Minnesota Sports Forum

If I am same I would make sure I reach out to Wiggins and Towns family and tell we all want what is best for there kids. I am going to be fair, but tough with. I think Sam could really connect with Wiggins Dad in that they both grinded out careers and would have killed to have Wiggins gifts. I think we have some young men that came from good backgrounds on this team and we won't have parents or entourages causing issues. (We saw the signs with KLove as early as high school)

Anybody who thinks Sam Mitchell can't coach in the NBA needs to remember the starting lineup that he won 45 games with. along with their career scoring averages:

C: Rasho Nestorovic 6.8
PF: Chris Bosh 19.3
SF: Jorge Garbajosa 8.0
SG: Anthony Parker 9.1
PG: TJ Ford 11.2

Reserves who played the most minutes were rookie Andre Bargnani, Juan Dixon, Fred Jones and Morris Peterson. Now ask yourself...does Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich win 45 games with those 9 guys?

A few thoughts:

- Based on the timeline of Flip's prior treatments, it sounds like he found out about this back in the May or June timeframe. It's at that point that he should have put his head coaching search into high gear. I find it selfish of Flip to have hung onto what was already supposed to be a temporary role in light of his health diagnosis. So here we are.....

- I really don't know what to think of Mitchell. For all of his tough guy, no-nonsense persona, his teams never really defended at a high level. He did eventually get them to a middle-of-the-pack defense, but it was nothing special.

- In terms of the 3-point shooting issue, he did seem to embrace the shot more than Flip has historically, although his Toronto team progressively took more and more "long 2's" as the seasons went by. Basically, they became heavily reliant on jump shooting, both beyond and inside the arc.

- People change, they mature. Ideally, if he truly is the tough guy folks make him out to be, he has learned to moderate that approach with a soft touch on occasion.

- LST brings up a good point. The one thing Sam has going for him is that the players with the most stature in the locker room and on the floor - KG and Rubio specifically - are probably pretty well aligned with Sam's style. I see those guys having Sam's back all the way. However......

- We shall see how thick of a skin players like Wiggins, LaVine, 'Bazz, and Towns have. Other than 'Bazz, none of those guys "wow" me with their effort. You better believe they are going to take some serious heat at times from multiple guys: Rubio, KG, Mitchell.....How will they respond to it?

Q. I also feel that Flip should have handled this in a less selfish way. I like Flip and have the greatest sympathy for what he is going through...even though this is not the most deadly form of cancer, chemotherapy is still an exhausting treatment to have to go through. I wish him well. But as I put my Wolves fan hat on, I don't understand why Flip thought he could run the team, coach and battle cancer at the same time. It was foolhardy, reckless and selfish, and left him with no options other than field promoting an assistant coach. Now, I happen to be a Mitchell fan and think it will actually work out, but I also think Flip should have begun to search in earnest for his replacement the moment he received his cancer diagnosis.

And you are correct that Sam's use of the 3-point shot decreased during his tenure with Toronto...top five in 3-point shooting in his first two years, 11th and 14th in his final two years. But I see that more as a reflection of his personnel than an offensive philosophy change. As I mentioned in my last post, his top 9 players in his third year were, Rasho, Bosh, Garbajosa, Ford, Parker, Bargnani, Dixon, Jones and Peterson...not a roster designed for 3-point shooting. I think Sam will be more comfortable with this Wolves' roster launching threes than that group he had in Toronto.

LST hopefully you don't think I am being combative on this I actually like Mitchell more than most here.

For gutting things out the Thad thing I'll give you but we also don't know the situation or what Thad was going through. If there is one thing I have learned in life is people grieve differently. He was away a long time though but it does remind me of when Camby missed that playoff game and struggled a couple in that series. People called him soft. I thought that was unfair.

http://m.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/camby-turns-strongest-rebound-puts-family-crisis-playoff-exit-article-1.925975

Anyway just something to consider. Trust me I would be a terrible grief counselor. Lol I saw some guys gutting it out last year like Martin. He and the Wolves could have shut him down and he was out there some times where I was clear he could have just worn a suit.

