Timberwolves Point To Flynn
Jonny Flynn is ready for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it’s hard to tell if Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations David Kahn is ready to run a team. After selecting Spaniard Ricky Rubio with the fifth pick, Kahn plucked Flynn’s name off the draft board, selecting two NBA-ready point guards consecutively. If the WaMu Theater crowd wasn’t too busy booing the Warriors’ selection (or if you’re a Knicks fan, theft) of Stephen Curry, they were scratching their heads as to how Minnesota’s selections make sense from a roster assembly standpoint.
The picture became a little less foggy as the night progressed, with Rubio’s family indicating the strong possibility that he will stay in Spain. Timberwolves’ management may have known that all along, which would help explain the follow-up pick of Flynn. If Rubio continues to develop overseas while Flynn flourishes in the NBA, the Timberwolves could net a decent return for his rights. If for whatever reason Flynn can’t hack it, Rubio turns into a contingency plan (but then again, if that’s what David Kahn is thinking, why is he drafting Flynn in the first place?).
It’s a good bet that Minnesota will hold onto Flynn and either trade Rubio now or hope that he improves enough overseas for them to get a better return later as the Timberwolves continue to rebuild. It’s also a good bet that if Flynn keeps referring to himself in the third person that Kevin Love will eat him.
Now they just need a Head Coach.
As for SU’s other draft-eligible players, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf, neither was drafted, which wasn’t a big surprise. We knew Devendorf’s chances of hearing his name called were smaller than the chances of Jim Boeheim switching to man defense, but Harris improved his draft stock by impressing scouts at workouts. Nevertheless, he wasn’t selected and now has to look at his options. He’ll undoubtedly get some invites to summer camps, and perhaps receive a rookie free agent contract. The con to the latter is that he’ll get next-to-nothing in terms of playing time, which makes playing overseas a more appealing option by comparison.
Overall, however, a great showing for the Big East, with nine players drafted, though I’m not convinced Hasheem Thabeet is worth the second pick even if he averages five blocks a game.
