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While I still hate McHale and Taylor for what they did to the Timberwolves and for robbing Minnesotans of a chance to share this moment with KG, I have to feel good about KG getting his ring. He is a great player and deserves it. This photo sums it up.
Here in Minnesota Vikings country, we need all the feel-good stories about our team that we can get. Adrian Peterson is that story for us. He broke the team record for yards in a game, single-handedly won the game against the Bears last Sunday, and leads the NFL in yards. Everyone in the state is in awe of him - all except head coach Brad Childress. His great football mind has him slotted as the teams 2nd RB. He is brilliant.
Here is a great quote from an article along the same lines as this post:
After seeing Chester Taylor carry the ball, the Bears couldn't quite grasp the speed at which Peterson moved. While the Bears were waiting for dial-up, Peterson went all ethernet on them.
Yesterday the Minnesota Timberwolves lost a basketball player. Yesterday Minnesota's fans lost something more. Despite the perceived need for a trade, for a change, Minnesotans lost something that could be even more valuable than playoff victories and championships - a sports superstar to believe in - and, even more important - one who believed in Minnesota.
The loss of KG leaves such a big hole in the identity of Minnesota sports that I cannot imagine it being filled anytime soon. To me this is even worse than the loss of Kirby Puckett - the only other figure in Minnesota sports history who came close to meaning what Kevin Garnett did. While other Minnesota sports teams regularly transform themselves and jettison the faces of their franchises, the Timberwolves have never had another identity. KG's 12 years with one team was the longest tenure of any active NBA player. KG built his home here; made his life here; wanted to play his entire career here.
From an interview in October 2002:
"I'm going to be here until they don't want me anymore. ... I'm 'Sota, man. This is where I live, 365 days -- or in leap year, 366 days -- of the year. I'm here. Life is tough. You can't run from everything."
In a few words, words that Minnesotans seem to appreciate more than most, KG was one of us.
Kevin Garnett may have been loyal to a fault, but that is why he was so special. In this day it is rare to find an athlete with much loyalty (at all) or even sense of team pride. It is even more difficult to find examples when you are talking about a small market, in a cold city. KG meant more to Minnesota that scores and statistics and we may never, ever be able to regain what he meant. This is why fans are so torn up by this turn of events. I was lucky enough to be a season ticket holder for several seasons and was able to see first hand how great KG was on the court. I remember the first time the Wolves beat the Michael Jordan-led Bulls. I got to see them advance to the conference finals in a game 7 victory over Sacramento. I witnessed the little things, the calls for the crowd to rise up, the pre-game rituals and antics and ensuing dust clouds, the dejected head hung low each and every loss. Some things I never got to see? I never saw KG give up. I never saw KG take a game, a quarter, or a minute off. I have read about KG's generosity and kindness via his charitable works and the adoption of a troubled teen. Despite all that he gave people, fans, and me these past 12 years, there was never a thought that he might provide his latest gift, another NBA franchise for which to cheer.
It is for these reasons, and so many more, that I wish I could thank KG face-to-face. Because I can't do that, this post will have to do.
I am backing off my previous assertion that we draft either Julian Wright or Mike Conley partly because speculation that we may actually have more than the 7th pick in this draft and partly because of the statistical leg work of John Hollinger of ESPN. He looked at past drafts, college stats, pro stats, and what he calls red-flags such as undersized, or perimeter players who don't make 3's and put together new rankings. These rankings defy the prevailing logic that says Oden will be the best NBA player from this draft class. Here is my new wishlist for the Wolves - get one or more of these players:
1. Kevin Durant
2. Greg Oden
3. Mike Conley Jr.
4. Thaddeus Young
5. Brandan Wright
6. Al Horford
7. Nick Fazekas
Unfortunately, McHale thinks he is smarter than everyone else. (why don't these guys just pay statisticians and draft from a board). The 3 players who reportedly most interest the Wolves (Joakim Noah (11th), Spencer Hawes (30th), and Al Thornton (25th)) are all ranked lower on Holinger's measurements. God, do I hate McHale if he trades away KG and picks any of these clowns.
Syndicated from BenEdwards.org
Classic. And classy.
Looks like KG will be traded in some 3 or 4 team trade. McHale/Taylor seems to covet 3 things: 1) a draft pick between No. 3 and No. 7 overall; 2) a package of expiring contracts; 3) and a future young star. Who knows what will happen. Keep checking out I heart KG and GetGarnett.com
In a recent article in SLAM Magazine, Kevin Garnett, is his usual affable, interesting, and honest self. He talks for the first time in a long while, about the possibility of leaving the Minnesota Timberwolves. Something I posted about somewhere else earlier this summer, but still would lament to high-heaven.
