By: Drew Mahowald
Dear Mr. Durant, First of all, I want to congratulate you on what you have accomplished so far in your nine-year career. You have already cemented yourself as one of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA, and I have no doubt that you will win a championship someday. With that said, I believe the easiest way for you to win a championship is by joining the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. As much as I dislike Skip Bayless and his generally ludicrous opinions, I think he's right when he says you aren't reaching your full potential with a guy like Russell Westbrook at point guard. You and Russell are buddies. I get it. You stick up for each other. You win together and you lose together. I know the feeling -- albeit on a drastically smaller scale -- but I know the feeling. But there comes a point in every man's career when he needs to sacrifice a friendship for what is best for himself – and that's where you are right now. Your career would benefit largely from playing with a pass-first point guard, and I think I have someone in mind. You remember Ricky Rubio, right? Pssh, of course you do. But just in case you need your memory refreshed...
Knocking down clutch threes is far from the only thing Rubio does for the Wolves. Defensively, he shuts down opposing point guards with consistency. For example, that back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry guy that dropped 36 points on you in Game 7? Rubio and Co. held him to 13/42 shooting and 6/23 from three-point range in the two games they went head-to-head.
The benefits you receive from playing with Rubio will be better felt on the offensive end, though. As an excellent catch-and-shoot three-point sniper, you fit in perfectly with Rubio's style of play. His pass-first mentality would be an excellent change from Westbrook's I-need-to-have-the-ball-in-my-hands style of play. Rubio plays to get his teammates open looks. His court vision is better than any other player’s in the league. Just think about it -- Rubio and yourself running a pick-and-pop with guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine acting as legitimate weapons to draw defenders. How would that be stopped? Oh, but you say this franchise has missed the playoffs for 12 straight seasons? I mean, you're right about that. But even without you, this team has an extremely bright future. Towns is a sure-fire perennial All-Star and will probably be considered a Top 5 player within a couple of seasons. LaVine has become an absolute flamethrower from beyond the arc and can do some crazy things as a complementary scorer once he gets going. And I think you know a little bit about this Wiggins dude.
Aside from boasting one of the best young rosters, if not the best young roster, in the NBA, the Wolves also hired the best available head coach this offseason in Tom Thibodeau. Owner Glen Taylor finally has a roster with legitimate talent, and he is not taking any chances. He wants this to work, and I see no reason why it couldn't, especially if a player of your caliber joined in on the operation.
Mr. Durant, I urge you to consider this opportunity. While I almost 100% expect you to sign a one plus one deal with Oklahoma City, I just want you to be aware of this opportunity and the perks it has. You will have the chance to take a bunch of talented, young stars under your enormous wingspan and lead them to basketball immortality, something the city of Minneapolis desperately needs. If you choose to join Thibodeau, Rubio, Towns, Wiggins, LaVine and the rest of Minnesota's primed young roster, I promise you won't regret it. Sincerely, Drew Mahowald Timberwolves fanalyst
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