3-pointer from Section 131 – The Bitter End
Final record: 17-65
The Wolves’ season ended with a whimpering loss Wednesday night against the Rockets. We weren’t there.
You might have noticed somewhere along the line that new game reports just stopped showing up on this site. The last uninspired “3-pointer” was published after an uncharacteristic Wolves victory over the Warriors on February 27, and I’m sure you’ve missed reading these as much as I’ve missed writing them.
Oh well. Setting out to post these was a dumb idea that I’m not likely to repeat next season. Leave this job to the sportswriters who are paid to do it, I say. I hope they’re paid well.
The Wolves finished with the worst record in the league. It was quite a feat to finish the season behind a team that set an all-time NBA record for futility by losing 26 games in a row (the Cleveland Cavaliers) and another that lost 25 straight road games to start the season (the Washington Wizards).
Before the season began, I predicted the Wolves would win 31 games. Missed it by just that much. (I also predicted that Corey Brewer would be traded before the deadline, and he was.)
Kevin Love was the one bright spot in the Wolves’ season. He led the league in rebounding, shot almost 42% from the three-point line, was selected for the All-Star Game, recorded a 31-31 game, and compiled a post-merger record streak of 56 straight double-doubles.
Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations David Kahn threw Head Coach Kurt Rambis under the bus at a bizarre season-ending press conference held a few hours before the final game against the Rockets. Strange timing, but this is the sort of thing we’ve come to expect with this franchise.
It’ll be good to see Rambis go. He’s been a terrible coach, and he certainly seems to have lost the players somewhere along the way. His dogged determination to run a complex offense that is obviously unsuited to the players he has, his complete failure to put together a professional defensive scheme, and his odd passive-aggressive, aloof, zen-master-wanna-be demeanor won’t be missed.
Whether the Wolves can find a better coach who is willing to sign on to work for Kahn and Glen Taylor is an open question.