I'm a bit torn, here.

As a Timberwolves fan, I want to see KG win a championship.  As an NBA fan, I want to see the Hawks complete an unthinkable upset on Sunday in Boston.  And as a sports fan, I want to see any team from Boston go down in defeat. 

Why?  In all honesty, I'm a jealous SOB...with an endless line of incompetent teams in Minnesota, it's nauseating to see Boston teams have some tremendous success.  I loved seeing the Patriots finish the 2007 NFL season 18-1, and admittedly, despite KG's 12 seasons as the face of the Timberwolves franchise, witnessing the Celtics lose in humiliating fashion would put a slight grin on my face.  I'll admit it...I'm little more than a bitter, frustrated Twin Cities sports fan.

What's a Wolves fan to do?  Well, as much as I appreciate KG's endless line of contributions to our favorite squad, it's impossible not to love the scrappy bunch of guys from Atlanta.

Going into the Celtics-Hawks matchup, I considered the series to be the equivalent of a first round bye for Boston.  I thought the Hawks might steal one of the games in Atlanta, but other than that, I was expecting a thorough domination by the Celtics.  Anyone who says they believed all along that the Hawks could compete with Boston is a dirty rotten liar - indeed, this was supposed to be one of the most lopsided playoff series in recent memory.

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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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Forgive me if I go a little light on the discussion of the Wolves' season finale tonight - I've gotta talk about the memorable experience of getting press access for the game. 

Long story short, Timberwolves.com ran a contest called "Battle of the Bloggers" a little while back, where the winner would receive a press pass for a Wolves game.  Every week, myself, and a bunch of other Wolves bloggers (including College Wolf, Sonia, and Derok) responded to a Wolves-related question, and these responses were awarded points based on the arguments they made, how well they backed up their claims, etc.

Lo and behold, I came out on top at the end of the competition.  And I decided to utilize my press access prize for the Wolves' final match of the season, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

I arrived to the Target Center at about 5:30 and received my press credentials.  I hung out for a couple minutes in the media room before heading out to the court, where a couple players were warming up and hanging out.  As a lifelong fan of the Wolves, simply walking on to the Target Center court was amazing...and to be in the presence of guys like Michael Doleac, Mark Madsen, Corey Brewer, and Kirk Snyder was the icing on the cake.

Matt, an intern for Timberwolves.com, was kind enough to speak with the PR guys and score me a quick one-on-one interview with Madsen.  Mad Dog walked up to me and we shook hands...then, we walked over to some nearby seats to have a chat.

After spending ten minutes talking with Madsen, one thing became clear: You'll never find a nicer, classier guy in the NBA than the Dog.

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So, didja know that it's Unsung Player Day?  You know, the special day organized by With Malace to commemorate players who are often overlooked and deserve a day in the sun?  No?  Well, click the link to read about the favorite unsung players of many NBA bloggers from around the internets, but I'll start your day by discussing two of my favorite unsung guys on the Timberpups: Greg Buckner and Michael Doleac.

What makes Greg Buckner an unsung player?  Well, first of all, his Wikipedia article reveals that he ranked third in the league in points per shot attempt in the 2004-05 season.  Why hasn't he received more props for being one of the best in the league in this category?  It's an injustice, I tell you!  (OK, OK, I'll admit it...I'd never heard of that statistic before today, either.)

Buckner's Wikipedia article also informs us that he played for the Grand Rapids Hoops of the CBA from 1998-1999.  First of all, I'd like to congratulate Grand Rapids for being home to the most unoriginally-named basketball team I've ever heard of, but more importantly, I've gotta credit Buckner for paying his dues early in his career.  Anyone who started their basketball career in freaking Grand Rapids clearly deserve props for attempting to take a rather unglamorous route to The Association.

What else makes Greg a worthy candidate to recognize today?  Simply put, he's a good guy.  He started the Greg Buckner Foundation to empower youth, and he's widely regarded as a strong locker room player.

And finally, you've gotta give Buckner credit for racing out of the gate this year.  Yeah, at this point, Witt has pretty much given him a permanent seat on the bench -- but when Greg received a chance to play earlier in the year, he typically made a positive impact.  The Wolves struggled mightily in November, posting a record of 2-12 for the month, but Buckner was one of the definite bright spots on the team during that time period.

To start the season, the majority of our guys had difficulty meshing, playing sound basketball in the fourth quarter and playing the fast-paced style of offense we knew they were capable of.  It was discouraging, but Greg emerged from those struggles as a stabling influence -- a vet that wouldn't make silly mistakes and would serve as a calming presence in the midst of rattled youngsters.

Wow, that was more serious than I'd initially planned.  Let's move on, shall we, and talk about another favorite unsung player of mine: Michael Doleac.

Why does Doleac deserve our praise?  First, you've gotta admit that it takes some serious balls to have a haircut like this...Doleac looks like he should be selling programs at the Daytona 500, not playing in the NBA.

Also, Doleac's NBA.com profile mentions that he "has no pregame superstitions or rituals." Give the man credit for that, people!  There is no shortage of ridiculous pregame rituals in professional sports: Ron Artest listens to his own music prior to games (yikes!), many NFL players are known to puke before hitting the field, and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end John Henderson gets slapped on the face several times before every game by the team's assistant trainer (no, I'm not joking about that last one).  Kudos to Doleac for resisting the pregame rituals of professional sports that have become increasingly bizarre over the years.

Doleac also aspires to go to medical school after he retires from the NBA.  Yep, an NBA player is considering becoming a doctor after his playing days are over.  Well, at least we've spotted ONE guy that goes against the general line of thinking that NBA players aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Want to get a better idea of how cool Doleac is?  He has his own freaking widget -- and once you have your own widget, you know you've made it in life.

