HOOPLOG: Kevin Garnett

Sound of Sam

Wed, 03 May 2006 11:29:20 -0800

We love Sam Cassell, and it's not just because he's unafraid to slip in a "Coming to America" reference while addressing 19,000 people.

The guy's a winner. (A winner who closed his thank-you address to the Staples Center fans before the final regular-season game by saying "Sexual Chocolate!")

In Cassell's rookie year the Houston Rockets won the first major professional championship in the city's history. The next year, they won the second.

In 2000, Cassell was in Milwaukee when the Bucks went to the conference finals for the first time in 14 years.

In 2004, his first year in Minnesota, the Timberwolves made it out of the first round - and all the way to the conference finals - for the first time in franchise history.

And now he has guided the Clippers to the second round for the first time since the franchise came to California in 1978.

Cassell arrives, sets up shop, and the team gets better. It keeps happening.

"Ain't that something?" Cassell said.

Here's his five-minute explanation, while standing in the middle of the Clipper locker room after the Clips eliminated the Denver Nuggets Monday night.

"One thing about me, I need five guys that's willing to give it up, man. To every night take that court and fight hard. If you do that man, I swear, I can't predict the future, but I can tell you one thing: we're going to win some basketball games. We're going to win more than you won last year.

"People don't realize, when I went to Milwaukee, Ray Allen was a good player. I made him an all-star. I'm not saying I did it all by myself, but I had a big part in him and Glen Robinson becoming all-stars when I was there. I went to Minnesota, Kevin Garnett was not mentioned for the MVP. He was first team, but was he mentioned for MVP candidate? I make him the MVP. He will make me a second-team all-NBA player and an all-star, but I had a whole lot to do - Sprewell and myself - with his development in becoming an MVP. Know what I'm saying?"

What does it take to draw it out of these guys?

"Push 'em. Push 'em Elton Brand's an example. I said, 'Elton, if you want to be a top 10 power forward, you've got to be able to hit the 15-foot jumper. Everything else you do is cool, you've got to take your jump shot. Because people only play you inside.' Now he took his game out 15 feet, I said, 'You make six jumpers, that's 12 points. You get 10 points inside, 22. Free throws, now you've got 26.' It's simple. And you shoot uncontested jump shots, because in the pick-and-roll, his guy double-teams me.

"Nick Van Exel's my best friend. He said, 'Boy you've got a chance to take that team somewhere that they never in their wildest desire thought they could reach. He said, 'Man, you're what the doctor ordered for those guys.' A guy who won't put up with some (stuff), a guy who won't let us feel sorry. I'm not going to. No, [bleep] that. You know what I'm saying? We walk into an arena, we're not going to walk into an arena and say, 'Okay, we're going to play for 44 minutes and lose in the last four minutes.' [Bleep] that. You walk into an arena, we say, 'We're going to beat these [bleeps].' Cause there's nothing like beating somebody on their court. Makes the plane ride better, know what I'm saying? That's all it's about, man. We're going to represent well here. But on the road? That's where your pride factor is.

" Who would have thought that this team would advance in the playoffs? Don't give me the credit for it. I'm just going what I've been doing. I'm just doing what I've been doing my whole [bleeping] career. Elton Brand. Corey Maggette was playing all-star basketball until he [bleeped] is foot up. Cuttino Mobley. When Corey got hurt, I had to become the second scorer. Now I can sit up here and play 24 minutes and see the development of Shaun. I'm well rested. So I know I've got to play big from here on out, or it won't be successful. I'm cool. It's all about winning for me. I've done scored points, I've done had assists. It's all about winning for me. Because I want to coach in this league.

"I look at Avery Johnson, what he accomplished, and I want to be that same kind of coach. Here's the job. Do your job. If you can't do your job, somebody else got to come do it.
We ain't throwing you away. But for a minute or two - or three or four - somebody else'll step in and do it.

"I tell them, do what you do. Everybody on this team. Do what you do."

UPDATE: Air Jordan Invitational Semis

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 14:45:07 -0800

It's crunch time in the semifinals of the 2006 SBNation Air Jordan Memorial!

