Wolves to be starting 3 weeks of player workouts Wednesday

With the NBA's pre-draft camp officially over, the Timberwolves can begin work on making up for lost time with individual workouts.

By Kent Youngblood, Star Tribune

Last update: June 4, 2007 - 9:58 PM

With the NBA's pre-draft camp officially over, the Timberwolves can begin work on making up for lost time with individual workouts.

New rules designed to encourage better participation in the camp prohibited teams from conducting individual workouts until after the pre-draft camp ended.

Now, with the June 28 draft nearing, those workouts will begin in earnest on Wednesday, when the Wolves will play host to a group that includes Florida forward Joakim Noah, Washington center Spencer Hawes, Towson guard Gary Neal and Wisconsin guard and former Minneapolis North athlete Kammron Taylor.

Wolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg said the three-week window for workouts made it difficult to get them scheduled. Between now and the draft Hoiberg estimates that between 30 and 35 players will come to Minneapolis for workouts. That includes players the team could consider for its first-round pick (No. 7 overall).

The team also will gather info on potential second-round picks and players who could be signed as free agents if they are not drafted.

Much of what the Wolves learn during these trips is gleaned off the court.

"It's having dinner the night before," Hoiberg said. "Or sitting him down and having our team psychologist look at him. It's a full evaluation process, not just watching him on the court. After all, he might have a bad day that day. Or it might be his third workout in four days. But that's why you see this guys so many times during the season."

On the court, the emphasis is putting players in typical NBA situations, particularly one-on-one situations where potential weaknesses might be exposed.

"You might see a guy do something you didn't know he could do," Hoiberg said.

Kent Youngblood • kyoungblood@startribune.com