Timberwolves – Page 115 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Saunders Not Sure about College Coaching

Posted on May 16, 2012May 17, 2012 by David Shama

Flip Saunders, let go earlier this year by the Wizards, remains interested in coaching again. He’s had NBA head coaching jobs since 1995 with the Timberwolves, Pistons and Wizards, directing four teams to the conference finals in the last eight years.

Saunders, 57, told Sports Headliners the “right situation, right ownership” could put him back in the NBA. He fondly remembers working for Glen Taylor, using the Timberwolves boss as the kind of owner experience he values.

What about college basketball for Saunders who lives with his family in the Minneapolis area? “I don’t know. My name is always brought up at Minnesota just because I am here,” Saunders said.

“Do I think I would be a good college coach? Yeah, I say that because when I talk to (Michigan State coach) Tom Izzo, Izzo always tells me you’d be unbelievable in college because he sees when (and how) I talk to players, and be able to recruit players and do those type of things.

“Partly coaching, too is a lot (about) having knowledge. When you’ve been an NBA coach and you’ve coached and you’re at 1,500 or 2,000 games, you’ve been through just about every situation.

“Again, it would have to be the right situation (college). You just don’t jump in as far as anywhere. I think right now I am more geared to being a pro coach.”

Saunders played for the Gophers and was later an assistant coach on Minnesota’s 1982 Big Ten championship team. He was also an assistant at Tulsa and coached junior college basketball in Minnesota. Speculation about him coaching the Gophers occurs when rumors start about Minnesota coach Tubby Smith being targeted for other college jobs.

When asked about the Wolves, Saunders believes the franchise’s priority should be to acquire or develop a guard who is a “flat-out shooter.” He also said there’s probably not such a “game changer” on the free agent market this summer and the Wolves may instead need to develop two-year veteran Wesley Johnson, a player who averaged six points per game and made .389 percent of his field goal attempts last season.

Last year the NBA labor dispute delayed training camps and shortened preparations for the season. Not a good thing for young players like Johnson. “You’re hoping Wesley Johnson improves,” Saunders said. “He shows signs. You gotta judge him where he’s going to be after he goes through a training camp with Rick (Adelman). ”

The Wolves missed the playoffs last season and stumbled badly in the closing months after Ricky Rubio was injured. Saunders said the team could improve in the near future but still not make the playoffs. “Who you going to jump over?” he asked and then listed several strong teams in the Western Conference. “They might get better—significantly—and they might be in the same spot they’re in, or maybe move up one or two spots.”

Saunders cautioned about expecting too fast a return to elite performance by Rubio who tore his ACL in the left knee. It’s even too soon to predict when the 21-year-old point guard will play again. Saunders is experienced with players who have severe injuries to their legs and shoulders. “What I usually say is that when a guy comes back and starts playing, you’re going to know how he is a year from that time,” Saunders said.

Last season was Kevin Love’s fourth in the NBA and the Wolves forward established himself among the league’s best players, even finishing sixth in the MVP voting. But Saunders won’t include Love among the league’s five best players yet. Saunders quickly listed Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, then said Dwight Howard is probably his fifth player among the five best.

“I am never going to put a guy in the top five if he’s not in the playoffs,” Saunders said. “I vote guys if their team wins. There has to be something said for winning. No matter what you have to do. What he’s doing (Love) is he’s putting up top five numbers. He’s putting up top 10 numbers. He’s one of the top players in the world.

“When you talk top five, that’s a pretty elite group right now. You’re talking guys that not only are they putting up numbers and that, but their teams are winning and usually winning pretty big.”

Saunders is working with the Celtics as an adviser during the playoffs. He’s reunited with Kevin Garnett who he coached 10 seasons in Minneapolis. He regards the 7-foot Garnett as probably the most versatile player in basketball history.

Because of his association with the Celtics, Saunders wouldn’t predict who will emerge as Eastern Conference champions but he picks the Lakers to win the Western Conference.

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Put the Lynx near Your Heart

Posted on May 2, 2012May 2, 2012 by David Shama

If you only reserve your money and emotions for winning teams, then invest in the Lynx. That’s the advice of Sports Headliners after contemplating likeability rankings of the major local pro sports franchises along with the Gophers.

Season outlooks for Minnesota teams are often dreary as real estate values. The April start by the Twins is the latest evidence of our “Losers Club,” but as we look toward the next 12 months we aren’t without hope.

Here are Sports Headliners’ rankings as to who is most and least likely to make us happy:

Love those Lynx. The 2011 WNBA champs brought the first pro title to town since the 1991 World Series Twins. The Lynx opened training camp last Sunday and have their star players returning, including three who will play for Team USA in the Olympics. Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen are winners, and that’s what these rankings are all about. No guarantees but it will be no surprise at all if the Lynx win the WNBA title again.

The hockey Gophers played in the NCAA semifinals where they lost to eventual national champ Boston College. Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson had a great season but is a senior and will have to be replaced. If the Gophers don’t see young talents like Nick Bjugstad leave for the pros during the off-season, or somehow experience other important personnel losses, Minnesota might be even better next winter than last. The Gophers could certainly start the season ranked among the top college hockey teams in the country.

Before Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and was sidelined, the Wolves were approaching unprecedented recent popularity. Injuries later hit other teammates and the team’s collapse was as attention demanding as the wonderful start to the season led by Rubio and star forward Kevin Love. What’s next for this franchise isn’t easy to answer. Rubio might not be the same player next season as last, and the complementary pieces to Rubio and Love aren’t in place yet.

