Live blog from David Kahn press conference
Posted on May 22nd, 2009 – 12:31 PMBy Brian Stensaas
Hello from Target Center, where David Kahn has just been formally introduced as the Timberwolves new president of basketball operations. Before Kahn spoke, team owner Glen Taylor first went through how the hiring process went, saying the Wolves had a list of about 20 candidates. Experience was key, Taylor said. In the end”nobody is perfect, including David.” But he was the “best” for the job.
Taylor also came out and said, contrary to reports, nobody ever turned this job down.
Large crowd here today: plenty of media types, a whole bunch of Target Center employees and a good number of skyway walkers peering in from the common man’s quarters. Funny - just one security guard.
We’ve been handed a packet of information telling us all about Mr. Kahn (UCLA class of ‘83; NYU School of Law ‘93, etc). It includes testimonials from several former NBA colleagues, too. From Gregg Popovich to Larry Bird to Rick Carlisle.
Wearing a dark suit with a shiny new Wolves lapel pin, here’s some of what Kahn has said so far:
- On the Kevin McHale situation: “I had the over/under at 7 seconds. You just got the under. Thank you. It’d be very easy to sit here and say ‘you know what I’m going to fire Kevin. That would show you I have the authority.” It’s “[McHale’s] decision too in some respects.” He will talk with McHale, who is currently up at his cabin, in the next week.
- How he envisions his staff shaping up: “I don’t have a pre-ordained list of people or a shadow government. We have five weeks. I called all the key staffers the the same night as Kevin. We don’t have one waking moment to devote to staffing issues. We have five weeks [until] the draft, an important draft. We have three [first-round] picks, if we use them all.”
- On whether he’s thick skinned or thin skinned because of being a former sports reporter: “Depends on what they’re saying.”
- On negative fan reaction on blogs: “I don’t worry about people who don’t know me and have opinions. In my case, I acknowledge I was the No. 2 person in Indiana, not No. 1. I flew somewhat under the radar. However, there are a lot of people in our industry who do know me. I believe that those people who I’ve worked with, by and large, respect me. It doesn’t matter if they like me so much as respect me.”
- How many games will the team win? “Not going to say that. Will Al be back healthy?”
129 Responses to "Live blog from David Kahn press conference"
It will all be about results and that’s all that will sell me on Kahn or anybody else. But I will say this… he is completely oozing of the following traits in his press conference:
1. Intelligence
2. Control
3. Confidence
4. Hard Work
5. Knowledge
6. Leadership
Anybody who still has a beef with Kahn needs to find this press conference online later today and watch/listen to it. If you’re not willing to at least listen to the press conference and learn about what Kahn is all about, then you’re not even giving the guy and chance. And in that case, you’re just a hater who we shouldn’t bother listening to on this board.
Foo
A repeat of what I wrote on the previous post:
You obviously didn’t know Kahn’s reputation coming in. Everybody says he is very well spoken and self confident. Unfortunatley so are door to door salesmen which he is often compared to. He is also said to be very hard to work with and for.
I wish him all the best but this hiring has bust written all over it.
Mr.Kahn,
For the sake of this organization and it’s fans please have the willpower and strength to fire Kevin McHale.He is nothing but a slow growing cancer to this organization.The team fired the wrong person a few years back.Despite the fact that he never was able to win the big one or advance much in the playoffs while here Flip Saunders put a competitve team on the floor whom were interesting to watch.
Len
Anybody else find it fittingly ironic that McHale is up relaxing at his cabin at the very same moment that David Kahn said, “We don’t have one waking moment to devote to staffing issues. We have five weeks [until] the draft, an important draft. We have three [first-round] picks, if we use them all.”
This is such an important time of year EVERY YEAR… yet, McHale always takes this time of year chilling up at his cabin like this is his off-season.
If Kahn truly values hard work the way he is saying he does, then I don’t see how McHale could possibly be back. How can you keep a job if you’re just chilling up at the cabin 5 weeks prior to the draft?
They’ll play this out politically and play-nice in public, but I just don’t see how McHale will ever answer to Kahn.
I’m willing to give him a chance, jama. You can kill him all you want, but he deserves the chance to prove what he can do.
Foo
I don’t think he deserves anything. He’s going to have to earn any respect he gets from me. I adamantly think this is a horrible hire and will continue saying that until he proves me wrong. Going with the flow and letting this Franchise get away with horrible decision making is what lead this team into the present situation.
Bad decisions will continue to be made until the fans let the Organization know it won’t take this anymore.
I actually like the fact that McHale is at his cabin while Kahn and the FO prepare for the draft. This should assure that McHale will have absolutely NO input into the usage of our picks.
Thanks for all the updates Jerry. Hey since you’re a reporter/journalist maybe if you hang in there long enough the Wolves will hire you as a GM.
Thanks for the updates BRIAN!
I listed to the conference as well, and if Kahn is a fraud he has done a lot of homework to come off as convincing. Especially all the references…are Walsh, Bird, Popovich, etc. lying?
I think firing McHale is a bigger risk than keeping him and think Kahn leans the same way. McHale was doing a good job teaching and motivating. There are so few bona fide NBA head coaches, period. Even then, some don’t fit with the teams they have.
Jama … I can only hope that you receive more of a “benefit of the doubt” when you begin your next job than you are willing to extend to Mr. Kahn. You are pathetic.
jama - Go ahead and empower yourself… but don’t hold your breath that The Timberwolves are actively seeking or interested in your input. Are you also one of the guys who organizes those walk-outs at MLB games in order to “give those darned pro-sports executives a piece of my mind”?
As I said in the first post of this thread, “It will all be about results and that’s all that will sell me on Kahn or anybody else.” So I get that he needs to prove himself. I’m not assuming he’ll be great; But I’m also not judging him before he’s even had the chance to do anything on the job. To put the nail in a guy’s coffin on his first day on the job really shows your character. You must hold a lot of grudges in your personal life…
It’s almost like you want him to fail… like those people who consider themselves patriotic because they sport a “Don’t blame me, I voted for Gore” bumper-sticker three years after GWB won the election.
Personally, I want him to succeed and the only way a guy will succeed is if he’s given the chance to do so. But if you want Kahn and The Timberwolves to suck just so you can be right, then go ahead, brother.
Jama,
I respect your opinion that Mr. Kahn has to earn your respect and you do not agree with this hire.
However, I will reserve my opinion for the next few years to see what he does for the Timberwolves.
I would not want people who do not know me or who have not worked with me or for me to form an opinion on my work ethic, job performance or my past work relationships on “heresay” or from one or two people. It should be about the body of work and a wide range of opinions from a diverse range of working knowlege.
I can understand if he brings McHale back on a one year deal, but if McHale insists on anything more than that (the scribes are saying he may want a four year deal?), I would say “adios” - he has done nothing to warrant a long-term deal at this point, and McHale himself of all people should know that (especially with how they ran Casey out of town).
