The Trade analyzed: The New Wolves by position
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Post-trade, here's what the Wolves have at each position, barring any upcoming roster moves still in the works.
Point Guard:
Randy Foye: The presumptive starter, Foye's only entering his second NBA season, and has never been a full-time starter so far. Has great potential, but is untested.
Marko Jaric: The "big guard" is a big flop so far, but with Troy Hudson now out of the mix, Jaric's minutes could go up if he remains with the Wolves, in his role as Foye's top backup at the point, and a fellow the team might turn to if Foye's not quite ready for the pressure of the starting role.
Analysis: This is probably the weakest position for the Wolves from a depth standpoint, apart from C, a chronic position of weakness for the team. Foye has plenty of potential and little experience at the NBA level; Jaric has no potential and plenty of experience - all of it bad. Do the Wolves really want to suffer through four more contract years with this stiff?
Grade: C+, due mostly to Jaric
Shooting Guard:
Ricky Davis: Until they trade him, Ricky Davis is the incumbent starter at shooting guard and the most proven scorer on the team ... when he decides to play. But with the team's youth movement and talent at this position, don't be surprised if Davis is dangled on the trading block and wearing another team's journey either before training camp opens, or sometime before the trading deadline during the season. If he's with the Wolves, he'll be the starter initially, to boost his value in trade.
Corey Brewer: Due to the current numbers game, the Wolves will probably use Brewer as their top sub off the bench early in the season while Brewer acclimates to the NBA, backing up Davis at SG and whoever starts at SF, but he'll work his way into a starting roll sooner than later. Although he projects better at SF in the long haul, for now he's a better fit at SG.
Rashad McCants: This is a critical season for McCants. He will either step up his level of play or be facing a future that doesn't include a Timberwolves jersey. A promising career is in the balance this season, and a combination of competition from Davis, Brewer and Telfair will be the pressure that's on him. How he responds will determine his future with the franchise. He could extend his chances to make the roster by working on his passing and ball handling skills and move over to point guard, backing up Foye if the team does the common-sense thing and sends Jaric packing - perhaps as an add-in with Davis - to some other team.
Sebastian Telfair: Of the young, promising players Boston sent to the Wolves in the Garnett trade, Telfair is the least promising. His future with the club could be short unless he finds a way to prove he belongs more than the others at this position.
Analysis: Davis has to potential to score in huge gobs, but is largely inconsistent. Perhaps playing for Celtics West - err, the Timberwolves - will inspire him to light it up on a more regular basis.
Grade: A- for now, but the logjam here needs solving
Small Forward:
Ryan Gomes: I'm guessing, but Gomes looks good to become the starter, though competition between him and Craig Smith will be fierce. That's because no matter who wins the position, everyone knows that in a season or less, they are just keeping the spot warm for Corey Brewer. Gomes is further along in his development and holds the edge over Smith. But Gomes has only one year on his contract, so unless he and the Wolves work out an extension, the Wolves may not want to disturb Smith's development. If the club shows potential to win some games, though, it's Gomes who will start until Brewer's ready. If Gomes agrees to an extension, it's all up for grabs.
Craig Smith: Craig Smith is one of the players the Wolves believed to be part of their "nucleus for the future of the club" prior to the trade. He'll battle Gomes for the right to start this season and eventually be the top backup behind Brewer. The club loves this kid and he holds that as an advantage in that regard, but on-the-court results will determine who wins out.
Gerald Green: Green's a solid player who can also back up the PF position. He'll be fighting for minutes with Wolves defensive specialist Trenton Hassell.
Trenton Hassell: Valuable because of his defensive skills, Hassell needs to score better or could find himself out of a job given the new infusion of young talent. He is probably playing out his last contract with the Wolves, despite being a solid, dependable defensive presence.
Analysis: Ultimately, this is where the Wolves want Brewer to play, but right now he doesn't have the body to play SF at the NBA level, so he'll get time to bulk up and adjust to the pro game this season. Unless the Wolves choose to force his development along ... and why would they, given their post-trade roster situation ... this spot will go either to Gomes or Smith and has plenty of depth behind whoever starts.
Grade: B for now, A- once Brewer's ready to take over
Power Forward:
Al Jefferson: Jefferson probably becomes the de facto starter now that Garnett is on Jefferson's former team. A talented, promising kid who averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds last season, he has an injury history that limited him before that. When healthy, he's no Kevin Garnett, but few players are. Still, he's a respectable starter who likely has room to grow before he reaches his full potential. With all the talent around him, he won't be expected to put the lion's share of scoring load on his shoulders the way Garnett was. Maybe a couple years down the road ... but not yet.
Juwan Howard: The most dependable veteran PF on the team, Howard's numbers were down when he was with the Rockets, but he still has some gas in the tank if you're not looking for him to be a starter. A solid backup to Jefferson.
Mark Madsen: An impact player in brief appearances, Madsen will perhaps miss Garnett more than any other Wolf. Solid on defensive and showing the ability to come up with clutch scoring, if not a lot of it, Madsen's role has been invaluable over the years. Might be playing his last Wolves contract, though.
Chris Richard: If the Wolves clear roster room to sign Richard, look for him to spend a season in the D-League and eventually get onto the Wolves roster once Madsen runs out his contract and, likely, moves over to Boston to reunite with buddy Garnett. Richard has potential, but needs time to develop; he'll get that chance.
Analysis: This position, simply due to being filled for 12 years by a 10-time All-Star, can't be graded anywhere near where it was last season. But Jefferson's solid with potential to become a stud, and there's good enough depth behind him at the moment that the impact of Garnett's departure will be softened a bit.
Grade: B- because of Jefferson's upside potential, but could plummet if he gets injured
Center:
Mark Blount: Blount has quietly developed into a decent, serviceable center since he arrived from Boston as part of the Szczerbiak-Davis trade. At 7', he has decent size and isn't bad at defense, but is limited offensively. Could he step up and show scoring ability now that KG's gone? On a team with better depth at center, he'd be a backup.
Theo Ratliff: Mr. Cap Relief 2008 doesn't have much game left, and hopefully Blount can average at least 40 minutes a night to keep Ratliff off the floor. Of course, both Madsen and Howard have the ability to fill in here, and even Chris Richard could be called up from the D-League in an emergency. Ratliff will collect well over $11M to watch Wolves games from the best seat in the house: the bench.
Analysis: Even more than point guard, center is the Wolves biggest weakness. If the Wolves were smart, they'd approach some team like Charlotte that needs more help in the backcourt and offer up Ricky Davis, with Marko Jaric as a required toss-in, for Emeka Okafor. Or at least a combo like Sean May and Jemareo Davidson, to help the Wolves shore up the PF and C positions a bit tighter.
Grade: C-
Despite the weakness at center and point guard, this is actually the deepest the Wolves have looked in years.
Forget those naysayers bashing this trade; this may be a young, inexperienced Wolves team, but they offer a much more hopeful future than the team possessed before the KG trade.
