How about some calming insider info?

[shrink]

We're 11 days from the June 24 draft. Based on some good information I obtained recently, here's my take on where things are at with the Wolves:

1. The Wolves are far from solidifying their draft board or their overall draft and trade plans. The situation remains fluid and the front office/coaching staff have not completed their prospect evaluations. The front office will "have a much better idea the end of this week." And as I mentioned in another post, the Wolves have NOT written off taking and keeping Cousins with the #4 pick.

2. The Wolves front office and coaching staff are doing their homework and are taking a very savvy, smart approach to the draft and possible trades. They're not flying by the seat of their pants and they are NOT in a panic mode.

3. For all those speculating on Love or Jefferson trades, I'll say this. There are no plans to trade either one right now and, importantly, if either one is traded it will be the sort of deal that just about any Wolves fan would look at (even a guy like me who wants to keep both) and conclude that it was a good deal for the Wolves. In other words, our front office is going to be very smart about this and any NBA front office that thinks the Wolves are offering either one up as part of a fire sale is grossly mistaken.

4. There was a lot of method to the apparent madness in the way Rambis coached last season. I know I've been one of his harshest critics. But based on what I've learned, I have a lot more confidence in him now than immediately after the season or even just a week ago. He has a very good handle on what it's going to take to be a top team in the League and some of his decisions last season that a number of us questioned had some important purpose to them and some facts behind them that none of us were aware of.

5. We've heard Kahn say that he has no intention of trading Rubio and that he's high on him. Let me take it a step further. The entire front office and coaching staff are VERY high on Ricky, including our new Assistant GM, Tony Ranzone. The excitement in the Wolves organization over Ricky's potential as a player (not just as a marketing engine) is extraordinary. There's still a slim chance he may come here next season, but that's still highly unlikely.

Based on what I've learned recently, I'm much more positive about this team's prospects. The next two weeks are going to be very interesting for Wolves fans.

http://boards.espn.go.com/boards/mb/mb?sport=nba&id=min&tid=7020382&lid=14

[shrink]

There are some things I can't say, but here are several things that have swayed me - at least for now.

First, it was made very clear to me that the triangle is going to be a very minor part of the Wolves offense going forward. It was primarily a teaching tool so the bench would not have to call plays on every possession. Rambis would not have been hired if not for his commitment to turn the Wolves into a running team. As part of that, Kahn and Rambis want a half-court offense that can set up, move the ball and score with minimal intrusion from the bench to avoid slowing the pace and flow of the offense.

Second, there was more to the story behind the Love situation that convinces me Rambis was doing the right thing and that what Rambis did with Love will pay off in the long run. Both Rambis and Kahn believe that Love is very talented with a lot of upside. They key is getting him to get the most out of his talent. Sometimes you're tougher on a player based on higher expectations if you know what I mean. Kurt and Kevin are building a good relationship this summer and I wouldn't be surprised to see Love have a huge break-out season in 2010/11.

Finally, I have a better sense of Kurt's vision for this team. Not only will the Wolves become longer and athletic through the draft and trades; it will also become much tougher and more physical.

It's not as if all my doubts about Rambis have been erased. And of course, the proof will be in the pudding as they say. We'll have to see how things unfold next season. But I have heard enough recently to cause me to rethink my view of Rambis as we head into next season. I think we'll see a different team with a different vibe and we'll start to really see Kurt's imprint on the team. For now, it's all about getting Kurt more talent to work with. I'm looking forward to watching events unfold this summer.

[Dewey]

Rambis is the first to admit ... it's a players game. "We've got to get players that know how to play the game". The hard part is that he needs to sell his core players AND new players.

[moss_is_1]

thanks, pretty interesting to read. Rambis and Love were in L.A together at the finals, so thats nice to see.

[Calinks]

3. For all those speculating on Love or Jefferson trades, I'll say this. There are no plans to trade either one right now and, importantly, if either one is traded it will be the sort of deal that just about any Wolves fan would look at (even a guy like me who wants to keep both) and conclude that it was a good deal for the Wolves. In other words, our front office is going to be very smart about this and any NBA front office that thinks the Wolves are offering either one up as part of a fire sale is grossly mistaken.

I like that part. I'm happy the front office isn't acting like 70% of the fans and trying to sell both this guys off for peanuts. I think that's ridiculous.

[Casperkid23]

Here's more calming inside info:

Glen Taylor does not plan on raising prices on nachos or beer for the 2010-11 season.

[Dewey]

If it's going to take a mind-blowing deal to pry Love or Jefferson, then they likely aren't going anywhere.

It is good to see some signs that Rambis and Love have come to an understanding. If I'm a betting man, we'll draft Cousins or Favors if there's a deal for Jefferson that would bring a wing that's a capable starter ...

