This is Your Basketball Team

I feel it's appropriate to channel the words of the great, albeit fictional, Norman Dale. Between polarizing off-season moves, national-media criticism of signings, trades and draft picks, and the generally low expectations, we (the few, the proud) Minnesota Timberwolves basketball fans should come to appreciate that this is our basketball team. I, for one, am the most excited I have been for an upcoming Timberwolves Basketball season since the 2004-2005 team was set to tip off.

We already know all of the characteristics that make this team wholly irrelevant to the national (if not local) media unless the team or its front office is being maligned: 15-67 record, questionable draft choices, trading away the "best" player on the team for nearly nothing, and almost everything else Khan does that he gets attention for. On that last point, I wonder if Khan got an advanced screening of Mad Men this summer, saw Don Draper's add in the paper denouncing cigarettes, and thought it would be a good idea to take out an ad about this team's all-too-realistic chances at winning a championship this season. Between that ad, the way Khan goes about shopping his players around, and his candid thoughts to anyone listening, I would take up poker just to get at this guy's table. However, for all of that, he's quietly made some improvements that I have wanted this team to make for years: they added size at nearly every position, added athleticism at nearly every position, got tougher without getting slower, added some shooting as opposed to having no shooting, made a decision on the Love/Jefferson issue (and I believe, the right one), added depth in the right spots, and he managed to do so without damaging the team's future any more than it's already damaged. The only move I was against was the Darko signing; not because I didn't want to bring Darko back, but because I feel like we put in a high starting bid at an auction that no one else attended.

As for the new depth and personnel, I now think it's Rambis' job to show us what he can do. He's armed with the following: 1) some pieces of the puzzle are here and can be used moving forward; 2) some desperation players getting the "second (or more) chance," and for some, this is going to be the last chance to show they belong in the NBA; 3) better spread of depth and not as much conflict as having a Love/Jefferson situation; and 4) some outside shooting to spread the floor. With this new group, I think defense will be an issue; however, I think Rambis has the chance to put out an entertaining and high scoring offense much like we have seen this preseason. Ultimately, now that the team is in place, I think it's up to Rambis to show us how he's going to use this team's talents, and if any of the rotational-genius from the Zen Master has rubbed off.

Between the preseason performance, players with either a chip on their shoulders, contract years or "last chance" status, increased size, talent and depth, I am predicting 28 wins for this year's Wolves squad (contingent on Wolves not tanking at end of season to protect the Clippers pick for the last time). On top of that, I predict that the Wolves will score at least 100 points in 45 games, as opposed to 35 last season.

Finally, like me, I think Wolves and NBA fans should be excited for the following reasons:

Because the preseason results make me think this team will score points and make games fun to watch;

Because the team might be exciting enough to spend some money on;

Because the team finally has some shooting as opposed to no shooting;

Because we have less players that make the entire offense stop when they've got the ball (yeah, you, Al Jefferson);

Because, hopefully, Darko can make one or two trips to both ends of the court without looking as winded as a post-race marathon runner;

Because the Wolves are going to affect playoff seeding in the West by upsetting some teams that take them softly;

Because Minnesota fans have what they've always dreamed of: rooting on one of the best white players in the league;

Because Kevin Love can set the tone after playing with some of the best this summer;

Because my boy, Turbo, will have to play for his job;

Because no one's job on this team is safe;

Because the over/under on the amount of fouls Pekovic will get this year has to be around 330 (just over 4 fouls per game if he plays all 82);

Because I somehow went to passionately rooting for Lebron to somehow not caring if he wins at all in less than 10 seconds;

Because between rooting against the Heat and rooting for Kevin Durant, my desire to watch more NBA seems to be increasing, if that's possible;

Because of my annual belief that the Jazz will go farther than they probably will;

Because, unfortunately, the NFL is making serious strides towards two-hand-touch/flag tackling; and

Because the Wolves and the NBA in general have finally gotten me excited enough to pay more attention and actually want to write about it again. I hope this season gets you excited, too.

2009 PGA Championship: The Course v. My Couch

The 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine provided my first opportunity to attend a golf major. As a matter of fact, it was the first time I went to a golf course or country club that didn't involve me playing or somebody getting married. I chose to attend for three reasons: (1) a friend I had not seen in a long time procured an extra ticket; (2) I could cross "Attend a Golf Major" off of the sports wish list; and (3) to test my theory that I would prefer watching golf from my couch rather than actually attending an event. It also helped that the tickets were for the final, Sunday round of the tourney.

