We now get the the 5th pick which belongs to the the most unlucky team
in the lottery, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The are represented by:
Gregory A Rasmussen .
Greg selects:
Antonio McDyess, PF, 6-9. University of Alabama
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It has often been said that the Timberwolves are the worst team in the
history of pro sports. I'm not going to disagree with that, but they're
making some front office moves to change. Only one thing is certain
about the Wolves, they need help NOW!!! They can't afford to pick a
player who needs two years to be an impact player in the NBA (Donnyell
Marshall) The Wolves will probably keep only 7-8 players from last years
team (well you don't finish 21-61 and say "Let's stick with the same guys
next year!") But I don't know if anyone has the answer to the Wolves woes.
Quick overview of the Timberchiuauas
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Center- The only center the Wolves have is Sean Rooks, and at 6-10 he is
more of a PF. He certainly wasn't worth next years 1st rounder we gave
up for him. Christian Laetner isn't cut out to be a center in the NBA
because he really dispises the rough play in the paint. Neither of these
guys are the Wolves center of the future, but not as bad as other areas.
PF- The Wolves actually have two good PF's in Laettner and Tom Gugliatta.
Laettner starts due to his fragile ego but Gugs is who the front office
likes if it came down to trading one of them. Both are very talented and
this really isn't an area of concern for the Woofies right now.
SF- Muchlike at center, the Wolves have no "true" SF on their roster.
Doug West was the starter, but is a natural SG. With West playing SF the
last two years, he has been plagued by injuries due to playing against
more physical forwards. Gugs played some SF but it's not his best spot.
Pat Durham is a question mark. At 6-7 he has the right height and a good
body frame and average (for the NBA) athletic ability, but it seems that
he'll always be the 10th or 11th man on the roster in the NBA. This
would be the best position for the Wolves to draft.
SG- The Wolves have two talented SG's in J.R. Rider and Doug West. Maybe
some year Rider will decide that he wants to dominate, and if he does
watch out NBA! Now back to reality, Rider leads the team in scoring and
plays pretty good and West is the consumate team player and will do
whatever it takes to win. Nobody needed at this spot.
PG- This is far and away the weakest position for the Wolves. Michael
"I'm hurt!" Williams and Derrick Martin are two back up caliber PG's
fighting for a starting position. But there are not any PG's worth
taking with the #5 pick so the Wolves will have to dip into the free
agency pool or live with what they got.
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And with the fifth selection, the Timberwolves select Antonio McDyess,
University of Alabama 6-9 225 PF
Since we can't trade we go with the best player available theory. Here's
a guy with speed, finess, and power who only happens to be 19 years old.
The Wolves lack that player who has no fear and the athletic ability to
dunk over/through somebody with authority. Yes Rider won the dunk
contest but no one was guarding him. Ever been to a Wolves game? The
crowd doesn't sit on the seats, they sit on their hands. Get some flashy
dunks and the crowd gets excited, then the players get excited. Hopefully!
Others considered
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Michael Finley- good athlete who had misleadingly poor year, will be a
good one!
Rashard Griffith- Need a center but he carries too many ?'s as well as
weight.
Bob Sura- I am very high on Sura, but we need a PG and am unsure of his
playmaking ability as far as the NBA goes. But god do I like him!!!!!!
Kevin McHale drools when he thinks about McDyess wearing a Wolves uniform
so I can't imagine him having a problem selecting McDyess.
Other moves
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After another bad year, you have to make some changes. Draft, trades,
free agency ANYTHING!!!!!!! This is a very deep draft so I say trade
down in the draft for more picks. Quality is good but quantity might be
a little better for this years draft. #'s 20-30 on one person's list may
be #10-20 on anothers. WE JUST NEED MORE PLAYERS!
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Draft Summary:
1. Golden State
GM: David Hayden
Pick: Jerry Stackhouse, SF, 6-6. University of North Carolina
2. L.A. Clippers
GM: Curtis Hill
Pick: Rasheed Wallace, PF, 6-10. University of North Caolina
3. Philadelphia
GM: Carl Chavez
Pick: Joe Smith, PF, 6-10. University of Maryland
4. Washington
GM: Jim Nagle
Pick: Ed O'Bannon, SF, 6-8. UCLA
5. Minnesota
GM: Gregory A Rasmussen
Pick: Antonio McDyess, PF, 6-9. University of Alabama
Next up:
6. Toronto
GM: Rania R. Melhem
Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner