Wolves Weekend: That's it--We're cursed. | Timberwolves Talk's Blog

For the first seven games of this season, I thought that the Minnesota Timberwolves' play on the court would decide their fate this season. After games eight and nine, it's dawned on me. All their efforts in the first three quarters are futile. They're cursed. They could be up by 100 going into the fourth quarter, and their opponents would go off on a 106-3 run in the last five minutes.

I don't yet know where the curse came from, or how to get rid of it. The easy explanation would be that it's a Bambino-like curse: Trading Kevin Garnett brought a hex on the franchise, and they'll never close out another double-digit second half lead again. But that doesn't fit. Because the KG trade wasn't a shameless selling-of-the-soul like the Babe Ruth sale. The Wolves got Al Jefferson in return, and he's one of the three best post scorers in the league right now. It wasn't trading O.J. Mayo, because he's a prima-donna ballhog who'd be more likely to curse a team with his presence than his departure.

You know what I think is really cursing the Wolves? Bad coaching. In six of their eight losses, they've had at least a nine-point lead near the end of the third quarter or later. You can script it: The Wolves fall behind early, and you think they're gonna get blown out, but then they start knocking down some shots and eventually roar past their better, more experienced opponent, and you think they're going to pull off a fun little upset, but then they miss some easy shots in the paint and give up a couple of 3s, and poof. Game over.

As Wolves color commentator Jim Peterson continually said last night, "This isn't a physical problem. It's a mental problem." He's right. This is a talented enough group to be .500 right now. But they are literally the worst fourth-quarter team in the history of sports. Who does that start with? The guy on the bench in the suit.

Someone should tell Kevin McHale that when he's built such a young, inexperienced team who's trying to figure things out on the fly, he shouldn't hire an inexperienced coach who's trying to figure things out on the fly. Nobody on the team is experienced enough or good enough to act as a leader or coach on the floor. (With the possible exception of Mike Miller, but really?) So the strong voice of leadership on the team for now needs to come from the coach. Wittman can't provide that.

There don't seem to be any reason or rhyme behind his line-up decisions. The decision to start Jason Collins against Denver boggles the mind. And against Portland, as the 12-point lead slipped away, he employed a Randy Foye-Kevin Ollie backcourt. Let's all say it together now: WHAT?! Mike Miller and Kevin Love have sat for extended periods in the fourth twice in the last three games, and for long stretches in the second half against the Blazers he had the 6-6 Craig Smith on the 7-1 Joel Pryzbilla.

Watching him on the sidelines, you see what I mean. He's like a frustrated parent whose kids won't listen to him. He jumps up and down, gestures frantically, grimaces and stamps his feet. Not the tone we want to set. What the Wolves need is a coach with experience, a proven record, knowledge of the game, and a calm demeanor.

(Oh, hey there Flip Saunders! How's your new team doing this season? What's that? You're not coaching any team? Hmmm...)