Jun 28

Minnesota Timberwolves will waste a Garnett trade with bad draft picks

I really love golf.

There. Now when the inevitable chorus of, “What does this have to do with golf?” arises, you can just read that first sentence.

So, on to the 2007 NBA Draft. This is a day I dread worse than my annual prostate exam. Why? Because history has taught me that my home-state team, the Minnesota Timberwolves cannot make a decent draft pick any more than I can qualify for the U.S. Open. (Oh, there — another golf reference.)

Now the team – whose very first exhibition game I attended with such high hopes and bright-eyed naiveté – is shopping around the one, the only decent player they’ve EVER procured from said draft, Kevin Garnett.

This strategy may or may not make sense from a salary cap and contract-renewal stance, and it would certainly be nice for Garnett, one of the most likeable and hard-working players in the NBA, to move to a team that might get him beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Still, what do the Wolves have to gain from such a trade? More early draft picks?

Woo-hoo.

Let’s just consider the draft history of this team, to whom I remain loyal despite perpetual disappointment:

1989 – With the team’s first pick ever (#10) they take…Pooh Richardson. Might as well have been Eyore.

From there on, with the exception of Garnett, the team’s draft picks comprise a litany of second-fiddles, has-beens, and never weres. Oh sure, there were some “names” (eg., Christian Laettner), but no players. My favorite is Felton Spencer, with the #6 overall pick in 1990. Of course, that was an awful draft year, but still…:

Andrae Patterson
Blake Stepp
Bracey Wright
Luc Longley
Christian Laettner
Chris Smith
Donyell Marshall
Doug West
Gerald Glass
Gary Leonard
Gordon Malone
Igor Rakocevic
Jerome Allen
Loren Woods
Luis Bullock
Luc Longley
Marcus Taylor
Mark Anthony Davis
Marton Maxey
Myron Brown
Ndudi Ebi
Paul Grant
Pooh Richardson
Radoslav Nesterovic
Rashad McCants
Ray Allen (They got a good one! And traded him for a guy who never wanted to play in MN.)
Rick Rickert
Sherron Mills
Tim Burroughs
William Avery
Wally Sczcerbiak
Kevin Garnett

What futility. I don’t even recognize half these names, and I’m an ardent fan, for Pistol Pete’s sake!

I feel for Garnett. I feel for other Wolves fans.

And I believe that even if we had the first pick overall this year, we’d skip over Greg Oden and take Milovan Rakovic instead.

Who?

Precisely.

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6 comments

§ Wolves Girl said on : 06/28/07 @ 13:20
For someone on a golf site you have hit it right on the head.

As a Wolves fan I hold almost no hope a for good season anytime soon.

Why must we trade our best player for draft picks that have historically taken YEARS to develop (Foye and Smith didn't start to click until after the All Star break this year).

I will be there for the season but am having an increasing difficult time standing behind a team that wants to trade their best player away.
§ tradekg said on : 06/28/07 @ 13:46
While there is no doubt that the wolves are terrible at drafting this year's draft is so deep that it would be very hard for even kevin mchale to screw up. I mean the prospect of having possibly the numbers 3,7,and 11 picks in the draft sounds pretty nice no matter who is making the picks. Plus, KG deserves the opportunity to win a championship and that will not happen here any time soon!
§ JC said on : 06/28/07 @ 18:19
I agree completely. But leave poor Pooh Richardson alone. We all loved that guy.
§ lubo said on : 06/28/07 @ 18:25
i disagree, the wolves have had bad draft picks...but that is history, recently our drafts have been getting better. there is no reason for being pessimistic about our draft, if fact, because last year we got a starting PG in Foye and maybe a future starter (but already espn's top 10 rookie list)in Craig Smith....and you know what???? Rashad McCants (before he got injured) was playing REALLY well ...so thats 2 years of solid...BETTER THAN SOLID picks...don't be negative
§ Bruce Stasch® said on : 06/29/07 @ 00:00
Kiel,

This time of year always kills me. The Timberwolves have had a superstar for 12 years and could never do anything with him. Based on the draft picks tonight, we've got a #7 that is a great defender, but just an above average shooter. In addition, he's only 185 and will be one of the skinniest players on the floor. We also got a 2nd rounder that ESPN can't find anything on. The Florida Gators are a fine team, but give me a break. When will Minnesota ever give up on McHale and face reality. He's screwed up this team beyond recognition and the only thing of value that we have left is Garnett. I love the guy, but he's been in the league for 12 years and we won't get anything for him when he leaves us for a team that has a shot. At some point, Kevin's gotta do what's best for Kevin. He's been wasting his best basketball years in a team that isn't going anywhere right now.
§ Kiel Christianson® said on : 06/29/07 @ 14:14
Yeah--I forgot Foye on my list above. He did come on a bit this past year, but he's hardly the sort of player that Pippen was to Jordan.
Or even Kukoc.

Oh, and I forgot the fantastic Isaiah
Rider and william Avery.
Oy vey.

As Bruce says, "Chris Richard, who?" The guy
averaged 6 pts and less than 4 rebounds last year--his best in 4 at Florida.

Poor KG.