Tom Thibodeau the assistant with the Boston Celtics would my vote to coach.
Fire Kahn! Fire Kahn! Fire Kahn!
What a clown.
Here are just some very quick initial thoughts:
Glen Taylor’s rambling description of the process used to get to this hire did very little to dispel the notion that was a disorganized, scattershot affair. The question that is still begging for an honest answer is what exactly led Dennis Lindsey, Tom Penn, and Randy Pfund to express interest in the job and then pull out. Taylor may well be correct that no one turned down an offer for the job. But why were people bailing out before it even got to that point?
David Kahn said all the right things. Of course, the fact of the matter is that most major hires like this tend to say all the right things at their initial press conference. In a month or so, we’ll be able to more fairly judge where this team is going and what kind of acumen he has.
If for comic purposes only, the fact that Kevin McHale was “at his cabin” was priceless. Like we expected him to be anywhere else?
I watched the press conference hoping to find something to like about this guy and he delivered. I wanted a number of other candidates to be chosen above Kahn, but it’s reassuring to see that he is an intelligent guy that actually thinks things through and is an outsider with a fresh perspective. I’ll root for him the same way I do for all other GMs that run my favorite franchises and just hope he does a good job so there won’t be much to complain about.
Sean - I agree. I’m very interested to see how this draft and off-season turn out. If nothing else, this should be one of the most entertaining and active off-seasons in a while.
Far be it from me to defend McHale, but where do you people expect him to be? He’s not a member of the front office any more and he’s not really even the coach yet. I was more pissed when he was the GM and spent all that time up north. But now, I don’t see what good being down here will do.
Buffalo — I agree that it’s questionable that McHale should in fact be around, given his status with the organization is unclear. It’s just so befitting of the McHale stereotype that he spent the summer at the cabin instead of doing the dirty work scouting for the draft. And when his potential new boss comes to town, McHale stays at the cabin.
Sean, your never going to get an answer about the hiring process and you wouldn’t if it was any other organization (not just pro sports teams.) People just don’t talk about things like that, it unprofessional. I’m sure Taylor was pretty mad at Penn, but how is it going to look to future candidates if he openly rips them?
When was the last time you quit or turned down a job? Did the company send out a memo telling what really happened? Of course not, that would be ridiculous.
Kevin — Clearly I don’t expect Taylor to address those points in a press conference. However, I think it’s a question that still bears some investigation by folks like Jerry. There’s obviously sources who are in the know about what was going on and can shed light on it.
“Taylor also came out and said, contrary to reports, nobody ever turned this job down.”
Oh come on, Glen. That’s just insulting.
Look into what Sessions wants in terms of a contract. 2y/5m or 3/6 with possible team options after that.
Anyone who has a problem w/McHale being at the cabin and not working on the draft has no knowledge of Twolves draft history during his tenure. Be interesting to see what Kahn and Hoiberg compile as i imagine those two will have the most say. I hope he clears the scouting dept first.
Thibodeau would be a good hire IMO but i wonder if he’d be willing to leave Boston. They’ve got a solid 2 more years of being contenders if the 3 stay healthy.
I was a sports reporter after college… I can tell you that a daily newspaper is not going to launch an investigation into something unless it’s newsworthy.
What would the pie-in-the-sky breaking news be for Jerry or anybody else to report on this? “Breaking News! Glen Taylor actually DID offer the job to Tom Penn. Star Tribune uncovers the first ever professional sports team owner to tell a lie in a press-conference!”
Who cares? Glen didn’t get his first choice. He was sitting next to the guy he actually hired and you’re expecting him to say something like, “Yeah… Kahn’s OK. He was our 4th choice. But we had to hire somebody, so he’s it.”
This is not news and there’s nothing else that GT could have said.
Foo — I’m a former reporter as well. And, I agree, I don’t expect any actual reporting to be done on it now. I still think it’s a good question, though, and I think it would be interesting to find out. As you well know, it’s often the most interesting questions that never get reported on.
Yeah, but the question was asked in the presser. Glen was elusive and probably lied about it. I’m not sure where anybody could take it from there.
Let me clear up a couple of things:
1. Sorry Brian, I didn’t check to see who wrote this update. Thank you for covering the presser.
2. The fact that Kahn is a bad hire isn’t his fault. My hatred is more aimed at Glenn Taylor, he is the anchor around this franchises neck.
3. If Hoiberg and Stack stay on for the next month they should get all the credit in the world. Can you imagine the President of your company hiring someone who is obviously not one of their first choices to fill a position over you and then telling you to do whatever they say? I wouldn’t blame those two at all if they wanted to walk right now.
4. I do wish Kahn lots of luck as I said before, but it’s hard to cheer the hire when the Owner has already basically said this guy isn’t good enough for the job.
Mr. Taylor any day now would be a good day to sell the club. Thank you!
Well I’m a former reporter too and I…who am I kidding, I’m a boring Patent Attorney; however, I was a little offended by Kahn defending himself by saying he never went to law school to be a lawyer. Apparently he doesn’t want Attorney’s who went to school to be a lawer to be fan’s of this franchise, what a jerk.
That being said, that letter he wrote definitely showed his legal skills. I don’t know how many times while doing general practice work I sent out a demand letter to people I had nothing but comtempt towards yet was overly generous and sympathetic in my communication.
Any discussion of the empty arena? Does Glen think this hire helps this franchise survive in this market? I can’t believe they hired this idiot.
The question that was asked at the presser was not precise enough. They asked if anyone had been offered the job and turned it down. Taylor may well have been telling the truth when he said no to that. Although Penn was apparently close, there may not have been a formal offer on the table yet. The question is why did Lindsey, Pfund, and Penn pull out before it got to that point. Was there something about what Taylor was offering — not enough money? not enough control? Or was it three personal decisions that were unrelated to the organization itself?
Centrist - I heard that law-school question. I get where you’re coming from, but I just believe his point was that he has always wanted to be in The NBA as a front-office guy. I didn’t hear that as a knock on slimy, dishonest, greasy attorneys!
With his business background it seems as tho there will be room for Hoiberg to assume personnel decisions. Maybe that was part of Taylor’s plan?
I’m happy to hear his inference that we may deal one or more of these picks. We do not need much more youth on this team. Time to get some vets (hopefully with talent) to round out this roster and instill some unhappiness with our losing ways of late. Now that we’re freed up cap-wise and have some pieces to deal…
Sounds like Barreiro is gonna have David Kahn on the radio THIS HOUR. Listen up… that interview should at least give us some more fodder to get after each other about!
My prediction is that jama will hear something to criticize and I will find something to gush over.
Where’s Maury Brown? I want to read him gloating over is boy getting the job!
Kaaaaaaaaahhhhnnn!
