Twins Streak Continues

The Twins completed their third straight sweep and ninth straight victory today.

Instead of naming stars, I'm just going to give you some information that I find important:
*Justin Morneau went 3 for 4 today with a HR and 3 RBI. He is now batting .310 on the year.
*Mike Redmond played today so Mauer could have a day off. He went 2 for 5 and is up to .286. That's not bad considering it took Redmond until the end of May to get to, and stay above .200.
*Carlos Gomez went 0 for 5 and is not batting .268. Does anyone else think that Gomez could use a day off?
*Delmon Young didn't play at all this series. Maybe he could have played a game for Cuddyer (2 for 13 this series) or Kubel (2 for 12). I think Delmon will get better. I would say that being benched for 3 games was unjustified.
*Brian Buscher is still getting it done (.386).
*In the winning streak, the starters have been 8-0. Only Slowey had a no decision, and he pitched very well.

The Brewers are coming to town tomorrow. They are playing well (8-2 in last 10), so expect some good games. I will be there tomorrow, so look for me.

The Timberwolves - as expected - drafted OJ Mayo. In a somewhat surprising move, they haven't traded him (yet). Not much has been made of the pick, so I'm going to assume they are keeping him. In my opinion, they 100% did the right thing.

In the 2nd round the Wolves had two picks. They took foreign C Nikola Pekovic from Montenegro and Kansas G Mario Chalmers. The analysts liked both picks. Apparently, Pekovic is under contract for a few years oversees, but was described as having "lottery talent." He likely won't make it to Minnesota for 3-4 years. I was a little surprised to see the Wolves take Chalmers. I don't doubt that he's going to be a decent player, but teams don't have a lot of room for 6-3 shooting guards... and the Wolves took two of them tonight. It wouldn't shock me if the Wolves night isn't over.

UPDATE 10:20 pm - The Wolves have traded Mario Chalmers to the Heat for a couple of 2nd round picks and cash. No word yet if Miami's pick this year is part of this deal. I would assume it would be, but who knows?

UPDATE 8:28 am - I actually went to bed last night thinking that OJ Mayo was going to stay a Timberwolf. Why wouldn't I? Hoiberg was telling us all that. Well, it turns out we were wrong. Mayo is heading to Memphis. I know a lot of Wolves fans are disappointed. This trade isn't going to help with fan-base. But I do think the Wolves will come out ok.

The deal: Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.6m + 2 more years), Antoine Walker ($9.3m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m +2 more years) for Kevin Love, Mike Miller ($9m + 1 more year), Brian Cardinal ($6.3m + 1 more year) and Jason Collins ($6.2m)

Contract-wise: The Wolves actually took more money back this year. Let's compare totals on a yearly basis - 08-09 gained approx. $1.8m. 09-10 gained approx. $5.4m. The deal will look good in 10-11 when this trade helps reduce the payroll by almost $12m. So over the life of these deals the Wolves salary will be reduced by close to $5 million. That doesn't include the fact that Love will sign for less money than Mayo.

Skill-wise: Mike Miller is going to lead the Wolves in scoring. He will fill a role that hasn't been properly filled since Sprewell left. He will start at a wing. Kevin Love will probably start at the 4, but will not be nearly as good as Mayo over their respective careers. The rest of the players are just bad contracts that won't play much. (Although I do wonder if the Wolves have room for both Mark Madsen and Brian Cardinal on their bench...?)

Fan-wise: I think a lot of Wolves fans were excited about Mayo. He probably would have helped sell tickets. As far as winning games, probably not likely in the beginning. Because of that, fans would stop coming. The Wolves, and Mike Miller, will be better in the long run. If they can start winning a few games, that will put fans in the seats.

Realistically: The Wolves win 25ish games and end up in the lottery with another high pick. They also will have Miami's pick if the Heat don't end up in the Top 10. If the Wolves finish with a decent record - and a pick outside of the Top 10 - they send their pick to the Clippers. Early money says that Wolves struggle all year and end up choosing between 7-0 C BJ Mullens of Ohio State or 7-3 Haseem Thabeet of UConn. Although there will be better players on the board. Why? Because that's how Kevin McHale rolls!

