The Minnesota Timberwolves and GM David Kahn are not worried about building a good team for this season, instead they are focusing in the future, even if this means that the Wolves will be in the lottery the next 2 or 3 years. Drafting Ricky Rubio was the clear sign of that because the Wolves knew that there was a big chance (consummated) that Rubio would remain in Spain for the next 2 years, but still they pulled the trigger and drafted two Point Guard players in their 5th and 6th picks. Somehow, it is weird that the Wolves' most talked player during the off season isn't actually on their roster. The Wolves have a new Head Coach in Kurt Rambis, their franchise player is coming from an ACL injury and they possess an extremely young core of players. This combination won't match well in the present, but the Wolves have other horizons.

Last season, the Wolves started awfully the season with 4-23 record before Christmas and during the process, former GM Kevin McHale fired Randy Wittman and nominated himself as the head coach for the remainder of the season. Despite starting the job by losing their first 8 games, the Wolves enjoyed a pretty successful month of January, in which they ended up with a 10-4 record and McHale was nominated Western Conference Coach of the Month. However, everything fell apart when Al Jefferson tore his knee in a game against the Hornets in the beginning of February and the Wolves season practically ended in that game. The Wolves, after that game and through the end of the season, won just 7 games, while losing 25 games.

For this season, the Wolves will absolutely need Al Jefferson to be healthy, if they want to escape from mediocrity. In my opinion, "Big Al" is the most underrated big man in the league. Last season, Jefferson was a 20-10 machine and before he got injured, he was averaging 23.1 points per game, 10.9 rebounds per game and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting almost 50 % from the field and hitting 74% from the charity stripe. These are numbers of an All Star player and it will be a matter of time for him to reach such status. Coming off from a knee injury is never easy for a big player and Al Jefferson will first have to prove that he is 100 % healthy. Assuming he will be ok, Al Jefferson is the Wolves' go-to guy down the stretch and he needs to set the tone in both ends of the floor for their inexperienced team mates.

Behind Al Jefferson, the Wolves have some promising young talents who are in the beginning of the maturation of their careers.  Power Forward Kevin Love enjoyed a solid rookie season, averaging over 11 points and nine rebound per game. He passed through some ups and downs during the season, which is understandable by taking in account it was his first season as a pro, but he showed already the right work ethic that will guide him to a solid career in the NBA. The Wolves are also hoping for the development of Corey Brewer. This is going to be the third NBA season for him and injuries are taking him down consistently. However when he's healthy, Brewer didn't show anything special on the court. He was supposed to be a next-level perimeter defender with decent offensive potential, but the Wolves are  worried with the fact that he could become another draft bust.
 
On the other side, Ryan Gomes emerged as a solid role player who can do everything in both ends of the floor. He averaged 13.3 points per game and grabbed almost 5 boards per contest last season, however these numbers don't tell how valuable he can be for the team. He never was the top offensive threat of the team, but still delivered solid numbers and defensively, he was one of the team's best players (there aren't many defensive specialists on the team by the way).

It was in the Point Guard position that GM David Kahn most invested and the Wolves are now equipped with two talented players. They drafted Jonny Flynn as the 6th overall draft pick and Flynn has the talent to be a solid PG. Despite his elite athleticism, quickness and good strength, Flynn is still just 6-feet tall and he will have a much tougher time in attacking the rim against NBA big men and in defending taller guards. Just imagine his matchup against Chauncey Billups...this won't be pretty for him. However, Flynn enjoys playing defense, while he is spectacular at getting into the lane and fearless finishing.

During the off season, David Kahn signed free agent Ramon Sessions in an extraordinary move for the Wolves. For about $4 million annually, the Wolves got a bargain deal, as Sessions has already showed that he can a solid Point Guard with special abilities. He has the quickness and ability to get in the paint and finishing the plays, while at the same time, he has an extraordinary court vision that turns him into a good playmaker. Last season, he averaged 'just' 5.7 assists per game in Milwaukee, but Scott Skiles apparently didn't trust him, as he was a starter in only 38 games and he also played sometimes at the SG position. I remember that we are talking about a guy that once dropped 24 assists on the Chicago Bulls on a game two seasons ago.

The weakest position for the Wolves is the Shooting Guard position. Mike Miller was traded for the Wizards in this off season and the Wolves have now Damien Wilkins, Wayne Ellington and Sasha Pavlovic for the position, but none of them can provide solid contributions on a consistent basis. Wayne Ellington has good offensive skills, as he shoots with tremendous balance, with a high arc and has an extremely soft touch, however he needs to work his body first.

The Northwest division is brutally competitive this season and the Wolves will surely stick in the bottom of the division. However, they are in the beginning of their rebuilding process and so, more important than winning is that their young guys must show some development during the season.  Flynn must be in the All star game playing in the rookies class, Love should be a consistent double double player,  Al Jefferson should be mentioned for a possible spot in the All star game and Sessions should eventually be talked for the most improved player of the season. If these projections somehow happen for the Wolves, then we can consider their season as a successful season, regardless their final record.