[外電] Firing Casey no solution for Wolves
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16529929.htm
This has been a wonderful competition, filled with twists and turns. And the
outcome isn't close to being decided. The battle likely will rage on for the
foreseeable future.
Just which organization is more screwed up? Is it the Minnesota Vikings? Or
is it the Timberwolves?
On Tuesday, the Timberwolves made a bold move front and center, grabbing the
lead from the currently inactive Vikings. Kevin McHale, vice president of
basketball operations, fired coach Dwane Casey, making him the fall guy for a
team top heavy with has-beens, misfits and malcontents.
"Inconsistency," McHale stated. "I saw us treading water."
McHale went on to say that the quality of the team's play fluctuated from
night to night, quarter to quarter, minute to minute.
"Two steps forward, two steps back," he said.
With this bunch, I always thought that two steps forward — at any time —
was an unexpected bonus. The Wolves have a few promising young players.
Other than that, the squad could be billed as "Kevin Garnett and the
Plumbers.''
Furthermore, the team has the chemistry of a Molotov cocktail.
Among the veteran "leaders," there is Ricky Davis, who walked off the court
and into the locker room the other day after getting replaced during a game.
He recently finished serving his one-game suspension. There's Eddie Griffin,
who has exhibited enough antisocial behavior to be anointed an honorary
Viking.
There's Marko Jaric, who is lobbying the owner for a trade. There's Troy
Hudson, who hasn't asked for a trade but repeatedly has expressed his
displeasure with his limited role. Defensive specialist Trent Hassell,
meanwhile, has publicly offered his starting spot to someone, anyone, who
might be able to do better.
McHale put this team together. Casey was just the ringmaster.
"I'm glad we hired Case," McHale said. "He's a great guy. He interviewed
great."
He was doomed from the start.
It's a bad situation when a team isn't very good yet the front office
believes that it is. Assistant Randy Wittman becomes the fourth coach in two
years. Flip Saunders was fired late in the 2004-05 season. McHale replaced
him for the rest of the season. Casey was hired before last season and now
gives way to Wittman. Perhaps Wittman will have better luck.
"Witt's message is a little different," McHale said. He then described it as
a, "pound sand type of approach."
Or perhaps the players will tell him to go pound tar. We'll see. From all
reports, he was as shaken as anyone by Casey's firing.
From the minute Wittman, a longtime Wolves assistant, was rehired last
summer, the clock was ticking on Casey. Clearly McHale and owner Glen Taylor
were disappointed with the team's play last season. Wittman represented an
emergency parachute. On Tuesday, McHale pulled the rip cord.
During his brief tenure, Casey suffered through all manner of indignities.
Last season he was blindsided by the blockbuster Wally Szczerbiak trade. He
had no idea it was coming. The day before, he had called a team meeting and
assured players that the roster was set. Don't worry about any trades, he
told them, because nothing is happening.
The next day, the locker room was like a bus station.
This season, he had to put up with Taylor sitting on the team bench at Target
Center. Technically, he sat a couple of seats down from the bench. But it was
on the front row, just to the right of Casey, who had to walk past him 30 or
40 times a game while coaching. Talk about pressure. The owner heard
everything Casey and the players had to say.
But a couple of nights ago, McHale looked onto the court and wondered: "What
the hell? Where are we at?"
Yes the level of play has been inconsistent. McHale couldn't understand why
the Wolves didn't play at a high level all the time. I know the answer: They
aren't that good.
Casey was a good man who got a raw deal. But this organization has been
misfiring almost since its inception. From the illegal signing of mediocre
Joe Smith, which cost them a handful of high draft choices as a punishment,
to assorted goofballs and draft busts.
On Tuesday, the Wolves made a bold move to wrest from the Vikings the title
of "most screwed-up organization." They might be inconsistent on the court,
but when it comes to ineptitude, they have been very steady for a long time.
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