Minnesota Timberwolves: Grading the 2009 NBA Draft

Round 1: Ricky Rubio– B, Jonny Flynn- D, Ty Lawson- C+, Wayne Ellington- C

Ricky Rubio has been the epitome of a ‘marmite’ player to fans that inhabit Target Center. If ever there was a player to divide the Timberwolves support, it is Ricky.

Coos of excitement from a selection of fans met the possibility of the Spaniard being traded in early 2017.

Yet, when the promise of a trade with the New York Knicks seemed to be coming to fruition, the prospect of Derrick Rose becoming the 26-year-old’s replacement was met with hostility.

Surely a first overall draft pick, NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP would be an upgrade on a player who has not been featured in either the NBA playoffs or an All-Star game?

Rubio’s worth proved much more than that of Rose’s current evaluation, with the Timberwolves straight-up rejecting the offer according to ESPN’s Marc Stein:

The fact of the matter is, Rubio has improved and improved for the better.

Compared to Rose, Rubio may be averaging close to 10 less points-per-game, but ousts the Knicks man in rebounds, assists and steals – three integral statistics in forming a great point guard.

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In fact, Rubio’s new-found form following the All-Star break was integral in keeping whispers of playoff basketball still in the frame, long after their previous seasons’ win totals.

His dramatic increase of assists to 9.1 in 2016-17, including breaking a franchise record with 19 against the Washington Wizards.

However, through no fault of Rubio and more-so in the direction of then-President David Kahn, the man who oversaw an 89-223 (.285) tenure, somehow managed to draft three point guards in the first round but miss out on Stephen Curry.

As far as recent fifth picks go, Rubio should not be too disheartened compared to some other big names. Kevin Love and DeMarcus Cousins were both drafted in at five.

Funnily enough, the point guard that looked as though he would push Rubio out of the roster – Kris Dunn – was also drafted in fifth place.

On the other hand, Jonny Flynn was drafted with the sixth pick, directly after Rubio in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Arguably, this pick is the one Timberwolves fans rue the most, considering it was the pick directly before Curry, as depicted by this shirt:

Now, Flynn was not exactly a bad player in his rookie season. To be perfectly honest, his performances that season were quite promising.

Aged 20, Flynn played and started in all bar one of the 82-game season, albeit with a record of 15-67.

He made close to one in every two baskets he attempted with a field goal percentage of 41.7 percent and was also fairly prolific from beyond the arc – 77-for-215.

Some rather impressive rebounding and assist stats make Flynn appear as a fine rookie player, and that he was, recording over 1,000 points.

Along came a hip injury, and Flynn managed just eight starts the following year, acquiring a whole 815 points less than before.

Unsurprisingly, he was traded in the 2011 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets and continued to bounce between teams. A three-year NBA stand had come to a disappointing conclusion.

Having picked and chosen two point guards already, Kahn had already made the decision to continue such a trend and acquire Ty Lawson with the 18^th pick.

A decision that can be argued to be based on trade value, Lawson was swiftly donning the Denver Nuggets jersey as the Wolves gained a future draft pick in the process.

Although the now 29-year-old never had a Timberwolves career, Lawson has gone about his business playing point guard for the aforementioned Nuggets, alongside stints at the Rockets, Indiana Pacers and now Sacramento Kings.

It was here that Lawson looked to revitalize his NBA career, having found a place to call home since leaving Denver in 2015.

A reliable player, Lawson managed his first triple-double at the 551^st attempt when hosting the Phoenix Suns.

Lawson spoke of his feelings toward the achievement following the game, after a nine-year wait for the accomplishment to unfold:

"The ball was bouncing my way early and I was trying to be aggressive overall, getting into the paint. If it (triple-double) happened it happened. Coach put me back in. He wanted me to have it."

Playing in 69 games this season, the man out of North Carolina could be finally settling in at a new franchise after a two-year ‘sabbatical’.

Concluding the four first-round picks was Wayne Ellington, drafted with the 28^th pick for the Timberwolves.

Another guard, Ellington played in 76 of a possible 82 games in his rookie year, with a solitary start amongst those.

Despite a gradual increase in game time, 0.8 in his second season and 0.1 in his third to total 19.1 minutes played, the then 24-year-old was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies with Dane Cunningham going in the opposite direction.

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Ellington continues to perform reasonably well for a number of different teams in his career, with the Los Angeles Lakers offering him the most amount of on-court time in 2014-15 with 25.8.

It was in LA that he would notch up a career-high 28 points when playing the Washington Wizards, despite missing out on the win 98-92.

He currently plays for Miami Heat, making 62 appearances.