Garnett going... going... not yet gone
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by user ArmchairCraigInTC
After 12 years of incredible, above and beyond the call of duty loyalty, it appears that the Wolves are finally intent on trading 10-time all-star forward Kevin Garnett, with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and possibly even the Chicago Bulls in the mix for the talented but now-in-his-30s superstar. Of course, if the Wolves were to do a little market research, they'd realize that Garnett isn't the Kevin most Wolves fans want to see gone.
Considering his almost complete incompetence, it's amazing that Kevin McHale may wind up being the man overseeing a deal that sends away the one undisputed franchise player Minnesota has ever had. And everyone fears that somehow, some way, McHale will find a way to give up even more first-round draft picks in the bargain, rather than acquiring them.
Any deal involving Garnett has to involve first-round draft picks, if for no other reason than McHale's traded away so damn many of them. If the Wolves could pick up an extra lottery pick in this year's incredibly-deep draft, as well as some solid players with short contracts, a Garnett trade could be made palatable to Minnesota fans. At this point, more than anything, anyone who loves Garnett as a player wants to see him somewhere where he can compete for an NBA title, even if it means it happens somewhere else.
And Timberwolves fans are also ready to see some youth and hope re-injected back into this lethargic franchise. With a couple picks in this year's draft, the Wolves would be well on their way to filling out their roster of the future.
If the Wolves keep Craig Smith, Rashad McCants, and Randy Foye, as expected, adding a couple more impact youngsters like Al Thornton and Joakim Noah could form the basis of a solid young core of players. Even without Garnett, players like Mark Blount and Juwan Howard would add some veteran depth. And personally, I'd love to see the team trade off Ricky Davis, Marko Jaric, Troy Hudson and Trenton Hassell while they're at it, so they can stockpile draft picks for the future, as well as this Thursday.
But with McHale at the wheel? Good luck... he'll probably offer up all our draft picks through 2015, just to get Garnett off the cap.
