Season Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves

Continuing onward...

Starting 5:
PG- Randy Foye
SG- Mike Miller
SF- Corey Brewer
PF- Kevin Love
C- Al Jefferson

Off the bench
Guards: Sebastian Telfair, Rashad McCants, Blake Ahearn, Rodney Carney
Forwards: Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, Krik Snyder
Center: Mark Madsen, Calvin Booth, Rafael Araujo

The T'Wolves are another team that made a major acquisition in the off-season. I meant the steal that was in essence Mike Miller for Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric, that and the ugliness of Brian Cardinal's contract, but that aside, it was a steal. Granted the trade was highlighted around the rookie swap of Love and Mayo, but the fact that Kevin McHale could squeeze a solid veteran player like Mike Miller out of it was big. I only have two problems with it. First, Mike Miller needs to be on a win-now team. Second, the T'Wolves are not a win-now team.

They have a lot of talent, but they need to continue to develop Al Jefferson. As good as Kevin Love is, he isn't what's going to carry this team into the playoffs, at least not this coming season. Mike Miller needs to mesh, but by the the time this team is ready, it may already be too late. Randy Foye needs to live up to expectations, and hope that his injury doesn't hinder him too much, and that he's at least as good as Brandon Roy, who he was traded for on draft night. There are too many what ifs. Craig Smith are Ryan Gomes look to be solid role players, but become nothing more than severely undersized power forwards, and as much as I like them, I wouldn't play them extensively except in emergency situations.

Certainly they're a better looking team, however, as much as people rave about Kevin Love, I cannot really see an effective co-existence of him and Al Jefferson. To me, they're too identical. It's not that they'll cannibalize each other's stats, but my concern is more at the defensive end, where teams can use size, among other things to exploit this matchup. I have to see more Love play, but he is small for a PF, and big bodied ones might take advantage of that. Additionally, Jefferson has struggled all season last year at the center position, the addition of Love helps him because... he keeps playing at center? It could end up working out, Jefferson could learn to fill the center role, however, they'll be sorely pressed when manned against a larger team like Toronto or Portland.

32-50. No post season.