On October 9th, 2010, the Minnesota Twins lost Game 3 of the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees 6-1. That game put the final touches on another quick playoff exit at the hand of the Bombers, and had frustrated Twins fans wondering if they were ever going to see the day their club would get over the postseason hump. As it turns out, they should have been reveling in simply seeing the playoffs in the first place.
It is now March 2012, five hundred and twenty days have passed since that last playoff contest involving one of this state’s four major professional sports teams. If you’d like, we can throw in major college football and basketball as well, because the only things “major” about those two programs during that same time span has been the level of disappointment they’ve created. Among the 12 cities in this country with teams in each pro sport, this run of futility is currently unmatched. Most not only have recent championships, but also teams with buzz and upside; if not already contenders, they soon will be, Miami, Phoenix and DC are the only three cities approaching the futility of Minnesota in more than one sport, and even each of them has at least one current playoff team. Not to mention, the weather in Miami and Phoenix.
The one bright spot on the horizon for the fans in this accursed burgh was the ascension of the Timberwolves over the past couple months from laughingstock to playoff contenders. They were the punch in the turdbowl that is our local sports scene. Now, sadly, that hope has been snuffed out, snapped in an instant like the ligament it hinged on. I’m not going to tell you that the Wolves are my favorite team, or the NBA my favorite league. To be honest, if ranking title priorities, they’d be a distant fourth. But with that said, I love compelling sporting events, love going to, or just heading out to the bar to watch, big games, love feeling the buzz in the city when something crosses over from “everyday event” to “big effing deal”. There hasn’t been much of that lately, and over the past 520, there’s been exactly zero. When Ricky Rubio fell to the floor on Friday, clutching the torn ACL in his knee, our best shot at that changing any time soon went down with him. Had a nice angry screed prepared in response, but after 48 hours of marinating, there’s no fire left, I’m just pretty bummed.
Because it wasn’t just the chance to break our current drought that went out the window on Friday, but all of the momentum of a franchise trying to put its dreadful history behind it as well. The lottery balls have never fallen right, the players signed never quite fit, and now that things had begun to look promising, fate has once again dealt a cruel blow. One can turn to the Los Angeles Clippers for a glimmer of hope, having witnessed the excellent comeback of Blake Griffin following his devastating injury. The problem is, despite successful precedents that can be cited, no one knows how this is going to play out. Even if everything goes perfectly, a player never seems quite right after an ACL until a full year has elapsed. Some need even more time. That means the Wolves have not only lost a chance to polish their stretch run and postseason chops this season, but perhaps next as well, if several months of less-than-100% Rubio leave them behind the 8-ball in the standings.
Everything not going perfectly is not a scenario that I will permit myself to consider at the moment, because the thought of losing another star in the making is too troubling. While basketball may not be my favorite sport, it’s still one that I enjoy immensely, and none of its charms are above great point guard play, the kind Rubio was delivering in spades. I know all about the deficiencies in his game, but he was immensely fun to watch, and had been a huge part in making Wolves basketball fun to watch once again. The idea that he may not come back the same, just when we were settling into the possibility of seeing him grow over the next decade, is beyond the pale.
I know the difference between sports tragedy and the genuine article, honestly. Nobody died here, there’s no terrible injustice, it doesn’t approach the level of a hundred truly horrible stories that you can find in any given week, I’ve got that. But that still doesn’t change the fact that a big steaming turd has been dumped in our laps here, and it didn’t have to happen. If you’re keeping score out there, we’ve now seen two former AL MVPs, the NFL’s best running back, the best Gopher hoops player, half the NHL team and a charismatic, up-and-coming point guard fall victim to catastrophic, lingering and/or career-threatening injuries during the past year. It’s sports, injuries happen, but at some point you start to wonder, is this run of bad luck ever going to end?
Looking toward the future, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which that end comes anytime soon. The NHL team is six feet under, the NBA team just got one of its legs taken out from under it (literally), the NFL team is in full rebuilding mode and the ballclub is chock full of holes. The run of futility looked to be in jeopardy just a few shorts days ago, but now? Going another 520 seems likelier than not.
On a weekend of positivity, that was not the way things needed to start. But as always, time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and continue plugging away here in Loserville.
Showing posts with label Timberwolves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Timberwolves. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Lost in transition
Is there anything worse than the excruciating wait for something you're really looking forward to? Leaving for a week's vacation on Friday always seems to make the week crawl along at an interminably slow pace. This is where I'm currently at with the football season, while the end of the lockout and tidal wave of player movement have certainly been nice, there's still a month to wait before the games that count actually start...and it's going to be a slow one. Sure you could look to areas outside sports for distractions, but do you really need to be reminded that the current balance of your 401k is approximately equivalent to a cup of coffee? I thought not.
Many writers out there seem to be dealing with this year's August lull by wondering what might've been if changes were made to sports history. Locally, Michael Rand of the Star Tribune has been re-visiting some of the more painful losses in Twins and Vikings history, wondering how history might've unfolded differently had they gone the other direction. On a national level, SI's Joe Posnanski unveiled the concept of Sports Code, a take off on the file "Source Code", and it's notion that while you can't directly change events, you can attempt to change the circumstances surrounding them, and let the chips fall where they may from there.
Posnanski explains:
There are only two conditions that I just invented for Sports Code.
(1) You can’t change a sporting RESULT. That is to say, you can’t go back and have Scott Norwood MAKE the field goal or have Michael Jordan MISS the jumper or have that Butler kid make the halfcourt shot. You cannot make Bill Buckner field the ground ball cleanly (though you could try to convince Red Sox manager John McNamara to put in Dave Stapleton as a defensive replacement). Those are results, and they happened, and they cannot be changed (in my completely made-up scenario). No, you can only change something tangible, something that might make a difference ...
(2) You can’t go back and create a whole new ending. That’s a slightly tricky concept, but here’s what I mean: For it to be a true Sports Code moment, you need to leave the ending open-ended. So, as much as you might want to do this, you can’t have Jim Joyce make the right call so that Armando Galarraga gets his perfect game. Because, in that case, he GETS THE PERFECT GAME, and the story is over. That’s a closed ending. The point here is to change something and then let a new ending unfold naturally.
As a serial lamenter of what might've been, this concept intrigued me, and when a friend called my attention to the article last week, I had to ask the question: What would comprise my Minnesota Sports Code Top 5?
About a year-and-a-half ago, on the heels of the most recent Vikings debacle, I was compelled to put together the Minnesota sports Hall of Pain, and that's where most of my inspiration is drawn from. The first two items, in fact, have to do with the two games Rand chose to wonder about:
1. Tell Denny Green to stay aggressive
No one could say for sure what would've happened in the 1998 NFC Championship game had the Vikings put the pedal down and attempted to bury the Falcons with their prolific offense...but we do know for sure what going the conservative route got us. All season long, a record-setting offense had covered up flaws in a mediocre defense by getting up big and making opponents react. The kneel down at half was just one example the could be found of a wide-open gameplan turning conservative overnight. They should've continued to adhere to the Randy Moss matra of "just chuck it deep dawg", instead the offensive coaches Schottenheimered the s*it out of it. Somebody needed to remind Denny that playing not to lose is for losers.
2. Tell Gardy to pull Joe Nathan
Sure the guy was a fantastic pitcher, but you're going to throw him out there against the heart of the best order in baseball for a third inning in a huge postseason game? I can remember being surprised at the time. Then enraged, followed by disappointed, hopeful and ultimately despondent. Throw in the Hunter home run that gave us the lead in the top of the inning, and it was one of the quickest emotional rollercoasters on record. Ahhh, those were the days, back when postseason failures in New York had the potential to wound.
A couple others have to do with draft day dealings:
3. Tell Kevin McHale not to swap Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury
For my money, the greatest sports "what-if" in this town during my life time. A 1-2 punch of Kevin Garnett and Allen would've created the makings for decade's worth of perennial contenders, not alienated Tom Gugliotta and completely changed the course of a historically awful franchise. On a related note, if someone put a red button in front of me right now, and told me that if I pushed it, Stephon Marbury would drop dead, I can honestly say that I would not. I can also honestly say that from 1999-2001, there was approximately an 80% chance that I would've pushed that button.
4. Tell Mike Nolan to draft Aaron Rodgers
This wouldn't have done a thing to help my team, but it would have prevented Rodgers of landing in Green Bay and becoming the phenomenal quarterback that he is. Watching this whole thing unfold has been like a bad dream for Vikings fans, who didn't even have time to celebrate the end of the Favre Era before a new QB who might end up being even better came along. Aaron Rodgers seems like a decent dude, I wish no particular ill on the man, but why the hell did he have to end up with the Packers? Ghandi must've had a cheesehead, and Hitler some Helga horns, given the karma at work here.
