Derrick Williams unconcerned with uncertainty at No. 2

NEW YORK -- Arizona forward Derrick Williams knows that, with Minnesota lined up for the No. 2 pick, just about anything can happen on draft night. There is a long list of teams rumored to have discussed trading for the pick with the Timberwolves—Lakers, Wizards, Suns, Sixers, Pacers, Spurs and Cavaliers among them. There’s also a rumor that the Wolves will take big man Enes Kanter. Throw in a report that has Minnesota firing Kurt Rambis, and Williams’ draft night figures to be tinged with uncertainty.

He is doing his best to keep his head in the sand on all the Wolves discussion, though. “I try to ignore it,” Williams told SN. “Hopefully whatever team picks me wants me to stay, that is how I look at it. I heard Kevin Love say, if I am available at 2, he wants them to take me. I worked out with a couple of the guys already so I think if the players already like me, that would be cool.”

It would be a transition for Williams, should he end up in Minnesota. Williams went to high school in La Mirada, California, and played his college ball at Arizona. The climate is slightly different in Minnesota. “I am not going to really like the cold too much,” Williams said. “I never really lived in snow and all of that. I heard Minnesota gets negative-30 or so sometimes. But I am going to make sure I bring a couple of coats.”

Of course, Williams could wind up just about anywhere thanks to trade possibilities. But what would be surprising would be if, somehow, he fell out of the Top 2 and wound up still on the board at No. 3 or No. 4.

Even if that happens, Williams won’t be complaining. “I wouldn’t say I would be disappointed,” he said. “If I wind up 3 or 4, at the end of the day, I really wasn’t supposed to be in this spot anyway. Out of high school, I was barely Top 100. I’ve had to be kind of an underdog all along. So it’s just an honor and a blessing to be thought of where I am right now. I don’t take things for granted.

A Man Among Wolves -- an early look

, Werner Herzog's documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived in the wild with bears and ultimately was killed by one.

Ellis, just like Treadwell, has no scientific background, and there are many moments during the documentary when that is made painfully clear. Nevertheless, to see a human accepted into a wolf pack he raised from pups is what makes A Man Among Wolves , Treadwell seemed naive, but I don't think the same should be said for Ellis. He's eccentric, to say the least, and very unorthodox in his approach, but his goal to help protect the wolves and create a safe environment for them seems to keep him centered in some semblance of reality. Still, I was never fully convinced that Ellis was ever really a part of the wolf pack, or just a harmless intruder the wolves chose to tolerate.