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Taylor May Provide McHale More Help
When
asked whether Kevin McHale deserves to return
as the Timberwolves basketball boss for next season, owner
Glen Taylor said he will evaluate the team during
its remaining regular season games in March and April but he also
expressed interest in providing more help to his often criticized vice
president of basketball operations. McHale, the franchise’s leader
in making basketball decisions since the mid 1990s, has been a target of
criticism for the team missing the playoffs the last two seasons and
not meeting expectations this season.
In an
interview with Sports Headliners yesterday Taylor spoke candidly about
his “disappointing” team including whether McHale’s performance
translates into job retention. “My response is I will answer that at
the end of the year,” Taylor said. “We’ve got 20 games (left) and we’ve
got some goals for these 20 games. … We’ll see what happens on those
goals.”
Taylor will consider providing McHale more future assistance such as
sharing decision making with others. “I want to look at things other
than just to say all Kevin’s experience is now thrown out the door,”
Taylor said. “Can I use that experience that he has learned, but somehow change it or use it differently? I would say throw that in with
some other people (their experiences). Take the good of what he’s learned until we come up
with better results.”
The
addition of more help, Taylor said, could mean increased
responsibility for front office assistants Fred Hoiberg,
Jim Stack, Rob Babcock and perhaps others.
Taylor said any decision about McHale’s future belongs to “both” of them
“but ultimately it’s mine.” Taylor added, “But to say that Kevin won’t
have a great deal of input would be wrong because he will. I like him
and I respect him.”
McHale works without a written contact, according to Taylor. The two
have a good relationship and Taylor credits McHale with playing a major
role in the team’s success over several seasons that included making the
playoffs every year from 1997-2004.
However, Taylor said after the Wolves made the Western Conference finals
three years ago the franchise drifted from its team oriented plan to more of
a quick fix approach of if “we can get just one more player it will
probably get us over the hump.”
Management needs to return to building a team that plays more
effectively together and can perform to its potential, according to
Taylor. “Our passing is poor, our help assistance is poor,” he said.
“That type of team play.”
Taylor talked about the role of a leader and how it relates to McHale’s
situation. “When the team goes well the leader probably gets more credit
than they probably deserve,” Taylor said. “When the team goes bad the
leader gets more criticism than they deserve, but in my analysis of
Kevin I don’t think it’s fair to just look at the results of just
this year. …”
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Glen Taylor
“I want to look at things other than just
to say all Kevin’s experience is now thrown out the door.”
Glen Taylor on Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale |
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Brooks Jump-Started
Huskies in 1987
Herb Brooks,
who passed away in 2003, has to be beaming over the success of the St.
Cloud State hockey team that finished second in the WCHA, compiled an overall record of
22-8-7 and is ranked No. 4 in the country by USCO.com. It was 20 years
ago that Brooks, just seven years removed from coaching the “Miracle on
Ice” US Olympic gold medal team, was completing his first and only
season in St. Cloud. He agreed to coach the then Division III Huskies
to help the school push to Division I status for the 1987-88 season and
acquire state funding for a new arena.
Glen Sonmor, former Minnesota North Stars and University of
Minnesota coach, was a close friend of Brooks. Sonmor described the
Huskies’ 2006-07 season as a “remarkable accomplishment.” Sonmor said
St. Cloud has changed the team balance in the WCHA, a league where
traditionally you figured on these schools as top five finishers:
Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado College and Denver
University.
Now
the Huskies, led by coach Bob Motzko, may have established a
level of success they can perpetuate in future seasons, according to
Sonmor. He describes Motzko, a former assistant under the Gophers’
Don
Lucia, as an outstanding recruiter and coach. The Huskies’ rabid fans
provide a supportive place to play, too, at the National Hockey Center.
St.
Cloud, with Hobey Baker candidate goalie Bobby Goepfert,
will be one of the teams to watch as college hockey focuses on this
weekend’s WCHA Final Five in St. Paul. Sonmor, who follows the WCHA as
a radio analyst for the Gophers, likes North Dakota best among league
teams right now.
