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Thursday (a winning streak!) edition: Wha’ Happened?

Posted on January 24th, 2008 – 7:46 AM
By Michael Rand

jefferson.jpgWe give the local NBA franchise plenty of — oh, what’s the word the kids always use — guff? But we have to give credit where credit is due. Yes, they are now 7-34. But that’s two consecutive victories, the latter being their second victory of the season over Phoenix last night. It came via a monster game from Al Jefferson (I had 39 and 15, Gerald. What did you have? DNP. Oh. But you should see me dunk!). The McLovins are now on pace for 14 victories — nowhere near the record pace for futility — and realistically should wind up with somewhere around 18-20 victories based on the combination of pluckiness vs. stiff competition, the anticipated return of Randy Foye, youngster improvement and end-of-the-season NBA apathy in other markets. Nothing to write home about. Not even cause for, say, a postage-paid letter to Mankato. But still more what was expected out of this season out of the rebuilding McLovins, rather than the hideousness they were heading towards. Get your tickets now! But seriously, well done last night.

*The victory over Phoenix was almost enough to offset this bit of terrible news: Fight Club, the musical. We’re really speechless, but we’ll try to sum it up: Let’s take one of the 10 coolest movies ever made — and a pretty nice book as well — and humiliate it before forcing it to swallow poison. Then let’s burn it on a mountain of hate.

*Will Leitch to the Knicks for two first-round picks? It could happen. Pull the trigger, Isiah!

*Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

*A rather humorous appearance on Letterman by Lawrence Tynes.

*Fasola-link! The idle rich who can afford $20,000 coffee makers: Could they be what’s wrong with the economy?
*Later today: A RandBall Q&A with a beach volleyball player who will be plying her trade at Target Center later tonight. Who loves you? We do.

18 Responses to "Thursday (a winning streak!) edition: Wha’ Happened?"

jama says:

January 24th, 2008 at 7:56 am

I think the Wolves have lost their mind. Don’t they realize that the Miami Heat have a ridiculous losing streak and are on the verge of passing the McLovins for the #1 pick? Not to mention the Sonics who have now lost 11 or 12 in a row. If the Sonics get the first pick in the draft lookout they are going to be the next Trailblazers.

This team can’t even lose right. If they keep winning I am going to boycott the rest of their games in protest.

roughkat says:

January 24th, 2008 at 8:20 am

I think, for PR sake, the McLovins are forced to actually play to win. I honestly believe that Jefferson could have nights like that all the time. It’s just a matter of getting the ball in his hands on a regular basis. We owned the offensive boards last night. But keep in mind this is a team whom Sir Charles says the toughest player on the team is Canadian. It looked like Letterman was out there rebounding last night for the Suns.

Don’t worry, McChump will do his job and get us a top 3 pick. I still have no clue what we should do with it though.

JPF says:

January 24th, 2008 at 8:40 am

McChump will get us into a top 3 spot due to our record, which means we will be drafting 3 places lower due to our luck.

skolvikings says:

January 24th, 2008 at 8:52 am

I don’t understand why you guys call them the McLovins?

roughkat says:

January 24th, 2008 at 8:56 am

skolvikings - It was a nickname we came up with at the beginning of the season. A nod to Superbad mostly. It also just sounds cool. And if you seen the movie, this team just seems like it trying to be something it’s not. Also another excuse to use quotes from the movie.

Read a F’ing book!

JT says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:01 am

Jama,

This is the T-Wolves. It doesn’t matter how many balls they bouncing around, they will never get the first pick. Won’t happen. Can’t happen. Might as well win some games.

Does anyone really think if the Wolves had the worst record in the NBA they would ghet the first pick. When have the Wolves had any luck in the lottery.

Dave MN says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:05 am

Even with the first pick, McHale is still the GM. You know he’d try to trade the first pick for a time machine. That way he could go back to last year’s draft and pick Spencer Hawes. He would then burn the time machine.

Hee Hawes!

Minnesnota says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:10 am

Randball– so this interview with the volleyball player, it will come with pics, no??

Beacause this article will be useless without PICS!!!!

roughkat says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:14 am

Is that you Mr. Easterbrook???

s1rweeze says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:20 am

I think Al Jefferson needs a nickname, and not something impossibly lame and nondescript like AJ, A-Jeff or Big Al.

Dave MN says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:21 am

Commenter Epiphanies of the past few days:

I, Dave MN, am in fact the president of the United States, or Screech Powers (depending on the day)

Minnesnota is Gregg Easterbrook

Dave MN says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:24 am

Big Al - could be “The Cornerstone”, “The Foundation”, “McHale’s Last Hope”, “End of an Era”

Think of it…

The End of an Era comes in with a thunderous finish!

Dave MN says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:25 am

Or, for short, he could be called “The End”

s1rweeze says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:32 am

“The End”, well done! I love it

Peyton and Eli Manning in New Double Stuff Ad Online says:

January 24th, 2008 at 9:56 am

[…] OK, so we followed a link on a blog that we follow to check out this clip of Lawrence Tynes on Letterman.  That’s when we discovered the worst possible scenario is playing out for the Super Bowl: it isn’t only Peyton Manning who is now annoying us in stupid ads that are shown about twice per commercial break, his little twerp brother Eli is joining him.  And Mommy and Daddy Archie too.  And it’s not just on TV anymore. […]

ramon says:

January 24th, 2008 at 10:07 am

You all can call him what you want. But I think he prefers to be called “Mr. Jefferson”.

Jefferson: “That’s my damn rock”

(Four Phoenix Suns surrounding him under the boards cringe.)

Four Suns: “Of course Mr. Jefferson”.

McHale is better (and prefers) teaching proteges his post moves than making personnel decisions. He’s gone as far as he could with his Dr. Frankenstein shtick in trying to bring his beloved Celtics back to life. He’s found his dream player who comes more ready equipped to be molded in his own image than his previous dream player.

I get the feeling (hope) he’s ready to be more hands off next year’s draft and free agency and be content wearing shorts and showing Mr. Jefferson his library of up and under moves. I mean, he must be sick enough of reading Randball comments to want to do anything else.

Paul Peter Paulos says:

January 24th, 2008 at 10:13 am

I, Paul Paulos, am neither the President of the US or anyone else so bound for Hell. No, instead “I am a Cowboy, and on a poor Horse I ride..” and last night someone (you know who you are “Gloria”) snuck into my barn on Grand and Snelling and let my Freedom free…or something like that.

What happened is many of my columns in distant years printed my screenname with the gem. Great, I thought, but last night this G-L-O-R-I-A (an assumed name, but a great song) wrote me, E-me’d, to rag on and on and on (and that operative word “on” fit her so accurately fem state well)…Her “point” was that by mentioning male skaters have slight builds and wear leotards was equivalent to saying they were gay !! I bit my tongue, very unusual for me when dealing with assh.les and pointed out that not only fem skaters, but announcers and male skaters themselves estimate that 50 % or more of all male skaters, are in fact, gay. “Well, my boy is NOT, she said gargling through her tonic” and I could only then offer that he MUST be in that OTHER 50 %.

But, this comes up every Olympics , summer in Gymnastics and during winter in Figure Skating, and if I was a National Commentator with more people covering my back, I’d say at this point that I don’t care who your boy has covering his, but Gloria if you write her again, I’ll put my cracker jack sexual identity team workin hard first on your boy, then you, then your husband. Til then go away. Your lifestyle meets zip to me..

skolvikings says:

January 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm

Thank you RoughKat, I will have to see that movie.