How I would fix the Timberwolves

Despite the temultutous offseason and the lack of success during the regular season I still have faith that these Timberwolves can win again.  I have developed a few simple steps for the Wolves to become successful next year and for years to come.

 The first thing that needs to be done is make a decision about who is in the future plans and who isn’t.  The Wolves currently have about six guys who have potential in the league, in one role or another, but none of them have received consistent enough minutes to establish any sort of chemistry with each other.   I would like to see Randy Foye, Gerald Green, and Corey Brewer see more minutes just to see how good they are, everyone else appears to have a niche or no use on the team.  After the decisions are made, I would gauge the interest in some of the young talent the Wolves possess.  I’m talking about people such as Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Gerald Green, Corey Brewer, Craig Smith, and Bassy Telfair.  If there is a genius NBA GM who is willing to part with some good pieces for these pups the Wolves should be willing to listen because the only player on the team that can be seen as untouchable is Al Jefferson.  I would personally look to buyout Marko Jaric because I just don’t see how he fits anywhere, not a scorer but not a pure passer and too slow on defense but does get his hands on a lot of balls, and he has 3 more years worth about $20 million on his contract.

The next thing to do would be to shore up some of the weaknesses the Wolves have through free agency.  Theo Ratliff’s $11.5 million contract will be off the books along with Michael Doleac’s $3 million and other smaller contracts which gives the Wolves some sorely needed financial independence.  I would start by looking at point guards.  As much as I love Bassy personally he is too small, not a good enough shooter, and gets lost on defense as much, if not more, than Wally used too and you already know how much trust I have in Marko.  Anyways I target Jose Calderon from Toronto.  He is suppose to be a free agent after this year and if TJ Ford comes back I do not think Jose would want to return to the bench.  Toronto may be looking to keep him, but I think Minnesota would be in a better financial position to give Jose what he deserves since the Raptors are on the hook for $8 million a year to Ford. 

The next thing I would do is go back to the free agent market and find a shooter or two.  Namely Juan Carlos Navarro and Kareem Rush would be able to fill those roles.  Also JCN is of Spanish decent possibly being another way to lure Calderon, who is also Spanish, to the Wolves.  Both also have plenty of big game experience, Rush with the Lakers and JCN with the Spanish national team.

This entire plan is contingent on the Wolves getting the first pick in the draft.  They are in good shape to have the most ping-pong balls and are clearly the most deserving of any team in the league.  I would take Eric “Air” Gordon with the first pick because he is head and shoulders above anyone else the NCAAs and has no apparent character issues.  The Wolves desperately need a dominant player, which Gordon has proved more than ample in that regard.  You can make an arguement for OJ Mayo, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, Roy Hibbert, Kosta Koufos, possibly someone else I am forgetting, but besides Beasley no one else has the impact that Gordon has had.  With this plan the Wolves will have already shored up the power forward spot Beasley would occupy and Rose’s spot would already be taken by Calderon.  Mayo appears to be a head case and doesn’t shot the percentage Gordon does, Hibbert disappears from games and I am not sold on Koufos.

Another player that could use a scenery change and the Wolves could use would be Anderson Varejao.  I believe he only signed a one year deal with the Cavaliers and could potentially start at center for the Wolves along side Jefferson.  Varejao brings energy, defense, and rebounding to the table and is also able to function offensively.  He reminds me of Dennis Rodman the way he goes after rebounds and he would probably be more happy starting instead of backing up Drew Gooden and Big Z.

 I am going to recap by going position-by-position:

PG: Sign Jose Calderon from free agency, good decision maker who is averaging over 8 assits a game and has a 6.11 assist to turnover ratio.  Also shoots over 50% from the field and about 40% from 3.

SG: Eric Gordon, as of right now this is who to use the pick on.  A lot could happen between now and draft day, but 23 ppg on 50% shooting and 43% from deep looks pretty good.

SF: I like Corey Brewer for this spot because of his defense and obvious intangibles (hustle, team concept).  With some work in the weight room and on his shot he could be a Scottie Pippen type player.

PF: Big Al Jefferson, still a little raw at times, but does not shy away from contact and is a tireless worker.  Also getting better on the McHale post moves, notice the up-and-unders he does.

C: Anderson Varejao, brings energy and defense to a team that needs any kind of production it can find at this spot.

Bench: Let Bassy come off the bench for a change of pace.  Craig can also be useful in spelling Jefferson and Varejao.  I also like Gomes as a nice bench guy and with the shooters, Rush and JCN this bench can be useful.

Who’s out then?  Looks like Foye, McCants, and Green are gone, this depends on how well these guys can handle coming off the bench.  Green could battle Brewer for that SF spot, and he is a better offensive player than Brewer, but the Wolves administration do not seem to cherish his attitude and his contract is up after this year.  McCants shows flashes of good play and appears to be willing to work on both offense and defense.  I just don’t feel he is as good as Gordon and did just have microfracture surgery.  Foye is also battling health issues.  He had a great summer before the knee acted up, I just don’t think he wants to embrace the point guard role.  He is a scorer first and foremost, and could still be trade bait to another team for more inside guys.

Please leave comments and let me know what you think.  I am new to this blogging game and will be touching on many more issues besides the Timberwolves.