By: Dustin Chapman

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• Selected O.J. Mayo 3rd overall and traded his rights along with Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric, and Greg Buckner to Memphis for Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins, and the rights to Kevin Love (5th overall).

• Selected Nikola Pekovic 31st overall.

• Selected Mario Chalmers 34th overall and traded his rights to Miami for a 2009 second round draft pick and cash considerations.

Wow…

I hate to be a pessimist here, but what was Kevin McHale thinking? He finally got the opportunity to bring in a legitimate star, and he blew it. He had O.J. Mayo in the palm of his hand, and he let him go… but not like most teams. Most teams let talents like Mayo go by force. McHale did it by choice, and that is why there is not a single Timberwolves fan with a smile on their face at this point in time.

Is Kevin Love going to be a good pro? Absolutely. Is Mike Miller one of the best shooters in the NBA? Absolutely. Now let me ask this: Are either of those two players the best individual in the deal? Are either of those two players going to push Minnesota into immediate playoff contention? No. The answer is no. So why pass up on the far superior talent to balance the roster?

Even with that mindset, who says this balances the roster formidably? Kevin Love, once again, is going to be a very good pro for a long time. But he is not the complement that Al Jefferson needs alongside him. Jefferson and Love could very well be one of the worst defensive frontcourt duos in the NBA. What Jefferson needs is a true center to help him control the paint, and allow him to slide back down to his natural power forward position. He doesn’t need a smaller and less mobile partner. Well, sorry Big Al. That’s what you got, and you now get to watch your what-could-have-been perimeter sidekick claim stardom in another city.

To top it off, Mario Chalmers was nearly handed to Miami for no apparent reason.

People say Boston and New York fans are overdramatic. Take a look at some reactions from Timberwolves fans across the internet. As one Wolves fan put it: “The biggest problem with this trade is… we’re mediocre.” According to a lot of them, the sky has already fallen. McHale wet this bed, and he’s never going to wash the sheets.

Grade: C

The Minnesota Timberwolves, who own the rights to the third overall pick in June 26th’s NBA Draft, have officially began their pre-draft workout process. Stanford center Brook Lopez became the first prospect to work out with Minnesota, and Timberwolves.com has put together some excellent information to recap it.

Stanford center Brook Lopez became the first draft prospect to work out for Minnesota’s brass at Target Center, hoping to impress enough to be considered for the No. 3 overall pick in the June 26 NBA Draft.

The two-year college standout was the first of several prospects who will be put through an extensive workout by the Timberwolves’ basketball operations and coaching staffs. On Tuesday, Lopez shot from inside. He shot from outside. He took contact. He dribbled. He ran. He took foul shots. He … did everything.

“I thought it went really well,” said a sweaty Lopez as he looked down at assembled media members after closing the workout with full-court drills. “I think I can come here and help the team win. I’ll do whatever the coaches require of me and work my hardest.”

Lopez came straight to Minneapolis from pre-draft camp in Orlando, and will continue on to Seattle (who picks fourth), the only other place where he’s scheduled to work out to date. Lopez will stay in Minnesota on Tuesday night and go through another workout for the Wolves on Wednesday.

“We were able to see him do some different things, put him in situations where he had to put the ball on the floor, change direction and stuff like that, that I wanted to see,” said McHale. “He showed some range, he showed some stuff. You just want to see him in situations where you’re saying “If you’re going to play with Al Jefferson, these are situations you are going to find yourself in.”

Of course, meshing with Minnesota’s double-double machine will be key for whomever the Wolves choose to select. For his part, Lopez said he’d love to play with Mr. 20 and 10.

“Al commands so much attention that it would make my game that much easier,” he said. “I’m so used to in college being double- and triple-teamed, but he’d open it up for me because he’s such a great player.”

Yet and still, the process is in its embryonic stages; McHale and Co. have a lot of work to do before putting someone’s name in an envelope on June 26.

“You’re looking at everybody,” explained the Vice President of Basketball Operations. “You’re trying to find guys that complement, you’re trying to find the best player available … We are going to assess for that three spot like eight or nine guys pretty hard and then we are assessing a whole other level of guys in case we move out of that three spot.”

