A post-draft night letter from David Kahn
Posted on June 26th, 2009 – 11:51 AMBy Jerry Zgoda
David Kahn and the Wolves asked me to pass this along and post it here on the blog.
Dear Timberwolves Fans and Supporters:
It’s been five weeks since I arrived in Minneapolis and I hope you can feel what I feel: change.
I especially want to talk about last night’s draft and explain why we made the decisions we did.
First, from a philosophical standpoint, I believe that teams should select players in the top 10 of the NBA Draft who have the chance — and I underline the word chance — to be special later in their careers. You do not use the fifth and sixth picks to select rotation players, but only players that figure to be starters, if not out-and-out stars.
So, we were committed to taking two players who fit that description, and we were less concerned about the positions they played, assuming they were not power forwards.
There were several two-person options we would have been comfortable with at those selections.
It wasn’t until late Thursday afternoon that I thought there was a chance Ricky Rubio might be available for us at No. 5. I had actually been told by somebody who I deeply respect in the NBA that Ricky would be selected third by Oklahoma City. But we were prepared for all options nonetheless.
Ricky has one of the most tenacious, most capable agents in our sport, Dan Fegan. He cares deeply about his clients. I explained to Dan late afternoon that we were singularly motivated to build an NBA championship-contending team in Minnesota — that it might take a few years, of course — but that nobody here cared about anything other than competing for an NBA title. That we have only one life to live, and that we must spend our lives trying, as Pat Riley once taught me, to leave footprints.
I purposely selected Ricky with the fifth pick, not the sixth, to help with his buyout situation. Ricky and his family have taken a very bold step to enter the NBA despite having two years remaining on his contract with his Spanish team. I know that they would have preferred that we try to move to the second or third pick to take him, and I respect their wishes, but my belief was that we need during these next 15 months to acquire multiple pieces to make this a championship-contending team over the next three-to-four years. The price for moving to No. 2 or 3 was far too steep.
Ricky is a proven professional who played against the USA in the Gold Medal game in the Beijing Olympics. He is a virtuoso, a rare player who may well be unique. I have long believed that he has the chance to become one of basketball’s brightest stars. You’ve seen the highlights — he is like an orchestra conductor with the basketball.
He will be our starting point guard here the moment he walks through our front door. We may have to wait a year, or even two, but he is worth the wait. We must be patient. This is a big step for he and his family.
With the sixth pick, we selected Jonny Flynn. I truly believe that Jonny is as much a scorer as a playmaker and will thrive playing off of Ricky. I also believe that, together, we will have one of the most dynamic defensive backcourts in the NBA over time. You will love Jonny Flynn. He, too, will be special.
And I also believe that there is a tendency in the NBA for all of us (myself included) to become too formulaic in our thinking. If you think of the Detroit Pistons backcourt during their championship run, with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson, or the Celtics with their backcourt of Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson (and before Ainge there was Gerald Henderson), or the Lakers with Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, or the Knicks with Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe, there are many instances of championship success that is not so paint-by-the-numbers.
It can and will work.
At the 18th pick, we did not believe we could identify a player who would be worthy of that rookie scale slot and become part of our core nucleus, so in an attempt to further stockpile assets, we traded it for a future first-round pick with only modest lottery protection. This will prove to be valuable. We also traded one of our two second-round picks for a 2010 second-round pick.
Finally, we selected Wayne Ellington with the 28th pick, one of the stars off the North Carolina National Championship team. Wayne is a 6-foot-5 shooter who has improved dramatically this season. He will help us soon. And, last but not least, we used our remaining second-round pick to take Henk Norel, a teammate of Ricky’s in Spain, who is long and athletic. Norel has one year remaining on his contract.
What excites me most about this team is the following:
Al Jefferson, at 24, is the oldest player of our four future building blocks. Kevin Love is 20. Jonny Flynn is 20. Ricky is 18. Wayne Ellington is 21. And let’s not forget Corey Brewer is 23, Ryan Gomes is 26 and Sebastian Telfair just turned 24.
We will need a special coach who understands that we are very much in the development stage and need to be shaped and molded. I have already talked to Al Jefferson and Kevin Love about the qualities they would like to see in their new coach — what kind of person we should be seeking — and will also consult with our new players. Players respect structure and discipline. They want to know where they stand. And they want to know the coach has their back. I am eager to hear from Ricky, Jonny, Wayne and some of our existing players as we prepare our list.
These are fun times, I hope, to be a Timberwolves fan as we continue on this journey. There will be bumps and bruises along the way, but I believe we are pointed in the right direction.
As always, thank you for your interest and passion. It makes our jobs easier.
David Kahn
268 Responses to "A post-draft night letter from David Kahn"
Props to the Kahn man! Appreciate the transparency as to the thought process!
Zgoda looks like Karl on “SlingBlade”
Ahh, so that is why two PGs. No Ricky right away.
Wow, its so refreshing to get the scoop straight from a GM or coach without the cloak and dagger approach we have been used to. I’m excited for the future of the T-Wolves, this guy has a real plan.
Wow, that was an awesome letter. That really cleared things up and makes me feel better. I’m liking Kahn more and more every day! I hope he keeps this kind of relationship with the fans, it would go miles I think.
Thank you for posting that, and if you can thank Kahn for sharing his thoughts with us. It’s greatly appreciated!!!
We have a bright future!
Tired of stashing players in Europe…where is the guy we drafted last year in Europe? Rubio is a great pick IF HE IS HERE! He needs to be here next year, not “1 or 2 years”….I’m a disappointed fan if he’s not here next year…
I vote we start a donation campaign for the fans in Minnesota to help buyout Ricky’s deal now so he can suit up for the Woofs in 2009! Jerry, work your connections and make this happen!
I’m giving Kahn time to see this thing through. At least he has a plan. I’m ok with what he’s doing.
Wow, brilliant way for the new GM to send out info. Now if he could get Love-rboy to stop tweeting, (maybe Kahn will be tweeting soon enough, this letter is certainly right along those lines)
I like getting all this information straight from the horses mouth as much if not more than everyone else. That being said, is being this transparent the best way to run a pro sports franchise?
How often do the Spurs placate the fans? How about the Jazz or Lakers?
Maybe this is something to try to turn the fanbase onto this franchise again, if so it seems to be kinda working. I just hope Kahn doesn’t start giving away information that can be used against the Wolves in the future.
I appreciate the analytical approach. As a lawyer myself, I can see the law school influence in David Kahn’s approach to analyzing how to develop this team. It is detached from emotion (in a necessary way) and it is apparent that he is thinking through the various possibilities and risks for each of his actions. I think this is just what we need.
Still would have rather had Curry vs. Flynn. Please.
His quotes, “You do not use the fifth and sixth picks to select rotation players, but only players that figure to be starters” and about Rubio, “He will be our starting point guard here the moment he walks through our front door” How are these two statements compatible. In what world can Flynn play the 2? We have gone from a GM that loves big men, to a GM that loves PG. Great. Bring in Simmons.
Jama, if you win no one cares what you do. We suck and Kahn needs to try every possible tactic to get fans back. This is a an easy decision on his part.
I like the openness. Good Work.
Obviously there is a lot that I am not privy too, but I was surprised that we didn’t end up trading the 6 to NY for the 8 and an asset. It sounded like–unless they were smokescreens–that NY wanted Curry bad, and that we could have likely had Flynn at 8. We would have saved money by moving from 6 to 8, and picked up an asset. It could be that NY thought Curry would still be available at 8, so didn’t offer much, or that we had Flynn rated so much higher than the other players available that we did not want to take that risk. I hope somebody asks this question at the press conference.
Very nice Pete! Who would have thought Jerry gave off that Billy Bob Thorton vibe… 
“I reckon’ I want me some of them french-fried taters der…errrrmm-hmmm.”
My guess is Flynn and Rubio would only play together a fraction of the time. In other cases Flynn becomes kind of a 6th man… at least at the beginning.
It seems like the Wolves goal is just going to be to out score other teams. With a combination of Rubio/Flynn/Brewer/Carney/Ellington the wolves will be faster than pretty much any team in the league. There are going to be some cases i.e. when we’re playing a tall team that going small is are best option.
Plus we should use these guys to implement a full court press. That would throw teams.
Perfect letter, love it. The other thing that is implicit is that while Kahn didn’t think Rubio would last until 5, he was well aware that if he did it complicated him coming over for this coming season.
So while you can take it at face value that they had Flynn as BPA, bringing him in makes that much more sense.
it’s all a set up for the “we just rec’d an offer that blew our minds” letter next week
and i think fegan is going to make it happen through the clips…
from the oklahoma paper
“(Dan) Fegan wants him in L.A., and if he can’t have him there, he wants him in Sacramento. Definitely not Oklahoma City.”
The report didn’t go on to give a reason why Fegan, Rubio’s Los-Angeles based agent, wouldn’t want his client in either city.
Kahn seems to be a straight shooter and a fan’s type of GM. I would like to know more about our cap space and ability to sign free agents for this year and especially next year! I am sick of thes primadona atheletes who stick their noses up at our great state. What do you think the weather is like in NY, Chicago, Detroit, Philly, etc. Minnesota is a great state and if hairbag Rubio doesn’t want to be here than he can go somewhere else. That is why I love Flynn!!! He wants to be a T Wolf and you can tell he will work harder than anyone to be a great player. Great guy and and a great pick. Finally, I can’t wait to see Ellington stroking threes and bringing those highlight reel dunks to Target Center. Remember, we have to Gophers B Ball team to root for while the T Wolves build a contender!
I don’t know how Flynn is going to play the 2 either. He is going to be wiped out by the bigger guards. Kobe will be licking his chops for the 4 chances a year to improve on the 81 point game.
On the last blog somebody mentioned how Rubio’s agent wants Rubio in CA. At a moment like this I’m happy our GM is a lawyer himself and not an ex-player. He won’t get tricked or intimidated by the powerful Fagen.
i do think we can wait ricky out if we want to
it would be okay watching flynn/ellington/love/jefferson/brewer next year
then we have a kickass draft next year (with another high lottery pick) and even maybe a couple extra pieces from rubio
so go pound sand fegan!!!!
