Timberwolves' Wittman takes long-range view

MINNEAPOLIS — The day after the Timberwolves completed a 22-victory season last spring, Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale said his team could win 20 more games next season, an optimistic, ambitious notion that soon caused his coach to flinch.

Nearly six months later, the Wolves today embark on that next season with rookie Kevin Love and veteran Mike Miller on board and with free agents Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and Craig Smith retained.

Nearly six months later, Wolves coach Randy Wittman prefers not to quantify the Wolves' future with a number.

"That's Kevin, that's not me," he said at the Wolves' annual media day Monday. "I can't sit here and give you (the number of) wins. I never have. We've got to be better.

"The way we played at the end of last year, once (point guard) Randy (Foye) got back for the last 40 games or whatever it was, we've got to start right from that spot and spring forward. We can't start lower than that and work our way back. What is that going to translate into, wins-wise? More wins."

Wittman points to the Portland Trail Blazers' arc of improvement the past three seasons as the model: from 21 victories in the 2005-06 to 32 victories two years ago to an even 41-41 record last season.

Now, with young players Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge returning and rookies Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless on the way, the Blazers are considered the team of the future in a Western Conference — where Tim Duncan in San Antonio, Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal in Phoenix and Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas are growing old.

"We're looking at two years from now, three years from now," Wittman said. "In these next couple years, those teams have some decisions to make. If we can position ourselves, when they're ready to retool their teams, we'll be ready to break through and take their spot."

To do so, Wittman reckons the Wolves' current assembly of young players must improve, and the team must wisely use three extra first-round draft picks it has collected and the salary-cap space it has cleared for 2010's awaited free-agent class.

"It's hard to win 15 more games than the year before," Wittman said. "I don't care if you're going from 10 to 25 or from 22 to 37 and from 40 to 55. That's hard. But we've got to make a progression."

He was asked Monday whether he believes management will stick with him long enough for him to see those days two or three years from now.