You Want An Explanation?

by MJfan02

Everybody's asking the same question ... "Why in the world did the Wolves draft Jonny Flynn, a point guard, one pick after they took Ricky Rubio, another point guard?" The easy answers are the most frustrating ones.

• "They're trading Rubio because Minnesota sucks and nobody would ever want to play here."
• "They've worked out a deal to send Ricky to New York because Kahn and Donnie Walsh are friends."
• "They're just idiots and don't know what they're doing ... the Wolves are screwed."

But let's look a little deeper and try to figure out some of the other factors that may have led to the Wolves drafting both Rubio and Flynn.

• The Wolves new going in to the draft that there was no guarantee Rubio would be able (or willing) to get out of his contract in Spain. We can all agree that Minnesota isn't the most ideal location for a budding NBA superstar for a few reasons (weather, market size, etc.), if Rubio were to fall to the fifth pick then he wouldn't be paid quite as much as he expected, and he is currently having an arbitrator decide whether or not his buyout amount is a fair price. If it just so happens that Rubio is not able to come to the NBA next season for any reason other than his father pulling an Archie Manning and trying to choose what team he gets to play for, then the Wolves are still in dire need of a back court since Sebastian Telfair and Bobby Brown are their only current guards on the roster.

• Jonny Flynn in one hell of a player. Anybody in Minnesota would have been psyched to get this kid if Rubio had been off the board. He was legitimately excited to be coming here and he is the type of charismatic team leader that we needed. He's the type of player that we should be excited to have drafted and can be a staple of this team for a long time. Let's say that Rubio stays in Spain for another season or two. Jonny Flynn is going to be the Wolves starting point guard and Wolves fans are going to fall in love with him.

• If Kahn lucks out and Rubio does come over to the States for the 09-10 season, then we have to remember that this process is not complete. If the Wolves do decide to keep both Rubio and Flynn then they will be two very good players on a great team in the future. Everybody accepts that if we just had a shot blocking center to play 20-25 minutes per game and spell Jefferson or Love then our front court would be complete. We now have the same situation in our backcourt. We will need a three man backcourt rotation to be a great team and when we acquire a true shooting guard they don't have to be a star, they just have to complement Rubio and Flynn well. If we had a shooter with good size that could defend larger guards, then we would have the ability to not only match up with any team, but we would also have the ability to create mismatches of our own.

• As hard as it is to admit, there's a good chance that one of these two players will end up as more of a solid role player than a superstar. The last five sixth overall picks have been Danillo Gallinari, Yi Jianlian, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster and Josh Childress. Based on those results we have one superstar, one good role player, two unknowns and one scrub. We'd like to believe that the Wolves won't be the ones making mistakes with a top-6 pick, but it does happen. The worst case scenario (and probably most likely scenario) is that we now have one star point guard and one very solid backup point guard/third guard for the future.

• After all of this, the Wolves still have options. The have not tied themselves into one point guard and one shooting guard that have to pan out or our future is screwed. We still have a crap-load of expiring contracts and three first round picks in next year's draft (which is supposed to be stronger than this one) to complete our team. If Rubio goes to Spain for another year, we have a starting point guard. If he doesn't then we have two great players. We are the ones that get to decide whether or not to trade either of these players and now can't be pressured into making a move before we're ready. Rubio and Flynn will most likely both improve over the next season since they're both still so young and we could decide which one of them to build around after another year or scouting. We are the ones that get to decide Ricky Rubio's future in the NBA. We traded away our two top bargaining-chips in Randy Foye and Mike Miller's expiring contract to get Rubio, but we now still have infinite possibilities if we want to change direction.

Overall, the lesson is to not overreact on draft night. We haven't traded Rubio away yet and all signs point to Kahn keeping him unless there's a no-doubt-about-it better option available. If the Wolves had drafted Rubio and DeRozan, and then DeRozan had ended up being a scrub, Minnesota would have still won in this draft because we got Rubio. Instead, we got a transcendent player in Ricky Rubio, and the next best player remaining in Jonny Flynn. Nobody left the draft with more talent than we did and these moves will not be able to be judged this summer. We have to see what happens with Rubio's contract, we have to see how good both these players can be, and we have to see if Kahn is right in believing that both of these players can play together.