It is important to note that I generally watch all of the golf majors and occasionally tune into the final rounds of the more compelling, non-major tournaments (like the previous weekend's Tiger-Paddy showdown). The comparison group for my experiment was fresh in mind as I arose and drove to meet my fellow attendee that Sunday. I "closed the office" a bit early on Thursday and Friday to watch Tiger and Paddy jump out to low scores. On Saturday, I watched as Vijay faultered, Tiger played more conservatively than Senator McCarthy, and Y.E. Yang make a charge to enter the final group. Three satisfying days of watching golf on my couch...going to the line-free bathroom at my leisure, drinking beer and eating food out of my fridge without doling out my funds, seeing Tiger, the rest of the contenders, every hole, hearing updates on other players without whipping out the AMEX I don't carry, sitting in AC, not sitting in the rain, sitting in general, and being able to fall asleep. Needless to say, the couch in my basement (and the accompanying 50" plasma) makes for nice golf viewing.

On Sunday, I met my buddy at Southdale, where we consolidated cars, parked at Canterbury, shuttled to the course, and began our day. Having a buddy to make MST3000 side-comments was a bonus over my solo-couch experience with the occasional "how can you watch golf" comment from the wife. The parking lot experience started with decent comedy as a Jaguar owner refused to park in the mud. The first tent upon entrance was the Mercedes-Benz tent, a must visit where we received a corporate discount card. Then off to the pro-shop for my PGA Championship Umbrella, a $41 brandless PGA Championship Polo, a $19 white T-Shirt with "PGA Championship" and a $2 ball marker (I dumped about $140 that day on merchendise, food and drink). We watched one group at the 1st, two groups at the 9th, briefly caught Tiger on the practice tee, left because viewers acted like teenage girls at a Jonas Bros. concert, watched Justin Leonard double-par the 17th, then found a nice spot in front of the Grandstands at 16, where we watched the final 23 groups from about 1:30 to 6:00 pm. Saw Tiger and Yang both par the hole. Saw one birdie between 46 golfers. Left immediately after the final group. Never even glimpsed over 1/2 of the holes. Just by comparison, the couch wins in a landslide. However, the day was a good one and I'm glad I attended. I enjoyed myself, the course, and the good comedy between friends (all of which if explained would require "You had to be there" at the conclusion), but the fact remains that I would have probably preferred watching from my couch.

Oh, well. Perhaps I can say I attended the only final round where Tiger choked the lead. My official recommendation: stay on your couch.

NBA Must Watch List

I posted my NBA must watch list over at the TWolves Blog.

Here's the link

Wolves and NBA Predictions

I put up my season predictions on the TWolves Blog:

Click here.

Timberwolves Stuff

I wrote a game review and some other stuff over at the TWolves Blog, please check it out.

I would have more on the Vikings right now, but the game was so boring I thought I was in a coma.

More On Peterson Taking Over the Twin Cities

I want to dive back into my thoughts on Adrian Peterson from yesterday because I think I lost my broader point by revisiting my Brady Bunch analogy for the Vikings and the other teams in this state. I think I got into my hopes for Adrian Peterson a little bit, but I also don't think I did a good enough job of trying to convey what I think he can be relative to the Twin Cities' sports scene to justify yesterday's post; a post that basically said the exact same thing that two local papers, several national writers and, what I imagine is hundreds of bloggers, had already written and talked about regarding Peterson's potential.

In order to extrapolate on what I can only categorize as hope (I think expectation is the wrong word) for All Day's future here, I have to provide what I know. First, the Vikings are the alpha dog in this state over the other two major national sports teams and the hockey team. Second, until last season, I had never watched an NFL game in a stadium other than the HHH Metrodome. Third, despite being the most popular team in the state over the years, the two most beloved athletes in this state in my sports watching lifetime (1986) from an objective viewpoint, Kirby Puckett and Kevin Garnett, were not on the Vikings. Fourth, the best, and probably only, argument for most popular Viking in my sports watching lifetime is Randy Moss, although popularity and adoration are seperate in Moss' case whereas Kirby and KG enjoyed adoration with their popularity. On a national level, Kirby, Moss and Garnett definitely brought attention to this state's teams due to their abilities, successes and personalities.

If an unbiased Vikings observer approached a Vikings fan during the Moss era to praise him for a good game, I would assume that there was, at the very least, a 1 in 2 chance that the Vikings fan would say something to the effect of, "Yeah, he's really good, but [fill in fan's gripe(s) about Moss' quotes/attitudes/troubles/etc.]" Moss was loved by some Vikings fans but loathed to the point of shame by others. Due to his coverage here, I had no idea what I was in store for last November when I attended the Vikings-Dolphins game in Miami.

