Trade rumor: Kevin Garnett for Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm+draft picks!

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Let it go, he aint coming to the LAkers 

I honestly don't believe he will, but I'm still gunna keep it updated with news regarding the issue, since it's definitely not out of the question...PeACe

[M Dogg™]

Snoop showing everyone why he is the king of the west... the man is like Michael... has his hands in everything.

[GangstaBoogy]

if we can somehow get kg and sam cassell - we will be in the finals next season! kg and sam made it to the conference finals with sprewell, so there's no way they wouldn't make the finals (and more than likely win it all) with kobe.

[Antonio_]

A man can dream.

[Vegasmac25]

Cassell
Kobe
Odom
KG
Brown

I would shit in my pants if this team ever assembles.

[Spicemuthafuc*in1]

Cassell
Kobe
Odom
KG
Brown

I would shit in my pants if this team ever assembles.

How could you get KG without trading Odom?? In fact you couldnt get KG unless you traded Kobe and that aint gonna happen

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Cassell
Kobe
Odom
KG
Brown

I would shit in my pants if this team ever assembles.

How could you get KG without trading Odom?? In fact you couldnt get KG unless you traded Kobe and that aint gonna happen

Fill-ins...I posted the scenerio in some other thread, something like Mihm+Smush+George+McKie+Cook+Future Draft Picks for KG+Justin Reed could actually work out for both teams...Hey, it's a pipe-dream, but it's never impossible...PeACe


LMAO@Kobe ...Lakers better get the whole T-Wolves team for Kobe. LOL. And McHale better start playing as well...In his prime.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Tall thought: Shorter Bulls

November 6, 2006

Well, here are the Bulls again. Same 1-2 start as last season, last place in the Central Division and they can't score. So you trade Luol Deng for … no, I'm not ready for that yet. I might, though, take a look at committing to a small lineup, Andres Nocioni playing forward with Deng.

Look, the Bulls are going to be small no matter whom they play. Ben Wallace will be fine, but he's no longer that Ben Wallace who can dominate a game on defense. It may be better to give him four offensive players to work with and take your chances.

I know, the Bulls are very small without P.J. Brown, who hasn't made a shot in his last 11 quarters and is 0-for-8 the last two games. And Brown brings those intangibles that made Antonio Davis so successful here two seasons ago. But the Bulls are an aggressive defensive team that plays help defense well. In effect, they can zone the post and overplay it with Wallace and let teams beat try to them from outside.

It would be a risk against a team like the Bucks, Monday's opponent, who have plenty of size inside with Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva. But it might be worth a shot unless the Bulls can get Kevin Garnett quickly.

Please, forget about that one. Consecutive Bulls losses usually mean I get questions about trading for Garnett. It has long been one of my favorite column topics, though I'm about done with it. I can't help it if the Timberwolves don't realize it's what they should have done.

Though they have started 2-1 after a loss in Portland on Saturday night, the T'wolves hardly seem to be going anywhere, patching with Mike James and hoping for the return of Troy Hudson. They seem to have made a classic draft mistake, using the No. 6 pick for Brandon Roy and then trading him for cash and the rights to Randy Foye at No. 7.

Roy has been the best rookie so far, averaging 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists playing mostly point guard and getting more than 38 minutes per game. It's looking like the 1998 draft, when Golden State swapped Vince Carter for the right to pick Antawn Jamison. The Warriors were heavily criticized, but it didn't work out that badly.

"From his first game and my first game they were like, 'The Timberwolves traded Brandon Roy and got Randy Foye—was that a smart move?'" Foye said. "But he's on a younger team and I'm on a veteran team, so it's different. Time will tell."

Foye should be a solid player, though Garnett needs more than that to compete for the championship he says he wants.

I'm saying he gets it with the Lakers.

Garnett, always difficult to pin down on or off the court, seemed to commit to the Timberwolves in comments to Minneapolis reporters before the season.

"It's sad we live in a society that's not built off loyalty and consistency," Garnett said. "Everybody speaks from the newsstand, and the newsstand seems to be, 'That ain't working out for him. He needs to leave.' But if I was to go off what everybody else wants me to do, I'd probably be broke, out of the league, living under a bridge.

"I've always respected the fact—and this is nothing toward people who move around—one guy can put his mark on a franchise, and a city and a state. That's one of the things I appreciated most about Kirby Puckett. That when you think of the Minnesota Twins, you think of Kirb. I'm pretty sure it would be weird to see me playing in another uniform."

So is he staying, then?

