Minnesota Sports Forum

http://www.1500espn.com/the-scoop-2/2016/07/the-scoop-ep-30-glen-taylor-on-kg-rubio-other-wolves-topics/

In his latest podcast Wolfson has a recorded conversation with Glen. Honestly there wasn't anything earth shattering but I'll give a bit of a summery and a couple thoughts. The conversation with Glen is first so if you have 15 minutes it's a decent listen.

Glen didn't give anything away but he basically said they are set both at the front office level and coaches. Glen said all the hires would be announced by Layden coming up in the future. He said that Thibs said if the right guy was available he would add him to the staff but they could go with what they have. Wolfson made the connection to Ed Pinkney but Glen didn't comment on that and that's when he talked about the assistants being set.

Wolfson asked about the roster and Glen said stuff that made it sound like it's set but they are looking at options. He said there was one summer league guy they liked and wanted to bring him to camp with some sort of shot at making the team. He also mentioned they will be watching guys I the olympics to see if anyone interesting comes of that. Basically he said part of the reason he can't say much more was because they don't know whether KG will play or not...

Glen said he doesn't know anymore info that what he has said recently. He said they are just waiting on KG and he doesn't have anything set up to talk with him at this point. Glen said right now it's about if KG wants to play or not. He needs to make that decision and go from there. It seemed like to me Glen had no interest in the talk about what comes next after his career. After talking with Glen Wolfson said he has sources that say KG is planning to meet with Glen this week even though Glen said that was not the case. I keep hearing that KG wants clarity about what happens after he is done playing. The problem with that is It seems like Glen as an owner can't talk about that with a player until he is done playing. Maybe I am wrong but that seems right and from what Glen said and sort of the firmness of his tone with Wolfson makes me think that. Layden and Thins just got here they aren't looking to promise anything either. Flip probably could make some sort of promises or whatnot in his role and KG might be frustrated that there are no assurances at this point for him after he is done playing and feels like there is a loyalty issue. He may look at guys like Hoiberg as a guy that got a position with the wolves after he was done playing and figures he should be assured of a spot with the organization. I still question whether that can be promised by a franchise to a guy that's still a player. My guess is no. Lots of speculation here from me and I don't have insider info so of course take it for what it's worth.

Wolfson asked about the Rubio rumors whether they were just talk or something more serious. Glen said they were basically just talk. He said sometimes teams call when they think you may not want a guy and since they were drafting Kris Dunn teams called but nobody was offering anything worth considering. They were basically looking to get him if the Wolves wanted to just get rid of him.

Glen was all for the hack a rule changes vote and said he actually said this was a companies and thinks eventually it will take even more rule changes to take care of the problem.

Maybe there was something more but that's what I remember at this point. Nothing earth shattering but Glen was clearly in a good mood and he had a couple funny moments where he showed a good sense of humor. He seems to really be enjoying Thibs he says the communication has been great between them.

Edit:

He also talked about Pek and chuckled that Pek has gotten married this offseason and so they were hoping he has been sticking to his program. He said Pek should be coming to town for some workouts and in a couple weeks. He certainly didn't say anything that makes me think the guy is gonna retire or whatever. LST had mentioned in a recent thread Pek was getting married but the more I think about it that would make sense why he may have not been talked about much. That could be a big deal and take a decent chunk of time or whatever. I'm not optimistic about Pek but Glen did seem like he liked the guy both on and off the court.

Monster -- Thanks for the summary. I think your take on the interview is accurate. I get the sense that no one in the organization is particularly interested in having KG back in any capacity. One thing I've heard is that Wiggins can't stand KG and the feeling is apparently mutual.

Although I've heard stories that show KG to be a jerk, I love him as a player and I like his intensity on the court and on the bench. I think Towns responded well to KG's intensity and mentorship. But we've all read how KG can be hard on and really annoying to teammates, especially young teammates.

