The season is approaching (but not quickly enough), so that means it’s NBA preview time. Starting with the league’s worst team and working our way to the top, we’ll preview one team per day.

Love must hate being stuck in Minnesota. Cold weather and bad basketball. Is there anything worse?

Minnesota Timberwolves

Last year’s record: 15-67
Head Coach: Kurt Rambis
Projected Starters: Jonny Flynn, Martell Webster, Corey Brewer, Michael Beasley, Kevin Love

Outlook:

Quite simply, not good. When the league’s second-worst team unloads its best player for a couple draft picks and a sack of potatoes (aka Kosta Koufos); re-signs the decade’s biggest bust for $20 million; holds its future in the hands of a pothead and a 19-year old Spaniard who may or may not play in the United States anytime soon; then takes out a full-page ad in a local newspaper to apologize; well, that team has been Kahn’d. And, for the foreseeable future at least, it has little hope.

X-Factor:

Michael Beasley. You know how he underacheived in Miami. He went to drug rehab, never found his niche, didn’t adjust well to the NBA game, couldn’t defend a soul — the list of Beasley’s shortcomings the past couple years is longer than Shawn Bradley’s arms. But underneath all the billows of marijuana smoke, there’s potential. We saw it at Kansas St., and we saw glimpses of it in Miami. If Beasley can get his life and game together, he could be a 25 and 10 type; he’s THAT talented. If not? He’ll be the second-biggest draft bust on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Biggest Question Mark:

Will Ricky Rubio ever play a game in a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey? I know that question doesn’t have anything to do with next year’s team. Then again, it’s tough to find a question about next year’s Timberwolves team worth answering. They’re going to be bad, and probably 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets bad. Rubio is a rare Spaniard of hope for a franchise in dire straits.

Most important newcomer:

Beasley, simply because he has — by far — the highest upside. But don’t sleep on Wesley Johnson. The Wolves could regret choosing Johnson ahead of DeMarcus Cousins, but the 6’7″ jumping jack might make an immediate impact on both ends of the court. Emphasis on might.

Biggest loss:

Al Jefferson. What? Did you think I was going to say Nathan Jawai?

Most compelling storyline:

Can it be anything but David Kahn? Kahn spent the summer doing his best Isiah Thomas impersonation, then called Darko Milicic a “manna from heaven.” It’s just a shame manna’s suck at basketball. Anyway, Kahn’s ineptitude is the only reason anyone’s discussed the Timberwolves this summer. Not only is he the most compelling storyline, but he’s pretty damn close to being the only storyline.

Player to watch:

Kevin Love. Mostly by default, but also because Love’s damn good. His averages last season? 14 points and 11 rebounds, in only 28.6 minutes. Can somebody please let Kurt Rambis in on a secret the rest of the NBA world seems to know? Love deserves more playing time.

Descriptive movie quote:

“Look – you’re my best friend, so don’t take this the wrong way. In twenty years, if you’re still livin’ here, comin’ over to my house to watch the Patriots games, still workin’ construction, I’ll fuckin’ kill you. That’s not a threat; now, that’s a fact. I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” – Good Will Hunting

To Love, the only Timberwolf worth writing about. In twenty years, if Love’s still playing in Minnesota, wasting his unique talents on shitty teams surrounded by shitty players, I’ll fucking kill him. That’s not a threat; now, that’s a fact. I’ll fucking kill him. You know what the best part of my day is? It’s for about ten seconds from when I put on the TV to when I switch the channel to the Timberwolves game. Because I think maybe I’ll flip the station and Love won’t be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothin’. Just left. I don’t know much, but I know that.

Projected Record: 17-65. Mediocrity would be a drastic improvement for the Wolves. But mediocrity ain’t happening any time soon.

Every once in a while, I link to a few articles from other writers around the internet. You know, I throw some dimes.

Ainge: "Michael, you drafted Adam Morrison? What are you, nuts?" Michael: "You're the one who's still working him out."

