NEW YORK (AP) -- Kevin Garnett has seen some difficult times during his 11 seasons in Minnesota.
From the death of teammate and friend Malik Sealy in 2000, to years of first-round playoff exits, to last season's epic fall from Western Conference finalists to the lottery, the disappointments have been many.
Yet this may be Garnett's most challenging season yet, and as his Timberwolves sink toward missing the playoffs for a second straight year, the former MVP is letting it be known that his patience is wearing thin.
"I don't want to go through this any more," Garnett said after the Wolves squeaked out a win over the lowly New York Knicks on Sunday. "I think I'm more deserving of a better team and I think the city's more deserving of a better team, coming in here having something that's going to be compe ive and having us getting back to the Western Conference finals. But I do know you just can't blink and it's going to happen; you have to actually spend the time and effort. So, we'll see."
The Timberwolves were off Monday and after practice Tuesday, Garnett, as usual, declined to speak to reporters. His coach and teammates, however, echoed the sentiments when talking about a trying season. While not mathematically eliminated from the playoff race just yet, the Timberwolves trail eighth-place Sacramento by six games with 12 to play.
"Kevin has opinions and is frustrated," first-year coach Dwane Casey said. "We're all frustrated. We're not happy with where we are. Nobody wants to not be fighting for the division lead. I think he just spoke his mind on the feeling of everyone, from [owner] Glen Taylor all the way down to our trainer."
Garnett certainly is trying. In a town where former Vikings receiver Randy Moss once infamously uttered, "I play when I want to play," no one has ever questioned KG's effort. He is averaging 21.8 points and 12.4 rebounds in 39 minutes this season, the latest in a long line of superb performances.
For all those efforts and all that energy expended, the wins have been hard to come by. The young Timberwolves enter Wednesday night's game at 29-41, well on their way to their worst record since they won 26 games in 1995-96.
"We're not in such dire straits as everyone thinks," Casey said. "We're probably in the rebuilding process, whatever, but I think we're a couple pieces away, or not that far away from getting to where we want to be. ... But it's a process."
For the most part, Garnett has kept quiet, preferring not to criticize teammates or the organization in public. He had some strong words for vice president Kevin McHale during a television interview early in the season, and questioned his teammates' commitment after a loss to Phoenix on March 11, but Sunday's comments were the most poignant yet.
"I've always said I'll be in Minnesota as long as they want me here," he said after the game. "I don't think I can take another one of these rebuilding stages. I've always said that I think I'm worth not only being listened to but I think I'm definitely in a position where I [should] have a team and ... a chance to win a ring. So I think, at the end of the day, they should at least give me that. If it's anything different from that, then it's a discussion we have to talk about."
McHale has declined all interview requests, but it's clear he has some work to do in the offseason. He tried to shake up the team in February, when he traded Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi to Boston for Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks and Mark Blount.
The Timberwolves have been slow to jell since, and Taylor may be forced to spend some serious money on free agents in the offseason to keep his only superstar happy.
"I have faith in Glen that he'll do the right thing," Garnett said.
His teammates hear their leader loud and clear.
"I think Kev's a really emotional guy," said Banks, one of the young players who has been learning on the job. "He wears his emotions on his shoulders. You know when he's mad. You know when things are not going well. Every night he's going to come out and give you 100 percent."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html
He's not going to leave Minnesota.
He's saying he wants the team to be better and he thingks he should have a say in the steps Management takes to get there.
I doubt KG will ever leave Minn. Although it most likely menas he'll retire ring-less.
He see's whats gone on with his team & he's afraid that he'd eexperiance the same transitional and rebuilding problems at another franchise.
Short version: McHale needs to get his crap together or start getting his resume together.
I think McHale needs to go. They need someone who is going to do a way better job of developing a better team
If there's a team that needs the number one pick in this year's draft, it's Minnesota. I don't mean they need the number, but when Phoenix traded Jason Kidd, Cliff Robinson, Tony Delk, and Rodney Rogers for Stephon Marbury, John Wallace, and Joe Johnson, many started kidding that Colangelo should get the GM of the Year award. Because he had managed to build the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference in 2002:
Jason Kidd - 14.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 9.9 apg, 2.13 spg in 37.3 mpg. Starting point guard for the Nets. New Jersey (Conference Champion) - 52-30. Franchise record in wins - playoffs and regular season.
Clifford Robinson - 14.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.11 spg, 1.19 bpg in 35.7 mpg as the starting center for the Pistons. Named All-Defensive 2nd team. Detroit - 50-32 (Central Division winners). First playoff series win since 1991, first divisional le since 1990, first 50-win season since 1997.
Rodney Rogers - 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg in 23.2 mpg off the bench with the Boston Celtics (1 start).
Tony Delk - 7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.00 spg in 25.9 mpg as a part-time starter at point guard for the Boston Celtics (16 of 22 games played). Boston (Conference Finalist) - 49-33. First playoff appearance since 1995, first winning season since 1993, first Conference Finals appearance since 1988.
