Minnesota TImberwolves: Opportunity Questions Linger

There is no doubt that I’ll be watching a lot of things this upcoming NBA season. But aside from the usual suspects and predetermined storylines, there is one thing in particular that’s driving my interest.

When the Minnesota Timberwolves were actively searching for a new head coach they were saying all the right things and gave the impression of having an aggressive president with an aggressive plan. But even as word of their courtship of Memphis Grizzlies coach (and my friend’s cousin) Dave Joerger grew loud, I had a sinking feeling that team president Flip Saunders was looking for something in those candidates that he knew he wouldn’t find, or didn’t want to find.

It’s almost as if he worked to convince himself that he was indeed the right man for the job, even if he had every right to throw decorum out the window and make such a self-indulgent hire. I figured it was coming; being okay with a legacy as a mediocre head coach has to be tough to swallow.

Anyway, when Saunders finally did install himself as the Timberwolves coach, and even in the midst of all the Kevin Love uncertainty, he spoke about wanting to still field a competitive team right away and going through another full rebuild was not an avenue he was interested in traveling.

Of course, that was then. Saunders had to ready himself and the fans for a Kevin Love haul that included a collection of underwhelming veterans and draft picks that, while sounding good initially, would lack a certain sizzle as time progressed.

But the haul was a dandy, at least compared to the reported alternatives. Excitement is through the roof. So I want to know whether Saunders is going to hold firm to that “competitive” mantra even though everyone else is going to be screaming for the group that I’m going to call the “learning curve crew.”

I’ve thought about what this may looks like, and it isn’t a lineup that moves the needle very much. It is, though, probably competent enough to keep the Wolves somewhat reasonable in the West. It is easy to imagine Kevin Martin keeping the raw rookie Zach LaVine from any meaningful minutes or Corey Brewer and Chase Budinger relegating Andrew Wiggins to 18 minutes a game when it should be 30 right out of the gate.

A look at the depth chart amplifies the concerns. Wiggins can play both shooting guard and small forward, but Martin is the guy there right now and he will be leaned on to score from the outside with few other reliable options. And while LaVine is as raw as they come, it would hardly be ideal if he and Wiggins—the team’s two most exciting and talented players—are fighting for minutes that may not be there in abundance.

I don’t foresee a role for LaVine as a point guard, even if he was drafted as a tweener. The Wolves signed Mo Williams as Ricky Rubio’s backup and I assume he will play a lot. Maybe LaVine will grow into a point guard naturally, but just because he is a super athletic raw guard from UCLA doesn’t make him another Russell Westbrook.

Sure, Wiggins can play both shooting guard and small forward, but their depth there is a problem, too. Brewer and Budinger are solid players and last year’s lottery pick, Shabazz Muhammad is there as well. I still have some hope for him after showing a few signs late last season. And I could say the same thing for the Wolves’ big men, too, as Gorgui Dieng needs to play, yet the Wolves rely on Nikola Pekovic, and they will even more now with Kevin Love gone.

It’s about objective with this team. I can appreciate Saunders not wanting to start over again, and he has capable veteran players. He is a smart enough basketball man to know what the ceiling is with that, though, and it isn’t want he hopes for. No one is going to disparage him for making a commitment to the youngsters and swallowing a 20-win season. That would be the quickest route back to real relevance.