Lynx – Page 6 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Glen Taylor Offers News on Wolves Ownership Transition

Posted on January 5, 2024January 5, 2024 by David Shama

Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliner that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez met their December 31 deadline to exercise the option to acquire majority control of the franchises. He also offered an update on the widely publicized $1.5 billion sales price.

Payment must be made later this year by the two men to gain 80 percent control of Minnesota’s professional basketball teams. Rodriguez and Lore reportedly already hold a 40 percent ownership share. Taylor said the final payment will not be for several weeks at the soonest and “probably not after 120 days,” with more specifics to be determined.

Asked about the accuracy of the $1.5 billion price, Taylor said, “Sort of. Yeah, kind of, but we have to negotiate a few things.”

Taylor, a long-time friend of this writer, declined to provide further details. The plan is for him to become a 20 percent owner of the teams.

Taylor expressed confidence that efforts of Lore and Rodriguez to acquire investment partners are on track. He knows at least some names of potential owners.

All of those involved with the new ownership group must be investigated and vetted by the NBA. Until the league’s Board of Governors votes approval, Rodriquez, Lore and their partners will not have their 80 percent authority. Taylor isn’t aware of a date yet when the Board of Governors will hold their vote to approve or not approve new ownership.

Fans can raise questions about the future of the franchises and where they will play. Neither Lore nor Rodriguez has ties to Minnesota, and this will be their first venture into pro sports ownership.

Their payment plan for the Wolves and Lynx began in 2021 and is unconventional in that they have needed time to raise capital and take in partners. Will they have the money, and willingness, to make their teams competitive?

What’s interesting, too, is that Lore and Rodriguez are buying low on the $1.5 billion deal, or whatever the final number turns out to be. Since the time of their agreement with Taylor, other NBA franchises have sold for more than twice as much.

To their credit, Lore and Rodriguez pushed for the hiring of general manager Tim Connelly in May of 2022. The trades bringing high impact starters Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley Jr. to Minneapolis have been vital to the Wolves now being counted among the elite teams in the NBA this season.

The team payroll, already expensive, could easily go into luxury tax territory for the 2024-2025 season. The Wolves will reportedly pay their two big men, Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, over $90 million as they look at an expected NBA luxury tax threshold of perhaps $172 million for the entire team. If the Wolves earn a Western Conference title—or, gulp—an NBA championship, will ownership go beyond $172 million and pay the resulting financial penalty?

Such success followed by financial trimming would disappoint a fan base that has witnessed a lot of struggles in over 30 years of Wolves basketball. The team has never won a Western Conference title and advanced to the Finals. The Lynx, operating on a modest business model in the startup WNBA, have won four league titles since Taylor started the franchise in 1999 partially because he wanted to be supportive of women’s basketball. Many years he has operated both the Lynx and Wolves when they have lost money. He was instrumental in stepping forward in 1994 to end speculation the Wolves might relocate, buying the franchise from original owners Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner.

The Wolves are competing in a league with wealthy owners including Steve Ballmer from the Clippers, worth an estimated $100 billion-plus. Front Office Sports, working off data from Forbes, listed the 20 richest owners in American sports late last year. Included from the NBA were Dan Gilbert of the Cavs at $21.3 billion; Stan Kroenke, Nuggets, $14.6 billion; Jimmy Haslam, Bucks, $8.7 billion; Robert Pera, Grizzlies, $8.3 billion; Tom Gores, Pistons, $8.1 billion; Antony Resler, Hawks, $8.1 billion; Tilman Fertitta, Rockets, $8 billion. Lore’s estimated net worth is over $4 billion, with fellow businessman and ex-baseball star Rodriguez purportedly at $350 million.

And there is more money coming into the league. TV celebrity and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has sold the majority share of his franchise to casino magnate Miriam Adelson at a reported price of $3.5 billion. Cuban is on record about a future where he sees NBA owners, at least the savvier and more fortunate, tying themselves to real estate endeavors. Cuban envisions a new arena in Dallas being part of a casino-resort complex that creates significant revenue streams beyond basketball.