I know we're all scared that the Wolves will get bullied into making a bad move by Dan Fegan, ESPN (Chad Ford is a douche-canoe) or Donnie Walsh ... but nobody can make David Kahn do anything that doesn't benefit the Timberwolves. And until he actually starts to screw things up, we owe it to him to believe what he says and reserve judgement until there are some results.

Updating the Wolves Big Board

by MJfan02 and HeBeatsMe

Now that all of the combine results have been released, we took the initiative to update our Wolves draft board. We've decided to follow the tiered system of breaking up the prospects and our results are below.

If you are unfamiliar with the tier system, it basically says that you would never draft a player from one tier while a player from a better tier is still available, no matter what your team needs are. But if two players are in the same tier and you only have a positional need for one of them then you are free to draft the player that fits the bigger need.

Tier 1
Blake Griffin

Tier 2
Ricky Rubio
Hasheem Thabeet

Tyreke Evans

Tier 3
Tyreke Evans
Demar DeRozan
Stephen Curry
James Harden
Jonny Flynn

Tier 4
Brandon Jennings
Jrue Holiday
Jordan Hill
Earl Clark

Tier 5
Austin Daye
Ty Lawson
Eric Maynor
Jeff Teague
BJ Mullens
Gerald Henderson
James Johnson
DeJuan Blair

Tier 6
Nick Calathes
Chase Budinger
Darren Collison
Tyler Hansbrough
Terrance Williams

Tier 7
Omri Casspi
Wayne Ellington
Patrick Mills
DaJuan Summers
Sam Young

Fixing the Wolves

by MJfan02

I took on the task over the last few days of trying to find a way to use the assets that the Timberwolves have at their disposal and turning them into Championship contenders for next season. I wanted to end up with a team that is made to win now, as well as in the future, while not going over the luxury tax.

To start, let's take a look at the assets available to the Wolves.

Players under contract beyond 2009-10
Al Jefferson
Kevin Love
Corey Brewer
Randy Foye
Sebastian Telfair (player option)

Expiring contracts
Mike Miller ($9.75 million)
Brian Cardinal ($6.75 million)
Ryan Gomes ($3.8 million)
Mark Madsen ($2.84 million)
Craig Smith ($2.5 million)
Bobby Brown ($.736 million)

Draft picks
Round 1, pick 6
Round 1, pick 18
Round 1, pick 28
Round 2, pick 15 (45 overall)
Round 2, pick 17 (47 overall)

The easiest way to fill out a roster of 15 spots for next year would be to keep all of our current players and just use one of our draft picks on a European player that could come over later. But since we can all agree that that team wouldn't contend for a championship, that's not a viable option. So what I'm going to do is use our expiring contracts to acquire talent from teams looking to shed salary, draft players with a lot of upside, and use the mid-level exception to round out the roster.

Move #1
Trade Mike Miller and Craig Smith for Tyson Chandler and a future 1st round draft pick.
New Orleans isn't shedding Chandler's without giving up something valuable with him, but in this case get back a nice return. They desperately need a SG and depth at PF, and they get both in this trade. The Wolves get the defensive presence that they need next to Jefferson and Love and can play him 25 minutes a night to try to keep him healthy.

Move #2
Trade Brian Cardinal and Mark Madsen for Baron Davis or Kirk Hinrich.
There have been rumors that the Clippers and Bulls would be eager to shed these two contracts, and would be willing to take back nothing but expiring contracts in return. Davis would obviously be the first option here, but Hinrich would be a nice backup option.

Move #3
Trade Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, Bobby Brown and New Orleans' future 1st for Gerald Wallace
Wallace has a pretty sizeable contract that Charlotte would be interested in moving, and the idea of getting back Brewer, a 1st round pick and over $4.5 million in expiring contracts in return would be a pretty good get for them.

Move #4
Sign Trevor Ariza with the full mid-level exception.
Ariza is a player that may not be a star, but is big, athletic, and can shoot from outside.

