An article by the much loved ( ) Steve Kerr:


Crying wolf

Following the Minnesota Timberwolves' 110-102 loss in Phoenix on Saturday, a frustrated Kevin Garnett berated several teammates in the locker room for the carefree manner in which they handled the defeat. Apparently, the unidentified Wolves were laughing and joking around shortly after the game ended, infuriating the ultra-competitive Garnett.

"I think losing should hurt," K.G. said.

He's right. Losing should hurt. When it stops hurting, a team begins to accept losing, and that seems to be exactly what the Timberwolves are doing. They are 11 games under .500, have lost 19 of their last 22 road games and have pretty much fallen out of the race in the weak Northwest Division.

Minnesota will likely miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, and there is plenty of blame to go around. While Garnett is a fabulous player – he's averaging 21.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game – it has become apparent that he can't dominate a game and carry a team by himself. As good as he is, K.G. is not a physical player on the block and isn't as imposing as Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal. The fact that he spends more time on the perimeter than in the low post shows in his free-throw numbers – he takes just over 6 per game.

Garnett is more of a finesse player – a wonderful passer, a good shooter and a great rebounder, but he can't control games by himself. He needs more help, and that leads to the next issue: Can general manager Kevin McHale put the right pieces around Garnett to get the Wolves on the right track?

This season, McHale hasn't been able to do it. His trade of Sam Cassell for Marko Jaric has backfired. Cassell's take-charge, aggressive offensive game has turned the Los Angeles Clippers around, while the Wolves have desperately missed his swagger. Watching Minnesota this season, it's glaring how much the Wolves miss Cassell down the stretch of close games. His clutch shooting took so much pressure off Garnett, and without Cassell's presence, K.G. has not fared well in fourth quarters with defenses loading up on him.

McHale hoped that acquiring Ricky Davis from Boston in exchange for Wally Szczerbiak would help replace Cassell, but Davis' production hasn't translated into more wins. He has averaged 19 points per game since his arrival, but he and Garnett haven't been able to generate the type of energy together that can elevate a team's play. The Wolves are 26th in the NBA in both scoring (92.0) and rebounding (39.6), and in the end, they are what they are – a less-than-mediocre team that is headed nowhere.

So what will happen in the offseason? Will Garnett be traded? Will Minnesota try to retool around him for the umpteenth time? To his credit, Garnett has handled everything very professionally. He hasn't demanded a trade and he wants to fulfill his commitment to the Timberwolves franchise.

Garnett is a loyal team player and doesn't want to take the easy way out. But at this point, it appears that perhaps the best thing for both K.G. and the Wolves would be to move him, giving both the player and the franchise a fresh start.



hmmmmmmmm

migya wrote:Garnett is a loyal team player and doesn't want to take the easy way out.

That's why I don't think it'll happen, unless it's for a really big offer that Minny can't reject...

TMC wrote:

migya wrote:Garnett is a loyal team player and doesn't want to take the easy way out.

That's why I don't think it'll happen, unless it's for a really big offer that Minny can't reject...

Leaving Minnesote now is the ONLY way out!

That team is going nowhere and KG needs to go to a capable team now if he ever will come close to winning a championship.

If he demands a trade this offseason, the TWolves will be happy to get young, promising talent in exchange for him

migya wrote:If he demands a trade this offseason, the TWolves will be happy to get young, promising talent in exchange for him

That's the problem. I can't see him demanding a trade.

TMC wrote:

migya wrote:If he demands a trade this offseason, the TWolves will be happy to get young, promising talent in exchange for him

That's the problem. I can't see him demanding a trade.

Garnett has never sounded as frustrated and upset as he did in that interview and hopefully that will lead him to realising (which he probably already has) that he will never be successful in the TWolves. Hopefully he will see that the arriors have a young and talented team that just needs an experienced star with desire to light that fire that will make the team great

Joe really burned down the forrest........... C'mon Mully, work your MOJO........