Its getting pretty ugly in Minnesota right now

erikthredd

First you had Jimmy Butler telling the team he wants out of Minnesota. He then gives them a 3 team list (Nets,Knicks,Clippers) that he'd be willing to sign an extension with at the end of this season that is really a one team list because he made it known that he really wants to end up on the Clippers and oh,can this get done before training camp starts next week because he doesn't plan on attending. You got the head coach/team president saying Butler's not on the trade block while the owner of the team is saying sure he's available,why don't you call me directly if you want to get a deal done. And to top it all off,as soon as Butler made his trade demands known,an unnamed team source let it be known that the team had information that Butler may have cheated with Karl Anthony-Town's girlfriend a few months back. This is like the NBA version of the Jerry Springer show.

I've been following this story from a Celtics perspective after all the rumors of Kyrie & Butler wanting to team up in NY next season and if Butler ends up with the Clippers, I doubt Kyrie follows him next offseason.

You know this really sucks for the Timberwolves,they go out last offseason and make a deal for one of the better two-way players in the NBA,who helped the team finish with their first winning record in 12 seasons and their first playoff appearence in 13 seasons. Now he's giving the team a one week deadline to get him out of there when the majority of the negativity surrounding the team this season came from his actions.
It also says much about Jimmy Butler who instead of wanting to join a contending team with other star players he'd rather go to a bad team with no expectations of contending anytime soon but has the cap space to pay Butler his max contract.

He's given the Wolves a deadline to deal him,we should see this week if they cater to his demands or not.

Darin

Geez, this wasn't about the Vikings at all.

JoeBanzai

Wolves have been a disaster from day 1

erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:
Wolves have been a disaster from day 1

Thanks for KG!

JoeBanzai

@erikthredd said:

@JoeBanzai said:
Wolves have been a disaster from day 1

Thanks for KG!

Don't forget about Joe Smith!

KG was a very very good player, but they kind of handed him the franchise and that didn't work out too well. the only time they had some success was with Cassell and Sprewell two guys that you don't build a team with.

I heard on the local sports talk radio station that the Wolves had the lowest winning % of any team in any sport all-time.

BaltimoreYankee

@Darin said:
Geez, this wasn't about the Vikings at all.

I thought the same thing

Unknown

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erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:

@erikthredd said:

@JoeBanzai said:
Wolves have been a disaster from day 1

Thanks for KG!

Don't forget about Joe Smith!

KG was a very very good player, but they kind of handed him the franchise and that didn't work out too well. the only time they had some success was with Cassell and Sprewell two guys that you don't build a team with.

I heard on the local sports talk radio station that the Wolves had the lowest winning % of any team in any sport all-time.

I wouldn't put all this Butler drama on the Wolves though. They just wanted to add a top 20 player who didn't want to be part of a rebuild with his previous team so asked to be traded which he got to the Wolves. Now a year later, here he is again asking for a trade and his three choice destinations are all teams in a rebuild.
This guy isn't worth the package of players/picks and the huge contract he'll be asking for. Hopefully the Wolves find a sucker team to take on this headcase.

Brick

@1970s said:
What state was Coke and Pepsi founded in ?

Minnesota

I never knew they were losted.

Darin

This thread should have been about the Vikings all along. LOL.

DIMEMAN

@Brick said:

@1970s said:
What state was Coke and Pepsi founded in ?

Minnesota

I never knew they were losted.

You da man Brick.

JoeBanzai

@erikthredd said:

@JoeBanzai said:

@erikthredd said:

@JoeBanzai said:
Wolves have been a disaster from day 1

Thanks for KG!

Don't forget about Joe Smith!

KG was a very very good player, but they kind of handed him the franchise and that didn't work out too well. the only time they had some success was with Cassell and Sprewell two guys that you don't build a team with.

I heard on the local sports talk radio station that the Wolves had the lowest winning % of any team in any sport all-time.

I wouldn't put all this Butler drama on the Wolves though. They just wanted to add a top 20 player who didn't want to be part of a rebuild with his previous team so asked to be traded which he got to the Wolves. Now a year later, here he is again asking for a trade and his three choice destinations are all teams in a rebuild.
This guy isn't worth the package of players/picks and the huge contract he'll be asking for. Hopefully the Wolves find a sucker team to take on this headcase.

