WWDKD? (What Would David Kahn Do?)

To answer the question in the title, David Kahn would do the wrong thing. Count on it.

I'm not done talking about the Timberwolves, for some reason. There is talent here, and blowing up the entire roster seems like a bad idea. I'll break down who I think the Wolves should try to hang on to, and who I think they should dump.

T-Wolves Keepers

Sure, Nikola, 243. No seriously, we believe you. You weigh 243 pounds. Yep. Definitely.

1. Michael Beasley- Beasley has been, at times, All Star caliber this season. His ability to go one on one has been developing nicely, and when he is hot, he can hit from anywhere on the court. The trick will be to teach him that when he is cold, he has a tendency to shoot his team out of games. A solid point guard should be able to help him with that. Keeping him alert and motivated is the other challenge, but that should come with a team that wins, occasionally.
2. Wesley Johnson- Wes has a gorgeous jumper, great leaping ability, and very good height for a two guard in the NBA. His biggest problem? Confidence. If Johnson knocks down a couple jumpers, he can be the most deadly player on the floor. If he bricks his first couple shots, he will stop attacking the basket, rely on long two pointers, and mostly defer to teammates. Johnson also badly needs to work on his body in the offseason. At 6'7, his weight is hovering around 205. That is much, much too low for the NBA. He is a work in progress, but he is absolutely worth hanging on to (and for the love of everything holy, David Kahn, DRAFT KEMBA WALKER). 
3. Anthony Tolliver- Let me crystal clear with this one: KEEP Anthony Tolliver. More than anyone on the roster, Tolliver hustles, every single second of every single game, no matter how far down the Timberwolves are, nor how discouraging the season has been. He is a wonderful story of a player making it out of the D-League, and you can see it in him whenever he goes flying after a rebound. And the best part? Tolliver is actually a solid player as well. At 6'9 and 250, he is a big body who also has three point range. Lock Tolliver up, and watch how hard he works if his team is in the playoff hunt. I'm salivating at the thought.
4. Martell Webster- Webster has submitted a solid season. He is an excellent shooter, if a bit streaky. More importantly, he's one of the most experienced players on the Timberwolves roster, a 5 year veteran. Webster is a very good role player, not something to be taken lightly in the NBA.
5. Luke Ridnour- Let me be very clear (again): Ridnour is not a starting point guard in this league. The T-Wolves need someone else running the point for a lion's share of minutes during the game. But Ridnour is by no means a bad point guard, he's pretty smart, and he has a very nice jumper. His defense is cringe worthy, and his athleticism is questionable, but keeping him around to give (KEMBA WALKER!!!!) a rest might not be a bad idea.
6. Anthony Randolph- Yet another player on this Timberwolves roster who has shown flashes of what he can do, Randolph has had his confidence completely depleted by D'Antoni in New York. But he was spectacular starting for Minnesota in the 4 position when Kevin Love went down with an injury, averaging 19 points per game on 56% shooting. Look, Randolph is an athletic 21 year old who is 6'11. He is chalk full of potential. Re-sign him, and force him and Wes to spot each other in the weight room all summer. You might just have a very good player on your hands.
7. Nikola Pekovic- Pekovic has had a hard time adjusting to the NBA rules which don't allow you to beat the living shit out of your opponent, like the European game, where he played for years. Fair enough. But as he adjusts, you can see flashes of what he could be, and he could be a decent NBA player. He has a nice touch around the basket, he's very aggressive, works hard, and is very strong. Also, he is the proud owner of the most ridiculous part of Minnesota's game roster, which lists him as 6'11 and 243 pounds. Um, Pekovich is built like a fridge, and looks like he could eat several Luke Ridnours for meals. The only way he is 243 is if he forgot to put the other foot on the scale.
8. Corey Brewer- Brewer is a GREAT defender, very quick, very athletic, just a wonderful all around...oh wait. He's gone already. Damn.

Blow It Up, Baby!

No, seriously Kevin. This idiot blogger thinks you should get traded. I KNOW! Stupid, right?

1. Kevin Love- Seriously. Here me out: Kevin Love has his good qualities, clearly. A 4 who can stretch the floor on offense and grabs a LOT of rebounds absolutely has value. But you know what? If Kevin Love is your best player, you are a lottery team, every single year. Not only that, but you have Anthony Randolph waiting in the wings as a player who can replace him, especially on offense actually, where Randolph has the potential to be BETTER than Love. Love is a sub-par to average defender. Aside from his rebounding, are you really losing that much? Look, Kevin Love's trade value has never been as high (and may never be as high again) as this year. Teams around the league can't wait for him to hit free agency. So why wait that long? Why would you risk doing what Toronto did losing Chris Bosh? Consider this as well: Love is from Oregon, and he went to school at USC. What makes you think you are going to be able to get him to hang around in chilly ass Minnesota, especially if they aren't winning? Not happening, especially while they are trying to win with Love as the best player. Minnesota should make a pre-emptive strike. They should go get the best player available on the market, using Kevin Love as a trading chip. Now give me back my straitjacket.
2. Jonny Flynn- With apologies to my sister, who is in love with Jonny, the Wolves just refuse to give him a chance. But Flynn isn't a bad backup point guard for an NBA team. He deserves a fresh start in a place where he doesn't look terrified to screw up every time he enters the game.
3. Sebastian Telfair- The Sebastian Telfair experiment ended several years ago. Minnesota was a bit foolish (desperate?) to try to bring it back. (And now starting for the Idaho Stampede, Sebastian Telfair!)
4. Lazar Hayward- Just for the roster space. Nothing personal, Lazar. 

On the Fence

1. Darko Milicic- On the one hand, he's Darko Milicic, so you automatically assume you should drop him. On the other hand, he's a 7 footer with loooong arms and some shot blocking ability. On the first hand, he's Darko FREAKING MILICIC. So it's a pretty tough call.
2. Wayne Ellington- Wayne Ellington is not going to be the making or the breaking of a good team. Not a bad bench player, but he can be included in a trade if need be.

Scotty Brooks, Oklahoma City's coach, commented earlier this season that the T-Wolves are in the same place as the Thunder were a couple years ago, a team that will lose a lot of games, but is right on the brink. I think the addition of a couple of key pieces could turn this T-Wolves team into playoff contenders. For a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer about since Kevin Garnett was still roaming the Target Center, it would be a long awaited blessing.

^This guy.