayne is a 6-foot-5 shooter who has improved dramatically this season. He will help us soon. And, last but not least, we used our remaining second-round pick to take Henk Norel, a teammate of Ricky’s in Spain, who is long and athletic.
Someday it will be funny.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Kahn wimped out
He went for 2 pgs. Not 3. Lawson was BPA, and it would have covered his butt. But he would have looked totally insane. In an twisted evil genius kind of way.
He's totally insane..
…in the totally insane kind of way.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
How great would it have been if he
Had the balls to say… odds are one of these guys will suck and we need a PG really bad. Hell I may take a 3rd one, screw Denver. Can’t have too many PGs.
Supposedly there were people in the FO at the time
who considered him a superior talent to Flynn, leaving alone the relative draft positions.
I’d have accepted Maynor as our PG pick that year, too, especially if I’d known the FA market would leave Sessions as a cheap leftover.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
That's why I get conventional wisdom draft order
Lawson seemed like a no brainer. You new at least he could run and offense and was fast as hell.
Will admit, without a clear draft order shaking itself out, I’m kind of nervous about the draft. This will be the year of the “creative” draft picks.
Why I "hate" CW order
One of these days I’ll proofread before I post.
Damn. See, I read that first quote... I liked hearing it...
(Facepalm.)
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
In All-Star or (gasp) MVP discussions...
it’s both about what Love is, and what he is not. He is a player that can provide accurate jumpshooting when left open, can draw fouls at a high rate, can rebound better than anyone in the league, and can play average defense against post-up forwards. On this horrific team, he’s developed a formula for consistent scoring and rebounding. On a playoff team, I question whether the consistency could exist around better scorers and rebounders, and in a system that likely places more emphasis on certain defensive principles.
He is not a player that plays can be run for. Contrast that with the oft-repeated “You don’t even have to run plays for him!” You can’t run plays for him, because he can’t get his shot off with consistency unless he’s left open. He has improved his post game, but it’s as reliable as a Martell Webster fadeaway—it’ll go in more than you’d expect, but it’s far from ideal. What is more valuable: a player who can be handed the ball and expected to do something that will lead to a basket; or a player who can roam around and hit shots when left open or try to clean up the inevitable messes made by his teammates who also can’t create their own shot? That’s a serious question—not intended to be loaded or slanted. I think the ideal “foundation” player is one that can carry the burden of creating offense for his team. Love creates numb#rs, which are certainly helpful. But the Wolves would win more games if they had a reliable go-to guy on offense, surrounded by average rebounders.
If this current group simply added Monta Ellis, I’m sure they’d win a few more games but I seriously doubt they’d make the playoffs. They’d have the same problems with no interior scoring option and Monta isn’t so great that he can carry most of an offense by himself like LeBron or D-Wade.
Fair viewpoint
I think Love can be effective on an elite team if he were paired with a defensive stopper of a center. Like Noah (if we only had a chance to get him). Darko is not a good defender. He’s lazy and though he blocks well doesn’t really protect the rim or play with any fire.
Still think we could add an Ellis and a tough, defensive stopper of a center, we’d be fine (assuming our point play comes around either with Rubio, or Flynn healing).
Don't to think adding Ellis would have a ripple effect on others?
Having a guy that can drain it opens things up for others.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 9:31 AM CST up reply actions
"But the Wolves would win more games if they had a reliable go-to guy on offense . . .
. . . surrounded by average rebounders."
They had this guy. His name was Al Jefferson. They didn’t win any more games than they were winning now.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Jefferson is not ideal...
as a team’s go-to scorer. But, a team of pre-injury Al Jefferson and complete and total garbage won 22 games. This year’s team is on pace for 19.
I’m not starting a Love-Jefferson debate here. Love’s having the better season. But, if a player like 2008 Jefferson can win 22 games with the following players next in minutes played:
2. Gomes
3. Jaric
4. McCants
5. Telfair (the ridiculously-bad shooting version)
6. Brewer (pre-Brewer’s Blend and all that)
7. Rhino
I think he probably could have anchored a team with better than 22-wins if surrounded by (in minutes played):
2. Beasley
3. Johnson
4. Brewer
5. Ridnour
6. Milicic
7. Tolliver
Not 40 wins or anything like that, but maybe 30. I won’t pretend that Love is surrounded by a quality cast. But I also won’t pretend that it’s as bad as that group we first surrounded Jefferson with. Also, this thread began with some idiot writing that Kevin Love is MVP, this year. That invites comparisons to players better than Al Jefferson, 2011 or 2008. Love doesn’t belong in that conversation and I’ll try to hammer home that point until it finally sinks in.
So, if this team
wins 23 games this year, does that change your opinion?
Put it this way—both of the casts surrounding Al on the 2008 Wolves and Love on this year’s version suck. The difference is that this year’s version is younger and cheaper (for better or worse).
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Not really.
I didn’t bring Al Jefferson into this. But, since you did, I had to point out the AWFUL surrounding talent that he carried to a 22-win season. I have to thank you for doing that, because I sometimes forget why I used to think Big Al was a very good player. I mean, do you remember what it was like to watch rookie Brewer and Bassy Telfair bricking wide open 17-footers? It was nothing like this year’s team which is very bad, but includes many guys capable of making an open shot, IF THEY PLAYED WITH SOMEBODY WHO COULD HELP THEM GET ONE, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. (Sorry, my caps lock got stuck, there.)
