Monday, June 20, 2011

4 Ideal Draft Night Scenarios for the Timberwolves

By Joey Cavalier



1) Draft Derrick Williams. Subsequently, trade Michael Beasley and Jonny Flynn for center, Marcin Gortat.
Bottom Line: Derek Williams is going to be a star. He is very polished offensively, he's shown improvement every year in his game, and he's a violent, aggressive playmaker. The most ideal situation for the Wolves would be to draft D-Will at No. 2, and then subsequently trade Beasley and Flynn to the youth-starved Phoenix Suns for the underrated center, Marcin Gortat (this would mean Williams is our starting small forward). Gortat would bring stability, defense, low-post scoring and rebounding to a team that is in need of a solid starting center.

2) Draft Derrick Williams, and keep the rest of the roster intact.
As you can see, I like Derrick Williams a lot. Even if the Wolves do not move Beasley, I still want them to draft D-Will and commit to him. The mix-and-match frontcourt of Love/Williams/Beasley could easily grow into one of the most offensively dangerous front courts in the NBA. If this were to happen, Beasley would need to grow in his ability to play for long stretches at power forward, and Love would need to focus on his defensive game, as he would find himself playing center for extended periods. The occasional lineup of Rubio/Johnson/Williams/Beasley/Love may be weak defensively, but have fun trying to stop them from putting up an absurd amount of points.

3) Package the No. 2 pick, Wayne Ellington and Johnny Flynn for DeMar DeRozan and the No. 5 pick. Use the fifth pick on forward Jan Vesely.
If the Wolves do happen to trade the No. 2 pick, they need to get a guy like DeMar DeRozan and a high lottery pick for it. DeRozan would instantly step in and start at shooting guard, while Wes Johnson would become a very versatile sixth man who could play either shooting guard or small forward. With the fifth pick, the Wolves then select Jan Vesely, the electrifying 21-year-old small forward out of the Czech Republic. This kid is 6’11, he's a terrific finisher around the hoop, and he's a very efficient post player as well. Vesely is most noted for his ability to elevate in traffic, where he scores and rebounds aggressively. Jan Vesely would bring a powerful, physical style of play to the Timberwolves offense.

4) Draft Enes Kanter, and keep the rest of the roster intact.
If for some reason the Wolves do not select Derrick Williams, they must take the Turkish center, Enes Kanter. Though he is pegged as inexperienced (which he certainly is), the kid is an absolute freak of nature. He's very driven, and his ability to bang in the low post is something the Wolves need badly. Kanter also possesses a decent mid-range jump shot, which would allow him to stretch opposing defenses. His attacking style of play would be a great addition to a squad that's as tough as Charmin Ultra Soft in the paint. Oh, and if someone were kind enough to take Darko off our hands after the draft, that would be great!

8 comments:

  1. Any scenario where we possibly trade down for Jimmer?

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  2. Don't forget about my idea with Beasley is maybe he could become a solid 6th man. He provides instant offense of the bench, maybe that's his NBA destiny.

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  3. Jimmer is a tricky one, at this point. He could realistically be selected as early as pick 7, yet he could go as late as pick 17. If the Wolves went for him, it would be to have him serve as a sniper off the bench at the 2 spot. I sort of like Jimmer as a scorer, but I don't think the Wolves really care for him, and I don't think the Wolves will make a move for him...

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  4. I agree w/Joey on Jimmer. I heard Trent Tucker break him down really well a couple weeks ago... he's a better "scorer" than "shooter." Basically, Trent thinks he needs to get 20+ shots to get his points, and that he's not the type of guy to come in off the bench cold and be a distance sniper.

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  5. do you like Williams as much as Rubio
    -Rocky Raddman

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  7. Well done Joey, though I am not quite as certain that both Williams and Rubio will be the stars that you believe they will be. Hopefully you are right though. At this point I set my hopes for Twolves players a little lower....like having half as many kids as Shawn Kemp and almost as cool of a name as Mookie Blaylock

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