I was not "blaming" anyone or anything. Bad luck in the ping pong ball lottery until they finally got the #1 overall pick a couple of years ago and a LOT of bad decisions. Remember even the KG pick was a gamble, he was about 18 when they drafted him wasn't he?

Butler leaving after one year is just another brick in the wall.

erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:

@erikthredd said:

@JoeBanzai said:

@erikthredd said:

@JoeBanzai said:
Wolves have been a disaster from day 1

Thanks for KG!

Don't forget about Joe Smith!

KG was a very very good player, but they kind of handed him the franchise and that didn't work out too well. the only time they had some success was with Cassell and Sprewell two guys that you don't build a team with.

I heard on the local sports talk radio station that the Wolves had the lowest winning % of any team in any sport all-time.

I wouldn't put all this Butler drama on the Wolves though. They just wanted to add a top 20 player who didn't want to be part of a rebuild with his previous team so asked to be traded which he got to the Wolves. Now a year later, here he is again asking for a trade and his three choice destinations are all teams in a rebuild.
This guy isn't worth the package of players/picks and the huge contract he'll be asking for. Hopefully the Wolves find a sucker team to take on this headcase.

I was not "blaming" anyone or anything. Bad luck in the ping pong ball lottery until they finally got the #1 overall pick a couple of years ago and a LOT of bad decisions. Remember even the KG pick was a gamble, he was about 18 when they drafted him wasn't he?

Butler leaving after one year is just another brick in the wall.

My first line wasn't meant towards you. I remember KG coming straight out of HS, iirc he was the first to do that since Moses Malone.
Hopefully Butler brings back at least a couple solid starters for the Wolves and possibly a pick or two.

VikingDude

Another fun chapter in the book of Minnesota sports.

MCMLVTopps

@1970s said:
What state was Coke and Pepsi founded in ?

Minnesota

The prototype Coca-Cola recipe was formulated at Pemberton's Eagle Drug and Chemical House,[6] a drugstore in Columbus, Georgia, originally as a coca wine.

Pepsi was first introduced as "Brad's Drink"[2] in New Bern, North Carolina, United States, in 1893 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his drugstore where the drink was sold. It was renamed Pepsi-Cola in 1898 after the root of the word "dyspepsia" and the kola nuts used in the recipe. The original recipe also included sugar and vanilla.[3] Bradham sought to create a fountain drink that was appealing and would aid in digestion and boost energy.[2]

The original stylized Pepsi-Cola wordmark used from 1898 until 1905.
In 1903, Bradham moved the bottling of Pepsi-Cola from his drugstore to a rented warehouse. That year, Bradham sold 7,968 gallons of syrup. The next year, Pepsi was sold in six-ounce bottles, and sales increased to 19,848 gallons. In 1909, automobile race pioneer Barney Oldfield was the first celebrity to endorse Pepsi-Cola, describing it as "A bully drink...refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before a race." The advertising theme "Delicious and Healthful" was then used over the next two decades.[4]

Source...Wikipedia

Unknown

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MCMLVTopps

Guess I missed the humor...apologies.

Darin

Where I live its not Minnesota, its Minnepop.

erikthredd

Jimmy Butler just got dealt to the 76ers for Dario Saric,Robert Covington & a future 2nd rounder. Good move for both teams,Saric & Covington will fit in next to KAT & Wiggins. Both guys are grinders and should definitely replace some of the toughness lost by dealing Butler. I won't miss Saric who has had plenty of really good games against the Celtics. Its interesting to see if Philly can convince Butler to stay at the end of the season. Butler,Simmons & Embiid would be a solid trio to build around.

JoeBanzai

Not a supporter of Butler's actions, but giving max contracts to players who don't put forth a strong effort on a regular basis is the big problem.

Ownership wanted a better effort from Wiggins on defense and many people here screamed that he would be upset if he didn't get a max deal. He got his max deal. All I ever hear about Wiggins is he is usually lazy on defense. Townes also seems to be rather inconsistent with his level of effort.

Much rather watch hockey. NBA is full of primma donnas!

erikthredd

Max contracts aren't necessarily just for "Max" players anymore. You have young players like Wiggins,Hassan Whiteside in Miami & Otto Porter in Washington who all were all too good to move on from even though they may have had flaws in their game. Then you have older "Max" players like Al Horford & Gordon Hayward who aren't top 10 players,more like 10-25,who hit free agency at the perfect time.

