Tanks for the Memories
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Some time ago, a nationally syndicated sportswriter named Steve Harvey published a weekly list during the college football season. His column was labeled “The Bottom 10,” and listed the worst teams in the nation.
Today we can easily adapt Harvey’s theories to the National Basketball Association simply by analyzing the standings. Whereas college football coaches tried mightily to avoid Harvey’s list, some advantages exist for NBA teams in the Bottom 10, chiefly higher positions in the annual player draft. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, the situation is more urgent than that. The Wolves must finish in the Bottom 10, or the team will lose its first-round pick.
The NBA Bottom 10:
Minnesota finds itself in this situation because the league offices okayed a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that specified the Wolves losing their No. 1 pick if they don’t finish in the Bottom 10. Thus Minnesota, already eliminated from playoff contention, now finds little incentive to win its remaining four games.
On Wednesday, prior to Minnesota vs. Dallas at Target Center, it was announced that Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse, and Erick Dampier would not be honoring the facility with their presence. Then the Timberwolves had an announcement of their own: Kevin Garnett was going to be sidelined indefinitely with an injured thigh.
The crowd of 13,671 quickly became unruly when it became apparent that their money would have been better spent watching a NBA Development League game. Indeed the Bakersfield Jam and the Dakota Wizards might have put on a better show than Dallas’ 105-88 pasting of the Wolves.
Craig Smith started in place of Garnett and showed some life by scoring nine points in the first quarter. Dallas, meanwhile, to the yawns of the fans, started a lineup of DeSagana Diop, Josh Howard, Devean George, Austin Croshere, and Jason Terry. Howard appeared disinterested and had only two points at halftime.
The Timberwolves went through an alertness slump of their own in the third period and allowed a Dallas lineup including Jose Juan Barea, Maurice Ager, and the ancient Kevin Willis to outscore them by 38 to 15. The Mavericks nailed seven 3-point attempts in the third quarter, causing spectators to begin to wander away in droves. Even special guest Tubby Smith, new University of Minnesota men’s basketball coach, didn’t stay until the end.
After the game, in a hastily called press conference in front of the media room, Wolves’ owner Glen Taylor emphatically denied Garnett had been purposefully pulled from the starting lineup. “I can tell you I had nothing to do with him not playing. I’d prefer him to be here. The crowd pays to see him.” Garnett reportedly was recovering from the nagging result of injury.
USA Today in its Thursday edition, saw it otherwise, leading off with a game account that read: “With the top seed in the West wrapped up, Dallas left Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse, and Erick Dampier at home and sat Devin Harris to rest. Not to be outdone, the Timberwolves announced shortly before the game that All-Star Kevin Garnett is out indefinitely with an injured right thigh.”