In case you forgot or choose not to scroll down, here's the bracket:

Right now at Blazers Edge, Vince Carter's Nike ode to dunking is handily beating Kevin Garnett's pity party adidas ad. You can vote on the matchup by clicking here.

Meanwhile, at Blog-a-Bull, Michael Jordan's tiny friends are whipping the hell out of LeBron's family. Help King James out (though it's not likely much good) by clicking here.

Voting will end sometime this week. When? It's a surprise. That means you should vote now!

Garnett Trade Not in the Plans

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 09:34:15 -0800

In the PIONEER PRESS, John Shipley writes that "Kevin Garnett has a big contract and is unhappy with his situation, but don't expect to see him shipped out of town the way the Vikings dispatched Daunte Culpepper. Garnett bemoaned the state of the Timberwolves on Sunday and all but publicly begged owner Glen Taylor to get him the help he needs to compete for an NBA title. But Garnett said Wednesday he is not trying to push a trade, and Taylor said he wouldn't do it anyway."

Nothing fits forever

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:49:48 -0800

It would seem that last night’s infernal burst of Gilbertology might truly need no comment from ours truly. As in, we live in heaven, he lives alone, our souls are intertwined and the moment need not be soiled by explanation. The more and more I gazed upon that fascinating still—one as destined for iconic status as Tiger with the fist pump or Yao’s scream of antiquity—the more brutally apparent it becomes to me that Arenas, far from being an oddball, is the living, breathing god of my favorite kind of NBA player: the kind you watch, instead of just view. What Iverson, Kobe, Nash, and a handful of others I go out of my way to see play have in common is this ability to not merely produce on any given night, but to casually redefine themselves through masterstrokes of basketball impressionism.

Let me put briefly put aside the strained fire and brimstone that guides this site long enough to admit, as I did last week, that this is by and large a league of consistency. Unlike baseball and football, where one can be violently up and down from one game to the next but still get recognized overall as a fantastic contributor, to be a credible contributor a guy’s got to come with steady output. Freaks and streaks can be profound, but no player’s a recognizable force (or definite failure) in this league until he can be counted on; to scrape the ridges of Mount Dunkmore, he’d better be guaranteed to account for a serious percentage of his team’s production, both in the box score and as a reliable force when the ball hits his hands. Until then, he will always get saddled with the p-word, no matter how impressive he is in spurts.

When you reach the rarified air of superlative hoops accomplishment, there are at least three kind of consistency. Most obviously, there are the rock-solid bequeathers, under-appreciated and often big men like Duncan, Brand, Bosh, Dirk, Jamison, Kidd, Ray Ray and Redd. These folks give it their all with frightening regularity, churning it out from the opening bell and expected to operate as if to a rhythmic tick. I want to stop short of saying that you can intuit them from looking at a box score, but by and large there is no dramatic arc to their in-game performances. Professional, workmanlike, whatever you want to call them, these are consummate anchors of an offense, the given you pencil in at most moments during the season’s onslaught.

In the next category, you find explosive players with a tendency toward predictable outcomes, who ebb and flow over the course of a game, occasionally make you doubt, and ultimately bring you right back to who you always knew they were. I’m talking about Garnett, Pierce, Wade, Vince, Billups, Bibby, Gasol, Melo, Richardson, Jefferson, Sheed, Marion, and Artest himself—unquestioned experts who sometimes lull, sometimes soar, but never have to redeem themselves and are constantly working within their own limits and images. This isn’t a knock on any of these fine, hurling turtles; merely to point out that if you turn on the television to see them play, you know what you’re getting and will be accordingly excited. Each game reinforces their , with ups and downs that end in a pointed reminder of yeah, that’s him.

