McHale Optimistic
Monday, September 29, 2008
A tanned, rested, and ready Kevin McHale, Minnesota Timberwolves’ vice president of basketball operations, was brimming with optimism at the team’s annual media day event at Target Center on September 29.
“Our team will be a lot better than we were last year,” the affable Hibbing, Minnesota, native said. “I think that we can improve a great deal.” The Timberwolves finished the 2007-2008 season with 22 wins and 60 losses, good for fourth place in the five-team Northwest Division of the NBA.
“I think you'll see some teams making big steps forward while others are taking big steps backward. That's the way our league is right now. I anticipate us being one of those teams taking a huge step forward."
McHale indicated it wouldn’t be too optimistic to see Minnesota doubling its win total in 2008-2009, a statement that made coach Randy Wittman cringe. He responded to McHale’s statement by running away from it. “That’s Kevin,” the coach said. “That’s not me.” Wittman told reporters it could take two to three years before the Timberwolves can finish above .500.
The team also announced the signing of free agents Blake Ahearn, Rafael Araujo, and Chris Richard. The latter was a on the Timberwolves’ roster for the entire season in 2007-2008. Ahearn played on the team’s entry in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Last season he was a member of the Dakota Wizards. Araujo spent last season with Spartak in the Russian Super League.
A look at the current training camp roster:
1 – Rashad McCants, guard, should have is named changed to E. Nigma.
3 – Sebastian Telfair, point guard, mystery injury thwarted breakthrough season.
4 – Randy Foye, point guard, likely starter. If not, it’s Telfair.
5 – Craig Smith, power forward, too short to dominate.
6 – Blake Ahearn, guard, training camp roster fill-in.
8 – Ryan Gomes, forward, a favorite of management.
10 – Rodney Carney, forward, potential is there.
14 – Brian Cardinal, forward, possible hatchet man, likely numbers game victim.
22 – Corey Brewer, swingman, needs to ratchet up his game.
25 – Al Jefferson, forward, king of the hill, but is he a forward or a center?
32 – Chris Richard, forward, on the bubble.
34 – Jason Collins, center, had a job sewed up until he fell off his golf cart.
35 – Mark Madsen, forward, aging cheerleader on the bench.
42 – Kevin Love, forward, better than O.J. Mayo? Not yet.
52 – Calvin Booth, center, in the twilight of a mediocre career.
55 – Rafael Araujo, will battle Collins for roster spot.
They took up roster spots last season and now are gone (and easily forgotten): Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Kirk Snyder, Greg Buckner, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff.
Exhibition schedule:
The Timberwolves will play eight exhibition games this season, starting with Milwaukee on October 6 at the Bradley Center, followed by a journey to Billings, Montana, to take on the NBA’s newest member, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on October 8. The Denver Nuggets will host Minnesota at the Pepsi Center on October 10. The Wolves on October 14 travel to the United Center to play the Chicago Bulls. October 16 will see Minnesota in Canada to play the Toronto Raptors before heading west to Bismarck, North Dakota, for a shootout with the Nuggets. The only two Target Center games on the schedule are October 22 vs. the Bulls and the following night against the Bucks.