Saying hello to Ricky and Hasheem…?
Posted on June 22nd, 2009 – 5:50 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
The Wolves are working today to set up at least meetings or interviews with Ricky Rubio and Hasheem Thabeet as they continue to explore options for Thursday’s draft.
Sounds like the Wolves are next on Rubio’s list of teams to talk to after he leaves a workout in Sacramento this afternoon. Not sure if that means in person or not.
David Kahn has been doing more background checks on Thabeet as well and earlier today was trying to set up something with agent Bill Duffy but they were playing phone tag.
Anything could still happen between now and Thursday. Heck, anything could happen on Thursday night. After Blake Griffin goes first to the Clippers, this could be the most unpredictable draft in years.
If the Wolves somehow could get that second pick from Memphis, not sure which guy they’d prefer. The national buzz is for Rubio, but I’ll lean toward the big fella.
Rubio would give them the dynamic playmaker who will sell tickets and perhaps that trumps everything, but Thabeet would be a pretty formidable bookend to place next to Al Jefferson.
Heck, as high as David Kahn apparently is aiming, maybe he’ll try to get both of ‘em…
Both players are in California for one more day and then will head to New York City for an arrival there Wednesday to do media stuff for Thursday’s big night.
Kahn said both players’ representatives have asked him not to disclose the team’s plans for meeting with each guy. When I just texted him, Kahn said he is still in town, but Minneapolis is on the way from California to New York, so it’s possible one or both guys could stop here on their way East.
They also could do something by phone just to make themselves feel better.
Now I’m wondering if there’s a chance that Rubio could fall to the Wolves at No. 6 without them having to move up to get him. He’ll likely have worked out some kind of compromise on that buyout with his Spanish team by Thursday night.
Talked to original Timberwolf Scott Roth today for a story I’ll write for Thursday’s paper that will focus on Rubio and Thabeet as the guys who will determine how this draft falls. He has worked out Thabeet for the past month or more in preparation for the draft.
Roth helped develop Pau Gasol and Shane Battier when he was at Memphis. In a nutshell, here’s what he said:
Doesn’t worry that he’ll be an NBA bust. Says it’s exactly the opposite and calls him one of the few guys in the draft with a legitimate high upside.
Can get much stronger, never really did any core strengthening until trainers got ahold of him here in pre-draft workouts. Has more of an offensive game than people think, can shoot it to 16-17 feet and can be a pick and pop guy in the pros.
Says the advantage he has is most rookies struggle defensively when they enter the league, but he believes Thabeet will be a shot-blocking presence immediately.
Thinks he’ll be a better offensive player than Dikembe Mutombo, to whom Thabeet is often compared, but not as dominant defensively as the big finger wagger.
UPDATE: I was mistakenly under the impression in this original post that Thabeet’s representatives had hired Scott Roth to work out their client for the past month or more. Scott just sent me a message to say he has done so to help out Bill Duffy during the down time after Roth’s NBA D League team in Bakersfield, Calif., folded and said he won’t receive a penny for his work. I stand corrected. So does the original copy.
302 Responses to "Saying hello to Ricky and Hasheem…?"
KAHN FOR LIFE!!!!!!
GET RUBIO AND TRADE MIKE FOR CAMBY. FOR THE SIXTH PICK GRAB CURRY. SIMPLE BIZ WHEN KAHN’S AT THE WHEEL! LETS GET 500 POSTS TONIGHT.
I would trade Love 18th and Miller/Foye for the #2 and take Rubio or Thabeet. Then take Evans at #6, I really want him. And then as I said in a previous blog, I agree with FOO that we should take Taj Gibson with the 28th. So assuming they would take Rubio(to sell tickets as Jerry said):
Rubio/Telfair/Brown
Evans/Miller or Foye(whoever doesn’t go)
Brewer/Gomes
Al Jefferson/Smith
Taj Gibson/Sheldan Williams/Madsen
Hopefully keep Carney and have Brown and Williams return and play up and down style with Rubio being the Nash type pg with Evans and Brewer on the wings running, then when needed dump it down to Al in the half court
So Thabeet’s employee said not to worry about him being a bust, good to know.
lol, I’m just surprised he didn’t tell Jerry, “You can’t teach height”
I’d love to see trades to get both Rubio and Thabeet. Gut the team - keep big Al - start over with Al, Rubio and Thabeet!
KRAZY KAHN!!!!!!
Man, everybody’s a skeptic. NBA executives are calling up the dude to get his opinion. You have to weigh everything, of course, but he’s seen the guy regularly for the past month or more.
Sorry, I didn’t directly quote him, so I left the “You can’t teach height” quote out…
Can we finally stop the Camby nonsense? The guy’s 95 years old and is not part of the future for such a young team. So stop it, just STOP IT, will ya?
lol, yeah we should stay away from any players the Clippers have except thier pick which they won’t give up and Gordon/Thornton. Davis, Camby, Kaman, Randolph, and the rest are terrible assets.
I don’t think we can trade Love to get #2. He came from Memphis and can’t be traded back for a calender year so at best it would have to be set up in advance and done after the draft.
Jerry,
My comments weren’t met to be a rip on your reporting, more of just an excitement for Thursday to finally come, so that speculation can end, and I won’t be on the edge of my seat reading blog posts about what Thabeet’s trainer talked about.
Rumors of trading into the top 2 or having two top 6 picks are tantalizing, since the Wolves in their 20 year history have never had either, so I am certainly preparing for a fun night. Even if the Wolves stand pat at 6, ending the month of speculation should definitely increase my productivity at work.
Hahah Jerry !
Why does everyone always say “you can’t teach height” and not realize its because most big men are dumb.
Fatassets…I thought the same, but as Memphis did not sign Love to the contract that rule doesn’t apply.
Sean ruined my day the other day with that little nugget.
Fatassets:
This is a tricky situation, I don’t believe what you write is true.
Here is the relevant provision of the CBA
“A team cannot reacquire a player they traded away during that season (a season being July 1 - June 30) unless the player has been waived. Note: this does not aply to draft picks. If a team trades a player’s draft rights, they can reacquire the player during the same season.”
As the draft rights to Kevin Love were traded to the Timberwolves last season, the Grizzlies can acquire signed Kevin Love at any time; however, any of the other players in the deal can’t be traded back to the opposing team until July 1st.
^ Yeah I saw that too, I could see Kahn dumping everyone McHale brought in except Al in the next 2 years, lol
Lol, yeah now thinking about it SCREW Kamby, your right. I WOULD BE REALLY MORE EXCITED FOR THABEET And RUBIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Thanks for clearing that up for me I think I saw it mentioned by Chad Ford. Nice to see that option is available.
We need Pryzbilla and Hansbrough!!!!!
First off, I want recognition as the first to plug Taj Gibson into the 28 pick. Now I’ve even seen it suggested in the national press. Or a blog. The lines are very blurry these days. Mostly I wanted to suggest it so that folks would get off Thabeet, about whom I am not convinced. Gibson, who is projected to play the 4, I guess, still gives you a great active long player with a reach 3 inches or so below Thabeet. He blocked 3 per game last year. And he’s a borderline 1st rounder. That shows how overvalued Thabeet is because of his height. Not because of his length or reach, because of his height, which really doesn’t mean as much. If Gibson had the same wingspan, the same reach, and had produced the same in college, but was a 7 footer he’d be a top 5 guy.
Also, I left this at teh bottom of the last thread:
Interesting report that the Wolves have made a promise to Austin Daye at #18.
http://www.thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=283
Could that be true? Does the promise count if they trade the pick? Does the promise count if they draft Thabeet?
I know the Wolves are likely to overvalue length and athleticism, but I think toughness has to count for something on this team if they expect to man up on the defensive end.
IF they keep that 28th pick, I’m betting it’s the Swedish guy, Sven Svenstad…No, Jerebko, I think.
Who the hell is Taj Gibson ?
Another 6′9 guy ?!
Promises, shmomises at this time of year. They might not still own that pick by then and Daye probably will be gone before 18 anyway…If you do take Daye, you’ll have the two skinniest players in the league, at least until Brewer gets shipped out. Daye measured 6-11 and 192 pounds at the combine, I believe. That’d be one long small forward, though, wouldn’t it?
“Yeah I saw that too, I could see Kahn dumping everyone McHale brought in except Al in the next 2 years, lol”
I’m good with this.
Is Brewer really on his way out ?
He is from USC and averaged 14 and 9 with 3 blocks a game. As I said in a different post, he reminds me of Villanueva without the 3pt shot.