"I can remember Kirb always saying, 'Man, it's about winning and making sure you're happy,'" Garnett said. "One of the things I took from him was [to] always respect winning. I would love to stay—that's my plan. But it's got to be within the boundaries of winning."

Garnett lives in Malibu, Calif. He has an escape clause in his contract after next season. My guess is he uses it, even with $23 million left for one season, and joins Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom on the Lakers.

It looks as if the Lakers have a young center find in Andrew Bynum, off the way he has played so far. Garnett will be 32 then and in perfect position to be an ideal supporting piece. The Lakers could give him a long-term contract because their payroll would be shrinking by then. They've had a great start, but you figure they're treading water.

It seems as if Garnett will play out this season in Minnesota, and then they'll face the question of whether to try to trade him and get something or risk losing him after next season. It won't be the first management mishap for the Timberwolves.



Still a possibility...(not for Bynum + Odom though).

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Garnett lives in Malibu, Calif. He has an escape clause in his contract after next season. My guess is he uses it, even with $23 million left for one season, and joins Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom on the Lakers.

It looks as if the Lakers have a young center find in Andrew Bynum, off the way he has played so far. Garnett will be 32 then and in perfect position to be an ideal supporting piece. The Lakers could give him a long-term contract because their payroll would be shrinking by then. They've had a great start, but you figure they're treading water.

Dump Mihm next season (whose contract is up) and pick up Garnett. Would work well since he already lives in L.A.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Garnett lives in Malibu, Calif. He has an escape clause in his contract after next season. My guess is he uses it, even with $23 million left for one season, and joins Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom on the Lakers.

It looks as if the Lakers have a young center find in Andrew Bynum, off the way he has played so far. Garnett will be 32 then and in perfect position to be an ideal supporting piece. The Lakers could give him a long-term contract because their payroll would be shrinking by then. They've had a great start, but you figure they're treading water.

Dump Mihm next season (whose contract is up) and pick up Garnett. Would work well since he already lives in L.A.

I really hope Mihm raises his trade value when he returns, cuz I'd hate to lose him for nothing.

[7even]

christ, you guys are still hoping for garnett? damn.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

christ, you guys are still hoping for garnett? damn.

Not really, I could give a fuck less, I wouldn't even trade Turiaf for Garnett... but the article came up and it was pretty interesting as well as related to this topic...PeACe

[rik]

christ, you guys are still hoping for garnett? damn.

How bout them Mavs?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Live From Staples: Lakers vs. Timberwolves
Insert your pregame chatter here. Game time is right around the corner!

AK will be guiding the mothership for the first quarter.

They're doing pre-game introductions. Interestingly enough, when KG got announced, there were a fair amount of cheers filling up Staples. Is that simply appreciation of Garnett's obvious greatness or people practicing the cheering they'll be doing for him as a Laker, as the rumor mill would have you believe? You make the call.

More: http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2006/11/live_from_stapl.html#more

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Garnett in gold? Lakers should try to acquire T'wolves superstar
The Lakers have a few young, talented players, but would that be enough to land Kevin Garnett in a trade?

Posted: Wednesday November 8, 2006 4:28PM
Updated: Wednesday November 8, 2006 6:05PM
                     
LOS ANGELES -- The possible key to the Lakers' next championship run is sitting in the visiting locker room of Staples Center. He is adjusting the big diamond earrings in both of his earlobes as he sits on a trainers table and chats with Barry Bonds. His smile soon turns into a glare as he slips on a white sweat jacket and addresses a handful of reporters standing around his locker. His sullen demeanor -- bowed head, low, raspy answers to questions -- after the team's third loss in five games has become common place. It's the type of attitude one would expect from a superstar wasting the prime of his career on a team destined for a third straight lottery pick.

Things could be so much different for Kevin Garnett.

He knows that. He may not want to talk about it, but he knows. How can he not?

Less than three years ago, he was in the same building on the precipice of taking the Timberwolves to their first NBA Finals before he was stopped one game shy. Since walking off the Staples Center court that night he has not come close to making the playoffs.

In fact, not only have the team's wins dropped every season since but so have his statistics in points, rebounds and blocks. It's not that he has deteriorated because of old age, although it is somewhat surprising to learn that Garnett, the player who pioneered the recent high school-to-NBA era over a decade ago, celebrated his 30th birthday in May. No, father time hasn't gotten the better of him. His team has. His management has. His patience has.

