Enes Kanter And Derrick Williams Will Workout For Minnesota Timberwolves On Thursday

The Minnesota Timberwolves will host top prospects Enes Kanter and Derrick Williams on Thursday, as reported here earlier. They won't be alone, however.

Minnesota's page dedicated to the 2011 NBA Draft, effectively titled WolvesDraft.com, has updated the list of participants take part in the Wolves pre-draft workouts through next week's Draft.

Along with Kanter on Thursday morning, the Wolves will also observe Alec Burks, Isaiah Thomas, Malcolm Delaney and Keith Benson. Burks is the only one considered to be a first round prospect while Benson is the only other big man prospect in the early session.

On Thursday afternoon, along with Williams, the Wolves will also host Utah State's Tai Wesley, Wofford's Jamar Diggs and Anthony Moody from Bismarck, N.D.'s University of Mary. Moody is notable in that he plays at the local YMCA with your's truly as well as his quickness.

The remaining Wolves workouts will probably also be updated, but a preliminary list can be found at this link.

2011 NBA Draft: Minnesota Timberwolves Schedule Workouts With Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter And Others

The Minnesota Timberwolves have already hosted quite a few prospects for the 2011 NBA Draft, but Timberwolves.com's Jonah Ballow added quite a few more players to the list of draft prospects that will workout for David Kahn and company before the June 23 draft date rolls around.

The most important workouts, of course, will be on June 16 when the Wolves host Kentucky's Enes Kanter in the morning and then Arizona's Derrick Williams in the afternoon. It's likely that, if the Wolves hold on to the No. 2 overall pick, one of those two players will be the selection.

As for the team's other first round pick, the 20th overall pick (from the Utah Jazz who got it from the Memphis Grizzlies), the Wolves are hosting 23 other players that could either fall into that slot or be a possible pick if the Wolves decide to either trade or buy a pick later in the second round of the draft.

From Ballow:

June 17
Marshon Brooks
Jackson Emery
Durrell Summers
Bill Clark
Damian Saunders
Bojan Bogdanovic

June 18
Demetri McCamey
Iman Shumpert
Jeremy Hazell
Brad Wanamaker or Howard Trey Thompkins
Gary Johnson
Gary McGhee

June 20
Kawhi Leonard 
Chris Singleton
Reggie Jackson
Julyan Stone
Kyle Singler

June 21
Marcus Morris
Jordan Hamilton

Malcolm Lee
Darius Morris
DeAndre Liggins
Jeremy Tyler

Richmond's Kevin Anderson is also expected to workout with the Wolves on the 21, according to a source, though Ballow didn't have him on the original list.

Any names catch anyone's eye?

After Signing Ricky Rubio, Wolves Will Hold Workout For More Free Agents

(This is a post from June 1 that was reposted in another StoryStream)

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Ricky Rubio on Wednesday, but they aren't done adding talent to their roster. According to our NBA Draft and D League blog Ridiculous Upside, the Wolves will work out a group of players on Thursday and Friday that you may remember from the not to distant past.

The biggest name on the list is Quincy Douby. He was a high scoring guard at Rutgers, but couldn't do much other than shoot during his brief career in the NBA. The Wolves need shooting, but I'm not sure Douby is worth the roster spot he would take up.

A full list of the prospects that will be in attendance is run down at Ridiculous Upside.

Ridiculous Upside also wonders aloud where these players are going to fit into the Timberwolves rotation.

This doesn't make a lot of sense considering Rubio gives the Wolves to 14 guaranteed contracts entering the 2011-12 season. Even after the inevitable trade ofJonny Flynn (and whoever else is thrown in), the Wolves wouldn't seem to have much room in the rotation for a prospect considering the team has plenty of money already invested into higher profile prospects, but I'm not going to complain about players outside the NBA getting an opportunity.

Good question.

2011 NBA Draft: Minneapolis Workout Participants Changed At Last Minute

The 2011 NBA Draft workouts the Minnesota Timberwolves are hosting this week -- with quite a few other NBA teams expected to be in attendance -- underwent some significant changes to the list the team distributed last week.

