Kahn Talks Draft, Offseason Progress
Mark Remme
It appears they’re just getting started.
Minnesota has several moves it can mull over leading into Thursday’s 2012 NBA Draft and beyond, one being the opportunity to move back into the first round if need be. That’s one thing Kahn said he’s been working on Wednesday and will continue to evaluate that possibility leading into the Draft.
It will need to be for a player they’re still interested in, he said.
“That’s what I’ve been doing today—trying to figure out if we want to jump back in for somebody, where we would have to jump back in,” Kahn said. “That’s one of many things I’m doing today. So we’ll see. Typically, again, these things don’t usually happen until the night of, maybe the morning of. So we’ll continue to be active.”
Following Thursday’s Draft, the Wolves will need to make a few more decisions. For one, the deadline for offering qualifying offers to players is June 30, and Minnesota has two players who are eligible for such offers in forwards Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph.
Kahn addressed a few other offseason happenings during the press conference, one being the offseason progress of forward Derrick Williams.
The coaching staff’s main objective with Williams in the offseason was helping him develop into a small forward, which includes working on his perimeter game, his ability to make powerful strides off the dribble from farther distances from the basket and to lose weight to fit a more traditional small forward role.
Williams was 6-foot-8, 241 pounds during his rookie season, and Kahn said Williams’ personal goal is to slip down to about 225 pounds.
Kahn said athletic trainer Gregg Farnam recommended Williams have his septum fixed, and during the procedure he had two or three other fractures in his nose corrected. He began working out the day after Memorial Day, and since then he’s been working out in Los Angeles. Kahn said Williams is down to about 233 pounds right now.
“I think he was even slimming down when he was recuperating,” Kahn said. “I was pleased with what I saw. … I watched a workout he had last week. It was a very intense, near two-hour workout.”
Kahn also said adding Budinger was the first in a series of necessary steps in addressing where the team needs to improve. He said the team is trying to be thoughtful and judicious about its approach to the offseason, including free agency, and he said he thinks fans will see other decisions made down the road.
One involves Brandon Roy, the former Portland guard who retired last season due to ongoing knee problems. Kahn said the Wolves are interested in the three-time All-Star.
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