Torn ACL Ends Corey Brewer's Season

Not that things needed to get any more difficult for the 4-11 Timberwolves this year, but Corey Brewer will miss the rest of the season after an MRI confirmed that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.

From an offensive standpoint, Brewer won't be missed -- he was averaging just 6.2 points per game on 41% shooting -- but he's a talented defender and one of a handful of T-Wolves with a postive net plus/minus. Ryan Gomes, who already took the starting small forward job from Brewer earlier in the year, should expect to see even more playing time from here on out.

While injuries can happen to anyone at anytime, Brewer was already battling the dreaded "bust" label, so a season-ending injury this early in his second year is a huge disappointment. As the seventh overall pick in 2007, he was selected ahead of guys like Spencer Hawes (10th), Thaddeus Young (12th), Al Thornton (14), Rodney Stuckey (15th) and Nick Young (16th) -- any of those guys would look good in a Timberwolves uniform this year, even if Brewer hadn't gone down.

This summer the Timberwolves will have a decision to make: do they activate Brewer's fourth-year option or make him earn it in 2009-10? With most lottery picks it's a mere formality for a team to hold onto a rookie for the length of the rookie contract, but in this case, letting Brewer walk would let the team wipe $3.7 million off the cap just in time for the free agent feeding frenzy that will be the summer of 2010.