Minnesota Timberwolves 2001-2002 Season: Treading Water or Slowly Improving?

• Key Additions: Joe Smith (fee agent - mid-level exception); Gary Trent (free agent - veteran's minimum); Loren Woods (second round draft pick)
• Key Losses: LaPhonzo Ellis (signed with Miami); Reggie Slater (salary cap casualty)

Record: 50-32, 3rd Place Midwest Division, 5th Place Western Conference; eliminated by Dallas Mavericks (3-0) in first round of playoffs

I. Season Overview:

After several seasons in which the team suffered some sort of horrendous upheaval - from Gugliotta walking to Marbury demanding to be traded to the Joe Smith debacle to Malik Sealy dying tragically after being hit by a drunk driver - the team finally goes through a season in which nothing amazingly bad happened. Well, except for being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the sixth straight year. And Terrell Brandon suffering an injury that forced him to miss the second half of the season and perhaps end his career. Actually, some see this one as a blessing in disguise. Regardless, it is hard, even for passionate Wolves fans like myself, not to go through this last season and at the end shrug to themselves, saying "Oh well, same old Wolves."

And that is the dilemma. It is not like the Timberwolves are a bad team. They finished tied for the best record in franchise history (50-32) and earned their highest seed ever in the playoffs (5th). But at the same time, there were hints and expectations of the team being much better than they actually were. The team started off strong with a 30-10 record. Fans, pinching themselves occasionally, vainly believed that Minnesota might compete for the division title or at the very least homecourt advantage for the first round. It was not to be. The T-Wolves finished the season 20-22, starting with a 3-6 stretch right before the All-Star break and then a seven game losing streak in March. There are a couple of possible explanations for the collapse. The first is that after Terrell Brandon, the team's starting point guard and a former All-Star, was injured in January with a cartilage fracture. He tried briefly to come back, but was eventually placed on injured reserve for the season right after the All-Star break and underwent surgery. It is still unclear if he will ever be able to play again, with some sort of evaluation due in the middle of July. Brandon, while he can be criticized for not driving the lane and his generally poor defense (he is somewhat decent at getting steals), did have the ability to run the offense smoothly and under control. Chauncey Billups, the replacement starter for Brandon, simply cannot do this. The other explanation is that opponents finally figured out Coach Flip Saunder's zone defenses. During the first half of the season, the Timberwolves benefited probably more than any other team from the rule change allowing zone defenses. Minnesota employed mainly a variation of a box and one, sometimes bring Kevin Garnett out to the key to disrupt the flow of the opponent's offense. Other times, Minnesota would employ a more conventional zone defense, leaving Garnett inside to block shots and pick up rebounds. It worked and Minnesota was one of the better defensive teams for a while. In the matter of a couple of weeks, right before the All-Star break, the Wolves ceased being able to stop anyone consistently. I really do not know why there was such a sudden change, but watching games the defensive fall-off was dramatic. Maybe the Wolves got tired; maybe the loss of Brandon hurt on defense, as hard as that is to believe. Regardless, the team was out of sync both offensively and defensively for most of the second half of the season. There would be stretches where the Wolves showed signs of pulling things together, but they could never sustain this. Inconsistency, especially offensively, plagued the Wolves - what was once one of the better shooting and assist teams started having games in which the team shot somewhere in the upper 30s percentage-wise. Without a strong defense, this was not a recipe for success.

Minnesota did manage to hold off Portland from the 5th slot and thus managed to avoid playing the Lakers in the first round. Not that it mattered - Dallas swept us. Minnesota should have won the first game. We outrebounded the Mavs 59-38. In fact, Minnesota dominated the paint. We lost the game on the perimeter, though, which is definitely Dallas's strength. Anthony Peeler more or less shot us out of the game, which was a surprise to no one other than Flip (and maybe Peeler himself). The Wolves were in most of the game, but fell apart in the last minute and a half. In the second game, Garnett responded to criticism (from Magic Johnson among others) that he is not a clutch player to have a monster game (31 points and 18 rebounds). In fact, Minnesota got big contributions from Garnett, Billups, and Wally Szczerbiak . . and absolutely no one else. Dallas is too deep a team to play with only three players. Fortunately, Flip kept Peeler out for most of the game, a surprise to everyone (including probably Flip). Michael Finley made some amazing shots and absolutely killed us in this game, as did Dirk Nowitski, who played well throughout the entire series. Minnesota almost decided not to show up for the third game, despite the fact that it was at home. Dallas jumped out to a 20 point lead before the Pups managed to rally to within three with just over four minutes to go in the game. At that point the rally fizzled and the Wolves exited the playoffs in the first round for the sixth straight year.

II. Draft History

• 1989: Jerome "Pooh" Richardson (10th)
           Gary Leonard (34th)
           Doug West (38th)
• 1990: Felton Spencer (6th)
           Gerald Glass (20th)
• 1991: Luc Longley (7th)
           Myron Brown (34th)
• 1992: Christian Laettner (3rd)
           Marlon Maxey (28th)
           Chris Smith (34th)
           Tim Burroughs (51st)
• 1993: Isaiah Rider (5th)
          Sherron Mills (29th)
• 1994: Donyell Marshall (4th)
           Howard Eisley (30th)
• 1995: Kevin Garnett (5th)
            Mark Davis (48th)
            Jerome Allen (49th)
• 1996: Ray Allen (5th; traded same day with Andrew Lang to Milwaukee for Stephon Marbury)
• 1997: Paul Grant (20th)
           Gordon Malone (44th)
• 1998: Radoslav Nesterovic (17th)
           Andrae Patterson (46th)
• 1999: Wally Szczerbiak (6th)
• 2000: William Avery (14th)
            Igor Rakocevic (51st)
• 2001: Loren Woods (46th)

