I cannot tell you exactly where it happened during the game, but at some point during the action tonight at the listless Target Center, Willie Green made a fantastic hustle play for a loose ball by diving into his own bench while throwing the ball to a teammate. As soon as he left the ground, the entire Hornets bench and its coach, Monty Williams, yelled, stood up, and cheered the awesome effort of a small play having a large effect on a little game. To be fair, Coach Williams stood up for much of the game, interacting with his players and the refs in a way that is absolutely unthinkable for the guy at the end of the Wolves bench.
There it was. In a single play, Wolves fans, Glen Taylor, and anyone else who is paying attention was provided with an example of the problem with Kurt Rambis. What Wolves player is going to dive into the crowd for Kurt Rambis? What Wolves player is going to go out of his way to try and impress the guy who is sitting and shaking his head instead of the guy who is standing and engaged?
Aren't you happy that the Wolves hired Rambis instead of Williams?
The Wolves foul in the penalty. They have no chemistry. They make fundamental mistakes. They turn the ball over at an alarming clip. They run ridiculous rotations in an insane system. There is nothing to cheer about for this team except Crunch's birthday and awesome 1/2 time show where he destroyed the Phoenix Gorilla. The double-double streak is a cruel joke at this point; no better than last year's consecutive 3-pointer-run by Corey Brewer. It's crazy. The games blend into one another just like another double-double. They're meaningless and indistinguishable. They're led by a guy who doesn't know what he's doing.
FWIW, if you haven't done so already, you need to take a game to tune into Alan Horton and the Wolves radio broadcast. I'm a big fan of J-Pete on the TV crew, but Alan Horton is pulling off a 1-man show on the AM dial that is an absolutely fantastic listen. I grew up on Kevin Harlan making games interesting with crazy outbursts, and while Horton doesn't have this sort of energy, he does possess a workmanlike take on the action that is every bit as respectable. He is announcing a bunch of garbage and he is able to do so with professionalism and interest. It's really a good listen.