It wouldn’t surpise me if Brewer isn’t with this team after next year if he stinks it up this year
Daye and Blatche from the Wiz seem to have similar body types and Blatch has now bulked up a bit though
I can’t wait… Kahn start chopping heads! Later Maddog. Go cheerlead for another squad. What was Mac thinking????
Ship Brewer on the first bus out. His future is in the D-league. Maybe Kahn can hook him up.
My thought on Gibson was that assuming you are going with Love and Jefferson (at least for the forseeable future) you draft Gibson and sign a free agent big like Foyle on the cheap. This gives you a front court rotation with a variety of looks, the veteran guy who can muscle up a big and knows how to defend the post; a long, active, young shot blocker; Love, who plays very good positional post defense but can get burned by speed; and Jefferson, who is really good at scoring.
This is to KAHN:
I’ve spent years of watching half ass talent and bafoons on this team for years… Give these clowns some plane tickets…PLEASE. AND screw a splash, CANNONBALL Thursdays Draft Night!
I agree with you there Adam W, we need some excitement and getting the #2 or #3 picka and keeping our 6th pick too. Two fresh young good players to go with Jefferson would be great.
I think the bust factor with Thabeet is interesting. If he falls to #6 and we take him I don’t see him being labeled a bust, but if we give up a bunch of assets to move up to #2 to get him, I think his bust factor increases a lot. Even if he were to play the exact same, he’s going to get judged harder if we move up to take him as opposed to the chance of him falling to us at #6. It’s sort of like Randy Foye. If we draft Foye straight up, he’s a pretty decent pick. Since we traded Roy for him, he will forever be held to higher expectations.
And to add to that post, if we trade up to take Thabeet he will forever be linked with Rubio. Sort of like the Raiders taking Heyward-Bey over Crabtree. If Rubio is a complete stud and Thabeet is even above average, people might compare the pick to Sam Bowie/Jordan. Now I’m not saying Rubio will be Jordan or Thabeet will be Sam Bowie but it would be a similar situation.
Jerry - Any updates about a live chat?
Just a reminder that the draft special is an hour from now on ESPN2
ChrisH
I’ll be watching. Thank you for confirmation on channel and time.
By the way KAHN - BY ALL MEANS Rubio and Evans. We can always get a proven big man through trades!
Get Birdman up here some how and then tell me how ticket sales…BTW Bobby Brown please dont stay…your trash too…HAHA!
Evans or Curry doesnt matter just get Rubio screw the string bean!!!! HAHA
By this time next year, you will be hating Kahn and his yet to be identified coach as much as you did Mac. Did Kahn sleep at a Holiday Inn Express before his interview with Taylor?
IT IS HARD TO PASS UP ON 7′2 AND RUBOIO COULD STAY IN EUROPE .
ChrisH you are a saint. I just want to say that it’s hilarious how some people actually think getting rubio AND thabeet is a viable possibility.. I just want to be the devils advocate for a second and remind people that as of now we have the number 6 pick and those two are projected to go 2 and 3.. it is unlikely that we even get one. So let’s just say we will be happy to get either… or throw lebron in the mix too, why not? then we would have big al, thabeet, rubio, and lebron! …oh but then we’ll need a SG too.. hmm.. well kobe should do.
I actually have a serious question for ya Jerry. No one is talking about Iverson, and although I dont believe he would ever sign here.. why not try? cuz he’s old an had a bad season?? pshh I need a better reason than that.
I love the blog, keep up the good work
Evans is the right pick, creates match up problems and can slash to the rim. Rubio is as skinny as Daye and Brewer. He can’t finish in this league.
Adam W. you are way wrong on getting bigs via trades. Perhaps you are thinking Mark Blount or some other cast off. Bigs are in short (no pun intended) supply in the L. Thabeet will be a project but he will do until Cole Aldrich declares next year.
Rubio wont stay in Europe, his people have said that he would play in mn (according to sources).
Marty- I think we could get bigs thru trades, Dalambert, Chandler, Kaman and Camby are rumored to be available but I don’t want the last two. Also NY might be willing to trade Lee and for sure they want Curry out. Birdman could sign and so could Gortat from Orlando, the wolves have some options at least
Evans at Six is Fine with me. But I can almost put money on it we get another pick a couple spots up too somehow and can get Rubio or obtain him through VIA trade I would crap my pants…!
Don’t doubt KAHN. Were not talking about Kevin and his boring or should I HILARIOUS drafts in recent years.
Kahn is very unpredictable right now
30 mins….till the show!
I have a feeling they won’t talk about the Wolves much though, I hope I’m wrong. Although they do have an hour
I think we should take BJ mullens at 18, if he’s there.. i heard detroit is taking him though.
does anyone in here have anything good to say about harden? I am NOT a fan at all, never have been. I really hope we dont take him. but if we are stuck with the 6th pick and tyreke isnt there i dont know what i want.. curry i suppose.
Adam W “don’t doubt Kahn” are you kidding? Kahn should switch jobs with Crunch.
We’re going to do a live chat at 2 pm tomorrow. Was supposed to be noon, but then the Wolves cancelled this morning’s DeRozan workout and announced one with Kahn availabilty late tomorrow morning.
I’m looking at ticket sales for Revenue and Harden isn’t gonna BRING IT like RUBIO would…. The Wolves would be on T.V. every couple of weeks, yes i said the TWOLVES! RUBIO = Ticket Sales and KAHN knows that.
Chris H - I’m with Jerry re. Camby. The guy is 35+ with gimpy legs. We don’t need aged cast offs on a young team. We’ve been down the Blount, Olowokandi, Ratliff, etc. etc. trail before.
I don’t believe Evans gets past Sacramento.
What if we don’t do anything and stay at six? As someone posted on the other thread, it could happen that the Wolves trade the 18th and 28th to get another pick after six (8-12)? What happens then? That’s when it could get a little scary for me - DeRozen, Holiday, Jennings, Blair, Daye, etc… Any of them coud be great (isn’t Blair similar to Craig Smith? I wouldn’t be a fan of that), but al could be complete busts as well.
I hope two in the top six comes becomes reality - that would be fun. Have I mentioned that I like Flynn and Evans?
yeah I said I didn’t want the last 2(Camby and Kaman)
Jerry - I like Scott Roth. Look forward to your piece.
Marty did you re read my earlier post that said I didn’t want Camby and Kaman but would want Dalambert or Chandler
BTW when I say T.V. I meaning NATIONAL F*$&ING T.V. and I say then grab Jennings if the pick going around there 8 or 9.
Read this about Jennings and Rubio on hoopsworld…
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13019
I only hope we draft Rubio so that we can all cheer like they do in Hook for Rufio…
RU BE OOOOOOOO
I’ll go ahead and say now that I’m for keeping Miller. He’s a good trade asset but we don’t have much by way of veterans to help and he seems okay with whatever role he is given… then trade at deadline time if necessary since people will be pushing hard to clear cap for next summer.
I like Derozan at the 9-14 range if we package picks to move up provided we don’t get Evans or Thabeet at 6.
lol, at the Rufio thing, but Miller was not ok with the role of scoring which is what we needed him to do.
wheres the show? After the game thats on?
Good point ChrisH. I still think we need to keep at least one vet if we’re going to have all these young kids.
Stupid baseball games take forever and is now cutting into our draft time.
BOOOOO ESPN BOOOOOOOO
They have some other vets, Cardinal, Madsen and even though we think of them as young guys some have already played 4 or 5 years like
i like that.. brandon jennings would be TIGHT! obviously would rather have rubio or thabeet but jennings is third for sure! then tyreke.
I’d be really surprised if Kahn doesn’t move Miller. He has flat out said that he is looking to use our assets to get the most out of the draft and if we have no intention of moving Al, Love, or #6 then Miller is our biggest asset. If he stays on to start the season I agree and see him leaving around the deadline. If not I would guess he would have to take a fairly big pay cut to stay here since Kahn has made it known that players aren’t worth $10 mil unless they will help take us to the next level.
Was Jennings at the workout the other day? If so, what was the Wolves impression? If they kept the sixth and traded the 18th and 28th to get another pick between 10-13… I wonder if that would be something they would consider? Again, he scares me, but he too could be a really dynamic player that if he turned out, would pair really well with someone like Evans (if we were able to get Evans at six, which I don’t think will happen).
The players that scare me the most at six are Hill, Holiday, Harden, and Thabeet (if Thabeet does slip that far, then obviously NBA Executives agree with what a lot of other people are saying even o this blog, and that would concern me).
I want skill, athleticism, and pizazz - I keep using the word “dynamic”, but that’s what I want!