An early look at the roster:
PG - Sebastian Telfair (RFA) - If he leaves, Foye moves to point.
SG - Randy Foye - Let's hope he can stay healthy.
SF - Mike Miller - Will also play SG.
PF - Kevin Love - Athletic big man who should be perfect compliment to Big Al.
C - Al Jefferson - Should still get 20 and 10.
Res - Rashad McCants - Could start, but I envision him as a 6th man.
Res - Ryan Gomes (RFA) - Would probably start at SF if Telfair leaves.
Res - Corey Brewer - Will be asked to be defensive stopper.
Res - Craig Smith (RFA) - Will be part of big-man rotation.
Res - Jason Collins - Will probably start - ala Mark Blount, Michael Doleac - until Love is ready.
11th and 12th men - Brian Cardinal and Mark Madsen
Have a good night.

NBA Draft Preview

The NBA Draft is tomorrow night. The Timberwolves hold the #3 pick. Unfortunately, if used, #3 will only net one player. If the Wolves are able to trade down, they may be able to fill additional holes. The Timberwolves have multiple holes to fill (in no particular order):

- A big man to compliment Al Jefferson. I believe that Jefferson is a true Power Forward (or a 4). An ideal big man would be a true center. I don't know that they exist anymore - and if they do they are extremely rare. The closest thing to a true center is Brook Lopez, Kosta Koufos and Roy Hibbert. Lopez would be a stretch at #3, but would be a possibility later in the lottery. I would view the other two as mid- to late 1st rounders.

-A guard to compliment Randy Foye (and to a lesser extent Rashad McCants). Personally, I think the Wolves need to view Foye as a PG and they need to draft a SG. OJ Mayo fits this mold perfectly, or if the Wolves trade down - Eric Gordon. The toughest part is determining how these guards can match up with the Tracy McGradys of the world.



Because the Timberwolves were so bad last year, the solution isn't nearly as simple as I may have made it sound. They need a lot of help. Here's how I hope it shakes down tomorrow:

At #1 the Bulls take PG Derrick Rose.

At #2 the Heat take F Michael Beasley. They are going to trade him. I think they would like the Wolves to offer #3 and Corey Brewer and/or the pick the Heat owe them. I don't think it will happen. For now, Beasley stays...

At #3 the Wolves take OJ Mayo. Immediately, the will begin working the phones. They will talk to the Heat. They will talk to the Grizzlies and Knicks... and other teams down lower. I don't think there will be any announced trades at this point.

At #4 the Sonics will take the guy they want the most. I just can't determine who they think it is. At this time, I'm leaning towards Arizona PG Jerryd Bayless. Regardless, this pick is the first domino.

At #5 the Grizzlies are going to be trying to move up. They are offering SF Mike Miller and PG Kyle Lowry as incentive. I really think the Heat will take the bait and move down to #5. I don't know who they'll take. If Bayless is available, they go that direction. If not, it's anyone's guess.

At #6 the Knicks will be trying to make a move to get OJ Mayo. The key for the Wolves is that Kevin Love is still on the board. I don't think they like anyone else enough to get rid of Mayo. If Love is on the board, I would be ok if the Wolves made this trade:

OJ Mayo, Marko Jaric ($6.5m) and Greg Buckner ($3.8m) for Kevin Love, F David Lee ($1.8m), 6-6 PG Mardy Collins ($1m), the expiring contract of F Malik Rose ($7.6m) and a draft pick (either a protected 1st next year or something like that).

If the Knicks blink, keep Mayo. I really don't think Mayo is the next Jordan, but I think he'll be a very good player. He will be an all-star and he will sell tickets. I don't feel the same about Kevin Love, but I do think he'll be pretty good.

Other trade partner possibilities:
Clippers at #7: Corey Maggette and Al Thornton would be ok to obtain in a trade.
Bucks at #8: Rumor has it that Charlie Villanueva and Yi are possibly on the move. Michael Redd may also be on his way out - not to Minnesota - so a 3-way is possible.
Bobcats at #9: Adam Morrison has been rumored. That's not going to happen. The Bobcats just did acquire another 1st rounder, so #9, #20 and a player like Jared Dudley and/or Sean May makes sense.
Nets at #10. Mayo seems like a Jay-Z type of guy. The Nets have lots of picks in the bank and guys like Sean Williams, Marcus Williams and Adam Boone are all decent young players.
I could go on like this forever... but I won't.

Either way, we will see what happens tomorrow night.

I'm going to take the night off of making a Twins post. They did win again last night, and they are winning again tonight, so we'll hope it continues...

