Sportsfrog.com

…of Minnesota’s having traded away OJ Mayo a few hours after drafting him. Good read from Powers in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A taste:

“Assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg went down to the draft party and talked up Mayo. He talked him up as if he still were going to be with the Wolves when the sun came up this morning. Hoiberg told the crowd that Southern California coach Tim Floyd told him that Mayo was “the most competitive player he’s ever seen in his life.” The fans cheered. Everyone seemed thrilled. Yeah, the Wolves did the right thing.

For a few hours. As midnight approached, it was announced that Wolves vice president Kevin McHale still was working on “a deal” and wouldn’t be able to make an appearance in the pressroom for some time. We all groaned. His deals usually suck. No one put it past him to trade Mayo in the middle of the night.

As it turned out, we were right. His deal sucked. He traded Mayo in the middle of the night. There is no hope for this franchise. I’m also going to have to say that Hoiberg is out of the loop, too. Granted, his comments about keeping Mayo came on a crowded elevator. Asked if they were keeping him, he nodded and said: “We’re keeping him.”

This reminds me of the time former coach Dwane Casey called a team meeting to tell the players to quit looking over their shoulders because there weren’t going to be any trades. Fewer than 24 hours later, a blockbuster trade with Boston was announced.

Anyway, so much for being on the right track. The rights to Mayo now belong to the Memphis Grizzlies. You can argue about whether Mayo would fit the Wolves’ needs. I think he does. Many of the other 47 guards they employ aren’t so good. But that’s irrelevant. Mayo was the absolute best player available when Minnesota made its selection. Then they blew it.”

Guess the locals are not down with the general ESPN-led slamming of the Grizzlies for this trade. Maybe because they have been burned by Kevin McHale before.

At any rate, this trade will be worth checking back in on over the years. Still, from Memphis, we are pretty much in pure joy. A proactive move to bring a potential franchise changing player to Memphis? Yes please. And long overdue.