If you ever have the chance to see a game in Miami, especially when it's freezing cold in Minnesota, go. I know they have an older stadium, but I enjoyed my Dolphin Stadium experience so much that I told myself I would never watch sports inside of the Metrodome ever again. I broke that promise for one Twins game this season when a friend of mine who flies copters for the Army had a two week leave from Korea and wanted to go to a Twins game, so I think that's a valid reason. Anyways, if you go to Dolphin Stadium, you will notice the word "Taylor" and the number "99" on a lot of apparel. Jason Taylor's jersey is everywhere in orange, green and white. You may see the occasional Ronnie Brown jersey or faded Marino jersey, but I'm telling you from seeing it, that city loves Jason Taylor. If Jason Taylor had Shawn Kemp's mentality (or ability?), I think every child birth in Miami-Dade County would have to be accompanied by a mandatory Jason Taylor paternity test. However, I don't remember ever noticing anything negative about Jason Taylor from a national standpoint. The Dolphins were not good last year, but Jason Taylor still played like a stud and the nearly packed house for the 4-5 Vikings (can you believe they started 4-2 last yea?) and the 3-6 Dolphins went ballistic for him. He backed it up with a sack, two forced fumbles (one returned for a TD) and an interception returned for a TD. Basically, Jason Taylor puts up results, seems like a good guy AND (this is key) is very marketable.

I can tell you from one night in South Beach and one Dolphins game that Jason Taylor enjoys the same popularity with adoration as Kirby and KG had here. I really think that Adrian Peterson has the chance for that, and more, here. Like I said yesterday, I think he has the tools to put up the numbers necessary for that level of popularity. Next, Adrian Peterson plays a position that gets more attention and notoriety than Jason Taylor's position (that's also a compliment to what Taylor has been able to do, as much as it is a complement to my argument). He's going to be the subject of fantasy drafts, video games and media highlights for years to come. Finally, in the short time he has been in the NFL spotlight, and combined with the college spotlight, he knows how to carry himself, he seems like a good guy, AND he definitely seems marketable enough to be a household name.

If you put this all together and combine it with results and longevity (which Peterson will have to provide), I think the sky is the limit for his popularity in this state. If his numbers become all-time franchise rushing numbers or if (big if) the Vikings ever hoist the Lombardi Trophy with Peterson, I could foresee Peterson easily joining the discussion of most popular and favorite athletes of all time in this city...

But let's win some games first.

WOLVES STUFF:

- I posted a new Wolves article today over that the TWolves Blog.

- We traded Mark Blount and I couldn't be happier. You can get all the links, etc. on TWolves Blog.

It's Still All About Marsha Brady

With the exodus of Kevin Garnett and what seems like the inevitable departure of Torii Hunter, the Twin Cities needs a new major sports star to be its "face athlete." As good as Johan Santana is and even with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau's remarkable seasons in 2006, I still think Hunter was the face of the Twins. With those two athletes gone, the cities needed a guy like Adrian Peterson. (This is where I write about stuff that's already considered old news.)

<-- All day poses with Mario Mario of the Super Mario Brothers. Luigi Mario had no comment.

In a blog I used to have a few years ago, I addressed Brady Bunch situation in the Twin Cities. To summarize, as far as the MN sports scene is concerned, the Twins are Jan and Vikings are Marsha. The first year the Twins made the playoffs in their recent run, almost all front-page media coverage in the local papers went to the Vikings training camp over the Twins. This is just the way it is. Jan is all fine and well when you're talking to her, but Marsha walks in the room and it doesn't matter if Jan is dancing naked, you're going to pay attention to Marsha. Thus, having a "face athlete" like this on the Vikings is huge. When Moss was on the Vikings, his face was plastered on the front page whether it was his on-field performances, hitting street cops, whatever.

Now, Adrian Peterson has the golden opportunity to make this his city/state. I remember walking out the door last Thursday morning, quickly looking on my kitchen counter, and noticing the Pioneer Press Sports page. The front story was Tom Powers' article on Adrian Peterson being "The Kid Who Saved the Vikings" complete with a large picture showing a bronzed Adrian Peterson illustration (click the link to see the image). I never read the article and I typically approach rookie performances with skepticism, but I don't think I can disagree with the headline. Adrian Peterson has made games exciting. During the Brad Childress Era, I've averaged about 4 naps a game. With Peterson, I at least ask to be awaken when we're on offense, and we have an awful offense. There's something about him that just gives you the feeling that he's going to be an uber star. He's got size, he carries himself with a swagger, he doesn't complain about touches, he had a great college career at a premiere program and he seems hungry in general.

Just keep him away from EA sports and off that damn Madden cover.

- I wrote this Wolves article over on the TWolves Blog.

