Have RealGM Wolves fans become Elitists?

[winforlose]

A game here and a game there you can play less than optimally and still win. In the long run you are what you're record says you are. We are 23-7. That's a pretty large sample size. It is who we are.

We are not talking about 30 games. We are talking about the really ugly ones. The one where GSW is missing Steph, Klay, and Dray and we barely win. There are few more ugly ones spread around, but those are the ones where people really talk badly about the Wolves. The rest is more about offensive struggles or trends that we need to clean up before the playoffs.

We are who our record says we are. There will be ugly wins, huge comebacks, choke jobs. In the end we are who our record says we are.

We are a talented group of guys who on any given night do just enough to avoid blowing it. We still have that arrogance and we still have those low energy games. We just learned how to win despite that. That is what our record shows. With the best starting 5 and the deepest bench in basketball you better win 23 games. If we kept our heads in Atlanta and didn’t let the lights blind us in Toronto we would be 25-5

[KGdaBom]

We are not talking about 30 games. We are talking about the really ugly ones. The one where GSW is missing Steph, Klay, and Dray and we barely win. There are few more ugly ones spread around, but those are the ones where people really talk badly about the Wolves. The rest is more about offensive struggles or trends that we need to clean up before the playoffs.

We are who our record says we are. There will be ugly wins, huge comebacks, choke jobs. In the end we are who our record says we are.

We are a talented group of guys who on any given night do just enough to avoid blowing it. We still have that arrogance and we still have those low energy games. We just learned how to win despite that. That is what our record shows. With the best starting 5 and the deepest bench in basketball you better win 23 games. If we kept our heads in Atlanta and didn’t let the lights blind us in Toronto we would be 25-5

We are not so good that we go 23-7 while playing like crap. No way. We have played very well to get to 23-7.

[winforlose]

We are who our record says we are. There will be ugly wins, huge comebacks, choke jobs. In the end we are who our record says we are.

We are a talented group of guys who on any given night do just enough to avoid blowing it. We still have that arrogance and we still have those low energy games. We just learned how to win despite that. That is what our record shows. With the best starting 5 and the deepest bench in basketball you better win 23 games. If we kept our heads in Atlanta and didn’t let the lights blind us in Toronto we would be 25-5

We are not so good that we go 23-7 while playing like crap. No way. We have played very well to get to 23-7.

Best Dallas while playing like crap. Beat Lakers last week playing like crap. Beat Utah playing like crap. Beat the hornets playing like crap. The are more examples. We absolutely have won games playing badly.

[KGdaBom]

We are a talented group of guys who on any given night do just enough to avoid blowing it. We still have that arrogance and we still have those low energy games. We just learned how to win despite that. That is what our record shows. With the best starting 5 and the deepest bench in basketball you better win 23 games. If we kept our heads in Atlanta and didn’t let the lights blind us in Toronto we would be 25-5

We are not so good that we go 23-7 while playing like crap. No way. We have played very well to get to 23-7.

Best Dallas while playing like crap. Beat Lakers last week playing like crap. Beat Utah playing like crap. Beat the hornets playing like crap. The are more examples. We absolutely have won games playing badly.

We've won some games playing less than optimally. We've won some games while playing very well. Overall we have played very well to get to 23-7. We are what our record says we are.

[younggunsmn]

youngguns you did really bother me calling Rudy a clown. You didn't say a thing he did was clownlike. You outright called him a clown and doubled down on it. I understand that you were caught up in the heat of the moment when you said it and probably didn't really mean it.

I don't buy that our team would be 23-7 even with schedule breaks if our players were selfish, idiots. I want our team to be even better too, but I'm not going to whine and bitch about them every time I see them do something that I deem less than perfect. I'm looking at the big picture and the big picture is really good.

You know I don't start threads just to beef with other posters.
It's an itch you are better off just not scratching.
You are off the charts more optimistic about the team than the average person, and that's great until you start beefing with people because they are not.

A clown is someone who does something silly that other people laugh at, and that play qualifies, and there are usually a couple examples every game of Rudy trying to do something well outside his skillset that end up being embarrassing.
And those mental things, not just from Rudy, are why people outside Minnesota have a hard time taking our team seriously.
Because the teams that compete for titles don't do those things.

I'm not trashing Rudy saying that, I'm trying to help him be better, because he can be so good when he plays within himself.
Things like that affect how he is perceived by his peers, teammates, and other fans around the league.
I don't want a highlight on sports center of Rudy Gobert fumbling the ball away trying to be a one man fast break.

As a fan of this team since year one, It's embarrassing to see sometimes.
Like last year, instead of talking about our young up and coming team, we were talking about one player punching another and another player out because he punched a wall.

[KGdaBom]

youngguns you did really bother me calling Rudy a clown. You didn't say a thing he did was clownlike. You outright called him a clown and doubled down on it. I understand that you were caught up in the heat of the moment when you said it and probably didn't really mean it.

I don't buy that our team would be 23-7 even with schedule breaks if our players were selfish, idiots. I want our team to be even better too, but I'm not going to whine and bitch about them every time I see them do something that I deem less than perfect. I'm looking at the big picture and the big picture is really good.

