Glen Taylor’s Tank Talk Irked the NBA
Earlier this week, when Glen Taylor accused Kevin Garnett of tanking games at the tail end of his tenure in Minnesota, the remarks were rightfully met with unbridled ridicule and contempt.
Whether or not KG could have played in the handful of meaningless games last season was irrelevant; Garnett had done too much good for that franchise for their wholly incompetent owner to make such a statement.
It also turns out that the League couldn’t believe that Taylor had the gall to say what he did.
An NBA official said last night the league called Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and chastised him for recent comments about Kevin Garnett. Taylor, however, was not fined.
In the insular world of high-powered NBA execs, this is certainly a rarity. And the unpopular Taylor isn’t just hearing it from his business partners around the Association; he’s having to answer to T-Wolves fans, too.
33 Responses to “Glen Taylor’s Tank Talk Irked the NBA”
Mar.21 at 12:01 pm
hursty says:
this is because taylor is stupid. 1st i spose.
Mar.21 at 12:05 pm
Sesa says:
Glen Taylor is an A-Hole. That’s pretty much sums it up.
Mar.21 at 12:23 pm
TADOne says:
Good.
Mar.21 at 12:32 pm
riggs says:
stern shouldve backhanded him, and said not in my house.
Mar.21 at 12:46 pm
Sesa says:
and their PR is doing a bad job
Mar.21 at 12:49 pm
Captain America says:
NBA is right to investigate allegations but nothing will come from it. BTW the original article that caused the furor but nobody has actually read is here http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/16801706.html
Mar.21 at 12:55 pm
Captain America says:
Sesa, perhaps the Knicks PR staff could help the Wolves out? Let’s face it, none of the NBA franchises have done well in the PR area.
Mar.21 at 1:00 pm
rav says:
mchale > garnett according to taylor. enough said.
Mar.21 at 1:05 pm
Captain America says:
McHale has how many rings?
Mar.21 at 1:06 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Why would any owner accuse a player, former or current, of tanking? If you were a soon-to-be free agent, wouldn’t you think twice about signing with that franchise? Besides, stars on bad teams almost always get shut down at the end of the season as coaches give extended playing time to young guys and would-be free agents. It’s not tanking, it’s smart business. Word to Ndudi Ebi.
Mar.21 at 1:32 pm
FLUD says:
What a douchebag. They won’t have to fine him. He’ll lose/p*** off heaps of fans and lose dollars somehow. If they don’t all already think he’s a tool. thinkin’ about it now.. they should have fined.
Mar.21 at 1:32 pm
FLUD says:
..his dumb ass
Mar.21 at 1:41 pm
rav says:
captain america - compare the team-mates that they both had for their careers - very big difference. and of course who was more valuable to the t’wolves - looks like taylor thinks that mchale is…
Mar.21 at 1:47 pm
Allenp says:
Riggs comment was hilarious. I shook with mirth.
Mar.21 at 1:49 pm
Allenp says:
Look, if a team thinks KG wasn’t trying hard enough, well can any player meet their exacting standards? If I’m a free agent do I really want to deal with that kind of franchise?
Mar.21 at 2:14 pm
jeremy says:
Like i said the other night about mark cuban,if these rich owners know so much about playi in the league,why dont they suit up?i mean,this guy is a first class jackass that talks when he needs 2 listen…time 2 listen…okay,look,kevin garnett brung your franchise from near extinction and this is what you give him?you and kevin mchale done a poor job of building your team around him,therefore you didnt get no championships with him…if u would have had some balls and went out and spent some of that money in your giant pockets maybe u would have made to the conference finals more than one freakin time…he dont even play for u no more and u dog him about tankin 5 meanigless games!!!KG is too competitive to tank games…if he could have played he would have…grow up you rich know-it-all…
Mar.21 at 2:28 pm
The Notorious King says:
U dont go after the player that made your franchise a contender for 10 plus years
Mar.21 at 2:43 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Shouldn’t the NBA be concerned about the tanking itself, not the talk about it?
Mar.21 at 2:43 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Also, the Twolves were not contenders for 10 plus years.
Mar.21 at 2:56 pm
slim says:
Notorious: “contender” might be pushing it a bit but I get your point.
