Archives For David Kahn

David Kahn Gets Loose

Benjamin Polk —  July 25, 2010 — 20 Comments

Photo by Genvessel

So it turns out that David Kahn is not the scheming, Gekko-esque bromide-dispenser that he seemed to be. Despite appearances, and despite his frequent references to league-enforced propriety, Kahn seems to be pretty innocent of the politic non-speak that vibrates throughout most NBA front offices.  In a way, its disarming and refreshing to hear an NBA executive speak so openly and common-sensibly about things. Derrick Favors is out of shape? Sure looked like it to me. Michael Beasley is immature? Not really controversial. Chris Webber is “a schmuck”? Don’t hold back, dawg!

Then there’s tidbit on Beasley from Kahn’s now infamous KFAN interview:

He is growing up — he’s not grown-up. He’s 21 … and if you think back, as I do all the time, to when I was 21, and if you had given me this kind of money and put me in this kind of world with these kinds of pressures attached to it and some of the demands, I don’t know how well I would have handled it, any easier than, say, he has.

For the GM of an NBA team, this strikes me as totally reasonable, and maybe even a bit compassionate. But, of course, those aren’t the “inapropriate comments” that got Kahn and the Wolves fined $100 grand by the league. These are:

[Beasley] is a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he’s not smoking anymore, and I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case.

Again, not your typical NBA front-office sound-byte, right? On one hand, you’ve gotta love the honesty. And the league’s fairly heavy penalty is fairly consistent with their schoolmarmish pandering to white, conservative, NBA-skeptical middle America (wherever that is) and whomever else might be both a fan of basketball and terrified at the possibility that some people smoke drugs.

On the other hand, if your employer ever talked about your drug use on the radio (which drug use was admitted to in a presumably private conversation), wouldn’t you kind of freak out? One has to wonder, not necessarily at the accuracy, but at the wisdom of, say, questioning the fitness of a prospective first-round draft pick. Or musing aloud upon the schmuckiness of a recently retired, heavily respected NBA legend. Or making it known that the extremely personal contents of private conversations with your players are not, after all, so private. I mean, is this someone you would want to work for?

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Wolves Sign Luke Ridnour: See You in June, Miami Heat

Benjamin Polk —  July 15, 2010 — 8 Comments

Photo by Macwagon

After trading Al Jefferson to the Utah Jazz for two first-rounders, a newfound $25 million or so in cap room, and a chance to give Michael Beasley some serious burn (by the way, Kevin Love says, B-Easy or no, he’s not feeling another year of sixth-man limbo–anybody know how this is gonna work?) David Kahn strongly hinted that the party was not over. “We’re only about halfway through this exercise,” he said on the eve of the Jefferson deal. Apparently an essential facet of the exercise was signing Luke Ridnour.  AP’s John Krawczynski reports on that:

With so many baby-faced players on a roster that is in the middle of a massive overhaul, team president David Kahn put a priority on adding some experience to help the young Minnesota Timberwolves grow together.

The first veteran addition didn’t come cheap. The Timberwolves agreed to a four-year, $16 million deal with free agent point guard Luke Ridnour, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

This probably also tells us that Ramon Sessions, the Wolves current backup point guard, is on his way to a (hopefully) happier place. Krawczynski continues:

The deal likely means that Sessions, who signed a contract nearly identical to Ridnour’s last summer, will be traded. Sessions’ agent told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has heard about discussions with several teams, but a deal has yet to be completed.

Let me tell you what this makes me wonder. Over their careers, Ridnour’s and Sessions’s stats are awfully similar (Ridnour’s sample size, of course, being quite a bit bigger than Ramon’s). Sessions boasts a career PER of 15.6 to Ridnour’s 14.5 Sessions’s true shooting percentage is .519, while Ridnour’s is .512. Dimes? Sessions’s assist rate is 31% while Ridnour’s is 29.7%. Turnover rate? 15.9% for Sessions, 15.5 for Ridnour. Even defensively, the two players’ profiles are remarkably similar.

So what’s this about? As mentioned above, veteran leadership was something sorely lacking from the Wolves’ lineup last year; Ridnour certainly provides that–although Sessions, despite his relative youth, offered a quiet, steady contrast to Jonny Flynn’s exuberant vocal stylee. I certainly hope this isn’t an overreaction to Sessions’s disappointing stats last season and Ridnour’s career year (Luke’s PER and true shooting percentage were significantly higher last year than in any of his previous six seasons–which suggests that they’re more than likely an aberration).