1. Danny Ainge spoke about today’s workout with Cuttino Mobley, Adam Morrison, Trenton Hassell and Rashad McCants. Even though Ainge praised them, I’d eat a toilet full of feces if any of those four make the Celtics this season. “Those guys are all good NBA players,” Ainge said, apparently lying through his teeth. “McCants looked really good,” Ainge continued. “He shot the ball well, he competed at a high level. I’m really surprised that he’s not in the NBA right now. Same with Adam Morrision, making shots, making passes. The guys looked hungry, they looked fit.”
2. Kelly Dwyer simply gets Antoine Walker. I second everything he writes about Employee Number Eight. “Think about it. He entered this league with the ability to turn into the pro game’s most versatile player. Handle for days, in spite of his size. A passable touch from long range, in spite of his size. A knack for the carom, in spite his perimeter-heavy ways. A good sense of when, and how, to dish; in spite of his look-at-me tendencies. The guy could have been great, so great, in every way a man can contribute at this level. Instead, he coasted.”
3. With the C’s starting center position open, Paul Flannery wonders whether Jermaine O’Neal’s the man for the job: “On offense, O’Neal is a scoring threat from inside and out and as an added bonus, he also doesn’t turn the ball over very much. On defense, he is a solid rebounder who offers a shot-blocking presence. He’s not at Perkins level as an individual defender, but he’s a clear upgrade offensively. O’Neal also brings an understated element to a locker room that will be bursting with huge personalities. It’s impossible to tell how those dynamics will develop over the course of the season, but O’Neal is a well-respected pro who should fit seamlessly into the mix.” If I were Doc, I’d start Jermaine. Let Shaq get buckets with the second unit while Jermaine keeps the first unit defensive.
4. Kurt Helin previews the Celtics season. He acknowledges that the Celtics are contenders, but writes that the regular season could be another long one. “There will come a time this season when the Celtics play .500 ball or below for 20 games or so. And we will all put our short memories on display. We will say they don’t look like contenders and this is different than last season, different than 2008. And Rivers will ignore everyone and work on getting guys rested and healthy for the playoffs. He knows if they are, they will be right there, knocking on the door of another banner for the crowded rafters.”
5. NBA Fanhouse re-writes the Minnesota Timberwolves’ full-page advertisement. Pure comic gold.
6. The best headline of the day: “Suddenly ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ takes on a new meaning.”

The latest step for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the David Kahn era? Acknowledging all their problems in a full-page advertisement. No, seriously. Check out this ad the Timberwolves put in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. It’s great.

The time for talk is over

Okay, not quite. Right after this long-winded letter. Because we do have a lot of good things to talk about.

Fourteen months ago we laid out a plan: First, we would become a running team that plays an exciting un-tempo style of basketball. Second, we would get younger in order to build a team that could improve together and compete for a number of years. Third, we would instill a culture of hard work throughout our organization. Fourth, transparency. We’ll always let you know exactly what’s going on, occasionally via long-winded letters.

That was our plan over a year ago and it hasn’t changed on iota. In the off-season we added young, athletic wind players Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster and Lazar Hayward. They join Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer and Wayne Ellington as guys who can get up and down the floo quickly and shoot the ball from the perimeter. We re-signed Darko Milicic and added Nikola Pekovic, giving us two more up-tempo big men to run with one of the best outlet passers in the game, Kevin Love. We took advantage of our cap room to acquire a potential star in Michael Beasley, who was the number one prospect in his high school class of 2007 and averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds in his one college season. And finally, we added Luke Ridnour, a push-the-pace player who becomes the team’s elder statesman at the age of 29.

We now have more shooting, athleticism and depth at every position, which will make us a better team this season. So will we challenge for the NBA championship this year?

No likely.

Ouch. This honesty thing is a bit painful. But the reality is, we still need that one dominant player.

It’s possible that that player could already be on our roster. We have eight guys who were selected in the top seven picks of their respective drafts, and the average age of those players is 22. So the potential is there for someone to emerge. But in case that doesn’t happen, we’ll continue to manage our salary cap so that we have the flexibility to make that one move that can change a franchise.

We are confident, however, that this team will be exciting to watch. For the first time in years Wolves fans are going to fell like they’re missing out if they aren’t in the arena. So in addition to player development we’re working hard on fan development, starting with variable pricing and Flex Pack ticket packages that let you pick the games and seats that you want. The bottom line for fans is: We’re making it easier than ever for you to be part of our turnaround.

There’s been a lot of talk this off-season. The naysayers certainly have been vocal. And while we can understand a certain amount of skepticism, we know we’ve turned the corner. And we’re anxious to get after that first tipped ball so we can start to prove it.

Enough talk. It’s time to play.

Oh, wait. We forgot to talk about Rubio.

Next time.

Any time your genius advertising campaign includes the words, “Ouch. This honesty thing is a bit painful,” I think it’s safe to say your organization is not where it needs to be.

