Author: David Shama

David Shama is a former sports editor and columnist with local publications. His writing and reporting experiences include covering the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gophers. Shama’s career experiences also include sports marketing. He is the former Marketing Director of the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. He is also the former Marketing Director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section. A native of Minneapolis, Shama has been part of the community his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in journalism. He also has a Master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. He was a member of the Governor’s NBA’s Task Force to help create interest in bringing pro basketball to town in the 1980s.

Zimmer Predicts ‘Chip on Shoulder’ Saints

Posted on October 22, 2018October 24, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column that includes the Vikings, Gophers and Timberwolves.

There is plenty of advance intrigue surrounding next Sunday’s Vikings-Saints game at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Saints return here no doubt seeking some redemption on last January’s “Minneapolis Miracle” that bumped them out of the playoffs. Then during the offseason Tom Pelissero from NFL Network reported in a March story the Vikings inquired about legendary Saints QB Drew Brees before eventually signing Kirk Cousins. Count on comparisons being made Sunday between the two.

Then, too, and most importantly, the game Sunday is an opportunity to judge two teams that could meet again in the playoffs. The Saints, 5-1, have the second best record in the NFC behind the 7-0 Rams. The 4-2-1 Vikings are trying to stay ahead of the 3-2-1 Packers in the NFC North.

The Saints are known as a gritty team under the direction of head coach Sean Payton. “I think the Saints will come in with a chip on their shoulder because that’s who they are,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said this afternoon at his news conference heard on KFXN Radio. “They are very aggressive on defense. They’re aggressive offensively. They’ve got a good football team.”

Asked about the 39-year-old Brees, Zimmer said, “This guy is amazing. When you talk about Hall of Fame quarterbacks, obviously, he’s going to be one. But he’s very cerebral, accurate. He’s moving well in the pocket. …”

The Gophers, 53-28 losers to Nebraska on Saturday, are giving up an average of 43.3 points per game against Big Ten opponents. Meanwhile, former Gopher coach Tracy Claeys is in his first season at Washington State as defensive coordinator and deserves a lot of credit for helping the nationally ranked Cougars to a 6-1 start.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was asked Friday night by Sports Headliners if he was embarrassed for young fans after Jimmy Butler’s profanity-laced practice earlier this month. “Let’s just say I wish some of those things were handled a little bit better,” he said.

Butler, one of the NBA’s best two-way players, wants to be traded but Taylor said he is not handling inquiries from other teams. He is deferring to general manager Scott Layden. “At this point that’s his job,” Taylor said. “He’s out there doing it.”

Taylor wouldn’t say if he expects his club to move Butler elsewhere before the February 7 NBA trade deadline. He acknowledged disappointment that Butler—the most important player in leading his franchise to the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2004—doesn’t want to continue beyond one season in Minneapolis.

“It’s a shame because I was looking forward to this season because I had the highest goals for it,” Taylor said. “I just thought we would be a really good thing.

“And I think we still can but we just somehow got to make sure that a couple of things (happen). We’ll have to do a good trade, and a number of members of our team will have to step up. We still could have a really good year.”

For that to happen the Wolves, with a 1-2 record so far this season, need to fix a leaky defense. Counting their final exhibition matchup before the regular season started last week, the Wolves have given up 143, 112, 123 and 140 points in their last four games.

Despite Butler’s nasty preseason behavior, the Wolves announced a sellout attendance of 18,978 at their home opener Friday night. Ticket King was promoting $27 tickets for the game last week.

During pregame player introductions Butler received an earful of boos from the home opener crowd. Tom Thibodeau, the coach and president of basketball operations, might have been targeted with even louder jeers.

The crowd warmed to Butler, though, as he led the team to a win over the Cavs. Almost as usual, he was the Wolves’ best player at both ends of the court.

The Sports Illustrated NBA preview issue, out last week, quotes a rival scout as being skeptical of the Wolves making the playoffs—and not just because of the trade drama involving Butler. “Their floor could be pretty low because their roster isn’t balanced well positionally and has a lot of holes,” the scout said in S.I.

The issue included a ranking of the NBA’s 30 teams according to “entertainment value.” Criteria included “projected success, style of play, firepower, age, injuries, coaching and personality.” The Wolves landed at No. 22 (“…Butler circus left them dead on arrival.”) The NBA champion Warriors got the No. 1 spot, just ahead of the new LeBron James-led Lakers.

Paige Bueckers, the junior point guard at Hopkins, excelled last season for the Royals and in AAU competition during the summer. Among girls, she might be the best young teenage point guard in the world. Legendary Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma is all-in on recruiting her.

Remember “The Crusher?” The former professional wrestler was hugely popular in Minneapolis and other places in the Midwest decades ago. Now a memorial bronze statue is going up in his hometown of South Milwaukee. How about a statue of Minnesota wrestling legend Verne Gagne?

