If you've read my last few posts, you know a few things. I don't stick to any format and I like anagrams. Starting with this post, I am relenting a little on the former in order to indulge the latter. The headline for each "From 1 to 35, 535" will now include an anagram of the player who will be profiled within. So feel free to see if you can solve the name game before reading on.

E-6 Bait

Race Oddity: Of the ten players who make up the bottom of the "minutes played" list for the Timberwolves, five are black and five are white. What is the meaning of this color pattern (other than making me hanker for a twist cone from Dairy Queen)? If you ask me, nothing at all. Just a statistical anomaly. How this correlates (or not) with the current roster's complexion is your call.

Back to our countdown to 35,535: the past few players have been from the early days of the franchise. Today's guy, #11 with 25 minutes, is of more recent vintage. The identity of "Not a real duck" is revealed after the jump.

Alando Tucker is the second Badger to make our list, making Wisconsin our first two-time offender. In another instance of "Oh, what a tangled web we weave," Tucker was acquired along with a 2nd round pick and $$$ for Jason Hart, who as we have seen is tied for the second shortest stint in Wolves' history. This trade occurred late in 2009; the original AT was waived three months later.

Tucker, like the guy before him on this list, Brian Evans, was the Big Ten Player of the Year. Which leads me to think that maybe the Big Ten, despite being a major basketball conference, does not churn out NBA stars. Let's look at all the Players of the Year since 1996:

1. Brian Evans
2. Bobby Jackson (Gopher!)
3. Mateen Cleaves
4. Mateen Cleaves (again)
5. Frankie Williams (who?)
6. Jared Jeffries
7. Brian Cook
8. Devin Harris
9. Dee Brown
10. Terence Dials (Wha?)
11. Alando Tucker
12. D.J. White (known to Jesse Pinkman as "Mr. White")
13. Kalin Lucas (really?)
14. Evan Turner
15. JaJuan Johnson (is that like "Ji Jim Thome"?)
16. Draymond Green (Deverybody Dloves Draymond)

That's it? Where are the superstars? Perennial all stars? Or just good starters? By my haphazard count, I tally it thus:
Fine NBA career (3): Jackson, Harris, Turner? Journeyman (3): Jeffries, Cook, Johnson? Bust (6): Evans, Cleaves, Williams, Brown, Tucker, White? Never even played in the NBA (2): Dials, Lucas
And Green was not drafted until the 2nd round this year, so at least Golden State's expectations for him are probably in line with the odds of him becoming a productive player, if the above list is any indication.