Seven games into his first season with the Timberwolves, coach Rick Adelman already has reached a grim conclusion.
Adelman admitted Saturday, a day after the Wolves' most troubling loss of the young season, that he's up against the biggest challenge of his 21-year NBA coaching career to transform this team into a winner - or one that can at least execute fundamental phases of his system at both ends of the floor.
"I've never had a situation like this," Adelman said. "The stuff we're trying to run...we're not getting anything compared to what I'm normally used to seeing."
Adelman's high standards are becoming an issue for the Wolves (2-5), who play at winless Washington (0-7) today in the first of three games in three days.
After the Wolves completed a 2-4 homestand Friday night with a demoralizing 98-87 loss to Cleveland, Adelman said he's not sure about his next move. Does he scale his system back even further to simplify things for the players? Or does he stick with his limited game plan and continue to press them on better ballhandling and shot selection?