With Tuesday's talent dump netting the No. 5 pick for Minnesota, the initial theory followed that said pick combined with the Wolves' own No. 6 could net the team Memphis' for-sale No. 2 pick, a selection coveted by several teams. Minnesota quickly blew back that idea, saying it would not be giving up both top-six picks in any such deal.
Not that things needed to get any more difficult for the 4-11 Timberwolves this year, but Corey Brewer will miss the rest of the season after an MRI confirmed that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. 
The NBA revealed it's All-Rookie Teams today, and by and large there weren't any huge surprises. But can you guess who the only unanimous choice to the first team was? If you guessed Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant ... you'd be wrong. 
Last year's March Madness ended with Florida beating Ohio State for the national championship. Maybe they can face off in the N.I.T. instead.
The mass exodus of Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford have turned the Gators and Buckeyes into viewers of the NCAA tournament instead of participants.
That hasn't happened since 1980 ... which was also due to an exodus of sorts. After meeting in the championship game in 1979, Michigan State and Indiana State failed to make the '80 tourney. Maybe that had something to do with ISU's Larry Bird winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year while MSU's Magic Johnson was winning the NBA championship for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Florida became the first defending champion to miss the tournament since Kansas in 1989. The Jayhawks were banned from postseason play that season and couldn't defend their title.
Read FanHouse previews for all teams actually in the NCAA Tournament.
Full-on rebuilding in the NBA is, in some corners, a tonic: It tastes like curdled cream cut with cat vomit, but it's necessary. It's sort of a rare beast -- Chicago spent a few post-Jordan years starting from scratch; the Clippers essentially wiped the slate clean around 2000-01. I'd mark three current teams in the 'rebuild' mode right now; one of those franchises is doing amazing things, the other is entertaining in the least. The third? No. None of the above."I said when we decided to do this that I needed to have patience," Taylor said. "It has taken me more patience than I anticipated."It's obvious why the Wolves aren't competitive -- they have one good player and a surrounding cast of equal parts youth and crap. I mean, isn't that what they had last year, before trading Kevin Garnett? Randy Foye could be good (if he ever heals); Corey Brewer has shown flashes; Rashad McCants, if nothing else, is a fun guy to watch. But this squad is so far behind Portland and Seattle. Remember: Atlanta has always had a good player, all through their recent playoff drought. Every team in the league has a good player. The good teams have multiple good players, like seven of them. That's how far away Minnesota is.
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Any time a team loses Kevin Garnett, they've gotten the raw end of a transaction. That said, I kind of like the new Wolves' roster. Not for this season, obviously, but as a collection of talent to develop down the road. 
Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 28th NBA Draft.
Needs: The Suns need to strengthen their bench so they can play more than seven people on a nightly basis. Oh, and it would be nice to get some players that are familiar with that "leaving the bench rule."
Best Case Scenario: Phoenix is taking a serious look at trying to move up in this year's draft. Need some proof? Check out the fact that they are working out Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and Jeff Green today, all of whom are slated to go in the top 10. The best of the group for the Suns might be Noah, but they'd probably have to get Milwaukee's pick at 6 to guarantee themselves a shot at him.
More Likely Scenario: It's looking more and more like the Suns will somehow improve their position in the draft. In case they don't, here's what they're looking at with their 24th and 29th picks: international players. Phoenix doesn't see any immediate help for their team this deep in the draft, so they'll focus on players like Tiago Splitter and Petteri Koponen who can develop their game out of the country and off of their roster.
Since NBA FanHouse has six bloggers repping five teams each throughout the year, they've convinced themselves that they should be the next hotshot GMs. So here's who they think their teams will draft next Thursday: Picks #1-10, picks #11-20 and picks #21-30.
Anybody that has watched him play knows exactly what I am talking about. Other than finding a big man that is not a stiff, the most difficult thing for NBA GMs to find is a wing player that is ready to come in the NBA and become a top defender. Offense and flash might get all of the glory, but an athletic defensive minded player like Brewer can't take a good team and make it a great one. Think about the impact that great wing defenders such as Bruce Bowen, Tayshaun Prince, Eddie Jones, Doug Christie, and Scottie Pippen have made over the years. When those guys were playing all-league type defense, their teams were usually winning. As with Scottie Pippen, the thing that makes Brewer great on defense is freakish wingspan. When an athletic 6'8" swing man has the wingspan of a seven-footer, and the willingness to focus on defense, that usually spells trouble for NBA offenses.
Most draft boards currently have him listed as a late lottery pick. Anyone that is in need of an all-league perimeter defender shouldn't make the mistake of passing on Brewer.
