The Link: http://rubechat.kfan.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=102967&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=60

Here's what he said about Wes Johnson:

Johnson is a very well rounded player who is NBA ready. We feel that he is a player who like a Wall or Turner could come in and contribute immediately. I do feel he has a high ceiling as a player in this league. Johnson could easily be a multiple all star. His length, size and shooting ability will make him a successful player. If Wesley continues to develop, namely his ball handling and driving ability he could be a lot better than most may consider.

Fact or Fiction?  Here's Kahn's supposed first post:

Hello my Timberwolf faithful,

The venue in which I come to you may seem odd, but after speaking with a number of fans that are ticket holders this week I recognize the need to be more accessible to you. There are very few details that I can offer at a sensitive time as this one. Very typical is the average fan who does not understand the jockeying of these next 2 days. I will address that we are almost positive that we will not move from the 4 position. We feel that moving up to 1 and 2 are out of the realm of possibility and we feel there is no reason to move up to 3. We feel very confident about our position and frankly no matter who comes to us at 4 is going to be a great addition to our club this upcoming season.

At the moment we are sitting strong at 16 and 23. There have been a number of talks about packaging one of both of these picks. We do feel that if we were to not find an adequate deal that we would have a solid rotation player coming to us, especially at 16. Look for there to be more speculation. Know that the next two days will be busy. Last night we finished our meeting at 10:15 and didn't leave the office until around 11:30. We are working hard to make this team a winner. We feel that the staff and team we have put together is going to allow us to really compete in the West in 2 or 3 years. We expect a great night on Thursday. Due to the limits of my availability I will have someone keep tabs on some questions I can answer tonight. Remember there are only so many things I can disclose with the heightened situation we find ourselves in.

We are committed to winning championships my friends. This will take time, but I think you will see that our team is headed in the right direction.

David Kahn-

The big thing is the Sign and Trade.  In order for Bosh to by fully maxed, he has to agree to a contract with his current team, the Raptors, and hopefully in trading him they get the best deal.  In that regard, in order for Bosh to be "fully maxed" the Raptors have to agree to trade him, and I can't imagine that's going to be for a deal they don't agree with.  This is all contingent on Bosh not necessarily looking to partner up with one of the other, bigger name FAs for possible championships, in other words, he wants to take the money while the possible new CBA salary structuring isn't in place yet.  Does he want the money now while he is young or does he want to take less money to be able compete for championships now?

Here's why the Wolves could be a fit if Bosh wants to take the money now approach and agree to a Sign and Trade from the Raptors to the Wolves, or why the Wolves could be a destination for other FAs looking to get the "Full Max".

They have Al Jefferson; he is a little overpaid, but compared to players teams would be willing to trade for Bosh in a S&T he is pretty close to the top in terms of how young he is, what he offers in terms of ability, and contract.  Maybe the better question is what other players of equal or greater value would teams be willing to offer for Bosh and others FAs looking to cash in on the old CBA?   

Who has cap room or possible contracts that fit financially and/or young prospects in trading for S&T "Full Max" FAs:

New York Knicks                                                                                                                                                                          David Lee in a S&T
Danilo Galinari
Wilson Chandler
Al Harrington in S&T
Eddy Curry-Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency

Chicago Bulls
Joakim Noah-not sure if they would make him available?
Luol Deng
Taj Gibson
Kirk Hinrich
James Johnson

New Jersey Nets-I don't think they'd give up Brook Lopez or the 3rd Pick
Devin Harris
Terrence Williams
Yi Jianlian
Courtney Lee

Detroit Pistons-only including them because they have young talent and contracts that world work financially because they're over the cap, I don't think any team would be willing to take on BG's contract or Rip Hamilton's in a S&T.
Tayshaun Prince
7th Pick
Charlie Vilanueva
Rodney Stuckney
Will Bynum in S&T
Jonas Jerebko
Austin Daye

Philly Sixers - same thing with Detroit, they have comparable contracts financially-they're over the cap, they also have young pieces, obviously nobody's touching Brand's contract unless the 2nd Pick is included, which I don't they'd give up in a S&T.
Andre Iguodala
Jrue Holiday
Lou Williams
Thad Young
Mareese Speights
Spencer Hawes

