Minnesota Sports Forum

I hate tanking but let's be honest. There are some studs at the top of this draft. If we can land in the top 3 it would be a major asset. With our injuries, fatigue and remaining schedule, it isn't that far fetched.

I think the big minutes Dunn is playing is part of the tank job. We have a shot at 4th worst record. 5 teams have either 27 or 28 wins. I would staart Dunn moving forward and limit Wiggins and KAT's minutes. We need to figure out if Payne should be resigned.

Ugh, the thought of "soft tanking" makes me sick to my stomach. It further reinforces the culture of losing this franchise has now embedded in its DNA.

Bleed, As for Payne, I don't think there is much figuring out to be done there. His days as a Timberwolf are over. He'll have a hard time catching onto any other NBA team as well.

Q, That can't be true. Izzo recommended him to us. He is just a late bloomer. Year 4 will be his year to fly. (Wow he is already 26)

Q12543 wrote:Ugh, the thought of "soft tanking" makes me sick to my stomach. It further reinforces the culture of losing this franchise has now embedded in its DNA.

Bleed, As for Payne, I don't think there is much figuring out to be done there. His days as a Timberwolf are over. He'll have a hard time catching onto any other NBA team as well.

Q and I are on the same page. Enough is enough with any sort of tank... the Wolves culture is one of losing.

Abject losing that has only been seen by one other franchise in the history of the NBA. In related news... this marks the 10th straight season that the team will lose more games than its Expected W/L or pythagorean record. That's over a span of what... 6 coaches? It's virtually unthinkable.

So what's the constant? A losing culture that's festered because it's been deemed acceptable? Should Taylor be blamed for this losing malaise?

It's nearing mind-blowing/numbing status now. Consider... the Wolves with a healthy KAT and healthy Wiggins and the best 1/2 season of Rubio's career has a chance to finish worse than the embarrassing and imploding laughingstock teams of 2017:

- New York Knicks
- Sacramento Kings
- Orlando Magic

And let's not forget... the Wolves were considered better than all of them at the beginning of the season by most prognostications.

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

A losing culture is real. And it is extremely hard to overcome. But it can be done. The Clippers did it, so did Memphis. You have to develop an identity, and that's what you build upon. The Wolves still don't have one. The only identity we have is losing. What I would try to create is a team that forces turnovers and runs the floor. That's what our current talent lends itself to. We have the most creative passing PG in the league with athletes all over the floor. We should be able to get in passing lanes, force turnovers and convert at the other end. We would give up our share of points, but other teams shouldn't be able to keep up with us. It should be the closest thing we've seen to the showtime Lakers era, not from a success standpoint but a style standpoint.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:A losing culture is real. And it is extremely hard to overcome. But it can be done. The Clippers did it, so did Memphis. You have to develop an identity, and that's what you build upon. The Wolves still don't have one. The only identity we have is losing. What I would try to create is a team that forces turnovers and runs the floor. That's what our current talent lends itself to. We have the most creative passing PG in the league with athletes all over the floor. We should be able to get in passing lanes, force turnovers and convert at the other end. We would give up our share of points, but other teams shouldn't be able to keep up with us. It should be the closest thing we've seen to the showtime Lakers era, not from a success standpoint but a style standpoint.

It was easy for the Grizzlies. All they had to do was get rid of Sidney Lowe. The team went from a franchise-best 28 wins to 50 wins in the first season.

If anybody has read any of my posts about S. Lowe... you know I'm at least partly serious. He's a TERRIBLE coach.

As for the Clippers. Top-end talent followed by a change in ownership from arguably the league's worst owner ever seemed to do the trick. But look closer. Yes... the team wins 50+ games. But they still fell shorter than expectations every season. The Wolves wrestled the title of "worst NBA franchise" away from the Clippers.

But if they continue to fall apart... and decide to blow it up... they might get back into the race.



[Note: The Clippers just lost at home to the Sacramento Kings by being outscored 22 - 3 in the final 5 minutes.]

On the tanking topic, I see Thibs as psychologically unable to tank...his competitive drive is something I really like about him. That said, I see his horrible lineup and rotation choices as being an unintentional way of tanking. The Wolves are remarkably only 1 1/2 games out of having the 4th most ping pong balls, and have a difficult schedule and are playing arguably their worst basketball of the season. If Thibs continues to overplay his starters and Dunn and underplay their best +/- player (Jones), I think the 4th worst record is easily in play...and even though the draft is never a certainty, having the 4th worst record is generally going to give you a better chance at a good player than having the 8th worse record (their current position).

Tank this year and sign the best free agent leader you can to turn this around. I trust Thibs to know who can help do that here. Gibson seems like a logical choice. Ibaka might be too.

Payne keeps getting minutes over Jordon Hill including supreme garbage time (which Thibs rarely utilizes). I'd be more shocked to see Hill on this roster next year than Payne. One thing I saw in the Portland game was Payne was clearly very vocal and communicating defensively. Maybe he does actually suck but why not throw him out there a few games and see what he can do...unless they really like him and want to keep him under wraps to keep the price down...lol lol