I continue to believe that signing Jordan Hill was a message from Thibs encouraging KG to retire. KG's pride won't allow him to return if his physical health would put him behind Towns, Dieng, Aldrich and Hill on the depth chart. Hence the delay. I suspect KG is struggling to assess his own health and whether he's physically capable of being a significant part of the front court rotation.

lipoli390 wrote:Monster -- Thanks for the summary. I think your take on the interview is accurate. I get the sense that no one in the organization is particularly interested in having KG back in any capacity. One thing I've heard is that Wiggins can't stand KG and the feeling is apparently mutual.

Although I've heard stories that show KG to be a jerk, I love him as a player and I like his intensity on the court and on the bench. I think Towns responded well to KG's intensity and mentorship. But we've all read how KG can be hard on and really annoying to teammates, especially young teammates.

I continue to believe that signing Jordan Hill was a message from Thibs encouraging KG to retire. KG's pride won't allow him to return if his physical health would put him behind Towns, Dieng, Aldrich and Hill on the depth chart. Hence the delay. I suspect KG is struggling to assess his own health and whether he's physically capable of being a significant part of the front court rotation.

I didn't think it was possible, but I like Wiggins even more now.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Monster -- Thanks for the summary. I think your take on the interview is accurate. I get the sense that no one in the organization is particularly interested in having KG back in any capacity. One thing I've heard is that Wiggins can't stand KG and the feeling is apparently mutual.

Although I've heard stories that show KG to be a jerk, I love him as a player and I like his intensity on the court and on the bench. I think Towns responded well to KG's intensity and mentorship. But we've all read how KG can be hard on and really annoying to teammates, especially young teammates.

I continue to believe that signing Jordan Hill was a message from Thibs encouraging KG to retire. KG's pride won't allow him to return if his physical health would put him behind Towns, Dieng, Aldrich and Hill on the depth chart. Hence the delay. I suspect KG is struggling to assess his own health and whether he's physically capable of being a significant part of the front court rotation.

I didn't think it was possible, but I like Wiggins even more now.

Interesting info Lip on Wiggins and KG. It certainly makes sense.

I think both Wolfson and Jon K have made this point but what role fits for KG if he isn't a player. He isn't really a guy that likes being in the limelight. He isn't exactly personable. He doesn't seem interested in the coaching aspect. What part of the business side would he make sense at? As a front office guy is he going to be a scout? One of those guys think KG just figured he can just walk in and have a job and that's not unique to KG other athletes think the same thing. They don't always see what they need to do to get to get there. To me the only role I see KG in at this point would be sort of a consultant a guy that comes in and works with players from time to time but I doubt that would fly with Thibs (don't blame him) who is an absolute grinder. I think that's why a number of people including Jon K and Wolfson (he said KG was to play this year and actually suggested KG could play for Lue or Doc this season) have been concerned things could end poorly for the Wolves and KG. It's really too bad but with Flip gone I just don't see how KG would fit in. If Flip was here I think it would make sense for obvious reasons. KG has a connection with Thibs but it's nothing like his connection with Flip. I just don't want this to end badly. It looked like things had become repaired pretty well when he came back last year and that was nice. Oh well and a lot of this is on KG. He is a weird complicated dude I a number of ways.

Monster -- You nailed it.

I hope KG calls it a career. He can relax and enjoy life. If you can't put in 20 minutes a night anymore it is not enough and we know he can't do that.

Yeah, I agree with the sentiments here about KG. I've never seen a viable post-playing role for him, and have even thought the ownership rumors were silly. Even a 5% stake now is over $40 million, and a volatile guy like KG is not exactly a banker's dream. He does like the area though, so I think we will see him around. But his personality doesn't lend itself to him being a good will ambassador.

I have no idea what he is thinking currently, but this is what I would guess. He has an enormous ego and is a student of the game, so he is well aware that he was far and away our plus/minus leader last year. His ego tells him he can contribute in a big way this year if healthy. But I also think he is somewhat realistic about his body. He knows he can't play right now...that's the realistic part...but I also suspect he may be deluding himself into thinking he will wake up tomorrow and feel fine. And after not being able to play for well over half a year now, I think that's a pipe dream. KG holds the cards because we owe him $8 million whether he plays or not, but I would hope Theydon are at least approaching him with realistic buyout options.

