Ask any Timberwolves fan about Minnesota's body of work on draft night, and you will almost certainly illicit a gigantic wince. Timberwolves GM David Kahn has a history of making draft night decisions that make the Hindenburg look like a swell idea (witness: Randy Foye for Brandon Roy, drafting Ty Lawson and Johnny Flynn, and hanging onto Flynn instead of Lawson, the ongoing Ricky Rubio fiasco, etc). I'd be willing to wager Kahn is the only GM in the NBA who looks back at the 2003 draft, when Detroit picked (current Minnesota starting center) Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and thinks "you know, I think Detroit got that one right." So when I say that Minnesota would be crazy to pass on UConn's superstar point guard Kemba Walker in the draft, please be aware that it is entirely possible and/or likely that Kahn will exhibit signs on lunacy.
That being said, the Timberwolves would be crazy to pass on Kemba Walker.
Kemba's ceiling is a strange mix of Allen Iverson and Chris Paul. His deadly crossover (see below) and super quick movement both laterally and longitudinally (it's a word, don't question me), as well as his ability to get into the teeth of bigger defenders and still score are very reminiscent of Iverson. He gets his teammates involved like Chris Paul, and exhibits the same ability to pull up for a jumper and knock down open threes.
But most importantly, Walker this season has shown a fascinating ability to help his teammates grow up.
Early in the season, UConn was picked to finish 10th in the Big East. They were invited to play in the Maui Invitational tournament, in which Kemba led the Huskies past hugely favored opponents Michigan State and Kentucky, dropping 30 and 29 points in each game respectively. Early on, it was clear that when UConn needed a basket, they knew exactly where the ball needed to go.
Then, something interesting happened. Kemba seemed realize he needed help. Throughout the Big East regular season schedule, the Huskies appeared to struggle. They went 9-9 in the brutal conference games against other great teams. But while the Huskies win-loss column suffered, Kemba deferred to other teammates. In doing so, he inspired confidence in a group of young freshmen, like Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb, so much so that in crunch time late in the NCAA tournament, Walker knew he could trust Lamb to spark a game winning run on offense. UConn ran off one of the most legendary performances in Big East history, winning 5 games in 5 nights, 4 of which were against teams ranked in the NCAA Top 25. They continued to roll, reaching the Final Four, not only on the strength of Kemba's scoring, but also thanks to his much improved teammates, who he had taken the time to involve during the regular season.
Now, back to the Timberwolves. Minnesota has one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Players like Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph and Wesley Johnson are all chalk full of athleticism upside, while being absolutely clueless on how to win. The most frustrating thing about this year's team is seeing how many times the T-Wolves stick with a good team until the 4th quarter, at which point they panic and are unable to close the deal. Kemba has showed throughout this NCAA season that he has the ability to help young players gain confidence and late game smarts. And when the younger players can't produce at the end of the game, Kemba can do it himself. Remember that video above? Here's another.
An important note: I'm not saying Kemba Walker is absolutely going to be a mix of Allen Iverson and Chris Paul. I'm saying that's his ceiling, where he could end up in the future. He COULD. He COULD also end up being another Johnny Flynn. But in a draft universally touted as one of the worst in recent memory, why would you not grab a player with that kind of potential, if he was available?
Oh right. Because your GM is David Kahn. Please, Timberwolves fans, forget I asked.
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