Welcome to Minnesota, David Kahn. The pressure is on, and there is more pressure on you than just about any other candidate the Wolves could have hired.
I had to take a few days to digest how the David Kahn era will start. After mulling it over, my view of Kahn has improved over my initials reactions, but I am still not excited. I still would have preferred Tom Penn or Dennis Lindsey, but I'm ready to bury the hatchet and wish David Kahn the best.
Kahn certainly talked the talk in his press conference, and it sounds like he wants to have the hardest working front office staff in the league. He also claims to have no preconceived notions as to who to keep around after the draft. These are the traits I like.
On the other hand, I have yet to see him satisfactorily address his legal questions concerning the Fort Worth D-League team. Also, he kind of comes across as a borderline jerk. Hopefully, that ends up being good for the team. Obviously, having nice-guy McHale did not do a whole lot for the franchise. Plus, it's not like I have to work for the guy, so he can be a little bit of a jerk and it may not hurt his performance.
So, what will Kahn need to do for me to endorse him? I'd say he needs to be successful at least 8 of out his first 10 major decisions. Given his past, he has less wiggle room on my approval threshold. Most other candidates would need 7 out of 10 successes in my opinion.
So, Mr. Kahn, I really do hope you earn my approval. I hearby drop all my preconceptions so that you may have that chance. You say you're up to the challenge. Now you have to prove it. Your move, Mr. Kahn.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Screw You, Fate!
As fate would have it, the Timberwolves have yet again dropped a position in the draft lottery. They are now slotted to pick 6th instead of in the top three like every Wolves fan had hoped. Obviously, the Wolves were long overdue for some good luck in the lottery. Fat chance of that happening.
The most frustrating part is that Memphis had the same regular season record as the Wolves moved up to the number two slot and will have the privilege of choosing Ricky Rubio.
So now I am officially joining the ranks of those who hate the lottery. I have no more hope that the Wolves will ever move up in the lottery. For that reason, I can no longer take solace in losing as a way to improve draft lottery odds. It's now up to the Wolves to work some magic with the hand they've been dealt as there will be no savior from this year's draft. If they can't figure out some way to improve, I may as well plan on using this exact same post roughly one year from now.
I guess it is time to start thinking of who the Wolves can take at number 6. (Seriously, pick number 6! Screw you lotto balls!) The early possibilities might include Demar Derozan and Tyreke Evans as even James Harden will likely be gone at number 6. I'll look closer at some of the potential picks as the draft approaches. There will be many possibilities since this draft will be such a crap shoot.
The most frustrating part is that Memphis had the same regular season record as the Wolves moved up to the number two slot and will have the privilege of choosing Ricky Rubio.
So now I am officially joining the ranks of those who hate the lottery. I have no more hope that the Wolves will ever move up in the lottery. For that reason, I can no longer take solace in losing as a way to improve draft lottery odds. It's now up to the Wolves to work some magic with the hand they've been dealt as there will be no savior from this year's draft. If they can't figure out some way to improve, I may as well plan on using this exact same post roughly one year from now.
I guess it is time to start thinking of who the Wolves can take at number 6. (Seriously, pick number 6! Screw you lotto balls!) The early possibilities might include Demar Derozan and Tyreke Evans as even James Harden will likely be gone at number 6. I'll look closer at some of the potential picks as the draft approaches. There will be many possibilities since this draft will be such a crap shoot.
Monday, May 18, 2009
You're Kidding, Right?
Make Tom Penn the latest to pull his name out of the hat after everyone started getting their hopes up that the search was almost over. Apparently, a nice promotion was enough to get him to reject the Wolves offer. This is getting ridiculous.
At this point, the Wolves are forced to settle. Since that is the case, the only people that I am willing to accept in the GM position are Fred Hoiberg or me, with Hoiberg coming in second on that list. That's right, Mr. Taylor, I would like to throw my hat in the ring.
I suspect I would be just as good a candidate at Bill Simmons. In fact, I have a very big advantage over Simmons in that I am a lifelong Wolves fan. There is no way I would let Danny Ainge fleece me in order for Boston to get another championship at Minnesota's expense! Plus, I am an engineer so I definitely should have the numerical skills to be a fine capologist. Make it happen, Mr. Taylor!
At this point, the Wolves are forced to settle. Since that is the case, the only people that I am willing to accept in the GM position are Fred Hoiberg or me, with Hoiberg coming in second on that list. That's right, Mr. Taylor, I would like to throw my hat in the ring.
I suspect I would be just as good a candidate at Bill Simmons. In fact, I have a very big advantage over Simmons in that I am a lifelong Wolves fan. There is no way I would let Danny Ainge fleece me in order for Boston to get another championship at Minnesota's expense! Plus, I am an engineer so I definitely should have the numerical skills to be a fine capologist. Make it happen, Mr. Taylor!
GM Search Over?
According to Jerry Zgoda's blog at the Strib website, Tom Penn is all but assured to be the next GM of the Timberwolves.
All I can say is it is about time. The Wolves need to get some positive press by way of announcing a new GM from outside the organization. The lack of official comment from the team over the past few weeks has not been beneficial for the club. The reports that Lindsey and Pfund both removed their names from consideration, and that the Wolves were very close to offering the job to Kahn created a lot of negative chatter from the hardcore fans.
So, is picking Tom Penn a good move? I think so. Based on the limited information we have about the candidates, I think Penn would be my second choice after Lindsey if I had to pick from the candidates I listed in my previous post. Of course he could end up being a total failure, but I am optimistic that he will help make things better for the Wolves. It will be interesting to see what kind of new info emerges if/when the Wolves formally announce the hiring of Penn.
On a side note, I just want to say that Jerry Zgoda has done a great job covering this story given the lack of communication put forth by the Wolves. He has routinely been the first source that I have seen on nearly all the GM search developments. No one else in town has even come close to reporting on the search in an adequate fashion.
There's one more side note I have to mention. The draft lottery will be held tomorrow night around 7:30 Central time. Of course, ESPN will delay the actual good stuff so I'm guessing it will be closer to 8:00 before we find out our draft fate. I'm expecting the Wolves to stay at number 5, but I'll be quite happy if this would finally be the year that they move up to 1 or 2.
All I can say is it is about time. The Wolves need to get some positive press by way of announcing a new GM from outside the organization. The lack of official comment from the team over the past few weeks has not been beneficial for the club. The reports that Lindsey and Pfund both removed their names from consideration, and that the Wolves were very close to offering the job to Kahn created a lot of negative chatter from the hardcore fans.
So, is picking Tom Penn a good move? I think so. Based on the limited information we have about the candidates, I think Penn would be my second choice after Lindsey if I had to pick from the candidates I listed in my previous post. Of course he could end up being a total failure, but I am optimistic that he will help make things better for the Wolves. It will be interesting to see what kind of new info emerges if/when the Wolves formally announce the hiring of Penn.
On a side note, I just want to say that Jerry Zgoda has done a great job covering this story given the lack of communication put forth by the Wolves. He has routinely been the first source that I have seen on nearly all the GM search developments. No one else in town has even come close to reporting on the search in an adequate fashion.
There's one more side note I have to mention. The draft lottery will be held tomorrow night around 7:30 Central time. Of course, ESPN will delay the actual good stuff so I'm guessing it will be closer to 8:00 before we find out our draft fate. I'm expecting the Wolves to stay at number 5, but I'll be quite happy if this would finally be the year that they move up to 1 or 2.
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Search Rambles On
The Wolves search for a new GM continues to ramble on longer than most people thought it would. Over the last few days several names have looked to be front runners only to fall back behind. Speculation is running rampant. Many people claim to be "in the know" but the Wolves haven't made any sort of statement. Let's review the status of all the candidates for the job:
At this point it is one big crap shoot. I wouldn't be surprised if the Wolves are leaking small amounts of info saying that one candidate is leading just so they can gauge public reaction. That could be why Kahn was the front runner for two days and now they are continuing their search. I don't think I can even make a guess anymore as to who the final choice will be.
- Dennis Lindsey - withdrew from consideration, was fan favorite
- David Kahn - was rumored to be the guy a few days ago, Wolves have apparently cooled to the idea of hiring him, fans HATE the idea of hiring him
- Randy Pfund - he is interested, no good reports on his chances
- Tom Penn - new name that popped up last night, currently assistant GM with Portland
- Jim Stack - internal candidate, not believed to be strongly considered
- Fred Hoiberg - internal candidate, could end up being new GM's right-hand man
- Lance Blanks - no evidence he was actually interviewed
- Bill Simmons - entertaining sportswriter who volunteered for the job, fans are so desperate for change that they have been flooding the email of Wolves personnel begging them to seriously consider him
At this point it is one big crap shoot. I wouldn't be surprised if the Wolves are leaking small amounts of info saying that one candidate is leading just so they can gauge public reaction. That could be why Kahn was the front runner for two days and now they are continuing their search. I don't think I can even make a guess anymore as to who the final choice will be.
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