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Wolves Coach Hire Stirs Big Question

Posted on June 5, 2014June 5, 2014 by David Shama

Timberwolves fans are entitled to view with skepticism the official announcement coming tomorrow that Flip Saunders will be the team’s new coach. Saunders is a proven NBA coach but is this the best decision for the organization?

The Wolves haven’t been to the playoffs since 2004. The team was 40-42 this past season, certainly an improvement over recent history but also an indictment of the talent. The roster is problematic from starters to bench players. There are too many weaknesses on this club including one-dimensional personnel.

The best indication right now is the Wolves are going backward regarding talented players who can turn them into a winner because second team All-NBA forward Kevin Love, according to numerous media reports, wants to be traded. After six seasons of no advancement to the playoffs, Love apparently wants out of Minneapolis to find the opportunity to play for a winner.

Saunders, as president of basketball operations for about a year, has worked at developing a relationship with Love. But that relationship isn’t likely to keep Love in a Timberwolves uniform next season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, and neither is the extra money Minnesota can pay him under NBA rules.

Saunders had a 10-plus seasons run with the Wolves in his previous coaching life here that ended in 2005. He’s the only coach to ever take the franchise into the playoffs but except for 2004 the Wolves have never made a deep postseason appearance.

That 2004 team, unlike earlier Wolves teams led by Kevin Garnett, had additional star power in guard Sam Cassel and forward Latrell Sprewell. And that’s the point: To win there has to be talent and just who is it in the newly constructed basketball operation with Saunders coaching and retaining his front office position that is going to find the talent?

Saunders has a high basketball IQ but he can’t do everything. The Wolves will need productive personnel evaluators to make themselves a playoff club. They aren’t just Team Saunders and it’s up to Flip to surround himself with a capable staff.

Until the front office shows it can dramatically improve the talent on the floor the long-suffering Wolves fans can wear their skeptics’ hats about an organization that too often disappoints and seems without a plan. The decision of Saunders to become coach is the latest example of “What’s going on with this franchise?”

Owner Glen Taylor was on record that he wanted Saunders to have one job, not two. But apparently Saunders, who less than 18 months ago was chasing the Gophers coaching job, couldn’t resist the urge of returning to the bench. Maybe Saunders and Taylor couldn’t find a big name coach who was a fit but it’s hard to believe there aren’t some good candidates with low national profiles. That kind of hire might have better allowed Saunders to concentrate on improving the roster.

With his new role as coach, Saunders increases his grip on the franchise. His power also includes minority ownership in the team. It’s also believed Saunders wants to acquire a larger ownership stake in the future. Don’t dismiss the possibility, too, that Saunders could lead a group that one day will acquire the franchise from Taylor.

Last season the Wolves sometimes looked lethargic under 67-year-old coach Rick Adelman who resigned this spring. They also had trouble closing out games, not much of an endorsement for the coaching.

Saunders, filled with passion and persuasiveness, is likely to fix the energy problem. Maybe the record in close games, too. But moving toward becoming a top NBA team will require a lot more talent on the roster—and that ultimately will tell the story of Team Saunders.

Worth Noting

Mike Yeo’s new multi-year contract pays him about $1 million annually, a hockey source told Sports Headliners. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Wild coach’s new agreement pays him over $500,000 more each year than his old contract.

He said Yeo’s past compensation was “one of the lowest” among NHL head coaches. The new deal places Yeo among the “lower third in the league.”

The source also said Jacques Lemaire, the Wild’s first coach who left after the 2008-2009 season, was the NHL’s highest paid coach at $1.8 million or more.

Yeo, according to multiple reports, almost lost his job during the past season but rallied his team in the spring including the playoffs where the Wild advanced to the second round for just the second time in franchise history.

The NBA has ditched the annoying 2-3-2 seven game series championship format, replacing it with the more common 2-2-1-1-1 schedule. The NBA Finals between the Spurs and Heat starts tonight in San Antonio, with the series switching to Miami for games three and four. If needed, games five and seven will be in San Antonio, with game six in Miami.

Clash of the Classes boys and girls basketball games are tomorrow night starting at 5:30 p.m. at Concordia, St. Paul. Three games involve 2017 versus 2018 boys, and 2015 versus 2016 boys and girls. More at Northstarhoopsreport.com/clash-of-the-classes.

