2009-2010 Finish: 43-39

What went well

No one has ever accused Minnesota Timberwolves GM Javijoe of not living large. Definitely one of the league’s biggest characters, Javijoe is known as a big wheeler dealer, happily trading for players one day and then moving them on the next. While Thunder GM Magritte may have taken that role away, Javijoe has been in the league longer and constantly surprises fans with the deals he makes.

So the biggest surprise came when GM Javijoe announced he would be entering the season making no trades at all. Of course, none of us believed him but the Texas maverick was good for his word, holding off until Week 5 to execute a deal. In fact, besides signing the unholy triumvirate of Ime Udoka, Earl Boykins and Jamaal Tinsley, the Wolves did nothing at all to bolster their roster.

Then they started to suck. Along with the Detroit Pistons, the Wolves kept losing game after game, soon becoming a bookie favorite: who would actually win first? The Pistons or the Wolves? (The Wolves won first). All the while, Javijoe swore he would make the playoffs. He was ridiculed on NLL Radio, shunned by fans and even heard from Tim Duncan’s agent that the big man wanted a trade.

So Javijoe put on his trading cap and made two deals. The first, sent guard Jose Barea, swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts and a 2nd rounder to the Sixers for Daequan Cook, DeMarre Carroll and some points. Not really a game-changer. Then they sent Tinsley to Washington for Quinton Ross. But something happened and the Wolves started winning. In fact, they even ended the season tied for 4th seed. Maybe the team finally had a chance to gel and both Anthony Randolph and Travis Outlaw returned from long injuries.

What went bad

Then the playoffs arrived and the Hornets blanked the Wolves in the first round. While it is impressive that the Wolves came back after such a horrific opening, they went down with a whimper, ending a season Minnesota fans would like to forget.

Stars

- Brook Lopez, C-

Javijoe fielded a lot of calls about big man Brook Lopez, but he stubbornly and wisely refused to trade him. In his second NLL season, Lopez dropped more than 14 ppg and hauled in 8.7 boards per game. He has yet to miss a game to injury in two seasons and he is shaping up to be the future face of the club.


- Tim Duncan, PF –

Duncan got out of San Antonio right before that team imploded, but he didn’t like the first half of his first full season with the Wolves. Despite his age, Duncan is still one of the most dominant players in the game, averaging 19.5 ppg this season and 9.6 boards. Duncan especially blew up in the playoffs, but unfortunately the rest of the team did very little around him.


Goats

- Dan Gadzuric, C –

29 games. 1.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, $ 7,243,750 this season. God, when will this guy’s contract end?


Looking to the future

The Wolves were players in this year’s draft, grabbing three players. At pick 17, Javijoe grabbed Oklahoma State junior James Anderson. The Wolves expect big things out of the sharpshooting shooting guard, even allowing him to start in Summer League. While he needs to work on his ballhandling skills before he will be effective, Anderson is an exciting addition to the team. At 49, the Wolves grabbed New Mexico junior Darington Hobson. If he works out, the small forward could provide some instant energy on the floor. Unfortunately, his scoring skills are pretty nil. They also selected Jerome Jordan (more in a minute).

After the draft, the Wolves engaged in their biggest trade of the year, sending Randolph, stand-out rookie Omri Casspi and the rights to Jordan to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Danilo Galinari and the rights to Larry Sanders. The VCU junior should add some explosive offense to the team and grab some boards. However, he does need to work on his defense and is behind Lopez and Duncan in the rotation. Meanwhile, Galinari is really coming into his own and gives the Wolves another offensive threat. The Wolves also moved a 2nd rounder for Alexis Ajinca.

The Wolves end the season with a lot of question marks. They have some money, but Duncan needs to be re-signed. With him returning, center, power forward and small forward are all set. Jason Terry can play the PG slot fine, but he may be trade fodder. The two biggest holes are the shooting guard slot and the bench. It is likely both Larry Hughes and Outlaw will declare for free agency and although Darko Milicic indicated he’d like to come back, do the Wolves want to pay him? There are a lot of issues that need to be solved before the Wolves can contend again, but knowing Javijoe, everything will be just fine.