I stand by Kahn’s comments about the Pistons, Celtics and Knicks, winning championships with PGs in the backcourt. Let’s not speculate, let’s just wait and see.
You don’t trade Foye and Miller so you can have two high picks and then plan to play those guys together only a fraction of the time. If you believe his words, Kahn believes he can put the ball in Ricky’s hands, Flynn can be the scorer mostly off the ball and Ricky can defend big guards on defense.
we need to get simmons involved to make something stupid happen for us through the clips
simmons has a mancrush on rubio and is a p.r. nightmare for LA
gotta go a little Sun Tzu on Fegan and the Clips here
KAAAAHHHHNNNN!!
Rubio being the starting point guard doesn’t equate him guarding the other team’s PG and Flynn guarding the 2-guard…could flip spots on the D-end.
Flynn isn’t going to be guarding Kobe. Rubio at 6-5ish (or Brewer or whoever) is going to have to. With this plan, Flynn will guard point guards and Rubio defends the big guards. That, of course, is suspect, too.
After at least five years of tuning out the T-wolves, I may actually begin to watch them again… Good letter.
Jerry
Any news on whether there’s going to be a conference call with Rubio?
Not sure if this has been discussed, but here is a potential solution to paying for Rubio’s buyout: The ‘Wolves are limited to paying $500,000, as I understand it, and getting picked Fifth rather than earlier reduces Rubio’s cash to pay the buyout. So Rubio may not be able to afford the buy-out. Here is the solution: NBA players can sign endorsement deals that are very lucrative. Imagine the goodwill that a local company would generate if it signed an endorsement deal with Rubio and publicly said it would pay for the buyout so Rubio can play for the ‘Wolves next year. Great opportunity for one of our many corporate headquarters in the Twin Cities to single-handedly bring one of the most exciting players to the Twin Cities a year or two early.
How long before a bag of cash is dropped off at Ricky’s door in Spain? You got to think there will be something that will get him out of his contract, such as a corporate sponsor giving him a deal equal to his buyout or the college approach of a new Mercedes with a trunk full of $100’s.
Lovin the effort Kahn. Thanks for being open to the fans about the process. I am glad that we took flynn rather than curry. As it seems that Rubio may not be here immediately it gives Flynn a great opportunity to develop. I think that these two are the second and third most talented basketball players in this draft. It sounds like both are committed to defense, but the only concern is their height. We’ll see I guess. Its a long process.
This year it was Gomes who was in charge of Kobe and Lebron. He or Brewer will have to take the stud and leave the others for Flynn and Rubio. I have faith. It has to work!!
I like the letter.
Still not entirely sold on them playing together. But that said, I love both players and won’t be disappointed with keeping either.
Here’s a deal… How about Rubio to the Clippers for Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and a future first rounder? Rubio goes to a bigger market, the Clippers pair Griffin with Rubio, and the Wolves get both the outside shooter and the athletic, shot-blocking center they want. Works for everyone!
Good job, Kahn, and thanks for the letter. Now let’s get our coach and try the FAs!
By the way, take a look at AK47…
Maybe we should start a website where fans can make small donations that would hopefully add up to a decent portion.
I’m pretty sure no “corporate sponsor” is going to give Rubio $5 million so he can play for the Wolves. If they did, the corporate management should be fired.
If it gets done with the wolves it will come down to endorsement money
I crunched the numbers for NBA players. There are twenty six NBA players on SI.com’s list. Thirteen of these players earn $5 million or more per year from endorsements. For these really fortunate 13 NBA players, they earn on average $11.6 million out of their total $26.6 million a year, or 44%, from endorsements. Then the bottom falls out for the 13 “less fortunate” NBA players. They derive just $1.1 million out of their total earnings of $18.4 million, or 6%, from endorsements.
http://www.moneyplayersblog.com/blog/nba-draft/
Well, the man can write a letter. I’ll give him that. I don’t see what he does in Flynn, or this pairing, but he can sure write a letter.
What concerns me is that he seems to be punting on Rubio coming this year. That’s a mistake. I know it’s not entirely in his hands, but I think they have to do EVERYTHING they can to get him to come over this year.
Jerry, asked this in the other thread, but I’m wondering if you are trying to get Fegan on the phone to find out what he has to say?
Rubio isn’t going to play here. ESPN is trashing this draft by the Pups unless they can trade Rubio for some value. Flynn is a star? We’ll see… With Rubio, we likely won’t see him on this team.
I really hate that idea, Sam…
Brian: The corporate sponsor would not have to give Rubio the entire sum, just enough to supplement his ‘Wolves salary so he can play here for more than effectively nothing. Rubio is going to be a sensation and will likely be quite valuable as an endorser. Suddenly, there will be a lot of Timberwolves fans internationally, and that itself is very valuable to many companies.
I love the pick of Rubio and I think it will work itself out if they stay patient with him and his situation. We are still one probably two years away from being a playoff team anyways so we can afford to wait on Rubio’s arrival and still get to watch an exciting young player in Flynn. Kudos to the Khan for a great draft.
I assume that ricky would be in the “less fortunate” list, particularly if he is in minnesota.
So at best he might make another 500k-1mm per year by spending all his off days here wearing a sandwich board
I am going to work on a different name to post under, the problem is that I am not that creative. Disagree with the other Matt who just posted.
Rubio’s team in Spain will make him a deal. He plays one more year in Spain and they’ll drastically cut the buyout amount. It will be a win win for Rubio and the Wolves. The Wolves won’t have to pay Rubio while he continues to develop and will assure themselves of another top 10 pick. Rubio saves several million dollars and still gets to play in the NBA, albeit one year later than planned.
so to get this straight, kahn wants us to be “patient” with rubio becuase this is such a “big step” for rubio? come on rubio, you can easily get enough money to play here right away in no time and so what if the weather is a little colder? you get to make millions by playing basketball and you somehow aren’t very happy about it. grow up
Johnny Flynn is not as good as Telfair. Mock my words . Garbage lottery pick. He wasted our picks…Are you kidding me. Comparing Rubio and Flynn to the early 80’s back courts. This is the NBA …We are in 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is my agenda for next week–
Wake up. Walk bleary-eyed to door, get fish wrap.
Read Rubio to Clips for Gordon/Kaman plus our first round pick back.
Me, on front steps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRnSnfiUI54
Nice letter, I like hearing it straight from the GM rather then “sources”. Now if we could just get a letter like this from Rubio letting us know its just the buy-out issues and nothing to do with MN, I can be happy again.
I look forward to seeing Rubio at starting PG whenever that will be.
I wonder if Rubio’s “indecisiveness” about playing in Spain or Minnesota next year is designed in part to provide him with the greatest flexibiliy on negotiating the buy-out. If he flat out said he was coming here and that was that, then he would hurt himself in negotiations with his spanish team because he is taking an option off the table. He has a smart agent, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is part of the thinking.
Rubio is 6′4 180lbs. Maybe in a couple of years when he fills out he can guard some 2s in this league. But he is used to guarding other points, not shooting guards. His defense is predicated on helping out and seeing passing lanes. I just don’t see how these two can play together.
from Aschie on Minnpost
So Taylor sounded undeterred as he briskly left the building. “We’re going to try to get him, his mother and his father in here tomorrow [Friday],” he said.
oopsie
RunDMC:
Rubio played a lot this year with another PG on the floor. His team played more zone on Defense, so it’s not sure who he guarded, but he has definitely played and thrived with another PG on the court.
“we were committed to taking two players who fit that description, and we were less concerned about the positions they played, assuming they were not power forwards.”
Then explain why, after #5 you weren’t committed to that same philosophy only “assuming they weren’t point guards”? Brilliant!!
“He has a smart agent, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is part of the thinking.”
Yeah, he’ll walk into the negotiation and say I might come back and play in Spain if you lower my buy out. Oh well in that case lets lower the buy out, the Spanish team will say. Im sure Rubio will be so overcome with appreciation for the consideration in lowering the buy out that he’ll decide to stay in Spain instead of coming to the NBA which is what he really wants. Really out smarted the Spanish team there didnt ya?!!
O.K. so another year of sucking is what I am hearing. They aren’t going to buy his contract out because they want to save money and people aren’t going to come to the games so they know they have to wait. You know when someone has to send a letter to explain what they did, they screwed up. I’m curious to see how we are going to replace Foye and Miller with Flynn? HE IS 6′ TALL! Hopefully we win the lottery next year because I guarantee we will be LAST in the league and nobody is going to show up to watch.
Flynn is the starting point guard for this team. Rubio plays in Eurpoe next year and is traded for a top lottery pick in next year’s more talented draft. Next year, Wolves get someone who fits their needs well, instead of trying to convince themselves that Curry is the answer at 2. Curry is a role player.
Very saavy move by Kahn. He knew Rubio wouldn’t want to play here at pick 5 salary and would opt to stay in Europe.
From Spanish sports website Marca:
RICKY RUBIO
“El equipo me ha dicho que me esperaría un año y vamos a ver si vengo el año que viene o no”
Or “the team has told me that they could wait for me for one year, so lets see if I will come back next year or not”…
Now, that’s frustrating…
Interesting idea, Jarod. And with the state of our team, Kahn is credible in stating his willingness to wait.
KAHN!
At least there was a thought process here… I don’t know enough about Flynn to judge if he can play off the ball but I like that there’s a plan in place and that Kahn communicates it well.
Where are people getting that Rubio’s not coming over? I didn’t see that in Kahn’s letter, and something’s going to happen to get him over here. Are you telling me that someone’s not going to give him an endorsement contract? If not Target, someone will… my wife, from the moment she saw him said, “Aww, he’s cute, I want one!” She’s not a basketball fan but cheered when we took him and was every bit in awe as I was when they showed the highlight reel, thinking “Wow, that’s amazing.” This kid is marketable. Of course someone throws a few million his way. Buyout done, problem solved. Plus, as people have said before, this buyout amount is insane. I’m a contract lawyer and while I don’t know Spanish law, absolutely no way something that disproprtionate would hold up in a U.S. court. I’ll bet it gets reduced, he buys out, he’s here next year. And the Wolves are running and gunning for once… now to get a shooter.