Moving Day

I am moving all Timberwolves and NBA content over to the TWolves Blog. I posted my first thing there. Come on over.

I will probably start putting other stuff up here, but I'm about as committed to that as Henry VIII to his wives.

Again - http://www.TWolvesblog.com

Week 7 Picks

New developments coming Monday or Tuesday.

For now, just picks.

NFL Week 7:

Lines based on MGM-Mirage Sports Book as of October 19, 2007 at 4:38 PM (home team in CAPS):

Arizona (+8) over WASHINGTON

NEW ORLEANS (-7.5) over Atlanta

Baltimore (-3) over BUFFALO

Minnesota (+9.5) over DALLAS

MIAMI (+17) over New England

NEW YORK GIANTS (-9.5) over San Fransisco

Tampa Bay (+2) over DETROIT

HOUSTON (pick) over Tennessee

OAKLAND (-2.5) over Kansas City

New York Jets (+6) over Cincinnati

PHILADELPHIA (-6) over Chicago

St. Louis (+8.5) over SEATTLE

Pittsburgh (-3.5) over DENVER

Indianapolis (-3) over JACKSONVILLE

Last week: 3-8-2 (ouch)

Season: 42-45-2

Relativity Applied to Basketball

"Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein." - Former Washington Redskins QB, Joe Theisman

Besides the obvious mathematical implications of relativity, Albert Einstein's theory has paved the way for pop culture and sports arguments. The word "Relativity" and all of its derivatives has been the fulcrum allowing me to use my arguments as a lever for years. Relativity always applies. I went to an all-male high school and there was a semi-attractive teacher. Compared to all members relevant to the criteria we judged on (namely the possession of female genetalia) this teacher ranked as high as Aphrodite. It's the same reasoning as to why Neve Campbell would probably look hot if you saw her in Rosedale, but why she was insanely overrated when targeted as a sex-symbol by magazines back when she was popular (relative to some of the Vixens of her day - see: Wild Things). I'm just not buying what they're selling.

The importance of relativity in sports arguments cannot be underscored. What's the greatest team ever? Who is the greatest player ever? All of these arguments require points comparing relative players, statistics, intangibles, time periods, trends, etc. This brings me to Mark Blount.

Blount came in the Wally Trade, which I was all for except for the 1st round pick. First off, there's no questions Blount is an upgrade from Olowakandi. Unfortunately, being better than Olowakandi is an accomplishment on par with getting a triple bogey on a mini golf hole. I had not watched any Boston Celtics games since they lost game 7 of their 1st-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers in 04-05. The only relevant Boston Celtics information I read was from the Sports Guy's columns and those columns definitely did nothing to promote my confidence in Blount. Since I had never seen Mark Blount play, all I had to work with were his statistics. From his stats, I noticed that in the past three years, Blount was giving his team roughly 11 points and 6 rebounds in 27 minutes. This destroyed Kandi's statistics, and I actually had an optimistic view of Blount watching the tail end of the disappointing 2005-2006 season.

Enter the 2006-2007 season, my first as a Wolves season ticket holder. What little faith I had in Blount was destroyed in the sixth game of the season against the Orlando Magic. The stats cannot even convey the level of destruction that Dwight Howard levied on Blount. I know Dwight Howard is the next coming, but this is just the most visual difference in Blounts attitudes versus other post players in this league. Blount looked weaker than Screech in that game. Feel free to check the game stats for 2006-2007 and you will notice a trend of rebound and point domination by the opposing centers. The exception is games 29-36.

Game 29 was on New Year's Day. I joked with my buddy Ryan, who bought season tickets with me, that I hoped Mark Blount had a New Year's resolution to play tougher. Well, I think he really made the resolution. He rebounded more, played with some attitude, and I think I even saw him yell once. In that stretch, the Wolves won 7 of 8 and were back in the contention in the division. That's when the resolution was broken and any form of swagger on Blount's part was gone. The Wolves went 12-34 to end the season.

What does this have to do with Relativity? I still hear listeners calling into KFAN arguing people are too tough on Blount and that his stats are this and that. I think these are the same people that don't watch the games. Blount might score you 14, but he's probably going to be responsible for giving up 20-25 a night between the guy he's guarding and the second chance rebounds he's allowing. Relative to his opponent, Blount is in the red. It's like going into a fantasy football game last year with Larry Johnson and realizing the opponent has LT. However you want to skew the math, you're going to lose.

MORE WOLVES REACTIONS:

- Not much to say from the game the other night against the Hawks. They got killed. I wasn't a fan of how little they played Brewer. It's tough to add anything relevant when the projected starting and back up point guards are injured. Al Jefferson continued to do what I expect him to be doing on a nightly basis.