The 25th annual Bruce Smith Golf Classic and dinner at Faribault Golf Club will be Monday, June 16. Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague and former Gophers Randy Breuer, Mark Dusbabek and Darrell Thompson are among scheduled celebrities. Auction items will include a Gophers helmet autographed by coach Jerry Kill, tickets for a Gophers basketball game in a Williams Arena suite, a Kent Hrbek autographed bat, and a cap autographed by Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller. The event benefits three Faribault schools and is named after former Faribault native and Gophers Heisman Trophy winner Bruce Smith. Golf information is available to the public by e-mailing Bruce Krinke, contact@fctv10.org.

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Fans Wild about Minnesota Wild Playoffs

Posted on May 14, 2014May 14, 2014 by David Shama

In one day a sportswriter saw more people wearing Wild clothing and caps than he observed in a month this winter. Whether it’s extra chatter in office cubicles or via social media, or record TV viewership and game attendance, the Wild has captured a large audience this spring with its surprising Stanley Cup playoff performance.

Last night the Wild lost 2-1 in overtime to the Blackhawks in game six of their second round playoff series. The best of seven series is over with the Blackhawks winning four games to two but the impact of the Wild’s popularity on Minnesota sports fans, both passionate and casual, is evident.

Until this spring Minnesota had missed the playoffs five of the previous six seasons. But in April and May of this year the Wild played like one of the NHL’s better teams, defeating the Avalanche in a seven game series and playing impressively against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.

In Wild franchise history dating back to 2000-2001 the club has advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs only twice, in 2003 and 2014. Last year Minnesota lost its opening series to the Blackhawks in five games. This year the Wild put up a much stronger fight, particularly at home feeding off the energy of frenzied fans.

Wild radio analyst Tom Reid has followed the franchise since its inception. “The interest level is phenomenal with this team,” he told Sports Headliners.

Wild telecasts attracted much larger audiences than normal. For example, the team’s game seven final last month against the Avalanche had a 16.4 household rating in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area — a record for a sports telecast by Fox Sports North. The previous record, a 15.3 rating, was in August of 2010 for a Twins-White Sox game.

In the Minneapolis–St. Paul market 17,280 households represent one rating point. Over 283,390 households tuned in to that Avalanche-Wild game. The telecast received a 32 share, signifying 32 percent of the viewing audience in the Twins Cities area was watching.

For game three of the Blackhawks series the Wild had a record home attendance of 19,416 at Xcel Energy Center, breaking the prior playoff record of 19,396 set last month against Avalanche and exceeding a regular season crowd of 19,409 earlier this spring. Game four against the Blackhawks at Xcel Energy attracted 19,405 and last night attendance was 19,396. The arena’s official capacity for hockey is 17,954.

A Wild spokesman e-mailed late last week the team has added more than 23,000 new followers on Twitter since the end of March, leading all NHL teams in percentage growth of audience during that period. Total followers are 224,000. The Wild’s website attracted more than 700,000 unique visitors during April, an all-time high.

Last night the Wild players left theirs hearts on the ice in the overtime playoff ending loss. The fans, standing and cheering the home team after the game ended, left their hearts in the stands.

Worth Noting

Reid, who played in the NHL for 11 seasons, believes third-year Wild coach Mike Yeo “has really come a long way over the last 18 months,” and is impressed with his composure during games. “What I like about Mike is he doesn’t get rattled — because that also transcends to the players,” Reid said. “If they see a coach that is up there screaming and hollering and jumping all over the place, that’s not a good sign. I played for coaches like that.”

New Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who at one time was projected to be the first quarterback taken in the 2014 NFL Draft, is likely to receive about $14 million less on his contract than the Jaguars Blake Bortles. Jason Belzer from Forbes.com wrote last Friday he is estimating Bortles, the first quarterback chosen in the draft, will receive $20,654,810. Bortles was the third player selected during the draft’s first round while Bridgewater was the last at No. 32 and his contract is projected at $6,849,502.

Rumors had the Vikings trying to move up during the first round to obtain the Browns’ pick at No. 22 and draft quarterback Johnny Manziel. Instead, the Browns kept the pick and selected Manziel who will receive an estimated $8,247,250 on his contract.

