Some terribly sad news broke yesterday within the SB Nation Basketball community. Tim Allen, blogger at Minnesota Timberwolves site Canis Hoopus, died at age 29. I met Tim as recently as last month in Las Vegas for Summer League at the SBN Blogger House. He was as nice as can be and fully capable of joking that he shared his name with Buzz Lightyear. We spoke about why I still believed in Wes Johnson and how much it would take for Minnesota to get Iguodala from us. He fell asleep on the couch with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on and his hands mid-typing on his laptop.
Even though most of SB Nation never met Tim and the few who had only for a couple days, it feels like we lost a friend. There's a family here and through emails, twitter, and blogging, strong bonds have been forged. The entire SBN Basketball community is standing together through these tough times.
Tim, you will be missed. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Here's the statement on Canis Hoopus from our NBA League Manager, Seth Pollack:
We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Tim Allen. At this time, details surrounding his death are still unconfirmed and we urge everyone to respect the privacy of his family. The only thing that matters right now is the loss of our friend. We confirmed Tim's death with the proper authorities.
All of SB Nation is struck by this tragic loss including those of us who had a chance to meet Tim in person and those who only knew him through his great work here at Canis Hoopus. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tim's family and friends as they mourn his passing.
We delayed publishing this news as long as we could out of respect to Tim's family. We wanted to given them as much time as possible to share this devastating news with those they needed to inform.
In the coming hours and days we will follow up with more information about donations in Tim's name and other details as appropriate.
On a personal note, as the NBA League Manager for SB Nation I had the pleasure of working with Tim and was able to spend some time with him in Las Vegas just a few weeks ago. I don't need to tell you what a great person he was and how much insight and pleasure he brought to our world. His departure leaves a giant hole in our lives.
The entire SB Nation family stands with this community and with Tim's family. We will do everything possible to honor his life and mourn his passing as best we can.