I think the veteran thing is sometimes not as important but to ours it might be. Orlando had a pretty young team led by Dwight who is younger than me, I feel old(I’m 23)
good points jballer, and we SHOULD trade miller.. it didnt work, as much as i like him, he’s gotta go.
PS is the special on any other channels? this game is good but im in basketball mode! and.. who cares about the mets?? theyll blow it late in the season anyways, pointless to watch.
its almost done
If we trade up to 10-13 I would love to see this team take a shot on Earl Clark, in a few years we might look back and say he was one of the best players in this draft. Assuming we stay put at Six and Get Evans or Curry.
Finally
Crap, I knew they were going to show Rose’s suit as soon as I saw him, lol
Did you see that… they had the Wolves on the clicker first when they started the show>>>>I feel the Kahn movement taking form…..
I think we should listen to Marty McFly. He’s seen the future, after all.
lol at adam
Austin Daye? Didn’t even think he might be Darren Daye’s kid. I liked Darren, but he was weak and of no impact in the NBA. Shouldn’t scare me, but it does.
If we didn’t have Al and Love, I might want J Hill a lot
Yes they are going to talk trades
Worst case scenario for us at 6 is if we don’t get eithe)r Rubio or Evans. If that’s the case, I take Curry and try to move up to mid to late lottery to take a Flynn or Holiday.
As for Thabeet, the bust factor is too high. Of course Roth is going to say great things about him. Any pick or picks we have in the top 6 need to ignore him. Let someone else draft for need a guy who isn’t all that good right now. Yuck.
OMG, do not even mention Thabeet and Olajuwon in the same sentence!
Camby is not a good choice for the Wolves, but Kamen, if you can get him for a reasonably low price (personnel and pick-wise), would fit well at center alongside Jefferson. He brings toughness and an all around defensive and offensive game. He hasn’t always stayed healthy, which is why you don’t want to give up too much for him.
If you get good guard prospects in the draft (Harden Evans, Curry, Rubio, or Flynn, etc.), and add Kamen as your center, that is a significant upgrade for the team.
Man they keep bringing up Roy 
Kaman is just getting paid too much for me and then we would have both guys wanting to post up all the time, I think if we were going to trade for a center it would be Chandler or Dalambert who don’t need the ball and they both block a lot of shots and would be perfect for Al’s side kick, but they are all paid too much
I just had a thought: At least we don’t have to trade or dump anyone like other teams aka Suns and others. We aren’t going to be over the cap so we don’t have to have a fire sale and we can wait for the right trade.
If Kahn could somehow get both Rubio and Thabeet I will buy season tickets, and be happy for the opportunity.
I would choose Thabeet over Rubio because of how hard it is to find a legit center in this league, but if Thabeet is 100% my number one this year, Rubio is 100% my number 2 for the Wolves simply because we need another PF like we need Kevin McHale and Randy Whitman on the coaching staff.
Why didn’t they just call it the Blake Griffin show
Mike2…
I think Camby would be great on this team. He is a rebounder, and a defender that would play center allowing less mismatches defensively for Jefferson and Love. He also is 10 million dollars coming off the books after next season. He is not a ball hog that demands 20 shots a game… most of his scoring has been off of rebounding and in transitions. While he is old, and injury prone if it’s him or Mike Miller? It’s a no brainer go for the size. If it’s Foye and Cardinal… if you have to even ask it’s insane… Camby doesn’t solve all of our problems, but he allows the team to not have to be short changed in the 5.
Adam W, thanks. I feel the same way about Rubio. And I want Evans. I want more for me.
re: Camby
Don’t want to pay anything much, but he’d be great for us. Somewhere we need a young center, but Camby would give us a little time.
Twinstalker…
I agree. He’s not going to cure ricky cancer, or make us forget Witless, or the McFailedAbortion… but Camby would be great to at least fill a position that has been empty since we lost Rasho, and would be giving our two best players (currently) a better chance at succeeding. Oh and his 10 million is gone after next year which makes him a trading chip at the deadline if need be.
they arent talking about blake griffin enough……………………………….
lol, I said earlier today in the afternoon that the Wolves wouldn’t come up and they didn’t except maybe once
Ford has us with Curry
I wonder with the Knicks wanting Stephen Curry so badly what we could get from moving from 6 to 8 if we can’t get up to get Thabeet or Rubio?
i wouldnt mind that, him or jennings (if we dont get rubio or thabeet…evans is good too)
Adande said we will make some big moves
You heard it….Timberwolves move up in the draft!
http://walterfootball.com/nbadraftdata.php
It’s not perfect, but it’s a database of all kinds of projections throughout the draft. Some are extremely laughable, some are interesting…
Where did you get that info Adam?
his head, lol, J.A. Adande said on ESPN2 that he thinks we will move up
Twinstalker, why would you take Curry, and then trade up to get Flynn or Holiday - two point guards? Curry would be a better shooter than Foye at the two guard, but the last thing I want is a slower, weaker version of Foye at roughly the same height.
If you go Curry, then you might as well hold until 18 where you could potentially get Clark, Williams, Henderson, or Daye.
I don’t like holding pat at 6 and taking Curry - that does nothing for me.
I could live with Curry, if combined with Evans, Harden, or Thabeet. Other than that…
JA Adande and all the other people on the Sports Reporter game show thing on ESPN worry more about how they look than they do about getting better at what they do.
Out of curiosity When did ESPN fire the most annoying human being on the planet Stephen A. Smith? I don’t have cable anymore so the other day I heard him on the radio and he sounded bitter as hell.
I was talking about the espn show people are watching ….nevermind.
The Wolves are in no position to worry about position diversification. I think Rubio and Evans will be very good players. I think Curry can be, too, but I’m not as sure. I would grab another point and let Foye, Curry, and Flynn/Holiday play/grow.
It’s mostly about probability of stardom. Gotta draft that kind of player that’s going to have a chance when you’re the Wolves. Just my opinion…
Yeah there was a draft show tonight on ESPN2 that had Jalen Rose, Len Elmore and JA Adande and at the end Adande thought we will move up and I like Stephen A too but I heard he wanted too much money and they said theres the door
Great, now all the idiots from the Twins blogs are here. Jama opened the flood gates.
As I’ve stated about ten times in the last two days, my ideal draft would be Flynn and Evans. I agree with need to go with high ceilings, I just don’t think a combination of Curry AND someone like Holiday (again, two point guards, neither of which do a ton for me) would be the way to go. If we ended up taking Curry and traded to get Holiday, I would be saying, “what the f is this guy (kahn) doing?”
They need something to do during the 5 hour games, jk guys, I love Basketball, Football and Baseball(but basketball the most)
I understand what you’re saying, TwinsAreFrauds, but your argument implies the Wolves are close to a solution and that you can project which player will be the star. I’m not high on Curry either, and actually don’t project him as a “star,” but I do think he will be a quality player and definite threat. He has to be taken there, and then someone who has a chance needs to be drafted, and I don’t see a future star dropping out of the lottery (and anybody recognizing him, anyway).
Curry will ultimately be a sub in the NBA like his dad, but it will be a valuable sub (like his dad) who deserves top 8 for sure. After Griffin, he’s the surest thing out there.
baseball is my religion… wishing ill to Kevin McHale is a close second, and the NBA is a slight 2nd, while Football is used to bridge the gap.
I actually see Jordan Hill as the surest thing outside of Griffin
But we don’t need another PF
I would take Daye @ 18 and i think he would be their…The thing is I don’t see a chance in hell of us getting Both Thabeet and Rubio unless Somehow Thabeet or Rubio fall to #6 or we do a draft and trade the 28th with memphis or something where they draft Thabeet..we move up to #3 and Take Rubio..then we trade Love for Thabeet.
No one cares, but this is my wishlist:
1. Griffin (obviously Love is history in this no-chance scenario)
2. Rubio
3. Evans
4. Harden
5. Curry
6. Thabeet (but trade his rights)
I have a soft spot for Holiday, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he is a complete bust.
Just to hear myself talk:
Kevin Love is likeable and all, but he is absolutely unnecessary on this team if he can get us a starter at another position with bigtime upside (Evans/Rubio). Love will always be eminently capable, and that’s all. If we could only get someone like OJ Mayo for him, but how would we ever have that chance? Oh, I forgot.
Ok, I’ll admit we got some salary relief in that deal…
I want Evans over Rubio because I think he will be a better, stronger finisher at the rim, we all see how Telfair can’t finish at the point and that hurts
People will probably flame you for the comment about Mayo and Love because that has been talked about on here a ton, but it would be interesting to know if Kahn would have done that deal, my guess is no but what a great question to ask but he won’t ever answer that
Griffin is a nonfactor because the Clippers wouldn’t trade him, and if we got him… I think trading Al Jefferson would be a better move because we could get more for him, and Love would make a solid backup.