Big men Nikola Vucevic and Markieff Morris, both of which could end up being selected right around the Timberwolves 20th pick next month, along with Marshon Brooks, Cory Joseph and Darius Morris have all decided to skip the workout according to Draft Express's Jonathan Givony. Reggie Jackson and Ben Hasbrough have also withdrawn due to injuries that also caused them to skip last week's NBA Draft Combine.

In their place, Givony reports that Jacob Pullen and Andrew Albicy will be in attendance after their private workout for the Timberwolves on Sunday. Among other players that weren't originally scheduled to be in attendance are Scotty Hopson, Dogus Balbay, Diante Garrett, Matt Howard, Malcolm Thomas and Charles Jenkins.

The workouts are scheduled in four separate groups to go through Tuesday with the schedule, courtesy of Draft Express, below.

The first group working out in Minnesota this afternoon: Kalin Lucas, Malcolm Lee, E`Twaun Moore, Scotty Hopson, Jon Leuer and Jamie Skeen

2nd group scheduled for Minnesota workout today: Dogus Balbay, Diante Garrett, Justin Holiday, Jereme Richmond, Matt Howard and Keith Benson

3rd group scheduled for Minnesota workout: Jacob Pullen, Andrew Albicy, Tyler Honeycutt, Chandler Parsons, Malcolm Thomas and JaJuan Johnson

4th group scheduled for Minnesota workout tomorrow Charles Jenkins, Josh Selby, Shelvin Mack, Travis Leslie, Jordan Williams and Michael Dunigan

Anyone the Wolves faithful is interested in picking up in next month's Draft?

2011 NBA Draft: Minnesota Timberwolves First Workout Includes Gophers' Blake Hoffarber

The 2011 NBA Draft is just over one month away, but the Minnesota Timberwolves decided to hold their first NBA pre-draft workout on Sunday prior to Monday's workout that will be attended by at least 20 of the other NBA teams.

The workout, which was run by assistant coach John-Blair Bickerstaff, included former University of Minnesota players Blake Hoffarber and Paul Carter (who finished his college career at Illinois-Chicago) along with Minnesota State-Mankato's Cameron Hodges, Kansas State's Jacob Pullen, Jamie Vanderbeken of Iowa State and France's Andrew Albicy.

None of the players brought in Sunday are projected to be drafted, though Pullen probably has the best chance after averaging over 20 points for the Wildcats this past season while being named to the Big-12 All Defensive team after both his junior and senior seasons.

Hoffarber, who has been under the radar ever since attending the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament,  finished his career with the Golden Gophers as the school's all-time leader in career three-pointers with 279 while shooting an impressive 41 percent from beyond the arc. As a senior, he averaged 13.6 points 4.1 assists and and 3.5 rebounds.

Albicy, ranked as the 94th best prospect in the NBA Draft by Draft Express, is a point guard who is "generously" listed at 5-foot-10 while competing for the French National Team. The diminutive guard averaged 11.1 points and 4.5 assists while shooting better than 40 percent from beyond the arc while playing for Paris-Levallois in France's top division this season.

Carter transferred from Minnesota to Illinois-Chicago following the 2010 season after deciding he wanted to be closer to his sister while she dealt with a rare form of bone cancer. Carter averaged 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds while being named to the Horizon League's All-Newcomers team.

Vanderbeken is a 6-foot-11 British-Canadian center who averaged 11.1 points on 43 percent three-point shooting as a senior while also pulling in 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks for the Cyclones. He apparently tried out for the 2009 British National Team, but that seemingly didn't work out as there's been no mention of it since.

Last but not least is Hodges, MSU-Mankato's third-leading scorer this past season with 13.7 points to go along with 4.8 rebounds. Hodges, a Minneapolis native and the NSIC's Defensive Player of the Year, has a pretty interesting story that involves him beginning his career at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College after not playing a second of varsity basketball in high school. Oh, Hodges is also a National Guard member.

Anybody Wolves fans would like to see given an opportunity in Minnesota?

2011 NBA Draft: Timberwolves Workout To Include Minnesota Native Jon Leuer

The Minnesota Timberwolves will hold their own NBA Draft workout next week following this week's official NBA Draft Combine, inviting over 20 players to take part in four sessions next Monday and Tuesday (May 23 and 24) at Life Time Fitness in the Target Center.

