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Game previews:
From Marc Stein/ESPN:
Toronto ex Sam Mitchell, according to NBA coaching sources, is indeed likely to emerge as the top candidate in Minnesota — where he was beloved as a player by Wolves owner Glen Taylor — if Kevin McHale decides not to return as coach.
Taylor has said he expects McHale to return to the Wolves’ bench next season.
That could leave them with a difficult decision on draft day even if they beat the odds and win the May 19 lottery, but Wolves general manager Jim Stack said having multiple choices (including Miami’s and Boston’s) is still a good thing.
“The way I look at it is our picks are assets,” Stack said. “We can turn our picks into future picks, potentially; we can turn them into a veteran player, potentially; or we can draft. So it gives us a lot of alternatives. It’s up to us to maximize those picks and use those assets in the best way we can to help the team really take a step forward.”
In other words, the extra picks equal added flexibility for the Wolves, who in addition to the trade options will have money to spend in free agency if they choose.
One thing they probably won’t do is just stand pat on draft day and pick.
“I don’t think we’re going to sit there and draft three or four rookies into our team next year,” Stack said, “knowing we also have two second-round picks.”
If they make a bold move, they probably will trade for a well-paid veteran rather than try to lure a free agent to the frozen tundra with big money. Acquiring Hinrich — who has three years and $26 million left on his contract — could have qualified as such. That deal could be revisited near draft time.
More likely, they will follow a slow-growth model — adding draft picks, signing role players — to which Portland, for now, has stayed true.
From David Gorton/Associated Content: The History of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Logo
From the Star Tribune:
STAR TRIBUNE’S STAR OF THE WEEK
Rodney Carney, F: An unrestricted free agent this summer, he put together three consecutive double-digit scoring games for the first time since he had four in a row in his and his team’s breakout January.
Timberwolves Head Coach Kevin McHale knows all about winning 60 games from his own playing days.
He starred on five Boston teams in the 1980s that won more than 60 games. But just three of those teams won NBA titles. So regardless of how well things went during the regular season, McHale knew the final verdict came in June.
“At the end of the year if you were a champion it was a good year,” McHale said. “If you didn’t, it wasn’t.”
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