Love’s a really good player, and he’s not the problem. But, a dynamic offensive player would help us win more games. Depending on who that player is (maybe Supercool Beas, once fully recovered from the hobbled ankles?) will determine if it means 25 wins or 55 wins. 2008 Big Al would be closer to the 25; LeBron James would be closer to the 55.
And don’t get me wrong, this team has plenty of other problems—there’s an entire other side of the floor that needs help. But, this is one reason why Love shouldn’t be in the MVP race—it’s an important distinction between he and the best big men in the game.
Agreed on the MVP thing
since a team has to actually, you know, win a game or two with the player for him to have any “value.”
I don’t think putting 2011 Love on that 2007-8 team would make them any better or worse, nor do I think replacing 2011 Love with 2007-8 Al Jefferson would make this team any better.
Younger. Cheaper.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Proof
that coaching makes a difference. With a worse main piece and worse surrounding talent, Whittman took his team to a better record, and he did it by not completely ignoring his player’s strengths and weaknesses like Rambis is doing and instead actually putting his players in position for at least some limited success.
And Wittman was far from good.
I’m a system guy, primarily. I think that Cleveland, for instance, could have won a ring if instead of relying on ISO play, they had installed a real offense, a philosophy.
Popovich is a system guy, but he’s tailored it and almost overhauled it depending on the strengths of his roster. What a good coach.
Rambis is a system guy, but the system he has is made for a roster that he doesn’t have. Instead of tailoring it to fit the roster he DOES have, the fanbase takes it on the chin.
...I've been drinking...
Is Love a superstar?
That seems like a leap of faith. I think he’s an incredible offensive and more so rebounding machine. A star for sure.
But don’t you think of a superstar as one who can dominate a game on one end or the other? (Well we know one end is out of the question. ) Or take a game over in crunch time. Durant scored what 15-17 straight for OKC down the stretch against the Wolves.
KLove doesn’t dominate any aspect of the game. He accumulates. And he does so in a unique and uncanny way. An historic way.
I think what he does is incredible, and really the only thing providing hope on a nightly basis. superstar? Maybe. Statistically yes. But I think for now it’s a leap.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 9:47 AM CST up reply actions
I'm ashamed to admit it
but I have a nagging feeling that chuckd may (emphasis on “may”) have made a good point about Love in one respect: I could see him being a lot less effective in the playoffs when the intensity ratchets up. (“Pulling a Wally” is the phrase that comes to mind here.)
I wouldn’t guarantee it, but I think the part of his success that can be attributed to out-working the opponent would diminish in the playoffs. Alternatively, if his success is based much more on skill than effort, he could hold up just fine in the playoffs. [Cue the “Playoffs?!?!?” football coach quote.]
by Madison Dan on Feb 17, 2011 10:04 AM CST up reply actions
Hey Dan
Been downtown? What are you doing with your kids in lieu of school?
I say SHONDA you say WOLVES" SHONDA! WOLVES!
by Eric in Madison on Feb 17, 2011 10:08 AM CST up reply actions
Eric
I bet that you have a very informed opinion on these Wisconsin v. Union adventures. No need to share it here, although I am interested. I am watching, from Illinois, with great interest.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Feb 17, 2011 10:17 AM CST up reply actions
No, but some of my co-workers have been down there.
It sounds pretty crazy. I’m lucky with the kid thing — they’re still 4 (and in a private preschool) and my wife stays home with them. But it’s affected a lot of others at work. One poor kid had a cool field trip canceled yesterday.
I can see where this is the union’s only move to make (or at least their best one), but I wonder if they’re alienating any voters who have had to deal with the childcare issues.
How about you?
by Madison Dan on Feb 17, 2011 10:18 AM CST up reply actions
Yeah, I was down there Tuesday night and yesterday a bit
I know about that field trip—my kid is scheduled to take it next week, but other kids in his school lost out.
I don’t think they are alienating voters yet; my sense is that people get it. Of course, this is 4 months after (IMO) disastrous elections; this is what we get.
Without getting into a political diatribe, these are the biggest, most intense demonstrations we’ve seen in these parts for quite a while. Capitol is packed.
I say SHONDA you say WOLVES" SHONDA! WOLVES!
by Eric in Madison on Feb 17, 2011 10:28 AM CST up reply actions
Do you have a guess about how it plays out?
I have a hard time seeing how this ends well for the unions, though it sounds like the Republicans in the legislature may be losing their nerve a little bit.
by Madison Dan on Feb 17, 2011 10:32 AM CST up reply actions
It isn't going to end well for the unions (or anyone else but the corporate interests)
At least until the next election. I think this is going to haunt some of the republican legislators next time; I really think they misread their mandate.
This thing is absolutely going to pass, as will the budget he introduces next week which is rumored to include $900 million (!!) in cuts to public education beyond the teaching killing provisions in the current bill.
What makes me particularly angry is that nobody is calling this what it is (first, Union busting) but more to the point: it’s a massive tax increase on a very small number of people (state workers) instead of spreading the burden. A MASSIVE tax increase for people who by definition have a limit to their earning power (being public workers).
Outrageous.
I say SHONDA you say WOLVES" SHONDA! WOLVES!
by Eric in Madison on Feb 17, 2011 10:38 AM CST up reply actions
It does look at lot more like political retribution than budget balancing,
particularly with the exclusions of the police and fire fighters.
