Tyus Jones Recalls NBA Draft Night Suspense
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a honeymoon period.
A new coach, young talent and a chance to add some more Thursday night in the NBA Draft. They may make a trade, they may draft a shooter.
As Mike Max reports, that's all a part of the magic of this annual event.
Tyus Jones remembers it vividly. His name called in the first round by his home town team. A year later, he's now honing his game in a local Pro- Am league. He now understands the NBA and he certainly understands draft night.
"Draft day is very long. It feels like forever until your name is called," Jones said. "It's just once your name is called it's the best feeling in the world. But leading up to it, it's stressful."
Enter a new sheriff in Tom Thibodeau. He chose the Timberwolves because they are a sheik, young and potentially appealing team for players to want to get to.
"I do think it's appealing but we also, because it's appealing, doesn't mean that we're there," Thibodeau said. "There is a lot of work that has to go into this. We can talk about it, but we actually have to do it."
What he knows they need is someone who can play the two guard, who can score the basketball. Enter names like Kris Dunn from Providence, or Oklahoma's Buddy Hield. People who know what to do with the ball.
"As you guys can see if you watch the Finals and you look at the playoffs, you can never have enough shooting," Thibodeau said. "So you're always thinking about it and for us how we cover the line, how we execute to create more three-point scoring opportunities for ourselves."
Back at the Pro-Am league, the basketball junkies are talking and they seem satisfied no matter what direction this team takes for now.
"I think they might be trading the pick. I think they've got a pretty solid team," Timberwolves fan Joel Armstrong said.
