Reaching 240 Minutes

Every team in the NBA has to fill 240 minutes of playing time.

Here is how the Lakers and Cavs filled this time last year:

Two big minute guys:
LeBron and Mo Williams (73 minutes)
Kobe and Gasol (73 minutes)

Three Lesser Starters:
Z , Delonte and Varejao (90 minutes)
Bynum, Odom and Fisher (88 minutes)

Four Decent Minute Bench Players:
Gibson, Wally, Hickson, Ben Wallace (about 80 minutes)
Ariza, Farmar, Sasha, Luke (about 80 minutes)

So, you play a 9 man rotation and you need 2 big-minute stars.

What can the Minnesota Timberwolves do?

Al Jefferson -- 36 minutes
Kevin Love - 25 minutes
Corey Brewer -- 20 minutes
Wayne Ellington -- 14 minutes
Jonny Flynn -- 30 minutes

Ryan Gomes -- 25 minutes

That is 150 minutes.

If Rubio came he would be a 24 minute guy. But assume he doesn't.

That means you are short the following:

-- 1 37 minute star
-- 2 starter-level minutes guys (30 minutes apiece -- Flynn will get you 30 as one non-star starter).

That would be 37+60 = 97 minutes. Now you are at 150+97 = 247 minutes. You probably drop Ellington's minutes to about 7 a game and voila, you have a playoff-level team!!

But how sad is that? You are at a point where you need to add a 37 minute star (of which the league has about about 30) AND two starters. That is an awful lot.

So assume you can get two starters for Rubio -- off guard and small forward. You are still one superstar short of having a real team.

Note to David Kahn -- get to work, baby, get to work.