Trudell: What are a few things you want to see from Foye and James in the first training camp practice? Babcock: Randy and Mike are two multi-talented guards who have a lot to offer our team. As a rookie, we would like to see Randy just focus on working hard and learning what the coaches want from him. We want to see him make adjustments on a regular basis as he learns about the league. From Mike, we want to see him use his skills, his experience, his leadership and his toughness to help take this team to the competitive level that we need to compete in the playoffs. Trudell: Minnesota's backcourt is loaded with talent, from the two guys we've been talking about to Ricky Davis and Trenton Hassell (who can also play the three), Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric, Anthony Carter and (when healthy) Rashad McCants. Your job is to bring talent in, and let coach Casey worry about the minutes, right? Babcock: That's the coaches' responsibility, to figure out how to use these guys. Some of those swing players can play the three spot, so there is flexibility to be able to do lots of things. We have eight players that can play the guard position, and some people might look at that and say, "They're overloaded, what are they going to do?" Or you can look at it and say, "What are the positives out of this? What kind of matchup problems can we create for other teams, what kind of combinations and looks can we put out to change the tempo of the game?" You kind of look at that and think, there are at least four explosive scorers in that group, with Davis, James, Hudson, and Foye. Three of them have proven that they can score at this level, and Randy has to prove it. The other three guys, every one has had 30-point nights in the NBA. The coaches will make it work. Trudell: What have you seen from Hudson and Davis this offseason? Babcock: Troy has been working out, and he looks good. He looks healthy, is moving well and shooting the lights out, which is a really good sign for our basketball team. Ricky has been in here working out on and off all summer, really hard, and I think everybody is pumped up to come out and get back in the playoffs. There is a real motivation for everybody, including the players and the staff. Trudell: What can you say about Trenton Hassell heading into training camp? Babcock: Trenton has really been working hard. I was talking to him the other day, and he has a great attitude -- he's been in the league for a while now, and he understands what his strengths and weaknesses are. He is somebody who can make a three-point shot, but he is not a good enough three-point shooter where you start running stuff for him. But he's working hard at trying to become a good three-point shooter, so that it makes it tougher for people to defend him. He's also working on his ball handling. I like his approach, because some players have a tendency to be content with what they do well, and just keep working on their strengths while trying to avoid their weaknesses. He is one that is really working hard on his weaknesses. Trudell: OK, cool. We'll get you out of here with a final thought on what Timberwolves fans can expect from their guards for the 2006-07 season. Babcock: I think the coaches are going to be able to get just about everything that they need out of our guards. There isn't that "true" point guard, and if you look at that group, it's the one thing that you might question. But the answer is, if you design your system appropriately, you don't have to have a true point guard. The Dallas Mavericks went to the finals last season and had a great year, without a true point guard on their team. Jason Terry and Devin Harris aren't true point guards. It certainly can be done. So take that out, and I think at the guard position we have just about everything that we need. We have shooters, finishers, size, quickness, transition scorers, guys that can post up, put the ball on the floor, and good defenders. With Mike James and Troy Hudson healthy, the three-point capability of our team goes way up. If you have both of those guys on the court at the same time, you better get out and cover them, because they can knock it down. That's the variety of what you need, and it's exciting. Trudell: Thanks a lot Rob. We'll see you back here soon as we examine the T-Wolves' frontcourt in our next pre-training camp installment. --

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