So I was just finishing up Season 2 of Boardwalk Empire, naturally checking Twitter every so often, when this one came across the wire from Jerry Zgoda:
A brief texting exchange ensued. Since we’re low on Kahntent and it seems apropos to late-May Wolves discussion, I figger’d I’d type it out.
Andy G: Do we have to defend CODY Z in an INBOX?
Patrick J: I suppose we could. There are worse picks
AG: As a 9th Pick option, seems weird to hate the pick. He’d a gone top 3 last yr
PJ: Yeah, he’s a potential brook Lopez talent at 9
AG: If his FREAK ATHLETICISM means he’s an able pnr defender with range to 18 feet, that’s like Dante with size, no?
PJ: Should be. Shit, should be better
PJ: Gun to your head: both Shabazz and ZELLER are available at 9, and you know Pek is going to be back. Which do you take?
AG: I take Cody even SANS GUN — Shabazz might be underrated by stats-only types but there’s no getting around his Gopher K-Hump assist numbers. Dude doesn’t pass (COUNTERPOINT: does it matter if Ricky’s backcourt mate passes?) I’d go Zeller on reasonable chance he becomes a bigtime plus 3rd Big that’ll ease Kahntract pressures down the road if/when it’s time to say g’bye to Love or Pek. Talent over fit in the lotto.
PJ: I’d still take a hard look. ZELLER really struggles with his shot and I’m not sure he fits well into an Adelman style offense. SHABAZZ fills a need, and his bad habits could be tempered by the combination of Adelman, Rubio, and experience.
Punch-Drunk Wolves 
I think if Zeller is BPA, I won’t be sad if the Wolves pick him. He ranks out well in a lot of stats, and does a lot of little things (floor run?) that really matter. He’s better than Len, in any case.
(Side Note: Shabazz fits less into an Adelman type office than Zeller)
I’m with you that Shabazz is an absolute no. It’s not just assists he does nothing other than shoot. As Weiland put it in one of his pre-tournament assessments… He’s not even the best SG on his own team (J. Adams).
zebano–
I’m not quite this down on Shabazz–I just prefer Zeller, on balance.
Draft Express (ranks him 10th) says this about Shabazz, which is kind of enticing when you factor in what’s currently lacking on the Wolves roster:
“Muhammad’s style of play is highly unconventional, as he rarely scores in isolation or pick and roll settings in the half-court, seeing just 6% of his offense in these situations. Instead, he gets most of his points leaking out in transition, moving off the ball, as a spot-up shooter, posting up relentlessly, crashing the offensive glass, and coming off short curls in the mid-range area where he’s only forced to put the ball on the floor once or twice to get all the way to the basket. He gets to the free throw line nearly seven times per-40, which is a testament to his aggressiveness and scoring instincts more than anything, as well as his ability to overpower opposing players.”
(http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Shabazz-Muhammad-6270/)
I’ve rarely seen the guy play, so I have to defer to people that have. There are certainly some red flags with his poor advanced stats and the age [mini] scandal, but I don’t really buy that he’s a garbage prospect entirely either. That was said about Harrison Barnes too, and he’s now producing on a good NBA team. Austin Rivers is a poor comp because he didn’t/doesn’t have requisite size for his only NBA position.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog/_/name/nba_draft/id/9325639/2013-nba-draft-using-science-break-shabazz-muhammad
IS IT TOO LATE TO CHANGE MY VOTE?! (Just kidding. I think.)
@Andy G re Shabazz: Just sayin’. 😉