This is what I would be doing if I were Thibs. KG is likely in town most of the summer, so I would tell him to meet me at the practice court for a workout. If KG said no because he was hurting, or if after a few minutes of working him out thibs realized KG was done, I would offer him $5 million to walk away. Be proactve. Force the issue. I don't have any terrific ideas for who we could replace KG with on the roster, but I know that the added depth couldn't hurt.

longstrangetrip wrote:Yeah, I agree with the sentiments here about KG. I've never seen a viable post-playing role for him, and have even thought the ownership rumors were silly. Even a 5% stake now is over $40 million, and a volatile guy like KG is not exactly a banker's dream. He does like the area though, so I think we will see him around. But his personality doesn't lend itself to him being a good will ambassador.

I have no idea what he is thinking currently, but this is what I would guess. He has an enormous ego and is a student of the game, so he is well aware that he was far and away our plus/minus leader last year. His ego tells him he can contribute in a big way this year if healthy. But I also think he is somewhat realistic about his body. He knows he can't play right now...that's the realistic part...but I also suspect he may be deluding himself into thinking he will wake up tomorrow and feel fine. And after not being able to play for well over half a year now, I think that's a pipe dream. KG holds the cards because we owe him $8 million whether he plays or not, but I would hope Theydon are at least approaching him with realistic buyout options.

This is what I would be doing if I were Thibs. KG is likely in town most of the summer, so I would tell him to meet me at the practice court for a workout. If KG said no because he was hurting, or if after a few minutes of working him out thibs realized KG was done, I would offer him $5 million to walk away. Be proactve. Force the issue. I don't have any terrific ideas for who we could replace KG with on the roster, but I know that the added depth couldn't hurt.

Can Pek join in this workout too? Kill 2 birds?

BizarroJerry wrote:

longstrangetrip wrote:Yeah, I agree with the sentiments here about KG. I've never seen a viable post-playing role for him, and have even thought the ownership rumors were silly. Even a 5% stake now is over $40 million, and a volatile guy like KG is not exactly a banker's dream. He does like the area though, so I think we will see him around. But his personality doesn't lend itself to him being a good will ambassador.

I have no idea what he is thinking currently, but this is what I would guess. He has an enormous ego and is a student of the game, so he is well aware that he was far and away our plus/minus leader last year. His ego tells him he can contribute in a big way this year if healthy. But I also think he is somewhat realistic about his body. He knows he can't play right now...that's the realistic part...but I also suspect he may be deluding himself into thinking he will wake up tomorrow and feel fine. And after not being able to play for well over half a year now, I think that's a pipe dream. KG holds the cards because we owe him $8 million whether he plays or not, but I would hope Theydon are at least approaching him with realistic buyout options.

This is what I would be doing if I were Thibs. KG is likely in town most of the summer, so I would tell him to meet me at the practice court for a workout. If KG said no because he was hurting, or if after a few minutes of working him out thibs realized KG was done, I would offer him $5 million to walk away. Be proactve. Force the issue. I don't have any terrific ideas for who we could replace KG with on the roster, but I know that the added depth couldn't hurt.

Can Pek join in this workout too? Kill 2 birds?

Would be nice, but not going to happen. Pek is going to stay in Montenegro until training camp, and then get paid $12 million for wearing a suit all season. No reason for him to take a buyout, unless his new bride refuses to join him in the states.

LST --

I like your idea generally, but it assumes KG would agree to meet or workout with Thibs and I'm not sure he would. I suspect the fact they haven't met yet is NOT because Thibs hasn't asked. I suspect KG will meet when he's ready and that means only after he's made a final decision on whether he intends to play. If he wants to play, then I think Thibs should put him on the roster and see what happens. If not, then I agree with those who don't see KG as a fit for any role in management or ownership.

Assuming we get to a buy-out situation, I would amend your recommendation slightly and offer the full $8 million (rather than the $5 million you suggest) as the buy-out amount in recognition of KG's career contributions and iconic stature. A full salary offer might also help ensure the relationship ends on reasonably good terms. The $3 million difference would have absolutely no significant impact on the Wolves' cap situation or ownership's bottom line. Therefore, the $5 million offer seems petty and beneath the dignity of a future hall-of-famer who put the Timberwoves franchise on the map.