Thabeet is the guy I want on this team the most followed by Rubio.
If we stay at 6 it’s a toss up between Curry and Evans, but I would take Evans.
If we get both 5 and 6 I would take Evans and Holiday, and Play Evans at the 2 guard considering we probably were trading UnRoy Foye to get that 5th pick.
Yeah, maybe I’ll get flamed, but I find it funny that we’re trying to trade Love such that we can ultimately get another Mayo.
Also, to some others, I would only view Evans as a 2, though I agree he has Wade attributes (perhaps) in terms of being able to take the ball at crunch and handle/score.
Rubio and Evans together would be awesome, at least until you need to shoot the J. Still, I wouldn’t worry about that this year. Get the talent now, worry about the fit down the road.
Just in case it’s not clear, I’m not saying Wade/Evans are anywhere close to each other. Just that they might have similar games and ultimately need to play the same role.
I’ve made that comparison before too with Wade and Evans and its hard to compare players but his potential could be close to Wade. I wouldn’t mind Rubio and Evans. I want Evans bad but I think a Maynor would be a better fit with Evans, Maynor would be a solid(hopefully Billups like) guard for years
So who’s getting built up just to mislead? Holiday? Flynn? Jennings in NY?
ChrisH.
I like Maynor too. If we stay at 6 and 18 getting Evans at 6, and Maynor at 18 would be fine with me. They could then look at Sam Young or Omri Casspi at the SF position at 28. Though I think at 18 if Mullins is still available I would take him because we are not a playoff team for 3-4 years either way.
Twinstalker…
The guy that has gotten the most hype on the draft boards late has been Jrue Holiday. Flynn is getting some love, and before Holiday Ty Lawson was the hot guy, and before him it was Jeff Teague… Now Teague and or Lawson could get passed up by the Wolves at 18.
Holliday was projected as going at #10 on Thursday
Holiday was once projected to be the 23rd to 28th pick… now he’s a top 10.
Teague was once projected to go 6th, and is now projected to go about 13th, and in some have him as low as 23rd.
Holiday was once projected as top 6 last week, I think, now 10th so all this fluctuates so much, Hansbrough was supposed to be border line 1st rounder and now maybe around 14-17 they are predicting.
My guess is Hansborough that shouldn’t go until 22nd to Utah. I think he would be great for them. I really can’t see a lottery team taking him.
It will be very interesting to see how Hansbrough does. He’s a work-ethic beast, similar to Griffin, and that may lead to enough improvement to keep him in somebody’s rotation. Somebody else’s rotation, mind you.
If we had McHale running the team, I see Hansborough here. Without the failed abortion I have been able to sleep at night, and I even pulled my autographed team ball from Marbury’s 1st game out of the closet yesterday. There was a time when that was my treasure… another time when I thought about letting my son actually shoot baskets with it.
Can Williams get to the basket? He reminds me of that Temple 2 who was around the same time as Voshon Lenard. I just can’t get excited about him. A decent shooter with no other skills doesn’t do anything for me.
Twinstalker… which Williams are you talking about now? I know Ted Williams is in the hole, and Jimmy Williams’ career is in the hole, and that the Williams’ wall is going to miss 2 to 4 games in 2009.
I can’t sleep1 DRAFT…
also a correction, I meant 20th with Utah, and that I think he would be perfect as a TEAM guy for Dallas to maybe be an energy guy off the bench for them.
I’m still trying to figure out who will end up coaching this team next year because if I were a coach I would want some input in the players that were brought in. This would make me a little fearful of the fact that the GM is going to do everything on his own without the coach’s input.
If we keep a really young team out there that are all 24 or younger it would lead me to think that Sam Mitchell would be number one, and that Rick Pitino would be number 2… Mitchell a high character guy, and Pitino because he’s a college coach now actually getting to coach college age players, and he won’t have to worry about paying them to play for him… he has an owner to do that for him.
I think it’s all quite simple. Do what it takes to get Rubio at the 2 from Memphis and try to get Evans if he’s still there if not then grab Curry. Wolves we need Rubio if we want to be on ESPN longer then 3 sec and again the revenue that little prick will bring in will be insane! RU BE ooooooooooooooooo! If anyone is still siding with THABEET do this search the web and find footage of the game he got punished by DB.
KAHN I Know your listening-THABEET is not gonna bring the noise that the Star Power Rubio can. I see it going down. Miller going back to Memphis for the reunion…
I also see Mark Jackson coming in and grooming Rubio . Also grabbing a big man assistant coach be the likes of Bill L to keep the big guys happy….
If we move up and then take Thabeet over Rubio… I’m gonna freak out. If we move up, WE HAVE TO TAKE RUBIO. If we could somehow get number 2 without giving up Love or number 6, I would be all over that. But if we have to give one, I’d give up the pick.
If we stay put at 6 (The more I hear, the more unlikely this seems to me… I’m seriously pumped up) my board: Curry, Evans, or Flynn, in that order. (Curry just a nose ahead of Evans.)
Obviously, Rubio would be absolutely AWESOME! We dont need him to be a great shooter with the way he passes! I for one do not like Thabeet, and would much rather wait until we can get Cole Aldridge. I read that Kahn is in heavy pursuit of Caron Butler and the #5 pick. The deal was something like #5, Butler and a player for #18, Foye, and Miller. So that would leave us with the 5 and 6 picks, which gives us the flexibility to move up to #2 for Rubio, then take Curry or Evans with the pick we keep. I personally am comfortable with Big Al and K-Love. A team starting with Al, Love, Butler, Curry and Rubio COULD take us to the playoffs NEXT season… All this talk of Rubio, I am really going to be disappointed if we do not get him. And I am really going to be pissed if we move up to 2, and take Thabeet! I wouldnt be too angry if we ended up with Jennings. K-Love said he has some amazing passing skills! Sorry for just blabbing my mouth with some thoughts in my head…
If we take Thabeet, I’ll be sick. Might as well take Sam Bowie or Darko if we want to waste the pick. Does Memphis or Washington have a decent center with a bad contract? Etan Thomas could play center for us, no?
There’s a sick part of me that wants Kahn to trade up to 2 and take Thabeet just to watch the reaction.
EVANS! EVANS! EVANS!
Rubio is where it’s at. I would love to see the Wolves get both Rubio and Thabeet, but I doubt that happens. Rubio is the guy who will put tickets out of my price range next season–that is unless business keeps going like it has been. 
Let’s go get Rubio, David Kahn. Make it so!
Thomas: 7.35 mil for this year
Butler: 9.8 and 10.6
Miller: 9.75 mil
Foye: 3.6
Madson at 2.9 mil would have to be included. Or more likely, Cardinal at 6.75 for Stevenson at 3.9 would be added, with Stevenson at 4+ for next year.
This would give Washington a little cap relief after this year.
I like this, though Butler is pretty good for this deal (I mean, we’d be moving from 18 to 5 when it seems more fair the other way).
The problem comes if Rubio and Evans are both gone by #5, and I’m afraid they might be. Curry is not a pure point, Harden is a 2, I don’t like Thabeet, and Sac is going to interfere with our picks.
I still think it goes:
1. Griffin
2. Thabeet
3. Rubio
4. Holiday
5. Harden
6. Evans for us YAY!
Twinstalker - Washington has said that they will not trade any of their big 3 unless they get a bona fide star in return and that would make no sense for them to give up Butler (almost untradeable b/c of contract value and age) and the #5. The only deal w/ Washington for #5 that makes sense for both teams is some combo of Miller + Foye/Brewer + #18 for #5 + junk. We have to be realistic and recognize that we are moving up 13 spots so we have to give up a few solid rotation players and essentially take back equal salary in junk.
Well, that’s what I kind of thought. Butler was too good, but I wasn’t the one who brought it up. It’s Brandon’s trade a few comments up…I was just trying to figure how it could work.
Adam W. says to trade a good young player in Mike Miller for a fading 35 year old overpaid C in Camby…. MAKES NO SENSE! NONE!
Try to get Rubio AND Thabeet and that makes sense.
Commish doesn’t know how to read a full blog convo
Read the next comment. I said the hell with camby.
BTW the meathead Mike Miller isn’t young.
Well, Miller is our prime trading chip. Unless we get to #2 (maybe #5) with him, I suspect we’ll wait until midseason.
