The Wolves

[jamiche]

I watched about half an hour of the game last night, enough to see the wolves get beaten like a dirty old rug by a team only slightly less bad than themselves. They will be a little better after Love returns but after all of Kahn's trades they have actually taken a step back with no discernible core of players that will create a brighter day down the line. During the preseason Jonny Flynn was compared to Chris Paul. After eight games I see mostly Marcus Banks. I can't imagine Rubio wouldn't start and wouldn't make this team better than it is. The other rookie, Ellington, plays few meaningful minutes because he's not athletic enough to get his shot off. The players already appear disinterested, having worked harder for McHale than they do for Rambis. It's the worst shooting NBA team I can recall. Ill suited for the triangle--it should be scrapped. No rebounding, no defense.

I'm a huge wolves fan and I was really pissed when I read that they were only going to televise 55 games this year. Now I think that may be too many. All in all, a really disappointing start. I'm not seeing a master plan. It appears to be the same old crap.

[Zeppelin Gopher]

Are we sure that Rambis knows what he's doing? I've never seen a coach shuffle through 11 guys in the first quarter like he does.

I agree about the triangle. Completely ill suited for our talent and its never been successful other than when the greatest players in the game are running it. If its such a great offense then why hasn't it spread across the league?

[bga1]

I watched about half an hour of the game last night, enough to see the wolves get beaten like a dirty old rug by a team only slightly less bad than themselves. They will be a little better after Love returns but after all of Kahn's trades they have actually taken a step back with no discernible core of players that will create a brighter day down the line. During the preseason Jonny Flynn was compared to Chris Paul. After eight games I see mostly Marcus Banks. I can't imagine Rubio wouldn't start and wouldn't make this team better than it is. The other rookie, Ellington, plays few meaningful minutes because he's not athletic enough to get his shot off. The players already appear disinterested, having worked harder for McHale than they do for Rambis. It's the worst shooting NBA team I can recall. Ill suited for the triangle--it should be scrapped. No rebounding, no defense.

I'm a huge wolves fan and I was really pissed when I read that they were only going to televise 55 games this year. Now I think that may be too many. All in all, a really disappointing start. I'm not seeing a master plan. It appears to be the same old crap.


Agree about the team. Horrible. They tossed this year in the wastebasket before it started. The claim is that they will use their cap money and next year's draft to create a solid team. We'll see.

I disagree on Flynn- he's 20 years old. For a rookie that age- he's off to a good start. I doubt Rubio ever plays here- I have to believe he is traded to a big market team. I'd love to see him here but with Flynn and Sessions both here.... they need just about everything else besides the point guard position.

[jamiche]

Agree about the team. Horrible. They tossed this year in the wastebasket before it started. The claim is that they will use their cap money and next year's draft to create a solid team. We'll see.

I disagree on Flynn- he's 20 years old. For a rookie that age- he's off to a good start. I doubt Rubio ever plays here- I have to believe he is traded to a big market team. I'd love to see him here but with Flynn and Sessions both here.... they need just about everything else besides the point guard position.

I agree with you on Rubio. Disappointing because he would at least be fun to watch. The wolves badly oversold Jonny Flynn. Obviously it is early but, having watched more of the wolves this year than a normal, healthy person should, I don't see a game changer. Hope I'm wrong.

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

I agree with you on Rubio. Disappointing because he would at least be fun to watch. The wolves badly oversold Jonny Flynn. Obviously it is early but, having watched more of the wolves this year than a normal, healthy person should, I don't see a game changer. Hope I'm wrong.

Not that I care one bit about the Wolves, but your early judgments on players aren't too hot, so I might give Flynn a little more than a week or two.

Adrian Peterson can't turn the corner?

On the other end of the spectrum, I believe you also once stated Rico Tucker would leave early for the NBA. :rolleyes:

[tikited]

Typical bad coaching move: Making the players adapt to the system. This rarely works.

It is early, but the style these guys have been playing the last few years does not gel with the triangle. Not saying they can't adapt, but I perfer when coaches adapt the system to the players strengths.

Brewster did the same thing as Rambis year one and look how that turned out.

