Men of Troy

New PG Hudson will lead T-Wolves

By Mark Bechtel, Sports Illustrated

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- The Timberwolves hold their camp on a remote college campus up near St. Cloud, a place that is kind of creepy in a The Shining kind of way. (Come to think of it, Kevin Garnett does kind of look like a younger, taller Scatman Crothers.) The school is in the middle of nowhere and seems like the kind of place where it's always cold, gray and rainy. The team had to feel isolated up here, and thanks to the current case of Twins fever that is gripping the state, the roundballers are somewhat isolated from the collective attention of the area's sports fans as well.

The T-Wolves could stand to learn a lesson from the Twinkies, who lack superstars (Torii Hunter is not a superstar, so don't bother e-mailing me to tell me what a moron I am) but still find a way to mesh and win. That's the T-Wolves' goal. "We're going to have to be greater as a whole than we are as parts," said coach Flip Saunders. Problem is, the position basketball teams generally look to for leadership is the point-guard spot, and that is Minnesota's biggest question mark. Terrell Brandon was ruthlessly efficient last year and never beat himself. His assist-to-turnover ratio was greater than 6-to-1, which is astonishing. And he only missed one free throw all year in 84 attempts. Alas, Brandon is on the shelf with a bum knee, and Saunders said he's prepared for a season without him.

One thing the T-Wolves excel at is developing backup point guards, like Bobby Jackson and Chauncey Billups. Problem is, they come to Minnesota, improve, then go someplace where they'll get more playing time. Billups left in the offseason for Detroit, which meant the T-Wolves had to go shopping for a new floor general over the summer. But a lot of free agents were wary of signing with Minnesota on the off chance Brandon might be OK in two months, relegating the newbie to the pine. The Wolves ended up signing Troy Hudson, whose rŽsumŽ includes being waived by the Clippers, which, no matter how you look at it, is not a good thing. But Hudson was given new life by Doc Rivers last year in Orlando and developed into one of the league's best sixth men. The question now becomes whether or not the traits that make him so good off the bench -- chiefly, his high energy -- will translate to the starting lineup.

In the past, Minnesota's point guard has been entrusted with a heavy burden, but give Saunders credit for realizing that last year the team depended on Brandon a little too much. (When he was hurt midway through the season, the team hit the skids; Billups put up good numbers, but the offense didn't click like it did under Brandon.) So Saunders has implemented a new system, one that divvies up the ballhandling responsibilities a little more evenly. It might not make a star out of Hudson, but as the Twins have showed us, that whole star thing can be overrated.

Sports Illustrated staff writer Mark Bechtel is a frequent contributor to CNNSI.com.

 

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