Minnesota Sports Forum

Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

Bloop, do you think our players were lazy in the Washington loss? I saw some questionable decision making and some poor shooting, but I thought the effort was good. Case in point...I have no problems with our defense on the lucky 3-pointer Kuzma hit to give them the lead. I thought we hustled on defense all night. But maybe others saw it differently.

BloopOracle wrote:Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

I don't think Patrick Beverley will be returning, especially this season. He's rightly beloved by the fans for the energy and leadership he brought last season, but I don't think management sees it the same way. I believe they see him as more of a loudmouth pest who served his purpose. I've seen nobody with any legitimate sources say that a reunion is in the works -- only the oft-cited Dane Moore has put that out there.

I also think we need to determine whether this team is lazy or if they're just not that good. For instance, last night I saw a team that was working hard, but was ineffective in the last 15 minutes or so of regulation. Couldn't manufacture a defensive stop. Couldn't get a bucket to stop the bleeding. The shot-making is severely limited now and we saw that unfold in a bad, bad way.

But at least we saw a couple of alley-oops. Boy, those were fun.

Camden wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

I don't think Patrick Beverley will be returning, especially this season. He's rightly beloved by the fans for the energy and leadership he brought last season, but I don't think management sees it the same way. I believe they see him as more of a loudmouth pest who served his purpose. I've seen nobody with any legitimate sources say that a reunion is in the works -- only the oft-cited Dane Moore has put that out there.

I also think we need to determine whether this team is lazy or if they're just not that good. For instance, last night I saw a team that was working hard, but was ineffective in the last 15 minutes or so of regulation. Couldn't manufacture a defensive stop. Couldn't get a bucket to stop the bleeding. The shot-making is severely limited now and we saw that unfold in a bad, bad way.

But at least we saw a couple of alley-oops. Boy, those were fun.

People have pointed it out before... but isn't the team basically 5 - 5 all season long with every 10-game stretch?

I don't see why that's suddenly going to change for the better... especially with the upcoming schedule. After Charlotte...

GSW
Clippers
Lakers
Kings
76ers
Nets
Hawks
Celtics

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Camden wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

I don't think Patrick Beverley will be returning, especially this season. He's rightly beloved by the fans for the energy and leadership he brought last season, but I don't think management sees it the same way. I believe they see him as more of a loudmouth pest who served his purpose. I've seen nobody with any legitimate sources say that a reunion is in the works -- only the oft-cited Dane Moore has put that out there.

I also think we need to determine whether this team is lazy or if they're just not that good. For instance, last night I saw a team that was working hard, but was ineffective in the last 15 minutes or so of regulation. Couldn't manufacture a defensive stop. Couldn't get a bucket to stop the bleeding. The shot-making is severely limited now and we saw that unfold in a bad, bad way.

But at least we saw a couple of alley-oops. Boy, those were fun.

People have pointed it out before... but isn't the team basically 5 - 5 all season long with every 10-game stretch?

I don't see why that's suddenly going to change for the better... especially with the upcoming schedule. After Charlotte...

GSW
Clippers
Lakers
Kings
76ers
Nets
Hawks
Celtics

Including last night's game, Minnesota could easily be at the beginning of a 3-7 stretch, which would absolutely torpedo their playoff chances.

Tim, what does the KOM have for the 10-game stretch we're in? With the loss last night, I have us going 2-8 with only the home wins against Brooklyn and Charlotte, although it's likely we will steal at least one other game in there. But the good news is I still see us finishing with 41 wins and in the play-in even with the 2-8 slump. Nonetheless, last night was not helpful from a playoff standpoint.

As for the PatBev discussion, I am a solid "no". He was fun for awhile last season, but he seems to be more of a sideshow attraction now. I'm sure someone will have some season-ending injuries with their guards and look to pick up Pat, but other than that, there doesn't seem to be much interest around the league.

Camden wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

I don't think Patrick Beverley will be returning, especially this season. He's rightly beloved by the fans for the energy and leadership he brought last season, but I don't think management sees it the same way. I believe they see him as more of a loudmouth pest who served his purpose. I've seen nobody with any legitimate sources say that a reunion is in the works -- only the oft-cited Dane Moore has put that out there.

I also think we need to determine whether this team is lazy or if they're just not that good. For instance, last night I saw a team that was working hard, but was ineffective in the last 15 minutes or so of regulation. Couldn't manufacture a defensive stop. Couldn't get a bucket to stop the bleeding. The shot-making is severely limited now and we saw that unfold in a bad, bad way.

But at least we saw a couple of alley-oops. Boy, those were fun.