McHale took over starting with the 1995 draft. He showed great courage in taking Garnett, the first highly touted high school player in quite some time, with the #5 pick. This was clearly the pick that turned the franchise around. And to think that many people predicted Minnesota taking Ed O'Bannon there! At the time of the trade, Marbury said that he wanted to play in Minnesota, having become friends with KG at a summer camp the year before. Had Marbury stayed, this trade definitely would have been worth it, though in retrospect it might have been better to stick with Allen. The next two picks were made by a team desperate for a center. Grant has still not played an NBA minute, mostly because of ankle and foot injuries, and was eventually shipped to Milwaukee in the Marbury deal for salary cap reasons. He is now out of the league. Nesterovic has developed into the best center in T-Wolves history, not that that is saying very much. He has become a core player for Minnesota. With Szczerbiak and Avery, many basketball commentators thought that Minnesota had the best draft in 1999. Szczerbiak has been more than solid for a #6 pick, making the All-Star team this past season as a reserve. Indeed, it is becoming apparent that he is to be the Wolves' second cornerstone behind KG. Assuming he is not traded. More on that later. Avery got a chance to play some minutes this season when Brandon went down with an injury and basically played himself off the team. The team did not have a first round pick two years ago because of the trade to get Dean Garrett and Bobby Jackson from Denver via Toronto in a three-way trade. Picking Rakocevic ("Rako") in the second round might pay off eventually if he turns out to be a player. He has been dubbed by some in Europe as the "white Jordan." (Of course, most people compared to Jordan have failed miserably [exhibit one: Harold Minor].) From what little information I have been able to find out, he seems to be an aggressive player and a good shooter. His ball-handling abilities are questionable, and he commits almost as many turnovers as he makes assists. At 6'2", he sounds like a shooting guard in a point guard's body. Rako really wants to play in the NBA and might turn down more money in Europe to join the Wolves this upcoming season (he is still under contract to a Yugoslavian team and would have to be bought out) or the one after that. It is too early to tell, though, if he will ever be a quality NBA player. Rako is supposed to be on our summer team this year and stands a decent chance of making the roster as an undersized combo guard. Of course, we already have one of those in Chauncey Billups, but he has the option of being a free agent and may leave. Last year, the Wolves did not have a first round draft choice because of the Joe Smith illegal contract. See my write-up from last year for a summary of what happened - it is too painful for me to repeat here. We lucked out with our second round pick to get a player in Loren Woods that many thought should go somewhere in the first round. In fact, those prone to conspiracy theories suggested that other teams let Woods fall to us out of sympathy for not having a pick due to the Joe Smith debacle. More likely, he fell due to concerns over his back and his occasionally sullen attitude. Regardless, this was a surprisingly good/fortunate mid-second round pick, even though he has not turned out to be a team savior. The Wolves will likely need even more luck this year as their pick, barring a trade, is even later in the second round.

III. Team Strengths and Weaknesses

The T-Wolves pride themselves on their team play. At times they can be the best team in the league at ball rotation. The team was second in the league in assists. I am sure this is appreciated by many basketball purists who are dismayed at the recent emphasis on athleticism over shooting ability. And this strategy can actually work, too. Minnesota was fourth in the league in points scored and sixth in the league in field goal percentage, a statistic that is especially impressive when you consider that Minnesota does not get very many layups. When the team is struggling to rotate the ball, however, the offense can really fall apart. No one on Minnesota's roster is great at creating their own shot. Billups comes the closest to being a slashing type player, but he tends to play so out of control that he is usually not able to pass the ball out of the lane for a spot-up shooter. Furthermore, Minnesota shoots almost exclusively mid-range jump shots. The team needs to be hitting them at a good pace in order to have a chance to win the game. It is unfortunate that the Wolves do not try too many perimeter shots. They were second in the league in three-point percentage, but rarely shot them (25th in the league). Yeah, one of the reasons why their percentage is so good is because they do not take bad shots, but that just means that the coach needs to get the team into position to take better shots, since the team apparently can make more of them. Similarly, the Wolves were fourth in the league in free throw percentage, but next to last in number taken per game. This is not surprising considering Minnesota's lack of quality slashers or inside play.

On the interior, the team lacks a power player who demands double teams. Nesterovic is actually a pretty good offensive player, but he is more of a finesse player than a power player. Joe Smith is not strong enough to get the job done either. Garnett is usually double-teamed wherever he is on the court. Indeed, this is part of the problem with the team offense. In almost every set offensive play, especially after Brandon was injured, the plan is to throw the ball in to Garnett at the top of the key or maybe the low block. Wally runs to the corner as an outlet hoping that the defense will collapse on KG and he can go to the open spot for a shot. Wally hates this, but it is what Flip tells him to do. The rest of the players on the floor run around more or less randomly. Garnett is a very good ball handler, but not ideal for the point forward position that this play puts him in. KG is much better catching the ball while in motion and going to the basket within the flow of the offense. Put him in a stationary position and he ends up taking too many fade-away jumpers. The problem is that we have no one who can get the ball to Garnett in the flow of the offense. Brandon could sort of do this, but not really because he refused to drive the lane. Plus, the lack of an inside presence to finish strong to the hoop limits the ball rotation to those mid-range jumpers I have been complaining about.

On defense, the Timberwolves are also hurt by the lack of a strong interior player. Minnesota often collapses the defense into the middle, which results in very poor perimeter defense. The Wolves were fourth worst in the league in opponents' three-point percentage. Minnesota was fourteenth in the league overall field goal percentage, which suggests the effectiveness of the zone defense, but also its limitation against perimeter shooting. In rebounding, Minnesota averaged as many as their opponents, which is probably due mostly to Minnesota's hustle since they do not have imposing physical strength. They were twelvth in the league in offensive rebounding, averaging slightly more than their opponents. What I remember most, though is the bad defensive rotations leading to wide open shots, usually for three, by the opponent. Minnesota was fifth worst in the league in number of three-pointers attempted by opponents. Too many of these happened at key points in the game. If Minnesota is going to get better, they need to learn to put the clamps down defensively when it matters.

In reality, the Timberwolves are probably somewhere between the 30-10 team that started the season and the 20-22 team that finished the season. In other words, 50 wins is about right, even though fans were tantalized with more. The frustrating thing is that possibly all four teams in the NBA clearly better than us are also in the Western Conference. (I consider us about on the level of New Jersey and Boston. [On a side note, there have been some rumors about Minnesota being moved to the East and the New Orleans Hornets to the West. While I think this move would make sense from a travel perspective (no team travels more miles than Minnesota), the momentum to add an expansion team in Charlotte quashes any hope of Minnesota moving East. In fact, New Orleans will still have to move West to avoid an imbalance.]) Because we do not have a first-round pick this year and because we are bumping up against the luxury tax cap (and will likely exceed it), our options for improving are limited. I don't think the Kings, Mavs, and Lakers are going anywhere soon. Depending on Robinson's health and Tim Duncan's free agent decision in a year, it may be possible to catch San Antonio, but that may not be satisfying enough. While it would certainly be nice to win a playoff series, the ultimate goal is still a championship. The team is relatively young, with all major players except Brandon being in their mid-twenties, but the idea of being a true championship contender may be a few years off. This leave the impression that while the team may be slowly improving through internal development, they are at the same time treading water in relation to the rest of the conference. Because of our sixth straight first round playoff exit, there are some who want to really shake things up. There has been talk of trading not only Wally, but also KG. In the rush to improve, however, management must be wary of trading just for the sake of trading. This seems to be their mindset. Because other teams think we are desperate, few good offers seem to be coming our way, meaning that the team will probably need to continue to develop from within and hope for the best. This may lead to more of the same, but my sense is that Minnesota and its management are pretty risk averse. One could make the argument that only by gambling big will this team have a shot at a championship. If that is the case, though, I will not be holding my breath. Frustrating? Yes. But there is perhaps little that can be done about it.