I’ll take Rubio with his Olympic experience anyday. Everyone including Kobe, D. Wade and J.Kidd said this guy would be a star. Rubio was still a teen then too. Within 3 years he will be a top 5 PG in this league. How can you pass on that? Thabeet has size yes. He is tall but that doesn’t mean he do it in a league full of tall strong guys. Odem is HUGE, both in size and height and he isn’t doing that great. There is no way you can pass on Rubio with his european league experience and olympic experince. European basketball is better than college and Thabeet didn’t dominate that league so to me its a no brainer between the two.
This could be a long night for Wolves fans. Literally, a late night.
The league’s rules about not dealing away consecutive picks have a bunch of unintended consequences, among them the fact that even if teams consummate a deal a week ahead of the draft they can’t announce it until after the players are selected.
If we see Memphis selecting Rubio second, then there may be a whole series of dominos after that. The Grizzlies don’t need a PG, and wouldn’t take one unless they’d determined the clear BPA was Rubio at #2 and they wanted to deal Conley. If it was to then get to us at #6, and Minny chose an upside type of wing, we’d be left guessing whether that player was really bound for Memphis. “With the #6 selection, the Minnesota Timerwolves select…. Jordan Hill!” Wait! What does that mean? Whom are we dealing with??
Given the potential involvement of the later first rounders, too, will Wolves fans really know what’s shaking until midnight? We’d be reading the tea leaves. Does Kahn come on the radio and talk about the #6 pick, or is he waiting for the other shoe(s) to drop?
Twinstalker, you probably missed my posts on the earlier blog, but I in no way feel the Wolves are close to a solution (solution = playoffs). My argument is simply that I think Evans and Flynn are both much more athletic than Curry and I think do offer more “upside”. Curry can shoot, but I don’t know what else he can do - he seems to slow to break down NBA point guards, too short (and slow!) to break down/handle NBA two guards. I think of him as a future Steve Kerr.
You said yourself that you envision him as a future solid NBA reserve. Sorry, if you are taking a guy in the top six, he better project to be a future starter.
And I completely agree about Camby’s age and injury history and status. Heck, four years ago I thought the Nuggets were playing with fire relying on him as an integral part. He’s been fragile since he came out of school.
The guy just doesn’t fit a young team. Even if he provided the thing he can provide, which is a question, that only kicks the can a season down the road. It’s not like when the Wolves became a contender they’d be penciling him in as the great defensive center next to Humble Rumble.
It sounds like Portland is trying to shed a little salary so they can go after a FA like Hedo. Any chance the Wolves could pick someone off their roster?
Have all these people that are yelling for the Wolves to trade up and draft Rubio even seen him play?
I’d have a hard time drafting a PG that hasn’t worked out for any NBA teams. It would be really interesting to see Rubio go through the combine. He isn’t very athletic, he isn’t very fast, he can’t really jump and he isn’t that quick.
I thinkt there is a huge potential for him to bust when he gets to the NBA. Other than Tony Parker none of the other Foreign Point Guards have really amounted to much. They seem to have a hard time adjusting to the increase of speed in the NBA.
Kestrel - Great post. I just made similar points over on CannisHoopus. If Memphis decides to bite the bullet and take Rubio I think that sets off a chain reaction. IMO, we shouldn’t try to trade for Rubio unless he is picked by Memphis. But either way I think we should make a hard play for #5.
Jama - I just read that Rubio wasn’t very pleased with the format of his workout with Sacramento. He said that it’s tough for him to show his true value in an individual workout. Kind of like Thabeet who doesn’t get to block shots or show his D presence in an individual workout. Here’s the link:
Who is the guy who said Rubio is gonna be a top 5 PG in 3 years ?
Parker, Paul, Williams, Rose, Harris, Rondo…which is gonna drop out ?! Top 10 maybe…tough to crack the top 5 these days.
As much as I loathe the idea of bringing in Marcus Camby, I’d much rather have him over Dalembert or Chandler. All of these guys have big issues and make a lot of cash. At least Camby would come off the books as an expiring contract.
The contracts of Dalembert and Chandler are major albatrosses and that’s the last thing our developing team needs. Keep the flexibility. Keep the youth.
I agree that there are aspects of Rubio’s game that don’t translate in individual workouts. That is why all prospects except for him and Thabeet have participated in group workouts. If Rubio falls in the draft the only person he should really blame is himself. If he is that good it would have shown in a group workout.
TwinsFraud, Curry is one of the few players I know will be good in this draft. The players you might project as starters are really only starters if you project their upside. Their median value (subjective as it might be for us to say) is not as a starter.
We pretty much know Curry has a talent that will make him a good NBA player.
Here’s my response to your Evans+Curry argument. I think neither is a true point (obviously), but one will take the ball to the hole, and the other will shoot the hell out of it. On the floor together, either will handle the ball probably well enough to at least set up the offense.
As for how it will work together, I see Curry getting the ball into Evans’ hands, Evans either tossing it to Big Al or going to the hoop…and if he goes to the hoop, he’ll either go all the way, pull up for a short J, or kick it back out to an open Curry.
That’s my vision, and it’s why I think they’d work well together. Respect your opinion, though.
Rubio measured 6′5 and had a 6′7 wingspan during his workout with the Kings according to Chad Ford.
According to the DX combine measurements, he measures almost an inch taller than Holiday with the same wingspan. Also, his buyout is expected to be about $4 mil and he would be allowed to pay it over multiple years. Ford thinks this would alleviate any questions about money issues with Rubio.
Rubio just worked out for Sacto yesterday. Quit exaggerating jama with your hasn’t worked out for any teams B.S. Learn the game fool.
For the same reason (contract), Kaman is a terrible idea. Somebody on this board tell me why committing 3 years, $33M on a guy who can’t stay healthy makes ANY sense.
Stop suggesting expensive, veteran centers who can’t stay healthy.
Kaman, Chandler, Dalembert and Camby are all dumb, dumb, dumb ideas.
Arenal
Your right he’s worked out for ONE team. A team that isn’t even sure if they want him. That sounds like a great strategy. And an individual workout is completely different than a group workout where you actually play against your competition.
this team doesnt need that much help we need a dynamic pg one that can drive and score play good d and knows how to pass and run the o and we need a devensive center to match up with the ones that al cant defend rotate that guy with al and love. we really only need those to things. if we trade expiring contracts and draft picks hopefully we will be able to get those pieces.
Yah, I guess your right jama. It isn’t like he played in the olympics against the world’s best or anything and came away with some of the world’s top players praising him. Forget I mentioned anything.
I’ve awoken with cold feet about Rubio. He just scares me. He may be amazing, but I’m still in the Evans/Curry/Flynn camp.
Maybe we just roll the dice and see, but man he makes me nervous.
Curry looks like the guy for us if we have to stick at No. 6. So with The Knicks wanting Curry so badly, might they pay big to move from No. 8 to No. 6?
Do you think they’d move Wilson Chandler and No. 6 for No. 8 and an expiring contract like Cardinal?
I’d do that in a heartbeat and think The Knicks would do it as well. Chandler is good, but they’d get Curry and clear more cap space for 2010’s FA class.
You know Kahn has had discussions with his boy Donnie Walsh.
Rodman after watching countless possessions last year with the Wolves PG’s unable to see Big Al or Love wide open in the post, Rubios passing ability is just what this team needs. I am sick of seeing easy baskets go down the tubes because telfair and company stink. I am standing by this one. Rubio is the best option for this team.
Gut the team, gut the press that praised McHale.
And if Rubio is off the board, I guess Evans is next on my list. Going on the record here.
Arenal
I’m curious if you have watched Rubio play. If so have you watched more than the 10 minutes during the Olympics and many Youtube highlight clips?
I’m not saying the Wolves shouldn’t draft Rubio, just that he has just as many if not more questions than just about anyone in the draft.
At the 6 spot and assuming no other trades are made I’m going:
Evans, Curry, Harden.
Haven’t all of the people yelling about Rubio not working out for every team realized that “workout warriors” often don’t translate into good team players?
The last time I checked NBA games are played five on five not three on three or one against orange cones. Go ahead and evaluate players on their pre-draft workouts if you like, but I won’t.
rubio is a natural thats who the wolves should get then get a solid devensive center that can match up better with other bigs we dont need a center to be a scorer on this team we need someone who can run the offence and play good perimiter d
If we get two picks in the Top-6, I’d personally prefer to completely re-make our backcourt with a new PG and SG.
But if the rumors are correct that Kahn is coveting Thabeet, it could also have a pretty big impact to take Thabeet and the best guard (either PG or SG) at No. 6. If Kahn’s vision is to trade Al or Love eventually, he could be on to something with Thabeet.