The Vikings top draft choice, linebacker Anthony Barr, was selected ninth during the first round and Belzer has his contract at $12,743,500. Belzer’s contract projections for first round draft choices are based on the NFL’s salary cap and rookie compensation pool that this year is expected to total $955 million and be split among all 32 league teams.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has made some outstanding draft choices in recent years but knows his reputation has a lot to do with whether the team solves its quarterback problem. “You are always going to be judged by the quarterback,” Spielman said.

Last week’s draft was the first for Spielman working with new head coach Mike Zimmer. Spielman was the boss regarding who the Vikings selected. “There was not a lot of discussion,” he said.

Tomorrow night Gophers football coach Jerry Kill delivers the commencement address at Mariucci Arena to undergraduate students from the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development, and then attends the 20th anniversary Bolder Options celebration at TCF Bank Stadium’s DQ Room where he will give the keynote address.

Among the entrants in next month’s Tapemark Charity Pro-Am at Southview Country Club in West St. Paul will be Edina resident Chris Meyer who has been playing on the PGA’s Latin America tour. Meyer, 23, played in the Tapemark last year but didn’t make the cut after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. “My guess is he will be very competitive this year,” said Pro-Am president Phil Callen who noted Meyer is the Tapemark’s first current pro ever from the Latin America tour.

The defending Tapemark champion is Ryan Helminen from Ridgeway Country Club in Neenah, Wisconsin. Helminen also won the tournament in 2010. He attended the University of Wisconsin with Gophers golf coach John Carlson who is also playing in this year’s tournament. Carlson won the Tapemark in 2007 and 2008.

The Southview course is short and hilly, requiring adjustments for long hitters. “Even really talented guys have to change their games,” Callen said. “There are a limited number of holes you can use your driver.”

Tapemark dates for the men’s tournament are June 6, 7 and 8. The women’s event is June 5 and 8, also at Southview. The tournament, now in its 43rd year, benefits people with developmental disabilities. Registration for pros and amateurs is still open. More at Tapemarkgolf.org.

Canterbury Park begins its live racing season on Friday as part of a 69-day race meet through September 13. The 10,000 Lakes Stakes and the Lady Slipper Stakes, both $60,000 sprint races, will be this Friday and Saturday. Saturday attractions include a simulcast of the 139th Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Canterbury Park’s nearly 1,600 horse stalls will be at capacity for only the second time since 1991 because of a cooperative marketing and purse enhancement agreement made in 2012 with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. SMSC will contribute $75 million to the horsemen’s purse structure over the deal’s 10-year span. Purses are projected to total a record $13 million this season.

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Wild’s Mike Yeo Deserves New Contract

Posted on May 12, 2014May 12, 2014 by David Shama

Wild coach Mike Yeo’s job status drew speculation in recent months but with Minnesota’s impressive Stanley Cup playoff run this spring it will be a major surprise if he doesn’t return for the 2014-2015 season. Yeo’s current contract reportedly ends this year.

Tom Reid, who played more than 11 seasons in the NFL and now is the Wild’s radio analyst, likes Yeo’s performance. “I expect Mike and the entire coaching staff to be back,” Reid told Sports Headliners. “They’ve done a good job here.”

Yeo, who had never been an NHL head coach previously, was hired at 37 years old to lead the Wild starting with the 2011-2012 season. Minnesota made the playoffs last season but lost in five games to the Blackhawks who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

This year more was expected from the team and coach. “They went through a couple hiccups along the way (this season) but I think for the most part Mike has learned an awful lot,” Reid said. “I like the way he’s managed behind the bench. The (line) combinations he’s put together.”

Reid said the young coach shows an ability “to read” players well. “He’s certainly learned much better bench management than he had when he first came in,” Reid said.

Yeo has juggled goaltenders but often been successful during the season and playoffs. The team’s overall defense has been a factor in the Blackhawks series holding Chicago to between 19 and 22 shots in the first four games. Impressive, too, has been the development of inexperienced players like Mikael Granlund and Jared Spurgeon.

