Considering all the lockerroom stuff going on, I re-read Glen Taylor's (Minnesota owner) interview City Pages - Timberwolves Confidential: Glen Taylor Tells All and it's deja-vu all over again. Glenn on losing players (heavily paraphrased):

There are certain individuals ... only left because of [former coach] Flip [Saunders]...did not like how he was treated by Flip...wanted somebody with more discipline, he wanted somebody with more consistency, he didn't see this coach was doing that...I don't know what I can say about Kevin on that particular trade—we lost a center that Kevin went out and helped recruit, brought here, helped train, all that stuff.

I can tell you that Chauncey [Billups] left not because of Kevin but because of Flip...Chauncey said he would stay, because we were going to offer him the same [money] as Detroit. But then Chauncey went to Flip and said, would you play me, and Flip—I'm not saying that Flip said the wrong answer, but he said, I'm not sure that I think that you're our starting guard...So, you know, we've lost some good people, but Kevin's kind of taking the fall on these things, and personally I know that that hasn't been the case.


No discipline, not playing players, pushing good players away. The only thing I can hope for is either Flip takes the UofMinny job or Joe fires him. Flip is not only not a good coach, but he is grinding this team down. I many not like Larry, but at least he left the team in better shape than when he showed up.

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I bet Joe is worried about his reputation around the league for firing coaches, and doesn't want to do again it if he doesn't absolutely have to.

I have been trying to lay low because quit frankly I have not been happy with the way things have been going.

Not getting along in the locker room, players getting bored. Ok, CB is out - I know but..

My take on Flip. He knows 10 times more than any of us about the game of basketball. Knows more than Carlisle and most coaches in the league. On paper he looks great.

But he can't get his team to do what he wants them to do and he does not know how to handle it when they don't. So what good is all this vast knowledge?

You have Dave Cowens or Porter ready to step in. Must have hired them for a reason Joe to make the move.

Yes I am ready, make the move - lets get a new coach. Who cares about a reputation for firing coaches, lets get back to playing like the leagues hardest working team again.

You guys still think that CB going down provided a nice opportunity for his backups to shine? It has only magnified our team's problems.

I don't think anyone expected to see a shining/shooting star with CB out...just the chance to take stock of our backup PG situation. Hopefully that 'magnification' will serve to stir Joe to action shortly.

Flip ticks me off, but I'm not sure I can lay any one particular charge solely at his feet. Not if I am going to be honest and objective.

The roster is questionable. That is on Joe somewhat.

The youth is raw. That is on Joe somewhat.

Sheed has an attitude problem. As long as he cashes the cheques, he doesn't have an excuse.

Last playoffs Sheed and Rip were nicked up, and Mr. BS was tired. I do not understand how that is Flip's fault.

Is a coaching change going to make a difference? It will in regards to public perception of Joe. Heck, it might even get us to surge for 10 games. But unless we uncover some coaching genius (which I think Cowens and Porter are definitely not), I don't see too many changes.

You lose Sheed, and you're lost.

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To all of my friends, comrades and companions at PF.com

Thank you for another great season!

Can`t we pin this one on Flip???

I really don't know what to think about Flip any more. I had myself convinced he was an idiot, but Rob Parkers article today made me question that. Then again, I know what happened in the playoffs last year. Then again, maybe it's just that after our great regular season we felt a sense of entitlement in the playoffs and took it out on Flip.

I don't know. But I do know that nothing about this team has excited me much this year. And I do know that I don't like THAT.

His fundamental approach to the game is flawed, he freezes and chokes in the playoffs, his players don't believe in him, he doesn't back his words and he shows little ability to autopsy his failures in order to learn from them.

The roster wasn't questionable last year. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to win another ring given a bit of foresight. If anything, Joe can be blamed for authorizing the fool's-gold chase for HCA. However, Delfino's not raw and Max is ready. Davis is on the bench theoretically able to contribute more. And as Flip mentioned, now that Ben's gone, there's more need for a defensive specialist. (Of course Flip said we'd be better off without Ben, perhaps even on defense, so his pledges to play Davis are easily spotted as bull%%%%.)

Anyways, letting Cowens or Porter or someone else take over is basically a way to strip Sheed of his prime excuse for slacking. Sheed's slacking because he knows that Flip is not gonna be able to lead the team in the playoffs. All the attention's on Sheed, but we know he's not the only one to have raised concerns about Flip. So while Sheed is the most demonstrative, it is only fair to assume that other players on our team are infected with a similar virus. As for Sheed, maybe he's doing it to get another coach in here or maybe he's just doing it, but either way, given a fresh start with a coach who understands things will rejuvenate Sheed and get him and the whole team playing harder. It will also let Joe tell Sheed something like ''OK, he's gone, the onus is on you guys to respond now''.

To those who say Sheed will eventually sour on the next guy, I'd say that that is true. But with the position we're in -- good enough to think about contending but not good enough to win -- we've got to risk that the honeymoon would last long enough. It's a safe risk, and it beats doing nothing and continuing without addressing the problem.

Of course we could trade Sheed, but that would only rid us of the public face of the problem. It would still exist. And, likely, we wouldn't get enough back in return to still have championship hopes. I wouldn't rule out a trade, but I would say that trade or no trade, Flip has to go anyways.

Right on Bro!!

P.S. The demographics in Minn and Mich and substantially different.