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Good Guy Adam Thielen Worthy Hero

Posted on October 19, 2018October 19, 2018 by David Shama

Scan the crowd during Vikings games at U.S. Bank Stadium and notice all the fans wearing Adam Thielen jerseys. His familiar No. 19 is not only a top seller in Minnesota but also across the country.

The 28-year-old Vikings’ wide receiver deserves the adulation. There are so many bad characters in professional sports, but they are adored by fans because of what they do on the field or court. Often the public is unaware or doesn’t care about their lowlife behaviors. Thielen, though, checks all the right boxes on the football field and off. Spend time around the Detroit Lakes, Minnesota native and you realize he is a poster boy for Midwest values such as courtesy, friendliness, compassion, thoughtfulness and modesty.

To be honest, Thielen isn’t all that interesting to interview in the locker room. He takes a humble demeanor in answering questions, avoids controversy and is looking out for the team while talking to the media—and there’s nothing wrong with that approach.

Thielen could have developed a head full of self-importance the last couple of years, but his character won’t allow it. His pro football career has evolved from a guy who hardly interested anyone to a player who perhaps deserves a place among the top 30 players in the NFL.

In Minnesota’s home win over the Cardinals last Sunday Thielen became the first receiver to start a season with six consecutive 100-yard games in the Super Bowl era. Through less than half of the season he has 58 receptions for 712 yards and four touchdowns. His receptions and yardage totals are tops in the league. The Vikings’ single season team records in those categories are 122 catches, 1,632 yards and 17 touchdowns.

As an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State in 2013, Thielen did enough to earn a place on the practice squad. In 2014 he made the 53-man roster and became a contributor on special teams. That was his niche in 2015 when he was named the club’s Special Teams Player of the Year. His transition season as a receiver came in 2016 when he started 10 games, and then last year he had 1,276 receiving yards on his way to being named second team All-Pro.

Thielen has used his physical skills including running speed and eye-hand coordination to become an elite receiver. His work ethic and the repetition that has gone into perfecting his craft have played a huge role, too. There is a blue collar element to his makeup that no doubt was impacted at an early age when his dad’s favorite Viking was “Benchwarmer” Bob Lurtsema.

Maybe that mentality has contributed to Thielen seemingly being content with the four-year $19,246,000 contract that Spotrac.com reported he signed in 2017. That deal now looks like a bargain but search hard to find any complaints from Thielen.

What’s Thielen done off the field? He has used his name and influence to give back to others. He has hosted football camps, opened a gym, worked with the Humane Society, been involved with Vikings community sponsored activities, and last month with wife Caitlin announced the Thielen Foundation. The foundation’s first gift is to the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital with a $100,000 pledge.

Worth Noting

Thielen has been able to play this season without experiencing serious injury. After the 2016 season he had shoulder surgery. “I’ve had a lot of (career) injuries but you just try to play your best when you have them,” he told Sports Headliners.

Does Thielen think about the possibility of injuries? “You’re going to think about that stuff, but once you get on the field you’re not thinking about getting hurt. You’re just trying to do the things off the field to try to prevent it—in the offseason, that is.”

Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr has a foundation called Raise the Barr that provides financial help for college to single moms in California and Minnesota. Barr is from Los Angeles and is a Lakers fan. He wears a vintage Minneapolis Lakers jacket to show his support of two places he has lived. “Cross up the love, so that’s all that is,” Barr said.

Jerry Reichow, who played for the Vikings in their 1961 inaugural season and has over four decades of experience working for the club with personnel decisions, is still with the franchise as a consultant and is living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A former wide receiver, Reichow’s expertise includes evaluating quarterbacks.

JD Spielman, the redshirt sophomore receiver from Eden Prairie who the Gophers face tomorrow in Lincoln, led the Big Ten in conference games in receiving yards per game at 88.1 last year. The former Minnesota Mr. Football is five receptions from 100 career receptions and would be the first Nebraska player to achieve that total before his junior season.

Over 180 high schools, plus the Vikings and most college football programs in the state, are hosting “Tackle Cancer” games this year. The initiative has raised more than $1.3 million since its inception in 2012, and supports cancer research and patient aid in Minnesota.

Former Gophers basketball captain and assistant coach Al Nuness had a first-time experience last week on a friend’s shrimp boat near New Orleans. He worked as part of the crew and helped haul in 600 pounds of shrimp and 200 pounds of blue crab.

Lindsay Whalen said among her adjustments as a first-year head coach is being in a gym “12 to 14 hours” watching potential recruits. She acknowledged how the Gophers perform on the basketball court this season will impact the perspectives of recruits.

At the home opener tonight against the Cavs, the Timberwolves and Levy Restaurants will debut new food offerings at Target Center including a “Kid’s Meal” available for $5 in the “Kid’s Zone” (Section 225). The meal emphasizes healthy options and includes a Timberwolves-themed toy.

