The injured Kevin Garnett has been watching tonight’s Boston/Minnesota tilt from the visitors’ locker room, and while the hosts cling to a 52-49 lead with 5:52 left in the 3rd quarter, former I Love KG editor Sonia polled a number of T-Wolves bloggers about Garnett’s return to the Target Center, Peter from Hoop Springs Eternal amongst them.
If the Wolves organization had a sense of humor, Friday night also should be Reunion Night. They could invite a sampling of all the awful draft choices and spent veterans they tried to surround KG with, and make Ticket low-five and bump those folks during introductions. Think of it–Paul Grant, William Avery, Ebi, Marcus Taylor, Rick Rickert, Loren Woods, Stanley Roberts, Stoyko, Rasho, Gary Trent, Bill Curley–the blacklist goes on and on. Even Sprewell with his well-fed family and blank life-size cardboard cut-outs of the draft choices lost in the Joe Smith debacle could be included. That would be good for a hearty cathartic laugh, and some perspective. KG actually carried some of that bunch to eight playoff appearances?!? Amazing. Instead, Friday will be simply bittersweet; happy to see him back in a hunt for championship gold, sad to see him hunt in Celtic green. Hopefully, the fans will cheer for his years of spectacular service here, and honor the relevancy he brought to the franchise.
And whaddya know, they did exactly that when Garnett was introduced before the game. Classy stuff from all parties : player, organization and fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, ignore Wizznutzz at your own risk. I spaced for a few weeks and missed out on John Calipari hiring Rod Strickland as the former’s “director of Student-Athlete Development” for currently unbeaten Memphis. “College is one of best times in life of a man,” gushed Wizznutzz, “especially when he’s 40 and sharing his dorm with BFF Chico DeBarge!!!”
Amongst the other recent gems I missed out on, the Star-Ledger’s Dave D’Alessandro dipped into his mailbag earlier this week and attempted to explain to reader David Wald the Nets’ reasons for trading Jason Collins for Stromile Swift. (“why not trade for a guard instead of another forward?”
This front office figures this team is up for so much abuse, it doesn’t want to subject these sensitive lads to more groaning than they need to hear. Collins has zero market value, Swift has a little, and you hope to catch lightning in a bottle by making this swap, perhaps changing the chemistry just a bit before the inevitable, forthcoming roster upheaval gets underway. Interesting issue, that one, because here’s what one Collins teammate said the other night: “This trade sucks. It really sucks (bleep), man. And it really sucks the way it happened. For all the guy has given this team, they shouldn’t have done it this way. I’m not saying the next guy can’t help, I’m just saying Twin was a chemistry guy. We have lousy chemistry, and he’s the only one who gives us some, so tell me how this makes sense? He’s definitely one of those guys who is going to be missed with all the changes we’re going to go through.” And then, after a long pause, there was this incredulous muttering: “And we’re trading him for a guy who was just suspended (for conduct detrimental)?”