IV. Players, Coaching, and Management

I have doubts about everyone involved in this organization. Everyone! I will proceed by discussing the relevant parties, my concerns about them, and what I see as their future with the organization and ways they can improve.

A. Centers:

Radoslav (Rasho, Rim Rockin' Rasho, Nesty) Nesterovic (#8, 7'0", 248 lbs, dob: 5/30/76, years NBA: 4, Slovenia) (G: 82; GS: 82; MPG: 27.0; FG%: .493; 3P%: .000; FT%: .549; Off Reb: 2.4; Def Reb: 4.1; Tot Reb: 6.50; APG: 0.9; SPG: 0.55; BPG: 1.33; TO::1.15; PF: 3.2; PPG: 8.4): Rasho really emerged this season as a competent center. He is not dominant by any means and never will be, but hey, our standards are not all that high for centers here in Minnesota. Let us just say that Rasho is the best center to play professional basketball in Minnesota since the great George Mikkan. Rasho is definitely a finesse player, but a pretty good one at that. McHale, since being reinstated following the Joe Smith debacle, has again taken Rasho under his wing, teaching him all those twisting moves (I think one is called the "white worm") that he himself used to do so well. Offensively, Rasho is getting much better at finishing plays. He has a decent mid-range shot, but cannot shoot from long distance. Much of his development came late in the year, with Flip finally being forced to trust him late in games. Indeed, Rasho's biggest problem has always seemed to be his occasional lack of confidence. Maybe he can't help it, but he often has this deer-in-the-headlights look to him. And for the longest time Flip would destroy Rasho's confidence by taking him out of the game at the littlest mistake. Defensively, I have concerns that Rasho will ever be able to handle stronger centers in the league. He has good footwork, but probably is not going to add very much muscle to his frame. Plus, he has a tendency to get into early foul trouble, though he seems to be getting better about this than in years past. I'd like to see him develop more of a killer instinct on both ends of the court. That and a better free throw percentage. He reportedly has a good work ethic, so he should continually improve, even if not by leaps and bounds.
Future: Restricted Free Agent, earned $1.75 million last season. It is a virtual certainty that Minnesota will extend a matching offer to Rasho. He may get offers elsewhere, but it will probably not be anything above the mid-level exception, and I certainly hope that we are willing to match that. With the difficulty in finding quality centers in this league, Rasho has become one of our core players, even if this means getting a stronger power forward to compensate for Rasho's relative lack of strength.

Loren Woods (#3, 7'1", 246 lbs, dob: 5/21/78, years NBA: 1, Arizona '01) (G: 60; GS: 0; MPG: 8.6; FG%: .344; 3P%: .000; FT%: .733; Off Reb: 0.8; Def Reb: 1.3; Tot Reb: 2.0; APG: 0.4; SPG: 0.28; BPG: 0.57; TO: 0.60; PF: 1.0; PPG: 1.8): The Wolves were lucky to get Woods in the second round last year. He is not a great center, and is even thinner and physically weaker than Rasho, but with time and patience I think Woods has the ability to be a good back-up center. Woods's best skill is shot-blocking and generally being disruptive on defense. His offensive skills are unpolished as of this point. His height makes him best suited to taking the ball hard to the hole, but he just does not have the physical strength to do that. I think he could probably add muscle to his frame without losing quickness, but I somewhat doubt his physiology will allow this. In other words, I see Woods as having the ability to get better, but only to a point.
Future: Restricted Free Agent, earned rookie minimum last season ($333K). I imagine he will remain with the team. He may get some other offers, though, and if the Wolves decide to use their mid-level and million dollar exceptions on other players and not split it with Woods, it is possible they will get squeezed out. However, Woods has not yet shown he is capable of being a starting center, so the chances that other teams will offer him big money are probably minimal.

Marc (MJax) Jackson (#25, 6'10", 270 lbs, dob: 1/16/75, years NBA: 2, Temple '97) (G: 22; GS: 0; MPG: 14.8; FG%: .384; 3P%: .000; FT%: .813; Off Reb: 1.4; Def Reb: 2.5; Tot Reb: 3.9; APG: 0.3; SPG: 0.27; BPG: 0.14; TO: 0.82; PF: 2.0; PPG: 4.6): Marc Jackson was acquired at the trading deadline for Dean Garrett and a second round pick in 2007. I think the second round pick five years from now must have been what was holding up all those rumored deals with other teams. Whatever. I'm not going to waste my time here trashing Golden State. At the time, the deal seemed like an absolute steal, even though Garrett was an expiring contract. Jackson started off strong, running mostly off of adrenaline from his hatred of the Warriors. He quickly tapered off, with his lack of fitness catching up with him. Seems he got a little overweight with all his time off. He also still has a bit of an attitude problem, complaining about his reduced playing time. This attitude has supposedly gotten better over the summer. He has shown up at informal team workouts and reportedly has lost 35 pounds. Jackson considers himself to be a center, but I think his best position is probably at power forward. He can't jump worth a darn and in general does not have the inside moves necessary to be an especially effective center. He'd be competent there, but he is probably not the banger that Minnesota hoped they were getting. That said, he is relatively strong and has a good mid-range shot. His rebounding ability is solid but not spectacular. While he is not ideal, I think he could fill some of Minnesota's needs for interior strength on both offense and defense. I will reserve further judgment until I see what kind of shape he is in at training camp (assuming he is still with the team) and what this allows him to do. Barring other acquisitions, though, I would not be surprised to see him starting a few games instead of Joe Smith.
Future: signed through 2007, earned $3.25 million last season. Owner Glen Taylor became openly displeased with the lack of playing time for Jackson and demanded that he either be played or traded. Jackson is a decent big man signed to a reasonable contract. Now that he has played and not lived up to what were perhaps overly-inflated expectations, he probably does not have the trade value he once did. Minnesota may try to move him for a mid first round pick or maybe even a late first round pick. Indications are, however, that they will probably keep him for the time being and see if they can fit him into their system. At the same time, they will not hesitate to include him in a larger deal for cap purposes if necessary.

Dean Garrett (6'11", 250 lbs, dob: 11/27/66, years NBA: 6, Indiana '88) (G: 29; GS: 0; MPG: 5.2; FG%: .350; 3P%:.000; FT%: .000; Off Reb: 0.4; Def Reb: 1.2; Tot Reb: 1.6; APG: 0.1; SPG: 0.17; BPG: 0.31; TO: 0.24; PF: 0.9; PPG: 1.0): Last year I predicted that Garrett would be used in a trade as cap fodder and sure enough he and his expiring contract were traded to Golden State. Garrett barely played while with Minnesota and played even less for the Warriors. He had one good year while Marbury was on the team and it earned him a big contract. The gravy train is now over. He just is not very talented and serves little role on the floor, either on offense or defense. He is neither strong nor quick.
Future: Unrestricted Free Agent (no longer with team), earned $3.24 million last season. He will probably retire. I suppose some team desperate for big men might pick him up for the minimum, but he will more likely go back to Europe to play, where he was before coming to the Wolves.