Draft
Take Demar DeRozan with the 6th pick, BJ Mullens with the 18th pick, and Darren Collison with the 28th pick.
DeRozan would start the season as a backup to Foye at the SG position, but would be ready to be the full time starter once it came time to extend Foye's contract. Mullens is a project, but has great potential and athleticism and would protect the Wolves in the case of another Chandler injury. Collison would be the team's 3rd point guard, and challenge Telfair for the backup spot.

The TWolves new depth chart now looks like this ...

Center: Chandler, Jefferson, Mullens
Power Forward: Jefferson, Love, Wallace
Small Forward: Wallace, Ariza, DeRozan
Shooting Guard: Foye, DeRozan, Ariza
Point Guard: Davis/Hinrich, Telfair, Collison

The best part about all of those moves is that the team's payroll actually goes down almost a million dollars from where it was last year. The have the ability to go big, to go small, to have an athletic lineup, to have a 3-pt shooting lineup or to matchup with any team in the league.

Now, do I expect the Wolves to make these deals? No. But this just goes to show that there are no excuses for the Wolves leaving this offseason without dramatically improving the team. With a little bit of creativity David Kahn could take the Wolves from the cellar to perennial power house very quickly.

All salaries were acquired from hoopshype.com and trades were checked using the ESPN.com Trade Checker.

2009 Mock Draft 1 (Finishing the First Round)

Check out the top-14 picks of the hoopsfancentral.com mock draft here.

15. Detroit Pistons: BJ Mullens
I don't think that Mullens is good enough to be drafted this high, but center is the greated position of need for the Pistons and if they don't trade this pick they'll have to look long and hard at taking Mullens.

16. Chicago Bulls: James Johnson
The Bulls could use a player that can create his own shot in the post. Johnson is a bit of a tweener, but will mesh well next to the shot blocking of Noah and Thomas (assuming they're both still there).

17. Philadelphia 76ers: Ty Lawson
The Sixers need to invest in their point guard of the future this offseason whether Andre Miller bolts in free agency or not. Lawson will provide some much needed outside shooting to the team and would be a steal at 17.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Nick Calathes
Fred Hoiberg has stated that the team's goals this offseason are to add athleticism and size. DeRozan added both at pick No. 6, and Calathes will continue to increase the size of the Wolves backcourt. Going from Telfair and Foye to Calathes and DeRozan will dramatically increase the length and defensive presence of the Wolves starting guards.

19. Atlanta Hawks: Jonny Flynn
Flynn is projected to be a lottery pick, so being able to grab him at 19 would be a coup for the Hawks. They still need a long-term answer at the point guard position since the pick of Acie Law IV hasn't panned out.

20. Utah Jazz: Austin Daye
There weren't any big men left to replace Carlos Boozer if he leaves via free agency, so the Jazz will take the 6'10" Daye as an eventual replacement for Andrei Kirilenko.

21. New Orleans Hornets: Chase Budinger
The Hornets are another team that could use front court depth, but they also are desperate for an athletic shooting guard to play between Paul and Stojakovic. Budinger provides them with that athleticism and has a nice outside shooting touch to help spread the floor.

22. Dallas Mavericks: Jeff Teague
The Mavs are another team that needs to start getting younger at key positions, and with no way of knowing how much longer they'll have Jason Kidd the drafting of Jeff Teague as the point guard of the future makes sense. He partially replicates what Jason Terry does, but is too good to pass up at this point.

23. Sacramento Kings: Tyler Hansbrough
The Kings addressed their need for a point guard by drafting Jrue Holiday with the 4th pick, and now will look to add depth to their front court by taking Hansbrough. The power forward from UNC is they type of scrappy, hard-working player that would complement Hawes and Thompsen well.

24. Portland TrailBlazers: Omri Casspi
The Blazers biggest need is a true point guard, but it feels like they would like to address that need by bringing in a veteran like Andre Miller or Jason Kidd ... so they will look to draft the best foreign prospect available in Casspi from Israel. They can let him play overseas for a couple years and then bring him over when he's ready.

25. Oklahoma City: Gani Lawal
The Thunder need a power forward now that Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox are both gone, and Lawal is the best prospect available.

