Nearly every fellow scribe I run into here in Las Vegas greets me with the same look of puzzlement and same line:

"What the hell is he doing?"

I know it's been debated here at length whether unorthodox Wolves hire David Kahn is mad scientist or simply mad.

You look at the moves he has made here just these last two days and you can choose one of two schools of thought over his acquisition of Michael Beasley and trade of $42 million man Al Jefferson:

Either he was hired by Glen Taylor and Rob Moor in May 2009 as a cost-cutting beancounter whose main job was to slash payroll and either make the team less of a money loser and perhaps a candidate for sale somewhere down the road.

Or...

He's a salary-cap savant aiming at making a ginormous splash and on the verge sometime in the next year of putting the team on the fast track to respectability.

After dealing away Jefferson and his huge contract, the Wolves' oldest player is Ryan Hollins (25) and their highest-paid player is Beasley (just a hair under $5 million).

If Kahn was indeed hired to win a championship and not just cut costs for a CEO (Moor) who thinks the Clippers are a model franchise, then what is Kahn poised to do?

Answer: Just about whatever he wants.

The Wolves' salary cap now, even with Ricky Rubio's salary hold, can't be much more than $40 million.

The NBA's salary cap this upcoming season is a smidge over $58 million.

That's lots and lots of money, folks.

Kahn could sign Luke Ridnour or Shaun Livingston or just about any other free-agent guard out there left to sign.

But he now also has the salary cap cushion, a couple extra first-round picks and young players like Corey Brewer, Wesley Johnson, Kevin Love or Jonny Flynn to make a play for a big-money player, maybe even a blooming superstar.

Andre Iguodala or Kevin Martin?

Nah, think much bigger.

Carmelo Anthony?

Maybe not that big, because he's unsigned after this season.

How 'bout Josh Smith?

Why oh why another power forward, you ask?

He's both small forward and power forward.

So is Beasley.

Smith is due about $37 million over the next three seasons ($5 million less than Jefferson) for a financially conscious Atlanta team that just agreed to give Joe Johnson $119 million.

He's also just 24 and a run-and-jumping shot blocker who could be on the verge of perennial All Star status.

If you're serious about contending, would you roll the dice on a trifecta of Smith, Beasley and Ricky Rubio for the next decade?

Of course, this is me just thinking out loud.

Or blogging out loud.

Of course, you could substitute a guy like Danny Granger in for Smith, but I like Smith better for his shot blocking, defensive presence and he doesn't have suspect knees either.

What do you think?

Who would you go after?