McCants finds new niche

MINNEAPOLIS — Near the end of his first official practice with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, Rashad McCants faced a predicament.

His team for a half-court scrimmage had seven players, but only five could be on the floor at once. McCants decided to show off his humility and offered to sit out first in his group. He is no longer a star. He now has to defer, rather than be deferred to.

“It’s OK,” McCants said as he stepped off the court. “I’m the rookie.”

“That don’t mean shit,” shot back superstar forward Kevin Garnett, who was playing on the opposing team.

“Rookie wanna play a lot.”

Source-The Daily Tar Heel



Playing a lot has been a given for McCants since he first picked up a basketball. At Erwin High School, at New Hampton Prep, even at UNC, he was the center of attention.

In his first game as a Tar Heel he scored 28 points. How’s that for an entrance.
But you won’t see McCants scoring 28 points for the Timberwolves. That’s Garnett’s job. McCants is not expected, or needed, to be a significant contributor this year for a franchise that has been a perennial playoff contender.

Contrast that with his fellow Tar Heel National Champions: Raymond Felton and Sean May are the centerpiece of the Bobcats’ media blitz, and Marvin Williams is seen as the future of the Hawks.

That leaves McCants, the 14th pick and last of the four taken in the NBA Draft, in unfamiliar territory.

And he doesn’t seem to mind.

“It’s not really about battling for minutes, it’s about being part of another team,” McCants said. “I’m a rookie, so I’m going to have to earn my time.”

Hold on, isn’t this the kid who’s been labeled as a me-first egomaniac?

The knock on McCants during his sometimes tumultuous UNC career was a poor attitude, but Kevin McHale doesn’t buy it.

Minnesota’s vice president of basketball operations doesn’t believe that just because McCants has acted a little sullen and a little selfish means he will cause chemistry problems.
It’s the reason McHale was so excited on draft night when McCants slipped all the way to No. 14.

“All the stuff that guys call people malcontents now, I would have been a hell of a malcontent,” said McHale, a Hall of Fame forward and three-time NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics.
“I like to win, so I’d say, ‘Give me the ball, get the hell out of my way and I’ll get two (points).’ But I guess that’s politically incorrect now.”

The former North Carolina swingman hasn’t shaken his unsavory image just yet, however — thanks in part to his willingness to challenge the press.

Case in point: Monday’s media day. McCants was asked if he would have to adjust his play, considering that new coach Dwane Casey has a defense-first philosophy.

“We did play defense at North Carolina,” McCants sarcastically replied, staring down his inquisitor. “So it’s not like we didn’t.”

But occasional displays of petulance are child’s play in a league that’s home to Allen “Practice?” Iverson and Ron Brawl-test.

McCants’ comments that compared playing at North Carolina to prison might have caused a stir last fall, but Garnett did him one better during the first round of the 2004 playoffs. Before Game Seven against the Denver Nuggets, Garnett told reporters that he was planning on bringing his M-16s and grenade launchers to the game.

Of course, you can get away with that when your career average is 20 points and 11 rebounds a game.

Garnett has served as mentor to McCants so far, and the rookie said the opportunity to play with the eight-time All-Star and 2004 MVP is a major advantage to playing for the Timberwolves.

“I felt like this was the best situation for me, as far as coming into a team that had been to the playoffs,” McCants said. “And playing with a veteran like Kevin Garnett, who’s the best player in the league, that can definitely show me a lot.”

The mentor-student relationship was clear Tuesday, as Garnett pulled McCants aside to demonstrate moves that could create space for his jumper.

McCants said the two have bonded off the court as well.

“We’ve had a lot of heart-to-heart discussions,” McCants said. “He’s been great about letting me know the little things I’m doing wrong.”

One big thing McCants needs to work on — even if he did do it at Carolina — is defense. Casey raved about McCants’ offensive prowess, but the coach’s main priority is transforming the Wolves into a defensive squad. And with veterans Wally Szczerbiak and Trenton Hassell ahead of him at shooting guard, McCants faces an uphill battle for minutes.

“McCants is going to be a great player in this league but he has a lot to learn,” Casey said. “Especially on the defensive end of the floor.”

Plus, McCants missed the Timberwolves’ summer league season — a key proving ground for young players — with myriad injuries, including a strained hamstring, a turned ankle and an ailing groin.

“Rashad’s been a little banged up, so we haven’t gotten a chance to see a lot of what he’s capable of doing,” Szczerbiak said. “But obviously he’s a real talent, a good skills player, and I think he’s going to help us a lot.”

McCants, who said he’s now 95-percent healthy, is ready for the challenge. Though he’s looking to defer to the team’s veterans, he still intends to average 10 points and six boards a game. No NBA player shorter than 6-foot-7 averaged that many rebounds last season.
McCants is listed at 6-foot-4.

In addition to those goals, McCants established himself Tuesday as the most vocal player on the team — besides Garnett, of course. During the scrimmage he was constantly picking up his teammates and trash-talking — even occasionally at Garnett’s expense.

But all that cockiness and swagger plays a lot better in the NBA than it did in college.

“I think Rashad can be a little moody and selfish — and that’s OK,” McHale said. “Some of the great thoroughbreds will bite your hand if you come in the stall.”
And you can bet McCants will be chomping on the bit all year.

After all, this rookie wanna play a lot.