Because if anyone got a rotten deal last year, it wasn’t Jefferson or Kevin Love, but Sessions.  For an entire season, he watched from the sidelines as Flynn received on-the-job training from the Wolves’ starting unit. Ramon, meanwhile, had to make do with the truly impressive cast D-Leaguers and Eurostars on the Wolves’ bench–and I’ll tell you, that crew could suck the life out of anybody’s game. Over and over, Sessions found himself the most competent scorer on the floor, forced to shoulder the man’s share of the offensive burden.

Suffice to say, this did not play to his strengths. Watching Sessions’s game slowly deteriorate after thousands of minutes spent next to Ryan Hollins and Sasha Pavlovic was one of the least appetizing facets of the Wolves long, grisly season. I’m pretty sure that Ramon Sessions is an awfully good basketball player. He doesn’t deserve what he got (and what, it seems, he’s getting) here in Minneapolis.

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The Reverse Fix

Myles Brown —  July 14, 2010 — 11 Comments

It was tough to watch Al Jefferson last season. He was a bit tentative, a step slow and what was once a scowl of determination looked more and more like sulking. But it was understandable. He was trudging about on one knee, surrounded by new faces and learning a new system. The writing was on the wall and he knew he never had a chance.

There were flashes of brilliance in Jefferson’s first two Minnesota winters. In the age of the uber-athletic forward, Al was a throwback: an earthbound player with a skill set that aged gracefully. His intuitive footwork, soft hands and endless array of pump fakes established him as one of the league’s best postmen. He worked to extend his range, improved his passing and became even more dangerous. Of course he wasn’t without his faults; for such a fundamentally sound offensive force, he was a woefully inept defender and the aforementioned improvement in court vision was from absolute blindness to mere nearsightedness.

Make no mistake though, Al was much more than a bottom feeder hoarding stats and losses, in the eyes of many he was an All Star. Unfortunately, in the eyes of those who mattered he wasn’t a winner like David West. It was quite ironic. Kevin Garnett was an All Star the previous two seasons on teams that struggled to win 30 games. But that’s just the way things work: prominent veterans on losing teams and tertiary players on winning teams get the benefit of the doubt while the new guy gets the shaft.

He was so much more than the new guy. He was the new face of the franchise. He was the faint hope that a struggling team could recover from losing a Hall of Famer. He was the one who had to rally his teammates. He was the one left to face the media every night. He was a hard worker who made no excuses and believed in accountability, not lip service. He was the leader. He never had a chance.

In his first days on the job, David Kahn provided a refreshing dose of honesty that drew the respect of many Wolves fans. Al Jefferson wasn’t going to be the best player on a championship team, but he could be a dependable second option. Unfortunately, he’ll have to do so in Utah.

Questionable as the circumstances may be, I’m happy to see him go. Too often players aren’t given the time or conditions to develop. They’re treated as commodities instead of projects. Al suffered through some of Boston’s darkest days, only to be discarded in a deal for their salvation. He emerged as a legitimate force in Minnesota, hindered more by injury and instability than any defense. Now he finds himself in the steady and capable hands of Jerry Sloan, who will appreciate his no nonsense attitude, cater to his strengths and bang out those deficiencies.

Hopefully he’s found a home.

Hopefully we won’t regret it.

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Miles of Smiles

Benjamin Polk —  June 26, 2010 — 11 Comments

Photo by harold.lloyd

Here are a few clarifying, explanatory, provocative notes from Friday’s media sessions with the Wolves new draftees, Wes Johnson, Lazar Haywood and Namanja Bjelcia, plus David Kahn and Kurt Rambis.