Lopez, familiar with Minnesota’s entire roster, did say that he’d like to be the next player to don the jersey of the team he rooted for growing up.

“They have a good young core,” Lopez added. “And I’d like to come in and help. I hope I can bring energy, defense and all the little things.”

Indeed, Lopez explained that he’s been “working constantly” on his defense and rebounding, two areas of common critique despite averages of 8.2 boards and 2.1 blocks at Stanford. His brother Robin (who Tuesday worked out in Toronto) was often the Lopez twin more closely associated with those two skills, but Brook’s been doing his best to close that gap.

Though it’s tough to take too much away from a 1-on-0 workout, those assembled at Target Center’s practice facility must have noticed that Lopez comes just as big (7-0, 260) as advertised, and should have been impressed with his range. Lopez showed an ability to knock down jumpers all the way out to the NBA three-point line, and was consistently good - and natural - within the college three-point line. Though he’s not explosive (e.g. Amare Stoudemire) Lopez moves better than you’ve heard and can finish with both hands near the rim.

Click here to watch Brook Lopez’s video interview (contains workout footage).

Click here to watch Jim Petersen’s video interview.

Click here to listen to Kevin McHale’s audio interview.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

DraftExpress reports:

Numerous sources with varying ties to Minnesota confirmed to DraftExpress over the past few days that Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale has locked in on UCLA freshman Kevin Love as possibly his favorite prospect in this draft. McHale reportedly likes the skill-level and all-around feel for the game that Love brings to the table, as well as his winning mentality, and sees him as an excellent potential compliment to Al Jefferson in Minnesota’s front-court.

Picking 3rd in this draft, many would consider it a reach to take Love, although numerous advanced statistical formulas have identified him as being the 2nd most productive player in this draft, behind Michael Beasley.

There is already some talk that Minnesota will look to make a trade with Memphis GM Chris Wallace, who would then have the option of fortifying his front-court by drafting Brook Lopez at #3, or swinging for the fences and taking O.J. Mayo. Memphis could offer Minnesota the young prospect of their choice in Kyle Lowry, Hakim Warrick or Javaris Crittenton to help facilitate the deal. Wallace only has two more years left on his contract and needs to make as big a splash as possible in this draft to jump-start Memphis’ rebuilding process, meaning he could be leaning more towards taking Mayo, especially if his team is drafting 5th.

For all we know, this is your average rumor, which usually amounts to a whole lot of nothing. However, this is Kevin McHale and potentially Chris Wallace we’re dealing with here. Anything is possible. Anything.

Simply put, Timberwolves fans should be terrified of this notion. Pairing Al Jefferson with a slow-footed power forward, who may even be smaller than him to begin with, is borderline insane. There are better prospects and fits available, to boot. O.J. Mayo could turn out to be one of those hard-to-find bona fide stars, while seven-foot Brook Lopez is as polished a center prospect you’re going to find in this draft.

As an NBA General Manager, McHale is more than welcome to think a bit outside the box, but his infatuation with “old school” bigs could cripple this franchise’s chances of taking the next step. Kevin Love may very well be a nice player, as he is as fundamentally sound as they come and is blessed with an extremely unique skill set. But passing on a perimeter star and/or a seven-footer (which Minnesota is completely absent of) for his rights would be absurd.

Should this amount to truth, be prepared for annual defensive putridity and a whole lot of “shoulda, coulda, wouldas” for years to come.
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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

By: Dustin Chapman

It would be extraordinarily shocking to see Kevin McHale take a player not named Brook Lopez or O.J. Mayo at this third spot. It is widely considered a two-man race, and strong cases can be made for each. Let’s break it down.

The case for Brook Lopez:

It is blatantly obvious that the Timberwolves are one of the most desperate teams in the NBA, if not the most desperate, for a legitimate center. This past season, nearly every forward on Minnesota’s roster was forced to slide up and play a bit out of position, including their star Al Jefferson. Selecting Brook Lopez with the third overall selection would not only give the Wolves a formidable option alongside Jefferson on the interior, it would also help balance the roster and allow head coach Randy Wittman to put his players in comfortable situations by placing them in their natural positions.

