by Beartrap McManus
"Rose was truly great in a game they really needed him to be great in, but I’m not sure it says much without demonstrating an ability to play at or near that level consistently. Corey Brewer dropped 51 on the Rockets in probably the greatest moment of my five-year Wolves season ticket tenure, but that didn’t change who he was as a player. I was most encouraged by how well Rose played in pick and roll with KAT, something Teague has yet to figure out how to do effectively. "
Rambling On is your home for Minnesota sports talk for the common fan. Check out our daily content, and join the conversation, by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook.
We release three Minnesota Sports Ramble blogs a week, one on Tuesday (Minnesota Vikings related), one on Wednesday (Minnesota Wild related), and one on Friday (Minnesota Timberwolves related).
For this weeks Timberwolves edition, life coach and Rambling On Wolves analyst Beartrap McManus discusses the Redemption of Rose, Jimmy Butler being Jimmy Butler, and the Wolves upcoming road trip. He also answers a super-secret "flush the format" question at the end.
Thanks for reading!
When we talked last week, you had some positive but reserved words about the play of Derrick Rose. After his 50 point game against the Jazz, have you modified your opinion? Should he start? What did you think of the outpouring of love for Rose by the NBA, notably LeBron James?
It doesn’t change much for me. Rose was truly great in a game they really needed him to be great in, but I’m not sure it says much without demonstrating an ability to play at or near that level consistently. Corey Brewer dropped 51 on the Rockets in probably the greatest moment of my five-year Wolves season ticket tenure, but that didn’t change who he was as a player. I was most encouraged by how well Rose played in pick and roll with KAT, something Teague has yet to figure out how to do effectively.
I really don’t care much about the redemption narrative or any of that. I don’t think Derrick Rose is a very good person and still have difficulty rooting for him on my favorite team. I revisited the coverage of his sexual assault trial when the Wolves signed him last year and, all accusations aside, his own words painted him as a pretty slimy dude.
What in the hell is going on with Jimmy Butler? What is the latest and what do you think of his actions?
My guess is that Jimmy is being a dick because he doesn’t feel Thibs is serious about trading him (and there’s a good chance he’s right about that). So he's gonna rock the boat as much as he can until he makes that happen. I’ve been operating under the assumption that he’ll be gone soon all season, so I’m just looking forward to getting rid of him and moving on with things.
Did the Wolves win against the Jazz without Butler give you any hope that the team might be able to win without him?
Not really. At least not in the short-term. It took a career game from Rose and a great game from KAT to beat the Jazz, a good but not great team, on what seemed like an off-night for them.
What is your prediction for the Wolves upcoming five game road trip?
They’ll get smoked by the Warriors but should have a decent shot at winning the rest of them. It depends on who is healthy and able (or willing, in Butler’s case) to play.
Have you pre-ordered your Prince tribute Timberwolves uniforms? How excited are you for them?
I was more excited for the return of the black unis with the green trim, to be honest, but the Prince uniforms look great. Not sure His Purple Majesty would feel the same way, but I like them.
As a bonus for our readers who make it this far, what is your opinion on the controversial outcomes at WWE Crown Jewel? Have you ordered your new Hulkamania t-shirt?
I’m pretty checked out when it comes to WWE these days. Hulk Hogan sucks. He sucked long before he was caught on tape saying horribly racist stuff while having sex with his friend’s wife. It’s hard for me to get excited about anything having to do with the Undertaker or DX at this point, so I’m having a real hard time giving a shit about Crown Jewel.
Beartrap McManus is an NBA and Timberwolves expert. He has been a life coach for Rambling On god-king Erik Ritland since before time, a consultant for Rambling On since its founding, and Timberwolves analyst beginning in Series Five. He resides with his wife and twelve kids in Hurley, Wisconsin, where his wife owns a popular supper club.
"Rose was truly great in a game they really needed him to be great in, but I’m not sure it says much without demonstrating an ability to play at or near that level consistently. Corey Brewer dropped 51 on the Rockets in probably the greatest moment of my five-year Wolves season ticket tenure, but that didn’t change who he was as a player. I was most encouraged by how well Rose played in pick and roll with KAT, something Teague has yet to figure out how to do effectively. "
Rambling On is your home for Minnesota sports talk for the common fan. Check out our daily content, and join the conversation, by following us on Twitter or liking us on Facebook.
We release three Minnesota Sports Ramble blogs a week, one on Tuesday (Minnesota Vikings related), one on Wednesday (Minnesota Wild related), and one on Friday (Minnesota Timberwolves related).
For this weeks Timberwolves edition, life coach and Rambling On Wolves analyst Beartrap McManus discusses the Redemption of Rose, Jimmy Butler being Jimmy Butler, and the Wolves upcoming road trip. He also answers a super-secret "flush the format" question at the end.
Thanks for reading!
When we talked last week, you had some positive but reserved words about the play of Derrick Rose. After his 50 point game against the Jazz, have you modified your opinion? Should he start? What did you think of the outpouring of love for Rose by the NBA, notably LeBron James?
It doesn’t change much for me. Rose was truly great in a game they really needed him to be great in, but I’m not sure it says much without demonstrating an ability to play at or near that level consistently. Corey Brewer dropped 51 on the Rockets in probably the greatest moment of my five-year Wolves season ticket tenure, but that didn’t change who he was as a player. I was most encouraged by how well Rose played in pick and roll with KAT, something Teague has yet to figure out how to do effectively.
I really don’t care much about the redemption narrative or any of that. I don’t think Derrick Rose is a very good person and still have difficulty rooting for him on my favorite team. I revisited the coverage of his sexual assault trial when the Wolves signed him last year and, all accusations aside, his own words painted him as a pretty slimy dude.
What in the hell is going on with Jimmy Butler? What is the latest and what do you think of his actions?
My guess is that Jimmy is being a dick because he doesn’t feel Thibs is serious about trading him (and there’s a good chance he’s right about that). So he's gonna rock the boat as much as he can until he makes that happen. I’ve been operating under the assumption that he’ll be gone soon all season, so I’m just looking forward to getting rid of him and moving on with things.
Did the Wolves win against the Jazz without Butler give you any hope that the team might be able to win without him?
Not really. At least not in the short-term. It took a career game from Rose and a great game from KAT to beat the Jazz, a good but not great team, on what seemed like an off-night for them.
What is your prediction for the Wolves upcoming five game road trip?
They’ll get smoked by the Warriors but should have a decent shot at winning the rest of them. It depends on who is healthy and able (or willing, in Butler’s case) to play.
Have you pre-ordered your Prince tribute Timberwolves uniforms? How excited are you for them?
I was more excited for the return of the black unis with the green trim, to be honest, but the Prince uniforms look great. Not sure His Purple Majesty would feel the same way, but I like them.
As a bonus for our readers who make it this far, what is your opinion on the controversial outcomes at WWE Crown Jewel? Have you ordered your new Hulkamania t-shirt?
I’m pretty checked out when it comes to WWE these days. Hulk Hogan sucks. He sucked long before he was caught on tape saying horribly racist stuff while having sex with his friend’s wife. It’s hard for me to get excited about anything having to do with the Undertaker or DX at this point, so I’m having a real hard time giving a shit about Crown Jewel.
Beartrap McManus is an NBA and Timberwolves expert. He has been a life coach for Rambling On god-king Erik Ritland since before time, a consultant for Rambling On since its founding, and Timberwolves analyst beginning in Series Five. He resides with his wife and twelve kids in Hurley, Wisconsin, where his wife owns a popular supper club.
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