June 25, 2009

Timberwolves Draft Rubio, Flynn, and Ellington

I'll keep my thoughts on the Timberwolves' point guard-heavy draft shorter than usual because various trade rumors could render all of this moot, but for the most part I'm pleased. Many people seem to be overestimating Ricky Rubio's odds of developing into an impact player rather than just a flashy passer, but his falling into the Wolves' laps at No. 5 overall was close to a best-case scenario and Jonny Flynn is one of the handful of guys from a fairly weak draft class whom I'm certain will be a good NBA player.

With that said, Ty Lawson is another in that handful and the Wolves sadly teased me by selecting him only to swap him for a future first-round pick. Obviously keeping Lawson after taking Rubio and Flynn would've been miles beyond overkill, but he was great value at No. 18 and I'm convinced that he'll have a strong career. Taking his North Carolina teammate, Wayne Ellington, was a good fit at No. 28 given the roster's complete lack of shooters and if nothing else he'll be a nice long-term bench scorer.

David Kahn's assurances that Rubio and Flynn will work in tandem are intriguing and drafting two point guards isn't so crazy when one of them is 18 years old and no sure thing to be freed from his contract, but I'm skeptical to say the least. However, at the end of the day the rebuilding Wolves' primarily goal should've been simply acquiring as much talent as possible and Rubio, Flynn, Ellington, and a future first rounder is a plenty nice haul in that respect. I'm very curious to see how it all shakes out.


Once you're done here, check out my "Circling The Bases" blog over at NBCSports.com.

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