And finally, the current great "what-if" on our local sports scene, appropos to the last couple nights of baseball:
5. Tell the Twins to take the Red Sox trade offer for Johan Santana
With the Red Sox in town this week, we've already gotten a good look at CF Jacoby Ellsbury, who's in the running for AL MVP this season. Tonight, their elite lefty Jon Lester will take the mound, looking to finish off the series sweep. During the Santana sweepstakes, it was widely reported that a sticking point for the Twins was the inclusion of both of these players in the Red Sox offer. Boston, quite astutely as it turned out, would only include one, which ultimately scuttled the deal. 3 1/2 years later, offering the package of four players the Twins ultimately ended up receiving from the Mets for either one of these BoSox stars would get you laughed out of the room at best, committed at worst. Three of the four "prospects" Minnesota received are now gone from the organization, with the fourth, Delois Guerra, not exactly knocking down the door to the majors. Sure, Carlos Gomez had a few fun moments here, and brief flashes of potential, but ultimately the greatest benefit realize from dealing the best pitcher in the game was one season of J.J. Hardy and Jon Rauch. Be still my heart.
And if all that doesn't have you significantly depressed, it's probably time to refill the prescription.
Many writers out there seem to be dealing with this year's August lull by wondering what might've been if changes were made to sports history. Locally, Michael Rand of the Star Tribune has been re-visiting some of the more painful losses in Twins and Vikings history, wondering how history might've unfolded differently had they gone the other direction. On a national level, SI's Joe Posnanski unveiled the concept of Sports Code, a take off on the file "Source Code", and it's notion that while you can't directly change events, you can attempt to change the circumstances surrounding them, and let the chips fall where they may from there.
Posnanski explains:
There are only two conditions that I just invented for Sports Code.
(1) You can’t change a sporting RESULT. That is to say, you can’t go back and have Scott Norwood MAKE the field goal or have Michael Jordan MISS the jumper or have that Butler kid make the halfcourt shot. You cannot make Bill Buckner field the ground ball cleanly (though you could try to convince Red Sox manager John McNamara to put in Dave Stapleton as a defensive replacement). Those are results, and they happened, and they cannot be changed (in my completely made-up scenario). No, you can only change something tangible, something that might make a difference ...
(2) You can’t go back and create a whole new ending. That’s a slightly tricky concept, but here’s what I mean: For it to be a true Sports Code moment, you need to leave the ending open-ended. So, as much as you might want to do this, you can’t have Jim Joyce make the right call so that Armando Galarraga gets his perfect game. Because, in that case, he GETS THE PERFECT GAME, and the story is over. That’s a closed ending. The point here is to change something and then let a new ending unfold naturally.
As a serial lamenter of what might've been, this concept intrigued me, and when a friend called my attention to the article last week, I had to ask the question: What would comprise my Minnesota Sports Code Top 5?
About a year-and-a-half ago, on the heels of the most recent Vikings debacle, I was compelled to put together the Minnesota sports Hall of Pain, and that's where most of my inspiration is drawn from. The first two items, in fact, have to do with the two games Rand chose to wonder about:
1. Tell Denny Green to stay aggressive
No one could say for sure what would've happened in the 1998 NFC Championship game had the Vikings put the pedal down and attempted to bury the Falcons with their prolific offense...but we do know for sure what going the conservative route got us. All season long, a record-setting offense had covered up flaws in a mediocre defense by getting up big and making opponents react. The kneel down at half was just one example the could be found of a wide-open gameplan turning conservative overnight. They should've continued to adhere to the Randy Moss matra of "just chuck it deep dawg", instead the offensive coaches Schottenheimered the s*it out of it. Somebody needed to remind Denny that playing not to lose is for losers.
2. Tell Gardy to pull Joe Nathan
Sure the guy was a fantastic pitcher, but you're going to throw him out there against the heart of the best order in baseball for a third inning in a huge postseason game? I can remember being surprised at the time. Then enraged, followed by disappointed, hopeful and ultimately despondent. Throw in the Hunter home run that gave us the lead in the top of the inning, and it was one of the quickest emotional rollercoasters on record. Ahhh, those were the days, back when postseason failures in New York had the potential to wound.
A couple others have to do with draft day dealings:
3. Tell Kevin McHale not to swap Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury
For my money, the greatest sports "what-if" in this town during my life time. A 1-2 punch of Kevin Garnett and Allen would've created the makings for decade's worth of perennial contenders, not alienated Tom Gugliotta and completely changed the course of a historically awful franchise. On a related note, if someone put a red button in front of me right now, and told me that if I pushed it, Stephon Marbury would drop dead, I can honestly say that I would not. I can also honestly say that from 1999-2001, there was approximately an 80% chance that I would've pushed that button.
4. Tell Mike Nolan to draft Aaron Rodgers
This wouldn't have done a thing to help my team, but it would have prevented Rodgers of landing in Green Bay and becoming the phenomenal quarterback that he is. Watching this whole thing unfold has been like a bad dream for Vikings fans, who didn't even have time to celebrate the end of the Favre Era before a new QB who might end up being even better came along. Aaron Rodgers seems like a decent dude, I wish no particular ill on the man, but why the hell did he have to end up with the Packers? Ghandi must've had a cheesehead, and Hitler some Helga horns, given the karma at work here.
And finally, the current great "what-if" on our local sports scene, appropos to the last couple nights of baseball:
5. Tell the Twins to take the Red Sox trade offer for Johan Santana
With the Red Sox in town this week, we've already gotten a good look at CF Jacoby Ellsbury, who's in the running for AL MVP this season. Tonight, their elite lefty Jon Lester will take the mound, looking to finish off the series sweep. During the Santana sweepstakes, it was widely reported that a sticking point for the Twins was the inclusion of both of these players in the Red Sox offer. Boston, quite astutely as it turned out, would only include one, which ultimately scuttled the deal. 3 1/2 years later, offering the package of four players the Twins ultimately ended up receiving from the Mets for either one of these BoSox stars would get you laughed out of the room at best, committed at worst. Three of the four "prospects" Minnesota received are now gone from the organization, with the fourth, Delois Guerra, not exactly knocking down the door to the majors. Sure, Carlos Gomez had a few fun moments here, and brief flashes of potential, but ultimately the greatest benefit realize from dealing the best pitcher in the game was one season of J.J. Hardy and Jon Rauch. Be still my heart.
And if all that doesn't have you significantly depressed, it's probably time to refill the prescription.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
5 Questions: David Kahn
Ever wish you could ask the manager/GM/owner of your favorite teams any question you wanted and have it answered honestly? Given the cliches handed out one after another in interviews and the behind-the-scenes manuvering that goes on, it would be quite interesting to hear some unvarnished opinions about things.
Never has the need for a bit of unvarnished truth been greater than when dealing with current Timerberwolves boss David Kahn.
I have to admit, I've never been much of a fan. Doing word association with Kahn brings up words like "weasel", "shifty" and "smug". Smugness may in fact be his defining characteristic. He definitely comes off as much more of a lawyer than a basketball guy, but perhaps that's not a bad thing. After all, the team's last GM was a basketball guy through and through, and we know how that turned out. But I can't help thinking that Kahn's off-putting style isn't going to ingratiate him to fans or his fellow GMs, it certainly hasn't so far.
Anyway, on to the queries:
1. In your opinion, what is Ricky Rubio's ceiling as an NBA player?
How I think he'd answer: That depends on a few factors, namely what we put around him. We know the shooting is going to be a work in process, and that he's not going to do a lot of scoring initially. That means it's crucial we put a solid team around him, allowing him to affect the game in other ways. Frankly there are guys on the current roster who might not coexist well with him, and if conflicts emerge, they'll have to be moved.
It's also crucial that whoever is hired as the next coach has the right personality to deal with young, developing players and employs a system that meshes with his talents. I think that's where we got it wrong with Rambis, pairing up a coach from a veteran team with a young roster in a rebuilding project. Not to mention the nuances of the unique offense he wanted to run didn't really fit the talents of the draft picks that had just been made. Making a similar mistake this time could spell the end of things for me.
But with those caveats laid out, I see no reason Ricky can't be an NBA All-Star.
2. Speaking of Rambis, word is he's done. This has been pretty obvious for some time to anyone paying attention, why the delay on taking action?
How I think he'd answer: In hindsight, we've blown this one. Glen was dragging his feet, due to the money issue and his hope we could get out from underneath it somehow if Kurt quit or a lockout kicked in. I finally convinced him that the longer we left him twisting in the wind, the worse we were going to come off, and he gave me the go ahead.
3. Based on this situation and some others, the team's management and ownership aren't getting too much favorable publicity right now, do you think your personal and professional style is going to hurt you when dealing with free agents, coaching candidates and other front offices?