We could have had Stephen Curry and Ricky Rubio and been set for the next fifteen years with one of the most sensational teams in NBA history.
Instead, we have a backcourt controversy, two players who can’t play together, and NO ONE to play SECOND GUARD or SMALL FORWARD.
David Kahn is the DUMBEST MAN to ever occupy the Timberwolves front office. This is the worst move in team history — worse than trading Brandon Roy, Ray Allen, O.J. Mayo or drafting Corey Brewer. David Kahn should be FIRED immediately. Oh, but the wolves also have the WORST OWNER in NBA HISTORY in Glenn Taylor.
Not saying you’re wrong, RunDMC, but I read elsewhere that Flynn “impressed the Wolves during a pre-draft workout by playing tenacious defense against Tyreke Evans despite giving up six inches in height.”
Let me start off by saying that I am enjoying the koolaid and like our draft with the idea of a work in progress. With that said a couple of thoughts…
1) Wasn’t one of Kahn’s main concerns with last year’s roster was that our two main guys (Love and AL) play the same position?
2) What happened to all the Kevin Love and Big Al supporters that said height was not a concern as long as Love and Al play with the kind of passion and heart they’ve shown so far? (my guess is Flynn and Love will get along great they sound like they have the same motor/determination “to be great”)
Looks to me like Kahn has turned the table on all these fans.
I think the problem is that T-Wolves fans have never seen Jonh Flynn play. If you see him play you would have no questions about why we took him at 6th. I watch a lot of college basketball and in my opinion he was the one point guard in the draft that will make the best, immediate transition from college to the pros. He has an NBA game. Better yet, he has an NBA All-Star swagger. His game is a lot like Nate Robinson’s. He comes in a smaller, powerfully built package, but he is very quick, athletic, and explosive. He has the swagger of Sam Cassell. He’s a leader natural born leader and a gamer. If people would have saw the incredible UConn marathon game, you would have asked why we didn’t take Flynn at 5 or 6. He’s going to be a rookie-of-the-year candidate. With Flynn and Rubio, we will have 2 dynamic players to drool over for years to come.
Wolvessuck — you write “They aren’t going to buy his contract out because they want to save money and people aren’t going to come to the games so they know they have to wait.”
Dude, do your research. They _can’t_ buy out his contract because NBA teams can only contribute $500k to a buy-out. The rest has to come from Rubio’s contract or somewhere else. Wolves would buy him out if they could.
And, of course the Wolves will suck next year. As Kahn points out, their oldest key player is 24. This isn’t about winning next year — do you really think we can beat the Lakers or even, say, the Spurs or the Mavs? No. But are we putting in place pieces that can win in a few years, and doing it with a plan? For once, yes. That’s a start.
Pointless: I don’t think you understood the leverage. Rubio’s team is bankrupt — and they need the buyout money to pay the Spanish IRS. If he doesn’t leave, the team still needs to come up with the money. So he’s threatening to come back and not pay, not promising to come back if they lower the buyout.
People are so happy he just explained to you on why he screwed up our draft. Nice letter to prove to me how bad you are at GM…I wish he would explain what kind of drugs his staff was on in the war room and how long it will take Glen taylor to figure he hired someone worse than Mchale . Which I did not think was possible . Hey !!!Glen call Stephen A. Smith and beg him to come and GM this handicapped team ..He will look like a genius compared to what we have had!!!!!!!!!!
At least he’s talking, makes me a bit unconfortable when someone tries to convince me of something this hard. We’re gonna/got to trade Rubio lets just hope we get someone worth it.
Judging by the number of comments in response to this letter/blog, I’d say mission accomplished. Kahn just made me and thousands of wolves fans believers again. With the belief that this franchise has direction and are worth paying attention to. Even with the head turning/scratching drafting of 3 point guards, I can’t wait to see what he does next!
“Rubio’s team is bankrupt”
Ah so they dont actually want him back. Well that certainly makes a difference. Thanks for the added info.
Exellent move by Kahn to write this letter. He has been feeling the pulse of the fans knowing he has to both rebuild the wolves and win the fan support. He is earning the right to get some time in doing that. In explaining himself he is at least letting the fan base take this journey with him and not leaving the fan in confusion. As for the 2 guards…I believe it is called depth and he basically he took the BPA according to their standards.
In his looking for a coach, obviously he will be looking for a teacher. Still a little nervous about Rubio and his desire to be in MN. All Kahn shared was what he told the agent and not how the agent responded, but he is pointing him in the right direction.
Flynn is actually a pretty decent defender. better than decent. He also is crazy strong, has a 6′4 wingspan, and is a freak athlete.
As ESPN said last night the one thing he needs to work on is his descision making. He can play two. He probably can’t defend the two unless it’s a smaller guard but that’s why we have brewer.
Danny Anige and DJ were both 6′4, Dumars was 6′3 and Isiah was 6′1. Ainge and Dumars were both shooters and could score. Flynn and Rubio are both pure point gurards, not shooters.
Even if Rubio goes back to Spain for one year, think about the Talent coming to this team in 2010. Rubio, Pek, maybe Norel and potentially 3 more 1st round picks.
Wow. I was pretty far off the Wolves bandwagon, but I definitely appreciate that Kahn would communicate his thought process directly to the fans. That was cool. Now make sure Rubio signs or this is just another disaster.
The evaluation of Kahn’s plan will have to wait until it is complete. I personally don’t see any reason why Flynn and Rubio can’t play together, but I’d be curious to hear Kahn’s thoughts on Stephen Curry and why they passed on him.
But as a fan, let me just say I have enjoyed Kahn’s communication style.
From what is sounds like, “it would have been easier at position 2 or 3″ All we (the team) really need to do is present Ricky with the Coin that being drafted at #3 would command. Obviously Glen will get at least double that money back if Ricky is in the house now rather than waiting a year. So it was too expensive to negotiate with other teams in the league to move up, we still got our guy at #5.
Madison Dan
The other way to look at that is if Rubio goes back to Spain all the money the team makes off selling his jersey’s and ticket sales. Plus they are only paying him like 150K so you’d think they are making quite a bit of money off him. I think this process is going to be really interesting and there really isn’t much the Wolves can do but sit back and wait.
wolves suck- Flynn has a 40 inch vertical and last time I checked being a huge point guard in the league didn’t really matter. Also the Wolves can only pay 500k towards a buyout for Rubio, they cannot pay the entire portion according to NBA rules.
Kahn Good Job again. I am very happy about the draft and I appreciate the update. I am very excited and screw Vitale. Nice job making him look like a fool on ESPN. I trust you.
Jama,
I guarantee you more spaniards would buy Rubio jersey’s if he played for the wolves than if he’s still at his old team.
“All we (the team) really need to do is present Ricky with the Coin that being drafted at #3 would command.”
Cant do it. Thats against the rules.
One more thing Kahn. Way to hold the cards and calling those bafoons bluff.
jama: Yeah, it could be that they make more money keeping Rubio through tickets, etc. I just thought it was an interesting idea that Jarod had. Did someone say earlier that the team doesn’t even control the buyout situation anymore? That is, did the “Spanish IRS” claim the rights to the buyout, so we’d be working with them? If so, that might throw a wrench in things as well.
I can wait.
I think the key to the whole letter is the fact that Kahn says the day Rubio walks through the doors he’s the teams starting PG. Rubio seems to want “minutes” so the fact that he’s been given the job already seems assuring.
Has everyone lost there common sense? Unless they make a deal for Rubio this is a terrible draft. You can’t have two point guards playing heavy minutes together and expect to win in the NBA. Besides, I am not sold on Rubio. This is the NBA, not the International game. His Harlem Globetrotter highlights will get eaten up. Besides how do you think Flynn likes to hear his GM say when Rubio gets here, he is the starting PG. Love the Flynn pick, hate the Rubio pick. All this letter does is prove that we now have to listen to the same old BS coming from Twolves management it is just that it is coming out of different peoples mouths.
PS. ESPN gave only a C+ draft grade with 3 first round picks. Only the Wolves can pull that off.
Reminds me of a Fantasy Football Draft except having to get fewer players.
“I need a point guard. Oops, I forgot I picked one 5 minutes ago. I need to lay off the booze.”
Whats up DJ, it Deacon.
Great letter. Here’s what I’m reading between the lines:
“… only players that figure to be starters, if not out-and-out stars.” - He took Flynn on value, not fit.
“He will be our starting point guard here” - Rubio is the main prize
“We may have to wait a year, or even two” - So, Flynn holds the reigns until Rubio comes over, then (hopefully) becomes a high-value tradeable asset about the time we are looking for the last piece or two.
No question that every time he’s spoken he’s heaped more praise on Rubio than Flynn. You could speculate he’s creating a smokescreen to maximize his short-term trade value, but given the shaky fan base right now I think he’d be foolish to hype Rubio this persistently not only to the media but directly to us blog rubes.
I am tired of waiting. Now we wait two more years for Rubio.
How big is Rubio really. Last night in the begining of the Draft when they were showing the people that were there posing for pictures with Stern Rubio and Curry were next to each other and Curry looked to be an inch taller than Rubio. I really hope if he becomes a wolf that he grows and fills out. Because if Curry looks bigger than you, you are in trouble.
At least Kahn can write better than he can interview. When he was on the draft broadcast it was rather embassing how pathetic he sounded with no presence and failed jokes.
I have two problems with the Kahn man’s letter. First he contradicts himself by saying you don’t spend a top ten pick on somebody who won’t be a starter. Well then Mr. Kahn you just spent a #5 pick on a player who may and may not play or be a starter for 1 or 2 years, and a #6 pick on a player, who if Rubio plays will be a sixth man coming off the bench.
My second problem with the Kahn man’s letter is how he has given the starting PG position to Rubio outright. That has to instill alot of confidence in the rest of the team, I guess they will just have to compete for the other 4 starting positions. Sorry Flynn no matter how well you perform the starting job goes to Rubio when he is good and ready to join the club.
