Luckily, the NBA draft is on it’s way and it could solves some problems.  Then I’ll have to find something else in the NBA world to whine about.  Both Jeremy Lamb and Bradley Beal are likely to leave the NCAA early and pursue a professional career.  Fame and fortune are destined to follow for both of these players.  My preference is for it to happen on my team, next to a tandem of: the most exciting player in the league AND the hardest working player in the league.

Timberwolves basketball is trending throughout the Twin Cities and it’s because of Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.  Core is build, now lets continue to build up from this solid foundation.  Recognize at this point in the Wolves’ history, it is time to structure the roster to fit into the game of these two stars.

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Mar 16, 2012; Omaha, NE, USA; Florida Gators guard Bradley Beal (23) puts up a shot against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half in the second round of the 2012 NCAA men

Bradley Beal:  My personal favorite, the perfect player to fit in-between Love and Rubio.  Beal is a phenomenal shooter, with pornographic-like shooting form he can shoot off the dribble or spotting up.  His body type and strength is much like Eric Gordon.  Beal also has some time to grow bigger as he is only going to be 19 years old in June.  Potential if he had a growth spurt: Ray Allen if he played with Rondo his whole career.  The best part of his game is his humble attitude at Florida.  He is the silent killer and is very unselfish, which is a trait he shares with Love and Rubio.  The fit for these three was made in heaven.  Nothing is prettier than a ball in constant movement creating comfortable shots for adequate players.

Feb 20, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Jeremy Lamb (3) goes up for a shot during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center. UCONN defeated Villanova 73-70 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Jeremy Lamb:  Considered by most as the better prospect between the two, has amazing size for the position.  His body type is a bit like Corey Brewer, but don’t let that scare you.  His talent level is far more advanced than our old friend Brewer.  His athleticism is as good as Brewer’s in that he is fast, can jump high and has quick feet which will make him a capable defender.  The other player he reminds me of is Reggie Miller, because unlike Brewer, Lamb CAN hit the broad side of a barn when he releases for a shot.   His shooting form is very good and he could easily become a very good shooter, although he’ll never reach the greatness of Reggie Miller.  Another very quality trait of his is he moves without the ball creating openings for him to launch (a skill very rare in the game today).

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In order to be able to grab one of these two young college stars, there will need to be a trade.  Timberwolves traded their #1 overall pick in 2012′ and therefore will not be in the lottery where both Lamb and Beal certainly will be scooped up by eager teams.  Trades are fickle in nature and nothing is easy in negotiations between team General Managers.  TWolves have the advantage of many solid trade pieces and also a lot of cap space to assist other teams in getting under the salary cap, which increases in value when free agency roles around.  To trade into the high lottery, it will certainly be expensive.  But what pick would our Beloved Wolves need to obtain to assure they get a coveted prospect?

Let’s speculate that the top SGs will not be drafted before:

• 1. Anthony Davis- The Andrew Luck of this year.
• 2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- Versatile, athletic, strong player who will stuff the stats sheet.
• 3. Thomas Robinson- Low post offensive player with good touch, great motor and potential.
• 4. Andre Drummond- Beast in the same form as Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan.  Could easily become best player in this year’s draft.
• 5. Jared Sullinger- Huge body, very physical and  intelligent.  Is a bit grounded, but has great touch on shot.
• 6. Harrison Barnes- Is a mid-range master, who loves to create own shot on simple step back.  Potential to score in high volume.

Under this assumption, Wolves need to find a range of picks between #6 and #10…the one problem with predicting a draft this early is that things change faster than you can follow.  Any of the players above could decide to stay in college and reform their game.  Especially guys like Barnes and Kidd-Gilchrist who have speculated they may stay in college and try to win a championship if they fail this year.  Even though UNC and Kentucky are still in the mix for NCAA crown-hood, there is still a lot that needs to be worked out.  If both players decide to stay, Minnesota’s plan changes and both SGs move up at least two spots in the draft.  To be safe, they should aim for picks in the range of 4-7.   Players of Drummond, Robinson and Davis caliber are highly sought after prospects and players unlikely to risk the financial benefits by staying without pay in March Madness central.  They are almost guaranteed to go in top three picks.

I encourage readers to play with trades and play my little game (remember to consider other teams perspective).

Rules as follows:

Luke Ridnour-Maybe one of the toughest players in the league pound for pound.  His ability to defend shooting guards was a great surprise this season.  Very smart player with amazing shooting-accuracy off the dribble, especially great skill for the pick-and-roll.  I’m sure many teams have taken notice of his progress this season and will carry a lot of value next year in a trade.

Martell Webster-Bit of an inigma, with some health problems.  But is a good role-player who can surprise and offer 20 point nights on occasion.

Brad Miller- Cap space is very valuable and Miller recently announced he will be retiring at season’s end.  If long-time Wolves fans remember the Terrell Brandon days, his contract after retiring helped the Wolves a great deal in acquiring multiple draft picks.

