Things worse than the NBA

[Paul Pleiss]

A list:

 

1. Moving to Wisconsin.

2. Being attacked by a swarm of bees

3. Lutefisk

 

That's about it.

 

Which means I'd rather have my sex organs smashed in a vice, drink a glass of a homeless man's urine, or spend a day with Miley Cirus than watch a single game of NBA basketball.

 

 

[biggentleben]

Your opinion is duly noted.  Thanks for sharing.

[Squirrel]

I wouldn't even put lutefisk on that list. Enough melted butter drowns the lutefisk effectively.

[twinsnorth49]

Tell the truth, you're still bitter about the Sonics leaving, aren't you?

[biggentleben]

Frankly, when I hear someone make a comment like this, especially if they tell me how much more they prefer the college game, I know that this person has actually not watched NBA basketball recently.  The NBA product right now is as good as it has been since Magic/Bird/Isaiah days.  The league has very good teams all over, and the style of basketball is drastically better than the early 2000s.  The local squad hasn't been winning in bunches, but anyone who would say that even the Timberwolves haven't been an exciting product to watch recently is simply not paying attention.

 

Now if you're not a basketball fan, that's another issue completely, but if we're going anywhere to discuss basketball, this is incredibly better than the cesspools of Rube Chat or STrib comment sections for TWolves fans.  I'm not a fan of soccer or hockey in spite of many attempts to get into both, but I have no desire to go put down either sport, especially in a way that singles out the highest talent and competition of the sport.

[FattCrapps]

I think some prefer the college game to the pros because NBA officiating is a joke.   Teams can have titles taken from them (2002 Kings, 2007 Suns) because of ridiculous calls.  

 

I watched a Heat vs Wolves game a few years back, and Dwayne Wade purposefully bumped into the immovable Luke Ridnour..  When they made "contact" Wade flew back like he had just landed on a bomb.  Of course he got the call...

 

I also love how the superstars complain after every call they don't get.  Durant, Lebron, Wade, CP3....ugh.  

[kab21]

I have started watching basketball again.  It's a different game than 25+ years ago but it's pretty good right now imo.  I have been impressed at how much better the shooting has improved.  This is good and bad.  Jumpers have almost become automatic and teams are relying on them (and especially 3's).  Much better than the sloppy mess from 10 years ago.

[twinsnorth49]

I prefer the college game but I wouldn't disparage the NBA, those guys are supremely talented. Personally I find the NBA just a bit plodding at times, it's much more of a half court game for the most part, I like how the college kids race around everywhere despite them not being anywhere near as good.

[drjim]

My main issue with the NBA is way too many games. Second issue is way too coached, becomes too plodding and grind it out.

[FattCrapps]

...and the fact that the last 3 minutes of the game takes about an hour and a half, and consists of 25 free throws.

[TheLeviathan]

The officiating and pace to this game are atrocious. The college game needs a shorter shot clock.

[twinsnorth49]

The college game needs a shorter shot clock.

 

Fully agree and they need to move the 3 point line back, even Canadian University is further out. That line is a simple jump shot for a lot of guys.

[TheLeviathan]

Fully agree and they need to move the 3 point line back, even Canadian University is further out. That line is a simple jump shot for a lot of guys.

 

I'm just tired of watching college players stand around for 30 seconds every position before finally starting their play.  It's obnoxious.

[Paul Pleiss]

I just like ragging on the NBA, and basketball in general, it's like a fans who enjoy booing Joe Mauer. It doesn't make sense, but hey, if you're in the entertainment business you should be  able to handle some ribbing.

 

I'm not saying that basektball players aren't talented, they are. And they are probably the best athletes in the country.

 

I'm not a fan of college basketball either. Basketball is fun to play, but to watch at the highest levels isn't enjoyable to me. It's painful. And so instead of watching i like to complain about it late at night on baseball-centric websites.

[biggentleben]

I just like ragging on the NBA, and basketball in general, it's like a fans who enjoy booing Joe Mauer. It doesn't make sense, but hey, if you're in the entertainment business you should be  able to handle some ribbing.

 

I'm not saying that basektball players aren't talented, they are. And they are probably the best athletes in the country.