Gilbert and his gang, as I will now aptly dub them, rest upon their own set of shaggy shoulders. To return to last week’s trope of half-assed existentialism, All-American and yet bleakly Continental, they are players constantly exceeding themselves, or at least engaging in what feels for all the world like a motherfucking statement game. It can LeBron or Amare exerting and expanding their dominance, Kirilenko or Gerald Wallace twisting up the parameters of a box score, Nash working his conductor-ly magic, or Kobe, Iverson or McGrady scoring not only at will, but as if it’s unnatural for them to miss—or even repeat themselves out on the floor. Arenas is a must-see, not only because he’s likely to put on a show, but for what each and every game can do to your sense of him as a player and personality. If Wade proves with each big game that he’s still Wade, still proud, then Gilbert does it up in a way that’s not only unpredictable; with each of these self-transcending events, he also manages to seem unlikely all anew. As does Kobe, Bron, et al. In the crucible of the game, their legend is broken down and created anew, surprising you not only with this most recent installment but, in its reconstitution of the player’s most basic essence, shock you yet again they exist at all, that anything they do has ever happened in the glare of man’s senses.

This may seem like two-bit metaphysics for those of you not in tune with my lifelong education on this planet (or anyone merely taking issue with my late night sloppiness). But next time you find yourself up past bedtime watching one of these aforementioned idols, think about whether or not you feel you’re seeing them for the first time, whether you’re transfixed partly out of the fear that you’re witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Not just a good game from your favorite NBA player, or one of those “instant classics” this blog will reference two years from now; I mean one of those performances where, in some ways, you feel like you’re discovering the sport again for the very first time.

Now What?

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 13:19:27 -0800

We’re in the home stretch of the fantasy basketball season. Only seven weeks remain, and by this point you should know if you have any shot at fantasy glory. The real trading deadline has passed, so there shouldn’t be any huge shifts in value unless it happens due to injury (and this will happen). It’s the time when lots of people start to focus on baseball, so certain teams in your league may stop being factors. With fewer active teams you should find it easier to move up in the standings, but at the same time, your competitors will be in the same boat. Here are some strategies to keep in mind over the last few weeks.

Try To Pull Off That Huge Deal
Why not? What do you have to lose? If you’re languishing in fifth of sixth place, go for the big splash and shake things up. This is the time to take risks. What’s the difference between finishing fifth and finishing ninth? Not a whole lot. At the same time, if you’re stuck in second place (that’s me), it might be time to make that push for the top spot. Now in many leagues, there certainly is a difference between second and fifth place, so you don’t want to take too big a risk and find yourself out of the money when the season comes to an end. But these are the two types of squads that might be able to pull off a good deal.

If you’re the team in the middle of the pack, you might have to buck the common practice of getting the best player in a deal and see if you can score a bunch of solid players in return. As great as Kevin Garnett or Dwyane Wade or whomever may be, your best bet may be find three solid players to replace them, especially if you find yourself in the middle of the pack because you haven’t used as many games as the teams above you (more on that later).

Another strategy to consider when making deals, especially for owners just trying to move up one or two spots as opposed to four or five – make a deal that will hurt the guy you’re trying to catch. It’s obvious that you want to maximize your own point total, but sometimes you might have to try and take a few points away from the guy up top. If you see that he’s vulnerable in blocks, and you have some blocks to spare and can make a deal to the guy right behind him blocks, by all means go for it. It’s not lame, it’s good, solid strategy. Further along those lines – and this sort of goes without saying – if there is a category where you can pass the team ahead of you, pay extra attention there. Because that’s not just one point you’re gaining, it’s really two, if you can pull it off.

Work the Waiver Wire Frantically
This may seen obvious, and it can be tied into the above. In a typical league – especially non-keeper leagues – the folks in the bottom half of the standings aren’t going to be paying too much attention anymore. That’s just the way it is. So that means, in theory at least, there should be more viable options available on the waiver wire as those teams not only stop trying to pick up new players, but leave their rosters populated with guys who aren’t much help. Now on one hand, if you are constantly mining the waiver wire that might mean that your team is in too much trouble to be helped. I’ve long maintained that while there are certainly waiver wire gems to be had out there, constructing a team with a solid 1 through 10 that doesn’t need much day-to-day maintenance is the way to go.

But for the team looking to make the push for a true superstar in a three-for-one deal, the higher quality on the waiver wire is what makes this possible. More and more players on the free agent list will be able to put up top 50/top 75 numbers over a short span. This will enable you to move your more established mid-level players in a bigger deal and not lose any drop off because of the stronger free options available.

