Re: Garnett?

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

First of all, I agree with Alex. I just don't see how trading Garnett
improves their position. They have to hope that Szczerbiak and William Avery
improve and then explore what they might be able to get for Terrell Brandon.


Now, having said that, everyone will be monitoring this closely. It's
conceivable that the Wolves, with their owner suspended and McHale
reportedly stepping down and forfeiting five draft picks (low picks, but
still...), maybe they decide the way to rebuild from this mess is to trade
Garnett for another, less expensive star player and a boatload of picks. I
don't see it, but stranger things have happened.

Now, if that did happen, I'd think some package of Pierce, Moiso and picks
would be pretty attractive. And the Celts would do it. Garnett is that good.
They'd go into next season with Walker and Garnett at the forward spots, sit
out the next draft, then try to add to the team the following year.

It's not going to happen, but this is the kind of thing that pops up now and
then to make great players available. It's good to have these assets
available when it happens. I'm guessing this is just the kind of deal Paul
M. has been dreaming of when tossing out the idea of a Pierce trade. Same
here, although no one could have imagined a scenario that would make Garnett
available. I still can't, but apparently some out there can...

Mark

P.S. Kudos to David Stern for coming down hard. The draft picks hurt, but
the best part is voiding Joe Smith's Bird rights. That means the Wolves
can't keep him for anything more than the minimum--and that means they can't
keep him. So they lose a starting forward and five draft picks. And it's all
deserved for what they did. Too bad Stern can't come down as hard on these
"wink-wink" deals.