Szczerbiak

During his absence, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell picked up the offensive slack and Trenton Hassell earned his minutes at the two with hustle and hard-nosed defense. Even Fred Hoiberg pitched in, supplying the long-range shooting that was Szczerbiak's job in recent years.

Wally's return interrupted the team's chemistry to a degree, and thus, he didn't make the type of difference you might expect of a player with his formidable skills.

This year, he'll be a fixture in the lineup from day one, but without the role clearly defined before the arrival of Sprewell, Cassell and company. If he's content being a sixth man who can make teams pay for doubling down Garnett, he'll be a great addition. If not, he's figures to be a great candidate to change teams before February's trade deadline.

Garnett

Predictably, that streak died the same year that the 'Wolves surrounded franchise player Kevin Garnett with two sterling complementary players in Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. Cassell's injury, in fact, probably cost the former first-round failures a spot in The Finals.

Now that the streak is over, the pressure will be on Flip Saunders to take nearly the same collection of talent all the way to The Finals. It's a daunting task.

It's not that the 'Wolves aren't talented. The team did nothing major to improve itself this season, though, and Sprewell and Cassell -- both 34 -- aren't getting younger. Cassell is coming off of hip surgery in the offseason.

The biggest "additions" are Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak, each limited to fewer than 30 regular season games a year ago. Naturally, their returns come with chemistry questions, since they'll take minutes away from Cassell and Sprewell. Trenton Hassell, a relentless defensive player, will also play plenty.

Garnett was outstanding during a much-deserved MVP season. What can he do for an encore? His stats -- 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.2 blocks -- don't tell the story. He hits clutch shots, brings infectious intensity every night and commands the locker room.

Flip Saunders is one of the NBA's top coaches and has one of the league's best players to carry the load. The supporting cast is good enough to again post one of the league's best records.