Minnesota Sports Forum

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

Yes, we have bad culture. And it extends well beyond just commitment to defense. It's also very difficult to change.

monsterpile wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

Yes, we have bad culture. And it extends well beyond just commitment to defense. It's also very difficult to change.

Agreed there is a culture aspect especially on defense. There is also a reality of playing 3 rookies one who was a 2nd round pick and one nobody had heard of till literally days ago. Bayless is the backup PG. Derrick Rose isn't playing. What is a reasonable expectation for some of these games? Seriously? There is making excuses which can make us feel less like chumps or whatever and then there is some reality of the situation.

lipoli390 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

Yes, we have bad culture. And it extends well beyond just commitment to defense. It's also very difficult to change.

Agreed there is a culture aspect especially on defense. There is also a reality of playing 3 rookies one who was a 2nd round pick and one nobody had heard of till literally days ago. Bayless is the backup PG. Derrick Rose isn't playing. What is a reasonable expectation for some of these games? Seriously? There is making excuses which can make us feel less like chumps or whatever and then there is some reality of the situation.

per
I agree, Monster. I'm far less worried about culture than about the quality of our players and coaching staff. Give me talent and the coaching to get the most out of that talent. The culture will follow. The Houston game wasn't about culture. Instead, it was about a talent disparity. Our one allstar/superstar, Towns, was up against Houston's superstar James Harden, allstar Chris Paul and allstar caliber Clint Capella in combination with really good players like Eric Gordon and Tucker. If playing for the Wolves, Gordon and Tucker would have been the team's 2nd and 3rd best players after KAT. It was, however, good to see Okogie score over 20 points with a nice shooting percentage.

As I've said many times, at this point it's all about development of our young players (Okogie, Tyus, KBD and Reynolds), the upcoming draft, finding young free agent talent and the healthy return of RoCo next season. The key measure of success for this organization going forward will be were its at in the 2021-22 season, which is the 3rd year of KAT's 5-year deal and the final year of RoCo's contract. At this point in the 2021-22 season, the Wolves need to be where Houston is now - securely in the playoffs and competing for the 3rd or 4th seed.  There's no short-cut getting there. We saw recently what happens when this organization tries to take a short cut. The good news is that KAT is a superstar. I'm still high on Okogie and have a higher opinion of Tyus than most on this Board. I've been impressed by KBD the past couple weeks. And we'll have a top 13 pick in the upcoming draft. So we have some building blocks. We just need to be smart and patient. My concern is that being smart has never been an attribute of this organization. But there's always a first time. :)

lipoli390 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

Yes, we have bad culture. And it extends well beyond just commitment to defense. It's also very difficult to change.

Agreed there is a culture aspect especially on defense. There is also a reality of playing 3 rookies one who was a 2nd round pick and one nobody had heard of till literally days ago. Bayless is the backup PG. Derrick Rose isn't playing. What is a reasonable expectation for some of these games? Seriously? There is making excuses which can make us feel less like chumps or whatever and then there is some reality of the situation.

I agree, Monster. I'm far less worried about culture than about the quality of our players and coaching staff. Give me talent and the coaching to get the most out of that talent. The culture will follow. The Houston game wasn't about culture. Instead, it was about a talent disparity. Our one allstar/superstar, Towns, was up against Houston's superstar James Harden, allstar Chris Paul and allstar caliber Clint Capella in combination with really good players like Eric Gordon and Tucker. If playing for the Wolves, Gordon and Tucker would have been the team's 2nd and 3rd best players after KAT. It was, however, good to see Okogie score over 20 points with a nice shooting percentage.

As I've said many times, at this point it's all about development of our young players (Okogie, Tyus, KBD and Reynolds), the upcoming draft, finding young free agent talent and the healthy return of RoCo next season. The key measure of success for this organization going forward will be were its at in the 2021-22 season, which is the 3rd year of KAT's 5-year deal and the final year of RoCo's contract. At this point in the 2021-22 season, the Wolves need to be where Houston is now - securely in the playoffs and competing for the 3rd or 4th seed.  There's no short-cut getting there. We saw recently what happens when this organization tries to take a short cut. The good news is that KAT is a superstar. I'm still high on Okogie and have a higher opinion of Tyus than most on this Board. I've been impressed by KBD the past couple weeks. And we'll have a top 13 pick in the upcoming draft. So we have some building blocks. We just need to be smart and patient. My concern is that being smart has never been an attribute of this organization. But there's always a first time. :)

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:So the Wolves have played three straight playoff teams:

- 26 points
- 20
- 15

It's the annual tradition where we realize just how much more work is needed this offseason to even get to a place where the Wolves are competitive with the better teams in the conference.

Part that and part not giving 100%. They know they are out of the playoff hunt at this point, so the extra effort plays just aren't going to happen at this point. It's not an excuse as you would hope these guys had more pride, but I think it's the reality.

Again, we have a culture within the organization that doesn't value defense enough. We've been bad on that side of the ball for a very long time now, through multiple GMs and coaches.

Yes, we have bad culture. And it extends well beyond just commitment to defense. It's also very difficult to change.

Agreed there is a culture aspect especially on defense. There is also a reality of playing 3 rookies one who was a 2nd round pick and one nobody had heard of till literally days ago. Bayless is the backup PG. Derrick Rose isn't playing. What is a reasonable expectation for some of these games? Seriously? There is making excuses which can make us feel less like chumps or whatever and then there is some reality of the situation.

per
I agree, Monster. I'm far less worried about culture than about the quality of our players and coaching staff. Give me talent and the coaching to get the most out of that talent. The culture will follow. The Houston game wasn't about culture. Instead, it was about a talent disparity. Our one allstar/superstar, Towns, was up against Houston's superstar James Harden, allstar Chris Paul and allstar caliber Clint Capella in combination with really good players like Eric Gordon and Tucker. If playing for the Wolves, Gordon and Tucker would have been the team's 2nd and 3rd best players after KAT. It was, however, good to see Okogie score over 20 points with a nice shooting percentage.

As I've said many times, at this point it's all about development of our young players (Okogie, Tyus, KBD and Reynolds), the upcoming draft, finding young free agent talent and the healthy return of RoCo next season. The key measure of success for this organization going forward will be were its at in the 2021-22 season, which is the 3rd year of KAT's 5-year deal and the final year of RoCo's contract. At this point in the 2021-22 season, the Wolves need to be where Houston is now - securely in the playoffs and competing for the 3rd or 4th seed.  There's no short-cut getting there. We saw recently what happens when this organization tries to take a short cut. The good news is that KAT is a superstar. I'm still high on Okogie and have a higher opinion of Tyus than most on this Board. I've been impressed by KBD the past couple weeks. And we'll have a top 13 pick in the upcoming draft. So we have some building blocks. We just need to be smart and patient. My concern is that being smart has never been an attribute of this organization. But there's always a first time. :)

Lip, bad culture isn't represented by failure in a single game or even series of games. It's represented by players under performing year in and year out. It's represented by a history of poor hires and personnel decisions. Nothing defines this franchise more than bad culture. It's so thick you can almost see it on the uniforms.