How I think he'd answer: Well that's really three questions. On the free agents, I think there are bigger issues that need to be overcome. Minnesota is not a desirable location for quite a few reasons, we're a losing team that plays in the league's coldest city and don't have a star player to draw other players here. It's a bit of a Catch-22 really, the team can't improve until we get better players, and we can't attract better players until the team improves. At this point the draft is our path back to being competitive, and so far it's yielded some pieces, now those pieces need to be turned into a team.
For coaching candidates, I'm not worried. NBA jobs are few and far between, so most coaches need to jump at the opportunities that arise. Although things haven't worked out with Kurt, it can't be denied that he was a hot commodity when we hired him, impressions of the franchise didn't hurt us there.
The topic of dealing with other front offices is more problematic, as I get the impression that most other GMs don't like me and want to see me fail. I know I brought a lot of this on myself by coming off arrogant and self-satisfied, but you have to understand, a lot of that was false bravado motivated by my own insecurity. When I was hired by Minnesota, I'd been out of the day-to-day NBA for five years. Before that, a lot of my experience was on the business side of basketball, not necessarily dealing with personnel. Sure, after being involved with the game for 20 years, some of it is like riding a bike, but here I was walking into a tough situation and a little unsure of my ability to fix it.
Consequently, I kind of acted like a prick. I'm not proud of it, part of it is just how I'm wired, I am a lawyer after all. I just hope that any other executives won't purposely avoid dealing with me when doing so will help their teams. Not only would that make them vindictive a**holes, it would make them stupid vindictive a**holes, but there I go again, so I'd probably better quit while I'm ahead.
4. Drafting either Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams would seem to create a glut of players at either PG or PF. How desparate are you to trade this pick? If you can't which guy do you prefer?
How I think he'd answer: More desparate that a drunk girl who just got dumped by her boyfriend at bar close. The problem is, and from the looks of you, this isn't new info, the stink of desparation drives off the exact people you're trying to attract. This is a cutthroat business, and everyone out there knows we don't want to stick at #2, so they're trying to lowball us. Of course I'll never let that happen, as I've demonstrated before, I'm perfectly willing to cut off my nose to spite my face. If they don't give me what I want, I'll just take my ball and go home.
As for the player though, if it has to be one of the two, please let it be Williams. I can't imagine how much fun they'll have at my expense if I get painted into a corner and have to draft another point guard, the embarrassment would probably reverse the last 6 months of prickishness removal therapy I've undergone.
5. Do you ever kick yourself for some of the stuff you say? Calling Darko "manna from heaven", turning the hype machine up to 11 on Rubio and now having to backpedal?
How I think he'd answer: Sure, sometimes, but when you like the sound of your voice as much as I do, you're bound to talk a lot, and by default say some stupid things. I mean you've watched the Chris Webber interview, right? Breakfast and lunch, what the hell was I thinking? I sat down and got dead drunk after that one. But in my defense, Webber is a total dick.
So that's the conversation I wish I coule have with Mr. Kahn. A bit of candor and a lot less spin would go a long way in making the guy palatable, likeable is probably too big a stretch.
But as I've said many times, I'll take jerks who win over likeable losers any time. Now please Dave, try not to do anything embarrassing tonight.
Never has the need for a bit of unvarnished truth been greater than when dealing with current Timerberwolves boss David Kahn.
I have to admit, I've never been much of a fan. Doing word association with Kahn brings up words like "weasel", "shifty" and "smug". Smugness may in fact be his defining characteristic. He definitely comes off as much more of a lawyer than a basketball guy, but perhaps that's not a bad thing. After all, the team's last GM was a basketball guy through and through, and we know how that turned out. But I can't help thinking that Kahn's off-putting style isn't going to ingratiate him to fans or his fellow GMs, it certainly hasn't so far.
Anyway, on to the queries:
1. In your opinion, what is Ricky Rubio's ceiling as an NBA player?
How I think he'd answer: That depends on a few factors, namely what we put around him. We know the shooting is going to be a work in process, and that he's not going to do a lot of scoring initially. That means it's crucial we put a solid team around him, allowing him to affect the game in other ways. Frankly there are guys on the current roster who might not coexist well with him, and if conflicts emerge, they'll have to be moved.
It's also crucial that whoever is hired as the next coach has the right personality to deal with young, developing players and employs a system that meshes with his talents. I think that's where we got it wrong with Rambis, pairing up a coach from a veteran team with a young roster in a rebuilding project. Not to mention the nuances of the unique offense he wanted to run didn't really fit the talents of the draft picks that had just been made. Making a similar mistake this time could spell the end of things for me.
But with those caveats laid out, I see no reason Ricky can't be an NBA All-Star.
2. Speaking of Rambis, word is he's done. This has been pretty obvious for some time to anyone paying attention, why the delay on taking action?
How I think he'd answer: In hindsight, we've blown this one. Glen was dragging his feet, due to the money issue and his hope we could get out from underneath it somehow if Kurt quit or a lockout kicked in. I finally convinced him that the longer we left him twisting in the wind, the worse we were going to come off, and he gave me the go ahead.
3. Based on this situation and some others, the team's management and ownership aren't getting too much favorable publicity right now, do you think your personal and professional style is going to hurt you when dealing with free agents, coaching candidates and other front offices?
How I think he'd answer: Well that's really three questions. On the free agents, I think there are bigger issues that need to be overcome. Minnesota is not a desirable location for quite a few reasons, we're a losing team that plays in the league's coldest city and don't have a star player to draw other players here. It's a bit of a Catch-22 really, the team can't improve until we get better players, and we can't attract better players until the team improves. At this point the draft is our path back to being competitive, and so far it's yielded some pieces, now those pieces need to be turned into a team.
For coaching candidates, I'm not worried. NBA jobs are few and far between, so most coaches need to jump at the opportunities that arise. Although things haven't worked out with Kurt, it can't be denied that he was a hot commodity when we hired him, impressions of the franchise didn't hurt us there.
The topic of dealing with other front offices is more problematic, as I get the impression that most other GMs don't like me and want to see me fail. I know I brought a lot of this on myself by coming off arrogant and self-satisfied, but you have to understand, a lot of that was false bravado motivated by my own insecurity. When I was hired by Minnesota, I'd been out of the day-to-day NBA for five years. Before that, a lot of my experience was on the business side of basketball, not necessarily dealing with personnel. Sure, after being involved with the game for 20 years, some of it is like riding a bike, but here I was walking into a tough situation and a little unsure of my ability to fix it.
Consequently, I kind of acted like a prick. I'm not proud of it, part of it is just how I'm wired, I am a lawyer after all. I just hope that any other executives won't purposely avoid dealing with me when doing so will help their teams. Not only would that make them vindictive a**holes, it would make them stupid vindictive a**holes, but there I go again, so I'd probably better quit while I'm ahead.
4. Drafting either Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams would seem to create a glut of players at either PG or PF. How desparate are you to trade this pick? If you can't which guy do you prefer?
How I think he'd answer: More desparate that a drunk girl who just got dumped by her boyfriend at bar close. The problem is, and from the looks of you, this isn't new info, the stink of desparation drives off the exact people you're trying to attract. This is a cutthroat business, and everyone out there knows we don't want to stick at #2, so they're trying to lowball us. Of course I'll never let that happen, as I've demonstrated before, I'm perfectly willing to cut off my nose to spite my face. If they don't give me what I want, I'll just take my ball and go home.
As for the player though, if it has to be one of the two, please let it be Williams. I can't imagine how much fun they'll have at my expense if I get painted into a corner and have to draft another point guard, the embarrassment would probably reverse the last 6 months of prickishness removal therapy I've undergone.
5. Do you ever kick yourself for some of the stuff you say? Calling Darko "manna from heaven", turning the hype machine up to 11 on Rubio and now having to backpedal?
How I think he'd answer: Sure, sometimes, but when you like the sound of your voice as much as I do, you're bound to talk a lot, and by default say some stupid things. I mean you've watched the Chris Webber interview, right? Breakfast and lunch, what the hell was I thinking? I sat down and got dead drunk after that one. But in my defense, Webber is a total dick.
So that's the conversation I wish I coule have with Mr. Kahn. A bit of candor and a lot less spin would go a long way in making the guy palatable, likeable is probably too big a stretch.
But as I've said many times, I'll take jerks who win over likeable losers any time. Now please Dave, try not to do anything embarrassing tonight.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Stock Watch: 6/17/11
The best (at least not involving the home teams) playoff season in recent memory has concluded, and I have to say I'm feeling some withdrawl. It's never easy to say goodbye to the 2+ month stretch of a good game or two every night. Particularly when the local ballclub isn't doing much to inspire interest.