 

I'm not a fan of college basketball either. Basketball is fun to play, but to watch at the highest levels isn't enjoyable to me. It's painful. And so instead of watching i like to complain about it late at night on baseball-centric websites.

 

Yet God forbid someone post anything about another sport in the Twins section.  It seems from an outsider point of view a post intended to provoke, and such posts have generally been frowned upon with Twins Daily.  If anyone comes and does "drive by posting" intended to just irk people, that poster tends to go down the respect meter in the community a ton.  At least you came back and attempted to explain your irrational dislike, but it's still confusing why you'd start a thread with a drive-by post.  I will never understand the enjoyment of the DH rule, but you won't see me starting threads on it with a simple "the DH sucks" and walk away.  The discussion gets framed when someone intentionally intends to provoke response.  There aren't typically going to be well-thought-out posts following that sort of beginning to a thread, hence why I tried to steer the conversation into something more interesting and with some sort of depth rather than having it simply turn into a flame war.

 

That said, it's pretty clear what the intent was, and I'll bow out of further responses to troll-like behavior on this thread now that I've said my piece.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm just tired of watching college players stand around for 30 seconds every position before finally starting their play.  It's obnoxious.

Add in the massive talent disparity of the average college game and it turns painful.

 

I used to love college basketball. Not really sure what was wrong with me but at some point I came to my senses.

 

Speed it up and make college players push the ball (like the most entertaining college teams already do) and I'd start watching games again.

[drjim]

I think the primary problem with the NBA is that I live in Minnesota near this fiasco of a franchise.

[drjim]

Add in the massive talent disparity of the average college game and it turns painful.

 

I used to love college basketball. Not really sure what was wrong with me but at some point I came to my senses.

 

Speed it up and make college players push the ball (like the most entertaining college teams already do) and I'd start watching games again.

 

The eternal optimist in me hopes the Gophers can get to this sooner rather than later.

[biggentleben]

I think the primary problem with the NBA is that I live in Minnesota near this fiasco of a franchise.

 

Thank you, David Kahn.

 

Already the return for Love far outpaces Garnett's return, and Garnett is an easy top-50 player of my lifetime, while Love might make the top 100...maybe.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I think the primary problem with the NBA is that I live in Minnesota near this fiasco of a franchise.

That's my biggest issue.

 

I moved from Los Angeles five years ago. I love basketball, as do most people in that city.

 

Now imagine moving from watching the Lakers to watching the Timberwolves. It's a pretty hard move to stomach.

[biggentleben]

That's my biggest issue.

 

I moved from Los Angeles five years ago. I love basketball, as do most people in that city.

 

Now imagine moving from watching the Lakers to watching the Timberwolves. It's a pretty hard move to stomach.

 

This year the TWolves were a much better product to watch than the Lakers, but your point is obviously well-taken.  I hope that Flip and co. continue to do better on the player acquisition side of things.  Their value for their draft picks with Kahn was incredibly low, and that put the franchise in this horrid position.  The current roster is loaded with talent, but we'll have to see how it comes together.  It could be fun to watch Timberwolves basketball again, though.

[kab21]

Add in the massive talent disparity of the average college game and it turns painful.

 

I used to love college basketball. Not really sure what was wrong with me but at some point I came to my senses.

 

Speed it up and make college players push the ball (like the most entertaining college teams already do) and I'd start watching games again.

 

We only had a few games on TV last season but I couldn't believe at how poor fundamentally the #4-7 guys on each team (good teams) are.  Multiple guys on one team that can't knock down a 12 footer.  Multiple guys that should never dribble.  tough to watch. 

 

The Garnet trade was not a bad trade at all but the pieces just didn't work.  tbh that was one thing he didn't screw up (too badly).  He threw in a 1st rd pick into almost every trade for a mediocre player and the picks that weren't traded away (or lost due to Joe Smith) were complete bombs (including the Flynn pick from the Garnet trade).

[biggentleben]

We only had a few games on TV last season but I couldn't believe at how poor fundamentally the #4-7 guys on each team (good teams) are.  Multiple guys on one team that can't knock down a 12 footer.  Multiple guys that should never dribble.  tough to watch. 

 

The Garnet trade was not a bad trade at all but the pieces just didn't work.  tbh that was one thing he didn't screw up (too badly).  He threw in a 1st rd pick into almost every trade for a mediocre player and the picks that weren't traded away (or lost due to Joe Smith) were complete bombs (including the Flynn pick from the Garnet trade).