Foo
I will agree to disagree if you do?!?
I need about one more day to let out all the anger I have towards this organization and then I will look forward to the draft and the off season.
Lets face it he was the only one to want the job. Taylor spends all his time just putting spin on all of his continued bungling.
I mean how do you turn the process of simply hiring a GM into yet another complete embarrassment. Just jaw droppingly inept.
He sure was quick to make the statement that no one turned down the job. That’s because once they saw the situation up close, they all ran the other way very quickly. That says it all. This should’ve been a very desired job. A supposed young up and coming team with cap space and 3 #1’s- should be a perfect time for a young hotshot executive to come in and be the hero. But no one wanted the gig. Nothing could say more than that. We only see what’s in the public -can you imagine how effed this all must be behind the scenes. So the only girl left at the dance is the Con man who hasn’t had an NBA gig in 7 years. Now that’s what an NBA exec in hot demand. On top of that he is a money guy and not a player personnel guy. So 5 weeks from the draft, we have no GM and the only player personnel guy is the “might be” coach who has already shown how deft, I mean daft, he is with the draft. And he’s up north fishing. (this is more like Mayberry RFD all the time-f*ck Bill Simmons-how about Aunt Bee for GM) And none of the other people involved with the draft might not have their jobs either, No stipulations? Just more of Glen’s lame and transparent attempt at spin. Technically he’s probably right -he didn’t need stipulations anymore because the clock is ticking and there’s no time to even make any changes. So meet your new Wolves GM– Fred Hoiberg. And the really twisted irony here is that the more the clock ticks the more McHale becomes in a power position. Think about it-how scary is that. Unless of course he’s already made the decision to return as coach and the behind the scenes GM. His demotion was just more of Glen spin to quiet the fan outrage. Does anybody believe that he’s going to come back as coach and not have say/influence on personnel when no one else in the organization has any experience in that area. My money says McHale and Hoiberg are already in place and that’s the main reason why every other candidate ran the other way. But the Con man doesn’t care about any of that -he just gets the corner office and counts the beans. What a complete fustercluck-you can’t make this stuff up. Glen Taylor is a complete idiot who is in blinding denial about what an embarrassing disaster he has made with this franchise. But when you’re the Spinmeister that Glen is you can get by with anything because he obviously thinks the fans don’t really see what’s happening. And he thinks he can just tell the fans that it isn’t the effing mess that we all can see it is because we’re all really stupid and we’ll believe anything he tells us. You go Glen -you’re really turning this thing around.
Very fair, jama. But only if you allow me to drop a ToldYouSo if Kahn turns this ship around!
I actually heard his remark about going to law school to be in the NBA and, as a lawyer, was half-tempted to send him my resume, since it sounds like a fun gig… (and the team could use all the help it can get!).
On another note, does Sessions really only want 2/5 or 3/6? I can’t imagine there’s anyway in the world that’s all he’s asking for. Someone will definitely give him more than that — heck, Telfair makes that kind of money and no one would say he has the upside Sessions does. That said, man, I’d love to make a run at him, use our #6 on a scoring wing, add another PG or C at the next pick (Mullens?) and address our man needs in one fell swoop. That’d at least be a start…
What kind of money are the Wolves making or losing these days? I just can’t figure out why Glen’s making the moves he does… even if personal loyalty is that strong, he has to realize he’s costing himself serious cash by all these enthusiasm- (and winning record-) crushing moves.
I think I’ve read that the Wolves have lost tens of millions each of the last 2 or 3 seasons. Somewhere around the $20 million per mark.
Turn on AM-1130 (KFAN) if you guys have access to radio right now.
Barreiro is about to play back an interview he did earlier in the day with David Kahn.
Glad to hear that the McHale anchor was’nt tied around anyones neck.
The guy is a good public speaker, and I hope he can turn this organization around, but as Denny Green would say “the proof, is gon’ be in the puddin”.
Random Names to toss out there for off-season trade possibilities. All of them are under contract for at least one more season:
PG:
Tony Parker - rumor floated already. I’d love it!
Kirk Hinrich - always a possibility, it seems.
SG:
Kevin Martin - does Sacramento just start from scratch?
SF:
Gerald Wallace - athletic freak, great defender.
Tayshaun Prince - Corey Brewer with more offensive game?
Andrei Kirilenko - blocks fallen off dramatically.
T.McGrady - check how bad Houston wants to move him.
C:
Eddie Curry - terrible, I know. But NYK would probably do anything to move the last two years on his contract for 2010 FA class. Maybe we could get two 1sts and a young player in exchange for taking on this bum.
Parker - don’t see it happening from the SA side
Hinrich, Martin, Prince, Wallace - yes, make it happen for any of the above Wolves
Kirilenko, McGrady, Curry - no. Personalities are too much of a wild card. And with McGrady, it’s pretty clear he can’t win or stay healthy.
Kahn welcome to Minnesota Nice….Dittos to Souhan on his article on how to run the team……..
Matt -
I actually mostly agree with you on each of those guys. As for the other three:
1. Kirilenko - has always been intriguing to me at SF, but he’s really fallen off the last couple years. Still is a bit of a freak on defense.
2. McGrady - I mentioned him strictly because he has a $23M expiring contract and because The Rockets were clearly better without him in the lineup. I believe The Rockets would be better served with a few players who fit better like other expiring contracts like Miller and Cardinal. I’d be interested in a McGrady-Joey Dorsey FOR Miller-Cardinal-Madsen-Telfair. Dorsey defends like a machine and McGrady would give us some buzz. And if McGrady re-emerges, he’ll fetch us a lot more at the trade deadline than Miller or Cardinal would. It’s not happening, but I just think it’s interesting that Houston is better without McGrady.
3. Curry - Probably my least-favorite guy in The NBA. But he’s got two awful years on his contract and is the single-biggest road-block in the way of The Knicks DOMINATING the free-agent class of 2010. If they could move Curry, they’d be in a position to add TWO stars in 2010. So perhaps that would hook The Knicks to move two 1st-rounders (including this year’s No. 8 pick) and Wilson Chandler. I think if we could score that, I’d do it despite Curry being a lazy bum who would be a $10M a year (for two more seasons) back-up center.
Foo,
News flash. Isiah Thomas isn’t running the Knicks, Donnie Walsh is.
The days of fleecing that team are over.
The Knicks will be the ones with one of the Wolves first rounders before this month is out.
reading his letter to the Blog and his transcript of his news conference…and his Bio, I’m impressed with his resume and accumen for the moment. I do hope that he will bring in some of “HIS” people before the draft…being in the NBDL you get an idea of the type of players that will be in that league and probably have more of a scouting regime than most NBA teams and I hope that he will listen to that little voice in his head and trim the fat off the current front office personnel that he knows will not be with the team come October as soon as possible. This team needs a true front office leader, one that will improve this teams talent and on the court attitude and performance.
