Minnesota Timberwolves: The Derrick Williams Dilemma

Outside of Wolves’ fans, not many NBA enthusiasts would have put the Timberwolves with a .500 record 24 games into the season this year. 

All-Star Kevin Love is reaching superstar status, Ricky Rubio has lived up to the hype and is on pace to win Rookie of the Year honors and Rick Adelman’s coaching and ability to create a competitive product on the court have all contributed to the team’s success. 

Although the Timberwolves are overachieving as a team this season, one piece of the puzzle they were counting on has not lived up to expectations: rookie Derrick Williams. 

For the season, Williams has been a huge letdown as far is production is concerned. On the season, the 6’8” forward is averaging 7.3 points on 42.7 percent shooting from the field and a dreadful 25 percent from beyond the arc.  His difficult start to the season has moved him further down in coach Adelman’s rotation. 

His most recent woes can be credited to his inability to flourish when given opportunities.  With the injury suffered to Michael Beasley a few weeks ago, the Timberwolves were hoping for Williams to relish the opportunity as a starter and a scorer. 

His first start of the season came against Houston back on January 23rd.  In 37 minutes of play, Williams could not take advantage of his opportunity, posting only 11 points, seven rebounds, and four turnovers, ultimately resulting in a 107-92 loss to the Rockets. 

After another lackluster performance as a starter in the next game against Dallas, Williams now finds himself back on the bench and seeing even fewer minutes in his reserve role.  Williams is only averaging 10.7 minutes and 4.6 points over his last six games.

He has taken to his frustration to social media, posting on his Twitter account after Monday's practice that, "I just want to get out there and play a little more...everybody does, but I can't do anything about it. It's not my decision."

Williams' frustration with head coach Rick Adelman leads to an interesting debate on whether or not Williams will truly fit into Minnesota’s long-term plans. 

The criticisms of Williams when he was selected by the Timberwolves are now coming back to haunt both him and the Timberwolves.  Can he defend on the perimeter?  Can he bang with bigger forwards on the block?  Can he play with Beasley and Love at the same time?

Although it may be too early to clearly define an answer to all these questions, early signs have pointed to “no.”

So is it possible that Minnesota could potential shop their second-overall selection?  It’s definitely a possibility, yet highly unlikely. 

But Timberwolves’ fans need to ask themselves if they’d be willing to part with him if it meant acquiring a piece to help the team reach its goals and ridding themselves of the fear of seeing Williams flop in Adelman’s system. 

Love and Rubio aside, Williams is without a doubt the Timberwolves' best trade asset and the best chance of ridding themselves of further concerns with the roster moving forward.  Let’s not forget some of the glaring holes at shooting guard and center this current roster has, despite players like Nikola Pekovic and Luke Ridnour overachieving this far into the season. 

On top of that, the Kevin Love extension is only guaranteed for three years, which puts a lot of pressure on this team to build a contender sooner than later.  Additionally, Minnesota has no guaranteed draft pick in one of the most highly touted draft classes this summer.

So there are plenty of reasons why trading Williams remains a possibility.

For proven talent, Minnesota could swing a deal for Houston’s stud shooting guard Kevin Martin and a 2012 first-round pick for Beasley and Williams. 

For a more long-term solution at shooting guard, Minnesota could swap Williams and Luke Ridnour for New Orleans’ Eric Gordon—if Minnesota would take a chance on signing the injured guard long term. 

A more realistic and plausible deal would be a one-for-one swap of Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz for Williams, as both young players are stuck behind veterans in the starting lineup. 

Williams would join Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson for a versatile, athletic frontcourt.  Favors would slide into the center spot, complementing Love in areas where he struggles such as shot blocking and post defense. 

Still, it is in the best interests of the team and Minnesota fans that they do not give up on their promising young forward. 

Although Williams has hit a few speed bumps earlier in his career, his potential is far greater than most young talents in the league. It will be interesting to monitor Williams' situation with the team as the season progresses. 

It may become an ever more compelling offseason in Minnesota, as GM David Kahn will have to figure out what pieces of the puzzle need to stay and go to get the Timberwolves back into the postseason.