B. Forwards:

Kevin (KG, Da Kid, Big Ticket, The Franchise) Garnett (6'11", 220 lbs, dob: 5/19/76, years NBA: 7, Farragut Academy High School '95) (G: 81; GS: 81; MPG: 39.2; FG%: .470; 3P%: .319; FT%: .801; Off Reb: 3.0; Def Reb: 9.1; Tot Reb: 12.1; APG: 5.2; SPG: 1.19; BPG: 1.56; TO: 2.83; PF: 2.3; PPG: 21.2): This is the first season in which there have been serious questions about KG's ability as a player. Actually, it would be more appropriate to say that there are questions about his ability as a leader. Everyone knows that he is an extremely talented player, but he does not seem to come through in the clutch as much as some would like. This criticism increased during the playoffs, with Magic Johnson among others calling him out on national TV. Losing in the first round of the playoffs does not help. KG defenders say that he just does not the talent around him to advance. Looking at his play during the playoffs, there is little to criticize. KG is still unquestionably the cornerstone of this franchise. I would hazzard that he is still one of the top 5 players in the league. He is one of the most versatile players in the league, which he showed by becoming one of only a few players in NBA history to average more than 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in multiple consecutive seasons. Plus, he is an excellent shot blocker. He is also an all-NBA defensive player. In fact, most of the Wolves' defense is geared around KG and necessarily so. Garnett's main problem is that he is sort of a tweener, which limits his development. He needs to decide if he is going to be a power forward or a small forward. He played mostly SF this season, but a little bit of PF as well, especially late in the year. If he is going to be a SF, he needs to increase his outside shooting ability to draw the defense more to the perimeter. He could really take some lessons from Nowitski here, who torched the Timberwolves in the playoffs with his outside shooting. KG is a decent outside shooter, but not as good as he neds to be to reach his maximum potential. If Kevin is going to be a PF, he needs to add a lot of strength so that he can bang with the stronger power forwards in the West. He also needs to become more aggressive in the interior and quit settling for all the fade away jumpers he keeps taking. Don't get me wrong, the fade away jumper is a great shot, but he needs more in his arsenal than that. In my opinion, Garnett, despite his 7'0" height, is really more of a true SF and is unlikely to develop the muscle mass to be a dominating PF. He is quick enough (and has a large enough wingspan) to handle pretty much any SF in the league. That said, it would be nice if he added enough strength to drive to the basket more, of for no other reason than to get to the free throw line more. As discussed above, the other area in which he needs to improve is his ability to take over games, especially in the fourth quarter. He gets points consistently throughout the game (and rarely strays very far either way from the 22-point per game level), but he too often becomes silent late in games.
Future: Signed through 2004, earned $22.4 million last season. For the first time, there have been those who suggest that KG be traded, mostly because of his huge contract and alleged lack of clutch play. While it is true that Garnett's contract is limiting the moves that this team can make, don't expect him to be moved unless it is for two superstars (e.g. a Walker AND Pierce deal from Boston might draw interest). This is unlikely. In other words, KG will remain a Timberwolf for the time being. This summer he can start talking a contract extension with Minnesota. Because his last contract was grandfathered in, he could actually start his next contract at somewhere around $30 mil a year. Neither side expects this to happen. There has been talk that a deal for around $20 mil a year might be possible. I'd rather see something in the mid to high teens, but KG deserves respect as a player and will likely not want to take a huge paycut. Regardless, it seems at this point that both KG and management want him to remain with the team long-term.

Joe (Ordinary Joe) Smith (6'10", 225 lbs, dob: 7/26/75, years NBA: 8, Maryland '95) (G: 72; GS: 63; MPG: 26.7; FG%: .511; 3P%: .667; FT%: .830; Off Reb: 2.1; Def Reb: 4.2; Tot Reb: 6.3; APG: 1.1; SPG: 0.54; BPG: 0.82; TO: 1.19; PF: 3.5; PPG: 10.7): He's baaaaack! This is the guy we mortgaged our future for? I am not going to rehash the Joe Smith debacle here (again, see my report from last year if you want the blow-by-blow). Summary: We lost McHale and owner Taylor for a year, were fined $3.5 million, and had five first round draft picks taken away from us (the picks for 2003 and 2005 have since been returned). But at least Joe Smith is finally happy here. The expectations were that he would be a solid starting power forward to help complement KG at small forward. The problem is that Joe just does not have the strength to provide the interior offense and defense that this team needs. Joe is decent on defense, though the fact that his best skill is taking charges is somewhat troubling. On offense, he is best at offensive rebounds and put-backs. He has some range, decent for a PF, but not great and can't really stretch out a defense. I think he would be a great guy to bring off the bench, but I think he is weak as a starter. In Joe's defense, he has had some injuries and family tragedies to deal with this past season. In that sense, I do not really blame him for his disappointing play. To be honest, I don't really care much about his numbers - I just don't think he is a strong fit for what this team needs at the power forward position (i.e. some real power).
Future: Signed through 2007, earned $4.5 million last season. The idea when Joe was signed was to lock up a solid power forward for a long time. From his play this past season, he is probably a bit overpaid, but not grossly so. If the Wolves can move him for a healthy starting point guard or a power forward prospect with some real strength (maybe Zach Randolph), I would do it. However, Joe is earning just enough that I do not see this as likely. If not, then for the love of God, Joe, hit the weights!

Sam (Sam-I-Am) Mitchell (#42, 6'7", 210 lbs, dob: 9/2/63, years NBA: 13, Mercer '85) (G: 74; GS: 10; MPG: 9.8; FG%: .432; 3P%: .286; FT%: .776; Off Reb: 0.2; Def Reb: 0.9; Tot Reb: 1.1; APG: 0.6; SPG: 0.16; BPG: 0.05; TO: 0.35; PF: 1.1; PPG: 3.3): To quote Beavis and Butthead: "Huh-huh, he's like, really old or something." To quote Eminem: "You're too old. Let go. It's over. Nobody listens to techno." (Not sure how that last line got in there.) Mitchell is really, really starting to show his age. He cannot play very many minutes any more and the minutes he does play are not very productive. He has no consistency on his outside baseline jumper, which was once automatic for him. He can still help out defensively to a limited extent, but it is probably time to give younger players a chance. I think Flip realizes this in that this season he started giving Mitchell DNP-CDs last season. His veteran savy got him some starts late in the season as the team went through some injuries. Plus, Flip started Mitchell on Nowitski in the playoffs because he did a good job on him in the regular season. Ooops. Mitchell does provide a valuable service to the team by mentoring younger players and seems to be universally respected by his teammates. I hope (and somewhat expect) that after his playing days are through he is offered a position as an assistant coach.
Future: Unrestricted Free Agent, earned $1 million last season. Mitchell has said he wants to play one more year. Why he wants to put himself through the frustration of spending increasing time on the bench is beyond me. I really want to keep Mitchell in this organization, but not at the expense of letting other players develop. If we absolutely cannot get anyone else at back-up small forward, I might consider keeping Mitchell as a player. However, I would definitely like to look at other options first.

