Living in the Shadows: A Patrick Ewing Jr. Story

[RMJH4]

Rubio & Ewing Jr better be lob city

That's the idea for sure. K Love spacing the floor.

[RMJH4]

Ewi Jr finally up to do his old man proud

Earned not given I know they say

[RMJH4]

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If you stare long enough at the Western Conference standings, something uncomfortable starts to happen if you’re the Minnesota Timberwolves. You don’t see a plucky young team rising. You don’t see “spooky.” You don’t even see “league pass interesting.” What you see is a team hovering just below relevance, close enough to smell the playoffs, but far enough away to start drafting resignation letters.

And that’s why David Kahn is officially sweating.

The Wolves are buried in the West’s middle-to-lower tier — not bad enough to hide behind tanking excuses, not good enough to justify patience. That’s the danger zone for a general manager. You can sell hope when you’re terrible. You can sell progress when you’re good. But when you’re just… there? That’s when ownership starts Googling replacements at 2 a.m.

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Let’s start with the obvious problem: the drafts.

Kahn’s résumé will always be haunted by 2009, which at this point deserves its own 30 for 30 subtitle. He walked into a draft featuring Steph Curry and James Harden and somehow walked out with neither. That alone would be bad. What makes it legendary is that he had multiple cracks at it. It’s like being handed two lottery tickets and somehow setting both on fire.

I joked back then with my Dad that passing on Steph Curry should require a signed apology letter to the fanbase. In Minnesota’s case, it might require a plaque.

Then came 2010, which didn’t exactly change the narrative. Solid NBA players were available. Difference-makers were available. The Wolves didn’t exactly come away with anyone who makes opposing scouts say, “Yeah, that guy scares me.” They took Wes Johnson who is now in year two and yet to make an impact.

And now 2011 — the supposed reset — is wobbling. Derrick Williams was drafted to be a franchise piece, or at least a foundational one. Instead, he’s injured, sidelined, and turning what should have been a development year into another frustrating “what if.” Fair or not, availability matters. And right now, 2011 is starting to feel like another incomplete chapter.

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Kahn’s defenders will point to Ricky Rubio, and fairly so. Rubio was always the long game, the international mystery box. The problem is that the long game finally arrived… and it hasn’t exactly dazzled.

Rubio is technically a rookie in 2011–12, which is wild considering he was drafted two years earlier. He flashes vision, creativity, flair — and then disappears for long stretches. He looks intriguing, not impactful. Fun, not foundational. In a season where the Wolves desperately need stability, Rubio has been more “wait for it” than “here it is.”

And when your best defense of your draft history is “just wait,” that’s not a great place to be.

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Which brings us to the point where things start to feel a little desperate.

With injuries piling up and the wing rotation thinning out, the Wolves are now turning to… Patrick Ewing Jr.

Yes, that Patrick Ewing’s son.

There is nothing wrong with Ewing Jr. as a basketball player. He’s worked, adapted, reshaped his game, and earned looks the hard way. But the optics matter. When a GM who passed on Curry and DeRozan is now hoping the son of a Hall of Fame center can help salvage a playoff push, it feels like the basketball gods are leaning in for the punchline.

This isn’t nepotism. It’s necessity. And necessity is rarely a comforting word in February.

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So what happens if the Wolves miss the playoffs?

That’s where things get uncomfortable for Kahn.

Ownership has been patient. Painfully patient. But if this team is mathematically eliminated while sitting in the middle of the conference — not rebuilding, not contending — the argument for continuity collapses. At that point, you’re not firing a GM because of bad luck. You’re firing him because the plan hasn’t worked.

Behind the scenes, league whispers are already circling. Veteran executives. Culture-setters. Basketball lifers. Even a certain famously intense former coach with strong opinions about defense, accountability, and structure has been quietly mentioned in connection with a potential front-office role. Nothing official. Nothing confirmed. Just the kind of rumor that doesn’t exist unless someone important has thought about it.

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For now, Kahn survives on math and hope. The Wolves are close enough to the eighth seed to justify belief. One run could change the narrative. One surge could buy him time.

But the margin is razor-thin.

Because if the season ends without a playoff berth, David Kahn won’t be remembered for bold ideas or patience plays. He’ll be remembered for the drafts. For 2009. For the night Steph Curry and James Harden showed signs of changing the NBA — from somewhere else.

