# Twolves Draft Workout (Young, Brewer, Wright, Thornton)



## E-MO_416 (Oct 17, 2006)

The wolevs held a workout on friday that had all the second tier SF's (minus Green).
I obviously was interested to know what happend so I did some searching and I found this a summarry of the workout from a wolves poster on another board. Here it is:

I was courtside at today's workout. Kevin McHale, Rob Babcock, Jim Stack, Fred Hoiberg, Randy Wittman and all the assistant coaches were there. Foye, McCants and Craig Smith were also there. They had been working out earlier this morning. I was told that the three of them have been working out together at Target Center every morning and that all three look really, really good. I was also told that Smith lost about 15 pounds -- all fat. Now he's not only big, but cut. McCants hyperextended his knee this morning, but I was told it's not serious. Sid Hartman stopped by and starting giving Wittman some shi1 about failing to return his phone calls. 

Freddie ran the competitive drills. 

It was a lot of fun to watch these four guys for 90 minutes run through drills and get after each other. The 1-on-1 and 2-on2 drills were very intense. The guys were banging each other around, diving for the ball and hustling ever second they were on the court. All of them came up limping at one point or another in the workouts. Clearly they are all very talented, but the differences are bigger than I thought and watching the workout really clarified some things. 

There is no question that Thornton was the best of the 4 -- and it wasn't even close. Al was a man among boys. The important point, however, is that Thornton was the best of the four in evey category. He was, by far, the best shooter - both in shooting drills and the competitive drills (1-on-1 and 2-on-2). Thornton was the quickest of the four, consistently blowing by whoever was defending him. Thornton was clearly the strongest of the four. He was the best finisher inside, the best dunker, best ball-handler and -- brace yourselves -- the best defender. On one play, guarding Brewer 1-on-1, he poked the ball away and then beat Brewer to the ball. Twice he blocked his man's layup in the 1-on-1 drills. Players had a really hard time passing on him. His quick hands (and sometimes feet) would often deflect passes. Also, the guy is incredibly intense -- probably the most intense of the four. My favorite moment was when Thornton took Brewer to the hole and dunked right over him in the paint. McHale turned to Wittman and said, "that's a man." 

I know Brewer is the popular pick and has been pumped up by some dweebs in the Media. And don't get me wrong, I'm a Brewer fan and think he'll be a good pro. But the second best player on the floor today was NOT Brewer; it was Thaddeus Young. He has a very sweet stroke and showed some really nice moves to the hole. He was the second best ball-handler after Thornton and looked surprisingly polished for an 18-year old Freshman. He may end up becoming the best of the group in 4 or 5 years. 

O.K. Brewer fans -- Corey was the 3rd best in the group and not far behind Young. He is very, very thin, but what I liked about him was how physical he was. He did not back down from anyone, including Thornton. Although thin, he is surprisingly strong. He has a nice stroke, but I liked Young's shot a bit better. Brewer clearly won the personality contest. He was constantly smiling and jawing with McHale while on the court. I think he'd become an instant hit with the fans. But the most disturbing thing about Brewer was his ball-handling. At his weight he'll have to play the 2-guard spot, but his ball-handling is very shaking for a SG by NBA standards. And he will get the crab beat out of him as a defender. He has a very thin frame, so there's a limit to how much weight he can put on. And yes, those who have reported McHale's man-crush on Brewer were correct. McHale clearly loves Brewer. So I would expect the Wolves to take Brewer if he's available. 

Here's the tough one for me to swallow. As most of you know, I've been a very big Julian Wright booster. Well, I have to admit he was clearly the worst of the bunch today. He was definitely the longest as you'd expect based on his wingspand measurement at the Orlando camp. And he's a very good athlete. But his shooting is as bad as advertised. More disturbing is that he has a long way to go as a ball-handler. He just did not have the ball-handling skils to take his man to the hole in the 1-on-1 drills. In fact, he was the only one fo the four who could not effectively drive to the hole. He was, however, very good on the defensive end and will be an excellent shot-blocker in the NBA. 

Bottom line: If Thornton is available at #7, the Wolves should grab him. He can help instantly because of his age (23) and the overall maturity of his game. And he's not just very skilled -- he's also a tremendous athlete. Add to that his great intensity and competitiveness and you have the makings of a very special NBA player. He plays with a chip on his shoulder like most of the best players in the NBA. He's the strong, athletic SF the Wolves need. If he's not available, I'd take T. Young. 

Conley and Horford come in for workouts next week. I don't think either one will be available at #7. 


I found this Video at the Twolves site:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/fans...tral_2007.html


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## JuX (Oct 11, 2005)

Thanks for all the info, but I heard that Green's going to be in town for the workout soon.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

i havnt heard anything about green actually, he was working out close to home and teams had to go see him.

thanks heaps for the write up though, some interesting stuff.

i dont think thornton is gonna be there at 7 though


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## bruno34115 (Apr 14, 2003)

Great news, Thorton is probably my favorite wing prospect in the draft.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

bruno34115 said:


> Great news, Thorton is probably my favorite wing prospect in the draft.


not necissarily good news though, cant see him still there at 7


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## bruno34115 (Apr 14, 2003)

I think there is a great chance that he will be there at 7. The only chance he doesn't is if he is taken by the Bucks, but from what I've heard they really like Brewer, Conley, and Green. The draft is shaping up to be a very interesting one.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

bruno34115 said:


> I think there is a great chance that he will be there at 7. The only chance he doesn't is if he is taken by the Bucks, but from what I've heard they really like Brewer, Conley, and Green. The draft is shaping up to be a very interesting one.


actually my bad i got the Al's mixed up for a minute i was thinking horford who ive seen go much higher obviously.

thornton is penciled in aorund 10 at the moment and i agree that he'll definately be there at 7.
i dont think hes a better player then jeff green though, who is still my favoured pick


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## sheefo13 (Jul 13, 2002)

Avalanche said:


> i havnt heard anything about green actually, he was working out close to home and teams had to go see him.
> 
> thanks heaps for the write up though, some interesting stuff.
> 
> i dont think thornton is gonna be there at 7 though


twolves website says Green and Horford will be in town wednesday... Today. 


Anyways, I think Al Thorton just move up really high in my book. I had never seen the guy play I dont think in college. Maybe all the Hawes drama is just smokescreen to getting Thorton at 7... Interesting.


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## Avalanche (Nov 17, 2005)

Jeff Green
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/jeff_green_draft_2k7_070619.html


> STRENGTHS:
> The player of the year in a tough, deep Big East conference, Green led his Hoyas to the Final Four with his ability to do everything on the basketball floor well. His physical tools -- good strength, length, athleticism -- complement his ability to hit the glass, shoot, pass and play good defense. He showed throughout the year that he can both score and defend down low, and by all accounts is a very smart player.
> 
> WEAKNESSES:
> ...


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