1-on-1 with David Kahn
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Jonah BallowWolves Editor/Writer
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Jonah Ballow: I want to talk to you a little bit about some of the misconceptions of the triangle offense, and the Wolves, and how they're running the offense this season with the new roster.
David Kahn: Well, we're really not running a triangle offense in the way that most people would think of a triangle, but before I even address that, I think we're responsible for maybe creating some of the confusion. Our long-term vision for this team is that it's going to be a running, attacking, open-court team, and we'll be looking for personnel that suits that style. Not everybody who runs needs to have a half-court offense to flow into, and I really like some of the concepts that Kurt has chosen to do that, some of which are triangle-based--but not all. I think that we've kind of allowed ourselves to be characterized as something that, first of all, for a long-term vision we won't be, and even for a current vision is not really correct either.
Jonah Ballow: When you look to this team and how it's built right now, obviously you're going to look to add some free agents down the road, draft picks, it's a long-term plan, but how do you see the current pieces fitting in with the offensive scheme?
David Kahn: I think that, in terms of our vision of becoming a running team, I can see Jonny fitting in obviously very well, because of his ability to push the ball up the floor. I think that Wayne will be well suited to that type of game; I think Kevin is especially well suited because of his ability to rebound. One of the reasons we haven't run as much as we'd like to have run these first ten games is, we haven't rebounded the ball, and a lot of that has to do with Kevin's absence and the fact that Al isn't really back to where he once was. As we begin to rebound the ball better, as Al and Kevin do that, we should be able to run more consistently. It's just very hard to run the ball when you're taking it out of the basket. I also think that Corey is well suited to that style, and that's kind of the style that he played in college in Florida; they really tried to push the ball up the floor. So, we already have some people who I think will do well in it, and as we continue to build the team, we'll be looking for players who can do that. One more I can add is Ryan Hollins--he's certainly someone who can run up and down the floor.
Jonah Ballow: How important is it to have an identity on a basketball team?
David Kahn: I think it is important. Fans need to understand what the team is about and its culture, players need to understand it. I think that it's helpful if you set a way that you want to be; I think it's helpful if you set a way to become recognized for that, and it becomes engrained in your culture. It makes the team more solid -- it makes it seem more subtenant.
Jonah Ballow: Also, it should be noted that there's a lot of emphasis put on the defensive end of the floor too, that creates turnovers, that creates that up-tempo offense.
David Kahn: Yes, and obviously we haven't played very good defense in the first 10 games. But, that's to be expected. With all the newness that we have around us, it will take some time for everybody to be on the same page defensively. And I'm not talking like another week, this could take months. It's just inevitable. I'm okay with us making mistakes; I'm not okay with us not playing hard, with giving in, and I thought we gave in at the Golden State game… but you're absolutely right. In order to run, you need to both rebound and play really good defense and hopefully create some turnovers so you can run in the open floor that way, too.
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