2011 NBA Draft Grades: Minnesota Timberwolves Earn B+ but Had Chance at A+

So after digesting everything, here is where I stand. 

No. 2 pick of Derrick Williams.  Great choice.  He was the guy to pick there.

The rest of the draft.

So let’s actually look at the final result. We traded Flynn and the No. 20 for Brad Miller, Malcolm Lee, Targuy Ngombo (at least Fran Frischilla had heard of this guy, more than you can say for some of the other late picks), a future second-round pick and a future first-round pick and a boat load of cash.

If one had looked into their crystal ball before the draft and said that the Wolves would trade Flynn and the No. 20 for all of that, would ANYONE have complained?  I think not.

Brad Miller will hopefully help in some limited minutes.  Malcolm Lee is the second coming of Corey Brewer (but at the 43 instead of the 7) and receiving a future first-round pick is valuable.

The future second-rounder and Targuy Ngombo?  We'll just say for the sake of argument that they have zero value.

At worst this is a push, as Flynn was a disaster.

Therefore, I give this draft a B+. 

I think Chad Ford is a little kind with his A grade, and any site that says the Wolves are draft “losers” had us pegged that way before the draft even started and just wanted to be able to say how dumb David Kahn is.

However, this could have been an A+ draft. 

No. 2 Derrick Williams

Then the Wolves could have stuck with the No. 23, No. 38 and the future first-rounder they got from Houston.

No. 23 Nikola Mirotic.  Widely regarded as a high value player if you can wait a few years.  This is the exact type of player that you get and keep with a 20-plus pick (or at least if you are the San Antonio Spurs, who are pretty smart).  According to Chad Ford's scouting report:

...and he is 6'10".  What is not to like?

No. 38 Malcolm Lee. 

If the Wolves had done this, what would they have “missed out” on?

Targuy Ngombo, the future second-rounder and the cash.

So, let’s just cut to the chase (since I've already awarded Ngombo and the future second-rounder no value), the Wolves would have missed out on the cash that I am going to assume Taylor requested to use toward Rambis’s buyout.

Would Mark Cuban have done this?