Potential Shooting Guards

Eric Gordon

Gordon fits the bill offensively as he is a player that doesn't shy away from the spotlight and would be capable of shouldering the offensive load. The Wolves would need to compensate for him a bit on defense, being an undersized shooting guard, but that's something the Wolves could handle. Gordon is light of foot, challenging his opponents to keep pace.

How to get him? The Wolves could offer up Beasley and Johnson and a pick to the Hornets.

O.J. Mayo

Mayo is a fearless shooter and, like most shooting guards, wants to win games for his team. Mayo has been playing one spot off the court, as the sixth man, for the Grizzlies lately. He has been playing that spot though he averages 25.5 minutes per game and is often seen off the bench in the late minutes of the game. In Mayo's first two seasons, he was a starter that averaged 18 points per game. Defense is a shortcoming on Mayo's resume.

How to get him? Beasley, again, would be offered.

Evan Turner

Turner slumps in comparison to Gordon and Mayo when it comes to outside shooting. However, he holds just as much ability when it comes to getting to the rim. He woulds hard on both ends of the court and would slide in nicely to the Wolves' rebounding mantra. Turner is more of a team player and less of a star, which would balance with the Loves and Rubios of the Wolves.

How to get him? Here, the Wolves would have to offer up a lot more. The Wolves could offer Beasley, Williams, Johnson, Randolph and a 2012 first-round pick and a 2014 first-round pick for Turner and Andre Iguodala.

Kevin Martin

I have strayed from my initial assessment of Martin. Forgetting he is the oldest of my suggested prospects, at 29 years old, and is likely starting to decline. The Wolves have had enough rebuilding years - we don't need to bring in a guy that will need replacing soon.

The Timberwolves Need a Shooting Guard

The Wolves score the 11th-most points in the NBA, sitting at a strong 96.7 points per game. In contrast, the Wolves boast the worst field-goal percentage of any of the top-14 teams in the league.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a glaring gap at shooting guard.

We have Rubio, who will be running the offense for years to come. Derrick Williams, a work in progress, will most likely be slotted at small forward down the line. Kevin Love will continue pounding the glass for the Wolves while putting up league MVP-type numbers. Darko Milicic and Nikola Pekovic will secure the center position.

In order to contend, the Wolves must scratch together someone to boost the field goal percentage - the Wolves need a starting shooting guard.

The Wolves are able to run a very effective high pick-and-roll with a player spotting up in the corner or on the wing. Ideally, Love sets a screen and rolls to the hoop. The player guarding the spot-up shooter has to collapse to help and Rubio can find either Love or the spot-up.

Wayne Ellington will come to most fans' minds, but I dissent. While Wayne complements the pick-and-roll offense captained by Rubio, he isn't a starter. Not in this league, anyway. We can't change the offense, not when it took so long to import Rubio. No, we have to find a guard that can at least play pick-up ball at the pick-and-roll.

Who can the Wolves target?

While it would be nice to lock down a defender to guard the Kobe Bryants and Dwayne Wades of the NBA, I'm willing to bet that the Wolves would settle for a smart and efficient guard that can play the system. My suggestions are as follows, in no particular order. Unless, that is, you consider alphabetical...

Eric Gordon

Kevin Martin

O.J. Mayo

Evan Turner

More on 'why' to come...

As a side note, while needing a shooting guard really is a #firstworldproblem, let's take a moment to remember when we needed 5 starting positions.