Gary (Shaq of the MAC) Trent (6'8", 250 lbs, dob: 9/22/74, years NBA: 7, Ohio '96) (G: 64; GS: 10; MPG: 17.8; FG%: .507; 3P%: .000; FT%: .639; Off Reb: 1.6; Def Reb: 2.6; Tot Reb: 4.2; APG: 0.9; SPG: 0.33; BPG: 0.42; TO: 0.91; PF: 2.5; PPG: 7.5): Gary was a real savior at times, showing some hustle and power moves in the pivot. He came in as a free agent and took the role that LaPhonzo Ellis had played the previous year. However, he is too slow to be a long-term solution at power forward. He is also on the short side and can't really jump. This makes him a pretty significant defensive liability at times. He gets most of his play from hustle and throwing his muscle and weight around. That can be valuable off the bench playing against the other team's reserves, but it definitely has its limits.
Future: Unrestricted Free Agent, earned veterans minimum ($716K) last season. I actually think that Trent will be back next season. He has a role here suitable for where he is as a player. He will probably need to prove for one more season that he is not injury-prone before he gets any big offers. Then again, Ellis was in more or less the same position last season and Miami gave him an offer better than what Minnesota could match. The Wolves probably will not offer him more than the veterans minimum, so it might not take much to lure him away.

C. Guards:

Wally (Wally World) Szczerbiak (6'8", 245 lbs, dob 3/5/77, years NBA: 3, Miami (Ohio) '99) (G: 82; GS: 82; MPG: 38.0; FG%: .508; 3P%: .455; FT%: .831; Off Reb: 1.5; Def Reb: 3.3; Tot Reb: 4.8; APG: 3.1; SPG: 0.80; BPG: 0.26; TO: 2.21; PF: 2.3; PPG: 18.7): Wally World has arrived. He is one of the best shooters in the NBA and probably the best that is a starter. This was reflected in him earning a spot as a reserve on the All-Star team. There are those who say he did not deserve this, and the injury to Finley probably helped, but there is no question that Wally is a star player with a bright future ahead of him. Is he going to be a superstar? Perhaps not. But he is definitely more than a role player. Wally's play has improved dramatically on both offense and defense since switching from small forward to shooting guard, a position to which he is better suited. On defense, he is no longer the liability he once was. He still struggles a bit on team defense, which unfortunately the Wolves play quite a bit of, but he is an acceptable man-on-man defender and even at times does quite well. Wally this season in a home game against the Lakers stiffled Kobe to the point that Bryant in a post-game interview said that Wally was a much better defender than he had expected. On offense, Minnesota is not taking full advantage of Wally's skills. Wally does not get nearly the number of shots he deserves. Part of this may be due to resentment from his teammates, as was documented in a recent Ric Bucher article in ESPN the magazine. And then there was the infamous "Freeze Out" game in Cleveland the day after Wally was named to the All-Star team, in which Wally only got six shots for three points. The whole team really sucked in this game, though, so I'm not sure there was Wally was being denied the ball out of maliciousness so much as out of incompetence. The article was overblown, but no doubt Wally's pretty boy image does not sit well with some teammates. He and KG seem to have agreed to set aside their differences after a fight in practice last season, though this is still a constant topic of conversation in interviews. KG was the one who came to Wally's defense after the Cleveland game, demanding that he get the ball more. Brandon did a good job of getting Szczerbiak involved in the offense early in the season before going down with an injury. Chauncey Billups did not do nearly as good a job, and Wally's offensive production suffered as a result, but I blame this more on Chauncey's style of play than on resentment between the players. I think Peeler probably resents Wally taking his starting job at shooting guard. The primary reason for his lack of shots, in my opinion, is the style of play that Flip coaches. The set play Flip uses almost every time down the court is to post KG up at the top of the key or maybe the low block and pass him the ball. This stops his motion, whereas he is much better moving away from the ball than from a standing position. Anyway, according to an interview with Wally, Flip tells him to run to the corner almost every time and wait for the play to develop. Occasionally, the defense will collapse and Wally will rotate into a jump shot. Not often enough, though. For example, Wally was 4th in the league in three-point percentage, but only took 191 of them. In my opinion, both Wally and KG need to be in constant motion to be at their most effective. Actually, I think most of the plays should be designed to get Wally open, not to have him as an afterthought. Try to get Wally open, and if that doesn't happen pass to KG slashing the lane. Wally should be averaging somewhere in the low 20s for points. Getting Wally open will also help his play because his biggest weakness is his dribbling. It is never smooth and too often he loses control and causes a turnover. If he can use the summer to learn to dribble, he will be that much more unstoppable.
Future: Signed through 2003 on rookie contract, earned $2.3 million last season. Most of the trade rumors swirling around Minnesota involve Wally. This is because he at this point has great talent and potential but a low salary. Both Flip and McHale, known collectively as McFlip, have said that they are not going to trade Wally. Szczerbiak is probably the best conditioned athlete on the team, and no body works harder at it than he does. When the Wolves brought in a new strength coach this summer for voluntary training sessions, not only did Wally go to the sessions, but he also arranged to go down to Arizona on his own and train some more with this guy. I realize that Wally is not going to blow anyone away with his athleticism, and that he may be slightly limited as a player as a result, but he brings some much needed scoring to this team and I am strongly against trading him just for the sake of trading him. The problem with most trade scenarios for Wally is that they do not know what the status of Brandon is going to be. If you know Brandon is going to be out, then that makes you much more likely to trade Wally for a point guard. I would probably do a deal that sent Wally to Cleveland for Andre Miller and worry about what to do with Brandon later, but mostly because Miller is the type of player that makes his teammates better and would be a great fit with the Wolves. However, it would take that kind of player for me to trade Wally. There have been rumors of trading Wally for a high draft pick and maybe a player, such as to Memphis for Stromile Swift and their #4 pick. To be honest there is no one in this draft that has proven themselves enough to me that I would trade Wally for that player. If a team offers two quality starters for Wally, I would consider it, but bottom line is that because of his continued development and his misuse, I do not think Wally has reached his full potential. The only hitch to this is that if you believe Wally does not get along with others on the team, it might be a good idea to trade him now rather than face the threat of him walking next offseason. As with Cleveland and Miller, the Wolves can sign Wally to an extension this summer. I am not sure he deserve a max contract, but probably something close, and if he holds out for a max contract I'd probably give it to him.

