Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason | Roster
Last year: 47-35, fourth in Midwest, eighth in conference
Coach/VP: Flip Saunders/Kevin McHale
Arena, first game: Target Center (1,9006); Nov. 2, 1990
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 359-593/0
Notable: 47 wins was best ever for a No. 8 seed

THE ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Terrell Brandon	7.5 apg	Wants to play less, McHale didn't agree
SG	Felipe Lopez	7.9 ppg	Would Peeler or Wally fit better?
SF	Kevin Garnett	11.4 rpg	Mr. Wonderful is -- get this -- only 25
PF	Joe Smith	.403 FG	Um, what does everyone see in this guy?
C	Dean Garrett	2.5 ppg	Yes, Nesterovic is really that disappointing
6th	Wally Szczerbiak	14 ppg	Great shooter, doesn't want to try 3s
7th	Chauncey Billups	.422 FG	Erratic former top 5 pick has found role
8th	Anthony Peeler	100 threes	Double-digit scorer is very inconsistent

		I sense the T-Wolves will be better than last year. Flip Saunders has been using the zone and some combination of the zone, man and traps in the preseason, with good results. However, they may lose some of their edge as teams get used to it. Radoslav Nesterovic looked improved in the preseason game I saw him play, and Loren Woods is starting to play as part of their zone. The T-Wolves will be able to use a big lineup that could be pesky. Kevin Garnett is among the best in the business. Wally Szczerbiak is a solid player. Anthony Peeler and Felipe Lopez are a nice combination at the two. I like Terrell Brandon at the point, and they have quality backups. I don't see them challenging the Lakers, Spurs or the Kings, but the T-Wolves should again be in the playoffs.

By Marc Stein
Special to ESPN.com

Kevin Garnett contends that the 2001-02 vintage of the T-Wolves is the deepest blend since he arrived in 1995. Whether or not you agree, it certainly beats the Wolves' starting point last Halloween, which could only be described one way.

In deep.

They were still reeling emotionally from the Malik Sealy tragedy when an under-the-table deal with Joe Smith was exposed, seemingly nuking the future of the franchise. Yet, somehow, the Wolves' outlook isn't as bleak as you'd imagine a year on. No one's saying you should pencil them in for some long-awaited playoff success -- five straight first-round exits will most likely become six come April. But KG isn't kidding. Minnesota is deeper than he or anyone else expected after the first of many summers with no first-round pick and only one free-agent cash splash. For Joe Smith, of course.

Who's Who
Smith, signed (legally, we think) for $34 million over six years, is the lone prominent Wolf newcomer. They wanted to bring Joe back last November even after they got busted, going so far as to agree to a minimum deal, until Commissioner Stern made it clear that nothing less than a one-year loan to Detroit would be acceptable. Garnett is thrilled to have his buddy back but might wind up even happier with the summer bargains the Wolves found. Loren Woods was the biggest slipper in the June draft, but at No. 46 he's a total non-risk. If he stays healthy -- a big "if," true -- Minnesota just got itself a center who, on talent alone, should have been a mid-first-rounder at worst. The other reclamation project is Gary Trent, discarded by the Mavericks after he played just 44 games over the past two seasons. Trent is also recovering from off-season knee surgery but has immediately struck a good relationship with KG and provides the bulk and attitude so glaringly absent from the Wolves' roster. Should Woods and Trent manage to stay on the court, Garnett for once won't always feel exposed on the front line. History says they'll both endure health setbacks, but, for now at least, Minny ain't missing LaPhonso Ellis.

	FANTASY SLEEPER
	Wally Szczerbiak, SF -- has been given a green light on offense to attack the basket off the drive, posting up or from the outside. Thus far this preseason he trails just Kevin Garnett in shots taken, points scored and minutes played. There is little doubt he's the second option in this offense, and that should translate into career-high numbers in the regular season.

The Big Question
Quite simply, is Wally Szcerzbiak ready -- and/or good enough -- to be option No. 2 on this team? Flip Saunders, who had Wally at the Goodwill Games in Australia, believes so. Mind you, Flip has little choice, given that Terrell Brandon has again raised concerns about his hunger for the game by talking about scaling back his minutes. Brandon later said he was misquoted or misinterpreted (aren't they all?), but the comments certainly didn't do anything for his already-sagging trade value. The Wolves also need Wally to step up because Brandon tends to get hurt. And it's quite clear that Garnett alone is not going to get Minny out of Round 1.

Best Case Scenario
Trent and Woods will do enough to allow Garnett to switch to small forward, enabling Wally World to serve as a dangerously big shooting guard, while an underrated complement of bench gunners (Anthony Peeler, Chauncey Billups, Felipe Lopez) preserves the Wolves' reputation as a good jump-shooting squad. Saunders' vast experience with zones, for a team that needs defensive help wherever it can find it, won't hurt, either. Another run at 50 wins before the usual playoff torture.

Worst Case Scenario
Woods will make it clear why he fell so far, the injury-ravaged Trent will remind everyone why the Mavs couldn't get anyone to bite on a sign-and-trade and Wally World will still look like more of a third option. In those circumstances, hitting .500 and a first-round playoff exit would be overachieving.

OVERRATED	UNDERRATED	TEAM MVP
Joe Smith. Just once we'd like to see some legit numbers.	Terrell Brandon. Question his dedication, but every year he's near All-Star status.	Kevin Garnett. Did you have to ask? He might be league's happiest player.