State of the Timberwolves

 That’s what I’ve been telling people here in MN and everyone laughs becuase the Wolves have been so bad for so long. I think those 3 vets will have a huge impact on the young core. There wasn’t one person on the Wolves last year at this time (K-mart??) that would set an example, establish a no-nonsense, defensive culture, and teach these guys how to win in the NBA. I watched so much dreadful defensive basketball last year I can’t wait to see what to of the greatest defenders at their positions in KG and Prince will do with these young guys. In the few games KG played last year this was a different team defensively. Now add in Prince as well to work with the wing players and I think it will accelerate the pups learning on that end a ton. Saw some clips from the first practice today and looks like all the emphasis was on defense. This team needs to hang it’s hat on the defesive end and play with a defensive mindset. As the young guys grow and develop the offense will take care of itself.

 That’s what I’ve been telling people here in MN and everyone laughs becuase the Wolves have been so bad for so long. I think those 3 vets will have a huge impact on the young core. There wasn’t one person on the Wolves last year at this time (K-mart??) that would set an example, establish a no-nonsense, defensive culture, and teach these guys how to win in the NBA. I watched so much dreadful defensive basketball last year I can’t wait to see what to of the greatest defenders at their positions in KG and Prince will do with these young guys. In the few games KG played last year this was a different team defensively. Now add in Prince as well to work with the wing players and I think it will accelerate the pups learning on that end a ton. Saw some clips from the first practice today and looks like all the emphasis was on defense. This team needs to hang it’s hat on the defesive end and play with a defensive mindset. As the young guys grow and develop the offense will take care of itself.

 The 76ers haven’t exactly.been filling it up for the past decade either.  In fact if you compare the T Wolves best team vs the 76ers best team the past ten years I would bet they are close to equal,  the one difference being the Wolves play in the West.  Where if they were in the East they would have made the playoffs a time or two as well when K Love was there.  

If the T Wolves trade Lavine for a future pick and start drafting injured players to guarantee they tank… While also not spending a dime in free agency to improve the team… Then I imagine they will get the same treatment as Stinkies 76ers.

 The 76ers haven’t exactly.been filling it up for the past decade either.  In fact if you compare the T Wolves best team vs the 76ers best team the past ten years I would bet they are close to equal,  the one difference being the Wolves play in the West.  Where if they were in the East they would have made the playoffs a time or two as well when K Love was there.  

If the T Wolves trade Lavine for a future pick and start drafting injured players to guarantee they tank… While also not spending a dime in free agency to improve the team… Then I imagine they will get the same treatment as Stinkies 76ers.

win the NBA Championship just 3 years ago!?!? It’s true, October 1st 2012, Golden State was coming off a 23 win season, their 4th straight terrible losing season & Phila had just come off a playoff run that saw them finish One win away from facing Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals. With all that momentum the Sixers jumped into the 4 team Dwight Howard to the Lakers trade & walked away w/ a 7 foot 285 lbs All Star Center who at Only 25 y/io was just entering his prime & had just achieved career highs in points (19) & rebounds (12) the previous year. I know it sounds absolutely Insane, but had you asked almost Any NBA expert which team was closer to winning an NBA Ring Golden State or Phila – Every last one of them would have said "provided that Bynum continues to average 65 games per year & plays All his teams plyoff games (as he had the last 5 years) than Phila is the Obvious choice…" I apologize in advance for the length of this, but this subject has become an area of slight fascination….

 First, let me say that I root for a team Other than the Phila Sixers…. Still, I do find it Puzzling that the National Media seemed to be attacking them relentlessly for the last two years. But that isn’t Minnesota’s fault. The T-Wolves have been treated like most "Rebuilding" teams- IGNORED… The National Media pays very little attention to rebuilding teams until they start to put a few pieces together. For example, both Minnesota & Sacramento just completed their NINTH (9) straight losing season! & in the last DOZEN years, Milwaukee has only One (1) winning season! We’re hearing about them b/c the Bucks & the Wolves both have several nice young players & in Sacramento’s case, they do have one great player who is Publicly Fueding w/ the coach….

