Chronicle #3:
Loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, loser, winner." (pointing to himself).
- Christian Laettner
After the Wolves dumped try-hard Musselman, their plan to tank was in full-steam ahead mode. Nice guy,
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/3EoAAOSwAGxeAj3I/s-l1600.jpgbad-hair dude Jimmy Rodgers, was the perfect man for the job. After all, he was the guy who oversaw the decline of the Boston Celtics dynasty.
The team performed wonderfully in the first real tank job season. They traded vet, Ty Corbin... jettisoned leading scorer, Tony Campbell, to the bench.... and lost. And lost. It was wonderfully and magically quintessential Timberwolves.
15 wins.
67 losses.
Their reward was that ill-fated 1992 draft lottery. Well, we know how that turned out. But the thing is... Christian Laettner wasn't terrible.
18.2 ppg / 8.7 reb / 47.4% fg.
It was just enough for overzealous Wolves fans to talk themselves into thinking the franchise would be fine with Laettner instead of Mourning or O'Neal. But the warning signs were there.
Unlike the Magic who won 20 more games. Or, the Hornets who won 13 more and made the
2nd round of the playoffs... the Wolves' tank-infused improvement was more subtle:
19 wins.
63 losses.
And the Wolves would not tolerate that level of ineptitude, so they blamed... wait for it... the COACH! They fired Jimmy Rodgers early in the season and replaced him with Sidney Lowe in what could be classified as the franchise's first-ever "country club" decision. Lowe was a former player... a really really bad one.
2.3 ppg
31.9% fg
AND HE STARTED 38 GAMES!!!!
Arguably, the worst season by a starter in NBA history. But wait... there's more about good old Sidney Lowe:
4 seasons as a coach
13 - 40 (.245) Wolves
20 - 62 (.244) Wolves
23 - 59 (.280) Grizzlies
23 - 59 (.280) Grizzlies
0 - 8 (.000) Grizzlies... replaced by Hubie Brown who went 28 - 46.
But it doesn't end there, sadly.
Lowe ended up in college at his alma mater, NC State. They were coming off 5 straight NCAA tourney appearances, where they won at least one tourney game 4 times.
The streak was broken Lowe's first year. And they didn't return in any of Lowe's 5 seasons as head coach. Oh no. So Lowe was fired...
And NC State immediately won 9 more games under the new coach and made at least the 2nd round in 4 straight NCAA tourney appearances.
Summary: Sidney Lowe might be (1) one of the worst NBA players in history. (2) Sidney Lowe is almost definitely one of the
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/514524-nba-power-rankings-the-50-worst-coaches-in-nba-history#slide38worst head coaches in basketball history.
And he got his start in Minnesota!!!
But I digress... back to Laettner.
The former Dookie regressed a bit in year 2, giving us a classic "He's just young, just give him time!" narrative:
16.8 ppg / 8.6 reb / 44.8% fg
Then, his scoring and rebounding went down again in year 3. Finally, mercifully, Laettner was traded with Sean Rooks for Andrew Lang and Spud Webb in year 4... where he started for a playoff team in the
2nd round of the playoffs.
Spud Webb started for the Wolves... and shot a career low 39.4% fg. He'd be out of the league the next season after only 4 games. Sound familiar? Read previous Chronicles for similar stories!
Andrew Lang was a starter in MN. Then, was traded for a 1st rd pick (Rasho Nesterovic) that summer.
In the end, Christian Laettner wasn't terrible. He wasn't great. But he was memorable as a Timberwolves player. And like many after him, he's just a key figure in the legacy of Wolves ineptitude we've all learned to embrace and cherish.
Up next? Buckle up... The Eastbay Funk is on its way...