I am not impressed with the Kahn man at all, McHale’s departure was way overdue, but who does this guy think he is. Writing a letter like this reaks of desperation, I believe the Kahn man knows he screwed up and is already trying to spin doctor this debacle in an attempt to salvage any remaining season ticket holders who already aren’t contemplating jumping off this sinking ship.
Kahn man your a Joke and I hope every one can see straight through your little desperate web of horrible decision making.
I don’t know how interesting this is, but I was comparing Flynn to some other drafted PGs and noticed that Flynn’s height, wingspan, reach, and vertical are all really close to Conley’s. I don’t know that there’s much resemblance in their games, but that might give us some idea of how Flynn will hold up in the league physically.
Flynn is a really good defender from what I hear…so I like it. Screw Curry’s shooting.
It is nice to see a GM explain his actions to the fans after the draft. Mr. Kahn, I apprecaite the honesty.
Although, I might have preferred Curry to Flynn. Flynn is nice and a good defender, but I think Curry is a better shooter. I think Curry would have played better off of Rubio than Flynn.
RunDMC - thanks for pointing out the obvious fact that a lot of others are missing (and hopefully Kahn knows better too) - all those other “2 PG” teams were really tweeners who liked to shoot - that doesn’t apply to either of these two. No way they start together on a contending team.
So, let’s say Ricky goes back to Spain for a season and then comes back. Do they give the keys to Jonny Flynn? And if I’m Jonny Flynn, and I’ve been running the team all that time, am I happy when Ricky comes back and they tell me it’s his team now?
A letter to the fans, sure… but it’s also a letter to Rubio, his agent, and teams who covet Rubio like the Knicks, etc.
By saying “We love Rubio, We want Rubio and Flynn to play together” and “We don’t mind letting Rubio play in Europe for a while”, what we’re really saying is: You’re not going to push us into a deal unless you’re willing to pay a hefty price.
I like starting to like Kahn, especially how he is communicating with the fan base. He has me interested again. Regardless the wolves should be fun to watch as they improve.
Great perspective, stuart. I hope you’re right.
Now I know why there are so many scam companies out there including Inventhelp which makes $million every year off suckers. People are like sheep. They will believe anything someone feeds them. ROFLMAO!
Rubio will be traded. Mark my words.
Like I was saying on this blog yesterday, we shouldn’t take Rubio! This is going to be a disaster!! The kid, and I say kid b/c he is only 18, doesn’t even want to play here b/c it’s “Too Cold”! Then the dad starts yapping about Ricky staying over there and playing for a couple of years, I wonder why??….BECAUSE HE DOESNT WANT TO PLAY HERE!!!
And then what is this teams infatuation with the Boston Celtics?!?!? First McHale, former Celtic. Then the last 4 years almost every trade we have made has been with the Boston Celtics! Now we got Kahn saying “I want Rubio & Flynn to be like Dennis Johnson & Danny Ainge”. Kevin Love would be a better GM!!!
“First he contradicts himself by saying you don’t spend a top ten pick on somebody who won’t be a starter. Well then Mr. Kahn you just spent a #5 pick on a player who may and may not play or be a starter for 1 or 2 years, and a #6 pick on a player, who if Rubio plays will be a sixth man coming off the bench.”
Think a little deeper PO. Wont might mean ever dont you think, not necessarily just this year?
He did the best he could have at 5 & 6. We were unfortunate that Sac didn’t take Rubio or Flynn, because Evans and one of those PG would have made an awesome draft. Who else did they have to pick from? Jordan Hill has bust written all over him. Stephen Curry is just as short as Flynn and cannot create his own shot — if he’s lucky, he’ll be the next Steve Kerr or if super-lucky, Mitch Richmond. DeRozan and Henderson would have been picked too high at 6. Jennings is a cancer and sucked in Italy.
I would love to hear what all the bashers would have done!
I know McHale would have either traded every pick for the Ndudi Ebi of the draft in Hasheem Thabeet or traded down for undersized PF Tyler Hansbrough
Dave- If Rubio goes back to Spain for the season, Flynn has the opportunity to work on his jump shot for a year and become a more complete player. Then when Rubio comes over Rubio is your playmaker and Flynn has improved his scoring ability, making the duo a better fit than they are now.
If they have to trade him to NY in a year or two then NY better get a third team involved, if we could swing Granger in here for the SF spot and a couple picks then maybe.
It also scares me that they said on ESPN that after 3 years we lose his rights. What if he refuses to come here for 3 more years and we lose his rights. He could pick his team then and still only be 21 years old
“Screw Curry’s shooting.”
Nbadraft.net has Ellington rated overall as 95/100 and Curry 92/100 overall. They both got 10/10 on shooting. We got one of the best jump shooters in college when we drafted Ellington. Remember him?
Here’s what I’m not hearing from the complainers: what should Kahn have done instead? If he passes on Rubio, he’s skewered. If he takes Curry over Flynn, people complain that Curry is projected as a PG and can’t defend SGs. We don’t know what established players he could have gotten in a trade for 5 or 6, but no one is even guessing on that.
So, serious question to the Kahn haters: with the board as it was, what would you have done at 5 and 6?
I would have definitely taken Rubio, then tried like crazy to trade 6 (still don’t know what that could have fetched), then relied on my player personnel folks to pick between Flynn, Curry and DeRozan.
I think Mr. Kahn is doing a great job so far, this team basically needed to be destroyed starting with McHale.
I am starting to see an inside outside game developing from a personal standpoint. The opportunity will be there to add a piece or two through free agency, but again wait until next year when possibly Rubio, another lottery pick, and a potential high quality player arrives via free agency.
Mr. Kahn is doing what McHale could not.
Rubio is going to be very good. In 18 minutes against Team USA he put up 8pts against our best. He was only 17yrs old! He will be special.
Pointless - Yah ! Exactly. We got a good shooter out of the draft anyways ! At a much much better price and size than what we’d have to give up for Curry !
I like that idea, MNRun. I’m just asking if you think Jonny Flynn would be O.K. with that scenario. He seems like a pretty solid citizen, I guess.
Ellington might end up being better than Curry. He played in a better conference on a better team in a pro style system with better talent. He grades out as well or better than Curry on everything other than shot creation and passing. He doesnt need to create his own shot with Rubio or Curry and Love around him. Curry was Mr. Hype. Relax people. You got your starting & back up PGs and a steal with Ellington as your starting SG.
Madison Dan, I agree but would take it a step farther.
If you trade down with NY, what do you get back? Their 1st rounder next year is already gone, unprotected. Wilson Chandler - is he really that much of an upgrade over Gomes? Especially on a bloated roster. Stay put and take the guy you want.
I am seriously laughing at half of these comments. You cannot play these two at the same time…who is going to guard a 6′6′ shooting guard?? I keep hearing Brewer can do that…so if Brewer is guarding the #2, does Flynn or Rubio guard the small forward? LOL
You are an idiot GM.
Do you all realize that we could’ve ended up with Thabeet, Rubio, and Ellington? Love and the 6th pick for pick 2 (Draft Thabeet); Pick Rubio with 5.
MATT19: who COULD we have picked at 6 that could guard a 6′6″ shooting guard? DeRozan maybe, but right now he doesn’t have too many actual basketball skills.
Huckabucks - That scenario stinks.
My fellow Wolves on here:
When time does the presser start?
If you have to explain why “you” made “any” decision in life, it was probably a very Stupid one to begin with…
did the Clippers GM write a letter of explaination as to why they took Blake Griffin? of course NoT! they took the best player available.
So it’s only been like 4 minutes since I heard this rumor. Apparently the Knicks are calling about Rubio. Jerry, please, please give us good news on this.
Worry not all, Ricky will be here this year for the following reasons.
1. Money - A NBA career is only so long, every year he is not in the NBA, he delays his free agency. Ricky is so young, he might get 2 max contracts in his career if he is the real deal.
2. Money - His team wants/needs the buyout and will likely negotiate.
3. Money - His sponsors need/want him in the NBA and will likely contribute if needed.
4. Money - Without him, the Wolves will sell no tickets and have no TV viewers. The Wolves will give him every reason to want to sign including a pledge of minutes.
Everyone will play coy, but I see no way Ricky is not playing opening night unless he is injured.
Sounds like Flynn is willing to do whatever the team asks of him. He could potentially be a Nate Robinson type player with better defensive skills.
Sounds like a “con ” job to me. The more I listen to and read Kahn I get the feeling he is selling us snake oil from the back of covered wagon. Rubio will necer set foot in MN and Kahn new it or he would not have selected Flynn. But it sure keep the focus on the Wolves. The next big drama will be hiring a coach
Ya, like Yi Juliliaillian wasn’t going to step foot in Milwaukee…yah right.
Thank you, Mr. Khan. Your words of reassurance were sorely needed. Please, please prove to us that your statements are sincere.
Exercise patience, and keep Ricky Rubio on this team. Do not trade him. Through the prospect and, later, evidence of his greatness, no one will do more to energize this fan base. You heard the reaction in Target Center last night. That’s just the beginning. I won’t remember Magic Johnson and Steve Nash’s scoring abilities as much as I will this : how their heightened anticipation and vision made the game of basketball beautiful to watch, and how good their TEAMS looked when they had the ball in their hands. This is what you have in Ricky Rubio.
Once he steps onto the Target Center floor, it will no longer be good enough for this Timberwolves fan to sit at home watching FSN feeds. It’s something I’ll need to see Live from my seats.
And Yi only got traded to NJ because he was lousy.
Doesn’t this reopen an opportunity for Corey Brewer to make himself a critical part of this team?
Still think that we should have gotten Curry… best shooter in the draft!!!
Love rebounding and outletting to Rubio to find whoever else is around is gonna be sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.
Plus Al-Jeff’s awesome post game…
I might be talking myself into a half season package now….
Corey Brewer can absolutely make himself critical to this team. If you recall at Florida he had most of his success in a fast-paced transition game. With Rubio and Flynn that’s exactly the type of offense we’d be running. Corey would not have to rely so much on jump shots. Rubio/Flynn allow him t slash to the basket.