I was listening to NPR on the way into work today, and they were talking about NJ Gov. Christie, who is the latest Republican hero. He balanced the budget with significant across-the-board budget cuts and a tough anti-union stance. It sure sounds like Walker is following that playbook.
It’ll be interesting to see the extent of the backlash. The next elections are a long way off.
by Madison Dan on Feb 17, 2011 10:51 AM CST up reply actions
Democrats have left the building
Unclear what this means; the state constitution requires 3/5ths for a quorom to vote on fiscal bills, but only a majority for non-fiscal bills.. Republicans are 1 short of 3/5ths, so possible they won’t be able to vote today.
I say SHONDA you say WOLVES" SHONDA! WOLVES!
by Eric in Madison on Feb 17, 2011 11:30 AM CST up reply actions
"I could see him being a lot less effective in the playoffs"
Oh, to have that problem . . .
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Yup
it would be nice to be in a position to test the theory.
by Madison Dan on Feb 17, 2011 10:28 AM CST up reply actions
I we expect Love to carry us offensively as the #1 or #2 guy
We’ll be in trouble. But if he can be the guy the other teams forgets about, he’ll be great.
That was Wally’s problem. He wasn’t a #2 guy. He, like Love, could be shut down if the other team is determined to do that. If we had a few more good players in the Wally era, he could have played the “Dan Majerle” role (i.e. the guy you forgot about who’s lurking behind the 3 pt line). And he would have been done well.
But Love is much superior to Wally in that he is so strong in a lot of different ways. So he’ll do OK, with some better talent around him.
"Theory" is a generous way of describing one more paraphrase of
“he doesn’t look like he should, so I bet he can’t play.” Which is pretty much where we are with this idea.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I'll stick with "theory".
You can pretend your still fighting with chuckd about it.
by Madison Dan on Feb 17, 2011 11:26 AM CST up reply actions
Hmm
S-n-P, what do you think about Barbosa? He’s just coming back from an injury but he is someone who could probably be had cheap and could provide instant offense.
He's certainly on the list of players...
…that fit the type. I’m working on a post about the players that could fit the bill and they are, in order:
- Curry
- Kevin Martin
- Ellis
- Nick Young
- Roddy Beaubois
- Devin Harris
- Barbosa
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
According to articles on the "HoopsHype" website this morning
Cuban said he doesn’t want to trade Roddy Buckets (although, this could be mere posturing) and Portland is talking with NJ about a swap (principles include Harris and Andre Miller).
I wouldn’t mind Barbossa, either. I wonder if Marcus Thornton could help us – we could send NO a draft pick and Koufos and they might bite.
Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga.
Looking forward to this post
Lot of interesting choices.
We should factor in bloatedness of contract, cap room, and stability of franchise.
Bad franchise+bloated contract=Highest probability that Wolves can get the player.
The ironic part
Last season you guys had a high-usage guard who could a) run the point b) get to the free-throw line and c) run the hell out of the pick and roll.
You also had a high-usage post player that needed to have plays run for him.
Don’t Ramon Sessions and Al Jefferson look like better pieces to put around Kevin Love than anything off of the current roster.
Beasley over Al is debatable to me. Sessions over anyone one else on the roster is not.
What I like about this chart
is that it underscores what many of us have been saying about the non-Love talent on the team: some of the players aren’t even 7-8th men/bench players; they are literally D-League guys who have no business getting minutes in the NBA.
As you said, the main culprits seem to be Darko (beginning of the year) and Flynn, but we’ve also gotten D-league caliber play from Koufos and Hayward, and we’ve gotten low-end bench play from Johnson, Ellington, Brewer and Telfair. That’s 8 guys, two of whom have logged starters minutes (Johnson and Darko) and 4 of whom have player considerable minutes off the bench/as starters when healthy (Brewer, Ellington, Flynn, and Telfair).
That’s a whole lot of suckitude to overcome.
Sorry
I saw it last night and I figured it was too late to bump up where everyone would see it. Good catch and thanks for posting it.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
don't worry
I just thought the pun was slightly clever, but I really just need to sleep off the beer.
Forgive me for not putting much credence into his rankings in Love's case
Kris Humphries is 7th on the list. Eddie House ranks higher than Gay, LMA, Dirk, and his own teammate Chris Bosh.
I think the dude needs to devalue rebounds, and has some serious work elsewhere.
Those guys consist of 5 of the top 10, and if Camby had played last month he’d be in the top-5, while Reggie Evans would also join him there in the “Elite” club if he didn’t get injured (his lone month net him a .412). Basically that list could comprise six of the top 9. That’s ridiculous.
NBA Draft Fanatic
by Casperkid23 on Feb 17, 2011 10:37 AM CST up reply actions
but Kris Humphries' picture is on the NBA page of the Strib every day!
he must be a superstar %
by highpockets on Feb 17, 2011 12:36 PM CST up reply actions
And 4 of the 11 worst players...
…have been on the Wolves in the past 3 years.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Kahn and Rambis SUCK!
While McHale was a terrible GM, he left Kahn with bad team but some serious assets to play with. Kahn has destroyed/wasted almost all of them. Kahn’s best move was getting B-Easy and the Rubio trade was one most people would have made at the time (although who know if he’ll ever be a Wolf and he might be really overrated). However, overall, the picks and FA signings, or lack there of, have been a disaster! Kahn essentially chose Darko over both Al Jefferson and Cousins. We’ve drafted/signed tons of point guards and it’s still a position of weakness. Kahn needs to get fired before he can ruin this year’s draft. Hell, he needs to get fired before the trade deadline so maybe we can use some of our ever so valuable cap space to pick up a legit NBA starter.