There is a “keep up with the Joneses’” push in the NBA that includes Ballmer’s soon to open privately financed $1 billion-plus arena in Inglewood, California. The state-of-the-art Chase Center in San Francisco opened in 2019 and is home to the Warriors and is also privately financed. Reported cost was $1.4 billion.

The Wolves’ home, Target Center, is the second oldest in the NBA. Lore and Rodriguez are on record about their interest in a new home for their teams. The Wolves’ lease at the Minneapolis owned facility reportedly expires in 2035.

The push for a new arena and location could go in a couple of directions if it goes anywhere at all. While Wolves ownership probably contributes money to a new building, the safe assumption is public financing will aggressively be lobbied for. The easiest sell to law makers might be if a municipality and the state worked with the Wolves on a new arena tied to a casino gambling complex.

With the state apparently nearing the approval of sports wagering as is already in place in neighboring states, gambling expansion is on the horizon. That could tie to arena development in the suburbs or downtown.

As the commerce heart of the region, urban planners have known for decades it’s important to have an economically viable downtown Minneapolis. To take the teams out of Minneapolis would be a “political basketball” in the public and law-making domains. However, native American sovereignty over gambling in the state will be another hot issue if it’s decided to tie a casino to a new NBA arena.

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Vikings’ Must-Win, Gophers’ Uniforms Headline Worthy

Posted on September 19, 2023 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column.

Coach P.J. Fleck is a creative thinker, and that includes how he approaches the uniforms his players wear. His commitment to putting the Gophers in various color combinations has been so extensive since becoming head football coach in 2017 that the athletic department communications office publishes a “Gopher Uniform Tracker” in its weekly news release for the media.

Frequently the Gophers wear combinations of maroon and gold, but black on black has been worn at Minnesota and by other Power Five teams who find the look appealing among players, coaches and younger fans. At the last home game, the Gophers unveiled their new all-black dark mode uniforms for an evening match up with Eastern Michigan. The look prompted both favorable and critical comments sent to Fleck and Sports Headliners.

Fleck said yesterday respect for the school’s maroon and gold colors remains in place and always will. “…We’re adding a little flavor to it (the uniforms). That’s…because it’s all about the players. Everything we do is about the players that are on that field. The student athletes love it. Our student body loves it. The young people love it, and I get it.”

Uniform colors vary most weeks because the players like that and they have a constant voice in what they wear. “…And I don’t think there was one email from our players that said I didn’t like those (the dark-mode uniforms),” Fleck said. “And that’s with no disrespect to our fans. We have the best fans, and we have the best supporters. I had a lot of emails about it, and I feel it. I appreciate that. But I also got just as many, if not more, by how much people liked them.”

This week Dinkytown Athletes, the official Name, Image and Likeness Collective of Golden Gopher Athletics, is introducing a retro merchandise collection featuring “M” Club Hall of Fame Gopher athletes. The first merchandise offering features Gopher football greats Marion Barber, Jr. (‘77-’80), Rickey Foggie (‘84-’87) and Pete Najarian (‘82-’85). Retro jerseys and shirts are available for a limited amount of time with a portion of the proceeds donated to DA.

“This is a great way to celebrate the achievements of past Gopher athletes while supporting the current ones,” Najarian said in a DA news release. “We need to embrace our alumni and get them involved. Let’s remember the past and support our future at the same time!”

Led by co-founders Derek Burns and Robert Gag, DA started about a year ago and directly supports current student athletes with NIL deals. In the highly competitive world of college sports, NIL is a continuing priority for DA and the Gophers.

Watch for merchandise offers in the coming months featuring Gopher basketball and hockey greats. More on the new initiative at https://athletesthread.com/collections/gopher-legend

The Vikings need to duck almost certain disaster by not losing to the Chargers on Sunday and starting the season 0-3. ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell wrote yesterday that since 2002 99 NFL teams have started their seasons 0-3 but only one (the 2018 Texans) has made it to the playoffs. The Chargers are also 0-2 and have lost those games by a total of five points.