UTAH Jazz pick–2012 (Lottery protected, top 12 protected in 13’ and top 9 protected in 14’)

MEMPHIS Grizzlies pick—2013 (Lottery protected 2013-16)

J.J. Barea- Obvious word that comes to mind is crafty.  Second word is quick.  He creates mis-matches on offense and gets an insane amount of easy buckets on the dribble.  Play-maker in the mold of Nate Robinson, this includes the unwarranted turnovers.

Wes Johnson- Great size for a SG/SF and is a very good defender.  Still has potential if he puts in a lot of work in the off-season on his jumper.  He is an elite athlete whom is on a very reasonable contract.  Teams could talk themselves in to giving him a change of scenery.

Wayne Ellington- Produces when given minutes, due to his ball handling and quick three point shot.  Value is minimal, but a good throw in on top of deals.

The draft order is months away from being determined, so it is anyone’s guess that will have the picks we’re looking for.

My attempts to make a deal happen:

MN Trades: DWill and J.J. Barea to Charlotte for (12’ Cha pick) and Corey Magette (bad contract)—Charlotte has invested in Center and needs a SF/PF to pair with Tyrus Thomas.  Also, JJ would be a great back-up for Kemba.

MN Trades: Nikola Pekovic, Wesley Johnson and Brad Miller (cap space) to New Orleans for (12’ NOH pick, Gustavo Ayon and Emeka Okafor (bad contract.—NOH loves cash, and this will give them plenty of it.  Nikola is a huge piece which is why Wolves get back a nice young center in Ayon.

MN Trades: Derrick Williams, JJ Barea and Nikola Pekovic to Washington for Nene, Jan Vesley and (12’ WAS pick).—This is a blockbuster deal with a lot of salary being passed hands.  Nene’s contract is brand new, so it’d be a huge investment into his future.  Jan Vesley is a ubber athletic and huge wing player, drafted #6 last year.  Unlikely to be agreed by both teams.

MN Trades: Luke Ridnour, (13’ MIN pick), (13’ MEM pick), (12’ UTA pick) to Toronto for Linas Klieza and (12’ TOR pick).—Three picks for one and two valuable players in positions of need for others.  Sad to deal Luke.

;’-(.

MN Trades: Derrick Willaims to Sacramento for Chuck Hayes (medicore player on 4-year deal) and (12’ SAC pick)

I don’t see any plausible deal with Portland, as they just picked up NJN 12’ pick.

MN Trades: Derrick Williams and Darko Milicic for Ben Gordon (horrible contract) and (12’ DET pick).—This is a lot of money for MN to take on as BG has one of the worst contracts in the league.  However, he’d be a good teacher for Beal.  We’d likely look to move JJ after a deal like this.

MN Trades:  Derrick Williams and Nikola Pekovic for Anderson Varejao and (12’ CLE pick).—This is by far my favorite of the above deals.  Varejao is tough and a GREAT fit next to KLove, defends the rim and is a good passer.  This would make Cleveland a very good team, so it might lead to a Minnesota v. Cleveland finals in 2017!

Comments, original ideas…give me your worse!

Follow me on Twitter @melomattgreezy.

Feb. 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Tyreke Evans (13) drives to the basket past Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the midst of a brutal scheduling quirk that the lockout shortened season has made famous.  The dreaded back-to-back-to-back…I can’t believe no one has come up with a better name for it.  It could be called the tricycle or the triple-header anything but “back-to-back-to-back”.  Anywho, the Wolves have split the first two games between the Lakers and Clippers.  Which is pretty good especially since Kevin Love has averaged a little over 10 minutes in those games.  Hopefully tonight’s game against the Suns we’ll see Kevin Love have a huge game and pull out a win.  One thing is clear; the Timberwolves are getting better and better every game.  That’s the short term story, but discussing the long term all anyone ever says is “Yo bro, could you imagine if the Timberwolves got a good shooting guard?”….”Yeah dood!  We’d win a championship for sure!!! wahhhh!!!”.

This is an easy assumption to make, because the lack of shooting and undersized rotation that the Wolves currently use is often times victim to scoring slumps and defensive breakdowns.  A player who can guard his guy without giving up 4 or 5 inches (bless your heart Ridnour) and won’t pee in their pants if they have to ball handle to push it in transition (looking at you Webster, Wesley and Beasley) would be a huge benefit to this team.  The truth is though, that this player is very rare in the NBA.  To have a traditional shooting guard is a unusual luxury in this day in age.  Players like Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson and Kobe Bryant can push a team into contention for years due to the match-up problems they cause.  The one position that the Timberwolves crave is put at a premium to all other teams, most of who have settled on a player with huge weaknesses, like Tony Allen’s lack of defense for the Grizzlies or Nick Young’s lack of basketball I.Q. for the Wizards.  To find a complete SG in a trade is usually overpriced or would require for Minnesota to break up it’s young exciting core.

