Timberwolves Future Depth Chart

Here's my take on the Timberwolves future depth chart as of 02-26-08:

Point Guard -

1.  Randy Foye - I know most fans are wishing that we kept Brandon Roy but I'm a big Randy Foye fan.  I think he's just as good as Roy long term.  He's probably more of a pure shooting guard but he can play the point.  He finally looks like he's getting in to playing shape after that long injury and he is the answer to me at Point Guard.  He also loves the ball down the stretch.  (35 Minutes a Game)

2.  Sebastian Telfair - I think he's a good back up but I don't want him being our starting point guard of the future.  He's a good spark plug coming off the bench but the thing that worries me most about him is his lack of size.  He can get pushed around down low.  Again, I have no problem with him being a backup. (20 Minutes a Game.)

Shooting Guard -

1.  Rashad McCants - He's been pretty inconsistent in his short career with the Timberwolves but he obviously has a lot of talent.  I think he can be the long term answer at Shooting guard.  When he gets the minutes, he usually produces.  (35 Minutes a Game)

2.  Draft/Free Agency

Small Forward -

1.  Draft/Free Agency

2.  Ryan Gomes - He has been a pleasant surprise.  I think he's better suited as a back up in this role though.  I have no complaints. (25 Minutes a Game)

3.  Corey Brewer - It's still too early to tell with him but he definitely needs to work on his shooting.  In his rookie season he's been a poor man's Trenton Hassle.  The jury is still out but he's going to have to convince me that he can be a good NBA player.  (15 Minutes a game until he can prove he deserves more.)

Power Forward -

1.  Al Jefferson -  Obvious answer long term.  20 and 10 every night.  Management seems to nit picks with him but they're just trying to get everything out of him.  It's a complement more than anything. (40 Minutes a Game)

2.  Craig Smith - Great luxury coming off the bench.  I don't think he gets the credit that he deserves.  I would like to see him getting 25 minutes every night.  I know his conditioning might not be the best but I'd like to see him able to play 25 minutes a night.  Definitely our most under rated player. (25 Minutes a Game)

Center -

1.  Draft/Free Agency

2.  Draft/Free Agency- (Theo Ratliff is 35 Years Old, Enough Said.)

Michael Beasley is who we need at the small forward position if we have the opportunity to get him if he comes out (which Im sure he will). He will be a nice one-two punch with Jefferson.

The Center position has always been the weak spot for Minnesota for many many years. We have never had someone who can play that position well. I hope we can soon find someone to fill that roll and produce. Its hard to win championships with no Center!!

The Point can be played well enough by Foye, but we havn't seen him enough this year to determine, and he played a lot in his rookie year, but didn't stand out much becasue he was just that, a Rookie. I think long term he should fill into the roll and become a pure point man. NOT Telfair!!

In all, I agree a lot with you on your Depth Chart. The Wolves made some moves last year to get the draft picks and young talent, now we need to use those draft picks in the right way.

GO WOLVES!!

Blue, the problem with your starting lineup is that only two of those players can score double figures. You need to have at least three maybe four players in the starting lineup who are capable of scoring double figures. Gotta have Gomes in ahead of Brewer at this point.

I prefer a point guard who can score.  The Bulls who were probably the best team of all time didn't have a great passing point guard.  When the Pistons won their championships they had Vinnie Johnson in the 80's and Chauncey Billups a few years ago.  Both of those players are very similar to Foye. 

Brewer is a stretch at best to put in the Starting lineup.  He has pretty much sucked this year.  I know he's only a rookie but he's going to have to improve leaps and bounds.  His shooting is dreadful.

Truth be told, even if we did win the 1st pick of the draft next year and still took Beasley, we are still a year or 2 away from competing. The way I see it goes like this.

PG: Foye. We traded for him and he is one of the building blocks, so he gets the start here. I think he is to small and not a good enough defender to be a SG. BACKUP: Telfair. Great change of pace because he can lead a team on the break. When Bassy is in you can move Foye to the SG depending on the matchup.

SG: Incompete. We need to wait a year and maybe use or next years pick here. Unless we get the shaft in the lottery. Then we can address this spot in this years draft. BACKUP: McCants. He was and always will be a sixth man. Great scoring spark off the bench, does little else.

