RealGM

About this time of year I always look at how all the rookies are doing and how well the sophmores are progressing. That said, I have liked your team for a while. Love Rubio and Love and D Williams... I am just sad for you that your GM messed it up so bad in last years draft. I think he should have taken Monroe or Cousins. As a Jazz fan we were all wanting to move up with you guys to get Cousins or Monroe and couldn't believe it when your GM took Johnson. I especially couldn't understand the pick given that you had the SF position locked down pretty well and that its a position much easier to be filled.

No offense but there is history with taking 22 yr olds out of college.... meaning they are what they are and they usually don't progress.

Its just too bad cause you guys have such a fun team, and its future would look so much better if you had Monroe or Cousins... even Hayward or P George.

How do you guys feel about Wes Johnson, and is there any frustration?

Are you trolling? Of course hindsight is 20/20 and you take George or Monroe, heck I was for George before the draft. Didn't want Monroe and was "eh" on Cousins.

Wes Johnson has the tools, just not the mentality.

I must have missed the compliment. Seems to be mostly bashing Kahn's drafts.

Sorry, I love your team.. how you play... and many of the players.. and I think you have a great future... Minnesota is the only other team I enjoy watching besides the Jazz. I just scratch my head at GM decisions sometimes, and wondered how you guys felt about it...

For example on draft night I was mad we drafted Gordon Hayward because I knew we had the assets to make a move with GSW to get Monroe and thought he was the player to get... it has turned out okay in retrospect. I was just interested to know who you guys were looking at and what level of support the decision had because I was taken by surprise by Johnson's pick over 2 quality bigs.

Wanted Cousins or to trade down for Paul George. A lot of the discussion here was Cousins vs. Johnson.

blackham9258 wrote:I was just interested to know who you guys were looking at and what level of support the decision had because I was taken by surprise by Johnson's pick over 2 quality bigs.

I liked George just based on what I saw on the stats sheet and highlight films but I'm no expert. I didn't care for Monroe, like I said earlier. I'm a Kentucky fan and saw Cousins' temper so was okay with passing on him.

http://www.mynbadraft.com/2010-NBA-Mock-Draft
http://www.nbadraft.net/2010mock_draft
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2010/
http://walterfootball.com/nbadraft2010mock.php

Every one of those mock drafts had Wes Johnson at #4 so it isn't like he was a surprise pick. He was a consensus top wing-player after Turner, even if some may have Cousins higher.

The mistake was not trading Flynn for George.

Was that trade on the table...

Silly Mormons and their basketball opinions.

As I remember it they offered the 10th pick for Flynn before the draft. Who knows if we would have taken George at 10.

blackham9258 wrote: I especially couldn't understand the pick given that you had the SF position locked down pretty well and that its a position much easier to be filled.

That's actually not true, IIRC it was after that draft where we traded for Beasley and Martell Webster, while also drafting Wes and Lazar Hayward.

blackham9258 wrote:How do you guys feel about Wes Johnson, and is there any frustration?

Ton of frustration, he sucks. He shouldn't even be in the NBA after his rookie contract is up.

FYI, I am from KC... and bigotry... really?

blackham9258 wrote:FYI, I am from KC... and bigotry... really?

No, not really

I wanted Cousins too but the nightmare stories about his personality scared me off and I think the front office too. The guy looked like he would be a major problem and the potential damage he brought didn't seem worth it.

As a fan quickly becoming a huge fan of the Wolves, I am SO glad they don't have DeMarcus Cousins.

What's fun about the Wolves is their CHEMISTRY, seems like a great group of guys, no bad apples. Cousins has already gotten one coach fired.

Sure they failed on Wes Johnson, but they also found a gem in Pekovic....

The Pekovic/Love/Williams frontcourt could be the best in the league soon, so much fun watching this team!!!!

I agree... great group of guys. I was also wondering why you didn't give Kevin Love the 5 year max? That surprised me... I actually agree with the decision as I think that is too much for him and ties your hands unnecessarily but was wondering your thoughts on that.

The mock drafts, I believe, incorporated what people thought we were going to do (that is, adjusted for team needs), especially since we basically told everyone we were taking Wes. I don't think Monroe was in consideration (IIRC, the draft was a four person draft with a clear cut 5th player [Wes]).

I think Flynn for George was on the table, and I lament this constantly.

If only we had drafted Cousins, and he got our last coach fired earlier , that would have been outstanding.

To clarify -- Kahn failed on Wes Johnson/Flynn. McHale (who was also terrible at picking wings) succeeded at picking Pek/Love.

yeah we should have drafted Cousins and traded him but oh well...

You can't cry over lost crack cocaine. If you lose it down the drain just go score some smack instead.

To Khan's credit, this is what Khan had to work with when he took over the Wolves

Rk Player Salary
1 Al Jefferson $11,000,000
2 Mike Miller $9,028,575
3 Juwan Howard $7,375,500
4 Brian Cardinal $6,300,000
5 Jason Collins $6,200,000
6 Ryan Gomes $3,650,000
7 Shelden Williams $3,395,760
8 Kevin Love $3,163,680
9 Randy Foye $2,815,560
10 Corey Brewer $2,725,920
11 Mark Madsen $2,630,000
12 Craig Smith $2,500,000
13 Sebastian Telfair $2,300,000
14 Rodney Carney $1,655,760
15 Kevin Ollie $1,262,275
16 Bobby Brown $442,114
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2009.html

He turned Randy Foye and Mike Miller into the #5 draft pick, which turned into Rubio. Yeah, Khan's draft picks did not always work out, but you should look at factors mentioned above when judging Khan.

kik1034ev wrote:To Khan's credit, this is what Khan had to work with when he took over the Wolves

Rk Player Salary
1 Al Jefferson $11,000,000
2 Mike Miller $9,028,575
3 Juwan Howard $7,375,500
4 Brian Cardinal $6,300,000
5 Jason Collins $6,200,000
6 Ryan Gomes $3,650,000
7 Shelden Williams $3,395,760
8 Kevin Love $3,163,680
9 Randy Foye $2,815,560
10 Corey Brewer $2,725,920
11 Mark Madsen $2,630,000
12 Craig Smith $2,500,000
13 Sebastian Telfair $2,300,000
14 Rodney Carney $1,655,760
15 Kevin Ollie $1,262,275
16 Bobby Brown $442,114
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2009.html

He turned Randy Foye and Mike Miller into the #5 draft pick, which turned into Rubio. Yeah, Khan's draft picks did not always work out, but you should look at factors mentioned above when judging Khan.

Two thoughts:
1) What a godawful pile of crap that list of players is...good lord
2) No GM's draft picks "always works out." My sense is that Kahn is kind of "meh" re: his draft selections and that McHale was a tad better, but neither are in the upper tier of GM's in that regard.