I have to give McHale/Taylor credit for getting rid of guys like McCants, Jaric, Blount, Davis, and Walker. and Hope that Kahn can find guys that have heart and desire to be successful and not just get a jersey and say they play in the NBA.
Mr. Kahn I hope you have success and can turn the Wolves around in a short time…we as fans are ready.
The one thing I definitely like about Kahn is he’s hard nosed. You can tell by the way he writes and speaks and what he says that he’s not a guy who’s going to get pushed around by special interests or anything like that.
It was really apparent when he was asked about McHale, and he made a point to emphasize “hey, it’s my show, I can fire him if I want to”. He seems like a guy who’s going to define what he wants right away, and be very aggressive in seeing it happen. That’s good news for a franchise that spends most of its time spinning its wheels.
I find it interesting that every reporter in town wants McHale fired. I also find it interesting that every player wants him back. Equally as interesting is that everyone who works with Kevin, loves him. IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW JERRY ZGODA FEELS ABOUT KEVIN- HE DOESN’T HAVE TO PLAY FOR HIM. You want another effort like these SAME players gave to Randy Wittman, then hire another coach. You want the team you saw in January, then hire McHale.
Since when does the media get to fire the coach? Let the players have a say.
The question isn’t McHale as a coach, it’s how much influence will he have beyond coaching. It’s like Souhan said in his column…if you’re David Kahn, you don’t want to be going into work every day wonder what McHale is telling Taylor that you don’t know about.
Rodman - Do you really think that any team that has to take on Eddy Curry for two additional years at $10M+ could be considered to have “fleeced” another team?
For a 7-foot, 280+ pound center, Curry is plain BAD in every area of the game other than post-scoring. And even that’s declining. No defense. No rebounding. No effort. And now he can’t stay healthy.
I’ve gotten the inkling to this point that Donnie Walsh would JUMP at the chance to dump Eddy Curry. Other than two recent, innexpensive draft picks (W.Chandler and D.Galinari), there’s only Curry and Jared Jeffries on the NYK roster signed past 2010. If he could shed Curry, who represents over half of the committed 2011 payroll, he could OWN the 2010 free agent class.
LeBron is going to stay in Cleveland and I also think Wade stays in Miami. But Donnie Walsh could easily wind up with Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson in 2010 with all the cap space he’d have by moving E.Curry. Otherwise, he’ll have to settle for Bosh and a mid-tier free agent instead (like Josh Howard, Richard Hamilton, Stephen Jackson or Mike Miller). But moving Curry could land him two legit ALL-STARS.
What’s Wilson Chandler, the No. 8 pick in a weak draft and say a lottery-protected pick to be paid out sometime before 2015 compare to the possible dynamo The Knicks would be if they got Bosh and Joe Johnson? If these were two top-5 picks in deep drafts, I might understand your take, Rodman.
But, you’re telling me you wouldn’t take $10M net cash savings and Joe Johnson for Wilson Chandler, a No. 8 draft pick and, say, a No. 20 draft pick in 2011?
The Wolves aren’t built to be realistic 2010 free-agent players and won’t be ready to contend for a decent play-off run until 2011/2012. So taking Curry won’t hurt us like he’s currently hand-cuffing The Knicks. But Chandler is a starter-quality SF who defends like crazy and we’re in a good spot to continue adding young draft picks.
I doubt Glen Taylor would take on such a financial albatross like Curry, but I think Donnie Walsh would immediately say yes to that trade.
Bryan -
The wolves have three draft picks to make in a little over a month. McHale is at his cabin. How much more evidence do you need that he isn’t making decisions. You think the scouting staff and Kahn are going to put in a bunch of leg work and then McHale is going to strut into the Draft War Room, whisper in Glenn’s ear about all the tape he watched on his cabin Plasma, and force the wolves to draft this year’s Kevin Love. Preposterous.
Furthermore, the player McHale had a man crush on last year, Kevin Love, turned out to be arguably the best player we could have had at #3 with Lopez also being a possibility.
This goes way beyond the draft and way beyond the roster. If McHale and Kahn don’t get along and and Mac’s there every day telling Taylor all the things he thinks Kahn does wrong, what do you do?
Bryan,
McHale and Taylor are not nearly as close as you seem to believe. That’s a FACT.
Why, just because you say so? Why has McHale been kept around all these years then?
Foo,
Dead weight moves in this league. Just look at Mark Blount, a guy about a thousand times less desirable than Eddie Curry.
All you’ve got to do is something like promise a second rounder in the future… Do we really think Miami is that stupid to take Blount? That hand shake deal was in place that turned into the Chalmers deal.
My only real point is the Knicks aren’t going to be giving up prime assets (Chandler is better than any Wolf next to Al; and that 8th pick just well may be Stephen Curry) just to unload two years off a deal.
Lebron won’t come to an empty roster. He’s on one already.
I hear you, Rodman. I guess the main point of it comes down to this:
If you’re Donnie Walsh and you have the chance to add TWO known stars in this league, he’d probably do it instead of holding onto gambles from this year’s No. 8 pick (which is probably equivelant to a No. 15-20 pick in most drafts) and then a No. 15-20 pick in a future draft. Those aren’t prime assets. Wilson Chandler is a nice player who would start at SF for The Wolves, but will never be a star.
But The Wolves aren’t just going take another team’s albatross for nothing.
The title teams in most seasons have 2-3 legit stars. By moving E.Curry and W.Chandler, Walsh will gain about $13.5M in cap space for that big free agent class.
Otherwise, Walsh is looking at adding one big star (I’d be surprised if Bosh doesn’t end up with The Knicks) and lots of teams have one big star. But how many teams have two high-level stars? I think it makes all the sense in the world for both teams.
But, again, I’m just spit-balling here for kicks. I’d be floored if a deal like that happened. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Walsh-Kahn swap sometime shortly… that’s what got me looking at The Knicks’ roster.
Forget my proposed E.Curry swap… just in general though, what do you think Walsh would have to give up to a team that agreed to take on Curry’s contract?
Actually, Foo, I think you might be undervaluing what it would be worth to Walsh to get out from under that Curry contract.
He could be willing to give up Danilo Galinari (who is going to be a player) and next year’s unprotected first (and the Knicks are going to be horrible next year) or this year’s first if somebody will take Curry off their hands for expiring contracts.
Waslh’s entire MO since he took over has been to get rid of contracts, and you know he wants to get rid of Curry in the worst way.
There’s been some talk of Nate Robinson/Curry swap. But until Curry sheds like 50 lbs (probably more), not sure who’d take it.
But more likely for us, is the Knicks coming after one of our picks this year.
One thought is the Knicks have Cutino Mobley, a medically retired player who’s one year $9 million contract is paid for by insurance by 70% (don’t quote me on those numbers). The Wolves could dump on of their first rounders and a player just to save money.
