if the twolves don't get better kg wants out.

[Riot]

Players like Mike James who put up inflated stats in free agency years are just trying to ensure a better deal, maybe now that he has that in place he'll follow it up with decent yet team-first gameplay.

You are wrong. He was an undrafted free agent and he has earned every single minute of playing time he has gotten. He has just never really gotten a chance before last year in Toronto. If you look at his stats they aren't bad he just isn't getting the minutes to produce. Mike James is one of the hardest workers in the league. I really don't think this new contract will stop that.

Also, Mike James is the perfect point guard for Kevin Garnett. Haven't you noticed that shoot-first point guards have had great success with Garnett? Guys like Marbury, Cassell and Hudson have had a lot of success playing with Garnett. He is the most unselfish superstar in the game and he has no problem defering to them if they have a better shot.

I honestly think this Timberwolves team isn't too far away from being a contender in the Western Conference. A lot of people are saying this team lacks firepower but that simply isn't true. When you have guys like Mike James, Ricky Davis and Randy Foye on the roster next to MVP caliber Kevin Garnett you can do a lot of difference things offensively. The great thing about most of those guys though is that they can play two ways. Coach Casey, who not only have a year under his belt but also a better coaching staff, is a great defensive coach so the team has a great mix of defense and offense. The team also has those role players who can do a lot of different things (Marko Jaric, Mark Blount, Trenton Hassell, Justin Reed, Mark Madsen). Sure, the team needs to add some more bulk and depth up front but it's more than I can say for most teams in the league.

Also, if Eddie Griffin can get his head out of his ass and his hand off his dick maybe he can become the productive player he is capable of being. I'm not saying this team will rival the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns, but I think this team can battle for a top 6 seed in the Western Conference and if that happens I think Garnett will stay. He isn't saying he wants to win a championship this year or he is gone. He just wants to see progress with this team to make sure we aren't going backwards. I can honestly say this team isn't going backwards anymore.

[Riot]

I say KG will demand a trade or get dealt after this season.
The Twolves don't have much of a chance in the West with titan teams like Phoenix and such. It's not like Mike James can lead a team like Nash can.

If Mike James don't hog the ball, he can be that good, and THAT deadly. He could drop 30 on you with no problem

..While also allowing the other team to win the game by 20.

"Mike James" and "don't hog the ball" can never follow one another. It's like making an improper sentence.

Who cares if he hogs the ball? He shot great from the field and he had a good amount of assists on a bad team. Those aren't the kind of stats that you can pad.

[Ehsan Gamer]

I think KG can be traded for webber and korver to philly I HOPE this can be good both for A.I and KG And for my team philly

[J@3]

Wtf? Why on Earth would Minnesota trade Kevin Garnett for Chris Webber and Kyle Korver?

[Metsis]

I think KG can be traded for webber and korver to philly I HOPE this can be good both for A.I and KG And for my team philly

This makes like zero sense for either of the teams... Minnesota gets an old veteran that has one leg out the league door already and a Korver that didn't play that great last season...

Philadelphia is so preparing for the time when Chris Webber and Allen Iverson can no longer carry the team with Korver, Iguodala and Dalembert etc. That there wouldn't be any sense in giving up a part of the Sixers future for a run at the play-offs now.

And the bottom line... KG is so more valuable than Webber and Korver...

Basically the only team with talented players that might tempt the TWolves is basically the Knicks. Knicks are loaded with talent and loaded with head cases, but they could probably offer something like Curry, Francis and Q for KG and some table scraps... And the deal might actually seem tempting, but not likely to happen.

To be totally honest... I think KG is intrigued by the current situation... Potential of Foye, James finally giving them a long range threat. Davis is still there... The team has changed from last season and I believe it's for the better... I think KG wants to see how this all plays out...

[Mayerhendrix]

The Knicks trade wouldn't happen, KG wants to go to a team where he has a changce to win, his situation would be just as bad as it is now, if not worse.

[Riot]

Kevin Garnett can opt out of his contract after next season so that could also be a possibility instead of a trade. I have a hard time believing that Taylor would trade Garnett willingly.

[Indy]

I personally believe that the T-Wolves should trade Kevin Garnett to my beloved Pacers for Stephen Jackson and Jeff Foster. This trade helps both teams because Jackson replaces the amazing Wally World, and Jeff Foster is the 21st best Center in the NBA!!! Who can do a better offer then that?

[Silas]

I agree with you Riot, that they definitely are going to be better next season, but I'm not so sure they can compete for the 6th seed when you've got so many great teams on the rise next season...

