The Wolves' abundance of small forwards and big guards, their obvious commitment to youth, and Ricky Davis' value as a proven scorer and his expiring $6.8 million contract all make him likely to be traded by February's deadline. At age 28, Davis, who left Iowa for the NBA after his freshman season, is playing for his fifth NBA team.

"I don't know," Davis said when asked if he expects to be with the Wolves at season's end. "I'll wait and see what happens. Kevin Garnett got traded. It happens. Every day, every year someone gets traded. It's the nature of the business. I'll just leave what I've got on the court every night."

Wittman said he has no concerns about that.

"Ricky Davis is a competitor," Wittman said. "He's going to compete. I don't have to worry about him when he crosses the line. He's going to play hard. Those are the things you want from your older guys. They set the tone, they tell the young guys that this is how we do it."