(Author's note: Aaron Torres is a writer who's work has been featured at SportsIllustrated.com, USA Today and Slam Online.  To read all of his work, click here, or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com)

With the 2009 NBA Draft officially in the books, it’s time to look and the good and the bad that transpired on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden:

 

The Good: Minnesota Timberwolves and Their Point Guard Run

Probably the biggest post draft story not involving traded superstars was the T-Wolves absolutely getting panned for using back-to-back selections of top six selections on point guards Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn. 

First of all, people, look in the mirror, these are the Minnesota Timberwolves, not the Los Angeles Lakers.  Whether it’s by going to Europe, breaking someone out of jail, or drafting two players that play the same position, they need a talent infusion, and in a hurry.

Seriously, look at this roster.  Who besides Al Jefferson and Kevin Love jump out at you under the headline “Major NBA Contributor.” 

Ryan Gomes?  He shouldn’t be anything more than the seventh-best player on an NBA roster. 

Sebastian Telfair?  There hasn’t been a bigger disappointment to come out of New York since the understudy had to take over for Bette Midler in “Rochelle, Rochelle.” 

Bobby Brown?  Isn’t he in jail?

With James Harden getting scooped up by Oklahoma City at No. 3, Minnesota did the smart thing, refusing to reach on a wing like Terrence Williams or DeMar DeRozan and instead taking the two best players available.  Since when is stockpiling talent a bad thing?

On one hand, Minnesota probably wanted Rubio all along, but never dreamed in a million years he would fall to them at the number five spot.  They got a guy that many, including myself, considered to be the second-best player in the draft, and someone that experts seem to agree is the best passer to enter the NBA since Jason Kidd over fifteen years ago.  Of course, they’ve given the Twin Cities its biggest European heartthrob since Marko Jaric left town.  Sounds like an all-around win to me. 

On the other hand, they got Flynn, an undersized, yet slightly underrated, point guard, with a heart that belies his 6’0" frame.  Flynn is an absolute warrior, a guy who made his name playing 67 of a possible 70 minutes in a six-overtime win against UConn, and is going to play hard for you every night, whether the final outcome has been dictated or not.  He’s affable and has no history of any of criminal wrongdoing.  On a roster where Telfair has done everything short of bringing a concealed weapon on the court with him, again, I don’t see the harm.

Maybe one of the most underrated aspects of the Flynn pick that no one is talking about is this: In an era where good players flee cold weather cities like people run from a movie theater that’s on fire, Flynn is a born and bred cold weather guy. 

He grew up in Niagara Falls and went to school in Syracuse. Getting through Minnesota winters are going to be a breeze.  Now, how is this relevant to the situation, you ask?  If Flynn works out, you don’t have to worry about him fleeing for a bigger market or warmer city.  And if he doesn’t work out, well, you’ve got Rubio. 

Which brings me to my most important point:  Simply put, these guys are an insurance policy on each other, which is nice since they both come with big-time questions.  For Rubio, we still aren’t sure if he can negotiate a buyout with his Spanish club, and even if he does, will he want to play in Minnesota?

There has already been talk from Rubio’s father that the Spanish point guard may stay in Spain for another year or two. 

For Flynn, the question is much simpler: Is he an elite level starting NBA point guard, or a guy best served coming off the bench?  Even if he proves to be starter-quality, can his body hold up over a long 82-game season?

So, now, the question becomes, 'What are the best and worst case scenarios for this situation?'

In my eyes, they figure out a way to get these guys to co-exist if Rubio ever ends up in a Minnesota uniform.  Rubio then embraces Minnesota’s culture, gets an Elmer Fudd camouflaged parka and makes killer snowmen with Flynn.  Flynn, in turn, takes Rubio under his wing and is content to hand over the keys to the Timberwolves in a year or two. 

Even if they can’t co-exist (and of course in this case it is much more Rubio and his camp that seem to be unwilling to share the spotlight), you can always move one of them.  Since when have teams shied away from getting elite level 18-year-old point guards?

As for the worst case?  Well I don’t really see one.  This was a draft where everyone wanted point guards and Minnesota got probably the two best in the draft.  In this case, one really may be the loneliest number. 

