Midseason Evaluations

Jonah Ballow with Fred Hoiberg

Jonah: Your thoughts on the transition from Randy Wittman to Kevin McHale and how that has worked out through the first half of the season?

Fred: We obviously got off to a tough start this year. I think a lot of us had higher expectations going into the season and we came out of the gates playing pretty well. We won the opening game against Sacramento, and then had a couple of tough games where we competed to the end but couldn't find a way to win those games. That was the story of the season during the first month, we just could not win the close games and it really gets your confidence going in the wrong direction when you have trouble closing out games. In our business, confidence is such an important thing, when you don't play with it; it's tough to win those close ball games. When Kevin took over, the guys started to believe in themselves and he got the guys playing well down the stretch when we needed a big stop on defense or we needed to make a play on the offensive end. Kevin really made them believe in themselves and we started to win those close games. In the month of January when we had the 10-4 record, I thought we really competed hard. That was the biggest difference from the first couple of months to January and then here we are today.

Jonah: What about the pace of the game, Kevin McHale talked about changing the way these guys play. They started to not look over their shoulders after a mistake and they looked more comfortable playing for him. Did you see that as well?

Fred: We are playing much quicker and we are trying to not call as many plays. Kevin wants us to play a multi-push offense, which means if the point guard gets it, he goes with it. If the small forward or the shooting guard gets it, then they push the ball down the court. We want to get into an early offense instead of looking back at the bench and calling a play every time down the floor. You just want to get as many easy baskets as you can before the defense gets set and we have done a better job with that during this past month. I give credit to Kevin for getting the team to play up and down the court and we are scoring more points. Anytime you can get easy baskets, it gets your confidence going. When you are struggling to shoot from the outside, if you can get the ball close to the basket and either get a layup or get fouled and get to the free throw line that makes the outside jump shots a lot easier. Playing a faster pace is something Kevin definitely wanted to stress to these guys.

Jonah: Now, during a rebuilding season, do you feel this team with this roster is on the right track heading forward?

Fred: I think that is was very gratifying, especially for Kevin, who really did the leg work in putting this team together to get those guys to go out on the floor and be successful. That was very important for Kevin to see and we have some very good, young players here that we can rebuild around. Al Jefferson is one of three players in the league to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds, the other two being Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan. Randy Foye showed who he was in that month of January with stretches where he was the best player on the court and stepped up and made huge plays. Kevin Love is showing his worth right now as one of the top rebounders in the history of the game as a rookie. He is third per-minute in rebounding, leading the league in offensive rebounds per minute. I think we are seeing the reason why we liked Kevin so much. Ryan Gomes has played very well. Sebastian Telfair, I thought was big key to our stretch in January. Some of the role players have played some really good basketball, including Kevin Ollie as a veteran guy and Craig Smith has had good minutes. We are getting contributions from a lot of guys and moving forward, we got this thing positioned pretty well. We have a lot of draft picks, with the possibility of four for next year. We also have a lot of salary cap room and will get our center Nikola Peković, who we drafted last year. I think we are building this the right way. It's going to be an important year to try to make the right decisions and see which one of these guys we want to keep around to be in our core group.

Jonah: I want to talk about Kevin Love for a little bit and your experience with him. You made the trade that sent O.J. Mayo to Memphis and you got Love and Mike Miller in a package deal. How do you feel about Kevin Love? Are you impressed with him so far? When you watch him, are you shocked at his ability to rebound the basketball?

Fred: He just has a knack for the ball. He carves out space for himself and he just keeps the ball alive for extra possessions. He is starting to shoot the ball well and after really struggling in the first month, where he couldn't find the basket, he is learning now that he has to go around guys instead of trying to go straight up over the bigger and stronger players. The thing I like about Kevin is the work that he puts in. He is going down and shooting before practice, he does what is called finishing school after practice and he has done a really good job.

Mike Miller was the other part of the trade that was such a key for us. Even though he hasn't shot the ball well, I still think he has had a big impact on our team winning 10 games in the month of January because he did other things like rebounding, facilitating the offense, and getting to the free throw line. He will get his shooting touch back; you can see it already in the past couple of weeks, where he is starting to make his shot again. He is still a big key and big part of this team. He is going to be very important now with Al going down with the ACL injury. Mike is going to have to step it up and be more aggressive offensively.

Jonah: Let's talk about that injury, how heartbreaking was it to watch Big Al go down with that ACL tear?

Fred: It's a devastating injury. I just feel so bad for Al, he came in that next day and tried to talk to his teammates and he had a lot of trouble doing that because he is an emotional kid. It didn't look to be that extreme of an injury when it happened; it looked like he hyperextended his knee and would miss a few games. The test came back and showed us the worse, it was our biggest fear and he will miss the rest of the season. Our other guys will have a chance to step up and see what they can do and see what they are made of. We are going to have to be a scrappy team and we are going to have to get after it on the defensive end. There are going to be nights where we struggle to put the ball in the basket. Al was accountable for 25 percent of our offense with the ability to put the ball in the basket, so we are going to have to get guys to step up and make shots. We will put Kevin on the block and when Craig gets healthy, he will be a facilitator. Our guards are going to have to be aggressive.