You know I don't start threads just to beef with other posters.
It's an itch you are better off just not scratching.
You are off the charts more optimistic about the team than the average person, and that's great until you start beefing with people because they are not.

A clown is someone who does something silly that other people laugh at, and that play qualifies, and there are usually a couple examples every game of Rudy trying to do something well outside his skillset that end up being embarrassing.
And those mental things, not just from Rudy, are why people outside Minnesota have a hard time taking our team seriously.
Because the teams that compete for titles don't do those things.

I'm not trashing Rudy saying that, I'm trying to help him be better, because he can be so good when he plays within himself.
Things like that affect how he is perceived by his peers, teammates, and other fans around the league.
I don't want a highlight on sports center of Rudy Gobert fumbling the ball away trying to be a one man fast break.

As a fan of this team since year one, It's embarrassing to see sometimes.
Like last year, instead of talking about our young up and coming team, we were talking about one player punching another and another player out because he punched a wall.

If that's your definition of a clown everybody on Earth is a clown. I hear somebody being called a clown I take it to mean much more. Oh well.
Rudy is a 3 time NBA DPotY. I don't think of him as a clown even if he might make a silly play once in a while.

[FrenchMinnyFan]

Some people here just ridiculous getting after Rudy each game. Rudy is the main reason why we have the best defense in the league. Does not make him better than he is , specially on offense situation. But the bashing really annoying....

[moretins]

We've been complaining for years about unfair defeats against weaker teams. Now that we're winning, are we going to complain that it's not beautiful? The season is being spectacular.

[KGdaBom]

We've been complaining for years about unfair defeats against weaker teams. Now that we're winning, are we going to complain that it's not beautiful? The season is being spectacular.

Post of the day from a ball boy. Nice to have you here.

[shrink]

I'm not trashing Rudy saying that, I'm trying to help him be better...

How does making negative posts on a RealGM message board help Rudy Gobert be better?

Personally I think you have been overly critical of Gobert in the past and sometimes this year, BUT when he’s played well this year, I give you credit for admitting it. It’s okay to be critical of anyone of a player on a message board, but I honestly think you’ve had a bias against Gobert that is reflected in how you see the game, and what you post about it. And this is just being human - we see what we are looking for.

[gandlogo]

The only elitist here is you because you feel the need to call out your fellow posters because they aren't as positive as you.
You seemed to get it at one point that people have different perspectives and some people just expect more from their team,
and pointing out things that they think could help is a way to vent their frustration over things out of their control, which is a primary reason places like this exist in the first place.

Now you are back to trolling game threads as the sunshine police and infecting everything with toxic positivity.
If people step over the line it is up to the mods to take care of it.
Oh my word I can't believe someone used that vicious slur "clown" about something a player did.
You are also back to that other extremely annoying thing you do which is nitpick about mild pejoratives.

Also, I think you need a bit of a reality check.
It's a very long season and there are 6 months left until a winner is crowned.
Yes, we are 23-7, but we've caught some pretty good breaks along the way.
Are we really as good as that record?

We have won 11 games against teams missing a star player.
MIA without Butler
NOP without Zion (twice)
@GSW minus Curry (and Dray and Klay for 46 mins)
PHI without Embiid
@MEM without Ja Morant (twice)
@DAL without Kyrie
IND without Haliburton
LAL without Lebron
DAL without Kyrie and Doncic
In contrast we have played only 3 games without Ant and 1 without KAT.

We have 3 wins by single digits against teams with single digit win totals (CHA, SAS twice).
Yes we lost those games last year, those games should not have gone down to the wire, we did not play well.
We have 2 wins against lowly Utah by 10+.

We have 4 what I would consider high quality home wins
DEN, BOS, NYK, OKC
And 3 Quality road wins against full strength teams:
GSW, MIA, SAC

We have lost only one home game, against a quality team in Sacramento
We have 4 noncompetitive road losses against good teams (PHX, NO, PHI, OKC)
and 2 bad road losses against bad teams (TOR, ATL).

Perhaps you missed Finch's postgame tirade where he called his players selfish and said
"There are a lot of different ways to be immature"

A guy who has never made a 3 in 12 years chucking one early in the shot clock is being immature and hurting his team.
All 3 of our key players need to start valuing every possession more.

Yes it's absolutely wonderful that we are 23-7 and having a great season.
There has also been a lot of bad play, a lot of turnovers, and things that could be much better.
And it's no sin, as a fan, to keep wanting more.

I love enjoying a win as much and anybody, but there have also been quite a few wins this year that kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. Not as bad as that awful 3-0 Vikings game, but bad.
I don't think our execution and composure have matched our talent level a whole lot this season, and for us to consider ourselves a championship contender, I think that needs to change.

Fabulous post. And done with much more tact than I would have used. My tally of key players the Wolves avoided included a few more players, but the concept is the same (like your additions of Klay and Dray).