[Breakdown777]

All this stuff about Rambo having a method to his madness is fine and dandy, but at the end of the day, can he win ball games? It's great that he's building and developing solid, physical, smart, tough, well rounded players (What he did with Flynn and Love), but is this going to translate to winning? I don't think I'll be a believer in Rambis until the team is able to win convincingly. New players that fit his vision should help. I would also like to hear him admit that he got owned when McHale clotheslined him.

I think the major issue with Love was that Rambo noticed he was cheating for position to get rebounds, and doing other things to help himself and not the team, and when Love was called on it, he began whining and pouting and that caused a rift that didn't really get better once Darko came in and got a ton of minutes.

Good info on Love and Jefferson. If both stay, then Pek is obviously being moved.

[mandurugo]

I'd still prefer to see Love or Jefferson traded (or both). Keeping them both on the same team doesn't make sense to me, so this isn't particularly calming insider news from my perspective.

[horaceworthy]

3. For all those speculating on Love or Jefferson trades, I'll say this. There are no plans to trade either one right now and, importantly, if either one is traded it will be the sort of deal that just about any Wolves fan would look at (even a guy like me who wants to keep both) and conclude that it was a good deal for the Wolves. In other words, our front office is going to be very smart about this and any NBA front office that thinks the Wolves are offering either one up as part of a fire sale is grossly mistaken.

I like that part. I'm happy the front office isn't acting like 70% of the fans and trying to sell both this guys off for peanuts. I think that's ridiculous.

I'm happy they won't just give them away, but if they're planning on keeping them together, I'm less enthused. The ceiling with a Jefferson/Love frontcourt is Utah, and that's if Rubio or Flynn develop into a Deron Williams caliber PG, and Jefferson develops the effective midrange game Boozer has.

[shangrila]

That was nice to read, cheers. It was hard to believe they'd decided on Johnson already

[Calinks]

Yea, nothing wrong with trading one of them eventually but lets do it when we actually got a good deal in place and not just for Tayshaun freaking Prince.

[Steve_Holiday]

oh, oh, oh, the wolves are taking a smart and savvy approach to the draft this year? I'm glad they decided on that.

and wait, they're not going to trade al or kevin unless they receive a good offer? another wise decision by the brain-trust.

the wolves front office convinced an espn message board poster that the team is in the hands of a good coach, despite that poster's previous skepticism?....excellent.

[dunkonu21]

If they rnt thinking of trading either love or jefferson, then they rnt looking to draft Cousins. That's my assesment, unless Rev is wrong and they rnt going to bring Darko back (which would be a HUGE mistake).

[Worm Guts]

I'm think I agree with that. If we're drafting Cousins, one of Jefferson or Love pretty much have to go.

[KariTakko]

I've heard reports that other teams are concerned about Al's knee. Do you think the reason we're not going to trade him now is that we'd like to show that he's back to normal to maximize the return?

[Breakdown777]

I've heard reports that other teams are concerned about Al's knee. Do you think the reason we're not going to trade him now is that we'd like to show that he's back to normal to maximize the return?

I think this plays a factor. If you believe he will net a better return mid way through a season in which we aren't expected to make the playoffs, why not just wait for the asset to reach it's potential before you sell?

The question I have, is that if Kahn sees Al as a #2 option, but might consider trading him, does that mean we only move him if it gets us a #2 option on the wing? I'd hope so. If so, there are only a few wing players I'd move for Al (Granger, maybe Iggy, Gerald Wallace). I don't think Deng or Gay is enough, and I can't really think of another wing I'd really want to have for Al.

[Dewey]

Well 15 wins is one thing, but add a mending knee injury on top of it, and you tend to have some doubters .... sometimes that's just the way it is. Heck most locals do not even feel Love/Jefferson is a favorable combo, so it seems we do lose some bargaining power.

If another loser team had a power forward coming off a knee injury, most everyone here would be looking for a steal/bargain ... something to help cover the risk. We may have keep them both by default. This might give support to the Wolves locking in on Johnson and show teams we are not having a fire sale - yet.

[Tirion]

No offense, but it sounds like front office induced damage-control BS. It actually makes me even more nervous about the decision-making.

[karch34]

No offense, but it sounds like front office induced damage-control BS. It actually makes me even more nervous about the decision-making.

I have to agree. There's some good points in the original post. It's quite possible that there was a bigger picture in play with Rambis's moves. That said all of the most important off-season, working hard, having a lot of assets, and a long term plan in place is all talk until we see proof. Right now it's no different than any other team in the lottery trying to generate interest and nothing we haven't heard a variation on in the past.