Rubio and Flynn

If you saw the last post I didn't mention the pairing of Rubio / Flynn. Even though the Wolves are saying they can play together I'm not sold on it. Personally I think they never thought Rubio would slide past #3 or #4. In the event that he gets selected with one of those picks you then can take Harden or Evans at #5 and follow it up with Flynn at #6.

I can't disagree with the move of taking Flynn after Rubio because they wanted him to begin with and now if Rubio goes back to Spain or manages to force a trade, we still have the guy we wanted.

I'd like to see them both on this team as they were my two favorite prospects heading into the draft -- but will it work?

At least 2 young prospects

I expect the Wolves to come away with at least 2 good young prospects to work with. If they stay at #5 and #6 or they find a way to package #5 + #18 to move up I'd like to see the following combinations:

• Rubio / Evans


• Rubio / Harden


• Flynn / Evans


• Flynn / Harden

So here's to hoping we can get Rubio, Evans, Harden or Flynn!

Mock Draft - Top 10

1. 1. Clippers: Blake Griffin
   • The obvious choice at #1. Now the Clips have too many bigs and are expected to move Kaman or Camby (or both) soon.


2. 2. Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet
   • Just can't work it out with Rubio as interest from Rubio camp is limited and the buyout looms.


3. 3. Thunder: Ricky Rubio
   • There is a chance they keep Rubio or draft Harden here but I think the Wolves will leap ahead of Sacramento and select Rubio. Something like #5 + #18 should do the trick. In this case Thunder can still get Harden at #5.


4. 4. Kings: Stephen Curry
   • Flynn could go here but that is probably a little early. I could see them flipping Curry to the Knicks for Flynn at #8. If not they will be happy filling a need at PG with Curry


5. 5. Timberwolves: James Harden
   • I suspect this pick will go to the Thunder so they can get their man and the Wolves get theirs, but if that trade doesn't work out the Wolves will gladly take Harden


6. 6. Timberwolves: Tyreke Evans
   • I expect the Wolves to keep this pick. Evans falls into their lap and he's a true beast. He plays SG if the Wolves land Rubio but plays PG if they stick with Harden.


7. 7. Warriors: Brandon Jennings
   • Most publications have Jordan Hill going here and that might well happen but since when did Don Nelson care about bigs? Jennings seems to have an offensive game that fits better and they seem to think Ellis is better as a SG. Sure to be the most controversial and surprising pick I'll list in my top 10 as Jennings could easily fall as far as #17.


8. 8. Knicks: Jonny Flynn
   • Flynn might have gone the pick prior but Ellis and Flynn combined might be too small, even for small ball Nelson. Jordan Hill could go here if David Lee is to be moved draft night.


9. 9. Raptors: Jordan Hill
   • I think there are players that fit a need for Toronto more here but Hill can't slide beyond this. The Raptors can keep him and development him as a replacement for the loss of Jermaine O'Neal last year or look to package him to someone else who has a need for a young big.


10. 10. Bucks: Ty Lawson
    • I expect the Bucks to draft best PG available at this point and that's either Lawson or Holiday. At first I was leaning towards Jrue but there has been a late push for Lawson and my gut says "surprise" here.

The rumors

Last week there was a rumor that Al Jefferson could be traded to Phoenix in exchange for Amare Stoudamire. The Wolves reportedly would also include their #6 pick in this draft. Upon reading that I almost barfed. I really think Al Jefferson is worth more than that. It's hard to say who really is the better player -- they have different styles. But Jefferson's numbers are superior in terms of rebounds, points and blocks.

I've also read that a lot of people have interest in obtaining Tyson Chandler from New Orleans. Paired with Jefferson I think he'd cover a lot of the defensive weaknesses that Al has.

Both trades individually seem unlikely and probably have some huge cap ramifications. But put them both together, with potentially acquiring a point guard of Rubio or Flynn status, and you have yourself a pretty good run-and-gun game.

