Still KG After All These Years

Another draft gone by, full of bluster and spin, and little action. Garnett is still here; the impact of the swirling trade talk will have on team chemistry is unknown. Watching the different boards frantically and emotionally post every single rumor, along with their wild speculative trade ideas was fun for about a day. In the end, are we really any better? Like the last few years with this club, it's wait and see, which means usually not much progress has been made.

The Wolves waited until the 41st pick to address their biggest need, an inside banger. Richard is physical inside presence to be sure, but is a true project. Mostly, the club's front court--with the exceptions of Smith, Madsen and now possibly Richard--is still a soft bunch. Your true skill players--KG, Howard and Blount, would rather face the basket from 15 feet than go hard to the hole. Say what you want about the point guard position, until that dynamic gets fixed the Wolves will never again be a contending team. They might make the playoffs, but they never will truly contend.

Brewer will help defend the perimeter, and in a zone defense can permanently occupy the spot that KG occasionally did at the top of the zone. Big deal. With all the hand checking fouls going on these days, and guys like Tony Parker and Steve Nash penetrating the lane, what really helps a defense is a solid interior shot blocker with tenacity and intensity. I heard a lot of Noah dissing, but a guy like him would have helped fortify the defensive front court, and provided potential for offensive rebounding, which neither KG or Blount seem to want to do on a regular basis. If you couldn't get Oden or Horford, Noah was what the Wolves really needed, even if he ended up being a quality role player, because there's no one presently on the roster who plays that role.

As for KG staying or going, until the management changes, I don't think it matters. Listening to McHale once again last night reminds of us just how bad of a executive he is. At least on paper, who helped themselves the most last night? Probably Seattle and Portland, two competitors in our division. The Blazers got lucky in the draft, but in the space of two years they took the challenge and rebuilt the team. The Sonics traded their superstar for a pick we wanted and now have two major building blocks--Durant and Green--to sell when they leave Seattle. As for us, there's a lot bluster and rumor, but in the end, we're watching our competition pass us by, while for what seems the one millionth time reading Sid's accounting of how the game has changed since he was involved with the Lakers back in the Ying dynasty.

If the majority of the buzz created is arguing over how top 10 protected our already dealt draft picks are in the next few years, something is drastically wrong.