By Cory Elfrink
June 26, 2009 5:29pm CDT

Kevin McHale has finally been removed from the Timberwolves franchise, and new GM David Kahn has taken over. His early moves have been met with a lot of criticism. He first traded away Mike Miller and Randy Foye for spare parts and the fifth overall pick. Kahn they followed up by picking point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn back-to-back in the draft. Now the Wolves must find their new coach. There were not a lot of positives to take from their 24-win season, although they won more games than any other team in January. Al Jefferson was then lost for the season, but Kevin Love did seem to get better throughout the year.

Cap situation: $56.9 million committed to 15 players. League salary cap estimated at $58 million for 2009-2010 season.

Returning players: Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Ryan Gomes, Craig Smith, Corey Brewer, Sebastian Telfair, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen, and Bobby Brown. Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas, and Oleksiy Pecherov added via trade.

Rookies: Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington, and Henk Norel (likely staying overseas).

Key free agents: Shelden Williams ($4.3 million team option) and Rodney Carney ($2.5 million team option).

Five Burning Questions

1) What just happened?!
Earlier this week, the Timberwolves dealt Foye and Miller for the No. 5 pick in the draft, Thomas, Songaila, and Pecherov. For a full analysis of this trade (pre-draft), please click here. They then struck it rich in the lottery when Rubio fell to the No. 5 spot. Rubio is the best playmaker in the draft and has a chance to be the well-oiled engine of an explosive offense. Kahn was looking like a genius. With the No. 6 overall pick, he selected... Jonny Flynn? That left the T'Wolves with the top two rated point guards in the draft and a large elephant in the room: Will Rubio pay his absurd buyout in order to come play with Flynn in Minnesota? Following the draft, Rubio told Spanish newpapers, "It's surprising that, aside from me, they chose another point guard at No. 6, but let's see what they want." It remains to be seen, but Kahn seems convinced the two undersized and defensively-challenged players can operate in the same backcourt. On the other hand, Rubio is in a prime position to demand a trade, and I think there's a good chance the new GM finds one.

2) Who coaches this team?
The team will start conducting its coaching search shortly after draft night. There are a number of possibilities out there including Mark Jackson, Sam Mitchell, Avery Johnson, Stan Van Gundy, Brian Shaw, Reggie Theus, Bill Laimbeer, and Mike Fratello. Jackson has been recently rumored to be among the front runners, and he makes some sense in that the team will be developing young point guards. Mitchell has previously won a Coach of the Year award with the Raptors and he played in Minnesota through some of their best seasons. Johnson has a .735 winning percentage in 264 career games as a coach, and he has also been to an NBA Finals. Laimbeer, the most successful coach in WNBA history, recently stepped down from the Detroit Shock in hopes of finding an NBA coaching job. Personally, I think they need to find a trade involving one of their two lottery picks before they start narrowing their coaching search.

3) Will Rubio play in the NBA next season?
Following the draft, Rubio told Spanish journalists with El Pais, "Right now I wouldn't rule out at all returning to Spain... It's a team that would even wait a year for me, so we'll see if I come over next year or not." Rubio's buyout with his team, DKV Joventut, has been rumored to be anywhere from $3 million to $8 million, and NBA rules prohibit their franchises from contributing more than $800,000. Rubio will be needing to land some sponsorships in a hurry to afford the buyout as he made less than $300,000 in basketball salary over the last two seasons. As mentioned above, I think Rubio will demand a trade from Minnesota, and if he doesn't get moved, I think its 50-50 that he plays in the NBA next season. We may have to wait for free agency before anything happens as sign-and-trade deals with New York and Atlanta make a little bit of sense.

4) Should they sign free agents this summer or next?
With 15 players currently signed to for next year, the Timberwolves have a full roster. Amazingly, they don't appear to have a shooting guard on board! Given the dramatic difference between this summer's free agent crop and next year's, it seems like a no-brainer to use this season to develop players, install a new coach and philosophy, and save the cap space for the 2010 free agent crop. If they hold onto their expiring contracts, the team will be more than $25 million under the cap with a solid group of returning players. They also will have three first-round picks in 2010, as it stands now.

5) When will Al Jefferson be back and can he be an All-Star?
Jefferson has statistically out-produced Kevin Garnett since the two were traded for each other two summers ago. Of course, Garnett's Celtics have won a ring and Jefferson's squad has been at the bottom of its division. However, 50 games into last season, Jefferson tore the ACL in his right knee. The 24-year-old is believed to be ahead of schedule in his recovery, but he still figures to be limited throughout training camp and the preseason. He promises to be "better than ever" when he returns, and if he is, there will be no way to keep him out of the All-Star game. He has averaged more than 21 points and 11 rebounds in two seasons with the Wolves.

Ideal Situation:
Like it or not, this has to be another rebuilding season in Minnesota, and it will be one under a new regime. There are a number of coaches out there, and the team will have to conduct a thorough search to find the right leader. Hopefully they can find a big sign-and-trade deal with New York that involves David Lee and Wilson Chandler for Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love, and Etan Thomas ($7.35 million expiring). Perhaps add in Eddy Curry and Brian Cardinal ($6.75 million expiring deal)? Out of control, but the type of move I could see the roster-gouging Kahn and the 2010-minded Knicks making. Lee's deal would have to be $9-$14 million in his first year for it to work financially.

Resulting Depth Chart
PG: Jonny Flynn/Sebastian Telfair/Bobby Brown
SG: Wilson Chandler/Wayne Ellington
SF: Ryan Gomes/Corey Brewer
PF: David Lee/Craig Smith/Oleksiy Pecherov/Darius Songaila
C: Al Jefferson/Eddy Curry/Mark Madsen

Strengths: Youth, rebounding, scoring, three more first rounders next year
Weaknesses: Youth, no playoff experience, too many tweeners