| Mike James = Mistake? Authored by Patrick J. Austin - July 12, 2006 - 8:19 am
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With James now aboard you have to believe another move is imminent, whether it’s Marko Jaric heading to Portland in exchange for Darius Miles or possibly Trenton Hassell and a cap filler going to Milwaukee for Jamaal Magloire; a guard needs to be shipped out pronto. As it stands now, the Wolves backcourt is comprised of James, Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric, Ricky Davis (though he can play the 3), Trenton Hassell, Randy Foye, and Rashad McCants. Like I said, a trade needs to get done asap.
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With the M.J. signing, the Wolves have used their entire mid-level exception and can only sign additional free agents to minimum contracts. This leads to the obvious question – was James worth it? The answer is yes and no. You can’t argue with his stats from this past season – 20.3ppg and 5.8apg – but he does have the reputation of being a shoot-first guard rather than a distributor. So, the Wolves are running the risk of having a new Troy Hudson on their hands. Of course, he was playing in Toronto with an extremely young group of players. Maybe joining a more veteran ball club will entice him to use his passing abilities.
What surprised me was using the entire mid-level exception to acquire James. It’s obvious the team is in desperate need of depth on the frontline and that money could have been spent on a solid big man like Lorenzon Wright or possibly Melvin Ely. Does management really feel comfortable having Mark Blount as the only legit center on the roster? This query could be answered by trading for someone like the aforementioned Jamaal Magloire, but let’s be honest, the trade market isn’t exactly loaded with quality big men. Aside from Maggs, the only names rumored to be available are Chris Webber (old with a bloated contract), Aldonal Foyle (overpaid role player), Steven Hunter (underachiever), and Jerome James (don’t even get me started).
With this signing, it makes you wonder about where Randy Foye fits into the Wolves plan. Foye is a similar player to James in both stature and playing style. Will they be able to co-exist and form a dynamic backcourt, or will their playing styles cancel each other out and force one of them to the bench. I’m hoping for option 1, but you can’t help but think Brandon Roy or even Rudy Gay might have been a better selection if the Wolves had Mike James on their radar leading into this off-season.
This was certainly an interesting signing by the Minnesota Timberwolves; one that could pay-off big time or continue in the tradition of recent free agent signings (e.g. Marko Jaric, Troy Hudson, etc.). James has the tenacity and hunger to make the Wolves a better team. But it’s now up to Kevin McHale to make the additional moves necessary to justify this acquisition and ensure M.J. will be able to feature his strengths on the court. If McHale can accomplish this feat, then the Wolves will be one step closer in their journey back to respectability. |