Have a good night!

If I Were... Kevin McHale

First off, I would step back and look at what I've done in my almost 13 years of being Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

DRAFT HISTORY:

• My first draft produced Kevin Garnett, who grew into something that was almost bigger than the franchise itself. After a disappointing run, there was no choice but to let him go.
• The 1996 draft produced Stephon Marbury, but only through a trade with the Bucks. In hindsight, I would have been better off keeping Ray Allen. At the time though, it looked like the right deal.
• The 1997 draft - the first draft after our initial playoff appearance - netted Paul Grant. He lasted a total of 16 career games scoring 29 points before being out of the league. We were able to rid ourselves of him in the Marbury trade.
• The 1998 draft was more of the same - a low-skill big man. Of course Rasho Nesterovic is still in the league and contributing to a playoff team in Toronto. If my memory serves me correctly, he priced himself out of our range and we replaced him with Michael Olowokandi.
• The 1999 draft was another first. For the first time in my tenure, we had two first round picks. We definitely hit on the first one - Wally Szczerbiak - who made an all-star game appearance, but missed big time on William Avery.
• Another screw-up I made (Joe Smith), caused us to be stripped of a handful of 1st round picks over the course of the next five years. No first round picks in 2000, 2001, 2002 or 2004.
• Our 2003 draft wasn't the splash we had hoped for... Ndudi Ebi just didn't get it done. We thought he had the ability to be a contributor, it turns out that I was just taken by a guy who's name was apparently announced "Doo-dee".
• The next first round pick we had was 2005 and we took Rashad McCants in the middle of the first round. He fit in well with KG, but now we're still trying to find his place. His time is running out.
• I made my second best pick in 2006 with the selection of Brandon Roy. Unfortunately, I traded him for Randy Foye. Roy has already proved he's an all-star, but if it wasn't for an injury, Foye might be at that level too. This draft also included our best 2nd round pick since Doug West in 1989- Craig Smith.
• Our last draft produced two winners - Corey Brewer and Chris Richard. They didn't bring the wins with and both struggled as rookies. The jury is still out on both of them.

I think the next order of business is to look at my roster now and see what I have. The ultimate goal is to have a collection of guys that can play well together and win some games. Looking at a team like the Pistons as an example: Their players individually aren't the greatest, but put them together, and they are all all-stars. Would Tayshaun Prince be an all-star with the Wolves? No. Was Chauncey Billups? No. Together, though, that team is pretty good.

THE CURRENT ROSTER:

• Al Jefferson - Averaged 21 pts and 11 boards. Signed a big contract extention that will have him in a Wolves uniform for the next five years. Has limited offensive game, but the ability to score 21 ppg with limited teammates says something. In the perfect world, we use Big Al at the 4 and build around him.
• Randy Foye - Averaged 13 pts and 4 asts, but missed half the year with a knee injury. We will more than likely pick up the option for 2009-10, but he will surely be out to prove something next year. Ideally, Foye shows he can play both the 1 or the 2. Realistically though, at 6-3, Foye would have to play point guard. That would not be the ideal situation. I would love to surround him with talent and make him a combo guard off the bench, but he definately has the ability to be a starter.
• Corey Brewer - Averaged 6 pts and 4 boards. Brewer came into the league with a reputation as a defensive stopper and he didn't completely disappoint. Make no mistake though, he can't play at this league at 6-9, 185. At some point, if he can improve his shot (37% FG, 19% 3s), he could be more than a defensive option off the bench, but he won't be there for a while.
• Rashad McCants - Averaged 15 pts. Rashad doesn't contribute much besides his scoring. Is there a place for that in this league? Absolutely. But how much does that help a 22-60 team? Not a whole lot. He needs to be content with being a 6th man, one who can come in and fill it up a little... and not pout about it.

