<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The NBA is filled with glass-half-empty people, who talk often is about what a player can't do, not what he can. But in his evaluation of free-agent forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Kevin McHale, the vice president of basketball operations, took a different tack. The more McHale watched Tskitishvili -- who is nicknamed Skita -- the more he liked him. "After a few days, I said, 'Wow, a kid who can shoot the three, can run, jump, is very athletic and is 7-foot,' " McHale said Tuesday after the Timberwolves announced the signings of both Tskitishvili and Mark Madsen. "I was thinking, 'How is this kid not playing in the NBA?' Not 'I wonder if this kid can play in the NBA.' I just liked him." Tskitishvili, 22, was selected fifth overall in the 2002 draft by Denver, but he played little for the Nuggets and, later, Golden State. Then he played briefly for the Wolves' summer league team before breaking a bone in his right hand. McHale thinks the Wolves might have found a steal in Tskitshvili. "Sometimes a fresh start is what you need and, hopefully, that will be the case with Skita," McHale said. McHale said re-signing Madsen was a priority this offseason. Madsen provides energy and defense, sacrifices his body and doesn't care about his point total. "He's a guy we really missed last year," McHale said. Limited because of two injuries, Madsen played in only 41 games last season, averaging 14.1 minutes per game. Madsen, who signed a five-year contract worth more than $10 million, and Tskitishvili are coming off injuries, but McHale said both are healthy now. Nothing on Griffin There was no word about the status of forward Eddie Griffin. The two sides have agreed to terms, but McHale would say only that he'd "like to have Eddie on our team." McHale said the team is continuing to look for a free-agent point guard. Two possibilities include Clippers point guard Marko Jaric and Grizzlies point guard Earl Watson. </div> Source
Tskitishvili had his opportunity to shine in Denver when they were pathetic, and even last season with Golden State...this kid wont really amount to anything...Madsen is a nice role player but the length of his contract is cause for concern....
It's not fair at all to say he wont amount to anything. Anything can happen when young, underacheiving player is introduced to a new environment with new leadership and guidance.