Lopez is a fine prospect, to boot. The better half of Stanford’s Lopez twin combination may very well be one of the better center prospects the NBA has seen in the past five years. He possesses a natural feel around the basket that cannot be taught, and has developed an array of conventional low-post moves that are not seen by many NCAA big men. In his sophomore year at Stanford, alongside his twin brother Robin (who also has declared for this year’s draft), Brook held respectable averages of 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while showing defensive improvements from his freshman year and blocking 2.1 shots per contest. One of Lopez’s other major improvements came at the free throw line, where he upped his 69.2% 2006-2007 free throw percentage to 78.9% this past season. That touch translated beyond stationary situations, as well; Lopez began hitting face-up jump shots more frequently than ever before.

Lopez is a terrific talent. When considering that his talent is packaged with a seven-foot, 260-pound frame, it’s hard to imagine that he’d fall out of the top five on June 26.

The case for O.J. Mayo:

O.J. Mayo has virtually everything you’d want from your young superstar. His talents have been excessively heralded since the back-end of his middle school years, in which he transferred to a bigger school to play on the high school team.

When Mayo packed his bags to play for the USC Trojans, many anticipated his offensive potential. Everybody knew that the 6′5′’ combo guard could put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways, and create his own shot off the bounce. There were, however, many positive attributes that they didn’t know. They didn’t know how poised he would be throughout his freshman year. They didn’t know that he would step up as a leader and be willing to defer to his teammates on the national stage. And most importantly, they didn’t know that he is arguably just as good of an on-ball defender as he is with the ball in his hands.

Simply put, O.J. Mayo is a flat-out stud. He may need to improve his decision making, shot selection, and spot-up jump shot, but those are fixable flaws with hard work and dedication… something Mayo also brings to the table. It’s safe to say that his youthful hype has been justified.

The knock you may be able to hold against Lopez’s case could be that his potential is undefined. He may very well turn into an All-Star caliber player, but it also isn’t outrageous to wonder if he may turn out to be a bit of a disappointment. Realistically, it may be safe to expect him to find a happy medium.

O.J. Mayo, on the other hand, looks to be as close to a sure thing as you can get after Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. When you’re the Minnesota Timberwolves, a franchise rebuilding after dealing Kevin Garnett, you need to bring in that legitimate star to compliment Al Jefferson’s post presence. That star is none other than O.J. Mayo, ladies and gentleman.

Lopez may fill a need and balance the roster, but when you have a pick as high as three, you go with the best player available. Once again, O.J. Mayo fits that description. Brook Lopez, as solid as he may become, does not.

Growing up in Coney Island, NY, Sebastian Telfair had all the hype in the world. His astonishing on-court demeanor, confidence level, and that picture-perfect marketable smile had “experts” raving about the possibilities. Telfair led Lincoln High School to three state championships throughout his high school career, in which he became New York’s all-time leading scorer at the high school level. Some went as far as comparing the 5′11′’ phenom to basketball legend Isiah Thomas. At that point, both people and money began talking.

Of course, the national level of optimism didn’t always meet the local opinion. Like every up-and-comer, Sebastian had his doubters. They squawked at his size, inability to shoot the basketball, and his maturity both mentally and physically. In the summer of 2004, Telfair decided to take the “ready or not, here I come” approach to all of the surrounding attention. After signing a letter of intent to attend the University of Louisville and play for heralded coach Rick Pitino, Telfair decided to sign a sneaker deal with Adidas and become the first point guard to ever make the jump from high school to the NBA.

Surprisingly, the Portland Trail Blazers took a large risk by selecting him in the back-end of the lottery at thirteenth overall. He would find himself struggling for minutes right away, averaging just over 10 minutes per game throughout the first four months of his professional career. On March 4, 2005, he would get thrown into the fire for the first time, as the starting point guard for the remainder of his rookie season. As a starter in 26 games, Telfair showed multiple flashes of brilliance and held respectable averages of 11.1 points and six assists per game. With those six assists came three turnovers, and with those 11.1 points came a lackluster 42.6% shooting clip. Regardless, that type of production for a 19-year-old at his size was promising.

Sebastian’s sophomore season was not as encouraging, however. He was handed the starting job at the start of the season, where he held averages of roughly eleven points and four assists per game while shooting under 40% from the field, but a thumb injury held him out of action from mid-December to the second week of January. When he returned to the lineup, the starting point guard position had been steadily taken over by third-year veteran Steve Blake.