Cleveland Cavs - same deal with the last two teams, no cap room, need contracts to fit, they have JJ Hickson for a young piece.
Antawn Jamison
Anderson Varajeo
Mo Williams
Delonte West
JJ Hickson

Charlotte Bobcats - same deal as Cleveland, Philly, and Detroit, no cap space, blah, blah... but would they be willing to give up Wallace in a S&T?
Gerald Wallace
Stephen Jackson
Tyson Chandler - as long as he picks up his $12M option
Tyrus Thomas in a S&T
Boris Diaw
DJ Augustin
Gerald Henderson

Atlanta Hawks - would they be willing to give up Josh Smith or Al Horford in a S&T for Bosh or Amare?
Joe Johnson in a S&T
Josh Smith
Al Horford
Jamal Crawford
Marvin Williams
Mike Bibby
Jeff Teague
24th Pick

Dallas - would they be willing to include Nowitzki in a S&T?  I'm not including him, they'd want Dirk and another guy. I don't see any team that wants young talent in a S&T wanting Kidd, Terry, or Marion.
Caron Butler - cap space in 2011 Free Agency
Erick Dampier - cap space in 2011 Free Agency
Roddy Beaubois
Brendan Haywood in a S&T

Denver - No Cap Room, I don't think they'd be willing to include Carmelo in any S&Ts
Chauncey Billups
Nene Hilario
Ty Lawson
Chris Anderson
JR Smith
Kenyon Martin - cap space in 2011 Free Agency

Golden State - would they be willing to give up Stephen Curry in a S&T for Bosh or Amare?
Stephen Curry
Monta Ellis
6th Pick
Anthony Randolph
Corey Maggette
Andris Beidrins
Kelenna Azubuike
Brandan Wright

Houston - are they done with Yao?
Yao Ming
Kevin Martin
Aaron Brooks
Trevor Ariza
Jordan Hill
14th Pick
Shane Battier
Kyle Lowry in a S&T
Chase Budinger

LA Clippers - Would they be willing to give up Blake Griffin in a S&T? 
Chris Kaman
Baron Davis
Eric Gordon
8th Pick
Travis Outlaw in a S&T
DeAndre Jordan

Memphis Grizzlies - Would they be willing to give up Marc Gasol in a S&T?
Marc Gasol
OJ Mayo
Rudy Gay in a S&T - he might get "Full Max" money himself, for guys off rookie contracts it's what 6 years/$90M?
Zach Randolph
Hasheem Thabeet
12th Pick
Mike Conley
Darrell Arthur

LA Lakers - In no way are they giving up Kobe or Pau.
Andrew Bynum
Lamar Odom
Ron Artest
Shannon Brown - as long as he picks up his option

Minnesota Timberwolves - Are Rubio and the 4th Pick the only untouchables?
Al Jefferson
Kevin Love
Nikola Pekovic
Jonny Flynn
16th Pick
Corey Brewer
Ramon Sessions
23rd Pick
Wayne Ellington

New Orleans Hornets - No Cap Room. I have to believe CP3 won't be moved in a S&T.  I can't imagine anybody taking on James Posey's contract in a S&T, maybe Okafor's too, remember these teams are going to want young talent in these "Full Max" sign and trades.
David West
Darren Collison
Marcus Thornton
Peja Stojakovic - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.
Julian Wright
Morris Peterson - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.
Darius Songaila - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.

