Sports Frog

The good news from last season:
Al Jefferson, the primary piece who came over from Boston in the Kevin Garnett trade, developed nicely as the focal point of the Timberwolves' offense. Ryan Gomes proved himself a useful commodity (again) and Sebastian Telfair showed ability as a playmaker, posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.20-to-1. Other than that, the best things that happened came from the post-draft trade that brought Mike Miller and rookie Kevin Love to the Twin Cities.

The bad news from last season:
Minnesota finished 22-60 last season, their worst record in 13 years and the exact same record as the team's inaugural year. Of course, a record that poor is what tends to happen when you finish 26th in point differential, 25th in field goal percentage differential, 22nd in turnover differential, 25th in three-point field goals made, 26th in assists, and 29th in blocked shots. In short, the team is deficient in pretty much all areas - poor shooting, poor defense, bad point guard play, and so on. Corey Brewer did not offer much help as a rookie and Randy Foye missed over half of his second campaign.

The revolving door:
IN: C Calvin Booth, F Brian Cardinal, F Rodney Carney, F-C Jason Collins, C Kevin Love, G-F Mike Miller
OUT: G Marko Jaric, G O.J. Mayo, F Antoine Walker

Team overview:
The team looks to be weak in the backcourt, even with the addition of Mike Miller. Miller provides an outside shooter that the team sorely missed last season. Miller made 155 threes last season, more than any two players on the Wolves' roster combined, save for Rashad McCants. Miller also provides some playmaking ability (3.4 assists per game over the last five seasons), which will complement a weak point guard crop. Sebastian Telfair headlines the point guards after starting 51 games before having his season ended in early March. Telfair still is not a good outside shooter (40.1 percent overall, 28.1 percent from deep), but he does take care of the ball and averaged 6.2 assists as a starter. However, Telfair will be suspended for the first three games of the season, opening the door for Randy Foye, who hopes to return to health. An energetic combo guard off the bench last season, Foye can extend the defense (61 threes in 39 games, 41.2 percent shooter from long range) and set up his mates (5.2 assists per 40 minutes). Rashad McCants may be caught in a minute squeeze as the man who backs up Miller at the two, unless Miller logs some minutes at the three in a smaller lineup. McCants may have saved his career last season by bouncing back from a horrific 2006-2007 campaign, boosting his field goal shooting percentage from 35.0 to 45.3 percent and from 26.7 percent on threes to 40.7 percent. Perhaps he is best suited as a long-range bomber off the bench, flanking Miller when the Wolves need points in a hurry.

Ryan Gomes returns as the small forward. Gomes is a limited player, a tweener caught between the two forward spots who is a decent shooter from outside and a willing rebounder able to use his width more than his height. Al Jefferson will be the offensive centerpiece of the team again, looking to take another step forward from his statistically impressive efforts of 21.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game to go with 50.0 percent shooting from the floor. He should find things easier on the block with the addition of Miller to the perimeter. Corey Brewer, last year's first-round choice out of Florida, disappointed in his transition to the NBA, making only 37.4 percent of his shots. If he is unable to improve his offensive game, Brewer will hope to stick as a defensive stopper. The ultra-athletic Rodney Carney will get a crack at some playing time if Brewer falters. Craig Smith is an undersized bully at the four off the bench, averaging 18.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per 40 minutes. Only 6'7", Smith holds his own against taller opponents, causing them fits on the block. Rookie Kevin Love will get a crack at starting at center. His lack of great size and athleticism, combined with some conditioning questions, are a cause for concern, but he is a fundamentally sound player with significant upside. There is an army of journeymen to also man the pivot, including Michael Doleac, Calvin Booth, and Mark Madsen. Doleac will add professionalism and a nice mid-range shot, Booth is limited offensively, but a solid defender at the rim, and Madsen defines "energy guy." Second-year man Chris Richard will have to work hard to get a shot at minutes, but will at least get a chance to improve in practice against these veteran big men.

Fantasy note:
Mike Miller could get an opportunity to play some at the point for the Wolves based on the squad's limited options. If so, that should increase his fantasy value. In any case, expect 18 points per game, six rebounds, three assists, and 2.5 threes per game along with excellent shooting percentages (48.0 from the floor, 80.0 from the line).

Best case scenario:
Kevin Love joins up with Jefferson to provide a pair of big men for the team to build around, Mike Miller helps open things up, and somebody with point guard skills, ideally Foye, grabs the reins. They still will not guard anyone and win 28 games.

Worst case scenario:
Love is overmatched in the pro game while O.J. Mayo, who went to Memphis in the trade to get Love, takes off. Jefferson stagnates and the young guards flounder. Mike Miller gets traded out at the deadline with another full year left on his deal and the team wins 19 games.