Sonmor recalled that the Godfather of Minnesota hockey, John Mariucci,
told Brooks to take the St. Cloud job, even though the pay was minimal
and Brooks had coached previously in the NHL and would again before his
career ended.
Sonmor, who succeeded Mariucci as Gopher coach in 1966, said Mariucci
was a zealous advocate of creating more college hockey opportunities for
the state’s youth and when he told disciples like Brooks to do
something they followed orders.
The
potential of underdog St. Cloud State growing into a college hockey
power appealed to Brooks, too. “He loved to be the rebel,” Sonmor said.
“You have to question whether (Minnesota State) Mankato would be in the
WCHA today and Bemidji (State) would have a Division I team if Herbie
hadn’t gone up there to St. Cloud.”
When
Brooks believed in something he pursued his goal. “I never saw anybody
do what he believed in no matter what it cost him like Herb did,” Sonmor
said. “He would relish what’s going at St. Cloud State.”
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Brooks
agreed to coach the then Division III Huskies to help the school push to
Division I status for the 1987-88 season and acquire state funding for a
new arena
“You have to question whether (Minnesota
State) Mankato would be in the WCHA today and Bemidji (State) would have
a Division I team if Herbie hadn’t gone up there to St. Cloud.”
Glen Sonmor on Herb Brooks
“I never saw anybody do what he believed
in no matter what it cost him like Herb did.”
Sonmor talking about Brooks
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Worth Noting & Quoting
Sidney Crosby, 19-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins
super star, recently became the youngest NHL player to reach 200 career
points. Too bad he and the Penguins didn’t come here this season to
play the Wild. Unlike the NBA, the NHL doesn’t schedule each team at least once per season in every league city.
The
Twins spring training record has been improving and is nearing
.500. The club’s worst record, 5-22, was in 1972. That team finished
77-77 during the regular season.
Cretin-Derham Hall’s Michael Floyd, a USA Today all-American wide
receiver as a
junior last fall, is showing more interest in the Gophers since
Minnesota changed coaches. Coach Tim Brewster’s spread offense
is ideal for showcasing Floyd who is a Notre Dame targeted recruit.
Lou Nanne, who has provided state tournament hockey analysis on TV
for 43 years, commenting on today’s Minnesota prep players: “The talent now is
much better than when I started. There’s no comparison actually. In
those days you might have one or two good players on a team. Now you’ve
got seven, eight, nine players. You just take a look last year (2006),
you had three of the top eight players in the world were drafted (NHL)
from here, and four of the top 20. It’s just incredible. That would
never have happened in the past. The players are bigger, stronger,
faster. …”
Darrell Thompson, former Gopher and Green Bay player, can understand
why the Packers reportedly are interested in ex-Viking
Randy Moss. He said Green Bay, like the
Vikings, needs receivers and some improvement in the offensive line, but
there’s reason for Packer optimism. Green Bay’s record last season was
8-8 and the Packers finished second in the NFC North Division. “I don’t
think they are as far away as people think,” Thompson said. "I don’t
think Brett Favre is as down and out as people seem to think.
He’s still a solid player, he’s got a good arm and as long as he is
making good decisions you’ve always got a shot at winning the game and
that’s all you can really ask for.”
Britt Robson
left City Pages March 1 after 13 years with the local weekly newspaper.
Robson’s writing assignments now include Rakemag.com.
USA Basketball announced recently that
Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus is one of 21 players
selected as a member of the 2007-08 USA Women's Senior National Team
that competes internationally. Augustus, the 2006 WNBA Rookie of the
Year, averaged 21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 33.1 minutes
per contest in her first WNBA season. The
Lynx open their home schedule on Sunday, May 20 at 6 p.m. against the
Sacramento Monarchs.
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Randy Moss
USA Basketball
announced recently that Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus is one of
21 players selected as a member of the 2007-08 USA Women's Senior
National Team that competes internationally.
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