The future is still MUCH brighter now that the McHale faction is long gone. Many pieces still to be used.

Sessions won't be on this team in three years no matter what Rubio does. Sessions was signed to use as a trading chip.

Jefferson won't be on this team next year if Love can come back strong.

Fynn will be fine as long as Rambis lets him play. This won't happen this year I'm afraid.

Expect many more changes.

[jamiche]

Not that I care one bit about the Wolves, but your early judgments on players aren't too hot, so I might give Flynn a little more than a week or two.

Adrian Peterson can't turn the corner?

On the other end of the spectrum, I believe you also once stated Rico Tucker would leave early for the NBA. :rolleyes:

I don't remember any of your posts.

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

I don't remember any of your posts.

Well, that's probably a good thing for me then, isn't it?

[jamiche]

Typical bad coaching move: Making the players adapt to the system. This rarely works.

It is early, but the style these guys have been playing the last few years does not gel with the triangle. Not saying they can't adapt, but I perfer when coaches adapt the system to the players strengths.

Brewster did the same thing as Rambis year one and look how that turned out.

The future is still MUCH brighter now that the McHale faction is long gone. Many pieces still to be used.

Sessions won't be on this team in three years no matter what Rubio does. Sessions was signed to use as a trading chip.

Jefferson won't be on this team next year if Love can come back strong.

Fynn will be fine as long as Rambis lets him play. This won't happen this year I'm afraid.

Expect many more changes.

I still believe that Kahn can make something of this situation, mostly because he is highly motivated. I was prepared for another rough year but the start hasn't even met my already minimal expectations. This is the fourth or fifth dismal year in a row and no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Actually, no rainbow either.

[tikited]

I still believe that Kahn can make something of this situation, mostly because he is highly motivated. I was prepared for another rough year but the start hasn't even met my already minimal expectations. This is the fourth or fifth dismal year in a row and no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Actually, no rainbow either.

I predicted 20 wins with or without Love. That seems way too high right about now. I will say this: I'm very afraid of Rambis.

[Ogee Oglethorpe]

This brings up a good point, albeit a little premature. With the drafting of Flynn, as well as Rubio (even if he never plays for the Wolves), and the signing of Sessions, do the Wolves consider drafting a guy like John Wall next year if he's available?

Nice to see the only team frequently picked to finish WORSE than the Wolves, Sacramento, jump out with 4 wins. Maybe the Wolves will actually win the Draft Lottery for a change.

A little early but it looks like a pretty deep draft. The Wolves could land a couple of nice talented players in next year's draft.

Yikes, 2-3 weeks into the season and I'm already talking about next year's draft. Ouch....

[jamiche]

This brings up a good point, albeit a little premature. With the drafting of Flynn, as well as Rubio (even if he never plays for the Wolves), and the signing of Sessions, do the Wolves consider drafting a guy like John Wall next year if he's available?

Nice to see the only team frequently picked to finish WORSE than the Wolves, Sacramento, jump out with 4 wins. Maybe the Wolves will actually win the Draft Lottery for a change.

A little early but it looks like a pretty deep draft. The Wolves could land a couple of nice talented players in next year's draft.

Yikes, 2-3 weeks into the season and I'm already talking about next year's draft. Ouch....

Thinking about the draft months ahead every year gets kind of old.

[jamiche]

I predicted 20 wins with or without Love. That seems way too high right about now. I will say this: I'm very afraid of Rambis.

I'm not afraid of Rambis, at least not yet. I like his demeanor on the sideline. Unfortunately, he's got even less to work with than he thought and he's trying to implement a system that doesn't work without any excellent passing big man and a superstar on the wing.

[Gopher4Life]

Making a roster conform to an inappropriate system is one of the bigger mistakes a coach (in any sport and at any level) can make.

[monk10]

Is this the first coach to replicate the Triangle? I grew up on the Rockets which was the get three sharp shooters to stand around and shoot threes while you feed the ball to a passing center. So my NBA offensive knowledge is pretty amateur at best.

[tikited]

Is this the first coach to replicate the Triangle? I grew up on the Rockets which was the get three sharp shooters to stand around and shoot threes while you feed the ball to a passing center. So my NBA offensive knowledge is pretty amateur at best.

