Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday for the first ever Hoopus Night against the Suns. Thank you to Britt Carlson and the team for providing an autographed ball that we gave away to a lucky reader. It was nice to finally put a face with some of the comments that we see below the fold. We won't say too much about the game (it was a dog of an affair) but I would like to say a few words about the team and its internet following.
While I know that the greater NBA internets community generally regards team-specific blogs like Blazer's Edge and Knickerblogger to be the cat's meow (and, to be perfectly fair, they are), I've long maintained that no other team in the NBA has a better cache of complementary websites than does the Wovles. From the game reporting of Britt Robson, Benjamin Polk, and Myles Brown, to the quality aggregate content over at TWolvesblog, to the new angles taken by Solomon Lieberman over at Timberwolves Examiner, and with online journal-esque Timberwolves Press, you'd be hard pressed to find another team as poor as the Wolves with as rich of an internet following.
All of this brings me around to the brew-ha-ha involving Alec Schimke, the Wolves, glass cleaner, and things that are obvious as the nose on your face. Whether via ignorance or incompetence, it is a joke that no one at 600 First Avenue did not know about Alec's glass cleaner idea. Period. I can't speak for some of the other sites listed above but we know folks in the organization and we know that they read our site on a daily basis. Even without these contacts, there are some pretty good reasons to believe that someone in the front office knows the score when it comes to team-related websites. This is probably why they hired a social networking intern earlier this year:
Social Networking InternMN Timberwolves/ MN Lynx - Minneapolis, MNTitle: Social Networking Intern Supervisor: Interactive Services Manager Department: Interactive Services General Statement of Duties: The Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx are seeking energetic, can-do interns to aid the manager or Interactive Services and the senior vice president of marketing and communications with implementing the interactive media strategies and objectives for the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx in social networking environments. This position will assist with updating official Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx online social networking sites, as well as monitoring external online social activities (blogs, forums, message boards, etc.) Additionally, interns will provide daily reports on the buzz surrounding the Timberwolves to management.
The reason why I'm bringing this up is three-fold. First, I believe that Alec was the first person with this idea and he should receive his due credit. Second, I don't believe that Wolves PR head Mike Christaldi knew about Alec's idea before the ads were cut and aired. Perhaps the social networking information on this particular subject never made its way up the chain of command. Maybe it was improperly sourced. Who knows? Third, and most importantly (because I know folks with the team read the site), it is important for the Wolves to remember that despite putting a losing product on the court for several years, and despite bungling numerous drafts, and despite openly tanking in recent years (see Madsen, Mark and his 7 three point attempts vs. Memphis), and despite a hundred other things that could have sent folks like Alec, Wyn, College Wolf, Sonia, Solomon, Myles, Benjamin, and Britt screaming to the exits, Papa Glen has a collection of fans and excellent journalists who extensively write about a product that nearly nobody cares about. They do it for free or very close to it. They also cover the team better than both major newspapers in town.
My point here is this: don't treat guys like Alec like trash. He had a fantastic promotional idea for Kevin Love and knowingly or not, you guys ran with it. Instead of trying to distance yourself from the guy, why not give him a call and see what else he has up his sleeve? A good idea is a good idea is a good idea...especially on a club that hasn't had too many in quite a while.
Until later.