Let Love and Al start again next year so Al can prove healthy and probably make his first All-Star game. Love will get his 30-35 mpg and average 14-12 in his sophomore season. The trade value of both Love and Al would sky-rocket, so Kahn could get a major ROI next off-season in a trade.
Then Al/Love and Thabeet could be the starting frontcourt starting in 2010-2011.
I still prefer we draft two guards, but he’d be maximizing the value of Love and Al by waiting to trade them next off-season.
Either way, moving up in the draft this year gives us tons of options.
jama I fail to see your point. Who are you advocating taking? Rubio at least proved something on the biggest stage. The rest of these guys I just don’t see it. One year at college with unimpressive stats and competition doesn’t impress me. Rubio doing this since he was in his early teens does impress me, if anything he is the safest pick.
Evans is my second choice, but even he has some big question marks. Maybe he can take advantages of some mismatches, but I dont see a superstar.
Foo - I would think if the Knicks want Curry as badly as they claim they would be willing to part with Chandler since they have Gallinari waiting to return this year. The tough part about trading for Chandler is that he makes only $1.25 Mil and the Knicks can’t take back more salary for him so we are pretty limited on options to send back. If they are willing to get rid of Quentin Richardson (not sure) then maybe we could do something like:
Chandler + Richardson + #8
for
Cardinal + Smith/Madsen + #6
Richardson has an $8.7 Mil expiring deal and Chandler is on a really cheap rookie contract. We would only be taking on less than $1 Mil in salary in this deal. Of course the deal would be hinged on the willingness of the Knicks to give up a solid young player and expiring for expirings and Curry.
If we want to make the best pick, simple ask: WWKMD?
What would Kevin McHale do?
And then do the opposite. We’d be guaranteed the best pick.
Forget Rubio. We need a player who can play NBA ball. Not a Pete Maravich Showman.
if we get thabeet then we have to get a solid starting pg and if we get rubio then we have to get a solid defensive minded center to rotate with al and k love the more glaring need is at pg all the playoff teams have a good solid pg not neccesaraly the case with centers
i would be happy with either scenario!
Arenal
You didn’t answer my question. Have you actually watched Rubio play other than his Youtube highlights?
I realize that the Euroleague may have better competition than NCAA but they play a completely different type of game there. Just because Rubio has been playing professionally for 3 years doesn’t make him any more prepared to play in the NBA in my opinion.
Sure, Pete Maravich couldn’t play a lick of NBA ball:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maravpe01.html
jama, who would you take that would have the biggest impact on the team?
Is it really possible that the wolves can get both the big kid and the shiny new PG from over seas? It would seem like quite a task to pry away two top three or four picks.
The Rubio kid kis scares me a little (all be it I admittedly not an expert) in that I hear his offensive game is very raw. Does anyone else have the same concern?
Did someone just knock the Pistol ? The guy would have obliterated all scoring records given a 3 point line for his entire career.
jama yes I watched his Olympic games and if you do your homework you can find alot of film on him on some of the major draft sites. Just because I keep putting you in boxes doesn’t mean you have to get all huffy. I still haven’t read who you are advocating we take, or are you just one of those people who complains about whatever this team does?
seriously if you dont know about great nba players ie:pistol pete, you should not be commenting!
Jason — Is Rubio’s offensive game raw? Sure. But you can say the same thing about Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday and Brandon Jennings. Guys like Flynn, Lawson, and Maynor may be somewhat more developed, but their ceiling (in my opinion) is a lot lower.
I just updated this post with information Scott Roth has passed along to me that he was NOT hired by Bill Duffy, Thabeet’s agent, but rather has worked out the big guy as a favor to Duffy. My mistake.
Via the ESPN NBA draft blog, here’s a good collection of the various arguments against Rubio along with rebuttals:
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2009/6/22/921016/the-case-against-ricky-rubio
I’m not putting too much stock into the fact that Evans “was a man beating up boys” in the PG workouts, because like I said above, the NBA game is played 5 on 5.
That is the big question for every draft. Do you go for the so called sure thing or do you gamble by going to the huge upside? Same as stocks, do you buy 3M or shoot for the next Google?
With all of this trade talk I will be happy if we avoid a Roy?Foye fleecing.
Just take Evans if available and try to get Lawson.
Doubt Rubio all you want, but I’ll guarantee one thing if The Wolves land him:
THE WOLVES WILL BE RELEVANT ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL IF THEY GET RUBIO.
That’s the X-factor Foo, I think Kahn is going to try to get somebody in here to bring the average fan back with a big name player. Rubio, Curry, and maybe Thabeet are in those categories IMO.
foo is right can you imagine rubio lobbing balls from half court to rodney carney for stupendise dunks that would be sic
Except of course that the chances of Rodney Carney being back on this team next year are slim to none.
According to Chad Ford:
“Rubio is a pass-first point guard who makes everyone around him better in a five-on-five game.”
What’s not to like?
I have heard so much back and forth on Rubio that I tend to disregard some of it as “over journalism,” or an attempt at making a story where there really isn’t one. I was just curious what others thought.
Flynn seems to be the most “ready” of the PG’s that i have seen, but doesn’t have the upside that others have. If you can’t get up and get both Rubio and the the “Big Kid” I take the size and go from there.
Rubio nonsense and hype. The guy is an excellent passer but not an NBA athlete. He won’t be an Adam Morrison type of bust, but his althletic weaknesses and lack of shooting ability will be exposed quickly and he will sink to the bench. Whoever gets him will sell some extra tickets, but reality will set in, and fans like those in this forum will start calling for his head.
what if we made a trade to move up to get the #2 pick, then we take Rubio and at #6 we take Thabeet? Is this a likely scenario?
the team is halfway there rebuilding, wouldn’t trade foye & love for a high pick, one of them maybe, not both. jordan hill can score and we already have size and strength up front, he’d be a very good addition to the front court, there are a ton of guards in this draft and we can look at artest, andre miller, a few others in free agency. love will be better than thabeet this year.
Jerry or anyone else - Are the Wolves having a draft party at the Target Center again this year? If so, will it be open to the public or just for season ticket holders?
This draft is all about patience. If you take a Rubio or Thabeet you are buying into them getting better in a few years. If you pick either expecting great things (you rarely get rookie production out of a pg or c) immediately, you will be disappointed.
But in a few years, both could be special.
Think the x-factor for Rubio is he seems very competitive and doesn’t shy away from the big stage (like some other high draft picks this year).
chuck - Comparing Adam Morrison to Ricky Rubio? That’s the absolute worst take I’ve read on this blog in the last week at least.
Besides both players being rangy white-guys, they have NOTHING in common.
I like reading the variety of opinions on this board, but that’s probably the laziest, most simple-minded take I’ve read in a LONG TIME.
Adam Morrison? Please.
He didn’t. He said he wouldn’t be an Adam Morrison. Please read!
rubio not athletic trust he’s athletic enough to compete with the best and what he doesnt have in althleticism he would make up for with his baskatball iq people said the same thing about paul peirce but he has a smarter game than most and he is a perennial all-star and maybe hof-er
Since about the time Al Jefferson went down, I’ve been saying that the two players I’d pay to watch are Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings. And I think they have a lot in common:
1. Both are supremely confident.
2. Both have ridiculous play-making ability.
3. Neither will ever shy away from the lime-light.
4. Both have all the make-up to become stars.
I think Jennings is far more athletic and that Rubio is fare more polished. But the excitement, star-mentality and play-making abilities are very similar.
I’d like to wind up with one of those guys if possible.
According to Chad Ford:
“The Knicks originally had Holiday ranked higher [than Jennings] and were persuaded that his size and versatility made him a better pick. On the other, Jennings seems to have the makeup to be a star in the NBA.”
This makes sense because Holiday reportedly has crumbled mentally in workouts against other top PG prospects.
Neither Rubio nor Jennings will EVER crumble mentally against other top PGs. Give me their balls and swagger and LET’S PLAY!
Wow Foo that last sentence doesn’t read too well. But I agree that they are definitely guys I would pay to watch. I think the only guys who I will go out and buy a jersey of right away are: Rubio, Curry, Jennings, and possibly Evans.
There is no question: we HAVE to take Rubio if we move up. No question. The thought of moving up and possibly trading a very important asset as Love for a guy like Thabeet scares the hell out of me. Rubio it is.
Jballer - There is indeed a NBA City Draft party again this year. I haven’t had season tickets in a few years and I still got invited.
hey jballer, i would be willing to bet on it being open to everyone……otherwise about 9 ticketholders would show up.LOL, my 2 cents gut everything that mchale has touched but keep al csmith gomes and carney if he is cheap.
