This year's number one overall pick could be calling the Target Center home in a matter of days depending on Kevin Love. If you have been living under a rock, in a matter of days the Minnesota Timberwolves could possibly trade the power forward. One of those pieces going to Minnesota, if the Timberwolves take the Cleveland Cavaliers' offer is Andrew Wiggins.
The man whose game has been compared to LeBron James will probably be playing without him and instead with Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine.
If you are a Timberwolves fan, you should be on board for Wiggins to Minneapolis because he could become the new face of the franchise. With Love being traded, you lose a franchise player but gain one in the process.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in the NBA since the 1989-90 season and in that time span, they have had only two franchise players, Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love. Both drafted by the organization, Garnett in his prime had Minnesota in the playoffs but never touched the holy grail of a NBA Finals until 2008 with the Boston Celtics.
Kevin Love hasn't reached the NBA Playoffs so far in his career with the Timberwolves but puts up the numbers warranted for a playoff run.
Over his career, Love is averaging 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He is a double-double machine but he needs a Robin to his Batman. That is why he wants to go to Cleveland because he can play with LeBron James.
Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota would make their team athletic and fun to watch but it also gives them a future. At point guard, you already have Ricky Rubio, then they drafted Zach LaVine who can play either the point or shooting guard position. Then that leaves the small forward position that is occupied by Corey Brewer, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Shabazz Muhammad, who was drafted last year.
Out of those three, I'm going to focus on Shabazz Muhammad who was drafted last year by the Wolves and was suppose to take over the small forward position. Muhammad had a rough season as a rookie spending time in the NBA and NBA D-League.
Last season, Muhammad averaged 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game with the Timberwolves. At UCLA, he scored 17.9 points per game and shot 44.3 percent from the field. He had solid numbers in college but that did not translate to the NBA.
Now focus your attention on Andrew Wiggins, who in his one year at Kansas scored 17.1 points per game and shot 44.8 percent from the field. I am no way comparing Wiggins to Muhammad as they are not the same player.
The difference between the two happened in this year's Summer League. Take Summer League for what its worth but Wiggins had 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. On the other hand, Shabazz Muhammad had 16.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
Muhammad had better numbers than Wiggins but he has a lower field goal percentage. Wiggins proved to be the better shooter, shooting at a 40.5 percent clip while Muhammad was shooting at 37.1 percent.
What does this all mean in the grand scheme of things? It means Wiggins will be the starter at small forward and the cornerstone of the franchise. I think he is the new face of the franchise that Minnesota needs and can put butts in the seat. Then again, it all depends on what deal Minnesota likes as the Chicago Bulls have gotten into the trade discussion.