The Dish: How to fix the Timberwolves
The Garnett-Jefferson deal gave Minnesota a legit low-post option (though the Wolves would be even further along if they'd held out for Rajon Rondo, who they'd initially insisted be in the deal).
And last June, McHale sent the draft rights to O.J. Mayo to Memphis for the rights to rookie forward Kevin Love. In addition, though, McHale pawned off his stable of ridiculous contracts (Marco Jaric, Antoine Walker) for a lights-out shooter in Mike Miller and role players with soon-to-be expiring deals (Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins). Just like that, Minnesota went from a bloated, capped-out team to one that currently has only $49.9 million committed in salaries for next season before dropping all the way down to $27.2 million in 2009-10.
Two, owner Glen Taylor made McHale ultimately accountable for the current team by insisting he step down from the front office and replace the fired Randy Wittman as head coach in December.
And just as when McHale temporarily took over after firing Flip Saunders in 2005, when he went 19-12 on the bench, he's gotten the Wolves to play pretty good basketball of late. They won five in a row beginning the day after Christmas and seven of eight before losing in Utah Tuesday night. (Granted, McHale lost his first eight out of the gate, part of a 13-game losing skid, before starting the win streak, but you take your improvements where you find them.)
"The guys are out there playing with confidence again," assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg said, and he gives McHale all the credit. The Mayor is in a unique position to judge, having played for McHale for those 31 games at the end of his playing career in '05, and having played in Indiana for Larry Bird for two seasons in the late '90s.
McHale "has such a unique ability for getting inside your head and figuring out what makes you tick," Hoiberg said. "He and Bird are a lot alike in that area...he has such a good demeanor about him. He handles discipline behind closed doors. And confidence in our league is such a big thing. He had a great meeting with the team his first day. He told them exactly what he expected of them. He said, 'I'm not going to be able to keep 15 guys happy.' And guys in our league, I think they react to that better than if you leave them in the dark."
Jefferson (22.2 points, 10.6 rebounds) is a double-double machine. McHale took guard Randy Foye off the ball and Foye has blossomed at shooting guard. And after a slow start in which he had to get in better shape, Love is coming on strong, displaying the rebounding prowess that he showed in leading the Pac-10 in boards last year for UCLA.
Love's defense has improved as well; he guarded Shaquille O'Neal and Andrew Bogut down the stretch in recent games. His basketball IQ, Hoiberg believes, is off the charts. And eventually, Love and Jefferson could play more together, with Love dissecting defenses from the high post while Jefferson attacks in the paint.
The Wolves also expect Miller, a career 40.3 percent three-point shooter entering this season, to do better than his current 33 percent clip behind the arc before the year's out.
But most intriguing about Minnesota is that the Timberwolves can run this year's draft.
The Wolves traded their 2009 first-rounder to the Clippers, but it's protected for Minnesota through the 10th pick, meaning Minnesota gets to keep it this year if the Wolves wind up with one of the first 10 picks in the draft. Minnesota's current record: 13-27. Check.
Minnesota has Boston's first-rounder as part of the Garnett deal. It's protected for the Celtics, but only through the third pick. Not likely the 34-9 Celtics will have one of the top three picks next June. Check.
Miami included an '09 first in the trade with Minnesota that sent Ricky Davis to the Heat for Walker and Mark Blount two years ago. It's protected for Miami through 10. But the Heat's surprising season thus far makes it unlikely Miami's going to be in the lottery. Check.
Minnesota also got Philadelphia's first-rounder in '09 as part of a trade last summer where the Wolves took Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth off the 76ers' hands so Philly could clear maximum cap room to sign Elton Brand. But the pick originally belonged to Utah, which sent it to Philly as part of the Kyle Korver trade. It's protected for next year through 22, so if the Jazz have their typical 50-win season, there's a reasonable chance Minnesota could get it.
However, through a series of what-ifs involving Utah, New York and Philly that are way too complicated to get into here, the Wolves may not get the pick for '09. But whether it's three picks or four, Minnesota will be on everyone's speed dial, able to combine the likely picks with players like Cardinal, Mark Madsen and Craig Smith all entering the final years of their contracts to add to their nucleus.
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Interesting article. I didn't realize I copied so much, but it's pretty in depth article on the potential of the Wolves and options that are there.
