Derrick Williams the right choice at the two-spot
With the signing, finally, of Ricky Rubio, it stung less for Timberwolves fans last night when Cleveland, as expected, took PG Kyrie Irving off the board with the top overall pick in the draft. While many scenarios were batted about on how to trade down or trade for a veteran player, Minnesota GM David Kahn made the right choice drafting Derrick Williams with the second overall pick in the draft, the highest ever for the Minnesota franchise.
Williams is, by all accounts, the closest thing to a can’t-miss blue-chipper in this year’s draft, perhaps even more so than Irving. The question of how Kahn will sort out the forward positions as the summer drags on and Minnesota decides on the fate of their head coach remains to be seen.
The current NBA labor agreement expires at the end of the month, so there’s a chance not much will happen for a while as the NBA follows the NFL in enforcing an owner’s lockout. Which is flat-out stupid, but will happen anyway.
So who will coach the Wolves? Stay tuned.
The forward position, however, is a bit overstocked right now. That can be good if injuries pop up, but that’s not the way a person wants to solve the flood, either.
Right now, there are (of course) two starting forward spots. The Wolves will be returning one of the top forward tandems in the NBA, in the persons of PF Kevin Love and SF Michael Beasley. Williams will start out the season as the first man off the bench to spell these two, but my prediction is by the end of the next Wolves season, Williams will replace Beasley as the starter. In fact, it could happen as early as mid-season if Beasley plays as streaky as he did this past season.
I don’t count last year’s draft pick, Wesley Johnson, into the forward mix because although he was a small forward in college, he’s the Wolves’ best option at shooting guard, currently.
Even so, behind the trio of Love, Beasley and Williams, there’s plenty of depth and someone is probably going to have to be traded away. The best prospect is Anthony Randolph, added last season, and who is said to have really improved under the off-season tutoring of Wolves assistant J.B. Bickerstaff, who may end up as the next Wolves head coach.
Behind those four are also mens jewelery models Anthony Tolliver and Martell Webster, and the Wolves don’t need to be three-deep at both forward positions.
Tolliver and Webster would seem the most likely to go, but Randolph could be shopped because of his upside, since he’d likely draw more value in any trade. GM Kahn has indicated the team’s five untouchables are Love, Beasley, Williams, Johnson and Rubio. Which means the Wolves’ centers had best be nervous right about now.
A trade has already thinned out the flood at guard, sending PG Jonny Flynn and a Lithuanian center they drafted at 20 last night to Houston for C Brad Miller, a 35-year-old veteran who the Wolves might keep around for his mentoring qualities. Or he could be packaged with one or more backup forward to bring someone else to the Wolves’ locker room.
The impending lockout could cancel the 2011-12 season; or maybe they’ll be sane and settle things before October.
But barring whatever free agents the Wolves might pursue, or trades have yet to be made, here’s a glance at the Wolves lineup next season:
C: Darko Milicic / Brad Miller
PF: Kevin Love / Anthony Randolph
SF: Michael Beasley / Derrick Williams
SG: Wes Johnson / Wayne Ellington
PG: Ricky Rubio / Luke Ridnour
To be honest, with that lineup, while things look better with Rubio at point, I say we’re still a decent center away from a strong starting lineup, and we could stand to improve our depth at both shooting guard and center.
But hey, slip Love over to center and plug Williams in the starting lineup and that could get it done, some nights, and be a solid starting five.
Looks like Beasley solved some of the log jam at F. He will not be around long after the lock out.
Question still remains, can Williams play SF. If not, we will see Love gone via trade or free agency. Yeah, I said it. If Williams proves to be a PF and plays defense with some passion. He will be the long term answer at PF.
I suspect he is a PF. Which puts us right back to the conundrum of when we had Jefferson and Love. You have to pick one and ship the other out.
Which means we are just spinning our wheels. Nothing new for the Wolves.
And after torturing him, Kahn fired Rambis. And rumors are strong about a dull choice of Bickerstaff as coach.