This has got to stop. The criticism of Kevin Garnett by the Wolves front office--Glen Taylor in particular--has to stop.

What exactly is the point of all these "revelations", at this time? I realize the Wolves front office has taken a beating in the last few years...columnists, radio talk show hosts, bloggers, posters, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians...heck, if the Apostles were Wolves fans, they probably would have put in a few choice words about them as well (Taylor 3:16?). But if the Apostles were to comment on this situation, I have a feeling that forgiveness and moving on would be central to their message.

Now that I’ve already gone over the 2007-08 Blueprint, let’s take a look at the newest marketing campaign. Is there continuity with the old one? Does it jive with common sense? What gives? Let’s take a look-see.

• Team Philosophy: Basically, this boils down to "we want to win while working hard and being solid members of the community." Randy Foye is highlighted for his excellent community service work (it’s true, he does an excellent job), Al Jefferson is applauded for signing for less than what he could have received on the open market, and Mark Madsen is thrown in for presumably good measure (he's likely a future member of the front office country club).

Earlier this week I stepped on Finewein’s excellent post about the T-Wolves new marketing campaign. Before I continue, please take a moment to click here and read his take on the Let’s Build It sensation that is sweeping the nation.

In his latest Three Pointer (in the comments), Britt Robson had a good take on the new marketing campaign:

And I think "Let's Build It," like last year's "Blueprint," is designed far more to entice than to inform. Taylor and company have every right to do that, but, as much as I respect him and do not in any way liken him to a cretin like Dolan, that doesn't mean I have to sit in front of the set and lap up this pablum. Or not call it out for the weak PR that it is.

Here, here. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, take a few moments to check out the team’s new Let’s Build It site here. The basic thrust of the new marketing campaign is this:

In the spring of 2007, the Minnesota Timberwolves published the “Blueprint for the Future.” It laid out our long-term vision for the team….Over the past year, we have made bold steps and stuck to the plan. And as valued members of our team, we want to keep you informed on both our progress and our ongoing efforts.

What did the original blueprint have to say?

It is no secret that since that trip to the Western Conference Finals, we’ve struggled as a team. Being so close to our goal, we began to tinker with our [original post-1994] plan, hoping that it would give us that slight edge we needed to become a championship team. In hindsight, I now believe we made a mistake in trying to patch up or provide quick fixes to our team, rather than continue to work within a comprehensive plan for our future.

… First, we added Fred Hoiberg and Rob Babcock to our basketball staff to help implement the strategic plan. Secondly, we have secured technology resources for our game preparation and finally, we have doubled our scouting staff to better find emerging talent –both at home and abroad.

…

1) Vision: Randy Wittman is supplying firm and fair leadership, and is also a top-notch basketball strategist.

2) Youth: We have added three very exciting and dedicated young players to anchor our future: Randy Foye, Craig Smith and Rashad McCants.

3) Experience: We have a number of key veterans to supply critical experience.

In addition to Glen Taylor’s words, Rob Babcock, Fred Hoiberg, and Jim Stack all had Mike Trudell “interviews” that featured hard-hitting questions like this:

Q: Do people sometimes forget that no one wants to win more than Glen Taylor, Kevin McHale, your staff and the Wolves players?

I feel for Mr. Trudell. I used to dabble in PA flackery and it was never fun to have to ask/say/pitch such blatant bulls%^t.

Some other highlights from the supplemental “interviews” include Fred Hoiberg talking about Randy Foye:

Hoiberg: In his first few years, Dwyane Wade was pretty much a take-it-to-the-basket guy. He's extended that and extended his game to where now he's a great jump shooter. Michael Jordan did that with his game. So I think it's going to be a very important offseason for Randy this summer. I think you improve the most from the end of your rookie year to the beginning of your second year. It's going to be important for Randy to be here and to work on his shooting, so people will play him honest when they are guarding him on the perimeter.

Yes, he really did drop D-Wade and Michael Jordan in a discussion about Randy Foye. You can read more about Wade and his 39% eFG jumper here.

Hoiberg on Craig Smith’s defense:

He has long arms, so he will be able to guard bigger players. He's more explosive than people think. He positions his body well. He's a very good rebounder both offensively and defensively.

To give the team some credit (and to show that Mr. Trudell beat the odds and actually got some decent information out of the folks he was tasked with interviewing; as a whole he does an excellent job with his Wolves articles--his piece on Bassy is one of my favorite Wolves stories of the year so far; again, I understand how his job works and he does it quite professionally so I don't want to make it seem like my issues with some of the nonsense contained within his pieces has anything to do with his abilities), Stack and Babcock did have some very good and realistic things to say about the team and its future. Here’s Stack on building through free agency:

Stack: The system is set up that way. They make it so you really have the opportunity to keep your best players around, because you can match offers and pay your guys more money. There are several built-in things in the salary cap and collective bargaining agreement that you can do to keep your own guys. Consequently, free agents aren't necessarily the cream of the crop.

