Positive Numbers: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). Want to note how dynamic the survey is this time of year. Last week I was slogging through seven entries -- and I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. Now there are five. One of these is new (real new -- see below), but that means three teams from last week are gone from this week. One of them I put in because they made news (the Gopher fooball squad). Another of them simply fell off because they didn't play this week (the Gopher wrestling club, and they play this afternoon, so they'll certainly be in next week's WMNSS). The last is supposed to on this week's survey, but the Gopher women's basketball team's only game this week, at Northwestern, was postponed due to the death (and sorry to speculate, but I'm guessing it's a suicide) of a Wildcats player. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and teammates of Jordan Hankins.
The teams that remain for this week's survey have, with one notable exception, had perfect screening weeks. The top three, in fact, went 8-0 this week. So I had a surfeit of teams to select and to elevate. In the end, I'm giving the top stop to the T-Wolves, mainly for the caliber of opponents they beat -- Dallas, Houston, and Oklahoma City. I truly thought they were going to lose all three matches (even to the Mavericks), but margins of 9, 14 and 10, the two largest over playoff teams, the last of which despite Russell Westbrook notching yet another triple-double, showed that this team had at least a fantastic week, doldrums of the long season or no. I do understand that all three games were at Target Center, but it's not as if they've enjoyed a home-court advantage so far this year. Also, I don't know if the Woofs will return to earth with a thud, so I'm going to toss these guys a bone for something they've earned.
In MinnPost's Britt Robson's latest missive on this talent-laden team, a source I'm relying on heavily for both this WAF recurring piece but also to understand them, he notes that the repeated sink-or-swim order Head Coach Tom Thibodeau is adhering to in playing Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns continues to yield hard lessons for the team, and that has continued to damage home attendance, if not road attendance. However, things have improved as of late. The team's Defensive Ratings has rocketed up in the last 15 or so games. Also, with LaVine out because of a hip contusion, Thibs has begun to expand past his eight-man rotation. Brandon Rush has played minutes -- and played well. And Robson notes that in the Fourth Quarter, Tyus Jones, of all people, played extremely well in Monday's victory over Dallas. That probably gives more impetus to trading Ricky Rubio, and probably by the trade deadline.
Note the difference in results that surround one event: The injury to LaVine. Robson notes that the five-man unit of Rubio, LaVine, Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and KAT has the most minutes in the National Basketball Association. As of Monday, that lineup has allowed 50 more points than they've scored. Nevertheless, Thibodeau will probably rely on that quintet once LaVine comes back -- to make sure the young Timberpups get their PT, and also to accumulate enough evidence to make decisions in the off-season.
Neverthless, this is the club's first three-game winning streak of the year. Minnesota'll try to extend that this week, this time all on the road: A rematch against the Mavericks, then games against San Antonio and the Clippers.
#0: Wild (Last Week: -3). Meanwhile, the Wild are doing all they can to prevent their chronic mid-season swoon. A 7-1 rout of Goalie Carey Price and the division-leading Montreal Canadiens are sandwiched by weekend wins in division-leading Anaheim and, most gratifying, Dallas. That Bastard North Stars game was, well, wild; Minnesota scored four goals in the first; The Team That Was Stolen From Us managed to tie it in the third, but two minutes and two seconds after that tally, Jason Zucker scored to claim the 5-4 victory. All five goals were scored by different players, including free agent revelation Eric Staal. And with that win, Minnesota now leads the extremely rugged Central Division.
Yeah, this team is playing very well right now. Only, what, two losses since early December?
They are in first place only via tie-breaker. They have the same number of points as Chicago. And they will get to break that tie immediately; they visit Chicago in a nationally-televised (well, on cable) game tonight. This begins a busy week and a spell in the season where they won't play on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. And after they go to Chicago, they'll have a four-game homestand, with dates vs. New Jersey Tuesday, Arizona Thursday, and the Ducks Saturday.