26. Chicago Bulls: Wayne Ellington
The Bulls have depth at every position except shooting guard, especially with the potential of Ben Gordon leaving, and also need to get taller in their backcourt. Ellington would solve both those problems and be a nice addition to the Bulls.

27. Memphis Grizzlies: Derrick Brown
The Grizzlies need a backup SF since their only option there now is Marco Jaric and they also need a stronger option at PF. Brown will help address both of those needs as he has great size and skill for a SF but played PF at Xavier.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Terrance Williams
The Wolves get a player who has the talent to be a lottery pick in Williams and hope that he can put it all together. With Minnesota potentially looking to trade Mike Miller to bring in a big name player this offseason they could use another wing player, even after drafting DeRozan earlier.

29. Los Angeles Lakers: Darren Collison
The Lakers point guards have really struggled over the last few months are are easily the weak link of the team, so bringing in a player like Collison who is a tenacious defender, great outside shooter and amazingly quick would be a big upgrade.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers: DaJuan Summers
The Cavs need to get bigger at the 2 and replace Szczerbiak at the 3 if he leaves, so drafting Summers from Georgetown makes sense. He is primarily a jump shooter, but that's what the Cavs look for in players to surround LeBron.

2009 Mock Draft 1 (Lottery Edition)

Below is the initial HoopsFanCentral.com NBA mock draft for 2009. We'll get through the lottery today (the first 14 picks) and come back and complete the first round tomorrow.

Update: click here to view the rest of the mock draft.

1. LA Clippers: Blake Griffin
Even with a log jam in the frontcourt, Griffin is the right pick here. They'll just have to do what they can to get him the minutes he needs.

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ricky Rubio
This is a tough one between Rubio and Thabeet, since both would have to replace a young player for the Grizzlies, but Rubio is better than Thabeet so he gets the nod here.

3. OK City Thunder: Hasheem Thabeet
This seems like an easy pick to me, as taking Thabeet would give them the defensive center they were trying to acquire in the Tyson Chandler trade, except at less than half the price.

4. Sacramento Kings: Jrue Holiday
Sacramento doesn't have a need for a PF, so Hill is out. They have Kevin Martin already, so Harden is out. Beno Udrih is awful, so it has to be a point guard. They were horrible on defense last year, so Holiday is the pick.

5. Washington Wizards: James Harden
Harden can come in and contribute right away at a position of need for the Wizards.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves: DeMar DeRozan
While PG is a greater need, the Wolves probably feel that they can wait until pick 18 to address it, and thus they will start trying to fix their complete lack of athleticism by taking DeRozan.

7. Golden St. Warriors: Jordan Hill
The Warriors could use a PG, SG or PF ... and will take Hill who has the talent to be a top-5 pick.

8. New York Knicks: Stephen Curry
Even if you ignore the rumors that the Knicks will take Curry to try to lure LeBron in 2010, you can't ignore the fact that whatever team drafts Curry will be immediately better on offense. And that works perfectly for Mike D'Antoni.

9. Toronto Raptors: Tyreke Evans
The Raptors need a SG with Anthony Parker hitting free agency and Evans' ability to get into the paint will be a nice complement to all of the jump shooters that the team has assembled.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings
With Sessions most likely leaving in free agency, the Bucks have a need for a PG and luckily for them Jennings is still available. He has the potential to be the best player in the draft but is a bit of a question mark after being mostly unproductive in Europe over the last year.

11. New Jersey Nets: DeJuan Blair
The Nets need a horse of a power forward who isn't afraid to get into the paint and mix it up. Sounds like Blair to me.

12. Charlotte Bobcats: Gerald Henderson
The Bobcats biggest need is SG and Henderson is a defensive minded player that Larry Brown could love.

13. Indiana Pacers: Eric Maynor
The Pacers really need a center, but none that remain are good enough to take here, so they'll try to replace Jarrett Jack with a point guard that can complement TJ Ford well ... and Maynor's size allows him to do that.

14. Phoenix Suns: Earl Clark
Clark could be the second coming of Shawn Marion in the Suns system with his ability to play the three and the four as well as score from inside and out.