It’s been at least five years since I paid more than passing attention to the Wolves. Now I’m engaged and paying attention again. Love the GM’s openness here and *love* the Rubio pick! Heck, I bought a T-Wolves shirt this week (first piece of T-wolves gear I’ve ever owned)!
A new regime and new players were needed. So far, I like Kahn’s gameplan (the Miller/Foye trade and the 5 & 6 picks) and the explanation of the process. I’m willing to hang out for a few years and watch it develop.
Willymo - Look at Pointless’ post about 15 minutes ago…Wellington isn’t that far off shooting wise….
By the way, I heard earlier that his Spanish League team is in trouble financially. In essence they are in trouble with the Spanish equivalent of the IRS. Their IRS basically owns Rubio’s contract and may be more open to negotiating a more reasonable buyout for their prodigy. It would be very unpopular in Spain to make him stay due to money (especially because he only earns about $100,000 per year). For those of you who doubt his abilities, he has been playing pro for years in the second best league in the world. US college players who have competed in the Spanish league say its far superior to the NCAA. Many don’t realize that he led the Spanish League in steals last year and has a 7 ft. wingspan. Rubio may not be a great athlete compared to others in the NBA, but his instincts are incredible. I can’t wait to see him play and would have rooted for him on any NBA team. I’m thrilled he was drafted by the Wolves!
Can we please stop talking about Curry? He’s not going to be a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves and he never wanted to be one either. Flynn is twice the athlete that curry will ever be and his jump shot ain’t that bad.
Plus we have Ellington who just about as good.
“If you have to explain why “you” made “any” decision in life, it was probably a very Stupid one to begin with.”
Only a simple minded fool who has trouble grasping complicated decisions and thought processes would think this way. Maybe you and some of these other fools are having trouble following and need the explanation? Kahn is doing you a favor.
Why couldn’t we have drafted Rubio and Curry, and kept Lawson? Lawson is an awesome PG and would have been perfect insurance until Rubio comes here…Lawson and Ellington with Curry, Jefferson, and Love with Rubio coming over in a year…WHY NOT!!!!
Listen. Rubio is a great pick. Despite the rationale, taking Flynn was a preposterously dumb pick. You either pick Rubio or Flynn. We need someone to play alongside Al Jefferson. Kevin Love is at best a role player. Very Stupid move to take two guards, Flynn is a point guard in this league not a scorer, idiotic move.
Pointless - So how happy are you today about the Wolfies ?
Talent is talent and you take the most talented guy available. This will work itself out. Either Rubio will play in Spain for a year or two, in which Flynn will be our PG or Rubio will demand a trade and we will trade him. Rubio may eventually be a wolf, but I am not sure it will be this year.
O.M.G! Seriously Zgoda??? That is the picture you want posted with your articles?
Ryan: Two reasons:
1. Kahn thinks Flynn can be a star. Reading between the lines, I’d say he thinks Curry is a bench player on a good team.
2. There’s a lot of hindsight in your statement. I said earlier that if we knew we could get Lawson or Maynor and Ellington to go with Rubio, I’d have been more willing to take a chance on DeRozan at 6, but I’m not going to knock Kahn for that because he didn’t know that when he picked Flynn. Plus, you never know, he might be right about Flynn. At this point, I sure hope so.
Evidently even spelling it out in a letter didn’t make the logic clear enough for many here:
Q: Why did they take Fylnn instead of Curry or XXX??
A: “ou do not use the fifth and sixth picks to select rotation players, but only players that figure to be starters, if not out-and-out stars.”
So - you can disagree if you think your scouting insights are better than the Wolves’, but Kahn has spelled out the logic for everyone to see - he is convinced that Curry will just be a role player. He obviously feels that both Rubio and Flynn have a better chance of being starters/stars (although I still think - at least I *hope* - that he knows better than to think that they can really play together long-term - at least one of them will end up starting and/or being a star for someone else eventually.
The wolves have pretty much again have guaranteed that Ty Lawson will be a future star. I hope this Kahn knows what he is doing.
I call BS….Why draft a guy that won’t play for us for a couple of years?? His parents are dictating where he’ll play and his mommy has alrade said she doesn’t like cold weather…His daddy has said he wants to play in a big market city…
Uhh…red flags anyone?? So what we did is gave up 2 starters for a guy who probably won’t play here…A wasted pick…I say hand the reigns over to Flynn, trade the rights to Rubio to the team his mommy and daddy want him to play for, for a nice SG…
Now oyu have your team of the future…
I’m smelling the same crap that we got from Mchale….
dumbfounded: so who do you pick instead of Flynn? Hill, when we already have something like 8 PFs/Cs on the roster. There’s really no other big prospect worth the pick, and I don’t think Hill will be as good as Love. So we take another guard. Then which one? All the best players left project as PGs.
Look, I thought the Flynn pick was crazy at the time, too. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense in a “best player available” sense. Unless they turned down a trade of 6 for a good established player (preferably a SG), I don’t have a problem with what Kahn did.
I know a lot of wolves fans are in love with Rubio, but he hasn’t proven anything. So Rob, so what if we trade him as long as we get value back? I know it would suck that he would be gone for a year, but what would be so wrong with him going back to Spain for a year. Maybe Flynn is the real deal and Rubio keeps getting better. So next year if Rubio wants to play for us, then we make room for him. If not his value will still be high and we make a big trade.
Kudo’s for talking to the fans and telling them the plans of the team. It was a great move to draft Rubio. Why pass on a future superstar?
I suppose many of us are thinking Miller and Foye will bloom into stars again under Saunders and Lawson, who I really like, will be rookie of the year. Ahhhhh, the optimism and critiques of the draft…that is what it is all about.
ESPN and Chad Ford’s draft grades are meaningless. The only thing Ford is good for is finding information and trying to predict the outcome of the draft.
Last night, the ESPN crew was saying the Wolves had the best draft.
Finally, to the poster who said “mock my words” Flynn will be bad. I’ll mock those words alright. Rubio and Flynn will be a dynamic backcourt. Picture Flynn cutting down the baseline, taking a lob from Rubio and dunking over Griffin.
That’s the future of your Minnesota Timberwolves!
We trade a pick at 18 because…. ??? Apparently we don’t need anymore young players right now? Wait a year? Kahn assumes he has a more talented roster than he atually does. McHail left a very empty cupboard.
The fact is about 75% of the first round players will simply answers to a trivia question three years from now. Therefore, if you need two successful players out of this draft, you have better draft six or seven because a bunch of them will flop.
I’m OK with two point guards (or even three). Odds are one them will be a totaly bust. Kahn is making a mistake annointing Rubio the starter. I thought coaches made those decisions.
“We trade a pick at 18 because…. ??? Apparently we don’t need anymore young players right now? Wait a year? Kahn assumes he has a more talented roster than he atually does. McHail left a very empty cupboard.”
So we space out the cap and not have 4 guaranteed salaries this year.
laughing…who did you want at 18?
Think about it this way..
What are the chances that Flynn and Rubio are on the court for 48 minutes each game? ZERO.
At best(or worst depending on your perspective), they’ll play 35 minutes per game each. That means there will be 26 minutes where only 1 is on the floor. Starters rarely average more than 35 minutes per game.
If they average 30 minutes per game, that means 36 of the 48 minutes will be 1, not both on the court.
laughing: who do you pick at 18? Picks 18 through 21 were PGs. The only player I see between 18 and 28 that’s at all appealing is Casspi. The future first rounder is probably going to get us a much better player than that. We don’t need to do this all at once.
OK, I’ve been beating this drum all day, but I’m just tired of reading negative posts that don’t say anything about what would have been a better option. Kahn may not have gotten this whole thing right, but I don’t see complete incompetence when I look at what happened.
I appreciate the explanation regarding the draft by GM Kahn. It shows consideration and respect to the fans of Minnesota. It also indicates that Mr Kahn is a smart and shrewd executive, who knows how to deal w/ people, whether they be fan base, agents, or players, in order to achieve his ends. He has instilled confidence in me and earned my trust. For those of us who are not able to think in a 1-2-3 process system, much of what is going on may not be visable enough just now to instill confidence in them. Believe me, Mr Kahn knows what he’s doing, and he’s very good at it. Just hang on and be patient as this senario plays out. Thanks David Kahn, you are a refreshing change for this team.
For a moment I thought I was reading something that Obama wrote…you know, it’s al about the “change.” This draft was the worst in T-wolves history. We actually had a chance to get things going around here and then this CLOWN came around and ruined it all. So we just traded Miller and Foye for the rights to Rubio, who won’t be playing for us next year!! Brilliant! And the transparency isn’t nearly as clear as you all think- this guy doesn’t even know what a point guard’s job is let alone that he drafted 2 of them that can’t shoot the ball.
He compared this backcourt to Ainge and Dennis Johnson. Interesting, but they were both 6′5 and could shoot lights out.
Con man strikes again.
Along that same line, the reaction reinforces something I have thought for the past few years. For some of us, watching sports is something enjoyable - a fun distraction.
For many, it seems like sports are something to direction anger and rage towards. Doesn’t always matter whether the angry comments are tied to reality.
It’s not just in this market, it seems like its nearly everywhere. We live in relatively stressful times, so I understand to a certain extent. But it’s too bad.
We have a roster full of crap and the Wolves continue to trade away picks. San Antonio doesn’t sell their picks. They actually picked a second-rounder who will play for them this year.
The Wolves, though, just couldn’t find value at 18, although the much better Nuggets could. They’re collecting PGs, but didn’t bother with Calathes. Donnie Walsh liked Curry, but our gang didn’t, despite having no shooters. If they wanted defense, then Jrue Holiday should have been the pick. He plays like he’s 6-4 because he IS 6-4. Or deRozan, as Chad Ford says, with as much ceiling as anyone in the draft.
Rubio and Curry could have been interesting. If the Wolves’ plan is to be good in a few years, why show up at games until then? For about a week, there was hope. Now we know that was a mirage. They’ll be selling draft picks on their way out of town.
