My latest Series of Random Thoughts:
-I went to the Wolves game tonight. I don't know why. I need professional help.
One interesting recent development has been the Wolves' braintrust assuring us that they are not planning to use the Triangle Offense exlusively. While Kurt Rambis and David Kahn have tried to explain that the Triangle is just one way to get into an offense, especially when trying to push the ball up the court, what has become very evident is that the players aren't too comfortable with the offense. If they know the offense. I think most of them are playing the rhombus.
Seriously, the worst thing a coach can do is confuse his own players. Maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe the Wolves are so bad that they might as well learn a new offense, because they wouldn't win anyway. But what I see is a young point guard already frustrated by his offense, a young point guard who knows that Brandon Jennings is being coached by a point guard and getting to light it up, a young point guard who looks lost half the time he's on the court.
What is most interesting about this process is that Rambis talks as if he has a 10-year contract. He is very confident for a man with one victory.
-I know Jim Tracy is a logical choice for NL manager of the year, but I don't know anyone in baseball who thinks he's a good manager.
Sometimes, just making a chance can shock a team into playing better. I'm still not sure that Clint Hurdle isn't as good as or better than Tracy.
Similarly, I think Mike Scioscia is an excellent manager, and I think highly of Ron Gardenhire, and I voted for Gardenhire over Scioscia this year because, simply, Gardenhire had far less to work with. The Twins had no business making the playoffs with the lineup and rotation they were featuring in September.