http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/15875245.htm
GUARDS A STRENGTH
The Wolves' biggest offseason changes came at point guard. Minnesota
aggressively pursued James, one of the premier free agents of 2006,
giving him a four-year contract worth about $23.5 million. They desperately
need him to provide stability at the position because they already invested
about $75 million in recent seasons in Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric.
Hudson has been injury-prone, and Jaric's shaky play forced Casey to pull
him from the starting lineup before the all-star break last season. That
led to an ill-fated dance with inexperienced and erratic guard Marcus
Banks, acquired in the Boston deal along with Davis, forward Justin Reed
and center Mark Blount.
James averaged career highs of 20.3 points and 5.8 assists last season,
his breakout year with the Toronto Raptors. He ranked fourth in the NBA
in three-point shooting percentage (44.2), and he is as well-known for
his bravado and confidence as anything he has done on the court.
"He's brought a griminess, a high basketball IQ to the point guard position,"
Garnett said. "A grittiness that we need both offensively and defensively.
He's a big part of the team, and I'm glad to have him."
James is part of the team's biggest strength (excluding Garnett): a deep
pool of guards who should offer the chance to push the ball, stretch the
floor with three-pointers and break down defenders off the dribble.
The Wolves sorely lacked those abilities last season.
IMPROVED CHEMISTRY
The Wolves also feel optimistic about this season because of the time
they spent together this summer. Many of the players were in the Twin
Cities, playing together in informal workouts and pick-up games in August
and September. Casey believes that time forming chemistry will help his
team. The players agree, especially Davis, Reed and Blount.
Davis, who averaged 19.4 points a game last season, and Blount are starters,
and Reed re-signed with Minnesota for three years, $4.5 million. They're
no longer Celtics. Having a preseason together with their teammates offered
them a chance to adjust.
"It's helped us a lot," Reed said. "It's given us a better rhythm in the
offense and more time to understand what the coaches want from us. And it
gives everyone a chance to get to know each other."
Chemistry proved elusive last season, but McHale still believes the Wolves
can find it and that the team isn't that far away from returning to
contention in the Northwest Division. That belief, combined with no
space under the salary cap, is one reason he didn't make major changes
this offseason, the addition of James aside. (Apologies to draft picks
Foye and Smith, who showed positive signs during the preseason.)
And maybe McHale is right, especially because Garnett, a nine-time
all-star, still spearheads his roster.
"As long as you have Kevin Garnett on your team, you have a chance to
be a very good team," Milwaukee Bucks coach Terry Stotts said. "He is
such a dominant force. … The West is really tough, but there's no reason
Minnesota's not going to be in the thick of things."
COACH MORE CONFIDENT
The responsibility to make sure the Wolves contend falls on Casey. His
first season fell far short of expectations. His team finished 11-18 in
games decided by five points or fewer, and it lost an NBA-high 15 games
when leading after three quarters.
"I think as a young coach, you're trying to tweak stuff all the time as
opposed to saying, OK, we're staying the course," McHale said. "And we
started changing things. I think it's very hard when you're changing.
I think players lose confidence in each other. We've got to stay the course,
and I think Case has been really solid with that, trying to stay the course
here so far."
Casey said the trade with Boston forced him to change the team's style of
play to more of a running team because of the change in personnel.
McHale said Casey seems more relaxed and confident, bolstered in part by
the additions of assistant coaches Randy Wittman and Bob Ociepka,
who provide experience and different opinions.
Casey has delegated roles for his new assistants. Wittman focuses on the
offense and Ociepka the defense. They meet as a staff and discuss issues
and strategies. Then Casey takes a step back at times during practices
and lets Wittman and Ociepka teach.
"He's let us be real involved with all the coaching and given us a lot of
responsibility," Wittman said. "It keeps you involved and keeps him getting
fresh ideas. The players can't hear the same voice for eight months."
Casey said he feels more confident because he knows his players better.
He is pleased with the team defense his players have shown during the
preseason. Garnett echoed those sentiments, saying it's the brightest
development heading into the regular season.
"Our defense is really very solid," Garnett. "We still have to get our
turnovers down and take care of the ball offensively, but for the most
part I like where we're at."
Casey is encouraged as well. He said he thinks his team can prove skeptics
wrong and make a push for the playoffs.
"We don't want to overestimate how good we are, but we don't want to
underestimate how good we can be," he said. "We still have some room
to go, but we can be pretty good if we make sure we give our attention
to details, cut down on our turnovers and play the game the right way."
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