ducks
06-22-2007, 07:24 PM
KG - the WARRIOR?!?
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/kawak...istic-finally/
Garnett to the Warriors? It just got a lot more realistic (finally)
By Tim Kawakami
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 5:24 pm in Warriors, NBA.
There were always two immutable facts about the age-old Kevin Garnett-to-the-Warriors gossip/chatter/discussion:
1. I was going to repeatedly write about the KG-Warriors possibility, with semi-solid logic and facts behind me, and I was going to look stupid and get ripped for doing it until the day came when Garnett took control of the awful situation and started to seek a better home for himself than Minnesota.
(That’s OK. As you know, I never mind looking stupid and getting ripped if there’s a good reason to look stupid and get ripped.)
2. Garnett, unwilling to look like every other diva star athlete, never wanted to take control of the situation and cause trouble, which gave the dumb-lazy Timberwolves the excuse just to keep rolling along in mediocrity without trading him.
Well now! Today, Point No. 2 ceased to be operable.
GARNETT WANTS OUT. Which makes Point No. 1 incredibly live right now except for the me-stupid part.
Garnett could come to the Warriors, if the Warriors can put together a deal that entices Kevin McHale.
Really. Possibly. It could happen. It could’ve happened years ago if only McHale and Garnett had reached this point back then, but oh well, it could happen now, anyway.
It’s about two years late, of course, for Garnett’s sake, but at least Garnett has stepped up to nix a potential trade to Boston because he doesn’t want to be there even for one season.
(That was predictable. Why trade Minnesota lousiness for Boston lousiness? Only Kobe wants to go East just to trounce on the other lousiness in that conference.)
Remember, Garnett can opt-out after next season and therefore has major say in trade destinations. This is a live situation, folks. A brand-new, very real KG Market.
And the biggest part of Point No. 1 was that I always have been told that Garnett would very much like to be a Warrior, a feeling that heated up after the acquisition of Baron Davis (KG really wants to play with a great point guard) and probably went torch-inferno during/after the Warriors’ Nellie-ball escapades in the playoffs.
By the way, I think it’s understood that Chris Mullin has been intrigued by Garnett for years and years, and that Don Nelson couldn’t find a better fit for his system than Garnett.
The Warriors need a unique power forward to match up with Boozer/Duncan/Stoudemire. Garnett is a power forward who can play fast, actually is better playing fast, yet also makes Boozer/Duncan/Stoudemire queasy when they have to play him.
So stipulated.
I’m not saying that the Warriors are KG’s only desired potential destination.
The Lakers would be way up there, probably ahead of the Warriors, even amid the Kobe Bryant Agonies.
The Suns would be way up there, probably ahead of the Warriors, because of Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni.
The Clippers would be up there. The Mavericks, maybe.
But the Lakers don’t have much to offer the T-Wolves for the necessary rebuilding project, other than Kobe or Andrew Bynum, and dealing Kobe would defeat the whole purpose and if the T-Wolves take Bynum, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom (without Kobe), then they turn into the Kobe-less Lakers. Which is bad.
The Suns have Amare Stoudemire, but I keep hearing that Phoenix wants to keep their young star–even if he’s experiencing some chemistry trouble in the locker room–because they know they’ll need him once Nash gets a little older. Minnesota might not want Shawn Marion.
I’m not sure what the Clippers could offer, and the Mavs already have Nowitzki, who is about the same age, the same height and plays the same odd-but-brilliant (except for the playoffs) style of tall-forward KG ball.
My goodness, that leaves the Warriors, doesn’t it?
Let’s ask some questions, now that we’re getting serious:
1. Can the Warriors put together something the T-Wolves would jump at?
Answer: Possibly. I’ve gone over the list time and again, and right now Mullin could tell McHale to take his pick from a list of Patrick O’Bryant, Al Harrington, Jason Richardson, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, the No. 18 overall pick, Andris Biedrins/Monta Ellis.
If Minnesota wants cap-clearance, Mullin can dangle Zarko Cabarkapa and, if the T-Wolves can wait two years, Adonal Foyle.
Not as over-powering as the supreme young talent-plus-cap-clearance that Boston was reportedly offering, but hey, Boston’s out of the picture.
Mullin would wince at the inclusion of Richardson, and I’m not entirely sure Minnesota would want that contract, but you’d almost have to include J-Rich to balance out KG’s massive salary.
By the way, assuming Ellis and Biedrins both aren’t dealt (and I doubt they would be), any big combination from that list wouldn’t decimate the Warriors’ playoff core. There’d be losses, but you’d also plug in KG, which helps. A lot.
