I don't know how I feel about the trade. The Wolves do bring in Kevin Love who will play great with Al Jefferson and Mike Miller who is just a sharpshooter if there ever was one. And an added bonus you've got to love white people playing basketball. Bless their hearts for trying. But, I was really liking OJ Mayo. I hope this doesn't come back to haunt the Wolves, I really do. In addition, Memphis has Mike Conley to go along with Mayo at guard, a little scary.
In addition to bringing in Miller and Love, the Wolves bring in Jason Collins. A center! Thank God, they finally addressed that. It's not like Collins is going to be an all-star any time, but he is someone you can put at the 5 and not feel like you're wasting your best player there. (See All Jefferson's 2007 season.) We can just write-off Brian Cardinal as an insignificant part of the deal, sorry Brian. On top of that, the Wolves dump the enormous contracts of the oft disappointing Marko Jaric and Antoine Walker. (Note, that Jaric was the only disappointment. Walker did all he could for the team in his limited time here and I respect him for that. Jaric was just a drain on the team's pocket book.) Sadly, the write-off on this side of the deal is veteran Greg Buckner. I like the guy, he's good people. I wish him the best. All in all, a solid deal for both sides. I will reiterate that I just hope the trading of Mayo doesn't come back to haunt Minnesota. But, the future looks a little brighter for both teams and the Wolves have filled needs.
As far as the rest of the draft is concerned, Nikola Pekovic was a great pick. As an analyst said during the draft, like Derrick Rose was a lock at 1, Pekovic was a lock at 31. Since he had issues with a contract he has with a Greek team for the next 3 years, teams shied away from him in the first round. But once the second round came around, the Wolves pounced on the 7 foot center from Serbia. This is a great pick for down the road. It also give Collins a few years to prove his worth to the team.
Now that draft has come and gone I am feeling very confident in the future of this Wolves squad. All they need to do now is solidify their bench and they could potentially be contenders in a year or two.
In addition to bringing in Miller and Love, the Wolves bring in Jason Collins. A center! Thank God, they finally addressed that. It's not like Collins is going to be an all-star any time, but he is someone you can put at the 5 and not feel like you're wasting your best player there. (See All Jefferson's 2007 season.) We can just write-off Brian Cardinal as an insignificant part of the deal, sorry Brian. On top of that, the Wolves dump the enormous contracts of the oft disappointing Marko Jaric and Antoine Walker. (Note, that Jaric was the only disappointment. Walker did all he could for the team in his limited time here and I respect him for that. Jaric was just a drain on the team's pocket book.) Sadly, the write-off on this side of the deal is veteran Greg Buckner. I like the guy, he's good people. I wish him the best. All in all, a solid deal for both sides. I will reiterate that I just hope the trading of Mayo doesn't come back to haunt Minnesota. But, the future looks a little brighter for both teams and the Wolves have filled needs.
As far as the rest of the draft is concerned, Nikola Pekovic was a great pick. As an analyst said during the draft, like Derrick Rose was a lock at 1, Pekovic was a lock at 31. Since he had issues with a contract he has with a Greek team for the next 3 years, teams shied away from him in the first round. But once the second round came around, the Wolves pounced on the 7 foot center from Serbia. This is a great pick for down the road. It also give Collins a few years to prove his worth to the team.
Now that draft has come and gone I am feeling very confident in the future of this Wolves squad. All they need to do now is solidify their bench and they could potentially be contenders in a year or two.