It’s also time to take advantage of guys who will have as few as one games of significance. For example, Samuel Dalembert went down with a sprained ankle last week and looks to be missing his third straight game tonight. Stephen Hunter has started the last two games and even though he has seen only 42 total minutes, he has still managed to block four shots. Every little bit helps, right?

Start Using Those Games
If you’ve been hoarding games to stay under the limit in order to make a late run, now is the time to start using those games. I can’t implore this enough. There is absolutely no reason not to finish your season with the maximum number of games allowed in your league. Ideally you’ll want to be right on pace to finish up during the last week, maybe +1 or so. Remember that Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest days in the NBA, and that’s when most teams are in action. If you have 13 good options for 10 spots, but have 13 guys suiting up on Wednesday and then only two guys on Thursday, you aren’t going to be able to take full advantage of this. Plan ahead, look at schedules and see where you have openings. Think of how you will feel if you end up losing by one point because you finished four 3s behind someone and you had three games left at SG.

Keeper Leagues
Just curious, how many of you play in keeper leagues? And what kind of rules do you use? Would it be helpful if we posted an article on good keeper league targets? Just trying to get a feel for what’s out there…

Basketball: KG gets ejected for tossed ball

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 12:16:01 -0800

zachaweenus: KG has been known to toss balls at the bottom of the basket when he gets called for a foul. No big deal. I hope the league doesn't suspend him. Not because I'm a huge KG and T'Wolves fan, but because it would be ridiculous. If you look at how lightly he tossed the ball, how many times he said he wasn't looking where it was going, and how many times he apologized to the fan (even Casey and Mr. Prez apologized), then it doesn't seem worthy of a suspension. He even left the arena with the family to make sure the fan was OK. I just hope this doesn't turn into another Davis incident like earlier this year (which he should not have been suspended at all. Punished for defending your wife of about 4 years? Next they will get punished for feeding their children, but nothing will happen if another girl gets raped....)

Isiah Thomas is an Excellent Driver

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:11:28 -0800

Though I enjoyed it very much, the slam dunk contest was a joke. The problems have been written about all over the place, so instead I'll offer a solution. Each of the four contestants get four dunks. The first three rounds are limited to three attempts per dunk with the last round having unlimited attempts. After all dunks are completed a panel of "experts" (as in former players who have at least the cognitive ability of a multi-cellular organism) will pick the four best dunks (one per player to avoid a situation where the fans split the vote between two dunks by the same guy). The public will then pick the winner, in 10 minutes of online and/or text messaging voting.

This prevents the judges' inevitable premature adulation: giving perfect 10s in first round when everyone knows better dunks are coming. Fan involvement is encouraged, likely to increase ratings (and revenue to whatever cell phone company sponsors the text messaging portion). Barkley and crew could banter about which dunk was the best for each player. Leaving the unlimited attempts round to the end will build anticipation on what crazy-ass dunk each player is going to pull out. During the voting period TNT could interview the active players in the arena that didn't participate. You know Iverson, Shaq and company would love to share their opinions on who should win and the crowd would eat that shit up. (Did anyone notice Kobe's reaction when he realized that Robinson had won instead of AI? He looked crushed; I thought he was going to buy some diamond encrusted fronts for Igoudala just to say he's sorry.) They could interview random posse members and celebrities as well. Running voting results could be displayed on the scoreboard. What's not to like?

Call me crazy, but I had absolutely no desire to see four Pistons playing at once in the All Star Game. This has nothing to do with my thoughts on whether they deserved the spot; it was simply boring. If I wanted to watch "Pistons basketball" I would watch a DET game. Do people really want to watch Rip running off staggered screens? And was anyone really surprised that four Pistons plus Pierce outplayed the West? Hell, four Raptors plus Pierce would likely beat the West, too. Virtually any NBA team playing team basketball would beat an All-Star team featuring guys trying lobs from half court. And yeah, I would feel the same way about four Spurs. I know how the Spurs play. I don't know how Manu would play with Nash, Marion, Dirk and Brand. That's what I would want to see.

