It is a learning process. Most nights, Minnesota looks like a 3-21 team with a rookie point guard as its conductor. The Timberwolves are 27th among the league’s 30 teams in scoring at 92.5 points per game.
“The biggest thing is they don’t manipulate the players,” a Western Conference scout said. “One of the things that makes the triangle tough is, pretty much besides the center, every other piece is interchangeable. The Timberwolves have it, but it doesn’t look as crisp. As you get better talent, the triangle looks better.”
Somebody told Love he’d go through the Timberwolves media guide’s history of coaches to recall who coached the team way back then.
Turns out, it was Randy Wittman.
“Yeah,” Love said. “No comment.”
“Kurt’s probably a little more nurturing than he is,” Kevin Love said, “but he’s still a pretty laid-back guy, a good dude. But when it gets time to step to those lines, or coach, or battle with the big guys in practice, he’s tremendous.” And while Laimbeer has different aspirations now, he does miss certain aspects of coaching women.
“They listen more, there’s no question about that,” he said. “They want to be coached; they want to be taught. They appreciate their opportunity in the professional ranks, where the guys probably feel it’s deserved. The women appreciate it because they haven’t had it that long. It’s important to them.