It's a late one...I'll be on after 11:00 tonight, but listen if you can. Station AM 830.
If you can't listen to the radio, here is the link where you can listen online.
Want to take any guesses as to what we're going to talk about?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Listen to me on WCCO radio tonight!
Want to take any guesses as to what we're going to talk about?
A Letter From Glen Taylor
For those who didn't receive this...
July 31, 2007
I write to you today with some momentous news. Earlier today, we decided to fundamentally change the direction of our team and trade Kevin Garnett. We acquired Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks from Boston. We're excited about the new players that we have acquired and the potential that the new draft picks represent.
As with any great change, I am filled with mixed emotions. Sadness in seeing our franchise player depart but also great excitement in what the future holds. Our team is definitely young, but also extremely talented. Our core group of Randy Foye, Craig Smith, Rashad McCants, 2007 NBA Draft picks Corey Brewer and Chris Richard and the newly acquired players plus two future first-round picks have me energized about our long-term future.
Yes, I'll miss Kevin Garnett. For 12 years Kevin has been the face of our franchise. We have all watched him grow and mature from "The Kid" into "The Big Ticket" right before our very eyes. I appreciate everything he has done for this franchise; the blood, the sweat and the tears that he has shed on our behalf. I wish only the best for Kevin and his family.
However, this move was made in the best interest of the Minnesota Timberwolves and regaining our place among the best teams in the NBA. During the past three years, we have struggled unsuccessfully to assemble a team around Kevin that could bring us back to the playoffs. These years have been hard on all of us. During this time it has become increasingly apparent to me that given the complicated formulas needed to move and acquire players, we needed greater flexibility. To move our team forward, we will need the flexibility this trade provides.
This past spring, I sat down with the team's top executives and drafted a plan on how we wanted to rebuild our team. We evaluated our successes and failures over the years and looked to other franchises on how they built winning teams. The result of this reflection was the "Blueprint for the Future" that I shared with many of you. This plan outlined how we planned to rebuild our team. It was our acknowledgment that we had strayed from building a team that didn't just speak of character, but rather lived it. A team more focused on working as a team than seeking individual recognition.
We took that first step today. We know it won't be easy - nothing that is worthwhile ever is. We know that we are embarking on a journey that will be measured in years, not months. We understand that every team in professional sports is in a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth. I wholly believe that it is our time to give birth to a new team that will return our Timberwolves franchise to the elite of the NBA.
I appreciate your continued support as we undergo this transformation and urge you to follow our progress. I am convinced that you will like what you see and believe that it will mean only better days ahead. Please feel free to contact any of my staff with additional questions.
Regards,
Glen Taylor
July 31, 2007
I write to you today with some momentous news. Earlier today, we decided to fundamentally change the direction of our team and trade Kevin Garnett. We acquired Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks from Boston. We're excited about the new players that we have acquired and the potential that the new draft picks represent.
As with any great change, I am filled with mixed emotions. Sadness in seeing our franchise player depart but also great excitement in what the future holds. Our team is definitely young, but also extremely talented. Our core group of Randy Foye, Craig Smith, Rashad McCants, 2007 NBA Draft picks Corey Brewer and Chris Richard and the newly acquired players plus two future first-round picks have me energized about our long-term future.
Yes, I'll miss Kevin Garnett. For 12 years Kevin has been the face of our franchise. We have all watched him grow and mature from "The Kid" into "The Big Ticket" right before our very eyes. I appreciate everything he has done for this franchise; the blood, the sweat and the tears that he has shed on our behalf. I wish only the best for Kevin and his family.
However, this move was made in the best interest of the Minnesota Timberwolves and regaining our place among the best teams in the NBA. During the past three years, we have struggled unsuccessfully to assemble a team around Kevin that could bring us back to the playoffs. These years have been hard on all of us. During this time it has become increasingly apparent to me that given the complicated formulas needed to move and acquire players, we needed greater flexibility. To move our team forward, we will need the flexibility this trade provides.
