Love is Blind

I can't say I am a huge fan of the Minnesota Timberwolves. But since my favourite player Kevin Garnett spent 10 frustrating years with the team, I do hope them to do well.

That's why I am absolutely pissed by what their GM Kevin McHale had done on draft night.

Drafting at the third spot, there had been rumours before the draft that the T'wolves would pass over O.J. Mayo, the consensus third-best (some would say the best) player in the draft and select UCLA center Kevin Love instead, believing that Love would be the answer to their search of a quality big man in the middle.

On draft day, common sense prevailed as the T'wolves drafted Mayo, who has star potential written all over him, at number three.

But just as I was thinking which number Mayo would put on for the T'wolves, something happened late in the night.

Turned out that their love for Love never died as they pulled off an eight-player trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, which had selected Love at number five.

In short, the T'wolves sent Mayo and pieces to the Grizzlies, and received Love, sharp-shooting Mike Miller and pieces in return.

While many believed that McHale had done a good job in landing Love, a player he covets, plus a sharp shooter in Mike Miller who could boost their outside shooting, my initial thought was, "Shoot! McHale has done it again."

I don't have grudges against Love, who I believe will be a solid player. But I just don't see him being an excellent player that Mayo will definitely turn out to be.

And Mike Miller is, well, just Mike Miller.

Time and again teams have fallen into the trap of selecting players with LOTS OF height but LIMITED skills, for believing the age-old axiom of "You can't teach height". Players with lots of height and lots of skills do not come by often, so teams keep rolling the dice on big men, hoping that they would someday become solid players. But very often these big men simply can't play and that's why big players drafted in the first round more likely turn out to be busts than the smaller guys.

Remember Michael Jordan? When you have good perimeter players, why on earth do you still need big men in the middle? Quick: Name any of the anonymous and replaceable big men that have played with MJ. Try Will Perdue, Bill Wennington, Bill Cartwright or even Joe Kleine.

I'm not saying that Love will become a bust or a stiff. But McHale has simply exaggerated the need of a big man in the middle and has given up a star way too early.

And hopefully this will be his last draft for the T'wolves.