Minnesota Sports Forum

Q, good summary of an interesting interview with Flip. I liked a lot of what I heard, but didn't like his response to how long he intends to coach.

I'm not giving up on Pek starting, despite Flip saying he's injured, because I'm convinced he is our best option right now at C. We already knew that Pek is injured, so Flip was only stating the obvious, but we also know Pek has said he expects to resume basketball activity in September and be fully ready by the time training camp opens. I think Flip really wants Towns to earn the starting center position next to KG, but I think that wish may not jive with his desire to compete for the playoffs. I believe he will start at center the player who seems more ready to play center in the NBA, and a healthy Pek is light years ahead of the center I watched in Vegas.

My first reaction to what flip said about developing young talent was his staying for a while but then I noticed he said developing players and it made me think Flip is looking at developing guys and then handing them off. He was asked about Malone and it seems that Flip does still have it in his mind he isn't coaching forever that's for sure. Another thought is you can develop players without being a coach. I am sure Flip saw that firsthand with McHale working with KG and Rasho plus I sure other guys as well. I think Flip is conflicted on this but I really think Flip's thought is he wants to have a hands on approach and figure out who might be the next guy when he has a better idea of the team. That's my take away.

longstrangetrip wrote:Q, good summary of an interesting interview with Flip. I liked a lot of what I heard, but didn't like his response to how long he intends to coach.

I'm not giving up on Pek starting, despite Flip saying he's injured, because I'm convinced he is our best option right now at C. We already knew that Pek is injured, so Flip was only stating the obvious, but we also know Pek has said he expects to resume basketball activity in September and be fully ready by the time training camp opens. I think Flip really wants Towns to earn the starting center position next to KG, but I think that wish may not jive with his desire to compete for the playoffs. I believe he will start at center the player who seems more ready to play center in the NBA, and a healthy Pek is light years ahead of the center I watched in Vegas.

Long I think Flip is going to be really cautious with Pek's minutes and that may mean he brings him off the bench. I am not worried about whether he starts or not eapecially with Miller on board. If he is healthy he will be a nice player in the minutes he plays.

Also I feel a little bad for Pek in how it ends up sounding like he is some baby that can't take someone yelling at him or whatever. The reports out of Europe were always he would run through a brick wall do whatever you asked him to. I've never seen anything different from that as long as he was physically able to do it. Pek isn't some weak minded dude and I don't think Flip meant that he was just talking up KG. I also think he has been willing to play through stuff too it's just it doesn't make any sense to do that all things considered.

Zach Lowe isn't the NBA encyclopedia Bill Simmons is, but he's probably a better analyst. Wish we could hire him.

Is it not obvious to any one else that his son will be the next coach here?

TheFuture wrote:Is it not obvious to any one else that his son will be the next coach here?

I don't see it as completely improbable, but I find it far from obvious and quite unlikely. I think it's likely that, as a typical father, Flip would want his son to succeed him. But on the other hand, he has said a couple times that he will ultimately be judged as PBO by the quality of the person he chooses to succeed him, and I think it would be difficult for him to sell Ryan as the best choice. He's had no head coaching experience at any level, and isn't even that high in the assistant coaching pecking order. I have to believe that existing NBA coaches, successful college coaches, and assistant coaches from successful NBA franchises would be far ahead of Ryan. And of course Glen will have the ultimate say. Glen wants to win games and sell tickets, and I don't think he will see Ryan Saunders as the guy to meet those goals.

monsterpile wrote:

longstrangetrip wrote:Q, good summary of an interesting interview with Flip. I liked a lot of what I heard, but didn't like his response to how long he intends to coach.

I'm not giving up on Pek starting, despite Flip saying he's injured, because I'm convinced he is our best option right now at C. We already knew that Pek is injured, so Flip was only stating the obvious, but we also know Pek has said he expects to resume basketball activity in September and be fully ready by the time training camp opens. I think Flip really wants Towns to earn the starting center position next to KG, but I think that wish may not jive with his desire to compete for the playoffs. I believe he will start at center the player who seems more ready to play center in the NBA, and a healthy Pek is light years ahead of the center I watched in Vegas.

Long I think Flip is going to be really cautious with Pek's minutes and that may mean he brings him off the bench. I am not worried about whether he starts or not especially with Miller on board. If he is healthy he will be a nice player in the minutes he plays.

Also I feel a little bad for Pek in how it ends up sounding like he is some baby that can't take someone yelling at him or whatever. The reports out of Europe were always he would run through a brick wall do whatever you asked him to. I've never seen anything different from that as long as he was physically able to do it. Pek isn't some weak minded dude and I don't think Flip meant that he was just talking up KG. I also think he has been willing to play through stuff too it's just it doesn't make any sense to do that all things considered.