But life goes on, and we do have a few interesting developments on the local sports scene this week. Most appear positive at the moment, but the question is, will they remain that way in the long term? Not surprisingly, I have some opinions:
Buy - Ricky Rubio as a Timberwolf
Sure I'm the guy who's spent the past two years saying that Rubio would never see the court for the Wolves, even made a wager to that end. I also continue think he's probably more style than substance at this point, and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up an NBA flop. But hey, when you're dealing with the worst franchise in the league, there's nowhere to go but up, and waiting this long has certainly added to the intrigue. Whatever shortcomings may exist in Rubio's game, the fact remains that he's younger than most of the players on the team, and should certainly get plenty of minutes to figure things out once he arrives. Hope is all this team has got, and he makes up the lion's share. Here's to the few Wolves diehards out there, I'm happy for you and hope it works out.
Sell - Mike Yeo, Minnesota Wild coach
Admittedly, I don't know much about this guy, other than what I've read the past few weeks. He could very well be the next great NHL coach. But put me in the same camp as most Wild fans today, who are questioning the idea of going with another unproven guy behind the bench. Yeo has a few things in his bio that I like: Experience with a Cup winner, history of working well with young talent, sweet name (pronounced Yo!, how can you top that?). But there are also some things causing a scratch of the head.
If the Wild are looking to embrace a youth movement, that's great, it's been long overdue. Unfortunately, the team is lacking a couple of key ingredients for said movement to be successful, most notably a group of talented young players who are ready to contribute. Sure they have a few decent prospects scattered about, but there's no one who really blows your doors off. Colton Gillies is a player who's been quick to credit Yeo with aiding his development, and he certainly ended things on a good note with a strong playoff run. But 11 goals and 15 assists in 64 AHL games doesn't offer the impression that our scoring woes are about to be a thing of the past. Last year's first round pick is staying in Finland for another season, the rest of the best are on the blue line, where the team is already somewhat strong, what youth is going to be here for Coach Yeo to mold next season?
Add this to my familiar refrain of "capped out, bad contracts" and what exactly is the radical plan which will make this situation different than what Todd Richards dealt with? Perhaps there were personality issues hastening Richards departure that we're not privy to, but does Yeo have a better shot gaining the confidence of a mostly veteran than Richard's would've in year 3? It's just a perplexing move. All along I figured the Wild were going in the MacTavish/Hitchcock direction, a veteran guy who could command the lockerroom and coax more production out the (many) underperforming veterans on the roster. Instead they head the opposite way, hiring a name that appears to lack the cachet to excite season ticketholders and the gravitas to hold the attention of the vets.
But if you want the positive spin, listening to the Barreiro show yesterday, they likened this move to the Steelers hiring Mike Tomlin away from the Vikings a few years ago, a situation with many similarities. The only problem is, that was the Steelers and this is the Wild. One team makes good decisions, the other, not so much.
Hold - The red hot Minnesota Twins
The past couple of weeks has brought the ballclub back from the dead, but they're still on life support. One bad stretch pushing them back into double digits would put us right back at square one. Sure the return of Joe Mauer and the Japanese shortstop (he's being acknowledged generically until he justifies his presence) should help, but who knows, it could also mess up whatever odd chemistry they've found lately.
Playing the second half of June the same way they did the first would do a lot to convince me that this isn't just a blip. It starts tonight with a mediocre San Diego team and a series they should take 2 out of 3 in.
But life goes on, and we do have a few interesting developments on the local sports scene this week. Most appear positive at the moment, but the question is, will they remain that way in the long term? Not surprisingly, I have some opinions:
Buy - Ricky Rubio as a Timberwolf
Sure I'm the guy who's spent the past two years saying that Rubio would never see the court for the Wolves, even made a wager to that end. I also continue think he's probably more style than substance at this point, and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up an NBA flop. But hey, when you're dealing with the worst franchise in the league, there's nowhere to go but up, and waiting this long has certainly added to the intrigue. Whatever shortcomings may exist in Rubio's game, the fact remains that he's younger than most of the players on the team, and should certainly get plenty of minutes to figure things out once he arrives. Hope is all this team has got, and he makes up the lion's share. Here's to the few Wolves diehards out there, I'm happy for you and hope it works out.
Sell - Mike Yeo, Minnesota Wild coach
Admittedly, I don't know much about this guy, other than what I've read the past few weeks. He could very well be the next great NHL coach. But put me in the same camp as most Wild fans today, who are questioning the idea of going with another unproven guy behind the bench. Yeo has a few things in his bio that I like: Experience with a Cup winner, history of working well with young talent, sweet name (pronounced Yo!, how can you top that?). But there are also some things causing a scratch of the head.
If the Wild are looking to embrace a youth movement, that's great, it's been long overdue. Unfortunately, the team is lacking a couple of key ingredients for said movement to be successful, most notably a group of talented young players who are ready to contribute. Sure they have a few decent prospects scattered about, but there's no one who really blows your doors off. Colton Gillies is a player who's been quick to credit Yeo with aiding his development, and he certainly ended things on a good note with a strong playoff run. But 11 goals and 15 assists in 64 AHL games doesn't offer the impression that our scoring woes are about to be a thing of the past. Last year's first round pick is staying in Finland for another season, the rest of the best are on the blue line, where the team is already somewhat strong, what youth is going to be here for Coach Yeo to mold next season?
Add this to my familiar refrain of "capped out, bad contracts" and what exactly is the radical plan which will make this situation different than what Todd Richards dealt with? Perhaps there were personality issues hastening Richards departure that we're not privy to, but does Yeo have a better shot gaining the confidence of a mostly veteran than Richard's would've in year 3? It's just a perplexing move. All along I figured the Wild were going in the MacTavish/Hitchcock direction, a veteran guy who could command the lockerroom and coax more production out the (many) underperforming veterans on the roster. Instead they head the opposite way, hiring a name that appears to lack the cachet to excite season ticketholders and the gravitas to hold the attention of the vets.
But if you want the positive spin, listening to the Barreiro show yesterday, they likened this move to the Steelers hiring Mike Tomlin away from the Vikings a few years ago, a situation with many similarities. The only problem is, that was the Steelers and this is the Wild. One team makes good decisions, the other, not so much.
Hold - The red hot Minnesota Twins
The past couple of weeks has brought the ballclub back from the dead, but they're still on life support. One bad stretch pushing them back into double digits would put us right back at square one. Sure the return of Joe Mauer and the Japanese shortstop (he's being acknowledged generically until he justifies his presence) should help, but who knows, it could also mess up whatever odd chemistry they've found lately.
Playing the second half of June the same way they did the first would do a lot to convince me that this isn't just a blip. It starts tonight with a mediocre San Diego team and a series they should take 2 out of 3 in.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Foul Balls
No, this is not a baseball post. I am currently in denial as to the state of the local baseball team, and will be attempting to distract myself as long as possible from their struggles.
The post title is instead an homage to the Minnesota Timberwolves history in the NBA draft lottery. I could've also gone with "Groundhog Day" or "Following The Bouncing Ball (Off A Cliff)". Last year's post was titled "Honestly, does anyone think this is going to go well?" Not surprisingly, it did not, and the Wolves are back in familiar territory as the worst team in the NBA as a result.
I could probably just re-post last year's version, as the broad strokes haven't changed much. The list of near-misses got a bit more stinging, with Derrick Rose moving into MVP territory and John Wall appearing to be the newest in a long line of superstars stolen by the ping-pong balls. The Wolves organization got a little lousier, with the on-court play treading water and the front office appearing shakier by the day. The biggest difference is the talent pool in this year's draft, which appears to be a lot thinner than at any time in recent memory. Although projections are only that, it's a bit tougher to get excited about winning the first pick when there isn't much of a consensus about who that guy is.
You'd be a fool to sneeze at the opportunity to pick first, that's obvious. But at the same time, there's typically a guy, like Wall last year, who makes fans salivate at the prospect of adding him to the roster. This year, the name most often mentioned is Kyrie Irving from Duke. The redundancy in that choice, picking a point guard Top 10 for the third time in three years, should make you chuckle. There are indications that Ricky Rubio may finally ride in on his white horse to save the franchise, would drafting another PG upset that apple cart? I'm not saying the team should care if it does, more of an observation on odd situations they always seem to find themselves in.
Beyond Irving, there's Derrick Williams, who is coming off a great NCAA tournament and would be a fun addition. Only problem is that a 6' 8" small forward is also pretty redundant on a team that has Michael Beasley and last year's 1st-rounder Wes Johnson pretty much in the same spot. Rest assured, I don't see Williams having a problem supplanting Johnson and/or Beasley, he just wouldn't do much in filling one of the many gaps on the squad. Otherwise, I'm seeing a crop of undersized centers and foreigners rounding out the Top 10. I'd find this whole thing much easier to get excited about if there was a scoring 2-guard who could play a bit of perimeter defense, but that guy does not appear to exist this season, at least not at the top of the round.