Would sure hope they get more for a first rounder than that though.
Eric,
The Knicks don’t have a 1rst rounder next year, Utah has their unprotected pick.
They are so strapped for picks, really doubt they’d deal any of their young studs or picks.
Foo,
To finish my previous thought… maybe we could pry a player from the Knicks, save some dough, for one of our 1rst rounders.
Personally, I want to keep all those picks, to increase the chance of hitting the jackpot.
“McHale and Taylor are not nearly as close as you seem to believe. That’s a FACT.”
If they’re not close I hate to think of what kind of pictures of Glen Kevin must have in reserve.
Eric - good to know that I’m not completely crazy. I think Walsh would give up a lot to move Curry and because of our time-table, I don’t think having Curry on the bench will hurt us much because we’re a couple years away… and by that point, Curry will be gone and we’ll possibly land a good player or two for the long-term.
Who knows, maybe we could get Curry healthy and playing again and flip him again when he’s on the last year of his contract.
And, just to repeat, I hate Curry and think he’s fat and ineffective. I just want to leverage that against The Knicks and see how bad they’d want to be rid of him.
“fat and ineffective”
Man does EVERYTHING have to be about Kevin Love around here? :V
VERY IMPRESSED MR. KAHN. I KNOW YOUR READING THIS…PLEASE SHAKE THIS TEAM UP…DONT OVER SPEND…BRING IN THE STAR POWER, I PROMISE YOU THSE SEATS WILL BE PACKED ALL SEASON IF YOU MAKE SOME POWER MOVES! GOOD LUCK!
If we are taking a look at trade scenarios (w/some time to kill before FA and the draft), how about this for an idea: why not float the idea of seeing if Bosh would re-up here if he was traded. You could build a package around maybe Miller, Love, and the 6.
Then find a way to get a vet PG on the team. No way Bosh stays in Toronto. I am guessing there would be a disagreement on $ for an extension anyway though.
Re: Kirilenko, I do think he could have a resurgence on the right team (Detroit, Houston, Spurs). But the Wolves right now wouldn’t be the right situation. If I am a veteran team, that is a move worth looking at.
Matt - I do think that Toronto will be looking to trade Bosh because he’s a goner this off-season. Therefore, The Wolves and every team should go through the process of engaging Toronto.
But I don’t think Bosh gonna re-sign here any more than he would in Toronto. It’s definitely worth engaging The Raptors though. If I was an in an NBA front-office, I would be professionally confrontational in-house to challenge every idea. But outside of the organization, I’d be firm, but amicable and engaging. In other words, even if I thought a Bosh deal was unlikely, it’s a conversation you should have just to keep the lines of communication open. I hope everybody in The Wolves front office is talking to an agent, a team, a European coach, a college coach, a league executive, whatever just because you can’t succeed on an island in pro sports. I believe McHale did too much of this at times. If you’re not networking and leveraging other team’s problems (like Curry’s presense on The Knicks), then you’re going to struggle long-term.
So I hope The Wolves pick up the phone and chat with Toronto… even if it’s just an informal exploration of ideas. There’s got to be some way that Minnesota and Toronto can come up with a win-win now or sometime in the future. So it’s always important to keep the lines of communication open.
Was reading more on Kahn and I wonder if his D-League experience will impact how he builds The Timberwolves’ roster.
NBA teams have 15-man rosters. I’d be all about giving 2-3 of those spots to 2nd-round pick/D-League veterans every year… mostly because those players rarely play anyway and it just doesn’t make sense to pay the last couple guys on the bench more than the league minimum, unless it’s a raw, high-upside draft pick.
Otherwise, give me a trio of Cheikh Samb, David Noel and Walker Russell at the league-minimum for three of our bench-warmer roles. Who knows, maybe one of those guys just clicks and becomes a solid rotational NBA player at some point. And even if those 2-3 spots on our bench just because a revolving doors, we’d at least be assured that we’re not over-paying low-upside players at the detriment of allowing us to develop and invest our current starters, etc.
Who would you rather have - dirt-cheap bench-warmers like Samb, Noel and Russell or over-paid bench-warmers like Jared Jeffries, Mark Madsen and Marcus Banks?
New mock draft early this morning from draftexpress… some big changes here
No. 4 - Rubio falling to No. 4!
No. 6 - Wolves take Tyreke Evans (over Jennings & DeRozan)
No. 18 - Wolves take James Johnson (over Maynor, Teague & Mullens)
No. 28 - Wolves take Calathes (over Ellington, Mills & Casspi)
No. 45, 47 - Wolves take two Euros.
I’m a HUGE fan of James Johnson and think The Wolves have to strongly consider taking him if he drops to No. 18 (I think he goes to NJ), but passing over Maynor could be a mistake.
The one thing I predict is that we’ll keep both 2nd-rounders and that both will be Euro Stash-Aways.
I’d be very surprised if the Wolves actually use all 5 picks and keep them. At least one of those second rounders is going to be essentially sold for cash.
Gendo - cash (and, of course, good value for the talent available at that point) is one of the reasons why I think they’ll pick two of those Euros with their 2nd-round picks. I’d be fine if they traded one or both of them. But if they actually use those picks, it would make sense to pick two Euros and keep them in Europe for 1-2 years. Until they come over to the NBA, they don’t cost anything.
I believe they’ll end up with two players somehow from the 1st-round. Two rookies is a lot, three is impractical. So trading one of their 1st-rounders (or consolodating two of them into one higher one) and picking two Euros would give The Wolves two rookies and two stashable Euros from this draft.
I just think that’s the most practical way to do things.
Evans is who I want and I don’t know much about Kahn but aren’t people glad that they went outside the organization atleast
I’m very happy that they went outside of the organization. He seems arrogant, but I don’t care about that if he’s got the goods to back that up. He’s smart, works his butt off and seems like he’ll be VERY demanding of everybody on the staff… can you say any of those things about the old country club?
I agree, ChrisH, the most important thing is that the highest-regarded voice in the front office is a newcomer with experience.
Not sure about Evans… I really liked him about two weeks ago until I read a pretty scary player-comparison for him recently: Larry Hughes, DeShawn Stevenson and Jamal Crawford.
All are scorers, but very flawed all-around players. Don’t get me wrong, we could use a pure scorer in our backcourt, but it just seems that guys like that are easy to obtain. All three of those comparison-players have been passed around the league because they have major holes in their games. Crawford, at only 29, is with his third team and on the trading block from Golden State. Hughes is only 30 and has played for 6 teams already despite always being a good scorer and on-ball defender.
Not saying that Evans is destined to be like any of those guys, but he is in the same basic category. I’ve seen THREE good websites compare him to Larry Hughes and two apiece for Crawford and Stevenson.
Terms such as “lacks discipline”, “out-of-control”, “shady fundamentals”, “lacks effort and motivation”, “street-baller”.
