Pack leader: Wolves make Towns No. 1 overall selection in NBA Draft
MINNEAPOLIS -- In the end, Flip Saunders avoided the temptation to overthink.
The Timberwolves president, coach and part owner could've taken throwback big man Jahlil Okafor with the franchise's inaugural No. 1 overall pick, but he passed on the Duke product's Tim Duncan-esque low-post dominance.
He could've thrown an even more wild card and picked Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell, regarded by some experts -- including himself -- as the Class of 2015's highest-ranking member, but Minnesota skirted by the discomfort that would've created regarding current point man Ricky Rubio.
Instead, Saunders picked Karl-Anthony Towns first overall Thursday night, going with the consensus and the most versatile big man available -- in this draft, and possibly this basketball generation.
Saunders called Towns from the stage at Thursday night's Target Center draft party, where more than 8,000 fans roared when the pick was announced at 6:37 p.m. local time. "I tell you what, I know the fans are as excited as I am to have you," Saunders said into the microphone and telephone. "I'm excited to coach you, very excited to watch you play. We've got 10,000 here. When you get here opening night, there's going to be 20,000 here."
"I can't wait to come play," Towns responded. "I know one thing: I can't wait to say, 'Go T-wolves' for the first time."
Towns is the personification of long-awaited lottery luck, the spoils after the Wolves won 16 games in 2014-15, then the league's annual ping-pong ball lottery for the first time in their woebegone history. Saunders and Glen Taylor dined with Towns and watched him work out late last week, and both parties left beyond impressed.
Saunders said it reminded him of future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett's 1995 pre-draft workout.
"Look," Saunders said, "when he came in here, it was a wrap."
Towns enjoyed his time in "cosmopolitan" Minneapolis, he said, and became particularly enamored with the downtown skyway. His John Calipari-inspired imaginary friend Karlito, to whom Towns says he turns when he's looking for inner calm or advice, will be coming with him to the Twin Cities.
But all frivolities aside, Towns said he can't wait to get rolling with rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins, point guard Ricky Rubio and a childhood idol in Garnett.
"We have an abundance of talent," said Towns, a St. Joseph's (Metuchen, N.J.) alum and Dominican National Team member since 2012. "As soon as we come together and we get on the same page, I think we could be a force to be reckoned with."
Towns' part entails a two-way skill set highlighted by solid rim protection (a Wolves need) and the ability to guard just about every position. Word is he can shoot, too, though Kentucky coach Calipari says he forced Towns to play with his back to the basket during his one collegiate season.
In the Wildcats' run to the Final Four, Towns averaged 19.5 points on 56.6 percent shooting, 12.7 rebounds, 4.2 blocks and 2.1 assists per 40 minutes and converted 81.3 percent of his free-throw attempts.
"There's a lot of teams that really wish they were us today," said Saunders, who also traded back into the first round for Minnesota native Tyus Jones. "I couldn't be happier with the direction that we're going."
Towns isn't the seasoned force on the block Okafor is. He's also a prized big man in an era where perception says they're a dying breed.
But that won't stop the Wolves from paying him in the neighborhood of $28.4 million over the next five years to join Wiggins (another No. 1 overall pick), Rubio, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng in a Saunders-built contingent seeking to break the organization's 11-year playoff drought.
Towns is ready, his college coach says.
"He said from day one, 'I'll go to Minnesota. I love it. Let's build something,'" Calipari said.
Follow Phil Ervin on Twitter
