Kahn: I thought Dexter Pittman really demonstrated a physicality about himself. We saw the things Hassan Whiteside does well, the timing on shot-blocking, and the potential is kind of oozing out of him. I thought the other three guys in their own way had their moments.
Question: How does Pittman compare to DaJuan Blair and Glen “Big Baby” Davis? Is there a place in this league for a big bruiser in this league?
Kahn: Absolutely, he (Pittman) is actually much taller than both the guys you mentioned (Blair and Davis). He’s 6′ 11″, he’s a center, and in this league there’s a dearth of centers, especially those that have that kind of size and physicality about them. He’s very intriguing…He has lost some dramatic amount of weight and it appears as if he’s still losing because every time I see him he looks a little bit better. That’s a positive sign that he really wants to be in this league.
Question: Pittman mentioned that he worked with (Wolves Assistant GM) Rob Babcock’s son; does that give you extra insight?
Kahn: Sure, I think whenever you have people on your staff who have special relationships due to family, friends, or past working relationships, you’ll always feel that the information is a little bit more solid because it’s a little deeper and it’s more day-to-day.
Question: Do you watch the prospects reactions when they go through a workout, if they have their head down low or are cheering on other teammates, does that factor into it?
Kahn: Absolutely, the way they interact with other people. Being in a practice setting, they’re in a gym, they’re in their workplace so you have an opportunity to see them in their workplace.
Question: Whiteside really improved over the course of his freshman year, where do see his upside going? Is he intriguing because he is such a young player?
Kahn: It will be up to Hassan in my opinion. If Hassan is willing to really apply himself, and work and understand that he has a world of potential but a lot of work ahead of him then I think he could be a very fine player in our league. It’s really up to him.
Question: Will you be making a decision on Pekovic’s future?
Kahn: We really can’t, we’re not allowed to sign him until after July first… You can always have a determination of what direction you want to head but I don’t think you can really lock in all the way. Of course we will be talking internally about he might fit in. That’s part of this discussion in these next two weeks.
Question: Do you think you will have the same picks as you do now come draft night?
Kahn: I’ll stand by what I said back then, I think it’s unlikely that we will have the same three picks on the night of the draft. Typically there’s a lot of movement league-wide and I think that we will be one of the teams that will move. I’m not sure if that means up, down, sideways, or what but I’d be surprised.
Question: Have the discussions around the league met your expectations to what’s being tossed around?
Kahn: This is the week where it really intensifies, it always is. The thing that’s different this year is you have about six or seven teams that have an enormous amount of room for the purpose of free agency. I think that rather than a thirty team league that would be active; you almost have a 22 or 23 team league. Not that those teams won’t try to do deals, they will, but because they’re in effect almost acting with a smaller roster and a smaller cap number they’re probably less prone, they waiting for their big moment. It’s a little different this year; I sense that those teams in particular are still waiting for their time to come.
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