Swan - Thanks for the response. I actually just got an email from the team confirming that the event is open to the public with doors opening at 5:30.
we should trade Love for the 20th pick. about40% of his rebounds came in garbage time when others gave up. thabeet for love is a gift from the heavens!
rooz your a fool!
Anyone know if the Wolves ever got to see or meet with Hardin?
Carney = 3rd-stringer. Who cares about this guy?
Every positive take I read on this guy stinks of rubes being overly enamored with dunks and not having a clue about his overall game.
No mid-range game. Zero ability to put the ball on the floor. Maddening inconsistency.
I’m fine with bringing him back on a league-minimum contract, 3rd-string role. But if you’re mentioning him by name on this blog, then that would seem to indicate a desire to have him play a bigger role than that of a 3rd-stringer. And that I can’t understand at all.
I’d be happy to have Bobby Brown and Rodney Carney back on the roster next year, but I can’t understand for the life of me why they are even worth talking about on this blog.
Typical jama, calls me out and runs away. Hopefully he is clogging up Twinscrap blog with his lousy madeup takes.
rooz
Show me some data to back up that claim about Love’s rebounds.
jbsmg - don’t bother with Rooz. If it were up to him we’d have Rodney Carney starting and trade Kevin Love for a low draft pick in a weak draft.
Thabeet has been working out at the Spectrum club in El Segundo along some other NBA prospects that I don’t recognize.It’s where the Clippers used to train. It’s a public gym called the Manhattan Beach branch even though it’s in El Segundo.
He’s at least 7″2″ or 7″3″, but he needs to crack the weights. He looks 5 inches taller than Kaman. I’ve seen him talking with the club members so he seems very friendly. I think he could eventually be like Mutombo on defense if he gets stronger. I think he will be better on offense. He strikes me as having enough body control at that size to develop a few effective offensive moves after a few years in the league.
With no trades I would like:
Harden/Evans
Mullens
A point guard
I wonder if Rubio’s body can hold up as he struggles to play at NBA speed over an 82 game season.
i like carney as a bench small forward shooting gaurd type, he dosnt need to handle the rock or a midrange game just provide the three energy and good d and that fastbreak potential hes a great role player on any team.
It’s possible that Rubio falls to 5. I think Sacremento is going to take Evans. In the event Rubio is on the board at 5, I say we give up Miller & Foye and draft 5 & 6. If that doesn’t work out, I’m liking the Caron Butler trade rumors I’ve been hearing and if we can get a top 5 for Love, PLEASE DO SO. Love the guy but he’s the next Big Country.
I put Harden/Evans, Mullens, and a PG because I don’t think Rubio or Thabeet is available at # 6.
I’m not that high on Taj Gibson. I’ve watched him at USC and to me he’s a 2nd rounder talent wise. He’s 24 already so he is what he is weight wise and maybe even talent wise.
big country lol love has already had a better nba career than that guy in just one year
I want Harden at 6, unless Rubio falls. Watched Harden a lot and in college the two players he reminded me of were Roy and Wade (not in the pros, but when they played college).
Get the Catalan. Forget the big fella. There are no greater minds in the Draft.
We should put an end to these Caron Butler + #5 rumors. No possible way. None. Now, I think there is a possibility that Rubio slides to #5 but who really knows what Sac really is going to do. They really weren’t that interested in Evans until he shined in our PG workout and now all their sources are telling people that Evans and Flynn are at the top on their board. Why would any NBA team tell the media who is top on their board? Seems like a smokescreen to me, but nobody really knows except for the Maloof brothers.
I wonder if Kahn hasn’t painted himself in a corner by raising expectations of getting a second pick in the top 6.
Chances are we stay at 6 and pick between Curry (yes, please) and Evans (no thank you). I will be as happy as anyone if we pull it off, but I just don’t believe that a team will trade a top 5 pick for one year of Mike Miller and a few million. Even in a weak draft. It may lead to a quick end of the unexpected Kahn honeymoon period.
I keep seeing how the need is to rebuild the backcourt. Sounds like we are hoping for a couple of guys like Roy and Mayo. What is the status regarding the big post player drafted a couple of years ago who plays in Greece or Europe or somewhere? Is he is hte mix somewhere?
[…] The Timberwolves are at #5 but are looking to move higher. But who’s they’re target: Rubio or Thabeet? The Minny Star Tribune thinks it’s the big fella. […]
I really don’t think Rubio would fall off the top 5. You gotta be really, REALLY confident on the potential of the other guards in this weak draft to just let him pass through your fingers…
The guy has “all-star” written on his forehead…
Given that Kahn himself has said essentially nothing about acquiring a second pick in the top 5, I don’t see how he can be held responsible for not acquiring one based on all the draft related rumors that are out there.
Rubio is not good nor will he ever be good. He even looks small and slow in euro games where he makes too many turnovers. He is a poor shooter so he doesn’t even have that to fall back on. So he played ok (a few pts and a handful of other stats in the olympics) in case you haven’t noticed there are some horrible players playing in the olympics who manage to set good stats. So he can make the occaisonal spectatular pass in the euro league. Telfair was a spectatular passer at one time also and at least he has speed. Rubio’s only assets are that he is young and foreign (meaning no one gets to critique him every game). However there has only been about 2 good foreign PG’s in the history of the NBA and Rubio has no chance of being as good as them. Parker was able to be good by being faster than nearly everyone on the court while playing for one of the best coaches in the game. Rubio has neither asset. Calderon the next best after losing Ford turned out to much worst than expected but still good due to cast and a good shooting stroke. Rubio has neither asset.
Rubio has some of the flair and some of the hair of Pistol Pete, but a better comparison is Jason Kidd. It’s easy to fall in love with athleticism, but many top NBA players aren’t the guys exploding out of the gym. Rubio will be a very good NBA starter. If he develops his shot he will be even better. The top skills for a PG are Bball IQ and ball handling.
As much as I like Rubio (huge impact on this team) I am not willing to give up love to get him.. with that said I do not think we can move up enough to get him without giving up too much.
I do however really like Meynor as a solid pg for years to come. I think that if we can get him at 18 he might be one of the best value picks of this draft.
Jerry, you keep saying you think the Wolves would take Thabeet with the #2 over Rubio but never say why. Is that your own personal choice or do you think the team is actually leaning that way and, if so, why? It’s interesting that nearly every other report out there says if they move up it would be for Rubio. Not saying they are all right because we know how the national media is on these things. Like a bunch of kids playing soccer… they all run after the ball whatever way it’s hit.
Arenal
In response to who I would take here’s my list as of right now. This could change by Thursday but I doubt it.
Harden
Evans
Rubio
Curry
Thabeet
If the first four are gone and Thabeet is there at 6 I’d try to trade down and pick up some other assets. I keep going back and forth between Harden and Evans. I think Evans has the potential to be better in the long run with Harden being the better player right now. It’s hard to pass on the safer pick when the Wolves have made so many mistakes in the past.
Reeves,
Have you ever really watched Rubio play? He has a tremendous basketball IQ, great passing skills, besides being a really solid defender on the perimeter (exactly what the Wolves need). His jump shot is not that good, but we are talking about a 18 years old guy, who has got plenty of time to develop his offense.
Besides all that, I’m pretty sure Rubio will make an impact immediately in this team.
The fact that he is a foreign player is irrelevant… 10 years ago you could hardly name one foreign player which has done a great job in the NBA… Now you’ve got Dirk, Yao, Parker, just to name the all-stars…
Billy, we all love Love but very few of us fail to recognize he’s not star-quality. He’s a role player whether starting or coming off the bench. You give that up.
From Chad Ford’s latest Rumors:
The Timberwolves have been among the must active teams over the past few weeks. New GM David Kahn is trying to start his tenure with a bang. However, I think a lot of the reports out there have been off base.
The Wolves insist to me that they’re not looking to trade Al Jefferson and Kevin Love right now, despite rumors to the contrary.
And the rumored Chris Kaman for Mike Miller trade? Sources in both L.A. and Minnesota shot it down quickly. It turns out that the Wolves did call the Clippers several months ago about the deal (before Kahn had the job), but the Clippers wanted a first-round pick from Minnesota as well … something the Wolves balked at.
But it is true that the Wolves are trying to deal. They have other assets that could make them an attractive trade partner. Miller is in the last year of his contract. Randy Foye interests a few teams. And they have picks 6, 18, 28, 45 and 47 in this year’s draft.
Ideally, the Wolves will find a way to get up to the No. 2 pick to select either Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio. If the Wolves stay at No. 6, I think they’ll take either Stephen Curry or Tyreke Evans.
I agree that it’s probably down to Evans or Curry.