 Like you said Phila has only been "Rebuilding" for 2 years & it is odd that almost from day one of the "Hinkie" era they have been systematically Hammered by the media… This is very unusual b/c Normally a team freefalling like Phila abruptly did Vanishes from the National conversation or at the Least one would figure they have earned some pity b/c in taking a Gutsy risk to go from good to "Hopefully" great w/ the Bynum / Howard trade but unlike the Lakers who have received Pity the Sixers just get ished on.

 I realize they have struggled since the Allen Iverson Era ended during the 2006/07′ season but they were Never more than a handful off games under .500 & the Sixers appeared to have a good young team moving in the right direction when they finished 35 – 31 in the strike shortened 2011/12′. They beat the Bulls in the 1st round of the playoffs then almost derailed the last run of the Celtic’s Big 3 when they took Boston to a game 7 in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals… I have to admit that until I looked it up, I also forgot that the 76ers came within One game of making the NBA’s "Final Four" & facing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals just 3& 1/2 seasons ago…

They had a decent nucleus of Andrea Igudola, Thad Young, Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday & Nic Vucevik & people took notice,,, They looked like a team w/ some potential to turn into what the Pacers & Hawks became – a 50+ win team not capable of winning the Championship but good enough to push Lebron’s Heat or Cavs in the Conference Finals, especially with Boston’s "big 3" on the downside & the Bulls really struggling w/ injuries…. The Sixers were on the Radar & people were excited about their future in the summer of 2012. 

But that Summer before the 2012/13 season the 76ers were offered a chance to get their hands on All Star & 2 time World Champ Andrew Bynum… In a one team Eastern Conference (Miami Heat) Doug Collins, the 76ers coach & DeFacto GM could Not resist. Bynum – who struggled w/ injuries his first 2 years, had remained relativvely healthy for the past Five years… In that time, Bynum had averaged 65 games a year & played in All the Lakers playoff games. Bynum was a Major factor in the Lakers back to back Titles & even though he was the Lakers 3rd scoring option on the team, Bynum averaged avout 15 ppg & 10 rpg over those 5 years & he was a Monster on the defensive end, where he averaged over 2 blocks per game. And in the 2011/12′ season Bynum had his Best year, averaging about 19 points & 12 rebounds while blocking 2.5 blocks per game! Philadephia looked to be getting the deal of the young century – a Legit 7 foot 285 lb Franchise Center who at 25 years old was just entering his Prime.

This move would Decimate the Sixers. So why did they do it?  Maybe Doug Collins was attempting to make up for the disastrous 2010 Draft Lottery when they – with their Only top 10 pick of this young Century, the Sixers passed on Boogie Cousins & instead took Evan Turner w/ the #2 overall pick (also passed Derrick Favors, Greg Monroe, Gordon Hayward & Paul George). Maybe Collins felt like it was fate. The only reason Bynum was even available was b/c All World, perrenial MVP candidate Center Dwight Howard was on the trading block & it looked like another Classic Lakers coup de gras where they make a Shrewd move & they are set up to at least compete for more Rings. So Collins & the Sixers agreed & a 4 team trade was completed….

The Lakers acquired Dwight Howard. the Sixers acquired Bynum but in return Phila gave up the guts of their team: Andre Igudola, Nic Vucevik & their 2012, 2015 & 2017 first round draft pciks,,,, Collins – trying to win now really mortgaged the team’s future (the 2012 pick was Maurice Harkless & the 2015 pick was sent to Boston for Arnott Moultry in a side deal)… Orlando lost Howard but in turn received some nice pieces to rebuild – Vucevik, Harkless & that 1st round pick. And Golden State, coming off a 23 win campiagn, their 4th consecutive Losing season acquired Andre Igudola… 

The National Media & talent scouts LOVED the deal for Both the Lakers & Sixers… No one would admit now but countless pundits RAVED about the Sixers as a "lock" to win their Division & finish as high as #2 in the Eastern Conference behind Lebron’s Miami Heat. If we had a Time Machine & we could go back 3 years ago on this day – October 1st, 2012 & asked Every NBA expert & talking head which Organization was closer to winning the NBA Ring: Golden State or Philadelphia? 99% of them would have chosen the Sixers… If you told those same people that the Howard / Bynum trade would ultimately Destroy both Phila & Los Angeles but instead would be the Final piece to the Championship for Golden State – they would have you committed in a straight jacket – Right????