One thing to think about is that if Rubio would have been drafted a couple of picks higher, he would have received a larger contract which would have helped him with his buyout. Now he might wait a year simply to lower the buyout price. He is 18 or 19 I believe, so there is plenty of time.
seenenough - Who did we draft at #28 ?
Regarding trading pick 18. . .
Think of it as Kahn being the Bellichek of the NBA. He’s doing the opposite of what McHale did in ensuring we’ll have 1st round picks well into the future.
Kahn is smart, indeed.
Its come to my attention that some people really don’t know all that happened last night…
Did any of you actually think we were going to draft and keep 6 players ?!
We got picks back for both the picks we traded ! And some cash…Calm down people.
I have to give credit to MN sports. We really havent been the spot lot alot lately. And drafts were bad. They said to take Prior who would be the bomb in MLB and Mauer was to young and needed to grow more. Now we have Baby Jesus. They said not to take a guy with injury issues and a bad collarbone now we have All day Jesus. They said dont gamble on a foreign player now we migth have Euro Jesus (even if is not from Europe it sounds cool). And if you wait we could have Grandpa Jesus in July.
People are so concerned about how the Wolves match up to others defensively if Rubio and Flynn are both on the court…
What about the other side? Teams are going to have just as much trouble figuring out how to stop a fast break led by two creative guards and the best outlet-passer in the league, and in the half-court I have to believe Rubio’s creativity and Flynn’s ability to beat people off the dribble will nicely complement what Love and Jefferson bring to the table.
I’m now glad we didn’t bring in a coach yet, because now Kahn can pick someone who pitches the best strategy for using the weapons we have effectively. I like this so far!
Sounds like some of us may need some Midol!
Getting the Bobcats first round pick was a really shrewd move. Next years draft is much deeper than this years. Plus there is going to be much more size available in next years draft. The only negative looking ahead is that there aren’t really any highly ranked SG’s. Right now I think that is the Wolves biggest need.
Jama - I dobut the Bobcats are gonna be good enough for us to get that pick next year.
You are a freakin moron Kahn. You don’t know what you are doing. As a Knicks fan you F’d us 10 times over. I hope your team rots (and you trade Flynn back to his home state)
Matt:
I couldn’t agree, making angry comment about Chilli and Zyggi all the time is more about upper midwesterners releasing all their pent up passive aggressive rage than anything constructive.
After Kahn’s first draft where he gets a player at #5 that most thought was worth #2, is a success no matter when that player comes over. Instead we already got people with made up forum names railing on the “Con Man” how creative, I wish we could hide or delete comments.
Thanks, Deathgrip. Despite the dozen national basketball analysts who think the Wolves had one messed-up draft, I’ll believe you and your ability to think in a 1-2-3 process system. You’ve convinced me to plunk down $200 a game.
Matt, too. You’re right. The Wolves should be a fun distraction, something to occasionally look at while eating hot dogs in a large room downtown. Maybe you’ll catch a t-shirt! Instead of rooting for the Wolves, let’s root for clean, well-officiated games without severe injuries.
All this talk about Curry, Curry, Curry. He’s only 6′3″ and rather slight himself. What makes him able to guard 2’s any better? He’s definitely not known for his D. But at least he can shoot the lights out.
Swan Dizzle–you seeing any of that cash “we” got?
Probably…
Neumms, I’ll put it a different way. No one ran over your dog last night. The Wolves got Ricky Rubio. This is a good thing. The Celts waited for Bird. The Spurs waited for Robinson. Everything will be ok.
So people are upset with Flynn over Curry because Kahn went with the more athletic player who is skilled at driving versus the shooter to pair with Rubio.
Curry has been saying he is a PG all year, and is ball dominant. He is no more of a 2 than Curry is.
We already have two less than great athletes in the frontcourt, would having Rubio and Curry in the backcourt help things? Curry may be the better shooter, but Flynn is the better athlete, with better defensive potential, a better drive game, and decent shooting numbers.
Choosing Flynn over Curry is a decision of style over substance, they are both PG’s and now they are both rookies and the proof will be in da puddin as Denny says.
Flynn and Rubio can play together. Flynn can shoot–did you not watch the Big East Tourney? Flynn guards PG on defense, Rubio guards SG/SF on defense depending on matchups with Brewer/Gomes taking the other. It can work.
Mark: you don’t press in the NBA..it doesn’t work.
As for the buyout i think it’d go a long way if the current roster players each chipped in say 5k-with higher paid players chipping more–see AJ chipping in 15k, to go along with any corporate sponsor. KG didn’t have a hard time getting sponsors while in ’sota. if you can play and aren’t an idiot you’ll get sponsors.
As for the coach–hope its not mark jackson–he wasn’t much of a PG in my book. Pippen absolutely abused him. Maybe Porter or Avery. Thibbodeau as asst head coach would be nice.
Have people forgotten that Larry Bird was drafted in ‘78 and didnt play for a season? Rubio was the right pick even if we need to wait a season. Relax, its not like we were going to the playoffs next year. Deal with it.
Pippen abused everyone.
Has it been mentioned in here that Rubio will not be at the Wolves news conference introducing the new players. Flynn and Ellington will be there. Rubio says that because of his contract situation in Spain, he is choosing not to attend the introduction. Hmmm…
Amazing how many people are now arguing, vociferously, for drafting based on need.
No matter what forum you go to, before any given draft you can find legions of people warning us away — never draft based on need! Think of Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan! The Blazers could have have Drexler and MJ! Present them with a given set of specific players, though, and they can’t see past those trees to the forest.
I’m not at all convinced that Flynn wasn’t part of a trade whose contingencies didn’t work out last night, myself. Still, the raft of people livid about *not* drafting based on need is startling.
And hey, people who’re fretting over the contract thing: What would you have had Kahn do? Pass on Rubio at #5??
And I thought Bryan was the dumbest poster on this Wolves blog but some of you idiots take the trophy. You Johnny come late-lees should go and take your stupidity back to the twins or vikings blogs. Those are homes to idiots such as yourselves.
Both Ford and Hollinger are embarrassing themselves with their criticism of the Wolves draft. Hollinger writes:
‘Sota was geeked to get two top-six picks but used one of them on Ricky Rubio, who was clearly crestfallen by the idea of going 26-56 in the frozen tundra for the next half-decade. Even more baffling was that they took another point guard with the next pick, Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn.
Really John? 5 years of 26 wins? They need to get over their idea that the Wolves can’t do anything right bias. This is a new regime. They’re starting to sound as bad as Vitale. . .
I have no idea if David Kahn’s plan will work. I have no idea if he’s capable of running an NBA franchise. I have no idea what we’re going to do with two point guards. However, I do LOVE that he’s communicating with his fans, players and media to make the Timberwolves a relevant team. The old regime seemed to let this franchise rot away but he’s gave it a lift and seems determined to get us to a championship level. If it works or not, it’s refreshing to feel the hope. Great work on the PR Mr. Kahn since you took over the position, it’s been impressive.
I think we all had talked ourselves into Curry (or let the media talk us into him) over the past few weeks since he seemed like who we’d end up with. Kahn’s not the only guy who really liked Flynn — multiple other teams did, too. Like Centrist and others are saying, let’s break out of that mindset… Curry’s certainly no better on D than Flynn would have been — the only thing he offers is his shooting. I like shooting, too, but I’m willing to give Flynn a shot. Again, it’s not like there was a better big man or SF waiting in the wings or a team waiting to trade up and give us one of those two positions, so we were going to take Flynn or Curry as the best of the remaining tier three guys.
Gripe all you want, folks, but (assuming Kahn’s smart enough to not have picked Rubion unless we could get him over here) who else would you have picked instead?
“You Johnny come late-lees should go and take your stupidity back to the twins or vikings blogs.”
Ahhhhhh…. Poor Arenal. This is my blog !! Mine, Mine!!! Go cry into your diaper you big baby.
“Curry’s certainly no better on D than Flynn would have been — the only thing he offers is his shooting. I like shooting, too, but I’m willing to give Flynn a shot.”
Ellington Hellooooooo???? He can shoot as well as Curry can. Check the scouting reports.
This draft was touted as a pretty weak draft. I just don’t see why people are complaining that in the Timberwolves’ mind they took the two best available players when they selected.
Kahn was Mike and Mike in the morning, and referenced that he didn’t think Curry’s defense was that solid, plus his dad and him were touting him as a point guard, not shooting guard.
With four first round picks, the Wolves were bound to be in for criticism no matter what. If they had passed on Rubio, they would have been criticized for not taking the best player available. If they had taken Curry instead of Flynn, they would have gotten the same questions about fit and if Curry has the size to be a two-guard. If they had taken Hill, they would have been criticized for taking a player at a position of strength. If they had taken DeRozan, it would have been considered a reach.
So it matters little that the national folks are criticizing, because they would have done so anyway.
The on-court results will be the proof of whether Kahn made the right choice or not.
Wow! communication to the fan. what a fresh concept
Ah, Flynn is an Aquarius. That’s where the passion and the heart comes from I guess.
This is what I’m talking about… a little bit of excitement-a little bit of passion! I read Zgoda’s blog daily, and there are the same handful of readers/posters… NOT TODAY! No way Jose! or should I say Ricky!
BUY that contract out. KG was a kid when he camme to Minnie - and he made it in this city, this market. This kid can too. Kahn is heaping the praise because he’s a kid-who is coming from a foreign country and because he is a kid. A kid. Build him, make him feel good, make him feel wanted, give him the rock and let’s play ball! Big Al and KLove will both go to the next level with Rubio.
Jonny Flynn is solid, has a huge heart, and unquestionable confidence. He doesn’t need to be built up. He knows he can and will get minutes.
Great psychology by Kahn. I truly believe he does want them both? Why not they were both worthy of being picked where they were.
Curry? Love him, nice kid, blah, blah. He wouldn’t have worked with either. Yes, he has a great stroke, but he’s too scrawny to be paired with Ricky. We needed the grit of Jonny Flynn.
