Trudell: Do you feel it necessary to bring in additional bodies to add depth to the frontcourt? Babcock: We definitely could use a little bit more depth up front. We're OK with what we have as long as people don't get hurt, but people do get hurt. At the center position, we have Mark Blount. Mark Madson, Eddie Griffin, and Kevin Garnett who can all get you minutes. KG and Eddie are certainly going to play a lot of minutes at the four, and Mark can go out and defend fours and do a good job there. Rookie Craig Smith is unproven, so it's hard to say what he'll be able to do. He's a bit undersized, but he's a legit four man who can bang and score inside, and do a lot of things to help your basketball team. He needs to make the team first, and we'll see if he can make a contribution. Justin Reed did a nice job for the team last year. He is somewhat of a small forward, power forward hybrid. He is kind of a tweener, but strong enough to get minutes at the four. Trudell: Fair enough. Changing tunes here, another player you have seen before in Minnesota is Mark Madson. Talk about all of the different things he does to help your team win. Babcock: I know Mark well, and understand what he can do for a basketball team. He does a lot of intangible things that the average fan might not pick up on. They will see that he's hustling like crazy, but he does a lot of basketball things that are not the skill things, but it's not just dirty work either. He does the basic things that a lot of guys don't do, and he takes pride in executing those things. He knows what the play is, and he knows how to carry it out. When he goes to set a pick, he sets a pick that you can get open from, and then he rolls. Defensively, he knows where the help is supposed to be, and he's there. He's going to take a charge, he's going to cut someone off on the baseline when he's supposed to, he's going to trap. There is no place in the box score for taking a charge, helping, keeping someone from driving, or keeping the ball alive on the offensive boards. I think he is a very valuable guy to have on your basketball team. Trudell: While some of those elements of his game may elude the casual basketball fan, they don't escape the eyes of fellow players, coaches or front office members like yourself... Babcock: Definitely not. He's a guy you love to have on your team. I do think the fans that see him play begin to appreciate the little things. There is no question that when he goes into the game, things will happen. --

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