Charlie Gershman had seen only six picks and was already a little thrown off.

The 20-year-old from Minneapolis sat at Madison Square Garden decked out in his Timberwolves T-shirt and watched as his favorite team took two of the draft's highest rated point guards – Spain’s Ricky Rubio and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn – back-to-back with the No. 5 and No. 6 picks.

“I’m a little confused,” Gershman said. “We now have two point guards.”

An unorthodox move, the Timberwolves set the stage for what was a peculiar draft to come. By selecting two players at the same position in the top 10, Minnesota not only disturbed the draft order to follow, but also primed opposing teams, coaches and fans for a potential blockbuster trade that would never come to fruition.

“I don’t understand this,” Morgan Williams, 52, from Schenectady, NY, said. “But I think they’re going to trade Rubio here.”

Williams wasn’t alone, as the pick sent draft analysts into a speculative frenzy. The players themselves weren’t altogether sure what had just happened. Backstage, Rubio – an 18-year-old phenom from the Spanish leagues – addressed the media first.

Already reportedly unhappy with the selection and carrying the option to reject the Timberwolves and return to Spain, Rubio appeared displeased. Before the draft he’d placed Minnesota low on his potential totem poll, and things became increasingly murky now that he would have to share the stage with another rookie guard.

“That's a big surprise for me they took another point guard,” Rubio said. “But we are going to see what they want. I don’t know yet what exactly they want.”

Flynn – a sophomore and early declaration out of Syracuse – took a different approach, chalking the picks up to the progression of NBA offenses, citing the need for multiple ball-handlers on the court at the same time.

“You see the NBA going to a format with two point guards,” Flynn said. “That's what the game is shifting to. It's good to have two facilitators that could make plays on the court. I think we can boost each other's level of play, and I can't wait go to play with him.”

Still, few bought the picks’ legitimacy as the first round waned. It wasn’t until the Timberwolves picked a third point guard  – North Carolina’s Ty Lawson –  in the opening round that the organization’s public relations team stepped in and issued a statement that they would not trade either Rubio or Flynn (Lawson was dealt to the Nuggets shortly after for a future first-round selection).

Special feature Draft do-overs? Not every No. 1 pick is an easy one. See which teams wish they could turn back the clock and which surprising players were (and weren't) taken first. NBCSports.com

The statement, however, ceased to slow down the rumor mill generated from Rubio’s camp as his father told a Spanish newspaper that his son may remain in Europe for up to two more years.

Rubio wasn’t denying the claims himself. When asked if the selection deterred his desire to play in the NBA this season, he responded with a simple, “I don’t know yet.”

Intriguingly enough, Rubio now holds the leverage in what is sure to be a summer-long battle between the guard, his current team in Barcelona and his agents against a Timberwolves organization already ripe with uncertainty.

Regardless of the outcome, Rubio’s prima donna act raised concerns in the draft audience.

Gershman said he preferred Flynn from the get-go. The blue-collar attitude and leadership capabilities made him an easier sell than the flashy, yet untested Rubio.

Williams agreed. His prediction, without bias he says, was based on a character assessment of both Flynn and Rubio.

“They probably picked Rubio over Jonny just because Jonny’s got less flair,” Williams said. “But watch when they start playing and they find out Rubio is just in it for the money, that’s what I’m thinking. Now that he’s got the money, I don’t think he’s going to do as well.”

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