Oklahoma City Thunder - In no way are they giving up Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook.
Jeff Green
Serge Ibaka
James Harden
NIck Collison - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.
Nenad Kristic
Thabo Sefolosha
21st Pick
26th Pick
BJ Mullens

Phoenix - No Cap Room unless Amare is moved.  Would they give up Nash in a S&T?
Amare Stoudemire in a S&T
Goran Dragic
Jason Richardson - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.
Robin Lopez
Leandro Barbosa - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.
Jared Dudley

Portland - Would they be willing to give up Roy in any S&T deals?  How about Greg Oden?
LaMarcus Aldridge
Greg Oden
Nicolas Batum
Andre Miller
Rudy Fernandez
Jerryd Bayless
Martell Webster
22nd Pick
Dante Cunningham
Joel Pryzbilla - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency

Sacramento - They're not giving up Tyreke, who would be willing to take on Udrih's or Garcia's contracts in a "Full Max" sign and trade?  I don't think anybody would take either.  Would they'd be willing to give up the 5th Pick in S&Ts?
5th Pick
Carl Landry
Jason Thompson
Samuel Dalembert - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency
Omri Casspi
Donte Greene

San Antonio - Obviously they're not going to give up Duncan, but maybe Manu and Parker?
Manu Ginobli
Tony Parker
George Hill
Richard Jefferson - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency
20th Pick

Utah - No Cap Space, but with Boozer possibly leaving they could.  I don't see them giving up Deron Williams in any S&T.  Would anybody want Okur in a S&T?
Carlos Boozer in a S&T
Paul Milsap
9th Pick
Andrei Kirilenko - Cap Space in 2011 Free Agency.
Wes Matthews
Kosta Koufos
Kyrylo Fesenko
Ronnie Price

What team has the best possible combination of young talent that a team would want in a "Full Max" S&T for guys like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire that either fits financially because they have cap room or because they have comparable contracts they can trade that fit financially for cap room purposes? 

A couple of teams standout to me on what kind of package they could make for Amare or Bosh in a "Full Max" S&T, I'm assuming Phoenix or Toronto would want a young big or a high pick that could be used on a good young big like Cousins or Favors:


Atlanta Hawks - Would the Hawks be willing to give up Al Horford or Josh Smith in a "Full Max" S&T deal?  

Chicago Bulls - All contingent on the Bulls being willing to give up Noah, which I don't think they will.

Memphis Grizzlies - They're under the cap, but I don't think they can do this type of trade without relinquishing Gay's rights and/or including Zach Randolph in any deal.  I'd think PHO/TOR would want Marc Gasol in any deal.  A team with cheap young talent.  Would MEM do a deal like a Re-Signed, possibly Maxed himself Rudy Gay/Thabeet/and the 12th Pick to TOR/PHO for Amare or Bosh?

Golden State - I don't believe they're under the cap, so the numbers would have to match.  Unfortunately for them all they have is an extremely overpaid Ellis/Magette/Beidrins and a bunch of young cheap talent in Curry/Randolph/Wright/Azubuike.  Would a Beidrins/Curry/Aubuike/Wright for Amare or Bosh work for GS and TOR/PHO?  I think if Cousins fell to #6 a Ellis/Cousins/Azubuike/Wright deal could happen or maybe swap Randolph out for Cousins or Curry, do they still work?

LA Clippers - They have a ton of cap room, so numbers don't have to match, but how about something like Kaman and Gordon for Amare or Bosh?  I don't see them giving up Griffin for either.

Minnesota - Toronto/Phoneix get their young big in Jefferson, everything works financially after July 1st, and they'll get a combination of a couple of sweetners in Pekovic/the 16th Pick/Sessions/Brewer and the 23rd Pick.

New Orleans - Would TOR/PHO do a David West/Darren Collison/Morris Peterson/Darius Songaila trade for Amare or Bosh?

Denver - How about a package of Nene/Birdman/Lawson for Amare or Bosh?

Portland - They have a young big in Aldridge, is he even more overpaid than Jefferson though?  Can't see them including Oden in any deal with Aldridge to max out Bosh or Amare, would they include Batum and Aldridge together in any deal either?  I'd think Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge would both have to be included in any S&T max deal for financial reasons, I don't believe Portland is under the cap.

New York Knicks - TOR/PHO get their young big in David Lee and probably one sweetner out of Chandler/Galinari.

Sacramento - All contingent on either DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors falling to them at 5.  Problem is, does it work after July 1st without having to include Udrih or Garcia in the deal, I can't see either of them being able to be moved in this type of deal.

