Shams: ARod and Lore Win Arbitration

[KembaWalker]

Feels like a lose lose. As a fellow fan of a team recently sold to out-of-towner NY "duo chairmen" that even combined do not have the capital between them to run a team properly, i dont really get why the owners are approving these sales. perhaps taking on another ownership group that will likely do all they can to avoid luxury tax and survive on revenue sharing at the expense of the profitable teams is worth it for them in the end, as they individually may face selling their own franchises and the more bidders you allow, the better price you get.

[shrink]

Glen Taylor is 83 years old, and by all reports, his family did not want to assume ownership. So in the event of his passing, the family likely puts the team up for sale. Do they put the same stipulation about keeping the team in Minnesota? Nobody knows. So it's a bigger risk than you are leading on...

You are aware that the same thing was said when Paul Allen (POR) and Tom Benson (NOP) died, and their widows inherited the team. Neither of them put the team up for sale, let alone sold it to a group that would move it. And those were both smaller markets than Minnesota. Becky Taylor has strong roots in Minnesota and has a strong connection with the team herself.

Finally, even if she did sell the team, I think the Timberwolves are in a different place than they were three years ago, and they would have more reliable suitors that ARod and Lore.

[Klomp]

Taylor was the former, and throughout his tenure empowered his GMs to do whatever they wanted. However Glen’s problem was he picked bad GMs. At the end, he took that power away from himself, and Rosas and Connelly have both improved the Wolves fortunes.

If there is to be any fear going forward about Lore and Rodriguez, it is due to the fact that they were originally selected by Glen Taylor to be his successors. After all, you just agreed that hiring the right people for the job has always been Taylor's least successful quality in NBA ownership.

[shrink]

Taylor was the former, and throughout his tenure empowered his GMs to do whatever they wanted. However Glen’s problem was he picked bad GMs. At the end, he took that power away from himself, and Rosas and Connelly have both improved the Wolves fortunes.

If there is to be any fear going forward about Lore and Rodriguez, it is due to the fact that they were originally selected by Glen Taylor to be his successors. After all, you just agreed that hiring the right people for the job has always been Taylor's least successful quality in NBA ownership.

100%. I think after looking on-and-off for a buyer for the last two decades, Glen was getting desperate, and Lora and ARod told him the things he wanted to hear, specifically being good owners that would keep the team in Minnesota. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Taylor tried this lawsuit to stop the sale immediately after ARod/Lore told the Board of Governors their plan was to slash salary to get the (finally successful) Timberwolves under the lux.

It is ironic that many Wolves fans who want Taylor out for making bad decisions for years are like, “oh, but I’m sure his choice of ARod and Lore will be just fine!”

[Klomp]

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Taylor tried this lawsuit to stop the sale immediately after ARod/Lore told the Board of Governors their plan was to slash salary to get the (finally successful) Timberwolves under the lux.

This doesn't draw a straight line to the belief that they would be bad owners or that they would move the team though.

Ultimately, the two sides have different ways to run a basketball organization. Taylor thought that with his "mentoring" period, he would have them running the team exactly as he did all these years. He didn't like that they were "doing too much" as the minority owners. He told them they were wasting their time because "people like Tim Connelly do not come here". He thinks the second-oldest arena in the NBA is not in need of updating.