A cheery stat is that 0-2 NFL teams do go on to make the playoffs, with that happening seven of the last 10 seasons. Last season eight of the 14 teams making the playoffs started either 1-1 or 0-2. That includes the Bengals who started 0-2 and won the AFC North.

The Vikings must show they can do better at stopping the run, while also rushing more effectively. The Vikings were gouged by the Eagles’ run game last Thursday night and rank 29^th among 32 NFL teams giving up 332 yards rushing this season.

Look for Minnesota to commit more to running the ball at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday against a Chargers’ defense not that formidable against the rush, allowing 211 yards in two games and 3.9 yards per carry. The Vikings so far this season are passing 77.9 percent of the time, the most in the NFL, per Teamrankings.com.

It’s evident the Vikings miss the explosive run production of Dalvin Cook, who was released in the offseason and is now with the Jets. Not working in their favor either is left tackle Christian Darrisaw (ankle) and center Garrett Bradbury (back) could be sidelined on Sunday. The reported signing of free agent guard Dalton Risner, a consistent player who figures to be the best of the pass blockers on the roster of guards, should help.

Former Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks, now with the Chargers, will be dealing with a hamstring injury this week that kept him out of last Sunday’s game against the Titans. The 31-year-old veteran has been outstanding against the pass during his career.

Chargers’ starting offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III is from Apple Valley and played collegiately at Sioux Falls. The 27-year-old started 14 games for the Chargers last season and has two starts in 2023.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who connected on 26 of 31 passes last week and 331 yards against the Vikings, is on the cover of Time Magazine for the feature 100 of the “world’s rising stars.” Peyton Manning wrote a profile about Hurts and referred to him as “a model of how to approach a job.”

Detroit can claim the most NFL players among American cities. The NFL reports that after analyzing the 2023 opening week rosters of all teams and where the players come from, Detroit was first with 19, followed by Bradenton, Florida with 17 and Houston at 16.

Gophers’ true freshman tailback Darius Taylor is a Detroit native. He was again named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after he ran for 138 yards last Saturday against North Carolina. A week ago he won the honor for the first time after a 193 yard performance versus Eastern Michigan. Taylor is the program’s first Freshman of the Week in consecutive weeks since running back Shannon Brooks in November of 2015.

Sports Headliners reader and Gophers’ basketball fan Scott Ballou emailed news about former Minnesota head coach Clem Haskins who turned 80 on August 11. Ex-Gophers Walter Bond, Randy Carter, Ariel McDonald and John Thomas travelled last month to Campbellsville, Kentucky to celebrate their coach’s 80^th birthday. “Other former players had contacted him as well,” Ballou said via email while noting he had spoken by phone last month to Haskins. “He was very proud that many of his former players were still close and had stuck together over the years. He said he and his family were doing well and his son Brent lives in Hudson and works for the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

Happy birthday to talented St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer who turned 51 yesterday. His Tommies won the 2016 Division III national title.

Friends have been looking for former Gophers’ basketball assistant coach Jimmy Williams for about 12 months and he has been found at the Brynwood Health and Rehabilitation facility in Monticello, Florida. Jay Pivec, who coached with Williams on the 1982 Big Ten champion Gophers, said Williams suffered a stroke last week but is thinking clearly while struggling with his speech. Williams was an assistant coach at Minnesota for 15 seasons including for the 1972 and 1982 Big Ten title teams.

The Twins will face starting right hander Hunter Greene on Wednesday in the closing game of their series with the Reds in Cincinnati. The Twins had to choose between Greene and Royce Lewis in the 2017 MLB Draft, taking Lewis as the No. 1 overall pick while Greene went second. They made the right choice with Lewis, an everyday player, and now among baseball’s most promising young players, while Green has a career record of 9-19 and 4.45 ERA. Bailey Ober, 7-6 with a 3.67 ERA, will oppose Greene Wednesday.