If the Wolves can land Amare without giving up the 6th pick, and can make a sequence of moves that land Chandler from New Orleans (like Miller+Smith) and the #5 pick+Etan Thomas from Washington for some form of Foye+expirings+#18 pick and consequently spinning #5 and #6 to Memphis for the #2 overall pick and landing Rubio you might have a core that looks like:

Rubio - Amare - Chandler - Love

The guys I want

Weeks ago if a gun was put to my head I'd say the Wolves would and should select Tyreke Evans. Time goes by and you start hearing rumors and see workout results and the measurements and you start to reconsider.

To make it official: The player I want most is Ricky Rubio, followed by Tyreke Evans. I'd then be quite happy if we landed Jonny Flynn or Hasheem Thabeet as well. The last two would fill needs for this roster, but if you want the next star I think it will be Rubio or Evans.

Draft Night Trades

The Wolves have a history of making trades on draft night. So far the fan base feels as if we've struck out on each of these.

• Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury


• Brandon Roy for Randy Foye


• OJ Mayo for Kevin Love

And maybe we have, but I ask fans what would they prefer? That the Wolves reach and select Kevin Love 3rd overall or do there very best to select the player they covet and acquire other assets such as cap flexibility, future draft picks, and/or cash?

The Wolves do their research and although as it turns out their history in making draft night trades isn't positive, I'd still prefer they do there very best to acquire additional assets.

This year I would be surprised if a similar thing didn't happen again. I've joined the Jonny Flynn bandwagon and its no secret that Stephen Curry and the NY Knicks have a love affair. I think it would be appropriate this time if we selected Curry at #6 and moved him to NY who would then select Flynn at #8 for us. The draft night trade could be as simple as Curry to NY for Flynn and $1M cash or a future 2nd round pick.

The additional asset, along with getting the player we covet for a lower salary slot far outweighs selecting Flynn at #6 as a static pick.

Can the Wolves fans handle this type of move again? I'm hearing there is a lot of love for Curry in the fan base so this could be one of those tough nights to swallow -- but with Kahn at the helm and not McHale, maybe our luck will turn around and we'll get this one right.

What I'd like: First Edition

I'm sure there will be many revisions to this but here goes with my first wish list. Assuming nothing radical happens at this moment the following could happen and I'd be exciting if it did.

#6 pick select: JONNY FLYNN, PG

His measurements and athletic tests solidified he's a surefire lottery selection and with PG a desperate need on this team I'd like to see the Wolves go this route.

I've kicked around the idea of Tyreke Evans and Steph Curry here too and they probably fit the team better (at this moment).

#18 pick select: EARL CLARK, F

Clark's numbers actually disappoint but let's not forget that Dwight Howard, yes, the absolute beast-man of a center Dwight Howard only put the 185 bench up 7 times. Clark displays versatility and a frame that looks like it could fill out. I expect him to go the route of tweener for the first few years while he continues to bulk up. I'm hoping the athletic tests and his tweener status push him down to this spot so we can scoop him up. If not ...

Another idea is taking Jeff Teague (yes, 2 first round PGs!!) with the hope that one of them turns into a bona fide NBA point.

#28 pick: TRADE?

I'd like to see the Wolves move this pick to get an extra pick next season. This draft isn't particularly deep and the Wolves don't really have the roster space for 3 rookies. I'd also consider taking a deep project or Euro player somewhere in this range where the player can develop in the NBDL or Europe for a few seasons. But what makes the most sense is really stockpiling later picks because eventually we owe the Clippers a first round pick and this would go a long way in making up for the lost pick.

If we do go with a player for the current roster, let's hope Derrick Brown is available.

2009 NBA Draft Outlook

Time once again to post my thoughts on the upcoming NBA Draft. Let's stick to the first pick because the further down you go it gets exponentially more difficult to project out.

Before I list my favorite candidates, let me first admit that I fell in love with Ricky Rubio after seeing his YouTube videos. I think the guy is sick and will translate into an excellent NBA player.

