Among decisions the Wolves need to make in the off-season is whether to remain committed to Sebastian Telfair at point guard and Randy Foye at shooting guard. Awhile back you could have advertised them as the team’s future backcourt but neither player has earned our confidence.
Telfair, 23, has been coming off the bench lately with 36-year-old Kevin Ollie starting games at point guard. Ollie was among the last to earn a roster spot in the fall, beating out Blake Ahern for a job. It’s been obvious throughout the season that the Wolves sometimes preferred Ollie, a .400 percent shooter, to Telfair for his ability to run the offense.
Telfair averages 9.8 points per game, making .383 percent of his field goals. His average of 4.5 assists ranks him 33rd among players in the 30 team NBA. The five-year veteran apparently isn’t making enough progress for the Wolves to justify giving him more than about 27.8 minutes per game, or provide two previous teams reason to regret his departure. Telfair is averaging 3.9 assists and making .389 percent of his field goals during his NBA career.
Foye’s three year NBA resume includes too much missed time because of injuries including the 2007-2008 season when he played in only 39 games. Now a late season hip injury has caused him to miss the last eight games.
Whether playing point guard or shooting guard, Foye, like Telfair, shows no great basketball IQ with his playmaking or creativity, nor is either player a defensive stopper. On a roster desperate for talent, the role of No.2 star after center Al Jefferson was presented to Foye this season, but he hasn’t earned that label. He’s taken plenty of shots and averaged 16.3 points per game but he’s made only .407 percent of his field goals.
We’ve known for awhile that Foye, 25 isn’t going to be Brandon Roy, the almost superstar who the Wolves once drafted only to trade to Portland for Foye. On a team searching for better guard play, the hope had been the disparity between the two wouldn’t be so wide.
The Wolves, who have exceptional front court players in Jefferson and Mr. Double-Double Kevin Love, will need better guards to make a push for .500 basketball and the playoffs during coming years. This may require a changing of the guard.