Kevin McHale says that sports teams are always in flux - they're either getting better or they're getting worse.

And the Minnesota Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations, who was in Bismarck on Thursday to announce his team's preseason game at the Civic Center on Oct. 19, is confident his team is on the upswing.

Although McHale came under a lot of heat, even before trading Kevin Garnett to the BostonCeltics, he liked the way his young team responded the second half of the season. After beginning the season 6-34, the Timberwolves went 17-26 the rest of the way.

Al Jefferson, the key player acquired in the Garnett deal, turned into a star, averaging 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

Randy Foye gave the team a boost after returning from injury, and along with Rashad McCants and Ryan Gomes, showed potential.

"I was out scouting a lot last year, and when I'd come back, I could see a major difference in our team,"McHale said."… If we did nothing else, just let those guys grow together this summer, we'd have been better."

Of course McHale did do something else this offseason, most notably taking O.J. Mayo with the third overall pick in the NBA draft and shipping him to the Memphis Grizzlies for KevinLove and South Dakota native Mike Miller.

"We couldn't say yes fast enough,"McHale said of the trade. "Not that I don't like O.J. Ilike O.J. I think having a guy like Kevin Love and Mike Miller adds so much more to your team."

McHale said he expects the Timberwolves to improve greatly this season and play a more exciting brand of basketball.

"What you can expect to see is a team that will run a little more, get out, fill the break,"he said. "I think you'll see a team that's going to be able to play a little inside-out a little bit more, with the ball going into Al, kicking it out."

A D-League fan

McHale said he is a big proponent of the D-League and last season assigned Chris Richard to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

"The only problem with the D-League is it's about 10 years too late in coming," McHale said. "… I think it's a great tool. I think the NBA is going to use it more and more and more.

"Now the players are saying, 'I went to the D-League. I played. I had fun.' Playing for 35 minutes in the D-League is a lot more enjoyable than sitting on the bench, knowing that you have no chance of getting into an NBA game."

D-League president has said he's not sure a baseball-type minor-league setup would work for basketball, but McHale disagrees. He would like to see restrictions lifted so players with more experience could be assigned to the D-League. He also would like to see the NBA use it to develop top young talent or to send players who are rehabbing injuries.

"It will evolve into that," McHale said."Will it happen overnight? No. Will it happen over time? Ihope so, for the D-League and for the NBA."

A shot for Ahearn?

Blake Ahearn, who won the D-League rookie of the year award with the Dakota Wizards last season, played for the Timberwolves' summer league team.

McHale liked what he saw.

"He can flat-out shoot," McHale said. "He can spread the court. He's a guy that we're definitely looking at for veterans' camp. I know he's got an opportunity to do some stuff in Europe, but he definitely wants to play in the NBA.

"I think if we're loaded up and we don't have a spot, it wouldn't be fair to Blake to bring him in. He's too good for that."