Of course we all know that Bynum NEVER played a game for Phila & even though they had a few decent players on which top build (Holiday, Young, Turner) they esentially gambled & LOST their future by trading for Bynum. Andre Igudola is an All Star level player & team Leader, Nick Vucevick is a 20ppg & 12 rg Center & they would have NO 1st round pick 3 of the next 6 years – The 76ers had not only decimated their present, they destroyed Any chance to "Rebuild"….

 Of course they stumbled to a 34 – 48 record in that 2012/13′ season w/o Bynum. Looking back, it’s actually impressive they won 34 games. But the team really believed that Bynum was going to return for the playoffs. First the team reported that BNynum would return by Christmas & then it was Valentine’s day & then it St. Patrick’s day & then it was Easter until finally they announced that Bynum was shut down for the Season. then the video of Bynum dancing & bowling surfaced & the team & the fans realized that Bynum never had Any intention of playing for the team. The City was crushed & Doug Collins – who gambled on Bynum – truly fell apart emotionally. It was reported that Collins was teetering on the edge of a Nervous Breakdown. When the Season finally – Mercifully ended – w/ the 2013 NBA Draft looming in which the Sixers held the #13 pick, Doug Collins – citing health reasons, abruptly resigned – that was May of 2013…. That was 28 months ago…

So that is when Sam Hinkie was hired – Just before June of 2013. Think about the situation he walked into & the state of that team when he took over. I would bet that not toomany other basketball people would have even wanted that Job. It looked as though Phila would be stuck in the NBA’s version of "Hell" for a Decade – at least…. The Sixers – thinking they were building something real had signed Holliday, Turner & Young to long term deals so Hinkie was stuck w/ a team w/ 3 average 6’5” players signed to long term deals, a #11 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft & the team still owned it’s #1 pick in both 2014 & 2016… The 2015 & 2017 1st round picks were both GONE….

At that point Hinkie decided that he had to accumulate draft picks at all cost & it is truly amazing how he has Stockpiled that Franchise w/ Loads of picks & Blue chip prospects when he truly had next to Nothing to work with… Still the NBA community almost immediately BARBEQUED the Hinkster… I’m not sure if he had made enemies while he was the asst GM at Houston or if the "old guard" hated that Hinkie represented the "Analytics" movement or if it was something along the lines of "who the Hell does this young guy think he is but if you look at Everything Hinkie had done – it ALL really makes sense… None of us know if it will work out, but I would encourage anyone who is interested to take a step back, leave your emotions on the curb & actually pretend that you were hired as the GM & honestly ask yourself if you would have done that job better- 

As I mentioned above before I tortured you poor people w/ all this text, that I became curious b/c I was so used to "Rebuilding" teams being relegated to invisibility by the NBA & espn & all the other major Media Outlets that I became curious why the Sixers – who I knew were only recently knocked into the NBA neverland of a slightly below .500 team… 

So I don’t think it’s fair how the Sixers have been Roasted by the Media & now it has trickled down to the fans (many of whom SWEAR the Sixers have been tanking for 10 years – At :east, lol) – so I agree w/ you there. But I disagree that we should spread this venom to other rebuilding teams… Instead, we should spread the real story that the Sixers got slaughtered on a bad trade & a bad decision (by them) but instead of crying about it, they came up with a plane & Now, are really a pretty interesting story & that they have managed to Rebuild & acquire some nice pieces through intelligence & thinking Long Term (something almost Never done in the NBA) but let’s also give teams like Minnesota & Milwaukee Love too b/c as NBA fans, we LOVE to see Teams that have traditionally struggled turn that corner & do the same thing Phila is doing which is build the foundation of a Future winner by acquiring young Blue Chip prosects thru the Draft, utilizing smart management & good coaching to develop these prospects into good players & teams….