LA Lakers - They've got Andrew Bynum, but that's about it though in terms of trade value, but maybe the easiest "Full Max" S&T trade to consumate as long as Bosh or Amare want to win now.  I'd imagine TOR/PHO would have to take back somebody else, like Vujacic for financial purposes, how much do they value Bynum?

Phoenix and New Jersey - Would Toronto/Phoenix do a Full Max S&T swap for Amare and Bosh?

Remember, if these FAs want "Full Max' deals they'll have to agree to S&T deals with their current teams, that's a lot of leverage for the team, of course it's all dependant on the FA wanting the money, but they get to choose the deal they like the best, does that make it a seamless process?  Hell no, that's why I see more teams taking the Lakers offer and just taking Bynum and not dealing with the hassle of trying to move your guy who wants to be maxed to Minnesota, even though they present a better deal.

Tier 1

John Wall

Note: Wall is the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, but unlike last year with Blake Griffin, he's not miles ahead of Evan Turner or Derrick Favors. Still, when all 30 GMs agree you are No. 1, you get your own category.

Tier 2

DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson, Evan Turner

Note: Turner is the consensus No. 2 pick in the draft. All but two teams listed him as the No. 2 player on their boards, regardless of need. However, one team listed Favors and another went with Cousins at No. 2, while Johnson got a handful of votes at No. 3. The thing they all have in common is that every team I've spoken with believes these players could be NBA All-Stars down the road.

Tier 3

Al-Farouq Aminu, Ed Davis, Greg Monroe

Note: This is a pretty small third tier and says something about how NBA GMs see this draft. They believe the three players above have All-Star potential, but all have significant weaknesses that could keep them from living up to it. All three players were consensus top-eight picks. Aminu and Monroe made every list. Teams were a little shakier on Davis, but in all but one case, he made the cut.

Tier 4

Cole Aldrich, Luke Babbitt, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Gordon Hayward, Xavier Henry, Paul George, Daniel Orton, Patrick Patterson, Ekpe Udoh

Note: This is a huge tier and shows the parity in the draft. Theoretically, teams are saying you can get the same quality of player at No. 9 that you will get at No. 19. This is where the real depth of the draft is. Of this group, Udoh, Hayward and Henry each got a vote for Tier 3, and all three were unanimous selections from the other teams in Tier 4. Orton and Bledsoe were borderline between here and Tier 5.

Tier 5

Solomon Alabi, James Anderson, Craig Brackins, Jordan Crawford, Devin Ebanks, Keith Gallon, Darington Hobson, Damion James, Armon Johnson, Dominique Jones, Gani Lawal, Dexter Pittman, Tibor Pleiss, Quincy Pondexter, Stanley Robinson, Larry Sanders, Kevin Seraphin, Lance Stephenson, Jarvis Varnado, Hassan Whiteside, Elliot Williams

Note: This is what I would call the first-round bubble group and where the consensus really started to break down. A few teams had Alabi, James and Whiteside in Tier 4, but not quite enough for them to make the cut. Whiteside was an interesting case because he got one Tier 2 and one Tier 3 vote as well. In other words, teams are all over the place on him. Johnson, Lawal, Pittman, Pleiss and Varnado were borderline picks here. Every one of these players dropped out of the top 30 on at least one team's draft board.

(Where they might go, best case-worse case)

1. Wall

2-4

Turner (2-3)

Favors (2-4)

Cousins (2-6)

5. Johnson (4-6)

6-7

Monroe (5-9)

Aminu (6-8)

8. Davis (7-13)

9-16

Henry (6-15)

Aldrich (7-14)

Udoh (7-16)

Hayward (8-15)

Patterson (10-17)

Bradley (10-18)

George (11-16)

Babbitt (9-16)

17-19

Bledsoe (13-18)

Orton (10-21)

Whiteside (7-23)

20-21

James (16-26)

Alabi (18-27)

22-34

Anderson

Sanders

Seraphin

Jones

Ebanks

Brackins

Gallon

Crawford

Pondexter

Williams

Stephenson

Robinson

Hobson

35-39

Johnson

Lawal

Pittman

Pleiss

Varnado

Minnesota:

Andre Igoudala

Evan Turner

Philadelphia:

Tayshaun Prince

Jonas Jerebko

Wayne Ellington

7th Pick 

Detroit:

Al Jefferson

16th Pick

Philadelphia gets what they wish in a Top Ten Pick (7th Overall), an expiring contract (Prince), a young guy with potential (Jerebko), and a cap filler in Ellington.  Detroit gets their low post presence in Jefferson and a Top 20 pick for having to part with Jerebko.  We get two threats from the perimeter who can both create for themselves and others, can play D, and have the physical abilities and skill sets to be pivotal pieces in the wide open, fast break offense Kahn keeps reiterating we'll have in the future.  If you vote Philly or Detroit would the 23rd Pick be sufficient enough to sway your vote to "nobody gets ripped off"?  How about if I had Philly receiving the 4th pick, where we would get the 7th pick? Or if Detroit were to give Philly Austin Daye instead of Jerebko, would that change anything?

This ties similarly to a trade I proposed a month or two ago.

Minnesota:

Washington (5-7) Pick

Hasheem Thabeet

DeMarre Carroll

Hamed Haddadi

Washington:

Andrei Kirilenko

Mike Conley

Utah's (9-11) Pick

Nikola Pekovic

Utah:

Ryan Gomes

Ramon Sessions

Wayne Ellington

Minnesota's 23rd Pick

Memphis:

Gilbert Arenas

Why would they do the trade?

Minnesota:  It nets us an additional Top 5-7 pick, which can be used on a guy like Wes Johnson or Al-Farouq Aminu; in other words, an athletic wing, an absolute need.  We also acquire Thabeet, who would hopefully shore up our porous weak side defense.  We actually gain cap room by making this move, giving up $8.6M in salaries, but only taking in $7.1M, not counting Pekovic's or the 5th and 23rd Picks' salaries.   I also originally included Darrell Arthur coming to the Wolves, but I don't think the Grizz would also be willing to give him up in this deal.

Washington:  They get rid of Arenas and his contract, finally they're free! They do have to take Kirilenko's contract, but luckily his contract ends three years sooner. They also acquire his PG replacement in Conley, who has underachieved in Memphis, but at 22, is still young enough to improve.   In regards to their early First Round Pick (5-7), I felt the Wizards would be willing to give that pick up if they were able to rid themselves of Arenas, his contract, and his baggage while also getting a Top Ten Pick (Utah's), an expiring contract next year in Kirilenko, and two young prospects in Conley and Pekovic.

Utah:  It's all about cap room!  They rid themselves of Kirilenko's contract in an attempt to resign Boozer and also free up more cap room by moving down 13-14 spots in the Draft.  They give up $16.4M in salaries, but only take in $8.6M, while also being able to waive Ryan Gomes and his $4M salary, which would basically cut that $8.6M in half.  I did not include the 23rd Pick's salary in that $8.6M.

Memphis:  I think the inevitable prospect of losing Rudy Gay will make this proposition very hard to ignore for the Grizz.  I don't think Heisley will match Gay's contract once somebody offers him the max, and you know it will happen, there's just too many teams with cap room.  It's going to be tough trying to match his 20 PPG with the 12th Pick in the Draft and it's not like Memphis is a hot spot for attracting FAs either.  I'm not huge on an Arenas/Mayo backcourt, but it's not like they're giving up a ton of assets for him either.  Yes, Conley and Thabeet are both former Top 5 picks, and Carroll was a late 1st Rounder last year, but both Conley and Thabeet have underachieved in regards to their Draft selections, Sam Young was played over Carroll, and out of the three only Conley had a sizable contribution on a near playoff team in the West. I realize the disaster Washington was last season with Arenas, but even in giving up Conley, Thabeet, Carroll, and Hadaddi for Arenas, they still have the 12th Pick, which they can use on another shot blocking, raw, C like Whiteside, or a SG/SF in Henry or Anderson.  Plus, they're only taking on an additional $5M in salary from this deal, plenty of cap room to still lock up Ronnie Brewer.   

Why don't they do the trade?