Those are 4 guys we know will be back next year. Assuming a 10-man rotation, with 5 role-playing backups, let's see where they fit:

• PG - Randy Foye (but could move to the 2)
• SG -
• SF -
• PF - Al Jefferson
• C -
• Scorer (6th man) - Rashad McCants
• Back-up PG -
• Defensive specialist - Corey Brewer
• Back-up big-man -
• Back-up big-man -

That doesn't seem to look very good, but it is realistic. Let's look at the rest of the possibilities:

• Ryan Gomes - Averaged 12 points and 6 boards. Going into the offseason, he's the #1 in-house priority. If we can get him back at a reasonable price, he can be our 3-guy for the forseeable future.
• Marko Jaric - Averaged 8 pts and 4 asts; Sebastian Telfair - Averaged 9 pts and 6 asts. We're going to have to move one of these guys. They both don't fit in long-term. If we could, we would trade Jaric. He's got a big contract, so he won't be easy to move. Telfair is the type of player that just needs to calm his game down. He would be a valuable back-up to any team, and he'll probably go where the money is. If would could get him reasonably and trade Jaric, Telfair would be a better choice. Either way, we'll keep one and move the other.
• Craig Smith - Averaged 9 pts and 5 boards. Smith (along with Gomes) is the type of player that can really hamstring a franchise. If we overpay for either of these two, we're dead. Both would be nice to have back, but only at back-up money. If Smith is back, it's as a rotation player off the bench. If he's too spendy, see ya later.
• Kirk Snyder - Averaged 7 pts and 2 boards. Snyder was a guy that flew nicely under the radar. He played well at times after being traded for Gerald Green. He should get a qualfying offer. If he's back, it will probably be as a rotation-guy. But, ideally, he's an emergency-only guy.
• Greg Buckner - Averaged 4 pts and 1 ast. Buckner is a good, experienced guy to have around. He won't contribute much on the floor, but he's a guy we'd keep active just in case.
• Mark Madsen - Averaged 2 boards. Mad-dog could contribute to a good team as a high-energy guy. Too bad there just isn't a spot for one of them on this squad. He'll stick around as the 12th man (again).
• Chris Richard - Averaged 2 pts and 2 boards. Richard showed enough to get back to camp. Probably won't make the rotation, but could go to the D-League.
• Antoine Walker - Averaged 8 pts and 4 boards. Walker can still play. It just won't be in Minnesota.
• Michael Doleac - Averaged 2 pts and 2 boards. Won't be back.

Now look at the 15 man roster:

• PG - Randy Foye (but could move to the 2)
• SG -
• SF - Ryan Gomes (but only at a REASONABLE price)
• PF - Al Jefferson
• C -
• Scorer (6th man) - Rashad McCants
• Back-up PG - Maric Jaric/Sebastian Telfair
• Defensive specialist - Corey Brewer
• Back-up big-man - Craig Smith (but only at a REASONABLE price)
• Back-up big-man -
• Player 11 - Greg Buckner, G
• Player 12 - Mark Madsen, PF
• Player 13 (Inactive) - Chris Richard, C
• Player 14 (Inactive) - Kirk Snyder, SG
• Player 15 (Inactive) -

That leaves some big holes - a true shooting guard, a big guy (either a 4 or 5) who can step out and shoot a little, and another big guy to fill out the rotation. But with a high first round pick, two high picks in the second round, and free agency, there is some reason for optimism. I'm not talking 20-win difference, but 30-32 wins could be reachable.

It's tough to determine before the draft order is set, but this would be my draft board (and let's not hope they drop to 6):

1. Michael Beasley - would probably start at 3 and bump Gomes to the bench/rotation or to free agency.
2. Derrick Rose - would start at PG and move Foye to SG.
3. Brook Lopez - would fit in well with Jefferson, but needs to bulk up.
4. Jerryd Bayless - would two combo guards work well together in the backcourt?
5. OJ May0 - would probably start at SG, but is he any better than McCants? Has marketability.

• The 2nd round picks should yield at least one player that is capable of contributing.

Some Free Agents who could fit in (in no particular order):

• Chris Duhon, PG, Bulls (Unrestricted)
• Mickael Pietrus, G/F, Warriors (Unrestricted)
• DeSagana Diop, C, Nets (Unrestricted)
• Gilbert Arenas, SG, Wizards (Early Termination Option -- what?!)

It's really early in the off-season to be piecing together a "what-if" roster, but it's worth looking at. There are a lot of holes, but it also looks to be a fairly strong draft and a possibly-loaded free agent class. The playoffs is a stretch, but being competitive again, well, maybe that's less of a stretch.

That was much longer than I intended. We'll get back to the Twins when they start playing again. They open at Oakland tomorrow night, so there probably won't be a Twins post until Wednesday night. Looks like only American Idol tomorrow. Have a good night!