Saying that KG is overrated is about the same as saying that you would take a backcourt of cassell and spree over manu and parker right now (i.e. ridiculous)
Don't Fire Flip, Fire Spree and trade Cassell back to his home planet see if you can get a better alien
I might be wrong, but wasn't McHale partly responsible for the Joe Smith debacle which ended up costing the Wolves 5 straight first round picks? Without a doubt, set the franchise back.
I agree. You can't compare Cassell and Spree to Manu and Parker this year. Two guys are on the wrong side of 30 and if you look at the defense of the two teams it's not even fair.
on ESPN radio last weekend they were saying to expect this to happen. While McHale and Flip were long-time friends, Kevin felt like the players were too soft because of the coaching style. So I guess Kevin is going to try to get strict on them and probably clean house for the next coach. When Coach Pop took over I thought it was a terrible move and look what happened.
I am not saying sam and spre are better than parker and manu, but duncan has gone from avery johnson and steven jackson to manu and parker without the team sucking. I realize that spre and sam suck this year but they have talent. Steve Francis puts up great stats to but look where that lead us. KG is a great player but he isn't in the class where he can take over a game with his post game or can take it to the rim every time. He is a jump shooting power forward with good quickness and handles. Heck sam was taking a bunch of big shots at the end last year. KG is a top 5 player, but he isn't in the shaq and duncan class which is where a lot of guys put him at.
Anyone else get the feeling that Phil Jackson would be perfect for them. He's good at handeling egos and superstar management. Plus the triangle would be pretty effective for that team in my opinion. Any thoughts?
I have a feeling that the Lakers will get Saunders. I thought the Lakers were sinking faster than the Wolves. Now I'm not so sure.
OK so KG isn't the low block force Duncan or Shaq have been--the two which account for what 5 of the last 6 playoff MVPs. Makes him overrated? (note: His team had a better record and he did get his team farther in the playoffs than Duncan did last year, so he did deserve the MVP last year.) I think most people consider KG probably the 3rd best (most dominant) player behind the above two. That is about right to me. Kobe or Tmac or Dirk or J Oneal couldn't have taken those Twolves teams any farther either.
McHale is going to learn soon enough what Flip already knew, it isnt the coaching that is the problem, it is the PLAYERS. I am looking at you Sprewell and at you Cassell. And KG has been playing hurt on a knee and word is it is more serious than people think.
i think McHale already knew it. I saw this report but cant find it now where McHale said it's players' problem more than coach's but it's players' league and changing coach is a quick fix.
-Firing Flip was really unfair. The only good thing is that he'll be a hot coaching FA this summer. His firing leads me to believe that the trade offers for the guys they're actively trying to drop (Sam, Spree, Kandi, etc) are all lowballs and they doubt they'll make a big move by the 24th. They felt they had to make a move, and so this was it. I know they've been trying to do Payton for Sam and that the interest in Spree is shockingly low, even as a salary cap relief guy. -KG would be the perfect big man for a triangle offense, but needs to be surrounded by Michael Redd/Rip Hamilton types. Sam was a great addition until that fork got stuck into his back. Evan
It appears that this is pretty much the bottom line.... Coach vulnerable without trade BY JASON WILLIAMS Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/10893637.htm Had the Timberwolves been able to make a trade, Flip Saunders still would be the coach, team owner Glen Taylor said Sunday. "Is this really all Flip's fault? It certainly isn't," said Taylor, speaking publicly for the first time since the Wolves fired their longtime coach Saturday. "But I didn't know what other alternative we had." Taylor said the Wolves have been pursuing a trade, and "we probably have been a little more active than I've indicated." Because the Wolves haven't pulled off a deal and are pessimistic one will develop, Taylor's options were limited to firing Saunders as a way of trying to motivate the underachieving Wolves. McHale said Sunday he didn't expect a deal to happen before the Feb. 24 trading deadline. Taylor said he made the decision during a phone conversation Saturday morning with Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale, who became the coach. "Let's just say we did it together," said Taylor, who recently had expressed confidence in Saunders. "It wasn't that (McHale) talked me into it, or I talked him into it. I hoped to keep Flip there, but if Flip ran out of answers, that would probably make me want to change. He tried lineup changes. He tried positive. He tried negative. I think he tried everything. "I'm not angry at Flip. I think he's a great coach. But … I think he exhausted all the things that he knew to try to motivate this team." Taylor said McHale made the decision to coach. They pondered other options, mainly the possibility of promoting an assistant coach. Taylor said McHale has no plans to coach long term and is committed to coaching only the remainder of the season. But, Taylor added, the Wolves could make a change before the end of the season. That probably would happen only if McHale tires of coaching. It never has been McHale's goal to coach, and this is his first attempt at it at any level of basketball. Taylor believes the no-nonsense McHale can motivate the Wolves, whose effort often has been lackluster. "He'll be more in their face," Taylor said. "I guess we're going to find out by the end of the year what our guys are made of." Other highlights of Taylor's news conference: • On veterans Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell setting a bad tone when they complained about the status of their contracts during the preseason: "I said at the beginning of the year, I didn't think (that would cause problems) because we handled it. But I'm probably second-guessing myself now. I would tell you there was nothing I could've changed on that. I think we did everything we can." • On his team's effort: "I am frustrated. To me, I can't see why anyone wouldn't give utmost effort every night if you really believe you had a chance to win the NBA championship. That's only going to come once or so in a lifetime, so I don't know why you have to motivate people to play hard."
Flips not going anywhere. He's a good friend of McHale and was reassigned to another position with the organization. McHale was just trying to send a message to the team.
Considering how hot teams are going to be after him this summer, I doubt he's going to stick around in a made-up front office position. Evan
Yes it was McHale but my understanding was the under-the-table was between the Wolves owner and Team Joe Smith. Also the NBA later reduced it to 3 first round picks penalty.
Yes. An under the table deal between the Owner and Smith, which they put down in writing, for some stupid reason.