I’d be OK if we took him because he’ll be able to score and seems to be able to beat defenders and get to the rim at will. But the intangibles and comparisons scare me a bit.
FOO….What do you think about picking Tyler Hansbrough with our first pick, he’s been compared to Klove, your boy…
They went outside the organization and got a lawyer with a business management background.
Someone pinch me.
Don’t even joke about taking Hansbrough at 6. Good God.
Mr. Kahn….Sportjunkie’s Top 10 T-Wolves Wishlist
1. Hasheem Thabeet
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Blake Griffin
4. Jordan Hill
5. Tyreke Evans
6. Jrue Holiday
7. DeMar DeRozan
8. Stephen Curry
9. BJ Mullens
10.James Harden
And….NO KEVIN MCHALE
I’ve never seen Tyler Hansborough compared to Kevin Love… other than they are White PFs.
That said, I’d be happy to have Tyler Hansborough as an undrafted free-agent and league-minimum 3rd-string PF. Anybody who spends a 1st-round pick on him should be canned.
Sportsjunkie
Where would Jordan Hill play on this team? He would be the one guy i’d be truly upset if they took.
Power Forward with Jefferson at Center.
Ba-bye McHale.
Foo - the comparisons between Evans and guys like Hughes and Stevenson come from how badly he struggled to open the season. He was a very inefficient shooter for the first dozen games or so. That’s also probably why he’s so underrated in most mocks. But that problem ironed itself out over the season…by the end of the year, he was shooting about 50% most games.
The two comparisons I make for him are the same ones Chad Ford does…Rodney Stuckey and Jerry Stackhouse.
I sure hope so, Bryan, because I think there’s a very good chance he winds up in a Wolves uniform and I’d hate to wind up with the next Jamal Crawford or Larry Hughes… even if they are able to score the ball, they’ve got big holes.
Jamal Crawford would have been the second best player on the Wolves last year behind Al and Larry Hughes was a 1st team All-Defensive team member in 04-05. Hughes has averaged 15 pts. 3 ast. and 4 reb per game over his career. Add all league defense and wouldn’t you guys take that from Evans?
This is a horrible draft and if the Wolves could draft a guy who averages 15/4/4 and plays lock down defense on the perimeter I would take that. They don’t have a top 3 pick they are picking #6, they aren’t going to get the next LeBron or Chris Paul.
So you guys want the Wolves to draft Jordan Hill to play PF? Where does Kevin Love play? You want to draft a guy to sit on the bench 60%-70% of the season? Not a good idea.
Rubio wants to play for LA or Sacramento. He doesn’t want to go to Memphis or OKC. The Wolves are always going to have to deal with situations like this for some draft picks and free agents who want to cherry-pick where they end up and think of MN as a cold wasteland of no media exposure/advertising opportunities with no night life. GT and Kahn are going to have to make some smart moves or overpay free agents to come here.
Jama….Jordan Hill is 6′10″ and described as an “Athletic Freak”…there’s not many of those around and you can’t go wrong with adding size and athleticism to our front court which is lacking that having Jefferson and Love there….I compare a front court to an offensive line. They can make or break a running back / point guard or shooting guard….
Hughes’ 04-05 season was fantastic - 22 ppg, 3 spg. Too bad he only played 3/4 of that season (61 games).
And to answer your question directly, I agree that I would take a 15/4/4 guy who plays D. I’d like to think Evans could be better than that… maybe 18/5/5. To be honest, my beef with Hughes probably has just as much to do with his inability to stay healthy (career high of 68 games, only three 60+ games in his 11-year career) and his “team-cancer” reputation. There’s no reason to believe that Evans will have those issues. So if I could get an 18/5/5 guy who averages over 75 games per year, I’d be happy if Evans can bring that.
I disagree, though, that Crawford would have been our 2nd-best player. Literally, all he does is score. Even if you want to say he would have been the 2nd-best player, I don’t think that means much, do you?
But I’d take Foye, Love, Gomes, Miller and Brewer over Crawford.
Check Hollinger’s Scouting Report on him:
“Scouting report: While Crawford has seemed strangely immune to the circus going on around him, he is a sign of the Knicks’ malaise. He’s a shoot-first guard with poor shot selection who tends to dribble up the court and launch a quick jumper without any passes, and he’s an incredibly soft defender who rarely stops penetration or helps.”
It’s no coincidence that Crawford’s teams have averaged 25 wins per year (just did the math) while he’s averaged a gaudy 33 minutes per game on those bad teams. If winning is the objective, even Gomes and Brewer do more for a team.
Unless he’s the Microwave/6th-man type, I have a hard time believing a 33 mpg no-defense, no-pass, no-rebound, shoot-first jacker can be one of your top players. I’d love to have him as an instant-offense type off the bench though. Problem is that he is a $10M per year player. For $10M, you need a lot more than just a one-dimensional jacker.
I do think Evans will be better than Crawford, but the knocks on him for shot-selection and his propensity to keep the ball to himself worry me. Hard to tell if that’s because he was the only real option most of the time for Memphis or what. I like what I’ve seen of Evans overall, but his game needs to round-out for sure… as is the case with most rookies, I guess.
FOO….Brewer over Crawford….are you crazy?
sportsjunkie - are you that blinded by his jacker scoring mentality? The dude doesn’t move the ball and just shoots.
Even if you want to call Crawford a great scorer (debateable b/c of how he gets his points), Brewer is just as great defensively. So their “great” attributes cancel each other out, but Brewer won’t stop the ball on offense, will facilitate and fit in better on offense.
I tend not to be naive about scoring numbers… you gotta look into how he gets those numbers and how that impacts the team’s overall offensive flow. I’m also a guy who would much rather have defense than scoring.
Foo
Couldn’t you replace Crawford with Foye and have the same scouting report? Crawford averaged 3 more points per game than Foye did this past season though.
I never said the Wolves should trade for Crawford, I was just saying that with all the holes in his game he would still have helped the Wolves last year.
I hope people are dillusional about this draft. There is a huge difference between the #2 pick and the #6 pick this draft. Whoever the Wolves draft has some serious questions about them and they most likely won’t have a huge impact in his first year.
*aren’t dillusional about this draft.
jama - Hmmm… Foye is a tough comparison for me. He was such a better player before Al went down. After Al went down, I was disappointed that Foye seemed to regress to a dribble and jacker type, which we hadn’t really seen out of him before. Before that (even during his rookie year when KG was around), he was a very good facilitor and moved the ball well as a combo-guard. I’ve always been very impressed with Foye’s ability to play well off of a good big-man. As I’ve said before, when Al went down, Foye had to begin taking on too much offensive responsibility.
With good players around him, Foye just blends so well into an offense. But when he’s by himself, as he mostly was after Al went down, he falls into some really bad habits.
