More of the Same

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Man, this franchise just can't get out of its own way.

The Athletic (which if you're a Wolves fan and you're not following Jon Krawczynski you're doing it wrong) was the first to report that Jimmy Butler is asking to be traded away from the Timberwolves just days before the franchise's media day, and just a few weeks before training camp.

So to recap, it's been a little more than a year since the Wolves got Butler from the Chicago Bulls. Minnesota shipped youngsters Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and the draft pick that turned into Lauri Markkanen. Those are three pretty promising players with upside. In return, the Wolves got 59 (very good) games from Butler and one game of Chicago's draft pick Justin Patton, who is now dealing with another serious injury. The Wolves got to the playoffs for the first time in I think 40 years, but they were quickly disposed of by the Houston Rockets in 5 games.

It looked like the writing was on the wall, as there's been multiple reports for months now about a disconnect between Butler and the Wolves young superstar Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT also hasn't signed his rookie max extension, which many consider a simple step for a young player, but not for this franchise. Shams Charania reported that Towns wouldn't sign an extension until the Butler situation was resolved. Well, it looks like it might be resolved soon.

This is just another problem for a floundering franchise. I could list all the issues, but my hands would get tired from typing everything. We'll see how this all plays out in upcoming weeks, but I'm sure it will end up terrible just like everything else Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Dark Side Of Fandom

(Photo: Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports)

Sometimes it's embarrassing to be a fan. Look, I get that it was frustrating to watch Daniel Carlson be bad at his job, but the amount of vitriol he's been getting over the past 24 hours is ridiculous. We have all been bad at our jobs (in my case, more bad days than good days) but we don't have millions of people watch us struggle. Carlson, who I'm like 98 percent sure didn't want to miss those kicks, is being treated like he murdered a bunch of puppies. The poor kid has a Twitter account, and this is the post he made on September 11th:

To which "fans" wrote out these responses. Fair warning, bad language coming up, and I'm not even posting the worst stuff.

I'm obsessed about sports more than pretty much anything, but I've never understood personally attacking someone because they don't do their jobs up to your standards.

Carlson was waived today by the Vikings. Imagine yourself as a kid right out of college, and you get fired from your first professional job just months into your career. I understand he made more money than most of us dream of, but think about how heartbreaking that would be for a person who is trying to establish themselves in their field. I'm sure Carlson is at a low point right now in his life, and having to be harassed and verbally attacked is only making that low point lower.

Remember folks, this is just a game that has no real meaning on the world. Go ahead and wear your jerseys, cheer loud, hate the Packers, and boo the refs. However, let's be civil about this and remember these are real people with real emotions. Be nice to each other ok? Thanks.