Heeeeeerrrre’s Jonny….
Posted on June 26th, 2009 – 6:54 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
David Kahn introduced Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington at Target Center this afternoon, a day most notable for who was not there than who was.
Ricky Rubio was not present and Kahn spent the opening segment of the news conference and a good amount of time afterward saying he will not pressure Rubio, who must reached agreement on a hefty buyout with his Spanish team and who appears none too keen on playing in Minnesota, and is willing to wait a year, even two for the 18-year-old point guard to come to the NBA.
“We want to be supportive and helpful because I do believe the contractual issue is a little thorny,” Kahn said. “If it means we have to wait a year, we wait a year. If we had to wait, God forbid, two years, he’d be 20 when he got here. That’s pretty young. The last thing we need to do is become overwrought today. The way I look at it, this was a gift. I didn’t see any plausible scenario this would occur.”
Other things:
* Kahn said he’s prepared for a “turbulent” summer regarding Rubio but said he is convinced everything will work out in the long run.
* He said he received calls from three NBA executives Friday inquiring about Rubio’s availability and didn’t rule out trading anybody said some day, but said he had no intention of doing that now. Knicks boss Donnie Walsh, Kahn’s mentor, said in a New York news conference that he will call Kahn about Rubio.
* Rubio is unlikely to play for the Wolves Vegas Summer League, which gathers July 9 for practices and games. Flynn and Ellington both are expected to participate.
* Kahn likely will begin interviewing coaching candidates next week and he said he’ll conduct it in a most private manner. He expects it to take most of July. He said Friday he still did not have a list, and invited me to search his pockets to find one. Still, Mark Jackson looks like far and away the favorite.
* Rubio remarked Thursday night how Minnesota is “too cold.” Flynn, who played at Syracuse and is from Niagara Falls, NY, isn’t shivering in fear of Minnesota winters.
“I like to say wintertime here is like Hawaii compared to Niagara Falls,” Flynn said. “Maybe I can give Wayne some winter fashion tips on how to dress.”
* Ellington when asked if he was surprised to hear his name called out to the Timberwolves with the 28th pick and if he had expected him to take a fourth point guard with their fourth and final first round pick: “There weren’t many point guards left on the board.”
Here’s a “Wolves Insider” I wrote for Saturday’s paper with my theory on Kahn’s thinking with the dueling point guards picks:



