The Vikings choose No. 30 in the first round of Thursday’s NFL draft that begins at 6:30 p.m. Minneapolis time.  Rounds two and three start at 5 p.m. Friday. The draft resumes at 9 a.m. on Saturday with rounds four through seven.  The time allocated for each selection during the first round is 10 minutes, with seven minutes in the second round.  Teams have five minutes for each selection in the remaining rounds.  ESPN and the NFL Network provide draft coverage.

Instead of hosting a first round draft event this year at Winter Park, the Vikings are participating in draft parties at 12 metro area locations.  More at https://www.vikings.com/schedule/2010-vikings-draft-party.html.

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners that senior safety Kim Royston had successful surgery Friday on his broken left leg.  He expects Royston, who was injured during spring practice, to return “if not for the first game, certainly early in the season.”  The Gophers open on the road September 2 at Middle Tennessee State.  “His leadership will be missed,” Brewster said.

The Gophers’ spring game is Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium and offers free admission to fans.  The game begins at 1:30 p.m.

Cory Joseph, the nationally sought prep point guard who is considering the Gophers, told the Dallas Morning News yesterday his college choice will be made in the “next week or two.”   Don’t bet on him coming to Minnesota. https://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/04/top-hoop-recruit-joseph-explains-his-tho.html

Tom Lehman will make a presentation to the Edina Country Club membership on Monday, April 26 to finalize plans for renovation of the golf course.  His design company will provide services for a major project that includes work on bunkers and greens, re-seeding fairways and a new irrigation system.  The front and back nines will be reversed, although the yardage of about 6,860 will remain the same.

The extensive renovation begins this spring and the private suburban Minneapolis course will be closed to members at the end of May.  Reciprocal agreements with more than a dozen other golf clubs, including Interlachen and Minikahda, will accommodate Edina members this spring and summer.  Edina’s new course is tentatively scheduled to open in June of next year.

Edina was one of the few local private courses to gain members during the off-season, according to a golf industry source.  He said the club’s initiation fee was reduced by more than $20,000 and the club added about 50 members.

Here’s a Target Field visitor’s tip: most fans enter the stadium at gates 29 and 34.  That traffic adds congestion at concession stands near home plate and first base.  Walk further away from those areas to find less crowded concession areas.

The Royals have won two of their last 12 games against the Twins after yesterday’s 10-5 victory at Target Field.

The Twins have won each of their first four series this season, a franchise record.

Michael Cuddyer of the Twins went hitless yesterday, only the second time that has happened in 13 games this season.

Comments Welcome

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners that a contract extension for basketball coach Tubby Smith is being worked on.  Representatives for both sides are in discussions.

“We feel confident we will get something done,” Maturi said.

Maturi didn’t offer details on compensation or years, and said it could be months before something is settled.  He said that’s the nature of negotiations and although Smith came here in March of 2007 he didn’t sign his first contract until December.

Smith’s seven year contract paid him close to $2 million last season and it includes incentive bonuses.  A contract extension exemplifies commitment by Smith and the Gophers to one another.  Rumors of Smith leaving for another school have been numerous since he arrived in Minneapolis where he’s coached two of his first three teams to NCAA tournament invitations.

In addition to the contract, Smith wants a new practice facility and Maturi said fundraising will be the source of money for the venue that’s expected to cost about $20 million.  The location hasn’t been determined and fundraising is in process.

Asked if a $20 million practice facility raises a question of whether such money should be used toward a new basketball arena to replace 82-year-old Williams Arena, Maturi said a change won’t happen while he’s athletic director.  While Maturi acknowledged the building’s age will eventually become an issue, the athletic department already has sizeable financial commitments including for its 23 sports and isn’t looking to take on a project perhaps costing $300 million.

The budget could receive a boost in 2012 if plans develop to stage an outdoor January or February hockey game involving the Gophers men’s team and another college program.  Maturi has seen other athletic departments host successful outdoor games and wants to pursue the temporary installation of an outdoor rink at TCF Bank Stadium that might cost $600,000 with total operations expenses of $750,000.

Revenues could exceed $1 million.  While the outdoor rink is in place, Maturi believes it may make sense to have a series of other games involving the Gopher women, Division III programs and prep teams.

Comments Welcome

About 25 years ago I was a member of the Governor’s NBA Task Force to bring a franchise to Minnesota.  There had been a void here since the Lakers left Minneapolis for Los Angeles in 1960.  In the late 1980’s NBA popularity was surging and the league liked this town’s white collar money and pro basketball roots with the Lakers who had won five world titles here.

While working for the Met Center in the 1980s, I had pushed for a series of successful NBA exhibition games that included one night stops by the Lakers, Sixers and Bulls.  Minneapolis businessmen Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson took note.  By 1989 their Timberwolves were a first year expansion team and attracting some of the league’s larger crowds to the Metrodome while awaiting completion of Target Center. The team’s first season record was 22-60.

Way back then who could have imagined that the 2010 Wolves would play like an expansion team and be offering season tickets at 50 percent off?  Owner Glen Taylor and his partners have in recent years been losing millions annually while operating the team.  Speculation is the franchise will lose $15 to $25 million this season which ended last night with a loss to Detroit.  The Wolves finished with a 15-67 record, tied for the worst record in club history.

The franchise’s basketball operation has everything to prove starting with president David Kahn and coach Kurt Rambis.  Kahn is a former sports columnist turned basketball executive and during his brief employment here the roster hasn’t improved.  It’s less talented than a year ago and has only a few above average players.

Clearing salary cap room for pursuit of free agents this off season and making intelligent draft choices in the NBA draft this June sounds good but can the front office make it a reality?  Team executives didn’t dazzle last year including in the NBA draft when the Wolves passed on Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry.  They are two of the three best NBA Rookie of the Year candidates along with Tyreke Evans who Sacramento chose before the Wolves had a draft pick.

Rambis, like Khan, can’t fairly be judged after one season but his choice of the triangle offense is being questioned and also the defensive effort of the Wolves.  His mentor, coach Phil Jackson, used the offense with success in Chicago and Los Angeles.  But if the offense is so effective why have so few teams used it over the years?  Coaches are often copycats when it comes to offenses and defenses.

Triangle, or not, critics should be more concerned about the team’s defensive performance this past season.  Why didn’t the coaching staff get more effort and defensive success out of this team?

The team’s best player is forward Kevin Love, a gifted rebounder and passer who plays with intelligence and unselfishness.  He needs to become a better defender but the Wolves should recognize his importance and provide more minutes on the floor.

Al Jefferson is among the league’s better low post scorers but he needs to improve on defense, too.  Both Jefferson and Love play the same position (power forward) but that doesn’t mean the franchise can’t keep them both, juggling minutes and surrounding them with better talent.

Late season acquisition Darko Milicic does provide size at center but this is his fifth NBA team.  At 24 he has the option of playing here next season or in Europe.  If he stays he must prove he has the desire to perform at his best for 82 games.

Milicic is an okay defender.  He has the physical skills to be more assertive.  So, too, does rookie point guard Jonny Flynn who showed his defensive inexperience coming out of a college environment at Syracuse where he played in a zone defense.  Offensively, Flynn needs to make better decisions on the court and involve his teammates more.

The team’s best defender is shooting guard Corey Brewer who stepped up his offense this year to average 13 points per game (his first double figure average for a season).  But even his defense couldn’t make too much difference on a Wolves’ team that gave up almost 108 points per game, second worst in the league.

That’s the stuff of expansion teams, but unfortunately the Wolves are working on their third decade of play.

Comments Welcome