2008-2009 Record: 24-58, 4th in Northwest
Restricted: Bobby Brown (player option)
Unrestricted: Rodney Carney, Jason Collins, Kevin Ollie, Shelden Williams
Draft Picks - First Round: #6, #18 (via Miami), #28 (via Boston) -- Second Round: #45, #47
The last few years in Minnesota have been marked by inconsistency, injuries, instability, and draft day blunders. The Timberwolves have averaged 54 losses per season since 2005, and haven't sniffed the playoffs during that stretch.
They have had multiple coaches, but all have suffered some form of the same fate. And, currently, they are lacking direct leadership from the top on down. David Kahn was recently named the Timberwolves' new president of basketball operations, but he has yet to officially name a head coach. He has met with Kevin McHale on several occasions, but they are apparently still in the discussion phase. Jim Stack is the acting General Manager, and Fred Hoiberg is serving as assistant GM. (How long before ESPN's Bill Simmons get his wish and is calling the shots in Minny?)
However, for a short time last season, during the brutal cold of a Minnesota winter, the Timberwolves got hot and lit a small spark of hope amongst their disheartened fan base. After starting the season with 25 defeats in their first 31 contests – including a 2-14 mark in December - the T-Wolves started the 2009 calendar year by winning 10 of their first 12 games. With newly installed coach Kevin McHale on the sidelines, the Wolves seemed to find a rhythm and some brief success in January. However, it proved to be short-lived, as the engine driving that winning streak, Al Jefferson, tore his right ACL in early February. From that point forward, the Wolves lost 26 of the remaining 33 games on their schedule.
But, armed with a stockpile of valuable picks in the 2009 NBA draft, the Timberwolves are looking to add important pieces to a promising foundation in hopes that their turnaround gets kick-started next week in New York.
Immediate Needs in the Draft
As noted above, the Wolves have five total picks in next Thursday's draft, including three first-rounders (#6, #18, and #28). While this draft class is considered to be lacking in significant top-notch talent, most pundits believe it is quite deep, stocked with respectable quality and quantity - even into the latter stages of the first round. Thus, Minnesota will have an opportunity to significantly upgrade its roster if they can hit a homerun on draft night.
As with most teams lottery teams, the T-Wolves have plenty of needs to address during the draft. Minnesota signed Sebastian Telfair to a multi-year contract last summer and he played well at times, but is not viewed as the long-term solution at point guard. Telfair certainly can serve as a useful back-up, or part of a rotation, but should not be considered a franchise cornerstone. And with unrestricted FA Kevin Ollie as the only other true point guard on the roster (Randy Foye has shown he is more comfortable and effective playing off-the-ball), expect the Wolves to look hard at a PG when they are on the clock at #6.
Some names they are likely to consider:
Tyreke Evans – Memphis: If the 6'3" Randy Foye is going to stick at shooting guard, the Wolves would ideally like to start a big, physically imposing point guard alongside him. While Evans isn't a true point guard, he did a fine job handling the PG duties as a freshman at Memphis. Evans is still young and learning the intricacies of the position and the game, but many agree he possesses "tremendous upside." The combination of size, defensive capability, and ball-handling ability make Evans extremely intriguing considering the Wolves needs.
Stephen Curry – Davidson: Curry is as gifted a scorer as there is in this year's draft, but he has limited experience as the point. While he does have solid court-vision, he is more of a scorer than a pass-first playmaker. Thus, paring Foye and Curry in the same backcourt could be a bit problematic. (In addition, Curry chose not to work out for the Wolves, which is an issue considering David Khan had previously stated players must come in and work out if they wanted Minnesota to draft them. Khan has since backed off from that stance a bit...)
Jrue Holiday – UCLA: Similar to Evans. Holiday is a big point guard with big upside. While many scouts debate his readiness to run an NBA team after a relatively disappointing freshman year, his physical attributes (he impressed plenty of scouts at the Chicago combine) and overall skill-set have teams talking notice.
Some of other top PG's prospects commonly discussed as potential lottery selections, such as Jonny Flynn or Brandon Jennings, may not fit in Minnesota because a backcourt consisting of a smallish PG and an undersized SG just wouldn't work, as they be abused defensively.
DeMar DeRozan – USC: DeRozan would be an option if the Wolves wanted to add to another SG/wing player to the roster. However, the Wolves already have some solid depth at the 2/3 – especially if they re-sign Rodney Carney - so picking a player such as DeRozan (or even James Harden – should he slip to #6) wouldn't necessarily address a significant need. (I am approaching this piece under the assumption Corey Brewer and Al Jefferson make successful recoveries from their knee injuries…)
The other route the Wolves could go would be taking a defensive-minded big man with their top pick. If Hasheem Thabeet is still on the board, he'd be a great compliment to Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. But the odds of Thabeet slipping all the way to six are somewhere between slim and none. However, there is an outside chance Arizona's Jordan Hill could be there. While he isn't as intimidating defensively as Thabeet, Hill has a far more polished offensive game. A rotation of Jefferson, Love, and Hill up front would certainly be intriguing.