Rambis is just a TERRIBLE coach. There was never a point in trying the triangle offense when the wings were and remain this team’s weakest spot. He can’t design plays and has no defensive philosophy. An offense should NEVER be run through Darko. Until the 30/30 game, he wasn’t even giving their only All-Star player any burn. Just terrible, terrible, terrible.
+1
Not playing Love was definitely the most blatantly stupid move Rhombus has pulled.
by CoffeeJanitor on Feb 16, 2011 11:19 PM CST up reply actions
It will never, ever, ever happen with Taylor as the owner
Let’s just say the Penn experience didn’t go very well for Penn or Pritchard and that Glen doesn’t like being used as leverage for getting an increase in salary for another team.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
more likely that Lon Babby gets a promotion to come to MN
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Feb 17, 2011 10:19 AM CST up reply actions
trade deadline just 1 week away
so far, this trade season has been super weaksauce.
what happened to everyone freaking out over the cba? what happened to opportunistic teams (wolves) looking to capitalize on teams looking to firesale their stars in these hard economic times?
if we don’t land someone (a starter) in the next week, it will be another misstep by kahn. the casual fan and those who are close to the edge are going to quickly lose interest in the rest of the season.
then comes the tanking.
Pop Goes the Weasel
Hommage to an iKahn (the mole really makes it work well, methinks)
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
by uncle rico on Feb 17, 2011 12:02 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
I have it on good authority
that the mole was initially on his buttocks.
My how times have changed.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
So many talents . . .
. . . and I’ll be shocked if Kahn isn’t at Kinko’s tomorrow morning getting this blown up to 4 fee"t squared.
“Honey! I’ve got a new print for the foyer!”
Only eight more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
If only he were there
printing out resumés…
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
other than the entire future of the franchise
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Feb 17, 2011 10:19 AM CST up reply actions
I'm so dissapointed Pop
I just thought for sure the focus of this wrap would be 4-19 shooting of the Jonnyless guard tandem. Or maybe the 7-28 shooting from the wings until Ellingtons last three irrelevant shots. And combined perimeter would have been ?? 11-47?
eFG? C’mon, fair play please.
If it seems like I’m picking a fight I’m actually not. Even though you are predisposed to liking/hating certain players and may not report evenly as a result, the fact is that it all just doesn’t matter.
I came to the conclusion about a month ago that it really doesn’t matter who starts, plays or is available. The result has been consistent.
You made a comment that Flynn couldn’t possibly be this bad on another team. Agreed, and replace his name with almost any other Wolve but Love.
Early in the season they would lose a close game and Id think “well, they don’t have Flynn”. Then they’d lose again and … “they don’t have Webster” …“tolliver”….“Darko” etc.
It’s irrelevant. No Jonny and Wes tonight against a depleted team playing poorly. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.
I really like Kurt as a person. The crazy nature of the league says he could be COY at some other place and time. The fact is this isn’t working, players are getting worse instead of better. The team plays more and more independently instead of as one. And no one appears comfortable. Tonight, even though admittedly a screen shot, really speaks volumes about what’s wrong with this team.
Ironically I think Love has been so good and so consistent because his skills are not dependent on this offense. Great shooter but a garbage man. He gets his in spite of the schematics.
I differ with you on the team talent, fair enough. But it is clearly time for a change.
I don’t start with Kahn because I want to see this talent under different circumstances. He’s made some nice business moves. They are positioned to make more. We’ll see if they can/do. Like most of us what gets us in trouble is our mouths not our minds. He has a good mind and has said some regretable things.
team shot like hell again tonight. Different names same result. I really don’t blame the players…yours or mine.
Honestly, Kurt changes the offense, or they change Kurt. Coaches do and don’t work out. Doesn’t make them bad people.,It’s how it is and how it’s always been.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 12:03 AM CST reply actions
Wow! we got up to 35% shooting percentage
Most of the game, I refused to watch it, the team was shooting low-30s.
Now, this one’s on the young inexperienced Wolves players. Taylor-Kahn-Rambis aren’t responsible for poor shooting. The same with the last game.
These boys should join the Bricklayers Union.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
As a card carrying member I'll pass. I don't want them breaking any bricks.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 12:30 AM CST up reply actions
Blacksmith's local 1521
is also looking for new members. The clanging of iron last night certainly made them feel at home professionally.
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
In the press conference afterwards
Rambis used the word “ingredients” about five times—as in, “I don’t have the right ones.”
He says he, “needs a vet who can calm every body down, be the go to guy at a crunch time, make STOPS, etc. You look at the top third of the league, they have a bunch of guys like that, and we don’t have any.”
The crowd was decent tonight. The Clippers have some good chemistry, and the right “ingredients”—a couple of vets, a couple of youngsters, plenty of talent at every position (other than the 3). They were having fun with each other. At one point in the 2nd half Love got the ball near the Clippers bench with the shot clock at 8 seconds. Vinny yells in his ear, “SHOOT! TWO . . . ONE” even though the clock still had five seconds on it.
Love did not fall for it.