This past spring, I sat down with the team's top executives and drafted a plan on how we wanted to rebuild our team. We evaluated our successes and failures over the years and looked to other franchises on how they built winning teams. The result of this reflection was the "Blueprint for the Future" that I shared with many of you. This plan outlined how we planned to rebuild our team. It was our acknowledgment that we had strayed from building a team that didn't just speak of character, but rather lived it. A team more focused on working as a team than seeking individual recognition.
We took that first step today. We know it won't be easy - nothing that is worthwhile ever is. We know that we are embarking on a journey that will be measured in years, not months. We understand that every team in professional sports is in a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth. I wholly believe that it is our time to give birth to a new team that will return our Timberwolves franchise to the elite of the NBA.
I appreciate your continued support as we undergo this transformation and urge you to follow our progress. I am convinced that you will like what you see and believe that it will mean only better days ahead. Please feel free to contact any of my staff with additional questions.
Regards,
Glen Taylor
Monday, July 30, 2007
Thoughts on Garnett and The Mystery Player Revealed
As I am writing this, Kevin Garnett technically is still a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, however we all know that will more then likely not be the case soon. Although it is nearly impossible to separate Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves in your mind, it has become a reality and the time has come to find out which fans are Kevin Garnett fans and which fans are Minnesota Timberwolves fans.
With the reported deal, the Timberwolves will certainly be in “rebuilding mode.” They are admitting that they failed and it is time to get young and try to establish a good core of players who could develop on the court together at this level, as well as develop chemistry together on the court. Certainly most fans are not thrilled with the idea of watching this team struggle as they grow and try to form an identity after Garnett was the identity of the franchise for over a decade, but it is time.
Certainly unscientific, here is a breakdown of the stats of the main players reported to be coming to Minnesota, compared to Kevin Garnett’s statistics from last season…
Al Jefferson
16.0 ppg / 11.0 rpg / 1.3 apg / 1.5 bpg / 0.7 spg
Gerald Green
10.4 ppg / 2.6 rpg / 1.0 apg / 0.3 bpg / 0.5 spg
Ryan Gomes
12.1 ppg / 5.6 rpg / 1.6 apg / 0.2 bpg / 0.7 spg
Sebastian Telfair
6.1 ppg / 1.4 rpg / 2.8 apg / 0.1 bpg / 0.6 spg
TOTALS
44.6 ppg / 20.6 rpg / 6.7 apg / 2.1 bpg / 2.5 spg
KG
22.4 ppg / 12.8 rpg / 4.1 apg / 1.7 bpg / 1.2 spg
With the influx of youth that apparently will now make up the roster of the Timberwolves, there are a few more moves that must be made. Ricky Davis and Mark Blount are not the veteran “leaders” you would want to influence the younger players. When I sat down with Davis in March, an answer he gave rubbed me the wrong way, seemingly showing a true glimpse of the player…
---
SL: There are many fans out there who believe that it may be in the best interest of the team to start Rashad McCants and have you come in as the sixth man, a role in which you've thrived in the past. Is that something that, if asked, you would be willing to do?
RD: I'm always willing to do something nice, but that was something that I was better at in my younger days. I'm going to be a starter and I'm going to stay a starter, so we'll just keep it like that. It's different when you go to another team where they have guys who have established themselves in the league already and maybe become like a (Jerry) Stackhouse. He comes off the bench and does what he does, but I'm here to play all the minutes. I'm going to play all of the minutes and make the team better.
---
Earlier in March, I had an interesting run-in with one of the Wolves players and wrote an article in which I left the player unnamed. That article is below…
---
I have a certain routine before each Timberwolves game. After making a visit to the visitor’s locker room to spend a few moments with, on this night, the Utah Jazz players, I then immediately spend the rest of the time allotted in Minnesota’s locker room. I do so to get some sense as to whether or not the team is focused, tired, loose and relaxed or whatever mindset they might be in before tip off.
It really is amazing the things you can predict will happen in the game by spending that small window of time with the players. By this incredibly unscientific method of watching body language and mood, this Minnesota team plays their best basketball when they have an edge to them, almost as if they have the mentality of “us vs. the world.” At the start of the 2006-07 season, that was the locker room attitude before nearly every game, but has disappeared the past few weeks.
This game was over before it started.
