"Two years ago, I didn't work as hard as I should have worked at the end of my first season. My second year started, the first day of training camp, with an ankle injury. As soon as I got right, I suffered another ankle injury ... (That's when) I made up my mind that when you take care of your game, your game will take care of you.

"So last offseason, I lost 30 pounds, got in shape, worked on my game, stayed in Boston and didn't go home at all and my game took care of me. My averages went up to 16 points and 11 rebounds. That's proof right there for anyone that needs to know. This past offseason, I did the same thing. I worked on my game really hard, worked on some things that were weaknesses, and hopefully this year (I'll continue to get better)."
- Al Jefferson

That's good to hear, right Wolves fans? Think about it while the little hand rotates around your watch for a minute ... It wouldn't be unfair to conclude that coming straight out of high school, Jefferson simply wasn't aware of the extent to which he had to prepare his body for an NBA season. Long a dominant post player, he had never been checked the way he was in his first Boston practice. Obviously.

But that quote tells you that he learned from it. As his work ethic improved exponentially, so did his development. For Al, we can see it in the numbers, as we broke down extensively: Al Jefferson: By the Numbers. Check out the jump from year two to year three, the first summer Al said he truly took care of his business.

AL JEFFERSON CAREER AVERAGES

Season	G	FGM-A	Pct.	FTM-A	Pct.	Reb	Ast	Pts
2004-05	71	195-369	.528	85-135	.630	4.4	0.3	6.7
2005-06	59	189-379	.499	86-134	.642	5.1	0.5	7.9
2006-07	69	453-882	.514	201-295	.681	11.0	1.3	16.0
Career	199	453-882	.513	372-564	.660	6.9	0.7	10.3

Logic tells us that he'll only continue to progress, now that he's figured out what it takes to succeed. Indeed, his skill set is certainly there. What about this season in Minnesota, you wonder? Do we really know anything yet, as the Wolves have yet to determine a starting lineup or rotation, let alone line up five-on-five against another team? Of course not, but we have heard some good things.

Corey Brewer told us Jefferson is basically impossible to stop on the low block, and that his college teammate Chris Richard is learning from Al on a daily basis ... Craig Smith lauded Jefferson's combination of speed and power, making him a tough cover even when you bring a double-team ... National media are generally sold on him ... General managers and scouts love him ... Furthermore, you couldn't coax a negative word about Jefferson from the other former Celtics who came to the Wolves if you had Giselle heading your inquisition.* See, if you ask enough questions to one player about another, you can generally detect how they really feel, even if not explicitly stated. AJ comes out all positive.
*Well, maybe that's going too far. Giselle is ridiculously hot. Right, Mr. Brady?

But perhaps the single biggest reason to get excited about Jefferson in a Wolves uniform is his penchant and desire to operate almost exclusively in the low post. That's a great way to win basketball games, riding a horse entrenched in the lane. Surely, take Michael Jordan and a few other notable exceptions out of the equation, and championships have long been won in the paint. Have they not? That seems to be among the most central reasons Kevin McHale and Co. have such high expectations for Jefferson.

"That's where all the contact is at, down low," said Jefferson. "There is nowhere on the court I'd rather be than down on that block. On defense and offense, fighting for rebounds, fighting for post-position."

Word. Now, a few other Jefferson-related tidbits for you:

"I'M AL JEFFERSON, AND HE'S KEVIN GARNETT"
The comparisons are inevitable, I guess. But are they relevant? For example: that Jefferson took KG's old locker was a national news story. Well, I guess he could have taken the lockers left vacant by Troy Hudson or Mike James.

"When I went back to Boston to get my stuff, I heard he got my locker, so I said I'd return the favor and get his locker," explained Jefferson. Not a huge deal. Yet, Jefferson was asked about this repeatedly on media day. That, and if he was concerned about KG comparisons ... If there was special significance in taking his locker ... If he has to prove himself more having been traded for the Ticket. Expected questions all, and easy to dispel.

"I'm not really concerned about any comparison," AJ said. "I think it's an honor to be compared to Kevin Garnett. He's one of the best players in the league. I have mad respect for him, and I always have. To be traded for him was an honor, too.

"I'm my own player. I'm Al Jefferson, and he's Kevin Garnett. I have some big shoes to fill for the things he's done there, and that's a challenge for me. I always like a big challenge."

Of course he has to prove himself. Every NBA player has to prove himself each time he steps onto the floor. And the Wolves proved that they wanted Jefferson by trading for him in the first place. So, no breaking news there. However, the primary reason we bring KG up is to consider a substantial difference in their games, only because it pertains to how Randy Wittman wants to play basketball: Al likes the paint, and Garnett is more comfortable on the perimeter.

"Al's a big player who plays by the basket," explained McHale. "He can play some four and he can play some five. It's a match-up thing; many teams at first substitution just go small.

"The good news about Al that's a little different than KG is when they go smaller on Kevin, he really tries to play the same game. When they go smaller on Al he really tries to go to the basket for some lay-ups, and that's what you're looking for."

TURKEY
"Wherever we're at, as long as we're there as a team, we could be anywhere," said Al. "Turkey is going to be awesome. I've never been there -- a couple of guys on the team have been -- but I've never been there so it's something I can tell my grandkids one day that I went."

LEADERS and THE NEXT STEP
Jefferson is genuinely excited about the coming season. He's echoed the statements of Randy Wittman regarding the team having more experience than people think, considering the collective youth. And he really likes his point guard:

"Randy Foye, even though it's just his second year, the shoes that he fills in as a leader and the responsibility he's taken as a leader on this team has really impressed me."

While Foye appears to be taking the next step in terms of leadership, Al has asserted his desire to take his own next step: "You never want to step back. You always want to go forward. As long as I stay healthy and go injury free, things will go well for me. I know when I step on the court that I want to win, I want to play hard, and I'm going to do what I have to do to come out with a W that night."

One element set to serve as a catalyst towards that end is the development of his face-up game: "That's one of the weaknesses I've been working on, and I improved on that since last season," he told us. "I feel comfortable shooting that face-up jumper, and I feel comfortable facing up and going by a person, because I'm real quick on my feet."

SO...
Big Al is looking good so far, with multiple reasons for optimism. But stay tuned; we haven't really seen anything yet.