My favorite part of the latest Isiah trade isn't that the Knicks will be paying $60+ million a year (including luxury tax) for Marbury and Francis. It's not that these two players are incompatible due to both of them being undersized for a shooting guard (not that they play much defense anyway). Nor is it that the combination will drive the lying, sniveling Larry Brown to a premature demise. The best part about this deal is that multiple media outlets are reporting that Isiah is stockpiling assets in order to go after Garnett in the summer.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I can see only one high-quality asset the Knicks have that MIN could possibly want. And that's Channing Frye. They have don't have any premium draft picks over the next two years. Meanwhile a team like CHI could offer some combination of Deng, Gordon, Duhon, Nocioni, Hinrich and Chandler plus multiple premium first round picks.

I didn't get to watch the SA-SEA game because the NBA League Pass channel was blacked out and I didn't notice until the game was already over. I'm beginning to see the early signs of Spurs withdrawal.

Here are my quick midseason player reviews; based on minutes of careful consideration and preseason expectations.

Coach Pop, B

Clearly trying to establish a rotation ASAP but stuck with Finley in the starting lineup way too long. Has successfully kept Manu's minutes down but needs to do the same for Timmeh; props for loosening the reins on Parker.

Mike Budenholzer, A+

I just like saying his name. Boo-din-hol-zer.

Sean Marks, B+

He's played well when given the opportunity and helped spawn a new catch phrase: AND SEAN MARKS FINISHES THE JOB!!!

Beno Udrih, B

Yeah, Van Exel is a better ball-handler, but that's the end of the list in my book.

Fabricio Oberto, C+

He looks less lost every time he plays and always brings the effort.

Brent Barry, D

40.3% from the field and 33.7% from 3 isn't good enough for a guy that's getting $5 million a year to shoot the ball.

Robert Horry, NA

The regular season? We're talking about the regular season?

Nick Van Exel, D

Why do I have the feeling that Spurs fans will blame a key playoff loss on his poor shot selection and total inability to guard anyone with legs?

Nazr Mohammed, B-

I'm seeing improvement, but he needs to up his blocks and cut down on turnovers and the ubiquitous mental errors.

Rasho Nesterovic, B

As solid as ever, but he needs to cut down on his ubiquitous lack of athleticism.

Michael Finley, D-

How bad has Finley played? The lineup of TP/BB/MF/TD/RS has outscored its opponents by a whopping 13 points in 286 minutes. That amounts to 2.2 points per game. For a team with a 6.5 point differential.

The Sickness, B-

Swap Manu for Finley in the above lineup and you have a squad that has outscored its opponents by 113 points in 335 minutes; 16.2 points per game. Certainly not the same guy we saw in the playoffs, but, well, this isn't the playoffs. His regular season numbers from last year are similar and his grade would be higher if not for the injuries.

Bruce Bowen, A-

He's added to his offensive game without adding FGA, but I'll be damned if he hasn't lost a quarter-step on defense. Yeah, I said it.

Tim Duncan, B

Lowest, PPG, FG% and BPG of his career. 59% of his FGA are outside of the lane which is higher than Parker and Ginobili. Still an incredible defensive anchor but, like last year, not capable of offensively carrying this team to a title. His plantar fascia cost him a half-grade or so.

Tony Parker, A

Better shot selection this year and maybe the best guard finisher in the NBA (his eFG% inside is 71.1% compared to 55.3% for Wade, 52.3% for Bryant and 63.7% for LeBron). Still has the undeniable Achilles heel to his game that will be exploited without mercy during the playoffs.

The Heart of a Perpetual Loser

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:08:11 -0800

At the risk of alienating a good percentage of the FreeDarko audience, I’ve got a confession to make. Actually, it’s not much of a confession because anybody that knows me can affirm the following fact: I’m one girly ass dude. Despite my manly (i.e. hairy and beer-gut) exterior, on the inside I’m pure, putrid, pathetic emo mush. I cry when animals die in movies. I can’t watch “Strangers With Candy” because I feel so bad for Candy. I am one of those rare-breed of dismal people that is absolutely and completely incapable of being mean to telemarketers. To the casual observer, I might look pretty normal and maybe even considerate, kind, and/or a “good person.” This is all incorrect. I’m just a pussy.

