MinnesotaSportsScene.com

An Orlando rental home is something Timberwolves Coach Randy Wittman, no longer an interim guy, could have been looking into if things had gone a bit differently the last couple years.

As an assistant with the Orlando Magic, Wittman opted in the summer of 2006 to move back to Minnesota and take the same position with the Timberwolves under Coach Dwane Casey. When Casey was let go last January, Wittman because the Wolves interim head coach and is now the owner of a multi-year deal to remove the interim from his title with the Wolves.

Had he stayed in Orlando, Wittman could very easily have been the new head coach of Orlando now, instead of the Wolves, according to the Pioneer Press’ Charley Walters.

In a lot of ways, the Wolves might have been better off, and perhaps even Wittman might have, as well. Wittman, with the Magic, would have a less messy roster to manage. And the Wolves would have possibly kept Casey on for the full season before letting him go.

Had the team still crashed and decided to go in a different direction than Casey in the off-season, they would have pursued with more earnestness coaches who might have been a better match for Minnesota, including my personal favorite, Wolves veteran Sam Mitchell.

But for now, it’s Wittman we’re stuck with. Let’s hope that 12-win half-season was a result of taking a dive to retain a draft pick this season, rather than a true indication if Wittman’s ability to coach these Wolves.

Troy Williamson, a former second-round pick by the Vikings now entering his third NFL season this fall, may find himself battling during summer camp: not just for a starting role, but for a roster spot of any kind. His only virtue, at this point, is that he’s currently the Vikings receiver who has been with the team the longest.

But unless Williamson’s “dropsies” improve following his time at the Nike Eye Clinic, and his catching improves on a Jake Reed-style scale, Williamson may have trouble even making the Vikings roster this year.

That’s not because the Vikings are necessarily deep with experienced receivers, but simply because so many promising and talented young receivers will be battling for roster spots, also.

Leading the pack is former Chicago Bear and Tennessee Titan Bobby Wade; while he’s not setting the record books on fire, he has more career NFL catches than any other Viking receiver currently on the roster… at only 101 over four seasons.

While that’s nothing that’s gonna buy an NFL player a year-round vacation home rental, it’s about the best the Vikings have left on a team that only a couple years ago boasted Randy Moss, Koren Robinson, Marcus Robinson and Travis Taylor, with Williamson as a then-promising rookie.

Battling for the second receiver spot opposite Wade are Williamson and this year’s second-round pick, Sidney Rice, with Rice looking like the leading contender for the starting nod in pre-summer camp workouts.

Also competing for spots on the Vikings roster this season are two strong later-round draft picks Aundrae Allison and Chandler Williams, as well as fifth-year veterans Billy McMullen and Randy Hymes. Also on the team is rookie free agent Todd Lowber, a former track star who never has played organized football. And training camp favorite from last year, practice squad member Jason Carter is expected to make a bid for a roster spot also.

Some will work out; others won’t. But on a Vikings team with both RB Chester Taylor and rookie RB Adrian Peterson looking for at least 15 carries apiece, and a young, inexperienced QB like Tavaris Jackson looking to ease into the starting role, it’s not likely the Vikings will be airing it out as much this season as have Vikings teams of the past decade or so.

The Vikings could keep as few as five receivers his season; if some of these younger, less expensive WRs work out, and it comes down to a cheap rookie like Lowber versus an expensive bust like Williamson has been so far, who do you think the Vikings will keep and who do you think the Vikings will trade?

Bottom line: if even three of these other players behind Wade look dependable, don’t think the Vikings will keep Williamson around to be the team’s fifth receiver.

While we’re finally entering the time of hear when folks start making their summer vacation plans and about spending time at their vacation rentals, baseball fans are thinking about what a boneheaded move the Minnesota Twins may have made in opting to sign Justin Morneau to a one-year deal this past winter, rather than a contract identical to the four-year, $33 million deal they tendered to Joe Mauer.

Morneau not only one the AL MVP honors last season, but seems well on his way to competing for that honor again this year. So far this season, Morneau is hitting .282 with 14 homers and 33 RBIs, a pace that could have him on track for close to 50 homers and 120 or so RBIs.

At that pace, not only would Morneau get his second AL MVP award this year, but a four-year deal could end up costing the Twins considerably more than $33 million.

Bad gamble.

The addition of Timberwolves assistant Vince Taylor to Coach Tubby Smith’s Gophers men’s basketball staff is the latest coup but the University of Minnesota to put together a top-notch staff that will help Coach Smith return the Gophers to national greatness. Taylor has far more experience as a recruiter in college ball than he did as an NBA assistant, and between Taylor and Smith, the Gophers should quickly become a magnet for top-notch talent nationwide.

Now, sure, Tubby missed out on luring PG Jai Lucas to the Gophers, but consider the circumstances. Lucas nearly joined Tubby in Kentucky until Tubby went to Minnesota, and Lucas gave Tubby an open ear on the Gophers program. But keep in mind, Lucas signed with national champion Florida … a school just about anyone would find nearly impossible to turn down, especially when the alternative is working on rebuilding a Gophers team that’s gonna take a couple years to rebuild.

