Wild and Wolves: Five and Out

Minnesota's extended winter is finally over.  So are the Wild's NHL season and the Timberwolves' NBA schedule, with both teams' playoff runs as fleeting as springtime snow.

The Wild finished their regular season with 101 points and a sixth consecutive Stanley Cup playoff appearance.  And for the sixth time they were shown the door early, this time to the Winnipeg Jets in five games.  It didn't help that (A) the Wild's two best players Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were out because of injuries, and (B) they also went a long time without scoring.  Goalies Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock could only do so much to keep the Jets grounded.

Years of big-name free agent signings such as Parise, Suter, Eric Staal and Matt Cullen with little to show for it has cost general manager Chuck Fletcher his job after nine seasons.  Bruce Boudreau will likely continue as coach for at least another year.

Whoever the Wild hire as GM will find that there's not much he can do to improve their lot in the draft as long as they are playoff regulars, or in the budget they have to sign current players and free agents.  Reportedly, most everyone in the Wild organization seems to agree that the roster needed to be tweaked more than to be torn down.  If they go in that direction, expect more early playoff exits.

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The Timberwolves qualified for the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2004, winning 47 games and the final Western Conference spot over the Denver Nuggets.  Their reward was in facing the top-seeded Houston Rockets, who in five games reminded everyone why the Wolves haven't been playoff contenders for 14 years.  They just folded like a cheap suit in the presence of the Rockets' James Harden.

In spite of all the hype around the Wolves' young stars such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the most impressive player on the team was veteran Jimmy Butler, whom coach Tom Thibodeau lured away from the Chicago Bulls.  Butler made quite an impact on the offense, which is why his absence due to knee problems and a few bad losses to bad teams almost drove the Wolves out of the postseason.

Towns and Wiggins (now the subject of trade rumors) were nothing if not inconsistent on the court all season.  How long is that going to last, or can we just chalk it up to their youth--an excuse that's getting old with each passing day.  Also, Thibodeau's reputation for wearing out his players seems to be coming true.

Maybe this season will be a stepping stone to better things for the Timberwolves.  They and their long-suffering supporters deserve it after more than a decade of missing out.  But remember folks, it doesn't take much for them to go back to the bad old days.

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This is where we like to project into June to see which teams will be facing each other for the right to be crowned masters of the hockey and basketball domains.  So here goes.

NHL:  Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights

NBA:  Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors

NCAA Basketball 2017-18: Triumph and Scandal

The NCAA Men's Basketball championship in San Antonio, Texas was won by Villanova for the second time in three years, defeating Michigan 79-62 Monday night.  Other than the Wildcats' domination, this tournament will be remembered for (A) Maryland-Baltimore County (a #16 seed) defeating Virginia (a #1 seed), and (B) Loyola of Chicago being this year's Cinderella.  Having not won a national title since 1963 (the year before UCLA began dominating college basketball), the Ramblers made it to the Final Four with a 98-year old nun as its mascot, but lost to the Wolverines in the semifinals.
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The NCAA Women's Tournament in Columbus, Ohio was won by Notre Dame, its first since 2001.  The Irish won on consecutive buzzer-beaters by Anike Ogunbowale, first in the semifinals over Connecticut (who were going for their 12th title under coach Geno Auriemma) for a 91-89 win in overtime, then another one against Mississippi State for a 61-58 victory.

OK, so UConn didn't win another national title like everyone said they would.  But at least another brand-name school did.
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This was also a year of scandal in college basketball, and the end is not in sight.  The FBI is investigating fraud and corruption in recruiting at several big-name universities.  One of those schools, Louisville, fired its coach Rick Pitino.  They also had to give up their 2012 Final Four appearance and their 2013 championship.  But not North Carolina.  The NCAA found no evidence of any wrongdoing in the Tar Heels' program, so they let them go.  Just like in the business world, there are some institutions of learning that are "too big to fail".