  • Its become clear that the Timberwolves have made re-signing Darko Milicic (and, to a lesser extent, Nikola Pecovic) a condition of trading Al Jefferson. “It’s the right time finally for us to explore this,” Kahn said. “I’ve met with Al and discussed this. If Darko comes back, there could be a need to create some playing time. We really need to get our front line settled.” This is slightly unsettling because it  suggests that Kahn and Rambis have calibrated their concept of “team need” around Darko’s presence. One wonders: did this factor into their decision to pass on Demarcus Cousins? I am now squirming in my chair.
  • Kahn predicted that sign-and-trades, rather than straight free-agent signings would dominate the landscape this summer. But, as Myles rightly points out, now that Rudy Gay seems to be off the table it’s not clear which free agents the Wolves might be pursuing. They could certainly attempt use Al to work a Chris Bosh sign-and-trade although I would think that Bosh’s first desire would be to just go wherever Lebron goes. After that, what’s left? Joe Johnson? Carlos Boozer? Amar’e Stoudemire? David Lee? Tyrus Thomas? Amir Johnson? Does any of this make sense?
  • Or might the Wolves simply save their cap room for next summer, when the Miamis, Chicagos and New Jerseys of the world have already chased their dreams and Carmelo, Joakim Noah, Kendrick Perkins, Al Horford and Nene can all become free agents? The mind boggles.
  • Kahn adamantly rejected the premise that the Wolves needed to make dramatic changes in order to attract Ricky Rubio. “He’d like us to improve, but we all would,” Kahn said. “I think that what’s important to him is that he feels that he’s ready to play. And he feels that in a year he’ll be more ready to play. Anything else is just fluff.” Ok, then.
  • This from Kurt Rambis (a sentiment later endorsed by Kahn): “Last year was just what we had to do, business-wise. Now we’re starting to build a team. I’ve always considered this our first year. Last year was just a business year.” I guess we all kind of knew that already. Not sure how much business got done but it sure wasn’t much fun.
  • Also from Rambis: “Smart players don’t have a problem picking up any offense.” That’s a bold statement. But I feel like it explains a lot of what the Wolves are doing here. They clearly have put a premium on athletic players, like Johnson and Martell Webster, who also happen to be pretty sharp fellas. They may not be the ultimate in terms of pure individual skill but, I’m guessing this thinking goes, they’ll be able to find roles within the offense. They’ll be willing  and able to move the ball and move without the ball, to be in position to make plays and then to actually make them.
  • But still, commenter Mac makes a great point. Last season, the Wolves suffered from a desperate lack of shooting, athleticism and creativity on the wing. Johnson and and Webster take care of the first two but not the third. The team still badly needs a perimeter player who can (intelligently) create his own shot.
  • I was totally charmed by Johnson’s and Haywood’s giddiness and earnest enthusiasm. They seem like good dudes. I really hope they’re good basketball players.
  • Bjelica does not speak English well at all. We can only imagine how arduous an entire day spent in the company of strangers, in a country you’ve never before visited, answering questions in a language you barely speak must have been–particularly if those foreign strangers are your future employers. The kid looked sad-eyed and shell-shocked.
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Broken Windows

Myles Brown —  June 25, 2010 — 6 Comments

My partner and I have made our stance on rumors quite clear. It’s more prudent to provide worthwhile analysis of the developments at hand than to frustrate both ourselves and our readers with idle speculation. There is a distinct difference between foresight and hindsight.

The time has come for the latter.

David Kahn was roundly mocked for his selection of of four point guards last year, but I defended the move since Jonny Flynn was considered to be the best player available after securing Ricky Rubio, our intended target. I considered all the talk of the two sharing a court to be nothing more than posturing as we built Flynn’s trade value. Unfortunately, Flynn posted a woeful assist to turnover ratio, displayed a questionable shot selection and was no more of a defensive threat than a plastic spoon.

Nonetheless, another struggling franchise in Indiana was reportedly willing to take Flynn on as a project in exchange for the tenth pick in last night’s draft. Sayeth the Kahn? “We turned it down in a second.”

Why? Management and fans alike made no secret of their desire for Evan Turner, though according to the rumor mill, Philadelphia was unwilling to part with their pick for anything less than a king’s ransom. But were they so intent on unloading Elton Brand that they’d reject an offer of the 4th and 10th pick? It’s impossible to know now, but why would they be so committed to emptying their frontcourt without a suitable replacement? Are they that confident in Spencer Hawes? Weren’t they enamored with Derrick Favors? Have they no use for DeMarcus Cousins? Was such a proposal even discussed? Surely there was room for negotiation.

It would have been worth pursuing. Instead we drafted Wesley Johnson, a fine prospect, but hardly a bourgeoning All-Star and more importantly, a duplicate of the All-Star free agent we’re supposedly pursuing. Johnson and Rudy Gay are both small forwards and the imbalance of such a perimeter is readily apparent. Turner-a natural shooting guard- is the more suitable complement and thus, the more enticing option in convincing Rudy to walk away from Memphis.

Now what? This means they’re passing on Gay, right? Or are they trying to gain the confidence of yet another reluctant player after drafting someone who plays his position? Every salary dump by the likes of Chicago and Miami makes $15 million in Minnesota seem all the more paltry and each confounding move by Kahn only compounds the situation. At this point the money seems best suited to absorb another contract, a move we just refused to make. Furthermore, any trade must involve not only another player, but another GM and few-if any-are willing to deal with ours.

As Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported: “Under general manager David Kahn, the Wolves are becoming the organization that no one wants to send players. Kahn’s condescending, abrasive style is frustrating to rival GMs and agents because few people believe he has the background, knowledge or credentials to even hold the job. To his credit, Kahn did hire a personable assistant GM, Tony Ronzone, who can work the phones for him.”

This is a business built on not only on the acquisition of talent, but establishing relationships. This year’s NBA Finals is indicative of as much, since both Los Angeles and Boston valuted into championship contention with a little help from some old friends. In light of this, Kahn’s insistence on isolating himself with such a haughty attitude is more than disconcerting. In fact, given the frequency with which the words have been coupled, it’s worthy of an addition to the lexicon…

kahndescending (kon-di-sen-ding) adj. -displaying a patronizingly superior attitude depsite questionable decision making

To many, Kahn’s prideful disdain for his detractors has been visible for quite some time, but I initially interpreted it as coyness and admirably watched him clear cap space while acquiring assets. Now I’m not sure he even knows what to do with them and find myself frighteningly close to joining the chorus. I can’t hold back much longer.

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Neverland

Myles Brown —  June 25, 2010 — 4 Comments

“You’ll never make me stay, so take your weight off of me. I know your every move, so won’t you just let me be. I’ve been here times before, but I was too blind to see that you’ll seduce every man, this time you won’t seduce me. You’re saying, “That’s okay, hey baby do what you please. I have the stuff that you want. I am the thing that you need…”

Michael Jackson has been dead for a year now. His final days were spent embroiled in controversy and haunted by questionable decisions, but his contributions to the cultural landscape remain unparalleled. Plainly put, the man knew how to make hits.

David Kahn has been at the helm of our moribund franchise for a year now. Last night, in his first draft since being spurned by mop topped phenom Ricky Rubio, he had another chance for his first hit. In my humble, jaded, yet honest opinion, he failed.

  • Pick 4: Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse
  • Pick 16: Luke Babbit, SF, Nevada*
  • Pick 23: Trevor Booker, PF, Clemson**
  • Pick 45: Paulao Prestes, C, Brazil

*traded to Portland along with Ryan Gomes in exchange for Martell Webster

**traded to Washington along with Pick 56, Hamadi N’diaye in exchange for Pick 30, Lazar Hayward and Pick 35 Namanja Bjelcia

The dream of Evan Turner proved to be just that, the specter of an unhinged DeMarcus Cousins was apparently unbearable, Al Jefferson’s trade value depreciates with every rumor and we are now the proud owners of a 22 year old lottery pick with a skill set that duplicates our most coveted-and attainable-free agent.

Plainly put, this is just……Bad.

I’ll be back later with some thoughts from my compatriots who may be a bit more optimistic than I am.

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Nice Dreams

Benjamin Polk —  June 24, 2010 — 6 Comments

Photo by Unhindered by Talent

It’s on, homies. The Timberwolves our right now facing the biggest night of the post-KG era. Lets not fool ourselves with predictions or pipe dreams. The truth is, nobody knows what’s going to happen. All we can do is allow the questions to loll about in our heads, to face that essentially Timberwolvian sensation of overwhelming dread mixed with faint hope.

The immediate questions: is New Jersey serious about Wesley Johnson, or is David Kahn just getting royally played? Is Al Jefferson seeing his final sunrise as a T-Wolf? and if so, will the Wolves parlay the moody Mississippian into another top-1o pick, or a coveted young veteran like Rudy Gay or Danny Granger (or, more troubling, just another salary dump)?

And the long-term questions: did Demarcus Cousins, by multiple measures the most productive player in college basketball last year, do so badly on his psychological evaluations that four teams, the Wolves included, are willing to pass him by? Just how good will this dude be? And what will Derrick Favors be like when he’s not an 18-year-old boy? And is any of this enough to entice Ricky Rubio?

And finally, the basic, awful question at the heart of it all: will the Wolves ever be done rebuilding?

Myles will be with you tonight. Tomorrow we’ll all try to pick up the pieces. Hold on to your faces.