As far as the two later first-round selections are concerned, it all depends on where the Wolves decide to go at #6, as that pick will largely shape their decision-making during the rest of the draft. If the Wolves forgo a guard and go big early on (Jordan Hill) there is distinct possibility that there will still be a solid PG on the board at #18. Fortunately for Minnesota, many experts have rated this year's PG crop as arguably the best collection of point guard talent available in a single draft in recent history.
Coveted prospects such as Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague, and Ty Lawson could still be on the board. The Wolves could have the option of picking from a pool of pure point guards ready to make an immediate impact. If Minnesota was able to add a big man and an undervalued PG with their first two picks, they'd have to extremely excited.
On the other hand, if the Wolves take a guard at #6, then they will likely focus on selecting a center when they are on the clock at #18. B.J. Mullens, the seven-footer from Ohio State, would make a lot of sense in this scenario. Mullens generated a ton of buzz coming out of high school, and while he didn't quite live up to expectations at OSU, he possesses an undeniably high ceiling. Whether or not he can fulfill that promise remains to be seen. However, he would give the Timberwolves a true center, which is something they would love to add to roster. Make no mistake, Mullens is a gamble, but the Wolves do have the luxury of three first-round picks, which makes them more likely to roll the dice than some other clubs. (However, recent rumors floating around Chicago have intimated that the Bulls have promised Mullens they'll take him with their pick at #16.)
While Mullens' stock rises, DeJaun Blair's stock may be dropping. Word has it some teams have been scared off by medical concerns related to previous knee injuries. If Blair slips to #18, it might make some sense as a good value pick. Some other potential candidates would be James Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, Chase Budinger, etc.
With their third and final first-round pick, the Wolves may look to test the international waters. The appeal of selecting a foreigner would be stashing him overseas for a year or two, as it may be difficult to find adequate playing time for three rookies at the same time. Moreover, saving some salary wouldn't hurt. If Minnesota does go that route some names in the disscusion would include Omri Casspi, Jonas Jerebko, Victor Claver, and Rodrigue Beaubois.
Immediate Needs in Free Agency
The Wolves currently have approximately $50.7 million in committed salaries heading into the 2009-2010 season, which means they have about $7 million to play with before bumping up against the salary cap. Whether or not Owner Glen Taylor is willing to spend that surplus cash remains to be seen.
The first decisions the Wolves have to make are related to their own restricted free-agents, namely Sheldon Williams and Rodney Carney. Expect Williams, who has been a colossal bust since being selected fifth overall (ahead of Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, etc.), to be let loose. Rodney Carney, on the other hand, could return. He played well for the Wolves, especially over the season's second half, averaging nearly 10 PPG in 27 post All-Star Break contests. Carney, who was one of the rare decent defenders on Minny's roster, was also a Kevin McHale favorite. If McHale returns, expect him to push to keep Carney.
Assuming the T-Wolves are able to secure a good PG in the draft, they would likely look to use their cap space to land a young center. One such possibility would be former Nugget Chris "Birdman" Anderson. The colorful and charismatic Birdman is an unrestricted free agent and would fit in very nicely alongside Kevin Love and Jefferson. Big Al and Love are terrific offensive players, but neither will garner any Defensive Player of the Year votes anytime soon. Anderson is a terrific help defender who can board, patrol the paint, and cover up his teammate's mistakes. Birdman led the NBA in blocked shots per minute last season.
Orlando's Marcin Gortat is an unrestricted free-agent as well, but may be too rich for the T-Wolves' tastes. Zaza Pachulia is also available if Minnesota wants to go that route. As I have discussed previously, there are a handful of other (cheaper) free-agent big men to be found in this summer's bargain bin: Jamaal Magloire, Melvin Ely, Chris Wilcox, Robert Swift, Mikki Moore, Johan Petro, Rasho Nesterovic, Chris Mihm, Theo Ratliff, Stro Swift, Channing Frye, and Ike Diogu…
If/when the Wolves begin to discuss trades with other teams (either this summer or at the deadline in February), the expiring contracts of Brian Cardinal ($6.75 million), and especially Mike Miller ($9.75 million), could be valuable trade chips. Looking ahead to the much ballyhooed "Summer of 2010," Minnesota is in great shape. Other than their youngsters locked into affordable "rookie-scale" deals, the only guaranteed contract on the books extending past 2010 belongs to Al Jefferson. Building on a foundation of Jefferson, Love, Foye, and Brewer, along with the prospects they add in the 2009 daft, the Wolves could be potentially be an attractive landing spot for future free-agents down the road.