Judging from the careers of big men who have gone before him, Garnett has five quality seasons left in him. Five more years before critics start wondering if he's lost a step, lost his shot, lost his game. Every one of those seasons that Garnett spends languishing in Minnesota is as lost as a winter day spent in Mankato instead of Malibu.

About a month after Garnett's last trip to the playoffs, another player who walked off the same court that night can relate to his frustration. While Kobe Bryant's statistics have increased every season since 2004 and he took the Lakers to the brink of the second round of the playoffs last season, he knows he is far from captaining a championship team. He has said that on numerous occasions and no amount of jersey number switches will change that. There are, however, a number of player switches that could do the trick.

It's no secret that Lakers owner Jerry Buss loves stars. He created his current empire by drafting and signing them and created his larger-than-life image by wining and dining with them. He even got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week. He knows that championships are won by star tandems. Magic and Kareem, Michael and Scottie, Shaq and Kobe, and in his dream world, Kobe and KG.

It's a Hollywood marriage almost too good not to take place in a wedding chapel in Vegas with paparazzi pictures splashed all over TMZ.com the next day.

Of course, to get a star you have to part with a star, and Lamar Odom has proven himself to be just that so far this season, especially while Bryant was out the first two games, scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the season opener against Phoenix. The fact that Odom had his most productive game while Bryant was on the sideline is no surprise. That will always be the case with the 27-year-old forward who never seems to be the player he can be when Bryant is on the floor. Watching Odom play at times last season with Bryant was almost like watching the tortoise going into his shell when placed next the hare. To equal out the contracts and give Minnesota another big man, the Lakers would also part with 24-year-old Kwame Brown, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft five years ago. Timberwolves fans might laugh, expecting to get more for Garnett (Lakers fans probably had similar thoughts about trading Shaq three years ago), but in terms of age, production and salary, there aren't many deals better out there, especially if the Lakers throw in a couple of draft picks.

Now, all of this is mere speculation. No one knows what will happen with Garnett. Not this season. Not even next season. Not even his longtime friend, brother-in-law and record producer "Jimmy Jam" Harris knows. "I have no idea. I have no say in that," said Harris, who was chatting with Garnett and Bonds after the game. "Even if I did, I wouldn't use it. I just want what's best for [Kevin]. I want him to sniff that ring."

Garnett is in the third season of a five-year deal paying about $100 million but can opt out during the summer of 2008. Unless the Timberwolves drastically revamp their roster, the smart money is on Garnett leaving and landing on a team that will at least allow him to play through May. That's why the chances of anything happening with Garnett this season seem remote at best and anything happening before the All-Star break next season seems only slightly better.

Garnett, however, at any point could wield his power and control his own destiny if he chooses to do so. He could ask Minnesota for a trade and tell them that he plans to opt out of his contract after next season. All he has to do is look at the makeup of the Timberwolves this season and look ahead and see that the majority of this same group is locked up the next two years with little to no wiggle room under the cap. If Garnett sees something more than a lottery team, he may stick around, but if he's realistic, he'll push for his exit out of the Great Lakes region and there is no better destination for him to end up than the team that was originally named after those lakes.

The combination of Garnett and Bryant, who turned 28 this summer, would be the league's most potent 1-2 punch for the next five years and give both players the running mates they need to make a legitimate push for a championship year in and year out. It would also give Garnett the national stage in a major market he hasn't had after spending his entire career in Minneapolis. In addition to having superstar teammate in Bryant, Garnett would also be able to mentor Andrew Bynum, who became one of the last high school players to jump straight to the NBA after the league shut that door on prep players, 11 years after Garnett's surprising leap.

Bynum, who just turned 19, has already come into his own this season, starting the first five games and leading the Lakers to a 95-88 win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, scoring a team-high 20 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.

"He's got confidence," said Garnett, who had 26 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. "I've been there. He's got some of the moves and he's comfortable with the game and you can just see it in the young fella. I'm really happy for him. He's just got to continue to work. I just hope he doesn't get complacent and happy where he is. If he continues to work, good things are going to happen for that kid."

For now, Garnett isn't thinking or talking about his future outside of returning home and getting the Timberwolves out of their current 2-3 hole and maybe a game over .500, which would be ten games better than the team finished last season.

"We're still a work in progress," said Garnett. "I don't mind being a cheerleader and letting guys know that I'm still with them because no one's Jesus Christ in this game and Michael Jordan was probably the closest to that and even he had some tough nights. So I got to let my teammates know that I'm still with them and this is a group thing and team thing."


  Dude said we should trade Odom AND Kwame for Garnett...Hope nothing like that ever happens...PeACe