 

The Bad: Oklahoma City and James Harden

Of every executive in the NBA, Sam Presti might be one of the last one’s I should be questioning, as his draft record over the past two years is pretty much impeccable. 

In 2007, Presti lucked into a future NBA MVP when Kevin Durant fell to him at No. 2, before smartly snatching up Jeff Green with a No. 6 pick.  Just last year he added Russell Westbrook, who by the end of the season may have been the second best rookie in this league. 

I just can’t talk myself into James Harden at No. 3, I just can’t.

For starters I’ve seen Harden in person, and while I liked what I saw of him in March, at no point did I jump out of my seat and scream, “This guy can’t miss.” 

There were a lot of features that I saw that night, one’s that would have made him a nice value pick later in the draft.  He has the ability to score in a variety of ways, and has deceptive athleticism.  It’s safe to say that neither is a bad thing in the NBA.


Maybe my favorite quality about Harden is one you can’t find on a stat sheet or in a box score. 

Despite playing with teammates at Arizona State that would just as easily been overwhelmed by a good intramural team as any of their Pac-10 opponents, Harden continued to keep everyone involved, refusing to take the role of the selfish superstar.  While it might have been best for the team, it showed that Harden does in fact have his teams interests at heart.   

Despite that, I can’t get over the initial gut reaction I had seeing him at Wells Fargo Arena in March: He’s a good player that will simply never be better than a fourth scorer on a good NBA team.

(Agree with Aaron? Disagree?  Let him know by leaving a note here or at www.aarontorres-sports.com)

And this is where Oklahoma City fans will yell and scream, “But Aaron that’s all we need him to be!!”  I know OKC fans, but hear me out.  Just hear me out. 

As I mentioned, this was the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft.  The third pick!

Why use it on a guy that by all accounts was free falling down everyone’s draft boards, and could have been taken a few picks later?  Especially when everyone’s Latin dream boy Ricky Rubio was still on the board.    

Was there any attempt to convince Minnesota that “X team,” was hot for Rubio and they’d better trade up or they’d lose the Spanish point guard's services?   

The Knicks appeared (and still appear to be) interested in Rubio, did the Thunder talk to them about moving up to the No. 3 pick and grabbing Rubio there? 

In either scenario, Oklahoma City could have moved down, still gotten the guy they wanted (Harden), and picked up an extra asset or two in the process.  It’s win-win for everyone, especially the Thunder. 

And what about all the other teams that were itching to move up and get a point guard?  We heard all week that various teams were hot for various guys, none more so than the three point guard amigos, Rubio, Flynn and Tyreke Evans. 

Did OKC get Indiana on the phone?  How about Charlotte or Philly?  Were these teams all of a sudden content to pick from the second tier of guards (Ty Lawson, Eric Maynor, Jeff Teague), when the first tier were all available at the right price? 

In the end, there are still a lot of questions, but one answer that can be clearly checked off is that Oklahoma City got their guy.  Harden is gregarious, unselfish and already sports the second coolest beard in the league behind Pau Gasol.  In other words, he’s exactly what this team was looking for.

But I just can’t get by the image I had of Harden that March day in Tempe.  Could he be a key role player on a team that goes deep into the playoffs?  Sure.  But would I be surprised if he played an unceremonious eight year career and bounced from team to team either?  Not really.

For the sake of Oklahoma City fans, I certainly hope Harden ends up much more the former than the latter. 

 

The Good: The Stephen Curry era in Golden State

Coming into the draft, the Warriors were one of the most confusing teams to gauge. 

First they wanted a point guard, and the names I kept heard floating around were Jennings, Flynn and Jrue Holiday.


Then they promised Monta Ellis they’d stay away from the point and get an athletic big.  Hello Jordan Hill.

But through it all, I couldn’t get out of my mind what a perfect fit Curry would be for this system.

Think about it, Curry playing the point in this offense?  He’d average 40 points and 12 assists a game, and we’d get whiplash watching this team go back and forth up and down the court.  No opponents lead would be safe, no final score surprising.  A 176-168 double overtime loss to Phoenix?  Why not?  An 87-84 halftime lead over the Clippers, sign me up. 

(This is just an excerpt of Aaron's thoughts on the NBA Draft.  To read all of Aaron's on the draft and everything else in the world of sports, click here or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com)