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Anthony Randolph has long been an NBA enigma. He’s shown flashes of brilliance in summer league play and even occasionally on the big league hardwoods, but even in a league that’s sorely lacking in talented big men the 6’11" Randolph has spent more time on the bench watching than actually participating in games. Taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Randolph seemed a perfect fit for Don Nelson’s Golden State Warriors. His shooting touch and knack for scoring made him a natural for the all-offense Warriors, as did his defensive shortcomings, since the Warriors played very little defense in those days. Still, Randolph struggled to find consistent playing time with the Warriors and was eventually traded to the New York Knicks prior to the 2010-11 season.

New York seemed like a great opportunity for Randolph to start fresh. Much like Nelson, Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni isn’t too concerned about the defensive end of the floor, and he has a reputation for making the most of the talent on his teams. Surely a hard worker with Randolph’s skill set would flourish under those conditions. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. He appeared in just 17 games for the Knicks, and then only in garbage time, and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves just prior to the February trade deadline. 

Now, finally, Randolph is getting a chance to play, and despite the long layoff, he’s living up to the potential that made him a high first round pick in that 2008 draft class. In 13 games with the Timberwolves he’s averaging 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17 minutes per contest and shooting over 50% from the field.  He’s also getting better as he goes along. Over the last five games he’s upped those averages to 13 and five, including a career night in his first start of the season on Thursday night in Dallas. Playing against one of the Western Conference’s top teams (and in what is basically his home town), Randolph scored 31 points and grabbed 11 boards in 36 minutes. He even compiled three assists, two steals and a block while connecting on 14-of-20 from the field.

"You have a tall, long, athletic and versatile player who fits in who fits into the system that we run here and playing in the spots on the floor that we want our bigs to play in," says Timberwolves head coach Kurt Rambis, how started Randolph in place of the injured Kevin Love on Thursday. "I think it’s a natural fit for him. He’s still not real secure in what we do here on either end of the floor. He’s still learning, and there’s probably not enough time left in the season for him to ever get to that comfort level, but we see his ability to run the floor, his athleticism, his ability to shoot the basketball, and we envision him being a type of player who can guard certain players, maybe two, three or even four positions, not only on-ball, but also he’s a good weak-side help defender, as well."

"I think he has a lot of upside and a lot of talent," says Timberwolves swingman Wesley Johnson. "He can put the ball on the floor and really stretch the defense out. He’s really athletic, too, so he can really cause problems for our opponents. He can also block and alter shots, so he’s going to help us get up and down and be an up-tempo team."

For Randolph, it’s just a chance to play . . .finally, to play.

"I’m just trying to make the most of it," says Randolph. "The Timberwolves organization gave me a chance to come here and play, coming out of a situation in New York where I didn’t see the floor too much, and when I did it was garbage time minutes. I’m just thankful for my opportunity and I’m trying to make the best of it."

The Timberwolves are developing somewhat of a reputation as a team that gives players a second chance. From GM David Kahn to coach Rambis, they understand that the NBA is all about a player finding the right situation, and the Timberwolves are doing their best to be the right situation for a number of players. No one understands that better than Darko Milicic, who was ready to leave the NBA for good before finding a home in Minnesota.

"In just the short time he’s been with us I can see that he has a lot of talent and he really enjoys playing," says Milicic. "I see him getting a chance to play and I believe he’s going to be a good player as long as he gets a chance to play and as long as he has a team that’s going to let him show what he can do. I think he’s going to be good here."

"It’s hard for the vast majority of players to find a spot in the league," explains Rambis. "If you look at most players, they generally play for several teams and bounce around until they find a fit. Part of it is finding the right system and part of it is them understanding who they are and what they can and can’t do in this league and how they fit in, as well. It’s a learning process for everybody, for players, coaches and organizations, to find the right fit for players."

The 2010-11 season is largely a lost cause for the Timberwolves, who own one of the league’s worst records at 17-55. Still, there is some work to be done over the final 10 games of their schedule as they take a long look at players like Randolph and try to determine what the team will look like going forward.