Jonah: Looking ahead with Al Jefferson, how do you build around him? With a guy that is the cornerstone of the franchise, how do you make sure during his prime years, you get the most out of him and make a run to the playoffs and a championship?

Fred: With some of the players that we have right now, Kevin Love will be a very effective player alongside Al because of his passing ability, rebounding ability and he will get better defensively. I think it's important Peković; our 6-foot-10 bullheaded player will come over in 2010 and be a big part of this team as well. We are going to have to draft well in the next few years. Then in 2010, we are going to have a ton of cap space to bring over some players. The draft picks coming up in the next couple of years will be very important.

Jonah: What are your goals for this organization, not only for the second half of the season but in the years ahead?

Fred: The big thing going down the stretch in these last 30 games is to show improvement and get these guys to go out and play aggressive, playing hard, and being scrappy. We need to try to finish out this season strong and build on what we did in January. It's going to be tough, whenever you lose your best player; it makes it tough on everybody. Guys will now have the opportunity to step up. I like the way we are positioned with the draft picks and the cap room coming up. Hopefully we make the right decisions and get this thing moving on the right track.

Jonah: What type of team do you like to watch? Are you a fan of a defensive-minded team like Boston or a team like Los Angeles that gets out and runs the floor and scores a lot of points. What would you like to see from the Minnesota Timberwolves on the court? What type of offense and defense?

Fred: I like to see the team get up and down the court and trying to get baskets before the defense is set. I think that is the most exciting style to watch and with the difficulty of scoring in the half court now, you need to try to get those easy baskets. The other thing about our team is we are capable of playing the half court style because we have one of the top low-post players in the game. Right now, we are going to have to push the ball and try to beat teams on the fast break without Al for the rest of the season. I like the fast pace game but with us and for all teams to be successful; you have to be able to play both styles.

Jonah: You mentioned the draft picks and how many picks this team will have going into next season. I'm sure you have started to evaluate some of the players in college right now. There are some talented players such as Blake Griffin from Oklahoma. What are your impressions of some of the college athletes coming out for the draft this offseason?

Fred: Well, I can't talk specifics because of the rules. There are going to be some intriguing players in this year's draft. Multiple picks in the first round are a great thing for us, we can use them in trades, we can draft young talent, and we can trade for future picks. To have this flexibility with the first round draft picks that we have acquired is very beneficial for us. Are we going to draft four players? Probably wouldn't be the best thing to do but we do have some chips to use in trades or to get some future assets.

Jonah: Do you think it's different now evaluating talent in the college game than when you were in college? Has the game changed? It seems the players are combo style guys. You have the 6'4 point guard/shooting guard, you have the 6'7 small forward/power forward that might also play center in college. Is it a little more difficult to bring these guys into the NBA game?

Fred: That is a good question. When I was playing, I was solely focused on going out there and doing my job. I really didn't focus on what to look for in a college player. I have been doing this now for three years, you just try to find pieces that fit with your team and coach. With Kevin, he likes those guys that are what he calls, "basketball players" that don't have specific positions. Some of the needs I think on this team would be a shot blocker to anchor our defense; I do think we need to get bigger. We also need to add another playmaker on the perimeter that can either get to the free throw line or breakdown the defense or get others involved. I think there are some players in the upcoming draft that can address those needs.

Jonah: You said this is your third year doing this job. How do you feel being in the front office? It's a lot different than playing on the floor but you are an extension of the product presented at the Target Center. How do you feel personally about being in this role?

Fred: I'm enjoying myself. I really enjoy what I'm doing now, I love getting out on the road and scouting players, that is my favorite part about the job. You get a chance to get back in the college atmosphere and watch those kids play in pressure situations. I will take a trip to Europe at the end of the month and go over and see some of the top players over there. Then, March Madness starts when I get back with the conference tournaments and right into the big tournament. I think the NCAA tournament is the best sporting event in the world; I can't wait to get out to the regions and see some great basketball.

Jonah: Have you been back to Ames this year?

Fred: I have been there a couple of times. I went and saw Oklahoma there last weekend and saw Kansas at Iowa State and I went to a preseason tournament as well. It's great to get back home. I still think Hilton Coliseum is one of the best arenas in the country.

Jonah: I might have to disagree, I'm a Kansas grad, and Allen Fieldhouse is number one in my book.

Fred: Larry Brown never won at Hilton, so we gotcha there.

Jonah: Alright Fred thanks so much for your time, I appreciate it and hopefully we will catch up with you throughout the season.

Fred: Ok Jonah, thanks.