Minnesota Timberwolves: Grading the 2009 NBA Draft
Round 2: Nick Calathes- E+, Henk Norel- E
There are probably a good few Timberwolves fans unaware of Nick Calathes, considering the Greek did not play any minutes for the Minnesota franchise.
Drafted 45th, Calathes was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, but still plied his trade with Panathinaikos and it would take five years until anyone would see the point guard in the NBA.
Such a showing would be for the Memphis Grizzlies, since Dallas again traded his draft rights for a draft pick themselves.
Although he featured in 129 games across a two-year period, Calathes could not maintain a starting spot on the Grizzlies’ roster, meaning he would average just 4.6 points in those games.
However, he did manage to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for February 2014, stepping in for the injured Mike Conley.
One of those games was a 22-point game when the Milwaukee Bucks came to visit Memphis, where he also managed four three’s.
Such a great performance would be just a highlight in an otherwise obsolete NBA career for the player, leaving the United States shortly after
The sixth player of the 2009 NBA Draft to be picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves was Henk Norel, coming in at 47.
The 6-foot-10 forward has not featured for the Wolves but more importantly has not played for any NBA team at all.
The Dutchman has been playing in Spain for the entirety of his career thus far, most recently for CAI Zaragoza since 2012.
Norel has been in contact with Minnesota, though the following quotes come from July 2012 in an exclusive interview with Sport America:
"Minnesota contacted me to say they wanted to work one-on-one. They also saw this as a good moment to get acquainted. The training intensity is very high [but] the first few days Ricky Rubio showed me the city. I think I left a good impression. At the moment, however, I’m not ready to take this step if I’m honest. It’s my choice [whether to play NBA basketball]."
Clearly, that choice has remained the same, a resounding no. A player who will unlikely ever grace an NBA court, especially in the Minnesota jersey.
Maybe he is waiting for the new jerseys to be announced soon in Minneapolis.