A GM on Guard Play

Just as the cool air makes its not-so-subtle push into the Minnesota fall, one might find him or herself with much towards which to look forward: the fall TV lineup, a chance to debut one's cold-weather garments, or perhaps something that is creeping up with a tad more subtlety than the weather: NBA basketball.

It's about that time to discern how a 20-and-6 a night guy (Mike James) and the MVP of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League (Randy Foye) can help KG and the Wolves get back to the playoffs in the 2006-07 campaign.

Towards that end, Rob Babcock and his 19 years of NBA management experience are here to get your collective basketball juices flowing. First up, a look at Minnesota's backcourt in our Q&A session with the co-assistant general manager.

Trudell: Thanks for being with us, Rob. Let's start with the new guys on campus... Though he had successful stints with various teams in a backup role, last year really marked the first time that Mike James was a full-time starter in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. We saw what happened with his numbers: 20.3 points, 5.8 dimes and 44.3% from three.

Babcock: Mike brings a real element of toughness to your basketball team, besides great offensive skills. He can shoot the three with great range, and he can also put it on the floor, take it to the hole and finish it strong. More importantly, he has the desire and the ability to make big shots when the shot clock is going down. He'll step up and make more than his share.

Mike is a very competitive guy, and he wants to win. He is a little older, which I think is good; we can use some leadership and he is a capable leader as well. I think he'll be a very good addition, and will compliment KG very well also.

Trudell: While James isn't what you would call a "true" point guard, is he not still quite effective from that position?

Babcock: When we made the trade for Mike in Toronto, we knew that he is not a true point guard. He's not your classic, set up the offense, run every play and distribute player. He's certainly capable of distributing the basketball, but he is more of a scorer, and that's what you want him to do. He was often most effective in Toronto when we had Jose Calderon -- more of a true point guard -- at the one, and Mike at the two. They complimented each other very well. Here, Mike will certainly play a lot at the point guard position, but he's also capable of playing the two-guard spot as well.

Trudell: James ranked 4th in the entire NBA in three-point percentage last year, shooting a considerably higher percentage (44.3%) than his previous career high (39.3% in 2004-05). How do you account for the improvement?

Babcock: A lot of it is just getting more minutes, and getting more looks and opportunities. He had an opportunity and he certainly took advantage of it.

Trudell: Randy Foye garnered league MVP honors in Vegas after averaging 24.8 points on .530 shooting in five games. According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst, Foye was virtually unstoppable, showing "star-like quality and getting to the hole whenever he wanted." Can you give us your take on the former Villanova All-American?

Babcock: He is a very, very talented player. He is another one who is not a true point guard, but more of a scoring point guard. Randy can put the ball on the floor and go anywhere he wants to. He has an explosive first step, and is explosive on the dribble. He's extremely strong, and if you give him just a little seam, he is like a running back where he'll get in there and split it.

Trudell: What is the most impressive thing about Minnesota's latest rookie?

Babcock: The thing I've been unbelievably impressed with Randy, and especially in our offseason workouts, is his ability to finish. I knew he could finish in college, but most rookies finish in college and come in with NBA level players and length, and all of a sudden they can't finish anything. It takes them a couple of years to figure out. But Randy has been finishing over everybody.

Trudell: Talk about Randy in terms of shooting the ball...

Babcock: He can shoot the ball too -- he's not a pure shooter, but really more of a scorer. But like Mike James, he's tough and competitive. If you watched any Villanova games last year, you saw that he wants those big shots, and he's made a lot of them. You don't want to have too high of expectations on rookies, because no matter how talented they are, they have to go through a learning curve. They'll have nights when they look like rookies, and nights when they look like they're still in college. It's an up-and-down thing, but Randy has a lot of pride, and I think he's going to be a very good player in this league.

Trudell: What is another reason why you think Randy will succeed in the NBA?

Babcock: I think that what he did in college, he's going to be able to do in the NBA, because he is physically strong enough. It might take him a while to adjust, but a lot of guys did certain things in college, and they come to the NBA and just don't have the physical ability to do the same things, and never will. However, Randy has the physical ability to do that. It's just going to be a matter of learning the league, learning the players, and so on.

