Kahn lays out a plan for growth

New Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn has spent much of his first three weeks on the job meeting with staff members, season ticket holders, the team's minority owners. On Friday, he sat down at breakfast with reporters and talked on a variety of topics:

• He said he still has no timetable for making a decision on the future of coach Kevin McHale, with whom Kahn said he has met twice formally over dinner to discuss the job. He called a Monday meeting in his office an "informal" gathering.

"My time is finite, and we have a draft coming up," Kahn said. "It's pretty obvious the draft has a deadline, the coaching decision doesn't."

• He wants his organization to be much more "extroverted" in its dealings with other teams and he wants to create a winning culture that will attract prospective free agents by being "upbeat" and "energizing." He also said McHale's biggest appeal as coach of such a young team is "he's relentlessly optimistic and positive" and "able to communicate in a positive fashion."

• He'd like to complement a core that he considers Al Jefferson, 24, and Kevin Love, 20, with players in the same "age range" who can all grow together. "It'd be great if we could figure out a trade and bring in somebody 25, 26, 27 who could help our team grow from within," he said. "Otherwise, it is a very painful process."

• He has designated the next 16 months as a transformative time for the franchise and has chosen that time frame because of what he calls its five "significant bubbles of activity": The 2009 and 2010 drafts, when the Wolves could have a combined five first-round draft picks, the free-agency periods those two summers and the trading deadline next February, when they conceivably could have more than $26 million in expiring contracts belonging to Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Ryan Gomes, Mark Madsen, Craig Smith and Bobby Brown.

"It's a 16-month plan to add pieces to this team and make it a better team," Kahn said. "That doesn't mean at the end of 16 months we're going to be a championship team. In fact, I highly doubt it because some of these pieces will be young by nature, through the draft. But I believe we can change the team fundamentally here in the next 16 months."

• On the possibility of moving up in the draft to select either Spanish guard Ricky Rubio or Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet: "I don't know yet. Do you have enough ammunition? You'd assume you'd have to give up 6 (the sixth pick). I do not want to give up 6 to move up to 2. I have a lot of calls starting today and in the next couple weeks to determine that."

• On whether he could another get top-10 draft pick to add to that sixth pick by trading players or the other two first-round picks: "Possibly, possibly. And we would be interested in that."

• On whether the team's third first-round pick, 28th overall, has value in packaging with other picks or players for trades: "I think so because we're being asked to sell it every day, and that's something I'm not interested in doing."

The Wolves are planning something of a point-guard summit workout Friday, when as many as six point guards in a draft thick with good ones will drill against each other at Target Center. Barring a change of heart by their agents, potential sixth picks Jonny Flynn, Brandon Jennings and Jrue Holiday will work out. Steph Curry was expected, too, but his father, Dell, said Friday that his son would work out only for Washington, keeping a commitment he'd made. It's probably an effort to get him drafted by the Knicks.

Memphis guard Tyreke Evans and USC's DeMar DeRozan are expected in next week -- the Wolves will have workouts Friday and Saturday -- but likely will only work out by themselves, as instructed by their agents. The Wolves are working to get Arizona State guard James Harden in town, too.

• Louisville forward Earl Clark, Wake Forest forward James Johnson, St. Mary's guard Patrick Mills and Florida guard Nick Calathes worked out together for the Wolves Friday morning.

Calathes is an interesting prospect because he already has signed a three-year contract with a Greek team. He has until Monday to pull out of the draft if he thinks a season spent in Europe will help his stock for next year's draft. If he doesn't, he'd be an attractive pick for the Wolves with that 28th overall pick (if they keep it) because he could develop in Greece for a year or more. The Wolves would prefer not to have three first-round-pick rookies on next season's team.

• Duke guard Gerald Henderson, Louisville guard Terrence Williams, Texas A&M forward Bryan Davis and San Diego State forward Ryan Amoroso (a former Burnsville High star) are scheduled to work out today.

• The Wolves begin their push toward the draft with an all-day scouting meeting scheduled for Sunday, the first of many before the June 25 draft.