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Those disappointed that McCants didn't fetch something more than this should realize that Williams is probably a McCants equivalent--he was taken with the 5th overall pick in the 2006 draft, after all. With Jefferson out for the season, Williams will at least give the Wolves a chance to keep Gomes at the small forward slot more often. And Brown is mildly intriguing--he hung 10 points and 6 assists on the Wolves back in December, when the team was in its Wittmanesque squalor.
This feels like a pretty inconsequential shuffle. But something to talk about in the dogsled days of February.
The one deal you knew probably was coming before 2 p.m. deadline — McCants to anywhere — sends him and Calvin Booth to Sacramento for Bobby Brown and Shelden Williams, basically two teams swapping flotsam for jetsam. Brown has a player option for $700,000-plus for next season, so he might be the only player left with their new teams come next season.
Positive Spin: Bobby Brown has some potential, and Shelden Williams, a recent top-5 pick in the draft, adds a big body to a team still reeling from the loss of Al Jefferson.
Negative Spin: Will it really matter? With Jefferson out for the season, the Wolves once again are playing to improve their lottery odds. The more losses they rack up, the better their chances of landing a franchise point guard or center.
Let's be clear: Shaddy is a lucky guy. Not many people make it to the NBA. However, instead of realizing that there is a fairly wide variety of lights in the basketball sky, Mr. McCants thinks that by simply being up amongst the stars, we earth-bound suckers are looking up to see him.
The bigger news: the Wolves are breaking all links to the Kardashian family in the process — while bringing the talented and classy Candace Parker into the fold in the process. No, Shaddy wasn’t swapped for the WNBA star. He and Calvin Booth were shipped to Sacramento in exchange for former Duke standout Shelden Williams (who is married to Parker) and backup point guard Bobby Brown (not the one who sang “Humpin’ Around” and was married to Whitney Houston).
The only way the Wolves win that deal is if the 6-9 Williams surprises and helps the Wolves inside, somewhat lessening the loss of injured Wolves star Al Jefferson.
Williams, who reported 25 pounds overweight this year, is playing 10.2 minutes a game and averaging 3.7 points and 2.6 rebounds. Brown has seen very little service for the Kings averaging 14.4 minutes per game and 5.2 points.
My reasoning for giving the Kings the edge is that McCants has great potential; he was the second-leading scorer last year for the Wolves, averaging 14.9 points a game.
He needed a change of scenery, and if he gets a chance to play, he could be one of the top scorers for Kings. The positive thing for the Wolves is that McCants will be a free agent at the end of this season. The Wolves didn't plan to re-sign him, and he wasn't interested even if they wanted him back. Booth hasn't played all year and chances are the Wolves won't keep Brown and Williams.
• Minnesota Timberwolves: Maybe I'm still waiting for Shelden Williams to turn into the next Carlos Boozer, but I like this pickup. Minnesota needs help up front with Al Jefferson's season-ending knee injury. Williams, an afterthought in Sacramento, could become a solid third big man off the bench.
Two former lottery picks switch places. One works his tail off but isn't really that good, and the other sulks and mopes and isn't really concerned with much beyond trying to hit pull-up jumpers.
And yet, somehow, both of these guys will be termed "disappointing" in any write-up regarding this trade.
Shelden Williams will be off to Minnesota. He was a real reach for the Atlanta Hawks a few years ago at fifth in the 2006 Draft, and he brings the effort every time he's out on the court, but he's an 11th man at best. Sturdy frame, bad hands, not all that skilled.
McCants, off to the Kings, is a different story. You wouldn't want him starting for your team, even when his attitude is at its best, but he does have skills. A solid crossover and good, if sometimes streaky, stroke.
With the loss of Big Al, big bodies for our frontcourt became invaluable. The Wolves seem to have made an attempt at addressing this issue with the acquisition of Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown from the Kings in exchange for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.
As for the T-Wolves, they had been talking about dealing McCants for quite some time, and the addition of Williams does shore up the frontline with Big Al out for the year. My worry is this: Does Candace Parker want to live in the Twin Cities? Win-win for both teams..
Shelden Williams is virtually useless while Bobby Brown has the potential to be Minnesota's point guard of the future.
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