Q12543 wrote:LST, Our "watchability" ranking last year was consistently in the top 10-15 heading into the season. Bleacher report had us at #6. Grantland had us at #7, and SB Nation had us at #13. Most of us thought we had assembled a team that could compete for a playoff spot. Some of us thought we could compete for a top 4 or 5 seed in the West. There was a hell of a lot of excitement heading into last season.
I agree that there was a lot of optimism last year, q, but to me it felt entirely different from this year. Like I said earlier, playoffs were never mentioned today, but most of us here were confident they would be in the top 8. But I don't think there was the sense of long-term optimism last year that I felt today. On this board, there was a lot of discussion about how Flip's off-season moves had both improved us and hamstrung us...that all the $5 million contracts he inked were going to lock us into being a lower playoff team for a long time. Yes, there was excitement about the prospect of playoff basketball, but there wasn't much optimism about the future. And the Love uncertainty was hanging heavy in the air too.
Maybe I'm projecting my feelings to the players, but I always sensed the Love factor was a negative for them too. It's not fun when your best player keeps sending out signals that he isn't happy. That's what I felt all last year, and I think the team felt it too. That's one of the reasons today felt so different and was so much fun. I got to listen to a bunch of young players who all seem happy and excited to be here.
Maybe everything unravels after 15-20 games, but I don't think so.
You might be right about Love's situation being a bit of a wet blanket last season, but what about Rubio's situation this season? Flip hasn't exactly embraced Ricky as the key leader for this team. And I have to believe Rubio will begin yearning for a better team after slogging it out for three years without a playoff appearance, soon to be four seasons. Don't be surprised if he doesn't sign an extension and hopes that someone else makes a better offer next summer.
I almost get the feeling Martin is being ripped for trying to be a mentor cause he sucks at defense. Seems like a case of he can't do anything right. If he doesn't talk to rookies then he would be a jerk-hole or whatever. I don't take much stock in what these guys say on these media days is all flowers rainbows and unicorns and it should be. We all know JJ got away with a lot last year under Adelman so obviously Martian did as well. I'm sure guys will get away with stuff this year too but probably not as much and not in the same way.
Coming out of college one of the reasons Bud dropped into the 2nd round was the concern he wasn't really commited to basketball. I've heard zero indication since then about that being an issue. Bud just a laid back type that isn't really a media spotlight guy. If he is actually healthy he will play and will probably surprise people.
I know Glen is a professional sports owner and bigtime business owner etc but let's be honest the guy is old. I've met people that are over 100 years old that still seem very sharp but I know a lot of people when they get up there in age just seem to not be quite what they once were. Just sayin.
I drove down to Mankato last night with daughter in tow to catch the Dunks after Dark in person. Here are my thoughts (in no particular order) from a decidedly un X's and O's kind of guy.
First off, it was a lot of fun. There was a lot of energy in the arena and I thought it was a great way to kick off training camp for both the fans and the players.
Early in the first scrimmage Rubio connected with Wiggins for a beautiful alley-oop dunk.
Corey may have publicly acknowledged he is not going to be starting, but he is not going down with a fight. He scored on several fast break points. At one point I saw Corey streaking down the court and I was waiting for that outlet pass from Love. Of course the pass never came; instead Young dribbled the length of the court for an and-one. I can't remember who it was that tried taking the charge, but he was out of position.
Both Chase and Shabazz both looked good. Shabazz was very active the whole evening. Martin hit at least 4 three's in a row with one being well behind the three point line. LaVine hit a jumper or two, played point for a bit. I don't remember if GW3 scored at all.
Ricky continued to struggle with his shooting. However one sequence in the final scrimmage was encouraging. Ricky's team was down 5 with about 30 seconds to go. Someone (sorry don't remember who) hit a three, but it was waved off for shot clock violation. Ricky did not agree with the call, but his protest to the ref fell on deaf ears. Wiggins then stole the inbounds pass for an uncontested dunk. Ricky's team got the stop. Quick time out with 2.8 seconds on the clock, in bounds went to Ricky - who nailed a three to tie it up.
Bottom line it's what you would expect from the first day of training camp, the vets looked like they had been here before and looked ready to play while the rookies looked lost at times. I know it was a scrimmage but these players do not like to lose.
The fight for minutes at the 2 - 3 and even 4 positions is going to be great this year. Competition is a healthy thing and adding a good mix of youth and vets will make things competitive. It also seems that everyone is getting along well (which didn't seem to happen during the Love era).
Flip has installed a great work ethic and the players seem more motivated than I can ever remember in my 14 years as a Wolves fan.
I'm not expecting the playoffs by any means but I can see us clocking up 30 wins, which should be a realistic goal to work towards.
Has any team ever had two participants in the All Star Dunk Contest? Surely Wiggins and LeVine are a shoe in.
AbeVigodaLive wrote:I've never been more excited to watch a 55-loss team.
Abe, we're going to have an "over" party in Vegas if that 27 wins number is accurate and confirmed. You'll take that action, right?
Also, I would hope that Brewer gives Wiggins a good fight for that starting job. Brew can be a good mentor to Wiggy with his hustle and attitude, but he better not be that older brother who lets his younger brother beat him in the driveway.
You "over" guys need to fly to Vegas today. They just posted their number, and surprisingly it's lower than the online books...25 1/2 wins. Only Philly and the Bucks have lower totals.
AbeVigodaLive wrote:I've never been more excited to watch a 55-loss team.
Abe, we're going to have an "over" party in Vegas if that 27 wins number is accurate and confirmed. You'll take that action, right?
Also, I would hope that Brewer gives Wiggins a good fight for that starting job. Brew can be a good mentor to Wiggy with his hustle and attitude, but he better not be that older brother who lets his younger brother beat him in the driveway.
Problem is that Brewer's hustle doesn't extend to all facets of his game. He'll hustle for steals and fast breaks... then get complacent with other stuff.
We're going to be closer to 40 wins than we will be 20 wins. The added depth, athleticism and defensive presence is enough to have me confident about that. Not to mention we've seen Rubio make trash look acceptable.