Terrell (TB) Brandon (5'11", 180 lbs, dob 5/20/70, years NBA: 11, Oregon '90) (G: 32; GS: 28; MPG: 30.1; FG%: .425; 3P%: .174; FT%: .988; Off Reb: 0.5; Def Reb: 2.4; Tot Reb: 2.9; APG: 8.3; SPG: 1.63; BPG: 0.19; TO: 1.34; PF: 1.5; PPG: 12.4): My biggest doubt about Brandon is that he can stay healthy for a full season. In fact, it is almost a certainty that he cannot. He was injured in January with a cartilage fracture. (Not sure how you can fracture cartilage, but whatever.) There were hopes by some, and apparently a real possibility, that he would be forced to retire and Minnesota would get an injury exception of about $5 mil in addition to having Brandon's salary paid by insurance. Now it looks like he will probably come back. This is troubling for several reasons. First, he is very fragile and will probably get injured again, though hopefully not for a full season. Perhaps more importantly, I have my doubts that he is the best fit for this team. Remember that motion offense I just talked about? I don't think Brandon can really run it well. He can pass the ball quite well, has good assist numbers, and is usually close to the top of point guards for assist to turnover ratio. However, Brandon cannot really drive the lane, or maybe is just unwilling to do because of his frailty. Regardless, you need a point guard who can drive and dish in order for the type of offense I am describing to really work. Brandon does not really fit that bill. Plus, his best, and in some ways only, shot is the mid-range jumper, which though he hits with a relatively high frequency, does not stretch the defense to open up opportunities for other players. And don't get me started about Brandon's defense, which is quite poor. The next screen he fights through will be his first. Despite all these criticism, the problem with Brandon is that he is just good enough to be a respectable player that you simply cannot just discard. Not to mention his vastly overpriced salary, which other teams are not likely to take off our hands. Which leads us to . . .
Future: Signed through 2005, earned $9.3 million last season. Most Wolves fans want to trade Brandon for whatever we can get for him. I think McFlip, as well as myself, are probably in this camp, but no one is going to take Brandon, even for reserves. Supposedly last offseason we could have traded Brandon for Chris Childs and Kurt Thomas. McHale refused, saying we are "not into waste management." Boy, I wish we had taken this trade, and I bet he does too now. Most likely, we are stuck with Brandon for the remainder of his contract, or at least until he really does suffer a career-ending injury. Minnesota needs a point guard it can rely upon if it is going to make any noise in the playoffs. Brandon is not that player.

Anthony Peeler (6'4", 208 lbs, dob 11/25/69, years NBA: 10, Missouri '92) (G: 82; GS: 0; MPG: 25.1; FG%: .421; 3P%: .392; FT%: .862; Off Reb: 0.5; Def Reb: 2.1; Tot Reb:2.5; APG: 2.2; SPG: 0.74; BPG: 0.13; TO: 0.93; PF: 1.7; PPG: 9.0): Peeler has shot us out of too many games to make me have any respect for him as a player. Flip for most of the season seemed to be fascinated with Peeler and played him way too many minutes. There is a limited role for a player like Peeler, who is an extremely streaky shooter that doesn't know when to stop: Put him in either when you have a bit of a cushion and are trying to put the game away or when you are behind by a lot and making a last ditch effort to get back in the game. At all times, though, be ready to yank him quickly if he is off. This last part is what Flip would not do. Oh yeah, Peeler's defense also sucks.
Future: Funny you should mention. Peeler is actually considering filing suit to challenge his contract. Apparently, he had all these incentives in his contract, the only one of which was met (50 wins). There are some conspiracy theorists who argue vehemently that Flip played Peeler so much because the incentive clauses would only be invoked if he played an average of 24 minutes a game, which he did. I am not exactly sure what Peeler's claim is. Mostly, he probably thinks the Wolves are skittish about public contract disputes. Reliable sources report that because Peeler missed so many of his incentives (shooting percentage, etc. [which may explain why he shot so much]), he now only has one year left on his contract. Last season, he earned $3.0 million. Because he is an expiring contract, Peeler could be useful trade bait, especially at the trading deadline. I expect the Wolves will also try to move him during the draft for a low first round pick. Whether they will have any takers is another question.

Chauncey Billups (6'3", 202 lbs, dob 9/25/76, years NBA: 5, Colorado '97) (G: 82; GS: 54; MPG: 28.7; FG%: .423; 3P%: .394; FT%: .885; Off Reb: 0.4; Def Reb: 2.3; Tot Reb: 2.8; APG: 5.5; SPG: 0.80; BPG: 0.21; TO: 1.68; PF: 2.1; PPG: 12.5): Billups played reasonably well in replacing Brandon as the starting point guard, but also showed that he is probably not a long-term solution there. Billups does not play under control well enough to fun a complicated offense of the type that you know Flip is going to install. Billups is a decent shooter, though not as good as Brandon. He is also a decent ball-handler, though again nowhere close to Brandon's level. Billups has a lot of trouble either passing while he is in motion or passing to a player who is moving, especially the latter. He shows occasional flashes of being a quality point guard, but it never lasts. He is really more of a shooting guard in a point guard's body, though he does at least try to have a point guard's mentality. Chauncey's major weakness is not being able to get other players involved in the offense. It is not that Billups is a ball hog, which he isn't really, it is just that the offense rarely flows smoothly when he is in charge. To top things off, his defense is little better than Brandon's, though more because Billups does not seem to know what he is doing than that he is afraid of the opposing player.
Future: Unrestricted Free Agent, earned $2.5 million last season. After saying at the end of the season he wouldn't, Billups opted out of his contract the day before the draft and will test the free agent waters. While there is something to be said for stability in one's career (Billups has been with four different teams in four years), Billups is looking to start somewhere. Between him and Brandon, it is sort of a toss-up, but if healthy the nod probably goes to Brandon. If Billups learns to play under more control, his ability to drive to the hoop might be a better fit for the team. Chauncey will probably a couple of offers at the mid-level exception. The Wolves can match this with the Early-Bird exception. Whether they will for a player who might not start is another matter. Re-signing Rasho is a higher priority, at least in my mind, so Billups may get lost in the mix.

Felipe Lopez (6'5", 195 lbs, dob 12/19/74, years NBA: 4, St. John's (N.Y.) '98) (G: 67; GS: 0; MPG: 8.7; FG%: .378; 3P%: .424; FT%: .673; Off Reb: 0.4; Def Reb: 0.8; Tot Reb: 1.2; APG: 0.6; SPG: 0.27; BPG: 0.01; TO:0.54; PF: 1.1; PPG: 2.5): Used mostly as a defensive stopper, something he is quite good at, Lopez did not get too many minutes. On offense, he plays way, way out of control. He misses far too many lay-ups for a player with his athleticism. If he learns to play more calmly, he could be an asset for this team, but time is running out on the patience the coaching staff will show with him. Then again, his defense may be reason enough to keep him around. He also played a bit of point guard this season, though not with much success.
Future: Player option (not sure if he exercised it), earned minimum ($565K) last year. Lopez is worth another year at the minimum. I doubt anyone will offer him more than that. He and Evans will battle for minutes next season, though Felipe's ability to play defense will allow him to shift over to small forward at times, which is increasingly important with Mitchell's increasing age.

