OK, I've given John Paxson about a week on the job to find out where Jerry Krause put the listening devices.
That's enough of a honeymoon. How about going after Kevin Garnett?
Minnesota is looking at a seventh straight first-round playoff elimination after losing home-court advantage to the Lakers in their first-round series. It may be occurring to the Timberwolves that this thing isn't working.
It isn't working because of Garnett. He's terrific. He's just not Kobe, T-Mac, A.I. or Shaq. He's not the guy to carry a team. He's what you could call a superstar role player. He's so good he plays nearly every role. Except hero.
Hearts have to ache in Minneapolis, and not only because the ice-fishing season goes until mid-June. Watching Stephon Marbury beat San Antonio, the league's regular-season best, almost single-handedly brings thoughts of what could have been. Garnett and Marbury could have been the new millennium Malone and Stockton—with hops.
Marbury is a finisher, a great scorer who can make big shots. Garnett does everything else. He's probably the league's best individual defender. Minnesota's zone defense works because he plays the point. He rebounds, he blocks shots, he's a great passer and he can score … although not in the fourth quarter. He's a little like Grant Hill when Hill was at his best. He gets you to the fourth quarter. Then he needs someone to hand the baton to while he plays decoy.
It would have worked wonderfully in Orlando if Hill had not been hurt. Tracy McGrady is that kind of finisher.
Guys like Garnett need to play with someone better. The problem for Minnesota is it cannot get someone better with Garnett taking up the bulk of the payroll. And it's not like the community is enthralled with the team or seems to care much for Garnett.
There were almost 4,000 tickets still available for Tuesday night's second playoff game. Game 1 Sunday, the prime national game, wasn't sold out, and although it was Easter, the T'wolves' three previous playoff games didn't sell out either. Contraction anyone?
This Garnett debate has come up before, particularly last season, when Dallas swept the T'wolves out of the playoffs. Minnesota's response was to try to provide more support for Garnett. A run at Ricky Davis failed, but they added Troy Hudson and signed Kendall Gill and Rod Strickland.
They won a franchise-best 51 games and earned home court in a playoff series for the first time. The community yawned. Minnesota finished 19th in the NBA in home attendance.
Next season the Timberwolves pay Garnett an NBA-record $28 million. Then he becomes a free agent. The talk about a trade or a possible Garnett defection began again this season when Garnett dropped talks about an extension. He said he was depressed after the playoffs last season, and it could get worse. Hardly anyone expects them to beat the Lakers this season.
Can the Timberwolves risk allowing Garnett to become a free agent? They are the only team that can pay him more than about a $12 million to $14 million starting salary. But what is the guy really about? After next season he'll be finishing a contract that has paid him $128 million. Even Shawn Kemp doesn't have that big a family to support.
And it's not like Minneapolis loves the guy. No sellouts, not even in the playoffs. Hello, Kevin McHale? Anybody home? That may be a message.
If the Timberwolves cannot win this series or at least get to a seventh game, it's got to be time to break this thing up and build a team.
Here's where the Bulls come in.
Garnett was the original rebuilding plan. He was the guy Krause was eyeing to take over for Michael Jordan. Garnett's rookie contract was expiring after the 1998-99 season, but he didn't like the way the Bulls did business. He blamed them for chasing out Jordan and reupped in Minnesota.
But it's a new era in Chicago. Krause is gone, and it's interesting timing that Garnett could become available. He'd hardly be opposed to re-signing with an organization run by the likeable Paxson, a close ally of Jordan's.
What the Timberwolves need is a team to compete in the West, and who better to supply that than the Bulls, loaded with young talent. And what the Bulls need is a veteran star who could bring a defensive presence and leadership.
So here's the deal:
The Timberwolves get Jalen Rose. They like him. They were in preliminary talks with several teams, including the Bulls, in a multiteam deal that would have sent Rose to Minnesota. It fell apart over salary-cap relief for injured Terrell Brandon.
Minnesota also gets Tyson Chandler, who is considered Garnett-like, plus either Jamal Crawford or Jay Williams, Eddie Robinson and some extra like Dalibor Bagaric to satisfy salary-cap requirements.
Minnesota doesn't have a point guard, so imagine a starting lineup of Williams, Rose, Wally Szczerbiak, Chandler and Rasho Nesterovic. That team might compete better in the Western Conference. And the T'wolves don't have to worry about losing Garnett and getting nothing in return.
The Bulls' lineup looks like this: Crawford, a defensive-oriented shooting guard the Bulls could acquire with their midlevel exception (Antonio Daniels? Corey Maggette?), Donyell Marshall, Eddy Curry and Garnett. With Marcus Fizer leading the bench corps.
Or stick with what the Bulls have. Develop Crawford, Williams, Curry and Chandler and build around them, although it's tempting to think of some of this young talent combining with 27-year-old MVP candidate Garnett in the Eastern Conference. Make a run for the East now or wait and develop what you have, which looks like it could become something special.
sorry i would provide the link to this but you have to sign up to this site in order to read the article. figure i would save whoever wants to read the article the trouble of doing so....
i would love to see KG in a bulls' uni leading the baby bulls to the promise land
