Minnesota Timberwolves: Painful draft history on display with redrafts
By Ryan Meaney
2009 Draft
Players available: Stephen Curry, Demar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday Danny Green, Jeff Teague
Actual Picks: Ricky Rubio (5th overall), Jonny Flynn (6th overall)
The 2009 draft saw the likes of Stephen Curry, an all-time great, fall to number seven, Hasheem Thabeet go number two to the Memphis Grizzlies and several solid future starters go in the late second round or undrafted. The Timberwolves were coming off an underwhelming season but had solid big men with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.
The team earned the number six pick and received the fifth overall pick from the Washington Wizards. The team drafted the heralded wunderkind point guard in Ricky Rubio in the fifth spot, who dazzled for FC Barcelona and the Spanish National Team.
Rubio was a solid contributor when he joined the Wolves at the start of the 2011 season, using his elite passing skills and on-ball defense to carve out a career as a solid starter.
With the sixth pick, the Wolves made perhaps one of the biggest draft mistakes in team history. With the likes of future All-Star guards in Curry, Jrue Holiday, and Jeff Teague still on the board, the team selected Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn, who had just come off of a 17.4 point, 6.7 assists per game season for the Orange.
He simply could not translate his game to the NBA however, and only lasted in the league for three seasons. Stephen Curry came off the board with the next pick to the Golden State Warriors, four-time All-Star Demar DeRozen two picks after that. The 2009 draft is one the Timberwolves would like to leave in the rearview mirror.