Mar 18, 2012; Omaha, NE, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Robbie Hummel (4) reacts after losing to the Kansas Jayhawks in the third round of the 2012 NCAA men

With the Minnesota Timberwolves only having one pick in the 2012 NBA Draft which was also a very low pick at the 58th spot, the Timberwolves decided to draft forward Robbie Hummel out of Purdue University. Together with the Boilermakers, Hummel would lead the basketball team to the 2012 NCAA tournament where they would fall in the third round to Sacramento Kings’ #5 overall pick, forward Thomas Robinsom and the Kansas Jayhawks.

In his senior year with Purdue, the young forward would go on to average 16.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game despite having back-t0-back torn ACLs. Knowing that he is injury prone, his draft stock drastically fell which caused him to be barely drafted by an NBA team. The Timberwolves may have drafted him, but they eventually never signed him.

And so, to begin his professional basketball career, Hummel will be going to Spain sometime this year as he signed a deal with Obradoiro CAB, a club located in in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.

After the Timberwolves have acquired Russian forward and former NBA all around stopper Andrei Kirilenko and most likely keeping second year forward Derrick Williams, last years #2 overall pick, it was clear that Hummel will not have much playing time. Furthermore, the Timberwolves have also signed Chase Budinger who can play both the shooting guard and the small forward spot which we will still have to wait and see how Budinger, who broke out last season with the Houston Rockets.

With the Timberwolves no longer looking to grow young talent and wait for them to develop and hope that they turn out right much like Johnny Flynn, a Timberwolves’ former high draft pick, the Timberwolves showed no interest in signing the player they drafted.

Apr 22, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams (7) warms up before facing the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Alongside 17 other players on the Timberwolves roster for the 2012 NBA Summer League,  last year’s 2nd overall pick forward Derrick Williams and guard Wes Johnson led the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 73-64 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.  Only ten of Timberwolves 19 players were able to play last night.

Former-Syracuse Orangemen star, Wes Johnson, led the Wolves with 16 points and Derrick William, a former Arizona Wildcat, chipped in with 15 points and pulled down 9 rebounds.

The Wolves were playing in somewhat the same style they have been having last season. Up-tempo. Pushing the ball and attacking the basket with force.

With Brazilian big man Paulo Prestes on their Summer League roster,  the Timberwolves had a better opportunity to run the ball with his presence in the paint. Prestes was drafted by the Wolves in 2010 but has only played a total of 19 minutes. The big man is known for his intense defense and his rebounding.

The Wolves certainly had the opportunity to push the ball thanks in part to their presence in the paint, led by Brazilian center Paulo Prestes. Prestes, drafted by the Wolves in 2010, played only 19 minutes but impacted the game immensely with his defense and his rebounding.  Prestes finished the game with 9 points and 8 rebounds, to which half of those were on the offensive end giving the Wolves multiple second chance opportunities.

Defensively, Prestes was able to clog the lane for Clipper guards and force them to make turnovers which allowed the Timberwolves to get out an run.

The way the big man played is a good sign for the Timberwolves as they could have possibly found a big man that could help them inside alongside Nikola Pekovic and of course, All-Star Kevin Love. We all know Love will get his double-digit rebounds, but when he sits, Prestes could be that guy that comes off the bench and gets 5 to 7 rebounds a night. Offensively he’s not that bad as well as he shot 4-7 from the field.

#58 pick Robbie Hummel, who was selected by the Timberwolves finished with 6 points and also grabbed 6 rebounds.

For the Clippers, Terrico White, who played for the Detroit Pistons in the 2010-2011 NBA season, led the team with 16 points. Eric Bledoe, Adam Morrison, and Hilton Armstrong each had 11 points as the Clippers fell to the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves Summer League continues tonight as they will be taking on the Charlotte Bobcats tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas 9:30 PM CT. You can watch the game on NBA TV.

For more NBA analysis and opinions, check out Theon’s general NBA blog at THEONBA!