New Wolves coach Adelman looking for leaders

Three hours before he took the court with his new team Friday, Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman talked specifically about his players and his philosophies for the first time.

Here is what he had to say:

Q What did you see in this roster that convinced you to take the job?

A I knew they had a lot of young players. When we played them last year, I was always surprised. I thought they should have won more games. But you're not here, you're not coaching them. You don't know why things happened.

Q How much did your relationship with Kevin Love -- and the chance to coach him -- influence you?

A He's one of their best players. He was someone I kept telling our people in Houston: If you figure out a way to get him with Yao [Ming], then we've got something. I knew what type of player he was, so he gives you a starting point. I'm like everybody: I never thought he was going to rebound like he did last year. That was something.

Q How do you build off the success he has had already?

Q You have 17 days to prepare for the season opener. What do you leave out and what do you emphasize in this short training camp?

A There are two areas, looking at the film: These players have to take some responsibility at the defensive end. It's horrendous the way they approach it. And for as much as they scored, I think they led the league in turnovers. That's decision-making. There's a trust level in the way you play the game at both ends. We have to make them understand this is how we're going to play. I wish we had a couple of veterans coming in who can teach these guys. With a young team, you're looking for who's going to grow. Who's going to buy in? That's what we're looking for the next two weeks.

Q Have you seen enough of Ricky Rubio to know what you have?

A I really haven't. I know one thing: He can really pass the ball. He has great instincts. He sees things. My job is to figure out his best strengths and get him some success early so he has some confidence. That's true of all these guys.

Q How can you get everything out of Michael Beasley that's in there?

Q How do you play a roster filled with so many natural small and power forwards together?

A It's a very short time. I have two exhibition games. I have to figure out who plays the best together. There are two ends of the court. There won't be a regular starting team when we scrimmage and what we decide for the first game may not hold true. And they have to understand that.

Q How much center can Love play?

A We have a number of guys flexible enough to play two positions. A lot depends on the defensive matchups, but I think you're going to see Kevin playing some center.

Q Can you play Love, Beasley and Derrick Williams together much?

Q Can Anthony Randolph play center as well?

A I think he can. He'll have to learn how to use his quickness against a bigger or stronger guy. The biggest thing for me is make these guys understand their strengths, at both ends of the floor.

Q How do you balance trying to win vs. developing this young talent?