That was former Gophers men’s hockey coach Don Lucia jogging on campus this week. Lucia said he runs four miles or more a few times per week.

Clark Griffith, son of former Twins owner Calvin Griffith, turned 77 on Wednesday. He is an astute historian and observer of baseball, and a longtime Minneapolis resident.

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Wolves Mess with Flip’s Rebuild Vision

Posted on October 17, 2018October 17, 2018 by David Shama

Flip Saunders had so many friends and admirers in Minnesota. Many of them must be thinking the same thing that is going through my mind as the Timberwolves await their season opener in San Antonio tonight against the Spurs:

Flip would not be happy with the state of the franchise he rebuilt before unexpectedly passing away at age 60 on October 29, 2015.

The Wolves are a mess and an embarrassment three years after Flip had started a process to try and position them for annual playoff runs and perhaps one day an NBA championship. He had been hired by franchise owner Glen Taylor to resurrect the franchise in 2013 and by the fall of 2015 the roster was young but promising led by high potential talents Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, plus promising youthful role players like Tyus Jones.

Now the Wolves have an older, less promising and seemingly disgruntled roster, mostly because of Tom Thibodeau, who wields similar power to what Flip had. Thibodeau traded for temperamental Jimmy Butler in 2017—sending away LaVine, Kris Dunn (2016 first rounder, fifth pick) and a 2017 first round draft choice to the Bulls. After one season in Minnesota, Butler wants out and is willing to do and say extreme things to agitate Thibodeau and Taylor enough to trade him away.

The Bulls thought enough of LaVine, 23, to sign the shooting guard to a four-year, $78 million new deal during the last offseason. Dunn, 24, improved in his second season in the NBA, averaging 13.4 points and 6 assists as the Bulls’ point guard. Chicago used the first round draft choice to acquire Lauri Markkanen, a forward who was one of the NBA’s best rookies last season.

Bulls fans could be chuckling over the trade with the Wolves because their team added young potential in Dunn, LaVine and Markkanen. The deal allowed the Bulls to move on from Butler who reportedly was high maintenance in Chicago, too. Thibobeau gambled on a high quality two-way talent in the 29-year-old Butler who reportedly wants out of a Timberwolves uniform because the organization hasn’t shown him enough appreciation.

Butler didn’t participate in any preseason games as he dramatized his desire to be traded, but tonight he is expected to play in the regular season opener before the Wolves come home to meet the Cavs on Friday at Target Center. He is part of a roster that Thibodeau has reshuffled to make more experienced, not only with Butler but also Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, and Anthony Tolliver, who are all 33 years old, and Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague, who are both 30. Those are all starters or key contributors off the bench.

Flip Saunders (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves)

Flip had a vision of stockpiling young talent and taking a patient approach. It appears Thibodeau has been intent for awhile on a commitment to win as soon as possible. If Flip had a five year plan, Thibodeau’s win now approach seems more like five months.

The problem is things are going in reverse with Butler being critical of Wolves teammates and wanting out. He reportedly expressed his desire over the summer to move on, and if true Thibodeau should have traded him awhile ago rather than put the franchise through the current drama.

We will know before long what kind of future Butler has with the Wolves—if any—and the type of season the team will experience in 2018-19, hopefully adding value to the roster by trading him. Butler is a top 15 NBA player and he was the difference maker last season in the Wolves making the playoffs for the first time since 2004 but it’s nearly impossible to believe he will be on the roster when the league’s trading deadline comes up on February 7.

During this preseason, without Butler and with all the negativity surrounding the club, the Wolves didn’t look anything like a playoff team. At times they appeared downright disinterested and awful like in their final preseason game last Friday night in Milwaukee when they gave up 84 first half points to the Bucks.

Flip would have been upset watching that. He had invested so much of his basketball life into Minnesota’s professional team. His first round of duty with the Wolves started in the mid-1990s when he was hired in the front office but soon he became head coach. He marched the sidelines during the franchise’s best years and was unfairly dismissed as coach during the 2004-05 season.

When Flip came back to the Wolves about eight years later he was in a power position as president of basketball operations. I think if Flip had lived he would have eventually put together a group of investors, perhaps including Kevin Garnett, to buy the team from Taylor. Flip was a part-owner of the franchise at the time of his death.

That move would have been the ultimate step in Flip’s basketball life. The former University of Minnesota point guard was a basketball grinder as a player, executive and coach. He worked his way up through the lower levels of the game and even when living away from Minnesota kept a home here.

Flip loved the people and basketball in this state, including the Gophers and Timberwolves. He was always ready to do whatever was needed, whether it was Xs and Os, college scouting, NBA trades, pitching potential owners, or marketing his team to the fans and media with public appearances and news gatherings.

Flip had a long term plan to finally make the Timberwolves great but there is doubt whether those who have followed him, primarily Thibodeau, are up to carrying on his legacy.

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