Only eight more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
I'd never buy anything from
a guy named “Vinny”
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Feb 17, 2011 12:13 AM CST up reply actions
pretty much
didn’t this start a while back, though? I feel like Rhombus has been pretty consistently throwing players under the bus
by CoffeeJanitor on Feb 17, 2011 12:20 AM CST up reply actions
The Clippers bench....
was miked louder than any bench I have ever heard on any NBA broadcast, ever.
Their coach did that?
That’s some cheap sh*t.
I tell my kids not to say "fair"
… that’s the f word that nobody wants to hear.
by midlife crisis on Feb 17, 2011 10:23 AM CST up reply actions
Nobody wants to be there when a Fair breaks out, after all.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Yes, the Benton County Fair is extremely scary
"Pinch-bunters don't have a ton of value, even with the Twins"
by Steven Ellingson on Feb 17, 2011 11:42 AM CST up reply actions
The Clips
just lost to Cleveland. The team they fielded last night (without Eric Gordon) has no better ingredients than we do on paper. Rambis has lost the team and is blaming everyone but himself.
by Rascal Flatts on Feb 17, 2011 11:55 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Wolves are lucky the Clippers couldn't hit 3s
Because they left them WIDE open.
Love looked really cheesed at Rambis in the 3rd quarter.
The ship be sinking. Glen Taylor – please pick up the Red Phone.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
RUMINT has it from people close enough to see and hear
That there were a few heated Love/Rambis looks/exchanges.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
I was too depressed from work to watch this game
But I did miss seeing the community talk about it. Take care, wolves fans.
Oh, an Justified is a pretty decent series, if you like Elmore Leonard style characters.
Best Film Noir dialog: The Big Sleep.
But then, William Faulkner was on the writing team.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
"Rambis often spends breaks in the action removed from the huddle..."
as has our own St. Flip Saunders, currently on death watch with the Wiz.
Breaking down cognitive dissonance and group think since gasoline was cheap.
He has that big play book to think his way through
I have nothing against Flip, but I can’t believe that he gets hired in today’s NBA with that offense. No contact, long jumpers, not a ton of 3s….if you wanted to draw up an offense that didn’t work and was not named the Triangle, I think it would be the Flipangle.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
Most dramatic example ever: John Lucas.
With the Spurs, he took to not even participating in huddles. Not at all.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I don't get the point of this
The team lost by 8 to a team that shot almost 10% better from the field and this team’s own FG% is probably bumped up a bit by Darko/Love both shooting 50%…is this not progress?
I get it’s not a win, but they lost to an arguably better team. Save the fire and pitchforks for a really bad loss, like Washington or Cleveland, for a change.
On the other end of that..
..they were down 16 midway through the 4th against a team that had only 4 FTA at the 1/2 (they ended up with 31—now Wolves fans know what halftime coaching adjustments look like) and whose own eFG was below .500 because they missed an amazing amount of open shots, especially from 3. No, it’s not progress.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
*Is* this progress?
Is it sufficient progress to post double-rainbow videos, at this point of the year?
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
All due respect
A better argument can be made for regression than progress.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 9:53 AM CST up reply actions
A very, very strong one, I would think.
Those close losses to winning teams? What happened to those?
It was a horrible loss
Clips are certainly “arguably better” but suck on the road. They had only 4 road wins coming in, and hadn’t figured out how to win away games any better then the Wolves. Gordon out, Davis sleepwalking most of the game again.
It's time to make the change
When you end up with your 3rd or 4th choice for GM, you end up with a 3rd or 4th rate franchise. Kahn is inept. That’s all there is to it. He can identify a good deal and not much else. Rambis is not much better, and you could argue he’s worse.
I will not watch any more games this season unless the Kahncer can pull a rabbit out of his hat at the deadline.
2011 Draft Targets: H. Barnes, K. Irving, P. Jones, Jonas V.
Fire Kahn!
UNITED WE RUN
As far away from Target Center as we can. Kahn has finally united Wolf Nation.
lol. It wasn't long ago The Nuggets were the worst team.
I thought it was funny you compared us to the Clippers and said we were the clippers of the NBA. The nuggets had 11 wins in 98, and 14 in 99, and 27 in 02, and 17 in 03. Now they are much better(mostly because they have a former t-wolf). So not every team that was bad is always bad.
I was actually at the game last night
and all I can say is that between the comments at the game and the bar afterwards…no one is particularly impressed with anyone associated with the team. Coaching, general talent level, etc. The team just looks disjointed and like they aren’t in sync with each other. Without beasley taking up posessions some weird players try to turn into chuckers.
Sidebar: Baron Davis has really let himself go and wouldn’t be in the league if it wasn’t for that beard.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Feb 17, 2011 7:29 AM CST reply actions
*possessions
wow. Looks like I failed spelling.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Feb 17, 2011 7:30 AM CST up reply actions
it's a great beard
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Feb 17, 2011 10:21 AM CST up reply actions
He's up there with Harden, for sure. I wish we had one of those guys.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Did Kahn actually say this or are you kidding, "We just need to get a little longer and more athletic for things to really click"?
I hope this is just a joke; the team needs guys that aren’t can play at least at an average NBA level regardless of whether they are great athletes or not.
Is it a joke that I wrote it..
….as a joke or is the joke that it’s close enough to be believable?
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
It is a funny joke too
But I feel obliged to remind people that our previous GM preferred short and unathletic.