SF: Brewer. For now he is our defender. He needs to add about 25 pounds of muscle and pick up Larry Bird's Basketball Fundementals on VHS and spend the off-season working on that crap jumper of his. BACKUP: Sort of incompete. We could use a few more peices here, thats why I have Brewer in the starting spot when I think he is a career backup too. But I like Gomes as our first Big of the bench and he can play here if the matchup is right.

PF: Beasley. If we get the first spot we take him. He may be a head case and going up to Minny may make him do some stupid stuff but this isn't the NFL draft where its smart to draft for a need. Here you take the best talent available and plug him in where you can. If he can run and slash enough he could be our SF. BACKUP: Gomes or Smith. Like both of them blue collar guys who get the most out of their talent.

PF/C: Jefferson. Its time to do this and call it what it is. We never have a true center and now we just suck it up and move on. If we fall in the lottery and Jordan impresses in workouts I could see us taking him and maybe he wakes up. Then Jefferson is a PF. But we use him there anyway and this day in age you can get by without a true center anyway. Expecially with Ducan/Shaq/Yao not getting any younger. The hybrid is the future. BACKUP: Smith or maybe we can get a big on the free agent market and work him in.

NOTE: If we don't get the first pick, we take Derrick Rose and believe that we got the steal of the draft. We will figure out a way to work everything around him.

I think we have some decent peices but we are far from seeing the puzzle completed. In 2 years, if McFail doesn't destroy it or trade it to the Celtics, I can see us competing for the 7th-8th spots in the west. 

there is no doubt that michael beasely is a MONSTER....but i would rather have derrick rose....beasely can play SF in the nba but he makes his living down low....and with Al Jefferson down there already there won't be enough touches for both of them down there....jefferson can move to C and beasely to PF but then we would have two offensive-minded bigs and that won't do us any good when we have the lead in crunch time....with rose we get someone who can facilitate and control the game....he can also guard the opposing SG if needed....i can't help but drool whenever i see the Hornets and the Jazz play....yeah both teams have made some good moves the past few years but you can argue that Chris Paul and Deron Williams each single-handedly turned those franchises around....they are what makes each team go....with all that said i think we should draft derrick rose over beaseley if we get the number one pick....we definitely have talent on our team but we need someone to put it all together....just imagine if we become anything like what the hornets or jazz are right now

here is what i would like the wolves to look like next year:

PG: rose (draft), telfair

SG: foye, mccants

SF: gomes, brewer

PF: jefferson, smith

C: diop (free agent), dorsey (draft)

with rose at PG, foye can return to his more natural position and be allowed to tear it up offensively without worrying about distributing the ball....telfair is not a starter in the nba....he is too small and doesn't shoot the ball well....mccants is offensive-minded so he is better suited to come off the bench when we need scoring, with rose or foye at PG....that way he doesn't have to worry about playing defense and commit stupid fouls....gomes isn't anything special but he is a solid player....brewer can come off the bench as a spark plug or defensive substitute....hopefully he develops his offensive game and eventually become the starter....jefferson is our franchise player....smith is an offensive threat down low when jefferson is resting....diop may not be the sexiest center but he will be available and he is defensive-minded....dorsey is rose's teammate at memphis....he may be short but he is athletic and also defensive-minded

players i don't care for: buckner (hopefully we can trade him for an expiring contract), snyder (not worth resigning), jaric (only european who can't shoot....needs to be traded), walker (expiring contract after next season, way over the hill), madsen (all energy, no skill), richard (not worth resigning), doleac (expiring contract, leaning towards retirement anyway)

how about:

1.) Randy Foye - PG - Telfair

2.) OJ Mayo - SG (That Killer Instinct) - McCants -

3.) Corey Brewer - SF - Gomes - C. Smith - Snyder

4.) Al Jefferson - PF - C.Smith - Gomes-

5.) Trade or sign a C ( Nenad Kritic) ?

tc-guy, I also give your post my full endorsement.

I think Rose can help the Wolves the most.

Knowing our luck, we probably won't get a top 2 pick, and will take a risk on DeAndre Jordan.

He could be good, but I am not sold.

100% correct blue42.

McCants has the offensive talent to avg. 20+ per game, until he can gaurd someone he needs to have his minutes held in the 20's.

Telfair needs to bulk up and so does Brewer.

They have no center and a slew of tweener gaurds and forwards.