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We're definitely on our way to making a "semi-professional" podcast here.  Hopefully we'll be there by the time the C's have sent the Hawks packing! 

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I'm very pleased to annouce that today marks a monumental moment in TWolvesBlog history - our very first podcast!  Ok, I'll admit, this probably isn't the finest audio production on the web, so it's probaby not that "monumental".  (Personally, I'll take any label above "incredibly embarrassing"!) Anyway, I decided that with my limited amount of time to pound out full length articles detailing KG's quest for the title, I'd have much better luck actually speaking my thoughts, and thus the "KG Cast" was born.  In this very first edition I talk about my thoughts on KG joining the Celtics, make a few observations on the actual game, and then wrap it up with some thoughts about the weekend's other playoff contests. 

Hopefully, I've been able to churn out a decent effort for my first podcast.  I'm sure it will get better as time goes on and I get used to talking out loud to myself in my basement.  It's definitely a strange feeling at first!  Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first edition of "The KG Cast"!  

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Boston Celtics / Minnesota Timberwolves Playoff Preview

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After the worst season in 14 years, Timberwolves fans can still find hope. 

Note: This article appears on www.DeROK.Net/wolves 

How do I even begin to summarize this past Timberwolves season?  I don't know what words to say.  You see, even though games were played and men ran up and down the court with the name across their chests, it just never felt like "Timberwolves basketball" to me. Something was missing, and I'm sure you all know who that "something" was. 

I know, I know.  The trade took place nearly nine months ago.  It's old news, and I should be over it.  I know that.  But as much as we all like to tell ourselves that this was "the best thing for our future", that KG is "better off", and that we've "moved on", there's no denying that the Target Center was a shell of its former self this year.  I only got to witness the experience via the television set, and even I could notice the emptiness.  And no matter how much we may try to mask the pain and deny it, that vacuum is a direct result of Kevin Garnett's departure. 

Kevin Garnett is just a man.  He throws on a pair of sneakers and puts a leather ball through a metal circle.  I'm not here to pass him off as some "savior" or some supernatural force that we should bow down and worship.  In fact, the point I'm trying to make has very little to do with Kevin Garnett, the man.  It has to do with Kevin Garnett, the ideal.  It has to do with what Kevin Garnett represented for this franchise and what this organization has become in the wake of his absence. 

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Some of you TWolvesBlog faithful may remember the article I posted in October about my friend Dan Occhiogrosso running the New York City Marathon while dribbling a basketball to raise money for AIDS orphans. Well, Dan successfully completed the marathon in a solid four and a half hours, despite multiple attempts by fellow-runners to strip him of the ball, and managed to raise $3,000 for the Bethsada Outreach in South Africa. However, the story does not stop there. After hearing about his escapades, someone at Spalding decided to enter him into a photo contest run by the company. The rules were that the photo had to show you using a Spalding basketball. Unsurprisingly, the photo of Dan dribbling his way through the streets of New York won the contest and he was awarded the prize of a trip to Washington D.C. to attend a Wizards game and have a pre-game meet and greet session with Gilbert Arenas.

Dan was allowed to select a friend to go on the trip with him, and it just so happens that I was the person who got to tag along with him to meet Agent Zero. Before the game we got to enter the Verizon Center through the VIP entrance and take an elevator ride down to the bowels of the stadium. We then walked out through the tunnel and onto the Wizards' court where several of the Miami Heat players were warming up. This was my second time down on an NBA court before a game, thanks to the Wolves' generosity back in 2004, and let me tell you that it's a surreal experience every time. You can't fully appreciate how enormous the players in this league are until you're standing right next to them. There were two things worth noting from our time on the floor. The first was that a loose ball came rolling right by my feet as we were walking past the Heat shoot-around. I picked it up and passed it back to Stephane Lasme, who said "Thanks" and continued to warm up. I know what you're thinking - "Who's Stephane Lasme?". Yeah, I had no idea either until I got back home and was able to figure it out via the internet. However, the point is that I passed a basketball to an NBA player, and even if that player is only one rung above Ndudi Ebi on the NBA totem pole, that's still pretty cool. The other thing of note is that I was shocked to discover that the Miami Heat apparently have a 12-year old on their roster.

It's Chris Quinn, their rookie PG from Notre Dame. I know that Quinn could easily be pushing 14 based on the above photograph, but he looks even younger in person. Much to my surprise, Quinn started the game for Miami and played a good game, scoring 24 points. I have a feeling that his playing for the Heat had a lot to do with his scoring output, as somebody's got to put the ball through the hoop, but he was fairly impressive nonetheless.

