Continued: Harrison happy to have a chance with Wolves

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DENVER — Four years into an NBA career that quite possibly could go no further, David Harrison, the newest and easily biggest Timberwolf, has reached a crossroads with so much to prove.

At age 26, he intends to display a newfound maturity in what he calls perhaps a last chance to "resurrect" his professional life.

Oh, and he wants to demonstrate one other thing, too.

"That I'm not a pothead, I guess," he said.

The Wolves signed the 7-footer to a one-year, nonguaranteed contract, a low-risk move that provides legitimate center size on a roster lacking it. The move also takes a chance on a prospect who was involved in a famous basketball brawl his rookie season with Indiana and was suspended for five games by the NBA last season for violating its antidrug policies.

He said he turned down European teams and nonguaranteed contract possibilities with Chicago and Dallas to sign with the Wolves because he was impressed with Kevin McHale. McHale's friendship with former Celtics teammate Larry Bird, the Pacers executive for whom Harrison played for four seasons, didn't hurt, either.

"McHale's a great man," Harrison said. "From our conversations, I can tell he cares a lot about the game and his players. He just gave me a general sense of well-being. I have to prove to the owners, the fans, my teammates that I am someone who can be depended upon to play both ends of the court and that I'll be ready for 82 games."

Those questions remain four years after the Pacers made him the 29th player selected in the 2004 NBA draft. Harrison said he looks back and sees a pattern of "almost childish anger" that caused Indiana to finally give up on him last summer.

"Almost everything," he said when asked what angered him. "My draft position ticked me off, but at the end of the day, I was still a first-round draft pick. I saw opportunities at Indiana that I wasn't getting and I was impatient. If you look at the Pacers now, if I had been patient and kept my head, I'd probably be their starting center.

"But I didn't do that. That's what I have to prove here, that I'm willing to play and lose myself in the team."

His strained calf -- injured coincidentally during a free-agent workout with the Wolves at Target Center last month -- must heal before he gets that chance. His most productive NBA seasons were his first two, when he averaged about six points, 3.5 rebounds and a blocked shot a game. He has been foul-prone throughout his career. Wolves General Manager Jim Stack calls him a "talented" player "if he can get his head together."

Harrison's 7-foot, 280-pound size theoretically would solve matchup dilemmas the nights Al Jefferson, Kevin Love or injured Jason Collins otherwise would face such traditionally sized centers as Andrew Bynum, Shaquille O'Neal, Greg Oden and Yao Ming.

Wolves coach Randy Wittman said Harrison's low-post game gives him the option to pair Harrison with Jefferson and exploit a mismatch if the other team's center defends Jefferson.

Asked if there's any question whether he has the skills to play in the league, Harrison said, "No, sir. It's always called the 'intangibles.' That's what everyone questions about me."

Harrison was one of five Pacers players charged in a brawl with Detroit fans his rookie season and was the only one not suspended by the NBA. Then there was the five-game drug suspension last January and a one-game, team-imposed suspension in March after he lost his temper during and after a game.

"I've had a really, really weird four years," said Harrison, who played college ball at Colorado. "I would love to be able to sit back and play basketball and just keep it like that. Indiana was a sitcom for a while. I don't want to say sitcom, because it wasn't a joke. It was more like a dramedy.

"It's not easy having a label, deserving a label and trying to break out of it. All I can do is the right things and hopefully everything will work out the way it's supposed to."

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