The Minnesota Timberwolves are terrible. There's no nice way to say it.
One-third of the way through the 1991-92 season, the Timberwolves are on a pace to win 12 of 82 games. Well into their third NBA season, the Timberwolves are more terrible than any expansion team has a right to be.To say the Timberwolves have lacked direction from Day 1 would understate the obvious. It would be much more precise to say they have steadily gone in one direction.
Down.
Down.
Down.
"It's pretty low," says Jimmy Rodgers, the first-year coach of the NBA's worst home team, worst road team, lowest-scoring team and worst-shooting team. "Four-and-23, that's pretty low."
How low can they go?
"I thought maybe there was one direction to go - up," Rodgers said. "But I don't think tonight we went up. I think we went a little . . . bit . . . lower."
Rodgers was speaking after Monday's 117-109 loss to the Sacramento Kings, perhaps the worst road team in NBA history. The Wolves, 21-20 at Target Center a year ago, are 3-12 at home this season.
Coming off successive overtime losses to Golden State and Atlanta, the Timberwolves thought they were improving, despite their 1-12 December record. Instead, they got embarrassed at home by a bad Sacramento team.
"I thought we made strides over the last two games, but I'm going on tonight's performance. That's all I have to judge right now. We win one game in December. That's horrendous," Rodgers said.
"I find myself searching," Rodgers said. "We can start in one direction, but usually it ends up in a search. Star Search. Get Ed McMahon out there to try to find what's going to work or what isn't."
Ed McMahon has a better chance of finding someone who will actually order one of his magazines than of locating a star on the Timberwolves' roster.
Minnesota is the only NBA team without even a twinkle.
Pooh Richardson? Spud Webb, all 5-foot-7 of him, burned Pooh for 24 points and eight assists on Monday, adding his name to the growing list of point guards - John Stockton, Tim Hardaway, Michael Adams, Michael Williams, Mark Jackson, Kevin Johnson, Scott Skiles, Isiah Thomas, Johnny Dawkins, Mark Price, Jay Humphries, Kenny Smith, Sedale Threatt, Rod Strickland, John Paxson, etc. - who outshine Minnesota's first-ever draft choice.