Upon entering the Minnesota locker room, I arrived to an empty room. Not one player was there watching film on the Jazz, stretching, reading scouting reports on Utah, etc. As I stood there completely alone, watching tape of Utah’s great game against Memphis the other night, one Wolves player finally made an appearance.
At this time I have decided to leave the player unnamed, but wanted to point out for my readers the level of immaturity that this team has and how “checked out,” looking forward to their long summer off as they do not seem interested in the slightest in making a playoff appearance.
This unnamed player bounced into the locker room with a spring in his step, singing and generally in a great mood. As I do have somewhat of a relationship with this player, I said “Man, you seem to be in a good mood.”
The response was jaw-dropping.
“Yeah, I’m loose and feeling good. I mean, what do I have to worry about? When’s the last time I had to work. I’ve never worked a day in my life.”
I just nodded my head, shocked at what was just stated. This player stood in front of me, who made more money by the time he was 25 then I will see in my entire life and, in essence, flaunted that fact. He had no gratitude for the situation he was blessed to be a part of by playing a game for a living and no respect for the game itself.
By showing the immaturity that he displayed, he spit in the face of his teammates, owner, fans and myself. This is the problem that pervades the Minnesota locker room. Most of the players do not show the commitment to winning that should be required of them, so why should we expect them to show any passion on the court?
The biggest problem I have with this is a simple question. Is the problem with the Minnesota Timberwolves that they have players such as this on their roster or is the problem that they have executives who bring these players to the Twin Cities?
The game, which was delayed by 30 minutes due to issues with the baskets, should have been forfeited at that time. The outcome was inevitable with attitudes like this coming from the home team.
---
After that article was published, I received numerous emails from readers stating their guesses as to who the unnamed player was in the piece. What was interesting to me was that every player on the team was someone’s choice, other then rookies Randy Foye and Craig Smith. So, what does that say about the team?
I always answered those emails or message board posts with the response that I would not reveal the identity of the player until he was no longer a member of the team. However, with Garnett’s departure all but complete, the most important thing that Kevin McHale and company can do is rid themselves of veterans such as Davis and that unnamed player…who was indeed Mark Blount.
I decided to name Blount now to show how badly he and Davis need to be gone. If fans did not have enough reasons to want them gone, there is another.
With the reported deal, the Timberwolves will certainly be in “rebuilding mode.” They are admitting that they failed and it is time to get young and try to establish a good core of players who could develop on the court together at this level, as well as develop chemistry together on the court. Certainly most fans are not thrilled with the idea of watching this team struggle as they grow and try to form an identity after Garnett was the identity of the franchise for over a decade, but it is time.
Certainly unscientific, here is a breakdown of the stats of the main players reported to be coming to Minnesota, compared to Kevin Garnett’s statistics from last season…
Al Jefferson
16.0 ppg / 11.0 rpg / 1.3 apg / 1.5 bpg / 0.7 spg
Gerald Green
10.4 ppg / 2.6 rpg / 1.0 apg / 0.3 bpg / 0.5 spg
Ryan Gomes
12.1 ppg / 5.6 rpg / 1.6 apg / 0.2 bpg / 0.7 spg
Sebastian Telfair
6.1 ppg / 1.4 rpg / 2.8 apg / 0.1 bpg / 0.6 spg
TOTALS
44.6 ppg / 20.6 rpg / 6.7 apg / 2.1 bpg / 2.5 spg
KG
22.4 ppg / 12.8 rpg / 4.1 apg / 1.7 bpg / 1.2 spg
With the influx of youth that apparently will now make up the roster of the Timberwolves, there are a few more moves that must be made. Ricky Davis and Mark Blount are not the veteran “leaders” you would want to influence the younger players. When I sat down with Davis in March, an answer he gave rubbed me the wrong way, seemingly showing a true glimpse of the player…
---
SL: There are many fans out there who believe that it may be in the best interest of the team to start Rashad McCants and have you come in as the sixth man, a role in which you've thrived in the past. Is that something that, if asked, you would be willing to do?
RD: I'm always willing to do something nice, but that was something that I was better at in my younger days. I'm going to be a starter and I'm going to stay a starter, so we'll just keep it like that. It's different when you go to another team where they have guys who have established themselves in the league already and maybe become like a (Jerry) Stackhouse. He comes off the bench and does what he does, but I'm here to play all the minutes. I'm going to play all of the minutes and make the team better.
