princeofpalace wrote: If Wolves landed the 5th pick would you really trade him for a decent foreign prospect and 2 later firsts?
First, thanks for not going off on me for my clumsy wording last post. I wasn't trying to call you ignorant as a perjorative term, but that people in general don't have knowledge about Pekovic. The word "ignorant" now is used more as an insult, and I didn't mean it that way, and should have used a different term. Thanks for not going off on me for it.
Let me restate your question. If the "decent foreign prospect" was Rubio + two later 1sts? Well, MIN traded the #5 for Rubio without even getting the future 1sts.
The question then becomes whether Pekovic is in the Rubio class. Hollinger would probably say "yes." He would have drafted him #3 (ahead of Kevin Love and OJ Mayo) if he was coming over next season. Pek certainly doesn't have Rubio's hype, and he should be valued lower, but I think he's closer to Rubio than just being called a "decent foreign prospect." Two years ago, DraftExpress had him listed as #3 on their list of best foreign players owned by NBA teams, and Pekovic has increased his value since then with championships and mvps.
A lot of posters here are willing to move Al Jefferson because they have the security blanket of creating minutes for Pekovic. We're familiar with both, and if I'm DET, I think that makes Pekovic worth researching.