Bob CollinsThe Timberwolves seem more interested in saving money than winning basketball games.
There are a lot of fan chants you hear at basketball games. “Dee-fense,” for example. Or “Beat LA.”
One of the chants you never hear is “Save some money! Save some money!” If the fans were interested in that sort of thing, the Minnesota Timberwolves would attract more fans. They could replace their “Come see us run!” marketing strategy with “Come see us not lose any more money than we have to.”
It’s the day after for the Minnesota Timberwolves, when they needed to convince an increasingly disinterested fan base that they (a) know what they’re doing and (b) have winning as their primary mission.
They drafted Syracuse’s Wes Johnson with their first pick in last night’s NBA draft, then used their two other first round picks in a scheme to save some of owner Glen Taylor’s money.
Their GM, David Kahn, tried to explain the strategy, almost as if he thinks the team’s exasperated fans find it acceptable:
This afternoon, the Wolves hold a news conference to introduce Wes Johnson to the news media.
It wasn’t long ago, you may recall, that the possibility of owner Taylor purchasing the Minnesota Twins and/or the Minnesota Vikings was seen as a good thing.
