Not As Bad As It Could Have Been
First of all, did anyone else see who got the top spot in the all overpaid team? In honesty, I would have put him behind Dikembe and Brian Grant.
We've had a couple games since I last blogged. First, we had a game against Memphis. To be honest, I didn't see much of the game after the first quarter. I was stuck in the bathroom, vomitting from what I had just seen. This seriously has to be one of the worst performances I've ever seen by a Timberwolves team. They looked like complete amateurs. By the time I came to, the Wolves started to make a little run, but it was too little too late.
Next we had the Nuggets and the schizophrenic nature of the Timberwolves play continued. They started out by looking like a world class team. They were completely in sync, hustling, and dominant. Then they turned back into that team that made me feel like I needed to stick my head in the toilet again, playing super sloppy basketball, and looking completely disorganized. Then, they finished off the game by looking like a team fighting for their playoff lives. They weren't dominant like they were at the beginning, but they looked hungry for a victory and managed to pull it out through shear hustle.
But one victory over Denver isn't going to convince me that this season is going anywhere. There was a great article by Marc Stein (cleverly titled "Wolves wise to avoid spending Spree") on ESPN.com the other day about the Wolves struggles that completely echoed my sentiments about this year's team.
The article basically states that Sprewell and Cassell have sabotaged the team from the inside, not so much by their lackluster play (though using the term lackluster may be giving them too much credit), but more so by creating dissent within the clubhouse.
Basically, they have put personal gain ahead of the team concept by demanding ridiculous extensions, and have encouraged others to do the same. As a result, the Wolves often end up looking unprepared, especially on defense. Lately, it seems that after every shot, KG is the only one anywhere near the basket trying to get the rebound. As a result, he's fighting people off 3-on-1 (wonder why his rebounds are down in recent games?), so even when he does come up with it, he has to work extraordinarily hard and can rarely come up with it cleanly enough to start a fast break.
So yes, this season is a disaster. But the good news is, had we signed Spree and Sam to the ridiculous extensions they had demanded, it would have sentenced the Wolves to basketball purgatory for years to come. I applaud Glen Taylor's refusal to give in, even though Spree and Sam were being whinny little bitches. Unfortunately, next year might not be a picnic either, with one year left on each of Sam and Kandi's contracts. But after that, the Wolves will have a golden opportunity to start going young.
I look forward to seeing a youthful and athletic Wolves team that is energetic and excited to be playing professional basketball--something that has been sorely lacking this year.
We've had a couple games since I last blogged. First, we had a game against Memphis. To be honest, I didn't see much of the game after the first quarter. I was stuck in the bathroom, vomitting from what I had just seen. This seriously has to be one of the worst performances I've ever seen by a Timberwolves team. They looked like complete amateurs. By the time I came to, the Wolves started to make a little run, but it was too little too late.
Next we had the Nuggets and the schizophrenic nature of the Timberwolves play continued. They started out by looking like a world class team. They were completely in sync, hustling, and dominant. Then they turned back into that team that made me feel like I needed to stick my head in the toilet again, playing super sloppy basketball, and looking completely disorganized. Then, they finished off the game by looking like a team fighting for their playoff lives. They weren't dominant like they were at the beginning, but they looked hungry for a victory and managed to pull it out through shear hustle.
But one victory over Denver isn't going to convince me that this season is going anywhere. There was a great article by Marc Stein (cleverly titled "Wolves wise to avoid spending Spree") on ESPN.com the other day about the Wolves struggles that completely echoed my sentiments about this year's team.
The article basically states that Sprewell and Cassell have sabotaged the team from the inside, not so much by their lackluster play (though using the term lackluster may be giving them too much credit), but more so by creating dissent within the clubhouse.
Basically, they have put personal gain ahead of the team concept by demanding ridiculous extensions, and have encouraged others to do the same. As a result, the Wolves often end up looking unprepared, especially on defense. Lately, it seems that after every shot, KG is the only one anywhere near the basket trying to get the rebound. As a result, he's fighting people off 3-on-1 (wonder why his rebounds are down in recent games?), so even when he does come up with it, he has to work extraordinarily hard and can rarely come up with it cleanly enough to start a fast break.
So yes, this season is a disaster. But the good news is, had we signed Spree and Sam to the ridiculous extensions they had demanded, it would have sentenced the Wolves to basketball purgatory for years to come. I applaud Glen Taylor's refusal to give in, even though Spree and Sam were being whinny little bitches. Unfortunately, next year might not be a picnic either, with one year left on each of Sam and Kandi's contracts. But after that, the Wolves will have a golden opportunity to start going young.
I look forward to seeing a youthful and athletic Wolves team that is energetic and excited to be playing professional basketball--something that has been sorely lacking this year.
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