Being so ambivalent about this year's crop of draftees leads me to one conclusion: For the first time in their history, the Minnesota Timberwolves will win the NBA draft lottery.
What happens from there is anyone's guess. Maybe they package a couple of forwards for guard help and draft Williams. Perhaps they deal Rubio's rights and pick Irving to be the point guard of the future. Maybe they pull off some big time deal, sending the pick to a capped-out franchise in exchange for a superstar. There will certainly be many options opened up by winning this thing, which is never a bad thing. But after missing out on so many franchise-changing talents over the years, winning it this season would have a bittersweet tinge.
But hey, whatever keeps my mind of the Twins for a day.
The post title is instead an homage to the Minnesota Timberwolves history in the NBA draft lottery. I could've also gone with "Groundhog Day" or "Following The Bouncing Ball (Off A Cliff)". Last year's post was titled "Honestly, does anyone think this is going to go well?" Not surprisingly, it did not, and the Wolves are back in familiar territory as the worst team in the NBA as a result.
I could probably just re-post last year's version, as the broad strokes haven't changed much. The list of near-misses got a bit more stinging, with Derrick Rose moving into MVP territory and John Wall appearing to be the newest in a long line of superstars stolen by the ping-pong balls. The Wolves organization got a little lousier, with the on-court play treading water and the front office appearing shakier by the day. The biggest difference is the talent pool in this year's draft, which appears to be a lot thinner than at any time in recent memory. Although projections are only that, it's a bit tougher to get excited about winning the first pick when there isn't much of a consensus about who that guy is.
You'd be a fool to sneeze at the opportunity to pick first, that's obvious. But at the same time, there's typically a guy, like Wall last year, who makes fans salivate at the prospect of adding him to the roster. This year, the name most often mentioned is Kyrie Irving from Duke. The redundancy in that choice, picking a point guard Top 10 for the third time in three years, should make you chuckle. There are indications that Ricky Rubio may finally ride in on his white horse to save the franchise, would drafting another PG upset that apple cart? I'm not saying the team should care if it does, more of an observation on odd situations they always seem to find themselves in.
Beyond Irving, there's Derrick Williams, who is coming off a great NCAA tournament and would be a fun addition. Only problem is that a 6' 8" small forward is also pretty redundant on a team that has Michael Beasley and last year's 1st-rounder Wes Johnson pretty much in the same spot. Rest assured, I don't see Williams having a problem supplanting Johnson and/or Beasley, he just wouldn't do much in filling one of the many gaps on the squad. Otherwise, I'm seeing a crop of undersized centers and foreigners rounding out the Top 10. I'd find this whole thing much easier to get excited about if there was a scoring 2-guard who could play a bit of perimeter defense, but that guy does not appear to exist this season, at least not at the top of the round.
Being so ambivalent about this year's crop of draftees leads me to one conclusion: For the first time in their history, the Minnesota Timberwolves will win the NBA draft lottery.
What happens from there is anyone's guess. Maybe they package a couple of forwards for guard help and draft Williams. Perhaps they deal Rubio's rights and pick Irving to be the point guard of the future. Maybe they pull off some big time deal, sending the pick to a capped-out franchise in exchange for a superstar. There will certainly be many options opened up by winning this thing, which is never a bad thing. But after missing out on so many franchise-changing talents over the years, winning it this season would have a bittersweet tinge.
But hey, whatever keeps my mind of the Twins for a day.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Everything but the NFL (and of course NFL picks)
As a dedicated (some might say demented) follower of all things sports, particularly the local variety, my favorite place on Earth is a bar called Joe Senser's in Eagan, MN. With 4 x 6' screens ringing the inside and every sports package known to man, it is truly a sportsfan's paradise if you catch it on the right evening. Tonight, with the Wild facing the Red Wings, Wolves playing the Lakers, and Gopher hoops squaring off against North Carolina, happens to be one of those evenings. Heck, there's even a Duluth-Wisconsin college hockey showdown thrown in to boot.
Although these winter sports teams have been in action for a few weeks, tonight feels like the true lidlifter on the season. Perhaps it's the first meaningful college hoops game, first Timberwolves game that is actually being broadcast (more on that later), or just the fact there's snow on the ground, I'm ready to embrace the Boys of Winter. So far, they're making it seem like that love may not be squandered.
The Wolves are what they are, a team that we're simply not expecting much from in terms of results. The success or failure of the season will hinge on intangibles: Staying competitive, finding an identity, young players improving. So far, with the emergence of Michael Beasley as an elite scorer, Kevin Love's amazing rebounding and Wes Johnson's promise, they're delivering in spades. I've been a big critic of GM David Kahn the past couple of years, due to the arrogance I perceived from him and some flat-out preposterous statements he's made. It must be acknowledged that we are only 13 games into this thing, but based on the early returns, we could be a few months away from an official apology being issued. The bar is low, and the first steps are always easiest, but for the first time in a very long time, I'm intrigued by Timberwolves basketball. And that's really all I was asking this season.
The Wild had more expected of them this season, and haven't exactly gotten off to a blazing start. But things certainly haven't been bad either, and some of the keys to success I addressed way back in June have shown promise. The bottom line is they're going to need more goals, period. But with Nicklas Backstrom returning to form to steal a few games in the earlygoing, Brent Burns looking like his old self and the addition of Matt Cullen proving to be a revelation, things are looking up a bit. Even my nemesis Halfthat has looked suprisingly competent. Are there concerns? Heck yes. The ridiculous powerplay percentage won't hold up, last year's leading goal scorer is on the shelf with an injury and the goaltenders can't keep this up all season. But the good news is, so far so good, and after a 2009-10 season in which an early hole was dug, leaving the team trying to claw out of it all season, we'll take it.
Gopher hoops was to be the savior this winter. No national, or even Big Ten, title aspirations, but a fun team with talent up and down the lineup that closed out last year on a high note. College basketball is a fantastic sport, consistently exciting, with wild swings of momentum and scoring, played in historic venues in front of rabid crowds, I just can't say enough about it. The Gophers have never been a star-studded group of high-achievers, but they've always been competent, save the dark days of the Muson Era. But now, in year 4 of the Tubby Smith Revolution, the team seemed poised to make a leap. Frankly, it was a leap that was supposed to be made last season, before a rash off suspensions and ineligibility derailed everything. So you can imagine the foreboding that was being felt when the teams best guard, Davoe Joseph, was suspended for a violation of team rules last week. We still don't know what he did, or when he'll be back, but we do know one thing: When (if?) he returns, this team could be really good.
Now I don't want to get too far down the road on you, but is there any event that packs more excitement per minute than March Madness? With a whole season of ups and downs, wins and losses, avoiding injury and other missteps, still to come, it's way early to be chatting about this. But I can't get the thought of making it through that first weekend out of my head, and from what I can see (knock on wood) this team could have the pieces to do it. Of course that whole opinion might get turned on it's ear after watching them play the #8 team in the country tonight, but I love that this matchup is happening. Beyond the experience of simply facing good competition, these games have a way of hanging around all season. The past two years is't been early-season upsets of ranked opponents that helped the Gophers earn tourney berths, and while I hope that's not necessary this season, a good showing is always nice to have. I don't expect a win by any means, but I am hoping for one. At any rate, hope you can enjoy a great evening of sports.
(Closed-circuit to Fox Sports North, it doesn't wreck my night that you're not showing the Gopher hockey game tonight, but did you really have to show a home game of a hated rival? Don't get me wrong, I'm always a fan of a good college hockey game, and being that I can't watch my Sioux in the wilds of Omaha tonight, will be casting an eye toward the Bulldogs and Badgers. But if I was a Gopher hockey fan, or a Timberwolves diehard who missed K-Love's 31-31 game or Beasley's last second winner on Sunday, I'd feel pretty jerked around.
I know it's a rough economy and all that, so not sending a production crew to Houghton, Michigan might be excusable, but the simple fact is we've got too many things going on in this town to live with your paltry bandwith. Sports stations in other cities have alternate channels that pop up when games conflict, so with two professional teams and a popular college program colliding at least once a weekend for nearly half the year, I gotta ask, where are you at on that one? And don't tell me to get a life and not worry about watching all three at once, I'm your bread-n-butter consumer here folks.)