With the popularity of the Gophers volleyball team, you might wonder if the U athletic department is considering an outdoor match for Huntington Bank Stadium after the Cornhuskers drew an announced attendance of 91,648 for a match on August 30 in the Nebraska football stadium. That was a world record attendance for a women’s sports event.

It will be interesting to see if the Wednesday night best of three WNBA playoff series game at Target Center between the Lynx and Sun sells out. The Lynx website lists available tickets from $24 to $334.

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95-Year-Old ‘Barn’ Still Special to Golden Gophers

Posted on July 16, 2023 by David Shama

Williams Arena is only five years away from its 100^th birthday. The home of Golden Gophers basketball turned 95 last February and if you ask Ben Johnson the facility, despite its age, is still special.

Johnson’s opinion counts and not just because he is Minnesota’s head men’s coach. He played in the building for the Gophers for two seasons, from 2002-2004, and was an assistant at Minnesota from 2013-2018. Before he was in college the Minneapolis native also watched the hometown team in the iconic building that features intimate seating and a raised floor.

Johnson, 42, told Sports Headliners he remembers his first game in Williams Arana like this: “You can get 13,000 people in here being wild and being loud cheering for their team. I thought that was pretty cool.”

Williams Arena. Photo credit University of Minnesota

Looking like an airplane hangar or barn on the outside, the revered building is the oldest arena in the Big Ten and among the most ancient college basketball venues in America. Named for former Gophers’ football coach Dr. Henry Williams, the arena once had the largest seating capacity in the country for college basketball, 18,025. With a wink to the fire marshal, the Gophers and Iowa packed “the Barn” in 1955 with a record crowd of over 20,000.

Renovations over the years, including partial replacement of bench seating, have brought capacity now to 14,625. Filling the building with fans was on Johnson’s mind the other day. His team is practicing this summer with the goal of major improvement from the last two seasons when the Gophers finished at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. Last winter the Gophers didn’t sell out a home game, not even against border rivals Iowa and Wisconsin. Johnson knows a packed house with delirious fans can create an electric atmosphere helping his team win games that otherwise might end in losses.

“We have to do our job and have a really good product and get people excited to come out, but they definitely make a difference,” he said. “And if you can win your home games in this league you set yourself up really well for post season play…and to have a successful Big Ten league season, and that’s what we want to do.

“We want to have every advantage we can to put our players in a position to have that special year. …I’ve seen it as a player and a coach that when Williams Arena is full—and it’s packed and there’s juice and energy in there –that for sure is two, three, four wins without a doubt. “

When a facility is 95 and has limited glitz and fan amenities compared to state-of-the-art buildings, speculation surfaces about the building’s future. Johnson acknowledged “people are always asking and wondering” but he isn’t aware of any major renovations or tear down planned for the arena.

Fans may also wonder what impressionable 17-year-old recruits think of the facility that is older than their great grandparents. Does the arena’s age present Johnson and his staff with a challenge in recruiting?

“It’s never come up as an issue,” Johnson said. “If anything, I think they really like it because it’s historic. It’s a venue that’s different with the elevated floor…makes it unique. Our guys actually love it and look forward to competing on it (the floor and venue). And I know our new players that haven’t played there think it’s pretty cool and have heard stories and are really looking forward to this year.”

“The Barn” is not for everyone, though. With no windows in the interior, the building relies only on artificial light. There are still bench seats that are uncomfortable for older fans. There are also seats where patrons crane their necks around poles to see the action. Concourse space is cozy, and the building won’t win any design prizes for the size or feel of its bathrooms.

But when the old building is filled and rocking with fans, there is an atmosphere to rival any in college basketball.

Because of Johnson’s roots here he has long appreciated the venue. “You see new arenas that don’t have that home feeling. I think that is what separates us. I’ve been in a couple (of other) older arenas and there’s a mystique to it. Kind of a magical feeling…there’s a history.”

