Maury Brown/Biz Of Basketball caught up with David Kahn last Sunday in an interview that “covers how business and basketball development are intertwined, Moneyball in the NBA, how rookie scale players are key to allowing payroll flexibility to land quality veteran free agents, scouting NBA players, the use of objective analysis to improve scouting and much more.”
Bizball: Moneyball was something that came to the forefront with Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s – the ability to find undervalued talent when faced with constraints, such as limited revenue streams or in the case of the NBA, bumping into cap restrictions. Is finding undervalued talent something that will be key for the Timberwolves moving forward?
Kahn: I think so and I hope so. I think certain NBA teams already do an outstanding job of that. But, yes, with the Timberwolves, we definitely want to buy low and sell high. Now that comes across sometimes as a little too unemotional, and a little too unfeeling, but I think that the concept, is an important one. It all again flows back into how to manage the payroll, based on the fact that you don’t have an infinite number of dollars to spend. That’s why the rookie scale players, in particular, provided they can contribute right away, are so important. It’s the rookie pay scale players that contribute right away that takes away a lot of pressure, and that does allow you the opportunity to allocate significant dollars to your top players. If, on the other hand, your rookie scale players aren’t contributing, and aren’t in your rotation, then you’re having to pay veteran players who make more money, in many cases. It can really cause the thing to become askew.
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