Well... I'm sure you've all heard the news by now. If not:

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/foye_ratliff_injury_updates_071119.html


I love how they were calling it \"tendonitis\" this pre-season.

As long as he eventually comes back and gets some experience it's all good with me. I want this team to try hard and fight to win, but I'm also ok with a guaranteed #4 pick at worst.

DeROK wrote:
Well said, I do agree. I could live with the fourth pick, even if it means we got screwed out of the lottery yet again.

Hopefully this is securing our chances at Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley.

9Deuce wrote:

I think it is. In all honesty, I could see us starting off 2-18.

Also, I'd take both Rose and Beasley over Mayo.

I really wonder how long this \"minor injury\" will continue to prevent Foye from joining the lineup. I was so eager to see how he fare playing more off- than pointguard this season...hopefully this does not last an eternity and hampers his development / transition to a more natural position.

I am also worried how this might affect the chemistry and the rotation of the team. Once Foye gets back in the lineup, he will immediately demand heavy minutes, being considered one of the future building blocks of the franchise and definitely one of the most talented players on the roster. But the longer he's abscent from the team, the harder it will get working back into it, I assume. It also raises the question who's minutes he'll take away.

Prior to the season, I imagined that over the season a possible mainstay-lineup of Telfair at PG, Foye at SG, Gomes and Brewer sharing the SF position, Jefferson at PF and whomever-is-healthy at C could develop. But suprisingly (at least to me), McCants has emerged as one of the few relieable outside threats on this team (which is needed to free up Jefferson down low) to go along with his expected slashing abilities, so it is hard to see him loose much playing time. So probably, Foye will be pushed in the akward PG slot again, forcing Telfair on the bench and Jaric back into the already crowded forward rotation. I expect him to once more demand a trade before the All-Star break.

@Sanyarin -

That was some really good insight and analysis. I think you are spot on about Marko *again* demanding a trade. Especially when Foye comes back and his minutes get reduced substantially. It would be nice if we actually could trade him, but it would hurt the chemistry of the team.

I don't think Foye coming back is going to be the big \"saving grace\" that everyone thinks it is. First off, he's out three more weeks before he can even play basketball or run in game conditions. It will take another few weeks after that until he is in \"game shape.\" We might not have him back until AFTER January 1st!!!! That could quite possibly mess up any chemistry that has developed in a huge way.

In a perfect world, I would like Foye to play SG (with only a little PG) as well. However, since McCants can score, he'll be playing SG. Also, we don't have great options at PG.

This team is a mess.

The nice thing is that we may have some options down the road.

Let's say the Wolves draft a PG this year. That would basically force our hand into going with Foye or McCants as our primary SG. One of those two could fetch something decent in a trade, especially if McCants keeps putting up numbers. I'm not sure Rashad is the type of player whose numbers actually help you win games, kinda like Marbury. But I'm sure there's some GM who would part with a good player or pick to scoop him up.

The team is a mess, but at least its a mess made up of players you can do something with, vs. last years squad that was a mess of horrible contracts and bad attitudes.

DeROK wrote:

Touche sir. I believe that as well. I should have clarified my last sentence.

Question to all the intelligent and knowledgeable people with so much more insight than me:

Imagined that McCants could stabilize the skills he is showing early in the season, do you think that he would accept a role as a sixth man? Would he be even keepable by the team in the long run or would he be quickly lured somewhere else by other GMs who tend to overpay at even the slightest hint of scoring talent?

Beause IF he could build on this performance and would be accepted a sixth man role, IF Foye develops into the player I am dreaming him to become, IF we could and would draft one of the promising young pointguards in the upcoming draft, then our future lineup would / could look like this:

starting 5

C to be decided
PF Al Jefferson
SF Corey Brewer / Ryan Gomes
SG Randy Foye
PG Derrick Rose / O.J. mayo

first of the bench

C Chris Richard / tbd
PF Craig Smith
SF Ryan Gomes / Corey Brewer
SG Rashad McCants
PF Sebastian Telfair / tbd

Honestly, if all those IFs would become reality...Brewer develops well, Foye becomes a slashing 20PPG machine, the Wolves draft a promising young PG, McCants is able and willing to become a killer of the bench...

I definitely think we would have a chance of competing in the west a few years down the road - probably along with Seattle and Portland, but anyways.

Once again, I am excited about all the possibilities this squad offers.


EDIT: *sigh* OK, obviously no \"handmade charts\" allowed...sorry, I tried to do it...