Metal always had a lot of insert sets and 1997-98 Metal Universe was no exception. This season, Metal Universe came out first, while Metal Universe Championship, a separately numbered set, arrived at the time a Series II typically would. A reminder of this is the small “1” in fine print on the back of the card. Because of this, Metal Universe is typically referred to as a Series I for ’97-98. Even so, these first Metal Universe cards still had six insert sets. This Silver Slams set is a strange one.
There were twenty of these cards and you could find them 1:12 packs. They’re numbered “xx of 20” and have an “SS” suffix. They were meant to feature young stars who were gaining momentum in the league. I understand that a set called “Metal” might like to use silver as a theme, but ending up with a grayed out player lost in a wonderfully iridescent background might not have been the best idea. We get another washed-out black-and-white photo on the back (excuse me, “silver” photo) That’s just the start of the problems though. (By the way, the background really does look great, lots of color and shine there). But how hard would it be to use a color from the Minnesota Timberwolves? Where did this pink/purple come from? The cards with even numbers have this color of foilboard, the odd numbers more of an orange. But how about some team colors? Imagine this card with a blue/green hue. Much better.
Next, wouldn’t an insert set called “Silver Slams” show a slam? And this Gugliotta card isn’t the only one with this problem. Lots of great dribbling and passing in this “Silver Slams” set. The one redeeming item on this card is the reminder on the back that Tom Gugliotta was the Timberwolves’ leader in points, rebounds and steals. With star power being transferred to Kevin Garnett, we forget just how solid of a player he was for Minnesota.
You must be logged in to post a comment.