So I take it as a small moral victory. Even if it is annoying.
Not only with a straight face, Magoo12218..
….but as condescendingly as possible to someone who isn’t in His League.
That's Mr. Downer to you.
www.canishoopus.com
It's fair to say that the 2nd Half shall determine
Both Kahn’s and Rambis’s future with the organization. Although if they had pulled of the Love for Anthony Randolph heist they’d both be gone already never to be heard from again.
"Vote Ailuridae for Wolves GM"
I'm not so sure
I bet Randolph would be putting down an inefficient 16 and 7 every night and throwing down a dunk or two every game that would completely distract Glen Taylor from making a comparison. We can’t trust this franchise to reach obvious conclusions.
I haven't written an insightful post in years.
by littleboxes on Feb 17, 2011 10:23 AM CST up reply actions
Aren't we in the second half?
This feels a lot like last season, where we started out poorly, then had a stretch of competitive play, and then proceeded to just get worse.
The spirit of this team is broken. You could see it in their body language last night.
by Rascal Flatts on Feb 17, 2011 11:31 AM CST up reply actions
Hit Rock Bottom Then Keep Digging
There have been some rough seasons as of late, but I can’t recall so many games where I thought “we’ve hit a new low” than this season. Maybe because I though we’d turn the corner this year and expectations were up, but I can think of a half dozen instances where I felt we hit rock bottom.
I was at last night’s game as well. The early post was right, the crowd so much wanted to get into the game, but there wasn’t any chance. We even bolstered up enough energy to get a non-jumbotron prompted DE-FENSE chant going when we got within 6 points with less than 2 min remaining, only to have the Clips brilliantly pass the ball around for a whole 24 second possession culminating with a R. Gomes 3 pointer from the corner. Checkmate.
And that Clippers team looked very, VERY beatable. If they would’ve brought that team to any other arena in the NBA last night besides the Target Center, they would’ve lost.
One last thing (sorry for the long rant), but I can’t even get excited for the draft this year. I mean Kyrie Effen Iriving?? C’mon man.
I was shocked we weren't down by more
That was simply a horrible game for all involved. I can’t tell you how many facepalms I committed.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Feb 17, 2011 8:50 AM CST up reply actions
Indeed
We were facepalming like crazy in section 133.
One other observation, I saw at least 3 B. Griffin jerseys in our section and way too many people with Clippers paraphernalia on at the game. The bitter Wolves fan in me wants to lash out at these johnny-come-lately fans, but I can’t deny the appeal of Griffin. He is an exciting player and I’ll give him a tip of the cap for his outside shooting last night. He even threw in a Tim Duncan bankshot from 15 feet out. Impressive.
by MarlonMaxeyEra on Feb 17, 2011 9:15 AM CST up reply actions
I was in section 131
and noticed the same thing…as well as a number of KG Celtics jerseys (which I remarked to my friends seemed rather odd). A lot of people simply cause social awkwardness with their jersey selections. Mildly uncomfortable but full of potential humor.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Feb 17, 2011 10:20 AM CST up reply actions
Perhaps it's the new
Macarena
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
Went to a show of moroccan music over the weekend,
and the singer did her ululations with a hand cupped over her mouth, for reverberation.
We need to start howling with our palms over our faces during free throws.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Serendipity, baby!
Word of the Day for Thursday, February 17, 2011
ululate \UL-yuh-layt; YOOL-\, intransitive verb:
To howl, as a dog or a wolf; to wail; as, ululating jackals.
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
I was once a crew member at a Diamanda Galas concert.
She sang with a lot of ululations. It was a sort of requiem for AIDS victims.
My job was to smear fake stage blood on her naked back and shoulders during breaks, and to watch the side stairs to the stage.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Who HASN'T
done that?
That performance sounds almost as depressing as going to a Dane Cook show.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
She was a half-naked woman. I was 19.
It was pretty cool, come to that.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Sounds like an out take
for a Carl’s Jr commercial.
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
Can't wait for the ululation-o-meter
to make its debut
"Humor is reason gone mad." Marx (Groucho, for the reason-gone-mad impaired)
For some reason
one of the most desultory words heard this season was from the PA announcer after a particular Clipper would score. As the players trotted back down the court, there was complete silence in the Target Center, other than the low, ominous voice uttering . . .
“Gomes.”
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Haha
This post is just dripping with cynicism and sarcasm. I love it. It helps take away the sting of a routine loss to a mediocre team that didn’t leave the fans with anything to feel good about.
Earlier in the season
Even though Pups were losing, observations were made In the media that “at least it looks like Kurt hasn’t lost the team”.
Can that still be said?
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 8:58 AM CST reply actions
Happy 48th birthday to the best player of all-time
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
That is some high praise...
for Clifford Robinson.
by Andy G on Feb 17, 2011 9:18 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
For some reason, I was thinking Robinson was older than Jordan.
Probably because Robinson played for like 18 seasons. But he’s actually 5 years younger.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Robinson was probably still playing at 48.
(No, I know. But he lasted to, what, 40.)
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
Well, let's see, his last season was '06-'07 and he's 43, so he played til' 39.
Who was the oldest player to play a game in the league? The Chief played til’ like 42 or 43, I think. Did Kareem play longer than that? A.C. Green? Dikembe?
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
C'mon, Shaq. Play seven more seasons and get that record.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
Recently Kevin Willis and Mutumbo, whose age was a question, come to mind.
