The Wolves have a lot to do this summer so let’s break it down into a to-do list for David Kahn:
- To-Do #1 – Hire a coach. Kahn has been said to have a very long list of candidates to interview, from ESPN’s Marc Stein:
We’re also hearing that new Wolves president David Kahn is assembling a l-o-n-g list of candidates to interview for his coaching opening, suggesting that his search to replace Kevin McHale could consume the bulk of this month. Some of the more prominent names Kahn wants to talk to in addition to presumed favorite Mark Jackson: Sam Mitchell, Bill Laimbeer, Kurt Rambis and Brian Shaw.
Personally I still like Mitchell for this gig especially if Terry Porter could be brought in as a lead assistant as well. I think Mitchell did well in Toronto with a lack of talent and also looked to push the pace which I would like to see the Wolves do as well. That being said Jackson, Laimbeer and both Rambis and Shaw are good prospects as well. It will be very interesting to see what Kahn says was the ultimate deciding factor is in his choice. So far he has mentioned continuing what McHale did in being positive with the players as well as someone who is going to help develop the team over the course of the next 3-4 years.
- To-Do #2 – Use the midlevel exception. Because the Wolves are going to be right ar0und next years cap they are allowed to use the NBA’s midlevel excpetion (~$5million/year to sign a player.) As I laid out previously in my State of the Wolves (Part I here and an updated Part II here) I really think the Wolves would do well on using on a center to solidify the frontline with Jefferson and Love. The 3 best available are Chris “The Birdman” Andersen, Anderson Varejao, and Marcin Gortat. It looks like Birdman will most likely resign with the Nuggets and Varejao who most likely will get a full mid-level deal from a better team, are not going to be options for the Wolves. That being said Gortat, who filled in very well for Orlando while Howard was out including an 11 pts, 15 rebs, 4 stls, and 3 blk effort in the Philly series when Howard was suspended a game. Unfortunately all is quiet on the Wolves front in terms of pursuing the “Polish Hammer” meanwhile Rockets GM Daryl Morey is working social media to show Gortat some love.
- To-Do #3 – Work hard to get Rubio in a Wolves uniform on opening night this year. As Matty_P over at Canis Hoopus lays out, the Wolves hold a lot of chips in the Ricky Rubio poker game. The two most important things being Rubio’s desire to play in the NBA and I think most importantly that it’s in his best interest to get to his second NBA contract (which is your 5th year in the league) sooner rather than later. As for his camp not wanting to play if Flynn is on the team, I think that a promise from Kahn of being the team’s point guard and playing heavy minutes there should be able to win them over. That being said as Kahn has laid out, the Wolves aren’t in a bad spot to wait a year (or 2 if necessary) to wait for Rubio to come over if that’s what it comes down to.