 

That's more what I meant.  When you acquire that many picks, you should hit a home run on some of them.

[kab21]

I guess that I don't grade the trade itself based on whether or not they hit on draft picks.  It would be like saying the Love trade was a disaster if Wiggins is merely good/decent, Bennett stays a bust and Young leaves as a FA.

[biggentleben]

I guess that I don't grade the trade itself based on whether or not they hit on draft picks.  It would be like saying the Love trade was a disaster if Wiggins is merely good/decent, Bennett stays a bust and Young leaves as a FA.

 

In comparison to other offers out there, I do think the deal with Cleveland was the best move.  Nothing else rumored would have been close in talent.  I'm not remembering what it was, but at the time of his move, I remember there were a couple offers for Garnett that were more established players and less picks versus the high-risk, high-reward players plus more draft picks that they got from Boston, and that's where some were bummed on the Garnett trade because it wasn't surprising that Kahn would blow draft picks.

[kab21]

I don't remember the rumors at the time but Al Jefferson was the centerpiece that was on the verge of becoming a 20/10 player.  That doesn't jive at all with your high risk high reward theory.  There were high risk high reward parts of the trade but landing a guy that immediately becomes a 20/10 guy kind of is the opposite is risky.  Gomes wasn't a risky/rewardy player either. 

 

Imo the Garnett trade is unfairly criticized in hindsight because every other move Kahn made sucked (aside from the KLove trade if he was still here) and the team plummeted to the cellar. 

[Mike Sixel]

Imagine if they had used their insanely high draft picks even at a 50% success rate........

[biggentleben]

I don't remember the rumors at the time but Al Jefferson was the centerpiece that was on the verge of becoming a 20/10 player.  That doesn't jive at all with your high risk high reward theory.  There were high risk high reward parts of the trade but landing a guy that immediately becomes a 20/10 guy kind of is the opposite is risky.  Gomes wasn't a risky/rewardy player either. 

 

Imo the Garnett trade is unfairly criticized in hindsight because every other move Kahn made sucked (aside from the KLove trade if he was still here) and the team plummeted to the cellar. 

 

Gerald Green and Sebastian Telfair were rather boom or bust types, but Jefferson was a risk more because of his defense, and pairing him with Love was simply too much defensive ineptitude on one court.

[kab21]

There were 6 assets in the Garnet trade compared to 3 in the Love trade.  I can't understand how someone can complain about the riskiness of the 3rd and 4th best players in one trade when the 2nd player (Bennett) in the Love trade is all boom or bust.  In addition the draft picks were substantially better although Philly has helped out the Wolves considerably turning a likely mid rd pick into Young.

[FattCrapps]

The Garnet trade was not a bad trade at all but the pieces just didn't work.  tbh that was one thing he didn't screw up (too badly).  He threw in a 1st rd pick into almost every trade for a mediocre player and the picks that weren't traded away (or lost due to Joe Smith) were complete bombs (including the Flynn pick from the Garnet trade).

 

 

They got the Flynn pick because of their Foye/Miller trade to Washington (One of Kahn's few good moves)

 

And while I disagree about the KG trade, it does suck that Jefferson had a serious knee injury in his first year.  But the biggest issue is how poorly they did with a once in a generation talent.  Seriously, watch some old KG videos, he was a machine.  It's a bummer he was surrounded by incompetence his entire time here (save for one season)

 

Glen Taylor is the worst owner in all of sports (now that Sterling is gone)  The Joe Smith debacle, the terrible GM hires, terrible coaches (Rambis played Hollins over Love!) the cheapness (he's sold more 2nd round picks than any team in the league over the last decade...and it's not even close)

 

A few of the picks he sold for cash: Nikola Mirotic, Chandler Parsons.  He just sold two more this year.  I won't give a **** about the Wolves until he sells the team.

 

He's also a super classy dude.  After the KG trade, he claimed that Garnett tanked the end of the season (even though he's universally known as a warrior on the court)  Now that Love is on his way out, Glen's gotta get his jabs in.  The fact that this dude is a billionaire....

 

 

http://i.forbesimg.com/media/lists/people/glen-taylor_416x416.jpg