Timberwolves Draft = Shedding Money...Again

I'm an idiot (my wife would agree with that statement)...I continue to watch the NBA Draft every year thinking that this is the year my hometown team will turn the corner with some major moves that will jump start this franchise...it didn't happen last night...this is how it played out:

1. I can live with the Wesley Johnson pick at 4. I am not thrilled, because I don't believe he has much upside (already almost 23 years old) and his defense his questionable at best (since he primarily played in a zone all through college). However, he potentially fills a major void and he was the "experts" consensus pick for the Wolves. Off topic...but, I love the plaided pants worn by Johnson...probably the highlight of the night if you're a T'wolves fan.

2. Luke Babbitt slides all the way down to #16. We draft one of the best shooters in the draft and then ship his draft rights and Ryan Gomes to Portland for Martell Webster and...nothing else...not even a 2nd rounder...?? Portland GM Kevin Pritchard is already out the door (fired, but still handling draft night duties) and is still out-maneuvering David Kahn. In the end, it boils down to the Timberwolves sending two salaries for one in return...it's all about the bottom line, baby.

3. The Trevor Booker selection had me scared. Another power forward (looks like a Craig Smith/Gary Trent) who seemed to be a reach at that point in the draft. We eventually later traded his rights to Washington and a 2nd round pick for the 30th and 35th picks. Not a bad deal for the Wolves, but they once again get out of a higher slotted salary by moving lower in the draft. Saving money is what we do best on draft night.

4. With the newly acquired 30th pick (from Washington), the Wolves select Lazar Hayward from Marquette. We scout every nook and cranny in the world, but when it comes to the United States we apparently just scout the Big East schools to find talent.

5. With the 35th pick, they select Nemanja Bjelica from Serbia. He won't come over anytime soon which means he won't be on the Timberwolves' payroll...Glen approves this decision.

6. With their last pick of the night (46th), they select Paulao Prestes from Brazil. He'll continue to play elsewhere on somebody else's dime. Glen Taylor loves the pick.

Kahn kept referring to how this draft would help shape our roster and repeatedly bragged about having five picks in this draft. Well, the draft is over and we walked away with two players (Johnson & Hayward) that could maybe contribute next year. We gave one draft pick (Babbitt) away, along with the appealing contract (only partially guaranteed until June 30th) of Ryan Gomes for Martell Webster. The other two picks were foreign players that may or may not be assets down the road. The draft class overall was considered weak, but if that was the case we should've parlayed some of the extra picks this year into next year picks.

The off-season isn't complete yet, but it looks pretty daunting of a task to improve this teams record when looking at our own division, much less the rest of the Western Conference. Four out of the five teams in the Northwest Division had 50 or more victories (Denver 53, Utah 53, Portland 50, and Oklahoma City 50). Minnesota rounded out the division with a whopping 15 victories on the year. Does the additions of Johnson, Webster and Hayward even get us to 20 wins next year...?? I say no.

SBG