If you don’t have time to watch the full video, be sure to fast-forward to 2:35 mark where former-NBA superstar-turned-analyst Chris Webber basically scoffs at Kahn’s assertion that Darko Milicic passes like Vlade Divac. If you can believe it, it gets markedly worse from there. Like “comparing Chris Webber’s career to Darko Milicic’s career arc” awkward. Yuck. Reality 1, Kahn 0.

Webber’s sarcastic “good luck” at the last second was pretty scathing, too.

Also, a quick warning… Deadspin is in no way a “family” web site, so if you’re not a fan of “strong” language, you might want to skip this bad boy.

And this… it’s hilarious if you’re feeling a bit disillusioned about the team around now.

Now, while we teeter on the cusp of a major transaction, it’s time to look at the future of Wolves basketball. A future that will now be uninhibited by our best player’s inability to integrate into team philosophy. A future that’s looking brighter by the day, despite some question marks many fans have about roster decisions. Here’s the roster (3 deep) as of right now (without Al):

PG: Jonny Flynn, Luke Ridnour, Ramon Sessions

SG: Corey Brewer, Martell Webster, Wayne Ellington

SF: Wesley Johnson, Damien Wilkins, Lazar Hayward

PF: Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Oleksiy Pecherov

C: Darko Milicic, Nikola Pekovic, Ryan Hollins

I’m almost positive I’m excited about the team. Interesting that they’d bring in Luke Ridnour… makes you think Ramon Sessions has to be on the move, and that right quick. One thing’s for sure – we’re more balanced and in better position – financially, with personnel and in the draft – than we were before this offseason began. And with Ricky Rubio presumably coming in next year and a slew of draft picks on the way, a gradual turnaround is imminent.

We get this:

• In college, Beasley led the nation in double-doubles (28), 40-point games (three), 30-point, 10-rebound games (13), and 20-point, 10-rebound games (22).^[5] His 28 double-doubles broke the freshman double-double record previously held by Carmelo Anthony^[5] who had 22 double-doubles in his only season at Syracuse in 2002–03. On February 23, 2008, Beasley scored a Big 12 record 44 points in a 86–92 loss at Baylor.^[6] (This mark has since been matched by Kansas State’s Denis Clemente.^[7]) Beasley became known as an unstoppable force when shooting, finishing the season shooting 53.7 percent from the field (282 of 525). He also finished the season shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range (courtesy of wikipedia).
• And  he had a solid first couple of years as a pro despite the massive expectations laid upon him as a top-2 draft pick. Thing is, he’ll have a lot less on him here in Minnesota, even though we know he’s an immenseley talented young man.
• Averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and a steal per game last year, and shot quite well from the field (45%) and free throw line (80%).

FOR A SECOND-ROUNDER NEXT YEAR AND A FUTURE FIRST-ROUND SWAP??? I’ll take it! Thank you LeBron James. Thank you Chris Bosh. Thank you Dwyane Wade. Thank you Pat Riley. Thank you Florida. Thank you thank you thank you.

Of course, he’s had some issues with weed, and some discipline stuff too. So it’s entirely possible the Heat are simply casting off a headache AND salary.

But with where we are as a franchise, we’ll take all we can get in the way of young talent. Again, absolutely loving this move. For now.

But I’m hopeful, in the same way that I remain hopeful about the Minnesota Twins’ Delmon Young. See, Delmon was a major prospect in the minor leagues before being called up to the Tampa Bay Rays. After a one good MLB season full of promise, he faltered. But now, after ups and downs that offered significant seasoning, Young is emerging as a legitimate threat for the Twins. Likewise, Darko has played all over the league, gaining knowledge and skill along the way, and at age 24 could very well be on track to become a rebounding/shot-blocking/scoring center.

His stats last season certainly supported the claim that NOW, more than ever, could be his time. With 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game in just 25 minutes a night, it’s entirely possible extended minutes (sans Al Jefferson via inevitable trade) would net a greater statistical output and much-needed lane presence alongside the talented Kevin Love. But we’ve hashed over all that before… it seems Wolves’ brass is committed to – if nothing else – acquiring young talent on the cheap. Darko isn’t close to his peak as a basketball player, and GM David Kahn saw some good stuff last year and locked it down at a low price. It’s a lot like playing the stock market… acquire up-and-coming stocks at a low price, then reap the benefits when some of them soar in price later on. Makes good sense. It’s not necessarily the way to build a contender in the NBA, but it’s a way to get enough talent to later trade for pieces that make more sense.  Unfortunately, our wait is further from over than we originally thought.

The thing most people don’t talk about, however, is how little difference rookies make in the league in their first season. It’s actually a pretty small percentage of dudes who blow up. Last year, the top three picks were either injured (Blake Griffin), D-League bound (Hasheem Thabeet) or mired in a timeshare with Thabo Sefalosha (James Harden). The feeling is that this year’s draft will be significantly more impactful, which is almost guaranteed with John Wall and Evan Turner going 1/2.

