K.G. Trades
I was reading this article about the Timberwolves trading Kevin Garnett. I never really understood why you would trade Garnett, given what a phenomenal player he is in every way. It seems to me if you have K.G. and you still suck you need to get good players around him, not deal the only good thing you have. But this article first proposes a trade that seems pretty damn fair to me. If anything, it's a little too much to give up for Garnett: Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Luol Deng, P.J. Brown and the Knicks' 2007 first round pick. You get three quality young players, an expiring contract, and a potential top 5 draft choice. Quite the bounty. Then I go to the next proposal suggested, and I wonder if we're talking about the same player. The suggestion there is Garnett to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie and a future 1st rounder. Am I the only one that thinks this deal is absurd? Bynum's a project, Odom's good but not elite, and a future 1st rounder would likely be in the middle of the round. Can anyone imagine Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Luol Deng, P.J. Brown and a high 1st round pick for Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm, Aaron McKie and a mid 1st round pick? I certainly can't. Then again, with the nature of the NBA it's very hard to work out deals that benefit both teams.
posted by Todd Martin at 11:25 AM
3 Comments:
I can't honestly believe that if the Bulls were truly offering Gordon, Ty Thomas, Deng, Brown (who cares), and the Knicks #1 (who might be Oden).. that the T-Wolves would not jump all over that deal. Sure from a marketing standpoint it would be a disaster for the T-Wolves to trade away a franchise cornerstone but it's not like that franchise cornerstone has been enough in recent years to get the T-Wolves into the playoffs.
To pick up Deng and Gordon who are going to be solid NBA starters. Ty Thomas who has freakish upside (my apologies to Bill Simmons and his distaste for upside). And a #1 pick who could be Kevin Durant or Greg Oden... All for a player who can't get you to the playoffs let alone through them (but sells a lot of merchandise). Seems like a no-brainer.
Can't take them to the playoffs? Did we forget the 'Wolves were in the playoffs five years in a row starting in 99-00? Or that he went to the conference championship the ONE year they gave him a decent supporting cast? Has he made it to the championship, no. But he hasn't had any decent players around him other than when he had Cassell/Sprewell/Wally for one year.
I didn't read this article, but an article by Bill Simmons did a good job of outline the fundamental flaw that KG has as a player. He does not have that switch to turn it on when he needs it. He is just consistently good, and it seems absurd to say that consistently good is a flaw but it is. Most of the "stars" have a performance increase in the playoffs but KG does not, his playoff numbers and regular season numbers are nearly identical, which means he plays balls to the wall in game 1 and balls to the wall in game 82, he has no pace just always pedal to the metal and his body will begin to show it. Trading for him is like trading for a car that looks great and performs well, but has 400,000kms on it...you never know when it will give out.
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