For the Wolves, that moment came as soon as Al Jefferson's MRI revealed torn ligaments in his knee. While this team was probably never going to make the playoffs this season, a hot January led to increased buzz about the Wolves. But Jefferson crumpling to the floor changed that in an instant.
So then what is better for this franchise? Is it better to win games? Or is it better to lose and, in the process, have better odds in the NBA Draft Lottery? Certainly the coaches and players are going to always say that they want to win, but fans certainly find themselves in that situation and if you caught a member of the team's front office, I think you would find the same thing.
I have heard from several friends either on the phone, via e-mail or on the Facebook status updates talk about how the Wolves need to lose early and often the rest of the way this season. I, for one, completely disagree. I think the Wolves need to try to win -- lottery be dammed -- as much as they can.
That's why I was so happy when they traded Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth to Sacramento earlier today for Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown.
At the end of the day this move might be little more than 'Garbage in, garbage out.' It might be the rearrangement of the deck chairs on a messed up ship. But I still like the move. To me, more than anything, it shows me that while the Wolves aren't going be stupid, they still want to win basketball games.
I listened to the audio of Jim Stack's conference call with reporters and it was clear that this trade -- while fairly insignificant in the short term -- was made to address current glaring needs. Williams gives the Wolves another body inside as they attempt to piece things together without Jefferson. And Brown is another ball-handler who can give Bassy a blow and keep Randy Foye from having to play the point.
I find it tremendously laughable that the crazy old man from the Star Tribune would say/could say that the Wolves gave up too much to make this deal. McCants wasn't going to play more than a bit role the rest of the way. He is a head case with an inflated sense of his worth and who doesn't want to guard anyone. Booth played all of 40 second this season, but he did always look pretty good in a suit.
What they got in return is a hopefully guys, as in 'hopefully these guys can be better.' Sometimes picking a guy up off of the scrap heap works for a team, sometimes it doesn't. Three years ago, Williams was very highly thought of coming out of Duke. He went fifth overall to Atlanta and was taken before either Foye or Brandon Roy.
He is in some ways like the rest of the Wolves healthy bigs as he isn't really big enough to play the 5, but he isn't a bad guy. He's probably an upgrade over Jason Collins or Mad Dog.
Brown was a summer league star and signed with the Kings. This season, however, the rookie did little in Sacramento. Best realistic case is that he blossoms into a useable bench player similar to what Rodney Carney has become. I don't think he's ever going to beat out Bassy and start at PG. Worst case scenario is that he doesn't play. Considering what the Wolves gave up, there's not a lot of risk involved.
Now let's get back to this whole winning thing.
I think the Wolves need to win every game they possibly can the rest of the way -- lottery position be damned.
Why? For the long-term health of this team, the Wolves need asses in the seats. They need people to buy tickets. They need a little demand for their product. While the current demand is great if you are a buyer -- hell, I just won two lower level tickets for next week's Portland game for $29 with shipping on eBay -- it isn't great for the franchise.
What the Wolves need is the ability to sell hope. That, frankly, has been missing for several years. It's hard to sell and market a product when you know that the home team has little chance. The Wolves, especially since the first of the year, have tried to sell the opposition. You can do that for a while, but eventually fans need a reason to come out on a regular basis.
If the Wolves could get to, say, 28 wins this season and have something close to a .500 record in the games after Christmas, then there's a little hope that can be sold. There's an OK core that played well down the stretch, Al Jefferson will return next year as will Corey Brewer. Considering the sketchy state of the U.S. economy -- and that the Twins are selling hard for their new park -- the Wolves may have a tougher time selling corporate stuff for next season (tickets, sponsorship, signage, etc.). If they can point to an improving product, that would certainly help.
Moral of the story is that I like the move they made. The Wolves got addition through subtraction when it came to McCants. They got a big body in Williams and maybe he needs a change of scenery. And maybe they got something in Brown.
But to me, the biggest thing this trade showed me is that the Wolves really want to win. They aren't going to simply throw in the towel for the last two months. And that is something I can respect and get behind.
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