---
Earlier in March, I had an interesting run-in with one of the Wolves players and wrote an article in which I left the player unnamed. That article is below…
---
I have a certain routine before each Timberwolves game. After making a visit to the visitor’s locker room to spend a few moments with, on this night, the Utah Jazz players, I then immediately spend the rest of the time allotted in Minnesota’s locker room. I do so to get some sense as to whether or not the team is focused, tired, loose and relaxed or whatever mindset they might be in before tip off.
It really is amazing the things you can predict will happen in the game by spending that small window of time with the players. By this incredibly unscientific method of watching body language and mood, this Minnesota team plays their best basketball when they have an edge to them, almost as if they have the mentality of “us vs. the world.” At the start of the 2006-07 season, that was the locker room attitude before nearly every game, but has disappeared the past few weeks.
This game was over before it started.
Upon entering the Minnesota locker room, I arrived to an empty room. Not one player was there watching film on the Jazz, stretching, reading scouting reports on Utah, etc. As I stood there completely alone, watching tape of Utah’s great game against Memphis the other night, one Wolves player finally made an appearance.
At this time I have decided to leave the player unnamed, but wanted to point out for my readers the level of immaturity that this team has and how “checked out,” looking forward to their long summer off as they do not seem interested in the slightest in making a playoff appearance.
This unnamed player bounced into the locker room with a spring in his step, singing and generally in a great mood. As I do have somewhat of a relationship with this player, I said “Man, you seem to be in a good mood.”
The response was jaw-dropping.
“Yeah, I’m loose and feeling good. I mean, what do I have to worry about? When’s the last time I had to work. I’ve never worked a day in my life.”
I just nodded my head, shocked at what was just stated. This player stood in front of me, who made more money by the time he was 25 then I will see in my entire life and, in essence, flaunted that fact. He had no gratitude for the situation he was blessed to be a part of by playing a game for a living and no respect for the game itself.
By showing the immaturity that he displayed, he spit in the face of his teammates, owner, fans and myself. This is the problem that pervades the Minnesota locker room. Most of the players do not show the commitment to winning that should be required of them, so why should we expect them to show any passion on the court?
The biggest problem I have with this is a simple question. Is the problem with the Minnesota Timberwolves that they have players such as this on their roster or is the problem that they have executives who bring these players to the Twin Cities?
The game, which was delayed by 30 minutes due to issues with the baskets, should have been forfeited at that time. The outcome was inevitable with attitudes like this coming from the home team.
---
After that article was published, I received numerous emails from readers stating their guesses as to who the unnamed player was in the piece. What was interesting to me was that every player on the team was someone’s choice, other then rookies Randy Foye and Craig Smith. So, what does that say about the team?
I always answered those emails or message board posts with the response that I would not reveal the identity of the player until he was no longer a member of the team. However, with Garnett’s departure all but complete, the most important thing that Kevin McHale and company can do is rid themselves of veterans such as Davis and that unnamed player…who was indeed Mark Blount.
I decided to name Blount now to show how badly he and Davis need to be gone. If fans did not have enough reasons to want them gone, there is another.
Kevin Garnett Waiving Goodbye?
Well, it sure seems like it, doesn't it?
Although nothing is "official," Garnett's Celtic green jersey is being stitched up right now.
When the trade is announced officially, I will comment.
Until then, I'll let you do so...sign up for Minnesota Basketball Talk and provide your favorite KG moments.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Update
Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that I will not be posting as much for the next few days. My family and I are in the process of moving and life has come up somewhat.
I will post when I'm able to, but please sign up for Minnesota Basketball Talk on the left side and join the community there. Feel free to post your own topics you'd like to discuss and I'll chime in when able.
Talk to you soon.
Just wanted to let you know that I will not be posting as much for the next few days. My family and I are in the process of moving and life has come up somewhat.
I will post when I'm able to, but please sign up for Minnesota Basketball Talk on the left side and join the community there. Feel free to post your own topics you'd like to discuss and I'll chime in when able.
Talk to you soon.
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