Foye isn’t a lock-down defender, but he’s MUCH better than Crawford (not saying much b/c Crawford is non-existent). He also rebounds remarkably better for his position and hits a higher percentage of his shots than Crawford. Lastly, he doesn’t jack up nearly as many shots as Crawford. With fewer shots per game and a higher FG-percentage, Foye only averaged 3-4 fewer points than Crawford. So if Foye jacked up more shots, he’d be a 19-20 ppg scorer too.
I’d take Foye over Crawford. And if you look at more than just the 3-4 ppg difference, I think it’s hard to dispute that.
“So you guys want the Wolves to draft Jordan Hill to play PF? Where does Kevin Love play?”
Memphis.
I like Evans, but I think you have to understand his limitations as being a below average outside shooter, and that he was a point guard by default at Memphis, not because he’s a natural 1.
I agree with Chad Ford in that Evans is similar to a Jerry Stackhouse. He is going to be a guy that has a pretty good handle on the ball, can slash through the lane and finish in traffic or kick it out to the perimiter and he’ll play above average Defense with his 6′6″ body on long wingspan. Similar to Foye, in his last year in college he average more turnovers than assists. I think you need to have at least an A/TO ratio greater than 1 in college to sniff the PG position in the NBA.
If he is an athletic, slashing 2 guard that plays good perimeter defense, the Wolves definitely have a need for a guy like this. Foye gets his shot blocked at the highest % of anybody in the league when he drives. Telfair can’t finish in traffic. Brewer doesn’t have the handle. Miller is too slow. What he needs to be paired with in the backcourt though is another guard who can shoot. If both Evans and a PG like telfair are your backcourt, defenders will clog the line, take away the driving lanes from Evans, take away the entry pass into Al, and they will force perimiter shots. We need to surround Evans with people at the 1 and 3 who can shoot.
Do you guys think Kahn will keep McHale?
I’ve been thinking about it, and I just don’t think it’s possible. To me it seems obvious that the franchise needs a change.
Rodman….yes I think McHale will stay as the coach…Kahn came from Indiana and Bird was McHale’s teammate…
Gendo….Jordan could be the athletic big that we lacked with Jefferson and Love…maybe not all three at once but it’d give the team options to defend the bigger teams..
Doug Gottlieb also has us picking Jordan Hill, which is crazy, unless we plan on dumping AJ or Kevlar. If Hill is truly an athletic beast who can give us some defensive presence in the paint, then maybe it’s time to reflect on our times with Love and send him away.
I think the Wolves need a slashing SG/SF that can get the ball in the lane and make some mid-range shots on the move. Gomes and Brewer can make shots if they are perfectly stationary, but not otherwise. Miller’s midrange game is also suspect. Draft DeRozan, or try to trade for a Gerald Wallace, or even a Rip Hamilton (whose conditioning will allow him to play well beyond the average NBA player). Play Mike Miller at the other wing spot and move Foye back to the point guard. With wing players that can penetrate, Foye can play point guard. He can bring it up, pass it to the wing, and then play off the ball to find his own shot on the perimeter either on a kick from the slashing wing or from Big Al after the slashing wing throws it into the post. Basically, all four teams remaining in the playoffs play with this philosophy. We have very poor 2’s and 3’s, and it creates a greater deficiency than our lack of a defensive shot blocker or a traditional point guard.
On our current wings, Rodney Carney is also utterly incapable of dribbling into the lane or any offense other than a break away dunk or a spot up three pointer.
Kahn is a suit guy who in order to be successful will need to rely heavily on the head coach for personnel decisions. The organization has declared that it is limiting McHale’s influence on personnel matters. Given this declaration, I believe the Wolves should look for a different coach.
They will need a coach who has a vision regarding a style of play and is creative regarding utilization of personnel. I do not know if Sam Mitchell fits that bill. He is very sensible and down to earth but he does not strike me as a visionary or a creative person.
Anybody here consider what the players want? Obviously none of you have ever played sports. The players loved playing for McHale . When a coach can bring out the best in players, isn’t that what it’s all about? Bring in another coach and you take your chances that the players won’t respond. Look at their performance under Wittman.
It really doesn’t matter whether or not the 10 armchair quarterbacks who post here like the coach. Ask Al Jefferson who he’d like.
Al Jefferson liked playing for Randy Wittman.
Anyways to address the point more seriously I don’t understand the vitriol. So people here have opinions on the coach, whether or not they’ve played sports has nothing to do with the validity of those opinions nor their right to them. They may be right or wrong but that’s no basis on which to dismiss them.
Some players may like McHale, but people being the way they are I can assure you that not everyone on the team does. So do you pay attention to the opinion of the majority of the players? Or to only key players? Or do you try to make the best possible decision for the franchise regardless of the players’ wants at a given time and know that if it’s the right move ultimately they’ll be on board with it?
Obviously the team doesn’t care about the opinions of the fans, if they did they wouldn’t have made a lot of the baffling moves they have the past few years, but I’m not sure what that has to do with our discussion here.
While I am the first one in the world to be skeptical about any and all things Timberwolves… I want to give Kahn the benefit of the doubt until after the draft which technically isn’t 100% his fault when the Wolves screw that up.
I have gone over and over and over the draft, and the teams drafting ahead of the Twolves… I don’t see any way that the Wolves get in the top 3, and as for trading the 18th, and 28th picks… the only team that they have much of a chance with is Phoenix which is one of the few teams that consistantly sell, and trade away 1st round picks, and are now officially old, and on the down side. Two picks would be beneficial to a team that could use a guy like Ty Lawson to backup Nash for a season, and allow Nash to play off the ball a little bit more, and at 28 they could use a guy like Omri Casspi who could help them with an inside out game with Stoudmire… If we move to the 12th pick however… what in the world would we be looking at there? Jrue Holiday?
Given Kahn’s steady refrain of comments about people doing their jobs thoroughly and being prepared, it’s pretty dang clear that if McHale’s on the job there are going to be some clear, contractual expectations attached to that.
When the guy in charge says he’s “not a good sufferer of fools,” and then goes on to describe fools as “people who haven’t done the work necessary to prepare themselves,” that is telling us something.
Gendo…
To answer that as directly as I can…
The Timberwolves players have not shown enough talent for their opinion to matter a great deal.
Since we are the people who are paying for tickets to go see the team, and the vast majority of fans do not like, or are tired of Kevin McHale I think that the owner, and the GM have to pay attention to that.
Although winning cures almost all ills I really don’t think much would other than time away from the Timberwolves will restore McHale’s legacy as a basketball GOD in minnesota.
IF another coach, and GM can win with McHale’s players in 5-6 years he can be looked at more favorably for putting this group of players together, but the odds are not in his favor because the closest thing to a complete player that this team has is Ryan Gomes, and on a very good team it’s not a sure shot that he’d be a starter on a good team.
