Patience is plentiful for new-look Timberwolves

There's an old joke that goes, "Why is a building called a building when it's already been built?'' Then there's the sports version, or more specifically the Minnesota Timberwolves, that asks, "If you decide to rebuild from a rebuilding, does that mean you end up right back where you started?''

Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes probably have a few more pointed questions on the subject, now that we mention it.

The low expectations with which the Timberwolves begin the 2009-10 season are fine in terms of job security for the coaching staff and assorted front-office executives. They release, before it even builds, any pressure to improve on last year's 24-58 mark. It also speaks to a certain honesty about the Wolves' modest aspirations and is maybe even a selling point. Most fans, after all, would rather grow up with a team of prospects and overachievers than be disappointed by underperformers or in-it-for-the-paychecks veterans.

The tricky part is that Jefferson and Gomes have done the push-the-reset-button drill twice already. A third time might be no charm, given their eagerness to win now.

Gomes is the player most often mentioned as a perfect candidate to be a rotation player for a contender. He's capable of playing and defending three different positions and has a willingness to give a team whatever it needs. At practice and away from the court, he's the "glue guy'' every good team needs.

Yet in his NBA career thus far, Gomes, 27, has played on nothing but losing teams. In Boston from 2005-07 and in Minnesota from 2007-09, his teams have gone 103-225.

Jefferson has it even worse. He got to Boston one year before Gomes, when the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2005. A bit player off the Celtics' bench in the postseason, he and Gomes had two more lottery finishes in Boston. They were then dealt to Minnesota in the Kevin Garnett deal and had two more losing seasons in Minnesota.

Skeptics might say, "Maybe Jefferson and Gomes are part of the problem,'' since they haven't achieved much team success.

But every club has to start somewhere and Jefferson, in particular, is a pretty nice place to start.

He is a low-post technician, boasts three straight seasons of double-double statistics and was worthy of All-Star consideration before he tore up his knee ligaments on Feb. 8. But it was the Wolves' record --not the season-ending injury -- that kept Jefferson from participating in Phoenix. They were 17-33 when he went down and 7-25 to finish the season.

So what did Jefferson and Gomes get for their troubles this offseason?

"A pretty incredible summer transition,'' says new Wolves president David Kahn. "We clearly have endeavored to begin to change the culture and to establish an identity going forward.''

Some players support Rubio As eager as Minnesota draft pick Ricky Rubio is to test himself against NBA competition, staying in Europe and developing his skills and strength might have been the wiser choice. Read more ... Wolves' owner Taylor stays grounded Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has been accused of being loyal to a fault (his near-endless patience with Kevin McHale). But it works well for him, the Wolves and Taylor's home town. Read more... Rambis joins Wolves Kurt Rambis had it plenty good as Phil Jackson's deputy in Los Angeles. But he opted to start almost from scratch in chilly Minnesota. Read more...

But winning anytime soon? All but five of the players on Minnesota's training camp roster are new (Jefferson, Gomes, Kevin Love, Corey Brewer and Brian Cardinal are the only returnees). The team is young, especially rookie point guard Jonny Flynn, who has to master his potential while learning the NBA game. Even if the players individually are talented, collectively they will be starting from scratch.

The entire coaching staff is new as well, which --- beyond the impressive playing resumes of Kurt Rambis, Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus, and Dave Wohl's track record elsewhere -- means new philosophies and interpersonal styles for Jefferson and Gomes to absorb.

Jefferson and Gomes are well-compensated for dealing with this, of course --- Jefferson will be paid $12 million this year while Gomes makes $3.8 million. But good players don't like playing just for the money, and teams rarely are happy with the ones who do.

"I can't speak on nobody else, but we get paid to do a job,'' Jefferson said. "Every night when we step out on that court, we get paid to do it to the max. Actually, I can speak for everybody else because I'm supposed to be one of the leaders on this team, so every time we step on that floor we're going to play to win.

"It's not `OK, guys, we don't have to worry, we don't have to win this game.' No. That's the whole point [of playing]. You've got to start from somewhere. Maybe you even have to start from scratch. We can't build our way up by being lazy and saying we don't have to play hard because we've got two or three more years to do this.''

Still, that has been the franchise's overriding message since Kahn was hired. Despite missing the five-year playoff drought and trading Garnett as the transition from one rebuilding to the next, the Wolves are going the tear-down route again.

That's clear from the four-year contract they gave Rambis. And it is clear from the Ricky Rubio situation, since the Spanish point guard might show up in two or three seasons to change things all over again.

Of Rambis, Gomes said: "Hopefully all of us players will be around to see him through those four years.''

Jefferson is already antsy after eight months of knee rehab and five seasons of waiting to play deep into May. He'd rather not wind up like Garnett, laboring in Minnesota until he eventually has to leave to get a ring.

Rebuilding certainly doesn't have much a ring to it for Big Al.

"I've been doing that so much ... that rebuilding and young players,'' he said. "Man, I'm 24. Three years from now, I'll be 27. Three years from then, I'll be 30 and I'll be on my way out of here. So there's no time to relax. It's rebuilding, but that doesn't mean you have to relax.''

1. SHOWTIME? OR SNOWTIME? New coach Kurt Rambis wants to play up-tempo and even has tinkered with former boss Phil Jackson's vaunted triangle offense as a sometimes option. 2. ONE LAST HOWL The Wolves lost 18 games that they led at halftime and 12 despite being in front at the start of the fourth quarter. 3. ROAD TO SUCCESS No team traveled better than Minnesota, in relative terms -- it won more on the road (13) than at home (11) while shooting, rebounding ad defending better. -- Steve Aschburner