On Tuesday morning, we put in a call to KFAN's Paul Allen, host of "PA and Dubay" and the voice of the Vikings and Canterbury Park. You also know from last year's "Fantasy Freak Fest" on timberwolves.com, and of course, he is a self-proclaimed "great basketball mind" (G.B.M.). We don't disagree.

Alas, here's a transcription of the conversation we had as he made his way down to the Westfire Grill in Rochester to record "PA and Dubay" on location.

MT: What's up PA? Rumor has it you're cruising down to Rochester right now?
PA: Yeah, I prefer to be in the studio because it’s the nooky blanky, but if people are going to pay for the PA and Dubay show to come down, it’s all good.

MT: I know you're a California guy, having moved to Minneapolis in mid 1990s or whatever. Driving down to Rochester isn't quite like cruising the Pacific Coast Highway, is it?
PA: No, but Fred Hoiberg would love this drive. He’d be able to say, “Oh I went to my first barn party here," or, "Oh I munched on my first piece of hay there," and, "Hey I tipped my first cow over there.”

MT: I'll make sure he reads that. Before we talk basketball, I know you're on a buzz kill right now after that Vikings pooh-pooh platter this past weekend.
PA: When we lose like that, and being at 2-5 with the record, it doesn’t make it as pleasurable as it can be. We’re at a key point in the season where we’ve lost a lot more than we've won, and that's not as fun. That trickles into the PA and Dubay show. Now, we have the fact that I completely screwed up my fantasy basketball draft, and it's definitely buzz-kill mode.

MT: To anyone reading, you'll be able to get your full fantasy fix from PA and NBA TV's Rick Kamla throughout the year, but let's take it back to Friday night, when you saw the Wolves smash a listless Bucks team … Thoughts?
PA: The highlight of the evening was when a staffer for the Wolves had some extra tickets in his pocket and he put me and my son Derrick six inches from the Bucks' bench. Naturally, I spent the whole game chewing on the ears of Bogut, Redd and Villanueva. I did some serious investigating. That was the highlight of the evening.

MT: What did you like from the Wolves?
PA: I know this because I’ve seen him play, but the local crowd is really going to like Theo Ratliff when he’s healthy. He's so big, and he swats shots. It takes a lot to get up and down the court, but when he does run, he does good things. Crowd’s going to love him.

MT: Tell me more:
PA: It was fun watching Corey Brewer defend Michael Redd. Michael got him one time on a pump fake, and Redd came over and I said to him, "Hey, you have to take it easy on our kid." But Brewer was pretty good overall, and you have to start somewhere. So, I think hardcore Wolves/NBA fans are going to find a lot of positive things and enjoy the approach of this Timberwolves squad. I’m as revved up as I’ve been since 2004, and I’m very, very happy with the approach. My two sports-related passions are the NFL and NBA, and I have been on board with a Kevin Garnett deal for two years, as I have mentioned to Hoiberg and president Chris Wright.

MT: What else excites you about this season?
PA: With the 'cap money we have nabbing a couple of nice freebies next year will take fresh and make it better. I cannot wait to attend a fair amount of games this year. Here's what excites me:
-- Watching the development of Corey Brewer.
-- Watching the year-two improvement of Craig Smith.
-- Hoping Sebastian Telfair gives his best on a nightly basis, breaks down defenders to kick to shooters, and hoists no more than five shots a game (outside of layups).
-- Catching a Gerald Green dunk from the foul line.
-- Taking in Al Jefferson and 15 and 10 a night (your were right about him, Mike Trudell*, and I was wrong).
*Editors note: Those were last season's numbers, we're now bumping the prediction to 20 and 13.
-- Watching Kevin McHale scowl at J.B. Bickerstaff when he gets his first "T."
-- This team will have an identity unlike any Wolves' team and to watch it develop on the fly is intriguing to my Great Basketball Mind.

MT: Excellent. Now, I know you're about to get lost on that boring drive, so we'll get you out of here by asking how your boy Rick Kamla's fantasy team looks as a preview to our next discussion.
PA: It doesn't matter who's on Kamla's teams; He forever will be one of two to beat in the league because he is a well-respected basketball mind and he outworks everybody but Funk Shui. I'm looking forward to the battle.