McHale has wrecked the Wolves

By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 01/04/2007

The fact that the Timberwolves were never a player in the recent Allan Iverson trade possibility with Philadelphia is a shame. Kevin McHale, the team’s vice president of basketball operations, is to blame; he has totally wrecked this franchise by cheating and throwing away first-round draft picks over the years.

 

Remember, he gave up on all-star point guard Chauncey Billups, who went to Detroit and led them to an NBA title, was NBA Finals MVP, and led the Pistons in back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals. The Timberwolves have never been to the Finals.

 

When the Los Angeles Lakers were in town December 20, they rallied to beat the Timberwolves 111-94 at Target Center after trailing by as many as 12 points, behind 87-77 after three quarters. Kobe Bryant, who led the Lakers with 24 points, outscored the Timberwolves 34-7 in the fourth quarter.

 

When asked how much Allan Iverson’s trade from Philadelphia to Denver would affect the balance of power in the rugged Western Conference, Kobe said, “The West is already loaded. He [Iverson] just adds another bullet to that chamber.”

 

Indeed, with San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Utah, Los Angeles, and now Denver with Carmelo Anthony and Iverson both averaging better than 30 points a game, the Timberwolves have no margin for error. They were just 12-13 after 25 games. That’s good enough now to get the eighth playoff spot in the West.

 

 

Bad year for Vikes’ offense

 

Vikings rookie quarterback Tavaris Jackson got his first NFL start on December 21 at Green Bay on a cold, wet night. The Packers won 9-7. No offensive touchdowns were scored by either team. Jackson completed 10 of 20 passes for just 50 yards.

 

Jackson had several passes dropped and had a 52-yard play wiped out by a penalty; he certainly could have used veteran 6’-4” receiver Marcus Robinson. Robinson was inactive for the second straight game, a decision of Head Coach Brad Childress. “I’m just frustrated,” Robinson said of being benched even though he said he was healthy.

 

Robinson was clearly the Vikings’ best receiver when healthy. He had 29 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns. He was cut by Childress and the Vikings on Christmas Eve — talk about cold blooded!

 

It’s been a tough year for the Vikings’ offense, which is rated the 18th total offense in the league overall out of 32 teams. It is rated 19th in passing, 25th in yards per play, 26th in first downs, and 29th in third-down efficiency.

 

Considering Childress did not give Jackson the benefit of having the team’s best receiver in his first NFL start, maybe Jackson should consider contacting Tyrone Terrell at the St. Paul Department of Human Rights.

 

The Vikings were three-plays-and-out on eight of 12 possessions and had only three first downs for the game with 104 yards in total offense.

 

 

Numbers don’t lie

 

The Vikings in 2006 were 0-4 vs. AFC teams, 1-4 vs. teams with winning records, and 0-4 vs. their number-one and number-two division rivals Green Bay and Chicago. They were 3-0 when they scored 30 points or more.

 

The sign that Childress may be losing his team is that the Vikings started the season 2-0 and then lost nine of their next 13 games, and after being 4-2 have lost seven of nine pending Sunday’s final game against St. Louis. Childress never called plays in Philadelphia and has struggled doing it here in Minnesota .

 

Childress was hired by the Vikings to establish discipline and bring an offensive cohesiveness to the organization; he has failed miserably at both. The Vikings are last in the NFL and have committed more penalties than any other NFL team.

 

Childress is the first Vikings head coach since Les Steckel in 1984 to start with a losing season.

 

 

Fitz notes & quotes

 

In NFL history, coaches that have led their teams into the playoffs the most in consecutive years are Tom Landry with Dallas (nine), Chuck Noll with Pittsburgh (eight), and Tony Dungy (seven) with Tampa Bay and Indianapolis.

 

Bryant Gumbel, the play-by-play voice of NFL Network games, recently, while calling a San Francisco vs. Seattle game, called 49ers all-pro running back Frank Gore “Al Gore” by mistake.

 

While in San Francisco last Saturday, December 23, I had dinner with my son Larry and his teammate Troy Walters. Walters attended Stanford, and Larry went to Pittsburgh , and both won the Biletnikoff Award, which is presented annually to the top receiver in College Football.

 

Walters and Fitzgerald were former Vikings ball boys. Last year, Walters played in Indianapolis with Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. Walters said that Larry has the best hands of any receiver he’s played with.

 

Last week was one of those rare opportunities to do something as a journalist that points to hard work and dedication: I covered four games in four days in three different sports.

 

Tuesday I witnessed a Minnesota Wild vs. Edmonton NHL hockey game in St. Paul at the Xcel Center , won by the Wild 5-2. Wednesday, in Minneapolis , I witnessed an NBA game, Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles at Target Center , won by the Lakers 111-94.

 

Thursday I traveled to Green Bay to witness Jackson ’s first NFL start and maybe Brett Favre’s last game at Lambeau Field, Packers winning 9-7. And Friday in Minneapolis , border battle two, Timberwolves vs. Milwaukee at Target Center won by the Bucks.

 

Whew!