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As the NBA playoffs begin, and my favorite team is once again as involved in them as I am, I've had enough time to digest this last Wolves season. A two-win improvement from last year is obviously a disappointment. But there are a few bright spots moving forward.

The first? K-Mac is going to be gone. Have you heard him give an interview lately? There's no chance he's coming back. So with his stain gone from the franchise forever, hopefully some common sense and logic can be introduced to the operations of the franchise. As far as Glen Taylor's search for a replacement decision-maker goes, I have only this to say: Please, Glen, PLEASE don't promote someone from within the organization.

The Wolves need a fresh voice, someone who hasn't learned the ropes from McHale, who hasn't helped engineer some of the team's recent drafts. The Wolves next general manager needs to be someone with experience running a pro franchise and a track record of building a winner. McHale actually has done an O.K job setting the team up for the future. He's got a few solid pieces in place, and he's arranged cap space and a bevy of future draft picks. But, thankfully, he won't be able to blow them on someone like Kelenna Azubuike.

Really, though, McHale's front-office successor doesn't have as difficult a job ahead of him as it might seem. Lousy record or not, I watched almost every Timberwolves game this year, and I know they have some solid pieces in place. Randy Foye, Kevin Love, and Al Jefferson are all legitimate buiding blocks. You can win with those three growing up together in your starting line up. Throw in solid rotation players Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, and potentially Corey Brewer, and you could make the argument that the next GM needs to make one or two smart decisions, and the Wolves will officially have a good foundation.

As far as the team's next coach, I wanted Flip Saunders. But with him going to Washington, my next choice would be Sam Mitchell. The Wolves ties make him a sentimental choice, one that would for sure boost ticket sales and excitement surrounding the team. But it's not just that. Sammy was the coach of the year like three years ago only. He's defense-oriented, and the Wolves young players need to learn a thing or two about defense. And he played in the NBA recently, so players would logically have an easier time relating to him, and thus respecting and playing hard for him. I think the most underrated aspect of NBA coaching is simply how much your players like and respect you.

Rodney Carney is a free agent this offseason. I'd like to see him back, but ONLY if it's with the understanding that his playing time will decrease next season, as opposed to increase. That with Gomes, the return of Corey Brewer, and potentially another athletic small forward added to the roster, he'll see time only when the Wolves are playing a team with a slew of perimeter scorers to guard, or when they really want to run. Carney did some good things this season, but I'm worried that Wolves management will see him in a sixth-man role next year. I don't think he's that good.

I'm excited about Brewer coming back. Next season will likely be a make-or-break year for him as a Wolf, and I hope he does well. There's no overstating how valuable a defensive stopper who doesn't need--or want-- plays called for him is to a team. Brewer is long and quick enough to guard the NBA's top scorers, and he looked like he was really learning to finish on the fast break before he got hurt this year.

Kevin Love exceeded even my expectations this year. He got off to a bumpy start, while O.J. Mayo was scoring like a madman, and I started to get dubious. But now, if the Grizzlies called and offered Mayo for Love straight-up? No, thanks. I had no idea he'd be that good a rebounder, and he's improved at least 60 percent as a low-post scorer this year. He's going to be an absolute force alongside Al next year.

The team's biggest needs going into the offseason? A pure, starting-caliber point guard (Foye is better suited as a shooting guard, and Telfair is ideally a change-of-pace backup) and a shot-blocking center (Al and Love are good, but there are minutes available for someone taller than 6-9 who can defend the rim). And if we're not confident in Brewer's development, then an athletic swingman also. They have the resources to fill at least two of those needs, and I think that'd improve the team 10-15 wins next year. If the aforementioned point guard can somehow end up being Ricky Rubio, my head would explode.

I'm not that high on Hasheem Thabeet, though. For some reason, he screams "BUST!" to me. But I'll admit, I'd be pretty excited to have a big man rotation of Love, Al, and Thabeet (who we would really need to think of a cool nickname for). If Thabeet turns out to be the shot-blocker every one thinks he'll be, would those three not have the potential to absolutely dominate the league once they all matured? I think they would.