Timberwolves to Clear Woods for Playoff Path

Year Two of the post-Kevin Garnett era is upon the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they have made significant changes in the areas of youth and depth. The team is a losing team according to the win-loss column, but with so much potential, will the T'wolves make another push out the wild, wild West?

The returning starting players from last year will help the team significantly, as they had to fight the tension surrounding the loss of a franchise player. Randy Foye, the promising combo guard from Villanova University will look to make a real mark on the court; he's shown that he has the ability to do a decent job as far as scoring and being a solid presence on the court, but he'll have to prove that he can a deft distributor and/or a lights-out shooter that he was thought to be (remember that he was traded for All-Star Brandon Roy on the 2006 Draft night). Sebastian Telfair, the former New York City high school phenom has now proved that he is not going to be the superstar that he was hyped to be; his main objective is to get better around, especially as a shooter. Al Jefferson, another 2004 high school phenom (like Telfair) has, on his end, proved his ability to be a star player because of his high level of talent as a post player; his 20-10 averages in points and rebounds are really going boost the flow of the offense, as he is a pillar of the Minnesota offense.

Other key players that will return in subtler roles will be Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Rashad McCants and Craig Smith. Brewer, a 2007-08 rookie top-10 pick, is going to be key for defensive assignment on the wing; his ability to guard both shooting guard and small forward will help tremendously as he fills out his body and improves his perimeter shooting. Gomes will make the most of his versatility in the frontcourt, having earned a nice long-term contract because of his inside-outside game. McCants has shown considerable growth in his game since coming from the University of North Carolina as a 2005 lottery pick, but it looks as though he may be better as a bench player; he'll have to be more consistently and be more willing to be team-first mentally before he can be a valuable starting guard. Smith, in some ways similar to Gomes, is an excellent player who can grab 10 rebounds and get 20 points on any given night, making him seem more like a new and improved Ben Wallace offensively.

The new jacks looking to make a splash, though, could legitimately raise the play of the Timberwolves and hypothetically put the team into contention for the final playoff spot in the highly-competitive Western Conference (which is a longshot to say the least). Mike Miller is the star of the newbies, having been a key member of winning teams such as the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies; returning home, Miller will most likely be the starting small forward and the designated zone-busting shooter of the team, a role where he'll get lots of shots and looks at the basket. Rodney Carney will be another young player looking contribute with his slashing and defense presence, but will have to fight the whole slew of swingmen and combo forwards and guards on the team for extended minutes. Kevin Love, dubbed as a new Wes Unseld in some circles, will look to be the starting four man next to Jefferson; his ability to shoot and pass from any given place on the court with precision make end up making him the Rookie of the Year for 2009.

If Minnesota can place the right players in the right roles and play hard for all 82 games, assuming that head coach Randy Wittman doesn't screw up, the T'wolves may be entertaining to watch and could win a good amount of games.