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Timberwolves Notes: Flip Saunders at Eurocamp, Too Many Mock Drafts

We're heavy into draft prep, which means lots of workouts against chairs, and lots of rumors designed to get page views. But hey. We'll have fun anyway.

By Eric in Madison
Rob Carr

Flip Saunders will be a guest speaker (along with Bill Bayno) at the Adidas Eurocamp this weekend, the annual big stage for overseas prospects hoping to be drafted this year or in future years. Lots of players will be participating in practices, drills, and games, including likely 2013 draftees like Rudy Gobert, Lucas Nogueira, and Livio Jean-Charles.

There will also be younger prospects getting themselves seen by NBA decision makers for upcoming drafts. It's a major event on the NBA calendar now, and all teams will be well represented. Lots more information available at Draft Express.

In the world of mock drafts, Draft Express still has the Wolves taking Shabazz Muhammad with the 9th pick.

Chad Ford, on the other hand, has the Wolves taking Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in his most recent mock, and had this to say:

New Timberwolves GM Flip Saunders has made no secret of his desire to acquire a shooter on the wing. He’s already auditioned several in Minnesota (CaldwellPope, Allen Crabbe and Tim Hardaway Jr. worked out for him on Thursday) and traveled to Vegas to see Russian Sergey Karasev on Friday. I think Caldwell-Pope
might have the most upside of any shooter left on the board. I’m hearing the Wolves agree.

Thanks to the tireless Darren Wolfson we find out that Greg Stiemsma's 2013-14 contract becomes fully guaranteed if he is still on the roster on July 17th, and Gelebale's contract becomes guaranteed if he's still around on Juy 22nd. Meaning that either player could be traded as non-guaranteed (waiveable) salary prior to those dates.

Phil Ervin, the new voice at Fox Sports North is beginning to chip in with Wolves pieces, like this one about Flip's approach to international talent. Or this one about the Wolves options if they go big in the draft.

Patrick and Andy consider the relative merits of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ben McLemore as partners for Ricky Rubio over at Punch-Drunk Wolves. Those guys are always worth reading.

JerryZ threw out this idea on twitter: 9 and parts for Afflalo. I argued against it, mostly on the theory that trading an asset like the 9th pick to pay Afflalo his contract seems excessive, but in reality, I'd consider it at least. Nobody seemed to like my alternative of 9 and parts for Dudley, which seems like a much better deal to me, but I've been wrong before.

One of the most absurd own-goals ever:


Two musical birthdays today:

First, Richard Butler, frontman of the British post-punk/new wave act The Psychedelic Furs is 57:


Second, performance artist and art rocker Laurie Anderson is 66:


That's all I've got. What do you got?