Words eye view

Basketball from a fan perspective

“Opps!...I did it again”

The title of the 2004 pop tune of Britney Spears has become the theme of the Wolves.  On Sunday they fired Ryan Saunders and replaced him with Chris Finch.  Finch is a former Raptors assistant who may or may not save the sinking ship.  NBA teams tread water while attempting to improve, the Lakers did that for years but there was difference.  Laker Nation believed they would eventually become competitive again and they have.  Remember when the Wolves were defined by Kevin Garnett, even “the Big Ticket” had enough and asked to be traded in 2007. 

If we check the Wolves won loss record, we can see it’s been a roller coaster over the last several seasons.  The last “good” season was 2017-18 when the team won 47 games.  There have been several talented players over the years wearing Wolves jerseys but the problem they never had much help or coaching.  Kevin Love is still playing for the Cavs, who did they receive in the trade? Andrew Wiggins with the Warriors, Anthony Bennett no longer in the league and Thaddeus Young with the Sixers.   

We believe Karl-Anthony Towns is a talent but how do we tell?  Remember the 2009 NBA draft when the Wolves drafted three-point guards?  Ricky Rubio had the longest tenure but even he’s gone now.  Owner Glen Taylor has gone on record indicating he wants to sell the team, from this observation that might be a good thing.  NOTE:  As this was completed Dame Lillard offered us his opinion.  Lillard claimed he doesn’t understand why the Wolves went outside for the hire when David Vanterpool was serving as an assistant. 

The season might rest on the shoulders

If you are part of Mizzou Nation you are familiar with Big Man Jeremiah Tilmon.  You remember him, the guy who couldn’t remain on the court for extended periods.  Tilmon fouled out of 10 games in his freshman year repeated the same number in his sophomore year.  Injuries sidelined him for several games last season so we can toss that out, what could we expect for his senior year?  His senior year has been eye opening compared to his first three years. 

If you haven’t seen him play this is no attempt to state, he is the second coming of Kareem or Shaq, but his play has improved significantly.  Mizzou was on a three-game losing streak and Tilmon was missing in two of those games due to a death in the family.  He returned to action in their win over South Carolina scoring 17 points and sunk all 7 of his shots from the line despite the fact he is a notoriously poor from the line.  I certainly don’t wish to place pressure on him, but the season might rest on the shoulders of the 6-foot 10 260-pound Tilmon. 

Clippers Arena

Rest assured before the arena opens it will have a corporate name upfront.  For now, we’ll refer to it as Clippers Arena, the Inglewood site is scheduled for groundbreaking ceremonies this summer.  We read the city council will utilize imminent domain to purchase the remaining properties required to allow for construction to begin on the $1.8 billion structure.  The 18,000-seat arena should open in time for the 2024-25 NBA season.  Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s desire to separate his team’s identity from that of the Lakers will finally be fulfilled. 

Borough warfare

The Knicks have suffered from bad management, bad players, and bad coaching for several years.  How to partially address the issue, they settled on veteran Tom Thibodeau as head coach.  Given time the coach should be able to “fix” some of the roster issues facing the Knicks.  One of those moves was acquiring Derrick Rose who played for Thibodeau while both were with the Bulls.  Time will be required to determine if the coach can turn this franchise around. 

A 30+ minute drive you arrive at Barclays Center home of the Nets.  Last season witnessed them signing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, this season it was James Hardin.  We have the two New York City franchises competing against Eastern Conference foes and the hearts and minds of New Yorkers.  Is that last statement “hearts and minds” really accurate or reflect the views of most?  I’ve only visited the city and have no insight here but pose the question, how did the Nets impact this picture while they called New Jersey home?