I’m not particularly embarrassed and/or proud of my girliness. At this point, I’ve accepted the fact that this is just me. This is just how I engage the world. Or, to quote a sobbing Kevin Garnett, “this is just how I’m built, man.” How is any of this relevant? Well, first of all, to piggy-back off of Shoals recent “this is a league of psychologically complex individuals” post, I think my girly personality would translate well on the basketball court and, frankly, it’s a shame I’m not in the NBA because I’d probably be one of the most entertaining, inspiring, and likable characters in the league. But, alas, I’m not.

How else is this confessional introduction relevant? Well, my girly personality allows me to develop particularly burdensome emotional attachments to people that may or may not be ready, willing, and/or deserving of that type of burden. This happens fairly regularly in my day-to-day life and basically means I experience an absolutely irrecoverable heartbreaking incident every six months or so. Of course, all of the very-real-yet-admittedly-melodramatic heartbreaks I have experienced will pale in comparison to the absolutely devastating heartbreak I would experience if the god damn Philadelphia Seventyfuckingsixers trade Allen Iverson ~~before the impending trade deadline~~ EVER.

Logistically speaking it shouldn’t happen. Iverson is playing the best basketball of his career, he still sells plenty of jerseys and seats (albeit not in Philly), he’s a perennial All-Star based on recognition alone, and he’s become the face of Philadelphia basketball. Trading Iverson is ridiculous from a business standpoint. But, that being said, some folks still insist on arguing that it might not be a bad idea from a strictly basketball standpoint. Fact of the matter is, the Sixers are mediocre as shit right now, and we all know that being mediocre is way worse than being flat out bad. The blame has to fall somewhere, and we all know that AI has a history of taking the brunt of that blame whether it’s justified or not (and, like all controversial celebrity figures, it rarely is). Personally, I wouldn’t make the argument that Iverson is somehow responsible for their mediocrity (what about the Sixers’ lack of team defense, Igoudala’s reluctance to be aggressive, Korver’s inability to develop a game within the 3-point arc, or Samuel Dalembert’s inability to harness his athletic energies into little more than blocking a whole bunch of shots a game?), but there are a bundle of people that would make the argument—I just hope none of those people have positions of power in the Sixer’s front office. And this brings me to my main point:

Even if trading Allen Iverson made sense from a business and/or basketball standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense from an emotional standpoint… at least for an emo sap like me who is all but in love with this little fucking guy. Certainly, while his basketball ability is a large part of my emotional attachment to him, it’s much more a combination of what Shoals and Rocco articulated recently: that my real-yet-admittedly-distant-and-melodramatic involvement with these players—in this case Allen Iverson—is based on something more than just admiration of unfathomable athletic prowess and competitive drive. It’s at this point where basketball has become something more of an art, where players’ performances can be admired on their terms. In far more simpler terms, I think I can get away with saying that “Dude is my dude and I ride for him” and you people will know what the hell I’m talking about.

But, my super duper main point is this: I’d rather lose with Allen Iverson than win without him.

Yeah, I said it. I’d rather lose in the first or second round of the playoffs every god damn year, dwell in the wretched den of just-below-and/or-just-above-.500 mediocrity with this man than go 82-0 in the regular season and sweep everyone in the play-offs and win the whole damn ‘ship with some other turd(s). This is not hyperbole.

Of course, this echoes the “this is a league of style/stars/nutcases-on-display” mantra that we live and die for around here, but allow me to offer up this slight variation on the theme: “This is NOT a league of wins and losses.” Perhaps we can chalk it up to the postmodern death of the grand narrative, where the age-old, linear narratives of (a) dominant team wins championship or (b) Cinderella team overcomes huge obstacles to grip the heart of a nation and win championship have just lost their meaning and effect. Or perhaps the domineering personalities that have flocked to the NBA in droves have forced us to engage the sport in a more human and subjective manner. Whatever it is, the fact of the matter is, to many of us, wins and losses and championships are the footnotes, not the action that drives the narrative. In fact, I would argue that winning itself stands at a point that’s at just about equal distances from “everything” and “the only thing.” And, I think then that this is the major point of contention between the basketball fans of yore and the new breed that finds themselves nodding along to FreeDarko: the game done changed and the winnings and losings are only as important as the winners and losers that play the fucking game. I suppose finding some sort of grand-scale enjoyment in each and everyone of AI’s performances regardless if they result in a win is akin to liking the music that an artist makes whether or not he wins a Grammy for it.

