AN OPEN LETTER TO KEVIN MCHALE

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"My people told me Loren Woods had a tremendous upside"

[Ed's note: Intern Ben is a big T-Wolves fan and really wants Beasley to fall to three. He probably won't. Regardless, he wrote an open letter to Mr. Kevin McHale. Here's hoping he's reading! By the way, if you want to see every morsel of ESPN The Magazine draft goodness, go here.]

To: Kevin McHale

From: ESPNTheMag.Com

Dear Kevin,

It must have been satisfying to watch KG hold that championship trophy...minus the small note that he wasn't wearing a T'Wolves jersey. That joy aside, let's face it: your tenure at the helm of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been rocky at best. So we have but one final request before Fred Hoiberg takes over: don't mess this draft up.

You started off well. People forget that you had the guts to draft the first player directly from high school into the NBA. But drafting KG was probably the best move you made, and not only does he now have a trophy with another franchise, you got him when he was a teen, and 30 is now in his rear-view mirror. Since then? Well...

You traded Ray Allen for Starbury.

You "landed" Paul Grant and William Avery in the 1st round.

You sent Sam Cassell AND a 1st round pick to the Clippers for Marko Jaric. Really. [Ed's note: We would say it's Adriana-related, but Kevin, you're married!]

And then, of course, there was the Joe Smith fiasco. The only thing worse than wanting to sign a mediocre former overall #1 pick is getting caught making illegal deals with him on the side. This made the Vikings draft day "missed pick" seem downright cheeky by comparison. After David Stern laid down the law, you cost the T'Wolves $3.5 mil, five first-round draft picks (later reduced to "only" 3), and most importantly, a realistic chance for KG to win a championship. You drafted a guy we now know could help lead a team to a title, but stripped the vehicle he needed to take you there.

From 2000-2004 (the prime of KG's career) you had one first-round draft pick because of this punishment. The player selected: Ndudi Ebi (um…) He scored 40 points total for you over two seasons. The picks directly after him: Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard.

Would you like a drink? Us too.

It's a fools errand to "evaluate" second round picks, the equivalent to sorting rocks and looking only for a smooth side to utilize as a paper weight, but still.

Loren Woods, Marcus Taylor, Rick Rickert, Blake Stepp.

Of those gems Loren Woods has been the "most successful", scoring 2.6 a game for four teams in his six-year career.

The T'Wolves new slogan, thanks to you, is "Let's build it." We're inspired, if only because it implies someone else is helping you. We hope. You have the chance to leave the club with a few bright young players to team with Al Jefferson. We all know that Derrick Rose is probably going first overall to the Bulls, but please draft Michael Beasley or O.J. Mayo at three. There are only three obvious star players in this draft. One of them will fall to you; you can't avoid it, even if you secretly try to make a deal with Loren Woods in the meantime. Don't be tempted by Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, or especially Anthony Randolph. Remember that you also have the 1st and 4th picks in the 2nd round. Maybe package those picks to move into the late first round and get another quality big man.

In exchange we'll try and think of a more inspiring slogan for the T'Wolves. How's, "It's only the past"?

As ever,

ESPNTheMag.com

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