Hey to all who made it this far – I am SO SORRY I wrote so much – Please forgive me,,, And to any & all T-Wolves fans good luck this season – I am Super excited to see some of these great young players & Finally, Flip Saunders is in my prayers 100% – I am so in support of Flip taking a Leave of Absence. I am a stage 4 metastatic cancer survivor. I am So lucky to still be here. I was actually told – after a 18 months of chemo, radiation & multiple surgeries that the Cancer has spread anyway & that I needed to "get my affairs in order" – I never gave up, I battled & battled – it’s a true war in the mind… So many people, including myself say "I am not going to let this disease affect my life.." & we try to keep working & many people must but if u can the best thing is to treat the illness as the life & death struggle that it is & your body takes such a beating that it Needs all the rest it can get… I lost Everything – finacially wiped out, the woman I loved & to whom I was engaged left, physcially, emotionally & mentally I was just so beaten down I could never explain it… But I survived & thx to the Amazing family, friends, hospital, doctors, nurses, insurance people & so on I survived & even though at 36 years old I had to start from scrath w/ a broken body I am so happy b/c Life is worth it! Flip is gonna get better & return to enjoy the Wolves success! Good luck Everyone & good luck to all your favorite teams – so excited for Opening Tip Off! I luv all you guys & I luv reading your posts!

win the NBA Championship just 3 years ago!?!? It’s true, October 1st 2012, Golden State was coming off a 23 win season, their 4th straight terrible losing season & Phila had just come off a playoff run that saw them finish One win away from facing Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals. With all that momentum the Sixers jumped into the 4 team Dwight Howard to the Lakers trade & walked away w/ a 7 foot 285 lbs All Star Center who at Only 25 y/io was just entering his prime & had just achieved career highs in points (19) & rebounds (12) the previous year. I know it sounds absolutely Insane, but had you asked almost Any NBA expert which team was closer to winning an NBA Ring Golden State or Phila – Every last one of them would have said "provided that Bynum continues to average 65 games per year & plays All his teams plyoff games (as he had the last 5 years) than Phila is the Obvious choice…" I apologize in advance for the length of this, but this subject has become an area of slight fascination….

 First, let me say that I root for a team Other than the Phila Sixers…. Still, I do find it Puzzling that the National Media seemed to be attacking them relentlessly for the last two years. But that isn’t Minnesota’s fault. The T-Wolves have been treated like most "Rebuilding" teams- IGNORED… The National Media pays very little attention to rebuilding teams until they start to put a few pieces together. For example, both Minnesota & Sacramento just completed their NINTH (9) straight losing season! & in the last DOZEN years, Milwaukee has only One (1) winning season! We’re hearing about them b/c the Bucks & the Wolves both have several nice young players & in Sacramento’s case, they do have one great player who is Publicly Fueding w/ the coach….

 Like you said Phila has only been "Rebuilding" for 2 years & it is odd that almost from day one of the "Hinkie" era they have been systematically Hammered by the media… This is very unusual b/c Normally a team freefalling like Phila abruptly did Vanishes from the National conversation or at the Least one would figure they have earned some pity b/c in taking a Gutsy risk to go from good to "Hopefully" great w/ the Bynum / Howard trade but unlike the Lakers who have received Pity the Sixers just get ished on.

 I realize they have struggled since the Allen Iverson Era ended during the 2006/07′ season but they were Never more than a handful off games under .500 & the Sixers appeared to have a good young team moving in the right direction when they finished 35 – 31 in the strike shortened 2011/12′. They beat the Bulls in the 1st round of the playoffs then almost derailed the last run of the Celtic’s Big 3 when they took Boston to a game 7 in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals… I have to admit that until I looked it up, I also forgot that the 76ers came within One game of making the NBA’s "Final Four" & facing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals just 3& 1/2 seasons ago…

They had a decent nucleus of Andrea Igudola, Thad Young, Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday & Nic Vucevik & people took notice,,, They looked like a team w/ some potential to turn into what the Pacers & Hawks became – a 50+ win team not capable of winning the Championship but good enough to push Lebron’s Heat or Cavs in the Conference Finals, especially with Boston’s "big 3" on the downside & the Bulls really struggling w/ injuries…. The Sixers were on the Radar & people were excited about their future in the summer of 2012. 