Minnesota:  The only argument I see from our side is having to give up Sessions, he's still very young, and I believe once he develops his shot to the point where it's consistent, he'll be tough to guard.  Do we really want Pekovic when we already have two plodders in Love and Jefferson?

Washington:  That Top 5-7 pick, it will be hard to pry it away from the Wiz, especially because of the backlash they received from their fan base in last year's trade for Foye/Miller.  They do get Utah's Pick, which will be in the 9-11 range, but as far as consensus goes, I think everybody knows how much more valuable picks are in the Top 5.  

Utah:  That 9-11 Pick, I think it will be easier to pry this pick away from the Jazz than it is to get the Top 5 pick from the Wiz in this scenario, but do they really want to re-sign Boozer that bad?

Memphis:  They would have to take on Arenas' contract as well as give up last year's #2 pick in Thabeet and 2007 #4 pick Conley.  Plus, if they do this trade, they will not be able to re-sign Gay, guaranteed, they'll be over the cap, and you know Heisley isn't doing that.  Are you willing to give money to an athletic, 24 year old 3rd option like Gay or a possible locker room cancer like Arenas, a good 2nd option, who's 28 years old?

As we all have quite often experienced these last couple season, a large portion of our thoughts regarding this team are on its future.  I for one have done many mock drafts throughout the seasons as well as try to imagine every possible scenario for this team, involving all we have to encompass in regards to "assets".  I'm sure many of you have been on ESPN's Lottery Machine and have clicked the "Play Lottery" button to see who we could possibly select at specific spots with which teams are ahead of us.  Surprisingly not sooner, but for the first time tonight I struck our worst fear, the 5th selection.  I realize regardless of our immediate positioning, the most important aspect of all is which teams are ahead of us.  Obviously I can't anticipate that, but I wanted to see what everybody thought on what scenarios could actually be realistic based on this specific example. 

At 5, based on this specific scenario I believe we will not be able to select Turner outright, or for that matter, at 5 in any possible scenario.  Washington's going to take Wall, I won't even question that.  Golden State on the other hand has two very good ball handling guards in Ellis and Curry.  I also don't see GS being able to move Ellis for anything that would interest them, I'm sure Don Nelson was furious that they didn't jump all over the Ellis for Mayo/Thabeet deal, I don't even want to know what a Curry/Mayo backcourt would look like, imagine the shooting displays, we would get destroyed.  I'm also not sure that Turner fits in with them as well as somebody who has legit 3 point range, such as Wes Johnson.  I'm not sure we have the assets Golden State would be looking for, besides the possible selection of Wes, but could there possibly be a third team involved, where maybe the Charlotte pick/Sessions/Love is moved for a more fitting piece for Golden State?  

This is the scenario: Golden State trades Evan Turner to the Wolves for Wes Johnson and Donatas Motiejuans, who we receive from Utah for James Anderson and Nikola Pekovic, who with his quickness could be a great P and R guy for them, and Anderson who would could possibly shore up the SG spot, a position for Utah that hasn't seen a consistent starter since Hornacek.  From his PT, I'm assuming Matthews is well liked in Utah, but is he good enough to be a starter?  Also, with Kirilenko most likely leaving next season as a result of his expiring contract, could Anderson/Matthews split time at 2 and 3?  Maybe Gordon Hayward or Damion James here too for Utah.  The thing that stands out for me is that outside of just selecting Udoh with nothing else to show, I don't see there being a better fit than what Pekovic would bring to them.  I'm almost certain Boozer will leave, which opens a huge hole in their three big rotation of Boozer, Milsap, and Okur.  I also don't see any of their other current big men being even close to what Pekovic is in terms of talent, come on, Koufos, Fesenko?  None are at least deserving of a large portion of minutes, especially on a perennial playoff team in Utah.  

My biggest question regarding this specific trade scenario is if just Pek and the 16th Pick would be enough to jump up to 9.  Utah might also want their original pick back, which I believe we would also give up for Turner if we were to fall to the 5th selection. They might also want it back because they're a division rival and are helping us get a near sure-fire star in Turner.  With this second selection the Jazz could take another wing like Paul George, Devin Ebanks, Stan Robinson, or Quincy Pondexter to replace AK47 when his contract is likely moved for cap relief next season. 

