Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Timberwolves are Close to Losing the Wrong Kevin

To a Timberwolves fan trading Kevin Garnett is the worst possibility. A Garnett fan can only hope KG gets the chance to play for a title. Since Timberwolves fans are Garnett fans, it is quite the paradox.

Garnett has accomplished everything an individual player can. He has absurd financial security, All-NBA and MVP honors, Hall of Fame statistics and Gold medals, but he has not won. Ignore the individual achievements because Garnett just wants to win. There aren’t five NBA players as competitive as KG. After patiently absorbing the frustrations for years, Garnett just wants help either here or somewhere else. And he deserves it. While he has not publicly said so, it really sounds like Help me or Trade me.

This is very different than Brett Favre asking for talent. Garnett is a loyal and selfless franchise player, still in his prime that just wants to win. Favre passed into twilight three years ago and he had plenty of chances to win more. Favre’s demands hold the Packers hostage and he has less to offer than Garnett. Garnett is still one of the five best players in the league. Through constant team blunders, the supporting cast is a desert. Worse they are stuck in salary quicksand, pulled deeper with every transaction.

Steve Aschburner summed up the Wolves’ outlook perfectly. Fans may have seen Garnett’s last game in a Timberwolves uniform. Considering the odds of acquiring playoff talent, let alone Championship talent, it is time for fans to prepare their thank you’s for the Big Ticket.