2. Would Garnett agree to a Warrior trade?
Answer: Almost certainly, yes. He wants to play with Baron and he likes California, enough said.
3. Would the Warriors be in danger of gutting their roster for a one-year KG rental?
Answer: I think they’d only do this deal if they had an agreement on an extension, and I don’t think that’d be a terrible problem.
Also, Mullin might want to extend Davis, who also has an opt-out next year, the same length as KG (maybe three more years for both, if that’s the window to a possible title?), which would get very expensive but I think worth it.
Again: Mullin and Nelson want to go for it. You can’t go for it any better than bringing in KG and letting him team up with Baron and Stephen Jackson for a couple of monster seasons.
4. What about Garnett’s big trade-kicker, which I believe is a contracted bonus pay-out of many millions if he’s traded?
Answer: My understanding is that trade-kickers are negotiable between traded player and his new team, and I’m not sure KG would demand the full amount if he was going to a pre-approved team.
Remember, KG took much less than he could’ve gotten a few years ago when he re-upped with Minnesota. He’s a very rich man. He’s not a diva. He wants to win.
5. Would the Warriors be a title contender with Garnett?
Answer: I’m not sure they’d be better than San Antonio or Phoenix, and Garnett isn’t young… (he’s the same age as Tim Duncan)…
But yeah, I think the Warriors, with Nellie coaching and if Baron is Baron and SJax isn’t in jail or suspended for life, have a shot at a big run in the next few seasons if KG comes aboard.
Plus, it might get Nelson to stick around more than another year, and that’s a bonus, too.
6. Would the Warriors be gambling away their future?
Sure, a little bit. And really, only if they gave up both Ellis and Biedrins. O’Bryant won’t play for Nelson, though I still think O’Bryant has talent. (I might be the only one, oh well–me = stupid, and I’m used to that.)
7. Buzz Ryan asked me and it’s the right question: What’s the percent shot that the Warriors end up with KG this summer?
Answer: Off the top of my head, I’d say 40%. Maybe 50%.
I would’ve said 30% for every day of the last 2.5 seasons–only because Garnett never agitated for a trade and the Timberwolves were too scared to do it unless he forced their hand.
In his own way, KG is forcing Minnesota’s hand. Let’s see if it directs him to the Warriors… or just makes me look stupid again
http://www.mercextra.com/blogs/kawak...istic-finally/
Garnett to the Warriors? It just got a lot more realistic (finally)
By Tim Kawakami
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 5:24 pm in Warriors, NBA.
There were always two immutable facts about the age-old Kevin Garnett-to-the-Warriors gossip/chatter/discussion:
1. I was going to repeatedly write about the KG-Warriors possibility, with semi-solid logic and facts behind me, and I was going to look stupid and get ripped for doing it until the day came when Garnett took control of the awful situation and started to seek a better home for himself than Minnesota.
(That’s OK. As you know, I never mind looking stupid and getting ripped if there’s a good reason to look stupid and get ripped.)
2. Garnett, unwilling to look like every other diva star athlete, never wanted to take control of the situation and cause trouble, which gave the dumb-lazy Timberwolves the excuse just to keep rolling along in mediocrity without trading him.
Well now! Today, Point No. 2 ceased to be operable.
GARNETT WANTS OUT. Which makes Point No. 1 incredibly live right now except for the me-stupid part.
Garnett could come to the Warriors, if the Warriors can put together a deal that entices Kevin McHale.
Really. Possibly. It could happen. It could’ve happened years ago if only McHale and Garnett had reached this point back then, but oh well, it could happen now, anyway.
It’s about two years late, of course, for Garnett’s sake, but at least Garnett has stepped up to nix a potential trade to Boston because he doesn’t want to be there even for one season.
(That was predictable. Why trade Minnesota lousiness for Boston lousiness? Only Kobe wants to go East just to trounce on the other lousiness in that conference.)
Remember, Garnett can opt-out after next season and therefore has major say in trade destinations. This is a live situation, folks. A brand-new, very real KG Market.
And the biggest part of Point No. 1 was that I always have been told that Garnett would very much like to be a Warrior, a feeling that heated up after the acquisition of Baron Davis (KG really wants to play with a great point guard) and probably went torch-inferno during/after the Warriors’ Nellie-ball escapades in the playoffs.
By the way, I think it’s understood that Chris Mullin has been intrigued by Garnett for years and years, and that Don Nelson couldn’t find a better fit for his system than Garnett.
The Warriors need a unique power forward to match up with Boozer/Duncan/Stoudemire. Garnett is a power forward who can play fast, actually is better playing fast, yet also makes Boozer/Duncan/Stoudemire queasy when they have to play him.