Anyway, after taking in the shootaround, we were ushered into the hallway just outside the Wizard's locker room and out came Gilbert Arenas. He was nice and gave both me and Dan the hug/handshake move and talked to us for a bit. Although, I do have to wonder how much attention he was actually paying to the encounter, because he gave me the hug/handshake move three different times over the course of our three minute encounter. The first was when he came out - he gave Dan one and then me one. Then like fifteen seconds later, I think he forgot that he already did it and gave me another one. Then after Dan told him about winning the photo contest, he said, "And this is my friend, Derek, who I brought along with me." Gilbert, then said "What's his name? Berek?" Dan said, "No, it's Derek", and then Gilbert gave me the third hug/handshake. After spending just a few seconds with him, you could definitely tell that Gilbert was the funny/quirky guy we've all come to know him as. Unfortunatly, I never did get to ask him about his thoughts on joining the Wolves in 2008-09. I could tell that this wasn't going to be a long ordeal and wanted to let Dan have his chance to talk to Gilbert seeing as he was the guy who won the contest. After signing a ball and a t-shirt for Dan and taking a photo with each of us, it was over and he headed back to the locker room.

One thing that did surprise me about Gilbert is that he's not that big of a guy. When I met Garnett and Duncan they were both just monstrous. Even T-Mac was surprisingly large. Gilbert just seemed like a "tall" guy, not this massive hulking giant. As we exited the hallway, Caron Butler was heading towards the locker room and he was suprisingly massive. I would have never guessed him to be as tall and bulky as he was.

The game itself wasn't overly exhillerating, as the Wiz trounced the lowly Heat. We had seats in the second row all the way in the corner and one of the Wizards security guards kept saying "I didn't know we were playing a CBA team tonight!" Probably the biggest highlight of the game for me was getting to boo Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. The Wizards home crowd is far from loud, so I'm pretty sure my voice carried enough to where they could hear me. The best was when Blount put up a shot which, I kid you not, missed the rim by a good five feet. I just sat in awe the entire time, wondering how Kevin McHale was able to fleece the Heat of a 1st round pick for these two locker room malignancies.

So that basically sums up the night. It was a cool experience, but meeting Gilbert definitely shouldn't overshadow the real reason why we were on the trip - the orphans in South Africa that Dan was trying to help. You can find out more about the various ways he's using basketball to raise awareness and funds for AIDS orphans on his site, www.ballforlives.com. It's a real problem in this world that often gets overlooked. I encourage any of you who are reading this to take a moment to learn more about the Bethsada Outreach and consider making a donation. We have it amazingly good in this country and there are millions of less fortuate children out there who's lives can be changed through just a small amount of generosity.

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I despise it. I loathe it.

I think it shows a lack of character, it cheats the fans who are paying to see competition, and it undermines the integrity of the league. That being said, I hope my Minnesota Timberwolves, intentionally or unintentionally, lose every game the rest of this season.

Don’t get me wrong, I bleed for this team. I think about them every day, I spend countless hours talking about them on the internet, I put together highlight reels and music videos for them – I even dream about them on a regular basis. I’m basically as big of a fan as you can be and am clearly bordering on pathetic. But I hope the Wolves lose every single one of their remaining sixteen games, because it’s the best thing for them in the long-term. If it involves tanking to get the job done, so be it. Because as much as I hate the immoral process of throwing games, I hate missing the playoffs year after year even more.

Don’t call me a loser. Don’t call me a traitor. Don’t blame the rational person who’s willing to put up with some crap now for a big payoff later. Blame the broken system that’s gotten me to this point.

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It's 2003-04 all over again for KG and Sam I Am

This article appears on www.DeROK.Net/wolves

At the risk of sounding like a total hypocrite after writing my piece about contract buyouts, I am extremely happy to see Sam Cassell once again paired with Kevin Garnett. I certainly don't like the way Sam I Am weaseled his way out of L.A. and over to Boston, but I won't let those circumstances stop me from enjoying what's to come.The biggest regret of my life as a sports fan is that I never got to see the 2003-04 Timberwolves win the NBA Championship. Ask any Minnesota fan and they'll gladly tell you how amazing that season's squad was. They were simultaneously the biggest underdogs and yet the most formidable opponent. They loved playing together, they came up big in the biggest of moments, and they collectively took the most downtrodden fanbase in the league and lifted them to unimaginable heights. In my entire life, I have never loved a team like I loved that team or enjoyed as season like I enjoyed that season.

And it was all thanks to Sam Cassell.

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