Posted: February 21, 2011 7:40 p.m. CT
By ANTHONY MAGGIO and PATRICK DONNELLY
FOXSportsNorth.com
Editor's note: This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at FOXSportsNorth.com -- a conversation between our Timberwolves beat writer Anthony Maggio and web editor Patrick Donnelly.
Anthony Maggio: By this time next week, the trading deadline will have passed and the Minnesota Timberwolves will have nothing left, personnel-wise, to wait for other than the ultimate arrival or non-arrival of Ricky Rubio. So, before we all saddle up for Rubio Watch 2K11, let's discuss the current roster.
I wrote after Wednesday's loss to the Clippers what I thought about the Jonny Flynn move that will have him out of uniform for at least a week to rest his surgically-repaired hip, but there's another school of thought that believes this move signals he'll be traded. Obviously David Kahn needs a willing partner in any trades that will go down by the Feb. 24 deadline, but as the clock ticks do you think Flynn or anyone else is on his way out of Minnesota? What do you think the Wolves' most prudent course of action is over the next week?
Patrick Donnelly: Naturally a lot depends on what's being offered, but I see little risk in shipping out Flynn for an expiring contract or a warm body or a rack of basketballs. He hasn't shown much in his year and a half here - some might say he's actually regressed as he's gained experience - and trading him would send a strong signal to Rubio that the Wolves are his team for the taking.
To me, that's the biggest play they can make the rest of the season - convincing Rubio that Minnesota is where he wants to be. Yeah, I know Ricky hasn't had a stellar season in Europe this winter, but Kahn's got too much invested in Rubio to let that bother him. For better or worse, Kahn's tenure in Minnesota rides on Rubio's success as a member of the Timberwolves.
If Rubio doesn't come here, I don't think it matters much what they get in return for his rights - Kahn will be seen as a rookie GM who overreached and drafted a guy who didn't want to come here. If Rubio signs with the Wolves and is a bust, Kahn will at least get points for trying to change the conversation around Timberwolves Nation (which currently is a couple guys in a booth at Kieran's, and not much more).
But if Rubio comes here and is the player we all thought he could be two years ago - dynamic, fan-friendly, makes his teammates better - then Kahn has the last laugh, and you'll have to throw some Bill Laimbeer-like elbows to find a spot on the Timberwolves' bandwagon.
So, aside from trading Flynn, what else would you do to make this situation as attractive as possible for Rubio between now and April 13?
AM: Well, this gets back to a convo we had a couple weeks ago - win games. If Minnesota wasn't his top choice to begin with, I'm sure keeping tabs on the weather here over the last two months and watching the Wolves win total hover similarly near zero hasn't changed his mind any. Short of physically moving Minnesota to the east coast or a tropical climate like the island on LOST (which is a fitting title for this Wolves season) the only possible way to make Minneapolis attractive is to win games. Not securing the No. 2 pick instead of the No. 5 pick, not trading for more expiring contracts. A team that looks like it's going somewhere and offers him admission on the ground floor is Kahn's only golden ticket.
Maybe he figured that out and thus implored Rambis to put Flynn in street clothes immediately in hopes that Sebastian Telfair can hang onto the ball enough to help win a game or two. Personally, I think he's in a pretty precarious position. Corey Brewer must be traded, because there's no way he's coming back here otherwise with his contract expiring. He's not getting this team to the NBA Finals, but would be an excellent seventh man on a team with the potential to get there. Flynn is irrelevant to the point that, trade or no trade, I don't think Rubio should much care about him. Telfair's gone after this season as well, and Flynn could play his role as third-stringer with potential if his health really has held him back this much.
As for who would come back this way, Anthony Randolph and O.J. Mayo are the two players whose names have come up most. I honestly don't have a high opinion of either, but Mayo might have enough name recognition that Rubio would find him an intriguing backcourt partner. And if Kahn could somehow lure Nene out of Denver this offseason I could get behind a Rubio/Mayo/Nene/Love/Beasley starting lineup with Ridnour, Johnson, Darko and Webster off the bench. That's still a very young group that could grow together. Pretend you're a premier point guard playing overseas - is that lineup (with and without Nene) you'd be willing to tie your next three or four years to?
PD: I don't know if Rubio is watching the NBA closely enough to grasp the potential of that roster, but I certainly think it's a big step forward.
The other guy they should be targeting is a name familiar to Gophers fans - Kris Humphries. Not just for his game (which has been improving a bit), but for the Kardashian lure. If Kim can't convince Rubio to come to Minnesota, what hope does Kahn have?
Follow Anthony Maggio on Twitter @fsnorthmaggio, Patrick Donnelly @fsnorthdonnelly