I’ma season ticket holder. My family has been for over 20 years. No bandwagon jumper here - I’ll be at Target Center supporting whoever is on the roster come opening night.
Go Wolves!
Now I really like the Flynn pick. Same B-day.
At first I had thought O MY GOD!! Why did he choose two point gaurds. But now after reading his letter it truely explains his reasoning.
Khan belives that Rubio is our future and Flynn is a good step in until we can get Rubio here. This year Flynn and Ellington is a good move for the wolves. They will have speed, defense, and some scorers on the floor to help Jefferson. Thats exactly what we need at this moment. Rubio will bring excitement and hype next year and that will help ticket sale for our contending wolves. I really wanted Curry but I have no problem with Flynn cause he is a very Dynamic player. He is also the leader and voice that we need for a team under development.We will be a very good team next year and Rubio will bring the highlights.
Thanks Khan for clearing things up.
ESPN has as their breaking news on the bottum line ticker that the Knicks will call the Wolves about Rubio.
Here is some breaking news for the Knicks. You better find a third team because you don’t have sh@t that the Wolves would want in return.
More B.S. He appears to good at that.
Whats the day 1 starting line up then ?
Telfair
Ellington
Brewer
Love
Al
Gomes & Flynn first off the bench ?
Pointless =40 year old virgin
“Pointless =40 year old virgin”
Its hard to take your ball and go home when your ball is a public blog isnt it Arenal?
I know that I cannot convince some that drafting Flynn after Rubio was a good idea, but Kahn is handling Rubio perfectly.
He knows that Rubio HAS to play in the NBA this year. 100%. Rubio has sponsors that expect him to be in the NBA, Rubio will lose too much career money if he waits, and the buyout will get done.
Rubio has no leverage. None. Only the perception of leverage could help Rubio and Kahn is killing it by saying no trade and that we will wait as long as needed. Well played.
Hi. My name is Donnie Walsh. I’m calling to see if you would be interested in a handful of useless players with bad contracts in exchange for that Rubio kid? If you say yes in the next 30 minutes, I’ll even throw in Gallinari! He can mop floors, clean bathrooms, and you can hang coats on him during the winter!
If some of you guys are convinced that the Wolves are really headed out of town then do us a favor and go post about teams that are staying.
The rest of us are happy to discuss possibilities rather than throwing a tantrum because we didn’t get our way.
I attended the press conference–the advantage of working downtown. In fact, I was a few feet away from Al Jefferson, who was also standing in the back. Kahn is a very smart person. That much is clear. He addressed Rubio, and stated that neither he nor anyone involved with the Timberwolves would put pressure on Rubio, his family, or his agent, as they deal with what Kahn called a contractual issue. That is smart because if the Timberwolves were to put any sort of public pressure on Rubio, that would hurt Rubio’s negotiating position on the buyout. Kahn also emphasized that Rubio has a very smart agent. It is possible that Rubio could play in Spain for the next year or two, but it is clear to me that Kahn knows what he is going, and is handling this 100% correctly. This is the sort of contractual dispute that ought to settle and probably will settle, but sometimes that doesn’t happen until the famed eleventh hour. Also, note that if there is a corporate endorsement that could help him pay the buyout, it would be smart of his agent to wait until he has negotiated something in Spain before announcing that. If Rubio has the cash, he loses leverage.
Just my two cents.
I don’t know how he’ll fit in on the court, but I can see why the Wolves were impressed with Flynn’s character & leadership. Really impressed with his interviews (and perceptive enough to play off of Rubio’s “too cold” comments)
It almost feels like Kahn is begging Rubio to stay in Spain for a couple years.
Not a good sign that an executive feels the need to rationalize his decision with everyone. I think the all of the negative comments about how bad the Wolves picks were compelled him to write this letter. Rubio will not be a starter for long, and will never be a star in the NBA.
Kahn is smart to soft-pedal the Rubio thing in public for lots of reasons. He doesn’t have ultimate control over what happens regarding the buyout. The Wolves will chip in their 500k, and see what Fegan can work out. And Kahn certainly doesn’t want to make the kid look bad, because you want him to feel wanted by the organization and the fans.
I understand the fact that he wants us fans to be patient. I get it. But 2 years is asking for a lot. Especially because we’ve already waited out the last 2 dreadful years. So that’s 4 years of watching bad ball. If Rubio is not going to be here, something else MUST be done this year. Something. Anything. Please…
This Minnesota hating by top paid athletes really digs at me, mostly because Minnesota has a long and storied basketball tradition. The Mpls Lakers were the first basketball dynasty, and there have been many Minnesota born basketball greats. We still produce great talent. Not to mention, cold weather is largely the reason why basketball exists in the first place (Naismith devising an athletic activity that can be played in doors during the cold months).
My question is “why go see the Wolves this year?” The number one thing Kahn screwed up is not drafting or trading for someone who can put people in the seats for the coming season. Rubio will never play here, and I don’t want anyone from the Knicks on our squad period.
“It almost feels like Kahn is begging Rubio to stay in Spain for a couple years.”
If the spanish team is bankrupt and the buy out is more valuable to them than Rubio returning, it makes sense to try and force them to take him back. They DONT want him back, they want the money the buy out brings to them. The more likely he goes back to Spain, the lower the buy out will be to keep him from going back. Kahn will make it look like he can wait to put more preasure on the team in Spain to lower the buy out and keep Rubio from returning.
Alright here’s the thing about Rubio and Flynn that people are missing, well a few things really:
1. The Wolves feel Flynn is a star while Curry is more of a sixth man type player. He’s a good spot up shooter but they feel Ellington is just as good of a shooter as he is but with better size. And I agree.
2. Drafting Flynn is not just an insurance policy if Rubio stays in Spain, it removes any leverage Rubio’s camp might have had to force the Wolves to trade him. They know they can wait him out.
3. Flynn on the Wolves board represented the best value at that pick. Going away from that so early and taking a big step down in talent (according to their evaluations) to get someone at a position of need would not maximize their assets. Even if they decide Flynn and Rubio can’t play together they can always move the rights to either of them next year in a deep center draft.
4. Defensively Flynn and Rubio will be able to handle most backcourts with Rubio defending the 2 and Flynn defending the 1, in the cases where they can’t Brewer or Ellington will be used at the 2.
5. Between the two backcourt positions there are 96 MPG available of playing time. Once Telfair is gone those minutes will be split between Rubio, Ellington and Flynn. That’s 30+ MPG for each of them which is absolutely fine. It also means that the amount of time Rubio and Flynn’s minutes will overlap doesn’t have to be high and will depend on matchups.
6. Flynn needs to work on his jumper but saying he “can’t shoot” is an exaggeration. He needs to work on his game and round out his mid to perimeter game but the Wolves are confident he can do that. Expecting him to come out of the gates as a complete player is silly and shouldn’t be expected of someone that young. The same goes for Rubio. These are both tremendously talented guards that have holes in their game they need to fill, but the potential is there.
You guys know me. If I thought this was a bad move I would be flipping out. I think Kahn is taking a long term view here and trying to pool the best assets he can. He’s taking a sound, analytical approach and I am 100% on board with it so far.
Heading into next season he’ll have THREE first round picks (their own lottery pick, Charlotte’s pick via Denver and Utah’s pick), two second round picks, the rights to two foreign players (Pekovic and Norel) and a ton of expiring contracts he can move to maneuver for two key players in next year’s draft (probably a scoring SF with range and a defensive center in a much better center draft).
People are focusing too much on the immediate rather than taking the long term view, and with a roster that was as bad as the Wolves’ was heading into this year you absolutely have to take the long term view when it comes to rebuilding it.
Because Love - Al Jeff - Flynn - Ellington - Brewer will be sweet to watch !
“2. Drafting Flynn is not just an insurance policy if Rubio stays in Spain, it removes any leverage Rubio’s camp might have had to force the Wolves to trade him. They know they can wait him out.”
Excellent point. Are you listening Rubes? Here is a guy who gets leverage and negotiating. Must be a lawyer.
I’m more excited to see next year’s Wolves even if Rubio isn’t over yet than any Wolves roster in a looooooong time. And that includes some of the rosters that KG tried his damndest to drag into the playoffs.
Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington were wise picks. However taking, Rubio can only mean he is trade bait. I’ll bet Rubio and Keving Love will be traded. Before, I figured Love would be traded because he plays the same position as Al Jefferson, but no I see he will be traded because the guy didn’t stay in college long enough to learn the word “discretion.’
My guess is that the 2009 season starting lineup on opening night will be:
Flynn
Ellington
Brewer
Al Jefferson
(Free Agent)
Kahn imagining that the style of play from the 80s translates to today’s game is suspect. Rubio guarding any of the top two guards in the NBA on a nightly basis will be eaten alive.
I frequent these blogs but never really post. I had a question though: In reviewing the various websites prior to the draft, it was evident that Rubio’s chief pre-requisite to playing for a team was having ‘enough minutes’. So while I understand the rationale for drafting Rubio and Flynn, does taking Flynn help create a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy where Flynn is the ‘insurance’ if Rubio doesn’t sign, but is also perhaps a large reason behind Rubio’s reluctance to sign? I understand that Kahn stated directly in his letter that Rubio would immediately be deemed the starter once he walked through the front door (getting Rubio to envision such a thing - good psychology), does Flynn’s presence affect this? I don’t think, by the way, that they should have taken Curry or Hill. Perhaps a trade-down for DeRozen?… PS *Kahn - if you are reading these, I appreciate the candor, and I liked the Rubio and Ellington picks!*
Well, I like our draft selections.I am not going to throw David Kahn under the bus, I will wait and see what happens. We addressed the PG issue, boy did we. We got a SG, so that helps. But we needed front line up for Big AL and K-Love.
Well, look at it this way, fellow Timberwolves fans, we were already looking at 4-5 years before we were going to be playoff ready. Now, it is just official.
I hope no one is really buying what Kahn states in his letter. He is trying to alleviate fans legitimate concerns about the Rubio and two PG situations. If he was really transparent he would have written “I bleeping (sic) screwed up.” Fire yourself before we have to put up with this for too many more losing season.