NFL Picks
Last week: 9-4 (I believe 'scintilating' is the word you're looking for)
Overall: 61-51-3
Ben
Last week: 6-7 (Thud)
Overall: 22-15-1
Brent
Last week: 6-7 (Double thud)
Overall: 20-18-1
MIAMI -1.5 over Chicago (Little hiccup there, don't ever pick Miami at home, lesson learned)
PITTSBURGH -7 over Oakland
NY JETS -7 over Houston
Baltimore -10.5 over CAROLINA
TENNESEE -7 over Washington
Detroit +6.5 over DALLAS
Green Bay -3 over MINNESOTA
Buffalo +6 over CINCINATTI
Cleveland +1.5 over JACKSONVILLE
KANSAS CITY -8 over Arizona
Seattle +11.5 over NEW ORLEANS
Atlanta -3 over ST. LOUIS
Tampa Bay +3.5 over SAN FRANCISCO
NEW ENGLAND -3.5 over Indianapolis
NY Giants +3 over PHILADELPHIA
SAN DIEGO -10 over Denver
Although these winter sports teams have been in action for a few weeks, tonight feels like the true lidlifter on the season. Perhaps it's the first meaningful college hoops game, first Timberwolves game that is actually being broadcast (more on that later), or just the fact there's snow on the ground, I'm ready to embrace the Boys of Winter. So far, they're making it seem like that love may not be squandered.
The Wolves are what they are, a team that we're simply not expecting much from in terms of results. The success or failure of the season will hinge on intangibles: Staying competitive, finding an identity, young players improving. So far, with the emergence of Michael Beasley as an elite scorer, Kevin Love's amazing rebounding and Wes Johnson's promise, they're delivering in spades. I've been a big critic of GM David Kahn the past couple of years, due to the arrogance I perceived from him and some flat-out preposterous statements he's made. It must be acknowledged that we are only 13 games into this thing, but based on the early returns, we could be a few months away from an official apology being issued. The bar is low, and the first steps are always easiest, but for the first time in a very long time, I'm intrigued by Timberwolves basketball. And that's really all I was asking this season.
The Wild had more expected of them this season, and haven't exactly gotten off to a blazing start. But things certainly haven't been bad either, and some of the keys to success I addressed way back in June have shown promise. The bottom line is they're going to need more goals, period. But with Nicklas Backstrom returning to form to steal a few games in the earlygoing, Brent Burns looking like his old self and the addition of Matt Cullen proving to be a revelation, things are looking up a bit. Even my nemesis Halfthat has looked suprisingly competent. Are there concerns? Heck yes. The ridiculous powerplay percentage won't hold up, last year's leading goal scorer is on the shelf with an injury and the goaltenders can't keep this up all season. But the good news is, so far so good, and after a 2009-10 season in which an early hole was dug, leaving the team trying to claw out of it all season, we'll take it.
Gopher hoops was to be the savior this winter. No national, or even Big Ten, title aspirations, but a fun team with talent up and down the lineup that closed out last year on a high note. College basketball is a fantastic sport, consistently exciting, with wild swings of momentum and scoring, played in historic venues in front of rabid crowds, I just can't say enough about it. The Gophers have never been a star-studded group of high-achievers, but they've always been competent, save the dark days of the Muson Era. But now, in year 4 of the Tubby Smith Revolution, the team seemed poised to make a leap. Frankly, it was a leap that was supposed to be made last season, before a rash off suspensions and ineligibility derailed everything. So you can imagine the foreboding that was being felt when the teams best guard, Davoe Joseph, was suspended for a violation of team rules last week. We still don't know what he did, or when he'll be back, but we do know one thing: When (if?) he returns, this team could be really good.
Now I don't want to get too far down the road on you, but is there any event that packs more excitement per minute than March Madness? With a whole season of ups and downs, wins and losses, avoiding injury and other missteps, still to come, it's way early to be chatting about this. But I can't get the thought of making it through that first weekend out of my head, and from what I can see (knock on wood) this team could have the pieces to do it. Of course that whole opinion might get turned on it's ear after watching them play the #8 team in the country tonight, but I love that this matchup is happening. Beyond the experience of simply facing good competition, these games have a way of hanging around all season. The past two years is't been early-season upsets of ranked opponents that helped the Gophers earn tourney berths, and while I hope that's not necessary this season, a good showing is always nice to have. I don't expect a win by any means, but I am hoping for one. At any rate, hope you can enjoy a great evening of sports.
(Closed-circuit to Fox Sports North, it doesn't wreck my night that you're not showing the Gopher hockey game tonight, but did you really have to show a home game of a hated rival? Don't get me wrong, I'm always a fan of a good college hockey game, and being that I can't watch my Sioux in the wilds of Omaha tonight, will be casting an eye toward the Bulldogs and Badgers. But if I was a Gopher hockey fan, or a Timberwolves diehard who missed K-Love's 31-31 game or Beasley's last second winner on Sunday, I'd feel pretty jerked around.
I know it's a rough economy and all that, so not sending a production crew to Houghton, Michigan might be excusable, but the simple fact is we've got too many things going on in this town to live with your paltry bandwith. Sports stations in other cities have alternate channels that pop up when games conflict, so with two professional teams and a popular college program colliding at least once a weekend for nearly half the year, I gotta ask, where are you at on that one? And don't tell me to get a life and not worry about watching all three at once, I'm your bread-n-butter consumer here folks.)
NFL Picks
Last week: 9-4 (I believe 'scintilating' is the word you're looking for)
Overall: 61-51-3
Ben
Last week: 6-7 (Thud)
Overall: 22-15-1
Brent
Last week: 6-7 (Double thud)
Overall: 20-18-1
MIAMI -1.5 over Chicago (Little hiccup there, don't ever pick Miami at home, lesson learned)
PITTSBURGH -7 over Oakland
NY JETS -7 over Houston
Baltimore -10.5 over CAROLINA
TENNESEE -7 over Washington
Detroit +6.5 over DALLAS
Green Bay -3 over MINNESOTA
Buffalo +6 over CINCINATTI
Cleveland +1.5 over JACKSONVILLE
KANSAS CITY -8 over Arizona
Seattle +11.5 over NEW ORLEANS
Atlanta -3 over ST. LOUIS
Tampa Bay +3.5 over SAN FRANCISCO
NEW ENGLAND -3.5 over Indianapolis
NY Giants +3 over PHILADELPHIA
SAN DIEGO -10 over Denver
Monday, June 28, 2010
Into the abyss
Busy weekend, lot of stuff happening, unfortunately that's the last time we'll be able to say that for quite a while. The month of July is the depths of the sports abyss, following the NBA and NHL drafts, and prior to the beginning of meaningful MLB games, it's just a long, slow grind until NFL training camps open. I might actually have to get a life for a couple of weeks, oh the horror.
The double draft days of the past week were kind of exciting, but at the same time depressing, because when draft day is the most important day on the calendar, that means your team sucks ass. I can't even remember when it wasn't the most important day on the Timberwolves calendar, and now the Wild have joined them. Both teams seem destined to continue this trend next year. It's almost enough to make me long for the sky-high expectations and brutal letdowns of a typical Vikings season...almost.
The Wolves continued their perplexing assembly of a "foundation" this past weekend as if the NBA were a fantasy league with a couple of flex positions. The current plan appears to be obtaining players who will ensure a higher pick next year. No real problem with their selection of Wesley Johnson from Syracuse, but trading away their second pick for the highly average Martell Webster was confusing. I get that they might not have liked the options available to them at the #16 spot, but part of being a rebuilding team is having the freedom to gamble on raw prospects, giving them minutes to develop their game that more established teams can't spare.
The point is probably moot, since no player that was attainable was going to change the situation this year, but if there's a big picture here, I'm missing it. A year after drafting 4 point guards in the first round, the Wolves used their #4 pick on a small forward who's a solid shooter and defender with limited ability to get his own shot. They then traded the #16 pick and Ryan Gomes (another average forward) for a small forward who's a solid shooter and defender with limited ability to get his own shot. GM David Kahn may love Webster's game, but it's tough to tell why; the stats aren't there and he's certainly not the slashing-type shot creator that the team seems to be lacking. If the guy was coming off a rookie season where he showed promise, this would make more sense, but after 4 years in the league, he probably is what he's going to be the rest of the way.
Obviously it's dangerous to run a team with an eye toward popular opinion, but maybe keeping some guys with youth and potential, rather than trading them for established stiffs, would lessen the fan apathy toward this team? Two years into his tenure, the KahnMan has turned 7 first round picks into not much. The only buzz created was from the Rubio pick last season, and that has pretty much subsided. At this point, the casual fan is going to need to be reminded who he is when (if?) he finally shows up. They're also going to need an explanation on who is going to carry the scoring load, given the front office's apparently allergy to shooting guards. Rubio may be an assist wizard, but it's never been a secret he can't shoot; current situation seems like a receipe for a lot of pretty passes followed by bricked shots.
So in general, I'm confused and a bit frustrated. Adding to the frustration was the fact that the guy I really wanted at SG, James Anderson, was drafted by San Antonio at #20. Always nice when one of the best college players gets undervalued because he doesn't have the potential offered by less productive players, then is snatched up by the team with the league's best track record of recognizing late first-round value. I will remember to bring this up in 2 years when Anderson is averaging 20 PPG.
