It has been nearly four years since the Timberwolves – in their first draft under David Kahn – chose Ricky Rubio No. 5 overall … and then Jonny Flynn at No. 6 instead of Stephen Curry. Flynn's somewhat promising start fizzled quickly enough that he is now playing in Australia. Curry wound up as the No. 7 pick for Golden State, and Wolves fans were left with "what-ifs."
Shouldn't four years be long enough to heal this wound? In this case, no. Maybe a scab has temporarily formed now and then, with the young Wolves showing some promise each of the past two years during stretches. But it has always been ripped off to expose the raw, damaged flesh of reality: The thing Minnesota so desperately needs – an off-guard who can also handle the ball and can shoot the lights out – is exactly the thing Curry is. (Alexey Shved was a nice surprise, but he is not even close to the shooter Curry is). Curry is a rising star, perhaps even better than could have been expected. But still, we knew enough to know the Wolves could very much end up regretting that 2009 draft night. Kahn's recent firing and Curry's amazing run in the playoffs – he had 44 points last night against the Spurs in a marvelous game the Warriors somehow managed to lose – have only reinforced that blunder. Curry is the wound that won't heal. He is the Drew Pearson push-off (though he doesn't tweet at us with the frequency of Mr. Pearson). He is every frustrating Twins playoff loss from 2002-2010. Guess we'll just have to find a Band-aid and learn to live with it.
