Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune reports, via Twitter, that the Timberwolves have invited free-agent forward Joe Alexander, the 8th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, to a workout:
#Timberwolves will take a free look at free agent Joe Alexander next week, but even if they like him, where’s he gonna play?
Jerry Zgoda
JerryZgoda
Alexander, 23, has played in only 67 games over his two NBA seasons, and it’s telling that the Bulls did not pick up the third- or fourth-year options on his rookie scale deal. Alexander, so far, hasn’t parlayed his above-average physical tools into a viable NBA career, with ho-hum averages of 4.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 41.0 percent shooting. His career highlight didn’t even come on the court, but rather in this viral video the Bucks, his original team, made to promote his appearance in the 2009 slam-dunk contest.
But, as Zgoda and Rob Mahoney of ProBasketballTalk point out, Alexander doesn’t figure to be an ideal fit for the Timberwolves even if he excels in his workout. Here’s how Mahoney put it:
Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, and Kevin Love were the leaders in minutes played among Minnesota forwards last season. Gomes has since been traded. The Timberwolves have acquired Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Anthony Tolliver, Martell Webster, Nikola Pekovic, and Lazar Hayward to fill the Gomes void. There are only 96 total minutes to be played per game between both forward slots.
Having said all that, bringing a potential end-of-bench combo forward in for a workout won’t make or break the Wolves’ season. There’s no harm in working him out.