Taylor still building on K.G.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/15705974.htm
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said he's optimistic about the upcoming
season and the state of his franchise after a difficult 2005-06 campaign
that ended without a playoff berth.
During an interview with the Pioneer Press on Friday, Taylor said he's
pleased with the upbeat tone Kevin Garnett has set in practice and that
he doesn't believe his franchise player is unhappy in Minnesota.
The owner also touted the acquisition of veteran point guard Mike James.
If a few guards improve, the team should bounce back, Taylor said.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Q.
You've been here every day of training camp. What do you see so far that
excites you?
A.
They've worked really hard, probably as hard as I've seen in any of the
years I've been through. But there's probably been as many smiles and
positive attitudes. There's just been no complaints or nothing like that.
Part of that is K.G. has really set the tone, being really positive.
It's been really neat. It's very competitive.
Q.
There seems to be a national perception that Kevin Garnett isn't happy
as a Timberwolf. What have you seen from him?
A.
I would say that if you watched him last year when he was playing,
he lost the smile on his face. I think it kind of started from that.
He was frustrated. He didn't know what to do. I think with the new coach,
all the changes and stuff … But it was this summer, very early, I think
right after the playoffs, when I met with him, it was already then that
he basically started changing. I saw him changing.
He wanted to know about any trades we were going to do. He wanted to be
more involved in that. He wanted to know what options we had. We talked
about that. He got involved with the Mike James (signing) because that
was an important one with us.
Then this summer, you guys heard him say some stuff (in a SLAM Magazine
interview). But that wasn't consistent with what he was doing with the
team. He was practicing. He was doing all that. He was meeting with the
guys. He was taking guys out for dinner. He was doing all kinds of stuff
like that, which he hadn't done for a little while.
Even when I read things that sound a little negative, I'm not really
(worried) because it's not consistent with what he's telling me.
Q.
You signed Mike James and drafted Randy Foye. How do you feel about
the offseason you had and the moves you made going into this season?
A.
Actually, I'm OK with it. I don't think we forced anything. I am convinced
that the Mike James thing could be really big for us because I think we've
been hurting at that position for so long. I think Mike brings several
different things. The experience, just that we have a guy out there
running the floor, I think will take pressure off of Kevin.
Our plan was, if we couldn't get anything, we were going to (re-sign)
Marcus Banks. I don't know that Kevin would have been as relaxed as
he is now because with Marcus he always felt like, oh God, Marcus is
still learning, I've got to take this over.
When he talked to Mike James, not that he knew Mike James that well,
but after he got done talking to him, he said, geez, Glen, this guy
is a lot like me. I said, well, that's what I thought so, too, except
you came up as a superstar and he had to work his way up, but you both
came up with the same belief that hard work is what made you good.
We looked for a big guy. We never forced it. We just couldn't find the
right guy, or it wasn't the right thing. We brought in Vinnie (Baker).
… We'll see if that works out.
Q.
Fans hope the Wolves will get back to the playoffs. Is there room for
you in the competitive Western Conference?
A.
Just take our division — Seattle, Utah, Portland and Denver. I don't
see a team where you just say, gosh, they should dominate us. If our
guys play good, I don't see why we don't beat those guys. Let's just
say we do well and we win the thing. You say, yeah, but you've got to
play Dallas and you've got to play San Antonio. … They're good teams,
but they're not unbeatable. Would we be good enough to beat them?
I don't know, but I want to be right up there and see how we do.
If we get that close, then we
can massage it a little bit more.
Q.
So do you ever see a situation where you rebuild the team without
Kevin Garnett?
A.
I wouldn't want to say to you it wouldn't happen. Let's just say that
for some reason or another, the team we've put together here, if for
some reason doesn't do any of the things I just said, and then I make
up my mind where, God, we've just got to start over, that would be the
circumstances where I would talk to Kevin. Do you really want to be
around if I'm going to do this?
And he may not want to be, and, certainly, I would take that
(into consideration). So I'm saying I don't see that because
I want to win. But if you say to me, is there a circumstance?