The Minneapolis pre-draft workout was officially announced today on the Wolves website, and it seems that the participants currently slated to attend will be much more impressive than the first annual pre-draft workout in Minnesota. One of the new players the Wolves announced will be in attendance that weren't on last week's list is power forward Jon Leuer.

Leuer, a Minnesota native who grew up in Long Lake and attended Orono High School, averaged 18.3 points and 7.2 rebounds as a senior First Team All-Big Ten honors with his versatile inside-outside game and solid ball-handling ability.

A full list of the participants the Wolves announced would be attending is included below.

Day 1
Keith Benson, F-C, Oakland
Marshon Brooks, G-F, Providence
Tyler Honeycutt, F, UCLA
Reggie Jackson, G, Boston College
Cory Joseph, G, Texas
Malcolm Lee, G, UCLA
Jon Leuer, F, Wisconsin
Shelvin Mack, G, Butler
E`Twaun Moore, G, Purdue
Jereme Richmond, F, Illinois
Nikola Vucevic, F, USC
Jordan Williams, F, Maryland

Day 2
Michael Dunigan, C, Oregon
Ben Hansbrough, G, Notre Dame
Justin Holiday, F, Washington
JaJuan Johnson, F-C, Purdue
Travis Leslie, G, Georgia
Kalin Lucas, G, Michigan St.
Darius Morris, G, Michigan
Markieff Morris, F, Kansas
Chandler Parsons, F, Florida
Josh Selby, G, Kansas
Jamie Skeen, F, Virginia Commonwealth

Minnesota Draft Workout Will Include Players Projected In First Round Of NBA Mock Drafts

The Minneapolis NBA Draft workout next weekend (preliminary details here) hosted by the Minnesota Timberwolves will feature a smattering of first round talent expected to be taken around the time the Wolves come on the clock with the 20th overall pick in this year's draft. 

The Wolves, along with at least 22 other NBA teams, will host the two-day affair on May 23 and 24 to get a better look at the prospects following the official NBA Draft combine. According to Jonathan Givony of the always excellent Draft Express, 20 of the 24 participants expected to converge on Minneapolis next weekend have been confirmed.

The point guards expected to be in attendance include Shelvin Mack (Butler Bulldogs), Kalin Lucas (Michigan State Spartans), Diante Garrett (Iowa State Cyclones), Darius Morris (Michigan Wolverines), Josh Selby (Kansas Jayhawks), Reggie Jackson (Boston College Eagles).

Wing prospects include Malcolm Lee (UCLA Bruins), Marshon Brooks (Providence Friars), Travis Leslie (Georgia Bulldogs), Justin Holiday (Washington Huskies), Jereme Richmond (Illinois Fighting Illini), Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA Bruins) and Chandler Parsons (Florida Gators).

As far as bigs are concerned, Keith Benson (Oakland (MI) Golden Grizzlies), Jamie Skeen (VCU Rams), Michael Dunigan (former Oregon Ducks big man who played in Europe this past season), Jordan Williams (Maryland Terrapins), Markieff Morris (Kansas Jayhawks), JaJuan Johnson (Purdue Boilermakers) and Nikola Vucevic (USC Trojans) are all expected to be in attendance.

The pre-draft workout doesn't contain the most high-profile of NBA prospects, but quite a few future NBA players will be in the Wolves' backyard next weekend with four additional spots still left to be determined.

2011 NBA Draft Workout Scheduled In Minnesota For May 22-24

The 2011 NBA Draft will become a lot more interesting to Minnesota Timberwolves fans if the team is able to secure the top overall pick in Tuesday night's Lottery, but the team's brass will get a look at a host of players the team might select with the 20th overall pick or any possible second round prospects in case the team makes a trade to acquire more prospects.

That workout will take on May 23 and 24 according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express and, like last year's group workout in Minneapolis, Givony reports that 22 other NBA teams will be in attendance.

Among the players Givony has confirmed will be in attendance are Georgia's Travis Leslie, Purdue's JaJuan Johnson, Reggie Jackson from Boston College, Illinois wing Jereme Richmond, Oakland (MI) big man Keith Benson, UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt, Darius Morris from the University of Michigan, Kansas's Markieff Morris and USC's Nikola Vucevic.

More information will be trickling out on this soon enough, but so far it seems that there will be a decent amount of players coming through Minneapolis next week as the Wolves -- and the rest of the NBA -- prepare the Draft.