Forget Webber, Let's talk KEVIN GARNETT BABY! (read article from NBAtalk)

A Bull Market for Da Kid

by sportsTALK.com's Chad Ford
David Stern has a long, long memory. And a helluva lot of power to exact revenge.

Just ask T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor. David Stern is seeing red.

Sure, signing an under the table agreement with Joe Smith to circumvent the salary cap is a MAJOR sin in the NBA deity's eyes. But that isn't the reason that Taylor is sitting, with his head in his hands, on the rubble of what used to be a competitive NBA team.

No, the capital crime was committed on October 1st, 1997 when Taylor signed a young Kevin Garnett to a ridiculous 6 year, $121 million dollar extension.

Remember the lockout? It can be directly traced back to that day when Garnett became the NBA's first $20 million dollar a year man.

You could almost see Stern clinching his teeth, swearing by the heavens that the 'rogue' Taylor would pay.

And on this day of reckoning, T-Wolves fans are beginning to feel the cost.

Losing Joe Smith hurts. No doubt. Losing five first round draft picks over the next five consecutive years kills.

The Wolves, with Garnett and Brandon's huge contracts are well over the salary cap until 2004. With the Wolves over the cap and without any draft picks, the will remain an also-ran in the competitive West. They'll have the mid level exception to offer every year, along with every other team in the NBA, and that's about it. Last time we checked, the free-agent market looked real shallow for the next few years.

Sure they're young now. But five first rounders is five first rounders. Last year's team didn't make it out of the first round while the teams that did actually got better during the off season. Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan are just as young. Paul Allen gets richer by the quarter. By simply growing from within, the T-Wolves fell further behind.

And just about the time the T-Wolves can start drafting, that's when Kevin Garnett will really get paid. His bill? Garnett's next contract could be worth $283 million over seven years. Ouch!

The Wolves are screwed and the other foot has yet to drop.

Kevin Garnett is as good as gone.

It may not be what KG wants. It may not be what Taylor or the tens of thousands of other T-Wolves fans want. But it's what is needed.

Not only will Garnett be unhappy playing for a team in a constant struggle for that eighth playoff seed, the T-Wolves would be half crazy to keep him. They cannot begin to rebuild the rubble unless they get Garnett's whopping deal off the books and find a way to get some young talent and some first round draft picks. The expansion mentality must prevail over the next five years or it could last a decade.

GMs are already salivating. One Western Conference GM told me that there will be a day or two of quiet, then Glen Taylor's phone will be ringing off the wall.

The Wolves are wounded and the vultures are circling.

Who cares about Joe Smith. Miami, LA, NY, Dallas? Take him.

Garnett is the mother lode. He's ripe for the picking. And David Stern is seeing red.

With KG's huge deal and the T-wolves needs (dump salaries and get draft picks) there is one perfect trade partner for them in the NBA.

You probably don't need a sleuth to figure this out, but I'll give you a hint. Jerry Krause was just seen a Giordano's. That's right, the stuffed pie.

Forget Orlando. They have the draft picks but imagine the base-year compensation mess if they tried to move any of their valuable players. The Clippers have the cap room but not enough talent to barter. Even if they did, would Donald Sterling shell out for a KG extension? Everyone else is over the cap. New York is tied up with overpaid players. Same with Portland. Miami's eggs are already counted. Expect Mark Cuban to stick his nose in the door, but Michael Finley is untradeable in this sitaution with his pending free agency. And without him, the Mavs have nothing of value.

The Bulls, on the other hand, have everything the Wolves need. Mainly cap room, lots of draft picks and a young star to pacify their fans (they'd give up Elton Brand in a heartbeat for Garnett). Throw a few young players to throw in the mix (Artest, Fizer, Crawford, or El-Amin would all be expendable) and you've got a deal. The biggest in a huge off-season.

Kevin Garnett is pure basketball love. He is the future of professional hoops, completely immune to ghosts past. The perfect golden child to step into Michael Jordan's shoes AND his locker. The United Center is cleansed.

Suddenly Chicago would have its star, and the T-wolves could start their massive rebuilding project. Meanwhile, David Stern could sit back and smoke a fat cigar with Jerry Reinsdorf, reminiscing about the good old days when the NBA's top star played in one of its top markets.

Don't mess with David Stern.



NOW, I recall hearing something about KG loving Rudy....He would definately shove this team into the 5th seed for the playoffs in his first year....2ns seed in second year, and unbeatable after that....We have loads of caproom next year....disregard shandon, coz i'm pretty sure he wants his bird rights...So.....Mo, KG, MO, KG...tic, toc, tic, toc.....there's no question, KG....Championships can't be won with ONE superstar, like KG can't win alone, and Francis can't win alone....KG's moving...He loves Rudy....He wants to play young....We're under the cap (that helps in trades, right?).....WE love KG....ANYTHING outside Francis, Mobley, Anderson, and Cato for KG.....3 draft picks, Mo Taylor(building block for Wolves), Keny Thomas (contract ends), Walt Williams(contract ends)...What ever...ALL our cap space, Mo Taylor....anything outside the 4 players I mentioned......Just get him.....so, Cap experts, Trade experts, all of you, how do we get KG into our ugly pinstriped uniforms?
Oh, if there's a reason he shouldn't consider Houston at all, don't forget to mentin it (I'm sure u won't)...

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