I don't watch many Wolves games outside of the two versus Boston every year so I can't say how or good or bad Wiggins is on defense,same with KAT. I do know Wiggins fell in that first group above when it came down to maxing him or not.

I will say though look at the alternative here,the Wolves could have never traded Kevin Love and tried building around him. They would have probably had stretches where they finished as the 6-8th seed like they did last year,8th, and by now you would have Love heading into the back end of his career at 30yrs old. They wouldn't have been bad enough to land the #1 pick like they did with KAT.
Instead the Wolves have one of the best young big men in basketball with KAT,who has so much more upside than Love ever had and is just 22 years old,Wiggins is just 23 himself. Both players have room to grow.

Robert Covington on defense is just as good as Jimmy Butler is right now,he just landed on the 1st team All-Defensive team this past season. He's a 3 & D guy that will fit in nicely next to Wiggins & KAT. As will Saric at the 4 who can make a living mostly from putbacks or from three.
Both players don't need the ball in their hands like Butler does and are young enough to fit in the Wiggins/KAT timeline.

I do agree about the NBA being full of prima donnas,it just so happens that the Wolves ended up with one of the biggest with Butler who has ruined two different locker rooms to this point.

JoeBanzai

All that MAY be true, but Butler played hard all the time. If these young players decide they don't have to or want to try hard and still get the maximum, their teams will never win.

I don't waste my money paying for satellite or cable, so I don't get to watch, but I listen to the local sports talk radio station and BigWig and KAT don't give much effort a LOT, at least according to the radio.

As I remember it K Love got mad when he didn't get the max and wanted out.

This sport is seriously messed up.

erikthredd

The Wolves could have kept Butler and they still weren't much better than a bottom seed as it is. There are too many deep teams ahead of them in the WC. I wouldn't go solely off of what is said on sports talk radio,Here in NE we have local sports talk radio shows that find ways to complain about Tom Brady weekly for years now.

As for Love,he didn't want out of Minnesota,he just wanted the 5th year in his max deal when they originally only offered four. It all became moot when he got dealt to Cleveland.

FWIW,I don't pay for cable or satellite either and i haven't missed a Celtics game in about 3 years. I watch every game online for free.

JoeBanzai

Yes Love wanted out because he wasn't offered the 5th year, so that wasn't the max. Boo-Hoo.

The Wolves weren't going to win because their players were lazy. Wiggins and KAT are both #1 overall picks aren't they? Talent is not the problem here. They were a #3 seed last year until Butler got hurt, then they stunk it up.

I admit I am not much of a basketball fan, no team here while I was growing up. Instead I got to watch hockey, much more enjoyable to me!

erikthredd

KAT was/is worthy of the 1st overall pick,Wiggins wasn't. That #3 seed was misleading when seeds 3-8 were only separated by a few losses. There was Houston & GS then everybody else.

JoeBanzai

@erikthredd said:
KAT was/is worthy of the 1st overall pick,Wiggins wasn't. That #3 seed was misleading when seeds 3-8 were only separated by a few losses. There was Houston & GS then everybody else.

True, but much easier to win at least in the first round if you are a #3 instead of a #8.

The jury on KAT is still out, Wiggins was touted as being an all-world scorer with the athletic ability to be a shut down defender. BigWig is beginning to look like a big mistake.

Time will tell if either or both decide to give 100% on a nightly basis.

Big difference in a talk show complaining about a guy who wins all the time and these guys. Brady seems to NEVER give in to an opponent.

erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:

@erikthredd said:
KAT was/is worthy of the 1st overall pick,Wiggins wasn't. That #3 seed was misleading when seeds 3-8 were only separated by a few losses. There was Houston & GS then everybody else.

True, but much easier to win at least in the first round if you are a #3 instead of a #8.

The jury on KAT is still out, Wiggins was touted as being an all-world scorer with the athletic ability to be a shut down defender. BigWig is beginning to look like a big mistake.

Time will tell if either or both decide to give 100% on a nightly basis.

Big difference in a talk show complaining about a guy who wins all the time and these guys. Brady seems to NEVER give in to an opponent.