But that Summer before the 2012/13 season the 76ers were offered a chance to get their hands on All Star & 2 time World Champ Andrew Bynum… In a one team Eastern Conference (Miami Heat) Doug Collins, the 76ers coach & DeFacto GM could Not resist. Bynum – who struggled w/ injuries his first 2 years, had remained relativvely healthy for the past Five years… In that time, Bynum had averaged 65 games a year & played in All the Lakers playoff games. Bynum was a Major factor in the Lakers back to back Titles & even though he was the Lakers 3rd scoring option on the team, Bynum averaged avout 15 ppg & 10 rpg over those 5 years & he was a Monster on the defensive end, where he averaged over 2 blocks per game. And in the 2011/12′ season Bynum had his Best year, averaging about 19 points & 12 rebounds while blocking 2.5 blocks per game! Philadephia looked to be getting the deal of the young century – a Legit 7 foot 285 lb Franchise Center who at 25 years old was just entering his Prime.

This move would Decimate the Sixers. So why did they do it?  Maybe Doug Collins was attempting to make up for the disastrous 2010 Draft Lottery when they – with their Only top 10 pick of this young Century, the Sixers passed on Boogie Cousins & instead took Evan Turner w/ the #2 overall pick (also passed Derrick Favors, Greg Monroe, Gordon Hayward & Paul George). Maybe Collins felt like it was fate. The only reason Bynum was even available was b/c All World, perrenial MVP candidate Center Dwight Howard was on the trading block & it looked like another Classic Lakers coup de gras where they make a Shrewd move & they are set up to at least compete for more Rings. So Collins & the Sixers agreed & a 4 team trade was completed….

The Lakers acquired Dwight Howard. the Sixers acquired Bynum but in return Phila gave up the guts of their team: Andre Igudola, Nic Vucevik & their 2012, 2015 & 2017 first round draft pciks,,,, Collins – trying to win now really mortgaged the team’s future (the 2012 pick was Maurice Harkless & the 2015 pick was sent to Boston for Arnott Moultry in a side deal)… Orlando lost Howard but in turn received some nice pieces to rebuild – Vucevik, Harkless & that 1st round pick. And Golden State, coming off a 23 win campiagn, their 4th consecutive Losing season acquired Andre Igudola… 

The National Media & talent scouts LOVED the deal for Both the Lakers & Sixers… No one would admit now but countless pundits RAVED about the Sixers as a "lock" to win their Division & finish as high as #2 in the Eastern Conference behind Lebron’s Miami Heat. If we had a Time Machine & we could go back 3 years ago on this day – October 1st, 2012 & asked Every NBA expert & talking head which Organization was closer to winning the NBA Ring: Golden State or Philadelphia? 99% of them would have chosen the Sixers… If you told those same people that the Howard / Bynum trade would ultimately Destroy both Phila & Los Angeles but instead would be the Final piece to the Championship for Golden State – they would have you committed in a straight jacket – Right????

Of course we all know that Bynum NEVER played a game for Phila & even though they had a few decent players on which top build (Holiday, Young, Turner) they esentially gambled & LOST their future by trading for Bynum. Andre Igudola is an All Star level player & team Leader, Nick Vucevick is a 20ppg & 12 rg Center & they would have NO 1st round pick 3 of the next 6 years – The 76ers had not only decimated their present, they destroyed Any chance to "Rebuild"….

 Of course they stumbled to a 34 – 48 record in that 2012/13′ season w/o Bynum. Looking back, it’s actually impressive they won 34 games. But the team really believed that Bynum was going to return for the playoffs. First the team reported that BNynum would return by Christmas & then it was Valentine’s day & then it St. Patrick’s day & then it was Easter until finally they announced that Bynum was shut down for the Season. then the video of Bynum dancing & bowling surfaced & the team & the fans realized that Bynum never had Any intention of playing for the team. The City was crushed & Doug Collins – who gambled on Bynum – truly fell apart emotionally. It was reported that Collins was teetering on the edge of a Nervous Breakdown. When the Season finally – Mercifully ended – w/ the 2013 NBA Draft looming in which the Sixers held the #13 pick, Doug Collins – citing health reasons, abruptly resigned – that was May of 2013…. That was 28 months ago…