#-1: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -1). I feel bad throwing this club down in third, because they have earned the top spot. They are in the Top 10 in the polls, they are keeping apace with Penn St. (!!!) in the top of the B1G, and they have won six straight and eight-of-nine with a sweep of Michigan at Mariucci this weekend. Lately what makes me feel good about this team is that they are scoring; in particular, Vinni Lettieri should get some weekly conference plaudits for his hat trick (his first) in Saturday's 4-2 victory over the Wolverines.
They are at Wisconsin next weekend.
#-2: United FC (BRAND NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Ladies and gentlemen, for only the second time in the history of The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey, we introduced a new franchise that we will cover from now on. Minnesota now has a team in the highest level of a sports league in America/North America, Minnesota United FC in Major League Soccer. After years of minor-league play, MNUFC is "promoted" up to MLS, and I am proud to say that I am a season-ticket holder.
Too bad these guys' first ever ranking in the WMNSS is -2, because I think they screwed up their SuperDraft.
First, I want to talk about how this franchise is rebuilding its roster for top-flight play as it compares to the other expansion team that enters MLS this season, Atlanta United FC. Atlanta had a team in second-division play, the Silverbacks, but apparently Arthur Blank, the owner of AUFC and the Atlanta Falcons, knows that he basically conjured up a franchise without any genuine grassroots support from people who will buy their tickets. To counter that, he has made a huge splash, hiring a manager who's well known in South America and buying up the best of the best in South America and the Caribbean. In contrast, MNUFC has been really slow in acquiring bodies. They have done well in connecting with their minor league past and fans, though, by bringing along three players from their NASL days: Justin Davis, Miguel Ibarra and Christian Ramirez.
This reminds me of another Minnesota expansion people couldn't help but compare with the other club that was being brought to life at the same time. For the 1989-90 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves were entering the NBA alongside the Orlando Magic. And it was the Magic who was the turtle/saw the big picture, accumulating young and raw talent and accepting they would take their lumps early in the hopes of building an extremely good team down the road. The Woofie Dogs said to hell with the long game and wanted to win now, with rotation castoffs such as Tony Campbell and Tyrone Corbin leading the team the first season. Look at how the fortunes of the franchises have been. No, neither team is good now, but the Magic have reached the NBA Finals on the strength of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, while the Woofs are still struggling to figure out their talent while rebuilding for the umpteenth time. Yes, it's been 27 years. But if there is any justice, the decisions made at the birth of United's life will result in an extremely strong foundation built for sustained success in the long run.
Saying that, they screwed up with their prime gift of the first overall pick in this year's draft/college draft. Going into Friday, the consensus #1 player was a Dookie, Jeremy Ebobisse. Late word in the afternoon, though, was confirmed when MNUFC decided not to trade down in an effort to draft a Minnesota-born UCLA player, Jackson Yueill, and instead selected Yueill's Bruin teammate, Abu Danladi. The poop on him: Risk but reward -- can shoot and create his own shot, but he has been injured. Meanwhile, Ebobisse, who was drafted fourth by the Portland Timbers, can also create and finish, and he doesn't have any injury history. Plus, I heard he aced his SATs. And, frankly, Ebobisse is much more eloquent than Danladi. I mean, listen to Ebobisse:
Wouldn't he be great as the face of Minnesota United? Well, he's the face of the Timbers now, and I think that'll bite this organization in the ass for a long time. I'll give Danladi a chance, but it seems as though those guys have drafted soccer's version of Joel Embiid, and I don't know if I want to wait two years to see a guy show his greatness and then hold my breath in the hopes he doesn't get injured on the pitch.
#-3: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: 0). Well, this isn't good. They defeated Ohio St. in the B1G Sunday night game, but they now have their first losing-streak of the year, due to a wall-to-wall rout at Michigan St. (completing a season sweep) Wednesday and a 52-50 loss in Penn St. Saturday due to two free throws from a Nate Mason foul. They appear to still be on track to make the Big Dance, and they still have a lot of talent. But I think their next game, a Saturday afternoon tilt versus Wisconsin at Williams, will show a lot about how tough these players are.
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