Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>By Marc Stein, ESPN.comEditor's note: ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein supplies each item for this around-the-league notebook edition of the Daily Dime. It's the story every NBA fan outside of Minnesota wants to read someday. It might even be the story frustrated Wolves fans are ready to read now.Kevin Garnett is officially, legitimately on the trading block.Numerous NBA front-office sources reiterated to me this week that we're still not there yet, and not especially close to being there. But personally? I've changed my stance on this one.After years of resisting the natural NBA writer's instinct to demand that the Wolves trade Garnett and start over, I've given in. Not even 10 games into the new season, I don't see enough hope for Minnesota to continue down this path ? assuming you can call it a path. I simply struggle to see -- with the Wolves possessing such limited trade assets beyond KG himself -- how they can improve the cast around him to avoid slipping farther and farther away in a deeper-than-ever West.Let's be realistic.Even if Garnett opts out of his contract in the summer of 2008 as expected and walks away from an '08-09 salary of $23 million, he still will have banked more than $200 million by then. He'll be 32 that summer and, maybe more than any other player in history, could comfortably afford signing wherever he wants for the mid-level exception.It's not like he needs another max deal. Chicago? Lakers? Maybe KG's willing to take a pay cut, in the tradition of Karl Malone and Gary Payton, to go to Phoenix and play with Steve Nash. Or, say, New Jersey with Jason Kidd.Which would leave the Wolves with nothing.I know it's difficult for Wolves diehards to envision such a catastrophe, knowing that: A) Garnett hasn't and probably won't ever tell the Wolves that he wants out, and that Garnett is so loyal to the frozen tundra he calls 'Sota that it seems highly unlikely he'd bolt without compensation.Fine.But organizations have to protect themselves against worst-case scenarios. Organizations typically prosper when they're proactive. It seems awfully risky for the Wolves to go through another season (or more) of misery, not knowing how that might eat into Garnett's resolve or affect his determination to relocate.The Wolves have missed the playoffs for two straight seasons. If that drought stretches to three or four -- not hard to envision given Minnesota's lack of depth, rebounding and dependable size apart from KG -- then what?The longer the Wolves wait, if they're eventually going to have to trade him anyway, can only hurt them leverage-wise. Trading him this season, as opposed to delaying the inevitable until the February '08 trading deadline or scrambling to concoct a sign-and-trade in July '08, is more likely to net Minnesota the package of quality youth, size and draft picks it would naturally want in return.The Bulls are the most natural trading partner because they're in a different conference and stocked with trade pieces: Tyrus Thomas, Luol Deng or Ben Gordon, P.J. Brown's expiring contract and the Knicks' first-round pick, for starters. Contenders in the West, if the Wolves could stomach that, would be lining up as well: Phoenix, Dallas and certainly others. The Lakers' interest, furthermore, is no secret, with Kobe Bryant and Garnett seemingly an ideal tag team given KG's well-chronicled unselfishness ? and Garnett maintaining an offseason residence in Malibu ? and two tantalizing big men (Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum) for the Wolves to go after.Not that I'm expecting my pleas to rouse the Wolves into action. Folks who've observed Garnett more closely and longer than I have insist that he yearns to be the Twin Cities' hoops answer to Kirby Puckett -- from a one team-only standpoint -- and finish his career there at all costs. Which only makes it tougher for the Wolves to contemplate moving him.Will Garnett move off that stance if it puts his legacy at risk? If it means that one trip to the West finals and a scant playoff r?sum? beyond that is the extent of what we get from one of the most gifted 7-footers this game has ever seen?We'll see.In the interim? Doubts about Wolves coach Dwane Casey surviving the season have been in circulation for some time, but the Wolves' next big move, according to team insiders, is to transfer control of the front office at season's end from the under-fire Kevin McHale to Fred Hoiberg, one of KG's all-time favorite teammates. Perhaps that will brighten Garnett's outlook after an increasing frostiness in his relationship with McHale, who drafted him No. 5 overall out of high school in 1995.Yet no matter who's running the personnel department, it's pretty safe to say that only one man can decide if we'll ever be reading about a tangible Garnett trade. The theory I'm borrowing from one Eastern Conference executive is that it'll take Wolves owner Glen Taylor coming out and telling all of 'Sota that it was his call ? that it was in the Wolves' and Garnett's best interests to start anew.I can't imagine McHale wants to make trading KG his farewell move after absorbing much of the blame locally for the Wolves' recent demise. Nor would trading Garnett be a very appetizing intro to GM-ing for Hoiberg.Until Taylor is ready to move on -- and he recently told Minneapolis' weekly City Pages newspaper that he could only reach that point through mutual consent with Garnett -- the trade talk that tantalizes armchair GMs everywhere isn't much more than that.</div>
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett WORD. I agree with most of it. HE SHOULD GET OUT> they are stagnant- need to shake things up!