Sure enough – players who’ve been 42 or older. It looks like Willis came back a bit at 44, after a year off.
(Robinson is listed at 40 in his last season’s worth of data, incidentally. I checked before.)
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
We all know what was going on when he shrugged, there.
And that is how huge MJ was.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
I watched that game
It was so freaking awesome when he did that. “I dunno why I cannot miss from 3 during the finals…”
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Feb 17, 2011 9:53 AM CST up reply actions
You're a few days off
Bill Russell turned 77 on the 12th ;)
"We must always seek the truth in our opponents' error and the error in our own truth." - RN
Hah, that's funny. I've got Russell 6th.
Everything in the computer need my face on it. Mega Gigabytes, son!
I am no basketball mind..
..so I am wondering if Rambis was relieved and a interim coach took over. What type of offensive scheme would maximize our talent.
"This town, this night, this crowd
Come on put them up, let me hear it loud"
by Stay classy, Joe. on Feb 17, 2011 9:26 AM CST reply actions
I'm in favor of the big a-hole on the bench
Interior defenders knock everyone down, Corey Brewer plays all the time (Wes sometimes, based purely on D), Ridnour and Beasley shoot jumpers and pick & pops are done with Love.
We would still be bad, but at least we would win some games.
by midlife crisis on Feb 17, 2011 9:57 AM CST up reply actions
I'd like to see us copy the Celtics
on both sides of the ball.
Darko = Perkins – Doesn’t touch the ball on offense unless he has a mismatch or is wide open
Love = Garnett – Sets screens, spots up, etc. Basically what he does now + rolling to the basket more
Beasley = Pierce – Isos, mid range screens for jumpers and drives, etc
Johnson = Allen – constantly running through screens for open jumpers
Rubio = Rondo – Sets up everyone for easy shots
On D: Everyone sticks with their man on the perimeter and funnels their drives towards the middle where Darko is waiting.
Good thought
But trouble on the defensive side. KG is so awesome/nasty on D that he get’s the team D fired up and organized. No one in our current line up can do that.
That’s why I’d swap Darko for a better defender.
Darko's strong point is supposed to be his defense.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
That's the problem
Think Darko need’s to get on the PEDs before the new CBA comes out.
I’d be a big fan of Crazy Steroid Darko.
Again--DUH!
That’s why they’re running the offense through him!!!
Don’ t think David Kahn hasn’t considered running Thabeet at the point.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
Darko's D
is not the problem. If he were actually only covering 5s, he’d be doing better. We’re also asking him to cover the Griffins, Aldriges, Amares, etc., because of K. Love’s inability to guard his own position. I think he’s been working pretty hard and doing a decent job against some of these guys. I’m not sure who we could get that could cover big 5s like Dwight Howard as well as the 4s that I mentioned.
The problem on D, as I see it, is that there are only 3 average to above average defenders on the roster: Darko, Brewer, and Tolliver.
Defensively, Darko has always drawn too many fouls.
This is not specific to his Wolves experience, or the defensive assignments he draws here.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
The problem
with this argument is that Aldridge and Griffin were beating him in different ways.
If they were both just cruising past him with superior quickness, I could buy this argument of defending the wrong position, but they weren’t. Aldridge was consistently backing him down in the post, which would be much worse with big centers, and Griffin was consistently shooting from mid range and Darko did nothing to adjust for that. Darko is a great shot blocker, but he really is a fairly poor defender, mostly because he plays really, really soft.
Also, I would say that the problem on D has nothing to do with the players and everything to do with the system. Just look at Chicago, a coaching change took them from average defense to elite. Same with New Orleans. Also, look at the Celtics. With Garnett and Perkins in the lineup they might be the best defensive team ever. With Big Baby and old Shaq in there with Pierce and Allen (neither of them known for their d), they’re still one of the best defensive teams in the league. That’s because of they system.
I Disagree on Darko
But I agree on your team defense point.
Look, guys like Aldridge and Griffin are going to get theres. Aldridge is ridiculously long and his fade jumper is just hard to stop. Griffin is just an athletic freak. But We didn’t get killed by either guy. LA was like 8-19 the other night. Griffin was making some crazy outside jump shots. but he was kept to his usual numbers. Do you remember how Aldridge, Amare, etc., went off on us when Darko was hurt?
For what it's worth
Darko is sixth in the league in defensive plays per game (blocks plus steals plus charges drawn). The only other guy we have over 2 is Corey Brewer.
First half versus second half
We looked pretty good during the first half, when we were diligently feeding the ball into Darko and Love. Darko was schooling the D during the first quarter. Then in the second half we decided to freak out and start jacking up the long ball. Should have kept cramming it inside when the third quarter started getting away from us. Sign of a young team and a bad coach.
At the very least a coach (good or bad)
Who’s style and methodology are not compatible with a young team.
by Tangerine dream on Feb 17, 2011 10:41 AM CST up reply actions
Darko is a horrible option to keep pounding the ball into. So many bad things happen as a result.
Yes, he has moments of competence where his hook shot is falling or he is able to pull off the baseline spin move without traveling. But on balance, he is the master of the empty possession, either fumbling the ball away, making an ill-advised pass, or throwing up a weak flip shot that isn’t even close. Even on the few occasions he draws a foul, he is a terrible free throw shooter. Just an all around terrible option to give touches to on the offensive side of the floor. Yet Rambis continues to run a good portion of his offense through him.
by Rascal Flatts on Feb 17, 2011 11:51 AM CST up reply actions
All True
But who else did anything other than he and Love last night? I liked that he mixed up his moves a bit last night as well. He is turning into a completely head case at the line though.
