Who needs a shooting guard?
After some long, hard thought and consideration, I’ve come to realize that shooting guard is THE most important position on the court. Okay, maybe not, but it is essential for a team to at least have a good #2 if you plan on making a run at the Championship. The Wolves All-Decade team showed me that the Wolves have never had a true, reliable #2. The early years brought us JR Rider, who never lived up to the talent we thought he could’ve brought. Doug West played nine seasons with the Wolves but only averaged double-digits in points four out of nine years and frankly, other than Wolves fans, not many people have heard of Doug West before. My justifications for Anthony Peeler as the team’s shooting guard of the decade speak for themselves but again, I’m sure a lot of NBA fans wouldn’t be shy about asking, “Who the hell is Anthony Peeler?!” Let’s face it guys, at a position where leadership, being clutch and most of all scoring is required, the Wolves have never been able to properly fill this position.
Teams are building around players like this, and most of all winning Championships. We’re going to take a look at teams that have won Championships in the past decade and analyze who their #2 was, and let me tell you now, they are all better than Anthony Peeler! (No offense Peel).
- Los Angeles Lakers: Years won:’08-’09, ’01-’02, ’00-’01: Kobe Bryant: Not much explanation needed here. He’s only going to ride on Laker fan’s shoulders to Springfield, Massachusetts into the Hall of Fame all the way from L.A. Not my preference of transportation but his smug face sure would enjoy it!
- Boston Celtics: Year won:’07-’08: Paul Pierce/Ray Allen: Pierce is a great player; one of the best in Celtics history and that’s really saying something. He helped lead this team through that great season and playoffs on their way to a Championship. I put Ray Allen in there as well because both play the 2 and in my opinion, they both played as true wingers on a great team. Aside from that, Allen also led this team with his veteran ability and a sniper-like marksmanship.
- San Antonio Spurs: Years won:’06-’07, ’04-’05, ’02-’03: Manu Ginobili: Although coming off the bench for the last few years as well as a few lingering injuries, Ginobili gives a certain spark to the Spurs that not many teams have. His ability to use his craftiness and overall basketball IQ helped lead the Spurs to three Championships this decade. Sure, this is Tim Duncan’s team and Tony Parker is a stud, but Ginobili has always been there as a key piece in to this quietly decorated franchise.
- Miami Heat: Year won: ’05-’06: Dwayne Wade: Wade is the second most exciting player to watch in the NBA, and that is scientific fact. He makes plays when he touches the ball and you can see on his face how calm and cool he is. He’s led the Heat in most statistical categories and brought the Championship in it’s franchise history to South Florida. Wade will be a free agent in 2010 and will probably demand big money from any taker.
- Detroit Pistons: Year won: ’03-’04: Richard “Rip” Hamilton: Hamilton’s never been a household name but to Piston’s fans, he means a lot. He joined the Pistons as a mediocre to good #2 and ended up helping the franchise briefly return to “powerhouse” status. With a few years under his belt and a supporting cast, Hamilton was able to maturely grow and develop into a strong and reliable veteran player.
This just proves the importance of a solid shooting guard to an NBA franchise. The Wolves have had their chances to acquire some “assets” at that position. Problem is that Mr. McHale was in charge and felt that a need for a young, hybrid guard, Randy Foye, would be more valuable than an NBA-ready, sharpshooting, pure #2 in Brandon Roy, not to mention the other questionable moves McHale made or didn’t make. The Wolves have just not been able to solidify that position. Rashad McCants showed spurts of only goodness, but he’s not even in the NBA anymore. We traded away Ray Allen in 1996 for Stephon “Starbury”. We traded O.J. Mayo away, sure it was for Kevin Love, but we don’t know what the ceiling on Love is while for Mayo, well, sky’s the limit. I think you guys are starting to get my point. The Wolves need a true #2 if they plan on ending this rebuilding phase and getting back into the playoffs. With lots of money to spend in the offseason, the Wolves need to take advantage of someone in this wide-open pool of talent. Here’s just a few names who might be available for the Wolves to “bite” on:
- Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson
- Boston Celtics: Ray Allen
- Chicago Bulls: John Salmons
- Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant
- Miami Heat: Dwayne Wade
- Milwaukee Bucks: Michael Redd
- San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili
These are just a few of the names that could be buying new homes this offseason. Some of you might be thinking, “How could the Wolves lure someone like Wade away from any other team?” and I simply answer, “MONEY!”. Rebuilding a franchise needs to be done via 2 ways: the draft and free agency. I’ve done my research on the draft and will post what I’ve seen in some time soon, but from what I’ve found, not many shooting guards will be there in the high lottery worth taking. Sure, the college season is young and new talents will rise but as of now, there isn’t one name that gives scouts the butterflies. If the Wolves want to address that position and put Corey Brewer to rest on the bench (where he probably belongs), they will have to do it through free agency. Any Wolves fans want to see Dwayne Wade as a Timberwolf? I submit that I do!
