Got some of my questions answered by John Hollinger...

cmc32124 · Post #1 » by **cmc32124** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:06 pm

Nothing earth shattering but its been slow around here lately....... He is actually pretty positive about the wolves which is nice to hear from anyone associated with ESPN.

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Chris, Detroit: With the Wolves getting wins in the preseason(2nd best record in the league 5-1) how does this translate to the regular season?

John Hollinger: (3:10 PM ET ) It's actually a major positive when a bad team has a good preseason record, especially if they're right at the top of the preseason standings. Do not sleep on Minnesota, people, they look like they could stay in the playoff chase for a big chunk of the season.

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Chris , Detroit: Do you think the Wolves will have a chance at a playoff spot THIS YEAR?

John Hollinger: (3:12 PM ET ) I can't seriously go that far ... I pegged them for 31 wins in my preview, and based on their preseason I might up that by a couple, but it's going to be awfully hard for them to crack the top eight out West.

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Chris , Detroit: You didnt mention Randy Foye for your Most Improved Player? I think hes got a shot to win that one....

John Hollinger: (3:23 PM ET ) Another one that cause me to tear out my few remaining hairs, especially after that 15-assist game this weekend. I think Foye will be very solid; I'm just not sure he'll do anything beyond that, which is why I ended up not listing him.

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Chris , Detroit: Will David Harrison actually be able to do anything to help the wolves?

John Hollinger: (3:30 PM ET ) I'm dubious, but we'll see if the usual training camp "he's got a new attitude!" stories are actually true. Watch how many illegal screens he sets, it's truly amazing. I mean, it's a screen -- all you have to do is stand there. For some reason, he has incredible difficulty with this concept.

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DaBet (Miami): You need to answer more questions from Chris in Detroit because so many people care about the Timberwolves.

John Hollinger: (3:31 PM ET ) Sorry, haven't been reading names, just questions. I happen to think the T'wolves are a very interesting team to watch the first couple weeks, so that's why I'm talking a lot about them.

4ho5ive · Post #2 » by **4ho5ive** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:11 pm

That last dude is a hater, lol

Devilzsidewalk · Post #3 » by **Devilzsidewalk** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:22 pm

that last guy had a good one

TMo519 · Post #4 » by **TMo519** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:54 pm

4ho5ive wrote:That last dude is a hater, lol

LOL no doubt. But I like that Hollinger said the Wolves will be "interesting" to watch, as opposed to what you usually hear from talking heads about how boring we are and how we have no future and questioning our existence in the league.

kandiking · Post #5 » by **kandiking** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:07 pm

the best we can hope for is that hollinger is better than the damn AP and doesnt find it necessary to put in "lowly" before every mentioning of the timberwolves. DaBet from miami must be so sad that his burning chris quinn questions went unanswered.

thanks chris, detroit!

Post #6 » by **Basti** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:55 pm

I <3 Hollinger!

cmc32124 · Post #7 » by **cmc32124** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:49 am

kandiking wrote:the best we can hope for is that hollinger is better than the damn AP and doesnt find it necessary to put in "lowly" before every mentioning of the timberwolves. DaBet from miami must be so sad that his burning chris quinn questions went unanswered.

thanks chris, detroit!

No Problem, i figured if he was going to keep answering them, i would keep asking..... I was as shocked as everyone else that he was answering almost all my questions.

4ho5ive · Post #8 » by **4ho5ive** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:37 am

Do you have to be an insider to ask questions on a chat wrap? I always wanted to and im pretty sure you have to be an insider to go back and read them

TMo519 · Post #9 » by **TMo519** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:54 pm

I don't think you have to be an insider to ask a question. I've had one of my questions answered before I got Insider. But yeah, you need it if you want to read the transcripts later.

TrentTuckerForever · Post #10 » by **TrentTuckerForever** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:04 pm

Chris from Detroit, you and I (TTF from Chicago) are proof that people in at least 3 cities care about the Woofies this year. Although you can't ever forget that "statistics are for losers," I like Hollinger's stuff on ESPN. It's an interesting perspective on what isn't necessarily intuitive when it comes to basketball stats.

And he's right, IMO, about the Woofies... if they stay healthy they could sneak up on some people with their offensive prowess. Jefferson plus four 40%+ 3 pt shooters (Foye, Miller, McCants and perhaps Love), plus the improvement of Brewer from "abysmal" to "competent" on O should translate to more wins.

Hollinger does say the Wolves will be an interesting team to watch "in the first couple of weeks"... i.e. he doesn't expect the Wolves to be a factor in the West this year, but they'll be intriguing to watch until the West's old guard (Spurs, Mavs and Suns) get engaged in December.