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The Roar

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Boys to men: How does Minnesota take the next step?

Could the Minnesota Timberwolves build a dynasty arount KAT? (Wikimedia Commons: Dennis Adair)
Expert
10th January, 2016
7

“How many times do I have to tell you, you win with men, not boys!”

A contemptuous Phil Jackson once spat those words at Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause after Krause had again waxed lyrical about another young college prospect he had been scouting extensively.

It speaks of a time-honoured belief in basketball – indeed, in most sports – that experience trumps youthful exuberance when it comes to getting the job done.

Witness Alan Hansen’s infamous declaration “you can’t win anything with kids!” when asked about Manchester United’s title chances after the Red Devils lost 3-1 to Aston Villa on the opening day of the 1995-96 English Premier League season.

A remodelled United went on to win a league-cup double that season with fledgling players like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt all playing important parts.

Different sport but the stereotype remains the same; most pundits and coaches prefer having a core group of players who have been around the block once or twice before.

Plenty of teams have young talent and developing it without sacrificing their enthusiasm for the task at hand, even while they might be losing, remains a supreme challenge.

It’s a very fine line and having the right coach in place is particularly critical.

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And therein lies the issue for the Minnesota Timberwolves right now. (And the Los Angeles Lakers too, but that’s worth its own column at some point.)

Sam Mitchell was given perhaps the impossible task this season, fill in for and tragically, eventually, replace the beloved Flip Saunders.

But with an exciting blend of youth – Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine (and Ricky Rubio, who although is still only 25 does have considerably more NBA miles than the rest of his peers) – and some veteran experience – Kevin Garnett, Kevin Martin, Tayshaun Prince, Andre Miller – the T-Wolves were expected to make steady if not significant progress, in perhaps a similar but quieter manner as the Utah Jazz did last season.

The issue right now is it’s readily apparent the team is in free-fall, having lost five straight games after a promising start to the season.

Starting out with an encouraging 8-8 record, Minnesota have been 4-17 since, with few signs of getting better and a brutal schedule coming up, with games against Dallas (twice), Oklahoma City (twice), Houston and Cleveland in the next fortnight.

An old-school coach who eschews volume three-point shooting, Mitchell prefers to dole out measures of tough love, hoping to harden his players with a small carrot and a big stick. (Sound familiar Lakers fans? Yah-huh.)

The danger, clearly, is potentially losing the loyalty of that youth, who are looking to stay engaged, and of long-term damage being done to a franchise that has already seen more than ten years pass by with nary a playoff game.

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Case in point, the weekend game against Cleveland at the Target Center, or as it shall henceforth be known, the Anthony Bennett Memorial Game.

A bright start sparked by Wiggins (who always gets up for the Cavs, the team that traded him away, his lowest output against Cleveland is 27 points, he would finish with 35 on this night) was soon washed away in a torrent of defensive ineptitude, especially in transition. Time after time, Cleveland players enjoyed a numerical superiority on the break, resulting in easy baskets for the visitors.

Now, defensive effort is wholly on the players, Mitchell can’t be blamed for a lack of intensity, these are professional players after all. But it speaks of a drop-off in enthusiasm for the battle itself.

What must have been especially maddening for Timberwolves fans was the Wolves’ third quarter efforts, when the usual playbook went largely out the window and Wiggins, Rubio and Shabazz Muhammad – who remains Minnesota’s best perimeter shooter – launched triple after triple and closed the gap to 13 points.

And while Cleveland steadied thanks to three-pointers of their own from Matthew Dellavedova, Kevin Love (who heard obligatory but what seemed like half-hearted boos from T-Wolves fans) and Iman Shumpert, surely Minnesota can take something away from the efficacy of attempting even a few more shots from international waters.

It’s not like it’s an unproven theory, nor is anyone asking them to suddenly become the Gopher State Warriors, but when they move the ball and find the open man, they can be as fun to watch as they were expected to be coming into the season.

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The Wolves rank dead last in the league in both three-point attempts and makes and are a paltry 25th in three-point percentage. As a team, Minnesota have made only 184 shots from beyond the arc. To put that in perspective, Stephen Curry has 154 by himself.

So where to from here?

Does the front office let Mitchell play out the string?

The issue then becomes one of a lame duck who is tuned out, although quite how much the likes of Garnett and co. would allow that to happen is also pertinent.

But moving forward, the Timberpups need a coach who can harness their raw ability, who has an affinity for up-tempo basketball and has a natural repartee with his point guards.

In short, Minnesota needs Mike D’Antoni.

Imagine the Seven Seconds or Less ‘Sota era, with Rubio leading a break, Wiggins and LaVine filling the lanes and Towns as a trailer who can either soar over defenders for an easy dunk or even step back and hit the three.

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Make Garnett – who at his peak was the best defensive power forward ever – the defensive coordinator (for lack of a better term) and you have the foundations for the future set.

Throw in the likes of Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng, Nemanja Bjelica and Adreian Payne and there’s some handy bench talent to work with.

But the jewels in the crown are clearly Wiggins and Towns, a supremely talented rookie who in 37 games may already be the most polished centre in Minnesota’s 27-season history (really, only Al Jefferson could lay claim to that title).

Wiggins, meanwhile, has all the attributes of a star, superbly athletic, capable of offensive explosions and a defensive pest who disrupts passing lanes with his quickness and length.

All the pieces are there for Minnesota, it’s a matter now of finding the right person to harness that talent and end what has been more than a decade of wintry discontent.

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