If you’re not working towards a championship, then why are we in this? I’m in it to win, man, I’m not in it to be coming back talking about next year. I’m 30. I’ve probably got 4 to 5 years, you know what I’m saying? My clock is ticking, man. I’m almost like a woman who’s trying to get pregnant. My years are limited, so my clock is definitely ticking.
He also spoke longingly of playing with Stephon Marbury - not the Marbury of today that seems to be a cancer but the one when he was a rookie and paired with KG and full of promise. Ahh, what might have been...
I don’t speak on it a lot, but Steph made the decision for his career, and I’ve gotta honor that. That’s a man making a decision on that. That’s what it’s been. If there was one thing I wish I could have, I would want to see him push the ball, Steph and I going for it this long, seeing where we end up at. Because I know we’d have won at least a couple of rings, I know that, I know that.
Resident (to Minnesota) "sport writer", Jim Souhan, doing his best to fill the void left by Dan Barreiro, lends his always pessimistic voice to the fray in an article with few notable passages, save this one attempting to counter KG's claim that he is a model of consistency:
A more realistic assessment would have been something like this: My organization's an embarrassment, but I have to take some responsibility, too. I never developed into a fourth-quarter scoring threat. I can lead my team in terms of effort and work ethic and versatility, but my team can't throw me the ball in the clutch and know I'm going to make the big shot. When the Wolves signed me for about a billion dollars, they thought they were getting a Jordan. What they wound up with was a Pippen, and Pippen never won a championship when he wasn't riding on Jordan's cape.
This misses the point entirely. KG is the model of consistency. It has been written, ad naseum, that KG is by far, the most efficient player in the league, the most important player to his team. No one should even be debating the consistency of a player who averages 20 points 10 rebounds and nearly 5 assists for the entirely of his 11 season NBA career.
Now on with the links:
"If Kevin Garnett were only 5-foot-8, pudgy and going to work on a newspaper delivery truck, I doubt if many sports journalists would fret about his future."
-Mike Royko, Buffalo News, June 30, 1995
I have been feeling this way about KG and the Twolves all year. I feel much worse for KG than I do about the team in general. We are literally wasting his greatness.
All the lip service that the announcers gave to Randy Moss' display of...ahem...his posterior (albeit a pantomimed display) was ridiculous and I remember thinking that they were acting like bigger idiots than Moss. But the ensuing brouhaha over this event is mind-blowing. I cannot believe there are people like Howie Long (arguably one of the dirtiest players ever) saying that it just shows that "talent and class don't always go together" and Michael Irvin who got busted for having a separate house he would go to snort coke and cavort with prostitutes. These people and in fact the entire NFL and even the networks are the definition of hypocrisy.
To decry the loss of class and integrity caused by someone pretending to moon a crowd (a crowd, by the way, which has a long-standing tradition of mooning the visiting team busses as they leave the stadium), while neglecting to mention that their networks air shows like Desperate Housewives,The Swan, and Who's Your Daddy (not to mention all the cheerleader shots and beer ads) is contemptible.
My favorite basketball player has a new shoe that is being promoted with a great new commercial where he carries "the whole world in her hands ...er on his back".
You can see one version of the ad on KG's new Adidas site
There is also an interview with Mr. Garnett on Adidas' Impossible is Nothing campaign site. (you can access the KG pages by first clicking on the Impossible is Nothing banner, then selecting Athlete Stories, and then Scrolling until you find Kevin Garnett. Gotta love Flash and popup windows!)
On to the shoe: the new Garnett is a pretty decent shoe by recent basketball shoe standards (read: low). It seems like a retro shoe, which makes sense as KG is a throwback type player, playing with heart and playing with a love of the game.
After nine seasons, KG's dream of being the best player in the league has finally been accomplished, even though we have all known he has been for the past 3-4 years.
In response to Jason's open letter to Flip Saunders from April 19th, 2004
Dear Jason,
As a Timberwolves fan and a season ticket holder for the past 5 years I have watched this team progress and now, like you, I am on the verge of witnessing a true run at an NBA title.
Part of the late season success that the Wolves have had can be directly attributed to the efforts and all-around good play of Wally Szczerbiak. His defense has improved greatly over last year as he has found different ways to help his team this season. Wally is the teams best shooter (44% from 3-point range) and most importantly when he is in, the team is more effective as shown by his +/- statistics. When Wally is in the game the Wolves outscore their opponents by +7.3 points - that is 4th best on the team.
