Numbnut. That’s a person of limited intellect.
Who does that describe? Me, I guess. But the good news is I am not alone.
Last spring this space and other media reported that we thought Kevin McHale was predicting a 20 game improvement in wins by the Timberwolves for the coming season. That caused a stir since the team was 22-60 last season.
Here’s what the Wolves’ vice president of basketball operations said to two reporters last week: “First of all, to clear that up, someone said, ‘How many more games can you win?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ You could win 10, you could win 20. You could win 30. You could win 40.
“I said we could win 42 games. I didn’t predict anything. I said in our business you see teams win 10 more than last year, lose 10 more than last year. …You numbnuts misquoted me and said I said we’re going to win 40 games. I said we have a chance to win more games. Who knows? …”
McHale likes his team, believes it has more talent and the desire to improve. He refers to the players as “nice guys” and when he describes them as “compliant,” that’s another way of saying they’re coachable.
Coach Randy Wittman won’t say how many games he thinks the Wolves will win but for his own job security he has to hope no one, not even numbnuts, are setting the bar at a firm 42 wins. This numbnut thinks 12 to 15 more wins.
McHale, as we’ve heard, is not set on an exact number either. “If I knew how many we were going to win why wouldn’t I go and fix the $700 billion buyout? …I think we could win a lot more games. …”
The Wolves are 2-0 in pre-season games and open their regular season schedule at home on October 29 against Sacramento.