Telfair’s struggles as a reserve were instantly apparent, but the young guard circulated extra unnecessary drama around himself in the middle of February, where he was caught with a loaded shotgun on the team plane. His claim was that the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he unintentionally grabbed the wrong bag before boarding the plane, but Telfair was hit with a fine from the Trail Blazers and a two-game suspension from the league.

Post-All-Star break, Telfair continued to struggle a bit and did not show any noticeable signs of improvement. At that point, Portland realized that they were more comfortable with Steve Blake and Jarret Jack, and decided to shop Sebastian around.

On 2006 draft day, Portland found a suitor. Involved in a six-player deal, “Bassy” was shipped to the Boston Celtics, where he’d receive a fair chance at redeeming his career.

After promising summer league and preseason showings, Sebastian earned the starting point guard position over Delonte West and rookie Rajon Rondo, who also impressed. As a starter throughout the month of November, Telfair held averages of nearly eleven points and 4.4 assists per game on 47.9% shooting from the field. Initially, Sebastian looked alright, but all went downhill from there.

By the end of December, his starting job was snatched away by Delonte West. Throughout the remainder of the season, Telfair was in Doc Rivers’ doghouse and was unable to find himself a stable spot in the rotation. Rajon Rondo helped West handle the bulk of the minutes at point guard, leaving Sebastian in nowheresville. His playing time after the All-Star break was reminiscent of his first few months in the NBA in 2004-2005, except this time he didn’t go out with a bang.

Just days after the regular season had ended, Telfair had gotten himself caught up in another dilemma (adding to the late-2006 incident involving Sebastian getting robbed at gunpoint). The disappointing young guard was caught going 77 miles per hour in 45-mph zone in Yonkers, but that wasn’t the biggest issue. He was also caught driving with a suspended Florida license, and had a loaded .45 caliber handgun underneath the front passengers seat.

It’s safe to say that it was the lowest point in Sebastian’s young career, especially considering that Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck released a statement that said that Telfair was “done” in Boston.

Months later, still unsure of his future with the Celtics, Sebastian made it a point to get his career on the right track. He spent his entire summer out in Las Vegas, chiseling his body and and working on his game. Though he was kept off Boston’s summer league roster, he attended practices and held his head high.

In late July of 2007, Sebastian was packaged in an an eight-player blockbuster deal which sent Kevin Garnett to Boston and landed Telfair in his latest location - Minnesota.

Similar to what happened Boston, Sebastian started off nicely with his new team. This time, however, he caught a big break early on when the Timberwolves found out that guard Randy Foye would be unable to play for months. This was the big opportunity Sebastian Telfair had been hoping for all summer long.

Coming off the bench in nine of Minnesota’s first 13 games, it didn’t take long for Randy Wittman to hand Sebastian the keys to the car. In the final game of November, “Bassy” put up 17 points and dished four assists in his fourth start of the season. From that moment forward, the starting job was his.

Throughout the 16 games of December, Sebastian held averages of just under eleven points and seven assists per game, and finally began showing results. Granted, his shooting percentage was in line with the earlier stages of his career at 38.4%, but there is no doubt that improvements had been made.

In both Portland and Boston, it seemed as though Telfair’s motive was to score first, rather than distribute. It’s tough to blame him, considering the fact that he grew up in New York and was a score-first guard throughout his high school career. This season, however, he finally began to show that he was more than just a volume scorer. His dazzling quickness, ball skills, and playmaking ability were shown right away. It took him over three seasons to do it, but Sebastian Telfair proved that he can successfully run an offense.

Unfortunately, his best professional season was cut short when he was diagnosed with a severe left ankle sprain on March 7 in Sacramento. The injury would keep him out for the rest of the season, and prevent him from making a loud statement at the end of his contract year.

Regardless, Telfair has guided his career in the right direction. It’s not about the fact that he held career-highs in assists (5.9 APG), rebounding (2.3 RPG), steals (1.0 SPG), field goal percentage (40.1%), and assists-per-turnover (3.2). It’s that he realized his previous mistakes and took a giant step forward from a maturity perspective. Sebastian has cleaned up his act and proven that he can be a valuable piece to a team that is in need of a point guard. He now has realized his number one strength - running an offense and being a playmaker.