So, as Shoals mentioned in his post yesterday, it would be unthinkable to trade someone like Allen Iverson or Kevin Garnett, but not just because they helped “build the cities” that they currently play for. We fucking love these guys. Fuck winning when love is involved.

Or perhaps I’m just an emo-ass dude and I’ve got crushes on all these fucking dudes because of some odd estrogen chemical imbalance. Somehow I doubt it though.

-e

Logan : Francis Aquisition Part Of Knicks’ KG Pursuit

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:07:37 -0800

Newsday’s Greg Logan offers at long last, some insight as to why Isiah Thomas was so hellbent on trading one of his few tangible bargaining chips (Penny’s expiring contract) for another shoot-first, get-traded-later guard in the form of Steve Francis. Although Thomas said he’s satisfied with the team as it is, several NBA executives said [...]

Cart me to shivah

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 09:11:19 -0800

Yesterday, DLIC had initially called Odom a “busted Swiss Army knife,” which I for some reason thought rendered this post useless. Then he changed it to “your do-it-all, do-nothing guy,” which, all sunrise aside, silently opened up the wound that is the following:

It is with great trepidation that I back into this one, which takes us (with a loving sigh) back into the mangled plains of Kobe’s MVP case. The one-time Troubled Smiler has been putting on a show of historic proportions, catching forty in his sleep and, no surprisingly, rocketing back up to the top of the Association’s most admired zealots. I want to claim that he’s threatening to revolutionize what it means to be an MVP, since he’s going to single-handedly urge the Lakers into the post-season without needing, wanting, or being offered any meaningful assistance. But Iverson did walk away with it that one season, and until last year AI was the poster child for unconscionable gunning. In either case, in an epoch marked by an unquestioned marriage of New Jack and the Right Way (shaming both in the process), what Kobe’s doing hardly makes the league feel good about itself. If he ends up with lopsided numbers and the Lakers end up a low seed in the lesser of two conferences, no way that award is a feel-good story.

The thing that would distinguish Kobe’s season above AI’s 2000-2001—and make it a case study is justifiable, nearly heroic, one-man-bandsmanship—is that he’s working with nothing. Iverson had a supporting cast made of fun, teammates that one could argue he should’ve passed to who were at least able to take care of business in his fiery wake. Kobe, as Burns pointed out the other day, has got a frontcourt of Kwame Brown and Mihm, pure cast-offs who hover somewhere between bust and journeyman. The smart argument for Bryant: it may not always be emotionally satisfying or ethically withstandable what #8 is doing, but you try and think of a better way to make that team playoff-bound. And not like any of you need this pointed out, but as sheer technicality its force in inescapable: he’s got arguably the greatest coach in the Association’s marshy history signing off on the program.

(I’m thinking more and more that the MVP might end up with Billups both as a nod to team excellence and as a way of avoiding both the unsightly “win hog” and the ugly idea that Nash has history on his side. You wonder, though, if that wouldn’t instantly get enshrined as precedent, and lead to it once and for all skewing toward the unsinkably fake “best player on best team” criteria.)

Which brings us to the strange case of Mar Mar, chronic FreeDarko favorite and thorn in the side of Kobe’s reputation. One of the most insistently compelling men to ever take the court, his game truly needs no introduction within these halls of entitlement. Suffice to say that, when P-Jax hinted that Odom would play Pippen to Bryant’s MJ, not a one among us felt the world stretch or sag. Given his arsenal of talent and Jackson’s creation of Pippen as we know him, there was no reason to think that, even more so than during his one season with Riles, Odom’s calling was finally upon him.