Still, the future is bright for the Gophers. Once Lucas opted out of the Gophers, Smith landed PG Nate Garth of Dallas, TX, another nationally-scouted recruit. While Garth doesn’t have the pedigree of Lucas, he is still a nationally-ranked recruit who will be a notable upgrade for the Gophers when he joins the squad. And he’s the type of recruit that never would have given Jim Molinari or Dan Monson the time of day.

In recent years, the low-profile Gophers have had more graduates searching for student loan consolidation programs than they’ve had searching for NBA Draft agents. Student loan consolidation is a great help for those who need it, but not so great for graduates of a Big 10 basketball program.

If Smith continues to draw this kind of top-notch talent to the U of M, it won’t take long before that situation reverses itself.

Well, team pariah… err, I mean president Kevin McHale had better cancel his deposit on those Las Vegas luxury condos he was hoping to retire in after winning the lottery and drafting Greg Oden to be Kevin Garnett’s front-court pal on a trip to the NBA Finals. Ain’t gonna happen.

Why? Well, because like always the Wolves failed to move up in the NBA Draft Lottery. Why should 2007 be any different? Considering we’re signing Randy Wittman to a three-year coaching deal he has done nothing to earn and keeping McHale employed and empowered, the Wolves don’t really deserve to move up and get Greg Oden anyway.

Portland, who had just as good a chance as the Wolves to get the top pick, actually did move up and secure the Oden pick. Seattle moved up, also, securing the second pick, which is likely to go to Kevin Durant.

Falling short of those two, the player that makes the best fit for the Wolves is Florida post player Al Horford. But with his stock rising, it looks more and more like at the seven spot, the Wolves will be stuck with either the less-inspiring Joakim Noah or Chinese post player Yi Lianjian. Neither is considered to be quite in the same league as Horford, Durant or Oden.

Maybe the Wolves can pull off a draft-day trade to lose some of their bad-contract players and move up a few spots to secure the rights to Horford. Of course, SF Corey Brewer might be available, also, and wouldn’t be so bad; but that would work only if the Wolves could find a trading partner willing to take on Ricky “Icky” Davis.

If not… well… It’ll be 2010 before the Wolves have to worry about where they fall in the draft lottery anyway. Thanks a lot, McHale…

As part of his campaign to “sell hope” to Minnesota Timberwolves fans, owner Glen Taylor recently spoke out in the press, admitting that he’s tired of his team losing. Does he think he’s alone in this? What about Garnett? What about us fans?

Trouble is, he can say the right things all he wants, but deciding to keep both McHale and Coach Wittman on board is not a good start.

Too many of the Wolves’ headache-inducing players have contracts lasting three or more seasons, making them all but untradable. “Gee, you’re asking me to take on an expensive, lazy, ineffective player AND keep him around for three to five more seasons? No thanks!”

There are better coaches available than Wittman, as well. Former Timberwolf Sam Mitchell is one who might be a good fit, and there are some surprising names on the market as well, coaches who could inject excitement back into the Wolves the way hiring Tubby Smith injected interest back into Gophers hoops.

But standing pat with McHale and Wittman in place for next year, without at least LOOKING into upgrading those personnel, is not the right way to start. They’re about as welcome in Minnesota as a New York ticket broker.

While he may have a passing knowledge of Callaway golf out on the links, new Gophers men’s hoops coach, the legendary Tubby Smith, knows his college basketball.

And he’s proving he has the recruiting chops not only to keep up with Gophers football coach Tim Brewster, but with his fellow Big 10 hoops coaches as well. While Smith doesn’t have much room to work with on next season’s roster, he’s vowed to recruit at every Minnesota school with a boy’s hoops program and is making good on the promise.

He’ll also reach out beyond state lines soon, but it’s nice to see a coach who knows building a championship-caliber team in Minnesota at least BEGINS with keeping the best in-state players at home, even if it doesn’t end there.

We expect Coach Smith to be highly successful, given a couple years to get some of his own recruits in place. The Gophers are now a threat to become a hotter ticket than the Wolves; Wolves, beware!

RB Adrian Peterson fell the the Minnesota Vikings at the seventh overall pick and in drafting him, the Vikings may have picked up the best franchise RB ever to wear the purple and gold. While time and injuries will tell the tale for sure, Peterson is almost certainly the most talented rookie the team has ever drafted. Even classic Vikes RB Bill Brown may need to worry about Peterson overshadowing him

If Peterson stays healthy.

Peterson’s collarbone injury remains the biggest - and just about only - question about the powerful, breakaway Oklahoma running back. Peterson is the biggest home run threat the Vikes have had since Robert Smith retired; if Peterson can avoid Smith’s injury history, he could be a great one.

Last season made a lot of Vikings fans more interested in Red Sox tickets than Vikings tickets. Peterson should eventually cure that ill.