The impressive list of stars the Wolves have missed this season:

Luka
Kyrie (twice)
Curry
Embid
LeFlop
Butler
Haliburton
Zion (twice)
McCollum (twice)
Morant (twice)
Smart (twice)
Beal
LaMelo

Not stars but key pieces of rotations: Adams, Clarke, and Murphy (all twice), Oubre, Lowry, Derrick White.

The home win against OKC - where the Wolves were missing Jaden - remains their best win in my eyes.

The Wolves are not paper tigers by any stretch, but they are also nowhere near as great as their record. They have potential to be, but so far they haven't been. As Wolves fans we are hoping for a deep playoff run, but if you are unable to see that this team has a ton to clean up before the playoffs then you're merely a cheerleader. The West will likely be a dogfight the second half. A much more reasonable view is what other have said around here in that it's great the Wolves banked a lot of wins early because it will help with playoff seeding, while recognizing it was done against lesser opponents. But then again, that will likely be called elitist as well. Ironic.

[Worm Guts]

We’ve beaten a lot of those teams even when they’ve had their stars, so I don’t think we should necessarily feel like there would have been a different result if they played.
We’ve also beaten Denver with Jokic and Boston with Tatum and Brown.

[LibertyPrime]

We are 23-7 and it seems like for many of our posters that isn't good enough. If we don't win with a flawless game it's not good enough. I've seen our very best players and coach called idiots, clowns, selfish and many other extremely nasty names. Earlier this year many were saying a win is a win. Not seeing that any more. Not seeing much appreciation for our team with the 23-7 record.

It's just human nature. When you get a taste of something good it's never enough. Just part of being a sports fan I suppose.

It is a bit amazing how quick it's happened, though.

Then again, people rarely log in to the internet to say how happy they are, in my experience. We are Wolves fans, meaning we are probably thoroughly conditioned to complain.

For the record, I'm thrilled with how the team has progressed this year. Love that we're building our foundation on defense rather than Harden/Embiid-style foul hunting because I think that will translate better in the postseason. Would love to keep this core together for 3-4 more years, depending on what Mike wants to do as he gets older.

[twolves31]

I think Wolves fans keep expecting the rug to be puled out from under us at any minute. We just aren't used to this kind of success. I do think we nitpick things a little bit too much, which can get in the way of really enjoying the best start in Wolves history, a time we should be watching and enjoying every minute of it. If we miss some shots, or we make too manny turnovers, it doesn't seem to matter as long as we keep the game close. We've lost some games where we have been blown out, but if the game is close we are going to win those games in the clutch.

[shrink]

It is a completely new feeling for me to see star players dodge us. This hasn’t always been schedule or injury. With the Wolves defense, it is a lot of work to play against us, and travel is a pain, so it makes sense to choose us for a rest day.

It made me wonder - does this help the regular season record of other teams? Last year it felt like stars more frequently skipped road games in Denver, with the altitude, and it helped the Nuggets record. I think Utah had this advantage as well, in the NBA city with the second highest elevation (4250), plus their bigs had to deal with Rudy Gobert. Third highest elevation is OKC, at 1200, so UTA and DEN are really the only two with big elevation advantages.

https://imgur.com/aYVFJi5

[AbeVigodaLive]

It's simply easier to point out flaws than applaud execution.

It's easier to spot on tv. It's easier to write about. It's easier to create a conversation about...

"Man, the Timberwolves defensive rotations for most of the 3rd quarter were really good!"
vs.
Is there any other player who flails his arms like an idiot as much as Towns as he barrels toward the hoop? UGH!

[Klomp]

I think where it gets annoying -- to me at least -- is the uproar that happens after one negative possession in a game of roughly 100 possessions, and then rant as if every possession has went that way.

[KGdaBom]

I think where it gets annoying -- to me at least -- is the uproar that happens after one negative possession in a game of roughly 100 possessions, and then rant as if every possession has went that way.

I get annoyed by the same thing. We make one, in the eyes of the poster, bad play and we as a team are a bunch of selfish, stupid, idiotic losers. In yesterday's game Ant had a great game, but didn't come through in the clutch. The only reason there was a clutch to come through in was how well Ant and a few others played to bring us back. I point out that even the most "clutch" of players often don't come through in the clutch. Kobe Bryant shot 28% on clutch shots as defined by ESPN. Clutch shots are harder to make. LeBron who shoots over 50% overall shoots only 40% on clutch shots.

[TimberKat]

I feel until Ant and KAT really figures it out we are 3rd to 5th. Behind Den, and OKC. Clippers seems to had figured it out. Sun is still a work in progress. We are just as good as SAC and NO. Better than LAL, GSW, and DAL. We have the best record and should be given credit to get there. But does anyone really believe we are the best team in the west right now?

[KGdaBom]

I feel until Ant and KAT really figures it out we are 3rd to 5th. Behind Den, and OKC. Clippers seems to had figured it out. Sun is still a work in progress. We are just as good as SAC and NO. Better than LAL, GSW, and DAL. We have the best record and should be given credit to get there. But does anyone really believe we are the best team in the west right now?

I believe we are the best team in the west and it isn't particularly close.