Wolves drafting two PGs makes sense
It may seem weird … really weird, in fact. But new Wolves GM David Kahn’s choice to draft not one, but two point guards back-to-back with high picks (five and six) in the NBA Draft last Thursday is making more sense as time goes on.
First, of course, is PG Ricky Rubio’s dodgy contract status with his team in Spain; it’s a big $6 million mess and the Wolves are restricted from helping Rubio out of it too much. With their hands tied, it appears the Wolves may need to wait a year, perhaps even two, before Rubio can run with the Wolves. And Kahn is patient enough to wait Rubio out, considering the kid’s only 18.
Jonny Flynn, the other point guard taken right behind Rubio, is another great player; he is insurance against the Wolves finding themselves without Rubio for a year or two; while lacking Rubio’s flash, Flynn is an extremely talented point guard who excels at speed, passing and setting up his teammates to make them better.
See, the truth is, a really great pure point guard is a rare commodity in the NBA. The Wolves haven’t really had one since the days of Stephon Marbury, and even he became more scoring-focused as he adjusted to the NBA. Since then, most of the Wolves’ point guards have been combo guards, or shooting guards with some passing skills.
Now, we have Flynn for sure, and Rubio eventually. While that may seem like a luxury on a team that needs plenty of help, it’s not; Flynn might not develop into a true point guard at the NBA level; he could also bust. If so, Rubio’s still there once he joins the team.
Same goes for Rubio. He could turn into more of a scoring threat as he grows into his body; he might have contract troubles keep him out of the NBA for up to two seasons; and he might act like a brat and try to force a trade if he decides he really doesn’t like Minnesota, the way Marbury did. If so, we will be fine at point with Flynn.
It’s unlikely both will bust. That would be akin to someone being unhappy with their Wilmington NC real estate purchase; it just doesn’t seem the least bit likely.
Yes, the Wolves need help at shooting guard; free agency is still ahead of us. A true center would also be nice, and again, free agency could patch a hole there. Small forward is probably set, though, as long as Ryan Gomes comes back healthy, and power forward is definitely set if Al Jefferson stays at his true position, though he may move to center to make room for Kevin Love in the starting lineup.
So we didn’t necessarily need to draft a young shooting guard in the six-spot, if we’re planning to get help in free agency from a more experienced, veteran player. And in the meantime, we can rest easy knowing that we have one true point guard for the future, and perhaps someday, we may have two.
That’s two more than many teams enjoy.
