Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 worst mistakes in franchise history

4. The 2009 draft

David Kahn made his impact felt almost right away. Not long after assuming his new role as president of basketball operations, Kahn went into one of the most historic NBA stadiums, Madison Square Garden, and had one of the most historically blown drafts.

In the first round, the Minnesota Timberwolves were blessed with the fifth and sixth overall picks in a uniquely stacked draft class. With those picks, Minnesota selected Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn respectively.

Rubio was a highly touted prospect from Europe who was thought to have a little problem shooting the ball, but was thought to have amazing court vision and could be a great floor general.

It turned out that he was almost exactly the player that scouts thought he was and he wasn’t a bad pick by any standards.

Flynn was a good pick with all the information that they had and at the time, it didn’t seem like he was a bad pick. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in college and he looked to be the point guard of the future.

The problem was that the Wolves picked two point guards who would be challenging for the same spot right next to each other. That, and Flynn quickly became an injury risk.

Flynn spent his three seasons in the league divided between the Wolves, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers and he never player a full season. He inly played more than 30 games twice in his career.

With these picks, the Wolves passed on talent like Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Jrue Holiday.

Things didn’t get much better for the Timberwolves in the second round, as they drafted Henk Norel, who never played a game in the NBA, passing on Patty Mills, who would later become a key part in the San Antonio Spurs championship system.

Shockingly, this wasn’t even the worst draft under Kahn’s belt. That distinct honor goes to …