This season Wally has been hampered by injuries and that has affected him — before this year he averaged nearly 50% from floor which is almost unheard of for a outside jump shooter. He is in a position to truly benefit his team by not being required to be the 2nd or third option as far as scoring. Now you want to discard him? Wally may dribble a bit more than he should, but he passes when there are players he should pass to. Don't forget that he is often in the game with the "second team" and IS relied upon to bring an offensive spark. If the offense looks disrupted, it is because the floor leaders (KG and Cassell) are not out there. In fact, any time Garnett leaves the floor the offense looks bad — and there is a huge +/- point discrepancy.
The bottom line is the team is better when Wally is coming in off the bench and playing quality minutes and he won't need many more games to prove my point. Keep watching Jason.
Sincerely,
-Ben
I attended a Twolves scrimmage and took some photos. While most of the players were trying to make the team, late night talkshow host Craig Kilborn just wanted to make a shot, make a nice pass, and not get hurt.
The Minnesota Timberwolves should increase their win total and their emotional energy level with a couple key moves they have made this off-season.
With a starting 5 of:
Sam Cassell (17 points per game)
Latrell Sprewell (16 points per game)
Wally Szczerbiak (15 points per game)
Kevin Garnett (23 points per game)
Michael Olowokandi (12 points per game)
...they are pretty potent offensively and much better defensively. I think these moves put them as the favorite in their division and possibly a bit better than Dream Team V. Here's to me not being disappointed come playoff time again.
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird may have saved basketball – they reinvented the pass, the loveliest part of the sport – but Michael Jordan ruined it, through no fault of his own.
He was so much better than everyone else, to start with. But his turning the dunk into an art form also turned kids into leapers instead of basketball players. Youngsters wanted to be like Mike – but only a portion of Mike, who also happened to be a superb defender and shooter.
The Charlotte Bobcats have to have what is considered the worst professional sports logo created in the last 20 years. Ugh!
Reebok signs 3-year old to shoe contract. Yep. 3-year old Mark Walker has a shoe deal, and while it is reportedly not as large as the deal Nike inked with High School phenom and #1 draft pick Lebron James' $90 million it does mark a trend towards marketing to youth with youth, and the signing of athletes at younger and younger ages.
Meet Mark Walker at his very own Reebok website.
Minnesota Fans have something to cheer about as the Minnesota Wild (that's hockey) become the first team in NHL playoff history to win 2 series after being down 3 games to 1. While a matchup with former Minnesota team, the Dallas Stars would have been nice, the Mighty Ducks will make a great 3rd act to this storybook season.
Its remarkable that Kevin Garnett has won the 2002-03 Crunch Time Award coming off the heals of being criticized last year for not stepping up when the game is on the line and elevating his game. This season he has also won Western Conference player of the month titles for February and April, brought home All-Start Game MVP honors, delivered home court advantage in the playoffs to his team, and racked up career bests in points per game (23), rebounds per game (13.4), assists per game (6), FG% (.502), double-doubles (68), and triple-doubles (6). What does all this equal? League MVP for 2002-03. Bring on the hardware. After all is said and done however, KG will have one important thing to do to prove he is Mr. Crunch Time, win in the playoffs.
Charlie Walters on Phil Jackson, and, indirectly, Kobe Bryant's prospects of being league MVP:
On the real MVP, Ric Bucher makes this case:
For those of you who are not living in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area you should know that Kevin Garnett is playing the best basketball of his career, and currently the best basketball in the league - it is really something to watch. However you calculate the MVP contenders, efficiency rating or the Bird Formula, Kevin ends up on top.
The other MVP candidates' scores: Tracy McGrady, 26.9; Tim Duncan, 26.9; Shaquille O'Neal, 26.0; Kobe Bryant, 25.3; Dirk Nowitzki, 24.7; Chris Webber, 22.3; and Jason Kidd, 21.1.
[The Miami Herald via RealGM]
Only one candidate for NBA MVP?
[Source: Real GM]
These commercials by EPSN continue the tradition of excellent commercial making. And I know they are a bit old. My favorites are the Mark Cuban one in the upper right and the Wally one right below it and left.
Kobe scores 41, woo-friggin-hoo. Unless MVP now stands for Many Very-selfish Possessions, Kobe Bryant should not be considered the NBA's best player. Best scorer? Sure - but with routine nights like last night: 13 for 42 shooting it is pretty easy to see that he is out for himself.
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