Need even more convincing of the sheer extent of his awesomeness?  Well, his name is extremely unique...according to this website, there are only six people in the United States named "Michael Doleac."  Compared to that, the communists here at T'Wolves Blog have fairly unoriginal names: There are 2,199 Anthony Halls in the country, 192 Dave Kelseys, 73 Derek Hansons, 22 Jeremy Knutsons, and seven Sonia Grovers.

So there you have it.  A brief moment in the sun for Greg Buckner and Michael Doleac. And now, we return to your regularly scheduled praise of the superstars.

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(Note: When not discussing failure here, Jon Marthaler can be found living it at TNABACG.)

The Timberwolves have just eight games to play in what is certainly their worst season in quite some time.  The team sits at 19-55 for the year, thus guaranteeing that for the first time since 1996 (and not counting the shortened lockout year), Minnesota will finish with fewer than 30 wins.

With that in mind, let's take a look at Minnesota's goals for the end of the season - and just where in team history this team could end up ranking.

More after the jump... 

The first quarter of Saturday night's game against the Knicks provided some of the most entertaining basketball I've seen the Wolves play all season.  It was an offensive showcase, as the Pups dropped 42 on the Knicks in the opening period (by the way, our squad would win the game, 114-93).

Our guys shot a ridiculous percentage from the field in that quarter, so give them credit for bursting out of the gate.  But let's also acknowledge that the Knicks are a BRUTAL defensive team.

Watching New York tonight, two things became clear: Team chemistry is nonexistent for the Knicks, and they are one of the laziest defensive teams I've seen in quite a while.  Their communication on the defensive end on Saturday was horrendous, frequently allowing the Wolves to score easy baskets on back cuts and uncontested jumpers.  The Knicks' transition defense is also utterly nonexistent, as Randy Foye and Kirk Snyder had considerable success on the fast break.

On that note, let's talk a little bit about Kirk, who's certainly been a pleasant surprise since arriving in Minnesota.  I was extremely impressed with his performance against the Knicks; when Kirk rebounded a ball, he immediately looked to push the tempo and catch the Knicks napping on the defensive end.

In only 23 minutes, Kirk posted 15 points and went 7-7 from the free throw line.  He was an instrumental component of the Wolves' convincing victory, and deserves tremendous praise for playing a high-energy game and drawing plenty of fouls.

Randy Foye also played an excellent ballgame, finishing with nine points and nine assists.  Like Snyder, he created numerous opportunities for the Wolves in transition - he did finish the game with three turnovers, but that proved irrelevant in this blowout.

While I was quite impressed with the performances of those two guys, they weren't the best players on the floor for the Wolves on Saturday.  Those honors belong to Rashad McCants and Ryan Gomes.

This was one of those games where I'd watch Rashad and ask myself, ‘Why can't he play like this every night?' He was absolutely superhuman in the first quarter, shooting almost flawlessly from the field.  Granted, the Knicks frequently left him uncovered, but give Rashad credit for being instrumental to the Wolves' offensive explosion tonight.  He finished the game with 24 points, shooting 10-21 from the floor.

However, the player who receives the most props for the Wolves' dominant win is College Wolf's man crush, Ryan Gomes.  Bravo to Gomsey for shooting the mid-range jumper to near-perfection...he shot 12-16 from inside the arc on Saturday, finishing with 26 points and an eyebrow-raising +/- rating of +27 for the evening.

I'll admit it - when I heard College Wolf touting Gomes after the Wolves acquired him from Boston, I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.  I became especially skeptical after Ryan started the season in ugly fashion - he only averaged 9.7 PPG in November, and 10.2 PPG in December.  But since the beginning of the new year, Gomes has been simply terrific...and he's having himself an excellent March, thus far.

You've gotta love someone like Gomes who hits the mid-range jumper on a consistent basis, and always delivers a solid effort.  The three-point shot still leaves a lot to be desired, but I don't even see why he'd need to step behind the arc when his mid-range game is so strong.

Chris Richard's been getting significant minutes on a more consistent basis lately, and that trend continued Saturday when Witt gave the big fella 16 minutes of playing time.  Two thoughts: First, I wouldn't want to get into a fight with this dude (Chris is a TOUGH guy), and secondly, he's looked damn impressive on the boards against the Knicks.

Al's performance?  Well, it was quite undistinguished - in 28 minutes, Al posted eight points, nine rebounds, and six assists.  There's honestly not much more I can say about his impact (or lack thereof) against the Knicks...I hardly noticed him while watching the game, but thankfully, he picked an excellent night to have a bad game.  There were plenty of other guys who made up for Al's off night - and then some.

The Wolves did indeed defeat a terrible Knicks team tonight, and that's certainly not anything to write home about - but nevertheless, Saturday's game put a smile on my face.  Not only did the Wolves beat a team they should have beaten, but they prevented the Knicks from launching a serious comeback in the second half.

Our squad went into the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead, and instead of letting New York back into the game, they controlled the final period and prevented the Knicks from making a last gasp attempt at stealing a win.  Also, the Knicks were never able to slice their deficit to single digits in the second half - they showed brief signs of life in the third quarter, but the Wolves maintained control of the game for 90% of the second half.

And that's something to feel good about.  In December, the Wolves would have lost their lead in the second half, and may have ultimately lost the game.  Not tonight, though...the Knicks were thoroughly dominated, and the Wolves ended the night with a solid win.

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

 

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