Mar.21 at 3:38 pm
jeremy says:
Hey Reggie,how much of a contender are they without him?
Mar.21 at 6:47 pm
Captain America says:
Russ, once again, you appear to have not read the original article. Otherwise, you would not be asking the questions you asked (again). (1) KG has a chronic (sustaining) quad injury, (2) It was KG’s decision to not play the remaining five games in order to get a second opinion, (3) Otherwise, the team and other players still wanted to win out last season, (4) Glen Taylor was responding to a reporter asking a direct question as to why the team “tanked” last season but is playing to win this year, (5) Taylor replied that the team wanted to win last year but KG tanked that. I’ve provided the original article, either read the article or move on.
Mar.21 at 6:50 pm
Captain America says:
rav, your comparison is illogical to begin with. You are the one who made it but it’s dumb on several counts. KG is not nor ever been a general manager, never won a championship, is playing in a different era, etc. etc.
Mar.21 at 6:55 pm
Captain America says:
Hi Reg, you need to do your homework. The Wolves had been contenders 2004/5 with KG-Spree-Cassell. Spree went on to sell boats; Cassell went on to be a sometime player with Clippers. KG moaned; fans goaned; media howled.
Mar.21 at 6:58 pm
Captain America says:
Jeremy, Wolves had no illusions of contending this year or next. It is far too early to assess the merits of the trade because it serviced two different strategies: Celtics sought immediate gratification; Wolves sought a long-term winning franchise through progressive growth (draft picks, selective free agents, development of select players on current roster).
Mar.21 at 7:51 pm
Reggie Evans says:
@Jeremy- they weren’t contenders with him last year, either. @Captain America - the statement was not that KG made the Wolves contenders for one season, Notorious stated that KG made them contenders for 10 plus years. If you count not making the playoffs for some years a “contender” then I guess that’s true. Otherwise, it’s not. Why do we baby KG?
Mar.21 at 8:15 pm
Crook says:
#1 KG is a millionaire and needs no babying.
#2 The T-Wolves were not contenders but I think the point was that he made them relevantand worth watching.
#3 McHale has the rings but he also had allstars to play with his entire career.
#4 Regardless of what context Taylor spoke in it was at the very least disrespectful to a player who was great on and off the court for that city.
#5 That whole thing about the Wolves seeking a long-term winning franchise through growth & draft picks, etc etc is what all failing teams say and rarely do.
#6 nuff said. Celtics #17
Mar.21 at 9:28 pm
Ethan says:
well why dont the rest if the NBA world ask Glen Taylor about how he tanked KG’s entire carrer except for 2003-2004 when they got beat by the Lakers in the western finals before the started wasting Kobe’s until this year.
Im out like Gonzaga vs. Western Kentucky go KB24
Mar.21 at 11:37 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
CA: “Tanked” is such a loaded word. You’re going to accuse your one-time MVP and franchise player of quitting on the team during a season when you FIRED YOUR COACH at 20-20 and then went 12-30 the rest of the way? KG played 76 games in ‘06-07, averaged 39.4 minutes a night. Is that what a quitter does? When he chose to “tank,” they were 32-45, 3-7 over their previous 10, and long eliminated from playoff contention. Was he so hurt that he had to sit those last five games? Maybe not. Was he the first star player to shut it down for the last couple games of a lost season? Absolutely not. Regardless of the question, did it benefit Taylor or the Timberwolves franchise to accuse KG of tanking? Absolutely not. All answering the question like that did was turn off potential free agent signees and loyal fans (who no doubt appreciated KG more than they appreciated Taylor and McHale).
Mar.21 at 11:39 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I’m not saying Kevin Garnett is a God descended to Earth, but that wasn’t a fair assessment after all he did for the franchise.
Mar.22 at 1:34 am
thedude says:
Wow chastising someone for speaking his mind and porbably the truth. Don’t cha just love the nba sometimes? They should adopt even more draconian censorship by looking to China for ideas LOL…
Mar.22 at 10:15 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Knowing that Garnett probably eats cereal with more passion and intensity than most NBA players play the game, accusing him of tanking just seems like a stupid move — not to mention unnecessarily vindictive — whatever the circumstances.
Mar.23 at 3:50 pm
iLL wiLL says:
So Mr. Popovich, what does your committee have to say on this matter?