Number 8 in our 12 part series previewing the Minnesota Timberwolves focuses on Flip Saunders. The key question mark for our beloved wolves is the same as it was in his first tenure. What if Flip is an idiot? It is a lot easier to prove a negative, so I'm gonna switch it around, What if Flip is not an idiot?
The difficult things to explain away IN FOCUS
1. His offense has always featured long two point jump shots. BUT, he has always had players who were not good at anything else. Stop-n-pop (who for some reason posted on here for a long time) and KG had games that relied on a tall, circular pile of soft-serve...a long two (heh). Also Rip Hamilton.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE: John Wall's game is...not...long...jumpers...
2. He chose himself to coach. BUT, the KLove situation was clearly going to drag on and he couldn't put someone else in a position to twist in the wind like Julie Andrews in the opening sequence of The Sound Of Music (#culture).
WHERE THE ARGUEMENT GOES TO DIE- Um, it could have been pretty selfless of Flip if he hadn't tried to hire Joerger, whose name sounds like you kind of remember it, but then forget half way through and then get angry.
3. He drafted Shabazz even though he clearly didn't want him. BUT, he had a plan to get Kelly Olynyk and Gorgi Dieng. It would have been a great draft! Dammit Danny Ainge.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE - that would not have been a great draft, either.
4. Flip does not believe in advanced stats. BUT, or does he? His son is like a super Einstein with like numbers. And it's not like he thinks advanced stats are like Santa Claus, he believes in them.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE Shabazz and Levine an long twos.
5. Hiring his friends and kids and his friends kids BUT, they are all kind of qualified.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE :yeah, but no one else was qualified? #optics
6. He signed KMart and Brewer and Pek to long and expensive contracts BUT, none of those deals will seem that bad after the mid-teir signing this summer. They'll seem like BARGAINS.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE: if they were bargains, we'd have people trying to acquire those players on those contracts from us. Are they?
The EASY things to explain the opposite of away IN FOCUS
1. Ermahgerd Gorgui Dieng, AND it was his crafty PLAN to get Gorgui.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE: it is still hard to call that draft a solid win.
2. He seems to have handled this Kevin Love trade...really well. I know I'm counting chickens all in one basket before they hatch but there are SIX and they are SO EASY TO CARRY. The Piggly Wiggly trade PLUS A PICK would be incredible. Reports now that Klove will sign a five year deal (sigh) with the Cavs have me PUMPED to watch the Cavs and avoid FTS, neither of which should be hard to do.
WHERE THE ARGUMENT GOES TO DIE: This one is like the Jason Voorhes or the Robin Williams career of arguments. Dammit, Steven Segal was in the waiting room with his Hard To Kill reference and I just ran out of time. Anyway, Flip comes out smelling like a rose on this one. Sure, it's a rose that was fertilized by human excrement...but at least it's a rose. Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? Maybe not if you called it an anal probe blossom #thorny .
Anyway, is FLIP AN IDIOT? I'd say there's like half a chance. That's why they call him Flip.*
*Like a coin flip. Or like one of those back flips on YouTube that ends badly but they almost made it. #close