Fandom Free Agency - The Intro

It's time for me to do something for myself. 

To stop and look around a little bit.

I'm not talking so much about a life changing overhaul and searching for the greater meaning of life. I'm talking about taking a hard look at one aspect of my life and giving it a little more thought. 

In this case, my current NBA fandom for the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Doing something for myself should come as nothing strange for anyone associated with the T-wolves. The front office in Minnesota hasn't thought of anyone but themselves for 3 seasons now and hasn't thought of their fans, like me, in even longer. (The KG trade could be seen as some sort of a selfless act because they allowed KG to go somewhere else to win a title. But that did nothing for fans.)

KG was the reason I was a Minnesota fan. The guy went hard year-after-year and game-after-game, often time for a team that really had no shot at winning anything. You had to admire the intensity the guy played with, even if that intensity brought about a foul mouth that made you hide the women and children. 



I liked the KG trade when it happened 3 seasons ago. I was happy for KG for moving on, and I was happy with the T-Wolves getting players like Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Bassy Telfair in return. Those three players were guys I wouldn't mind rooting for. I already had a bunch of T-Wolves gear and continuing to root for them would just be much easier than moving on to the Celtics with KG.

But in reality, he KG trade should have been the last straw for me. It was the easy thing to do, but it signified where the team was going. The title shots - gone, the playoffs - an afterthought, the lottery - insulting.

But being in the lottery can be a good thing, it gives the team the best chance to rebuild and with the young players from the KG trade I didn't mind rebuilding for a year or two. However, I should have given a closer look at what the Wolves would do with those lottery picks:

2005 lottery pick - Rashad McCants (a player I never liked in college who would go on to date Khloe Kardashian.)

2006 lottery pick - Brandon Roy (loved Brandon Roy in the draft... traded to Portland for Randy Foye within minutes of the pick)

2007 lottery pick - Corey Brewer (more on Mr. Brewer later on)

2008 lottery pick - Kevin Love (a good player, but he's playing on a team that already has a player exactly like him)

2009 lottery pick - Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn (the debacle off all debacles)

Sure, Minnesota was getting lottery picks, but they pretty obviously had no idea what to do with them. And this doesn't even mention the 2008 2nd round selection and immediate trading of my hero Mario Chalmers. If Mario was on this team there is no chance I would be looking elsewhere. Even if they went winless.

So now, with those drafts in the book I'll take a quick look at the Timberwolves roster.

Players I like:

Al Jefferson

Kevin Love

Ryan Gomes

Alando Tucker (He's one clean Mother Tucker)

I dislike everyone else. Some of them because their irrelevant and will never play, but among the regulars here are the reasons...

Jonny Flynn - Part of the great 2009 point guard draft debacle. I see him as the main reason Rubio isn't currently on the team and I was in attendance at the Sprint Center last year when he tried to punch Tyrel Reed.

Ramon Sessions - An obvious back up plan for Rubio not coming to Minnesota and he's overpaid.

Wayne Ellington - MOP of the Final Four last year for a team I don't like.

And of course...

Corey Brewer - .416/.204/.660 Those are Corey Brewer's shooting percentages of FG/3PT/FT. All of them are pitiful. Yet Brewer continues to keep shooting, he's not shy about it. If Corey would cool it and just play defense, something he's at least average at, I wouldn't mind. But as is the guy can't play and he's on the list of failed lottery picks above.

So, with that, I would like to announce that my NBA fandom is now up for free agency. I'll be looking around at all options and narrowing the process down. Similar to what Bill Simmons did with his Premier League fandom back in 2006.

I'm going all out and I'm going to break down all options. I hope to have a team picked out by the start of this season's playoffs and ideally it will be a team in those playoffs.

I'm not saying I'm done with the T-Wolves. I could very well end up back in their arms when all is said and done. But I'm putting them on notice and if I leave the blood will be left on Corey Brewer hands.