Yeah, Flip's language makes it sound like he intends to limit Pek's minutes. But I don't think it's a question of Pek playing 32 minutes or 15...I think it's more likely a question of him playing 32 minutes or not at all (as he did most of last year). If you believe (as I do) that much of Pek's lost time over the past couple years was due to that bone spur rubbing against his tendon and that that situation was resolved surgically, there's little reason Pek can't return to his pre-bone spur 2012-3 totals of 62 games and 32 minutes. If healthy, he is a much better option at center than a 19-year-old Karl Towns, and both gives the Wolves the best chance to win and gives Karl the chance to develop at a more reasonable pace.

But if Pek's surgery was not successful, I don't think it's a question of whether he or Towns starts...it's a question of whether he can play at all. I don't think reducing his minutes from 32 to 16 will have an impact on how much pain he is having. If that spur is still causing pain, we have learned that it's not something Pek can play through, and he'll be behind the bench again. I'm hoping that's not the case.

I think your second point referred to KG getting on Pek during a practice, correct? I'm with you that, if I were Pek, I wouldn't enjoy hearing Flip tell that story over and over. Pek was hurting at that point of the season, and busting back on defense during a practice probably didn't seem like a good idea at the time. I know Flip puts that out there as a pro-KG story, but personally I don't like it.

longstrangetrip wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

longstrangetrip wrote:Q, good summary of an interesting interview with Flip. I liked a lot of what I heard, but didn't like his response to how long he intends to coach.

I'm not giving up on Pek starting, despite Flip saying he's injured, because I'm convinced he is our best option right now at C. We already knew that Pek is injured, so Flip was only stating the obvious, but we also know Pek has said he expects to resume basketball activity in September and be fully ready by the time training camp opens. I think Flip really wants Towns to earn the starting center position next to KG, but I think that wish may not jive with his desire to compete for the playoffs. I believe he will start at center the player who seems more ready to play center in the NBA, and a healthy Pek is light years ahead of the center I watched in Vegas.

Long I think Flip is going to be really cautious with Pek's minutes and that may mean he brings him off the bench. I am not worried about whether he starts or not especially with Miller on board. If he is healthy he will be a nice player in the minutes he plays.

Also I feel a little bad for Pek in how it ends up sounding like he is some baby that can't take someone yelling at him or whatever. The reports out of Europe were always he would run through a brick wall do whatever you asked him to. I've never seen anything different from that as long as he was physically able to do it. Pek isn't some weak minded dude and I don't think Flip meant that he was just talking up KG. I also think he has been willing to play through stuff too it's just it doesn't make any sense to do that all things considered.

Yeah, Flip's language makes it sound like he intends to limit Pek's minutes. But I don't think it's a question of Pek playing 32 minutes or 15...I think it's more likely a question of him playing 32 minutes or not at all (as he did most of last year). If you believe (as I do) that much of Pek's lost time over the past couple years was due to that bone spur rubbing against his tendon and that that situation was resolved surgically, there's little reason Pek can't return to his pre-bone spur 2012-3 totals of 62 games and 32 minutes. If healthy, he is a much better option at center than a 19-year-old Karl Towns, and both gives the Wolves the best chance to win and gives Karl the chance to develop at a more reasonable pace.

But if Pek's surgery was not successful, I don't think it's a question of whether he or Towns starts...it's a question of whether he can play at all. I don't think reducing his minutes from 32 to 16 will have an impact on how much pain he is having. If that spur is still causing pain, we have learned that it's not something Pek can play through, and he'll be behind the bench again. I'm hoping that's not the case.

I think your second point referred to KG getting on Pek during a practice, correct? I'm with you that, if I were Pek, I wouldn't enjoy hearing Flip tell that story over and over. Pek was hurting at that point of the season, and busting back on defense during a practice probably didn't seem like a good idea at the time. I know Flip puts that out there as a pro-KG story, but personally I don't like it.

The reality is Pek probably doesn't care. And I am saying that with a little smirk but it's probably true. You could actually take it more as a rip on past wolves coaches etc nobody yelled at Pek more than a rip on the player. I don't think there is anything too significant to read into it than Flip loves KG. Lol

Like LST I don't see Ryan as a HC in waiting because he seems more like a guy that's more of an assistant developing players and innovating in other ways. He just doesn't seem to have that thing you have to be a HCS at least not right now. That's not a knock on him at all it just is. I think Flip with what he has said about leadership has some VERY strong thoughts on who is able to lead especially as a HC and who isn't. I don't think he is gonna just hand over the reins to Ryan because he is his offspring.

When Ryan starts coaching games when Flip takes a day off then we know Flip's plan is to make him HC.