With the NFL Draft now complete, NBA mock draft season is now in full swing with Tom Ziller’s 2011 NBA mock draft being the best to come out so far this week.
Ziller, long one of the brightest minds in the basketball blogosphere, predicts that the Minnesota Timberwolves should take Kyrie Irving out of Duke — as SB Nation Minnesota decided at the end of the season — even though Ricky Rubio is said to be coming over for season (if you believe David Kahn, and hey, why wouldn’t you?).
Ziller’s reasoning goes like this:
The Wolves are, predictably, in a tough spot. They don’t have a good point guard on the roster — Jonny Flynn’s story has been written, but he’s been unproductive in two seasons. Luke Ridnour is aging and struggled with injury last season. But if David Kahn really thinks Ricky Rubio is coming stateside, can you pick another lottery point guard? Irving’s the best prospect on the board, but taking him would complicate the Ricky relationship, at least at the onset.
But I’m not sure Minnesota could take Derrick Williams No. 1, given the presence of Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. Love-Williams could be a deadly combo, provided the Arizona product can guard small forward and Love can learn how to guard, period.
There will be much more debate about this in the future, but doesn’t it seem that the best option right now is to take the best player — at a position of need — just in case Rubio doesn’t come over as planned? If nothing else, Irving (or Rubio) can always be traded.