Pekovic
If they want to establish more of a low-post game, Pekovic is clearly a better option. He’s the one guy that has shown improvement in the month of February, sporting a 57 FG% and starting to get his turnovers under control. I was disappointed last night when he was pulled in the second half for Darko after a fairly brief stint. Darko is the more versatile defender, but Pekovic is a vastly better option if we’re looking for a true low-post presence to settle things down on offense.
by Rascal Flatts on Feb 17, 2011 12:02 PM CST up reply actions
yes give me some more PEK!
I'm Trill, I'm running w/ the WOLVES
by running with Twolves (and scissors) on Feb 17, 2011 12:07 PM CST up reply actions
Yep
I like Pek’s post game as well. I think Rambis pulled him after he got swatted by Kaman a couple of times. He should get more burn though, no question, especially against teams without a true 5.
I had no real problem with Darko’s offense last night aside from the missed free throws. He shot a good percentage, made some nice passes. The turnovers are still a problem obviously, but I’m much more concerned about how tragically our wings are playing.
I agree that wings are still the #1 problem
But 12 points on 12 shots from Darko just doesn’t cut it. He eats up possessions without a lot of production to show for it.
by Rascal Flatts on Feb 17, 2011 12:34 PM CST up reply actions
I don't know
I think the Darko missed hook and Love put back might be our best play!!!!
That sounds like something the Vice Squad would haul you in for
Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga.
Just trying to
bump up traffic, which has subsided since Rudy Gay signed his contract.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
The good thing about
basing the offense around Darko is that he draws double teams. The bad thing about basing the offense around Darko is that he draws double teams because the opposition knows that even the slightest bit of defensive pressure will force a turnover.
Gatdamn
I never even considered that as a reason why they would double him
by CoffeeJanitor on Feb 17, 2011 1:10 PM CST up reply actions
You can practically
hear the gears in his brain turning as he tries to decide what to do.
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
lol It's painful to watch
And you can tell that the other teams have scouted and they just wait for that ball to be dribbled once and they take it away. They are waiting for it.
The thing I don't understand is why
Darko, lauded by our coach and POBO for his amazing passing skills, is a worse black hole than Jefferson. His nickname should be Dark Hole. I dunno if he is waiting for cutters that never actually cut in the Tricycle, or if he is just enjoying shooting a lot. I think it is more the latter.
"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." -- Yogi Berra
by Wile E Coyote on Feb 17, 2011 2:47 PM CST up reply actions
I don't know what's worse:
That Darko is a focal point of our offense, or that there aren’t many better alternatives on the team.
How about
the notion that “making him the focal point of our offense” is in place not so much because they think it will win games, but because Darko made it a condition of staying on the team?
Only six more shopping days until the Trading Deadline!
The Reason Taylor is Smiling
Year after year papa Glen provides us an unbelievably inferior product, and yet a surprisingly large number of folks in Minny still interrupt their day to trudge through the snow and pay him for the privledge of watching this ever evolving disaster. In most NBA cities they would have been crying for new ownership a decade ago, but in Minny all you have to do (as an incredibly incompetent owner) is stand back, let the ninny’s you hired take the heat, and rotate coaches every 1-3 years and GM’s every decade. No wonder he’s smiling.
Here are the guys ripe for the picking...
From Bill Simmons new rankings….
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/two/110217
WORST CONTRACTS
The 25 worst contracts in the league that have three-plus years or at least $25 million remaining (figures include this season and beyond):
25. Elton Brand: three years, $51.2M
24. Channing Frye: five years, $30M
23. Luke Walton: three years, $17M
22. Chris Duhon: four years, $14M
21. Antawn Jamison: two years, $28.4M
20. Amir Johnson: five years, $34M
19. Al Harrington: five years, $33.1M
18. Richard Jefferson: four years, $39M
17. Jose Calderon: three years, $28.3M
16. Charlie Villanueva: four years, $31.2M
15. Hedo Turkoglu: four years, $45M
14. Baron Davis: three years, $41.85M
13. Mike Conley: six years, $49.5M
12. Corey Maggette: three years, $30.7M
11. Richard Hamilton: two years, $25M
10. Emeka Okafor: four years, $52.2M
9. Andray Blatche: five years, $35.7M
8. DeSagana Diop: three years, $20.8M
7. Brendan Haywood: five years, $42.7M
6. Ron Artest: four years, $28.1M
5. Travis Outlaw: five years, $35M
4. Josh Childress: five years, $33.5M
3. Brandon Roy: four years, $62.6M
2. Rashard Lewis: four years, $80.4M
1. Gilbert Arenas: four years, $80.2m
I wish I was sure Josh Childress would come around.
His performance this year has been well below his previous standards. The guy was a good, versatile two-way wing. Also great hair.
Five years, though.
"Those things about which we cannot theorize, we must narrate." – Umberto Eco
That list makes one wonder why the owners,
are so keen on new CBA terms! They really don’t have any self control whatsoever.
Okafor is the only player with any real upside for us of the group, but 52 mil is pretty dear for a defensive presense in the middle.
"Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato
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