"The vast majority of a player’s learning all of the things they have to learn is based on playing time," says Rambis. (Randolph) hasn’t received a whole lot of playing time, so it’s going to hold that learning process back and it holds everybody back. You learn some things from watching and observing on the bench, but you learn the quickest and the most by actually getting out there and playing."

That’s good enough for Randolph, who is thrilled to finally be in games – especially when the minutes count.

"I feel I don’t have to prove nothing to nobody. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to play the game I love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do is just be on the floor and play."

So far, having faith in discarded players has worked out pretty well for the Timberwolves. Michael Beasley is a frontrunner for Most Improved Player and Milicic has turned into a solid defensive presence for the team. If Randolph makes the most of his opportunity he could, likewise, turn out to be an important part of the Timberwolves’ future.

Up Close: Steph Curry

It’s been an interesting season for Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, from hearing his name mentioned often in trade rumors to trying to establish his identity in the NBA. He talks with HOOPSWORLD about his roller coaster season, the improved leadership of Monta Ellis, what the Warriors are lacking, and more in this exclusive interview:

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Thornton Gets His Shot, Too

Last season Marcus Thornton was one of the best-kept secrets in the NBA. After a surprising drop to the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft, Thornton wound up playing significant minutes for an injury-laden New Orleans Hornets squad. Together with Darren Collison he formed one of the more prolific backcourts in the NBA, yet over the summer of 2010 events were set in motion that would tear that young duo apart before they really even got started. Collison was traded to Indiana so he could be a full-time starter, and the Hornets added additional depth at the two-guard position that left Thornton as the odd man out. After managing just 16 minutes per game in New Orleans this season, Thornton was traded to the Sacramento Kings and has become a regular starter in the wake of a foot injury to Tyreke Evans.

"It’s been great," Thornton tells HOOPSWORLD. "I’m getting an opportunity to play here, and I felt like if I got the opportunity I could go out there and show the world what I can do. I don’t know why it didn’t happen for me in New Orleans, but that’s the way things go. It’s the NBA. I’m looking forward to bigger and better things in Sacramento now."

{AUTHOR_BOX}Through 15 games with the Kings, Thornton is averaging 21.8 points per game and shooting 48% from the field and better than 40% from three. He’s joined a group of young players who are all excited about growing together as a team.

"The Kings have been cool so far. The players are cool, we’re all the same age, we’re having a lot of fun, and the coaches are player coaches. The coaches have a lot of confidence in us, and it’s always fun to go out there and play when you have coaches who have confidence in you."

In particular, Thornton feels a connection to head coach Paul Westphal, who has been through the ranks as both a player and a successful head coach.

"We’re young, but it’s not like we don’t understand what’s at stake. It goes back to the coaches having confidence in us, and I appreciate them for that. When you have a coach who has coached and played in the NBA he knows what it’s all about, what the story is. He knows everything about this business, so it’s helped me a lot."

For Westphal’s part, he saw Thornton as a player who was in the wrong situation, and felt Sacramento might be the right place for Thornton to grow as a player.

"We’ve really needed his production," says Westphal. "For most of the year we’ve been kind of overstocked at the four and the three and a little light in the backcourt, so that trade helped to balance our team. There are a lot of reasons why a player fits one place but not another. They had some good shooting guards there and I think his size paired with a small point guard probably worried them defensively a little bit, and it’s just not always the same fit in one place that it is in another."

So far, Thornton and the Kings look to be a nice fit, and the fact that Thornton feels he has a little something extra to play for can only benefit the Kings going forward.

"I’ll always have that chip on my shoulder, since I didn’t get picked until the second round. That’s what I play with every night. I have that edge, or whatever, since draft night, knowing that I should have been a first round pick. Things don’t happen the way you’d like all of the time, so I just try to carry that chip on my shoulder and use it to become the best player I can be throughout my whole career."

The Kings can ask for nothing more.

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