As for Zimmer I don't see him pushing injury guys onto the field. They have seemingly managed that like a smart franchise would and Zimmer has a next man up mentality more than anything. He is tough and he knows what he is doing he has seen everything and Norv as his OC backs up anything he may not fully grasp on that end. Frazier is a good guy probably a good DC and probably a pretty good leader but I agree with you I think he was too soft mentally is some ways. Zimmer if tough but he is t asking you to do stuff you can't do. He knows what he want you to do and he expects you to do it. He is going to send a clear message.

That's where I get where you are going with Sam. I don't think I can say Sam has the same credentials as a coach as Zimmer even though he has been a HC and won coach of the year. Flip probably is a little tougher on guys than you want to give him credit for but he is obviously a players coach. Sam I think is a guy that is a players coach too He isn't just a system guy from what I remember but like you said he is going to be very direct. I worry about AB with Mitchell the rest of the guys seem like people who would respond well or be just fine with him. I really don't see any divas on this team and like I said AB is the guy I worry about if Sam starts laying into him. Everyone else is either a vet or has some semblebce of competitive fire that would seem to not be broken. If Sam is the bad cop it se like the Wolves have plenty of nice guys on the bench to build guys up a little.

Keep in mind Sam and Wiggins Dad played ball at the same time. They were in the CBA a couple years together so you know they probably know each other from then since it was a small league. There probably isn't much of a relationship but there could be some level of respect from Wiggins dad who played all over the place and Sam didn't have an easy road to sticking in the NBA either. It probably doesn't mean much but it's interesting to me. Lol

I could see guys aying harder under Mitchell but I don't know if that translates into significantly better defense. A basic look at the Toronto teams he coached is pretty inconclusive.

I've read some articles about Sam that have been written about him well after he was fired. There are a few Raps media folks that say he got a raw deal. They say he wants a HC job but he isn't desperate about it either. He enjoyed being a broadcaster as well. They say he just does what he does and doesn't fret about what is or what could be or what was. So Sam is going to do his thing and I am sure he would line the opportunity to be the coach of this team longer term but it sounds to me like he isn't a guy that's going to take over this season with that end in mind and may already know he isn't going to be that guy unless something absolutely clicks. I am fine with him being interm. I don't think I can be with LST and think we are going to win more games with him than Flip but as a temporary guy I am fine with it especially since we have vets like Prince KG and Miller. It's going to be an interesting mix. I actually think Bazz may benefit from Mitchell being coach because he has a serious edge even if it's only 2/3rds of the game.

We all know Flip needs to embrace the 3 point shot more than he has, but this rhetoric about the 3 is getting out of hand here. Flip is not stupid. To think he won't adjust as time goes on is short sighted. And to think Mitchell is a good choice because he's more likely to embrace the 3 is really reaching. In my opinion the problem is Mitchell is an average coach at best. He's not a winner and never has been. Not as a coach or a player.

The KG thing is also overblown. So what if KG has his back? What's the significance of that? KG is much more likely to be a bit player on this team than a cornerstone at this point. We should care a lot more about who is going to emerge as a leader among Wiggins, Towns, Lavine, and Rubio. It's someone from that group who is going to eventually put their stamp on the team. Mitchell and KG are placeholders at this point at worst, and a bridge to the future at best.

So here's the scoop: Flip really thought he was going to be back coaching to start the season.

Jon Krawczynski ?@APkrawczynski 8m8 minutes ago
Wolves say Flip remains in the hospital after complications from treatment. He is undergoing further testing and treatment

I am wishing Flip well

60WinTim wrote:So here's the scoop: Flip really thought he was going to be back coaching to start the season.

Jon Krawczynski ?@APkrawczynski 8m8 minutes ago
Wolves say Flip remains in the hospital after complications from treatment. He is undergoing further testing and treatment

Damn, that's tough to hear.

I'm not real thrilled either about Sam coaching either, but I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.