Three vs. three

Last update: December 5, 2006 - 10:08 PM

Timberwolves assistant coach Randy Wittman helped us compare and contrast the "big three" from 2003-04 with this season's potential version:

SAM CASSELL VS. MIKE JAMES

• "Sam is bigger, a great shooter and can score in different ways," Wittman said. "He could post up and create mismatches inside, as well as playing outside. ... Mike probably is a little better pick-and-roll player than Sam."

LATRELL SPREWELL VS. RICKY DAVIS

• Like a lot of NBA coaches, Wittman admired Sprewell's smarts. "He understood the game and had been in every situation," the coach said. Offensively, Wittman said, Davis is better at using screens to catch-and-shoot and in the pick-and-roll.

KEVIN GARNETT VS. KEVIN GARNETT

• Garnett's stats are down from 24.2 ppg, 13.9 rpg and 5.0 apg then, to 21.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg and 3.6 apg now. He has added three years and 6,700 minutes since his MVP season. Wittman doesn't notice any slippage. "He's the same dominant player that he's been."

STEVE ASCHBURNER

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