Yeo is the NHL’s youngest head coach. He has had the Wild in the playoffs the last two years after a five year absence. “With coaching it’s no different than being a player,” Reid said. “You’re a rookie when you come into it and you have to learn the ropes of what has to be done and how you conduct yourself on the ice.”

The Wild lost 2-1 last night in game five and now trail the Blackhawks 3-2 in their second round best of seven series. Minnesota is back home for game six on Tuesday night.

The team has shown persistence under Yeo, recovering from 2-0 series deficits first against the Avalanche and now with the Blackhawks. Even if the Wild season ends on Tuesday night, expect Yeo to return for a fourth season with a new contract.

Worth Noting

Metro area Culver’s Restaurants will donate 10 percent of sales today to the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund. Culver’s is a longtime sponsor of the fund and from May 5-19 is giving customers a $1 coupon in return for a $1 donation.

Randy Shaver, the KARE 11 news anchor and cancer survivor, was an all-state high school cornerback in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. High school football has long been a “passion” and he was Benilde-St. Margaret’s freshman team head coach for four seasons before resigning last year.

Why did he give up the position? “I have a mom who is very sick right now with a rare head and neck cancer,” Shaver told Sports Headliners. “I didn’t want to get too involved with something and not be able to fulfill the commitment because I think her situation could change this year. There’s a lot of other factors too but that’s part of it.”

Shaver’s son Ryan Shaver is a TV sportscaster in Mason City, Iowa.

It might not be that much of a stretch to think Teddy Bridgewater, the Louisville quarterback who the Vikings chose with the No. 32 pick during round one of last Friday’s NFL Draft, could have played for the Gophers. Louisville head coach Charlie Strong was defensive coordinator at Florida in 2007 and may have been a finalist to replace Gophers head coach Glen Mason in January of that year. Strong was later hired at Louisville and he successfully recruited many Florida high school players including Bridgewater.

Bridgewater was the third quarterback taken in the first round and at one time there was speculation he would be first. Will being passed over by so many teams provide motivation? “You can bet that,” Bridgewater said last Friday. “I talked with (Vikings) coach (Mike) Zimmer awhile back when I came here and he told me he loves guys that play with a chip on their shoulder. So after having that conversation with him and just experiencing last night, I’m glad to be a Viking, but you can best believe I’ll play with a chip on my shoulder.”

Vikings’ NFC North rivals Chicago and Green Bay selected defensive backs in the first round. The Bears chose cornerback Kyle Fuller from Virginia Tech. “My favorite cornerback in the draft,” ESPN analyst Jon Gruden said on Friday night.

The Packers, in need of a turnover causing defender in the secondary, chose Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

ESPN showed Mel Kiper’s draft grades for all NFL teams last night including a “B” for the Packers and “B-minus” labels for the Bears, Lions and Vikings.

The Vikings lost five games in the closing minutes last season. This message is displayed at the team’s indoor practice facility: “Tough teams win in the fourth quarter.”

Ra’Shede Hageman and Brock Vereen were chosen on the second and fourth rounds last weekend, becoming the first former Gophers to be taken in the NFL Draft since 2010 when Eric Decker and Nate Triplett were selected.

Ex-Gopher Derrick Engel, the team’s best wide receiver last season, is still recovering from ACL surgery and although he wasn’t drafted last weekend NFL teams have interest.

The Twins demoted shortstop Pedro Florimon to Triple-A Rochester last week because he was hitting .108. His lifetime major league average is .207. Twins pitching great Jim Kaat’s career batting average was .185.

The last Gophers national championship baseball team was honored at Siebert Field on Saturday. Players from the 1964 team were recognized before Minnesota’s home game with Purdue. Minnesota also won NCAA titles in 1956 and 1960.

Jay Buckley’s Baseball Tours, based in La Crosse, is promoting a September 13, 14 and 15 trip making stops in Milwaukee for the Brewers-Reds game, in Green Bay to see the Packers and Jets, and ending in Chicago to watch the Cubs and Reds. More at Jaybuckley.com.

The Lynx, who have media day today, will have nine games televised on Fox Sports North including next Sunday’s regular season home opener at Washington.

Cross country and track and field standout Kristina Poss will be one of three students in the 2014 St. Catherine senior class to graduate as valedictorian. A chemistry major, she will begin medical school next year at Minnesota.

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