Trudell: You've talked about the fact that neither James nor Foye are of the "pure" point guard breed. How do you see the newest Timberwolves working together on the court?

Babcock:They both can score and pass, particularly when they put the ball on the floor, drive and kick it out. They can certainly play together, and are both strong enough to defend the two guard position. There is always the question you ask that isn't so much offensively, but how versatile is the player, and whom can he guard? If you are playing two "point guards" together at the same time, can one of those guys guard a two? The answer is, both of our guys can guard a two, and that's really important. If you throw two point guards on the court at the same time and neither one of them can guard a two, then that guy is just going to get posted up like crazy and you're going to have problems.

Trudell: What are a few things you want to see from Foye and James in the first training camp practice?

Babcock: Randy and Mike are two multi-talented guards who have a lot to offer our team. As a rookie, we would like to see Randy just focus on working hard and learning what the coaches want from him. We want to see him make adjustments on a regular basis as he learns about the league. From Mike, we want to see him use his skills, his experience, his leadership and his toughness to help take this team to the competitive level that we need to compete in the playoffs.

Trudell: Minnesota's backcourt is loaded with talent, from the two guys we've been talking about to Ricky Davis and Trenton Hassell (who can also play the three), Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric, Anthony Carter and (when healthy) Rashad McCants. Your job is to bring talent in, and let coach Casey worry about the minutes, right?

Babcock: That's the coaches' responsibility, to figure out how to use these guys. Some of those swing players can play the three spot, so there is flexibility to be able to do lots of things. We have eight players that can play the guard position, and some people might look at that and say, "They're overloaded, what are they going to do?" Or you can look at it and say, "What are the positives out of this? What kind of matchup problems can we create for other teams, what kind of combinations and looks can we put out to change the tempo of the game?" You kind of look at that and think, there are at least four explosive scorers in that group, with Davis, James, Hudson, and Foye. Three of them have proven that they can score at this level, and Randy has to prove it. The other three guys, every one has had 30-point nights in the NBA. The coaches will make it work.

Trudell: What have you seen from Hudson and Davis this offseason?

Babcock: Troy has been working out, and he looks good. He looks healthy, is moving well and shooting the lights out, which is a really good sign for our basketball team. Ricky has been in here working out on and off all summer, really hard, and I think everybody is pumped up to come out and get back in the playoffs. There is a real motivation for everybody, including the players and the staff.

Trudell: What can you say about Trenton Hassell heading into training camp?

Babcock: Trenton has really been working hard. I was talking to him the other day, and he has a great attitude -- he's been in the league for a while now, and he understands what his strengths and weaknesses are. He is somebody who can make a three-point shot, but he is not a good enough three-point shooter where you start running stuff for him. But he's working hard at trying to become a good three-point shooter, so that it makes it tougher for people to defend him. He's also working on his ball handling. I like his approach, because some players have a tendency to be content with what they do well, and just keep working on their strengths while trying to avoid their weaknesses. He is one that is really working hard on his weaknesses.

Trudell: OK, cool. We'll get you out of here with a final thought on what Timberwolves fans can expect from their guards for the 2006-07 season.

Babcock: I think the coaches are going to be able to get just about everything that they need out of our guards. There isn't that "true" point guard, and if you look at that group, it's the one thing that you might question. But the answer is, if you design your system appropriately, you don't have to have a true point guard. The Dallas Mavericks went to the finals last season and had a great year, without a true point guard on their team. Jason Terry and Devin Harris aren't true point guards. It certainly can be done. So take that out, and I think at the guard position we have just about everything that we need. We have shooters, finishers, size, quickness, transition scorers, guys that can post up, put the ball on the floor, and good defenders. With Mike James and Troy Hudson healthy, the three-point capability of our team goes way up. If you have both of those guys on the court at the same time, you better get out and cover them, because they can knock it down. That's the variety of what you need, and it's exciting.

Trudell: Thanks a lot Rob. We'll see you back here soon as we examine the T-Wolves' frontcourt in our next pre-training camp installment.