So that is when Sam Hinkie was hired – Just before June of 2013. Think about the situation he walked into & the state of that team when he took over. I would bet that not toomany other basketball people would have even wanted that Job. It looked as though Phila would be stuck in the NBA’s version of "Hell" for a Decade – at least…. The Sixers – thinking they were building something real had signed Holliday, Turner & Young to long term deals so Hinkie was stuck w/ a team w/ 3 average 6’5” players signed to long term deals, a #11 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft & the team still owned it’s #1 pick in both 2014 & 2016… The 2015 & 2017 1st round picks were both GONE….

At that point Hinkie decided that he had to accumulate draft picks at all cost & it is truly amazing how he has Stockpiled that Franchise w/ Loads of picks & Blue chip prospects when he truly had next to Nothing to work with… Still the NBA community almost immediately BARBEQUED the Hinkster… I’m not sure if he had made enemies while he was the asst GM at Houston or if the "old guard" hated that Hinkie represented the "Analytics" movement or if it was something along the lines of "who the Hell does this young guy think he is but if you look at Everything Hinkie had done – it ALL really makes sense… None of us know if it will work out, but I would encourage anyone who is interested to take a step back, leave your emotions on the curb & actually pretend that you were hired as the GM & honestly ask yourself if you would have done that job better- 

As I mentioned above before I tortured you poor people w/ all this text, that I became curious b/c I was so used to "Rebuilding" teams being relegated to invisibility by the NBA & espn & all the other major Media Outlets that I became curious why the Sixers – who I knew were only recently knocked into the NBA neverland of a slightly below .500 team… 

So I don’t think it’s fair how the Sixers have been Roasted by the Media & now it has trickled down to the fans (many of whom SWEAR the Sixers have been tanking for 10 years – At :east, lol) – so I agree w/ you there. But I disagree that we should spread this venom to other rebuilding teams… Instead, we should spread the real story that the Sixers got slaughtered on a bad trade & a bad decision (by them) but instead of crying about it, they came up with a plane & Now, are really a pretty interesting story & that they have managed to Rebuild & acquire some nice pieces through intelligence & thinking Long Term (something almost Never done in the NBA) but let’s also give teams like Minnesota & Milwaukee Love too b/c as NBA fans, we LOVE to see Teams that have traditionally struggled turn that corner & do the same thing Phila is doing which is build the foundation of a Future winner by acquiring young Blue Chip prosects thru the Draft, utilizing smart management & good coaching to develop these prospects into good players & teams….

Hey to all who made it this far – I am SO SORRY I wrote so much – Please forgive me,,, And to any & all T-Wolves fans good luck this season – I am Super excited to see some of these great young players & Finally, Flip Saunders is in my prayers 100% – I am so in support of Flip taking a Leave of Absence. I am a stage 4 metastatic cancer survivor. I am So lucky to still be here. I was actually told – after a 18 months of chemo, radiation & multiple surgeries that the Cancer has spread anyway & that I needed to "get my affairs in order" – I never gave up, I battled & battled – it’s a true war in the mind… So many people, including myself say "I am not going to let this disease affect my life.." & we try to keep working & many people must but if u can the best thing is to treat the illness as the life & death struggle that it is & your body takes such a beating that it Needs all the rest it can get… I lost Everything – finacially wiped out, the woman I loved & to whom I was engaged left, physcially, emotionally & mentally I was just so beaten down I could never explain it… But I survived & thx to the Amazing family, friends, hospital, doctors, nurses, insurance people & so on I survived & even though at 36 years old I had to start from scrath w/ a broken body I am so happy b/c Life is worth it! Flip is gonna get better & return to enjoy the Wolves success! Good luck Everyone & good luck to all your favorite teams – so excited for Opening Tip Off! I luv all you guys & I luv reading your posts!

 Murray and Lavine can play together sharing playmaking roles

 Murray and Lavine can play together sharing playmaking roles

underrated comment lol

underrated comment lol

underrated comment lol

underrated comment lol