Jefferson is the only NBA Starter on this roster.
I do want to clarify that I am not saying that to upset people, but looking at the players we have under contract… they all have major holes in their games except for Gomes, but his upside isn’t exactly really high either so he is probably a 3rd or 4th Forward off the bench for a good team.
Telfair, Madson and Brewer can’t shoot.
Smith, Jefferson, and Madson can’t Pass
Brewer and Gomes are the only two that can play defense…
Foye is inconsistant, and horribly predictable.
They mis-use Love offensively, and no offense the rest of the roster isn’t even worth mentioning because it’s not proven that they even belong in the NBA as backups.
Jefferson is a starter on every NBA team. Miller and Love are starters on most NBA teams. Foye, Brewer, Gomes are starters on many teams (depends on roster makeup).
There are pieces to work with here. Not saying they are such accomplished players that their decision should be the ultimate say. But there are good reasons (lack of a quick hook, substitution patterns, practical mismatch focus) why they like McHale.
I don’t know if Foye and Brewer are starters on many teams. Maybe a handful of teams, maybe 4 or 5 but if Brewer doesn’t have a good year, hes going to be considered by many as a bust.
Denvers beating up LA and will be facing Orlando in the finals…..who woulda thought…
Brewer’s calling card will always be his defense. So I don’t know if he’ll ever be able to silence the nay-sayers.
As I said earlier, I’d rather have a one-dimensional defender (though I believe Brewer to develop some offensive game) than a one-dimensional scorer (like Crawford). There are plenty of guys out there who can jack up shots, but very few great perimeter defenders.
I think Brewer will be a good (not great) player for a long time, hopefully as The Wolves long-term SF starter. But I believe the folks who can’t see beyond scoring will say the juxtaposition of his No. 7 draft status and his scoring average will make him a bust.
So, ChrisH, I’m fine if he’s “considered by many” to be a bust. Because most fans don’t look at anything but scoring and highlights.
For the record, I believe that Brewer will probably top out at 12 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg, but be on the floor for significant minutes because he doesn’t need shots, doesn’t stop the ball and plays great D.
Fact is, the 2007 draft will historically be all about Kevin Durant and Rodney Stuckey. Lots of teams missed on Stuckey, so I’m gonna give The Wolves a pass on that. Noah, Thornton, Th.Young will be in the same class as Brewer… good starters, but none great.
I’m more disappointed that we passed up size in the 2nd-round (Chris Richard over Marc Gasol).
For the record, I would take Thaddeus Young over Brewer.
When I talked to Dean Cooper at the end of last season, he pointed out that the person that they most missed was Brewer. He said his defense was sorely missed but that his attitude and how it rubbed off on others was missed even more. He thought that he would make a big turnaround this year.
For the record, I hope they keep McHale as coach. I’d say at least give him another year. Hell Glen, give him a 2 year deal and then buy him out at the end of the year if you need to.
Kingxman - nice detail about Brewer. I agree that he just fits, knows his role and has a winning attitude. I think history will show that a few players taken after him will be better than Brewer. But when you judge him just for the player he is, I believe it’s hard not to like him.
When you see how a guy like Bruce Bowen was able to start for many years and make a real contribution to championship teams, it is a model for Brewer.
Corey’s defensive instincts are off the charts, and he doesn’t have to take the shortcuts Bowen did a lot. If he can learn how to knock down the corner 3’s regularly and put on a few lbs, he should have a place in the league for a long time.
Matt - Bruce Bowen is the most-common comparison I make for Brewer. They have some big differences, but as far as how they fit on their teams, there is a lot in common.
Bowen started every game for the Spurs from 2001-2008, primarily as a defensive stopper/agitator and offensive contributor/facilitator. Bowen isn’t nearly as long as Brewer and contributed on offense mostly through his perimeter shot. Brewer will contribute differently on offense (slasher, up-tempo type) and I don’t believe Brewer will ever be as accomplished as Bowen was from 3-point range. But I do believe Brewer will settle in as a 35% 3-point shooter, which is good enough to respected, but not as a big threat.
Fact is, Bowen started seven years for a dynasty and every averaged more than 8.2 ppg. I believe Brewer will score slightly more, but settle into the same critical role that Bowen played for San Antonio.
EDIT, 3rd graf: Bowen *never* averaged more than 8.2 ppg.
Foo -
We are in agreement on the role. With the current rules and importance of wing players in the NBA, the Bowen/mature Brewer-type player can make a big impact.
Re: the differences, Brewer is much more athletic which allows him to play D w/o as much of the grabbing and pushing that Bowen uses - also he can anticipate passes a la Rondo and start breaks that way. Brewer is fast and good running the break (w/Kevin Love outlets this is a good thing). I am kind of skeptical about him slashing w/the ball in the half-court, and think that he simply has to learn how to hit that corner 3. It’s the shortest one, so I think this is doable.
I like it. More athleticism, more length = more upside on the defensive side of the ball. He’s athletic enough to defend on the ball well, but his instincts and length make him a great help defender as well.
Offensively, all I want for Brewer is to carve out some kind (any kind) of identity. A defensive stud is priceless, but we can’t afford to play 4v5 on offense. He’s already very good in transition and is hard to contain cutting to the hole. I’d be happy long-term with 35% from 3-point range and a decent mid-range game. But if he doesn’t develop something offensively, he’ll be the guy opponents always leave in order to double Al.
I think he’ll round out offensively enough and eventually be a 30-35 mpg player because of that.
Going back to a few points in this discussion:
The coach: Doesn’t matter who the players want. Kahn should pick the coach that he thinks best fits how he wants to build this team. The inmates shouldn’t run the asylum. Personally, I don’t think McHale showed us enough last year to make us think he’s irreplaceable.
Tyreke Evans: Evans did have a 1.1:1 A/TO ratio last year. Admittedly not great. I will say, though, that at the NBA level, Evans won’t have the ball in his hands as much as he did at Memphis. Additionally, he’s got the skillset (except his shooting) that is built for the NBA. If he can figure out how to shoot the ball competently, he’s got the chane to be a special player.
Sean - The big question with Evans is can he learn a jump shot. Some people just can’t.
Swan — As I noted. That’s where his workout is going to be key. Does his jumper look better than it did during the season? What are the flaws with his mechanics?
It would be nice to have a coaching staff in place to help with that evaluation before the draft.
I think Brewer is starting to benefit from the old defensive catcher principle. The worse his offense is the more we start to overrate his defense.
Remember that game Kevin Martin nearly dropped 50 on us? Guess who spent most of the game falling for his head fake over and over again?
Sean… one of the things that I have every confidence in Hoiberg is his ability to scout shooting mechanics.
Evans is an intriguing pick. Size, length, extremely athletic, decent handle. I wonder what his game would have looked like if his Memphis team had been a little deeper.
