It seems like just yesterday that Wes Johnson was wowing us with his high-flying dunks and long-range accuracy three times a week, but the draft has crept up on us and is now just three days away. While it’s still far from official, it hasn’t been the best-kept secret that for the second straight year, Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn is taking a long, hard look at a former Orange with a lottery pick.

So what makes Johnson so appealing to the Timberwolves, who finished at an abysmal 15-67 last season? We’ll go straight to the source.

“He’s got a beautiful stroke,” Kahn told the Associated Press. “He has almost a classic basketball body. Good height. I thought he picked things up very quickly during the workout and clearly can run, which is so important to all of us in terms of how we want to play.”

In terms of roster management, should Johnson head to Minnesota, he’ll be in a position to compete for a starting spot with Corey Brewer, who averaged 12 points and six rebounds last season. With Brewer becoming more expensive (his contract was extended through next season for $3.7 million) and Minnesota circling the drain on the court, calling Johnson’s number would be a forward-thinking move for Kahn.

For SU fans, there’s also the appeal of Johnson teaming up with fellow Orange Johnny Flynn. While they couldn’t suit up together last year, Flynn was one of many hyping Wes’s talents when he couldn’t take the court due to NCAA’s transfer rules.

Johnson also recently worked out for the 76ers, who are expected to go with Ohio State’s Evan Turner, a close friend of Johnson’s. New head coach Doug Collins, who spent a few years coaching the Bulls before Phil Jackson came along, made a very intriguing comparison after seeing what Johnson had:

“Watching Wesley work out was like, ‘Wow, that was impressive.’ This young kid has got it. He’s charismatic. He can play. He’s respectful. He’s older. Impressive,” Collins told the Philadelphia Daily News.

Collins compared Johnson to Scottie Pippen, who he coached with the Chicago Bulls. “Not as good of a ballhandler right now as Scottie, but he’s a better shooter. He has that lanky, rangy body. He has a real good feel,” Collins said.

In addition to the ball-handling, Pippen was spectacular defensively. Wes has never struck me as the type who gets wrapped up in that kind of thing, but to be mentioned in that light that has to be pretty flattering.

As stated earlier, it’s very hard to see Philly passing on Turner with the second pick (also, how crazy would it be to see Johnson go higher in a draft than Carmelo Anthony?), but SU fans should be very excited at the possibility of a Flynn-Johnson reunion. Now, if only the T’Wolves could pull in a few nationally-televised matchups…

This entry was posted on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 4:04 pm by Brian G. . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.