Podcast the 9:55 a.m. BRANDON ROY interview from today -- very well spoken individual, long-winded with his answers and very excited to be here.

I pressed him on playing time and he said that will be kept in-house. That's an indicator to me he's going great guns and will play a bunch right out of the gate. If he is relatively close to the guy he was three years ago we are in business at the two-guard spot. Brandon is very, very good off the dribble and gets to the line. One December game in 2008 he went to the free-throw line 21 times against Phoenix and made 18. He shoots threes, too, and gives us great position flexibility in that he plays the point and small forward, too.

We know what we have in KEVIN LOVE'S offense and rebounding. PEKOVIC and centers du jour will bang and be a thousand times better than DISEASED DARKO. CHASE BUDINGER will hit some threes and help the offense in transition. That leaves four wild-card scenarios that if most or all of them go the right way we not only are a playoff team but we can advance through the dance:

RICKY RUBIO -- Love is the team's best player but this sucker starts and stops with Ricky. His energy elevates everyone and he's the best defensive player we have. In many ways he's the team's most-poular player and his penetration should help the perimeter guys get open for some threebies. His revovery obviously is key and I don't expect him back until Christmas. If the Wolves are a playoff team by the time he returns we'll move up in the standings once he starts playing.

AK47'S defense -- With Love's rebounding we don't need Kirilenko to snatch 10 boards a game, we need him to change the game defensively ande handle these sweet-ass 3's around the league. We also need him to have pop in his jumping from the weakside because his shot-blocking skills are elite when he is spry. Our overall defense still very much is in question -- especially until Rubio returns -- and in Roy, Love, Budinger, RIDNOUR, BAREA et al we are not making the Pistons' Nasty Boys blush.

Roy's long-term health -- Seriously, if he stays healthy he will press Love for leading-scorer honors. He and Love will get to the line a bunch and both hit shots from deep.

Defense -- It was non-existent after Rubio went down last year, and even though we are equipped to win high-scoring games we need some stoppers late who can handle the pick-and-roll and one-on-one battles with isloated players. These guys have to know the offense will come off the God-given talent we put on the court; defense is effort, desire and awareness, and for the Wolves to become a playoff factor they'll have to be schematically sound and get big-spot stops in the final stanza.

-- MID-WEEK PEEK TO NEXT WEEK ... I expect RG3 to play, and a key here will be to keep him in the pocket so the lethal run-pass bit is not in play. JARED ALLEN, BRIAN ROBISON and EVERSON GRIFFEN -- our primary DE's -- must keep contain while pondering sacks because if this kid gets the edge there are problems.

The Redskins allow 29 1/2 PPG, which is near the bottom of the NFL. They consistently have communication issues in the secondary, and this looks like a game like Tennessee where we will pass to win. I believe JEROME SIMPSON will be good to go and will be a factor. Washington sorely misses studs BRIAN ORAKPO and ADAM CARRIKER, who were lost for the season a few weeks ago.

LESLIE is undefeated against the Redskins and should stay that way this weekend.