When you break your leg, you can't just put a Band-Aid on it and make it better. You actually need to have it surgically repaired and fixed. What the Timberwolves are attempting to do by hyping up their 2009 first-round draft pick, Ricky Rubio, is to use him as a Band-Aid for the bigger issue: that the team is terrible and the front office is choosing not to make it better. Rubio isn't going to help you there.
Since the departure of Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves have been a complete laughing stock in the NBA. They haven't come close to being a competitive team in the Western Conference, and the main reason why is the lack of effort the front office is putting toward making this team better. They have continued to make a mockery of the NBA Draft, of which they have seemingly been a permanent fixture in the Draft Lottery for the last eight seasons. Over the last six years, aside from the lone standout move made to acquire Kevin Love in a draft-day trade for O.J. Mayo, they have passed on numerous outstanding NBA players (Rajon Rondo, Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis) in favor of lesser talents (Jonny Flynn, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants). Yea...I'm sure taking drafting Brandon Roy and then trading him for Randy Foye was a great idea at the time. Rudy Gay and Rondo thank you from the bottom of their hearts that you didn't bring them to this cemetery of a basketball town.
The Timberwolves have been banking money, saving on the free agents they've been signing over the last couple of seasons, opting to go with third and fourth tier players. They have shown no initiative in utilizing that saved coin to better the franchise. To top that, they recently asked the city of Minneapolis to help with a $155 million renovation to Target Center, the fourth oldest arena in the NBA. Really? This is a give and take kinda thing guys...and the crap you're "giving" us on the court doesn't mean you can "take" us for idiots! If you're going to screw us over, at least take us out to dinner first. That's at least common courtesy.
The Wolves currently sit $11 million under the $53 million salary cap for the 2011-2012 season. This all may change with the NBA's collective bargaining agreement coming to an end. The 2011 free agent class is fairly weak, with the only "big" names being the likes of Michael Redd and Shane Battier. The main problem the Wolves will encounter this year is really making their only true star player, Love, happy. Kevin Love becomes a free agent after the 2011-2012 season, and it's expected that he will more than likely sign elsewhere, rather than wilt away in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are doing to Love what they did to Al Jefferson. Both are great players, but neither is a #1 caliber star that can carry his team. Both have the type of skill sets that would be outstanding sidekicks to major stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Derrick Rose. When they acquired Jefferson in the trade for Kevin Garnett, they immediately began selling him to Wolves' fans as Kevin's replacement. They began positioning him as the face of the franchise, when even at that time, he was nothing more than a glorified role player. Unfortunately...this is exactly what they are doing now with Rikcy Rubio; trying to make him a superstar in the eyes of the fans, when in reality he is nothing more than a back-up point guard.
Rubio, albeit a flashy, likable player, is not someone you can count on to carry your team into the future. With Kevin Love, you have a star on your hands, but again, he's a star in need of a superstar to really flourish. Rubio is not that superstar. When you look at what appears to be happening in the NBA, with superstar players deciding to play each others' sidekicks, it would seem that you have only two choices. One of those choices is to find one of these superstars, like a Dwight Howard or Derrick Rose, and look to deal Love to one of those teams in exchange for lesser contracts, so you can continue to save money you refuse to spend. The second option would be to seek out one of these superstars and convince him that Kevin Love is someone who would welcome you with open arms. Think of it this way; back in 2007, the Boston Celtics, already with Paul Pierce as their star, pulled off a great trade on draft day, bringing in Ray Allen to play alongside Pierce. Shortly after that, they pulled off the deal with the Wolves to acquire Garnett. Then, in June of 2008, the Boston Celtics became NBA Champions. The previous season, the Celtics had the second worst record in the NBA. They had a slew of players that collectively couldn't compete on a nightly basis with the rest of the league. Not necessarily that all of them were bad players, but that unit couldn't successfully play together. Unfortunately...what happened was a game of Pass The Buck, with the Celtics essentially passing those players to the Wolves in favor of Kevin Garnett.
Now, it's the Wolves' turn. Rubio can be a great player, but you can't rest the success of the franchise on his shoulders, nor can you expect Kevin Love to carry this team on his. Imagine a lineup of Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Beasley, Chris Paul, with Ricky Rubio coming off the bench. I'm not saying Howard, Prince, or Paul would even want to come to Minnesota. Heck, if it were between Los Angeles, Chicago, or Minnesota, I think it's safe to say that the Twin Cities would be the third choice. But, after finishing with the second worst record in 2006, would anyone have thought the Celtics would've won the 2007-2008 NBA Championship with a team consisting of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett? The Celtics chose to make the moves to ensure they could compete. They knew Allen was spinning his wheels in Seattle, and that the Wolves couldn't put enough pieces around Garnett to be competitive, so they pieced together the puzzle for both, making it the perfect opportunity for both, along with Pierce. The Wolves could have that same opportunity, if they chose to pursue it.
Instead, the only thing they seem to be pursuing is superstardom for Ricky Rubio. I think David Kahn should legally change his name to David Con, because that's apparently all he's good at. He's "con"ning Rubio into thinking he's a star. He's "con"ning the fans of the Wolves by making them think this kid can save their team. And lastly, he's "con"ning himself into believing that he can't make the necessary changes to make this team competitive. Get with the program, before the Wolves become even more of a joke than they already are.
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