And in this league, you can survive almost anything.

Except that.

[Agent]

Here's Patrick Ewing Jr's chance to save Kahn's job

[redsox907]

what a crazy timeline if Kahn's job gets saved by Ewing Jr

[RMJH4]

​

Game 1 LA Clippers 139 – 146 Minnesota Timberwolves


Air Ewing came to the Target Center tonight in an impressive debut win.

Clippers Starters
C. Billups
N. Young
C. Butler
B. Griffin
D. Jordan

Timberwolves Starters
R. Rubio
W. Johnson
M. Webster
K. Love
N. Pekovic

Game Leaders
Pts - 45 - K. Love (Timberwolves)
Rebs - 16 - K. Love (Timberwolves)
Asts - 8 - R. Rubio (Timberwolves)
Stls - 4 - C. Butler (Clippers)
Blks - 3 - B. Griffin (Clippers)


Player of the Game
K. Love (Timberwolves)
45 pts, 16 rebs, 2 asts.

Ewings Epilogue.



P. Ewing Jr. (Timberwolves)
18 pts, 1 rebs, 4 asts, 1 stl, 20 mins.

“What a way to start my NBA career tonight. An overtime win over the LA Clippers. The Clippers have been flying high this season so far, but Chris Paul has been ruled out for 4 weeks with a pinched nerve in his back. Keivn Love had a great battle with Blake Griffin and came out victorious. Griffin had 18 pts, 7 rebs and 7 asts, but Love was dominant. I got playing time at the 3 and 4 tonight, had to even guard Griffin, Jordan and K-Mart at times. I struggled a little on close outs as a 3. Caron Butler and Nick Young lit me up from 3 a little so that is something to work on. I scored well when given the ball, nothing fancy, just getting out and filling the lanes, cutting inside. Hit a nice fadeaway early on from the post too. But the highlight was my breakaway dunk in the 2nd quarter. 20 minutes playing time was fantastic. And to be second in scoring is awesome. We head to Toronto next, then home to face the Bobcats before All Star Weekend. Both teams are near the bottom of the East so we will be aiming to win both and climb back into the playoff race."

[RMJH4]

Here's Patrick Ewing Jr's chance to save Kahn's job

what a crazy timeline if Kahn's job gets saved by Ewing Jr

Well what a way to change history if it works out!

[RMJH4]

​

Game 2 Minnesota Timberwolves 102 - 96 Toronto Raptors


Ewing and the Timberwolves fought back late to grab an important win.

Timberwolves Starters
R. Rubio
L. Ridnour
W. Johnson
K. Love
N. Pekovic

Raptors Starters
J. Calderon
J. Bayless
R. Butler
A. Johnson
A. Bargnani

Game Leaders
Pts - 20 - K. Love (Timberwolves)
Rebs - 16 - K. Love (Timberwolves)
Asts - 7 - K. Love (Timberwolves)
Stls - 3 - K. Love (Timberwolves)
Blks - 2 - K. Love, P. Ewing Jr (Timberwolves)


Player of the Game
K. Love (Timberwolves)
20 pts, 16 rebs, 7 asts, 2 bks.

Ewings Epilogue.



P. Ewing Jr. (Timberwolves)
19 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts, 2 blks, 21 mins.

“Crazy night tonight in Canada! Having been up by 5 - 10 points through half time we almost lost it. But K.Love and I came up clutch in the 4th. I had a vital block, picked the ball up, drove the floor and dished off to the cutting JJ Barea. The very next play Love blocked a Bargnani shot, I caught the rebound and chucked it long to Wayne Ellington who ran it in for an easy lay in. A couple more clutch free throws from yours truly sealed it. I was 9 -14 from the line tonight, just drawing fouls like a bee to honey all night. The Raptors were a tough out. Linas Kleiza finished with 19 points including two insane threes where he ended up falling out of bounds. The Raptors were missing young prodigy DeMar DeRozan and this really helped us. Jerryd Bayless 17 and Ed Davis has 13pts and 18 rebounds but they couldn't make up for the loss in scoring. 2-0 and I hit over 18 points again. Love and Rubio are great passers, suits my game really well."

[redsox907]

TURN DUCKS INTO BUCKS, LUKE RIDNOUR

shoutout the legend Ridnour

Ewing Jr putting the league on a poster

[Soapy]

the time is now, my boy