Another scenario is the fact that I believe New Jersey will be a big player in FA and I see a player like David Lee being a big target for them, which would make the high selection of Favors quite redundant in terms of team needs, McFail?  As has been pointed out on this site before, we can only imagine what the Nets new owner thinks of Euro players, Pek could be a guy he's targeting.  They obviously need depth everywhere, as do we, but could Wes and Nikola be enough to snare Favors, who some have said Kahn also "favors" as well? 

A Mock Draft representing the Utah scenario where we give up both picks:

Washington: John Wall

Minnesota (From Golden State): Evan Turner

Sacramento: DeMarcus Cousins

New Jersey: Derrick Favors

Golden State (From Minnesota): Wes Johnson

Philadelphia: Greg Monroe

Detroit: Ed Davis

LA Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu

Golden State (From Minnesota through Utah): Donatas Motiejunas

Indiana: Ekpe Udoh

New Orleans: Cole Aldrich

Memphis: Xavier Henry

Toronto: Hassan Whiteside

Houston: Daniel Orton

Milwaukee: Patrick Patterson
Utah (From Minnesota): James Anderson

Chicago: Luke Babbitt

Miami: Solomon Alabi

Boston: Gordon Hayward

San Antonio: Damion James

Oklahoma City: Avery Bradley

Portland: Larry Sanders

Utah (From Minnesota, through Philadelphia, through Themselves): Devin Ebanks

Draft Stock:

Wall

Turner

Favors

Cousins

Johnson

Aminu

Davis

Monroe

Motiejunas

Aldrich

Orton

Whiteside

Udoh

Henry

Patterson

Hayward

Anderson

James

Alabi

Babbitt

Bledsoe

Bradley

George

Sanders

Warren

White

Ebanks

Robinson

Pondexter

Jones

Williams

Crawford

Johnson

Hobson

We've all been disappointed in Jonny Flynn, that's evident, but when looking back at the 2009 Draft there were several Point Guards, who at this time, look to have a much more promising future than our ill fated 6th Pick.  This is a poll to see which Point Guard from this last Draft you think has the most promising future, sort of taking a page from David Thorpe's rookie article.  Please comment too.

I have been trying to put together a list of players I feel would be available through trade, Free Agency, or in the Draft that would fit our two biggest needs, an athletic, scoring wing, and an athletic, long, shot blocking, C or PF. I ranked them accordingly, from top to bottom, using the criteria I feel we would most look for in adding players to this roster. At this point I feel only two players on this team are somewhat untouchable, one is Al Jeff, because when healthy and we're not knocking shots down, you go to him, he goes to work, and he gets consistent buckets. Yes, I know, he's atrocious on D, but just imagine an athletic, shot blocking sidekick next to him, his D wouldn't look so bad then, right? The other untouchable is Flynn, not because of his talent, but because his value is not as high as we'd like it to be if we were to try and move him. I think we get at least two players out of this list, hopefully three, hopefully a big man or two within the first Twenty Spots of its list and a wing in the first seven spots of its list; for example: Whiteside, Igoudala, and Henry. For the players that aren't FAs and Prospects; I just felt those players had a better chance than others of being moved. In regards to the order the players are in, I felt the factors that should be considered should be; what kind of player do we need based on the criteria I've laid out, the player's overall talent, the player's potential, and also their contract. I then put the order of what criteria should be considered first when looking at a player. Because I felt Al and Jonny wouldn't be moved, I also made a list of our assets, from most valued to least valued. Feel free to add more players to this mix as well. Let me see your Trade Scenarios and let me hear your opinions!!!!