William (Young Will) Avery (6'2", 180 lbs, dob 8/8/79, years NBA: 3, Duke '99) (G: 28; GS: 0; MPG: 9.2; FG%: .289; 3P%: .171; FT%: .684; Off Reb: 0.1; Def Reb: 0.7; Tot Reb: 0.8; APG: 1.3; SPG: 0.25; BPG: 0.00; TO::0.68; PF: 0.6; PPG: 2.5): When I said I have doubts about everyone in this organization, I was wrong. I have no doubts about Avery - he flat out sucks. (OK, I probably should have put Garrett in this category too.) Avery finally got the chance to play when he became the back-up point guard after Brandon went down and Billups started. Given this chance, he played himself out of the league. He in no shape or form can run an offense. And he has absolutely the ugliest jump shot I have ever seen with the way he kicks his legs forward on each attempt. Blame it on bad scouting or poor player development on our part, but I have no idea how he could have been such a good shooter in college.
Future: Unrestricted Free Agent, earned $1.375 million last season. The Wolves did not extend Avery last summer, so he is a free agent this one. If we make any offer to him, there will be much hair pulling by yours truly. The Wolves seem set to go with local boy Khalid El-Amin as their third string/developmental point guard. There are better choices, but perhaps none that will sign without family living in the area.

Maurice Evans (6'5", 220 lbs, dob: 11/8/78, years NBA: 1, Texas '01) (G: 10; GS: 0; MPG: 4.5; FG%: .474; 3P%: .000; FT%: .750; Off Reb: 0.3; Def Reb: 0.1; Tot Reb: 0.4; APG: 0.00; SPG: 0.00; BPG: 0.00; TO: 0.20; PF: 0.9; PPG: 2.1): He didn't really play enough for me to evaluate him. He is a good athlete and has been participating in the summer workouts. Evans was a bit of an erratic shooter in college, but has some potential. Flip has hinted that he will play an increased role next season.
Future: Team option, earned rookie minimum ($333K) last season. I am sure the team will keep him around at least for another season.

Robert (Pac-Man) Pack (6'2", 190 lbs, dob: 2/3/69, years NBA: 11, USC '91) (G: 16; GS: 0; MPG: 15.8; FG%: .368; 3P%: .250; FT%: .733; Off Reb: 0.4; Def Reb: 1.0; Tot Reb: 1.4; APG: 3.1; SPG: 0.81; BPG: 0.00; TO: 1.25; PF: 2.0; PPG: 3.9): Came in in March as a back-up point guard and played well, though not well enough to make anyone forget about our troubles at the 1. Flip later admitted that he should have brought Pack back in sooner, since Avery was one of the main causes of our seven game slide. Pact at least shored up our second unit.
Future: Unrestricted Free Agent, signed for veterans minimum. Depending on what happens with Brandon and Billups, I could see Pack being retained as a veteran back-up. There will probably be better options, though.

D. Management

Philip (Flip) Saunders, Coach: 7 seasons, 277-245, six trips to the playoff (exited first round each time). I have made several criticisms of Saunders along the way. Here are a couple more. He thinks too much. Flip started out in the Continental Basketball Association, where he was one of their better coaches. Because most players in the CBA are undersized for their respective positions and not especially talented, Flip thrived on drawing up complicated plays and molding his players to fit into them. This does not work in the NBA. Flip's overcoaching and micro-management stifles the creativity of players with definite talent that could do a better job controlling the tempo of the game if given the opportunity to do so. Also, Flip, never having had any in the CBA, does not know how to coach big and tall players. His is definitely a guard-oriented offense (despite the presence of KG), reflecting Flips heritage as a point guard in college. Flip is one of only five current NBA coaches never actually to have played in the NBA. This results, in my opinion, in him not understanding the flow of a game, as well as how to deal with talented players. Flip is a great preparation coach, but has a great deal of trouble adjusting to new situations during the game. Yes, he is by far the best coach this organization has ever had, which is not saying much, but his act is starting to wear a little thin, even on some of the players. There has been public dissension on this team by both KG and especially Wally. Flip needs to be more flexible in his coaching next season or he will lose the whole team.
Future: He is signed to four more year at around $5 mil per year. Flip is entering the second of a five-year huge contract. He is not going anywhere. He probably earned the contract by turning Minnesota into a solid playoff team. Flip probably even should have been considered for a Coach of the Year honor or two, since he often got the team to overachieve. He had other options last summer, notably Portland and Cleveland, but stayed with Minnesota because he had unfinished business. It is still unfinished. Flip is a good coach for developing a team but in my opinion does not have what it takes to get them over the hump to become a true contender. Maybe I am just venting my frustration with the playoff losses on Flip, but I do think there are real weaknesses with his coaching ability. And this is tough to say about a coach who has done so much for this team. I hope he proves me wrong.

Kevin McHale, Vice President of Operations, joined organization in 1995. Flip for a while was technically the general manager (a title he no longer holds), but McHale has always called the shots in selecting players. You can look at our past draft picks and our current roster to see how well we have done. McHale is a throwback to the old Celtics era of which he was a part, where teams developed slowly and from within. He has brought this strategy to the Timberwolves. In part he has little choice because of KG's enormous contract. However, this stance by McHale has made him reluctant to shake things up when sometimes they should be shuffled around - like perhaps now. If there is inaction in trading, it is probably because of McHale. He took a gamble with KG (and arguably Rasho), but otherwise he goes for a mediocre player that can fill a need over a prospect with a chance to be something special. Thus, much of the frustration over always being a team in the middle can be laid in McHale's lap. Maybe he is correct and this team will develop into a contender with the players it has now, but what has that done for me lately?
Future: I'm not even sure he has a contract. McHale likes to fish a lot. He frequently threatens to fish full time. Some say he already does. McHale is down home Minnesota folk and Taylor likes that, so barring some disaster McHale is likely to stay on as long as he wants to.