The triangle utilizes good passing and moving without the ball. Jefferson is not good at either. Jefferson is our best player by a landslide. It could work just fine if we get players to adapt quickly, but it doesn't look good right now.

Not sure how many others have tried this besides Jackson.


Those were great Rocket teams by the way.

[Zeppelin Gopher]

Is this the first coach to replicate the Triangle?

Jim Cleamons, Tim Floyd, etc....the triangle has failed miserably except when coached by Big Chief Triangle and Tex Winter while being executed by 2 elite superstars.

[Iceland12]

The triangle utilizes good passing and moving without the ball. Jefferson is not good at either. Jefferson is our best player by a landslide. It could work just fine if we get players to adapt quickly, but it doesn't look good right now.

Not sure how many others have tried this besides Jackson.

Those were great Rocket teams by the way.

I've heard Khan (many, many times) and Rambis say that winning this year "isn't important". They've said that the Wolves won't be contenders for "two or three years". Rambis has also said how it will "take time" to learn his version of the triangle.

After watching the Wolves this year I believe them. That's why we didn't renew our ticket package and we've even turned down free tickets to watch them play this year. Really, what's the point?:(

[jamiche]

I've heard Khan (many, many times) and Rambis say that winning this year "isn't important". They've said that the Wolves won't be contenders for "two or three years". Rambis has also said how it will "take time" to learn his version of the triangle.

After watching the Wolves this year I believe them. That's why we didn't renew our ticket package and we've even turned down free tickets to watch them play this year. Really, what's the point?:(

There is the obvious distinction between losing while putting forth a good effort and losing by quitting. They really hustled during the Boston game and since then the obvious lack of effort has been disappointing. I think that people will be reasonably patient with the "plan" as long as the players work hard. If they don't work hard Glen will lose $50M instead of $30M this year because there will be a lot of nights when there are 1500 people in the building including the janitors, ushers, security, food stand workers, etc.

[Iceland12]

There is the obvious distinction between losing while putting forth a good effort and losing by quitting. They really hustled during the Boston game and since then the obvious lack of effort has been disappointing. I think that people will be reasonably patient with the "plan" as long as the players work hard. If they don't work hard Glen will lose $50M instead of $30M this year because there will be a lot of nights when there are 1500 people in the building including the janitors, ushers, security, food stand workers, etc.

I wish I could be that optimistic but I just can't. They've got what about 7,000 Season Tickets sold or the equivalent thereof? They paper the house for both the Boston and Cleveland games and there were thousands of empty seats. By making a determined effort to decimate the talent level on the team to the point of not even trying to get a return on many players, they've told what is left of their fan base that they do not care about this season and maybe next season as well.

Hell, as we've already discussed, they've actually went out and said it.

I understand what there doing but like the vast majority of the people in the state, I'm not willing to put up with the minor hassle of getting to the game to watch them do it. There is no joy in going to see lousy basketball, particularly on the Pro level and I think they've completely underestimated the disdain that exists for the damn team.

They are apparently clueless to this apathy. They've been absolutely brutal for the better part of three years. Anybody who considers themselves to be a fan of the Timberwolves rather then the NBA can't really want to see the level of product they are putting on the court. Taking away the Boston game and a quarter or so of the other games and it's 60-70 loss level.

They've even abandoned the triangle on a nightly basis to try and get the ball into Al. Unless Al can figure out how to score 60 points a night that's a disaster. No one can score, NOBODY CAN SHOOT, the defense is non-existent and they don't even run the court and finish very well.

I can't tell by watching if they're really this incompetent or they're just quitting on a nightly basis. At least Weber is trying. These guys? Really, who the hell would want to go watch them play?

If you're a Pro Basketball and/or a College Football fan in this town it's virtually impossible to have any positive thoughts presently on the local teams. There's still some hope for the future on the Football side. Up to now the Coaching leaves a lot to be desired but there's more talent then they've had since Warmath.

The Timberwolves of today or by their own admission the next couple of years? I can't even say that I'd be spending my money on a good cause. Really, what's the point? :mad: