Minnesota Timberwolves: What if…Jonny Flynn had never been hurt?

2009-2010 Season

The Minnesota Timberwolves saw their wins dip from 44, to 33, to 32, to 22, and then saw a brief spike to 24 wins.

When the 2009 draft came along, the Timberwolves were sitting in a bad place. They had the fifth and sixth overall picks due to a run of failed seasons, a trade with the Washington Wizards for a pick and three players (only one of whom was on the roster at this point), and a first-round draft pick that was sent to the Boston Celtics, only to be sent back the next year along with five players for the franchise centerpiece: Kevin Garnett.

Minnesota had a solid lineup of 2-guards, but they were in need of a starting-caliber point guard. With the fifth pick, they selected Ricky Rubio; who was a promising young guard from Spain, but who wouldn’t be in the league for another two years.

No problem though. After four straight years of losing, what was two more with the promise of a possible star to come.

And the next step seemed simple. The Timberwolves needed a small forward, and USC freshman DeMar DeRozan was just ripe for the picking. DeRozan was a phenomenal athlete with “untapped potential”. Good size, good strength. Solid mid-range game. He seemed like the total package.

Then, they picked Flynn. A solid pick, but surprising considering the Wolves had just taken a guard, and they’d be fighting for minutes together.

One impressive rookie season later, 15 wins on the year notwithstanding, and here we are.