In five years, Williams Arena will be feted with a birthday celebration like no other in its history. Johnson wants to be around then and have an outstanding team worthy of that milestone. “Without question, that would be pretty special,” he said.

Worth Noting

Kirk Cousins is known as a polarizing figure and that comes through when reading Twitter comments about him prompted by the just released NetFlix docuseries “Quarterback” that chronicles the lives of NFL QBs Cousins, Patrick Mahomes and Marcus Mariota. Tweeters offer Cousins love, dislike and everything in between.

Odds seem likely 85-year-old Jim Marshall, known for his Iron Man playing streak of never missing a game in 19 seasons with the Vikings, will finally be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Marshall is up for consideration again and his peers, including the late Bud Grant, think the former defensive end who is in the Vikings Ring of Honor is overdue for induction.

Speculation continues as to where defenseman Matt Dumba will play next season, but it seems all but certain the free agent won’t return to the Wild.

Congratulations to family, friends and former teammates of the late “Miracle on Ice” hockey hero Mark Pavelich who contributed to the new mental health facility in Sauk Centre, The Ranch. Pavelich, the great 1980 hockey Olympian and former Minnesota North Star, committed suicide in 2021.

Fired Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald uses the same agent (Bryan Harlan) as the Gophers’ P.J. Fleck. Harlan BTW is the brother of Kevin Harlan, the original broadcast voice of the Timberwolves and a national sportscaster icon for years.

MLB.com speculated yesterday that if the Mets make 35-year-old left fielder Tommy Pham available in a trade this summer the Twins could be interested. A right-handed bat, Pham is batting .301 in his last 30 games.

Don’t expect the Twins to part with manager Rocco Baldelli any time soon, even if the club slumps during the second half of the season. If it’s a rough finish Baldelli might well have reason to worry about his job security.

Bill Robertson, former WCHA and USHL commissioner, is reviewing consulting opportunities from sports and entertainment entities as he makes his transition into semi-retirement and relocation from Eagan to Buffington, South Carolina.

Gopher pitcher George Klassen, who can throw over 100 miles per hour, and Gopher second team All-Big Ten outfielder Brett Bateman have signed contracts with the Phillies and Cubs respectively. Klassen was taken in the sixth round of the MLB Draft earlier this month and Bateman was drafted in the eighth, with both reporting now to minor league operations.

Sorry to learn of Joe Pung’s recent passing. He was captain of the 1964 football Gophers and a second team All-Big Ten center that year.

Popular emcee and former Gopher football and basketball public address announcer Dick Jonckowski reports he is cancer free since last September. He will be a celebrity host starting on September 7 for the Jay Buckley Baseball Tour to Boston, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.

The CORES lunch programs featuring prominent speakers, mostly from Minnesota sports, has been in place since 1985 but now there is a transition with long time organizers Jim Dotseth and Phil Ferek unable to continue their leadership. CORES speakers over the years have included Bud Grant, Rick Spielman, Jerry Kill, Mike Veeck, Pete Najarian and John Gagliardi who drew a record turnout of 216 attendees. Anyone interested in potentially stepping forward to assume leadership in the volunteer-based organization should email dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Sam Bennett, who finished as the 2023 Masters Tournament low amateur, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers Tuesday, July 25. Bennett is one of four young pros who have been given sponsor exemptions for the 3M Open scheduled July 24-30 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. The others are Brazilian Fred Biondi, and Minnesotans Derek Hitchner and Frankie Capan III who were state champions at Blake and Stillwater respectively.

The Minneapolis Aquatennial begins Wednesday with the Torchlight Parade. Three Grand Marshals for the parade will represent the Lynx in recognition of the franchise’s 25^th anniversary: coach Cheryl Reeve, GM Clare Duwelius, and Carley Knox, president of business operations.

Longtime Twin Cities TV news and sports anchor Jeff Passolt is retired living in Florida but spending summers at his lake home in Wisconsin. A native of Minnesotan, Passolt’s knowledge and recall of the state’s sports history is impressive.

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