What's the next plan of action for the Timberwolves?
Following are opinions from Mille Lacs County Times editor-sports editor Gary Larson, reporter Luther Dorr and former Times intern Logan Marxhausen who’s now on the sports staff at the St. Cloud State University Chronicle. Note: This feature is written on Monday each week.
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•Question: The Minnesota Timberwolves finished the season with a 15-67 record, tying their franchise record for fewest wins in a season. The team has three first-round picks in the upcoming draft and extra money to spend on free agents. What do the Timberwolves need to do in order to drastically improve?
-Dorr: In a league where a talented rookie can make a big impact, the Wolves need to have a good draft, AND somehow convince a free agent who will have an impact to come to Minnesota. The draft is the biggest part of making a step up but without a true center the team will continue to be one of the nobodies of the NBA.
-Marxhausen: Where do I start? With the exception of the Nets, Minnesota is at rock bottom among NBA teams. The team has a lot of young potential, but lacks leadership and clutch playmakers. Hopefully, unsigned 2009 draft pick Ricky Rubio will finally be seen in a Timberwolves uniform. Also the addition of a real shooter at the shooting guard position is needed, such as Evan Turner of Ohio State, who figures to be one of the top two picks in the college draft. Al Jefferson is a tough post player and knows how to work hard for points, but he cannot compete with some of the league’s big scorers. The Timberwolves should be looking at another big man such as DeMarcus Cousins of Kentucky, another potential high pick in the draft. General manager David Kahn is mixing things up in Minnesota so I wouldn’t be surprised if he made a few shocking draft picks and/or trades.
-Larson: Last week Timberwolves general manager David Kahn and coach Kurt Rambis accepted blame for the team’s lousy season. When the season started I thought the roster would be worth 28-30 victories but, in the end, the team over-achieved with 15. I thought Minnesota had a strong nucleus in forwards Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, guard/forward Corey Brewer and rookie guard Jonny Flynn. In a 2-29 finish to the season all four looked expendable.
The Timberwolves need either Kentucky guard John Wall or Ohio State guard Evan Turner, who will be the first players taken in the college draft. If, once again, the ping pong balls don’t bounce Minnesota’s way and it doesn’t end up with the first or second pick, it should dangle the unsigned Ricky Rubio as bait to acquire one of those picks. Experts say the 2009 draft pick from Spain is at least one, maybe two or more years away from being NBA ready. And, he may decide he doesn’t want to play in Minnesota anyway.
Several big-name, big-ability NBA stars will be free agents this summer but it’s unlikely Minnesota is an attractive destination for them. So, the Timberwolves will be looking at a list of very good, but not sensational, free agents. Maybe there will be a game-changer among them. If so, the teams needs to find him.
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•Question: The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League playoffs are underway. What teams will be meeting in the championship finals of each?
-Dorr: I had done some preliminary studying of the Minnesota Twins and their relative lack of success with men on base in a 9-4 start (against teams that are 19-32) that includes a week of play at Target Field, part of the biggest Minnesota sports story in a long time. I thus find myself unprepared to offer much in the way of knowledgeable information on the NBA and NHL. As proof I offer the fact that before trying to answer this question I wrote down names of teams I thought might be in the playoffs of those two leagues, leagues I don’t follow very closely when our local lads have bad seasons as the Wild and Timberwolves did. I got only 8 of the 16 NHL teams right and only 7 of the NBA teams. With that level of expertise established I hereby pick Cleveland and Los Angeles in the NBA and San Jose and New Jersey in NHL.
-Marxhausen: The Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic are going to meet in the NBA championship finals. Orlando’s Dwight Howard is arguably the best center in the game right now and is one of the biggest defenders as well as post presence. With the addition of a more athletic Vince Carter, rather than Hedo Turkgolu, the Magic can play at a different tempo and with zero injury problems like that of Jameer Nelson last season, they are headed to another showdown in the big dance. The Mavericks are a team that has struggled many years to become a champion. Owner Mark Cuban has assembled what he thinks is his ticket to the showdown and I see this panning out in the end.
In the NHL the first round has already started and many experts are second-guessing their “obvious picks.” At present, I think that Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will move on and then upset the Washington Capitals in the second round. The Penguins have had a tough schedule this season, but remained strong throughout the season. In the Western Conference I like the Chicago Blackhawks and their road to the Stanley Cup. San Jose is playing very questionable hockey at the moment and in a head-to-head, I believe the Blackhawks have the advantage.
-Larson: Lebron James is destined to lead a team to the NBA title. But, will it be his Cleveland Cavaliers? Or, a different franchise he signs with this summer? Orlando is a better team than Cleveland but, I’ll take the Cavaliers to win the NBA East. In the NBA West, I’d like to pick Utah or Dallas, but I have to go with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. However, Bryant’s injured finger may be the key factor in the West playoffs.
In the NHL it will be Pittsburgh and Sid (no longer a kid) Crosby in the East and Detroit in the West.
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•Question: The National Football League college draft is this week. What should the Vikings be looking for?
-Dorr: Picking 30th out of 32 isn’t the best position for a team that has a list of needs but it’s better than picking, let’s say, sixth, because that means your 2009 season was a bad one. The little I know about the team’s needs leads me to believe the biggest need is for an offensive lineman or a cornerback, or perhaps a back-up running back. For various reasons a linebacker would be next on the list and then a safety. Is quarterback Brett Favre coming back? If not, do the Vikings need to draft a quarterback?
-Marxhausen: I think the Vikings need to look in particular to the weak side of the offensive line. One of the players who may still be available is Anthony Davis of Rutgers. Also, the Vikings showed some weakness in the secondary when it came down to the end of the season and injuries. The Vikings may also like to look into Taylor Mays of USC or Devin McCourty or Rutgers. All are viable candidates at the No. 30 pick in the draft.
-Larson: The experts feel the Vikings will take a cornerback with their first pick. That’s logical. Fifth-year back Cedric Griffin is coming off knee surgery after being injured against New Orleans in the NFC title game. And, hard-hitting veteran Antoine Winfield, while just 31, may be feeling the effects of his ferocious play and was dinged up at times last season. The experts say cornerback is a deep position in the draft and a good one should be available when the Vikings make their first pick at No. 30.
After the first round, Minnesota will probably take “the best player available approach.” And, that player may just be Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
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