Yeah, if we just decide to go all young. Does he want to play
with that? I don't think so. I'm not interested in doing that,
but that's still something you have to think about if things don't work out.
Q.
As far as Kevin McHale, he's somebody that you feel will be around
long term. A couple years ago, there was some debate on his part as
to whether he would return to the team or not.
A.
I think he's into it as long as it's fun. I don't have any idea that
he'll be doing this five years or 10 years from now. I think that's
partly why he embraced and I embraced bringing in Fred Hoiberg and
started training Fred and building the staff up in case he does want
to leave. I think, in the past, it would be pretty hard for him to
leave because he didn't have anybody behind him, and we hadn't trained anybody.
But right now, we've built that staff up so it isn't just so much
dependent on Kevin. It probably opens it up easier for both of us
if either of us decides we want to change that.
I'll tell you, he still likes it. He takes a lot of criticism, but
he still likes it, and he still wants to win. My guess is that he's
more likely the type of guy that, if we had a couple of really good
seasons, he might retire right on the top than he would when he's
being criticized. I think being criticized almost makes him fight
to want to have the job.
Q.
So, is Fred Hoiberg a general manager in waiting?
A.
Yeah, either here or for another team, I don't know. I think that's
Fred's desire, that he wants to learn it. It's something I never
did with Kevin. Kevin was a basketball player, and I made him GM.
I just think when Sam Mitchell came to me, he said he wanted to get
in here. Let's get the assistant coaching job, and then you'll get
a chance at the head coaching job. Same thing with Fred. Fred told
me he wants to stay in basketball someplace, administration or something
like this here. I said, well, let
us come in and let us train you, learn our club. My guess is he wants
to stay here because his family is here.
Q.
The strength of this team, outside of Garnett, would seem to be your
guards. What kind of contributions can Foye and the others make this
season?
A.
Foye's a really nice kid and all that. If you say do you think he's
the answer? No, I think it's a long-term answer. But, if we get anything
out of him, to me that's all pluses.
The other thing I'm hoping on is take our middle four guys — Troy (Hudson),
Marko (Jaric), Trenton (Hassell) and Ricky — to me, all four of those
guys could be better.
To me, that's where I'm leaving it up to the coaches. … I think that's
how you're going to measure us when we really get down to it.
I'm not counting on Foye, except I think they are counting on him a
little bit more. He's an aggressive young man, I'll tell you. Now,
if Rashad can come back this season (from a knee injury), boy, that's
going to be a really big plus.
That's kind of why I feel pretty good about this. I just think there's
a lot of upside.
Q.
Coach Dwane Casey is heading into his second season and has hired two
new assistants.
A.
I like that Dwane has brought in a couple of new assistants. I think
they complement him a little bit. I don't think Randy (Wittman) is
like Dwane. I don't think Bob (Ociepka) is like Dwane. I think,
sometimes last year, the staff was too much the same. They were all
kind of quiet guys.
I like this idea that both Randy and Bob are more outspoken. They're
out there, involved more. I think that's good for our team.
The other thing is I've just got to hope that Dwane, like most young
coaches, your first year is a learning experience, and you'd wished it'd
go better. My guess is we should be better this year just because Dwane
has a whole year of experience.
Q.
Would you ever consider selling the team?
A.
No, I'm not interested in selling it now. I still like it. Last year wasn't
fun, but I still like the challenge of it. I really want to win.
People say we're going to change Kevin (Garnett) and this type of stuff.
Yeah, Kevin could leave, and I could probably make more money. But I want
to see if we can win with him and build some guys around him.
I know it takes luck. And it means that some of these guys are going to
have to improve quite a bit. It's tough luck that Shaddy (Rashad McCants)
is injured. But on the other hand, sometimes, some of the other guys
step up, and Shaddy comes back and he's good; now all of a sudden your
team is even better. Hopefully, we'll have a story like the Twins
(and their run to the playoffs).
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