Minnesota Timberwolves: Rashad McCants calls Wolves a ‘graveyard’

Former Minnesota Timberwolves first-round pick Rashad McCants had some pointed words for the organization on Scoop B Radio.

Rashad McCants was the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ first-round draft pick back in 2004 and quickly flamed out of the league.

Now, the scorned former University of North Carolina Tar Heel is speaking out against the organization that drafted him and traded him for virtually nothing just three years into his professional career.

McCants appeared on Scoop B Radio with Brandon Robinson this week and was asked about a variety of topics, including the ongoing Jimmy Butler saga in Minnesota. Here’s a transcript of the exchange about the Wolves and Butler:

"Robinson: The Minnesota Timberwolves, what do you think of the team this season and all the news about Jimmy Butler?McCants: I’ve never been a fan of the Timberwolves because they kind of did me dirty. It’s a graveyard and karma is real over there. The fact that somebody would say that about Jimmy shows that there is a lack of communication in the team.Robinson: Why do you think people are just finding out about whats going on?McCants: Well, there’s this on the phone snitching and telling, and then guys end up keeping it a secret until the guys leave then they will tell the world why nobody liked him. It’s real weak but that’s how the NBA is conducting themselves right now."

McCants isn’t wrong; the Timberwolves as an organization have been one of the worst-run franchises in the league for quite some time. It’s hard to refute the “graveyard” and “karma” comments.

However, the idea that the Wolves “did [him] dirty” is … interesting. McCants was the No. 14 pick in the 2005 draft and received plenty of playing time on a squad that still had Kevin Garnett, only one year removed from his MVP award-winning season.

McCants averaged 17.2 minutes per game as a rookie and played okay, shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc. His playing time decreased the following year but spiked back up in 2007-08 after Garnett was traded to Boston.

But McCants’ attitude and the way he carried himself on a bad team was enough to outweigh his immense physical talents, and he was shipped to Sacramento in a swap of disappointing first round picks as Minnesota got back Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown.

After finishing the year with the Kings at young age of 24, McCants never played in another regular season game in the NBA.

It’s hard to blame this on the Wolves, of course; there were 29 other teams that could have but did not give him another shot. (He did spend a brief amount of time in training camp with Houston and played 14 games in the then-D-League, but that’s it.)

Now, McCants is dominating with other former NBA players in Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league. So there’s that…