Minnesota Sports Forum

TheSP wrote:Can we just blow this thing up already and get back to the joy of having hope for the future? I was more hopeful back when the team sucked and was supposed to suck. This particular group of players/coaches/ownership have sucked the joy out of being a Wolves fan all while actually having a winning record.

I don't think I was ever as down on this team during their 13 year run of ineptitude. This team just isn't likeable.

Q12543 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm with SP, it's a hard team to like. They play an unappealing style, lack any sense of vision, and have no chance of contending now or in the intermediate future. What's to like?

I know one thing to like.....They were 30-11 at home and attendance went up. A lot more fans left the arena satisfied than in years past. Putting out a competitive product that plays well at home and gives folks a nice night out is still worth something in my book.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm with SP, it's a hard team to like. They play an unappealing style, lack any sense of vision, and have no chance of contending now or in the intermediate future. What's to like?

I know one thing to like.....They were 30-11 at home and attendance went up. A lot more fans left the arena satisfied than in years past. Putting out a competitive product that plays well at home and gives folks a nice night out is still worth something in my book.

Raise your expectations Q. It's been over 30 years and this franchise has never made the NBA finals. They've only been to a conference final once. You and all the guys on this forum who have stuck with this team through all the downs deserve better than that.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm with SP, it's a hard team to like. They play an unappealing style, lack any sense of vision, and have no chance of contending now or in the intermediate future. What's to like?

I know one thing to like.....They were 30-11 at home and attendance went up. A lot more fans left the arena satisfied than in years past. Putting out a competitive product that plays well at home and gives folks a nice night out is still worth something in my book.

Raise your expectations Q. It's been over 30 years and this franchise has never made the NBA finals. They've only been to a conference final once. You and all the guys on this forum who have stuck with this team through all the downs deserve better than that.

monsterpile wrote:You know what's funny? That infighting bulls team was up on the glorious Brad stevens coached Celtics in 2017 before Rondo got hurt. That Bulls team was playing Hoiberg's style of basketball. What might have happened if Rondo hasn't gotten hurt and the Bulls made it to the 2nd round? Like Britt Robson said after some of this reported stuff hit the fan. These guys are all gonna be here and there will be questions to be answered at the end of the year. Let's see what the outcome actually is.

It's kinda bizarre how Timberwolves fans here who lived through hopeless years where so many hopeless things happened (we don't need to list them) and yet there is no hope for this group. It's honestly strange. I can't really figure it out.

crazy-canuck wrote:I think some people just need something to gripe about.

usually its the player getting the brunt of the hate mixed in with a little distaste for the team. The past few years it was rubio. Now with him gone, wiggins is taking the full brunt of it. And now we are starting to see a little more dislike creeping towards kat.

Get rid of wiggins, we'll find someone else.
Get rid of thibs, we'll find something not to like about the new guy.

Making the playoffs should have been a good thing, but for some reason it isnt good enough.[/quote

crazy-canuck wrote:I think some people just need something to gripe about.

usually its the player getting the brunt of the hate mixed in with a little distaste for the team. The past few years it was rubio. Now with him gone, wiggins is taking the full brunt of it. And now we are starting to see a little more dislike creeping towards kat.

Get rid of wiggins, we'll find someone else.
Get rid of thibs, we'll find something not to like about the new guy.

Making the playoffs should have been a good thing, but for some reason it isnt good enough.

Yeah I admit it, making the playoffs isn't good enough for me. Not when you had back to back #1 picks and rookies of the year. Not when we had a chance to bring in a real GM and a coach who could connect with the young players. Not when we had cap space and other draft assets to continue to build toward something much more significant.

This was our best chance in decades to finally be able to play with the big boys and we flat out blew it. And Okogie and Diop though promising are not going to change this.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

crazy-canuck wrote:I think some people just need something to gripe about.

usually its the player getting the brunt of the hate mixed in with a little distaste for the team. The past few years it was rubio. Now with him gone, wiggins is taking the full brunt of it. And now we are starting to see a little more dislike creeping towards kat.

Get rid of wiggins, we'll find someone else.
Get rid of thibs, we'll find something not to like about the new guy.

Making the playoffs should have been a good thing, but for some reason it isnt good enough.[/quote

crazy-canuck wrote:I think some people just need something to gripe about.

usually its the player getting the brunt of the hate mixed in with a little distaste for the team. The past few years it was rubio. Now with him gone, wiggins is taking the full brunt of it. And now we are starting to see a little more dislike creeping towards kat.

Get rid of wiggins, we'll find someone else.
Get rid of thibs, we'll find something not to like about the new guy.

Making the playoffs should have been a good thing, but for some reason it isnt good enough.

Yeah I admit it, making the playoffs isn't good enough for me. Not when you had back to back #1 picks and rookies of the year. Not when we had a chance to bring in a real GM and a coach who could connect with the young players. Not when we had cap space and other draft assets to continue to build toward something much more significant.

This was our best chance in decades to finally be able to play with the big boys and we flat out blew it. And Okogie and Diop though promising are not going to change this.

I agree with you, Cool. Making the playoffs isn't good enough. I don't think either one of us is saying we should blow up the team if we don't win a title or at least make the NBA finals next season. I want to see this team finish in the top 4 and win a first round playoff series. Beyond that I'd like to see an upward trajectory that might have this team in line to challenge for a championship several years down the road. I think it's more than fair to expect these things from this team given the assets that Tom Thibodeau inherited when he assumed fully authority over every aspect of the organization's basketball operations.

The history of this franchise and the size of the market are irrelevant. The Warriors, Sixers and Celtics haven't always been where they were last season. All three teams made repeated trips to the draft lottery before achieving their current levels of success. There isn't anything the Warriors, Celtics or Sixers have done that the Wolves can't do as well. It's about front office decision-making -- getting the right front office executives who surround themselves with the right scouts, hire the right head coach, draft the right players and make smart trades and free agent acquisitions. It's OK if those folks make mistakes, so long as those mistakes are eclipsed by really smart moves and provided the front office quickly rectifies or minimizes the impact of those mistakes.

If Wiggins is the problem, then no one was in a better position to see his limitations than the Wolves coaching and front office staff. In that case, the Wolves should have moved him earlier before the rest of the League saw those same limitations. If Butler is unhappy to the point where he's publicly complaining about his 22-year old teammates after playing with them for only one season, then the Wolves should move him this summer for valuable assets to facilitate retooling around KAT and maybe Wiggins, along with Tyus. I can understand Butler's frustration. He's 29 years old and has knee issues so he might not be inclined to wait for the 22-year old allstar, KAT, to get to the level Butler expects. That's why I've never been crazy about the age mistmatch between Butler and the rest of the Wolves core.

My guess is that Butler will still be frustrated with KAT and Wiggins by the end of this next season. If he is, he'll walk next summer with nothing flowing back to the Wolves in return. Thibodeau and Layden should know more than we know. Maybe things are just fine. But if things are as bad as they appear, with Butler getting so pissy that he's using media cronies to publicly relay his displeasure, then it's time to move on from him. He's certainly not exerting leadership. Leaders don't publicly shame those they lead through media cronies. But again, maybe things aren't so bad. Only Thibs would know (or he certainly should know). We'll just have to see how things play out this upcoming season. Winning has a way of smoothing over bad feelings.