Here’s Babcock on what the Wolves needed to add at the time of the 1st blueprint:

We want to improve our shooting ability, and we could use a banging, strong, tough guy inside for help in that area. When you have a team that is not playing .500 basketball, then you definitely have some needs. We need to increase our depth at our inside positions (the 4 and 5)…A physical low post player would be ideal, but those players are extremely difficult to find. We also need to improve our overall shooting ability. This can come from any position, but most likely at the small forward position. Consistently knocking down open shots (and three-point shots) cures a lot of ills. Besides position need we would like to add to the leadership and mental toughness of our ball club.

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. To the Wolves’ great credit, they correctly identified what they needed and even though the KG trade provided a big bump in the road, this basic list of needs should not change and I hope they stick to it. If you take a look at next year’s roster, Babcock’s take becomes even more prescient. The squad has zero frontcourt depth and it needs a scoring 3 that is perimeter proficient.

Getting back to what Britt wrote, I know the blueprint is here to move tickets (I admittedly bought some) but some of the quotes from Stack and Babcock are clear indications that there are folks in the front office outside of Taylor and McHale who have a clear idea of what needs to happen going forward. Hopefully, their voices will ring louder than the Iron Range Ape at decision-making time.

Please stay tuned for an overview/comparison of the updated Blueprint: 2008-09.

Who here among us remembers this (highlights are mine)?

Whether the man with the expiring $11.6 million salary slot plays again for the Wolves beyond this season, his return to good health after knee surgery for the season's final 30 games would allow management to see how a bonafide shot-blocker fits among the pieces the team has assembled in its rebuilding efforts.

"If you say it fits beautifully, then it becomes a major, major priority," said Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations. "If you decide it's not a monumental change, then you say, 'OK, there are a lot of teams who are very successful who don't have that shot-blocker in the middle.' It's going to be a chance for us to see what impact that particular type of player has on our team."

They don't have many fans left, but that doesn't stop the Wolves front office from pissing all over them. Here's Glen Taylor speaking through the thick journalism-free zone of Grandpa Sid:

Wolves won't sign expensive free agents

For next season, the team will have to improve by experience of the current squad and the draft.

It's almost like he thinks Troy Hudson and Juwan Howard showed up on their own.

Of course this story was conveniently placed after the trading deadline. Grandpa Sid's lack of journalistic standards and plain common decency prevent him from asking some pretty obvious follow-up questions, but the message to those of us who pay attention to the club is clear: you thought Ratliff's deal was for other free-agents? No, no, this is for our guys, and since the trading deadline has passed...well, sorry about Theo's contract.

Actually, this little article provides a pretty fair case study into one of the central problems in Minnesota sports: Sid Hartman.

Grandpa Sid had the cozy media coverage thing going long before your Hannity and Colmeses. Access uber alles has led to a journalistic climate where actual reporting and accountability come in a distant second to toting the company line and/or running interference for the boys you want to take to Manny's for a couple of good steaks.

In this case, Grandpa Sid ran a post-trading deadline story about how the Wolves really weren't going to be free-agent in the off season all along, and that the team is losing money left and right, and...this is the best part...in a round-a-bout way infers that the club would really like to be spending more but the NBA won't let them because of credit rules. If there is a journalism hell, Grandpa Sid already has his ticket punched. How does this man have a job? I'm sure the answer to that question isn't pretty and involves large amounts of alcohol and guilt.

For weeks and weeks, Grandpa Sid (and several other prominent Minnesota sports personalities--I refuse to call them "journalists" anymore) has devoted time on his radio show to point out the benefits of letting Theo Ratliff's contract expire. For weeks and weeks the team has done nothing to dissuade fans of this mistaken notion because the NBA's salary cap/collective bargaining structure is confusing enough to prevent most casual fans from putting 2 and 2 together to realize that free agency action is 2-3 years away (if at all). From Paul Allen to Mike Max to Mark Rosen to some random idiot I heard by chance on AM1500, Grandpa Sid's journalistic incompetence/indifference is indicative of the type of coverage that has allowed Glen Taylor to get away with pissing all over his fans without the slightest bit of criticism and feedback. Canis Hoopus has been saying for months that the Wolves will not and, more importantly, cannot operate in this year's free agent season. Canis Hoopus has been saying for months that the only way to increase personnel options on this club is to move Ratliff's salary for players and picks (which could have been done in a way that was just as cost effective as re-signing the Rhino and some anonymous front court player). How did we do this? How could we know such things? With The Google and about 15 minutes.

There is nothing wrong with Glen Taylor wanting to save money. Mr. Taylor has operated above the luxury mark for years and as a fan I appreciate that. What I don't appreciate is the fact that when the KG trade went down, the benefits were compartmentalized as Celtic players, draft picks, and salary cap space for free agency moves after the 2007-08 season. This was a falsehood from the get-go; the Wolves won't be players in the free agency market until, at the very least, after the 2009-09 season. This falsehood was important because it allowed the team to say that Ratliff's deal couldn't be moved because it provided off-season "options", which could only mean free-agency spending. Once Ratliff's contract couldn't be moved via trade, suddenly the "options" drifted into thin air and/or the pocketbooks of role players on an 11-win squad.

That's arrogance.