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War and Rumors of War

Benjamin Polk —  June 22, 2010 — 2 Comments

Photo by Washuugenius

We here at A Wolf Among Wolves are not terribly into the rumors and the speculation. After all, by Friday morning we’ll all know who the Wolves drafted, who they traded and just maybe what it all means. At that point all of the pre-draft innuendo won’t much matter. Nonetheless, its obvious that the big red phone at Target Center has seen a lot of action lately. Our own Zach Harper recently spoke with Rahat Huq of Red 94, about Detroit’s and Houston’s interest in the fourth pick, Indiana’s inquiries about Jonny Flynn, and what it might all mean for the Pups. You really should read the whole thing. Here’s some fine insight:

“My first thought for every move the Wolves are rumored to be considering or proposing to other teams is always trying to figure out how this impacts getting Ricky Rubio to the Twin Cities. With the idea of trading Jonny Flynn for anything, you have to think it’s motivation for clearing depth at a position Rubio plays. To get him over here and in a Wolves uniform, you have to convince him that the job is his and it’s a lucrative and likely-to-succeed situation for him”

On that note, Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press reports that Wolves’ GM David Kahn had this to say about the possibility of moving the fourth pick: “Highly, highly, highly, highly unlikely.” That does not sound likely to me.

Walters continues:

“As for the possibility of trading rights to Spanish guard Ricky Rubio, who was the Wolves’ top draft pick (No. 5 overall) a year ago, Kahn reiterated, ‘I don’t anticipate trading him. I feel very strongly that Ricky Rubio should start his career with us here in a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform, and I look forward to that day a year from now.’”

Oh but here’s a fly in the ointment. This from Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, writing at SI.com (via our friend SG at Canis Hoopus, so many links!):

“Rubio will not be inclined to terminate his contract with Barcelona next summer if there’s no new collective bargaining agreement by then. Also, if Rubio waits until 2012 — three years removed from his draft year — he’ll no longer be bound by the rules of the NBA rookie scale, which, under the current CBA, would pay him an average of about $3.6 million his first two years, a sum that will likely be below market value. Freed from the rookie scale, Rubio could negotiate like a free agent with the team that holds his rights, receiving anything from the mid-level exception ($5.85 million this season) to a maximum contract if a team has the requisite room under the salary cap.”

Those are two really excellent points and also total bummers. So much is going to happen. Let’s be paying attention.

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Favors on My Mind

Benjamin Polk —  June 17, 2010 — Leave a comment

We learned some things at Derrick Favors’s workout for the Timberwolves on Thursday. First: he’s not in good shape right now. That’s too bad.

Second: the young kid (just 18! Its really weird, I looked just like this guy when I was 18) has a long way to go before he can be an NBA starter. By his own admission, Favors is “just playing on natural ability right now.” And David Kahn pointed out that, although he’s extremely gifted, “he just needs to learn how to play.” Thats all.

Indeed, if you check out these highlights, you do see a lot of jumping and dunking. Don’t see so much ballhandling, footwork or shooting skill (FYI, I recommend you mute this thing):

Third and maybe most importantly, when Kahn was asked whether Favors could play alongside Kevin Love and Al Jefferson, Kahn replied, “if he’s there, it sort of hastens something else that has to occur.” This rather passive voice-y remark confirms what many of us have already thought: that if the Wolves take Favors (or, one has to assume Demarcus Cousins, another big fella) in the draft, then Big Al is probably on his way out.

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Worldwide Wes

Benjamin Polk —  June 16, 2010 — Leave a comment

Photo by .M

Did I say that Hassan Whiteside looks like an NBA player? Well Wes Johnson really, really looks like an NBA player. How do these dudes possibly get arms this long? On Tuesday evening, Johnson showed off all of the skills that Zach so ably enumerated: the classic mid-range jumper; the three-point range; the startling quickness and leaping ability; the energy and tenacity (and all of that while struggling with a sore toe, which is much more painful and hindering than it sounds). I’ll tell you, I never get used to the strangeness of seeing such large, long-limbed people move so economically and effortlessly.

On top of all that, he’s a sweet, smile-y kid who seems to really enjoy playing basketball. (And the fact that he idolizes Scottie Pippen over Michael Jordan is somehow extremely encouraging.) He might not ever be an offensive superstar,  but I am totally untroubled by the idea of Wes Johnson as a Timberwolf.  Here’s his Jonah Ballow interview with a few clips from the workout thrown in at the end:

And here’s David Kahn’s interview. I’m only including this because, at the very end of the clip, Kahn confesses that he misjudged Steph Curry’s ability to play point guard in the NBA and that this was an important factor in passing him over in favor of Jonny Flynn. This is fair; many people had doubts about Curry’s ability to play the point. But I wonder: what made him think that Flynn would be any better?

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