One of the things that has been largely overlooked in the buildup to the draft is the fact that the Wolves are the proud owners of two closely-placed 2nd round picks, #45 and #47. If David Kahn really wants to show the world that he's a top-shelf PBO, finding a functional player at this point in the draft would be a nice feather in his cap.
Our approach to the 2nd round is not to go out looking for the next Gilbert Arenas or Manu Ginobili; rather, it is to find functional role players that can provide great value. We are looking for European players who could possibly defer their salary for a year or two or NCAA players who fill specific roles; namely, 3 point specialists, defensive-oriented perimeter players, and backup bigs.
While we'll save any extra analysis for our final draft board post, here are the players we are looking at in the 2nd round. If you believe we are overlooking anyone, please let us know in the comment section.
-
Victor Claver- A 6-10" athlete who scores by shooting 3s or finishing at the rim. He is coming off an injury but is still very young.
-
Rodrigue Beaubois- Unbelievable quickness, ridiculous handle, amazing length, and...well, that's pretty much it at this point. Beaubois has the physical tools to be a Rondo-esque player at the point. Whether he has the skills or mental makeup is another question all together.
-
Sergio Llull- The other young Spanish point. This one has excellent size and athleticism for the position while being able to shoot from long-range.
-
Danny Green- Good size and athleticism with defensive potential on the perimeter.
-
Robert Dozier- Solid defensive potential. Good length and rebounding ability to go along with a developing shot. Length and athleticism are big pluses; age and strength are negatives.
- Jodie Meeks- I will be amazed if he is available at 45 but if he is, he might be worth a look.
-
Josh Heytvelt- Assuming he's all done with eating shrooms, and that he has sufficiently recovered from his injury, Heytvelt is an interesting fit for the Wolves. He's athletic and long but he's not a very good defender.
-
Jack McClinton- McClinton is going to make some team very, very, very happy with their selection. He's a bit old and he probably isn't starting material at the next level but he is tough as hell, can shoot the lights out, and could even be used as a pint-sized 3 point specialist off the bench. McClinton would definitely be worth a peek.
-
Goran Suton- He takes up space and can rebound.
-
Paul Harris- Jonny Flynn's backcourt partner at Syracuse has the potential to be an excellent perimeter defender with some offensive skills to boot. He is the one player that the Wolves absolutely should take if he is available at #45.
-
Jimmy Baron- An amazing, amazing, amazing 3 point shooter from Rhode Island. He's a long shot but who isn't with the 47th pick?
We kind of tipped our hand with Harris (and McClinton) but who do you think the Wolves should be looking at in the 2nd round? While you're busy with that, here's where our Community Draft Board stands:
- Blake Griffin
- Ricky Rubio
- James Harden
- Stephen Curry
- Hasheem Thabeet
- Tyreke Evans
- Demar DeRozan
- Brandon Jennings
- Jrue Holiday
- Jonny Flynn
- Jordan Hill
- Ty Lawson
- Earl Clark
- Eric Maynor
- ???