The Wolves still miss KG. But you can’t blame the Wolves for trading him away – any time you can swap Kevin Garnett for Al Jefferson and a bunch of scrubs, then later ship Jefferson away to make room for Darko Milicic, you HAVE to pull the trigger. Just have to.

I don’t know about you, but matchups like Rajon Rondo vs. Ricky Rubio really get me going. And Sunday, when Team USA meets the Spanish national team, those two guys should be the opposing starters. No need for Viagra, guys. I’m already aroused.

I’m not going to break down each player’s strengths and weaknesses, mostly because you already know Rondo in and out and I, like you, don’t know as much about Rubio’s game as I should. But if Rubio’s reputation as an on-court wizard is deserved (and judging from the clip above I’d say that it probably is), Sunday’s exhibition will treat us to two of the best, most unique basketball players the world has to offer. Clear your schedules, take your seat on the couch, microwave a bag of popcorn, kick your feet up on the table and enjoy. It should be fun.

Not only do we get to see Rondo against the best international point guard there is, but as a self-proclaimed student of the game I’m excited to see how Rubio measures up. Of the few doubts I’ve read about Rubio’s game, the most persistent is that he may not be able to handle uber-quick athletes he’ll see in the NBA. If that’s the case (and I don’t know enough about him to know whether it will be), we should be able to see immediately on Sunday: If Rubio’s too slow to thrive in the NBA, I can’t imagine he’ll fare well against Rondo and Derrick Rose. But if he CAN stick with them? If he not only holds his own but plays well? Well, folks, you just might be getting a glimpse of the NBA’s next great point guard. And one who, like Rondo, plays the game with a certain flair, a bravado that makes you think to yourself, “Wow. I’ve never seen someone like this guy before, and you know what? I might never again.”

But really, it’s not just the starting point guard matchup that intrigues (although that matchup certainly helps). It’s the rematch of the 2008 Olympic gold medalists vs. the runners-up (even if not a single player returns from that USA Team). It’s Marc Gasol vs. Team USA’s incredibly thin frontcourt. It’s Rudy Fernandez in his comfort zone. It’s Team USA’s stable of high-flying and versatile youngsters against Spain’s chemistry-filled crew that has been playing together for years, about whom Coach K says, “To watch the Spanish basketball team play, with the way they pass the ball, is to watch beautiful basketball.” It’s getting to see whether Team USA and all its youth is ready to beat the world’s best. It’s the two greatest national teams in the world, battling against each other. Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?

Just tune in on Sunday. And before you do, make sure you wish me happy birthday. If you know me well, or even know me at all, you know what I’m most looking forward to on the 23rd anniversary of my birth: Seeing Rajon Rondo play basketball. Is that sad? Probably. Something to be proud of? Doubtful. Weird? Absolutely.

But hate it or love it, the basketball dork is me.

(If Beasley wasn’t high in this interview, I’ll eat my foot.) 

David Kahn thinks there’s a perfectly good reason that Michael Beasley underacheived in Miami: He was high all the time.

“He’s a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he’s not smoking anymore, and I told him that I would trust him as long as that was the case,” Kahn said Thursday during an interview with 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.

“He has developed a really good support system around him this past season in Miami. He’s hired people to help him grow up. He is growing up — he’s not grown up. He’s 21 … and he just turned 21 last January, and if you think back, as I do all the time, to when I was 21 and if you had given me this kind of money and put me in this kind of world with these kinds of pressures attached to it and some of the demands, I don’t know (that) I would have handled it any easier than, say, he has.”

Don’t worry, guys. I know the player I just traded for does way too many drugs. But he told me he’s done with them. So seriously, no need to worry.

Because if David Kahn wouldn’t have handled it any easier than Michael Beasley has, then nobody could have handled it any easier. Can you smell what the Kahn is cooking?

Tattoos.

Matt Barnes, whose list of free agent teams was once said to be dwindled down to the Celtics, Mavericks, Lakers and Heat, is in progressing talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Brian Windhorst, Twitter)

Cavs had further talks with F Matt Barnes. Interest is mutual. Cavs like his toughness, Barnes looking for PT. Talks likely to continue.

No deal appears imminent, but the Cavs can likely offer him more playing time than the Celtics. Not to mention more money. But, and this is only a guess, I just don’t think signing Matt Barnes is the way to ease Cleveland’s pain. 

In other Cavs news, Delonte West is rumored to be headed to Minnesota, where he would likely be bought out. Perhaps West would be interested in the minimum to return to Boston? Just do me a favor — keep him the hell away from my mother.