Sadly, Jackson’s shroud over town has brought Odom even less luck than Rudy’s Run. The conventional wisdom goes something like this: inveterate shot-jacker Kobe disrupts the delicate to-and-fro flow of the triangle, freezing out the New Odom who so fervently belongs in it, and reducing him to a role player without a clear cut part to play. Anyone looking to tarnish Kobe’s accomplishments need look no further than Lamar’s gruesomely inconsistent stat lines, which show the man he could be while at the same time revealing the shackles of a lifetime. Odom, these wise-mongers say, proved in Miami that he could put it all together, and these Kobe-induced trials represent nothing less than the stunting of perfect’s gates.

Now hold your calm as I write to you the unfortunate: it’s all wrong, and Odom is Odom’s fault. The man can do anything, but his do-anything-ness is largely reactive and almost entirely on his own terms. His time with the Heat was a whopping success exactly because he was locked into a fairly specific role and asked to occasionally shock the world. As in, play power forward, but with some range, the ability to create your own shot, and the option of us running the offense through you without a loss of flow. Be a mismatch, a problem, a cipher of the scheme, but let the other team be burdened with that. This stands in sharp contrast to his Clippers days, when Odom was most notably spotted hoarding the ball at the top of the key and either plotting a drive or deciding to launch a three. Here, we saw the essence of Odom: a jumble of conflicting skills fighting with itself from moment to moment, resolving itself only long enough to beat whatever’s in front of it.

What Phil, at least in theory, is asking Odom to do is to decide in advance who he is. Garnett can do it all but has some central notion of being; Diaw, as I’ve said before, might be what Lamar would be if he could pre-plan for his five-cat immensity. He is a phantom that lives only for the spirit of that possession, a man known only by his play-by-play identity. Alas, with Odom it seems to be slightly fissured tradition or hex, as his ability to take advantage of his frightening variety is directly proportional to the amount of chaos it causes the team. He only realizes his excellence when it stretches out before him in an uncanny plateau of indecision, and thus robs himself of whatever Pippen-esque usefulness he might have in the triangle’s system. It pains me to say it, but I have to agree with Dan Patrick that Odom is going to be one of those “what could have been’s”—not clipped by circumstance or poor judgment, he just plain got put together the wrong way.

Peter Vecsey: No Kevin Heavens

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 07:58:54 -0800

Peter Vecsey of THE NEW YORK POST reports, Over the past few months, as it became increasingly evident the Timberwolves' imperfections were more than skin deep, numerous teams called to inquire about Kevin Garnett's availability. All were told the same thing: We're not even going to discuss it at this time. That suited Garnett just fine. In a recent public statement, he maintained his loyalty to the only NBA franchise he's ever carried (11th season, longest continuous service of any player in the wake of Reggie Miller's retirement) since transferring from high school to the pros, and resolved to remain a Wolf man for a life. A noble stance considering his team's reduction in rank from perennial playoff participant (eliminated in the '03-04 Western Conference finals) to lottery level last season. Currently, the T'wolves are 19-21, tied with Golden State for ninth in the West.

Wolves Hand Cavaliers First Home Loss

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:18:30 -0800

LeBron James scored a season-high 38 points compared to 26 for Kevin Garnett, but it was the latter who hit a key jumper in the final minute as the Timberwolves posted an 89-85 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Wolves Cool Off Streaking Lakers

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 23:42:51 -0800

Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 30 points and Wally Szczerbiak added 25 as the Timberwolves extended their season-best winning streak to five games by posting a 95-82 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Timberwolves able to get past Jazz

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 23:49:30 -0800

Eddie Griffin had 14 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight blocks, and Wally Szczerbiak scored 26 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Utah Jazz 91-77 Monday night. Kevin Garnett added 21 points and four assists as Minnesota won for the eighth time in 10 games, sweeping back-to-back games in Sacramento and Utah to improve to 10-6. The Wolves are 3-0 on a four-game road trip that wraps up Wednesday in Portland.

Garnett Receives Community Assist Award

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 13:49:20 -0800

NEW YORK, Dec. 5 -- In recognition of Kevin Garnett's community outreach efforts and on-going generosity, the NBA announced today it will honor the Minnesota Timberwolves' forward with the Community Assist Award for November.