Minnesota says it’s taking Kanter at No. 2. Smokescreen?

I am far from sold on this, but the Timberwolves have been telling anyone who would listen all day long they are taking Kanter No. 2, enough so that DraftExpress has bought in and moved Kanter to the No. 2 pick. People are starting to believe them.

Utah would be just fine with that and taking Derrick Williams, by the way.

12:53 pm: Right now, team’s draft boards are basically set. They have watched the tape, seen the workouts, gone to the combine, done the interviews, formed their opinions. The lists may get tweaked a little, but teams know who they want.

So when you read that a team is “considering” something something major, please take that rumor with a lot of salt.

Like this one, from Chad Ford at ESPN.

    Late Tuesday night, sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves were strongly considering taking Enes Kanter with the No. 2 pick. Kanter, they believe, is a better fit than Williams right now.

The Timberwolves need a power forward? Let me be up front — I’m sure somebody Ford trusts told him this. But the last few days before the draft is when teams try to throw out smoke screens to hide their actual intentions.

Every scout we’ve talked to has said Derrick Williams of Arizona is the clear No. 2 pick. There are teams farther down the draft that like Kanter. The Wolves are trying to shop the pick. Threatening to pick Kanter makes a lot of sense as a smokescreen.

Just something to think about.