http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/15875245.htm GUARDS A STRENGTH The Wolves' biggest offseason changes came at point guard. Minnesota aggressively pursued James, one of the premier free agents of 2006, giving him a four-year contract worth about $23.5 million. They desperately need him to provide stability at the position because they already invested about $75 million in recent seasons in Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric. Hudson has been injury-prone, and Jaric's shaky play forced Casey to pull him from the starting lineup before the all-star break last season. That led to an ill-fated dance with inexperienced and erratic guard Marcus Banks, acquired in the Boston deal along with Davis, forward Justin Reed and center Mark Blount. James averaged career highs of 20.3 points and 5.8 assists last season, his breakout year with the Toronto Raptors. He ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage (44.2), and he is as well-known for his bravado and confidence as anything he has done on the court. "He's brought a griminess, a high basketball IQ to the point guard position," Garnett said. "A grittiness that we need both offensively and defensively. He's a big part of the team, and I'm glad to have him." James is part of the team's biggest strength (excluding Garnett): a deep pool of guards who should offer the chance to push the ball, stretch the floor with three-pointers and break down defenders off the dribble. The Wolves sorely lacked those abilities last season. IMPROVED CHEMISTRY The Wolves also feel optimistic about this season because of the time they spent together this summer. Many of the players were in the Twin Cities, playing together in informal workouts and pick-up games in August and September. Casey believes that time forming chemistry will help his team. The players agree, especially Davis, Reed and Blount. Davis, who averaged 19.4 points a game last season, and Blount are starters, and Reed re-signed with Minnesota for three years, $4.5 million. They're no longer Celtics. Having a preseason together with their teammates offered them a chance to adjust. "It's helped us a lot," Reed said. "It's given us a better rhythm in the offense and more time to understand what the coaches want from us. And it gives everyone a chance to get to know each other." Chemistry proved elusive last season, but McHale still believes the Wolves can find it and that the team isn't that far away from returning to contention in the Northwest Division. That belief, combined with no space under the salary cap, is one reason he didn't make major changes this offseason, the addition of James aside. (Apologies to draft picks Foye and Smith, who showed positive signs during the preseason.) And maybe McHale is right, especially because Garnett, a nine-time all-star, still spearheads his roster. "As long as you have Kevin Garnett on your team, you have a chance to be a very good team," Milwaukee Bucks coach Terry Stotts said. "He is such a dominant force. … The West is really tough, but there's no reason Minnesota's not going to be in the thick of things." COACH MORE CONFIDENT The responsibility to make sure the Wolves contend falls on Casey. His first season fell far short of expectations. His team finished 11-18 in games decided by five points or fewer, and it lost an NBA-high 15 games when leading after three quarters. "I think as a young coach, you're trying to tweak stuff all the time as opposed to saying, OK, we're staying the course," McHale said. "And we started changing things. I think it's very hard when you're changing. I think players lose confidence in each other. We've got to stay the course, and I think Case has been really solid with that, trying to stay the course here so far." Casey said the trade with Boston forced him to change the team's style of play to more of a running team because of the change in personnel. McHale said Casey seems more relaxed and confident, bolstered in part by the additions of assistant coaches Randy Wittman and Bob Ociepka, who provide experience and different opinions. Casey has delegated roles for his new assistants. Wittman focuses on the offense and Ociepka the defense. They meet as a staff and discuss issues and strategies. Then Casey takes a step back at times during practices and lets Wittman and Ociepka teach. "He's let us be real involved with all the coaching and given us a lot of responsibility," Wittman said. "It keeps you involved and keeps him getting fresh ideas. The players can't hear the same voice for eight months." Casey said he feels more confident because he knows his players better. He is pleased with the team defense his players have shown during the preseason. Garnett echoed those sentiments, saying it's the brightest development heading into the regular season. "Our defense is really very solid," Garnett. "We still have to get our turnovers down and take care of the ball offensively, but for the most part I like where we're at." Casey is encouraged as well. He said he thinks his team can prove skeptics wrong and make a push for the playoffs. "We don't want to overestimate how good we are, but we don't want to underestimate how good we can be," he said. "We still have some room to go, but we can be pretty good if we make sure we give our attention to details, cut down on our turnovers and play the game the right way." --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.170.233.200