Surrounded by more weapons this season, Al Jefferson should have some space to operate down low. AP Projected 2008-09 lineup Starters PG Randy Foye SG Mike Miller SF Corey Brewer PF Al Jefferson C Kevin Love Reserves G/F Rodney Carney F/C Jason Collins SF Ryan Gomes F/C Mark Madsen SG Rashad McCants PF Craig Smith PG Sebastian Telfair Blogger's Take Derek Hanson of TWolves Blog offers his thoughts on the Timberwolves' prospects for the season: The Timberwolves had their most productive summer since they landed Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell in 2003. While it's true that Kevin McHale's moves won't turn the Wolves from bottom-dwellers to contenders overnight, they did set the stage for a successful rebuilding campaign in the years ahead. Mike Miller provides a much-needed perimeter threat and will hopefully open up the post for Al Jefferson. Kevin Love bolsters a thin frontcourt and has the potential to be a "glue guy" who holds the team together with his passing ability, rebounding and hustle. And the Wolves also gained the financial flexibility that allows them to be major players in free agency during the next two summers. Word is the young Wolves worked their tails off in the offseason. Al Jefferson was already a 20-10 machine, but if the work he's put in on his defensive game pays off, this could be the season he becomes an All-Star. Supporting players like Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, Corey Brewer and Sebastian Telfair all have another season under their belt and should help Minnesota jell as a team. Overall, expecting a run at the West's eighth playoff seed is probably a stretch. Several roster moves and a switch to a more experienced coach will likely be needed before Minnesota can return to the postseason. However, it's reasonable to think that Minnesota fans should be treated to the most fun and exciting basketball this team has offered in years.

SI.com will analyze each of the NBA's 30 teams as regular-season tip-off approaches. For a complete list of team-by-team breakdowns, click here. The information in the "Go figure" category below is provided by Roland Beech of 82games.com.

Timberwolves at a glance

• Last season: 22-60

• Notable additions: Kevin Love (R), Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins (trade with Grizzlies), Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth (trade with 76ers)

• Notable losses: Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner (trade with Grizzlies), Kirk Snyder (FA), Michael Doleac (FA).

• Coach: Randy Wittman (34-90 in 1½ seasons with Wolves; 96-192 overall in 3½ NBA seasons).

Reasons for hope

1. Phase 1 is complete. Near the end of Kevin Garnett's final, cranky season in Minnesota (2006-07), the Wolves' marketing department unveiled a "Blueprint for the Future'' campaign. Actual work got underway last year -- mostly, the demolition and tear-down demands. This roster still was churning with the likes of Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Juwan Howard, Gerald Green, Walker and Jaric, all of them unhappy, disinterested or both. Now the dumpsters are gone and the players who will be employed in November will be guys who allegedly are part of that touted future. There actually are some expectations for how this club performs on the court, refreshing for a team that spent most of the past three springs angling for extra Ping-Pong balls.

2. Randy Foye is healthy. The numbers don't lie. Without Foye for 43 games from the start of last season -- the stocky guard missed much of his second season with a stress reaction in his left knee -- Minnesota went 8-35. After he returned, the Wolves went 14-25. Foye isn't another Dwyane Wade, in terms of taking over games, but he does have supreme confidence in his offensive skills and a serious knack for playing well in crucial moments. He spares Al Jefferson from taking all the big shots.

3. Space is the final frontier. Speaking of Jefferson, the big guy got ground down last season by the constant attention of double- and even triple-teams. The Wolves had no reliable secondary threat on offense while Foye was out, and never had enough shooters to stop defenses from collapsing on their power forward. Now they've got sharpshooter Miller, who was acquired with rookie Love on draft night. Love, too, has a decent mid-range game that could draw big defenders out of Jefferson's lap.

Reasons for worry

1. They still miss the point. Foye can be dynamic with the ball in his hands, but too often winds up attacking like a pocket LeBron James in a version of Cleveland's 1-on-5 tactics. He has not shown the instincts, inclination or vision to be a playmaker first, scorer second, which leads to a lot of standing around by his mates. Sebastian Telfair plays like a point guard but that moves Foye to shooting guard, which makes Minnesota way small in the backcourt.

2. Defense as a second language. There is perhaps only one man from last season's team, Corey Brewer, who embraces and takes pride in his defense. That's not enough, especially on a team stocked with young players who ought to have more want-to. Jefferson took heat from the coaches last season for his D, picked up the pace to prove them wrong and wound up tipping his hand -- they know he can do it, so they're expecting it nightly. Dribble penetration has shredded this team for several seasons, and Love and Jefferson will give up size to several West tandems up front.

3. Wittman faces scrutiny this time. The head coach's go-round in Cleveland way back when was not pleasant. Neither have been most of his 124 games as Minnesota's coach. But with the junk gone, management will be expecting progress -- vice president Kevin McHale has talked about a shot at .500, frighteningly unrealistic for this club in this conference at this time. But that could be used to make Wittman a fall guy, and buy the next coach (and the ticket sellers) an extra season of "development.''

Keep an eye on ...

Mike Miller as a team leader. Miller has been a solid pro for eight seasons, was the league's top sixth man in 2005-06 and, with Memphis last season, averaged 16.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists while hitting 50 percent of his field goals and 43 percent of his three-pointers. But he never has been asked to do as much leading, on the court and in the locker room, as Minnesota has sought. It's early, but he seems up to the task, warming up to the franchise closest (250 miles) to his Mitchell, S.D., roots.

Go figure

The Timberwolves allowed 12.1 more points per 100 possessions with Jefferson on the court last season. That was the worst on-/off-court defensive impact for any player in the league.

Bottom line

The Wolves start this season with a much cleaner slate and talent where there was baggage a year ago. Jefferson is ready to be an All-Star and Foye would love to close the gap with 2006 draft-night rival Brandon Roy. A gain of 10-12 victories would be admirable, given the competition out West. More than that? October daydreaming.

Sports Illustrated's NBA preview issue will be on newsstands Wednesday, Oct. 22.