For Minnesota, it was a predictable no. 4 pick (Wesley Johnson) followed by trade with upside (Martell Webster) and a trade that made me mad. Let’s review:

Wesley Johnson Pick

I’m a big fan, and I’ve kind of hashed over what I think of Johnson before. He’s a nice scorer with good size and range. Iffy on defense. Can’t wait to watch him destroy summer league opponents and do good work in preseason. Hoping he ends up a starter come November.

Martell Webster trade

Trading Gomes and Babbitt for Webster seems like a lot to me, but Webster is more athletic and more of a marksman than Gomes. But I love Gomes because he’s a bigger body who can get his shot off whenever he wants. It’s too bad for him too, because in Portland he’s going to be in quite a logjam with Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez. And I’ll give you one guess as to who the team is least committed to. Hint: it’s Gomes.

The rest

I’m not excited about the rest of the draft… not yet, at least. I’ll hit ‘em quickly. Lazar Hayward: really good range, athletic, could get playing time based solely on his size (6-6) and shooting ability… Nemanja Bjelica: He’s another tall (6-10) European forward who can shoot from the outside. In reading about him on various sites, it seems he’s a bit of an anomaly with great passing and ball-handling ability for a guy his size. He’s not anything close to Kevin Durant, but he’s in that mold. Also, he signed a three-year deal with a European team before the draft, so we know he won’t be in a T-Wolves uniform for awhile… lastly, Paualo Prestes was selected in the middle of the second round by Minnesota, and while he’s a good rebounder, is a pretty slow and plodding type. He’s still young though, and won’t join the team immediately as he adds seasoning to his game in Brazil.

I’ll be doing a free agency roundup later today too… it’s a Friday double-dip!

a) He’s got a bad knee

b) He’s owed $42 million over the next three years

c) We have another power forward already, and he’s suited far better for this offense.

So suffice it to say that I’m not at all surprised by this potential move, even if it makes me a little sad. Of course, we have no idea where he’s going, what we’re getting or no real sense of how this will affect the franchise/roster. But I suppose the most important thing is that GM David Kahn has clearly been evaluating the talent on the roster and making educated decisions to lift the club out of the basement.

The other big news is that it’s now looking like Derrick Favors – not Wesley Johnson – will be our no. 4 pick. He’s an extremely-gifted-yet-painfully-raw power forward from Georgia Tech. Personally, I’d take DeMarcus Cousins and his already-polished game, but either guy is going to be the “right” pick. Favors will be more exciting, though.

I’ll have a draft analysis piece up tomorrow sometime, so be on the lookout!

First, let’s go over the current rumors with regard to what the team might do:

1. With the #4 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select… WESLEY JOHNSON! It’s looking that way, at least. DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t even worked out here, and despite Corey Brewer’s progress as a shooter, he doesn’t have the innate ability to put the ball in the basket that Johnson does. The kid is a scorer. Plays good defense too. Of course, his ability to create a shot has been called into question… seems this kid loves coming off screens and making quick jab-step-type moves to create space. And he settles for jumpers instead of creating free throw opportunities. So either he’s O.J. Mayo or Rashad McCants. But at 6-foot-7 and nearly 200 lbs., it seems this guy has – at the very least – the size, strength and ability to be successful right away.
2. Jonny Flynn may well be on his way out… and that is a huge relief to me. I’ve long thought (and if you’ve ever read this blog, you know) that Ramon Sessions is the better point guard here. And people don’t remember he’s like one year older than Flynn, so it’s not like we’d be losing the youth on our team or something. And when you have more scorers coming to your team, you need a pass-first type of guy. That’s not Flynn’s game. The latest rumor? Wolves are offering the Pacers Jonny Flynn, the No. 16, and No. 23 pick in this year’s draft for a package that includes the No. 10 pick. This, coming from Yahoo.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who’s become a pretty respected NBA voice over the past couple of years. You have to wonder who might be coming back in the deal though… maybe Troy Murphy? Please God, let it be Danny Granger.
3. Gay/Love/Sessions, live at the Target Center! Sounds like the Wolves – presumably, if they do not get Danny Granger in this crazy Pacers trade – are going to make a run at Rudy Gay. We’ll offer him a fat contract, and he’ll either choose to stay home and have a slim chance at the playoffs this year… or come here and have no chance (I think). But his arrival could certainly work toward changing the fortunes of this franchise. Fun!

That’s all I’ve heard or read lately, and I’ll be posting a bunch of stuff over the next couple of weeks in celebration of our new draft picks and the NBA’s brief return to national relevance before succumbing to NFL Training Camps, college football and baseball pennant chases/playoffs.

1. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, LA Lakers

2. Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz

3. Tim Duncan and Dejuan Blair

4. Al Jefferson and Kevin Love

5. Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis, Boston Celtics

Honorable Mention: Tyrus Thomas and Boris Diaw, Charlotte Bobcats.

So yeah, we’re pretty-well set as far as rebounding/scoring goes from that position. Now, if Jefferson and Love started showing some grit on defense, we’d have something special. And that’s where drafting DeMarcus Cousins comes in. He’d bring plenty of toughness, aggressive shot-changing and good, solid rebounding to help shore up what’s been exposed as weakness in both Love’s and Jefferson’s armor. Do it Kahn, DO IT!!! You will draft Cousins.

Al Jefferson, PF1

2009-10 Stats: 17.12 points, 9.25 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.29 blocks, 0.83 steals, 49.8% FG, 68% FT.

Al Jefferson made a lot of people unhappy this season. But it didn’t start that way.

After a season-ending ACL tear mid-way through the 2008-09 basketball season, Jefferson rehabbed his way into training camp and blew us all away with reports that he’d also lost 30 lbs. in an attempt to take more pressure off his knee and become a more agile player. It was great news… looked like we had a real worker on our hands – a guy who was serious about his craft and was anxious to prove a silly knee injury couldn’t stop the momentum he’d rolled. Then the season started, and “Big Al” didn’t look like himself. I remember writing that he looked timid when it came to mixing things up in the paint. Jefferson was settling for jump shots instead of taking the ball strong to the rim. He wasn’t fighting for rebounds in the same way either… just kind of getting the “obvious” ones. Turns out, there were probably three reasons for his early troubles…

1. Kevin Love helped more than we like to admit - With guys like Ryan Hollins, Damien Wilkins, Oleksiy Pecherov and Nathan Jawai posing as power forwards and centers alongside Jefferson, it was easy to see why boards were hard to come by. When you think of these four players, the very first adjectives – with regard to rebounding – that come to mind, in order, are: Too skinny, undersized, disinterested and immobile.
2. His knee wasn’t ready yet – Al may or may not ever admit it, but there’s a psychological barrier that needed to be hurdled before true effectiveness could be achieved. That happened in mid-to-late December, and carried into the next month before Jefferson’s grandmother’s illness and passing sent him into a tailspin.
3. New offense – I won’t pretend to know exactly how difficult it is to learn a new offense while simultaneously recovering from one of the more devastating injuries in sports, but I’ll just say the degree of difficulty has got to be near 9.5 out of a 10-scale.

For Al, I have three highlights, too: His DWI in the second half of the year, his 26-and-26 in the triple-overtime loss in Houston and his incredible January where he averaged 18.8 points and 11.56 rebounds a night. It took some time, but we finally did get to see the old Al… this coming season should bring a revitalized, ready-to-go model. Hopefully, with an improved jumper.

Kevin Love, PF2

2009-10 Stats: 14.03 points, 10.97 rebounds, 2.27 assists, 0.72 steals, 45% FG, 81.5% FT, 33% 3-pt. (35 made three-pointers)

We know what Kevin Love is about – rebounding. Sure, he’s gaining momentum behind the three-point line and shoots a really good percentage from the charity stripe and field, but his forte is cleaning the glass. Some stats:

• #9 in rebounds per game
• #3 in offensive rebounds per game
• #13 in defensive rebounds per game
• #14 in double-doubles (36, Jefferson had 35)

So as you can see, he’s a rebound monger. And that’s only with 28.6 minutes a game last season. I remember thinking that his preseason stats (around 12 rebounds a game) were a crazy anomaly… now I’m thinking that he might just put up numbers like that for years. The kid is 21 years old, and just scratching the surface of his potential.

I have no idea how good Kevin Love might end up being, but if that three-point proficiency continues to improve, he’ll be one of the more dangerous and useful players in the NBA. You have to love the way he’s trending these days. And to think, some of you rubes were pissed off that we got him instead of Mayo.

The last positional review (centers) is coming soon… maybe this weekend? Stay tuned. Thanks for reading!

1.Washington Wizards – John Wall/Evan Turner

2.Philadelphia 76ers – John Wall/Evan Turner

3.New Jersey Nets – John Wall/Evan Turner/Wesley Johnson/Derrick Favors

4. Minnesota – DeMarcus Cousins

All of you Darko Milicic haters can breathe easy – he’s the best big man in the draft, and the teams above us will be either too starstruck by Wall/Turner or simply already have a center (see Brook Lopez, Nets). The number four pick assures us that the Wolves can’t screw it up… Cousins fills an immediate need, and is a legit top-five talent that goes perfectly alongside Kevin Love/Al Jefferson. John Wall doesn’t make sense (Rubio, Sessions, Flynn). Derrick Favors doesn’t make sense (Love, Jefferson). But Cousins? Match made in heaven (barring an emotional breakdown).

