The Football Fan Spot

I don’t know a ton about basketball or the NBA, at least not in comparison to football and the NFL, that’s why this site is not called footballandbasketballfanspot (plus it sounds ridiculous). However, I’m pretty sure I’d make a more competent Team President than Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn. I know what you’re thinking, he’s in the NBA, he must know what he’s doing. He doesn’t. Plus, look at his background. He doesn’t have anything in his background that would make him competent at running an NBA front office.

Kahn was a sports writer in Portland from 1983-1989. He got a law degree and later worked in the front office of some good Pacers teams from 1993-2002, though I don’t know how much of their success could be attributed to him. The Pacers success in the late 90s is widely attributed to team president Donnie Walsh and of course Reggie Miller, who Donnie Walsh drafted. Kahn then went and sold real estate in Portland, led the failed effort to move the then Montreal Expos of Major League Baseball to Portland. He also purchased a few NBDL teams, before getting rehired as the front man in Minnesota. Since then, well, everything’s been a big mess.

Kahn’s tenure in Minnesota started on a bit of a high note as he acquired another top 6 pick, from Washington in a deal for a few guys who the Timberwolves probably wouldn’t have missed, sharpshooter Mike Miller and 6th man sparkplug Randy Foye. However, with the 5th and 6th picks in hand, he probably should have done a lot more.

With the 5th pick Kahn, did what many expected of him and drafted international superstar point guard Ricky Rubio from Spain. However, with the 6th pick, he went point guard yet again drafting Jonny Flynn. In a move that may or may not be related to the fact that Kahn drafted another point guard right under him, Rubio decided he didn’t want to go to Minnesota. It makes sense that either he felt insulted by the selection of any point guard, he felt that Minnesota’s team did not have enough talented weapons to work with as a result of the selection of another point guard, or he felt that Minnesota’s front office was too incompetent to build a winner. Either way, he stayed in Spain. Flynn was solid in his first year, but when the kid that everyone was expecting them to take, shooting guard Stephen Curry, finished 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting this season, it just made the Timberwolves look even worse.

Kahn would add one more point guard in the offseason, signing Ramon Sessions to a 4 year 16 million dollar deal. Sessions actually turned out to be a decent part of their team this year, but only because Ricky Rubio refused to come over from Spain, freeing up some playing time for the backup guard. Despite having 4 first round picks, all Kahn got out of it was a future first rounder, a point guard, another point guard who refused to come over to the States, and a shooter in Wayne Ellington. They still lacked a perimeter scorer who could take the ball to the basket off the dribble, which many called their biggest need going into the offseason, after the trade of Randy Foye. He also failed to add a shot blocking big man to the mix.

In the 2010 offseason, after the Timberwolves finished 15-67 in 2009-10, 9 games worse then 2008-09, Kahn was back at it again. The 2010 NBA Draft started off normal enough with the Timberwolves drafting Wesley Johnson to fill their need at small forward. I would have preferred to see Kahn try to move up to get Evan Turner, who can create his own scoring and possibly attract Ricky Rubio to the states to play for Minnesota, but maybe that just wasn’t possible. Johnson was best player available at their position of greatest need. However, Kahn wasn’t done. He then traded Ryan Gomes to the Portland Trailblazers for Martell Webster. Gomes and Webster had similar stats and played the same position, though Gomes can also play power forward and Webster is younger. It looked like an interesting, but unnecessary move for the Timberwolves, until you saw that the Timberwolves also threw in the 16th overall pick to Portland, just like it was nothing. Kahn then picked up two more small forwards, Lazar Hayward and Nemanja Bjelica.

Around draft time, Rubio also said that he would come to the states in 2011, but was not sure whether or not he’d want to play for the Timberwolves. I’m betting he wants to see them win some games first, which doesn’t look likely. Kahn is still refusing to trade Rubio’s rights to get any sort of value out of him, which may or may not be a smart move in 12 months.

After the draft Kahn signed Darko Milicic for 4 years 20 million dollars and then compared Milicic to a young Chris Webber. Yes, that Darko Milicic. Yes, that Chris Webber. Wow.

Kahn looked like he had made a smart move when he acquired Michael Beasley from the salary cutting Miami Heat for a 2nd round pick, until I found out that the trade gives the Heat to swap future first rounders with the Timberwolves. Considering the Heat will probably be picking in the late 20s and the Timberwolves will probably be picking in the top 5, that looks pretty stupid for Kahn. Beasley may have been worth a top 5 pick when he was drafted 2nd overall and appeared to be the next Kevin Durant. However, in two NBA seasons, Beasley has averaged 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while providing very little defensively. Beasley has also had off the court issues. He appears, at this stage of his career, to be destined to be a soft power forward in this league. Plus, with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love at power forward already, where would Beasley play. Love has already been playing out of position at center his entire career, but what about Jefferson?

Kahn would answer the Jefferson question by getting rid of him. Kahn traded his best player to the Utah Jazz for a trade exception worth 14 million dollars, as well as two future first round picks and Kosta Koufos, who is averaging 3.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game in his career. That trade looked puzzling enough, trading your best player Al Jefferson, who is 25 years old, and averaged 17.1 points 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last year, when you’re trying to attract Ricky Rubio to your team. However, when you consider that the trade exception they acquired would probably be used on bad contracts and the draft picks, which should be in the 15th-25th pick range, will probably be used on the wrong players who play the same position, it gets a lot worse. But, hey, at least Kahn acquired another point guard this offseason, signing Luke Ridnour to a 4 year 16 million dollar deal after he cleared cap with the Jefferson deal.