Ricky Rubio

I think this is a franchise changing player. I do not, however, think he meshes well with our current roster. Jefferson is like Shaq to Rubio's Steve Nash. Yes perhaps the most dominant low post scorer in the game right now, he's not a run-and-gun that will extract the most out of Rubio.

Stephen Curry

Now you're talking about a player who can play with Jefferson. Curry possesses the the jump shot and 2nd scoring option that compliments Jefferson a lot more. I'd be excited at seeing the inside-outside offense the Wolves could present.

Tyreke Evans

Probably the guy that is most likely to be drafted by the Wolves and I have no problem with that. I'm excited by his measurements. A true slasher who needs to work on the jump shot -- he has the length the guard the 2's and 3's of the NBA and a very good rebounding rate.

Jonny Flynn

Point Guard is undoubtably a position of need and Flynn might be the best pure point available. He oozes leadership and appears to be in the mold of the successful young lightning fast points to enter the league lately.

Other guys I have interest in are James Harden and DeMar DeRozen. Add Earl Clark and Gerald Henderson to the mix, with Clark being a very interesting project. I love his size and build.

Stay way from Brandon Jennings.

Wolves trade McCants, acquire Shelden

Finally the Rashad McCants experiment has ended. I still believe he has so much talent and would make an excellent 6th man. In a pinch he could play 3 positions and provide some offensive punch.

The Wolves send out two expiring contracts in Booth and McCants and get Brown and Williams who both have player options for the next year. I like the trade because with Jefferson out for the season we should be able to provide Williams with some playing time he was never able to get. Honestly I'd like to see 20 minutes a game from him so that the Wolves can evaluate him and see if its worth picking up his option. Chances are we will not pick it up but with Jefferson gone we can now afford to see what it would be like to have a gritty defensive PF plugged into our defense.

Realistically he'll probably get 5-10 minutes a game and won't see the option picked up but it is a gamble the Wolves can afford to make right now seeing as we have the hole at the 4/5 spot right now.

So the trade could be inconsequential but I give the Wolves a high grade for creativity. In a perfect world Williams displays the talent that landed him the #5 overall pick and we can use him in the rotation in years to follow as a change of pace or sort of opposite of Jefferson.

[EDIT on 02/19/09 @ 4:57pm]
Listening to the Jim Stack conference call suggests that Shelden's option wasn't picked up so he is apparently going to be an unrestricted free agent after this season so he'll have a lot to prove here. Obviously we'd like to see some improvement that would allow us to sign him to a cheap deal where he can continue to blossom. I won't hold my breath.

Bobby Brown however has a cheap option and his staying with us might have a lot to do with opportunities this season with Ollie coming back soon.

Trade thoughts...

Just wanted to get this out before I forget. Yesterday (02/04) I got to snooping around and thought to myself, if Jameer Nelson is out for the season what will Orlando do? As a Wolves fan I have seen Rashad McCants be bench meat for a month now. I figured he is obviously a trade candidate. My next thought was that with Michael Redd out in Milwaukee they need a SG. The answer was McCants to Milwaukee, Tyronn Lue to Orlando, and JJ Redick or Keith Bogans to Minnesota.

I didn't post because I am a lazy guy but today I now read on RealGM that Orlando is talking with Milwaukee about a Bogans for Lue swap. I'd assume that Milwaukee would be more interested in McCants than Bogans, but maybe not. Sprinkle in a second round pick and you might have something. Could Reddick be the shooter we hoped Mike Miller would be or could Bogans be the Kirk Snyder type we snagged last year in a swap with Gerald Green. Bogans expires after the year.

I've got to think that if McCants isn't in the plans that we'll move him after his nice 10 point outing last night.

[EDIT on 02/05/09 @ 4:10pm]
Looks like the trade one-for-one is done. In hindsight it probably made less sense to include the Wolves in the deal but I'm certain the Bucks would rather have the scoring of McCants to make up for the loss of Redd and possibly Bogut.