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DWade? Keep dreaming
Haha you never know my man! Joe Johnson perhaps?
J-Stein (if I may),
Other than Joe Johnson (28) and D-Wade (27), every player on that list is 30 or older. I think the model the T-Wolves ought to be aiming for is what the Blazers did a couple years ago, or what the Zombie Sonics are doing now: building a team from the ground up based on a core of young players who will stick around for a while and be able to gel together.
I agree that we need an elite scoring threat at either the 2 or the 3, and a defensive stopper/roleplayer at the other wing. What we don’t need is to overpay for the re-animated corpse of Redd, Salmons, or Ray Allen for next year since we won’t be competitive anyway. I’d rather see us bring in someone like Wesley Johnson or Evan Turner, and commit to their development as a scorer and all-around ball player, rather than doing the whole Vikings/Warren Moon thing all over again. Struggling teams are more fun if there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Also, Love for Mayo wasn’t nearly as bad as Foye-Roy or Ray Allen for crazy YouTube Guy. Not even remotely in the same league of awfulness. Love will probably never be a 25 ppg scorer but is a double-double machine and is shooting (and making) 3′s this year. If we’re talking bad roster moves, invoke the name of Marko Jaric, by all means, but leave Love out of the discussion; he’s one of the few bright spots in a particularly dim year.
Joe, you bring up a great point. Where do the Wolves go from here and how? Is it through the draft or free agency? I think we can sort of see into Kahns crystal ball with all these draft picks he’s stacking up but the question I posed is still in the air. With a lack of potential All-Star shooting guards in the draft, the Wolves may have to look somewhere else to address this need. I think bringing in a Johnson or someone could be done but will require a lot of money, and that’s basically it. If they’re not willing to spend the money, then I’m not sure they expect to be winning for at least another year. Frankly, I just don’t want to see another 2-3 year project at the 2 or 3 position similar to what we did with Brewer.
Tracy Mcgrady is who I think the wolves should go for if Houston’s still gonna trade him, those other names I don’t really see any of them coming here willingly, so to get that caliber of player it would have to be a trade situation where the player might not have as much say in where they end up, just my opinion
I second the McGrady idea, if you want to pursue a bona fide star at the position.
As for the other FAs, I think the only guy who’d reasonably come here is Redd. They are all old, and Kobe’s not leaving, Wade is going to play with Lebron (which won’t work as well as they might think it will – too many cooks in the kitchen). Joe Johnson’s not leaving Atlanta for yet another rebuilding project. Allen and Ginobli, and even Salmons, I don’t think would ever come here unless it’s a Sessions type deal, as in no one else signs them and they need a team.
The FO’s MO is finding a stud through the draft. It’ll be interesting to see what Wellington will become. He doesn’t have great size or athleticism, but he does have a great stroke and the smarts/savvy to find open shots in this offense. Playing like he has over the last five games (which I think is reasonably sustainable) and averaging 36 minutes a night, Wellington would be dropping just over 19.5 points a night!
I love Mcgrady! I think your right completely. The only reason I didn’t throw his name in the mix was because it would need to be a trade to get him. The other guys are free agents in the offseason, and no matter how many people tell me I’m wrong, I think a free agent like one of them would help the team drastically for next season. Everyone says to model after Oklahoma or Portland but people don’t realize that that happens very often; to nail down at least three great draft picks and have them to be as successful as they are this season. Most teams would be lucky to get just 1 successful draft pick in three years!
J-Stein,
You bring up a legitimate point that OJ Mayo would be a good fit for the T-Wolves at this point given his scoring and natural position at the 2; while trading for younger players (especially while still in their rookie contract) is tougher in the NBA, given the sheer quantity of assets assembled by Kahn in the last 8 months, I think we could work something out.
Wouldn’t a trade like Sessions, Pecherov, Hollins, and a 2010 1st rounder (Utah’s top 10 protected pick) for Marc Gasol and Mayo make sense for everyone involved?
Gasol provides us with an unselfish, defensive big and Mayo adds electricity and scoring in the 2 spot. Plus, doesn’t trading for Marc Gasol lock Rubio in as a T-Wolf, and adding Mayo satisfy Kahn’s innermost desire to start a small backcourt?
The Grizzlies get a decent young PG (Sessions) to feed Rudy Gay the ball and a smorgasbord of Pecherov and Hollins- just enough to keep them held over until their next bout with Management Herpes (cough – Chris Wallace – cough).
Presumably we could still pick up Evan Turner, Xavier Henry, or Wesley Johnson with our first #1, or package our first pick and others to pick up a swingman with some upside (depending on where we fall in the lottery).
I mean, it’s not that crazy, if we could only get Chris Wallace to the bargaining table.
By the way, I like T-Mac but only as a short term stop gap to make losing more fun. Keep stockpiling those assets!