Minnesota Timberwolves' Keepers and Sleepers

Minnesota's roster of 15 players aren't the highest-quality players in the world, but some of them are all right for Minny's future. So who should stay in the long run, and who should be out of here?

Mark Blount — Sleeper — OK, he's basically just a salary dump at the end of the season, so why even bother going into more detail? In the long run, we kind of got the short end of the stick on two consecutive deals, and wound up with Blount for Telfair, Madsen, and Smith.

Corey Brewer — Keeper — He's an improving player. Has he lived up to the No. 7 pick expectations? No. Not yet. But there's no reason to give up on him just yet, he's the Wolves' third-leading scorer and the blocks leader.

Brian Cardinal — Sleeper — Brings a little of the Mad Dog (Mark Madsen) cheerleader flair, but not enough to stay consistent with his $6,750,000 salary. Sorry.

Wayne Ellington — Keeper — Exactly what the Wolves need, a consistent scorer. My strategy: play him with Brewer. Get an intimidating defender who has trouble on offense, and then have Ellington, who is the parallel opposite. 

Jonny Flynn — Keeper — The Wolves' future PG. He is playing extremely well, and could see a ROY in his future. Maybe even a spot on the All-Star team in the coming years.

Ryan Gomes — Sleeper — Sorry, but Gomes will not be on the Wolves in a few years. He has great trade value because he is a developed player in most aspects, but he's 27 already, and the Wolves need to start making some good trades, even if he is co-captain.

Jason Hart — Sleeper — Just a filler player for the year. He'll be off the roster next summer, and he may develop into a solid bench player for a few years, but this guy isn't doing much with his career.

Ryan Hollins — Keeper — No on else will take a chance on him, so there's no trade value, but the 7'0'' center brings so much athleticism that has proven effective in game situations. Great backup, if I've ever seen one.

Nathan Jawai — Sleeper — Many players come to the Wolves when their career seems to be sliding downhill, and Jawai is showing some promise with his big dunks and presence. Even if he does develop more, it won't be enough to compete with Love or Jefferson's playing time.

Al Jefferson — Keeper — I hear people questioning what his state is after his big injury. I think he's going to be fine, he just needs a little time to get settled again. He's still going to be at least one of the top Wolves, if not then the best.

Kevin Love — Keeper — He could go for some pretty good trade value if he and Al can't work well together, but he's still going to be a T-Wolf for the next few years. We just signed his extension, he's not going anywhere ... now...

Sasha Pavlovic — Sleeper — I think he could revive his career here, but I don't think he'll have his career here. It's probably going to turn out like Anthony Carter, who last year was a decent backup for Chauncey Billups after playing the backup point guard under Sam Cassell.

Oleksiy Pecherov — Sleeper — There's a reason we didn't sign his extension.

Ramon Sessions — Sleeper — There's no spot for Sessions on this squad. He is going to be an amazing player, but don't be surprised if he isn't on the Timberwolves in two to three years. Flynn is our point guard, and Sessions looks like our second or third best player, and those types of players shouldn't play backup, especially not for other really good players. I wouldn't want to be Sessions right now ...

Damien Wilkins — Sleeper — He is playing really well right now. But his contract expires next season, there are a ton of better fish in the sea, and people may want to come to the land of 10,000 lakes next summer because of Big Al, Flynn, and Kahn. When we have over $10 million to blow, it won't be on players like Wilkins.

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