On the other side of the coin is the Minnesota Wild, who have a very clear and consistent philosophy over the years: Acquire the entire Finnish National Team. Joining Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen and Nicklas Backstrom (in a couple of years at least) is Finland center Mikael Granlund, a playmaking center who's supposedly more NHL ready than many other first rounders. Not the end of the world to draft another Euro, as it was at a position of need and the early run on forwards left things paired down, but geez is this team in love with Finnish players.
When it comes to European hockey playuers, I tend to share the opinion of NHL GM Brian Burke, the architect of the Anaheim Ducks multiple Stanley Cup teams in the 2000s. Burke favored North American players because they grew up dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup, and playing a more rugged style. The Ducks two Cup-winning teams were built on size and toughness, with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Scott Niedermeyer and Chris Pronger anchoring a nasty group of players who ground opponents down. Looking back through history, this seems to be the norm in the playoffs; when things get nasty, North American players flourish as European players fold.
There are of course exceptions, namely the Detroit Red Wings core of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen and Lidstrom, but in general, the best players on most Cup winners are from this side of the Atlantic. The Wild's playoff no-shows have had several root causes, and certainly not all can be traced back to the presence of Euros as the team's top players. But when you already have two as your top forwards and one in net, adding another seems like overkill to me. Just my opinion of course, and certainly hope it's proven wrong.
Silver lining to the draft by the way is the selection of Jason Zucker in the 2nd round. He might be a bit on the small side at 5'10" / 175, but after watching his play on the gold-medal winning US national team in last year's World Junior Championships, I think this guy could be a great add. Very quick with a knack for putting the puck in the net. Plus he'll be a freshman at the University of Denver next season, so us college hockey fans will get to watch his development over the next couple of seasons. Unfortunate that he will be playing for the hated Pioneers, but you can't have everything.
Finally, the US soccer team lost to Ghana on Saturday, a country with slightly fewer people than the state of Texas. Thus ends another World Cup "run" in the first game of the knockout stage, basically no better or worse than was expected. I'm happy that the soccer fans got their moment last week on the big goal to advance the team past pool play, but the whole deal strikes me as kind of "meh". The US team was about two minutes short of heading home after 3 tie games, which would've been the most boring result possible. It's nice they advanced further, and I did enjoy Saturday's game, but just don't see soccer moving past it's status with me as a novelty every 4th year.
The double draft days of the past week were kind of exciting, but at the same time depressing, because when draft day is the most important day on the calendar, that means your team sucks ass. I can't even remember when it wasn't the most important day on the Timberwolves calendar, and now the Wild have joined them. Both teams seem destined to continue this trend next year. It's almost enough to make me long for the sky-high expectations and brutal letdowns of a typical Vikings season...almost.
The Wolves continued their perplexing assembly of a "foundation" this past weekend as if the NBA were a fantasy league with a couple of flex positions. The current plan appears to be obtaining players who will ensure a higher pick next year. No real problem with their selection of Wesley Johnson from Syracuse, but trading away their second pick for the highly average Martell Webster was confusing. I get that they might not have liked the options available to them at the #16 spot, but part of being a rebuilding team is having the freedom to gamble on raw prospects, giving them minutes to develop their game that more established teams can't spare.
The point is probably moot, since no player that was attainable was going to change the situation this year, but if there's a big picture here, I'm missing it. A year after drafting 4 point guards in the first round, the Wolves used their #4 pick on a small forward who's a solid shooter and defender with limited ability to get his own shot. They then traded the #16 pick and Ryan Gomes (another average forward) for a small forward who's a solid shooter and defender with limited ability to get his own shot. GM David Kahn may love Webster's game, but it's tough to tell why; the stats aren't there and he's certainly not the slashing-type shot creator that the team seems to be lacking. If the guy was coming off a rookie season where he showed promise, this would make more sense, but after 4 years in the league, he probably is what he's going to be the rest of the way.
Obviously it's dangerous to run a team with an eye toward popular opinion, but maybe keeping some guys with youth and potential, rather than trading them for established stiffs, would lessen the fan apathy toward this team? Two years into his tenure, the KahnMan has turned 7 first round picks into not much. The only buzz created was from the Rubio pick last season, and that has pretty much subsided. At this point, the casual fan is going to need to be reminded who he is when (if?) he finally shows up. They're also going to need an explanation on who is going to carry the scoring load, given the front office's apparently allergy to shooting guards. Rubio may be an assist wizard, but it's never been a secret he can't shoot; current situation seems like a receipe for a lot of pretty passes followed by bricked shots.
So in general, I'm confused and a bit frustrated. Adding to the frustration was the fact that the guy I really wanted at SG, James Anderson, was drafted by San Antonio at #20. Always nice when one of the best college players gets undervalued because he doesn't have the potential offered by less productive players, then is snatched up by the team with the league's best track record of recognizing late first-round value. I will remember to bring this up in 2 years when Anderson is averaging 20 PPG.
On the other side of the coin is the Minnesota Wild, who have a very clear and consistent philosophy over the years: Acquire the entire Finnish National Team. Joining Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen and Nicklas Backstrom (in a couple of years at least) is Finland center Mikael Granlund, a playmaking center who's supposedly more NHL ready than many other first rounders. Not the end of the world to draft another Euro, as it was at a position of need and the early run on forwards left things paired down, but geez is this team in love with Finnish players.
When it comes to European hockey playuers, I tend to share the opinion of NHL GM Brian Burke, the architect of the Anaheim Ducks multiple Stanley Cup teams in the 2000s. Burke favored North American players because they grew up dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup, and playing a more rugged style. The Ducks two Cup-winning teams were built on size and toughness, with Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Scott Niedermeyer and Chris Pronger anchoring a nasty group of players who ground opponents down. Looking back through history, this seems to be the norm in the playoffs; when things get nasty, North American players flourish as European players fold.
There are of course exceptions, namely the Detroit Red Wings core of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen and Lidstrom, but in general, the best players on most Cup winners are from this side of the Atlantic. The Wild's playoff no-shows have had several root causes, and certainly not all can be traced back to the presence of Euros as the team's top players. But when you already have two as your top forwards and one in net, adding another seems like overkill to me. Just my opinion of course, and certainly hope it's proven wrong.
Silver lining to the draft by the way is the selection of Jason Zucker in the 2nd round. He might be a bit on the small side at 5'10" / 175, but after watching his play on the gold-medal winning US national team in last year's World Junior Championships, I think this guy could be a great add. Very quick with a knack for putting the puck in the net. Plus he'll be a freshman at the University of Denver next season, so us college hockey fans will get to watch his development over the next couple of seasons. Unfortunate that he will be playing for the hated Pioneers, but you can't have everything.
Finally, the US soccer team lost to Ghana on Saturday, a country with slightly fewer people than the state of Texas. Thus ends another World Cup "run" in the first game of the knockout stage, basically no better or worse than was expected. I'm happy that the soccer fans got their moment last week on the big goal to advance the team past pool play, but the whole deal strikes me as kind of "meh". The US team was about two minutes short of heading home after 3 tie games, which would've been the most boring result possible. It's nice they advanced further, and I did enjoy Saturday's game, but just don't see soccer moving past it's status with me as a novelty every 4th year.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A return to the back burner
Dear Mr. Kahn,
Well, here we are again, left wondering where it all went wrong. Well not wondering so much, it's easy to pinpoint the exact moment where everything started a slow swirl to the bottom of the bowl, think it was around pick #6, when the Golden State logo came out of the envelope and it was clear that two teams with higher picks had found their way into the top 3. Sure there was a slim chance that the Wolves still could've ended up in their rightful position, but those of us who have seen this movie before knew how it ended, and it wasn't pretty.
I'm not really mad about it, just disappointed; probably more so than I should be, given past history and expectations that were at rock bottom. But even when you expect nothing, it's hard not to feel a twinge of excitement as the dominoes start to fall, and one team after another takes it's correct place. The moment was similar two, although not approaching the significance of, the Vikings march down the field as time ran down in the NFC Championship game. You try so hard not to care, but once you get a glimpse of that goal line, emotion overrides logic, and you start to believe, only to be slapped down hard once again.
On the bright side, I suppose we've really lost nothing here. No lead has been blown, no big name is leaving town, the cost of this misfire is just a series of hypotheticals, which may even prove to come true in some other roundabout way. As a master of spin Mr Kahn, you've been quick to offer a fallback, and we appreciate that. Perhaps history will eventually bear out your claims that moves can be made and not all is lost with your team's failure to land one of the two big names in this year's draft. Perhaps soon, even the fabled Rubio will come from across the sea to usher in a new era of Wolves basketball alongside Lottery Pick X, who's presence we will no doubt bemoan when it's announced next month. Maybe, perhaps, possibly, things could work out in some oddly ironic way. But at the moment Dave, from where I'm sitting, you don't appear to have a damn thing.