The task at hand is to find an under-appreciated, unwanted, traditional wing player.  Not as easy as it sounds.  First off, I want to explain what my view of a tradition 2 is, between 6-4 and 6-7 in height.  I don’t want a player like Monta Ellis to be matched-up with a player like Kobe Bryant.  This player needs to be able to ball-handle and create for his teammates, basketball is not fun to watch when a player holds onto the ball or dribbles 5 times before taking a fade-away.  Only superstars like Kobe, Wade and Jordan are allowed to do this.  Dudes like O.J. Mayo do not qualify as superstars, they have something I like to call Jordan-Syndrome, no thanks.  Not only do these guys try to win the game by themselves, but also they have a selfish attitude that rubs off on the team around them.  Translation: stay away!

Secondly, David Kahn may not be willing to risk the future of the team to get this player.  So rules to find this player include: not overpay with talent, do not take back huge terrible contracts, do not acquire a player who is past his prime, and most importantly do NOT break-up our core (Love, Rubio and to a lesser degree Pekovic, Derrick Williams).  Here are the candidates who can make the dreams of T-Wolves fans come true.

(Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE)

Kevin Martin:  This is a guy every Timberwolves fan has heard of, because he shoots the lights out from deep.  However, in my humble opinion he is not athletic enough for the Timberwolves.  He would squander Ricky Rubio’s play-making abilities by not finishing at the rim.  Plus, let’s talk about the brand that we’ve built so far.  It focuses on dunks and sweet plays.  For my own selfish reasons, I want a different player.  This does not change the fact that he’d open up the offense for everyone and create a lot of room for drive and kick threes.  He is a great option for this team and could be had for a reasonable price (Houston already traded him in the Chris Paul fiasco the got vetoed).

(Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE)

Tyreke Evans:  The reason I like this kid is because he is under producing due to the Sacramento Kings having “The Jimmer” at point guard and Marcus Thornton as shooting guard.  Tyreke has no place on this team and is driving the fans in Cali bonkers.  If the Timberwolves attempted to take him off the Kings’ hands, it would probably cost a great deal.  At the same time, if we give the Kings a SF or PF where they are weak they could definitely swing a deal.  This is one of the cases where I’d include Derrick Williams, because with Evans I would consider the core of the Timberwolves finished and ready to grow together with minimal changes needed.  Eventually, a core of Rubio, Evans, Love and Pekovic could become a contender for a championship.  Adelman would have two great ball handlers on the wing–ready to push the ball with every defensive rebound Kevin Love and Pekovic collect.

(Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE)

Rodney Stuckey:  The Pistons are in shambles as far as I’m concerned.  The only thing keeping Detroit fans from jumping off the ledge is the glimmer of hope Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight provide.  My vision is that the Pistons say, “let’s clean up shop and start over with these two leading the way”.  The Timberwolves would have to be interested in helping, by whisking Stuckey away from the big D.  Stuckey is in the same mold as Evans, (if it isn’t clear to you by now) I am a believer in having a second ball handler on the court next to Rubio.  Stuckey can give the Wolves a slashing wing who will find a lot of room to drive in Adelman’s offense.

(Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-US PRESSWIRE)

Evan Turner:  The second pick in the 2010 draft has had a very difficult time carving out playing time on the uber-talented 76ers squad.  Andre Igoudala is one of the premier play makers in the league to go along with his stat stuffing abilities.  Point guard Jrue Holiday is a ball dominant, athletic, 21 year-old phenom who needs as many minutes as possible.  This leave Jodie Meeks, Louis Williams and Evan Turner to split time as the shooting guard where they all suffer shortened minutes.  Evan Turner has rarely averaged more than 23 minutes per game in his NBA career.  Yet, Philly fans are frustrated with his lack of production and if the Front Office is equally as fed up, then maybe he could be had for cheap.  His great footwork, mid-range game and amazing ball handling would be perfect for the team.  With Turner on the Wolves it would no doubt take some adjustments for all.   My thoughts focus on the ceiling of the team described, if they came together as a team, no one would want to face our beloved Timberwolves in a 7-game series.

Overall, any of these players would add to the hype that Glen Taylor’s team is building.  The best fit is all up to Adelman and David Kahn.  There is always the draft where they could trade for a high pick and nab a guy like Bradley Beal or Terrance Ross, but that’s a discussion for another time.  One thing is certain; the Timberwolves have some options and all of them will cost us dearly in terms of price.  Despite all of this the future remains bright even if no moves are made till next season.  Even if we stick with our current wing players, we know that many other teams are having similar problems adding the right piece there too.  Not everyone can find a Kobe or Wade, but that will not stop all teams from trying.

Follow Matt on Twitter: @ melomattgreezy