One Fan's Opinion (OFO)
Ding..It's been 2 1/2 minutes and you can't wait for the popcorn to get
done. I've heard people say that it's taking "forever" for the
microwave dinner to cook. Are you serious? 3 minutes and you're saying
it's forever?
Yes, people want it fast and they want it now. Our microwave society has
taken its toll on sports, too. In 2003, Marty Schottenheimer was an idiot
who should be fired. In 2004, he was a coach of the year candidate and
coach of the AFC West Champion San Diego Chargers. Instead of dropping
their coach, the Chargers 'stuck it out' and were rewarded.
For years upon years, Flip Saunders has been heralded as a good coach.
His first NBA job followed seven years of success in the Continental Basketball
Association (CBA) where he collected two CBA championships (in 1990 and
1992) and two CBA Coach of the Year honors (in 1989 and 1992) .
So why is he gone? Well, Kevin McHale believes that "Maybe a new
voice will help. I'm going to do my best to get these guys competing at
a higher level." You fired a guy for “maybe”? I smell the
distant stench of doom just over the horizon.
It's true that Saunders does not have NBA hall-of-fame statistics but
his 411-326 record and .558 winning percentage is very good considering
what he has suffered through in Minnesota. For 8 of 9 years after joining
the 'Wolves, the teams did not have a contending, decent lineup. Last
year, Flip was given the weapons and the 'Wolves responded by being a
couple of Kareem Rush flushed 3-pointers away from winning the tough western
conference and facing the Detroit Pistons for an NBA title. Yes, the Lakers
took Garnett's hope for the title and now, it looks like they cost him
a coach as well.
To give everyone some perspective on Flip's 411-326 record, let's look
at the team he inherited. The 1995 Timberwolves had a Purina-like dog
logo and the following roster: Isaiah Rider, Christian Laettner, Doug
West, Sean Rooks, Winston Garland, Tom Gugliotta, Donyell Marshall, Chris
Smith, Pat Durham, Greg Foster, Stacey King, Darrick Martin, Howard Eisley,
Charles Shackleford, Andres Guibert, Askia Jones, Mike Brown, and the
notorious Micheal Williams. Ouch!
But things have changed since then, haven't they. Owner Glen Taylor has
dug into his pocket and along with some cash for Sprewell and Cassell,
Glen's produced some expectations. With Flip gone, will the 'Wolves respond?
McHale himself said that the NBA is a players league. So will nailing
the coach to the wall help? Not likely.
As you can tell I'm very disappointed. Ding! My 3 minutes and up and my
thoughts are fully cooked. I'm going to sit down, eat my popcorn and watch
the 'Wolves fall further.
later,
Don
Timberwolves Season Ticket Holder and Fan
PS Wonder if this is for real? Well, the official press release is on
the Timberwolves website at www.nba.com/timberwolves.
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