The most promising aspect of this? He’s still just 22 years old. Of course, it’s unlikely that he will ever come close to living up to his New York hype, and it’s probably fair to say that he may never put together a career that warrants his own sneaker. However, we do know that he is far from the second coming of Omar Cook.

We don’t know where “Bassy” will end up this summer and we don’t know exactly what caliber player he will become. But we do know what Sebastian Telfair isn’t - a finished product.

By: Dustin Chapman

“I like this team,” Ryan Gomes tells HOOPSWORLD. “It’s a nice, young team and we’ve been making strides the past two months. It’ll be good to have a bunch of us here to see how this thing can play out two or three years from now. We have to take it in stride and take it day by day. You can’t worry about tomorrow too much because you have to perform for today and that’s how I’m trying to do it right here, right now and I think that’s what we’re all trying to do.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves will enter the summer of 2008 with a plethora of questions about the additions and subtractions to the current roster, and one of the concerns regards the future of Ryan Gomes. The third-year combo forward was involved in last June’s blockbuster that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston, and Timberwolves fans couldn’t have been happier with his play.

This past season, his first with Minnesota, the former Providence star set career highs scoring (12.6 PPG), rebounding (5.8 RPG), assists (1.8 APG), steals (0.8 SPG), free throw percentage (83%), and also managed to extend his range. His versatility allowed head coach Randy Wittman to use him in both big and small lineups, as Gomes has the ability to make hustle plays at the four-position and is just as comfortable playing more of a perimeter game on the wing.

Gomes may not be a star, but he is one of those “glue guys” that any coach in the league would love to have on their team. He will never complain about minutes, touches, or starts; he’ll do his best at whatever role he is asked to play. In addition, he’s one of the truly genuine people around the league. As far as professionalism, work ethic, and community work is concerned, Gomes may be one of the league’s most positive influences.

The question, however, remains about his future in Minnesota. His rookie contract has expired, and he may be in position to cash in this summer. Gomes is a player who likely commends mid-level caliber dollars, and is probable to seek a home for three to four years. Whether he ends up staying in Minnesota is uncertain, but it is widely expected that the organization will make a strong push in order to make it happen.

A cause for concern could be his fit. If the Wolves luckily wind up winning the lottery, and choose to go with Kansas State sensation Michael Beasley, Gomes’ role would instantly become severely diminished. Assuming Kevin McHale fills the hole at the center position, Gomes likely would not fit in the starting lineup, and would have to share forward minutes with both Beasley and Al Jefferson. If Beasley ends up in the lap of the Minnesota Timberwolves, it is only natural for Gomes to pursue more tasteful options.

Should Minnesota end up with a draft pick in the three to seven range, however, Gomes’ position in Randy Wittman’s rotation would be unlikely to alter. In which case, he and his agent’s interest level might take an extra leap in a positive direction.

Regardless of what happens on June 26, you’d better bet your bottom dollar that Kevin McHale will be in heavy negotiation with this 25-year-old fan favorite. The overall play of the Timberwolves is in a word, erratic, but Ryan Gomes is a pure representation of stability both on and off the court.

So the wolves are over in Europe playing.  ANd while they are there they are wearing a jersey that I happen to REALLY like a lot.  Here are some pictures:

What do you guys think?  Yay or Nay on the red outlines?

I know it would have been nice to have Iverson.  I know it would have been nice to take an average team and make them not only contenders…but close favorites.  I see that, and there is a huge part of me that would have loved to see that.

But giving up your best prospect to get that, and throwing your teams direction into a complete u-turn would more than likely have been a bad idea. But with that said..if you’re gonna go in that direction and keep Foye while letting Iverson walk.  You HAVE to move Garnett to stay consistent with this theory.  I am quite positive the Wolves could get prospects as goo as Foe back for Garnett..possibly better, or possibly a few of them.  Why wait any longer to commit to the future.  Why waste Garnetts trade value and his talent for an average season.

By not taking a step towards a championship with getting AI, the Wolves committed to building for the future.  If that is so…then do it.  Move Garnett and let that future become clearer.