Minny will not be on the decline. Not with KG and Flip around. Sammy and Chokewell can easily be replaced. Remember Jackson (SacTown backup PG) will be a free agent next year - he played college ball in Minny for the gg. That solves the PG at leats potentialy and speculatively speaking. Mobley is a free agent - they can go after him. They still have Wally and the dreadlock wering PG within their folder. And with KG scoring 25ppg and pulling down 15 boards, you will always be a contender imho.
We will look to upgrade at SF,PF and PG through free agency and the draft. Don't expect much unless we get lucky. If we can upgrade that will be great. Here are the long term development priorities: 1. Sign Yao long term 2. Get a steal of a player the next 1 st round pick 3. Upgrade if possible through free agency. With Yao and TMac the cornerstones are in place. The rest will depend on the surrounding cast. I don't think the coach will make that big of a difference unless we take a step backward. JVG is the hard nose, fundemental, defensive coach type. There are other ways to go, but it still comes down to the players- Hakeem made Rudy great, Jordan, Shaq and Kobe made P Jackson great, Duncan makes Pop look great and Garnett makes Flip look good. Sloan is a very good coach but how many rings does he have? It still comes down to the players.
Even assuming that Minny gets a Bobby Jackson and a Mobley, which are excellent suggestions, I think the Rockets will be a tough matchup for Minnesota. They can't match up with Yao and we can't match up with KG. But I've always maintained, and I think history shows, that teams with a dominant center > teams with a dominant PF. Also, and more importantly, they will have no answer for Tmac. San Antonio is an even bigger problem for Minny, as KG really can't match up with Duncan.
I completely agree with your takes on this issue. Minny is dependent on ifs while our core is set and looks formidable. Getting the necessary parts to complement Tmac and Yao will not be a cake walk but should not be rockets science either. I love our chances. I am even confident that we could go far this year if we stay health and Yao improve as expected into a solid 20/10 guy this season.
