<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">So eight players -- Cassell, Hassell, Hudson, Kevin Garnett, Ndudi Ebi, Michael Olowokandi, Wally Szczerbiak and Fred Hoiberg -- are signed for next season. Ervin Johnson, Mark Madsen, Eddie Griffin, John Thomas and Sprewell will be free agents. Taylor said he believes Ebi, a former first-round draft pick who will be in his third and final year of his contract, should be ready to contribute next season. Sprewell isn't going to be back unless he decides to take a big cut from his current $14.6 million salary, and even if he does, chances are he won't return. He turned down a multiyear contract at $7 million a year earlier this season. And Johnson, who is being paid $4.9 million, won't return. Cassell, who has one more year on his contract, appears to have lost what he had last year when he was one of the top point guards in the league. The Wolves would love to trade him. Taylor can save $19.5 million and maybe avoid the luxury tax, if there is one for next season, by not bringing back Sprewell and Johnson.</div> Full Article (StarTribune, registration might be needed). There's more in the article but basically it says that we only have eight players signed for next season but with those eight we're already above the salary cap and therefore have only the Midlevel and Veteran Exception to sign any new free-agents. But I think with another exception (Bird exception) we could sign some of our free-agents to be (I don't think we could sign Griffin with this exception). But those exceptions and a mid first rounder is all we would have next season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Coranor:</div><div class="quote_post">But I think with another exception (Bird exception) we could sign some of our free-agents to be (I don't think we could sign Griffin with this exception).</div> Well we have have some exceptions to resign some of our players but the problem is there isn't any players we would want to resign. The team doesn't want Anthony Carter, John Thomas, Ervin and especially not Spree. Madsen and Griffin are the only players the team would want. Madsen isn't a problem to resign but Griffin might not. The only exception the team could use would is the mid-level and I don't know if Eddie would accept or want more some place else. Another problem is the team doesn't have enough money to sign any marquee players, they don't even have enough to sign any good players that could make a impact. The Wolves can just hope that the new CBA next season can help them or they could just trade some players. I doubt the draft pick will help since they have been poor at that in history.
You know it's bad when Sid Hartman, who is always optimistic on everything for MN sports teams, is already warning fans to brace for the worse next year. He is right. Wolves can't add any pieces considering they are in salary cap mess. Guys like Troy, Michael, and Sam is going to eat up the cap with their contracts for the next two years. At this point, the fans need to be patient and wait till their contracts run out. Hopefully, we can get lucky and hope that Sam and Troy will be traded. I just hope KG will still be at his prime by the time those two years are over. I just hope we can get a competent GM and a competent head coach and go from there.
If this team is planning on going anywhere in seasons to come, drastic changes need to be made. AND the people who control that fate need to do it. Glen Taylor needs to stop fucking sitting on his ass and do something. Why do I get the feeling that he doesn't care when I read a quote saying he hasn't considered a coach for next year yet. In, the offseason, the management needs to just get rid of everyone and anyone except KG. Just get rid of everyone. Maybe keep a few, it doesn't really matter. Then, sign some other star player that can start to work with KG and bring success.(Kidd maybe?) The only player we should really consider keeping is Eddie Griffin, he has potential. Everyone else is nothing worth keeping.
KG-MVP: I like Glen Taylor as an owner and as a person, but Glen gotta show me something as a owner this off-season. I am not even asking him to spend money. I am hoping he would make a decision about McHale. Glen should give McHale an opportunity to leave with dignity. If McHale refuse to resign, he needs to fire him. Taylor was not afraid to fire Flip so McHale should get the same treatment. If McHale should not be accountable in Taylor's eyes, then maybe Taylor is the problem. Glen has to make some big decisions and McHale is one of them. If Glen does not have it in his heart to fire McHale, Glen should sell the team to Bob Neagle or Carl Pholad and go from there. As for getting rid of everyone, that won't be easy. Spree is gone since he is a FA. I am sure Cassell, Hudson, and Olowokandi wants out, but which team wants three of them. I think Cassell should get a buyout and move on this off-season. While we are at it, I would love to see Tom Hanneman leave as the play-by-play guy. He is so lousy that it's pathetic to hear him do PBP.