So stipulated.
I’m not saying that the Warriors are KG’s only desired potential destination.
The Lakers would be way up there, probably ahead of the Warriors, even amid the Kobe Bryant Agonies.
The Suns would be way up there, probably ahead of the Warriors, because of Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni.
The Clippers would be up there. The Mavericks, maybe.
But the Lakers don’t have much to offer the T-Wolves for the necessary rebuilding project, other than Kobe or Andrew Bynum, and dealing Kobe would defeat the whole purpose and if the T-Wolves take Bynum, Jordan Farmar and Lamar Odom (without Kobe), then they turn into the Kobe-less Lakers. Which is bad.
The Suns have Amare Stoudemire, but I keep hearing that Phoenix wants to keep their young star–even if he’s experiencing some chemistry trouble in the locker room–because they know they’ll need him once Nash gets a little older. Minnesota might not want Shawn Marion.
I’m not sure what the Clippers could offer, and the Mavs already have Nowitzki, who is about the same age, the same height and plays the same odd-but-brilliant (except for the playoffs) style of tall-forward KG ball.
My goodness, that leaves the Warriors, doesn’t it?
Let’s ask some questions, now that we’re getting serious:
1. Can the Warriors put together something the T-Wolves would jump at?
Answer: Possibly. I’ve gone over the list time and again, and right now Mullin could tell McHale to take his pick from a list of Patrick O’Bryant, Al Harrington, Jason Richardson, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, the No. 18 overall pick, Andris Biedrins/Monta Ellis.
If Minnesota wants cap-clearance, Mullin can dangle Zarko Cabarkapa and, if the T-Wolves can wait two years, Adonal Foyle.
Not as over-powering as the supreme young talent-plus-cap-clearance that Boston was reportedly offering, but hey, Boston’s out of the picture.
Mullin would wince at the inclusion of Richardson, and I’m not entirely sure Minnesota would want that contract, but you’d almost have to include J-Rich to balance out KG’s massive salary.
By the way, assuming Ellis and Biedrins both aren’t dealt (and I doubt they would be), any big combination from that list wouldn’t decimate the Warriors’ playoff core. There’d be losses, but you’d also plug in KG, which helps. A lot.
2. Would Garnett agree to a Warrior trade?
Answer: Almost certainly, yes. He wants to play with Baron and he likes California, enough said.
3. Would the Warriors be in danger of gutting their roster for a one-year KG rental?
Answer: I think they’d only do this deal if they had an agreement on an extension, and I don’t think that’d be a terrible problem.
Also, Mullin might want to extend Davis, who also has an opt-out next year, the same length as KG (maybe three more years for both, if that’s the window to a possible title?), which would get very expensive but I think worth it.
Again: Mullin and Nelson want to go for it. You can’t go for it any better than bringing in KG and letting him team up with Baron and Stephen Jackson for a couple of monster seasons.
4. What about Garnett’s big trade-kicker, which I believe is a contracted bonus pay-out of many millions if he’s traded?
Answer: My understanding is that trade-kickers are negotiable between traded player and his new team, and I’m not sure KG would demand the full amount if he was going to a pre-approved team.
Remember, KG took much less than he could’ve gotten a few years ago when he re-upped with Minnesota. He’s a very rich man. He’s not a diva. He wants to win.
5. Would the Warriors be a title contender with Garnett?
Answer: I’m not sure they’d be better than San Antonio or Phoenix, and Garnett isn’t young… (he’s the same age as Tim Duncan)…
But yeah, I think the Warriors, with Nellie coaching and if Baron is Baron and SJax isn’t in jail or suspended for life, have a shot at a big run in the next few seasons if KG comes aboard.
Plus, it might get Nelson to stick around more than another year, and that’s a bonus, too.
6. Would the Warriors be gambling away their future?
Sure, a little bit. And really, only if they gave up both Ellis and Biedrins. O’Bryant won’t play for Nelson, though I still think O’Bryant has talent. (I might be the only one, oh well–me = stupid, and I’m used to that.)
7. Buzz Ryan asked me and it’s the right question: What’s the percent shot that the Warriors end up with KG this summer?
Answer: Off the top of my head, I’d say 40%. Maybe 50%.
I would’ve said 30% for every day of the last 2.5 seasons–only because Garnett never agitated for a trade and the Timberwolves were too scared to do it unless he forced their hand.
In his own way, KG is forcing Minnesota’s hand. Let’s see if it directs him to the Warriors… or just makes me look stupid again