My read is Spain doesnt want Rubio back due to the value of the buy out and their financial position. They want him to stay in MN. The Spanish IRS wants the money owed to them and will force the team to take a good deal (for MN). The deal to be offered will be all the better (for MN) if it looks like Rubio wants nothing to do with MN. Rubio might want to be traded but knows he has no leverage because we have Flynn and can affoard to wait for up to 3 years while Rubio plays in Spain. He doesnt want that because he’s only making $97,000 - $175,000 in spain and can make 10 times that a year here just in endorcements alone. He wants to play in the NBA. By drafting Flynn, Kahne has put Rubio AND Spain in a box by removing any trade leverage Rubio had and making it appear more likely Rubio will decide to stay in Spain (which he wont do) thus lowering the buy out. Brilliant. Flynn is either the trade bait, or a tough as nails guard on a up and coming team. Kahne is so far ahead of us posters its laughable. Shut up and let the man do his work.
Adam, what would you have done instead? Why do you think he screwed up? I see reasoned analysis (from Kahn and posters) supporting the moves and where the team’s headed, then I see your griping.
What’s your gameplan for avoiding losing seasons, if not picking the best players available?
Kahn I’ve gone from wanting you fired to wanting to buy you a drink.
Jerry hook me up with this man when I’m in town next.
Gendo, did I sum up the scenario well or would you add anything? What did I miss?
one thing that strikes me is that so many twolves fans were bummed about the fact we finally had a bunch of nice picks in a weak draft.the wolves did the smart thing in getting value in the 5, 6, and 28 picks and trading away the 18 for a higher future pick in what will probably be a deeper draft than this one. it isnt the worse thing for a lousy team for an 18 year old to get 2 more years of experince in the worlds 2nd best league and start the contract when he is a more refined player than he is now. more bang for the buck and more assets in the bank. it sucks for those of us who want immediate gratification but long term, this isnt a bad deal. the twolves do have all sorts of flexibility and it will be a critical next 15 months but we wont really know the direction until then
Trying to get some info on Rubio on the Spanish media, but these guys are horrible…
Marca.com says that the Knicks are taking Rubio for Nate Robinson and David Lee.
I don’t see any sense on this trade (hell, these guys are completelly useless for the Wolves) if there isn’t a third team involved.
The thing is that the Spaniards seem to be pretty upset that Rubio fell to the 5th pick and Minnesota… And surely, they would sell much more paper if Rubio plays in the biggest market in the NBA.
im half kidding. i see kahn is a smart guy and hope he can manipulate other gms and the system to build the wolves into a playoff contender. this letter is a good example of how he works it both with fans and any other participating audience. hes a smooth smoothey as they say. but the future product on the floor is what will determine everyones opinions. have to be patient. in all truthfulness, im just frustrated at not getting evans and sam young late.
Don’t believe Marca. Blazers fans say that channel heckled them all the time about not playing Sergio Rodriguez. “Sergio is the best player in the NBA and Nate McMillan is racist for not playing him” or something like that.
Maybe Glen Taylor will just sign Rubio to an illegal second contract for large dollars in agreement that he plays here on his first contract at a lower price, just like he did with Joe Smith.
Yeah, Bryan, I remember…
They also said that the judges of the Slam Dunk contest were racists b/c they didn’t give higher grades to Rudy Fernandez (though I think he was really good). Of course they didn’t say that Pau screwed him up that night!
Some bonehead in New York just told Doug Gotlieb that the Wolves would want Nate Robinson aka Jonny Flynn, or David Lee aka 6′9 power forward just like the two we have already in a sign and trade for Rubio.
New York is a great place, but the sports media and fans might as well be from another planet.
I think of all the possible teams to trade Rubio to Portland makes the most sense. I’m curious to know what people’s thoughts would be to something like this.
Oden and Webster for Love and Rubio
or just Rubio for Oden
NO.
Did KMac ever write a letter to the fans??????
I agree Brainfreeze. NY has absolutely nothing to offer. There is no deal that’s going to happen with them.
New York has nothing to offer. That’s the price they pay for trading everything for a shot at LeBron and one of many reasons why Rubio won’t be traded to the Knicks.
Considering Rubio’s upside, and the fact that we just might as well keep him, even though he would rather go some place else, I think that we should only trade him for a solid and proven player. Not many available these days…
Gendo: Well-thought out and well put! My thoughts exactly!
Many of the same posters calling it a weak draft are the same ones saying the 28th best player in said weak draft is the answer to the perimeter shooting problem.
But Gendo, your 4:07 post stated the pro-Kahn view really well. Thanks for it.
I posted earlier that I think Portland is the most likely trade partner if Rubio is actually traded. They actually have some assets that would match up with what the Wolves could use.
I think Kahn would have to look at a trade centered around Rubio and Oden.
ODEN??? no thanks……….
Great letter Mr. Kahn and an awesome draft!!!
We Wolves fans have lived with McHale’s goofy drafting for years where he was looking for a piece just to get to the play-offs. There was no long term strategic plan on taking this organization to the top, we needed this kind of thinking a long time ago.
Keep it up Mr. Kahn, us Minnesotan’s are a tough bunch to impress and you have more than done so to a majority of your fanbase.
And who cares what Chad Ford thinks he is one step above a fanstasy basketball gm!! If he knew what he was talking about he wouldn’t be running a team, instead of writing about them.
Oden’s injury history and the fact we could help a division rival a lot more than ourselves will probably keep Kahn away from that one.
Laker fans are convinced they can get Rubio for Bynum, but I don’t like that deal either. I would, however, consider moving Jefferson or Love for Gasol, depending on the other assets in that sort of trade.
Bottom line though, is Rubio is in the same category in Kahn’s mind as Jefferson and Love (and rightly so). Meaning it’ll take one hell of an offer for him to consider trading the kid.
Is Outlaw a wing for Portland? Watching him run the floor for the Wolves would be awesome.
I will be completely amazaed if one year from now this draft isn’t considered one more huge missed opportunity by the Wolves. I will commit to buying four season tickets for if this isn’t the general consensus obe year from now. The lack of basic intelligence demonstrated by this team in the draft, along with bad luck, and misuse of good luck, is absolutely stunning. It passed into the surreal this year. The Wolves had it all, right in their hands, but they didn’t anticipate that both Harden and Evans would be taken in the first four, and they didn’t have a good plan for what to do in that scenario. So, instead of taking Rubio, Hill, Lawson (and keeping him as a back-up for Rubio), and Ellington, and earning the only A+ in the draft. They once again outsmart themselves and hose the fans and the franchise.
God. This blog is full of morons. I don’t even know what to say.
Two weeks ago I got on all of you about Love and the need to draft the players that fit the team needs, and you all got in my face about taking the best player available period.
The Wolves did exactly that. Took Rubio and Flynn, the best two players on the board, and now you’re all complaining how they don’t fit together.
Stop whining about the team doing exactly what you all said they should and MAKE UP YOUR MINDS
Right now it makes no sense to trade Rubio until we get over here and we see what we have. If he’s the next Jason Kidd or Steve Nash, he’s going to be worth a lot more than he is now.
I love this letter. And also a lot of great insight by the posters (props Gendo).
One other area I must commend Kahn is, now that the draft has shaken out the way it is, it really affects the kind of coach we get. For example, Jeff Van Gundy (not that he’s a top candidate) would be an awful coach for Rubio (he’s defensively mind and very old school offensively). We need a guy who’s going to be very creative offensively to bring out the most in our new pgs.
Doesn’t Target or Best Buy need a new Spanish spokesman to talk to the kids? I know of one who can be had for about $5 million.
Come on corporations, be hero to your home state.
Ben Woodside playing for the Wolves summer league team and will be free to sign with any team if anyone cares.
I like the Target and Best Buy spokesperson idea!
Way to paint everybody here with a broad brush Bryan.
I am thrilled with this years draft and last years as a matter of fact. Then again I am not expecting a championship team in the next 3 years either. I am looking forward to an exciting brand of b-ball. I must admit I was skeptical of Kahn when he first took over, but I have seen the light!
Well looks like time to fire up the grill and crack open a couple cold ones. Since when did the NHL draft start on a Friday night?
At the very last, this team will be very fun to watch… I really look forward to the upcoming season, is nice to have some hope on seeing the Wolves playing quality basketball for a change…
Is David Kahn gay? He sure looks and sounds like it. Not very masculine-sounding.
RJ
Great letter Mr. Kahn! You are doing a fantastic job. I look forward to Ricky and Jonny playing together along with Al and KLove and the other players we have and will get next year in the draft and free agency.
When will this organization take the second round of this draft seriously. They have wasted so many picks over the years by trading them away or by drafting people who don’t pan out. And here we go again. No consideration to move up from the 45 or 47 picks? Just missed out on both Chase Budinger and Danny Green. Had Nick Calathes fall into their laps at 45, giving them an ace in the hole to stash in Europe and provide some added leverage in this Rubio mess - and the peddled him away!! Then with 47 they draft a kid not even ranked in the top 60 - oh, and he just happens to play for Ricky’s team in Spain. Sounds like that was just thrown away as an added level of comfort to satisfy Ricky.
I feel sorry for all the timberwolfs fans…. Wait I actually feel better for myself now I thought that Memphis had a stupid GM but this guy takes the cake.. really two no three pg in the first round. You know I heard he was cocky but this is just plain stupid.
[…] post: On the Wolves » Blog Archive » A post-draft night minute from … Share and […]
[…] con Rubio (para muestra este blog de Newsday), y Kahn no deja de mandar mensajes ambiguos, como la carta abierta en la que reconoce que Ricky será su base titular… cuando entre por la puerta, sea en un […]
i dont think ricky ever becomes a wolf, they need to trade him for an established player that helps our club grow quickly. We never could afford 4 #1’s anyway, $$$.
[…] Wolves President David Kahn pens his second letter to the fans. Love how forthcoming this guy has been thus […]
I am giving Kahn time to see this PowerBall thing through. At least he has a plan. I’m ok with what he’s doing.
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