KAHN YOU DIG IT?

(Said in my best Shaquille O'Neal voice)

Well, can you? After 15 mostly excrutiating years, Kevin McHale is finally, totally, completely, and absolutely out of the Minnesota Timberwolves organization. He is now free to spend all of his time fishing, hunting and sitting by the lake at his cabin nestled somewhere in the Northwoods...which I suppose really won't be any different for him that when he was supposedly working for the Wolves (and you thought I couldn't resist one last chance to take a McHale cheap shot?)

His replacement is none other than Mr. David Kahn! Now, now, let's settle down, everyone. You there, stop printing those Timberwolves championship t-shirts! You, with the "16 Months Til A Title!" hat, take it easy. Let's all take a deep breath, allow for one last giggle that McHale is no longer involved/running the Minnesota Timberwolves, and try to put some things in perspective here.

First, did I mention Kevin McHale is gone? Oh, right I did. Ok apparently I need to calm down too. But just because he is doesn't mean the Wolves road to an NBA title is paved with glory, riches, and hopefully a watchable basketball team. Mr. Kahn has said some interesting, provocative, and dare I say it, logical things about the state of the basketball club, but let's not forget that Glen Taylor is still in charge and that other than NOT re-hiring McHale, Kahn really hasn't done anything yet.

Kahn has promised big changes and a contending team in the next 16 months, and if he pulls it off, he should run for mayor of Minneapolis, governor of the state, and leader of the free world. Things GM say at press conferences are a lot like running for office- once you've got the job, those campaign promises can go right out the window. While Kahn's latest comments to the Strib are refreshing and point towards a different direction (ie- competency), they're not going to mean much if he doesn't do much.

Then again, at least he's saying something different and refreshing, which we never got with McHale other than "do you know how hard it is to make a trade in the NBA these days?", "do you know how hard it is to fly fish with one hand and talk on my cell with the other?" or "my laptop battery always dies after the first five hours in the fishing boat."

From Kahn we actually got an honest assessment of where the T-Pups are at: that this team is NOT a contender right now (at this time last year McHale and Hoiberg were telling anyone who would listen that the Wolves should win 40 games and compete for a playoff spot), that on a title contender Al Jefferson would only be the second best player and that Kevin Love would be a 6th man (even I don't think I'd got that far but still), and that nobody on the roster is off-limits for trades.

These are all things I've been dying to hear from the 600 1st Avenue Country Club (as KFAN's Dan Barreiro calls it), and is hopefully the beginning of big changes and better days ahead. However, let's not forget that Glen Taylor is still running the team and calling the shots- it's because of him McHale lasted 15 years and was allowed to make so many ghastly decisions. Has the "Country Club" really been shut down, or have they just accepted some new members?

We'll start to get an idea this Thursday at the NBA draft, as Kahn will have every opportunity to make some moves, and reshape the roster as he sees fit. He'll hire a coach (which is about the most overrated part of his job- honestly, the difference between NBA head coaches is so neglible, especially for a team in the Wolves' situation. We saw in the playoffs what good and bad coaching can do, but really it doesn't matter whether it's Sam Mitchell, Mark Jackson, Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach or John Wooden coaching in 2009-10, because it's not going to matter one bit unless Kahn puts a lot more talent on the roster), then dive into free agency shortly after.

Will we have a 50 win playoff contender in 16 months as he promises? The chances are about as good as Tavaris Jackson ever becoming a competent QB (meaning they're slim to none), but if Kahn can reshape the roster and at least put a team out there that shows the promise of the playoffs, that would be enough to satisfy me. And after 15 years of McHale, we know that would be more than enough to satisfy Glen Taylor.