What the Timberwolves Won't Do: Nothing

June, 25, 2009
Jun 25
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There has been talk about Minnesota trading up for the second pick to get Ricky Rubio, which of course may or may not happen. Minnesota certainly has plenty of trade assets, with the fifth, sixth, 18th and 28th picks in the first round, to go with some quality young big men.

Nobody knows exactly what will happen. But I can tell you with certainty that something will before next season starts.

My sole piece of evidence is the Timberwolves' woefully imbalanced roster after trading Randy Foye and Mike Miller to Washington for the No. 5 pick, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila.

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The forwards and big men Minnesota now has under contract for next year:

  • Al Jefferson
  • Kevin Love
  • Darius Songaila
  • Brian Cardinal
  • Shelden Williams (team option)
  • Oleksiy Pecherov
  • Etan Thomas
  • Mark Madsen
  • Craig Smith
  • Ryan Gomes
  • Corey Brewer
  • Rodney Carney

You could make a case that the Timberwolves have ten power forwards, which might be an all-time NBA record. Most teams like to have about three.

And ... um, how about guards? Any room left on the roster for them? Barely.

The total rotation, at shooting guard and point guard combined, is:

  • Sebastian Telfair
  • Bobby Brown

So, you see what I mean? Minnesota is going to do something.

And with a guard-heavy draft, it's a no-brainer that they'll be drafting for the backcourt. 

Who are they targeting? Rubio makes a lot of sense, and despite his light-hearted "too cold" quip about Minnesota yesterday, I'd have to believe that the Timberwolves -- with young talented big men at the ready, and a mandate for a new approach -- would be an ideal roster for Rubio to grow with.

Depending what it takes to trade up for a Rubio pick (5th and 18th picks? 5th and 6th?) Minnesota likely has the goods to get Rubio and another quality guard from this draft.

But the roster would still be imbalanced. I can't imagine an NBA team going into a season with ten power forwards and zero-to-one (depending how you see Telfair) proven productive NBA guards. Which makes me think the Timberwolves would also have to be open to trading a big man or two for a backcourt veteran.

One last thought. If Rubio falls to third, and I were Oklahoma City's Sam Presti, I'd select Rubio, and -- noting the Timberwolves' imbalanced roster and mandate for a fresh start -- negotiate hard for one of the NBA's best rookie rebounders ever in Kevin Love. As a fallback you could almost certainly get whoever you would have selected third (James Harden is the dominant theory) and an additional pick.

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