There are 22 games left to play. The season has become garbage time. The Wolves have individually and collectively taken note, and are playing like garbage.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor keeps saying he expects Kevin McHale to be back as coach next season, and McHale keeps tap dancing around the subject.
That was the drill again Tuesday after Taylor held an afternoon news conference to announce the team’s season-ticket prices for next season.
“I think he’s going to coach,” Taylor said. “I didn’t make him the interim coach. He’s the coach.”
Asked if that means McHale’s front-office days are over, “For here it is.” Taylor said he expects and wants McHale to coach next year and said he hasn’t decided whether he will hire a vice president of basketball operations to replace McHale or hire a general manager. He said he will consider both candidates outside the organization and current front-office guys Jim Stack, Fred Hoiberg and Rob Babcock. He also says he has a list of coaching candidates if McHale doesn’t return next season and says he continues to get calls from interested candidates.
From Jerry Zgoda/Star Tribune:
He said anyone he hires will have to agree with the franchise’s plan to rebuild with young players and future draft picks. He does not expect the front office will remain as it’s currently configured.
“I don’t think I want to leave it as it is today,” Taylor said. “I want to look both internally and externally because I think this is a really important decision for the team. I don’t want to do it quickly. I want to give it as much thought as I can.”
Taylor said he continues to receive calls from interested coaching candidates if McHale isn’t coach next season. McHale and Taylor are expected to meet soon after the season ends April 15 to determine the future. McHale complains coaching’s demands — the travel, time away from his family, media commitments — but also earns considerably more to coach than he did to manage the team.
Jon Krawczynski/AP Sports on the league’s collective bargaining agreement:
Timberwolves veteran forward Mark Madsen, who serves as the team’s union rep, said the players realize that these are difficult economic times for most people. But he also pointed out that it wouldn’t be in the union’s best interests to open negotiations early.
“Right now it appears we’re in the biggest down cycle. The stock market’s hitting all-time lows,” Madsen said. “But the good thing is now is not the time when we have to redefine the collective bargaining agreement.
“What we’re hoping is the economy bounces back and that we as players and teams can continue to improve so fans enjoy the experience coming out to games.”
McHale said ownership deserves to make a profit and that the current system in which one star player can eat up the lion’s share of a team’s salary cap is outdated in this economy.
“Corrections need to be made,” he said. “We’re kind of in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac era. What do they call them, sub-prime loans? There are some sub-prime contracts.”
Depending on the response to the ticket plan and sponsorships, Taylor said the team might not be able to realize its goal of breaking even financially next year, but he said the Wolves have the resources to move ahead with their rebuilding plan and remain committed to this market.
“We are staying here in Minnesota,” he said. “We won’t leave Minnesota based upon economics of this franchise.”
Taylor said the economy has affected his other businesses, noting, “For the first time in my lifetime, I’ve had to lay off people.”
The NBA announced last week that it has lined up $175 million in credit to distribute to teams interested in receiving additional cash to deal with operating losses, but Taylor said the Wolves aren’t among them.
Minnesota sports teams are doing their best to make sure you keep them in your shrinking budget next year.
“Well you know this is a little unusual for a team owner to be talking about ticket prices for next year,” Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said to a group of reporters Tuesday afternoon.
But, desperate times call for desperate measures.
Taylor said he had expected the franchise had to break even financially next season but, given the extent of the recession, will almost certainly remain in the red. On the plus side: the Wolves will have cleared enough salary cap room by 2010 to go after some big names ripe for free agency by that time.
From Mike Max/WCCO:
The Minnesota Timberwolves injured Forward Corey Brewer has a new hair cut, and says he’s doing well recovering from knee surgery.
“I feel like I’m pretty far ahead. I started doing a lot of stuff, running a little bit, jogging a little bit, so I’m getting there,” said Brewer.
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