Glen Taylor, Owner, billionaire, bought team in 1994. Taylor caused, or at least played a large part, in the Joe Smith fiasco (let us never speak of it again). He needs to be held accountable for hindering the development of this team. The question is how much money is he willing to spend to build a winner. The Wolves are bumping up against the luxury tax cap (and way over the salary cap). They will probably be over the luxury tax cap no matter what they do. So, my thinking is that if you are going to lose the bonus money from capped teams anyway, you may as well spend a little. There is a real question if the Wolves will re-sign Rasho and Billups and also use the mid-level exemption. I can probably live with them doing two of the three, but would prefer all three. The thing is, if the Wolves want to try to avoid the luxury tax, they can probably only do one of the three unless they trade away a salary. This would be very disappointing. (BTW, it would be to keep Rasho.) To paraphrase Churchill, now is the time for all good billionaires to come to the aid of their team and open their wallets. It will probably only be for a couple of seasons until KG's salary is brought back to reasonable bounds and the new TV contract starts to escalate revenues. There are also rumors that Taylor may try to buy a first round pick, which would show further commitment to the team, as well as a bit of responsibility for losing those picks for us in the first place.
Future: Taylor is supposedly considering buying the Twins and/or Vikings, but shows no signs of wanting to sell the Wolves.

V. My Pick

With the 32nd pick in the 2002 Usenet Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select Carlos Boozer. I don't care if someone else already selected him. He's mine. I live in Alaska now, and you don't understand the kind of pressure I am under. It is my sworn duty to select Boozer. Bastards, all of you. BASTARDS!!!! All of the players I wanted and thought I might get went in the four previous picks. I really did want Boozer. As stated earlier, this team needs interior strength and defense, which I think Boozer supplies. Clancy or maybe Scola also would have fit this bill. Logan and Maddox might have helped solve our point guard problems. In the interest of finding some interior defense, my "real" selection is:

Dan Gadzuric, C, UCLA, 6'10", 240 lbs, dob: 2/2/78.

Gadzuric is known as a project, which is not good for a four-year player. However, he is quite athletic for a man his size and his defense is supposed to be relatively well refined, at least for a college player. If we have to rely on him for offense, we are already in trouble. I doubt Gadzuric will be able to play power forward, which is the position I really wanted, but with some coaching creativity, there is nothing to say that you can't have two centers on the floor at the same time. If he can develop his offensive touch and shooting a little bit, there is a chance he can move out a little bit and play some power forward. Gadzuric also needs to develop more consistency in his play, but this is not uncommon among draftees. At this point, I was more or less going for the best athlete in the draft and I thought Gadzuric was it. If nothing else, I should be able to stay in the positive column in the Usenet Draft/NBA Draft comparison.

VI. Others Considered

Dan Gadzuric, C, UCLA: I'm serious, man, I'm taking Boozer. Don't mess with me, man!

Marcus Taylor, PG, Michigan State: Has played in a nationally prominent program and done reasonably well. The Wolves could have five point guards (Brandon, Billups, Pack, Igor, and El-Amin) or none, so the temptation to pick a point guard was great. However, if I am going to get another point guard, I want it to be someone who can step in right away and play well. Taylor, because of his playing background, may have a better chance of this, but I still think he will take time to develop. Taylor probably has the talent to be a solid point guard in time, however, so picking him would not be a bad idea.

Smush Parker, PG, Fordham: I just like saying "Smush Parker." Also a point guard prospect, he grew up on NYC playgrounds and as a result plays a bit too wild for my tastes. I know I have been calling for more creativity, but the Wolves still need a fair bit of control in their point guard.

Ronald Murray, PG, Shaw State: He supposedly schooled Frank Williams in a tryout. That is enough for me to at least consider him.

John Salmons, combo guard, Miami: The guy is 6'7" and has some point guard skills. If he had more point guard skills, I'd probably take him, but as it stands he is too duplicative of Felipe Lopez.

Aaron McGhee, PF, Oklahoma: A power forward with power, but an undersized one. Sort of like a young Gary Trent.

Jason Jennings, C, Arkansas State: Big slow center. I want more athleticism for the team, not less.

Vincent Yarbrough, SF, Tennessee: Supposedly very athletic but a bit timid. The Wolves actually really need a back-up small forward, so Yarbrough could have been a good choice here. I just don't know much about him.

Casey Jacobsen, SG, Stanford: Very good shooter, but not athletic enough in my mind to make it in the NBA.

A Bunch of Foreign Guys: Papodopolous, Krstic, Andersen, the list goes on. We drafted a foreign guy two years ago and he may never play for us. Pardon me if I don't draft someone who could actually help us.

VII. My Prediction

You're asking me to pick the #52 pick in the draft. Not even the Amazing Kreskin or Carnac the Magnificent could do that. OK, I'll give it a shot. The team is most likely here to find an athletic small forward who might actually make the team. I am going to go with Matt Barnes from UCLA here. He can be a bit of a sleeper. He has decent athleticism and a good shot, but does not seem to be on anyone's boards. If the Wolves decide to go for a point guard here, look for either J.R. Bremmer from St. Bonaventure or Lynn Greer from Temple. I also would not be surprised if either Lonnie Baxter or Aaron McGhee slid to us at power forward. The management has always disregarded second round picks and treated them as jokes, so all bets are off. They will probably take another foreign player and hope he develops into something special. I can see the logic in this, as frustrating as it is when it almost inevitably does not work out. But what do you really expect at #52?

VIII. Other Moves

There are rumors that Minnesota is going to try to grab a first round pick somehow. I wold love to get Nene Hilario, but do not see how we could get a pick that high without trading Wally. More reasonably, we might be targeting Carlos Boozer, Dan Dickau, Melvin Ely, Marcus Haislip, or Chris Jeffries, depending on how the draft shakes out. One of these would probably need to slip into the mid twenties at least for us to have a chance at a trade, most likely with New Jersey or maybe Portland. I am not going to speculate on what might be sent for those picks, but if the Nets and Blazers are trying to rid themselves of long-term obligations, it might be as easy as a second round pick or two and some cash.

If we use the mid-level exception, it will probably be on a guard. The top point guard prospects are Jeff McInnis and Travis Best. I think McInnis would be a good fit here and if we lose Billups would like to see him brought in. Give me some more game tape and I might prefer McInnis to Billups. Indeed, McInnis knows better how to run an offense and might thrive on a team with good shooters. That's it, I've changed my mind: Dump Billups if you can pick up McInnis. For that matter, keep Billups and shift him to sixth man backing up mostly shooting guard. He is a bit small for the position, but quick enough to cause some match-up problems. Best would be OK if neither Billups nor McInnis are available. At shooting guard, my dream would be to get Michael Redd. Getting Redd would be essential if we trade Wally to Cleveland for Miller (who will probably be traded instead to the Clippers). Even if we keep Wally, I would strongly consider shifting Wally to SF and KG to PF if we could get Redd. I think Redd is going to be the next Michael Finley. he shows that much promise to me. Milwaukee is getting squeezed on salaries and may not match it if we offer Redd the full mid-level exception. Ricky Davis would also be a good option, but I think Cleveland will keep him. There are other guards and maybe even a few power forwards to consider with the mid-level exception, but you are probably bored by now. GO WOLVES!!!