Just wanted to catch up to post a few thoughts/musings/bullet points now that the dust has settled on the Wolves’ horrendous season. There will be little-to-no focus in the following, so if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, please raise your nose even higher.
-It has been about sixteen days since the Wolves’ season ended. Lockout be damned, we have now traversed through about 12% of the offseason and have already demonstrated our continued incompetence by doing absolutely nothing. I find this eerily similar to a family member I have who has a “harsh” car-accident history, including one doozy where she managed to initiate an accident in a parking lot while her car was completely empty and she was shopping inside. How this came to be I will leave a mystery, but it happened.
-It seems reasonable to assume that following the season, most Wolves fans expected immediate action in the firing of head coach Kurt Rambis, which would include finally unearthing the great Bermuda Triangle mystery and putting it to rest. Glen Taylor recently stated he was taking time to complete evaluations of his staff, but yet we hear nothing as the draft approaches. Speaking of coincidences, this is exactly what happened two years ago when we went into the draft without a coach or system in mind. We then drafted Jonny Flynn. It is reassuring that management has learned from their mistakes. Or we can assume the worst: Rambis is staying.
-In what seemed to me like an un-smart move, The Warriors fired head coach Keith Smart the other day, mere weeks after he lead the Warriors to a 10-win improvement vs. 2010. 36 wins gets you fired in today’s NBA. Rambis is not far behind, at 32 wins. Oh wait, that’s how many wins Rambis has in two seasons combined, yet here he is seemingly still ready to return to the sidelines. Absolutely baffling, on both accounts. How can you fire a coach who leads your team to a ten-win improvement? 40% more wins than last year! On the flip-side, how can you keep a coach running a system meant for carrier pigeons who coached the Wolves to one of the worst 2-year stretches in NBA history? What I would give to have a normal front office.
–Recent reports have surfaced that Ricky Rubio’s team has given him the green light to sign with Minnesota. Noted in this article is that it would be best if Ricky signed with Minny before the end of May. As for “green lights” and “go aheads” I must have missed it within after Google Translating. Here is a forum link where you can view the translation. All this seems to be is a statement of the CBA deadline spun into a story by a Spanish reporter. Oh well, at least we have news other than Kahn’s word (and like Peter Banning in “Hook,” Kahn’s “word is his bond”). So, hopefully we will learn his fate within the next thirty days. It is strange that it has already been nearly two years since Ricky was drafted by us. The end to the saga could be nearing. However, with the lockout looming I am having a tough time seeing him come over. The kid will have to pay his way in order to play for Kurt Rambis while simultaneously being called a “special person” by David Kahn. Doesn’t Kahn’s tonality and day-care-leader-esque phrasing bear a striking resemblance to Mr. Rogers? Kahn even “Plays Make Believe” regularly to the press. It is all too suspicious.
-Kevin Love has been a hot topic around here, whether he is worth a max contract or not. No one seems to think so, while some seem to think it is a mandate to gain his long term commitment. Some want to trade him for Andre Iguodala, some want to keep him for fear of losing their odd man-crush. The basis of the ‘trade-Love’ argument is that the team needs more defense on the perimeter. Also, Love “does little to help the team win” because he is a poor defender, a problem that, apparently, Beasley/Randolph can solve. These collective benefits are “better than signing Love to a long-term, expensive deal.” That may be. Nobody knows for sure. But, does the source of the qualm stem from player ability to defend on the perimeter, or is this a Rambis issue? We have competent defenders. Who is to say Iguodala’s presence would suddenly give Rambis the idea that, “hey, maybe closing out on three point shooters is a good idea. That way, I can prevent Ty Lawson from hitting ten straight threes, the most consecutive in the history of the National Basketball Association.”
I’m just saying.
And Beasley/AR are better post defenders than Love? They would fill the void with their consistency? Please. Look, there are some deals for Love worth getting behind, but the bottom line is this: he is not and should never be a scapegoat for this team. He is the last thing wrong with our roster as it stands today.
-The lottery is approaching. We will have a 25% chance of nabbing the #1 pick, and a 100% chance of coming away with Jan Vesely, Jonas Vonaskfocweiocjweiojefowejdiowjdiweygyhuincnefjio$$$^^^&&&^^^^!123456weiojdewious, or Enes Kanter. Buckle up! More coverage there in the coming weeks.
-Lastly, enjoy the playoffs. Just watching the intensity of these games reminds me, sadly, of just how far the Wolves have to go, even with considerable upgrades in talent. Would Wes Johnson ever have hit a shot like Gary Neal did? No. It just breeds with a winning culture, something we are so far from right now. Anyhow, there have been some fantastic games only March Madness can replicate. Some surprises as well. Tune in and enjoy some real NBA basketball.