Four Reasons Why O.J. Mayo Should Never Wear a Timberwolves Jersey
With the NBA draft only a few days away, there is still a lot of uncertainty over which players will hear their names called in the lottery. While it is pretty safe to assume that Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley will go in the top-two, the rest of the first round is still a mystery.
Some mock drafts have USC guard O.J. Mayo going third, but I’m not convinced that’s the best course of action for the Minnesota Timberwolves. GM Kevin McHale should take some time and consider these four reasons why Mayo should never wear a Timberwolves jersey.
Reason #4: The Wolves can get more value for the pick by trading down and getting a veteran player. While the Nuggets insist that Carmelo Anthony isn’t on the trading block, he and other desirable veterans such as Ron Artest may be available. While Anthony and Artest may seem a tad out of reach for a third pick, if the Lakers can acquire Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown, anything is possible.
Reason #3: I know it has been talked about a million times, but Mayo’s off the court transgressions have to raise a few red flags. With allegations of Mayo receiving thousands of dollars through improper means, one has to wonder if these types of distractions are worth the trouble. The Wolves are trying to develop an identity in the post-Garnett era; why take the chance of Mayo ruining it?
Reason #2: Mayo isn’t really a good fit for the Wolves to begin with. While they could use his scoring, pairing him with last year’s first round pick, Randy Foye, leaves the Wolves with two athletic slashers who don’t play the point well. A better fit for them would be finding someone who can facilitate the offense and make their teammates better – like Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless or UCLA’s Russell Westbrook.
Reason #1: The drop off from Beasley and Rose is pretty big, and simply put, Mayo isn’t deserving of the third pick for a team that is more than one piece away from competing in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. In Mayo’s most meaningful game to date, the opening round of this past years NCAA tournament, the Beasley led Wildcats absolutely trounced Mayo’s Trojans. Mayo went 6 of 16 from the floor – and take it from someone who was there – failed to impress on every level.
Comments
Comment from Josh Uldricks
I would have to agree with all the writers points in this case. Mayo isn’t a deserving candidate!
Comment from Michal Olszewski
Good breakdown.
Mayo may not have been the best player on the court in the Beasley match-up, but he did all he could to keep him team in the game. The rest of his team wasn’t performing (I think Gibson was shooting somewhere around 2 for 2378 and had 7 fouls) while Mayo made big plays to keep the game close, in the end he couldn’t combat the Bill Walker led Wildcats (in case you forgot it wasn’t Beasley’s best game either).
While I agree that he wouldn’t fit in with the T’Wolves, he’s still the third-best player available and any team with the third pick would be crazy to pass on him. The pick should get traded though. He may not be a franchise player, but he can be a great #2 player on a championship level team.
I just hope that his stay in Minnesota won’t end up with him owning Latrell Spreewell’s old yacht.
Comment from Nate J
I agree, stack your sandwich with some other fresh meat T- Wolves, but hold the Mayo
Comment from Eric Bartolome
I agree.
T-wolves should go for a big man.
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