Its way too early to give up on either player or at least KAT imo,when they're not anywhere near their prime NBA years yet. Like I said above,KAT is 22 in his 4th year,Wiggins is 23 in his 5th. Kyrie irving is the best player on the Celtics and i'd trade him straight up for KAT today if it could happen.
For comparison Jimmy Butler came into the NBA at 22,didn't average 20ppg until he was 25 in his 4th season. Didn't make an All-NBA 3rd team until he was 27. Kat made the same 3rd team All-NBA at 22 and should have made at least 3rd team the season before when he averaged 25/12/3/1 at 21 years old.
Butler is a great defender but he's not a #1 star player like a LBJ,Curry or Durant and he's in his prime years as of right now.
He's at best a really good 3rd option on a contender imo,he should fit with Philly seeing that Simmons can't hit a three to save his life so Butler will get all the shots he wants especially with the 76ers losing all of their depth in free agency & this trade.

Minnesota needs to finally move on from Thibodeau already,he's lost his team and obviously wasn't the answer for the Wolves at head coach/president of operations. He dragged Butler with him to the Wolves and all he did there was screw the team's best player's GF and cause nothing but strife. A new change in leadership is sometimes all the team needs,Just look at the Bucks last year to this year. The Bucks went from a #7 seed that didn't play any defense to a team that does and they're off to their best start in years at 10-3. The only major change to the team was replacing the head coach. Thibodeau seriously deserved the boot after all those reports he was purposely not trading Butler in order to save his job when all he was doing was making the whole environment with that team a disaster.

JoeBanzai

The Wolves have been a disaster since day 1.

the only team that had some success had Cassell and Sprewell, with those two you weren't going to go long before a meltdown, and it did.

erikthredd

Boston just beat the Wolves but it was a close game all night and the Wolves fought hard to stay in it,especially Derrick Rose who played like he did during his MVP days.
I haven't kept up with the Wolves since Butler got dealt but coming into this game they were 7-2 since the trade with the 2nd best defensive rating in basketball during that stretch. If Rose keeps playing at the level he's been on the past 10-12 games this team will be better than last season's team when Butler was healthy.

JoeBanzai

Rose is playing well, perhaps even better than he has ever played. So this being the Timberwolves, how long can it last? ;-)

erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:
Rose is playing well, perhaps even better than he has ever played. So this being the Timberwolves, how long can it last? ;-)

Western conference looks to be wide open this year,as long as they don't drop a bunch of games in a row and keep playing defense like they've been doing they'll be better than they were with Butler last season.
They're currently in the 13th position in the West yet they're just 4.5 games out of first place. Keep playing .600+ ball and it might land them a top four seed.

JoeBanzai

And at best a first round exit?

erikthredd

out of the 7 teams that separated the 3-9 seeds by three games,the Wolves unluckily just happen to land in the 8th spot and face the team with the best record last season. Thank Jimmy Butler for that one, not only did you findout that he's overrated,a ball hog and a diva who likes sleeping with teammates GFs but also the Wolves final seeding spot was a direct result of his fragile ass missing games.
Last year they were near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency and that was with Butler playing the majority of the season. Since Butler got dealt they're top 5.
They're a better team without Jimmy Butler. Maybe watch some games and you'd see this.

erikthredd

I will say though, KAT has the ugliest three point shot I think I've ever seen lol. His heels don't even leave the ground,its all arms flailing.

JoeBanzai

@erikthredd said:
out of the 7 teams that separated the 3-9 seeds by three games,the Wolves unluckily just happen to land in the 8th spot and face the team with the best record last season. Thank Jimmy Butler for that one, not only did you findout that he's overrated,a ball hog and a diva who likes sleeping with teammates GFs but also the Wolves final seeding spot was a direct result of his fragile ass missing games.
Last year they were near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency and that was with Butler playing the majority of the season. Since Butler got dealt they're top 5.
They're a better team without Jimmy Butler. Maybe watch some games and you'd see this.

I don't spend the money to watch a sport I don't particularly enjoy. I watch the NFL and that's about it. I follow the other sports, but no longer "live and die" because of any team.

They weren't unlucky to finish where they did, they finished where they belonged. An 82 game season proved it. No one "stepped up" when Butler got hurt last year.