I’ll be completely honest with you though: I was watching the lottery with a couple friends last night, and after #5 was read off and they were about to open the #4 envelope, my utterance was something like, “It’s not us, it’s not us, it’s not us, it’s not us…AAAAARRRRGFHHHHHHCOMEONNNNNN!!!!!”. Even though I knew it was coming, I let myself believe – if only for a few seconds – that we might get our choice of the two highest-rated prospects. And I paid for it with a left hook to the stomach from the creepy, too-skinny bald guy reading off teams in the lottery room.

But instead of second-guessing the pick this year, there’s a clear, easy path in this journey I like to call “The Wrath of Kahn”. And instead of picking one of the top two prospects and watching/wondering if we should have taken the other guy, we’ll just get the player we need most at the spot in the draft that makes the most sense. Like I said… this is the second-best/second-safest spot for the Wolves. And if you’re still not convinced that we can make the best of this situation, please do remember that Kahnzie did a lot of wheeling and dealing to move up to no. 5 last season. Our club has the no. 23/no. 4 picks and some good young talent. If you think Kahn isn’t already making calls and seeing what he can do to position the squad to maximize its talent, you haven’t been paying attention.

That’s all for now… more Season-in-Review stuff coming later this week!

If the team falls out of the top three, I could see them going with DeMarcus Cousins though… he really is a stud, despite the very real truth of his erratic behavior. I’ll never forget the Louisville vs. Kentucky game this year where cousins intentionally blasted a Cardinal player with an elbow during a scrum for a loose ball. It wasn’t inadvertant… it was deliberate. And a little scary.

I’ll have more draft lottery talk after it goes down tonight. For now, you’ll have to deal with yet another positional review from the Timberwolves’ 2009-10 season:

Ryan Gomes, SF1

Season Stats:10.95 points, 4.58 rebounds, 1.63 assists, 74 three-pointers, 44.7% FG, 37.2% 3-pt., 82.5% FT.

Before he missed all or most of seven-straight games from December 12-26 (came off the bench a total of 31 minutes total in two games after his return), Ryan Gomes was playing his best basketball of the season. That nasty ankle sprain derailed a man on a mission, a man who was starting to find his scoring stride and never regained the consistency or confidence – or an opportunity to do so – the rest of the season. In the six games between 11/29 and 12/9, Gomes went off to the tune of 20.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and excellent shooting (59.3% FG, 46.6% 3-pt., 92.8% FT). He was using all his weapons – namely, a really nice mid-range game coupled with sneaky-good three-point shooting. He LOVES spotting up in the corners and waiting for a look. In fact, he was instrumental in what was probably the team’s best win of the year at Denver in late November. Gomes torched the Nuggets for 27 points in what was the Wolves’ highest single-player output of the season until Al Jefferson matched it in December.

So don’t get me wrong… I’m a Ryan Gomes guy. He works hard, he can get his shot off without hogging the ball, he has range all over the court and is by all accounts a good dude. The problem? He’s not a game-changer. And if we don’t have someone explosive on the court at the “3″, we’ll never win a thing. Bottom line: If Ryan Gomes is in your starting five, you’re in trouble. Definitely a rotation guy though… maybe he can be a nice scoring threat off the bench.

Damien Wilkins, SF2

Season Stats:5.64 points, 3.11 rebounds, 1.69 assists, 43.3% FG, 29.5% 3-pt., 79.8% FT.

My Wilkins highlight: I was at the Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City game on January 10 this year and sitting with my friend Troy as Minny was in a close game with Durant’s Thunder. Jonny Flynn looked to be in trouble as he drove baseline left, but found a cutting Wilkins who then gathered and exploded off the ground. It wasn’t Nenad Krstic’s fault… he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, spinning around and trying to change Wilkins shot attempt after thwarting Flynn’s baseline probe. But Wilkins had something else in mind. It was surprising, just how thunderous a jam he delivered over the 7-foot Krstic. We as fans had grown accustomed to Corey Brewer’s high-flying antics, but not Wilkins’. Didn’t even know he had that ability… the ability to create that kind of buzz in a stadium. It was fun to feel like a winner again, if only for a minute or two (the Timberwolves lost 94-92).

And really, Wilkins was a part of every big moment the team had this year, from his buzzer-beating floater to beat New Jersey in the first game of the season to a gritty 15-12 double-double against Denver (yup, the same game where Gomes had 27) to a nice 13-10 output in a win over Philadelphia before they turned into a complete laughingstock.

Wilkins is now a free agent, so it’s likely he’s played his last game as a Wolf, but I’ll remember him fondly for contributing when asked, and doing it with flare.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back for some Draft Lottery analysis tomorrow! Season-in-Review Part IV coming a little later this week.