Wolves Updates 6/23 Part 2

Kahn on whether there was any other prospect he would have liked to see:
“Sure. We had DeRozan scheduled for yesterday and unfortunately he took ill. I have no reason to think it was anything more than that because we worked very hard with the agent to arrange him coming here. I think the agent had every right, and the player, to say no to begin with. Unfortunately the kid took ill.…”

“If you have people come in, it’s always helpful and beneficial. As I’ve said in the past in (Stephen Curry’s) case because we were able to interview him in Chicago, as we were DeRozan by the way, it’s not as important with a kid like that. And even in DeRozan’s case, sure we wanted him to come in, but I don’t think it will cause us to change our feelings about these kids one way or the other.”

Kahn on whether he will use all three picks Thursday:
“Don’t know. Really don’t. there’s a lot of stuff out there and it’s impossible to make a prediction.”

David Kahn again declined to answer whether the Wolves have, or will, talk to Ricky Rubio or Hasheem Thabeet before Thursday night, citing an agreement with the players’ agents to keep the matter confidential.

Kahn and the Wolves interviewed Thabeet at the Chicago combine last month, but hadn’t met with Rubio as of Monday.

When asked if Rubio was the most entertaining player — a ticket seller — in the draft, Kahn agreed that he probably was immediately, but said, “There’s a lot of good players in this draft.”

He called Thabeet the kind of player — long, a defensive presence — a team needs to win come playoff time.

After watching a group that included North Carolina forward Wayne Ellington complete a rigorous workout on Tuesday, new team president David Kahn said he was preparing for a “very intense” 48 hours leading up to the draft.

“I would say for us, because of the three picks, it’s probably a little bit more ratcheted up,” Kahn said. “And also because our picks are in different areas of the draft, they kind of draw different types of interest. So it’s been very intense.”

Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet, Spanish guard Ricky Rubio and Davidson guard Stephen Curry were among the few top-flight prospects who did not visit Minnesota. Kahn spoke to both Curry and Thabeet at the combine in Chicago and played it coy when asked of his contact with Rubio, but said not seeing them at Target Center would not factor into his decisions on draft day.

•There’s chatter about Rubio or Thabeet possibly sliding, so the T-Wolves are talking to both of them now, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Also worth noting: The top bar on the T-Wolves section of the Star-Trib website still has a picture of Kevin McHale.

•This article is a month old, via the Indy Star, but honestly, in the next 48 hours it’s quite possible you’ll hear the words “David Kahn” more than the words “Jon and Kate,” so reading a profile/bio on the T-Wolves’ new GM is a good way to brush up on his connections within the league.

Steve Kyler:
I expect they will be active… they have laid the ground work to move around if the guys they want start surfacing… The Rubio stuff is genuine… and I think they come out of the draft with three or four new faces.