Minnesota Timberwolves: A New Year’s Resolution
Last season around this time I asked, as an NBA-themed New Year’s resolution (an idea I abhor, by the way), that the Toronto Raptors pick a franchise direction and go with it. They had traded Rudy Gay, probably in the hope that they would fall off the map and get a high draft pick, but instead were winning games at a frantic, and unexpected, pace.
I was uncomfortable. It didn’t seem like a sustainable way. But regardless, I asked that they either commit to building on that foundation and try to win the division or trade the other valuable assets in a total rebuild. Whatever the plan, it had to be definitive.
They chose the former and it has been a revelation. The Raptors are now arguably the best team in the East with a firmly upward trajectory. I’m thrilled, if not pretty surprised, by their ascent.
So now I am asking the Minnesota Timberwolves to do the same thing in their New Year commitment. I ask that they have a completely clear vision after this season about what they want to do and who they want to do it with. The Minnesota Timberwolves must identify who is part of the long-term goal and start putting together a plan that can amplify those players and jettison the ones who do not fit into the vision.
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First, I want the Wolves to decide what the future is at power forward. Thaddeus Young is hardly old at 26 and is a solid player. Really, he’s exactly what most observers figured he would be. He’s a 15 point a game guy but only averages four rebounds and currently has a below average Player Efficiency Rating. I like him, and he is the kind of player that can be the fourth best player on a good team. I’m not sure that holds a lot of value for a Wolves team like this. Besides, I feel like Flip Saunders signaled his intentions for the near future when he traded Corey Brewer.
The options in the 2015 NBA Draft for that position will be great at the top. The Wolves undoubtedly will be drafting there. Arguably three of the top four prospects in the draft are power forwards. The Wolves will be in prime position, assuming that they will be looking to fill that position with a long-term solution. I hope that is the case. However, Saunders and Co. need to spend the next couple of months figuring out what to do with Young. And if they decide that keeping Young and building around him as the veteran barometer is the right thing to do, then they need to formulate a plan around that.
Second, I would like the Wolves to decide whether the future of the center position is Nikola Pekovic or Gorgui Dieng. I really like them both; Dieng offers the youth and athleticism while Pekovic gives more offense and more immediate results. The Wolves naturally shifting to youth and athleticism may be the writing on the wall, but Pekovic is still a noteworthy asset.
The Wolves know that and other teams know that, too. Keeping both and playing both for the long-term is a cute idea, but both have shown the ability and have the right to be the No. 1 big man for a franchise. The Wolves need to make a commitment to one of them.
Third, the Wolves need to make some position determinations with their young cornerstones. Is Andrew Wiggins best suited to be the guy at small forward or as a big shooting guard? Is Shabazz Muhammad best suited to be a starter or as a highly effective and potent sixth man? Does Zach LaVine really have a future as a point guard and what does Ricky Rubio do to his value on the team moving forward?
Finding definitive answers to these questions will be paramount in establishing a real blueprint for this team going into the offseason. They have more than a couple of months to decide exactly where they think things need to go. To me, the record really is a secondary issue. Flip Saunders has to appreciate the position he is in.