(NSFW, depending on where you W.)
OG Ron Holmes, the forging father of potential Timberwolves first-round pick Shabazz Muhammad, is in trouble again. So what’s the story here?
From CBS Sports:
Ron Holmes, father of former UCLA star Shabazz Muhammad, has been indicted on federal bank fraud and conspiracy charges. He is being detained in Las Vegas pending a detention hearing, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Here’s more on Ron Holmes – aka “Ron Shabazz” – including the complete court proceedings (h/t LA Times).
So should we sour on Ron’s kid, Shabazz Muhammad?
No.
If nothing else, this suggests he’s been groomed for professional sports by an overbearing parental figure.
That happens. And it’s unclear whether it’s detrimental, on average.
For every Todd Marinovich, there’s a Venus and Serena Williams. Or a Pete Maravich.
If nothing else, Shabazz will know what’s expected of him at the next level, given that his whole life has been structured around this goal.
Punch-Drunk Wolves 
Look, this is off-topic, but I’m putting it in here because I think it’s important. There seems to be a sense of relief that Kahn is gone, and euphoria that Saunders is taking over with his professionalism. Okay, for the sake of argument it is true that Saunders is the more professional one of the two. Easy. But regardless of Saunder’s competence, what I see is him running with blinders on. He streamlines the scouting staff by demolishing the overseas contacts. Those constacts are responsible for Rubio, Pekovic, Shved, and even Kirilenko. Saunders apparently wants more scouting of NBA players and more stay-at-home staff. OK, but what he’s doing is throwing out the baby with the bath water. You don’t eliminate the most fruitful part of your scouting to build up the weakest part. You keep your strengths and build up your weaknesses.
I didn’t like the choice because Saunders is Taylor’s crony. That’s not how you pick an administrator. You pick one that is the most competent available. And I don’t see the alleged competence of Saunders in the position he’s in now. That may be the basic problem with the Wolves, Taylor choosing someone he knows over the rest of the field. I don’t like where this is going. Another train wreck.
I’m worried about the international scouting bit too. (Worried might be the wrong word – “interested” might be a better one.) We mention that in an upcoming post we’re doing for the Timberwolves.
I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude on Flip. He’s had mixed results over the course of his career, which means it’s either luck, or that he’s dealt with a variety of different circumstances, some of which were more difficult than others. My hope is that he’s able to key into what the Wolves’ needs are now, what Adelman wants, and provide that support from the get-go. This is critical given that Adelman won’t be here forever.
Yeah, I hammered this point at the time.
The decision-making process in hiring Flip was embarrassing, and it seems to be par for the Wolves course. One of the reasons they have been so unsuccessful. Bad. Process.
On Muhammad, I could care less about his dad. That’s not even on the list of reasons not to draft him.