Six years after his NBA arrival, Pavlovic really hasn't arrived

The shooting guard still hasn't proved himself, but he'll get his chance now.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: October 9, 2009 - 12:27 AM

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NBA PRESEASON WOLVES VS. TORONTO • 7 tonight • Target Center • No TV or radio

Three seasons after he started in the NBA Finals and six years after he first entered the NBA, Sasha Pavlovic has arrived in Minnesota right where he started in the league in 2003: needing to prove himself worthy all over again.

This time, he has a $1.5 million contract and a season to do so. Cleveland traded him to Phoenix last summer as part of the Shaquille O'Neal deal, and the Suns bought out his contract because, Pavlovic said, "they needed to save money."

New Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis endorsed last month's signing of a shooting guard who can, well, shoot and defend because it was an economical deal that addresses the team's biggest needs.

"That's part of the gap, the hole in our roster," Rambis said. "We still don't have enough shooters on this team, those guys who can fill the lane and do things, whether it's attacking the basket, passing the basketball or shooting it. If we want to get up and down the floor, we have to be able to spread the defense out and challenge the defense to get to those guys.

"That's the position that's the hole on this team."

And that's why Pavlovic, 25, is here.

He said he sought out a young team where he could play meaningful minutes, the solution to a problem he says he encountered last season in Cleveland. In the past three seasons there, Pavlovic went from a playoff starter to something of an afterthought.

"It just was a lot of players at my position, and they all played great," said Pavlovic, who will play in tonight's preseason game against Toronto at Target Center. "Cleveland is a great team, and last year I didn't have a chance to play. I had a lot of fun in Cleveland. That's the past. This is a new challenge for me. I was thinking about teams, young teams where I'd have a chance to prove myself in this league. This is a young team, just like I wanted.

"I think it is a perfect fit for me."

Pavlovic is a streaky shooter who, judging from the training camp and Sunday's preseason-opening victory over Milwaukee, just might have the purest shooting stroke on a team that doesn't have many of those.

"I wouldn't call it a pure stroke because usually guys who have a pure stroke are the most consistent shooters," Rambis said. "He's a little off balance when he shoots the ball. That's part of how he gets shots off, but it's also part of why he's inconsistent."

Pavlovic is hopeful significant playing time -- he is the only true experienced shooting guard and one of the team's few real three-point threats -- will allow him to "get my shot back."

"It's not there 100 percent yet, but that's what preseason is for," said Pavlovic, who scored 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting (1-for-4 on threes) Sunday against the Bucks. "I can help in a lot of ways, not just shooting. I think I'm a pretty good defender. I'm going to do my best on defense. The offense is going to come. If we use Al [Jefferson] like we're supposed to use him, there's going to be a lot of open shots outside."

In one summer, Pavlovic has transitioned from a youngster on a title contender to a veteran on a team that basketball boss David Kahn suggests could win more than the 24 games the Wolves won last year, if they stay healthy.

"I used to be one of the youngest guys, now I'm one of the oldest guys," he said. "I like that. I love being here. I'm just going to do everything I can to prove to everybody I can play in this league."

Note

• Jefferson did not participate in Thursday's scrimmage because of an ankle he tweaked earlier in the week, but he is expected to play tonight. Rambis said he expected both Jefferson and Corey Brewer to play beyond the first half they played Sunday.

• Kevin Love practiced without any issues Thursday after getting struck in the throat during Wednesday's practice.

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