Going into last night, I was ready to give things the benefit of the doubt and reinvest myself in the Timberwolves basketball. At one point I was an entusiastic fan, but years of stagnant, fringe-playoff teams had dampened that enthusiasm. But with the Wolves poised to take the first steps back to relevance, it seemed time to check back in; after all, rooting for a young team on the rise is far more intriguing than an established squad stuck in the middle. Youth offers the promise of improvement, that tomorrow will be better than today, instead of the gnawing concern of the same familiar flaw popping up again to derail a season, as it always does in the world of the perennial also-ran. The Wolves teams during the last few years of the Garnett Era were a caricature of their previous selves, continually trying to plug one hole in the dam, just to have three or four new ones spring forth. The team was neither good enough to win it all, nor bad enough to gain a high draft pick, it was simply spinning it's wheels; frankly, as a sports fan, I consider this the worst possible place to be.
So fast forward a few years, and while this wasn't exactly a team on the rise, it was certainly a team ready to move onto the next chapter. Gone were the ill-advised contracts handed out in last-gasp attempts to salvage the end of an area, replaced instead by malleable (albeit underskilled) parts that could be shifted as necessary in pursuit of a nucleus. From that nucleus we'd build a competent squad, then a playoff team, and then a contender; at least that's the way it gets drawn up. The path has been laid out by many other organizations throughout sports history, and while falling into absolute irrelevance is tough to stomach, it also provides the freedom to do whatever is necessary to change the conditions that put you there in the first place. Nothing is sacred, it can all get blown up, all that's required to rise from the ashes is a shrewd evaluator of talent at the helm, ownership that was will to spend as needed...and a little bit of luck.
You see Dave, that's where it's always gone wrong around here, as yesterday once again hammered home. It would seem that random chance should dictate a single instance of success in 15 tries at anything with a resonable probability of success. Yet time after time, despite odds that are certainly more than reasonable, the failure continues to perpetuate. (Meanwhile, teams like the Wizards, who wouldn't be within a mile of the lottery had their best player not been suspended all year, strike gold, you really can't make it up) Adding in the abysmal front office missteps over the years, and the fact that NBA free agents apparently view Minnesota as a slighty more desirable destination than Siberia, it gets pretty tough to imagine a scenario in which this franchise will ever be able to free itself from it's current morass.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this isn't working for me and something needs to change. It's not you, it's me; you've barely been here a year, my fear and loathing regarding the draft day misadventures of the franchise go back a decade more. While it can be said your first runthrough has not been overly encouraging, you're not to blame for even one-tenth of the apathy I feel toward your franchise; the seeds of boredom were sewn long ago, and they now stand as a towering oak of indifference that even the sharpest axe could not fell. It's true these situations do not fix themselves overnight, but this team has been teetering toward irrelevance for the better part of a decade, falling over the brink a few seasons ago, perhaps never to be heard from again.
So you're on your own Dave, sorry to say, but I just can't muster the interest for another season where 20 wins is the ceiling. I'll check back again in a year or so, in the meantime re-iterating the same hope I had at this time last year: That the coming draft yields at least one player who gives the appearance of being a future building block (one who sees actual NBA minutes this season would be preferable). I have to admit, I have my doubts about your acumen, but I like your sense of humor and hope you succeed in spite of my reservations. After all, we're in this together...well, you know, after you get something resembling a professional basketball team on the floor.
Best wishes,
Pat
P.S. I know you said you don't believe in luck, but even so, bringing the Vikings play-by-play guy to the lottery couldn't have helped.
P.P.S. Rubio is never going to play here, trade him for anything of decent value.
Well, here we are again, left wondering where it all went wrong. Well not wondering so much, it's easy to pinpoint the exact moment where everything started a slow swirl to the bottom of the bowl, think it was around pick #6, when the Golden State logo came out of the envelope and it was clear that two teams with higher picks had found their way into the top 3. Sure there was a slim chance that the Wolves still could've ended up in their rightful position, but those of us who have seen this movie before knew how it ended, and it wasn't pretty.
I'm not really mad about it, just disappointed; probably more so than I should be, given past history and expectations that were at rock bottom. But even when you expect nothing, it's hard not to feel a twinge of excitement as the dominoes start to fall, and one team after another takes it's correct place. The moment was similar two, although not approaching the significance of, the Vikings march down the field as time ran down in the NFC Championship game. You try so hard not to care, but once you get a glimpse of that goal line, emotion overrides logic, and you start to believe, only to be slapped down hard once again.
On the bright side, I suppose we've really lost nothing here. No lead has been blown, no big name is leaving town, the cost of this misfire is just a series of hypotheticals, which may even prove to come true in some other roundabout way. As a master of spin Mr Kahn, you've been quick to offer a fallback, and we appreciate that. Perhaps history will eventually bear out your claims that moves can be made and not all is lost with your team's failure to land one of the two big names in this year's draft. Perhaps soon, even the fabled Rubio will come from across the sea to usher in a new era of Wolves basketball alongside Lottery Pick X, who's presence we will no doubt bemoan when it's announced next month. Maybe, perhaps, possibly, things could work out in some oddly ironic way. But at the moment Dave, from where I'm sitting, you don't appear to have a damn thing.
Going into last night, I was ready to give things the benefit of the doubt and reinvest myself in the Timberwolves basketball. At one point I was an entusiastic fan, but years of stagnant, fringe-playoff teams had dampened that enthusiasm. But with the Wolves poised to take the first steps back to relevance, it seemed time to check back in; after all, rooting for a young team on the rise is far more intriguing than an established squad stuck in the middle. Youth offers the promise of improvement, that tomorrow will be better than today, instead of the gnawing concern of the same familiar flaw popping up again to derail a season, as it always does in the world of the perennial also-ran. The Wolves teams during the last few years of the Garnett Era were a caricature of their previous selves, continually trying to plug one hole in the dam, just to have three or four new ones spring forth. The team was neither good enough to win it all, nor bad enough to gain a high draft pick, it was simply spinning it's wheels; frankly, as a sports fan, I consider this the worst possible place to be.
So fast forward a few years, and while this wasn't exactly a team on the rise, it was certainly a team ready to move onto the next chapter. Gone were the ill-advised contracts handed out in last-gasp attempts to salvage the end of an area, replaced instead by malleable (albeit underskilled) parts that could be shifted as necessary in pursuit of a nucleus. From that nucleus we'd build a competent squad, then a playoff team, and then a contender; at least that's the way it gets drawn up. The path has been laid out by many other organizations throughout sports history, and while falling into absolute irrelevance is tough to stomach, it also provides the freedom to do whatever is necessary to change the conditions that put you there in the first place. Nothing is sacred, it can all get blown up, all that's required to rise from the ashes is a shrewd evaluator of talent at the helm, ownership that was will to spend as needed...and a little bit of luck.
You see Dave, that's where it's always gone wrong around here, as yesterday once again hammered home. It would seem that random chance should dictate a single instance of success in 15 tries at anything with a resonable probability of success. Yet time after time, despite odds that are certainly more than reasonable, the failure continues to perpetuate. (Meanwhile, teams like the Wizards, who wouldn't be within a mile of the lottery had their best player not been suspended all year, strike gold, you really can't make it up) Adding in the abysmal front office missteps over the years, and the fact that NBA free agents apparently view Minnesota as a slighty more desirable destination than Siberia, it gets pretty tough to imagine a scenario in which this franchise will ever be able to free itself from it's current morass.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this isn't working for me and something needs to change. It's not you, it's me; you've barely been here a year, my fear and loathing regarding the draft day misadventures of the franchise go back a decade more. While it can be said your first runthrough has not been overly encouraging, you're not to blame for even one-tenth of the apathy I feel toward your franchise; the seeds of boredom were sewn long ago, and they now stand as a towering oak of indifference that even the sharpest axe could not fell. It's true these situations do not fix themselves overnight, but this team has been teetering toward irrelevance for the better part of a decade, falling over the brink a few seasons ago, perhaps never to be heard from again.
So you're on your own Dave, sorry to say, but I just can't muster the interest for another season where 20 wins is the ceiling. I'll check back again in a year or so, in the meantime re-iterating the same hope I had at this time last year: That the coming draft yields at least one player who gives the appearance of being a future building block (one who sees actual NBA minutes this season would be preferable). I have to admit, I have my doubts about your acumen, but I like your sense of humor and hope you succeed in spite of my reservations. After all, we're in this together...well, you know, after you get something resembling a professional basketball team on the floor.
Best wishes,
Pat
P.S. I know you said you don't believe in luck, but even so, bringing the Vikings play-by-play guy to the lottery couldn't have helped.
P.P.S. Rubio is never going to play here, trade him for anything of decent value.
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