COMMENTARY
Timberwolves' Kahn trusts Flynn can get it done
In the late 1980s, David Kahn and I were among a half-dozen "national NBA columnists." He worked in Portland. I was in New York City.
We were young and full of ourselves back then. Kahn and I watched NBA teams bungle draft choices, make ridiculous trades and hire inferior coaches. Heck, we could do as well as some of these guys. We could run an NBA team. Well, we were halfway right.
On May 21, Kahn was named president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, completing an unlikely journey that took him from newspapers to law school to the dream job of running his own NBA squad.
Does this mean I could run an NBA team? Could I have fired Kevin McHale? Don't you want to pinch yourself?
"I don't pinch myself," Kahn said Tuesday from Minneapolis. "I do confess to feeling good about it."
The downside is that Kahn is the guy getting ripped in the media now. He's been lambasted for taking two point guards, Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn of Niagara Falls, with the fifth and sixth overall picks.
Rubio, an 18-year-old Spaniard, is under contract in Europe and might not play in the NBA for a year or more. Critics feel Kahn blundered by taking Flynn and giving Rubio a reason to stay away.
There was no Internet when Kahn covered the NBA, no blogs, no podcasts. The business has changed. He doesn't miss it.
"First of all, it's hard work," he said. "I don't miss deadlines.
"It's obvious that you have to have a take today," Kahn said. "There's very little that's measured and kind of sober. There has to be controversy and a headline attached. It has to be provocative."
Critics roared when he took Flynn at No. 6, right after Rubio. I could hear the whispers: the sports writer had to show he was the smartest guy in the room.
"Criticism is fine," Kahn said. "I'd be more mindful if I thought it was a close call. I believe we did the right thing. We were highly prepared, highly organized. We did not expect Rubio to be there. And it seemed right to take the guy we were enamored with [Flynn]."
Experts had Rubio going as high as second. He wasn't getting past Kahn at No. 5. And he loved Flynn too much to let him get away. Kahn validated what hoop fans in Western New York have known since Flynn was at the Falls.
"Jonny has a chance to be a very special player," Kahn said. "Despite being short [6 feet], he carries himself as if he's three or four inches taller. He has great athletic ability. I think he will become one of the best on-ball defenders in our league. I love his leadership capability. It seems to just ooze out of him."
Kahn says Rubio and Flynn can play together in the same backcourt. I wouldn't be surprised if he traded Rubio. McHale's supporters felt the team was close to being competitive. Kahn intends to build a championship team.
"We're in talent accumulation mode," he said.
He's a smart man. Kahn worked in the NBA offices for David Stern when he was in law school at NYU. He was a consultant to NBA Showtime while working in a New York law firm. He worked for the Pacers for nine years under Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird.
While in Indiana, Kahn helped with the building of Conseco Fieldhouse. He moved back to Portland, where his wife owns an ad agency. He led a group that tried to bring a baseball team (namely, the Expos) to Portland. For the last four years, he was involved with four NBA Developmental League franchises.
Now he's running his own team. Free agency is under way. Kahn is negotiating with Rubio. He needs to hire a coach. He left Wednesday for coach interviews. Then it's off to the L.A. Summer League, where he will see Flynn.
It's a wonder he has time for interviews. I told him I was rooting for him. Kahn said that was nice. Of course, he knows if it blows up, I might rip him.
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