Mistakes happen. We sleep in a little too late or we forget to do a project. But for us, mistakes are simply, just that – mistakes. For the thirty NBA teams, mistakes cost them, potentially, tens of millions of dollars, a playoff appearance, or even a championship. They have been riddled throughout history. It can be draft picks (Blazers fans know what this is like), it can be free agency (can I get an amen from Knicks fans?), or it can be virtually anything else (in the case of the Kings, EVERYTHING ELSE). Thus, we present the worst mistakes from each NBA team over the past ten years.
The Minnesota Timberwolves Biggest Mistake in the Past Ten Years
The Minnesota Timberwolves were founded in 1989, and since then, the Timberwolves have had more coaches than playoff appearances. With just the one division title coming in 2004, Minnesota basketball fans have grown not to expect much. The team has only had one good spell in its history, making the playoffs every year from 1996 to 2004. Minnesota made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2004, a year which also saw star player Kevin Garnett win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Since Garnett won his award, the Timberwolves have only managed to go over .500 once.
The Mistake
On May 22nd, 2009, the Minnesota Timberwolves hired David Kahn as their new President of Basketball Operations. Kahn would replace Kevin McHale, who had worked for Minnesota since 1993. Kahn had previous experience, working for the Indiana Pacers from 1995-2004. Taking over as the new President of Basketball Operations would be a challenge for Kahn. The Timberwolves were coming off a 24 win season when Kahn took charge. Kurt Rambis was the Timberwolves head coach at the time, but Kahn would be responsible for the big decisions made off the court. Decisions that would affect the long term future of basketball in Minnesota.
The Beginning of the Kahn Era
In Kahn’s first season in charge, his first responsibility was the 2009 NBA Draft. Heading into the draft the Timberwolves held six picks. With the team coming off such a disappointing season, those picks would need to be used well. The first player selected was Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio with the fifth overall pick. Rubio was a smart pick, as he was known for being a player with great court vision.
The Timberwolves also held the sixth overall pick. The team made the very bizarre decision to select another point guard. Jonny Flynn out of Syracuse was taken sixth overall, a decision Kahn would end up regretting. Still on the board was an under-sized point guard by the name of Stephen Curry. Curry known for his unlimited range whilst at Davidson, would go seventh overall to the Golden State Warriors. Curry would go on to be named two-time regular season MVP. The Timberwolves would pass on two future All-Stars in Curry and DeMar DeRozan.
Now if you think taking two point guards in the first round was weird, then taking three would seem insane. Well that’s exactly what Kahn decided to do. Ty Lawson was taken 18th overall by Kahn, but later traded to the Denver Nuggets. Kahn went on to draft shooting guard Wayne Ellington, with the team’s final first round pick. The Timberwolves went from mediocre to bad, winning just 15 games in Kahn’s first season with the team.
Bad Judgement
Kahn would head into his second season with hopes that the team would show signs of improvement. During the 2010-11 season Kahn would go on to sign former second overall pick Darko Milicic to a 4-year deal. In the 2010 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves would pick small forward Wesley Johnson fourth overall. The next pick at fifth overall was future all-star DeMarcus Cousins. Yet another poor decision by Kahn. Not to mention the team could have selected Paul George, who fell to Indiana as the tenth overall pick.
So the team would sign a draft bust to a 4-year deal and miss out on two future All-Stars. Kahn was doing what Kahn does best – mess up. With a young Kevin Love being the best player on the roster, the team would struggle through the season. Minnesota would go on to win just 17 games. Kahn wasn’t building a team; instead, he was stalling its progress.
When the 2011-12 season came around, the team had a new head coach at the helm. Rick Adelman was appointed in September 2011 and would coach the team during a lockout-shortened season. Kahn was still making the big decisions but wasn’t really getting anywhere. The Timberwolves would go on to win just 26 games.
The 2011 NBA Draft
The Timberwolves had the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, and this time Kahn had to get it right. But as you would guess, Kahn would once again let the team and the fans down. This draft was quite possibly the worst for Kahn in terms of what he kept and what he gave away. The team drafted Derrick Williams with the second overall pick, a promising looking forward from Arizona. But the team could have picked one of four quality players and be better off down the line. Enes Kanter was taken third overall and Jonas Valanciunas landed in Toronto with the fifth pick.
Later in the draft two future All-Stars would still be sitting on the board after being passed on several times. Guard Klay Thompson and forward Kawhi Leonard both lasted until after the tenth pick. With Thompson going 11th and Leonard 15th, these were two players who should have gone a lot higher. The Timberwolves had five players to pick from. Four of which would work out, the other not so much. So as you would expect by now, Kahn selected the bust.
Kahn would go on to select Nikola Mirotic and Chandler Parsons. Both very solid picks, but Kahn would end up trading both players away. Yet another decision that makes you cringe.
The Beginning of the End
In Kahn’s last season in Minnesota, the damage done in previous years was clear to see. Kahn had just the one second round draft pick to play with, so he couldn’t really mess up. The Timberwolves spent most of the 2012-13 season trying to off-load the players Kahn signed or drafted. Former draft picks Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington were both traded away. The team also waived Milicic, as his performances were just as disappointing as in Detroit and New York. Milicic only averaged 4.6 points per game in his last season in Minnesota.
The team was finally growing and team hierarchy soon realised that Kahn had to go. The Timberwolves didn’t have a great season, as they only won 31 games. But the season was disrupted by injuries to Brandon Roy, Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic. Kahn’s days were numbered, and soon the team would replace him. The Timberwolves were in full rebuilding mode, and on May 2nd, 2013, Kahn was released after the team refused to exercise his option. Flip Saunders would take over and lead the Timberwolves in a new direction.
The Conclusion
So to sum up Kahn’s time in charge, he drafted several first round busts and added no stars in free agency. From 2009-2013, Kahn only made the Timberwolves worse. A mediocre team stayed that way for four years due to his poor management and decision making. When Timberwolves fans look back at Kahn’s time with the team, they will realize the amount of talent they missed out on. Curry, Cousins, DeRozan, Leonard, George and more. Instead they had to settle for Jonny Flynn, Derrick Williams and Wesley Johnson. It doesn’t matter what team you support, you have to feel for Minnesota basketball fans.
