Kahn addresses season ticket holders

Written by SG

Wednesday, 10 June 2009 02:13

Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn met with and fielded questions from two groups of season ticket holders yesterday. Below is some of what he discussed during the afternoon session:

-Kahn said there were five opportunities over the next 16 months to drastically change the team (for the team to “pop”):
1) The upcoming draft
2) This summer’s free agency
3) Next year’s trade deadline
4) Next year’s draft
5) Next summer’s free agency

-On Kevin McHale’s status:
Kahn said Monday’s meeting with McHale was impromptu. Said he’s only spent 6-7 hours with him and that it could still take a while to make a decision. He doesn’t want to rush the coaching decision
Realizes McHale is seen as a symbol of what’s gone wrong and what’s been right for the team. If he does return, Kahn said, there must be something there to show fans that this is still a culture of change.
Kahn feels that McHale is much better suited to be a coach than a GM. Said he has both gifts and gaps as a coach. He emphasized that McHale really wants to coach and is highly desirous of this position
If McHale doesn’t return, Kahn doesn’t expect to make a decision on his replacement till after the draft. Whoever his selection for the next coach, Kahn said it will be a “great decision.” He doesn’t feel as if the team is missing out on any good coaching candidates by waiting to fill the position if needed.

-On his relationship with coach, Kahn said they have to be on the same page but he’ll be looking at the whole pic. Will listen to coach's concerns, but make decisions based on what's right for the team. Said he won’t be the type that goes into the locker room at half time or text messages players, things that have occurred with the team in the past.

-Wants to be hyper-aggressive on adding new pieces

-Could have 7-10 new players/perimeter players by training camp 2010

-For a championship caliber team, Al Jefferson and Kevin Love are, respectively, 2nd and 4th best players. The team needs to find players who can be the 1st and 3rd best players, according to Kahn.

-When asked about rumored trades, he mentioned Kirk Hinrich whom he described as a nice player who makes too much money. He said Hinrich is not what the team is looking for offensively

-On Hasheem Thabeet, said he could be gone by #2 pick, definitely gone by #5 pick. Would like to add a player like him but not yet sold on him. Can protect the rim but offensively, Kahn said, he doesn’t think he can do much yet.

-On Nikola Pekovic, the team’s 2008 second round pick, Kahn said that the center was “not an explosive player”

-Pre-draft workouts- players coming in this Friday and Saturday as well as next Friday

-Mentioned that Big Al is ahead of schedule in terms of recovery

-Reiterated that there are no other decision makers, just him, and that every decision made will be done so only after extensive preparation, thought, and research.

-Said it’s a fair knock on the team that is has been non-transparent and needs to be more sensitive and quick to react

-Going to start an NBA player database to have info on each player in the league. As he mentioned in the press conference, he said that he thinks it’s valuable to accumulate info on players after they enter the league.

-Was asked if he would have pulled the trigger on the Love/Mayo trade, said one can’t really judge the trade for another 2-3 years. He also doesn’t believe either player would necessarily be an all-star. Said specifically that Love’s ceiling is right below all-star level.