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Minnesota won't go anywhere anytime soon. But Garnett will if he leaves. He has to now, before it's too late (it almost may be now).
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett I think kevin garnett deserves a fresh scenery. (psst, boston please.)
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett The only teams that I can see him going to are the Bulls, Lakers, or 76ers.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett haha, of course the laker fan sees him going to LA. and don't try to reverse it onto me, because I just WANT him in boston, I don't think he'll come here.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett C - Bynum/KwamePF - GarnettSF - Lamar OdomSG - Kobe BryantPG - SOMEONE ELSE I HOPE!!!That lineup would be :worthy:.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (nba dogmatist @ Nov 17 2006, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>haha, of course the laker fan sees him going to LA. and don't try to reverse it onto me, because I just WANT him in boston, I don't think he'll come here.</div>KG coming to LA has been a rumor for the past few years and the T-wolves even said they had interest in Odom. Of course it would be a package but they even talked about it on the radio when they talked to Jerry West today.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ELiiiTE @ Nov 17 2006, 08:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>C - Bynum/KwamePF - GarnettSF - Lamar OdomSG - Kobe BryantPG - SOMEONE ELSE I HOPE!!!That lineup would be :worthy:.</div>There is no way that we could get KG without trading at least Odom.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Kevin Garnett deserves what he's gotten. But trading him makes sense for the organization at this point because he's likely to leave soon anyway, better get what you can. I don't see Chicago breaking up it's nucleus of talent though...
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett I dont think KG is actually tradable. the Wolves would want talented players in return, how many teams would trade their star player for KG? The Knicks could trade those guys they call NBA players for KG, but I doubt Minny wants any of them.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett quick idea:antawn jamison, jarvis hayes, antonio daniels, and a pick or two for kg and bracey wright.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (nba dogmatist @ Nov 18 2006, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>quick idea:antawn jamison, jarvis hayes, antonio daniels, and a pick or two for kg and bracey wright.</div> I don't think the Wolves get enough back in that trade. It's essentially Jamison and a couple of teener 1st rounders for one of the best players in the game...I don't like it.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Garnett to the Lakers sounds sexy, but I think Bynum would have to go if I'm Kevin McHale. If you're a Lakers fan, do you really want to see your amazing looking big young athletic center leaving for KG, when your team still has no point guard, little bench, and a few moves to go for contention?
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LakersFan247 @ Nov 17 2006, 10:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>There is no way that we could get KG without trading at least Odom.</div> Excuse my idiotness... I forgot we had to TRADE for the b-tard. :beee:
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (nba dogmatist @ Nov 17 2006, 11:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>quick idea:antawn jamison, jarvis hayes, antonio daniels, and a pick or two for kg and bracey wright.</div>Yuck, they could do a lot better than that and I'm sure they'd want young talent, not guys like Jamison and Daniels past their prime. Wiz would have to at least give up Caron too, but even then it's still probably not worth it. Bulls or Lakers seem like the best possibilities for me. I think the Wolves would go for a package of somethin like Odom, Bynum, Kwame, and a 1st for KG + fillers.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Kevin Garnett needs to get out of Minnesota, He is in a horrible situation right now. They either need to get the right pieces around him to win a championship or they need to ship him away.He stayed loyal to them when in reality, He should have been gone awhile ago.Denver Trades: Linas KleizaMinnesota trades: Kevin GarnettIt obviously makes Minnesota an instant title contender.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Kleiza for Garnett is solid.Pistons could send Ronald Dupree, Amir Johnson, and Marshall Mathers.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Rod Thron has gone after Garnett every off-season for the last 5 years at minimum. If hes on the trade block, I cant see why he wouldnt go after him now. Kidd + Garnett = Title.
Re: It's time to trade Kevin Garnett Kidd had excellent casts in his prime and couldn't execute 2 seasons in a row. He blew his chance.And Rod Thorn is a weasel. All I'll ever remember him for is calling the Atlanta Hawks and begging them not to follow through on the morning of the day Rasheed Wallace was traded to Detroit.