Sacramento
LA Lakers
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
New Orleans Hornets
Utah Jazz

Including the Wolves thats seven teams fighting for two spots, and eight if you throw in the Sonics. I think we'll definitely see different teams in the playoffs, but It's going to be hard to out compete some of those teams, especially how some of them looked at the end of the season. Sacramento looked great, and when Yao and Tmac were healthy, Houston was great. New Orleans just got a fantastic roster.

I think they'll be way better, but to get the 6th or 7th, or even 8th seed may be a longshot at this point.

[ThaLiveKing]

I personally believe that the T-Wolves should trade Kevin Garnett to my beloved Pacers for Stephen Jackson and Jeff Foster. This trade helps both teams because Jackson replaces the amazing Wally World, and Jeff Foster is the 21st best Center in the NBA!!! Who can do a better offer then that?

Hand us the Championship after this trade

[kinokong]

lol jo kg and maybe harrington with granger and tinsley.... title fo the tallest lineup in the history of the nba maybe...

[Metsis]

The Knicks trade wouldn't happen, KG wants to go to a team where he has a changce to win, his situation would be just as bad as it is now, if not worse.

Yeah, I know that it would never happen... But the point was that the Knicks would have enough pieces to offer Minny a good package... Far better (on paper) than anyone else.

The other "fanboy" suggestion are so much better... KG for Webber and Korver or KG for Foster and Stephen Jackson... Like these would make any sense to Minnesota...

KG is staying put... They will compete next season for a shot at the play-offs...

And KG in New York... It wouldn't be as bad as it is now... If NYK traded the worst head cases to Minnesota in the trade, it might work out actually. But like stated so many times already... Trades are not happening.

One scenario for a KG trade I can see in the near future... If the team does not improve this season and they are no where near the play-offs at the trade dead-line and KG says that he is as good as gone with the player option on the contract in the summer and he is traded in February... That is the only KG trade I can see happening, but they have to lose big time before that and KG won't let that happen.

[Andrew]

KG's reputation has suffered in the last couple of years which I don't think is fair. He's missed the Playoffs three times in his career but the first time, his rookie year, can be excluded since the Timberwolves were a perennial bottom of the barrel team and he was neither their leader nor the player he is today. Likewise, his last two seasons have been with Timberwolves teams that have had their problems.

One might suggest that a true superstar should lead his team to victory against all odds. Such an assertion isn't without its merits but isn't exactly fair given KG's current situation. Furthermore, it's a historical double standard. I've seen it written that KG shouldn't be considered a "superstar" because of his team's shortcomings these past two seasons. However, Oscar Robertson's Royals missed the playoffs four times (including back to back seasons) yet some consider him the greatest player the NBA has ever seen. Admittedly Robertson has an impressive NBA resume but if missing the postseason places KG's status in today's NBA in doubt, surely Robertson's shortcomings in the 60s must affect his status amongst the all-time greats. It's generally not mentioned though and thus another double standard is born.

Every offseason rumours come up about KG and how he's headed out of Minnesota. He's supposedly going everywhere every Summer. While it may well happen one day, I won't believe it until I see it. A player of his calibre and contract size doesn't get moved until it's absolutely necessary. I know, "If Shaq can be traded then anyone can be traded" but until KG explicitly demands a trade I don't see it happening. This is probably as close as he's come to doing that so far but that's not to say anything is imminent.

I also found it interesting that he mentioned having "4 to 5 years" left. I'm not sure if he means at his current pace or in total, if it's the latter it comes as somewhat of a surprise. Then again, while he came into the league at a younger age he's also had the wear and tear of playing in the NBA inflicted upon his body from a much earlier age and more than a decade now. I guess there's a notion that high schoolers who jump to the NBA will go 20 years because of their head start when in reality is hardly a given. Moses Malone did it of course but he didn't remain the same force he was in his prime into his final years.

[air gordon]

reading this thread is deja vu

trade Garnett already

[maes]

Actually i have to disagree w/ the Oscar Robertson comparison, i think Big O's streaky playoff performances *does* negatively impact his place in history. In terms of individual performance, nobody, not Kobe, not Jordan, not Wilt, comes close to Robertson. As far as I'm concerned he's the #1 individual player in history without peer.

But his teams did have plenty of ups & downs in the playoffs...and this is what keeps from being considered the #1 player of all time. Playoff performance is what propels Jordan to the #1 spot, because not even Jordan could match O's all-around dominance in every fact of the game. Big O's 2nd year in the league, he went through the playoffs averaging 31.8 points, 9 assists, and *13* boards and the guy is a true 6' 5". And that was back in the day, today those 9 assists would probably be more like 14 assist per game.