All the things you say about Butler may be true. He is gone now and it remains to be seen if they are going to be "better" without him. He certainly had to go.

Rose has been a pleasant surprise, can he continue to play at a high level and for how long? Wiggins is shooting at 37%, Towns is playing ok, but that is far below expectations. How long do you wait for players to start playing up to their talent level?

I heard that the Timberwolves had the worst winning percentage of any sports franchise in any sport ever. They have been choosing the wrong coaches and players since day one.

You say they need a new coach. How long will it take for the new guy to put in his "system" and construct "his" team? I certainly hope they can figure things out, it's actually hard to believe that any team can make so many bad moves and have such bad luck for such a long time.

erikthredd

KAT is a career 20+ppg/12rpg player,he's already reached All-NBA status. I don't know how much more "potential" he needs to reach for a guy who says he doesn't even watch them play.

I did think they needed a new HC and it was mostly because he was trying to prevent a Butler deal against the owner's wishes but the two players they got back in that trade are Tom Thibodeau type of players. Its no coincidence that they went from a bad defense with Butler to a really good defense without him when he is supposed to be great defender.

I don't pay for cable either and I can watch any sporting event i want for free. I'll send you a PM with the site link if you want it.

On a sidenote,the Vikings played a helluva game last night especially the defense. I don't know why they didn't run Cook more,he's was killing them with some long runs.

JoeBanzai

Sure PM me the link!

Completely agree on Vikings needing to use Cook more, that might also slow down the opponents pass rush.

Cousins is BEGINNING (too early to say) to look like a Jay Cutler type player (not the attitude, but big arm, meh results). I hope not!

Spending 84 million on a qb and neglecting the O line (good thing the rookie RT has played fairly well) and we are averaging the same ppg as last year. HMMMMMMMM. Vikings are maxed out for salaries, they need to get it done with the guys they have. Doesn't look like this is the year.

erikthredd

Cousins kind of reminds me of Phillip Rivers a bit to. Has anyone there tried comparing Cousins play after 12 games to Keenum's first 12 last year? Has the difference been worth all that money? Re-signing Keenum probably would saved some cap space to use elsewhere. I know that's easy to say now.
I just sent you that PM

JoeBanzai

Thanks for the link!

Keenum looked like a guy who had some talent and often played better than he "should" have Cousins looks like the prototype QB who underachieves a little too often.

JoeBanzai

Getting back to the Timberpups.........looks like getting rid of Butler wasn't the answer.

bronco2078

from now on only you two are allowed to post in this thread

JoeBanzai

Have I told you lately that I love you?

JoeBanzai

In a totally masculine GUY kind of way.

erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:
Getting back to the Timberpups.........looks like getting rid of Butler wasn't the answer.

...And Butler is already causing problems with the 76ers head coach.

Have you even watched one of their games yet?

erikthredd

@JoeBanzai said:
Getting back to the Timberpups.........looks like getting rid of Butler wasn't the answer.

Since trading Butler, the Wolves have gone 14-12 for a .538% winning percentage.
A .538 winning percentage would have them sitting in the 8th seed ahead of Lebron's Lakers.

If it weren't for all of the drama Butler pulled during the first few weeks of the season who knows where they would be currently sitting. But between the Butler drama to start the season and then firing Thibodeau at the midpoint,this season will pretty much be another waste season in Minnesota.

Who knows maybe they get hot under Flip's kid.

JoeBanzai

and the drama continues.

14-12 includes a big surge when Butthead got gone. They are again stinking up the place.

Yes, I heard Butface is causing stress, no surprise there.

I don't have the time or inclination to watch most sports. Basketball would however rate slightly above (YAWN) ...........soccer.

erikthredd

What was the point of bumping this thread again over a month later lol? It wasn't to point out they fired the coach because you never mentioned him. That was something that should have been done months ago after undermining the owner's decision to trade Butler
This Wolves season to this point has been one big chitshow and that is all on Jimmy Butler,Tom Thibodeau & Glen Taylor. They were never winning an NBA championship with Butler and they aren't without him.

JoeBanzai

A better point is why bother to waste one second of time on the Timberwolves, the worst professional sports team EVER.

erikthredd

I won't argue with that one. Thanks again for KG!

JRR300

And the Sixers thank you for Jimmy Butler