Rick Adelman was brought in to add a “winning culture” to this struggling franchise, and it was perhaps the best decision the team made in the offseason. It’s important for a young team to understand the poise and attention to detail it takes to win games in late situations. The Wolves will win more games than they did last year, but it won’t be because of a “winning culture” – at least not yet. That takes time, and a shortened season doesn’t help in that regard.
It sounds like a copout, but the team will win more just by having fun. It sounds like puppy dog optimism, and maybe it is, but when you have a magician like Ricky Rubio capable of creating something out of impossible situations, you get fewer Michael Beasley 20-foot isolation jumpers from the corner. From what it sounds like, for Rubio, the pressure to succeed in Minnesota is different than the pressure that existed back in Europe. He is free to be a kid here – or at least exhibit it in play. The team will need time to immerse themselves in the infectious play that inherently forms in the presence of a sharp passer. The team will grow and learn to trust one another fully.
Imagine every possession as a potential fast break. Kevin Love corrals a rebound and makes a quick outlet to Rubio who is already darting down the court eyeing a cutting Derrick Williams, or a Wes Johnson situating himself on the baseline, ready to spot up. If the play collapses, the ball can swing around to the trailing Kevin Love for a three. These are plays and options that existed before, but it takes a player capable of breaking down the play into logical progressions. That’s what Rubio can do, and he’ll make the entire team a smarter, more reactive group.
http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2011/12 ... hyperbole/
