Trading KG?
There have been a lot of rumors going around lately about KG potentially being traded. The two most prominent ones have been:
KG and Wally to Knicks for Penny Hardaway and Antonio Davis
-and-
KG to Detroit for Rasheed Wallace and Darko Milicic
In order to understand more about the validity of these rumors, it's important to know how they were started. Up until last Thursday when KG did an interview with TNT in which he openly blamed Kevin McHale for everything that happened last year.
Obviously, once KG says these sorts of things, trade rumors are going to get started. Local sports writers are going to start getting an erection about the fact that KG might get traded and start fantasizing about ways for him to come to their team. These trade rumors could have been started by an overzealous sports writer, or they could might have been actual offers. It's very hard for me to speculate as to which is the case.
The potential trade to the Knicks is beyond ridiculous. The only plus side about the offer for the Wolves is that they would get rid of two long term contracts for ones that expire at the end of the season. This would clear the Wolves for a potential signing of a big free agent in the offseason and they would be able to start rebuilding from the ground up. The rather obvious downside is that the Wolves would lose their two best players for two players who are unlikely to contribute much of anything.
A more subtle downside to the deal (and the real reason that it would never happen) is that along with losing KG and Wally, the Wolves would also lose a large percentage of their fan base. Everybody in Minnesota would blame McHale for last season and he would be done after the season. In addition, the Wolves would lose a ridiculous amount of revenue for years to come.
This brings me to an important point about KG's comments. It basically prevents McHale from making any kind of deal involving KG that would be perceived as unfavorable to the Minnesota public. This is true even if the Wolves were able to get an enormous amount of young talent that would benefit us substantially in the future. In a sense, his comments will serve to block any sort of trade out of Minnesota.
Since McHale can't reasonably trade Garnett, this puts him on the spot. It seem almost inevitable that McHale will eventually be forced to resign or fired.
It's always been my belief that Garnett has wanted to make Minnesota his legacy. He wants to be the face of an organization that had little going for it before he came here. He could have asked for a trade when he was younger and the team was uncompetitive. He could have asked for a trade last season when everything was going to shit. But he didn't. He wants to take a team built around him and win an NBA championship. I think he'd feel it a bit cheapened if he went to a team that was already a contender and won a championship with them.
The Pistons trade seems a bit more reasonable, but I think they'd have to do a little bit better that Sheed and Darko. I think Garnett wouldn't mind being reunited with his former head coach. But as I said before, any trade of KG is going to have to be one that will be perceived by the public as being beneficial to the Timberwolves and this one wouldn't be.
Today's Bets
Washington(-2) at Orlando ($21/$20)
Denver(+10) at Detroit ($20.60/$20)
KG and Wally to Knicks for Penny Hardaway and Antonio Davis
-and-
KG to Detroit for Rasheed Wallace and Darko Milicic
In order to understand more about the validity of these rumors, it's important to know how they were started. Up until last Thursday when KG did an interview with TNT in which he openly blamed Kevin McHale for everything that happened last year.
Obviously, once KG says these sorts of things, trade rumors are going to get started. Local sports writers are going to start getting an erection about the fact that KG might get traded and start fantasizing about ways for him to come to their team. These trade rumors could have been started by an overzealous sports writer, or they could might have been actual offers. It's very hard for me to speculate as to which is the case.
The potential trade to the Knicks is beyond ridiculous. The only plus side about the offer for the Wolves is that they would get rid of two long term contracts for ones that expire at the end of the season. This would clear the Wolves for a potential signing of a big free agent in the offseason and they would be able to start rebuilding from the ground up. The rather obvious downside is that the Wolves would lose their two best players for two players who are unlikely to contribute much of anything.
A more subtle downside to the deal (and the real reason that it would never happen) is that along with losing KG and Wally, the Wolves would also lose a large percentage of their fan base. Everybody in Minnesota would blame McHale for last season and he would be done after the season. In addition, the Wolves would lose a ridiculous amount of revenue for years to come.
This brings me to an important point about KG's comments. It basically prevents McHale from making any kind of deal involving KG that would be perceived as unfavorable to the Minnesota public. This is true even if the Wolves were able to get an enormous amount of young talent that would benefit us substantially in the future. In a sense, his comments will serve to block any sort of trade out of Minnesota.
Since McHale can't reasonably trade Garnett, this puts him on the spot. It seem almost inevitable that McHale will eventually be forced to resign or fired.
It's always been my belief that Garnett has wanted to make Minnesota his legacy. He wants to be the face of an organization that had little going for it before he came here. He could have asked for a trade when he was younger and the team was uncompetitive. He could have asked for a trade last season when everything was going to shit. But he didn't. He wants to take a team built around him and win an NBA championship. I think he'd feel it a bit cheapened if he went to a team that was already a contender and won a championship with them.
The Pistons trade seems a bit more reasonable, but I think they'd have to do a little bit better that Sheed and Darko. I think Garnett wouldn't mind being reunited with his former head coach. But as I said before, any trade of KG is going to have to be one that will be perceived by the public as being beneficial to the Timberwolves and this one wouldn't be.
Today's Bets
Washington(-2) at Orlando ($21/$20)
Denver(+10) at Detroit ($20.60/$20)
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