Will the Wolves end up with this:
Or this:
Discuss and pray.
Also, with all of the negativity surrounding the GM search, let's take a moment to pretend that our favorite squad is less Tennessee hillbilly and more 2 pasty kids from Detroit getting their Led out like no one else. Here are my top 5 reasons to still care about this team (in no particular order):
-
Kevin Love- The best Wolves rookie since KG. If KG is to Prince, then Love is a young Bob Dylan--fresh on the scene with his Woody Guthrie tribute act before realizing that he's a progression all onto himself. I know it may sound a bit over the top, but if Love is paired with a legit pick and roll point guard who can shoot the ball (cough...Stephen Curry...cough) the Wolves could have an unstopable duo in 2-3 years.
-
Britt Robson- On the Ball is still the place to see and be seen in Wolves fandom. There are no better game wraps in all of the NBA. Here's hoping that Secrets of the City, the Strib, the PiPress, or someone else comes up with a viable option for letting Britt continue his writing on the squad. Note to the Wolves: forget Bill Simmons, ditch the happy-happy-joy-joy nonsense (Mark Madsen is the people's champ...really?) on your site and give Britt all the access he wants. In general, the Wolves are blessed with fantastic non-traditional media coverage. From Myles to TWolvesBlog to the RealGM and TWolvesCentral board (to several others--please see our links section), the team has a fantastic group of informed fans who all give their own unique take on the franchise. Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention all of the wonderful commenters on our site who make the below-the-fold conversations as interesting and entertaining as possible. Wyn and I are very happy and proud of the little community we've built here and we thank everyone for being a part of it.
-
Draft picks, Euro centers, and cap space oh my!- While there has been very little evidence in the team's history to suggest that they will be able to maximize all of the assets in front of them, there is enough in terms of quantity to give fans hope that the team may, by way of numbers, back themselves into a player or two to fill out the roster on a championship contending team. Again, hope for the 2 kids from Detroit rather than the guys with the beards.
-
Bill Smith is the new Kevin McHale- This one is more for the casual sports fan. Roy/Foye is no longer the worst deal in town. Mr. Smith has two deals which easily eclipse the 2006 Portland debacle. In less than 2 years on the job Bill Smith has traded away the best pitcher in baseball for scraps as well as moving the team's only starting power arm and functional middle-infielder for a glorified singles hitter who can't play defense. From a team that could have trotted out a Johan, Garza, Liriano, Slowey, Baker starting rotation with Perkins and Blackburn in the pen; and from a lineup that could have had Bartlett in the middle of the infield and batting 2nd; the Twins now find themselves looking at the fallout from two of the poorest moves in recent Minnesota sports history. It would have cost them what: 2 years at the end of Santana's deal or a few extra mil one year before the new palace? While the Twinkies will move into a nice looking stadium next year, it's still next to a garbage burner and we all know they won't actually spend money on the types of players they need. Instead, they will give contracts out to "character guys"...i.e. head-first sliding, light-hitting middle infielders that the Okie manager loves to talk about. Anywho, the point here is that the Wolves are no longer the only front office joke in town. Hats off to the Twins. It was lonely at the shallow end of the pool. At least now Our Beloved Puppies have company. (PS: From what I hear from friends, the Wild may be fellow travelers as well.)
-
It's still the NBA. Best game, best athletes. Nuff' said. Regardless of your thoughts on the Wolves, any time you can go catch a game with guys like D-Wade, Kobe, Dirk, Howard, and CP3, your money is being well spent. This year's Cavs game featured the best Minny sports performance of 2008. LeBron absolutely put on a show.
Well, that about does it. Here's hoping for some of this in the lotto:
Remember, positive thoughts today...regardless of any GM-related boobery that may trickle out of 600 First Avenue.