Take a look at the protected 09 1st rounder we get about 2/3 down the chart – somehow the team managed to extract that little gem from what was essentially Ricky Davis and Mark Blount – that’s a nifty little transaction!

There are others like it in the flow chart that show that the front office actually does a decent job of creating value, sometimes out of nothing. If Kevin McHale ever goes on trial for his crimes against basketball, this might be exhibit A in his defense.

However…

What the chart misses (by din of being a flow chart and not an oracle), and what the front office misses is a sense of the whole. The flow chart can be forgiven for not being able to show the impact of Malik Sealy’s death. What worries me is that the vision of the front office is unclear or missing. They are able to create value, but to what purpose? I’m curious if anyone could actually articulate the Wolves vision, maybe I’m just dense.

is an important ingredient in determining where you are going. There is a lot to learn from an analysis like this.

In terms of a vision for the future, you first have to get yourself in a position to execute on whatever vision it you have created. If you are hamstrung by bad contracts and a lack of draft picks, it sure makes it tough to your vision a reality. On that front, we have done a commendable job in less than 2 years of accumulating a collection of assets that give us tremendous flexibility going forward, whether it’s young players on our existing roster, draft picks, overseas assets (Pekovic), or expiring deals. Looking at the flow chart above, the FO has done a tremendous job putting us in position to now execute on a vision.

Which leads us to…..what is the vision of the product we put on the floor? Well, I think we have a very rough foundation for that vision:

1. We have a team that is generally comprised of unselfish, hard working players that comport themselves in a way that doesn’t embarrass the franchise or its fanbase. This doesn’t necessarily lead to W’s, but I look at it as more of a foundational principle that we should adhere to as we try to build a winning culture. Character does ultimately count.

2. When healthy, we have a team that could win the battle of possessions on most nights. As long as Jefferson and Love are a part of our Core Group, we should try to build upon their strengths while at the same time addressing weaknesses: You can do this by adding more length, speed, and athleticism across the board. This should help improve rebounds garnered, deflections made, and defensive stops.

So we start with a high-character, possession-based foundation and then hopefully build upon that with players that add to those strengths and potentially bring some other capabilities that help neutralize some of our weaknesses.

Some players up and down the draft board that could be good strategic fits:
Rubio – Big, long PG. Gets a ton of steals.
Thabeet – Long Center. Solid enough on the boards that if paired with Love or Jefferson, we should maintain our advantage. Helps shore up our defense.
Aldrich – Tremendous defensive rebounder. Blocks out extremely well. Would absolutely help us win the possession battle on most nights.
DeMar DeRozan – Pure upside pick. Big athletic 2-guard would add tremendous size and athleticism to our backcourt.
Danny Green (later pick) – Another long 2-guard. Moves well without the ball and very efficient, rarely turning the ball over while getting his fair share of deflections on the defensive side.
Evan Turner – Turns the ball over a lot, but not bad in terms of TOs as a % of possessions. Tremendous rebounder from the wing. Great defender. Again, could be used a long 2-guard.
Terrence Williams – Andre Iguodala ceiling? Big, athletic, rebounds well. Yet another guy we could throw out there at the 2-guard to be an attack dog on both sides of the court.
Earl Clark – A bigger, longer, stronger version of Corey Brewer. Sometimes disappears, but physically, he is unlike anyone we have among our wings today.
Jerome Jordan – Long 7-footer that has improved every single year. Solid on the boards and defensively. Improving offensive repertoire.

Just some food for thought…..

By my quick math, 8 of our current 15 roster spots come via trade from some truly horrendous teams: Memphis (3), Sacremento (2), and Boston pre-big-3 (3). I think this helps to explain the absence of depth, skill and athleticism on the current squad. If you look at the names, minus Big Al, none of them would even be starting if they’d stayed on these teams.

I’m also praying that we don’t get Utah’s pick this year. We do not need 4 picks in one of the weakest drafts in recent memory. We need to be vigilant in cheering against the Jazz for the remainder of the year. That, and giving Madsen the green light, are our best hope for future success.

Thanks for the Talking Heads posts.