Playoff performance isn't 100% of how a player is remembered, but it can hurt. It stops Big O from ever being considered #1 over Jordan, and it also hurts KG. KG is still a 100% Hall of Famer without a doubt, it's just going to stop him from being remembered as being on the Michael Jordan level.

[Riot]

Andrew, I believe Garnett has more minutes on his body than many players in the league today. The only guys that have more minutes are guys like Gary Payton and other veterans who are on their last leg. He has put a lot of miles on his knees and he knows that his ability to keep playing at this level will drop in the next few years. The good thing is that he is works extremely hard and he is always in shape. You put that with his toughness and love for the game and you have a guy who should have a long career. I don't think he'll be done in 4-5 years.

[Andrew]

I realise that, which was why I was surprised that he'd comment on having 4-5 years left. As I said, perhaps he was referring to having 4-5 years left before he starts taking on a lesser role because of age taking its toll.

[Riot]

I realise that, which was why I was surprised that he'd comment on having 4-5 years left. As I said, perhaps he was referring to having 4-5 years left before he starts taking on a lesser role because of age taking its toll.

I don't know. I don't think he was being exact in the comments, either. He was probably just talking and rattled off those numbers. I would be shocked to see him retire in five years unless there is some kind of health problem down the road. Maybe his knees are giving him more problems than we think?

[kinokong]

didn't garnett play with bad knees a year or two ago? garnett probably has a good 4 years before he starts taking a lesser role... hopefully foye blossoms into the next wade by year 3, mike james averages 15/8 without hogging the ball, ricky davis becomes a all round player and rashad mccants turns into a vinnie johnson type of sixth man, eddie griffin shows the potential he showed a couple years ago and jaric actually does something.... and kg knocks some sense into blount then you have a championship team a lot of things to do
but what has hurt this team the most is the joe smith deal and bad draft choices... if they hadn't lost their draft picks, their outcome might have been a lot different

[Silas]

Garnett gives 110% every night with triple teams. He takes a huge beating so I'm not sure he's going to be as effective into old age as other guys. Also, mentally he may get tired. I remember before the 2005 all star game I think it was John Thomas who interviewed him and he was breaking down in tears because he was quite clearly clinically depressed.

[Metsis]

KG will have it easier with more scoring threats on the team... This season will be easier. Mike James and Foye and Ricky Davis are going to score lots of points... This year will be different. I don't think the burden of scoring will be so much on Garnetts shoulders and he will more than likely see the ball less on offense than ever before, so he will be facing less triple-teams etc. this season and he will be more effective with his touches...

But if James and Foye and Davis just start hogging the ball, the team will crash and burn... KG is still probably the most skilled big man in the league and best all around player for his size. So he will be the focus point of any defenses, but that will help the other players alot. Just like with Dwyane Wade and Shaq... D-Wade can get to the rim bacause Shaq can't be left alone...

[z50bo]

But if James and Foye and Davis just start hogging the ball, the team will crash and burn...

im guessing that the team will crash and burn since Mike James cant do anything but be a ball hog.

[Andrew]

I don't know. I don't think he was being exact in the comments, either. He was probably just talking and rattled off those numbers. I would be shocked to see him retire in five years unless there is some kind of health problem down the road. Maybe his knees are giving him more problems than we think?

Maybe, but he could very well be referring to something else; the window for him being able to carry a team, how long he's willing to wait before looking to play second fiddle elsewhere, etc. Or as you said he could be just throwing out numbers. I too would hardly call that comment a guarantee but I found it interesting nevertheless.

[air gordon]

Garnett gives 110% every night with triple teams. He takes a huge beating so I'm not sure he's going to be as effective into old age as other guys. .

from who? Garnett is more a finesse player on offense- lots of jumpers/fadeways.. unlike a player like Wade. i think only against gumps like Tyson Chandler does Garnett consistently attack the rim

[Silas]

Garnett gives 110% every night with triple teams. He takes a huge beating so I'm not sure he's going to be as effective into old age as other guys. .

from who? Garnett is more a finesse player on offense- lots of jumpers/fadeways.. unlike a player like Wade. i think only against gumps like Tyson Chandler does Garnett consistently attack the rim

From any post player in the league who's not afraid to play tough. Just because you're not trying to dunk it all the time like Shaq doesnt mean you're not taking a beating. He takes elbows galore every time he goes up for one of his 13 rebounds, or battling for post position. Then, when he gets the ball he's swarmed and he has to fight just to break out and move.