Timberwolves Draft: Looking Beyond Kevin Garnett

The Minnesota Timberwolves face several tough decisions this off-season—most notably whether or not to trade Kevin Garnett.

Given the money involved, making a deal for Garnett is no easy task—and while Garnett does not possess a no-trade clause, the fact that he can opt out of his contract next year gives him the ability to scare off any undesirable suitors.

At the same time, that ability to opt out also gives the Timberwolves more of an incentive to complete a trade—assuming they believe KG won't stay with the team after next season. Garnett has been fiercely loyal for more than a decade, but his frustration with the Wolves' direction has taken its toll.

A trade no longer seems impossible.

How does the Garnett Question affect the Timberwolves draft? In reality, it shouldn't. The Timberwolves's goal has got to be to draft the best player available with the seventh pick. Here's brief breakdown of the team:

Biggest Need

The Timberwolves are a bad team, so there are needs everywhere—but the holes are most gaping in the frontcourt. Beyond Garnett, the Wolves have no low-post presence to speak of. In the backcourt, 2006 first-round pick Randy Foye is a promising scorer at the two-guard position, but the possibility of drafting another off-guard can't be ruled out.

  

Biggest Strength

Starting power forward. That's about it. The only other bright spot is Foye...but can he be consistent enough to create a productive tandem with KG?

Potential Draft Choices

The 2007 Draft is a deep one, with potential all over the place and a few gems who look to have the makings of legitimate NBA superstars.

There also some players (Joakim Noah comes to mind) who have solid college resumes but perhaps limited NBA ceilings.

A number of intriguing choices should be available to the Wolves in the seventh slot. Other than Greg Oden and Kevin Durant—and probably Al Horford, who's rumored to be the consensus number-three most of the top prospects in this year's draft could go as high as number four or as low as the late teens.

There are rumors that the Wolves are very high on Washington's Spencer Hawes. Given the players that should be on the board at seven, Hawes seems like a bit of a reach. He's slow and unathletic—the kind of project the Wolves don't need if they want to retain Garnett.

In this writer's opinion, the Wolves' draft board should look like this:    

#1-3: Oden, Durant, Horford

This matters little, as none of those guys will still be around.    

#4: Brandan Wright

A little scary given Wright's lack of consistent passion at Chapel Hill—but he has all the tools. Though Wright isn't as NBA-ready as Horford (or even some of the lower-ranked big men), he has as much potential as anyone not named Oden or Durant.

#5-6: Corey Brewer and Jeff Green

With Brewer, you have an NBA-ready defender who needs to improve his jump shot. With Green, you have a Brandon Roy-type contributor who hasn't blown teams away with any one skill. I'm inclined to believe that Brewer won't be on the board at seven—but Green could be a nice fit alongside Garnett and Foye.

   
#7-8: Mike Conley and Julian Wright

Wright's a project, but has as much star potential as just about anyone in the draft. Conley might be a steal here, but I don't see him as a Chris Paul-type in the way that some do. He'll be a solid NBA point guard—not much beyond that. Still, if I were the Wolves, I'd take Conley over Wright.

   
#8-10: Al Thornton, Spencer Hawes, Yi Jianlian

There's a growing fear that Yi is a workout-wonder who'll struggle against NBA defenders. Thornton is ready to play, but he may never be more than a 12-point, eight-rebound guy. Hawes could certainly develop into a solid offensive threat, but there's nothing about him that would be hard to pass on.

Bottom Line

The Timberwolves need to draft whomever they believe to be the best player available. Period. Choosing Hawes will and should ignite a fan revolt. Perhaps one day I'll eat my words when Hawes is an All-Star and Brandan Wright is playing overseas—but I don't see that happening.

If nothing else, it's time for the Timberwolves to make decisions and move forward. It starts on draft night.