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Each player was asked about why they felt the team was struggling what could they do to improve after the Denver game. These quotes are what Hollins and Jefferson said. Between these two options, which one do you agree with most?

Now I always believe any NBA team is capable of winning some games. I also think any team that is playing poorly can play better. So in a way, I agree with Hollins. In the bigger scheme of things however, I really think this team is just really limited with what they can do. There are times out there where we will have great ball movement but then the open man clanks the shot. That's just not going to cut it.

Now I know Ryan Hollins isn't blessed with a ton of talent, but I absolutely love his energy, fire, and attitude. I went to the Dallas games a couple Fridays ago, I know I know, and he was fuming about the crappy officiating and the cheap shots Dallas players were taking. He really fired the crowd up after he received his second technical. Now granted it didn't do any good because we suck, but you have to love how much he cares.

While Al might have the more logical explanation, you gotta admire Hollins for taking responsibility.

They are NBA players getting paid millions of dollars. It's a privilege, not a right. They need to play with passion. They need to play as if their careers are at stake. Because let's face it, for many of them, it is.

This team is not talented, but if they played smart basketball and with effort 100% of the time, they'd have 4, 5, maybe even 6 wins right now.

funkatron101 wrote:While Al might have the more logical explanation, you gotta admire Hollins for taking responsibility.

I don't admire him. I expect the players to feel responsible for losing.

I don't like Al's attitude about this at all.

Al's kidding himself if he thinks he's doing the best he can.

I wouldn't read too much into Big Al's comment. He's voiced his frustration with losing plenty of times.

This was after Golden State:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/69721612.html

Al seems to be saying the team isn't talented enough, which is true, but I wouldn't say they're so untalented that they can't win a game ever. Confidence plays a huge part in their league and the Wolves players can't find any and I don't know how they can just start being confident just like that, it has to be built up slowly, so they're both kinda right I guess. Its cliche, but they need to stop trying to play like they have to erase a bad season all at once, thats not possible, but if they can adopt the mindset of play a good defensive possession, a good offensive possession, then they can start to rebuild their fragile confidence. Again, sounds cliche, but its what they gotta do in their wretched situation. Build sound possessions and don't dwell on the ones they cuss up. (Fantastic Mr Fox reference)

how can you blame the players when the coach got rid of all the shooters
i knew this was going happen,most people on other boards knew it as well

guys like sessions,flynn,brewer,hollins,jawai,jefferson arent shooters
it was always gonna take Ellington time to get used to the nba
when your best outside shooter is a big guy who barley got any time on hes team before than you know your got problems

I think it is a mixture of both.

This team is not very competitive but we shouldn't be this bad. Players need to put in more effort. It is painfull to see this team play basketball.

Hollins is one of the few players on our team I actually like to watch at the moment. At least he hustles.

deeney0 wrote:This team is not talented, but if they played smart basketball and with effort 100% of the time, they'd have 4, 5, maybe even 6 wins right now.

No, they couldn't.
You guys are looking at it from the wrong perspective. Al is not talking about himself, he's talking about Hollins. Hollins isn't good enough to do better, period. He's not excusing himself, there's nothing to excuse there. He's just being realistic about the rest of the team. We suck, we're young, we're learning a new system, and we really couldn't win 5 or 6 games no matter what at this point. Al is excusing the rest of the team, not himself.

It's not one or the other at all. It's both. You can't take one of their statements and apply it to all situations this year. Sometimes they show a lack of effort, but in the end, most of the time they're just not a good enough collection of basketball talent.

Foye wrote:I think it is a mixture of both.

This team is not very competitive but we shouldn't be this bad. Players need to put in more effort. It is painfull to see this team play basketball.

Hollins is one of the few players on our team I actually like to watch at the moment. At least he hustles.

Me too.....but what do I know.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archi ... ahns_plan/

Jefferson Keeps Faith In Kahn's Plan
More Timberwolves News

Nov 28, 2009 5:10 PM EST
Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson admits it's difficult, but said that the team has to continue battling as they are set up for the future.

Minnesota executive David Kahn has positioned the team to sign a top-flight free agent and hopefully contend over the long-term.

"At the end of the day, we still have a job to do," Jefferson said. "Play hard, stay together, do what coach asks us to do. He can live with us playing hard and still losing. When we go out and don't play hard, like we don't even care about we're playing, that's what hurts the most. We can see it, even I can see it.

"When we go out and play hard and play together, it's a big difference. When we go out there feeling sorry for ourselves, that's when things get bad. Ain't nobody on this earth going to feel sorry for us."

The Timberwolves are 1-14, having lost 14 consecutive games.

"No, I don't," Jefferson said when asked if he had trouble seeing the bigger picture. "I'm taking it day by day. I really believe the GM, the coaching staff didn't come here to lose and I'm pretty sure they have a plan. Hopefully, I'm a part of it and we can keep it rolling and get it better."

I agree with Al, this team just plain stinks right now. Hollins is right that the team isn't always playing 100%, but even that wouldn't be enough to win some games. I wanted to compare this roster's pecking order to where they would fit in on a chamionship contenders pecking order. These are my opinions, so some rankings might be skewed, but this is what I got:
Player, Our teams rank, (Contender rank)

Al, 1, (2)
Love, 2, (3)
Flynn 3, (4)
Sessions 4, (6)
Gomes 5, (9)
Brewer 6, (10)
O-Pech 7, (13)
Hollins 8, (12)
Wilkins 9, (11)
Jawai 10, (13)
Pavlovic 11, (11)
Ellington12, (13)
Cardinal 13, (14)
Hart 14, (14)

From my point of view, after the top 6 players on this team, we are dealing with the last guy coming off the bench level talent. We are without our 2nd best player to add to that. There are reasons this team has a tough time competing. Al is right to say the talent isn't there, because it really isn't. If you take into consideration the level of talent combined with the level of effort, you shouldn't be expecting anything less than 20 point blowouts to average teams.

Jefferson has always been someone who supports teammates, coaches and management.

comment below from Star Tribune yesterday... saying the politically correct thing:

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Wolves management and players have offered a multitude of theories for the team's 2-15 start. Seldom mentioned is this: Could it possibly be they just don't have much talent?

"We've got talent," Wolves forward Al Jefferson said. "We're all pros. We all got here; we all got drafted. If we didn't have any talent, I don't think we'd be here. I think it's just effort."

"We're all pros. We all got here; we all got drafted. If we didn't have any talent, I don't think we'd be here. I think it's just effort."
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We got a Bingo ...

I've been disappointed in the overall effort. I can handle getting beat, but despise losing. I think the make up of the coaching staff led me to believe we'd be much more tenacious, but I think I was wrong to think that way. If players are unable to motive themselves to perform and require coaches to continually energize them, then it does come back to suggest the players suffer from their own lack of will.

Yes we lack talent ... but we need to stop losing and start getting beat. We need to show we're a player or two away from winning - alot. These young players need to start playing like they love the game.

Dewey wrote:Yes we lack talent ... but we need to stop losing and start getting beat. We need to show we're a player or two away from winning - alot. These young players need to start playing like they love the game.

But we aren't a player or two away from winning alot. We are about four or five players away. I do agree that they should play with passion, though.

Did someone just say that Brewer is the 6th best player on our team right now? Have you watched many wolves games?