Colangelo ended up with the last laugh, however, because the Suns, after missing the playoffs for the first time since 1988, had the number one draft pick in 2002 - Amare Stoudemire. While Yao Ming and Mike Dunleavy put up great numbers on bad teams in Houston and Golden State respectively, Drew Gooden and Caron Butler have played for 3 teams in 4 seasons, and guys like Tskitishvili and Wagner have flunked out of the league, the 8th overall pick in 2002 has put up career numbers of 19.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, and 1.40 bpg being the first starting member of his class to the 60-win club, and only Tayshaun Prince can claim more team success than Amare.
This is the long way of saying that the Wolves haven't had a good draft pick since Wally Szczerbiak in 1999, and they haven't had a great draft pick since they traded Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury on draft day 1996. It's time for some cheap labor that can be to Garnett what Duncan was to Robinson.
They need a great offseason, or I expect to hear a full-blown trade demand a la Charles Barkley in Philadelphia by the deadline in 2007.
I have a feeling we'll be seeing Marbury sent to the Wolves to play next to Garnett. Although, I still don't think that will get Garnett to the WCF again.
KG deserves better!
Package Sheed and Darko...
O....wait...
KG doesn't deserve !
What has he done so that he deserves anything?
All I've seen/heard from him through the years is alot of crying and/or ing. He's a great talent and a very athletic player - but he is not a team player nor a team leader.
Sure, he isn't. That's why you can count 8 straight playoff appearances, zero that came before him, and he's the only player to see all 8. Because he's not a leader.
I respect him very much, and for the same reasons slomo is anoyed with him. It takes a great man to eat his pride and stay on a team, that gets him no media attention and respect, while its clear that if he played in LAL he would be bigger superstar than shaq. He stayed all those years in minny and played his ass out and hoped every year for better team around him. Any other superstar would bail that half sunken minny ship long long time ago. His recent "whining" is imo just his frustration peaking to the max.
He deserves better, but because he is so unselfish he will probably see no ring on his fingers.
I would have to disagree with you.
KG is a team player, he is a leader.
He averages 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists.
With his team its hard to get many assists, but every once in a while he will.
Barkely told him to leave a long time ago, and KG tried to act like he's satisfied. I guess he has had enough.
Spurs 2007 lineup
KG
TD
TP
Manu
Bowen
We can all dream
If KG nutted up, realized he's already rich, and came to San Antonio, it would be a dream come true.
I'd forget all enmity!!! Plus, with Duncan no longer Dominant, he would not only make duncan's hideous 18ppg average more tolerable, but would easily be the most dominant spur for the future. I'd trade anyone but Parker and Duncan to get him.
Plus, it would make us (even better) favorites for years and years to come.
I want KG. Always have. Even if he is a .
I totally agree. If he really wants a ring, he can make it happen.
spurs welcome you kg
Same here. I almost cried when I heard Doug Collins recount two years about about working KG out in the summer of 1995, and that he was at the top of the Pistons draft board. Collins was impressed because 'he's a compe or' who would take Collins' , and give it back to him.
The Pistons had the 8th pick, and instead of making a trade up to number 5 to take the first high school player in 25 years, they traded out of the lottery for Portland's 18th pick, which they used on Theo Ratliff.
At the introductory press conference for Joe Dumars as President of Basketball Operations almost six years ago, he said the Pistons got "safe," made too many "obvious moves," and that was what aided in the team's misfortunes and mediocre results. At the time, I thought this meant not pursuing Dikembe Mutombo after Houston left because the Pistons worried about who was going to score. This was a holdover concern because Chuck Daly says to this day that his 1991 and 1992 squads could guard anyone, but they got to a point they couldn't score. Then denying Chris Webber when he made public overatures to join the Pistons in the summers of 1997 and 1998 because he had run-ins for marijuana possession in Washington. Or when the Pistons signed Christian Laettner to a 3-year deal when the coach is crying that he wants Cliff Robinson in the winter of 1999. When Collins said "We got to draft (KG), but unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to do that," it painted a whole new picture.
Imagining Grant Hill, Allan Houston, Kevin Garnett, Lindsey Hunter, Terry Mills, and Joe Dumars on the same team is enough to make me want to cry. That team could've beat the Bulls, I have no doubts about that. Every moment since then, I have been trying to imagine KG in a Pistons uniform.
KG will never be on the Spurs cuz he wears number 21 and Duncan already has that number. There can't be two of the same numbers on the same team.
lol....
"It makes it difficult, but no more difficult than it has been in the past," Taylor said. "It won't make it impossible."
Glen Taylor talking about Garnett's 18 million dollar contract.
MAN THATS ING BULL AND ITS EXACTLY WHY MINNESOTA ING SUCKS.
Tim Duncan makes that much ing money, and we have the cheapest ing owner in the NBA (Or one of the) and yet we've still won three championships in the past few years, it takes talented scouts, savy general managers, a bit of luck, and spending some money.
Man KG better get the out of Minnesota ASAP...
I don't recall a player who has had more support to leave his team ever. 16 years, and usually the players get the brunt of the fans' wrath. Baron Davis, Vince Carter, Charles Barkley - they all get blamed for quitting.
That should prove to Minnesota that the longer they hold onto KG, the more resentment will build towards the franchise.
The Spurs do not at all have a cheap owner. They have a very savvy owner who is all about understanding net value, in a market where gross expenditures are limited.
What's up with KG now?
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
