Does Anyone Hear A Howl? 2007-2008 Minnesota Timberwolves Season Preview

By David Brown: SPM MN Writer
Posted Thursday, November 1, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - 5th, 15th and 30th.

Respectively speaking, those are the expected finishes for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their division, conference and the entire NBA this season. You hear about the Wolves from all the pundits, all the critics, and all the experts. “Trading KG was a big mistake,” “the Wolves will be lucky to win 15 games this year,” “worst team in the NBA.” But the reality is the product on the floor has yet to be seen.

Will the Wolves struggle this year? Yes. The key factor, however, is how much will they struggle? If I’m Randy Wittman and Kevin McHale, I look at last season’s win total of 32 games and try to match it. I would consider that a success with a roster that is two-thirds new. I’m not saying they should “set” that as their goal (since, obviously, the goal each year is to win it all), but I would look at that number as something to strive toward.

It’s difficult to gauge this team right now. During Media Day last month, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Juwan Howard and Trenton Hassell were part of the team. Come Friday night’s home opener against the Denver Nuggets, those players will be nowhere near the Target Center, having all been traded or bought out in the last month.

The Wolves were dealt a blow earlier this week, when it was learned that starting point guard Randy Foye has a stress reaction in his left kneecap. At minimum, he’ll be out for the first two weeks of the season. Foye is clearly seen as one of the key contributors to the Wolves rebuilding process. While the word “rebuilding” has always been perceived with negative connotations, when I spoke to the team on Media Day, they took it as a challenge more than a consequence.

“I think the chemistry is going to be good,” said second-year forward Craig Smith. “It’s a chance to start over, which I think is good for both guys young and old.”

“I’m the leader,” Foye said. “It’s pressure, but it’s good pressure, I like it. From how I’m approaching things and how people approach me, I feel as though that I’m the leader.”

Those young guys Smith mentioned are the backbone of this team right now. Nine of the 15 players on the roster are under 25 years old. Of those nine, four of them came in the Kevin Garnett trade to Boston: Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes. You always hear about the phrase “raw talent.” The phrase is just a fancy term for players who have the ability to be great, but aren’t great. None of the players on the Wolves are great right now. Some are good, but none are in the upper echelon of the league.

Greatness is what leads to playoff appearances and championships. The common bond among all championship teams is the presence of an established leader. The Bulls had Jordan, the Rockets had Olajuwon and the Spurs have Duncan. Who is the leader on this team now? One thing Wolves fans can appreciate, despite his recent injury, is that Foye has already stepped up to the plate.

“I’m the leader,” Foye said definitively. “It’s pressure, but it’s good pressure, I like it. From how I’m approaching things and how people approach me, I feel as though that I’m the leader.”

While it’s simple to call this reaction “mature,” much like raw talent, maturity is also an NBA cliché. It’s too early to call Foye mature because it’s only his second season. Saying you’re a leader and being a leader are two different things. It’s merely satisfying that he’s taking a position on this team that, after KG was traded, seemed like a lost role. Randy Wittman is among those who believe that Foye needs to be brought along slowly.

“You don’t make leaders, they kind of develop,” Wittman said. “You try to nurture it and bring it along.”

One thing Foye has going for him this season is a reunion with Ed Pinckney, one of his assistants when he attended Villanova University.

“I’m not concerned about comparisons,” Jefferson said. “I think it’s an honor to be compared to Kevin Garnett. To be traded for him was an honor too.”

“He helped me out a lot in college,” Foye said. “I feel he’s going to do the same for me here because he’s been in the league and he knows my personality and my background.”

Additionally, Foye’s teammates have confidence in his leadership abilities.

“It’s a big leap, and I think he’s going to be able to accomplish that,” Smith said. “He’s going to be the floor general, so he’s got to step up to the plate.”

Leadership is settled then. But what about that pesky little question that everyone seemed to ask last season…that whole “is he a real point guard?” thing. The debate got tedious, with a majority of opinion leaning towards no. But don’t think that Foye cares.

“I love being the underdog,” Foye said. “When we’re down, the best always comes out of me.”

While it is true Foye averaged only 2.8 assists per game last season, it must be noted that those stats are based on an average playing time of 23 minutes. Once Foye gets into the starting lineup and starts putting up numbers, then the real debate can begin.

With one building block proclaiming to be the top dog on a team of pups, another piece is also stepping up to the plate, the main component of the summer’s biggest trade: Al Jefferson. Oddly enough, the question about Jefferson wasn’t if he was going to fill KG’s shoes, but rather, will he sign a contract extension? The Wolves didn’t want to trade KG for an up-and-coming youngster that would leave at an opportune moment in the near future. Luckily for Minnesota, Jefferson signed an extension Wednesday night, which keeps him a Timberwolf until 2013.

The comparisons to Garnett will be endless. And fairly or not, Jefferson will have to handle it. So far, he seems more humbled than anything else.

“I’m not concerned about comparisons,” Jefferson said. “I think it’s an honor to be compared to Kevin Garnett. To be traded for him was an honor too.”

Jefferson lead the Wolves in both scoring and rebounding during the preseason, averaging around 18 points and 14 rebounds per contest. While the numbers are not KG-like yet, if Jefferson can keep up this consistency, they will be looked at in the KG light.

If Jefferson is the cornerstone of the franchise and Foye is the team’s point guard of the future, the rest of the supporting cast will hopefully play itself into certain roles. Rookie Corey Brewer and a healthy Rashad McCants will get some time to gel at the 2-guard spot, while new acquisitions Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green will see plenty of action at the 3, now that Ricky Davis is running amok in Miami. The only area that isn’t chock full of youth is center, where Theo Ratliff, Mark Madsen and Michael Doleac will reside. It’s an area of concern for this rebuilding team, because it’s clear that none of those three will be on the team within the next few years.

Unless they plan on getting Roy Hibbert in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Wolves may have to hope their rebuilding effort attracts a young big man to the Twin Cities.

But worrying about that position now is pointless. The here and now suggests the Wolves won’t do very well this season. But, if anything, that only makes this year’s team looser and more focused.

“I don’t care if there’s high expectations or low expectations,” said vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale. “So, I don’t know how many wins we’re going to have this year, but style of play is going to be the key for me.”

The leader of the new-era Wolves agrees with his boss.

“With this year, we have no expectations coming into the season,” Foye said. “But I think that’s when we’re going to sneak up on a lot of teams.”

Perhaps Foye is overly optimistic. But then again, with what the team is facing, why not be optimistic? Pessimism only gives into what the rest of the media thinks. And the reality is still the same. We don’t know what the product on the floor can do yet. Maybe that’s why their new marketing campaign is “see what they can do.” And since the ideas of youth and raw talent described earlier in this article are clichés, why not end with another one? Seeing is believing.