The Gophers basketball team looks good on paper. We’ll wait and see how they look on the court in February before moving them higher in the rankings. Academics, off-court behavior issues and injuries have wrecked past Tubby Smith teams. Like their predecessors, this Gophers team will not be deep in talent but Minnesota does have three exceptional starters in forwards Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe, and point guard Andre Hollins. Pray for good fortune.

Jerry Kill has more admirers than any coach or manager I can remember who won just 25 percent of his games in a first season. Maybe all these admirers know something. I think they do. Kill’s second year team could win half its games and earn a bowl game invitation. More important, the Gophers just might look pretty good even in games they play against the better teams in the Big Ten. Put your money and emotions on Kill’s Gophers in 2014 and 2015.

The Wild has off-season personnel acquisition intentions like the Wolves. The franchise had a fast start under first year coach Mike Yeo who looks like the right guy on the bench for this team. But the Wild faded miserably during the season and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Too many injuries and too few goals. This is a franchise that has shown it can draw fans, but not win many games. We’re waiting.

Maybe it’s the optimism of the off-season and the glitz of last week’s NFL draft, but we’re nudging the Vikings ahead of the Twins in the rankings. Yeah, the 3-13 record of last season will be remembered for a long time but this club has some playmakers. Like they say, on a lot of Sunday afternoons running back Adrian Peterson or wide receiver Percy Harvin can be worth the price of admission. And don’t you just feel better about yourself when Jared Allen does his calf-roping celebration after another franchise record sack? Come on downtown to see the Vikes before they head west. (Just kidding. I think).

It’s not all bad news about the Twins. I am still smiling after that acrobatic double play turned last week by shortstop Jamey Carroll and second baseman Trevor Plouffe against the Red Sox. New left fielder Josh Willingham can even hit balls over the fence at anti-home run Target Field. So far the starting pitching is probably the worst in the franchise’s 51 season history but there’s a way around that. The Sports Headliners method is to watch the half innings when the Twins bat. When the Twins pitchers are throwing, tune in the Golf Channel. Both your mood and golf swing will improve.

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Worth Noting

Posted on April 9, 2012April 9, 2012 by David Shama

Lurtsema said choosing a player in the first round of the NFL draft doesn’t guarantee later performance. “One-third will be total busts,” he said. “One-third will be mediocre.”

Among the Vikings draft choices last year was tight end Kyle Rudolph in the second round. The 6-6, 258- pound Rudolph impressed in part-time work during 2011 and Lurtsema described him as “the steal of the draft.”

Congratulations to the Fitzgerald family, including Larry Sr. and Larry Jr., for ongoing efforts to raise money for charities involving breast cancer, HIV and urban education. The eighth annual Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund Benefit was held last Friday at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley.

In its March 26 baseball preview issue, Sports Illustrated predicts the Angels, who play at Target Field this afternoon in the Twins home opener, will win the American League pennant and defeat the Giants in the World Series.

The magazine reports that Albert Pujols’ new 10-year contract with the Angels includes a bonus payment of $7 million if he hits 763 career home runs, breaking the major league record of 762 held by Barry Bonds. The 32-year-old Pujols has hit 445 home runs in his big league career that began in 2001.

Pujols ranked No. 3 nationally in Majestic jersey sales in 2011, according to a MLB.com news release last week. The Yankees’ Derek Jeter was No. 1 with the Phillies’ Cliff Lee No. 2. The Twins’ Joe Mauer ranked No. 12.

Despite numerous media reports linking Gophers assistant coach Ron Jirsa to the head coaching search at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said he expects no change in his staff for next season.

Smith had only two scholarships available for his 2012 recruiting class. The two incoming recruits, Wally Ellenson and Charles Buggs, will attend summer school at Minnesota.

Smith is an “11-12” handicapper and would love to play Augusta National Golf Club.

Gophers senior Ralph Sampson III is expected to attend the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week. Also attending the pre-NBA draft event is Bloomington native and Badgers player Jordan Taylor, according to the tournament website.

The April 9 issue of Sports Illustrated includes a college basketball top 10 for 2012-13 and Indiana is ranked No. 1. The other schools in order are Louisville, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan, Syracuse, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Arizona and Memphis.

Charlotte coach Paul Silas was an NBA forward whose 16-year playing career began in 1964. He’s impressed with the Wolves’ Kevin Love who in his fourth season is often referred to as the best power forward in the league. “If he continues to do like he’s doing, for a good portion of his career, he’s going to be one of the best ever because you just don’t see anybody in this league scoring like he does and rebounding the way he does,” Silas said.

The Wolves are hosting three free TV viewing parties this month including Wednesday night’s game from Denver. The games aren’t on local TV and will be seen via NBA League Pass. The Wednesday night party begins at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen at Champps Americana in Eden Prairie.

Defending MIAC football champion St. Thomas opens spring practice on Wednesday. The Tommies spring intrasquad game will be on May 12 starting at 1 p.m. at O’Shaughnessy Stadium.

Bethel’s Nicole Wriedt (volleyball), Gustavus’ Benjamin Ceder (soccer) and Brad Kruckeberg (football), and St. Thomas’ Dan Chapman (football) are among 58 women and men the NCAA announced have won postgraduate scholarships. The grants are $7,500 each.

The Gophers baseball team was 3-0 in the Big Ten Conference before losing three games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to Ohio State in Columbus. In a preseason coaches’ vote, the Gophers (3-3) were predicted to finish No. 3 in the conference behind Michigan State (3-3) and Purdue (7-2).

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