Rubio is 18. He’s 18. Even Garnett was 19 when we drafted him. For him to accomplish what he has already in Europe and to have that Wow! factor is simply amazing. I have no doubts about him long term.
ESPN: “Spurs Acquire Jefferson for 3 Players”
catch your breath - it’s not Big Al
I think it is Curry if we stay put, he is the guy nobody is talking about, and will bring some name recognition to the pick. He fills a need at the PG and can shoot. If he is selected I can’t see Foye on this team.
I don’t think Evans last until 6. Just a hunch.
Sean, Kahn isn’t exactly pouring water on the fire either. He was pretty quick to shoot down rumors of Al and K-Love getting traded or Mark Jackson waiting in the wings. So you know he’s paying attention.
For the record, I’m not anti-Kahn - no opinion until he makes a few moves.
Also, if no one has seen this Bucks just traded Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for Oberto, Bowen, and Kurt Thomas as per ESPN.
Twinstalker
there is something to say for a hard working player like Love that ACTUALLY LIKES PLAYING FOR MN! The uncertainty regarding rubio’s buyout and his questionable willingness to play for MN is enough to scare me away from trading Love for a chance to draft him.
Given that we are going to draft a PG I would really like to see a coach that can work with him to develop his game (not neccessarily Mark Jackson but that is not a bad option)
If they find a way to not trade Love or Jefferson, and package there later 1st round picks and lets say Foye and Miller, and have two picks in the first 6 and get Thabeet and Rubio/Evans, we’d have a good 3 some of Jefferson, Love and Thabeet, and a good point guard and if Carney stays he’d be a solid SF, now we’d just need to address a SG
Billy,
I agree with you on Rubio’s willingness to play for MN. But I bet he is more concern right now about the US$ 8 million he has to pay Joventud to be released…
Billy, I think before they draft Rubio they will makes sure his contract status is settled and he wants to play here. I like Love as much as the next person, but if you can get Rubio in a deal that involves Love you have to do it, regardless of how hard he plays or how much he loves Minnesota.
Is there really any scenario where the Wolves get both Thabeet AND Rubio? I can’t see a way for that to happen but maybe I’m missing something.
This draft is deep at point guard, if they get to number 2, i’d go with thabeet, assuming theyd keep 6, theres still Evans possibly, Curry, Flynn, you could even move back and get Lawson, we need a tall shot blocker cuz Jefferson and Love are just not centers, and rumor is maybe Rubio or Thabeet possibly could slip but i doubt it
I think his buyout is down to either 6 or 4 mil. I just think that there are other good pg’s available later on in this draft (particularly Meynor) that we do not have to morgage everything we have at a chance that rubio turns out to be a superstar
The Wolves also said they want to talk to Adiran Peterson, Joe Mauer, and Jesus.
Shao Kahn should sign Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Goro and Kintaro, and Scorpion can run the point. If all else fails, send in Smoke, Noob, Rain, Ermac, along with Sector and Cyrax. That will guarantee to clean house.
So Spurs look like:
Parker
Ginobili
R. Jefferson
Duncan
Bonner
If they stay healthy there is no way LeBron gets his ring this year.
Jballer
depends whose on their bench… That is an old team and they cannot have those players logging so many minutes.
trade love and the #6 and #28 and get kg and rondo
jballer::
Especially the bench behind Duncan and Bonner, Mahini and Hill, that is not good.
I would feel confident that they could use the MLE to sign a couple of James Posey like veterans. Not necessarily who play like Posey but guys who fit nicely into certain roles who are looking to win a ring. They can still re-sign Gooden & Vaughn and with Mason they should be in better position than most teams to attract a solid role guy with the MLE.
I love it Enzo!
Does trading for Jefferson make Manu more likely to get traded?
dream wolves roster for next season
c. thabeet-solid defensive vet/same
pf. jefferson/love/smith/gomes
sf. brewer/carney/gomes
sg. miller/foye
pg. rubio-solid vet/telfair
the thing about the wolves last year is that i saw exceptional play from most the players at some point they just werent consistant for whatever reason, you add a year of growing and a couple more parts and were right in the thick of things!
Here’s a few guys I thought of who could sign for part/all of the MLE or league min contracts:
Birdman
Zaza Pachulia
Gortat
Mikki Moore
Joe Smith
Melvin Ely
Adonal Foyle
Most of those bigs would be serviceable through the year and should keep Duncan healthy enough. Also I think they would look at someone like Grant Hill who could reasonably sign for a minimum contract to get a legit shot at a title.
Now I had one other FA who would be a possibility for the MLE that would be a really, really big stretch but I think the name should at least get some consideration: Iverson. There are so many reasons why it doesn’t make sense but it actually could work:
1. Iverson needs to play a backup role b/c of all the minutes he’s logged.
2. He won’t get much more than the MLE anyways so it wouldn’t be a huge paycut.
3. Playing with a top notch coach again within a tight knit locker room (Marbury situation) could get him to buy in and play nice.
Now obviously he would have to take a big ego check but I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumor makes the rounds.
no disrespect but i dont care about the spures or what they can do or who they could sign!
Nice resource for video of individual and group workouts for the kings:
http://tv.kingsconnect.com/archives/category/draft
The quality is excellent and there is some good footage of the scrimmage at their June 21 super PG workout with Evans, Curry and Flynn.
That comment I had in the post about Kahn aiming for both Rubio and Thabeet was said mostly with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek…
If I was to go by talent I would take Rubio over anyone in the draft, but when I look at a draft that has 12 PG’s that are NBA calibur, and one center that is NBA calibur in the draft, and we need a Center. The best center prospect next year is 6′9 maybe 6′10. So I would take Thabeet over Rubio, but if the Wolves could get either player I would be a damn happy guy. It’s like getting to date the wrong Cardashian sister… not a lot of downside.
Jerry, tongue in cheek or not… Wolves fans actually have an opportunity to dream, and to believe…
the abortion finally held, and the problem has been solved.
completely agree with you expression. Espacially with guys like Lawson and meynor likely available at 18
Get rid of Punto. Send Foye, Love, Jefferson, Cardinal, Collins, Gomes, Brewer, all those losers with all 3 first round picks for D-Wade and Chalmers (If that doesn’t work, just send them down a giant hole and backfill with concrete). Send Mike Miller to the WNBA for Janelle McCarville. Keep Carney, Criag Smith, Shelden Williams, and Bobby Brown. Get Al Nolen, Devoe Joseph, Damian Johnson, Colton Iverson, and Ralph Sampson III. Guaranteed 55 wins. Minimum.
By the way, Al Jefferson was ‘hurt’ that McHale quit. Note to Jefferson: YOU ARE ALWAYS HURT NO MATTER WHAT, THAT’S WHY YOU ARE WORTHLESS, YOU SCUM! YOU ARE THE CARL PARVANO OF THE NBA.
If Kahn can pull of getting thabeet and rubio he will be considered a god in the twin cities. JUST STAY AWAY FROM STEPHON CURRY aka THE UTILMATE BUST!!!!!
According to an NBA source, super active Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn has offered Mike Miller to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Chris Kaman. The Clippers shot down that trade, but countered with Marcus Camby.
i’d rather have camby, and any move to get rid of miller is good.
I am with you G
Those rumors have already been shot down. Not going to happen. Miller has more value than that.
Hell yeah, I’d trade Miller for a Miller Lite!
Jama, the only value Miller has is if we trade him. Keeping him makes him worthless. Keeping him takes minutes away from UnRoy, Brewer, and Gomes… plus any SG/SF we may draft.
Miller’s true value is the fact that he’s disobdient, uncoachable. That’s why when he’s told to shoot he passes, when told to man up, he takes estrogen and grow his hair to become a woman.
Like to also add that this being Miller’s contract year, he will REFUSE to pass, shoot more often than Kobe, and stab the backs of all his teammates to score a fat payday.
Rubio = B.U.S.T.
Kahn = B.U.S.T.
Isn’t it a little early for either of those guys to be busts mcfly?
wolves just traded foye and miller for the #5 and some stiffs
The Wizards and Timberwolves have agreed in principle to a trade involving Washington’s No. 5 pick in Thursday’s draft, a league source told SI.com.
The Wizards will receive Randy Foye and Mike Miller while the Timberwolves will get the No. 5 pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov.
The trade leaves Minnesota with the Nos. 5 and 6 picks in the lottery.
Comments on the trade with the Wiz? Who will we get at 5 & 6?
Curry & Evans? we have some decent front court size now with Thomas, Songala and Ozksvkysy. Not sure if any of those guys can play but when you throw in a talent like Love as trade bait you figure you’ll get something good in return. The question is ‘what’.