It's not laziness in my view. It seems crystal clear that the Wolves just aren't that good. I do think this team lacks toughness and moxie. But that's different from effort. The guys all try. The effort is there. It's a lack of talent and toughness, although I see toughness as a talent.

lipoli390 wrote:

Camden wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

I don't think Patrick Beverley will be returning, especially this season. He's rightly beloved by the fans for the energy and leadership he brought last season, but I don't think management sees it the same way. I believe they see him as more of a loudmouth pest who served his purpose. I've seen nobody with any legitimate sources say that a reunion is in the works -- only the oft-cited Dane Moore has put that out there.

I also think we need to determine whether this team is lazy or if they're just not that good. For instance, last night I saw a team that was working hard, but was ineffective in the last 15 minutes or so of regulation. Couldn't manufacture a defensive stop. Couldn't get a bucket to stop the bleeding. The shot-making is severely limited now and we saw that unfold in a bad, bad way.

But at least we saw a couple of alley-oops. Boy, those were fun.

It's not laziness in my view. It seems crystal clear that the Wolves just aren't that good I do think this team lacks toughness and moxie. But that's different from effort. The guys all try. The effort is there. It's a lack of talent and toughness, although I see toughness as a talent.

There's a lot of doom and gloom on the board, and after a disappointing loss to Washington, I can understand it. But I don't agree with the take that this team is not that good. Any team that can beat a squad with Luka and
Kyrie each scoring 30+ on their home court seems like a good team to me. And I would argue they have the potential to be a great team once KAT returns. I see a team with a perennial DPOY candidate rim protector, perhaps the best 3-point shooting 7-footer in the game, a budding 30+ PPG scorer in Ant, another future DPOY candidate and emerging scorer in Jaden, and a game manager PG with one of the career best winning records in the Association...plus some veteran presence on the bench. This team is built for success, and I'm convinced we are close to a lock to make the playoffs...the only thing that keeps us out would be key injuries to one or more starters. This is an emotional board and feelings about the team can turn 180 degrees in a matter of minutes...my god, just read the most recent GDT for a good example of joy turning to despair! Right now we're neither as good a team as we saw in the first quarter of the Wizards game, or as bad as the team that lost the lead in the 4th quarter. And we're about to embark on a brutal West Coast road trip that is going to have 75% of this board on suicide watch and giving up on the season. But the schedule lightens up after the trip west, and KAT reportedly returns in mid-March. I look at the schedule, and I see a team that is going to be jelling and building momentum at just the right time of the season. We can't deny that was a bad loss to the Wizards, but I can't help but see the rest of the season in a much brighter light than the current prevailing opinion here.

I don't know how someone can project this team is in a 2-8 stretch this late in the season, with or without Karl-Anthony Towns, and still feel optimistic about this team's status and playoff chances. With how tight the Western Conference is and how every game is more meaningful than seasons prior, a miserable stretch like that is almost a death sentence on playoff hopes. The Timberwolves would be something like 32-38 -- six games under .500 -- with 12 games left to play. The season is likely over if that happens.

lipoli390 wrote:

Camden wrote:

BloopOracle wrote:Pat us retweeting people asking him to come back to Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it at this point so I can watch him scream at our lazy players.

I don't think Patrick Beverley will be returning, especially this season. He's rightly beloved by the fans for the energy and leadership he brought last season, but I don't think management sees it the same way. I believe they see him as more of a loudmouth pest who served his purpose. I've seen nobody with any legitimate sources say that a reunion is in the works -- only the oft-cited Dane Moore has put that out there.

I also think we need to determine whether this team is lazy or if they're just not that good. For instance, last night I saw a team that was working hard, but was ineffective in the last 15 minutes or so of regulation. Couldn't manufacture a defensive stop. Couldn't get a bucket to stop the bleeding. The shot-making is severely limited now and we saw that unfold in a bad, bad way.

But at least we saw a couple of alley-oops. Boy, those were fun.

It's not laziness in my view. It seems crystal clear that the Wolves just aren't that good. I do think this team lacks toughness and moxie. But that's different from effort. The guys all try. The effort is there. It's a lack of talent and toughness, although I see toughness as a talent.

I actually think they have found themselves a bit and have more of a defined unity. They don't lack effort the way they have at times early in the year, it seems to be more coaching and rotation / matchup issues to me. Rudy can be awesome at times, but when teams really start to go after him and succeed at putting him in switches and are hitting shots and just appear to have really started to expose Rudy they can't just stick with him. He is polarizing in the fact that when he's doing good things he makes a big difference and on the other side of the spectrum when he's exposed, ironically on defense they have to get him out the game.

I think we have the depth and lineup combinations to make it work, but will the coaching staff be quick to adapt and not get cooked the way they have at times this year.