Ricky Rubio the most notable exception, the Timberwolves' draft years during the bygone David Kahn Era are littered with selections who played all too briefly in Minnesota, never at all or, depending on your perspective, far too long.
But there remains a flickering flame from a time that offered now long-ago-traded Jonny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, Derrick Williams, Wayne Ellington and Lazar Hayward to never-weres Henk Norel, Paulao Prestes and Tanguy Ngombo.
His name is Nemanja Bjelica, a second-round choice (35th overall) taken with a pick acquired from Washington by a 2010 draft-night trade.
Now matured and toughened four years later, Bjelica is aimed at the NBA perhaps as early as next season because of a breakout season he is having in Euroleague play and the hiring of a powerful American agent, Arn Tellem.
Last publicly seen in these parts in June 2010, Bjelica arrived in Minneapolis with newly selected Hayward and Johnson for an introductory news conference the day after the draft. Each held up his new Wolves jersey in the traditional pose for photographers, Bjelica on the left, Hayward in the middle, Johnson on the right.
Hayward long ago was traded away to Oklahoma City, brought back to the Wolves later on a 10-day contract and soon thereafter waived. The Wolves sent a first-round pick they still owe Phoenix just so the Suns would take Johnson's contract in July 2012.
The last hope from that year's draft is a 6-10 Serbian who's something of a point guard placed into a power forward's body.
A skilled playmaker who is a power forward of the stretch variety, Bjelica helped lead Serbia to the title game at last summer's FIBA World Cup in Spain, where his country took home a silver medal — its first such medal in world championship play since it was part of Yugoslavia — after it lost to Team USA.
