The Timberwolves should sign Mike James

In the wake of the injury to Jeff Teague, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in need of a reliable point guard to run the second unit.

Here’s the bad news, Jeff Teague could be out up to a month during a crucial stretch of the Minnesota Timberwolves season. The good news is that the injury appeared like it would be a whole lot worse when it happened, so a month seems like a stroke of good luck compared to what it could have been.

Regardless, the Timberwolves find themselves in a position of need at the point guard spot to back up Tyus Jones.

We all remember the Aaron Brooks disaster this season. It appears that he may not be the best option to rely on.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau is left with a few options, as outlined in Brian Sampson’s article which you can read here. However, I’m here to highlight one player specifically and his name is Mike James.

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Let me tell you a bit about the 27-year-old rookie who has been a consistent playmaker overseas and the NBA this season.

He went undrafted in 2012 and bounced around overseas in countries such as Croatia, Israel, Italy and Spain before landing with Panathinaikos in Greece. There he made a name for himself as an athletic point guard who could get to the rim and score while averaging 13 points per game.

After lighting it up as a member of the Phoenix Suns Summer League team this year, he was signed to a two-way deal with the Suns and became a roster mainstay for the first third of the season.

James averaged roughly 10 points per game while playing an average of 20 minutes. Wolves fans should also remember that game where he basically was the focal point of the Suns offense with 26 points and 7 assists on Nov. 26 against Minnesota.

He impressed a lot of people both in Phoenix and around the league the way he picked up the NBA game so quickly, oh and replaced Eric Bledsoe in the rotation by the way.

Despite his stellar play, the Suns released him, thus allowing James to hit the open market where he has been ever since.

James seems to be the perfect low risk, high-reward option for the Timberwolves brass to consider. He did well in the limited minutes he garnered on a bad team, so why not give him a shot to make a name for himself with a talented roster around him?

This signing would make so much because it would be another extended trial run at the position that Minnesota needs to desperately fill for the short term. The Timberwolves also have an extra roster spot so that if he does impress he could be a long term depth option.

Next: Wolves podcast: How to get by without Jeff Teague

All of these scenarios seem like a win-win for the Timberwolves. Let’s hope they seriously look into James as an option.