Long, Shot Blocking, Athletic, Quick, Face Up, Strong, PF/C

Amare Stoudemire
Josh Smith
Derrick Favors
DeMarcus Cousins
JaVale McGee
Anthony Randolph
Hassan Whiteside
Emeka Okafor
Cole Aldrich
Hasheem Thabeet
Jason Thompson
Tyrus Thomas
Eddie Davis
Taj Gibson
Jan Vesely
Andray Blatche
Andris Beidrins
Robin Lopez
Brendan Haywood
Kendrick Perkins
Darko Milicic
Samuel Dalembert
Marcin Gortat
Joel Anthony
Larry Sanders
DeAndre Jordan
Solomon Alabi
Ekpe Udoh
Jarvis Varnado

Wing, Athletic, Scorer's Mentality, Long, Quick, Consistent Range, Defensive Minded, Can create off the Dribble

Evan Turner
Joe Johnson
Rudy Gay
Luol Deng
Monta Ellis
Gerald Wallace
Andre Igoudala
Wes Johnson
Xavier Henry
James Anderson
Anthony Morrow
Terrence Williams
Thaddeus Young
Al-Farouq Aminu
Martell Webster
JR Smith
Travis Outlaw
Josh Childress
Dorell Wright
Nick Young
Arron Afflalo
Chris Douglas-Roberts

Our Assets:

Ricky Rubio
Our own Top Five Pick
Kevin Love
Charlotte's Pick
Nikola Pekovic
Ramon Sessions
Corey Brewer
Ryan Gomes
Utah's Pick
Wayne Ellington

(Ed Note: I bumped this to the front page for some draft talk before Wednesday's game.  I'll post the updated Hoopus Score draft board next week.  Just a quick preview: Take a look at Vandy's Jeff Taylor.  I just ran the Hoopus Score numbers and he came out as the 2nd highest ranked prospect behind Evan Turner.  Thanks to ADPBTD for putting this list together.)

This isn't a Draft Board on what other teams might do, but what our own team would have as it's Draft Board for our First Selection.

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40. Ricky Rubio
If you have the No. 5 and No. 6 picks in what turned out to be a quality draft, and you turn No. 5 into an asset that can't be realized for THREE YEARS because your No. 6 pick wasn't nearly as good as the No. 7 pick and also managed to drive your No. 5 pick to a foreign country, how is that anything other than an abject disaster? Bumbling GM David Kahn told Minnesota fans last week, "I don't expect to be a playoff team for at least two years." Great, just in time for the lockout and a new-wave NBA world with lower salaries and shorter contracts that's going to make Ricky say, "You know what? I think I'll just stay here for a couple more years and make three times as much money unless you trade me to a big-market team."

In fact, I thought about making Kahn the following bet: If Ricky Rubio plays even one minute for the Timberwolves, I will drive from Los Angeles to Minnesota for his first game while wearing a T-wolves jersey that says "KAHN" on the front and "No. 1" on the back. (It's an 1,835-mile trip. I looked it up.) But I don't want to root for the T-Wolves fans to lose Rubio; they've suffered enough. I hope I am wrong. I don't think I am.

(Follow-up story: Another NBA team sent someone to Spain to watch Rubio play for FC Barcelona a few weeks ago. The individual ran into one of Rubio's advisers and asked him how many times someone from Minnesota had come to see Rubio this season. The answer? Zero.)

Why does every ESPN NBA analyst say Flynn is no more than a 6th man scorer off the bench yet we're still praising Kahn for his moves. These guys get paid to be analysts, one is David Thorpe, who is a mentor to some players, the other is Bill Simmons, who every NBA player praises for his basketball knowledge.  It would just seem hard to discredit two opinions like that when they would seem as valuable as valuable can be regarding opinions on basketball.   To me this seems like another McFail move, what does everybody think of ESPN ragging on Flynn?  Does he deserve it?  How about Kahn, should we hang him from the rafters yet?  I'm a pretty faithful Wolves fan, but Flynn has looked so tentative this year, like he doesn't know how to play, happy we didn't end up taking Derozan or Williams, but man, I'd love to have Curry or even Love's recommendation in Jennings right now.  Just a little weary of our future, can we ever expect Kahn to put together a successful team, or is he in over his head?  Also, wasn't he like the 6th or 7th choice for GM, why would we have any faith in him?  Someone, please reassure me, hope it's Just A Fan, he actually seems to have insight none of us peons seem to have.